Yoga

Move to Freedom

A student wrote me recently concerning her stuggle with work:

"Bruce! I have really enjoyed being back in your classes this past week. I am hoping you could give me some pearls of wisdom with regards to work...

I have started a new job and I feel really off balance. Some days I work 14 hours in front of a computer. I thought it would be different. How do you know if something is right for you or when you are investing too much time at work at not enough on yourself and home life. I feel very overworked. I’m afraid if I mention this that I will be looked down on for not wanting to "move up". I totally work hard but have no desire for work to be my main focus. Just reaching out for any advice.”

 

 That is always a hard question for any of us. I had a "great career" in advertising that I left after about 10 years. It just never felt right. It was also really demanding of my energy and my time and was relentless that way. I felt like it was destroying me! Obviously I am not there now. 

It may be different for you. You may be doing what you love but the job in which you are doing it isn't the right fit. If it is a short-term step that will lead to bigger things, it may be worth the effort. If this job isn't leading anywhere and it feels like it is only tearing you down, then look for something where they don't demand so much and suck you dry. Unfortunately it is our work culture in this country. More demands for not much in return. A bad economy is just an excuse. 

We only have this one life to live and our own happiness and peace of mind is OUR responsibility. If your employers don't want to hear that you are overworked, if they don't value your contribution and don't value you showing up with enthusiasm for what you do, then start looking elsewhere.

But first, remember, in any job, you will only receive what you ask for.

More and more, the simple advice I offering in class seems pretty right for the other aspects of life: “If something in the pose hurts or just doesn’t feel right, your body is asking you to pay attention. Pause, back off, reassess, then make an adjustment to create more stability, ease and freedom in what you are doing.”

 This is something I remind myself of often.

The Next Level

Art by Leah Tomaino
This idea of “going to the next level” gets mentioned a lot in yoga. The inference is that if you study with this teacher or attend that workshop you will, almost by transference, amp up your asana practice to some mystical height. You will be given something you did not have before and very likely would not attain on your own.

 This appeals to our tendency to want to accumulate things and to find the people who might get us what we want. It also appeals to our competitiveness.

 I too spent several years “accumulating” asana and wanting to “get the pose.” This was especially true when most of the other people I was studying with were already very accomplished asana practitioners, endowed with tremendous athletic gifts. They were the benchmark. I worked hard to step up to that mark. I worked hard to win my teacher’s approval and the recognition of my peers. I would go to workshops or retreats, absorb all I could then go home and practice everything for the next few months until the next time I attended some event.

 While I made quick progress in the asana practice, my understanding of myself at a deeper level was not keeping pace. I also got injured trying to push to get something I didn’t quite understand. This isn’t to say that I didn’t have a great time in the process. It’s fun to discover that you can do things with your body you never imagined you could. I also met many amazing people and made many wonderful friends.

 But at a certain point I began to ask myself what “the next level” really was: What did that mean to me?

 What I discovered is that you might be able to get your foot to your head or do 108 sun salutations – you could achieve all this and much more – and still have no idea how your behavior is causing havoc in your life. You may practice asana all day long yet continue to engage in habitual, unconscious behavior that causes both yourself and others pain.

 In hatha yoga, with its apparent physical emphasis, it’s easy to get very wrapped up in the body. While this aspect of the practice is important and works at a certain layer, yoga recognizes various layers of human experience. These layers or “sheaths” are termed the five koshas[1].

 Asana practice is on the level of the first two koshas: the annamaya kosha or “food body”, the body of flesh and blood, and the pranamaya kosha, the “energy” or pranic body.

 To reach the deeper levels of the mind and spirit, our practice needs to be less about asana at a certain point and more about self-observation, self-awareness and reflection. It takes courage to look at our habits, the quality of our thinking and perceptions and be clear and honest about what we see. To reach our deepest layers, it takes a desire to seek the sacred in all we do. This sort of work is not so much about rising up some scale of achievement as it is about going inside, toward ourselves.

 From this perspective, “the next level” may be more about going in than up.

 It may be more about waking up to how we perceive ourselves, what we perceive as our shortcomings and talents, our limitations and strengths, the roles we play and the stories and dramas we perpetuate. Being willing to let things fall away rather than attaching more to us. It’s about softening and being relentlessly curious about the confusing mystery of being human.

 My friend James Macadam speaks to this in his recent article, “Confessions of a Type-A Yogi.”

http://jamesmacadam.com/2011/02/28/confessions-of-a-type-a-yogi/

 

[1] The five koshas or “sheaths” are:

Annamaya kosha – the physical layer

Pranamaya kosha – the pranic layer

Manomaya kosha – the layer of the perceiving mind or “outer mind”

Vijnanamaya kosha- the layer of intelligence or “discerning mind”

Anandamaya kosha – the ‘bliss” layer, or layer of our deepest wishes, intentions and aspirations and joy.

