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My goal was to provide an introduction to some of the spiritual and religious aspects of yoga. Most people coming from a physical practice would find a great divide between what the fitness world calls yoga, and what many from traditional schools would see as a whole package for spiritual advancement. As I have moved through this blog I myself have changed drastically. By maintaining my daily practice over the last three months I have seen a change to my outlook on life, my approach to difficulties, my appreciation of what I have, and my devotion to leading a life to benefit others.

This blog I feel fell short, not reaching an intended audience, or any audience. I believe with the vast amounts of varying information on yoga and Hinduism on the internet makes it hard to pull people in when the author doesn't have a yoga teacher certification or the tittle of guru, swami, or sri in front of their name. People are still searching for the metaphorical wise man on the mountain. Though they most often search for him literally instead. Ram Dass a pioneer in bringing yoga to the west once said: "If you know how to listen, everyone is a guru." People go running looking for others to fix them, not realizing all along they have to fix themselves. Even if they meet a saint who agrees to mentor them, the person is still the one doing all the work.

It is this struggle that most are searching for outside fixes and not guidance and advice on how to turn in to help themselves that keeps them from looking for this kind of information. People want the Star Wars experience, or maybe Eat, Pray, Love; they want to be swept away from their miserable lives and into fantastic experiences. The thing people don't want to hear is this right here, right now isn't their miserable lives, it's their lives. It's their doing, from their choices, and theirs to change. Just stop and look at the life being lived, at the habits kept, at the state of mind maintained. If these are changed step by step over time, anyone can achieve lasting peace. This may bring about change in their physical world or they will just be at peace in what many would call difficult situations. This is why the lotus is a sign of spirituality, because out of the muddy waters of life it grows out, to bloom pure white.

NDSU.edu

The no god experiment

In my previous posts Yoga Madness, and Round and Round I mention god or the concept of god. I believe some people have applied the Judaic concept of god when they hear the word mentioned. For this reason many people from the yoga or Hindu community will refrain from saying god, and instead say Brahma, Shiva, or Krishna. Though the concept of god is thrown around, it isn't necessarily understood correctly, or needed to practice yoga. One could apply all of the yogic ideals without the belief in god.

The term god causes most to think of a guy, sitting in the clouds with white robes on, usually a beard which is also white. This idea draws back to the archetype of Zeus is an anthropomorphic concept of god. What if god was just the term for the energy of the universe? From energy comes matter, and from that life. If we view to whole universe as god we are all made of "it". As Carl Sagan said on his TV series Cosmos "We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star stuff".

He refers to the fact that all the elements were created from hydrogen in the hearts of stars which died long ago. I think that subtle connecting as Sagan stated is there in us, and is why most people who are in-touch with themselves find such peace in nature. There is a sense a returning back to where we came from. People desire to feel connected to this world, and to one another. This connection to the world is a major aspect of yoga.

In yoga there are two guidelines which tend to stop people in their tracks or send them running. In my post Origins of it all I mentioned yamas and niyamas being the first two limbs of the eight limbed yoga path. They lay out five characteristics to have, and five observances. The first of the two is the yama Brahmacharya which is commonly translated to celibacy, though it is better defined as energy moderation. It is believed that sex does drain a person of much energy be it physical or psychic. Any act or situation, pleasurable or not pleasurable can drain a person. If we repeat these actions or stay in these situations we will run ourselves dry.  Most of us do not practice this in our fast paced society, driving ourselves to sickness from our excess.

The second is Ishvara Pranidhana which most often translated as surrender to god. In actuality it can be applied to mean surrendering to something greater than the person. The idea of surrender to something greater than a single person is not supposed to be an out for their actions taken. It is supposed to give a person the sense that their actions matter, and are part of a greater whole working together towards happiness for all. This interconnectedness into a whole does not negate the value of the individual, as modern society does. It is then a person's actions and intentions which become of the highest importance. Not their: looks, faith, age, gender, or sexuality, anyone anywhere is of importance.

As I mentioned in Yoga madness Bhakti yoga is a form of yoga that emphasis devotion to god, it also talks of serving god. With this model of god being energy how does a person serve god? They serve by serving others, by serving this planet, and by serving the other creatures on it.

This is also karma yoga, the yoga of action. By creating positive actions the person is liberated from their previous poor choices and actions. By surrendering into helping others the person is freed of the karma that comes from any action. This cannot be a logical rationalization such as "I am lying for Johnny to Suzy", that is still lying. It has to be for the benefit of a person, and from the heart. As more positive choices are made it becomes habitual.

Why would a person do any of this; if there is no heaven, no hell, no judgment, only an endless procession of life? For me I look around, I see me, me from the past, and me from the future. Different lives that all could have or may one day be me. All trying to live and find happiness, why not open a hand to help myself. The more I let love for others flow the greater my own happiness is. If a person wants to be happy all they have to do is bring it to others. As the Buddha said:

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Round and round

I am a lover of ted talks, for those not familiar with whom ted is they are a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting "ideas worth spreading". The company holds conferences where pioneers come to speak; on breakthroughs, new perspectives or their hopes for the future. These ted talks are available for free to the public and can be found on ted.com. Devdutt Pattanaik's lecture below highlights the difference between western and eastern perspectives on life, death, afterlife, and god. Devdutt describes himself as someone who "writes and lectures extensively on the relevance of mythology in matters related to leadership, entrepreneurship, branding, management and governance." He highlights the main difference in beliefs between the two: reincarnation, and that of multiple god forms.

With the belief of one birth, one life, and one death the mindset is to act now. Achieve all in this life, because after this life a person is either: judged by god or becomes nothing depending on that person's religious belief. This leads most people to lives of searching for joy and pleasure. The flip side of this is people being the "good child" by following their religion in hopes of an everlasting happiness after death. Even in there temporary states of happiness there is always the silent fear hanging over people's heads, the inevitability of death. Unacknowledged by most people this hides in the backs of their heads, only to be brought forward by the death of those close.

