The Yoga Bridge, Week 60, December 28, 2014, Yoga Without Ethical Living And Self Disciplines Is Just Acrobatics.

23 Dec 2014 Leave a comment

by Jason in YOGA Tags: ,

The actual quote is from the book, Light On Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar, in the first paragraph under Yogasanas. Note, some of the words in the title were changed in the following quote.

” The practice of Asanas without the backing of Yama and Niyama is mere acrobatics.”

Most people in America think yoga is only poses and that is false. A valid question, how could living ethically and self disciplines affect yoga practice? Yoga is a process of true self realization. This process could take decades with constant right yogic practice. In the short term, I believe when a student of yoga follows ethical living and the self disciplines, the negativity of the mind and body start to exit. The mind and body will become purified and clearer. For example, If a person who ate and drank only junk food all their lives and then started eating healthy food, their body and mind would start to purify and become health. This lifestyle would improve their bodies ability; hence, yoga practice. Right thinking, right living, right disciplines brings healthy energy which causes self transformation over time.

So ethical living is 1) non violence. 2) truthfulness 3) non stealing 4) non hording
5) committed relationship or celibacy. When one examines each one, it will be discovered, for example, non violence, means more than refraining from physically harming. There are internal thoughts which could be harmful, or the purchase of an item where an animal was mistreated or forced labor.

There are five disciplines, 1) non attachment 2) cleanliness 3) dedicated training 4) study of religious text 5) surrendering to God. Start with the religion you were born into.

The Yoga Bridge, December 19, 2014. Tadasana

20 Dec 2014 Leave a comment

by Jason in YOGA Tags: ,

For those that don’t know Tadasana, translation Mountain pose, is a standing pose. It appears to be a simple pose but it is not. It requires equal balance on the balls and heals of the feet along with correct spinal alignment. Stillness.

This week, a remark that rings through my mind from the head teacher at the yoga studio, ” I met and practiced yoga with B.k.s. Iyengar four times in my life. Each time we worked on Tadasana.” In one of the classes, Iyengar explained, ” With mastery of Tadasana, you will be able to do a lot of other poses. The problem with students is that they rush to the more advanced poses without mastering the art of standing correctly. This is a house built on a faulty foundation.” I thought to myself, ” If the yogi said to focus on Tadasana, we had better listen and follow his instruction.”

After the remark on Tadasana, she called out two long time student as models. They demonstrated the pose as we all critiqued them. The first one had a pelvic tilt and was on the balls of the feet. She adjusted her and she almost fell. The other student teacher had her arms to forward.

Tadasana was a complex pose despite its appearance. A few years ago, an advanced student demonstrated how to stand on three points on the foot. She demonstrated it. Her foot didn’t look human. The way her foot made contact with floor was like the talon of hawk. I had never seen anything like this.

After two years, I could stand in Tadasana without swaying; however, I needed a lot of conscious effort. My spinal alignment wasn’t the best. This will be a pose to focus on for 2015.

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