May Focus: Meditation & The Last Three Limbs of Yoga

April 26, 2016May 2, 2016 YogaHouse

May Focus of the Month

Meditation & The Last Three Limbs

The first yogis aimed to solve a problem that still pervades today. It’s called the “monkey mind,” and it refers to the ever-firing, overly anxious human brainscape that has added a layer of frazzle and fret to our already-fraught condition. A complete yoga practice is designed to give us enough clarity to see our experiences for what they are rather than through the carnival mirror-style distortion of emotionally reactive, memory-attached consciousness. If you were to crack open the Yoga Sutras, you would not have to get very far to see how important a meditation practice is as part of the yogi’s journey. Sutra #1 says, essentially, “Following are the teachings of yoga….” Sutra #2 goes on to say, “The purpose of yoga is to still our thoughts. If you master this sutra, you need not read on to the rest.”

Meditation occupies some significant territory on yoga’s eight-limbed ladder, taking up three of the last three rungs on the climb toward enlightenment. The breakdown is fascinating:

Dharana, the 6th limb, has to do with concentration. The suggestion is to fix your mind upon an object until you become so absorbed that there is little room for the mind to do much needless worrying or past/future travel as it is wont to do. A funny fable tells us of an acolyte meditator who once shut his door and fixed his mind upon a bull until he barreled out of the room with horns and hooves himself. The take-home is twofold: Be as focused as this acolyte, but be wary of where you place your attention.

From the recommendation to concentrate upon a single object spring many forms of modern-day meditation: from mantra and japam meditation, or repetition of a significant sound; to guided visualizations; to the use of a talisman; to the use of a drishti, or focal point; to the tuning in to a single sense, such as hearing or touch; to the holding in mind of a spiritual figure. Dharana is an essential practice that prepares the mind for deeper states of contemplation.

Dhyana, yoga’s 7th limb, comes closer to the definition of meditation as we think of it, the suggestion being to sustain concentration for a prolonged period of time, fixing the mind upon a single object while quelling the tendency to name, categorize, judge, or assign value to that which is in focus. To sit in this style of meditation is to see reality with perfect clarity, leading to an awareness unstained by the ego’s preferences or priorities. Eventually, the yogi’s subject becomes the Self that dwells within the self, and he/she abides in sacred, nondual reality.

When the mind succeeds in accurately reflecting reality, the yogi perceives her true nature in which self and other are unified. To sustain this clarity of consciousness is to live in Samadhi, or liberation, the 8th limb. A meditation practice helps us to collect more and more moments of pure awareness so that we may finally reside around the clock in “bliss that defies description.” Those who have experienced samadhi describe it as a coming home or as an experience of sweetness and peace that cannot be conveyed in words. Paramahansa Yogananda offers as vivid an account of samadhi as is available, describing it over the course of many paragraphs in Autobiography of a Yogi:

Soul and mind instantly lost their physical bondage and streamed out like a fluid light from my every pore… My sense of identity was no longer narrowly confined to a body but embraced the circumambient atoms…My ordinary frontal vision was now changed to a vast spherical sight, simultaneously all-perceptive… An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The entire cosmos, gently luminous, like a city seen afar at night, glimmered within the infinitude of my being….

Excitingly, scientists have discovered that meditation really does help keep ego in check, increase empathy, and provide mental clarity, affirming the claims yogis have been making for millennia. Neuroscientists have identified the portions of the brain responsible for emotional reactivity, autobiographical memory (or ego) creation, self/other distinctions, present-centered attention, and time/space awareness. Interestingly, these locations in the brain become markedly restful during deep states of meditation, and a regular meditation practice increases gray matter in many of these regions, helping us to function optimally even when the meditation session has concluded.

Although we often begin and end class with a brief meditation, we will place special emphasis this May on listening to the silence beneath the sound and to heeding the call of highest consciousness. We look forward to sharing these sweet moments on the mat!

