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Putting Down the Plastic

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Where the Proverbial Rubber (Yoga Mat) Meets the Road 

Winnie the Pooh 

“What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?” [asked Christopher Robin]

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best —” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called (110).

The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff

My physical yoga practice has admittedly lapsed over the course of the last two weeks. Between birthdays, family visits and work, among other things, I have just not made time for asana every single day, as I promised myself I would. I could choose to beat myself up over not taking an hour out of my day for something that is so integral to my emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. Or I could choose to look at all the other aspects of the teachings that I carry with me off of the mat and be content with what is, instead of what I wish would be.

In Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, B.K.S. Iyengar writes “As yama is universal social practice, niyama evolves from individual practices necessary to build up the sadhaka’s own character” (144). The five niyama are translated as:

  • Sauca: cleanliness, purity
  • Santosa: contentment
  • Tapas: religious fervor or zeal, a burning desire
  • Svādhyāya: study which leads to knowledge of the self
  • Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender to Ishvara (God)

Of all the niyama, santosa is something that I strive for everyday in all aspects of my life. This can be difficult, as our culture does not support the value of contentment. We are taught from the very beginning of our lives that we should strive to be the best, to make the most money, to have bigger and better things. Indeed, we are rewarded for not being content. If we get good grades in high school and participate in extra-curricular activities, we can go to a top university to get a more highly recognized degree, which theoretically leads to a more successful career path. If we work hard and make goals to get the bonus money, we can buy a new car or house or the latest iGadget. There is always something to be gained in society’s eye by not being content.

Sometimes, however, taking a step back and looking at the abundance around us is a necessary task. There is always something more out there to aspire to, particularly in the internet age, where we are wired and aware of seemingly endless possibilities for consumption. Designer clothes, a “better” body, vacations to exotic locales – our fetishistic society leaves no stone unturned when it comes to creating desire. Trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Kardashians) very rarely leaves one feeling content with their lot.

This practice of yoga teaches us to have burning zeal (tapas) in our practice, but according to Guruji’s explanation of sutra II.42, santosat anuttamah sukhalabhah, this cannot be achieved without purity and contentment:

From contentment and benevolence of consciousness comes supreme happiness.

Through cleanliness of the body, contentment is achieved. Together they ignite the flame of tapas, propelling the sadhaka towards the fire of knowledge. This transformation, which indicates that the sadhaka is on the right path of concentration, enables him to look inwards through Self-study (svadhyaya) and then towards Godliness (155).

Thus, it is not our desire that leads to the stoking of the flame in our practice, but our ability to be content, which is driven by purity of thought, word and deed.

As I return to my daily asana practice (starting today), I will carry this knowledge with me. I will accept what I cannot change with equanimity and continue to pursue this path with single-minded focus. I will seek the higher self within me, while recognizing that life continues around me. I will attempt to be content with what I have, with who I am, and with what is to be. Perhaps most importantly, I will try to find contentment in the interstitial spaces, where there is time for reflexivity; a moment to be grateful for what is happening in the present moment, regardless of what is to come next.

Practicing Yoga: On and Off the Mat

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Niyama – The Second Limb of Astanga Yoga: 

Right Ways of Living According to the Sages (and My Grandma)

Building Blocks of Astanga Yoga

Yoga is an ancient experiential science, a way of connecting to the divine while experiencing life in human form. While I did not grow up in a Hindu or Buddhist household, yoga was in the water here in the Bay Area – in my house there was reference to breath work, chakras and other aspects of developing the self as if it were part of everyone’s daily life. One of my first experiences with yoga was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with deep breathing and meditation – concepts gleaned from two books I borrowed from my mother’s shelves: Our Bodies, Ourselves, by the Boston Women’s Health Collective and Going Within: An Inner Guide to Transformation, by Shirley MacLaine. I tried to emulate the experiences discussed within these texts, knowing that there would be some kind of positive result from my practice. We did not call it yoga when I was a child, but once I started practicing regularly in my late twenties, I was already familiar with some of the language and concepts of yoga.

