Photo by Olga Nayda via Unsplash

What is Yoga? In simple words: to remain with ease and peace. You might wonder what that ease is. I am talking about that ease, which you disturbed and then called yourself dis‑eased. Even to become a diseased person you should have had ease before, is it not so? If you haven’t had ease how can you disturb it? So what we say in the name of Yoga is to not disturb your natural condition of ease.

And the same principle applies to the mind: do not disturb the peace; let your mind be peaceful. It’s as simple as that. Anything that you would do to avoid disturbing the ease of the body and peace of the mind could be called Yoga. The practice of Yoga is not about a special technique, rather the aim of practice is more important. If your aim is to maintain your ease and peace, then that is Yoga.

Keeping the right attitude will make everything Yoga. How to cultivate the right attitude? By asking yourself: Will I disturb my ease by doing this? If the answer is yes, then stay away from that. There are many things that can disturb our peace and ease. And that is the reason we try to keep some discipline, such as staying away from certain types of food, from smoking, from liquor, from recreational drugs, from over-straining our senses by overindulging. We don’t deny the right kind of enjoyment. The senses are given to us so we can enjoy life. And we will enjoy more when we don’t overindulge. That is why the Buddha taught the middle path. Don’t go to extremes. We should have that kind of discipline in life. Everything that thrives has its own discipline. We see this throughout Mother Nature. Do animals overeat? No. Do they smoke? No, so, the only exception seems to be the human beings.

The Cosmic Intelligence, when It expressed Itself in the form of human beings, gave more freedom to Itself. That’s why the Bible said that God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose to eat or not eat the fruit—though God said to not eat it. So it is the human species that has the freedom to do the right or to do the wrong. And we should always see that we are doing the right because by doing the wrong we are hurting ourselves and others.

This is what Yoga essentially teaches: self‑reflection and self-refinement. Practices like Hatha Yoga helps us to discipline the body and that has many benefits of its own. Hatha Yoga helps us to eliminate toxins in the body, to bring a deeper relaxation, and increase prana (vital energy). When you take in a lot of prana, you can become more immune to many of the outside forces that could affect you. That’s very important. In fact, a yogi should be healthier and happier, stronger and more immune to any undesirable influences. It’s only a good yogi who can better enjoy the world. Sometimes people think that being a yogi means that you have to go into a cave and retreat from life. But I tell you, if you really want to enjoy the life, become a yogi. Then you will know how much to enjoy and where the limit is.

Many people begin with the idea of enjoying and they end up in problems because they don’t know the limit; they get carried away because they don’t have control over their own mind. In the name of enjoying, if you overeat, are you going to enjoy? You will have the stomach problem. The real enjoyment of life comes when you know the limitations, know your capacity, which requires having good control over the mind.

The mind should not dominate you, you should be the master. That is what Yoga is all about: to make you the master of your mind and body. So your Hatha Yoga, pranayama, meditation, are all to help you function in a balanced way. And we should take enough time for that. Look within. Analyze your own mind. What kind of thoughts do you allow to come in? Are they helpful or disturbing? Everybody should take time for that. If not both morning and evening, at least one time in the day.

So take time to sit, reflect, and meditate. This will help keep the mind clean. Pinpoint any selfish thought that arises and recognize that it will certainly disturb your mind. Remember, a selfish person can never be happy. And what do I mean by selfish? Doing things expecting something in return: “I won’t do it if I don’t get this or that. I only care how I feel and what others are doing for me.” Those who are constantly blaming others, feeling jealous about what others may have, thinking only of themselves, can never be happy.

Instead, cultivate the attitude: I am here to serve others and I enjoy doing that. Just look at an apple tree. How freely it offers its fruits. Ask a tree: “How many fruits did you produce?” The tree might tell you: “Oh, several hundreds.” Then ask the tree, “How many did you eat?” What will the tree tell you? “None.” The minute we forget that we are the Spirit and instead identify ourselves as the body and mind, then we put ourselves in a lot of difficulty and suffering. You are the Spirit. That is the teaching of Yoga and that is the aim of Yoga: to know your Self; to remember who you are. Know the happiness, peace, and contentment that is the essence of the True Self—and that this is the essence of everyone.

Once you experience this truth, it will take care of everything in your life. I wish you all peace and joy, health and happiness. Om Shanti.

By Sri Swami Satchidananda

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Curious Poses: 30 Yoga Postures and the Stories They Tell

In this beautifully illustrated book, the author draws in on Hindu scripture, mythology and the animals, birds and flowers the Indian yogis saw around them, delving into the symbolism of Yoga postures and giving a fascinating insight into an activity that so many of us practice every week. A treasure trove of Yoga history, mythology, philosophy and pop culture that enlightens and entertains, Curious Poses is the ideal companion for the curious Yoga enthusiast.

