Ashtanga Yoga - Yamas - Ahimsa and Satya - Non-violence and Truth

Astanga yoga describes the eight limbs of yoga, where the first limb is the Yamas or ethical discipline.  The first Yama is Ahimsa, which means non-harming or non-violence.  In his book, Light on Life, Mr. Iyengar writes that violence arises out of fear, weakness, ignorance or restlessness.  To curb it what is most needed is freedom from fear.  To gain this freedom, what is required is a change of outlook on life and reorientation of the individual.  Violence is bound to decline when people learn to base their faith upon reality and investigation rather than upon ignorance and supposition.  The yogi believes that every creature has as much right to live as he has.      

Satya means truth and in yoga is the highest rule of conduct or morality.  In Light on Yoga, Mr. Iyengar writes, “If the mind thinks thoughts of truth, if the tongue speaks words of truth and if the whole life is based upon truth, then one becomes fit for union with the Infinite.”  He further writes that truth is not limited to speech alone.  There are four sins of speech: abuse and obscenity, dealing in falsehoods, telling tales and ridiculing what others hold to be sacred. 

At this time I reflect on non-violence and truth.  

PLN Yoga

"Helping Unite Body, Breath and Mind"

Pamela L. Nelson 

Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Level 3

The Ways of Re-Conditioning the Citta

 

In Astadala Yogamala vol. 8 there is an essay called “The Ways of Re-conditioning the Citta”.  This essay was taken from a talk Mr. Iyengar gave in December 2007.  The definition of citta Mr. Iyengar gives in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is consciousness, a composite word for mind, intellect and ego (pride or the sense of self).  

In his talk Mr. Iyengar says that Yogic philosophy is not just about ignorance and knowledge, but for moving from ignorance to knowledge and from knowledge to wisdom with a non-corrupt simple, innocent mind.  He says that enlightenment in yoga comes when at a right time when one is at a peak state of sadhana after years of endeavour.  

The talk includes the eight (ashtanga) limbs.  With some focus first on tapas, which is one of the niyamas.  He says that tapas means to let the power of light in the body, mind and intelligence to blaze forcefully and brilliantly to shine forth through the zeal in sadhana so that it does not extinguish the will to stick to the sadhana.  Tapas is the fire of ascetic devotion towards the sadhana.  It is the fire from right action with attention, to brighten the infallible knowledge.  

In this though, most of us, even if have a diligent practice are stuck not practicing according to Patanjali’s dictum (see Y.S. 1.13), but practicing to remain healthy and happy.  We must change from casual practice and satisfaction to an attentive, stable and intense practice.  

Many other ideas are given in this talk, but as he nears the end of his speech he says, “In sadhana the gut says to flush out the old thoughts without disturbing the basics in order to bring new thoughts and ideas so that the sadhana gets qualified to reach the zenith in the asana.”

Culture, he says, develops when one begins to re-condition the old conditions to fit in to the present days’s mental caliber.  This conditioning, re-conditioning and un-conditioning moves like a perennial stream.  That is why the sages say not this, not this, not that, not that.  This thought of “not this, not that” is not a pessimistic approach but an optimistic approach so that one dose not get stagnated with fixed ideas or practice but proceeds to reach the exalted position where no room is found for re-conditioning.

Mr. Iyengar says it does not matter where each of us are on the path now, but says it is for us to think to find out how to proceed to the higher standard from the present sadhana.  Yogic sadhana is the means and yogic sadhana is the end.

Yours in yoga,

Pam 

Class 6 - Body as a Synthesizer in Asana

 

In Class 6 Prashant writes about the body as a synthesizer in asana. Below is the class he wrote in his book Classwork Book 1. 

In yogasanas, the physical anatomical body becomes like a musical instrument called the synthesizer or keyboard. This keyboard is an electronic marvel in music and sounds.  This one instrument has a fabulous repertoire of several sounds such as wind, tornado, thunder, airplane, jet, cries of animals and creatures, to various musical instruments, by selection of buttons.

Similar is the case of yogasanas in producing effects.  Various parts and spots in the body (with associated/kneaded conditions) work like keys in the keyboard.  Furthermore, when the internal-activity agency is in a fully operative state, one and the same asana can have a variety of effects.  

For instance, a basic and profound, but relatively not a difficult position, such as Utthita Trikonasana can be considered here.  This one asana, because of the synthesizer effect, can work fabulously. It can work as an exercise the the overall skeleto-muscular body or even as a conditioner for the corporeal body.  There are various conditions such as loosening, limbering, warming, cooling, exercising, soothing, etc., and also remedying.  It can work on toing and tuning, correcting deformation in the body, etc.

Then it can work for remedying the physiology or conditioning it positively.  It can work for the circulatory and nervous systems too.  It can work for cellular consideration and even cellula metabolism. Organs of the systemic body can also be soothed, rested, revitalised, tuned and toned by the associated breath and certain kriyas of Yog in Trikonasana.  Thus, the organs can be directly addressed and conditioned.  

Similarly, the holistic breathing can be addressed along with its system and process.  This can work for the associated body and mind, for what lies in between (glands, endocrine and nerves), and also beyond them viz. the mind stuff, consciousness and conscience.

Trikonasana can work for the mind state ranging from negative to normal, and onward to a yogic state of quietude, neutrality, sublimity, virginity, soothe, benevolence, purity, piety, sanctity, nobility, equanimity, equilibrium and transcendence.

