Dear friends,
2 brief announcements before we continue discussion on the 8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga.
1. I've finally started a blog for people to read all of my previous emails and to post my new ones. Feel free to forward it to friends who may be interested. I can also add them to this distribution list. The blog is still a work in progress . . . www.stillnesshealth.blogspot.ca. Enjoy and feel free to comment (I will brace myself for the onslaught!).
2. I'm conducting an adjustment workshop on Saturday, June 9 from 1:30 to 3:30 at Yoga Tree Thornhill. Details are on the Yoga Tree website and posters in the studios. Your questions on the workshop are welcome.
I'd like to start by sharing some thoughts on how the Shiva Nataraja (Nata = dance, Raja = Lord or King) is an illustration of the Yamas - the 5 restraints - I have a thing for iconography if you haven't already noticed.
First the symbols that he is holding: A drum in one hand (symbolizing the rhythm of creative energy), Fire (symbolizing purification and purging of impurities), a hand held in a stop position (the hand of confidence rejecting insults), and a hand pointing to his raised foot (the hand of creativity that directs the dance). Holy Mother Ganges is in his dreadlocks on the left. The figure that I want to draw your attention to is the person that Shiva is standing on - it's not a person, it's a demon of ignorance. Our ignorances are a part of our nature and who we are - our insecurites, anger, depression, etc . . . are all ignorance that obstruct the path to self realization. Shiva does not kill ignorance - he keeps it underfoot, just like the Yamas are intended to encourage us to keep our issues underfoot. We can't kill them because they are all apart of the human condition. And all of our issues will come up in our practice as well - I've certainly wrestled with ego, with shame, with anger, and hopelessness (will it ever get easier? Will I ever float like a super star?) in my practice. By the end, there is a sense of relief, that is wasn't all that bad, that there are things I would like to continue to work on - isn't that like the rest of our lives?
Moving on to the Niyamas, the second of the 8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga. Like the Yamas (the restraints), there are 5 Niyamas (observances), which are: Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (self study), Ishvara pranidhanani (surrender to the divine)
To understand how the Niyamas work, we need to look at the Koshas, or sheaths, of the body. Some texts say that we have 5 sheaths, others say 7 - it doesn't really matter how many there are. The 7 are: physical body, physiological body, intellectual body, psychological body, the body of joy, body of ego, and the Atman, or true-self. To make life easier, let's just say there is Body, Mind, and Soul that are all very intimately connected where a massive shift in on of these bodies, will resonate or permeate into the others. For example, after a yoga class you feel great because of the oxygen flowing in your veins and refreshing yorur organs. Then your heart feels happier, and your mind feels relaxed. On the flip side, if you have a shocking experience, this hurts the body (muscle and organ tension, constricted veins, etc . . .), the mind will play the harmful images over and over, and the soul or heart will have an imprint that shifts behaviour. These impressions, by the way, are called Samskaras - this may come up in future write-ups.
With Saucha, or cleanliness, there are 2 types - external, pertaining to the body, and internal which seems to refer mostly to food/drink intake. This leads to purification of the mind, helping to rid the body of stresses caused by jealousy, vanity, anger, attachment, etc . . . If we are intaking insane amounts of sugar, salt, or alcohol, this will intern affect mood, energy levels, and concentration. It acknowledges the link between the body-mind-soul. A shift in one of these affects the others.
Santosha, or contentment, suggests that we decrease our attachment to material things. The Bhagavad Gita indicates taht "desire is the real enemy of the embodies woul, since it is never satisfied and burns like fire (3:37-39). We cannot seek externally for that which lies within. Conentment comes when we are happy with what we have (including our practice and what asanas we have acheived - I still struggle with that), instead of trying to achieve all of our desires. This is a severe contrast to Western thinking where we like to hoard and accumulate wealth - but to what end? The hopelessness of the Western ideal is that the desire is unsatiable - there must still be more after the private jet and villa in Bora Bora. Contentment can only be sought after and achieved internally. To see this in material wealth will ultimately lead to madness or depression. This is not to say that it is morally wrong to have material wealth - it is soulfully wrong to depend on this wealth as the source for happiness. Santosha brings to mind the image of the Laughing Buddha. He is a beggar (he holds a begging bowl for rice in his hand, or sometimes a bag. He has nothing that he owns, and he is often insulted by people who see him beg, yet he still laughs. When people ask him "how can you be so happy? You have nothing, and people insult you." He replies "as long I as am happy, I am still better off than those who have many things and hurl insults at me."
Tapas, or austerity, is the commitment to do what is good/right depending on the circumstance. This is difficult to define because there is no clear definition on what is right. Indeed, people who believe they are absolutely right are quite frightening and need to be avoided. But we can refer back to the yamas and start there - non-violence - if it causes harm or violence to other people or the environment, then it is wrong. Not every choice we make is perfect. I certainly have eaten food that was not fair trade, or bought a sweater made in China, or thrown a recyclable item in the garbage. At the same time, my conscience still functions and encourages me to continue to make responsible decisions where I already am, and more responsible decisions wher I am not. As I am not perfect or enlightened, it is counter productive to condemn myself for messing up when I do. We don't condemn our children for making mistakes, and we need to treat our bodies like a gift from the universe - like a child that we were given responsibility for. We continue to encourage our children to make more positive/responsible choices. Austerity also means to burn, refering to the purification of the body and of the self. It can also be connected to the digestive fire that burns impurities/diseases to keep the body healthy.
Svadhyaya, or self study, also has 2 meanings: Study of sacred texts that lead to liberation, and 2, the assessment or reflection on the self. For me, it's a constant checking in with oneself to see if we are making shifts to create newer habits and patterns that are constructive, positive, and help to remove the obstacles set up by the ego.
Ishvara pranidhana is devotion to the Supreme being, the universe, whatever you want to call it. It does not mean that you have to burn incense, light candles, and put garlands on little images of Ganesha. I think (and this is more my opinion than text related) that it means we need to surrender our sense of control over our lives. This was very important for me when I chose to strictly practice Ashtanga yoga - it meant that I had to surrender to the brilliance of the system - that I cannot make up my own sequences anymore - that by surrendering, I can grow with greater strength and better understand the puposes and possibilities of each asana.
This brings us to the third limb - Asana - which we will discuss in the next email.
I hope all is well with you. Until the next email, I wish you peace, love, and blessings,
Mark
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