About the Author and Artist:

Lucy Greeves is a writer and Yoga teacher. Alongside her regular studio classes and workshops, she devised and led the popular Yoga for Writers residential retreats for the Arvon Foundation. She has written on Yoga and meditation for Planet Mindful magazine. Her previous books include The Naked Jape (Michael Joseph, 2006).

Amanda Leon is an artist and illustrator based in Barcelona, Spain.

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Discover the traditional stories and wisdom behind your favorite Yoga poses in The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures, the stunningly illustrated book of Indian mythology for yogis of all levels. A beautifully written introduction to Indian mythology, join storyteller, scholar and teacher, Dr Raj Balkaran, and explore the unforgettable tales behind 50 key yoga poses, such as:

• Vīrabhadrāsana II, the original warrior pose
• Tāḍāsana, mountain pose
• Bhujaṅgāsana, cobra pose
• Garuḍāsana, eagle pose
• Padmāsana, lotus pose
• Vīrāsana, hero pose
• Śavāsana, corpse pose 

Meet iconic Gods and Goddesses, from Gaṇeśa, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, to Śiva, Lord of Yogis, and Kali, goddess of mind, body, soul and death. Explore the rivalry between the sages Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra, and their cosmic feud over a wish-fulfilling cow. Plunge into the depths of one of the richest myths in Hinduism: the battle between the demons and the gods who churn the cosmic oceans in search for the elixir of immortality. And learn how Śiva got his blue throat!

Learn, through the mythology of the poses, more about the roots of this ancient practice and how you can use their teachings to better appreciate and respect Yoga’s true origins. Enhance your practice by reading one story before or at the end of class, and incorporating the poses and their teaching into your life, as well as your Yoga practice, and transform the way you view and practice this timeless art.

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In Yoga class, you stretch, rotate, and twist the body so the energy can move freely. When you need to create more space in a structured mass, if you can’t change the matter, you can use rotation to create the spaciousness, to give relief. When you rotate the spine, legs, or arms correctly, it creates space. Micro adjustments in the body allow what was congested to become spacious.

Where is the space in the breath? How can you find more space? By inhaling more? If you’re full already, it can be difficult to add more.  Let’s relate this idea to shopping. Let’s say you need more “breath”–-so you go shopping, look for it, find a store, select the right breath and style for you and purchase it. And then bring it home. That’s the moment when you realize you don’t have any space for this or the stuff you purchased last week. That’s when you need the exhalation. The exhalation is the process of cleaning out your closets, making room for the new. The exhalation and its retention increase your capacity; when you finally inhale, it’s a fuller breath. This is why the exhalation is emphasized in many healing modalities including Yoga.

The purpose of Yoga as a tool for healing is to create a structure of bones and muscle tissue that allows spaciousness. As you move into a structural correction, look for the spacing. The rotation of the bones, the rotation of your schedule, or even the rotation of your relationship should create a feeling of openness. When a teacher makes a correction to someone’s posture in Yoga class, to fulfill this intention, the teacher asks, “How does that feel?” If it feels worse, there is a missing link—the communication about where spaciousness can be found is missing.

Spaciousness needs to be present both in your relationship to self (the body) and your relationships with others. If you are in relationship with someone and you’re not allowing them to be who they are, then there’s no spaciousness. If you are expecting your partner to adhere to the same principles that you hold to be true, then you’re not allowing your partner to find his or her way. There’s no spaciousness. You might say, “I found Yoga and it’s working for me, so really darling, you should be doing Yoga too.” That’s not spacious. Your partner might prefer jogging or windsurfing.

How can you allow and welcome new energy and new energetic structure? The first place I begin is with the breath. You create a breathing form and then rotate or change the form so there’s more spaciousness in it. Let’s explore a little bit. To show the contrast, first notice the way you breathe — you may be grabbing breath sporadically to fuel your conversations. You can put the breath into a structure. Try inhaling four counts, holding four counts, exhaling four counts, and holding four counts. This is a structure. Once you establish it, you can widen it, slow it down, change the rhythm in order to affect a change.

Creating a structure with the breath or in Yoga postures will entrain the body to find space. To me the breath feels like water, moving freely throughout the body and tissues. Yogic breathing can bring you to a more relaxed state of mind; it can open you to consciousness itself. This will in turn bring spaciousness in the body, with food, with relationships, and so on. Yoga is about finding and establishing right relationship. If you are doing a lot of Yoga and your relationships are not harmonious, then you haven’t yet begun your work. Find right relationship to self (how to care for mind and body), right relationship to others (how to care for friends, family), and right relationship to Source (how to allow partnership with soul or spirit).

Find right relationship with the Earth, including how much you throw away, how much you discard as being unworthy, how much you give back, how much you replenish. In all this, we’re looking for space because space is the first ingredient for healing. We all want more space but we don’t give the old outdated energy a way to leave. You can’t hold onto old paradigms and simultaneously invite the new. For example, with the cancer patients I have worked with, as various congested areas start to transform, it is important to give the energy a way to go out. Once the old goes, there’s a new space. What are you going to fill it with?  Bring in new ideas, paradigms, energy. Coherent energy: Geometric, sacred, symmetrical, beautiful, Fibonacci style algorithms. Spacious, divine things that feel good, things that are inclusive. Flow like nature flows.