In peace,

Leigha & Jacqui

March Focus of the Month – Developing a Home Practice

March 4, 2015March 4, 2015 YogaHouse

The Obstacles are Many, But the Path Is Worth Taking!

Imagine rolling out your yoga mat in a tidy corner of your home just minutes before the sun peeks over the horizon. Stepping onto the mat, you honor the stiffness of your morning muscles by moving slowly and softly, enjoying a long inhale as you lift your arms above your head. On the exhale, you drape your body over deeply bent knees and then sway to and fro for a few moments before beginning your practice in earnest.

For today’s session, you’re kind to yourself. You stretch more than you strengthen because you sense that is what your body needs. The practice lasts about 30 minutes, and that satisfies you completely. As you roll your mat back up, the other members of your house begin to stir. You’ve logged your alone time, and it was a wonderful way to begin the day. Next up: a warm cup to sip on and breakfast.

If it sounds a little luxurious that’s because it is. It’s not every day that we can claim a quiet, early moment before everyone in the house is abuzz. Sometimes there isn’t even a clear, uncluttered corner to be found. The hurdles to developing a home practice are plentiful. Luckily, though, they’re not impossible to overcome, and—trust us—they’re worth hopping over! This month, we share some of the most common obstacles to developing a home practice and offer advice and tips for overcoming them.

Over the years, you’ve shared with us many reasons why a home practice is just plain tough to commit to. Here are some of the most frequently cited problems and their potential solutions:

I can’t wake up that early.

Then don’t! It’s certainly not written in stone that a yoga practice must be done in the A.M. Although it is true that Iyengar and others describe the pre-dawn hours as the ideal time to practice, the fact is, if you’re a night owl aiming to practice as the sun rises, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you have been up all night caring for or worrying about others, then sleep is your first yoga priority.

Start by squeezing in a practice where you can. It could be a five-minute practice in the afternoon or ten minutes before bed. By beginning with these small, manageable increments, your goal of developing a home practice will be an achievable one.

I wouldn’t know how to move. I need the guidance of a teacher.

If you can stretch your body as you’re waking up in bed, you can practice yoga asana. Nevermind the Sanskrit terminology or precision alignment cues. Tap into your body as it is in this moment. Where is it stiff? What could use a little strengthening? Be guided by your internal wisdom, and allow your breath to lead the way.

Many have written on this subject, and among our favorites is Eric Schiffmann who wrote Moving Into Stillness. He reminds us that our breath and intuition are a powerful pair. Inhales generally bring us into expansive stretches, making your spine as long as it can be, for instance, and exhales permit a deepening as in forward fold or in twists. We needn’t know the name of a pose to move our bodies. Think of yoga as your personal dance. One that revitalizes your body and feeds your soul. No one is watching, so no movement is wrong.

Yoga is a process of deep listening. It can be helpful to remember that the yoga poses as we know them were developed quite late along the timeline of yogic history. Get out of your own way to let your best self shine forth. Shed your layers of doubt, and trust the wisdom already inside you. Get breathing. Get moving.

But seriously, I don’t know any of the poses.

California yoga teacher Jason Crandell wrote a lovely article not too long ago in Yoga Journal. In addition to offering insights and motivation for beginning a home practice, he offers short sequences that will help you structure a complete-feeling home session.

We’ve also found Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual by David Swenson an invaluable reference for go-to sequencing. We haven’t found a clearer, easier-to-follow instruction manual, and the spiral binding makes it perfect for resting on the ground and viewing as you practice.

I don’t have the time.

Neither do we! No one does. There simply isn’t enough time in the day to get all we want done done. You’ve heard this advice before: It’s a matter of priority. But don’t stop reading there. If family and career and everything else come first, we are doing family and career and everything else a disservice. When you invest time, even little spurts of time, in yourself–your peace of mind, your wellness, your happiness, your health–you have more to give and everyone is better off.

