Gratitude

As we prepare to gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving at the end of this month, I wanted to offer some reflection on gratitude, and how it fits into the yogic worldview. 

With regard to gratitude, there are two Sanskrit words that are found in classical yoga, Aparigraha and Santosha, which are two of the ten fundamental commitments essential to the yogic lifestyle. These “ten commandments” are observances and restraints that serve as the ethical and moral foundation for yoga practice, and they are integral components of the 8-limbed path that Patanjali prescribed in the Yoga Sutras, over 2000 years ago.

Santosha means contentment. It is a willingness to accept what life brings with a sense of equanimity, gratitude and joy. It involves developing the ability to move through life’s vicissitudes as witness to it all, rather than being emotionally caught in the waves.  Through the eyes of unconditional love, we see joy and struggle, pain and pleasure, gain and loss without losing our sense of balance.  Santosha involves a deep trust in Spirit’s love, knowing that all that happens is somehow for our highest good and that we lack nothing.

 Aparigraha is the flip side of that same coin--it means non-possessiveness, non-coveting., non-greediness, or phrased in a more affirmative way, "acknowledging abundance." It’s about being happy with what you already have. In this consumer- driven culture that continually screams  “Bigger!  Better! More!”, abundance is a frame of mind that must be mindfully and perseveringly cultivated.

Practicing wanting what you have, rather than succumbing to the incessant desire to have what you want, encourages us to live simply, for our own spiritual health and for the health of the planet.

Santosha and Aparigraha naturally feed into one another. When one practices the restraint of non-possessiveness, contentment is a natural result. When one engages in practices that strengthen contentment, then desire, jealousy and a sense of lack naturally fall away.

Implicit in this practice is generosity—when we realize that we have more than enough of what we need, giving and sharing with others flows with ease.

But, what if one is living in real poverty, unable to meet their most basic needs for nourishment, shelter, and health? Practicing contentment and non-possessiveness is not about minimizing the awareness of true poverty, or about glorifying suffering.  Instead, yoga values cultivating a lifestyle of inward and outward simplicity, which involves becoming clear about true needs versus wants.

The practices of Santosha and Aparigraha do not mean that we should not work to improve our conditions or to create more abundance in our lives. But we can begin with a sense of acceptance of what is, and of what karmic influences brought us to where we are now. We can practice gratitude regardless of our circumstances, noticing what we have been blessed with and where there already is abundance and grace. It is from that spiritual vantage point that we ask Spirit to guide us toward our next right actions.

If you would like to explore the practices of contentment and non-possessiveness more deeply, I invite you to read my previous blog posts on Santosha and Aparigraha.

May your mind and heart be filled with gratitude and ease, so that each and every day is for you a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Finding Your Edge

Last year I went to a yoga festival in California, and I spotted a young man with a T-shirt that had the following words printed on the front:

LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

How true! When we are faced with discomfort, whether it be physical, emotional, or the myriad stresses and challenges that life brings, that’s where the growth happens. There’s a hidden gift in it, as we are shaken out of our habitual ways of thinking and acting, and we are called to stretch beyond what we thought was possible for ourselves.

I’m not speaking here of going WAY beyond the comfort zone, to the point where we are in excruciating pain, but rather to the place where we feel a little pull, a little heat, a little squirmy. It’s that place where we might want to run the other way, but if we stay right there, that’s where the jewel is shining. The end of the comfort zone is that place that calls us to pay attention, to wake up to what’s happening, and to respond with whatever is needed. And often what is needed is more presence, compassion, and perhaps some surrender, so that we move beyond the resistance or numbness to life.

In yoga, we have plenty of opportunities to practice this on the mat, as we explore the boundaries of our physical comfort zone.  It’s what is referred to as finding our “edge”—the place in a posture or stretch where we meet the limit of our flexibility or strength.  At the edge we feel increased sensation, more aliveness, more heat.  It’s the place where we are called to show up with deeper, more mindful breaths. In this practice, we don’t push ourselves over the edge to the point of pain.  If our shoulders tense up and we find ourselves grimacing, then we know we have gone too far (remember the yogic principle of ahimsa, or non-violence!)