This marvel is because of the various body-centric paradigms, mind-centric paradigms, and breath-prana-vayu paradigms.  Thus, Trikonasana can bestow several kinds of effects, almost countless.  Thus, the concept can be stated as

 Associate body - Synthesizer (keyboard).

Let me know your thoughts if you explore this concept in your own practice.

Namaste,

Pam 

 

 

 

Restorative Yoga Class starts October 2nd - Online with recording

 

Restorative Yoga Class I have had some interest expressed in a Restorative Yoga Class.  I am happy to offer a class Wednesday evenings in October from 7-8 p.m.  This class will be online, with the recording available after for 2 weeks after the duration of the session.  The cost for this session of 5 classes is $63. For those who have joined the Fall Online Session - Where the Mind Goes and would like to include this class, the cost will $30 and you’ll have access to the playlist. If you have not joined any classes yet, but would like to, please email me for more information. Online classes can be a great way to include yoga in your life, enhance your personal practice and have the opportunity to pause and explore poses as your time allows. If interested please register soon. Peace and joy, Pam 🪷

Email Pam

Below are classes that have started, but there is still time to join!

Online live classes with recording, plus access to my full playlist of classes from the past 4 years.  Enjoy yoga at anytime from your home or wherever you might be! Please register early so I know if have enough interest to run the session.

Noon yoga Monday mornings at the Margo Fournier Centre (formerly the P.A Arts Centre).  5 classes in each session.  There is a slight error on the poster as I am away October 7th also.  Please message if have questions, but registration can be done at the Arts Centre or online through the City of Prince Albert.  Please register early!

Tuesday evening classes will continue this fall through CPL Rec. Classes are by punchcard which can be picked up through Carmen at CPL Rec office or me. Although registration is not required it would be great to get an idea of how many are interested.  Please message me if you hope to join.  Thank you!🙏

From Darkness to Light

An interview with senior Iyengar teacher Patricia Walden on October 9th, 2005.

The first question Patricia asks B.K.S Iyengar is:

Q: Many people practice yoga but do not seem to be able to take their practice beyond the physical level.  When did you realize the deeper meaning of your own practice or were you always aware of the deeper aspects of yoga?

Below is a very condensed version of the answer. For the full interview see Astadala Yogamala,, vol. 8, p.77.

B.K.S. Iyengar, also known as Guruji to some, replies that when he began yoga he did not know what yoga was and that his Guruji was not willing to explain it when questioned.  All he would say was, “Good for your health, go ahead.”

Mr. Iyengar said he took this as him mantra and proceeded. Mr. Iyengar had been sickly as a child and it took him 6 years to begin to experience a sense of heath and well-being. He writes that he had students coming to him to learn, and that it opened his eyes to understand that minimum practice and insufficient presentation was not enough to teach others as he wanted those coming to him to appreciate the subject.  This interest in wanting to share correct knowledge led him to reflect on his thoughts as well as practices by studying his mind and body movements.  Finding out where co-operation occurred and how to bring the union between body and mind.  He began to observe his actions, re-actions and non-actions. Mr. Iyengar began to develop a friendship with his body and mind in his practices.  He said he was cajoling his body when it was not willing to perform, but also needed to cajole the mind, which took a long time.

The inquisitiveness of his students helped to open Mr. Iyengar to open his eyes and mind to look and feel each and every part of the body in practice.  Over time his mind began to flow concurrently with the movements of the various parts of the body in different asana.  

B.K.S. Iyengar shares his wisdom in that sometimes his mind was rebelling and at other times the body.  He used friendliness and compassion when mind and body were not cooperating.  He writes, " When they were cooperating the practice was conducive and I was experiencing gladness.  I was indifferent to both the mind and body when needed.  I often overlooked them and used the needle of intelligence in practice which changed my attitude.  That's how I learned to integrate the physical body, the mental body, the intellectual body and my conscious body and vice versa throughout the asana sadhana. 

Om Shanti, shanti, shanti,

Pam 

Asanic Laboratory

Prashant Iyengar, the son of B.K.S. Iyengar wrote a small book called, Classwork Book - 1 - Precepts, Concepts, Schemes, Themes and Perspectives in Asana and Pranayama. This post is based on Class 2.

Asanic Laboratory

Prashant writes that,”A creative physical culturing can carry out lab activity or experimentation in the ” doing-realm” of asanas, considering those as postures and corporeal negotiations.”

We tend to experiment more on how can we do more or do a better posture so that the physical postures are taken to be more “doing endeavors”.  This would be a more physical culture endeavor.

Classically, Prashant writes, “Yog and even asanas as yogasanas, are knowledge-processes and wisdom-processes. Asanas are executed by an inter-activity agency for a very internal purpose.”

Therefore, experimentations should delve more into how one can have more and better emotional and intellectual sensitivity or how one can have better comprehension and understanding.  

Prashant explains that it is more important to ask, how can I “know” better, than just “do” better.

He writes, “This will evolve various styluses of knowledge process, observation process, sensitivity process, emotional process, intellectual process, “I”-ness process, thought process, analytical process, synthesis process and so on.  This turns out wisdom for conduct of life.  The problems of life are less solved by material means and more by wisdom (spiritual) means.”

Try in your own laboratory setting. Here is one of the Prashnayantra Problem Statements that might be an ideal place to start.

The statement is: 

Do Viparita Karani. Then follow that by various Twisting.  Now come back and do your original asana.  Observe how your asana this time is different from how you did it originally, and identify the influence of the intervening asanas, on your experience of doing that asana in the end.

Let me know your experience.

In peace,

Pam