Nobody made you get there; nobody forced you there.
You fought every ounce of you that wanted to roll over and sleep. There are many reasons you may miss an afternoon class: you have too much work, you are meeting up with friends, or maybe your kidsneed to be taken somewhere. In the morning, often the only thing stopping you is your own mental inertia. What an empowering feeling to know you fought the one thing preventing you from being there: your own mind. And isn’t that what yoga is about? Freeing ourselves from our own habits and mental preoccupations?

In the afternoon when people come onto their mat, they often need to unwind and release the day. Sometimes their time on the mat is the first chance of stillness from jumping out of bed and rushing to work to the endless demands of the day. In the morning, the path is calmer. You start from a place of within, of slumber, and unfold into the external world.

With your breath patterns you begin to move your body at a tempo in line with your own natural rhythms. As you breathe and move into the poses, you improve circulation, stimulate the mind, and in The Key Muscles of Yoga, Ray Long states “performing dynamic stretching in the morning ‘resets’ the resting muscle length for the day.” On both a physical and mental level you create an intention and cohesiveness that can last throughout the day.

When you do get there, when you do make it first thing in the morning, your resolve and strength has been tested and your will won. When you already beat your mind at the first battle of your day, how can the rest not get easier?

Long, Ray. The Key Muscles of Yoga. Volume 1. 3rd ed. Canada: Bandha Yoga Publications, 2006.

Law 1: Seek the Truth.

The highest form of repentance is self acceptance.

Law 2: Be Willing to Come Apart.
Don’t make things happen, allow them to happen.

Law 3: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone.
Drop the patterns and stories of the past & step out of your comfort zone.

Law 4: Commit to Growth.
No matter what comes up, we learn to STAY right where we are.

Law 5: Shift Your Vision.
Develop a heart of faith and take the leap of faith.

Law 6: Drop What You Know.
We don’t change by thinking; we change by being and doing with a pure intent.

Law 7: Relax With What Is.
The key is in noticing and not reacting.

Law 8: Remove the Rocks.
We don’t have to solve any of our problems. Our problems will give us up.

Law 9: Don’t Rush the Process.
Everything in life has a natural order and rhythm of unfolding.

Law 10: Be True to Yourself.
Look within to discover what you know in your heart to be right and then act on it.

Law 11: Be Still and Know.
Stop the busyness, planning, running around, accumulating and stressing about things.

Law 12: Understand That the Whole Is the Goal.
You cannot do wrong in one part of your life and expect to do right in all the others.

OM SAHA NAAVAVATU, SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU

SAHA VIRYAM KARAVAAVAHAI

TEJESVINAAVADHITAMASTU

MAA VIDVISHAAVAHAI

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

OM. May That protect us both, teacher and pupil.  May That cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures.  May our learning be brilliant.  May we never quarrel with each other.  Om, peace, peace, peace.

Brahmavidya: [Braah-ma-vid-y] Learning pertaining to Brahman or the Absolute Reality.

Brahman: [Braah-man] Absolute Reality; the Truth proclaimed in the Upanishads; the Supreme Reality that is one and indivisible, infinite and eternal; all-pervading, changeless Existence; Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute; Absolute Consciousness.

Guna: [Goo-na] Quality or attribute.  One of the three qualities of nature (Prakriti): sattva, rajas and tamas.

Prakriti: [Prak-ri-tee] Mother Nature, Primal Nature; causal matter; Shakti

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA!

Blessed Selves,

We continue our exploration of Vedanta philosophy diving deeper into the concept of the Absolute as well as introducing the yogic theory of Prakriti and her innate qualities, the three gunas.  The concepts of the Absolute and Prakriti can be challenging to grasp.  But remember from Lesson 1, much of what we learn in yoga is merely a planting of seeds.  With time, when the mind is ready, more understanding will come to fruition.  For now, do not trouble yourself if you are having a hard time grasping these concepts.  Take more focus into the latter half of this lesson for practical application towards cultivating a lifestyle that empowers you.  A review of lesson 4 (Yoga: A Universal Path) may also be helpful to refresh your memory about Vedanta philosophy. 

The Yogic Cosmology:

Yoga states that before there was creation, the entire universe was in an unmanifest state (pralaya).   There was originally only the Self or Brahman – undifferentiated, infinite and changeless energy. Like a pulsating embryo, activity is taking place inside the egg although there is nothing visible on the outside.  There are no disturbances until a vibration takes place, the shell breaks and the chick emerges (creation).

