Dear friends,
This email is the first in a series that will be sent out every 2-3 weeks with information on yoga, specifically Ashtanga yoga. You can email me any time to either ask questions or asked to be removed from this mailing list. You may most certainly refer these emails to your friends who may also contact me to be added to this list and ask questions about yoga in general or Ashtanga yoga. If I do not respond personally to incoming questions, then I will use your questions to inspire future emails on yoga.
I am by no means the ultimate authority on yoga. I am like the rest of you - naturally curious about this practice and have made some discoveries along the way that I feel compelled to share in the hopes of making your journeys through the practice more comfortable. I do encourage everyone to conduct further research on anything that I am stating to seek clarification, or verification. I do have a series of texts that I will often refer to, predominantly "The Yoga Sutras" by Patanjali (2000BCE - 220 BCE - history is debatable between Indian cultural history and Western systems of dating), "Yoga Mala" by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915 - 2009), The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa (3000 BCE or 1st Century BCE), and the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika" by Svatmarama (15th C, CE). There are other contemporary texts that I will refer practitioners to that are more comprehensible and easier to read - this will happen in future emails.
To begin - what is yoga? This is a VERY broad term and applies to many things. Let's begin with the text . . . The Yoga Sutras state that "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." (1.2) There are a myriad of endeavours and meditation techniques that can be employed to help human beings still the mind. There are 4 major categories (aka 4 paths of Yoga):
1.Bhakti Yoga - this is the yoga of devotion to a particular god - most commonly Shiva, Vishnu, or a Shakti (female entity). Stillness and higher states of conciousness are achieved through frequency of chanting, rituals, and meditation.
2. Jnana Yoga - this is the yoga of knowledge. This knowledge is 2-fold. First there is the practice of studying a multitude of texts (external study), and then there is the practice of studying the knowledge of the self - knowing the body (kshetra), and the knower of the body, or the soul (kshetra-jna).
3. Karma Yoga - this is the yoga of action. Karma means 'to do.' This usually refers to charitable works.
4. Raja Yoga - This is the yoga of meditation to achieve liberation. Hatha Yoga, and eventually Ashtanga Yoga, fall under the umbrella of Raja yoga. Raja yoga is first described in Patanjali's Sutras.
The goal of each of these practices is to practice the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, eventually leading to liberation - liberation can mean many things. In Hinduism, liberation refers to be liberated from the cycle of samsara - being constantly reincarnated into physcial existence. This is called Moksha. Others interpret liberation to mean enlightenment - freedom from all negative human tendencies like hate, jealousy, depression, etc . . . Everyone will have a different internal experience with whatever yoga they are practising.
Evidence of a physical yoga practice dates back to approximately 5000 years ago in Mohenjo-Daro, which peaked between 3000 and 2000 BCE, and is located in modern-day Pakistan. The Proto-Shiva Seal was found among the many ancient artifacts that depicts a yogi - perhaps a deity judging by the plant growing from its head. I say "it" because the gender is still yet to be determined definitely - different groups will say different things. The yogi or deity is in a meditative posture, perhaps a lotus, surrounded by various animals, thus nick-named the Protector of the Cattle. Those who believe it is a deity believe it has 3 faces. Other theories suggest that it is a Shaman wearing ritualistic garb - specifically the horns. In either interpretation, what is important is that this belief or practice was valuable enough to document. It strongly represents our connection to nature with the depiction of plants and horns on its head. And that there has been a meditation practice for thousands of years that practitioners today are in some way connected to.
All future emails will deal more and more with Ashtanga yoga as this is what I practice and try to teach. I say "try to teach" because I am not authorized or certified to teach Ashtanga Yoga from the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. Thus, I am a student sharing his notes and findings and I hope it brings more light into your personal practice.
I hope this email finds you well in body and in mind. Peace and blessings to you all.
Mark
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