 

 

 

True Confessions of a Yogi

My Good friend James MacAdam, was a fine yoga teacher and had an impressive asana practice. I watched him struggle for some years with debilitating injuries that eventually forced him to stop both his practice and teaching any classes. His story (see link below) is a much needed voice in the ever increasing Bling and competitive vibe of the "yoga world." 

http://jamesmacadam.com/2011/02/28/confessions-of-a-type-a-yogi/

Thank you James!

Siva - Shakti

Think of a few things that are complementary opposites; up and down, in and out, sun and moon, sea and shore, earth and sky, stillness and action. The list could go on and on.

Everything in nature is subject to these complements or polarities. A tree must grow its stabilizing roots deep into dark soil so that it’s branches may reach out for life’s nourishment and play in the light. Within each of us, not only do our biological functions, such as the breath, reflect this same primordial rhythm, but our minds, emotions and relationship with the world around us are subject to this dance. The nature of nature is polarity, from the magnetism that flows between the North and South poles of the earth, to the attraction between the masculine core and feminine radiance and beauty.

 On a personal level, this dance is a skillful reconciliation between what we view as our strengths and our weaknesses, our fears and our deepest loving, what is expected of us and what may be our deepest truth. It’s a balance of our desire to be safe and comfortable and the compelling need for personal growth. If we push beyond our edge in constant challenge, we’ll be unable to metabolize our experience. Neither can we happily stagnate in a zone of security and comfort. To do this we must learn to relax into fearlessness. We must lean into our edge with sensitivity and compassion. Fear shuts us down while love coaxes us to open our heart. We must learn to be free and loving in the chaos of change and growth, not quitting when we seem to fail, but rather we must learn from our failures and return to love. We must do so by standing our ground and loving so strongly that only love prevails.

 One aspect of us (*Siva) has as its ultimate reason for doing anything the discovery of our deepest truth and total freedom. The other aspect in all of us (*Shakti) is a deep desire to relate to the world fully and experience boundless love and creativity.  Ultimate true love and true freedom are the same, yet the paths to this unity are very different. Nature, in its essence is unstoppable change and growth. Because of this every moment of our lives is either a test or a celebration. When we can engage in the dance and deeply commune in love we may then, with no boundaries, and fully open, offer our greatest gifts as they are revealed.

 This is yoga. This is the dance of Siva and Shakti.

  *Siva- the Divine masculine essence: imperturbable, totally loving, fully present, and all pervading.

 *Shakti – the Divine feminine essence: The power of creation and growth, action, nurturance and the flow of love in relationship, the force of life.

 

 

The Invitation

I Just love this by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

Live Juicy...!

   

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!” It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. 

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

Photo of Jade by Flagstaff Rob

Sthira Sukham Asanam - The Practice of Self-acceptance and Empowerment

 The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is a classic text devoted entirely to the methods and practice of yoga. Within this ancient text there is actually little mention of the asana or postures so closely associated with the modern concept of yoga. Because of this, practitioners tend to hold on tightly to verse ll-46, Patanjali’s one direct instruction for asana - Sthira Sukham Asanam.

 sthira means either firm, steady, fixed, steadfast or unchanging

 sukham translates as either easeful, happiness, delight or joy

 asanam is the plural form of asana, meaning posture, pose or seat

 Since the Sutras generally frame yoga practice as primarily concerning meditation, it would be easy to interpret this sutra as advice on taking a steady and comfortable position in which to mediate. This may indeed be the first level of intention and is very practical advice. It is equally sound advice for creating balanced action in any yoga posture. Yet, since the entirety of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offer such profound teachings it’s worth taking a second look at what appears to be a simple and basic instruction. We’ll find that encapsulated in this sutra is the very essence of yoga practice.

 Most Sanskrit sutras on any topic are short, cryptic phrases with many layers of meaning. Patanjali’s entire text speaks of various elements of practice that are meant to guide us through toward the highest intention of yoga: the discovery of the indestructible, infinite Divine essence within us. From this perspective of higher self-realization, the 46th Sutra of chapter two would be interpreted very differently:

 “Abide and delight in the steady, everlasting Self that is seated within the heart of all beings.”