The vibration that caused the evolution of Prakriti, or the material world that we perceive, is a result of karmic tendencies lying in a causal state.  From the original vibration (Nada Brahman or OM) the universe was created.  As was mentioned in Lesson 4, Prakriti leads us to perceive duality or the self separate from other.  Mythologically, this is known as Shiva and Shakti.  Shakti (power, energy, Goddess, female power) moves out from Shiva creating the world of illusion or Maya.

This same process of evolution and involution occurs in the individual.  Kundalini Shakti (the Serpent Power, or the primordial cosmic energy located in the individual) descends from the highest chakra, sahasrara, or the thousand petaled lotus, to the lowest chakra, muladhara, or root chakra and rests there.  When kundalini rests in the lower chakras, the individual enjoys sensual pleasures.  As Shakti begins to make her way back to her source, Shiva residing at the crown center, the individual begins to experience great joy as layer after layer of the mind in pealed away.  When she finally returns to her source, the individual experiences the eternal bliss of supreme consciousness.

The purpose of yoga is to find out who we really are.  When Shakti moves away from Shiva the individual experiences Maya, the illusion or appearance of the phenomenal world.  Maya manifests herself in the individual as avidya or ignorance.  Maya is responsible for our forgetting of who we are.  Our ignorance leads us to believe that we are limited beings rather than the immortal Self.

When Absolute consciousness or Brahman manifests itself, what is manifested becomes an embodiment of Absolute consciousness.  For instance, our bodies are a manifestation of Absolute consciousness; we embody Absolute consciousness.  Absolute consciousness both embodies creation as well as governs creation.

Maya is the power in Absolute consciousness that is behind the manifestation of the material world.  Maya is the energy that projects all reality while simultaneously veiling it.  It is the veiling power of Maya that creates a problem for us.

Maya consists of the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas.  The three gunas are the main qualities of Maya that all the forms of creation manifest through.  The material world expresses itself in a vast multiplicity of names, forms and substances.   Dr. David Frawley explains, ‘She (Prakriti/Maya) is like the tail of a peacock, which when withdrawn disappears into uniformity but when unfolded reveals all the colors of the rainbow.’

The Three Gunas

Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the qualities born of Nature bind the immortal soul in the body.

~Bhagavad Gita XIV.5

Rajas is the positive or stimulating force that initiates change by disrupting the old equilibrium.  Tamas is the negative force that maintains the previous activity.  Sattva is the neutral force that oversees, observes and harmonizes the positive and negative forces.

In the pralaya or the unmanifest universe, the three gunas are in a state of equilibrium.  Tamas and rajas are absorbed into sattva.  When Prakriti manifests herself, these three qualities begin to differentiate.  The mind is created through sattva, the life-force is produced by rajas and form and substance through which the body comes into being is a result of tamas.

The three qualities are always found together and they are always in a state of dynamic interaction.  This is “the law of alteration.”  We rarely observe pure sattva, pure rajas or pure tamas. However, when one the qualities become dominant, it will hold its nature for a period of time.  This is knows as “the law of continuity.”

We can see these laws illustrated in the course of a day.  The daytime belongs to sattva, the transitional times of sunrise and sunset belongs to rajas and the nighttime belongs to tamas.  The phases of time are always alternating.  However, once a particular phase in the day has been established, it will continue for a period of time.

All three qualities are necessary for normal activity but they have spiritual consequences as well.

Sattva is the higher spiritual force that supports us to evolve in consciousness.  Sattva has the qualities of light, life and love.  The virtues of this quality are honesty, faith, self-control, modesty, truthfulness, purity and contentment.

Rajas is the vital force that lacks consistency or stability.  It has the quality of passion and agitation.  Rajas results in emotional fluctuations of love and hate, attraction and repulsion, fear and desire.

Tamas is the material or lower force that drags us down into states of ignorance and attachment.  It has the qualities of darkness, non-feeling and death.  It gives rise to dullness, inertia, emotional clinging and stagnation.

Yoga teaches us to develop sattva in our lives since it is the quality that allows for spiritual growth.  However, what may have begun as sattvic on one level can become rajasic or tamasic once we evolve to the next level and, therefore, must then be discarded.

Developing sattva begins as a process of purifying the body and mind through lifestyle choices such as proper diet, physical purification (asana, pranayama, kriyas), devotion, mantra, control of the senses, control of the mind, clean environment and choosing like-minded people that support our spiritual evolution.