About the Author:

Wah! is a world renowned musician bringing healing through sound and the teachings of Yoga. After 20 years touring and performing throughout the world, she continues helping people relax and de-stress.The first female to bring kirtan music to the West in the 1990’s, Wah! has been playing bass guitar with her wildly joyful rock band at Yoga festivals and centers around the U.S. since 1997. She has also consistently offered music and albums to the therapeutic market. She is the author of several books including Self Care: Building a Smarter, Stronger, More Peaceful Self and Healing: A Vibrational Exchange. For more info: wahmusic.com  (Reprinted from LA Yoga magazine)

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The sages advised that since, in Kali Yuga, humankind is preoccupied with the body, an important

The word “Hatha” is composed of two syllables: “Ha,” which refers to the solar, positive, warm, activating energies and “tha” which refers to the lunar, cooling, negative, inhibitive energies. Hatha Yoga thus becomes a method of creating a harmonious interaction or polarity between these two powerful, dialectically opposed primordial universal energies. The dominant right side of the body is harmonized with the more passive left side.

The creative, intuitive, visionary right side of the bi-cameral brain is “yoked” harmoniously with the logical, rational, mathematically inclined left side of the brain. A polarized duality is transformed into a harmonious unity and the human personality becomes integrated. Then, real Yoga or union occurs spontaneously. Only when an individual exists in a perfect polarity of prana–apana, can the highest experience—samadhi—occur.

In four-fold awareness, one must first become aware of the body. The second awareness is of the emotions, senses, and energy. The third awareness is awareness of the mind. The fourth awareness is of awareness itself. Good Hatha Yoga fosters deep awareness of the body inside-outside, right side-left side and top side-bottom side. The practices stimulate deep consciousness in every cell. This awareness spills over into an awareness of emotions, sensations and energy (prana flows). The awareness deepens into an awareness of the working of the mind and how body, emotions, sensations, and prana are inseparably linked together.

Swami Gitananda noted that, “All of the evolutionary history of life on this earth planet is contained in your brain. You have a reptilian brain and a mammalian brain, in common with those lower life forms and all their primordial instincts for survival: sexual drive, dominance, territoriality, etc. are also active there. Then, you have the cerebral cortex, the human brain, which is no longer bound by instinct, but can make conscious choices. The problem facing human beings today is the lack of communication between this old, unconscious brain and the new conscious brain. Hatha Yoga is the superb technology that enables us to bridge that gap.”

This is the reason why the ancient rishis taught their disciples to put their bodies into positions resembling life forms like trees, mountains, insects, birds and animals. The body remembers those past incarnations consciously when locked back into a form resembling those physical structures. By becoming conscious of the unconscious, the individual develops the perspective necessary to view with vairagya (detachment) all the old animal and reptilian conditionings. This detached witnessing puts space between stimulus and response so we can choose consciously how to respond to situations rather than react with the animal response of flight or fight.

Hatha Yoga and Its Texts

In Vedic times, the goal of the refined human was to seek moksha, freedom from human birth and mergence in Cosmic Consciousness. Asana meant a seated position or a seat. The word asana is found in the Bhagavad Gita and is used to mean “a seat,” “a place to sit” or “a seated position.” The only physical instruction Lord Krishna gives Arjuna is “to sit straight, with head and neck erect.” Indian pandits date the Bhagavad Gita as being at least 5,000 years old.

The next time the word asana appears, with significance, is in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (about 800 BCE). Patanjali simply says that asana is the third of eight steps to liberation and is a body posture that is sthira sukham (comfortable and steady). The original meaning of the word asana could be derived from the root, “asi,” which means, “to be.” Hence, asana is a body position that enables the seeker to discover his or her true being (divinity) by remaining still and silent.

About 500 AD, the emphasis of spirituality and Yoga started to shift more toward physical practices and techniques in keeping with the materialistic, sensual, body-oriented nature of humankind in Kali Yuga. Certain yogic practices evolved out of the Atharva Veda and the Tantric tradition, which used the body itself as an instrument of sadhana (spiritual practice). Though these techniques were written down, they were written in a coded language, making it impossible for the uninitiated to understand. From about 500 AD to about 1500 AD, several scriptures were recorded, which are commonly known as the Hatha Yoga scriptures. These include the Goraksasatakam, the Gheranda Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Goraksasatakam

This scripture was composed in 100 verses by the Rishi Goraksha, who lived about fifteen hundred years ago. He preached the ideal of samaradhya, or the “sweetest and most perfect adjustment and harmony in one’s life experience.” Verse 4 defines the subject matter of Yoga: “The six limbs of Yoga are asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.” The entire text describes how these limbs may be achieved. Goraksha comes close to the Vedic ideal by emphasizing complete control of the physical organism and mental steadiness as the prelude to experiencing non-duality on the highest spiritual plane. He says there are 8.4 million asanas.