 Just as with the Sutras, our yoga asana practice can have many layers of intention. What brings most of us to the practice is a desire to feel better in some way. Perhaps we wish to get physically fit, lessen our experience of stress, heal an injury, sleep better, or make new friends. Most of the time those objectives are quickly fulfilled. If we continue with the practice, deeper and less obvious shifts begin to take place. We become more sensitive to how we feel and think. We may get thrown off center by life’s challenges less, or when we do, we find our way back more quickly. Old habits that have been somehow undermining our health and peace of mind become less attractive.  We may begin to make choices not merely based on our initial desires but based on what is best for our own highest good as well as the highest good of those around us. We may begin to see more of the things that connect us to others rather than what makes us different. We may find we take delight in the triumphs and successes of others rather than revert to feelings of competition. We may discover that our personal power comes less from what we have, who we know or the strength of our limbs, but comes more from the depth of our love, the compassion in our heart and a willingness to help. We may begin to experience ourselves in a new light - a keener knowing of who we truly are and an understanding of our greatest gifts. As we become more established in our practice, we begin to sit more fully, more comfortably, within the core of our being. As the roots of our heart connection grow deeper, our happiness will come from offering those gifts to the world.

 This quote from the modern, late sage Ramana sums up things beautifully:

 “’Heart’ is merely another name for the Supreme Spirit which is in all hearts.

 The entire universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the heart.

 Thus the heart is the nucleus of the whole universe.”

 

 

Cultivating The Light

 The Spring or “Vernal” Equinox falls on March 20^th this year. It marks a significant seasonal turning point: The dark, lean times of winter’s end giving way to longer days and Earth’s rebirth and regeneration.  For thousands of years traditional cultures have celebrated the coming of Spring. It signifies the time for planting crops and a renewed hope for an abundant future.

 Equinox means “equal night”, and connotes an eternal cycle of light and dark in nature.  It’s also very symbolic of rhythms within our own internal human experience. We all have moments of doubt, fear and despair followed by optimism, courage and joy. Just as the cycles of seasons follow one another, so too do these pairs of opposites dance through our lives.

 The practice of yoga (conscious living) is always striving to reconcile polarities. There is a Sanskrit word, samatva, meaning "balance" or "evenness". Samatva is evenness of mind, evenness of action, evenness of striving and of letting go. It is a balance of fulfilling our desires yet letting destiny take its course. It’s a relinquishing of the likes and dislikes that create division in our personal world. It is effort and surrender in equal measure.

 Ultimately, all effort in some way or another can lead us deeper into the light of the heart. The work is always to get out of our own way, to open a path and through it let life flow. Yet we are all masters of building dams to this flow. Our commitment to practice is the means to dissolving these blocks. By opening more we can fulfill the purpose of our lives and give birth to the best that resides inside. Samatva is the ability to embrace everything within us, as well as outside of us, evenly and with love. It invites us to adopt a steady, constant commitment to ourselves and to cultivating our light. As we open our hearts, our talents and gifts begin to blossom. 

Chanting OM Namaḥ Śivāya

Om Namaḥ Śivāya is an ancient Sanskrit chant 

packed with considerable meaning and symbolism. It is an 

expression of deepest respect, faith and devotion for the divine spirit to which we are all connected and from which we come. It means,  "I bow to the highest form of Spirit”. It is believed that chanting Om Namaḥ Śivāya brings us blessings and leads us to the highest state of meditation and peace. When we break it down a bit we may start to understand it’s real power.

 

OM or AUM is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of all teaching and prayers. The Upanishads, some of the oldest spiritual texts in existence, have this to say:

"OM stands for the supreme Reality. It is the symbol for what was, what is, and what shall be. OM represents also what lies beyond past, present and future".

Whoa! So that means pretty much everything, everywhere.

Namaḥ Śivāya is known as the Great Redeeming Mantra.  It’s also known as the Panchakshara Mantra (5 syllabled mantra). Śiva represents the most supreme reality and our inner Self or “true” identity. Śiva is the name given to the consciousness that dwells in all things. Śivāya is then the most holy name of the diety Śiva, this ultimate consciousness. Unpacking things further, Na is Śiva’s concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is revealing grace, Ya is the soul. Underlying this mantra there believed to be a profound healing aspect. As we chant the five syllables of Na-maḥ-Śi-vā-ya, the “five elements”, (earth, water, fire, air and ether) that are thought to comprise the body and are associated with the chakras, become purified. Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā is air, and Ya is ether, (or Ākāśa). We could think of it as a kind of vibrational cleanse.

 

Like most symbolism in yoga, it gets sort of complicated. Ultimately chanting Om Namaḥ Śivāya is an expression of deepest 

devotion

, faith, belief and 

respect 

for the power and source which connects all things and from which we emanate. It is an expression of awe for the mystery and gift of life.

 

Outstanding photographer

 

Sean Stuchen has an incredible, natural talent in photography. He and I are working on photos to be included in a new book as well as other applications. It's really a pleasure to work with such an inspiring artist. (click image to enlarge).