One of the first steps on the spiritual path is to become aware of whether the choices that you are making in your life are supporting your growth or dismantling it.  I will continue with practical ways to develop sattva in the next lesson as well as offering a chart that will help you to become more clear and honest with yourself about your mental constitution.  OM!

Questions:

What is Maya?

Why do we forget ‘who we are?’  Explain.

What are the three gunas and what spiritual implications do they have?

Describe the qualities of the three gunas.

What are some ways that we can develop sattva?

Suggested Reading:

CIBY: Chapters 10 and 11

Yoga and Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self-Realization

~Dr. David Frawley

ASATO MA SAT GAMAYA

TAMASO MA JYOTIR GAMAYA

MRITYOR-MA AMRITAM GAMAYA

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead me from the unreal to the Real

From darkness to light

From mortality to Immortality

OM, peace, peace, peace

OM SAHA NAAVAVATU, SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU
SAHA VIRYAM KARAVAAVAHAI
TEJESVINAAVADHITAMASTU
MAA VIDVISHAAVAHAI
OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

OM. May That protect us both, teacher and pupil. May That cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures. May our learning be brilliant. May we never quarrel with each other. Om, peace, peace, peace.
OM NAMAH SIVAYA!

Blessed Selves,

I remember being fascinated in my Eastern Religion classes when I was in college. A few years later, I had my first experience of ashram (hermitage or monastery) life during my teacher training course. I was blown away! I thought the path to enlightenment was something that was practiced thousands of years ago on the other side of the world. I had no idea people were consciously living a devoted lifestyle for this purpose in contemporary society. I also did not realize this was the aim of yoga.For many of us, enlightenment (in yoga there are many different terms for enlightenment, Self-Realization is one of them) may not be on the top of our ‘to do’ list. However, enlightenment is possible. Even if Self-Realization is not your objective, it is important to remember it is yoga’s objective.

Consciously or unconsciously, we practice yoga in hopes of creating a more peaceful life for ourselves. Each time we practice, read, question or reflect; we are removing another layer of the veil that hides the truth within. As we move closer to this truth we experience more peace in our lives. Self-Realized beings describe the highest stage of yoga as eternal peace. They say that suffering ceases when the illusion of separation disappears. Each step on the path brings us closer to this state of eternal peace.

Yoga provides us with a skill set that allows us to move through life with more awareness. As we become more aware of ourselves, our purpose and the way that our actions affect the world and the people around us, we begin to make choices that both support our evolution as well as inevitably helping others with theirs. Our choices begin to reflect the peace that we are experiencing within.

The Nature of Impermanence:
There is a continual flux between birth (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), and death (Shiva) happening all around us everyday. The yogis claim that one of humanities greatest downfalls is our lack of wisdom to live in harmony with this flux. We may all know on a grander level that the people and things we love will eventually cease to exist, however, we like to fool ourselves that this change will occur some time in the future. When change inevitably does come and we lose something we value, we suffer deeply due to our attachment to that object or experience.

Because most of us are seeking happiness, we run towards the things that bring us pleasure and avoid the things that bring us pain. We ping pong back and forth between the highs and lows letting ourselves be taken on an emotional roller coaster as we experience gain and loss in our lives. Due to the nature of impermanence, no object nor experience is going to bring us the complete satisfaction that we are seeking.

There is a vedantic (Vedanta- the philosophy of Oneness) story about 10 people on a pilgrimage. On their journey, they approached a flooded river. They had to swim across the river because there was no boat. Once the pilgrims had crossed the river, the leader of the group made sure that everyone had crossed, but he only counted nine people.

Saddened by their loss, he asked the others to count as well, but each time, the number was nine. Another pilgrim was passing by and asked why everyone was so upset. When he heard what had happened, he realized that each of the pilgrims was forgetting to include themselves in the count and thus only counting nine people.

The vedantic moral of the story is that, like the unwise pilgrims, we search everywhere outside of ourselves for happiness because we feel that something is missing. Vedanta and yoga assert that what is missing is knowledge of the Self and this knowledge exists within.

Duality:
Vedanta philosophy states that we experience life self-consciously. We perceive ourselves being separate from the people and the things around us. This is the experience of duality, the experience of self and other. We perceive duality because we are bound to our mind and body, the limiting adjuncts (upadhis). The bondage of the upadhis keeps us in a state of ignorance (avidya). Our ignorance makes us forget that we are the Self (Atman). In other words, our self-conscious identity prevents us from remembering our Universal consciousness, which is the highest state of awareness where we indentify with our true Self.