This idea is also found in the Shiva Samhita, which says that the particular form of each living creature is an asana, as Lord Shiva holds still for a moment in his cosmic dance. Thus, there are 8.4 million species. Shiva has enumerated 84 important asanas. Sage Goraksha says that of these, two asanas are important, namely, siddhasana and kamalasana, which are both sitting meditative poses.

Rishi Goraksha gives detailed information on the chakras, or vortexes of spiritual energy, located in the human energy field. He also teaches that there are thousands of nadis (subtle nerves), which serve as the pathways for prana. Of these pathways, he says 72 are important. The three most important nadis are ida (left side, whose deity is the moon); pingala (right side whose deity is the sun) and sushumna (center whose deity is agni or fire). He also describes the types of prana, circulating in various parts of the human force field.

Rishi Goraksha also teaches about Kundalini Shakti: “She lies above the kanda, folded eight times, always closing up, by her mouth, the entrance to the Brahmarandhra” (Goraksasatakam, 30). Rishi Goraksha also describes pranayama practices, emphasizing puraka, rechaka and kumbhaka (inhalation, exhalation and retention). This is also dealt with in the system of concentration, or dharana, taught by Rishi Goraksha, which includes contemplation upon the various mandalas for the pancha maha bhutas of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The sage also describes samadhi, or cosmic consciousness. He defines this highest spiritual state as, “When the prana becomes stilled and the mind is absorbed, there results the identification of jivatma and paramatma, which is called samadhi” (Goraksasatakam, 94). The measurement of the time duration needed for the state of dharana to slip into samadhi is also given in detail.

Gheranda Samhita

This exact date of this scripture is unknown, though it is believed to be from the latter part of the seventeenth century. It is written in the form of a dialogue between Gheranda, the preceptor, and Chandakapali, the disciple. Though it is a treatise of Hatha Yoga, it does not use the word “Hatha.” Instead, it calls the type of Yoga discussed in the treatise, “Ghatastayoga.” This term is not found in any other text on Yoga. “Ghata” in this sense refers to the “body,” and its literal meaning in Sanskrit also is “a pot.”

This suggests that the malleable clay of the body can be formed and fired by the practices of Yoga to make it a fit container to hold the waters of liberation. A beautiful statement by this rishi is as follows: “There are no fetters like those of illusion (maya); no strength like that which comes from discipline (Yoga); there is no friend higher than knowledge (jnana) and no greater enemy than egoism (ahamkara)” (GS 1.4).

Whereas Yogamaharishi Patanjali calls Yoga Ashtanga, (eight limbs) and Rishi Goraksha calls Yoga Shadanga, (six limbs); Rishi Gheranda enunciates Saptayoga (seven limbs of Yoga). According to this revered rishi, the seven exercises for making the body fit for divine wisdom are: purificatory, strengthening, steadying, calming and those leading to lightness, perception and isolation (GS 1.9). Rishi Gheranda classifies the Yoga practices as kriyas (dhautis, bastis, neti, trataka, nauli, kapalabhatis), asanas, mudras, pratyahara, pranayama, dhyana and samadhi. Great emphasis is given to the purification practices which are quite elaborate.

Asanas have been described in great detail in this work. Again we find the concept of 8.4 million asanas enumerated by Lord Shiva. There are as many asanas as there are creatures on earth (GS 2.1). Among these, said the rishi, 84 are best, and of those 84, 32 have been found useful for humankind. The 32 asanas recorded by Rishi Gheranda are:

Sidda (perfect posture), padma (lotus posture), bhadra (gentle posture), mukta (free posture), vajra (adamant posture), svastika (prosperous posture), sinha (lion posture), gomukha (cow-mouth posture), vira (heroic posture), dhanur (bow posture), mrita (corpse posture), gupta (hidden posture), matsya (fish posture), matsendra, goraksha, paschimottana, utkata (hazardous posture), sankata (dangerous posture), mayura (peacock posture), kukkuta (cock posture), kurma (tortoise posture), uttana manduka, uttana kurmaka, vriksha (tree posture), manduka (frog posture), garuda (eagle posture), vrisha (bull posture), salabha (locust posture), makara (dolphin posture), ushtra (camel posture), bhujanga (snake posture), Yoga mudra (gesture of Yoga).

Twenty-five mudras are discussed, and afterward, Lord Shiva is quoted as telling Devi, “O Devi. I have told you all the mudras. Their knowledge leads to adeptship. It should be kept secret with great care and should not be taught indiscriminately to everyone. This gives happiness to the yogis.” Again we see the idea that Yoga knowledge should be kept secret.

This rishi also discusses pratyahara and pranayama techniques, laying emphasis first on the purification of the nadis, asking, “Vayu [deity of the air] cannot enter the nadis so long as they are full of impurities. How then can pranayama be accomplished? First, the nadis should be purified.”