According to the sage Patanjali, there are eight limbs of yoga. In my current understanding, grounded in the knowledge imparted to me by my teachers past and present, these limbs, when practiced regularly, are what bring our human nature closer to our divine soul. They are variously translated in the following ways:

  • Yama: self-restraint; control; universal moral commandments
  • Niyama: right observance; precepts; established order; self-purification by discipline
  • Asana: right alignment or posture
  • Pranayama: regulation or restraint of breath; rhythmic control of the breath
  • Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses; withdrawal and emancipation of the mind from the domination of the senses and exterior objects
  • Dharana: concentration; focus
  • Dhyana: meditation; contemplation; reflection
  • Samadhi: free attention; absorption; a state of super-consciousness brought about by profound meditation, in which the individual aspirant (sadhaka) becomes one with the object of his meditation (Paramatma or the Universal Spirit)

The second limb of Astanga (eight-limbed) yoga is concerned with what Ravi Ravindra terms “right observance” in his translation and exposition on the Yoga Sutras. These are the niyama, of which there are five, and they are listed as thus in Sri B.K.S Iyengar’s Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:

  • Sauca: cleanliness, purity
  • Santosa: contentment
  • Tapas: religious fervor or zeal, a burning desire
  • Svādhyāya: study which leads to knowledge of the self
  • Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender to Ishvara (God)

There are many interpretations of the niyama, both within the yoga community and in in other spiritual disciplines, however there is a general consensus that these observances are requisite on the path to spiritual enlightenment. Indeed, these precepts are also familiar from many of the faiths that I have encountered as a Westerner.

Though I personally was not raised in a religious household, school, friends, family and popular culture have all acquainted me with the moral and ethical deeds that would bring me closer to God, or at the very least help me become a valued member of society. One very base example of the similarities between Western and Eastern moral and ethical guidelines is the glaring parallel of sauca to the oft-spoken phrase “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” something that I heard from people of religious and non-religious backgrounds (even self-avowed Atheists, to my delight).

In my own practice, both on and off the mat, I find the niyamas to be very challenging. In asana in particular, I find myself tensing up, discontented with my abilities, unable to find the reason why I cannot perfect my headstand or downward facing dog pose. Sometimes I just do not feel like practicing and would rather go out for pizza than subject myself to an hour and a half of my teacher’s examining eyes or roll out the mat and salute the sun. But then I remember that yoga is indeed about practice and practicing the niyamas – I must remember to utilize self-discipline to forgo that pizza and work on asana in order to be clean of body, I must walk the line between being content and yet work with zeal to help myself understand what challenges there are in each posture. Most importantly, I must be secure in the knowledge that I have dedicated my practice to Ishvara, to my teachers and their teachers, and ultimately to myself in order to find my higher self.

Thus, while the language of the Yoga Sutras is relatively new to me, the concepts are old friends. From my grandma to the sages, the ideal has always been maintain cleanliness inside and out, to be content with our lot in life, yet strive to be the best we can be and to always seek our internal truth in order to bring ourselves closer to perfection.

Sunshine On My Shoulders…

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When the student is ready, the master appears.                                                                  ~Buddhist Proverb

After an intense Iyengar session last Friday night, followed by a very deep discussion on menstruation, a day in the park seemed like a beautiful idea. One thing many people do not know about yoga is that it can be very difficult. Mentally, physically and psychically, doing asana brings up all the skeletons in your closet. Iyengar yoga in particular can be very taxing. With such minute attention to every detail, you can drive yourself crazy over a single, seemingly simple posture. Follow that by talk about one of the most taboo subjects in our culture and it’s a double-whammy.

Aunt Flo, The Curse, Cousin Red – whatever slang term we have used to describe the monthly cycle we women go through during our childbearing years – has taken on a new meaning for me. So eloquently presented by our teacher of the night, the topic of menses and the possibility of creating life are now front and center in my mind. At one point during our discussion, she said (and I paraphrase), “Can you imagine this process becoming a heart, eyes, a brain?” That is pretty deep stuff. I look forward to her discussion on pre- and post-natal instruction, topics that have become even more salient for me as so many of my dear friends embark upon the path of motherhood.

Our Saturday circle under the glowing San Francisco sun was a delight. We got to know each other and our reasons for taking a yoga teacher training in more depth and enjoyed the buzzing of bees and blooming blossoms near the labyrinth some kind soul(s) thought to include in this little neighborhood park. Heading back to the studio, we were excited for another treat: a juicy-sweet two hour vinyasa practice. Concentrating on our series one poses, we linked breath to movement – at least when we weren’t shouting out the names of the asana we were in, which sounds like a lot less stimulating than it was. And, to top off a nearly perfect day, we got to practice teaching each other. So much fun!

Sunday was the ultimate for me. My inner geek was singing away as we started our discussion of the Vendanta, focusing in particular on the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Our teacher for this portion of the training is an obviously passionate student of the texts himself and his intensity was almost visceral. I would have been on the edge of my seat, had I not been on a yoga mat. Although I am supposed to be living in the present, I am anxiously anticipating our next philosophy meeting.

In all, I can honestly say that the first week of teacher training exceeded my expectations. With only eleven weeks to go, I can’t help but wonder what is next on my yogic path? Where and to whom will I go to continue this education? At this point I can only say thank you – thank you to all the students on this journey with me, all my teachers who I turn to for guidance and support and all their teachers before them.