yoga sutras

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Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

October 30, 2010 in books, jnana, Sutras, video, Yoga | Add Your Comment

 Every few thousand years, a good book comes along:

Patanjali's yoga sutras

Before written language, teachings were passed to the next generation by the chanting and memorization of short soundbites called sutras. Sutra means a thread, it's where our word suture comes from.

  The teachings were sacred, secret, and for the priviledged classes.

Patanjali, often called the father of classical yoga was the first known person to gather the knowledge of Yoga and write it down, penning The Yoga Sutras over two thousand years ago. I can imagine at the time this was quite blasphemous, to break from tradition and write down the secret teachings. He was a radical – our kind of guy.

  Now anyone could learn the secrets of Yoga and liberate themselves.

The sutras can be cryptic, and were meant to be 'unpacked' through commentary by a teacher. In the practice of Swadyaya, we play detective, excavating the meaning of the sutra within the context of our own lives. 

As your practice and understanding of yourself evolves, your understanding of the Sutras evolves. In essence, you weave these threads of wisdom into your practice, using them to help navigate your life.

   YS II.35 AHIMSA PRATISTHAYAM TAT SAMNIDHAU VAIRA TYAGAH

Originally written in Sanskrit, there are many translations to choose from. When researching a sutra, I often have many translations open, gleaning an understanding from bits of each commentary. 

A good translation to start with is: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda. it is used in many teacher trainings, is well indexed, and has many stories to draw from. I love my tattered, drawn in, dog-eared copy that has accompanied me all over the world.

My current favorite is from Edwin Bryant:  The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary

Nischala Joy Devi brings a feminine slant to the Sutras:  The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras

Chip Hartranft from the Arlington Center:  The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary

A Buddhist view from Geshe Michael Roach and Christie Mcnally: The Essential Yoga Sutra: Ancient Wisdom for Your Yoga

Desikachar:  The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

Georg Feuerstein:  The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjali:

To learn how to chant the Sutras, check out Manorma's disc:  Yoga Sutra Of Patanjali

To hear them, check out this video of Krishnamacharya at 50 years old:

If you add just one book to your library this year, make it a copy of the Yoga Sutras, the original 'self help' book.

What's your favorite sutra, or translation? Click the add comment link to add yours to the list.

Om Shanti, I'll see you in class.

John

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Signs of Life

March 14, 2010 in Yoga | Add Your Comment

Namaste.

Since way-back we have used seasonal changes to mark the passage of time. Creating rituals to honor what has passed, and welcome what's to come.  

Spring Equinox Yoga Class

Long ago, I adopted the Spring Equinox to welcome change in my life, in a way it's my 're-birthday.' (I see a new line of hallmark cards…)

I take time to notice the past year, and welcome the new one.  Not like a resolution, but more in the way of where am I coming from, and what am I doing with this gift of life?

Making space for ritual brings texture and depth to our lives.  For me, the best rituals are simple, like taking a pause to notice and appreciate my connection to nature.  

It's no accident that our Yoga postures are named for what the ancients saw daily in their lives.  It's actually the first of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. YS 1.1:  Atha Yoga Nushasanam.  "Here is Yoga as I have observed it in the natural world."

We 'do' the tree pose to awaken the qualities of tree in ourselves. Strength and suppleness, our ability to reach high, from a very grounded place… Our ability to selflessly provide food and shelter for others.  

If you're blessed with trees in your yard, go to a window, stand on one leg and reach out.  Better yet, give your neighbors something to talk about.  Go outside and get up close and personal with your tree.

If the police drive by really slowly, it's just a test of your focus.

On Saturday the 20'th we'll gather for our annual Spring Equinox Yoga class and outdoor – silent walk to the sacred circle. There we give thanks, and offer something old to the puja fire, making room for new growth:

This daylily sprout is the essence of Surya Namaskar.  We can do this. Ground down, and reach high, through your obstacles, and come into the light.

Hope you can join us for Spring Equinox at Yoga and Nia for Life in West Concord, Saturday March 20th, 12:30 to 2:30pm.   You can find out more on the 'events' page, or Click here to email an RSVP to john 

Om Shanti,

-j


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Patience Is Golden

March 4, 2010 in writing, Yoga | 4 comments

We tend to see our Yoga practice as the part that we do well, our favorite postures, that one that feels just right, the one that looks cool.

Our higher practice is actually the postures that challenge us the most, our least favorite, We've all got one that feels like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree:

tree pose, vrikshasana - don't try this at home...

Now this, is a tree that we can work with…

These are the places where we can learn ourselves, if we dare to look.  Who do we become when our feathers are ruffled? 

I was filling my Kleen Canteen at the Yoga studio today and found myself getting irritated, willing the water to move quicker. There it is, in that moment, noticing how I was being, The water bubble became my teacher.  Guru Sakshat,  What's happening right now – in this moment, becomes our teacher.  

I was able to come around pretty quickly, and used the time to practice my Mantra, and gratitude for my access to unlimited clean water. These bits of mindfulness bring richness to our lives, and all we have to do is pay attention.

Of course, Many times our challenges have much bigger impact, and are much more challenging to see in this way.  Practicing with the little ones, will help us deal with the big ones.

I've also found that the depth of the teaching is proportional to the depth of my inconvenience.  I'm sure that I'm not alone in my experience of major letdowns turning out to be a huge favors with passing time.

Much of our suffering is avoidable.  

There's a Yoga Sutra for this. Here's some homework: Lookup Patanjali's Yoga Sutra II.16. Google: Heyam Dukham Anagatam

Buddhist teacher  Tich Nhat Hanh, never hurries, for anything. This irks his entourage at times, cause they miss many planes, He says "Why hurry, We'll have more time for meditation."  I'm not saying we should all aspire to this level of patience, but a little goes a long way to reduce the stress in our lives.

Practice patience, make way for ducklings

What's your least favorite Yoga posture, What's your pet peeve?, Who irritates you the most?  These are gold nuggets of opportunity. They are your teacher, they are your Guru Sakshat.  If you slow down, and allow them to be.

All Day Yoga 

Next time you're frustrated, or your Sun Salutation feels like a rusty-hinge, let your discomfort become the meditation chime. Ask, "what can I learn?" This is the Yoga you can do all day.  This is the Yoga that will bring depth to your experience of this life.

I got another chance to practice at the supermarket. Molasses moves faster than this cashier! This time, I was ready for her.  Cool as the cucumbers I was buying, I thanked her, and meant it.  Slow down…

Om Shanti, I'll see you in class… and let me know what you find out about that Sutra II.16

-j

P.S. Yes, Joy can be a great teacher as well, next post… 

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