It doesn’t matter how deeply we can go into a posture. If we are meeting our edge and breathing into it, allowing the body and mind to soften, then we are getting just as much benefit out of the posture as the person on the next mat who looks like they are posing for the cover of Yoga Journal. It’s an internal inquiry, rather than an external goal.

In Kripalu yoga there is a model of mindful practice known as BRFWA, which is an acronym for Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch, Allow.  Anytime we are deepening into a posture and find that we’ve met our edge, we can work with BRFWA:

BREATHE: Reconnect with the sensations in the body through attention to inhalation and exhalation.  Engage deep 3-part yogic breaths, and if ujjayi (ocean breath) is part of your practice, engaging that pranayama helps encourage focus and presence.

RELAX:  Soften muscles, reduce any effort around mental activity. Open to energy moving through resistance in the body/mind.

FEEL:  focus awareness on the sensations, feelings, and thoughts flowing through the body/mind.  Avoid engaging in the story of these thoughts and feelings—simply experience them as energy passing through.

WATCH: Cultivate “witness consciousness” by observing your experience with  non-judgmental awareness and compassion.

ALLOW: Let your experience be just what it is, without any need to judge it, change it, or fix it. Energy integrates on its own.

The methodology of BRFWA allows us to sustain poses longer as we learn to ride the wave of sensation.  You may also notice that your edge shifts as you hold the pose and stay present with what arises, and the edge will also change from practice session to practice session, over time. The good news is that we are ever changing organisms, and that when we pay exquisite attention, every moment is new.

Once we become experienced at using the BRFWA methodology on the mat, we can take it into our lives, where there are countless opportunities to practice—in relationships, work, health, and more.  In this way, we can let life be our yoga, and when we come up against an edge, we can be grateful for this invitation to be fully alive.

Being Present

Breathe, relax and feel;
take time to slow down
the pace of life. Watch the
rise and fall of moods, the
birth and death of dreams.
Feelings and sensations seem
so real, yet they shift like
changing clouds, and flow
with the high tide out to sea
again. Allow it all to be, no
need to grasp or push away.
Present with each moment,
the whole of you, body, mind
and soul, opens to receive.

~Danna Faulds, from Go In and In: Poems from the Heart of Yoga

Authenticity

Henry David Thoreau said, “We are constantly invited to be who we are.”

I think that’s a beautiful description of Kripalu yoga, which is an inquiry into who we are, through movement, breath, and awareness. When we practice on the mat, we are engaged in a process of discovery as to who we are in this moment, and then the next, and the next. The same applies to our practice off the mat, as we work to live ethically, mindfully, heartfully.

The yogic view sees the self as being many-layered, having a physical body, a subtle or energy body (which includes the thoughts, emotions, intuitive wisdom, and the circulation of life force) and a causal body (expansive and blissful).  In this exploration of our many-layered selves (see my post on the 5 koshas for a more in-depth discussion), we have the opportunity to live our lives from a more authentic place.

One of my teachers at Kripalu, Dinabandhu Sarley, says that when what we think, what we feel, what we say, and what we do are all in alignment, something transformational happens—it’s called authenticity.  Just as we practice physical alignment on the mat to allow prana (life energy) to flow freely through us, practicing alignment in all aspects of our lives allows us to be a clear, open conduit for prana to flow through us and into the world through our actions.  Our ability to be powerful in our lives is contingent upon our ability to bring those four areas into alignment.

When any one or more of those areas—thought, feeling, speech, action-- are out of sync with the rest, the conduit becomes blocked—it’s like a garden hose that gets kinked in 4 places.  We can’t be truly at peace or fully alive if we are lying to ourselves, not being truthful with others, or otherwise “in the closet” about who we truly are. Our life force becomes impeded and depleted.

Ultimately, a yogi’s life becomes focused on the question: “How do I become free, whole and alive?” Yoga gives us tools with which we can practice living in alignment, such as the yamas and niyamas, which offer ethical guidelines for our interpersonal relationships and personal commitments. In short, they call us to speak the truth, honor one another, and live with intention and direction.

