week 3
Day 15!
ZOOM LINK Class 7am Vancouver Time
“When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat… I have always believed exercise is a key not only to physical health but to peace of mind." - Nelson Mandela
Former prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela practiced Yoga to deal with the harsh conditions imposed on political prisoners at Robben Island for more than two decades when he was imprisoned there.
Day 16!
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"Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish and loneliness… Movements in yoga are harmonious, slow, soft, plastic, relaxed, always conscious, and require a permanent and active mental participation. The whole work rests on the dialectic tension-relaxation. It's important to stimulate, turn elastic, tonify, to make oneself conscious of limbs, superficial and deep muscles, joints, and spine, achieving a gradual and progressive limb decontraction, loosening and relaxation.”
"We women must listen to our inner voice. It is easier for women to do this as they are not afraid to say what they feel. We must keep both our femininity and our strength. Men have to descend from their pedestal and learn how to be more broadminded and spiritual…Yoga is about giving Love and Light to everybody: Those who love you, those who harm you, those who you know, those who you don’t know. It makes no difference, you just give light and love.” ~ Mataji Indra Devi
Day 17!
Yoga is the discipline of freedom.
Traditional (classical) Yoga is often from the 8-limb (ashtanga) path.
The 8-limbs are:
restraints (yama) and observances (niyama), postures (asana), breathwork (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and integration (samadhi).
DAY 18!
ZOOM LINK Class at 7am Van Time
The first 2 parts of the classical ashtanga yoga path are the yama and niyama, the attitude we have to the inside and the outside world.
THE YOGI CODE (The yama and niyama, according to T Krishnamacharya)
Yama (restraints) ahimsa (non-violence, not to cause any harm to others) satya (truthfulness, in thought, speech and action) asteya (non-stealing, not to aspire after another’s wealth) brahmacharya (mastery of the senses, fidelity to one’s spouse) aparigraha (non-coveting, not to possess in excess) Niyama (observances) Saucha (cleaning/purification) Santosha (contentment/acceptance) Tapas (practicing, control of body, keeping fit, restricted food) Svadhyaya (study of self/study of sacred text) Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender to God, offering fruits of actions/humility)
Day 19!
“(In the olden days), the yogin had to undergo a long period of preparation. He was not allowed to perform a single yogic exercise until he had completed an extensive moral training. The aspirant began by observing the yamas ("prohibitions*). At the top of the list was ahimsa, "harmlessness."The yogin must not kill or injure other creatures; he could not even swat a mosquito or speak unkindly to others. Second, he was forbidden to steal, which also meant that he could not grab whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it; he must simply accept the food and clothing that he was given without demur, cultivating an indifference to material possessions. Third, he must not lie, but must speak the truth at all times, not distorting it by making an incident more entertaining or more flattering to himself, for example. Finally, he must abstain from sex and from intoxicating substances, which could cloud his mind and enervate the mental and physical energies that he would need in this spiritual expedition. The preparatory program also demanded the mastery of certain bodily and psychic disciplines (niyama). The aspirant must keep himself scrupulously clean; he must study the teaching (dharma) of his guru; and he must cultivate a habitual serenity, behaving kindly and courteously to everybody, no matter how he was feeling inside.
This preparatory program showed the spiritual ambition of the yogins. They were not interested in simply having a transient, inspiring experience. Yoga was an initiation into a different way of being human, and that meant a radically moral transformation.
The prohibitions and disciplines were a new, Axial Age version of the archetypal model. Yogins had to leave their unenlightened selves behind…”
Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation
Day 20!
ZOOM LINK Class 7am Vancouver Time
Day 8 had the teaching of Ram Dass, “Love everyone and tell the truth.”
Those two instructions make up the foundation of the practice of traditional yoga.
Ahimsa (reverence for life) and satya (truth) make up the core of the world’s great religions as well as the core of classical yoga:
Mr. Iyengar says that ahimsa “is more than a negative comment not to kill, for it has a wider positive meaning, love.” Of satya, he says, “Satya or truth is the highest rule of conduct or morality. Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘Truth is God and God is Truth.’…..ifthe whole of life is based upon truth, then one becomes fit for union with the Infinite. Reality in its fundamental nature is love and truth and expresses itself through these two aspects.”
“Without firm foundations a house cannot stand. Without the practice of the principles of yama and niyama, which lay down the firm foundations for building character, there cannot be an integrated personality. Practice of asanas without the backing of yama and niyama is mere acrobatics.” - Iyengar
(The 5 Yamas (the observances / code of ethics) of classical ashtanga yogins, begin with Ahimsa (non-harmfullness / non-violence) and Satya (truthfullness / honesty). Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (reverence for the creative energy) and Aparigraha (non-greediness))
We are halfway there! Keep on rocking y’all!
“Whooaaaaaa! We're half way there
Whooooaaaa! Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand- we'll make it - I swear
Whooaaaa! Livin' on a prayer.’ -Livin’ on a Prayer (Bon Jovi)
Day 21!
Stemming from nonharmfulness are the great virtues of charity and compassion. In 1977, on the day of Guru Purnima (a celebration of the birth of the sage Vyasa, considered one of the foremost gurus in the Vedic tradition), Krishnamacharya delivered a lecture on the day’s significance. He narrated a well-known story:
One day when Vyasa was returning from the Ganges after bathing, his disciples gathered around him and asked, “Master, please tell us, in brief, what is most important in life?” Vyasa smiled and replied, “Da, da, da,” and then moved on to his meditation. Puzzled, the disciples mulled over Vyasa’s response. Every student had a different idea of what each da meant. Finally, the group returned to ask him again, respectfully, “Master, we are unable to understand the secret of your words. Please enlighten us further.” Vyasa replied, “Daya, dana, dama” -compassion, charity, control over the senses. AG Mohan, Krishnamacharya, His Life and Teachings
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