What is Yoga? - Earth Dancers, Living Well Inside and Out

What is Yoga? Continued

January 2012

Many excellent translations of the Yoga Sutra and another classical text, Yoga Yajnavalkya, as well as more modern interpretations of the eight-fold path of Yoga like Raja Yoga by Swami Sivananda and Swami Vivekananda, and The 8 Limbs of Yoga by Bhava Ram exist and do a more thorough job than I can in presenting Yoga in its entirety to you. I have read different translations of the Sutras over and over and each time I learn something new. Everything we need in order to understand and practice Yoga well is right there in the original sacred text. If you really want to be a true and thorough practitioner of Yoga, then please study the Yoga Sutra.

But for now let’s approach Yoga as it was intended by exploring each limb of the Yoga Tree in the order that Patanjali shared them with us centuries ago. And let us be real with ourselves and each other that if we think we can know Yoga by practicing only the physical postures (asanas) and breath awareness (pranayama), it is similar to someone making conclusions about an Oak by only looking at its bark and leaves without acknowledging or understanding its roots and fruits. That is not to say it is better to refrain from talking about two parts of a tree than none at all. We may find access into the world of the Oak by first meeting its leaf. However, if the study is to deepen successfully, we must eventually look at it from all aspects.

The first limb expounded upon and what I believe is the foundation for practicing Yoga authentically so that we do not misuse its benefits are the yamas. These are moral observances or ethics we have with the world, and there are 5 of them. They are:

1) Ahimsa: Ahimsa translates as non-violence or compassionate consideration. This is much more than refraining from killing or injuring someone physically. This yama digs deep into our mental space, starting first with our innermost thoughts. If we are berating ourselves or thinking unkindly of another person, the seed for growing violence is being tended. What are you thinking? Is it a thought that, if turned into words or actions, would be considerate or destructive? Start with practicing ahimsa in your own mind, toward your own self, and words and actions of compassion toward others will more easily follow. Ahimsa asks us to consider approaching each moment with an attitude of interconnectedness with all of life. From here, we can make choices that serve a greater interest than just our own.

2) Satya: Satya translates as right communication, or truthfulness. We can pause before expressing ourselves and be intentional about offering clear, kind and honest communication to anybody we are addressing. As humans, we usually interpret life from the limiting perspective of our own sense experiences. With satya, we can be humble in our expression of truth, knowing that it is usually a mixture of fact, imagination or misapprehension, memory and/or feeling. Sometimes it is better to say nothing at all than to speak a truth that will weaken someone’s perception of who they are. There needs to be wisdom involved with truthfulness.

3) Asteya: Asteya translates as non-stealing or not taking what is not rightfully yours. That seems pretty clear, yet how many times have you convinced yourself something was rightfully yours because of a particular circumstance when you knew deep down it was not? Or absentmindedly you keep something you have borrowed instead of returning it as promised? Asteya can even go further in its interpretation by asking how much of the world’s resources do we have a right to, even if we are paying money for it? Farhi in Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit writes, “Not stealing demands that we cultivate a certain level of self-sufficiency so that we do not demand more of others, our family or our community than we need.”

4) Brahmacharya: Brahmachara translates as moderation in all things, especially sexual energy. At some point in our lives this may mean being celibate, but practicing brahmacharya is not a decree that you have to abstain from sex to be a yogin. Since sexual energy is one of the most powerful energies we have (after all, it is what keeps the human race going) it is imperative to be discerning with its use, only partaking in sex when we are clear that its after effects will be uplifting to our highest selves. And that applies to the appropriate use of all the powerful energies contained within us.

5) Aparigraha: Aparigraha translates as non-hoarding or refraining from greed. Identity, time and stuff are three things we can especially look at here in evaluating our relationship to aparigraha. How attached are we to how we think, or want the world to see us? We may cling to all kinds of habits that we know are not healthy, just to keep our identity from changing. How about our relationships? Are we asking for too much time of the people in our lives because we are needy? And what about that storage unit? What exactly is in those boxes anyway? Aparigraha reminds us to let go if necessary, knowing that there is a grace that will provide for us when we are not clinging to life.

The second limb along the Yoga Path is similar to the first, only now we turn inward and apply moral observances and ethics to our own body/mind/spirit. There are 5 of these as well, and they are called the niyamas.

1) Saucha: Saucha translates as purity or cleanliness of your entire being. We aim to keep our physical body clean inside and out, as well as our mental and emotional bodies, but are humbled by the fact that no matter how hard we try, we still produce wastes and smell and have impurities to be released. But we can do our best to minimize the impurities by exercising, having a healthy diet, good hygiene and most importantly, a positive attitude. We attune ourselves through purification of our mental state for receptivity of something greater and more lasting than the physical body which is bound to decay.