Sage Gheranda also discusses dhyana and samadhi in detail: “Dhyana, or meditation, is of three kinds: gross, subtle, and luminous. When a particular figure, such as one’s Guru or deity is contemplated, it is sthula or gross; when Brahman or prakriti is contemplated as a mass of light it is called jyothi meditation; when Brahman as a bindu (point) and kundalini force is contemplated, it is sukshma or subtle meditation” (GS 6.1).

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika was perhaps written about 500 to 700 years ago. Even today, Hatha Yoga Pradipika is claimed to be the source book of instruction by many Yoga teachers. It was authored by Yogi Svatmarama Suri. It is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is on asanas; the second chapter is on pranayama; the third chapter is on mudras and the fourth chapter on samadhi. Sage Svatmarama, in his second verse, proclaims,“Svatmarama Yogin, having saluted his Lord and Guru, teaches the hatha vidya solely for the attainment of Raja Yoga” (1.2). In 389 verses, the sage gives fairly detailed instruction about asanas, pranayama, mudras, and the means of attaining samadhi. He describes only 15 asanas, of which a few resemble those common in today’s Hatha Yoga. He describes four of these asanas, as the “best among postures.” They are siddhasana, padmasana, simhasana, and bhadrasana (1.33).

The asanas described by Svatmarama Suri (1.19 to 32) are as follows: swastikasana, gomukhasana, virasana, kurmasana, kukkutasana, uttana kurma, dhanurasana, matsyendrasana, paschimmotanasana, mayurasana and savasana. In Chapter One, verse 33, he says, “The asanas propounded by Lord Shiva are eighty-four in number. Of these, I shall describe four which are the quintessence.” In verse 34 he continues, “These four: siddha, padma, simha and bhadra (asanas) are most excellent. Of these four, the most comfortable, siddhasana, can always be assumed.” In the remaining verses of the first chapter, the Guru also discusses which foods are to be eaten. He recommends, “filling half the stomach with food, one quarter with water and leaving one fourth of the stomach free as an offering to Lord Shiva” (HYP 1.58).

In Chapter Two, entitled, “Pranayama,” the Shat Karmas (six purification acts) are described. They include: dhauti, vasti, neti, trataka, nauli, and kapalabhati. However, the Guru says, “…. One who is flabby and phlegmatic should first practice these six acts. Others who do not have these defects should not practice them” (2.21). He also writes, “The different kumbhakas are now described: There are eight kumbhakas, namely, surya bhedana, ujjayi, sitkari, sitkali, bhastrika, bhramari, murcha, and plavini” (2.44).

He further writes, “One cannot obtain perfection in Raja Yoga without Hatha Yoga, nor perfection in Hatha Yoga without Raja Yoga, so both should be practiced till perfection (in Raja Yoga) is obtained” (2.76). Then, in Chapter Three, he describes the mudras in verses 6 and 7: “Maha mudra, maha bandha, maha vedha, khecari, uddiyana, mula bandha, jalandhara bandha, viparitakaranai, vajroli, and shaktichalana, these are the ten mudras. They destroy old age and death.” He also gives instructions on how to awaken the kundalini. Chapter Four is devoted to instructions in obtaining samadhi. He says, “Samadhi is explained: As salt in water unites and dissolves with it, a likewise merging of mind and Self is samadhi” (4.5). “When prana is without any movement in kumbhaka and the mind is absorbed in the Self, the state of harmony is called samadhi” (4.6).

Svatmarama Suri also mentions 72,000 nadis and claims only sushumna nadi is of importance. He describes many methods of achieving the samadhi state. He puts most emphasis on the use of nada, or inner sound. He says, “The primeval Lord Shiva has expounded one crore [10 million] and a quarter of effective ways for the attainment of laya (absorption) but we think that one thing, devotion to nada alone, is the most important of all these ways” (4.66).

Again he says, “Nada is like the net which ensnares the deer (the mind) and it is also the hunter who slays the deer within (the mind)” (4.94). He describes many aspects of Nada Yoga and also samadhi. Svatmarama Suri concludes his work with: “As long as the prana does not flow in the central way (through sushumna) and enter the brahmarandhra, as long as the semen does not become steady through restraint of breath, so long as the mind does not in meditation reflect the natural state (of the object contemplated upon, i.e. Brahman), so long as those who talk of spiritual knowledge indulge only in boastful and false prattle [there is no success in Yoga]” (4.114).

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, unlike other texts discussed thus far, much practical instruction is given in asanas, pranayama, mudras, and even in methods of attaining samadhi. Yet, the instruction given is couched in difficult and deliberately obscure language. It is not a textbook on Yoga, and Yoga practices could not be undertaken merely on the basis of studying the text because the references are far too obscure and too ambiguous. The Guru himself makes many references, throughout the work, to the need for the practices to be kept secret. If he intended his work to be used as a practical guide to practices, he would never have written them down, violating his own cautions.

