Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Ten Things to Make Besides Money

This is from a Hallmark card.  Although I think cards are highly priced and do use a lot of paper, I am a sap for a good card.  This one was given to me from my mother-in-law many years ago.  It is a nice reminder of the more important things in life.

Ten Things to Make Besides Money

1. Merry

2. Do

3. Sense

4. Amends

5. Peace

6. Waves

7. Room

8. Time

9. Love

10. Believe

And often it seems that when we focus on the truly important things the rest takes care of itself. 

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson

Monday, June 20, 2011

Lord Patanjali - The Father of Yoga

Lord Patanjali is often called the Father of Yoga.  He has been credited with codifying yoga into the yoga sutras for others to benefit from.  As Father's Day was yesterday in many countries I thought it would be fitting to give thanks to Patanjali for his great gift of yoga.

In India, according to the Hindu tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on the new moon day during late August or early September.  So, although not technically Father's Day in India I would still like to say Happy Father's Day to Mr. Iyengar.  Although I have never met him personally, I feel he has been a father like figure to many in his dedication to passing down the teachings of Patanjali.  Like a good father, he tries to teach not by just giving all the answers, but by having the student gain the intelligence to find and discover the answers themselves.

I have written quite a few blogs about Patanjali and the sutras.  Here is the invocation again or you can re-read the January 17th, 2011 blog which gives a bit more information about Patanjali.



INVOCATION TO PATANJALI
yogena cittasya padena vacam
malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
yopakarottam pravaram muninam
patanjalim pranjalir anato'smi


abahu purusakaram
sankha cakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim

 
English Translation:

Let us bow before the noblest of sages, Patanjali, who gave yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind, grammar for clarity and purity of speech, and medicine for perfection of health.
Let us prostrate before Patanjali, an incarnation of Adisesa, whose upper body has a human form, whose arms hold a conch and a disc, and who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra.


Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
http://www.plnyoga.vpweb.com/

Friday, June 17, 2011

Samadhi - Perfect Absorption or Illumination

Samadhi

It is impossible to pinpoint
Where the body ends
And the mind begins,
Or where the mind ends
And the Self begins
When you are fully in the body
You meet the soul.
Samadhi is the state
Where there is only pure
awareness.
Spiritual sadhana begins
When you go beyond
What you consider to be
Your maximum effort.

- Aphorism of B.K.S. Iyengar

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Thank you, Happy Summer to all!

As the end of the Spring Yoga Session is here I just wanted to thank everyone from this session and others who have attended classes over the past year.  As always, it has great to meet you all and have the chance to share the teachings I have learnt from my teachers about yoga to you.

I learn so much over the year and hopefully will see some of you over the summer either at the beach or at classes at Jewel of the North in the Christopher Lake area.

I have put the Summer Schedule below if you are interested.  I hope to have my Fall Session up on my blog and Website in July.

Thanks again and hope you all have a wonderful summer.

Yoga Classes at the Lake  


Join me at the Jewel of the North Resort for some energizing morning yoga classes to start your day or some rejuvenating evening classes.
I am a Certified Iyengar Yoga instructor and have been teaching in the Christopher Lake/Prince Albert area for over 8 years.

All classes can be tailored to suit all levels.
 Drop-ins welcome.

June -
Tuesday 28th -
Thursday 30th -
July -
One Week Summer Sadhana - July 4th - 9th - 6:30-8:00am - $90 for week
Sundays - 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st -
Tuesdays - 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th -
Thursdays - 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th -
August -
Tuesdays - 2nd, 16th, 23rd -
Thursdays - 18th, 25th -


Fees- $14/class or 5 class flex-card for $60
Location: Jewel of the North Resort - Hwy.263 - Christopher Lake. /Emma Lake area

For more information please contact:
Pamela Nelson
Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor
306-982-2737
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Samyama - Integration of dharana, dhyana and samadhi

Samyama is a sanskrit word that means defining, holding together, integration.

In the context of Patanjali's yoga sutras it is meant to define the integration of concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption (samadhi).

Below are the next few sutras in book three of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.  The definition and explanation of the sutras is from Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, by B.K.S. Iyengar.

Y.S. III.4 trayam ekatra samyamah
These three together - dharana, dhyana and samadhi - constitute integration or samyama.

Dharana is one-pointed concentration and brings stability in mind.  As the one-pointedness dissolves and maturity in intelligence is gained dhyana begins.  From here when one-pointedness ends and all-pointedness begins, the consciousness diffuses leading to samadhi.

The intermingling of the mind, intelligence and consciousness is samyama, or integration.

Y.S. III.5 tajjayat prajnalokah
From mastery of samyama comes the light of awareness and insight.

When mastery of integration (samyama) is achieved, the knower comes closer and closer to the known and merging in it, loses his separateness.

Y.S. III.6 tasya bhumisu viniyogah
Samyama  may be applied in various spheres to derive its usefulness.

Here the importance of where one is in their sadhana (practice) is discussed.  If one has not mastered the lower stages, they cannot attain the higher stages, nor can one skip to the intermediate stages.  If each stage is followed in turn, one becomes acquainted with them by degrees and full insight develops.
No-one can expect success or mastery without regular practice, and this sutra warns about jumping to higher stages of practice without first establishing a firm foundation through the primary steps of yoga.

Y.S. III.7 trayam antarangam purvebhyah
These three aspects of yoga are internal, compared to the former five.

This sutra refers to the eight limbs of yoga - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharanan, dhyana and samadhi.
It says that compared to the first five limbs of yoga the last three are more subtle, internal, intimate and subjective.  The first five deal with the the seen or cognizable sheaths and is called the external quest.  Yama purifies the organs of action, niyama purifies the senses of perception, asana cleanses the physical and organic aspects of the body, pranayama stops wastage of energy and increases stamina and pratyahara cleanses the mind.
Dharana develops and sharpens intelligence, dhyana purifies the consciousness and samadhi leads the consciousness towards the soul.  The last three involve the subtle internal sheaths, the inner quest and directly affect the spiritual path.


So, although there is an external and internal quest, all the limbs of yoga and sheaths of the body must intermingle, as one helps to reach the other.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
http://www.plnyoga.vpweb.com/

Monday, June 13, 2011

On Perfect Absorption - Samadhi

Samadhi is the eighth limb of Patanjali's astanga yoga.

In book three of Patanjali's yoga sutras he says:

Y.S. III.3 tadeva arthamatranirbhasam svarupasunyam iva samadhih
As translated by B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali:

When the object of meditation engulfs the meditator, appearing as the subject, self-awareness is lost.  This is samadhi.

For the many of us who have not experienced samadhi this is a challenging concept to understand. 
Mr. Iyengar helps to explain saying that,
"When the attentive flow of consciousness merges with the object of meditation, the consciousness of the meditator, the subject, appears to be dissolved in the object.  This union of subject and object becomes samadhi."
He further states that,
"Uninterrupted flow of attention dissolves the split between the object seen and the seer who sees it.  Consciousness appears to have ceased, and to have reached a state of silence.  It is devoid of "I", and merges into the core of the being in a profound state of serenity.  In samadhi, awareness of place vanishes and one ceases to experience space and time."
Samadhi defined means, perfect absorption, intent attention, union, bringing into harmony or spiritual absorption.
I wish you well on your journey.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
http://www.plnyoga.vpweb.com/