2) Samtosha: Samtosha translates as contentment, accepting what is and what is not. How do we passionately work toward our goals and dreams while remaining satisfied with wherever we currently are in life? Being content is an act of faith that honors every moment for its own purpose and lesson, regardless of whether you like it or not. The famous saying comes to mind here by Reinhold Niebuhr, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

3) Tapas: Tapas translates as heat or fire, referring to disciplines that burn away the accumulation of toxins or the potential for them. It is having austerity, not for the purpose of suffering, but because you respect yourself enough to refrain from activities that satisfy temporary sense pleasures at the expense of overall health. You at times engage in uncomfortable things in order to purify, like challenging cardiovascular exercises. Swami Satchidinanda gives a marvelous analogy for understanding tapas through the laundry cycle. If we want our dirty shirt to be clean, we don’t just fold it up and lay a rose on it. We expose it to high heat and agitation, rinse and ring it out and then heat it again to dry. The personal practice of tapas means that we diligently work at keeping our selves strong and pure.

4) Svadhaya: Svadhaya translates as self-study or the inquiry into both our strengths and weaknesses. We analyze our actions- are we a better person today than yesterday? Are we going in the right direction? We continually grow into our true selves through this practice. Balance must be had so that we do not become overly critical and defeat the purpose of svadhyaya, Having a dear friend, teacher or mentor can help mirror who we are, where we need work and where we are shining. Regular study of spiritual texts is one of the greatest ways to help us know ourselves more clearly.

5) Isvarapranidhana: Isvarapranidhana translates as complete surrender to Grace. In the yoga asana practice, savasana, or deep relaxation, is the closest equivalent to this. It is the most simple yet the hardest observance to follow, for we have to get completely out of the way, and if you have ever tried that, you know it is much easier said than done. Our body holds tension, our mind clings to desire, our soul wants to make its mark on the universe. Isvarapranidhana means that we hand over the fruits of anything we do or say to a power that we know to be higher and bigger than our own individual self. If through the grace of this power we exist, by surrendering to it we give lasting meaning to our lives.

Now that we have the foundation of how to rightfully live in the world, we can enter more appropriately into the third limb of Yoga, the practice of asana. Asana translates as ‘to sit’, or ‘taking a comfortable seat’ or posture. This limb of Yoga is by far the most popular one in Western culture but ironically in the Yoga Sutra, asana is only mentioned a scant four times. Some people think that these postures are most, if not all, of what Yoga is. But doing the physical postures is not Yoga until you have linked with the greater knowledge of why you even do them in the first place. Paresh, from Sun Moon Yoga, says, “As we build energy through asana the energy itself sustains our attention. This benefits every aspect of our lives from driving a car to relationships. However brief these moments are, they have a lasting effect and begin to change us at the deepest levels.”

The purpose of asanas is to develop a strong and flexible spine and open the hips so we can be comfortable in a still, seated position for meditation practice. Yoga Sutra II: 46 introduces the concept of asana, this ability to be comfortable and steady in the posture of choice. When people sat down to meditate, they found their back ached, or their neck was stiff, or their legs would not bend well, etc… and they could not concentrate because of the distractions of discomfort or pain. And so the need for asanas became apparent. When one has flexibility and ease in their body, then sitting still to connect with Divine is now accessible.

Having an experienced teacher lead you into the asanas in a gradual and progressive way can be the difference between harm and health, injury or long-term core strength and flexibility. Do not rush into an asana practice; rather take the poses slow and steady, never compensating a controlled breath to achieve a posture.

While learning asana, it is a good time to also incorporate the practice of the fourth limb of Yoga, pranayama. This Sanskrit word translates as observance/control of energy, in this case the mysterious and invisible life force called our breath, or prana. Like an asana practice, begin at the beginning. Don’t try to be somewhere or something you are not. Start by observing the breath, being the witness. Then gradually start to control the breath, by allowing the exhale to be longer than the inhale, pausing between both (rentention). Try doing that while simultaneously practicing asanas. It takes a lot of focus, and years of practice.

There are many techniques of pranayama one could do, but having an experienced teacher instruct you in the correct way of holding or directing the breath is essential. The practice of asana combined with pranayama is so tangible, hands on and engaging of our senses that it is no wonder they are the most popular branches of Yoga. Once we have understood well how to incorporate these into our lives and actually practice them while simultaneously keeping our selves in harmony with the yamas and the niyamas, then we will naturally move into the fifth limb of Yoga.

The fifth limb of Yoga is called pratyahara. It is not really something we can make happen, but instead it is a direct result of devotion to the Yogic Path. Pratyahara translates as control over the senses. We have all had a taste of this at some point or another when we were so engaged in a book, or a person-some experience -that our field of awareness was one-pointed and blissful feeling.

In pratyahara, our senses become so absorbed in the object of our meditation that they react only to that one object, undistracted by anything else happening around us. We have turned inward with our senses, instead of them being subject to whatever is outside of us. “When we have sense control we only allow the mind to take the forms we want... (With) pratyahara, your senses come fully under your control… If you are free from your own mind and senses, nothing can bind you; then you are really free,” writes Swami Satchidinanda.

In the Yoga Sutra III: 7 we are told that the next three limbs of Yoga are an inward practice only. They are usually more challenging because to direct the mind externally, say toward asana or being kind to someone, is less difficult than eliminating the internal impressions of the mind. Sutra III:9 reminds us that the mind is basically always in one of two states- attention or distraction, and each has its own effects. In the sixth limb of Yoga, dharana, we attend to the mind, training it to be in a state of attention.