Like all ancient Gurus, the written aspect of the teaching was only the tip of the iceberg, a jolt to the memory of the student, a reminder of the whole and not containing the whole within itself. For example, he says, “The yogi desirous of obtaining siddhi should keep the Hatha Yoga very secret. For it is potent when kept secret and ineffective when injudiciously revealed” (1.11). He also stresses, time and again, the need for the direct guidance of the Guru: “There is an excellent karana by which the sun is duped. This should be learnt from the Guru and not through the study of the shastras” (3.78). Later, he declares, “Who really knows the greatness of Raja Yoga? Jnana, mukti, sthiti and siddhi are obtained through the teaching of the Guru” (4.8).

Though this text does appear to give detailed instructions in asanas, pranayama, mudras, and the means of practicing dhyana, in reality, the references are very obscure and deliberately kept ambiguous, forcing the sincere aspirant not to rely on the text alone, but to seek the guidance of a qualified master.

Hatha Yoga is the appropriate sadhana for Kali Yuga, an age in which human beings have lost control over their bodies, emotions, and sensual organs. Hatha Yoga allows the practitioner to use the body as a stepping-stone toward higher evolutionary levels. The body then becomes an instrument, rather than a hindrance, toward achieving the noble aim of life—moksha (liberation).

About the Authors:  Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani

The International Centre for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER), located near Pondicherry in South India, is directed by Yogarcharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani. She is ably assisted by her son, Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, an accomplished musician, Yoga teacher and medical doctor. The ICYER is the umbrella organization for a group of sub-organizations that represent the institution in different fields including classical South Indian arts, Yoga publications, and the Yoga Jivana Satsangha, with 120 Gitananda Yoga Centers in 22 countries. For more information, please visit: www.icyer.com.

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Ayurveda and Yoga are sister sciences. In this interview, David Frawley, PhD (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) addresses their complementarity and where asana fits into both of these ancient systems from a holistic perspective. He also clarifies the intent of asana and the broader goal of Yoga from a classical view, drawing from the Yoga Sutras and Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

About Dr. Frawley:

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Deepak Chopra describes the body’s impermanence by reminding us that “We replace 98 percent of our atoms in one year.” Like a river, we appear to be—but never are—the same. Otherwise, how would neck pain, ulcers, or allergies remain? In exploration of that mystery, ancient yogis discovered the underlying force that animates and structures the body. That force is called prana. The flow of prana gives life to every atom and the patterns of this flow determine physical form—if the flow of prana remains unchanged, so does the form it creates. Those yogis then traced this pattern of prana to its source: the mind. The thoughts and feelings that predominate in the mental level determine the flow of prana that structures the body.

Present day examples of that pattern are easy to find. Medical studies show that people who express a lot of hostility and anger outwardly, have a higher rate of heart disease. People who tend to chronically repress anger have a higher rate of cancer. Dr. Dean Ornish’s book Survival and Healing documents the connection between loving relationships and healing.

Our understanding of how the mind works, while more scientifically accountable, supports those ancient yogic theories. It is estimated that 95 percent of our thoughts are the same as what we’ve had before. Thus, set ways of perceiving ourselves, the world, and reacting to each other, lead to characteristics which develop into habits then into a lifestyle that determines our destiny. What remains truly profound, and even crucial in our quick-paced world, are the ways in which Yoga teaches us to use that information. The rich tradition of Yoga provides specific tools to observe, utilize, and overcome those patterns to assure “an easeful body, a peaceful mind, and a useful life,” as Swami Satchidananda often explained.

In Hatha practice, we attempt to move and think about our movements in ways outside of our patterned thinking and moving. We practice being and acting free of our conditioning by moving with complete, non-judgmental awareness and in loving response to the capacity of the body in this moment only. A mind that is focused, quiet and open can truly listen to the body as it is without interjecting what it should be. It is this accepting awareness that liberates us from egoism and allows the mind to begin to be guided by the deepest part of our being, the Self or spiritual consciousness. Thus we use the body-mind to become less identified with it, and ultimately free of its patterning or conditioning.

Then our mental level can begin to be influenced by the wisdom and compassion of our essence-nature. As our thoughts become healthier, the pranic level also will change, flow more fully, and manifest as healing for the harm caused by unhealthy habits of the past. In this way, our Hatha practice becomes a means to contact the spiritual level and allow its light and energy to express through all the grosser levels of our being, recreating this body-mind in the image of our divinity.

With a conditioned body-mind, it is difficult to rise above our patterned behaviors and thinking, our long time identity, our ways of defining ourselves. Our Hatha Yoga practice very consciously trains us to look and listen deeply within ourselves and to begin to align the body-mind with that consciousness. This process comes over time, with steady effort, patience and non-attachment. With even a little effort to practice Hatha Yoga regularly, you will begin to experience your natural compassion and wisdom. That little effort will be felt in big ways when these qualities spill over into your daily life.

