Dear friends,
Again, just 2 announcements before the content:
1. I'm hosting a yoga retreat with my friend Sandy the weekend of April 20-22 at Shanti B & B on Wolfe Island, just outside of Kingston. I'm conducting the morning Ashtanga classes, and Sandy is conducting the slow flow and restorative classes in the evening. Cost is $350, that includes HST, all meals, linens, and classes. We're at about 1/2 capacity, so please let me know soon if you are interested.
2. Mysore program - I have about 25 people who have expressed interest in a Mysore program or class at YT. Mysore is how Ashtanga yoga is traditionally practiced. The teacher does not vocally lead the class, the students come to the studio and do the Ashtanga sequence on their own. They will ideally memorize the sequence of poses - if not, you can use a cheat sheet. The teacher assists people in various poses and gives more one-on-one attention where students are struggling. The teacher will also stop students at a particular pose if they cannot progress beyond it, and from there, the student begins the closing sequence from backbends. This might sound frustrating at first, but this is the fastest way to overcome the poses that are most challenging because the student can spend more time in the pose, and their mind starts to tackle the complexity of the pose until it is resolved. If you are interested in seeing a shift in this direction, please let me know via email and I will put your name on the list. I have attached a poster with more information if that helps you.
And now our content on the closing Mantra, and why do we even bother doing Ashtanga. Again, I will reiterate that if anyone is uncomfortable doing any of the mantras in class, then don't do them. It won't hurt if you don't do them - you won't turn into a monster, nor will you lose Karmic points. Our last email looked at the opening Mantra which is quite rich in metaphor, and there is some cultural translation required. In short, the opening mantra does the following: 1. It expresses gratitude to the masters of the past who have preserved this tradition through practice and study, and 2. It sets the intention of the practice to cultivate the knowledge and awareness of the Self which lies beyond the physical. The practitioner sets the tone for the physical practice that is about to take place on the mat. The closing mantra, much easier to translate, with no particular esoteric meaning that I can decipher. It sets the intention for the practitioner when they leave the mat: it is a commitment to sustain positive energy, and to promote justice, peace, and happiness on the planet during our lifetime. Whether or not we are reincarnated or face some other form of eternal fate, what is important about the closing mantra is that we leave a positive mark in our world while we are here: This applies to our immediate relationships, and to the world as a greater whole.
There are several translations on this mantra. I am using the majority of this translation from the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute website (http://kpjayi.org/), where Ashtanga yoga is taught by the gurus, currently Sharath Jois, grandson of Pattabhi Jois.
The Closing Mantra (Mangala Mantra)
Om
Svasti prajabhyaha paripalayatam
Nyayena margena mahim mahishaha
Gobrahmanebhyaha shubamastu nityam
Lokaha samastaha sukhino bhavantu
Om shanti shanti shantihi
Translation:
May all be well with humankind
May all the leaders of the earth protect in every way by keeping to the right path
May there be goodness to those who know the earth to be sacred
May all beings (all things in existence) be happy
Om, peace, peace, perfect peace.
Side note: in his poem "The Wasteland," T.S. Elliot describes "Shanti" as "The peace which passeth understanding." It's not an intellectual experience - it's solely experiential. I can't say that I have had the complete experience, just the occassional glimpse here and there that's not necessarily related to practice (though sometimes in savasana - resting pose). Beyond the obvious, there is not really any major esoteric interpretation I can make from this. Of course, if you know of any deeper meanings, please let the rest of us know.
Below is a link to a video clip of Sharath Jois reciting the closing chant in case. Of course, my Sanskrit accent is a bit off.
Again, I like to reiterate that Ashtanga yoga is a practice of conciousness. This practice starts with the body because it is the easiest to understand - moving through the asanas is the gross form of meditation. I often teach with oodles of instruction for the sake of dumping as much conciousness into the body as possible to explore the practitioner's relationship with themselves. The first relationship (and the ultimate relationship for that matter) that we examine in the practice is the one with ourselves. If we push ourselves too much, we will damage or injure our bodies and the mind is frustrated (this is usually a symptom of too much egotistical influence in the practice). If we don't push at all and hold the asanas with inertia, then the body weakens and the mind stays in its state of fluctuation (a symptom of apathy - likely related to an unhealthy ego). This rudimentary interpretation of the practice as relationship extends to all other relationships - if we push for the sake of enforcing our own agenda, we damage relationships with those around us. Similary, if we don't challenge any of those around us, the nothing can improve. Back to the practice and relationship with the Self - the deeper we explore the muscles that we seldom use in our body, the more aware we are of the possibilities of deeper self discovery at all levels - intellectual, mental, emotional, etc . . . When Guruji so frequently stated that "practice, practice, practice, and all is coming," he was not implying that the "all" is the asanas. People who have limited asana capability can have extra-ordinary abilities to focus, and to translate their asana practice to their practical lives off the mat. And people who have incredible physical capabilities may have little ability to focus, and may practice things that are harmful to their immediate relationships and the rest of the planet. The "all" is the stilled mind - when the mind is still, the body can move deeper, though the mind doesn't necessarily move deeper with stronger physical capability. Indeed, Guruji also used to comment on how circus performers weren't practising yoga - there was no meditative aspect, no distinguishing between conditioned existence and esoteric reality, no confrontation of the ego or insecurity. We need to do all of these in our practice for 'all' to come. I will discuss more about the meditation aspect when I get into "The 8 limbs" of Ashtanga Yoga. We do need to consider states of the mind that influence our bodies, and learn to dismiss them as distractions rather than realities. Lastly, the ego - sigh - I still wrestle with the ego in every practice . . . the ego is the largest block to the spiritual path. The ego reaches externally, pulled by the senses towards stimuli for temporary, sensual pleasures, or for persona and selfish attention "look how good I look, how strong I am." The ego - reaching externally - moves in the opposite direction of the heart (internal), away from the greater truth of who we are. The Bhagavad Gita clearly states: "Those who abstain from feeding the desires of the senses and mind allow the tastes of desires to fade out on their own, is one with the soul (II:59) . . . and those who renounce all desires and keep away from attachment (to conditioned existence) attain freedom and beatitude (II:71). Avoid competing with someone else's asanas in practice, avoid checking yourself out in the mirror too frequently, and then there is more room for happiness in your heart, and more room for clarity in the mind and the way we perceive the world.
Next email will part 1 of 2 on the 8 limbs. Until then, I wish everyone peace, love, and blessings this Family Day long weekend.
Mark
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