A great structure and path: The Yoga Sutras

Continuing from my post on what is yoga and mind liberation...this is the "now what"


Light on the Yoga Sutra by BKS Iyengar breaks down the sutras, in a great way but I don't think its so "light". I mean its a complex thing (understanding ourselves from start to the purpose of life) right, so I reckon its broke down as easy as anyone could...


Yoga Sutras by Patanajali is one path, 500 BC, which is 196 aphorisms or short statements that flows together - covering all aspects of life; from the code of conduct to the transcendence of man's physical self.


Like anything with life, there are lots of options and paths for each of us to choose from. Things resonate with each of us differently, so its about finding our own path; what makes sense to you, what makes you happy?


So where do we start with this whole find peace, mind, liberation thing?
We do this first by understanding the functions of the mind - what are we dealing with, why are we the way we are and then what can we do about it....

 Imprints (samskaras) and desires (vasanas): shapes moods, behaviors, making or marrying the individuals intellectual, cultural, and spiritual evolution. Gathered through 5 ways:

1 and 2 - Direct Perception: right and wrong knowledge gained through experiences

3- Imagination: fantasy

4- Sleep - state of inactivity

5- Memory - retaining and reviving impressions and experiences of 1-4 

 

Kind of the glasses or your filter of life - how you take in and look out to life, and these things make impressions that stick with you...."these are the field in which the mind operates, and through which experience is gathered and stored." 

The "wheel" of emotions and actions that keeps us tied for our imprints: desire, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and malice. Since it is a world of opposites you can learn to recognize these things within you and counter them (balance, poise, peace, etc). Fix that flat.

 

 

 

"The soul is pure, but through misalignment of consciousness, it gets caught up in the spokes of joys and sorrows and becomes part of the suffering. Like a spider ensnared in its own web."

Obstacles: disease, indolence of body or mind, doubt, carelessness, indulgence in desire, laziness, delusion, missing the the point, no concentration. Other emotional aggravation like sorrow, anxiety, frustration, unsteadiness, irregular breathing.

Defusing the mind: friendliness, goodwill, compassion, joy, single minded efforts, non attachment or pleasure/pain, virtues/vice, indifference, breathing exercises.

There are 5 fundamental mind afflictions/pain (Klesas): self-inflicted, hereditary or caused through body imbalances.

1. Ignorance (root of all others): lack of wisdom, confusing impure for pure, pain and pleasure, etc. 

2. Ego: falsely identity yourself with ego

3. Attachment: between man and matter (inherited or acquired)

4. Aversion: avoiding

5. Fear: of all things but mostly clinging to life
         
*first 2 are intellectual defeats, next 2 are emotional, and last instinctual

These affliction create perception, instincts and hidden impressions.


Prime cause of Ignorance (avidya) is the failure to understand the conjunction between the seer and the seen: purusa (spirit) and prakrti (matter).

Cosmology of Nature - understand the matter and how we interact with it.
Qualities of nature or fundamental operating principles are always in perfect equilibrium - in indian culture and within the Sutra these are defined as the Gunas. sattva (luminosity, balance, peaceful/pure/white, preservation), rajas (dim, vibrancy, movement, creation) and tamas (dull, lethargic, obscurity, darkness, destruction).

Guna is the tendency not the action itself - rajas guṇa is that force which tends to create action but is not action itself.
Everything has each quality - creation, behavior, objects, etc.

Examples:
- The wall is mostly tamastic, but can shift which is the rajasic quality and a small bit of sattva or the qualities within to preserve and stick together.
 - You can change - be more lazy or tamasic, or peaceful in a park reading (more sattva).
- Different times of the days impact peoples gunas. Inside the body - functions are all guna: digestion or fire is more rajastic.

The Guna tie into the principles of Ayurvedic Medicine which is an ancient medicine still practiced today (4000 years ago first known).  This is a natural plant based approach to healing, diagnoise is done using and understanding the 5 elements and 5 senses.

24 principles of nature with the 25th as the soul

3 Gunas

5 elements: Earth, Water, fire, air and ether.

5 sense of perception, ear, eyes, nose, tongue and skin

5 organs of action arms legs, mouth, generative and excretory organs

mind as the 11th sense

6 (more confusing) inherit quality understand in mind not by senses - smell in earth, taste in water, sight or shape in fire, of touch in air, and sound in ether and the I or ego.