About the Author:

Swami Ramananda is the president of the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco and a greatly respected master teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for more than 35 years. He offers practical methods for integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life. He leads beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level Yoga Teacher Training programs in San Francisco and a variety of programs in many locations in the United States, Europe, and South America. Swami Ramananda trains Yoga teachers to carry Yoga into corporate, hospital, and medical settings and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many places. He is a founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes Yoga teachers as professionals. 

The post Hatha Yoga: Pathway To Transcending Our Patterns appeared first on Integral Yoga® Magazine.

In this interview, renowned Yoga teacher Rod Stryker explores the four motivating forces in life and how a steady spiritual practice can bring those to fruition in a way that helps us live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. Stryker believes that the aim of practice is to remember our wholeness, as well as to rest in peace and healing—inherent qualities with which we all come into life. In this interview, Rod offers inspiring advice on the benefits of a regular Yoga practice. He expounds on Maharishi Patanjali’s teachings on practice and the essential goal of Yoga.

Integral Yoga Magazine (IYM): How does Sri Patanjali define practice in the Yoga Sutras?

Rod Stryker (RS): Patanjali defines practice as abhyasa, which means: to be in the endeavor. That means we are doing something—not that we do it perfectly, but we are endeavoring to do it. The critical term that Patanjali adds to his description of abhyasa is “tatra,” which means “there.” So, practice is the endeavor to be there. Before we begin to consider the notion of cultivating a regular practice, we should seriously consider the “there” to which Patanjali refers. Patanjali, the seminal voice of the Yoga tradition, is telling us that practice is the endeavor to be in the state of Yoga. In Book 1, sutra 2, Patanjali defines the state of Yoga as nirodha, referring to a quality of stilling the mind. Therefore, Yoga practice, according to him, is the endeavor to be in that stillness. Moreover, in the next sutra Patanjali says that the “there” of Yoga practice is the experience of Self essence, or what most of us call the higher Self.

If we think about practice as enabling us to rest in that authentic Self and be “there,” what that tells us is that we have the potential of holding in our consciousness,
the awareness that—no matter what happens in our lives, whether we are in the midst of great success or great turmoil or even turbulence, disappointment or
heartache—there’s a part of us that remains at rest, a part of us that remains always free. This is the very meaning of the word, Purusha—the term Patanjali uses to describe the soul, or that which rests in the city of the body. That is the literal meaning of Purusha (from Puru, city, and sha, to rest).

IYM: In these challenging times, particularly economically, how do we rest in the authentic Self?

RS: It’s true that we all live in a world that’s not completely dedicated to us having security and freedom all the time—we have to seek these things out, and invariably they slip through our fingers. But if we could always be mindful of that part of us that is at rest, that is at ease, which stands on the sands of eternity, then every moment of our lives would be different. We could step back from our busy lives and ask these questions: How much of my happiness is dependent on the outside world? How much of my happiness is circumstantial? For most of us, our happiness is dependent on having more things that we want and fewer things that we don’t want. The moment that changes, so that there are more things in our lives that we don’t want, that’s called unhappiness. Yogis, like most people, need to start developing a certain level of self-mastery over the mind, and that is really the purpose of our practice.

What Yoga holds out to each of us is the promise that we can live and not be dependent on circumstances, where our happiness is completely shaped by the external world. Practice—mindful practice, true yogic practice—that moves us to the quality of stillness, that allows us to rest in the knowledge of the part of us that is never-changing, is one of the few things that humans have ever developed that allows our happiness to flourish unconditionally. It teaches us to rely on internal awareness, a companionship with that part of us that is always free, always at ease and, by its nature, is satchidananda. That is what practice is about. Practice is not an end in itself, it’s a means to take us there. That’s why it’s vital to study scripture, why it’s essential to listen to the satsang of enlightened masters—because the perennial teachings of illumined masters, and the rishis that provided our ancient texts, remind us of what “there” looks like.

IYM: With the proliferation of asana classes today, what role does meditation play in a regular sadhana?

RS: I find that I have to answer this question often. In other words, give people a reason to explore meditation. I’m a classicist when it comes to Yoga practice. There’s no doubt the asanas are supportive, but they are a preparation for meditation. People often ask me, “Why should I meditate?” Meditation, in the Yoga community—though not so much in Integral Yoga, but, in the larger Yoga world—is less than fully embraced. Asanas have been wildly embraced, but meditation not as much. It’s vital to acknowledge that there are many spiritual traditions that don’t use asana, that are strictly meditative traditions. Sri Patanjali himself, said that Yoga practice is not about the body, it’s about the mind—stilling the mind so you can rest in the very place we’ve been talking about.

IYM: Why is meditation so important?

