Pratyahara

Restraint of the senses - or, withdrawing our attention away from harmful influences and opening up to beneficial influences. Prati means food in Sanskrit, ahara means restraint or control. As we learn to control our bodies with asana practice and our breath with pranayama practice, we than can bring our minds under conscious control and stop running around after external objects of desire - the lastest bling.

Mastery of the self makes you more powerful; you can do what you really want in life without distraction, focus on what's important without being turned away from your goal. This is the first step on your inward journey; there is bondage when you are craving after things, full of fear, or unhappy. The mind is pure when desire and fear is annihilated.

pranayama

Pranayama is the conscious control of the breath. Prana means breath, vitality, life, energy, or strength. Ayama means length, expansion, or restraint. Pranayama means control over all of the functions of the breath, from inhalation to exhalation to holding of the breath in or out.

According to BKS Iyengar, a yogi's life is measured by the number of breaths taken so following proper regular rhythmic breathing strengthens the respiratory system, soothes the nervous system, and reduces cravings. The mind is thus set free and becomes fit for concentration.

It takes a long time to learn slow, deep, steady inhalations and exhalations. In the Ashtanga system of Pattabhi Jois, Ujjayi breath is practiced with the asana vinyasa movements of the First and Second Series before students are allowed to begin formal practice in sitting pranayama instruction. Improper practice of pranayama can lead to serious disorders, while correct methods lead to improved health; it must be learned from a teacher. There are different systems of pranayama according to teaching lineage; once one has decided upon a system of yoga asana to study, that is the pranayama system one should study when adept in asana.

Just remember to be patient; first master slow, deep, steady inhalation and exhalation in all yoga asanas - if your breathing becomes shallow or rapid while practicing, you are working too hard or are losing your focus.

Sthira Sukham Asanam

Asana must have the qualities of alertness and relaxation; just enough effort as you work, but a quality of relaxation. At the same time, you must be relaxed while striving to achieve effort. Asana literally means "easy seat".

Those who do not practice yoga but run, swim, or practice other aerobic sports may have experienced the "zone", a feeling where effort feels effortless and one can do more than usual and feel great doing it and even better afterwards. Physical activity is important for the human body, not just to keep the joints and muscles in top condition but to condition the mind - mood is elevated, blood pressure is lowered, cholesterol is moderated; so many benefits come from exercise and yet we find so many excuses not to move. This lack of movement can and will literally kill us over time, as new research is now showing - studies into the effects of obesity are indicating that improvements in the lifespans of Americans will be undone if the ever expanding waistlines continue. Obesity will overtake all other threats to human life, including smoking, cancers, accidents, etc. once the effects on children are taken into account; they are becoming obese at younger and younger ages as they become sedentary at younger and younger ages.

In ancient times, movement was built into the daily lives of all cultures. Celebratory dances, walking everywhere, farming or other labor intensive work ensured that many calories were burned and muscles worked and stretched. Only the elite lounged around and were waited on hand and foot. Today, we must make an extra effort to park the car a little farther away and walk a few extra steps, take the stairs instead of the elevator, join a health club (and be sure to go there before we go home) and work out at least 30 minutes daily; we could also walk around the block with our kids or the family dog, garden for an hour, learn to ride a bike, anything enjoyable that we will keep up on a regular basis. Your practice need not be gumby like to be like "Yoga" to be beneficial on a physical level - if you don't have access to a good Yoga teacher, there are now excellent videos and DVDs out there (the Yoga Journal line with Rodney Yee are good for beginners) in a multitude of styles. If one doesn't suit you, try another! The important thing is to get moving and keep moving!

Niyama: Rules of Conduct

Shaucha Santosha Tapaha Svadhyayeshvara Pranidhanani Niyamaha

Niyama comprises

Shaucha, cleaniness of body, mind, and spirit as well as our surroundings. According to BKS Iyengar, good habits like bathing purify the body externally while asana and pranayama purify the body internally. Meanwhile, purging the mind of disturbing emotions like hatred, anger, lust, greed, and delusion are even more important.

Pure food is also needed, not only in the way it's prepared but how it is obtained. Factory farming methods often swamp the ground with pesticides and high levels of phosphates, which may find their way into the skins of the fruits and vegetables you eat. Factory farmed animals are often raised and slaughtered in inhumane conditions, which leads not only to disease among the animals, but to a lower quality of protein. Improperly run slaughterhouses have been known to transmit disease to humans, and often cause repetitive stress injuries to the workers who are also working long hours in stressful conditions. Many yogis become vegetarians or vegans (no dairy or eggs); those who do not, endeavor to find animal products from sources labeled "free range" or "humanely raised".