Cultivating concentration is what dharana is about. You hone in on one object even though there are many objects around you that could call you to attention. In a way, it is the opposite of multi-tasking, a talent we modern people are excellent at. Since the mind is an instrument or tool, we will do well to know how it works. Thoughts are unreliable, always jumping from here to there. If we guard our thoughts, we learn how to control them and can choose what to think about.

Begin dharana by choosing an object that inspires you and resonates with your faith, one that is intimate to you and speaks the language of your heart. It can be a mantra, image, verse, concept, candle flame- you choose. Set time aside daily to bring all of your attention on this object of choice. When you loose concentration, simply take a breath and come back to the object of our attention. Slowly improvement comes. Spending time with spiritually minded folks or finding a mentor can speed up our ability to practice dharana.

Dharana prepares us for and points us in the direction of dhyana, the seventh limb of Yoga. This is meditation. Most of the time when we attempt to meditate, we do well to direct the mind even for a few moments. Dhyana, or meditation, is when we are linked with the object being focused upon and, as Sutra III:2 explains, a flow occurs between seer and seen; the mind becomes what it focuses upon, as water takes the shape of its container. Time and space dissolve.

Paramahansa Yogananda says “Meditation is concentration used to know God.” By tapping into your place of Origin, your Center or the Great Mystery, you enter into self-realization. Instead of basically being hypnotized by our thoughts our entire lives, they are finally seen for what they really are- transient and unpredictable. Through dhyana we integrate the knowledge that our thoughts are not something to give our lives over to, but instead are to be harnessed for positive living and blissful devotion.

With this practice of dhyana follows the eighth limb, the final fruit of all our Yogic practice, Samadhi, or divine absorption. Freedom from body consciousness happens in the last limb, as we have merged with our true self, the Source that permeates the entire universe with birth, life, death and rebirth. Inyengar says that here one “conquers the body and renders it a fit vehicle for the soul.” Samadhi suspends us in a state of being removed from any sense of separation. We lose our identity because we have merged with the object of meditation. It is union, bliss, alignment with the Divine. Thinking has vanished altogether. Samadhi allows for nothing but complete clarity. We become aware of what we did not know and understand what was once misunderstood. “Neti, neti’ meaning “Not this, not this” is a phrase said in response to having experienced Samadhi, for there are no words adequate to describe this state of being.

In The Sivananda Companion, in a section referring to the ancient Vedas, the last three limbs are placed in a timely perspective: “concentration or dharana is fixing the mind on one thought for 12 seconds; meditation or dhyana is equal to 12 dharanas- about two and a half minutes- and Samadhi to 12 dhyanas- just under half an hour.” Then the effects of our Samadhi practice permeate our entire existence, and ripple peace and calm to everyone we come in contact with.

When the last three limbs are linked together, they are called samyama, which cannot be experienced unless one can find total inner silence. Then, samyama can be experienced anywhere at anytime by an advanced student of Yoga and brings supernormal capabilities. These extraordinary powers, or siddhis, are not the aim of Yoga and Patanjali cautions about their misuse if the yamas and niyamas are not the foundation of our ethics. Yoga Sutra Pada III gives detailed description of samyama possibility.

The 8 branches of the Yoga tree are revealed in the sacred texts in an order that enables us to stand upon a solid foundation and then safely climb limb by limb up into the crown. However, if we choose to practice one limb apart from all the others, there is still opportunity for wonderful growth. In December 2011, NBC had an inspiring news blurb about 3 young men who are teaching high-risk neighborhood kids in Baltimore, Maryland, the physical postures of Yoga along with bringing attention to their breath. It has already made a positive difference in their lives. Asanas lessen stress, enhance creativity and intuition, helps us problem solve and maintain agility, and supports us to keep growing into our potential. If all you are ever interested in are the physical benefits Yoga asanas bring, then that is your prerogative. But at least now you hopefully have an understanding that Yoga has deep and robust roots available to us that can keep us from falling, if we so choose.

Bibliography:

-Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar 1966

-Self-Realization Fellowship home lessons by Paramahansa Yogananda 1940-50’s.

-The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar 1995

-The Yoga Handbook by Stephanie Keach 2003

-The Sivananda Companion to Yoga by the Sivananda Yoga Center 1983

-Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit, A Return to Wholeness by Donna Farhi 2000

-Yoga Sutras by Patanjali @ 200BCE Translations by Swami Satchidananda 1978 and in The Heart of Yoga 1995

-Yoga study/practice with my teachers Sierra Hollister, Michael Johnson, Stephanie Keach and Shala Worsley 2005-2011

-Charles/Paresh from Sun Moon Yoga website:

http://home.earthlink.net/~sunmoonyoga/

-“Making a difference” NBC news piece on yoga for kids in Baltimore December 2011: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/12/inspiring-yoga-story-on-nbc-nightly-news/

- “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” by William Broad in the NY Times Magazine January 8, 2012

- “Can Yoga Wreck Your Body?” NBC news piece January 11, 2012:

http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/2012/01/can-yoga-wreck-your-body/