In contrast a belief in reincarnation means the soul is bound by the actions of its past. We are forced to repeat lessons of life until the correct action is taken. Sort of how some a person continue to attract trouble. They are not unlucky, they simply haven't learned from the trouble the correct lesson. The soul is working over lifetimes towards higher levels of consciousness. Life becomes sacred  especially in human form, which is considered a gift. Humans unlike other animals have the ability to contemplate themselves, the outside world, and conceptualize god.

In India there are thousands of gods. Some people have heard of a few; Ganesha the elephant headed man, Shiva with his trident, Vishnu who is depicted blue usually with four arms, and Brahma with his many heads. They all are aspect of one entity, the source of this entire universe. This leads to the idea of many paths to one god. Many Hindus believe all the religions of the world are all the "correct path" but only for the people on them. The idea being that god understood how people of different temperaments need different faiths.

Time is also viewed differently. This is not the first or that last universe to exist. The universe is believed to go through cycles of one night and day, being destroyed and recreated each lasting 4.32 billion years. A day and night together making up one brahma day, it is also said this will go on for 100 brahma years. These time frames where written into the Puranas in the first century BCE. (Sushama)

By contemplating these vast time spans; thinking of how many lifetimes which come and go. A person then sees why all these pursuits of excess is irrelevant. The search for peace instead of happiness becomes more important. Karma will always be acting, time will continue moving. Everything changes but nothing is destroyed only returned in a new form; from nothing to something and back to nothing.

I myself find the most peace with this idea. It is my path; it has taken me some time being used to accepting that I believe in this new religion I knew nothing of growing up. To me I always thought of religion as a concept that was inherited. I know only a fraction of this vast religion with its many facets, sects, and movements but I hope I have encapsulated a major concept in this post. To me in this elegant dance of all things large and small moving unison over the vastness of time I see the awe inspiring peace and beauty of the world.

Work cited
Londhe, Sushama. "Hindu Cosmology." Hindu Wisdom. 28 Oct. 2008. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

My journey

When I was in first grade I was diagnosed with depression; by seventh grade I had been hospitalized for suicidal actions. Looking back I try and understand why at such a young age I had such difficulties. I have come to the conclusion that I saw the world not as I was told to. I questioned everything, not in the incessant "why" some children have at a young age. I wanted to know the reasoning and motivations behind why people did things that made no sense to me.

What I found was a lack of anything that rang true. The world looked like a series of pointless tasked all to gain things. It also became obvious to me that these things didn't really make anyone happy. I felt stuck, trapped in a world that led nowhere, so I gave up. I tried to bury my sadness; however it came back as anger, or food addiction. I tried running away from it by seeking extremes highs to make myself feel happy. None of it lasted. I was still left with the question, what is happiness and why does it never last? Years went by; I learned to live a sort of numbed life.

By the time I reached middle school I was being medicated for depression, as well as having weekly sessions with a talk therapist. The therapist eventually gave a diagnosis of having a depressive personality.This meant my baseline emotions were more depressed than those of an average person. I was told the only way that this can be changed is by changing my thinking. Through a process of constant observation of my thoughts, I blocked the negative thoughts and attempted to replace them by focusing on positive ones.

This constant observation of thoughts is similar to that of Buddhist and Hindu meditation practices. In the eastern practice observation of thoughts in a detached manner is the normal practice. They both lead to the same conclusion, that the consciousness is not the brain. Any person at their base; that is bellow their conscious and unconscious mind, is pure love and happiness. This however becomes obstructed by the misconceptions that are passed onto us in life. Such as the misconception that consumerism can make you happy, perhaps temporarily; but people do not want only five minutes of happiness. The reason we reach out for more "stuff" is that we have been disconnected from our true happiness. To regain this we simply have to look deep within.

My life didn't change overnight. I went away to college, and still struggled. It was January of 2008, four years later I went off of my medication. It was like starting all over, I didn't have the training wheels of medication to stabilize me. I began smoking and started drinking heavily. I tried cleaning up my act a bit, as well as changed jobs, and fell right back into the same pattern. Then everything fell apart; I lost my job, and my girlfriend at the time gave me the boot but held onto a couple thousand dollars I had saved.

I gave up, moved back in with my parents, something I swore I would never do. Then began searching for a job. I was also searching for something else, to pick up where I had left off spiritually. I still had wild emotional swings. It was then after a couple of months I got roped into going to yoga with my mom one Sunday. As I talk about in my post That first step. It took some time but I definitely grew to love it.

It has been three years, I still become depressed in the winter,though I have changed many old ways of thinking. I find myself not becoming angry as often, even while driving. In a difficult circumstance I accept the situation for what it is and move on. I have learned to just go with the flow of life.

Over time I have come to learn that by focusing on the present without being carried away by my thoughts is the true way to any lasting happiness. As I have peel back the false truths from mind, I have found what I have looked for my whole life. There was never a need to reach out or fix myself; I had just forgotten I was whole and all that I need, so long ago.

Yoga madness

Yoga seems to be everywhere, or at least what people call yoga. A commercialization seems to be happening, some feel it is lessening the spirituality of yoga. Removing the sacred and turning it into the next jazzercise. One of the things that made me loose interest in the yoga studio I attended was the change in atmosphere of the studio. When I first began attending it was a quaint place with a peaceful atmosphere. After a year and a half the community there began to grow. The people who began attending started to turn it into a social hour. The peace disappeared and the vibe of a gym took its place. The yoga for me had left, no matter how hard I focused on my own practice.

What I wanted and had found in the studio was a true yoga, between my mind, body, soul, and at times it felt that God was in that mix as well. The translation of the term yoga according to freedictionary.com is union or joining. In this, yoga asana is union of mind and body. Pranyama, the breath exercises which are part of the larger eight limb path mentioned in my earlier post origin of it all is the yoga of mind and breath. Pratyahara is union of mind with the senses. There are hundreds of forms of yoga. The question then becomes what is it that a person if trying to unite with?

If the hope of the practitioner is enlightenment, closeness to God, a greater compassion for others, then the one of the four paths should be taken. These are the four ways prescribed by books such as the Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras as ways to achieve enlightenment. The site yoga108 describes them in succinct detail. Jnana is the path using personal willpower and discrimination to understand ones true nature. Bhakti yoga uses love and devotion to transform the person's emotions into pure love for all. Raja yoga relies on selfmastery to attain understanding through stilling the mind to a point that only the pure self remains. Karmic yoga seeks liberation through selfless service. All of these are spiritual yogas in an attempt for people to free themselves from the suffering of life, and understand their true nature.

