"By contentment, supreme joy is gained." sutra 2.42 "Niyama consists of purity, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study, and self-surrender. sutra 2.32 Santosha is Sanskrit for contentment. The word contentment/santosha is first mentioned in The Yoga Sutras among the list of five niyamas (sutra 2.32). Side note: My take on the niyamas is they guide our internal compass. They're ethical principles (or observances) that strengthen our character and guide us to live life in the … [Read more...]
Yoga’s Little Secret: Pranayama
"...the movements of inhalation and exhalation should be controlled. This is pranayama." sutra 2.49 "Or that calm is retained by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath." sutra 1.34 Pranayama is yoga's little secret. Outside of the yoga world, no one talks about fully dedicating attention to your breath unless you're hyperventilating or experience some other health issue like pneumonia or asthma. Even then, in my limited experience, the medical world rarely knows what the … [Read more...]
Are You a REAL Yoga Teacher?
As part of the 2012 Arts Festival Day at an elementary school in Alexandria, VA, my yoga teacher-friend Brittanie DeChino and I volunteered to do a few yoga demonstrations to third, fourth and fifth-graders. We taught them sound breathing (a breathing technique we learned from our teacher Sri Dharma Mittra), sun salutations, balancing poses, partner yoga and a few other fun things. It was a nice change from my daily office yoga gigs. At the end of each 20-minute presentation, we opened it up … [Read more...]
Dharma Whispering in my Head
Sutra 1.2, as I blogged here, defines yoga as stilling the fluctuations of the mind. Yet it is sutra 2.1 starts to address what yoga practice is all about. Accepting pain as help for purification, study and surrender to the Supreme Being constitute Yoga practice. sutra 2.1 This sutra really offers up the nitty-gritty of yoga and clearly demonstrates that yoga is so much more than just asana. Of course, depending on one's intention, an asana practice can (and should) contain discipline, … [Read more...]
Stumped by sutra 4.19
The mind-stuff is not self-luminous because it is an object of perception by the Purusha. sutra 4.19 (Purusha is known as the individual soul, divine Self in all beings) I knew there would come a time during my 2012 yoga sutra journey/writing when I would be completely stumped. Well that day is here. The truth is the day actually happened a couple of weeks ago. I kept thinking if I held off on this posting something inspiring would show up in my life that could help me relate to sutra … [Read more...]
OM, OM, OM (sutra 1.27 & 1.28)
Yesterday morning after my 20 minute pranayama & meditation practice I picked up The Yoga Sutras and thought "I will open them and whatever sutra my finger lands on I will write about that sutra this week." My first attempt I landed on sutra 2.7 (attachment) which I recently wrote about. My second attempt I landed on sutra 1.27: The expression of Ishwara is the mystic sound of OM. (Note OM is God's name as well as form). Two thoughts crossed my mind 1) Oh no, I'm not going to get into … [Read more...]