Practicing authenticity takes courage, as well as much unlearning of unskillful ways of being that may have become deeply ingrained.  Being authentic does not guarantee that we will be liked. In fact, we are likely to ruffle some feathers and perhaps alienate some people who are not ready to receive the rigorous honesty that it entails. When we tell the truth, in the deepest sense, things begin to re-arrange in our world. Things, people, and activities that don’t serve us clear out of the way, making room in our lives for What Really Matters.

Ultimately, authenticity is about living from Love. As yogis, may we support one another in this discovery of the truth of who we are.

Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good. ~Alan Cohen

Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude, follow it. ~William James

Aparigraha

Hello Dear Yogis,

Those of you who have been reading my blog for the last few weeks will be familiar with the yamas and niyamas. I've been highlighting a different one each week as an exploration of the yogic lifestyle. If you've missed any, simply click on the "yama" label below and it will bring up all those previous posts.  I invite you to comment, and share your reflections.

Today we come to the last of the yamas, or restraints, that are part of ethical yogic conduct. Aparigraha means non-possessiveness, or refraining from hoarding. It involves a letting go of greed and attachment to wanting or owning. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't own anything, but rather that we cultivate non-attachment to the things we do own. We practice being content with what we do have and be willing to let them go if necessary. We practice generosity and willingness to share what we have without expecting something in return.

The ego, by nature, keeps us in a state of perpetual wanting, craving, and not-enoughness. Greed and possessiveness are woven into the fabric of our Western consumer-driven culture. Our economic system depends on dissatisfaction. Environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill speaks of our societal mantra, "bigger, better, more, now," as a reflection of the human ego's functioning on a collective level.

In the yoga sutras, it is said that when we are free from greed, the mind begins to open to receive insight about greater spiritual knowlege. A mind that is contracted around holding on to possessions, relationships, status, or experiences cannot be spacious enough to see the "big-picture." Aparigraha invites us to release clinging and fear and asks us to trust the Universe. In the classical teachings, it is said that through practicing aparigraha, we will come to know the illusion of death and the cycles of rebirth. We trust that we have nothing to lose, and so we can let go of grasping. The great Sufi poet Rumi expresses this beautifully:

Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round
in another form. The child weaned from mother's milk
now drinks wine and honey mixed.

God's joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box,
from cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flower bed.
As roses, up from ground.
Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish,
now a cliff covered with vines,
now a horse being saddled.
It hides within these,
till one day it cracks them open.

~ excerpt from “Unmarked Boxes”by Rumi, Trans. Coleman Barks

Living by the principle of aparigraha, we do not identify with, or invest our ego in, our possessions. I'm reminded of the woman who was known as Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981), a great American sage who truly embodied the spirit of aparigraha. She devoted her life to living simply and walking across the United States spreading her message of peace.

Before she began her pilgrimage, Mildred Norman Ryder led a “normal” American life. She enoyed the comfort of a large home in the suburbs, was married to a successful businessman, had a job, money, fancy clothes, and expensive furniture. Then, when she was thirty, she went through a personal spiritual transformation in which she no longer saw that lifestyle as having any meaning for her whatsoever.  She received a calling to give up all her material possessions, her job, her home, and all her money. She even renounced her name and became known simply as Peace Pilgrim. She vowed to walk across the United States, never accepting rides in vehicles.  She carried no money or possessions, except a toothbrush and a comb. She fasted until she was freely given food, and walked until given shelter, with an unwavering trust in Spirit that she would be given exactly what she needed. In her words:

Just after I dedicated my life to service, I felt that I could no longer accept more than I needed while others in the world have less than they need. This moved me to bring my life down to need-level. I thought it would be difficult. I thought it would entail a great many hardships, but I was quite wrong. Now that I own only what I wear and what I carry in my pockets, I don't feel deprived of anything. For me, what I want and what I need are exactly the same, and you couldn't give me anything I don't need.

I am not burdened by unnecessary possessions or meaningless activities. My life is full and good, but not overcrowded, and I do my work easily and joyously. I feel beauty all around me and I see beauty in everyone I meet - for I see God in everything.

No one is truly free who is still attached to material things, or to places, or to people. We must be able to use things when we need them and then relinquish them without regret when they have outlived their usefulness.

From Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

To learn more about this inspiring woman, visit www.peacepilgrim.org . And, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn a bit, I invite you to watch an 8-minute documentary about her life that includes me singing a song I wrote about Peace Pilgrim. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVRC3sPctCM. Enjoy!

To conclude, I offer some suggestions for inquiry around aparigraha, and how it might apply to your own life:

--Do you have possessions that no longer serve you but that you have been reluctant to give away? What fears come up when you think about letting them go? As a concrete practice of aparigraha, go through your closets and give away some of those items. Notice how you feel when you lighten up.

--Are there people in your life that you feel attached to in a way that causes pain or stress for you or them? Are you being overly possessive? Can you practice letting go and simply loving them without clinging or controlling? What would that look like and how would it shift your relationships?

--Is there a role or position that you hold in your work or social circle that you have been attached to keeping? Are you digging your heels in or defending your status even though it may no longer be serving you or others? What if you "passed the baton" and trusted that you would be led to the next right situation in which you can offer yourself to others?

Blessings and Namaste!

Brahmacharya

Hello Dear Yogis,


Over the past few weeks, I've been writing about the yamas, or restraints that are part of the ethical life of a yogi. This week I want to share about Brahmacharya, the practice of energy management.

Brahmacharya translates as "walking towards Brahma (the Creator)." It teaches continence of body, speech and mind, and drawing one's focus inward through dedicated study, deep introspection, strict practices. In classical practice, celibacy was one of the primary criteria of this yama.

The intent of observing Brahmacharya is not a moral judgment, but rather arises out of an understanding of how sexuality affects prana, our essential life energy. Sexual energy, and the thoughts and fantasies associated with sex, use up a great portion of our vital force. For men, celibacy was traditionally seen as a method of preserving and cultivating the life force inherent in semen. The Brahmacharyan redirects sexual energy toward spirituality. devoting heart, mind, and body toward Brahma.

I'm reminded of a story about Tulsidas, the great 16^th century Indian saint  and poet. When he was first married, was so in love and passionate toward his beautiful young bride that he had to be by her side all the time. He was so infatuated that he couldn’t be without her for even a few hours. One day she went to visit her parents in another town. Tulsidas couldn’t stand being without her, and before the day was over he showed up there. At this point, his wife turned to him and said, “You know, if you were to take all this passion and devotion and turn it toward God, you’d be enlightened in no time.” Tulsidas thought about this, and then began to take her advice. He practiced directing his passion and longing toward the Divine, and it is said that he became one of the great bhakti yogis (one who practices the yoga of devotion). 

Most contemporary Western yogis, however, choose to have families and intimate relationships. Celibacy is not an appropriate choice for everyone. Therefore, the practice of Brahmacharya can mean using one's sexual energy responsibly and consciously. The sexual drive is a very powerful force, and can easily lead us astray into hurtful and addictive patterns, and at the very least can distract us from our spiritual focus. Choosing to use this energy mindfully, engaging in lovemaking as a sacred act, is one way of embracing this yama.

As yoga philosophy has evolved and changed, Brahmacharya has come to be interpreted as "energy management, or "conscious self-restraint." This yama invites us to examine the many ways that we deplete our life force by not containing it appropriately. Do we indulge in excess chatter, with no clear purpose? Do we overeat, or eat junk foods that sap our vitality? Do we take on too many activities and projects, without making room for contemplation and rest?

Kripalu Yoga teacher Danny Aguetty writes:

We can utilize the practice of energy management in any of these realms to engage in the inquiry of prioritizing vitality...Typically, we are bombarded with constant stimulation from television, advertising, work, family, shopping, and other demands on our time. People get burned out as a result of overcommitted schedules, addictions to unhealthy foods,, and lack of self-nourishment. If we open to the idea that everything in the physical world breaks down into a vibrational frequency, which in turn has  profound effects on our energy, we can better choose those elements of life that renew us and enable us to function optimally. What would happen if we could pause before every action to contemplate whether it would augment of deplete our life force? ...How would things shift if we infused more conscious choices into our lives?