RS: Our mind holds the key to our happiness. The mind is also the doorway to the eternal. Thus, meditation is essential if we are to experience true and lasting happiness.  A critical teaching in the Yoga tradition is that we all walk through life with fear, whether we are conscious of it or not; fear overshadows every moment of our lives. This is described in the Yoga Sutras. Patanjali tells us that even pleasurable experiences are painful. Why? When life is going great, a part of our mind fears that our happiness will not last. Painful experiences are not only painful, but create suffering because a part of us fears that it’s going to last forever. Meditation allows us to move beyond this fundamental fear. It allows us to begin to access a part of us that is fearless; access an experience where we are touching, tasting and abiding in something that cannot be lost or taken away, something that is permanent, enduring, everlasting.

IYM: Is it through establishing a regular sadhana that the promise of Yoga that you earlier mentioned, is fulfilled?

RS: Yes. A regular, sincere Yoga practice, or sadhana, changes who we are because it begins to imbibe us with Truth––our Higher Nature. Over time, we become gradually imbued with the experience that a part of us is indestructible, immortal thus, not vulnerable to the shifting tides of the world. As this becomes our frame of reference, it gradually begins to reduce this fundamental fear that plagues so much of humanity. The sages provided us with the methodologies so that we could live, breathe and walk free from suffering.

In the Gita, we find a description that says that a yogi is one who sleeps during the day and is awake at night. One way this can be interpreted is the idea that human beings, who live their lives without the benefits that meditation and practice provide, only experience a respite from their anxieties, restlessness, fears and unfulfilled goals when they sleep at night. But that experience is an unconscious one; nothing more than a temporary disconnect from their pain and suffering—in other words, none of their unwanted  thoughts have been transformed or overcome. Upon rising, the first thought they have is the very last one they had before they went to sleep. People might wonder, “Why is that bad?” After all, most of us love sleep for the very reason that it is a respite from worry, doubt and uncertainty.

What the Gita is pointing to is that yogis remain awake while others are asleep. This means we stay alert to our higher nature, even while we sleep. We don’t fall into the dark ignorance of slumber. Imagine being an illumined master, always conscious of the Divine within your own heart, and then dropping into the unconsciousness of sleep. This would  be painful! Why? Because: You would no longer be conscious of the most exalted awareness of which a human being is capable. For such a being, sleep is actually a painful experience. That’s why yogis practice Yoga Nidra. Your Guru, Swami Satchidananda, of course, was a master of this as well.

When we hear about the sleepless yogis it’s not as though they are up, restless in the middle of the night; they are both deeply in a state of complete rest and at the same time fully conscious of the underlying reality of who they are. Much of our need for sleep has to do with our need of relief from all our unsettled, unresolved feelings, emotions, anxieties and projections that stir deep within us. However, if we utilize the methodologies of Yoga Nidra, deep relaxation, meditation, asana and we are eating properly and our lifestyle is in tune with nature, then our system is essentially in harmony such that we need less and less sleep.

The other part of this teaching from the Gita suggests that most human beings are awake during the day—in other words, we are in fight or flight mode—yet this is the time that a yogi “sleeps.” This means that a yogi is deeply restive even in the midst of worldly activities. There are a few things that humankind has ever developed that make this possible—that during the day, in the midst of our activities we can be at peace and at night we can be awake to the infinite. Thus, meditation is both the pinnacle of Yoga practice and one of humankind’s most sublime creations.

About Rod Stryker:

Yogarupa Rod Stryker is a world-renowned Yoga and meditation teacher, guiding and sharing his wisdom for 40 years. He is the founder of ParaYoga®, and the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom. He is the creator of the app Sanctuary, a premier destination for all levels of those wanting to experience the life-changing practices of meditation and Yoga nidra, also known as Enlightened Sleep. Rod has dedicated his life to improving lives through his lectures, writing, practice, teaching, leadership, service and family life. For more information, please visit: www.parayoga.com

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When we attend an Integral Yoga class, along with a sequence of poses or asanas, a complete class will include breathing practices (pranayama), relaxation (Yoga Nidra), and meditation. Synchronizing breath with the asanas during the Hatha portion of the class, as well as working with the more formal pranayama practices, allows us to become familiar with the steadying, calming effect that deep breath work brings. Yoga Nidra allows us to slow the body, breath, and mind down in a systematic way and to reap the benefits of a more rested and calm self.

Finally, meditation facilitates gathering all the energy or prana that we have accumulated in the class, through the poses, breath work, and relaxation and focusing this prana on a single object of attention. This practice of focused attention brings a growing sense of strength, patience, clarity, and calm to our often distracted and anxious mind. We learn to work skillfully with our prana in order to work more skillfully with whatever arises, either in our inner life or out in the world.

About the Author:

Swami Ramananda is the president of the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco and a greatly respected master teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for more than 35 years. He offers practical methods for integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life. He leads beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level Yoga Teacher Training programs in San Francisco and a variety of programs in many locations in the United States, Europe, and South America. Swami Ramananda trains Yoga teachers to carry Yoga into corporate, hospital, and medical settings and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many places. He is a founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes Yoga teachers as professionals. 

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