The advaita (non-dualism) philosophers claim the experience of duality is illusion (maya). Shankacharya the great non-dualist thinker of the 9th century stated that, “Only that is real that does not change nor cease of exist.” Therefore, non-dualist philosophy claims that the changing universe is unreal.

Vedanta is a part of classical Indian philosophy. This philosophy is incorporated into the yoga system as well as being an independent system of thought.

Form (Saguna) And Formlessness (Nirguna):
Yoga is a universal path. Yoga is not a religion nor is it a philosophy, but it is a spiritual path. Because yoga’s purpose is to help humanity realize eternal peace, it has many modalities for practice. Yoga incorporates several of the classical Indian philosophies for the purpose of being accessible to all temperaments.

Yoga states that whatever brings us closer to our essential nature should be used as an aid. Because many of us perceive duality, using uplifting objects to meditate or concentrate on can be useful. For instance, if you are Christian, perhaps the image of Jesus or Mary is a focal point. If you are Buddhist, maybe it will be an image of the Buddha. If you are not religious, then perhaps it will be a symbol such as a lotus flower or the Om symbol.

In yoga, we often use the Hindu deities as an object of our devotion (saguna – with form). Although the devotion is a dualist experience, the yogi knows that the deity is still a limited concept that eventually needs to be transcended. The deity is a name and form that represents a particular energy. For example, Vishnu represents preservation and harmony. Therefore, the peacekeepers of the world may be attracted to this deity. This practice of meditating on and devoting yourself to a deity is a Bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) practice. This practice is attractive for those of us that are of a devotional nature.

Advaita and Vedanta do not share this process of dualist devotion. These philosophies are a process of negating what ‘is not’ to discover what ‘is’. For those individuals that are attracted to vedantic philosophy, meditating or concentrating on an abstract mantra or a mantra without form (nirguna – without form) would be inviting for these individuals. For instance, the mantra ‘Soham’ is the vedantic assertion, ‘I am that I am’. The universal mantra ‘Om’ is also without form and has no literal translation. Om is the sacred monosyllable that represents the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and deep sleep as well as representing the physical, mental and astral planes of existence. For many of us, the concepts of the non-dualist philosophies are too abstract. These types of mantras require a very strong mind to be able to concentrate on the formless.

Yoga’s purpose is to bring us to a state of eternal peace. There is no converting, dogma or preaching. It is a path of intentional living and it is available to all whether you are religious, atheist or agnostic.

Questions:
In your opinion, why is it important that we should remember that yoga’s aim is Self-Realization?

Why won’t the objects and experiences in the world bring us lasting happiness? Explain.

What are the upadhis and why do they keep us in a state of ignorance?

Practice:
Contemplate what temperament you; are you attracted to the idea of meditating of a form or are you drawn to the formless?

Suggested Reading:
Vedanta: Voice of Freedom ~ Swami Vivekananda
Chapter 11 in the CIBY

ASATO MA SAT GAMAYA
TAMASO MA JYOTIR GAMAYA
MRITYOR-MA AMRITAM GAMAYA
OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead me from the unreal to the Real
From darkness to light
From mortality to Immortality
OM, peace, peace, peace

OM SAHA NAAVAVATU, SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU

SAHA VIRYAM KARAVAAVAHAI

TEJESVINAAVADHITAMASTU

MAA VIDVISHAAVAHAI

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

OM. May That protect us both, teacher and pupil.  May That cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures.  May our learning be brilliant.  May we never quarrel with each other.  Om, peace, peace, peace.

OM NAMAH SIVAYA!

Blessed Selves,

The First Guru:

Shiva is considered to be the first guru of yoga.  He is the Lord of the Yogis and the Lord of Auspiciousness.  He is often depicted sitting in a meditation posture, holding a trident with snakes around his neck.  The snakes represent the fact that Shiva welcomes all as his devotees, even those whom are considered the outcasts and misfits of society. He is the destructive force in nature that clears out one’s lower nature leaving room for positivity and growth to flourish.

It is said that the system of yoga was revealed to Shiva as he sat in meditation for thousands of years.  Once he awoke from his meditation, he shared the wonders of his realization with his wife Parvati.  As Shiva was relaying all he knew to his beloved, the fish Matsya was swimming by and paused to listen to Shiva’s dialogue.  As Matsya listened, he embodied the teachings and became enlightened at the end of Shiva’s dissertation.