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hailing from the beautiful state of Arizona, Sean first picked up a camera at the age of 15 and displayed a natural instinct for capturing the true essence of everything he photographed. Today Sean is still creating magic. He has the innate ability to reveal the core of what he observes through the lens. He captures life from all angles, shooting nature, landscape, people, places, events and animals. His style is simple yet unique. He has an incredible feel for composition and color while capturing the heart and soul of his subject matter. Sean pushes the envelope, shooting subjects from unique angles that offer a view into another dimension of their genuine essence. For more information visit http://www.seanstuchen.com <http://www.seanstuchen.com/>  

 

 

 

 

 

Asana Names

I got an email from a yogi who has been using my first book, The Yoga Practice Guide. His question is a good one and I hope to address it in what follows. Thank you Jason!

“Quite a beautiful book. It's obvious that you took some care in its preparation. One thing I'm curious about -- you show gomukhasana with the person sitting between the lower legs instead of sitting on them (as illustrated in Iyengar's "Light on Yoga" and practiced in Pattabhi Jois' ashtanga second series).Why is that? It seems to me that there is a very profound difference between those two postures.  I was always taught that sitting between the legs is samkatasana, not gomukhasana”.  - Jason

  

Very good observation and good question. We are talking about the two asana pictured above. Yes, in both Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga (the Krishnamacharya lineage) they predominantly use the second variation pictured here and call it Gomukhasana. Yet, in verse 20 of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the sutra detailing gomukhasana seems very much to be describing the first pose above:

 “Place the right ankle next to the left buttock and the left [ankle] next to the right [buttock]. This is Gomukhasana and it resembles the face of a cow”.

It is in reference to the “Cow’s Mouth” 

which is the glacial source of the 

Ganges River 

in the Himalayas

(*Mukha translates as  both face and mouth).

 Samkata means “dangerous” in Sanskrit and you will find it described in verse 28 of the Gheranda Samhita (second pose shown above). You may even find it referred to (erroneously) in some systems as vajrasana, with the hands placed on the top knee or ground. In the Anusara system we use both variations of the pose pictured above. Most major yoga systems commonly referred to both poses as gomukhasana. They do have differences. In my experience though, the first version, shown above, gets deeper into the outer hip rotators (piriformis, obturator internus and gemelli) as well as the tensor fasciae latae to some degree. For this reason, we tend to use this version more than the second. The version with the foot underneath may be intended primarily to stimulate muladhara.

I have done an exhaustive book on a huge variety of asana from all styles titled, The Yoga Asana Index. In it I tried to use a common standard wherever possible, and to include as many variations on the same pose as seemed practical and helpful. Many poses have significant variations to the point of verging on becoming a different pose. It’s fascinating. Yet even in the book, I held back from including every possible variation. In some cases they just weren’t significant enough and in others the variations I found were, well, not always very healthy alignment. In other cases my choices may have been based on my personal bias. In my research on the many poses, various schools often have different names for the same pose. It can get a bit maddening. There is even variance between different classic texts on yoga such as the two mentioned earlier.  At some point you just usethe name you like best as well as the variation you prefer.

“Cat” and “Cow” may be another example (included neither in Iyengar’s or Jois’ repertoire). We often find the pose separated into two distinct poses ; one being called bidalasana the other marjarasana. Both these words actually translate as “cat” in Sanskrit. The pose is in fact a movement through both forms, a dynamic movement up and down of the spine as one pose, correctly named marjarasana (more accurate Sanskrit for cat).

Even within the one lineage that both Iyengar and Jois came out of, there are several cases where they each name the same pose differently.  For example, “mandalasana” and “parivrittasana”  are their names respectively for walking the feet in a circle around the head in sirsasana 1. One means“revolved” while the other means “circle”. Both describe the movement well. “Adho Dandasana” is another example. They are completely different poses with the same name in each system. To make things even more confusing, even within the same system, a very few poses have accumulated more than one name or have changed names over time. My point is that it starts getting subjective, with at times more grey than black and white. There are names given to poses in some schools that are just plain using the Sanskrit erroneously. An example would be Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana. The grammatically correct usage is, Parsvordhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana (I can’t display the diacritical marks here). I debated long and hard about changing what has now been established by some prominent sources. But after working with several world renowned Sanskrit Scholars as well as the American Sanskrit Institute, we decided that the corrected Sanskrit was necessary and beneficial to those interested.  

Never mind funky grammar, sometimes poses got misnamed along the way, different styles developed their own names, and some poses never got named at all. Having said this, most styles share a standard name for the asana. And new poses or variations get made up all the time. So voila'...we all have interesting new poses to work with. That is kind of how this whole thing has been going for some time now. Limitless expansion.

The main thing is to practice the variation of the pose that makes most sense in your own body. Try both variations of gomukhasana and then do the one you prefer.

I hope this helps.