Here are some suggestions for inquiry:

• Draw a circle and create a pie graph to show how you use your energy. Create a pie slice for the percentage of time you spend on work, family responsibilites, yoga, contemplative practices, prayer, as well as television, phone conversations, etc.. Examine your energy pie, and notice the balance of inward and outward focus. Reflect on which of these activities serve you, deplete you, restore your energy, etc. Which of these do you want to reduce? Which ones do you want to increase? In what ways do you overindulge in sensual cravings or distractions?
• Think of at least three ways you use your energy in loving service.
• Think of at least three ways that you practice moderation.

There is some kiss we want
with our whole lives,
the touch of Spirit on the body.

Seawater begs the pearl
to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild Darling!

At night, I open the window
and ask the moon to come
and press its face into mine.
Breathe into me.

Close the language-door,
and open the love-window.

The moon won't use the door,
only the window.

~Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)

Asteya

Namaste Everyone,

In recent posts I've been sharing about the yamas, or restraints that are part of the ethical life of a yogi. I spoke about ahimsa (non-violence), and satya (truthfulness). The third yama that I'd like to explore today is asteya, which means "non-stealing."

Asteya seems pretty basic at first glance. We don't take anything from anyone that has not been freely offered or paid for. Most of us might think we've got that one covered--we don't shoplift, we don't sneak out of restaurants without paying for our food, we don't take other people's belongings without asking.

Asteya also applies to the use of ideas--writings, art, and other forms of creative expression. If we use someone's creative work, we obtain proper permission and give credit where it is due.

But there are subtler levels of "stealing" that can be quite insidious, and so in order to fully embrace asteya, deeper inquiry is asked of us.

Are there ways that we are demanding attention from others, dominating discussions, or in other ways taking up more than our fair share of space, energetically and emotionally, in social settings and relationships?

Are we demanding more than our fair share of resources from the planet? Do we have a larger than necessary ecological footprint?

Are we living in a constant state of not-enoughness, giving in to the egoic tendency toward incessant wanting and craving? Is scarcity mentality running our lives, causing us to grasp for more, more, more at others' expense?

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says: "When we are steadfast in our abstinence from theft, all wealth comes to us." When we become free from all feelings of covetousness, we no longer experience the lack of anything; therefore we are weathy beyond measure.

Be content with what you have;

rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothing lacking,

the whole world belongs to you.

~Lao Tzu, Translated by Stephen Mitchell

The practice of Asteya, therefore, isn't just about not physically stealing things. On the deepest level, we cultivate a sense of contentment and abundance in our lives, through practicing gratitude. We go beyond simply not-stealing to living generously and honestly. We engage in loving service to others. We examine ways that mind states such as jealousy and possessiveness become obstacles to enjoying a sense of abundance and inner wealth.

The practice of asteya is closely related to two other ethical principles in yoga: aparigraha (non-possessiveness) and santosha (contentment). I'll be writing about these in upcoming posts.

The highest level of asteya would be a complete falling away of the idea that there is anyone other than yourself to steal from. When the heart opens so wide that there is no one but "us," when there is no "them" in your consciousness, then stealing becomes impossible. Ram Dass writes:

In order to steal, you have to see your victim as "other." That means stealing takes us deeper into the illusion of me/you, which is the illusion of identity, which is the illusion of separation. That, from a spiritual point of view, is why non-stealing is part of the practice of ashtanga yoga; it's not because of our usual ideas about morality, it's because in order to steal we have to turn the other person into "them," which rules out seeing them as "us." That takes us away form the One. It's just that straightforward.

~Ram Dass, Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita

So, the reflections I've shared above are some off-the-mat inquiries that can keep you busy for a lifetime.

We can also bring the practice of asteya to our asana practice, on the mat. We can approach our sadhana with the spirit of generosity toward ourselves, and a sense of fullness and abundance. Kripalu Yoga teacher Danny Arguetty reminds us to notice ways that we may be robbing ourselves of being fully present as we move through the postures. Are we being competitive or jealous of another person's skill or expression of a posture? Do we devalue ourselves by comparing ourselves to others? He writes: "Use the practice of coordinated breath and movement to aid you in pinpointing awareness of the obvious and subtle ways in which you debase your own experience. As we become more conscious of the recurring patterns that detract from our practice, we can begin to choose a different path and honor ourselves as we are."