Interaction of the principles shape our destiny according to our actions. "God has provided the principles of nature - so that the seer can commune with them and make the fullest use of them of his intellectual and spiritual growth." Nature is here to serve, but becomes an obstacle when used for sensual pleasure.

Karma is a biatch this we know!!
All action/inaction cause current and future Karmas. How easy or hard we make this life and future life's for ourselves. This can be a separate post sometime.


OK so now we understand the mind structure and how we fit into the physical world. now what?? what do we do now, this yoga path?!

The twin pillars of yoga which are practice (abhyasa) and detachment (vairagya).

Practice - disciplined conduct, dedicated, constant, vigilant search into a chosen subject

Renunciation/Detachment - dispassion, an art of learning to be free from craving by training the mind to be unmotivated by desire and passion (actively turning down things that disturb from practice of yoga).

The fluctuating mind lures the seer (a person) outwards towards pastures of pleasure and valleys of pain, where enticement inevitable gives rise to attachment.  When mind start to drag the seer, as it by a rope, from the seat of "being" toward the gratification of appetite, only renunciation can intervene and save the seer by cutting the rope.

They are like the wings of a bird or the legs of man moving forward on the yogic path.

Temptations neither daunt or haunt - without practice the search for liberation is clogged in the wheels of time. 

And finally the 8 Fold Path (asthanga): another post dedicated to this to come otherwise this post will be be out of control in length!

 *not necessary steps in order, like a body with important systems and structures to all be working at once

Yama: Restraint
Niyama: Practice or observance
Asana: Posture (physical body control)
Pranayama: Breath (control of energy through restraint of breath)
Pratyahara: Sense (withdrawal of the sense)
Dharana: Concentration
Dhyana: Meditation
Samadhi: Enlightenment (total absorption)


"The nature and her beauties are here for there enjoyment and pleasure (bhoga) and also for freedom and emancipation (yoga)."

Life is like a big jigsaw puzzle - there's no instruction how to make the piece fit, or even what picture is going to end up being. Imagine putting together a puzzle without that picture on the box to work from. Well thats life right!

Your imprint and desire are the glasses used to put the puzzle together - see

Your afflictions are how to put it together - with brains, emotions, intrinsically - do
Your karma effects the pieces - some come pre-cut, pre-colored, easy hard - get


 Yoga's like pealing an onion: understanding and shedding sheaths or layers:

- anatomical

- skeletal or structural

- physiological

- Mental or emotional

- intellectual

- Pure or blissful self

My stick person to try to help my understanding of this complex foundation. This little person (you) is watering the flower (below) of the yoga path or is the dirt from which is grows....







THIS PICTURE IS BRILLIANT!! Great picture encapsulating this post.

Under the dirt is many ways to explain yoga:

"If dharma (duty) is the seed of yoga, kaivalya (emancipation) is its fruit."

Something too easy, yup too good to be true

Any time something seems simple or easy - we cant help but think, ok whats the catch? At my dentist appt I got offered a free whitening kit - I'm still waiting for the bill. I asked the dentist 5 times whats the deal with this. Nothings free. Its bad, but the skepticism comes from a long time of experience.

What's too good to be true is...usually.

 Thats just the way life is set up to run - if it was easy what would we learn. You only truly appreciate the good, if you experience the bad. Its like if you dont see sunshine a lot, when you do it transform you, and the whole city (believe me a sunny day in Seattle is like nothing else). Or when you work really hard, and actually get time off you fully appreciate every minute of a holiday.  Vs being jobless (like I am now), time off get a bit like groundhogs day, not so cool.

You get what I mean.

In Yoga, as usually the same applies. Below is 2 examples of postures that look simple and easy - but there is so many things to think about, do and many benefits to be had.

Seated posture:

Vajrasana is an Indian translation for Thunderbolt pose (Lord Indra's weapon - rain and war god, most powerful. brings creation with rain). Vajrasana is an important meditation posture so as to give the body an upright and straight posture, so during meditation there is no extra effort needed.

Start by bending the left leg under the sit bone, with the top of the foot on the floor. Then right under. Sitting down, heels in a V and on side of hips, while the bum comes down between feet with soles resting on buttocks. Palms on each knee. Head, spine and neck in one line, dristi/gaze in straight in plane of height. Full weight on the spine, legs relaxed but the burden of the body is felt in the knees and ankles.