Maybe it’s unrealistic to begin with 90-minute or even 60-minute practice sessions, but two minutes here and ten minutes there are a perfectly good place to begin. When ten minutes becomes habit, you’ll want to bump it up to fifteen and then maybe twenty. Before you know it, you’ll be immersed in yoga for 30 or 40 minutes. Start small. Forgive yourself if it’s not happening the way you imagined. Keep rolling out that mat.

One of our students shared a tip that has worked for her: Keep your mat rolled out! After a while, you won’t be able to ignore its call.

I have four little children, two German Shepherds, and too much furniture in the way.

Then yoga is your medicine, and it is especially essential for you! We’re not strangers to these types of “distractions,” ourselves. There are a few things you can do.

Approach #1: Insist on finding time in those late-night or early morning hours when the house is relatively quiet. If this doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged. Read on!

Approach #2: Re-envision what you think of as a yoga practice. I kid you not when I tell you that half of my yoga is practiced with an eight-year-old clinging to my torso. So what that these sessions aren’t the stuff of Google Images: I’m not wearing white or sitting in front of a waterfall as the heavens bestow a rapturous light upon my countenance. Life is messy and chaotic, and true yoga helps us to find the calm amidst the storm. If I didn’t open up to this re-envisioning, I wouldn’t have known that yoga can make me giggle until I fall over and bring me closer to the ones I love.

Approach #3: Just as you would insist on privacy in the bathroom or in your home office, insist on designating time and space if you’d really like to practice by yourself. Respect your own requirements and enlist everyone else’s respect too. If you’re the parent of a toddler or an infant, see Approach #4.

Approach #4: Nap time is the golden hour if you’re home alone with bebe. Of course, it doesn’t always go as planned, does it? If Approach #2 isn’t cuttin’ it, the best you can do is reach out, reach out, reach out. Develop a support network! Trade babysitting time with other parents who need a moment to themselves. Find a Mama & Me class (like ours at 12:30 every Tuesday), or ask someone to watch the little one while you find your way to the studio. Sometimes your best home practice is found at your home away from home. 😉

Your home practice can become your most valuable course in the Self. Since each day is different, you’ll be able to tailor your session so that it suits your mood and energy level today. Some days you’ll invert and contort. Some days you’ll simply sit to clear your mind. Let us know how your home practice is going, and do share any of the obstacles holding you back if we haven’t addressed them here!

Stay in touch and see you at the studio.

Leigha & Jacqui

January Focus of the Month – Quelling Thought Waves: Inhabiting the Body

January 5, 2015January 6, 2015 YogaHouse

meditation, body, thought, now, present, be

Quelling Thought Waves: Inhabiting the Body

Have you ever had a moment when you felt perfectly at peace? when time seemed to stop? when duties, obligations, and worry fell by the wayside leaving you whole and unfettered, happy and free?

For too many of us, these moments happen only rarely, briefly, or never at all.

It’s likely that you can recall moments like this from childhood before you were bound by the weight of to-do lists, dependents, and the constraints of time. In adulthood, we have to work much harder to find the same kind of glimpses into perfect peace.

Thankfully, yoga offers us a handbook for rediscovering (or discovering!) this sense of boundless play. In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali states that “Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind,” the idea being that the mind, despite our belief to the contrary, is more likely to cloud our consciousness than it is to clarify and illuminate it.

In Sanskrit, the sutra (#2) reads: Yoga chitta vrtti nirodha.

Chitta is the stuff of the mind; consciousness; or the subconscious. Vrtti means whirpool but can be thought of as disturbances of consciousness; mental content; or thoughts. Vrtti is the turbulent cloud cover that obscures the purity and brilliance of consciousness. Nirodha is annihiliation or ending.