There are many realms to the yoga system.  The predominant path that has filtered to the west is the practice of Hatha yoga.  Hatha yoga is the practice of asana (yoga postures), pranayama (the knowledge and expansion of one’s prana through the practice of breath control), meditation, kriyas (internal and external purification of the body), mudras (gesture) and bandhas (energy locks).  Among these practices, asana is by far the dominant practice in the Western world.

I have read positive reviews of classes or studios being applauded for not being ‘too’ Indian.  We are in America and there is no need for us to adopt Indian dress or décor.  Nor do we need to become a Hindu or a Buddhist to appreciate the wisdom of the yogic teachings.  But to deny the relevance of India and Indian culture in yoga practice is to deny the apples in the apple pie; there is no filling.

The Sanskrit names of the yoga postures are layered with myths and metaphors.  Without the richness of the stories of the gods, goddesses, sages, animals and nature, our yogasana practice becomes calisthenics or stretching.

Each time we hold a posture, we begin to tap into the essence that the posture represents.  For example, Hanuman is the monkey god, devotee to Lord Rama.  Hanuman illustrates humility and devotion.  From constant repetition of Rama’s name (mantra repetition), Hanuman merged with the object of his devotion.

When we begin to practice Hanumanasana, which looks like a western gymnastics split, many of us immediately come face to face with humility.  If our hips, hamstrings and lower back are tight, this posture can be quite challenging.  In the spirit of Hanuman, if we devote ourselves to our practice, the challenging edge we face begins to soften.  We may never make full contact with the floor and we may always need a bolster or a blanket for assistance, but with practice, the outer layers of the asana are peeled away and we begin to merge with the deeper essence of the posture.  The initial humility of the posture, the ego being bruised, transforms into pure humility that enables us to bow down to the infinite potential that is hidden within each and every one of us.

The ancient seers or rishis passed down the knowledge of this hidden potential and the ways to access it in the form of the Vedas (sacred knowledge).  There are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.  These are the most ancient of Vedic scriptures.  These scriptures require a high level of consciousness to understand.  The rishis understood that the less evolved individuals could not understand the scriptures so they began to pass the knowledge of the Vedas down in the form of myths and legends that are known as the Puranas.

We teach our children values and morals through stories in hopes of inspiring them to behave in meaningful ways. The Puranas serve the same purpose for us.  For the analytical mind that is constrained by the senses, intellect and modern science and history, Puranic literature may be difficult to understand.  But if one can expand their intellect, they will begin to see that these stories are revealing deep insight into human nature.

Modern history is linear and does not know where the time line begins or when it will end.  In her book “Sri Shiva Lila,” Vanamali says, “The modern concept of history may have something meaningful to say about the recent past of the Homo sapiens but it can throw no light on our distant past, our future and our significance in cosmic history.  The Puranas on the other hand give the right interpretation of the human being as being made of consciousness, evolving towards higher levels of perfection and having an existence along with other intelligent and conscious beings.  It raises the history of man, from a meaningless episode in the infinity of Time to a meaningful progress from man to God!”

Any success in yoga requires an adjustment in our lifestyle.  We are constantly being bombarded with external stimuli that affect our thoughts and emotions. All of the stimuli that we are exposed to both passively (billboard advertisements, noise pollution etc) and actively (television, music, Internet, book, magazines, movies etc.) is lodged into our subconscious mind and much of what we are feeding ourselves is not healthy.

To counter some of these damaging stimuli, it is important to fill yourself with positive, uplifting and empowering stimuli.  The Puranic literature is an outlet for us to fill ourselves with powerful knowledge in a pleasurable way.  These myths and legends expand the mind, uplift and open the heart and inspire conscious living.

Practice:

Before you go to bed, read something uplifting or inspiring, even if it is only one sentence. With this practice you are ensuring that the last impression that the subconscious mind receives before sleeping is a positive one.

Suggested Reading:

Light On Yoga ~ B.K.S Iyengar:  Open to any page and read about the translation and story behind the posture.

Myths of the Asanas ~ Alanna Kaivalya and Arjuna van der Kooij

The Bhagavad Gita ~ there are many translations available.

(The Living Gita ~ Sri Swami Satchidananda is a nice one).

Sri Shiva Lila ~ Vanamali

ASATO MA SAT GAMAYA

TAMASO MA JYOTIR GAMAYA

MRITYOR-MA AMRITAM GAMAYA

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead me from the unreal to the Real

From darkness to light

From mortality to Immortality

OM, peace, peace, peace

OM NAMAH SIVAYA!