Hatha yoga and all other forms of physical practice that delineate from it are practices usually added onto the above practices. The purpose of hatha is to keep limber and healthy to continue with the pursuit of the person's spiritual practice. It is interesting that most people, in America especially are now coming to yoga through the hatha side. Beginning the physical practice for their own reasons, some stay with just that. Others find it opens a way to a spiritual side of their life they never possessed before. Opening and healing their minds and hearts as it heals their body. They then reach out expanding their spiritual practice. Beginning on one of the four paths, even if they do not have a full understanding of the final goal or destination.

I believe that even if the majority of mainstream yoga around is of a physical nature it is a good thing. The fact is a lot of people when they first begin the physical practice are inflexible mentally as well as physically. It takes time to open up and explore, to reconnect, to reach into their intuition. Anyone can change however, it takes a slow progressive change. The thing that will amaze anyone is how much they change before they realize anything has even happened.

Old school

The gayatri mantra is one of the oldest prayers to be inscribed in the world. It was written down in the Rig Veda the first of the sacred books in Hinduism; somewhere between 2500 and 3500 years ago.  Though the mantra was most likely transmitted orally long before that. The origin story of the mantra is that the sage Vishwamitra was given the mantra by God as a reward for his many years of penance and meditation. The words of the mantra are written in a poetic line format which itself is actually called gayatri, the mantra is the gayatri Savitur mantra. Most deities have their own gayatri mantra however this is the first one recorded. The mantra transliterated into English follows: Om buhr bhuva swaha, Om tat savitur varenyam, Bhargo devasya dheemahi, Dhiyo yohaha prachodayat. The mantra as seen below in its original sanskrit is a prayer to the goddess Savitur to bring enlightenment to all. (Shekar) 

Source: http://paramapadasopanam.blogspot.com

The problem is when it comes to transliteration that letters in sanskrit represents specific sounds made with a particular part of the mouth. Some of these sounds are never used in English, resulting in poor pronunciations. Since the transliteration is an approximation the reader has to attempt to imitate the sounds, by guess or imitating recordings. This causes one to miss on some of the vibrations that result from correct pronunciation. These vibrations are what bring about the positive benefits of any mantra. (Bachman)

I first experienced this mantra in a yoga class, in which I heard it on a CD. Afterwards I researched it and began trying to learn to recite it. The main difficulty one would have with this mantra is it's length as well as complexity. Many of the common mantras are two to ten words long, as opposed to the fourteen words some of which are quite complicated. As well if the mantra was to be used with a mala, reciting the mantra 108 times takes around fifteen minutes if going at a fluid pace. If someone is still struggling to pronounce the mantra this could take up to an hour for the full 108 recitations. By this time most people would find themselves uncomfortable physically from sitting so long, as well as mentally wondering off. 

I have noticed with this mantra is as I chant it more, is that it seems to draw me in deeper. Each time builds on the last. I feel a settling of my mind as well as an expansion of my heart; each time faster then the last. I do not know if this is due to my prolonged practice with it or the mantra itself. With a prayer this old a structure for its practice has been created over time. A period of forty days is considered an auspicious number for beginners to practice, doing one round of mala each day. Another auspicious number as I mention in my blog on malas beading a path through my mind is 125,000 repetitions or 1,250 rounds on a mala. Taking 42 months to complete if one recites one round of the mantra a day. Completing the daunting task is said to bring about a mastery over the power of the mantra. (Bharati)

The benefits ascribed to continued recitation of this mantra are: an opening of all energy centers major and minor, strengthening of the immune system, a sharpening of the mind, and an opening of the heart. The power of this mantra can be felt whether spoken, thought or listened to. (Shekar) That being said I invite the reader to listen to the track below, sung by Deva Premal another notable musician who is trying to share with the world this powerful mantra. The video below contains a live performance of the mantra, all you have to do is listen, and feel what you feel. 

Work cited

Bachman, Nicolai. About Sanskrit. Sanskrit Sounds. 2013. Web 13, Oct. 2013

Bharati, Swami Jnaneshvara. Traditional Yoga and Meditation of the Himalayan Masters. Abhyasa Ashram. n.d. Web. 13, Oct. 2013

Shekar, Chandra. The Magic of the Gayatri. 2007. Web 13, Oct. 2013

Just let go

Some people think yoga is a cult. That to be in it you have to: be a hippy, give up meat, go all organic, be super skinny, and a health food fanatic. People think you have to change to do yoga. I think it's the one thing you don't have to change for. A person when they go somewhere or meet up with someone is expected to be, look, and act a certain way. Society constantly attempts to pressure us into stereotypes. In yoga we come as we are to a mat, do what we can, and in the end it doesn't matter good or bad how we did. It is for the connection within us mental to physical and not how advanced a posture you can do. As one of my former yoga teachers put it "I consider a student advanced when they stop focus on the physical and start focusing on the mental."

The main point of yoga is stated in the second line of the Yoga Sutras "The restraint of the modifications of the mind is yoga." The modifications being anything that takes us away from our pure core self. It then goes on to talk about the modifications of the mind as they are the source of all suffering. Then in line twelve it states how to solve this problem: "These mental modifications are restrained by practice and non-attachment."(Satchidananda) In two lines the Yoga Sutras explain what is suffering and how to fix it with practice and non-attachment. The practice aspect seems easy enough to most with enough motivation. It's easy to drag your body to the yoga studio two or three times week. The non-attachment aspect some will ignore, others will avoid at all costs. When you bring up non-attachment people think of a monk; they think of a person with no possessions, no source of income, no sex, no pleasure in life at all. This is one of the biggest misconceptions I have dealt with myself.

It is better to think of the original Sanskrit word vairagya which is normal translated to non-attachment to mean instead letting go. The idea is to let go of the self-defeating behaviors, to fix ourselves so then we can begin to help others. With letting go, we free more energy for ourselves allowing us to move forward in our lives. This energy was previously locked up mentally by constantly repressing things, and physically by tight, painful areas of our body.

