January Monthly Theme: Om

According to the Mandukya Upanishad,"Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it".

Om is not a word but rather an intonation, which, like music, transcends the barriers of age, race, culture and even species. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined together, make the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. It is a mantra or prayer in itself. If repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being, the atman or soul.

There is harmony, peace and bliss in this simple but deeply philosophical sound. By vibrating the sacred syllable Om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Ultimate Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the highest state of "stateless" eternity, states the Bhagavad Gita.

Om" is the sound of a thoughtless state of mind—a present that is free from all tensions of life—the way to touch the depths of our real selves in its purest form.

December Monthly Theme: Niyama

The monthly theme for December is Niyama or Observances. This relates to the yogi's behavior towards himself and a way to create self-discipline.

1. SAUCHA: Purity, cleanliness
Saucha is the practice of cleaning the body. We want to be pure in every way. This includes bathing, brushing the teeth and the practice of kriyas, as well as maintaining a clean house, a clean mind... When we try to be perfectly clean, we start to learn about dirt. The resulting realization arises: nothing is always and forever in a state of absolute cleanliness. It is a never-ending job. All we can do is to try. To the yogic way of thinking the only real dirt is avidya, ignorance of the True Self. Through the practice of saucha we learn about the physical body and thus ignorance is reduced.

2. SANTOSHA: Contentment
Contentment is independence from external conditions. Don't look for happiness or comfort in external circumstances because those conditions are always subject to change. Be happy with what you have. We will never be truly happy in an external situation. Elevate the mind so that you can perceive the world without conflicts. How do we do this?: Tapas, the next niyama.

3. TAPAS: To burn, self discipline, austerity
By subjecting ourselves to extremes of pleasure and pain, we will develop an internal way to deal with it all. Santosha in the face of tapas facilitates endurance and the ability to concentrate the mind regardless of external conditions. Steadiness and equanimity is developed. Tapas also translates as passion or fervor for the subject, sticking to it no matter what.

4. SWADYAYA: Study of the Self through Scripture
It is often translated as scriptural study, the actual reading of and reflecting on the sacred books, ie. Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga Sutras, Bible etc. these works remind one of their true nature or Atman. When you study something you hold it in your attention and come to know something of it. Likewise, to immerse yourself in scripture is to hold in your attention, Divine ideas, thoughts and words.

5. ISHWARA PRANIDHANA: Devotion to God or the Divine as you see it

Develop an attitude of surrender. Before you do any action offer it to a higher source. In this way you free yourself of selfish action. This practice will enable you to reach for something higher than the apparent limitations of body and mind. Ishvara pranidhana shifts our perspective from the obsession with "I"—with our narrow individual concerns and perspective—that causes so much of the mind's distraction and creates a sense of separation from our Source. Since Ishvara pranidhana focuses not on ego but on the sacred ground of being, it reunites us with our true Self.

The yamas and niyamas are given to the yogi as practices. Perfection is impossible, but we must strive for constant and steady practice.

November Monthly Theme: The Other Yamas

The November theme of the month are the other four Yamas or restraints in Patanjali’s 8 limbed path. These restraints are placed on ourselves willingly in order to focus our efforts in the right direction. It is a disciplined path that allows us to head toward the fulfillment of our dharma, or life purpose. The other four yamas—Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha allow us to coexist harmoniously with others.

1.) SATYA, means "truth," or "not lying." Practicing satya means being truthful in our feelings, thoughts, and words, and deeds. It means being honest with ourselves and with others.

2.) ASTEYA, or "not stealing," means more than not taking things that don’t belong to you. It means also rooting out any subconscious beliefs of lack and scarcity that cause greed and hoarding. We steal because we misperceive the universe as lacking abundance or we think that there is not enough for everyone.

3.) BRAHMACHARYA, or "continence," is when we consciously choose to use our sexual energy or life force to express our dharma, rather than to frivolously dissipate it in an endless pursuit of fleeting pleasures. Brahmacharya reminds us to use use our energy wisely and conservatively.

4.) APARIGRAHA, means "Greedlessness." Aparigraha means not coveting what isn’t ours and not wanting what isn’t ours. It is also the non-accumulation of things. Things take your energy which takes your energy and time away from spiritual practices. If it is collecting dust let go of it, get rid of it. Direct all that extra energy towards sadhana (spiritual practice.).

The yamas and niyamas are given to the yogi as practices. Perfection is impossible, but we must strive for constant and steady practice.

October Monthly Theme: Ahimsa

In the Yoga Sutras, Pantanjali outlines an 8 limbed path known as, Ashtanga Yoga. This is the means he gives as the way to follow the path of yoga. The first limb is known as Yama or translated as restraint. There are 5 Yamas and they are:

1.) Ahimsa:non-violence

2.) Satya: Truthfulness

3.) Asteya: non-stealing

4.) Brahmacharya: continence

5.) Aparigraha: non-greed

Ahimsa, often translated as non-violence, is the highest of all virtues involved in the science of yoga. It is said that if one can perfect the practice of ahimsa, one need learn no other practice of yoga, for all the other practices are subsumed in it. We must restrain ourselves from non-violence in thought, word, and deed. It means causing no harm or discomfort to any living being, any creature that has eyes, a beating heart, and breath. The practice of Ahimsa develops pure, unconditional and universal love. The ability to place our selves in others is essential, thus how can we hurt others? As a Yogi, it is essential to develop the attitude of Ahimsa.

ahimsa pratisthayam tat sannidhau vaira tyagah II:35.

For the one who is firmly established in non-violence all hostility ceases in the presence of that one.

September Monthly Theme: Pranayama

The September theme of the month is the 4^th Limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga—Pranayama.