OM SAHA NAAVAVATU, SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU

SAHA VIRYAM KARAVAAVAHAI

TEJESVINAAVADHITAMASTU

MAA VIDVISHAAVAHAI

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

OM. May That protect us both, teacher and pupil.  May That cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures.  May our learning be brilliant.  May we never quarrel with each other.  Om, peace, peace, peace.

Blessed Selves,

For many of us, we have spent the majority of our lives identifying ourselves with and defining ourselves from the material world that surrounds us. Great masters who have transcended the material world have taught us that the tools we use to collect information, namely, the mind, intellect, and senses are limited. Therefore, these tools cannot answer the deeper transcendental questions in life such as: What is the purpose of life?  Where am I going?  What happens to me after death?

During deep states of meditation, the ancient yogis discovered the answers to these questions.  They realized this human birth is a high blessing because through the vehicle of the body we can realize our essential nature. Life is not a continual cycle of bouncing back and forth between pain and pleasure. Life is an opportunity.

The sages and seers who have realized the Self have compassionately passed this knowledge down to us and devised the science of yoga.  These sages realized that beyond the process of birth, growth, change, decay and death, beyond the pain and sufferings of life, there is eternal peace.  The yogis refer to this state as Satchidananada: Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss Absolute.

Swami Satyananda explains in his book, “Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha,” that yoga arose at the beginning of human civilization when man realized his ‘spiritual potential’ and began to cultivate techniques to develop this potential.  He continues to say that during ancient times, yoga was kept secret from the general population.  Knowledge was passed down from teacher (guru) to the sincere student or aspirant (sadhaka) orally.  Knowledge was revealed to the sadhaka only when the guru felt the disciple was ready to receive it.

Today there are many resources about yoga available to the practitioner.  In this vast ocean of information, it can be overwhelming and confusing to know where to turn when you are looking for guidance.  However, in our search for growth and evolution, we fall into the trap of looking externally for someone else to tell us what to do. Looking outside of ourselves for knowledge will never amount to what we can learn by looking within.

As students of yoga, we all need a teacher.  We need help to lay the foundation for our practice.  But once that foundation is in place, it is up to us to do the work.  Dedication is essential for any progress on the yogic path.  For many of us, we find that our heart may want to do the work, but the mind can be rather resistant.  The mind has had a life long opportunity of exerting itself sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.  When the sadhaka begins the journey of reigning in the mind, the mind begins to come up with many, many reasons for why meditating and taking care of the body is pointless.

Each of us is here on our journey at a different starting point.  For some beings, very little work is needed to reach the highest stage of yoga.  These are rare individuals and they are considered to be “gunpowder students.”  It takes a very short period of work (or a spark to ignite the gunpowder) until these individuals realize Oneness.  (Sattvic Student A)

There are some individuals who are highly evolved and are able to distinguish the Real from the Unreal because they possess discrimination or viveka.  These individuals understand the impermanence of relationships, objects and situations.  With this understanding, it is easier to avoid being tangled in attachment to people, things and situations.  The evolved person becomes dispassionate (vairagya) towards the things that most of us spend our lives chasing after.  This student understands the importance of dedication and discipline.  This student finds a teacher to help her advance in and bring more clarity to the teachings, but she does not follow blindly.  She exerts and asks questions.  The teacher may not be able to satisfy the student’s intellect fully, but as she evolves, the full meaning of the teachings will be understood through her direct experience.  This ‘dry wood’ student knows that her growth is in her own hands.  For this student, the wood catches fire easily.  (Sattvic Student B)

A ‘wet wood’ student is the student that likes the word ‘my’.  ‘My teacher,’ ‘my religion,’ ‘my God.’ This student likes to preach more than she likes to practice.  This student is unable to see the Oneness that underlies all of the world’s religions and spiritual paths. One point that yoga is very clear about, the paths are many, but the truth is One.  Each of us has a different temperament and will thus be inspired in different ways.  This is why there are so many different methods to Self-Realization in the yoga system.  The wet wood student cannot see past the form of the teacher and is emotionally attached.  If the teacher’s attitude changes toward the student, the student will be offended and perhaps abandon that path all together.  For this student, the wood takes awhile to catch fire.  The fire often goes out or smolders.  (Rajasic Student)