This letting go can be physical things such as drinking too much coffee and not enough water. It can be mental like letting go of past memories, especially the embarrassing ones that no one can recall any longer. It can be emotional attachment such as past hurts still held onto. All of the nonphysical attachments can be part of the vast arsenal for an internal selfhate campaign. This is the part of the constant brain chatter that most people become so accustomed to that they don't even notice it happening. I used to have it, some days I still do. There are other days I do not. Such as the day I will that follows.

Between classes at the community college I attend, I went to a Starbucks for some tea. As I was getting back into my car the tea slipping out of my hand going everywhere in the floor of the car. Thankfully not burned I began to laugh at myself. The old me would have been pissed at myself for dropping the tea "you're so stupid you should have paid attention" I would have thought, then I would have been mad at Starbucks for using cheap cups, and at the money I just spent on nothing. I would have then beaten myself up about the whole thing all the rest of the day, and then repressed it. Months later the memory would have popped back up out of nowhere. The anger and embarrassment would have surfaced with it, and I would be beat myself up all over again.

Instead I saw there was a little bit of tea left sitting in the cup. After cleaning up what I could I enjoyed what was left. I let go of what I couldn't control and only focused on what I could. The only thing we can truly attempt to control is ourselves. As I have let go of my past mistakes, hurts, embarrassing memories I have made room for more self-acceptance and love. All this letting go isn't letting go of the true you.

A person's true identity isn't anything physical we own, wear, or keep locked away in some cabinet. People can't seem to figure out who they are because it's buried under so many attachments and possessions. A person mind is like a room the first thing in it is a letter saying who they are. Then as they grow up they learn, and those are the books along the walls. In the center of the room is where the junk gets thrown. It begins to fill the room, hidden that letter is forgotten. The only way to find who you are is to let go of what is not needed. No longer stuck in the guilt of the past, not distracted by the fears of what could happen in the future. We are free; free to focus on living in the moment. To actually live so that I won't wake up one day around age fifty and have a mental breakdown about who I am and that I have done nothing with my life. This quote from the Dalai Lama sums it up perfectly. 

Work Cited

Satchidananda. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". Yogaville. Buckingham, Virginia: Integral Yoga Publication, 2011. Print. 30 Sept. 2013

From the heart

Before I first started yoga I had done some meditation and heard of some mantras, but when I went to those first few yoga classes I heard in the music a voice. This voice was deep and wide, and had so much heart to it. I did some searching and found the CD; it was Krisha Das "Breath of the Heart". I started listening more and more. I thought it was great, my girlfriend not so much. She hadn't really gotten into yoga yet. She was still trying to figure out if I was just in it for the girls in tights, her words not mine. It was from that CD that my whole experience of yoga changed and it helped move me towards a more spiritual view of it.

If you saw the 2013 grammys you might have seen a performance by Krishna Das. After hearing about his performance I looked it up on youtube. The fact that he is given only about four minutes to preform while his average song length is around ten minutes cause the music to loose impact. A bit of that energy is lost as well by only having two people to respond back in the chant, with microphones seemed to be off.



In interviews he describes himself as doing a practice selflessly it is ironic that as he continues this act of selflessness his prowess only grows. I think it is people searching for a deeper feeling in music. People are looking for something that speaks of more than just superficial love, sex, or drugs. When I got that first CD didn't know what the words meant, but I just know it led me into a happier place.

In his biographical movie "One Track Heart" he talks about his lifetime struggle with depression, drug abuse, and trying to find his path through life. After the death of his guru he fell back into depression and addiction.  It was only through chanting that he could find the love and peace he had experience in the presence of his guru. He uses his chants as a way to lead people and himself into a more loving state of mind. It is through his music that many have found solace, joy, and peace.

Work Cited
One Track Heart. Dir. Jeremy Frindel. Narr. Krishna Das. Zeitgeist Films. 24 Sept, 2013. Film. 30 Sept, 2013

Beading a path through my mind

I chant every morning for at least 35 minutes. This may means getting up a bit earlier yes, some people have two hour plus practices and wake up at three am every day. As I sit down I reach for my prayer beads. Growing up Catholic I remember the rosary and I remember that being what old people did, sitting in church praying for what only they knew.  It was during my time at the yoga studio that I picked up my malas. Mala being the sanskrit name for prayer beads, meaning Garland (Adams), these strings of beads are usually 108 beads or divisions of that number.(Anthropology)  108 represents many things from the number of energy points in the body or 108 desires to overcome. 100 of the repetitions are considered for the practitioner and the other offering to the divine. (swamij) My first encounter with malas was a display in the entrance to the yoga studio I frequented. Each mala like the ones below was made out of semiprecious stones; displayed in its own box with a card talking about the properties of the stone.

 Source: atmaimport.com

Malas are used as a tool for counting prayers, mantras, or even just breaths. This allows the practitioner to focus all their attention onto their practices while working their way around the beads. Starting with a bead to right side of the large bead or guru bead, this bead represents who or what you are praying to. If multiple rounds are done then before the guru bead is reached, the mala is turned around and worked back the opposite way.(Pendragon) In my previous post "Into the Chant" I discussed the known physiological benefits of mantra recitation on the mind, and body. It is then that repetitions through the use of malas allows for a deeper practice, it is considered that mantra siddhi or mastery of the mantra happens after 125,000 repetitions, or 1250 rounds of mala.(swamij)

The mala is a tool, some people wear them as jewelry, and some collect vast amounts of different materials and designs. In the end it isn't the mala but the practice you do with it that make it effective. This practice must be maintained. It is as the yoga sutras say "Practice (mantra practice) becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness."(Sutras) There may be some instant feelings associated from first practicing mantra with or without malas, but like all great things in life over time it becomes something completely different and amazing.

work cited
Adams, Tom. "Prayer Beads - Tibetan Mala" Eastern Healing Arts. E.H.A. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013