Prana is the vital force that animates the body, enlivening it with motion, intelligence, radiance, transformation and artistry. Though closely associated with the air we breathe in, Prana is subtler than air. Rather, air is the medium through which we absorb Prana into our being. This Prana is introduced into our being through breath, and upon entering our being it courses through invisible channels called nadis ( a concept similar to the Chinese meridians), that crisscross our being. The science of Yoga informs us that we human beings possess 72,000 nadis.

Pranayama is the science of breath control. Breath is intricately connected to the mind and emotions. When one is calm the breath is deep and slow. When one is tense, anxious, angry or fearful the breath is either, held, irregular, short or difficult. Therefore by changing your breathing pattern you can regulate your emotions and feel calm. Careful regulation of Prana, through a series of spiritually determined and scientifically validated sequences of inhalation, exhalation, and retention, maximizes Prana absorption, retention and application in healing the body and mind.

Some of the Pranyama techniques outlined in The Hatha Yoga Pradipika that you can expect to do this month are: Kappalabhat (shining forehead), Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breathing), Ujjayi (victory breath), Surya Bhedana (sun piercing), Chandra Bhedana (moon piercing), Sitali (cooling), and Bhramari (black bee.)

August Monthly Theme: Savasana

Savasana is a yoga asana often used to begin or conclude a yoga session. It is a relaxing posture intended to rejuvenate one's body, mind and spirit. In Savasana, our bodies integrate and assimilate what we have just practiced. It is about letting go completely. Proper relaxation is essential for the health of our mind and body and for clarity of thought for making good choices. The obstacles to a good Savasana are sleep, boredom, mental agitation, and the ultimate obstacle: thinking you don't need Savasana anymore. Mental agitation and tension are obstacles that make us miss the point of life's journey.

As Sri, K. Pattbhi Jois says, “Most difficult for students, not waking, not sleeping.” It may be the most difficult asana to master, yet the focus is simple -- all you do is relax every body part. If you get distracted or agitated, you can always come back to this basis. Just undo, unwind, let go totally. Place yourself carefully in the pose, and then just get out of the way and observe. Savasana raises our consciousness and intention to a higher, more spiritual plane. In these moments, we feel how yoga is a spiritual science, not a physical work out. Sometimes in Savasana you get a taste of the unconditioned mind, with no thoughts arising, just bare awareness. When you achieve peace in Savasana, remind yourself that you can call upon this feeling, contact this place inside you, at any time during the day.

The aim of yoga practice in daily life is to live vividly from moment to moment without being stuck in thinking or the idea of not-thinking. Wood floor, open window, blanket, cushion, t-shirt, wool socks – there is something profound just here. We are not trying to create an experience; we are making room for experience to happen. Experience, like the present moment, is always waiting for a place to happen. The architecture of savasana requires us to continually let the ground we are lying down on, literally the ground of our thoughts and our bodies, to fall away, until the constructs that frame our experience pass on. This is an act of both dying and being born. Our imagination makes us very busy exploring the world of choices. In the end, there will be no choice, just death. So in the center of your bumbling human life, where you are always looking around for something better, notice how the present moment is just a small death away.Savasana is the art of practicing our death, little by little, every day. “If student does not get up from savasana,” says Pattabhi Jois, “or lifting student up (and he/she) is like a stiff board, savasana is correct.”

“…every day, a little ‘bit dying.” Pattabhi Jois

July Monthly Theme: Meditation

Meditation is the art of watching your mind think. According to the science of meditation, the mind is considered the instrument that the Self uses for perception. The mind has four functions or aspects. The lower mind is called, manas. It is the part which collects data. To utilize this information intelligently, two other functions of the mind come into operation. The first is the ahamkara, or sense of I-ness. For example the sensory mind can see a flower, but it is the I-ness that says, “I see a flower.” When information is presented to the mind, a decision, judgment, or discriminative ability is necessary and this is called the power of the intellect, or the buddhi. The fourth function of the mind is the memory bank, which stores all past experiences. This is called the chitta. Beyond the mind and mental functioning lies the inner or higher field of consciousness called the “SELF”. This is observed through the practice of meditation.

According to the yoga sutras, our pain and suffering is created by the misperception that we are separate from nature. The realization that we aren’t separate may be experienced spontaneously, without effort. However, most of us need guidance. Patajali’s eight limbed system provides us with the framework we need.

Just as there are numerous styles of hatha yoga, so there are many ways to meditate. Remember while practicing any mediation technique that thoughts are not a problem to you, the meditator. You can just watch them and know they are waves of perception that arise, stay, and then pass. The Pure Consciousness/SELF is always present and each wave is just a modification of that. Some techniques include:

1. Repeat a mantra to yourself: use a sound or phrase as a point of focus.
2. Chanting: an extension of mantra with pitch and sound
3. Use of Imagery or visualization
4. Gazing: such as candle gazing or tratak
5. Breathing: using the breath as a point of focus
6. Physical Sensations: watching your physical sensations

Overall, research has confirmed that profound physiological and psychological changes take place when we meditate, causing an actual shift in the brain and the involuntary processes of the body. When the mind calms down in meditation, EEG shows waves that are smoother and slower and categorizes them as alpha waves. As meditation deepens brain activity decreases, and the waves are then classified as theta waves. In the end, meditation may be rewiring brains to reduce stress. Studies have shown decreased perspiration and slower rate of respiration accompanied by a decrease of metabolic wastes in the bloodstream, lower blood pressure and an enhanced immune system among meditators. Furthermore, research shows a decrease in stress, anxiety, and a greater sense of inner peace.