Satya

Hello Dear Ones,

In a recent post, we began an exploration of the yamas and niyamas, or restraints and observances, which are an essential piece of the yoga lifestyle. I shared a little bit about ahimsa, or the practice of non-violence. Today I'd like to speak about another one of the yamas, the practice of satya, or "truth."

On the most basic and obvious level, satya means not lying. It means telling the truth. We fess up and come clean when we've made a mistake. We practice saying what we mean, and meaning what we say. We strive to be honest in our words.

Where it gets tricky is when satya bumps up against ahimsa. In our zeal to be brutally honest, is our truth-telling causing hurt to another person? When do we need to temper satya with gentleness and tact? For example, do we tell Aunt Bertha that the sweater she sent is ugly and we would never wear it? Or do we lie and say how much we love it?  How do we find the skillful language that balances being honest and kind? 

On a deeper level that pervades all aspects of our lives, the practice of satya calls us towards authenticity.  It means being true to ourselves. not hiding or pretending to be someone else, and not being afraid to speak out and show who we truly are.

One of my teachers at Kripalu, Dinabandhu Sarley, says that something powerful happens when what we say, what we think, what we feel, and what we do are all in alignment. That power is called authenticity. One's ability to be effective and fully alive is contingent upon one's ability to be in alignment, or authentic. When there is a disconnect between these areas--when we are doing/thinking/feeling/saying all different things--our life energy becomes blocked. We become like a hose that is kinked in 4 places.

So, satya is being authentic--bringing our thoughts, words, feelings and actions into alignment. This allows prana to flow through us unimpeded, making available to us a life that's filled with more power. Just as alignment is important in asana practice, it's equally (if not more) important in how we move through the world off the mat.

On a more expansive level, satya calls us to seek spiritual truth, to discover the Divine Oneness that holds everything together. The highest expression of satya would be to transcend the world of illusion and awaken to the deeper truths of Reality--to see the True Self beyond the limited, egoic self. Satya is being who we truly are.

When you seek the Truth, you are seeking God. Truth is God. Truth exists; so too, God exists. Truth must be considered as life giving as breath itself. Just as a person with no breath in him becomes useless, life without Truth is useless and becomes a dwelling place of strife and grief. Believe that there is nothing greater than Truth; nothing more precious, nothing sweeter and nothing more lasting. ~Sathya Sai Baba

Some questions for self examination with regard to satya might be:

• Is there an area of my being that I'm afraid to let others see? Am I "in the closet" about who I am? If so, what impact has that had on my life?
• Are there areas of my life where I don't "walk my talk"? In what ways are my actions inconsistent with my speech?
• What are 3 ways that I can be more true to myself?
• What are 3 ways that I can be more truthful to others?
• Is there someone I've lied to, in either the recent or distant past, that I need to come clean with and to whom I need to make amends (remember, making amends clears the way toward our own freedom)?
• What are the ways in which I do honor my truth? What are the ways that I do speak, act and live authentically?

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.   ~Steve Jobs

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain

Ahimsa

Last week I spoke of the yamas and niyamas, the restraints and observances outlined in the 8 limbed path of yoga.  I'd like to share with you some reflections on ahimsa, the first of these restraints.

Ahimsa means non-violence, or non-harming. On the most gross and obvious level, it means refraining from killing or doing bodily harm to others. As we examine ahimsa on more subtle levels, we see that it also involves refraining from words and thoughts that project violence toward others and ourselves. In its deepest expression, ahimsa means the complete absense of negative thoughts toward self or other, and a pervasive feeling of love and compassion for all beings.

The principle of ahimsa inspired Ghandi's non-violent resistance to British rule in India, which in turn influenced Dr. King's leadership of the civil rights movement in the U.S. Jesus' teachings were also ahimsic, although from a different religious framework.