Considerations:
Might feel tightness, numbness in ankle, stretch legs out, shake vigorously, then resume.

If have stiff joints, and movement limitations, knee issues to be careful.

Try a blanket under bum to make easier.

Benefits:

• Strengths spine
• Alters blood circulation the flow of blood and nervous impulses in the pelvic region and strengthens the pelvic muscles
• Increases the efficiency of the entire digestive system, stomach works viciously, relieving stomach ailments such as hyperacidity and peptic ulcer.
• Preventative for hernia
• Leg muscles and nerves improved, opening of knee joints any pain separate knees
• Best stretch for quadriceps muscle groups or thighs
• Very important meditation posture because the body becomes upright and straight with no effort (good suffering from sciatica and sacral infections).

A deeper pose is Supta Vajrasana - go slowly, pulls on knee joints, open knee is ok for beginner.

Savasana (corpse or mrtasana - death) posture:
A good way to transition to this posture, to get onto your back in a yogic smooth way: start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and lean back onto your forearms. Lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and, with your hands, push the back of the pelvis toward the tailbone, then return the pelvis to the floor. Inhale and slowly extend the right leg, then the left, pushing through the heels. Relax. Soften the lower back but not flat.

Put your hands up perpendicular to floor, rock side to side, broaden back ribs and pull your shoulder blades away from the spine.
Arms (top hands on floor) and legs are spread at about 45 degrees, the eyes are closed and the breath deep.

Full body relaxed; all parts of the body are scanned for muscular tension of any kind, which is then consciously released. Pay special attention to your face - teeth, tongue, eyes, your shoulders and relax.

The hardest part - the most important part aside from body relaxation is keeping that mind still. Like a bucking bronco its ready to run and jump to the next thing - that to do list that will always be there waiting for you. Its like having a kit-kat bar, give your self this break, this stillness. Like I said above life is not easy, this moment can be.


Integration and Impact:
The stillness after the yoga practice, allows your muscle memory to really sink in.

Or more academically and on wiki:
An intelligent yoga practice will furnish the nervous system with a host of new neuromuscular information. Shavasana gives the nervous system a chance to integrate that in what can be thought of as a brief pause before it is forced once again to deal with all the usual stresses of daily life.

Benefits: Relaxes the body

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• a decrease in heart rate and the rate of respiration.
• a decrease in blood pressure.
• a decrease in muscle tension.
• a decrease in metabolic rate and the consumption of oxygen.
• a reduction in general anxiety.
• a reduction in the number and frequency of panic attacks.
• an increase in energy levels and in general productivity.
• an improvement in concentration and in memory.
• an increase in focus.
• a decrease in fatigue, coupled with deeper and sounder sleep.
• improved self-confidence
• Reduces headache, fatigue, and insomnia
• Helps to lower blood pressure

Nothing is the way it seems....

Dont judge a book by its cover, old lessons never get old...

One pic inspires many lessons:

- Bigger isn't always better

- Dont take nothing a face value

- Dont under estimate yourself, cause the true results might not be visible

This is...in life, in work and in Yoga.

Yoga - you might think that you are doing a posture for a certain reason, trying to get into a fancy pose but doing it wrong. It might look good/big, buts its not correct. Which can cause harm to your body.

There is always something new to learn about a posture, many hidden benefits and results to be unearthed as you continue on the yoga path.

Maybe its a new muscle to explore, some counter effort to apply, a new area to focus on, new way to challenge balance, etc. Maybe you learn the meditative benefit. Each posture has chakra benefits, opening your energy blockages (the subtle body) so things can flow better. The Pandora box. You think your doing one thing, achieving one posture and realise there so much more.

Example: Marichyasana C (pictured below). Meaning Sage, literally a ray of light. Dedicated to the Vedic Adam, and the "father" of humanity

Whats happening: stretching of the muscles on one side of the torso while the other is contracted. 

Benefits:

Physical: stronger abdomine and spine, opening of the hip flexors, strengthening the organs in the lower stomach - good for indigestion and constipation, large intestine and gallbladder are purified from the twist.

Subtle Body:

Manipura is located at the spine directly behind either the navel or the solar plexus. With the deep twist it helps release any tension and blocks in the flows of your energy.

It is also considered the center of dynamism, energy, willpower and achievement. It is associated with the power of fire, and digestion. It is also associated with the sense of sight, and the action of movement. Listening to you gut, so you make better decisions about your life.

The Sushumna Nadi is the main energy channel from the base of the tailbone to the crown, "the body's great river, running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, passing through each of the seven chakras in its course." The twisting posture like this, stimulating sensory nerves and the awakened energy is encouraged to move freely up and down the spine.

More on the whole energy channel thing in future posts, its hard for people to totally wrap their head around this aspect of yoga or life. We get their energy on there and around us, but within us is a different thing. It hasn't been a focus of current scientific focus, but is starting to be...

Yoga=mind, body, and spirit connection. Semantic Satiation....say what?

You know how if you say any word like 50 times, the word doesn't even sound like a word anymore. Wow, there is a formal name for this - wiki-ed it:

Semantic satiation (also semantic saturation) is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who can only process the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.

















YOGA - so I thought about this Semantic Satiation thing when it comes to people understanding and describing Yoga.

Yoga literally means Unity. Over and over teachers say "yoga is the connection of mind, body and spirit." Which is exactly it - but you hear this so much, what does it actually mean? "The body, mind, and soul are connected. If the body is asleep the mind is asleep." from the Light of Yoga Sutras.

Through getting the physical body in shape with yoga, the internal systems will work better. At the same time we are working on the subtle body; the energy can flow better. This enables the real purpose of yoga which is to empty the mind and reach enlightenment or liberation.

So with a good body and mind one can sit properly for a long duration for the meditation to find your spirit.


In sanskrit (english) the meaning of yoga is: Citta (mind) Vrttis (thought waves) Nirodhah (restraint).

Restraining thought waves? Or liberating yourself from your mind - whats this mean anyway??:
- To be conscious
- Controlling your happiness no matter the circumstances 
- More peace of mind
- Better focus
- Having a "one-point mind" and not allowing the mind to jump around as it does.
- Being in the present easier
- Finding stillness in your mind, that you find you are not your mind and self, the spirit is in there, we are more than this material world.

Gaga got it right - I was born this way, I'm on the right track baby Meaning we are born with a crazy, busy mind. That the purpose of life is to understand and learn to control your happiness, doing this through disconnecting with the mind and identifying with the spirit behind it. We are more than the physical - transcendence.

BUT first.... We have to understand the function of the mind - what are we dealing with. More in future posts about the Yoga Sutra's which is a great structure to understand and work from....

Your Choice - Vehicle or Light? Which are you...

Joseph Campbell is brilliant. I how he uses the metaphor of  the choice between light and vehicle to which you can identify and find answers to lifes big questions. Shown below (of course his talks just bring it to life).

You have a choice - are you the body or the consciousness within the body? Vehicle or light?

Look up - you can say the light is on or the lights is on (plural or singular). Both right. One way the emphasis is put on the individual vs the general. One light bulb goes out, you change it (its not a particularly favorite bulb). That bulb or vehicle is not important its the light that is important.

When you identify with the light, you are identifying with the consciousness not your vehicle.  Then with gratitude towards the vehicle you let it go. You are connecting with one that is everlasting (forms come and go again and again). Then one is able to realise you are one with the conscious of all beings.

He challenges us to ask ourselves these things? Why even care? I am happy so there is no need....he responds, "just think a dog has a perfectly happy life without ever thinking of these things.  However it is a dogs life.  Being interested in a human life is understanding his or her place in the world, it is a pressing matter."

Most peeps are ego-centric - your just a passing thought

Every walk into a place and get flushed with fear and anxiety that I'm not fitting into this situation (wrong clothes, wrong age, too many smart people, too tall, etc).  Or did you ever do something not perfect, feeling really bad and embarrassed (cant fit in that parallel park, toilet paper on shoe, food in teeth, mess up a presentation).

We get embarrassed, a natural human reaction in these situations. A little heart palpitation and the oh god I cant believe Im the pink elephant in the room. Everyones laughing at me not with me.

Most of don't like it if we stick out or if you are not doing the socially acceptable thing. There are some universal social acceptable things and we also acquire the perceptions from what we are taught in life (through teachers or experiences).  A few things will never be cool in public, ie: farting, making out excessively, picking your nose, being naked, etc.  But sometimes I'll get my friends from different countries, states, or family background say "you just dont do that in public" where I'm like who cares (I cant think of a good example :)).