The ‘green wood’ student is the student that argues with the teacher just for the sake of arguing.  This student is not interested in discipline and there is no discrimination.  This is the student that comes to class with expectations and assumptions.  When the teacher does not meet the expectations, the student refuses to follow the class.  When a student comes to class already filled with preconceived notions, there is no teaching that will ever get through.  For the green wood student, there is no fire.  (Tamasic Student)

There are different types of teachers just as there are different types of students.  There are the highest of teachers, the masters, and they are shining examples of the teachings.  These teachers are devoid of hypocrisy and are unaffected by praise or criticism.  Examples of such teachers would be Buddha, Jesus, Ramakrishna, Swami Sivananda, Dalai Lama, Ghandhiji.   (Sattvic Teacher A)

The second type of teacher has experienced the silence within and has studied the scriptures.  This teacher’s inner experience and attitude corresponds to the message of the scriptures.  This teacher evolves with her students.  (Sattvic Teacher B)

The third type of teacher has followers that can often be fanatical.  This teacher is theatrical and will try to control her followers by emotionally manipulating them.  This teacher does not practice what they preach.  (Rajasic Teacher)

The fourth teacher is the teacher that does everything to serve her own purpose.  This teacher is seeking sensual pleasure.  (Tamasic Teacher)

Questions:

To progress on the yogic path, what is needed?  Please explain.

What type of student would you consider yourself?

Practice:

Begin to set 10 minutes aside a day for practice.  This can be in the form of mediation, asana, pranayama, spiritual reading or reflective writing.  I recommend, setting these 10 minutes aside at the same time every day.  I realize for many of us, this may be challenging.  But regularity of time and place will help you to find momentum.  The mind (like a child) likes to know what is coming next.  In this way, you are beginning to set a new groove (vritti) in the mind.  What begins as discipline transforms into the way we live our lives with intention.

ASATO MA SAT GAMAYA

TAMASO MA JYOTIR GAMAYA

MRITYOR-MA AMRITAM GAMAYA

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead me from the unreal to the Real

From darkness to light

From mortality to Immortality

OM, peace, peace, peace

OM NAMAH SIVAYA!

Before each lesson is the opening and closing mantras. I recommend you learn them by heart and repeat them with awareness and intention before you begin and when you finish reading the lesson. Perhaps this seems tedious, but it helps us to remove the ego and makes the mind more receptive to the teachings. Remember, yoga teaches us to never accept blindly. Exert and discover for yourself.

OM SAHA NAAVAVATU, SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU

SAHA VIRYAM KARAVAAVAHAI

TEJESVINAAVADHITAMASTU

MAA VIDVISHAAVAHAI

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

OM. May That protect us both, teacher and pupil. May That cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation. May we both exert to find out the true meaning of the scriptures. May our learning be brilliant. May we never quarrel with each other. Om, peace,peace, peace.

Blessed Selves,

Each of us begins practicing yoga for our own reason, whether it is to restore our health, reduce our stress or keep our body fit and flexible. Whatever the case may be, yoga often delivers more than we originally anticipated. For most of us, we begin the practice of yoga through the physical body. Even after a short period of practicing yogasanas, something about the practice intrigues us and we find ourselves coming back for more.

Although yoga will help us to restore our health, reduce our stress and make our bodies more fit, these are only the side-effects of the practice. The aim of yoga is to return the student to Truth. Yoga means union or Oneness. The yogi is joining the individual consciousness with Supreme or Universal Consciousness. It is the joining of Self with other, subject with object, Siva with Shakti, purusha (pure consciousness) with prakriti (Mother Nature or causal matter).

Even if we bring it down to a more practical level, the science of yoga balances the body, emotions and mind thus improving the quality of the practitioners’ life. Physiologically, yoga harmonizes the various organs and systems of the human body. The body becomes more efficient and pleasant to live in as the various systems of the body begin to work together as a whole.

For the sincere student, yoga makes the practitioner a kinder and more gentle being as the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) begins to understand his interconnectedness with the beings and the world around him. This was the ‘something’ that initially intrigued us, but it is subtle and we are not necessarily conscious that anything is happening to us. We just know that we are feeling better, more alive, and inspired. Yoga takes the unknowing fragmented being and subtly begins to make the being whole, harmonized, balanced, One.

Generally speaking, humans are rarely satisfied. We may have moments of contentment, but usually, we are looking for something more to fill us. Perhaps we are hoping for a different job, a new partner, more money, food, alcohol, more yoga etc. Once we attain what we desired, it opens the door for countless more desires. We want more of what we attained, maybe in a different color or maybe the object of our desire didn’t meet our expectations. Our mind is always changing, fluctuating guided by the insatiable cravings of the senses.