In their commentary on the Sutras, Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood quip that most of us – though we would love to believe that our minds are lucid, organized, and productive – are in reality walking around thinking superfluous, haphazard thoughts like: “‘Ink-bottle… Jimmy’s trying to get my job. Mary says I’m fat. Big toe hurts. Soup good….’”

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle also claims that the mind does not serve us in the way we would like to think it does, calling it “the greatest obstacle to enlightenment.” He points out that the mind is more likely than not, in any given moment, to be fretting about the past or anticipating some catastrophic event in the imagined future that will never actually take place. Rare is the person who can still her thought-waves and simply be. He offers advice for connecting with the body in order to silence the chatter of the mind, recommending that we first get in touch with the feeling of being in the body: “Is there life in your hands, arms, legs, and feet…? Can you feel the subtle energy that pervades the entire body and gives vibrant life to every organ and every cell?” Absorption in embodiment, he suggests, is a gateway to the present moment, which is always perfect and just as it should be (even when it isn’t).

Yoga too prescribes methods for quieting the mind which all involve, eventually, inhabiting the body exactly as it is, in this moment, without judgment or unnecessary discernment.

At its best, asana practice immerses us so fully in the coordination of movement that we forget, if momentarily, whatever troubles, plagues, or excites us. But it isn’t enough. If you’ve ever attempted a balancing sequence after a meal, or when you were under the weather, or really ever at all, you have probably experienced frustration and disappointment while doing yoga. Maybe you registered a dull level of grief or embarrassment when you toppled over or wobbled to and fro. If so, you’re not alone! Nearly everyone experiences these thought waves on the mat. On the other end of the spectrum, you may have felt victory, relief, joy, or pride when you executed a challenging posture without falling out of it. Positive thoughts are just as distracting as negative, says Patanjali, because they feed the egoic mind. The yogis say that we must learn to quell even these pleasurable thought waves if we are to truly master the mind.

So, if asana isn’t enough to bring our thought waves under control, what else can we do? Yoga offers at least three more strategies. One is to focus on the breath as we execute asana. At first, try using a visualization for the purpose of calling all of your attention to the breath. Common visualization are: ocean waves crashing and receding as the breath comes in and out; or a movement of light and energy up and down the body’s central channel as you inhale and exhale. After breathing steadily with the visualization for a time, release the visual and continue the breath, allowing your inhalations and exhalations to sync with the expansion and contraction of your body in a nearly automatic way. It takes much practice to find peace and easy coordination of breath and movement in the practice of yoga, but it comes.

Another method of stilling the mind during asana practice (or during vinyasa, which is the harmony of breath and movement), is to make use of drishti points, or focal points. New yoga practitioners are most commonly introduced to the use of drishti in balance poses. We find that by staring at a still point on the floor or on a wall, we can better focus on steadying our posture. Later in the practice, we find drishti points in nearly every pose: at our thumb in Half Moon Pose, for instance; at the navel in Downward Dog; down the nose in Camel; or at the third-eye center in Lotus. The drishtis do not have to be fixed but can shift and alter as the practice evolves. Still, they are always there to offer a point upon which all thought can converge. Eventually, we become charioteers who masterfully reign in our scattered thoughts and stay the course toward full consciousness.

Another method by which we can master the mind is via the senses. You can practice being in your body by sitting or lying still and simply noting the sensory input that arises: a dampness or coolness on your skin; a low buzz in your ear that disappears as you remain still; a certain acidity in your digestive tract; a sweet taste on your tongue; flashes of red and black as you sit with eyes closed. Sure, it takes mental processing to register sensory input, but the trick here is to take note without chasing the associations and judgments that arise. Notice when you start thinking in a way that brings you out of the moment, like: “This smell reminds me of that time when…” (past consciousness); “This acid reflux must be from when I ate such and such…” (past consciousness); “I hate sitting still…” (ego consciousness); “I have this and that to do which are far more important…” (future consciousness; judgment). Bring yourself back to the now as often as you need to. Our synapses won’t ever stop firing, but we can exercise the control we do have by silencing the white noise.