Our lives offer us plenty of rich opportunities to explore the many layers of ahimsa. Some questions for inquiry:

• How do my food choices and my habits of eating, driving, and consumption impact upon animals, the earth, and other humans? In what ways do I contribute to exploitation of the earth and its populations?
• What are the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that my language may be tinged with critical, angry and judgmental words, or words that in some way cause discord? 
• Am I "shoulding" on myself and others? How does that affect my relationships?
• Do I engage in habitual negative thinking? What impact does that have energetically on myself and others?
• Do I allow others to be unkind, harmful or violent towards me? If so, how can I take back my power in a way that is love-based?
• What ways am I practicing ahimsa in my life? In what ways am I kind, loving and compassionate toward myself and others?
• On the mat: How can I practice ahimsa? Can I move in and out of challenging postures with utmost care, respect and compassion for myself?

Examining our lives with regard to ahimsa is NOT about making ourselves feel guilty, because NO ONE, in pursuing this inquiry, will come up completely innocent. When we become aware of the areas where we have fallen short, we can practice ahimsa by cultivating compassion and forgiveness for ourselves. By nature, our lives have an impact on other beings. The practice of ahimsa calls us to be more mindful and aware, and it is a lifelong adventure.

"Strictly speaking, no activity and no industry is possible without a certain amount of violence, no matter how little. Even the very process of living is impossible without a certain amount of violence. What we have to do is to minimize it to the greatest extent possible." ~Mahatma Gandhi

The peace in the sky, the peace in the mid-air, the peace on earth, the peace in waters, the peace in plants, the peace in forest trees, the peace in all Gods, the peace in Brahman, the peace in all things, the peace in peace, may that peace come to me. ~ Rig Veda X

Ten Invitations

Hello Dear Friends,

In the last post, I wrote about the 8 limbed path of yoga, as described in the 2000 year-old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Interestingly, the first two limbs of yoga practice are not the postures and breathing that we focus on in class(those are the 3rd and 4th on the list) The practices of yama and niyama (restraints and observances) are presented as the first two limbs. There are 5 restraints and 5 observances, which are essentially a code of personal ethics and guidelines to live by. Some call them the do's and don'ts of yoga, and they've also been called the "ten commandments" of yoga. In brief, they are:

YAMAS

Ahimsa (non-violence)

Satya (truth)

Asteya (not stealing)

Brahmacharya (energy management/moderation/celibacy)

Aparigraha (non-greed, non-possessiveness)

NIYAMAS

Saucha (purity, cleanliness)

Santosha (contentment)

Tapas ("fire" or "heat" of self-discipline, exerting effort)

Svadhyaya (study of scripture and of oneself)

Ishvara-Pranidhana (Surrender to God)

In Kripalu yoga, the yamas and niyamas are not seen as commandments, but rather as invitations into inquiry. They call us toward an exploration of what shifts in our lives when we take on them on as dedicated practice. It is said that, just as postures and breathing allow the healing energy of prana (life force) to come into our physical bodies, living by these guidelines creates an opening for prana to flow more freely through us emotionally and spiritually.

Each of these restraints and observances is going to be embraced and expressed differently by each person. For example, most of us would agree that Ahimsa (non-violence) means that we refrain from killing or doing bodily harm to another person. But what about eating meat? For some, a vegetarian diet is an essential piece of practicing Ahimsa. For others, it may mean simply choosing to eat only meat that is raised sustainably and humanely.

And Brahmacharya traditionally has meant celibacy, but has come to be interpreted as "energy management".  It means using our sexual energy responsibly, as well as other forms of energy. We examine how we are using and expending our life force. Are we making choices that deplete our life energy, or are we learning to conserve it for optimal living?

Tapas, or self-discipline, is going to look different for each one of us as well. The word Tapas actually means "fire" or "heat." With regard to yoga practice, it involves willpower, endurance, and austerity--exerting burning effort in our practice. Each one of us is called to examine what that will look like for us, and to what depths we want to take our sadhana (spiritual practice). There is no right or wrong here--only an invitation to examine our goals and our level of commitment. We can also ask ourselves what our "burning desires" are in our lives. What calls us forward with passion?

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing reflections in this new blog about each of these yamas and niyamas. These practices and principles do not require you to embrace a particular religious doctrine. Rather, they can be seen as complementary to any other spiritual path. It is my hope that they will inspire you to look more deeply at your life through a yogic lens, and that it will be a spiritually enriching inquiry.



Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other"
doesn't make any sense.

Jelaluddin Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks