living your practice.
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Dear Yogis,
Over the next several months we will be adding a little more structure to the work we do on the mat and throughout our lives. We will do this by exploring the underpinnings and philosophical foundations of yoga practice, through both the Classical Hatha lens, the tantric or Kashmir Shaivite lens – and the intersection of both. It’s not necessary that you know what these words mean right now. By coming to class and joining us in the exploration you will become familiar from within yourself with these philosophies – and more importantly, what they mean to you.
At the heart of the matter is the question of Yoga itself. The word Yoga translates to Union – therefore the practices of yoga are aimed at bringing us to a state of profound union with our true, divine nature.
How does yoga bring us to union with our True, divine nature? It does this in a two-fold manner: through both purification and cultivation:
The practice of yoga first purifies us on a physical level: clearing toxicity and stagnation in the body, as well as the more subtle system of chakras and energy channels (nadis and meridians). Through this process, yoga will inevitably clears toxicity, confusion and false beliefs from our minds, hearts, spirits, speech and deed – as body, heart, mind and action are all part of ONE thing (mainly you!), and not a collection separate unrelated things.
At the same time, yoga gives us tools to cultivate that which is True, authentic, “divine” – and ultimately full Light. Purification and Cultivation therefore go hand in hand and are in fact two sides of the same coin.
One of the texts that influences classical hatha yoga as we know it today is called Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This text is a collection of 196 sutras (aphorisms or one-liners) that describe the practice of classical yoga.
The Yoga Sutras outline what Patanjali calls Ashtanga: “the 8 limbs of yoga” (I think of it as 8 arm:).
These 8 “arms” of yoga are the following:
Yamas (personal disciplines pertaining to our interactions with others and the world at large)
Niyamas (personal practices that relate to honoring our divine nature)
Asana (the practice of physical yoga postures)
Pranayama (breath and energy practices)
Pratyahara (drawing the senses and awareness inward)
Dharana (concentration)
Dhyana (meditation, focus)
Samadhi (absorption, bliss)
An effective physical practice should naturally lead to greater self-awareness and capacity for concentration. This naturally allows the yogi to make better choices for himself/herself, in his work, and his community – as well as lay the groundwork for meditative practice.
One of the big influencers of modern hatha yoga was a man named Pattabi Jois, and he was famous for answering almost any question his students would ask him with the same response: “Practice and all is coming”. Through practicing one or a few of these “arms” of yoga, with sincerity, diligence and humility, the rest will naturally follow.
If you are interested in continuing your study of the yoga sutras at home, my favorite translation by TKV Desikachar in the back of his book The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
So, we are launched!! Our exploration of yoga continues.
See you next week ❤︎
Natasha.