Ultimately, the yoga practice, extending beyond the mat, becomes a meditative immersion. At first, we experience brief, enticing glimpses of consciousness unsullied. With practice and dedication, our experience of embodiment without the jostle and tug of a mental narrative begins to happen more and more frequently. As we continue the climb toward illumination, the sense of struggle dissipates. We find that the mind is a companion and not a rambunctious distraction. The present begins to absorb us. The moment is just as it should be. We are consciousness embodied, and that is the essence of yoga.

Peace!

December Focus of the Month — Natarajasana

December 3, 2014December 4, 2014 YogaHouse

Last week we received a little taste of winter—a snowstorm that knocked us off balance as we prepared for Thanksgiving. As we move into the final month of the year, we give Nataraj, Lord of the Dance, the spotlight and unpack the rich imagery of his story, which offers us a reminder to relish rather than lament winter’s destructive power.

In Hindu mythology Nataraj is a four-armed, wild-haired dancer who balances atop a dwarf demon while he performs a dance said to destroy humankind’s ignorance. Whereas we mere mortals fear nature’s cycles – of birth, death, and rebirth – Nataraj, an incarnation of Shiva, happily rides these rhythms, benevolently assisting in the destruction of the universe so that new life can emerge. In Nataraj’s eyes, winter is no time to mourn or to hibernate, it’s a time to celebrate as we prepare for the rebirth of springtime. May we all be dancers this season!

Fearlessness and Liberation

The image of Nataraj is an iconic one. The svelte and muscular dancer holds a drum in one hand and fire in another, all while holding hand mudras (seals) that represent fearlessness and liberation. He is encircled in a ring of fire and wears a serpent around his waist. He stands atop the demon Apasmara and maintains, always, a peaceful countenance.

By keeping a firm foot on Apasmara the dwarf demon, Nataraj protects humankind from at least two layers of ignorance. Take what you want from the mythology, of course, but the two forms of ignorance are:

The illusion that we are separate from divinity.
The illusion that the trials of daily life are all that matter.

Apasmara the demon is held underfoot by Nataraj to protect humankind from ignorance.

Apasmara would have us get caught up in the trivial ups and downs of our daily interactions. He would like us to believe that we are our worry, or we are our regrets, our anxiety, our hopelessness, our sadness, or our excitability, and he loves when these fear-based emotions take us over because they cloud our sense of self and obscure our relationship to deepest consciousness.

Winter is a natural time to sink into contraction and hibernation, but instead of allowing its fallowness to dampen our spirits, the image of Nataraj encourages us to remember that it’s an essential part of the birth-death-rebirth process, one measure among many in the song of life.

The Lord of the Dance reminds us not to get swept up in our own mundane dramas and instead choose liberation from fear-binding thoughts. Only by destroying fear can we be truly free. And how will we know when we are free? That’s easy. We will be dancing.

The Pose: Natarajasana

King Dancer pose is a one-footed balance and back bend all at once. In it, the practitioner grabs one foot or ankle and reaches the other arm forward. There are as many variations of the pose as there are yogis, but it is always a balance, and it is always a heart opener. It also opens the shoulders, stretches the hip flexors, and tones the back body.

To explore the pose’s significance, you might try it balanced upon a block which can symbolize the demon underfoot who if freed would see to it that we remain shackled to our own little turbulences. Stand on the block to symbolically break free of the patterns that keep you bound to fear.

The pose itself can strike fear, as many balance poses do (especially when we try them on a block). If it seems elusive, try it at a wall to cancel out any sense of instability. When you do eventually feel stable in the pose, draw your heart forward, tilt it up, and notice the pose’s power to liberate your spirit.

Feel lifted and light, peaceful and celebratory. Let nature’s rhythms course through you without resistance. Keep the beat with your breath and give yourself over to the moment.

