Wednesday, July 2, 2014

July Monthly Theme: Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Swami Muktibodhananda states…

According to hatha yoga there are six major factors which prevent yoga or union from occurring. In hatha yoga, union means uniting the two energy forces, mental and pranic, in the body. This is the energy flowing in the ida and pingala nadis. Hatha Yoga is the process of balancing the flow of these two alternating forces to bring perfect physical and mental equilibrium and wakening to sushumna and kundalini. All branches of yoga unite these two energies and channelize them through the sushumna. These three Nadis terminate in the Ajna Chakra or 3rd eye. The object of hatha yoga practice is the increase the duration and flow of sushumna and the period when both nostrils flow simultaneously so that a balance is created in the physical and mental functions. When the mind and body are not functioning in harmony, there is a division between the physical and mental rhythms, which inevitably leads to sickness. Thus, one must avoid all activities which waste energy or distract the mind. The six obstacles, that get in the way of yoga or union, are:
  • Overeating: When the body is overloaded with food, it becomes sluggish and the mind becomes dull. Over a period of time toxins build up in the body. If the body is toxic and lethargic, how can one make progress? It is advised that the stomach should be half filled with food, one quarter with water and one quarter with air!
  • Overexerting or overstraining the body and mind: Hard physical labor or intese mental work taxes one of the energy systems and can create further imbalance between the two energies. The hatha yogi has to conserve and build up his store of energy for spiritual purposes.
  • Too much talking & being in the company of common people: This wastes time which could be better spent in awakening the inner awareness. Gossiping with people who have low morals and base consciousness cannot enlighten your soul, rather their negative vibrations may influence you. Social situations and irrelevant discussions distract the mind. 
  • Strict adherence to rules and regulations: Although it is important to follow the instructions of a guru, as far as religious doctrines are concerned, it is unnecessary that they be maintained for spiritual progress. Adhering to rules makes one “narrow minded” and yoga is meant to expand the consciousness. A yogi’s mind should be flexible and able to adjust to circumstances.
  • Unsteadiness/wavering mind: This means an imbalanced body metabolism, inability to hold one posture for a period of time, and a wavering mind. Yoga cannot be achieved under these conditions. When there is physical, mental, emotional, and psychic imbalance, the energy is dispersed, but if the energy is properly channelized, all the bodily systems become stable.  If there is inconsistency and irregularity in lifestyle further imbalance in the body will ensue. An unswerving mind and steady body cultivate yoga. 


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

June Monthly Theme: Preya and Shreya

Whenever you have a choice, ask yourself this question: “Which is Preya and which is Shreya, the long term good?”

Preya is what we like, what pleases us, what offers immediate gratification to senses, feelings, on self-will. Shreya is simply what works out best in the end. Preya is the “pleasure principle”: doing what feels good, no-matter the consequences.

Shreya means choosing the best consequences, whether it feels good or not—often forgoing a temporary pleasure for the sake of a lasting benefit. Junk food is one of the clearest illustrations of Preya: sugar, salt, and saturated fat so fast and easy that you don’t even have to sit down for it. The consequences are all equally clear.

Or look at exercise: “no pain, no gain” training and toning the body often is not pleasant. We do it for the sake of its long-term benefits, because later we will really feel good in a deeper, longer lasting, more satisfying way. That is Shreya—choosing what is best.

When we learn how to look for it, we see this choice between Preya and Shreya comes up in every moment, in virtually everything we do. There is no escaping it. The moment dawn breaks, the choices begin: “Shall I get up for my meditation, or shall I pull the blanket over my head and stay in bed a little longer?” It starts there and it goes on until you fall asleep at night.

To choose wisely, your senses must listen to you. That is the essential prerequisite. And for your senses to listen to you, you must listen to you; your mind must listen to you. That is why, as you train your mind in meditation, your eating habits come under your control. Likes and dislikes begin to change and choices open up everywhere.

Yet discrimination, of course, extends not only to eating but to everything. In the scriptures, we are said to eat through all the senses. Just as we learn to be discriminating about what we put into our mouths, we learn to be vigilant about the books and magazines we read, the movies and television we absorb, the conversation we indulge in, the company we keep; in short, in everything we do and say, ultimately this extends even to what we think. We have a choice in all these things: this is what is meant by “intentional living.”

There are drugs that injure the body and there are books that injure the mind. As our minds fill up with junk thoughts and junk feelings, we get addicted to them. We lose our discrimination and as these junk thoughts fail to satisfy—and they must—the cravings for them become more and more acute. But we are hooked; we can’t get them out of our head, out of our relationships.

Every day, in everything, we have a choice. Nobody can say, “I am not free to choose.” These two words from the Upanishads can always help us see our choices clearly: Preya, that which is pleasant but which probably benefits nobody even ourselves, and Shreya, that which is of lasting benefit to all.

Shall I reply curtly to her rude remark, or shall I speak kindly? Shall I spend the afternoon doing something I like, or shall I work at something that helps a few others? Every where we have choices like these, an discrimination comes when we start choosing what brings lasting benefits even at the cost of a few private, personal satisfactions.

Much of the art of living rests on the rare ability to discriminate between what is in harmony with this central law of life and what violates it. What is Dharma and what is Adharma. To act wisely, we must see clearly. “Does this particular choice resolve a conflict, foster clean air, bring peace to my mind or to people around me?”

If the answer to such questions is “yes,” that course of acting is in harmony with the unity of life. To grow spiritually, we need both the detachment to see clearly, the discrimination to know what is of lasting value, and, of course, the will power—the determination to put our insight into action.

Without discrimination, by contrast, “anything goes;” one of the warnings in the Yogic scriptures states, “Lack of discrimination is the source of the greatest danger” to the health, to security, to personal relations, to life itself. In daily living, discrimination means making wise choices, knowing what to do and what not to do.

“Learn to discriminate between what is permanent and what is passing. Choose every day to do things that improve your health, promote lasting security and deepen relationships—things that in the long run contribute to the well being of your society and the world. In this lies your happiness, your salvation, your very future.”

Thursday, April 3, 2014

March Monthly Theme: Ayurveda

Ayurveda, which literally means the knowledge and wisdom of life, is the traditional healing system of India. Often called the mother of all healing, it originated in India over 5000 years ago.

Ayurveda views health and disease as the end result of how we interact with the world, in terms of our beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings, which then ultimately determine our actions. Actions in harmony with our inner nature create health, while those dis-harmonious with our inner nature create disease. Ayurveda is the science of developing greater harmony with our environment through all of our senses.

Ayurveda assists the body in journeying back to optimal health by balancing the five elements in the body and mind through the use of herbs, diet, colors, aromas, lifestyle changes, yoga, and meditation along with other five sense therapies. The rejuvenative and cleansing therapies (Pancha Karma) described within help nourish our bodies while calming our minds from the stresses of modern daily life.

Your inner nature is called your constitution or prakruti, and is an individual blend of the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Your unique balance of these three energies was determined at the moment of conception and is with you the rest of your life. It determines what is in harmony with your nature and what will cause you to become out of balance, sick, and diseased. Knowledge of your constitution is essential to developing optimal health. Your constitution determines how you react to various foods, colors, aromas, and general life habits.

Recently, Ayurveda has had a profound impact upon the world of health care. Popular books by Deepak Chopra, M.D., and others have called attention to the potential of this ancient healing system. Along with the potential to heal chronic diseases, Ayurveda promises to improve health and increase longevity.

Ayurveda is considered the healing side of Yoga. Likewise, Yoga is the spiritual side of Ayurveda. Both Ayurveda and Yoga strive to help a person re-connect to their true nature through direct experience. Together, they encompass a complete approach to the well being of the body, the mind, and the spirit.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

February Monthly Theme: Gunas

In Samkhya philosophy there are three major gunas which serve as the fundamental operating principles or "tendencies" of prakṛti (universal nature) which are called: sattva guna, and rajas guna, tamas guna. The three primary gunas are generally accepted to be associated with creation (satva), preservation (rajas), and destruction (tamas). The entire creation and its process of evolution is carried out by these three major gunas.

All material nature is made up the interplay of three energies or "gunas." Part of the work of yoga is to go beyond the limitation of seeing life as forms and concepts, and to see the underlying qualities of things. 
The gunas are a great map for navigating your way through life. When you can recognize which of these energies is at play in your life, it makes it so much easier to bring about a state of balance. 



Rajas:
Generally is a passionate, frenetic, creative, tumultuous energy. 
People that are rajasic are full of desire, thirsting for worldly enjoyment, and even at more extreme ends of the scale, fueled by competition and ambitiousness. The Sanskrit root means "impure." It is also related to the root rakta, "redness." And raga, "passion." If you think of living in a bright red room or a woman wearing a red dress, you can feel the energy of Rajas.



Food that is Rajasic is quite stimulating (often times over stimulating). Eg: spicy, sour, acid foods like coffee, hot peppers, onions and so on. If you find yourself eating really quickly too, this too can be rajasic. If you have ever been to a big smorgasbord and eaten way too many combinations of food, you would have belly will be feeling the effect of Rajas Guna.



Tamas:


Tamas is dull, insensible, gloomy and dark energy. The Sanskrit word literally means "darkness, dark-blue, black."
 People that are tamasic are gloomy, sluggish, dull and blinded by greed. Sometimes people who are tamasic can be characterized as lazy and slothful. If you spend the night drinking tequila in Margaritaville, the next morning you will find yourself deep in the heart of Tamasicville. On the darker end of the tamasic scale, they can be unconscious of the needs others, dark and destructive.



Food that is Tamasic is stale, under or over ripe. Heavy meats. Canned, reheated or fermented foods. Eating too much is Tamasic.

Sattva:
Sattva is a calm, peaceful and clear energy. The Sanskrit word is based on the principle "Sat" or "being, as it should be, perfect." 

People that are Sattvic are calm, centered, compassionate and unselfish.



Food that is Sattvic is nourishing & easy to digest. Cereals, Fresh Fruit, Pure Water, Veggies, Milk, Yogurt.