Bharati, Swami Jnaneshvara. Traditional Yoga and Meditation of the Himalayan Masters. Abhyasa Ashram. n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013
Buddhist Prayer Beads.Shanghai Xinhong Cultural Development Co.Ltd, 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Museum of Anthropology. Museum of Anthropology, College of Arts and Science, University of Missouri. CAS, 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Rowan Pendragon [Jess Carlson]. "Everything You Need to Know About Malas." Rowan Pendragon. 5 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Satchidananda. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". Yogaville. Buckingham, Virginia: Integral Yoga Publication, 2011. Print. 30 Sept. 2013

Into the chant

Mantra in Sanskrit can be broken down into its derivative words. Mana meaning of the mind and tra can mean to cross or tool. So it is a tool to help you cross the mind.(2) The oldest know mantras come from the Rig Veda around 1500 B.C.E. the entire Veda is in mantric form.(3)

For the multitudes of sects of Hinduism there is an even greater number of mantras. The aim of any mantra is to use the vibrations with up and down tones created by the recitation to have the neuro-linguistic effect and Psycholinguistic effect. These effects release "curative chemicals" into the brain. "Listening to mantras directly lowers blood pressure, normalizes heart beat rate, brain wave pattern, adrenalin level, even cholesterol level."  Even if you do not understand the words of the mantra there can still be noticeable effects.(1)

My firsthand experience is that the calming effects of mantra can be felt the first time they are chanted. If enough repetitions are done in a sitting the effects are extended, and when a daily practice is maintained the effects can become a continuous state, altering the mental emotional level of the practitioner.

Work Cited

Arora, Indu. Yogsadhna! - Yoga as a therapy. Dr. Indu Arora, 2009. web. 25, Sept 2013.

Rajhans, Gyan. "The Power of Mantra Chanting." About. About. n.d. Web. 25, Sept 2013.

Sadasaivan, manoj. Das, Subhamoy. "The Four Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur, atharva." About. About, n.d. Web. 25, Sept 2013.

Moving and grooving

My experience with the physical practice of yoga is, when applied in a way that balances strength and flexibility it balances the body. I also found that yoga works its way through the body, developing muscles in stages. Such as in downward dog, which uses lots of shoulder and arms. To develop or go deeper into this pose for most beginners, shoulders have to be strengthened and relaxed, then the biceps, triceps, forearms, and hands. Once the arms can bare the bodies weight with ease, you then can focus on relaxing calves and hamstrings. After the legs are relaxed and the heels are touching the floor the weight becomes balanced. In the final step the shoulders are stretched further back in the sockets and the head sinks to the ground. All this leads from the beginning pose on the left, to the advanced pose on the right.

This happens over all the major body parts used; such as shoulders and back strengthen first then obliques, and inner thighs become sore as those become developed. It is important to note the need to balance flexibility with strength. It is possible to become flexible enough to do damage to tendons and ligaments through hyper-extension and bearing too much weight joints. Obversly if you work solely on strength the body tightens and becomes stiff to the point that it is impossible to even grab something off the ground. These physical benefits might be what draws in many people, looking for a quick fitness fix or to join the yoga fitness trend. Yoga has become a fitness trend and it could be said anything that will get people exercising is good, but this is far from yoga's origins.

Asana is for the purpose of preparing you for meditation. (1) This is true in the physical sense as, if you ask the average person who is over 30 to sit with a straight back perfectly still for forty five, thirty, even fifteen minutes they will be shifting around uncomfortable. This movement keeps the mind from reaching the  level of relaxing needed in meditation. A second less noticed aspect of yoga asana is as the body loosens up the mental tensions generated from the physical tensions are removed allowing for person release into meditation easier.

Some people though find the idea of meditating unattractive for reasons such as in Ed and Deb Shapiro's article on prana.com 7 reasons it's hard to meditate. Things such as: I don't have time, it's uncomfortable to sit, my mind won't stop, there are too many distractions, no seen benefit, I'm not good at it, and it's just too weird. All these are the mind being so wound  up it can't let go. Even if the mind is still chaotic with the physical and mental relaxation gleaned  from yoga it is possible to sit in the chaos. Then over time the mind will let go more, some experience change after the first session of meditation. Yoga helps those who are mentally wound up by distracting the mind with the poses, mixing that with deep breathing allow the mind to relax.  So even the most physical practitioner will experience mental effects.

In the Yoga Journal article The Scientific Basis of Yoga Therapy by M.D. Tom McCall  he describes how the scientifically proven effects of yoga on the body go well beyond physical fitness. "yoga is arguably the most comprehensive approach to fighting stress ever invented...One of yoga's secrets, documented in research from the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation near Bangalore, is that more active practices followed by relaxing ones lead to deeper relaxation than relaxing practices alone."

Yoga doesn't have to be some spiritual practice of meditation, and chanting in a cave somewhere. Just don't be surprised to be changed though, mentally and emotionally even if it is just the physical practice that brings you to the mat.

Work cited
Gates, Rolf. Kenison, Katrina. Meditations from the Mat. New York: Anchor Books, 2002. Print.

What I have found

I have been looking around though yoga blogs. I have found a few very generalized constants:

1. It's mostly all women, there are men out there blogging but like my experience in the studios men are the minority.
2. It's almost all asana, yes there are more esoteric blogs and yes there are posts about healthy eat, green living, and meditation but it all seems to be buried under a mountain of asana. Articles about getting this pose right or being able to get that arm balance you've been working on. It seems some people  allow asana to become their next fitness addiction. I'll be the first to say asana is my least favorite aspect of yoga. It nourishes my body and is a great accompaniment to my other practices but it is a small peace of the whole.

That being said I have found some blogs I think are great, informative, and provide new information with each post. Here are my top three

Everyday Gita a blog by Vrndavana Vinodini or V.V. for short.  Is a blog posting around once every four  days, she provides a break down of The Bhagavad Gita. The bhagavad Gita is part of the  Mahabharata the great Indian epic. As the war is about to begin the hero Arjuna is talked to by Krishna his  charioteer and friend who he later learns is God. The conversation becomes a discourse on religion and the  three many paths that lead to freedom from suffering to enlightenment. Those being karma-yoga or the yoga  of action and service, jnana-yoga or the yoga of thought and contemplation, and bhakti-yoga or the yoga of  devotion, and worship.(1)

 V.V. who has read the Gita multiple times starts each post with a verse then breaks it down. Giving her  interpretations, real world applications and insights into verse that might be confusing at first glance such as  her August 30th post with the verse 4. 18: "One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is  intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities."

Hindu Blog by Abhilash Rajendran. Being someone who grew up Irish Catholic there is a large learning  curve when it comes to yoga and Hinduism. This blog has helped me, each day has multiple posts.  One  with the astrology of the day: giving good and bad times for beginning new ventures, lunar phase, and the day in relation to  Vedic, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali calenders. There are brief entries on spirituality, sacred sites, fasting, and festivals. All this information is new parts of the Hindu religion for me. He offers a  nondenominational, user friendly websites with only a small number of terms that need to be looked up.

Hindu Expressions by Mukul Shri Goel, he combines classic Hindu literature, music, as well as devotional practice. Discussing their current relevance as well, giving very generalize post like "Hinduism: Main Beliefs", or "Nine Forms of Bhakti". He also has posts answering questions people could think of while exploring Hinduism, such as "Does Rama Need the Prefix 'Bhagavan'?". His posts are very light and easy to digest mentally, allowing for perusing through archives without feeling weighed down by reading each post.

As I have reached out into this community of Yogis, Hindus, and searchers of peace I have found many who are bring information that I have looked for and found lacking in many books. As well as everyday information on things such as Hinduism so that I can learn of this other vast culture that would be untouchable otherwise, to them I offer my thanks.
Work Cited
1 "Hinduism". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 15 Sep. 2013

How I found my way

From my early inquiries into a more in-depth understand of life, suffering and happiness I looked for knowledge from the outside. I did what any child was told to do, "go look it up in a book". This is a rather ridiculous idea in hindsight. Theses concepts are so subjective, expansive and just so hard to convey in any other way other than actual experience that all books can ever hope to do is act as sign post towards a practice or possibly hope to give you the who, what, when, and why but never the how. It is my belief actually that each one of us has a path that can lead us away from suffering, for each person it is different to fit their temperament, intelligence, and level of preparedness. We are given the choice to follow this path, though it might be hard to find, buried behind bushes so to speak it is there for us all. It might not happen in this life but it can happen. I have read books from most "major" religions in the world I am an expert on none of them, I will however keep my list of books to the ones that have had a definite impact. I had a point in my life where I thought I could become an expert on meditation by reading enough about it. I was reading a book when struck by a line that stated; you will never find enlightenment in a book only on a cushion. Meaning the only way to get at any of what I had been reading about was to practice in this case sit down on a cushion and meditate. Books are no substitute for the actual practice but they can be great introductions to aspects of or sign posts for your journey. Here is a list of books that have changed my way of looking at my spirituality mostly in order that I have read them.

The four agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
by Don Miquel Ruiz. This book is definitely under the New Age genre however it helped me through years of depression. In a straight forward  four step way this book allowed me to take a more objective view of the world, abandon my role of the victim, and give myself enough empowerment to move forward.

The Art of Happiness, How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life By His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Though I don't completely prescribe to Buddhist beliefs and find myself being an amalgamation of Hinduism and Buddhism The Dalai Lama can always bring topics into a clear and easy to understand way. He can sometimes explain something to death for some people, but he really just wants to makes sure you understand the concepts.

Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga 

By Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison. This book is set up in a daily inspirations sort of way. The whole book broken down into the eight aspects of yoga: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. The Yamas and Niyamas get the most attention each one of the ten being touched on for a few days each. The authors trade of giving their experiences in daily life and the understandings of each aspect that they have gained over time. This book was a great way to learn more in depth about about the eight aspects of yoga without being buried in Sanskrit yogic terminology.

Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System 
By Anodea Judith. This book was recommended to me by a yoga teacher, when I was looking to deepen my understanding of the chakra or energy system of the body. Anodea in her book portrays each chakra as being a node of specific energies emotions and psychological aspects. As we develop from infancy to adulthood we work our way up the chakras, each being affected by the psychological health of each developmental stage. If a trauma or unhealthy development should happen it causes a blockage or dysfunction in the chakra affecting our emotional and possibly physical health. It is then possible to work through psychological issues, energetically or on the chakra of its relation through psychological work. This gave me a new way to view myself, my emotional and energetic health, and see how physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual are all linked.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali By Swami Satchidananda

This is one of those books you have to read, reread, reread, and then maybe you understand a third of what you can glean from this book. Swami Satchidananda was one of the greats of the yoga world being one of the first to bring yoga to the U.S., as well as led a movement for interfaith dialogue. Eventually opening Yogaville close to Charlottesville Virginia, his center for all faiths to gather in peace.(1) This is his translations of the sutras each line translated, the translation is given followed by a few lines or in some cases whole pages of explanation, examples and interpretations of each sutra.




Though These books helped guide me, and I still pick up new books to read today not all people will find these books accessible, interesting, or fitting into their beliefs. I know their is a way to lasting peace out there for everyone, only if they look.

Work Cited
1.Satchidananda Ashram--Yogaville. Sri Swami Satchidananda. 2013. Web. 17, Sept. 2013

Finding your way to the mat

I show up, hopefully a few minutes early for class. The class before me is getting out, some are ripe with sweat, others just sticky hair, but all have a sort of content happy face. The doors from the outer studio to the practice room are open. I slide off my shoes and head in, find an opening and roll out my mat, sit down and start to center myself. Focusing on my breath moving in and out. More people come in, I do a some neck stretches for the stiff neck I've had all day. The teacher walks in, she's been manning the desk out front checking people in as they come in. She takes her seat in the front of the class and starts a guided breath meditation.

This was my experience most weeknights at the yoga studio I attended in Northern Virginia. For about three years I slid around trying out classes, attending new teachers, and above all just practicing. Yoga is a practice as one of my favorite teachers said, "Yoga is the practice of staying calm even while you are pushing yourself physically, and it will slowly retrain your brain for handling the stresses of daily life." As I practiced there were two things I had over the years and though it took a long time to embrace them. They helped my practice tremendously.:

• No expectations: Keeping an open and fresh mind about each class gets hard especially if you have a routine. However, if you show up to your Thursday night sweat your butt off hot flow class only to find a substitute who is gonna teach a slow but equally as challenging class you won't become upset if you stay open. You might even learn something you would never have gotten from the original teacher. Yoga teaches control and surrender, it is just many think surrender in life is the same as losing.