If you purposely wear crazy stuff, ya know that pink hair will get a few looks well maybe not in Capitol Hill. But I am more concerned when people care too much what others think and being embarrassed can effect you more than it should.

Does it matter what people think of you? If you think, well yeah its kind of a big deal. Its how people treat you, befriend you, professional advancement, makes me feel better knowing if someone else thinks I'm a certain way.  We all have persona's to play into at some points. There is some truth in the pudding to it mattering but really its not what someone thinks of you, its what you think of you.

I was with a friend who cared so much what she looked like, that fitting into a certain scene made her flushed and ready to bounce. Who cares really - stick out and own it.  Caring that your outfit isnt right or your not the smartest tool in the current shed - confidence baby. I guess that's what a lot of things boil down to. And believe me, it aint easy.

It doesn't make sense putting your self worth in the hands of someone (or a group) who is most likely not worthy of that kind of judgement. And most people are not even thinking about you. If they do, its a passing thought, they don't remember or care about you.  People are mostly ego-centric, that world is rotating around them. Your not a big deal to them as hard as that is to swallow.

This reminds me of a little game of "would you rather"
- go to a party overdressed or under dressed
- be 4'0 feet tall or 7'7
- drink a cup of spoiled milk or pee your pants in public?
- publish your diary or make a movie on your most embarrassing moment?

Its hard to put yourself out there, to let things bounce off you; like water off a ducks back. Getting thick skin is a good thing to work on in life. Don't take yourself so seriously, and remember people forget things.

Its odd - sometimes we feel like we stick out like this little yellow duck. But sometimes all we want to do is stand out in a crowd, like the guy in red in the pic....

Impacts of the family foundation - Respect

In watching a documentary called Human Experience, I was inspired to think more about the importance of the family foundation. The young man was discussing his need to please, to be loved by others and is always worried about how others feel about him. He concluded this need stems from not having parents; that unconditional love (only like your parents can).  Because he didn't have parents to fall back onto, he made his focus to find someone to fulfill this need and his reality is about the need to please. 

I do agree in a lot of ways, this foundation of family is like safety net, its gives strength, hope and courage.  Because no matter what you do in life you have a place to go, someone to rely on.  Your family gives you someone that loves you and will always help you (this is not typical with any family and always true by any means). 

However I think his understanding is a little exclusive, in the sense I think we all have these feelings to be loved and a need to please. I do have parents that the man in the film desires (which I am thankful everyday) but I too find my mind consistently too worried about what others feel about me.  It creates a life from fear and anxiety.  But it is nice to fall into my safety net so I can't totally relate.

We are made up of our nature and how we are nurtured. There are a lot of things in the way we are (behavior, in thought, reaction, action) for reasons we can't really understand why.  The role of our mother and father are critical. Something we all know but its confusing and hard to pinpoint. A way to define this is in Carl Jung's framework called the Anima. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_and_animus

We take a lot of things personally and blame ourselves, but in looking at some of the impacts of the roles of your parents, we can start to get answers for the way we are - good and bad. And with answers and removal of blame (from ourselves and our parents), we can move on and find ways to change and live a better way.

There is no need to blame. It might be unfortunate to have certain things with your parents you wish were different. We all do. But our spirit choose this body to learn lessons and grow. If we had it perfect, we would learn what we need to learn.  People do things and act certain ways to the best of their ability. There is no manual for parenting and living - its sucky sometimes the cards we are dealt but harboring any emotions can only prolong the effects on your life. Take the reins of your life by letting go.

There is all kinds of scientific studies and information is out there on this topic. I found a some interesting things I included below. 

Parents roles are not interchangeable (one cant make up totally for the benefit of 2 separate factors in a child's growth).

Children through through constant exploration and learning about limits.
Fathers are more rough and tumble play - set limits and demand respect. They are more challenging, allowing kids to find their own strengths, exploring the world and knowing their impact in the world. This impacts thinking and problem solving skills in the future. Also important for one to learn to take responsibility for ones actions.

Emotional control is important: it raining = can't play outside, crying a bit is ok, then they should learn to move on to boardgames inside

A fathers emotional involvement helps all relationship building for life. We have heard about Daddy Issues - relationships are effected by the interaction and role of males in everyones lives.

Mothers bring unity, love and structure. Fulfill the physical needs of a child, nurturing and the most important person in the childs life and forever.


It good to be aware that everyone has a different family foundation. The way they are is the because of many things we might or might not understand. Respect.