November Focus of the Month — Sukha

November 4, 2014November 10, 2014 YogaHouse

Sukha

We’ve been blessed with an extended, mild and colorful fall replete with shin-high sidewalk piles of crackling gold and burnt sienna. And have you seen the green underbellies of the leaves this year? It’s as though they’re hanging on for dear life as reluctant as we are to bid a farewell to sun and warmth. It’s undeniable though. We may be having a few mercifully temperate days, but November is really here and with it come the colder, darker skies. Unless you’re a winter bird, you’re probably beginning to feel the tenseness of the season. We clench up this time of year, we draw inward, we resist, protest, get sad, anticipate and even dread. If these inclinations sound familiar to you, please join us in a great metaphorical counterpose this November, the cultivation of a profound ease of being.

This month we focus on sukha, a Sanskrit word meaning joy, ease, pleasure, softness, gentleness, or bliss. Often it gets paired with its counterpart sthira, which means steadiness and firmness, the idea being that yogis – whether they’re executing a pose, sitting for meditation or encountering daily life – are adept at balancing these two qualities. Too much force and your practice is fraught with rigidity. Too little firmness and you’re all stretch but no strength. The texts go so far as to say, if you don’t have both you’re not doing yoga.

You might know the feeling. Let’s say you’re executing a new and challenging pose. You get in, you’re doing it! Then, just as soon, you collapse onto the floor gasping for breath realizing you’d been holding it in all along. There is reason to feel good about the accomplishment, no doubt, but it’ll take a dozen or more times before you experience the lift and lightness that are possible in yoga asana.

You might hear us saying in class, “Find a comfortable edge.” This is a nod toward the sthira/sukha balance. Yoga does require that you push beyond your boundaries, but there should be a sense of yielding in your push, a softness, a patience, a kindness, and a sensitivity as you progress in your practice. Yoga is not meant to be painful or forceful, it’s meant to enhance joy, to put a lightness in your step and a lift in your heart. Anything else is, as they say, calisthenics. If you’re keeping sukha in mind, you still attempt those elusive poses, but you keep a careful eye on your breath, and you allow the process to be sweetly slow. You’ll get there, you’ll get there, there’s no rush, and you’ll be less likely to get injured along the way.

Leslie Kaminoff, author of “Yoga Anatomy,” describes sukha at the cellular level using the concepts of containment and permeability. A cell’s outer layer, he points out, must be firm enough to remain a cohesive entity but permeable enough to allow nutrients in and waste out. It’s quite a feat, isn’t it? If either of these qualities is missing, existence as we know it falls apart. So too in our human relations. We must have resolve and stability if we are to survive, but if we are to flourish we must have adaptability too. Some situations call for a certain severity, but we cannot forget to also be soft lest we make ourselves (and everyone around us) miserable.

Here’s something you can try. Next time you take a yoga class, experiment with creating more sukha than sthira in the practice. Slow down, back off, ease up. Drink in your breath like it’s a sweet, silken nectar. If the teacher invites you to try something that’s going to pull you too far out of your comfort zone be bold enough to decline. Don’t go deep unless it feels amazing to go deep. In the pinnacle moment of your poses, allow your heart to swell beyond its former capacity. In each moment that you can, actively shed your resentments and criticisms toward self and others. Let your chest burst wide open with compassion and love. This is sukha… and we need more of it!

It’s characteristic of the society in which we were reared that we sometimes approach our yoga practice with a sense of ambition or competition. Deep down, of course, we know that that kind of approach pulls us away from the more metaphysical side of the practice, the side that reminds us we are each just one small part of a bigger whole. Sustaining awareness of our interconnection is what the sages call reaching enlightenment. In a state of enlightenment we cannot help but experience feelings of belonging, warmth, profound gratitude, joy, and altruism, the many shades of sukha. It’s okay that we’re always getting pulled back down to earth because the door to bliss is always there and it’s always wide open, if we can only remember to look for it.