• No judgement: Though many people take this as not judging others and you shouldn't judge others in your class, it is more important to not judge yourself. I know every time I have hurt myself in yoga is when I was pushing myself because I was judging myself harshly and forcing myself to go further.

(2)

After I began to practice these two key points I found myself feeling even greater peace and relaxation from the classes I took. As these principles spilled into my life it began to take on a more peaceful tone. The hardest part I find most new yoga students have is fear of attending new yoga classes. When I was a new student I would see photos like this and think that this had be the kind of poses they were doing in the class and if I don't know how to do it I will stick out like a sore thumb. Most beginner classes follow a form close to basic hatha classes, though the teacher may change around the style of sun salutation or some of the seated pose it gives and accurate portrayal. The following is a common hatha yoga classes. In the opening of the class some teachers will chant OM, others use a set opening chant or one that fits the class dynamics. This is followed with breathing, eye and neck exercises. Then a series of sun salutations, which can be considered a warm up exercise allowing muscles to loosen up. This is usually done in the vinyasa style. After this all the other poses are for toning and stretching specific muscle groups. There are standing pose such as the forward fold and squats. Then balancing poses, followed by seated poses and twists.(1) Then the final relaxation usually done in corpse pose, this pose has an importance most new students miss. The pose allows you body to let go of tension it may have built up, as well as any mental stress. (2)

Below is a photo of a common hatha series from Rowan Cobelli's website.

(3)

Work Cited
1.Yoga Now Malaysia. Yoga Practice Outline. n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2013
2.Yoga Journal. Yoga Journal Poses. AIM Co. n.d. 2013. 8 Sept. 2013
3.Rowan Cobelli. "A Basic Class Sequence". Rowan Cobelli. n.d.Web. 8 Sept. 2013

So many styles to choose from

There is a major hurdle to attending a yoga class, not all yoga is the same. The main styles of yoga I have seen offered are: Hatha yoga, vinyasa/flow/ashtanga, kundalini, and beginner classes by many names like fundamentals, stretch and condition, or open to all.

• Hatha yoga: Hatha literal means sun and moon, yoga is actually the word for the joining together or yoking. So hatha is the joining of sun and moon or masculine and feminine energies. It is yoga in its purest form.(1) It involves moving from pose to pose, stopping in each pose for a certain number of breaths. According to Peter Marchand in his article Hatha Yoga: The Essential Techniques "Hatha yoga has two essential objectives. The first is that to practice any real meditation, one needs at the least one posture in which one can be perfectly comfortable".  The use of yoga as a meditation and to assist in meditation seems to be a practice no matter the style

• Ashtanga: This covers all flow classes since they all originated from Ashtanga which came out from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois teaching in  Mysore India after studying under Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya.(2) Jois started using breath to guide movements. (1) This was changed or expanded by different teachers forming all the forms of vinyasa which translates to breath-sychronized movement. (2) 

• Iyengar: Developed  by B.K.S. Iyengar who also studied under Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya in Mysore.(3) Iyengar had lived his young years being sickly, it was only until he began doing yoga that he began to gain health. He used his experience to teach a practice that was more accommodation to peoples limitations, introducing the use of props and removing some of the more esoteric Hindu practices. His style focuses more on proper physical alignment of asanas for the safety of the body as well as to achieve better results from the energies generated by each asana.(4) Iyengar can be good for beginners because of the focus on alignment so that they can learn the poses correctly the first time and avoid repetitive stress injuries.

• Beginning classes: These classes are usually amalgamations, with some short serieses of gentle vinyasa with mostly hatha for the rest of the class. The teachers usually offer variations for different levels of flexibility and strength.

Work Cited

1. Granger, Clyde. "The Origin Of Vinyasa Yoga". The Yoga Circle. 20 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Sept. 2013

2. Lululemon. Vinyasa - yoga. Lululemon. 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2013

3. Lululemon. Iyengar - yoga. Lululemon. 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2013

4. B.K.S Iyengar Yoga. B.K.S Iyengar. n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2013

That first step

About three years ago I found myself in a yoga class in Northern Virginia stressing and straining, trying to "make it work". Coming from a background of martial arts I was used to applying my mind over my body forcing it to do what I wanted. Yoga is almost the opposite your mind works with your body. Pushing your limits but not straining, finding the edge and not going past, and most importantly of all breathing.

The key to yoga is the breath after becoming proficient with poses it becomes the focus of your practice. You still are paying attention to your body and all those details but that becomes a second nature, you link your body with your breath allowing yourself to flow with the breath.

All that being said if you have never done yoga all that stuff above makes no difference at the moment. Here are a few tips for entering into your first yoga class:

• If you are going to a yoga studio that has a website check it out. 
• They might have classes listed for beginners, if not try to avoid "flow" or "vinyasa" classes as these are usually faster paced. 
• If you can find a studio that is running an introduction class or series, that is a great way you can learn the basics at a slow pace. Getting your alignment right instead of having to learn on the fly.
• Don't eat at least three hours before hand; try not to drink 30 minutes before either. Nothing is worse than folding forward and feeling like you're going to barf, or half way through class having to run to the bathroom. 
• It's okay to take a break from poses, I know you'll look around and see these people gliding through poses or looking so peaceful while you're ready to scream holding certain poses. Taking a break means you're respecting yourself and your limits, the teacher will respect you more than if you try to limp through their class and they know if you are. Also you avoid possible injuries.
• Hydrate, after class, slowly. As you're stretching and toning your muscles you are also releasing toxins, especially during twists and inversions, the water helps your body transport out those toxins. Even if you don’t break a sweat in class. Otherwise you will find yourself having headaches.
• It takes time, if you’re like me. You will get frustrated after your first couple classes. Either from not being able to do everything in the class or from just pushing too hard and created tension in your body. Give it say five classes, by then you should find a rhythm and feel more at ease.