Yoga says that beyond this continually changing mind and intellect, there is an unchanging formless Spirit that is unaffected by time, space, cause, name, form and is veiled (maya) in the individual (jiva) according to his/her stage of evolution. Yoga claims that our insatiable appetite for external objects is simply our longing for something that we innately feel is missing. The yogis claim we are all longing for union, Oneness.

Yoga is an exact science, but the goal is spiritual. Each path, each method leads to the same goal: Oneness. Swami Vishnu-devananda explains in his book, “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga,” that for every one idea that the student comprehends, there will be a hundred that will surface consciously only when the students’ mind is ready to both understand and accept the idea. As a student of yoga, this is very exciting! There is never a dull moment on the path. Every moment is an opportunity for growth and understanding.

Each moment we have the choice to create unity or division with our thoughts, words and actions, therefore, every moment is an opportunity to practice. Yoga is not something that we go to, it is something that we live.

If you are planning to answer the questions from lesson to lesson, I recommend getting a journal or notebook for the task. Your journal is providing you with a service, it is helping you to discover unknown potential hidden within you. It should be treated with deep respect as it is deeply serving you. Handle your journal mindfully. In this way, you will begin to understand how everything that surrounds you has its purpose and you have your purpose in regards to the things around you. This practice creates humility, develops the heart and the awareness that even though the objects around us appear to be lifeless and insentient, they do in fact have life or consciousness and should be treated with value and respect.

This is same practice that is applied to why we take our shoes off before we walk on to the practice floor, or our yoga mat. The practice floor or our yoga mat is sacred. We are literally transforming ourselves into our Higher Self on that space. Taking our shoes off is symbolizing taking off the lower self, the ego, the outside world.

The same principle is applied to the yoga props. They are supporting, grounding and expanding you throughout class. When it comes time to put your props back, you don’t ‘get anything’ out of taking a little extra time to fold your blanket neatly, especially when there are a pile of messy blankets. But when you begin to look at the service objects you use provide you and understand the purpose that you serve the object, you begin to care for the things around you even if that brings you no benefit. It is selflessness and that is yoga.)

Questions:

Why did you begin to practice yoga and why do you practice yoga now?

What is the aim of yoga?

Practice:

Do one selfless act this week and write about the experience in your journal.

Suggested Further Reading:

pages 1-11 of the CIBY

pages 1-6 APMB

There will be many books that will be suggested throughout the year. Building a yoga library takes time but these first few recommendations will be the books that I will be referring to over and over again. They are delightful!

“The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga” (CIBY)

~Swami Vishnu-devananda

“Asana, Paranayama, Mudra, Bandha” (APMB)

~Swami Satyananda

“Light On Yoga” (LOY)

~B.K.S. Iyengar

ASATO MA SAT GAMAYA

TAMASO MA JYOTIR GAMAYA

MRITYOR-MA AMRITAM GAMAYA

OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead me from the unreal to the Real

From darkness to light

From mortality to Immortality

OM, peace, peace, peace

In the month of January, Meghan will introduce the concept of Yoga, its philosophy and aim. There will be a few questions at the end of each blog that allow the student to reflect and apply critical thinking. Yoga teaches us to never accept the teachings blindly. We learn from our teachers’ direct experience, but it is essential we then apply that knowledge to our own practice and come to our own conclusions. Meghan will offer different insights, both practical and theoretical, for expanding the practice beyond the mat as well as suggested further reading.

The month’s work will come to its conclusion on the last Tuesday of the month in the 2 hour Advanced Hatha Yoga Class from 7:30-9:30.

The following changes are effective starting January 2012.

• Mon / Wed at 6:15am are now Hatha Flow with Kimi
• Community Classes are cancelled (last class is Dec 22nd)
• Mon / Fri at 10am now taught by Scott
• Tue/Thu at 10am now taught by Shannon
• Tue/Thur at 3:30pm now taught by Ben
• Fri 3:30pm Stretch & Restorative now taught by Alice
• Mon / Wed at 7:30pm now taught by Amy
• Tue / Thur at 7:30 pm now taught by Emily Light
• Sun at 9am now taught by Amy
• Sun at 1pm is now Yin and taught by Leigh

(Prenatal Yoga is changing to a periodic 4 week series)

• Sun at 2:30pm now taught by Kimi
• Sun at 4:30 is renamed Yoga Foundations