The Yoga Bridge, Week 52, The Pains Which Are Yet To Come Can Be And Are To Be Avoided.

03 Nov 2014 1 Comment

by Jason in YOGA Tags: , ,

 

 

As per the title, I came across this fantastic sutra while looking through the Sutras of Patanjali.  If you practice yoga, you should immediately be learning about the eight steps a.k.a. eight limbs.  This statement isn’t a belief but a truth. Yoga leads to less suffering in life.

 

ii.16        heyam duhkham anagatam.

 

English translation:  The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided.

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,page 123.  explanation.   Past pain is finished.  Pain that we are in the process of experiencing cannot be avoided, but can be reduced to some extent by yogic practice and discriminative knowledge. Unknown future pains can be prevented by adhering now to yogic discipline.

I would take the yogic discipline as the eight limbs but mainly yama, ethical conduct,  and niyama, self-restraint. The Sutras of Patanjali is a treasure and given freely.  The sutras are a great aid, guide, to living and is universal.  We should live by the following:

Ethical conduct which is

1) Non violence

2) Truthfulness

3) Non stealing

4) Chastity or faithfulness to one partner

5)  Non possessiveness.

 

 

Self Restraint which is:

1) Cleanliness

2) Non attachment

3) Discipline to do the work

4) Self study of scripture

5) Surrendering to God.

6) Non use of alcohol or mind altering drugs.

 

And the other steps which I would loosely state:

1) Yogic postures

2) Yogic breathing

3) Meditation

4) Living completely in the present.

 

 

 

 

 

The Yoga Bridge, Week 12, The Eight Steps of Yoga Applied to Swastikasana

20 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by Jason in YOGA Tags: , , ,

On Monday, at noon, I attended a level one yoga class. This was my third time to a level one class. The year before, I could mostly attend multilevel classes because of the lack of courses offered and time conflicts.

This week I thought it was informative how the yoga teacher tried to apply the eight steps, limbs, of yoga to swastikasana, the basic sitting pose. The instructor coached us into the correct posture for swastikasana. Now close the eyes and go inward. Then she began to talk about the eight steps of yoga as applied to swastikasana. Printed on the south side and west side upper corner of the room near the ceiling are the eight limbs in Sanskrit. She told us about 1) Yama and 2) Niyama as something we need to work on. Lifestyle, Yama has five principles, non violence, freedom from greed, chastity, truthfulness, and freedom from desire. Lifestyle, Niyama was cleanliness, contentment, study of ego. Then, the 3) posture, swastkasana, 4) breathing, focusing on the inhalation and exhalation without stopping, and 5) detachment to the external world, try to ignore the senses. 6) Concentration, not moving in the posture and going inward. 7) advanced concentration, not our skill level and finally, Super advanced, 8) when you lose the sense of your separate existence. Nothing else remains except the core of one’s being, the soul.