Here is something I found that sums up etiquette when it comes to most studios, though some studios have varying rules especially when it comes to late comers.

(1)

The key is that you are doing this for you, that competitive edge that is there especially with us guys will be evident with extreme soreness the next day. So try to keep it about you, it’s not a quick fix it’s a slow transition, though there are some instant benefits. 

As a side note: Some people get weirded out by the spiritual side of yoga, either because they aren’t at all or they feel their own religion is being impeded on. To this I say I have seen these basic spiritual ideas of yoga affixed to peoples existing religions smoothly and beautifully even if your religion is no religion. No one is trying to convert you, far from it one of the main beliefs in most yoga circles is the idea that God or the universe created many paths for many people. I hope that dispels some fears I have seen first had from some people at yoga or when yoga is brought up.

After the physical part of the practice starts to become second nature you will find you move to focusing on breathing and setting intentions. The idea being your whole yoga class is a moving meditation and you focus all that energy on one intention. As Phillip Moffitt at Yoga Journal puts it:

"Setting intention, at least according to Buddhist teachings, is quite different than goal making. It is not oriented toward a future outcome. Instead, it is a path or practice that is focused on how you are "being" in the present moment. Your attention is on the ever-present "now" in the constantly changing flow of life. You set your intentions based on understanding what matters most to you and make a commitment to align your worldly actions with your inner values." (2)

So you set the intention of peace, over time you start to become your intention. Manifesting and embodying the intention until you are peaceful. In this way yoga can transform you physically, mentally, and spiritually. As the first line in the Yoga Sutra says,"The restraint of the modifications of the mind is yoga" (3) so through yoga we still the mind and find peace. next post will be a brief intro into the exact phases so to speak of a yoga class.

Work cited:

(1) Yoga studio etiquette. http://www.yogasamatva.com/newstudentsetiquette.html. Web. 4 Sept, 2013.
(2) Moffitt, Phillip. "The heart's Intention". Yoga Journal. Web. 4 Sept, 2013.
(3) Satchidananda. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". Yogaville: Integral Yoga Publication, Print.

origins of it all

Hinduism has a long history, and many books considered holy. In brief Hinduism evolved on the Indian subcontinent. The Vedas were the first texts, originally transmitted around 1500 BC. This was followed by the Brahmans who wrote the Upanishads around 400 BC.  Around this point is when religious wondering was common, from that Siddhartha Gautama who became the first buddha started Buddhism. Hinduism continued on with the writing of the Tantras, and the Bhagavad Gita around 300 and 100 BC. Throughout this time yoga was evolving into a refined systematized practice. The yoga sutra of Patanjali, more likely written by a group than an individual were written around 150 BC. It codified yogic practices creating the ashtanga or the 8 limbed practice. Each branch building on the previous until the final goal of enlightenment is reached.

Though yoga is seen as a form of spirituality of it's own, or just a form of exercise by others in the fitness community. The original point of the yoga postures was to stretch and strengthen the body so that longer easier meditation sessions were possible. These postures are only the third of the eight limbs. The first two limbs are yama and niyama: a list of five practices of morality, and five personal obeservances. Then asana or physical practice, followed by pranayama or breath control. Pratyahara: control of the sense for the use of turning them inward away from external objects of attachment. Dharana which is concentration, this being a concentration when all your senses and energy are focused on one thing. Dhyana or devotion and meditation of the divine. Dhyana is focusing so purely on the divine that your mind takes on the same character of the divine. Dhyana causes samadhi or union with the divine, as the mind concentrates and takes on the shape of the divine it merges with the divine.

So it would seem that the final goal of Hinduism; yoga specifically, is to become closer to god. Eventually connecting to and becoming one with god. It would only make sense that devotional chanting and a life of devotion and surrender is ideal in helping to reach this goal.

I've been searchin

Before I get into my goals for this blog I would like to give some background. I have always been inquisitive in nature never taking things for face value. This inquisitive nature compelled me to question the purpose of life. I found myself reading eastern philosophy books such as The Tao Te Ching, The Tibetan Book of the Living and the Dead, and many others covering Buddhism, Taoism, zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. After some time it became apparent that a book wouldn't make me a happier person, I had to practice what was preached. Quite unsuccessfully for sometime I meditated.

This all changed when I started yoga, being that it was more physical it could keep my over active mind at bay. As well, when done properly it can be a great form of meditation. Though my early meditation experiences where mostly seated and involved some form of breath observation, yoga was so much more dynamic. It also allowed emotional tensions in my body to be freed, opening the way for better seated meditation experiences.

One day a friend convinced me to take a class with a new teacher, during the opening of the class she led us through a chant. She built up the syllables so we could become familiar, the chant as it  was sanskrit it caused people some difficulty. As we repeated the words a rhythm developed, like a looped circuit building the energy. I didn't know at the time, but it was a prayer to Ganesha the elephant headed god that clears the path of the soul. More on the gods/goddesses of Hinduism in another post.

Ganesha

Over the next year or so I was slowly introduced into mantra meditation. In the fall of 2012 my girlfriend told me about her coworker who went to a place where people got together had a potluck and chanted. I thought "I've done chanting before, I know what this is about, lets do it!". Arriving that Sunday afternoon at a strangers house, pot of food in hand. We were greeted by some very smiling faces and I felt like a newbie all over again. After eating we headed out back to their yurt, a round semi-portable structure such as this one.

We get inside and there were drums and other instruments. Cheat sheets were handed out with the mantras on them, people start playing and the chanting started.  Suddenly we had been chanting 30 to 45 minutes. Then it's on to the next chant, this goes on for 2 to 3 hours. The only way to describe how you feel after is euphoric. You are awake, aware, but in such a peaceful state; I don't think I batted an eye on the drive back when I was cut off multiple times. This has launched me into strengthening my own at home chanting as well as becoming one of the regulars for the devotional chanting I learned was called Kirtan.

My goal for this blog is simple, explore and learn about Hinduism as a religion, as well as devotional or bhakti yoga. I then hope to take that knowledge and share it, as well as learn to apply it to my life.