Food should be simple and nourishing, according to Iyengar; avoid eating too much or too little (one teacher told me that a meal should fit into your own two hands!).

Santosha, contentment, is the ability to be comfortable with what we have and what we don't have, according to TKV Desikachar. It must be cultivated, a difficult thing to do in a consumer society where the constant message of television is buy the newest, shiniest, biggest bling...

Tapas, translates from the root word for "fire". It can translate as fervor, drive, austerity, self-discipline, character building; it removes impurities in the body and mind through all of these things as well as other good habits as sleep, nutrition, and relaxation according to Desikachar.

Svadhyaya, or study of the Self, allows you to review your progress along your path while you work on drawing out the best that is within.

Ishvarapranidhana is surrender, or dedication to God(dess), a higher power, a higher intellegence, or the higher nature of humanity. We surrender the fruits of our efforts to something greater than ourselves, for the greater good of all humanity and All Our Relations. When the sense of "mine" disappears, the individual soul can reach full growth.

Daaina, and so it is!

Ashtanga Yoga - the Eight Limbs of Practice

Yama Niyama Asana Pranayama Pratyahara Dharana Dhyana Samadhayo 'stavangani

There are eight components of classical Yoga practice:

Yama: very much like the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments, comprising moral and ethical standards.

1. Ahimsa: non-violence, or non-harming. This was the foundation of Mahatma Gandhi's movement that freed India from the British virtually without a shot. Later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. modeled the civil rights movement after Gandhi's success, as did Ang San Su Chi (I know I am spelling her name wrong...) in Burma and the entire nation of the Phillipines in ousting the Marcos regime. The Christian faith is based upon non-violence, although few "Christians" actually follow it (the Quakers are one sect that take it seriously); Jesus Christ said, "Blessed are the peacemakers..." and "If a man strikes you on the cheek, turn and let him strike you on the other...." and even "Love your enemies!". Sri Pattabhi Jois, guru of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga lineage says of ahimsa that it is "impossible!" to practice. However, dedicated practice in lovingkindness as shown by such persons as the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Thich Nhat Hanh of Viet Nam (who have known so much violence and war in their homelands) prove that perfect ahimsa is possible in humans. One must cultivate an attitude of compassion towards others, even one's enemies, as they must have experienced tremendous sorrow themselves to feel such rage and anger for us. To deny that our enemies feel what we feel is to deny our own humanity.

2. Satya: truth, or right speech/communication. Controlling your speech, thoughts, actions, etc. allows others to respect you and leads to the elimination of malice. One should avoid abusing others with their words, tell the truth unless that truth causes harm or violence to others, and should avoid ridiculing what others hold sacred.

3. Asteya: Not-stealing. Pretty straightforward, includes using something for a different purpose than that intended; misappropriation, breach or trust, mismanagement, misuse....Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, the Business Pages are full of violations of this Yama!

4>Brahmacharya: continence, or moderation. There are different takes on this depending on who you reference. If you are a very traditional yogi(ni) living in an ashram, you are completely celebate. If you are not, according to Pattabhi Jois you may follow the traditional text of Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which lays out the stages of life, where you may be faithful to your spouse during the Householder phase of life and are celibate before and after. The real key here to be moderate. Don't go overboard and you should be okay.

5. Aparigraha: non-greed. Keep things simple, try not to hoard what you don't need - three houses, ten cars, a million pairs of shoes....There are so many families without health insurance, a roof over their heads, food on their plates. Children are going hungry. Some people are one paycheck away from losing everything they have. Others have way more than they could possibly use in their lifetimes. Interesting thing is, money really doesn't make you happy; beyond the basics, once you are secure more will not make you happier. There were two recent lottery stories in the news that illustrated this perfectly: one man in WV won a huge jackpot, didn't know how to handle it and became very unhappy. A woman in CA won a huge jackpot and used the money to help find homes for abandoned babies, or to bury those which died before being rescued - she keeps very little for herself. She is very happy.

Part of the difference may be that she knew who she was before she won the money, therefore it made no difference in her life having more.

Daaiina. And so it is.

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Posted by: namastehon

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