In the 2nd chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Patanjali states that in order to get started in your practice one should follow the path of Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga is the yoga of action and is comprised of three parts: Tapas (burning zeal / excitement), Svadhyaya (self-study) and Isvara Pranidhana (surrender of the…
In the yoga sutras of Patanjali he states that adherence to single-minded effort prevents the obstacles (Sutra I.32) to practicing. In short… The obstacles to practicing are removed by repeated efforts to try to practice. This is probably not the answer that the struggling practitioner wants to hear. And unfortunately, the practitioner who has truly…
When an aspirant enters upon the spiritual life, he naturally does so with great enthusiasm. The first steps he takes are almost always accompanied by feelings of peach and delight. Everything seems so easy, so inspiring. It is therefore very important that he should realize, right form the start, that this mood will not continue,…
All practitioners, either seasoned or just starting out, are well aware of the many things that get in the way of a regular and consistent practice. Patanjali outlines 9 obstacles to practicing. They are: Vyadhi: disease styana: lack of interest / mental laziness samsaya: doubt pramada: carelessness alasya: idleness avirati: sense gratification / over indulgence…
This week in class we were discussing the concepts of Abhyasa and Vairagya, practice and detachment. In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali says that Abhyasa is a repeated effort to try to still the mind. And Vairagya is the practice of detachment from desires. In our Asana practice we put forth a repeated effort but let…
This week we were discussing the third limb of yoga: Asana. Sutra II.46 is sthira sukham asanam. sthira = firm, steady skham = happiness, ease asanam = postures, poses This sutra defines asana as a posture that is done with steadiness and ease or comfort. In his book The Core of the Yoga Sutras, BKS…
This week in class we went over the five Yamas which are the moral injunctions that a yoga practitioner should follow. They lead to right living. The five Yamas are: Ahimsa: non-violence / non-harming Satya: truthfulness Asteya: non-stealing Brahmacarya: chastity Aparigraha: non-hoarding, without posessions The Yamas are often thought of guide posts to help the…
This week in class we were discussing the 8 limbs of yoga, as laid out by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. The 8 limbs are steps to help guide the yoga practitioner (sadhaka) in their Sadhana (practice). They are in a progressive order for learning but are all interrelated. They are: Yama: moral injunctions Niyama:…
My teacher is Laurie Blakeney. This week I announced that I am going to borrow her idea to introduce a weekly topic for discussion. The discussions will be brief, just a few minutes, but hopefully informative. At the end of the week I plan to post a summary of the discussion here on the blog….
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Beginning Sept. 2 classes will be held at Grace Episcopal Church. See the schedule. |
