Your Sphere of Influence

The Moral and Ethical Codes of Yoga

What is my Sphere of influence in the World? How do my yoga practices affect anyone else?

In Teacher Training we always talk about the Yamas and Niyamas; yoga’s moral and ethical codes.  Doing asana without the underlying philosophy is just exercise.  Yoga is more than that.

The Yamas are restraints for proper conduct; giving us tips on how to interact with each other.  The Yamas are:

Ahimsa or non-violence, Satya or truthfulness, Asteya or non-stealing, Brahmacarya or sexual restraint and Aparigraha or non-hoarding.

Inevitably when we talk about these restraints students always remark that while they might be practicing these rules that there is evidence of the opposite of these behaviors out in the world.  The Yoga Sutras speak directly to that.  The Yoga Sutra on ahimsa says explicitly:

Ahimsaa-pratishthaayaam tat-samnidhau vaira-tyaagah. Patanjali Y.S. 2.35All others will cease to feel hostility in the presence of one who is firmly established in ahimsa.

The only non-violence or truthfulness that we can be responsible for is our own.  We have no control over others.  But our actions can have a ripple effect.

Sharon Salzberg, a Buddhist meditation teacher, wrote a recent blog post for ON BEING on just this topic called “Your Three Feet of Influence”.  This article shows how our practices ripple out into the world creating our Sphere of Influence.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

One of my goals for this year is to study the Yoga Sutras.  I have been learning them randomly over the years. There are certain ones that are common and quoted often, but I have often wanted to follow the entire thread from beginning to end.  After all, the word sutra means thread.There are 196 sutras according to B.K.S. Iyengar.  My plan is to tackle 4 each week and take a year to finish the entire book.  I hope you enjoy this exercise and I encourage you to read along with me.There are 4 chapters in the book of the Yoga Sutras.  The first one is called Samadhi Pada, or the chapter on Samadhi; a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation.  In this chapter, Patanjali analyses the components of consciousness and its behavioral patterns and explains how its fluctuations can be stilled in order to achieve inner absorption and integration or Samadhi.  This is where we will begin.

Chapter 1 – Samadhi Pada

Y.S. I.1 Atha yoganusanamatha - nowyoga – unionanus – adviceasanam – instructionsWith prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.Each sutra is a condensed thread filled with meaning.  This first one can mean that Patanjali has acquired sufficient knowledge that is he now ready and able to pass the teachings on to us.  Or, it could mean that now, because you are curious, you are ready to begin learning the deeper meaning of yoga.  Also contained in the word now is the concept of living and being in the present moment.  There is always the opportunity to begin again and again no matter how many times you forget or fall off of your practice.  You can always start again.Y.S. I.2  Yogah cittavrtti nirodhahyogah – integrationcitta – consciousnessvrtti – fluctuations in mindnirodhah – obstructionYoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.I think this line is one that creates the most confusion for people because it makes them think that they have to stop their mind from thinking; this is the very job that the mind is supposed to do.  But if we turn inwards and we can see that there is the part of us that is thinking the thoughts and there is that part of us that is witnessing the thinking of thoughts.   At this level, often called the seer or the Capital “S” self, we can begin to realize that the thoughts are much like clouds passing in the sky and that the inner seer is much like the sun; the clouds may temporarily obscure the sun, but the sun is always shining.  Some of the clouds may be dark and stormy while others are puffy and light, but they are temporary and the sun is not.These movements of consciousness are often the cause of our changing moods.  I can feel that I have enough until I meet someone who has more and then while I was previously content, now I am not.  My circumstances haven’t changed, only my thoughts about my circumstances have.  These fluctuations in consciousness are the cause of suffering.Y.S. I.3  Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanamtada – thendrastuh – the soul, the seersvarupe – in his own stateavasthanam – abidesThen, the seer dwells in his own true splendor.By the time we get to this third sutra, Patanjali has told us all we need to know to dwell in the state of Samadhi.  However, while this is a simple concept, it is not easy.Y.S. I.4  Vrtti sarupyam itaratravrtti – fluctuationsarupyam – identificationitaratra – at other timesAt other times the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.And that is where this fourth sutra comes in.  Most of the time, we identify with these fluctuations of consciousness, these clouds in the sky; we lose sight of the sun.

Contentment - As a Practice

I have been reading the following passage in class during the last couple of days.  It's a great reminder to practice the second niyama of santosha or contentment.

From  the book How Yoga Works
The second commitment is to be contented with whatever you have. Y.S. II.32

"It is a commitment to be content with what we have, although never with what we could become. Because no one has all the circumstances they need to practice yoga and all its ideas. Things are never perfect. It is always too hot or too cold. The body is always hurting somewhere; the mind is always tired or sad. And there is always someone nearby who disturbs us. Time itself is always short and we must always make do with what we have. None of the great ones who followed this path before us, none of them over the centuries, possessed perfect circumstances either. And so they just worked hard with what they had available to them and they achieved their ultimate goals. Thus one who follows this way commits to be contented; contented with the food, contented with the place, contented with the weather, contented with the current condition of the body and mind, contented with the company. And they do not sacrifice a single moment of their short, precious lives to the poison of complaining, out loud or in their thoughts, about anything."

So Hum – The Mantra of the Breath

The ancient yogis thought the breath was the most important thing that you had.  Obviously, without the breath you would cease to exist.  As modern people we often feel that life is fast paced and because we are so rushed, we often forget things.  But perhaps the seers of old often felt the same way.  They taught that the breath was the one thing you always had with you.  You don’t need any other things, just find a spot to sit and feel your breath.

We often take the breath for granted, but I encourage you to pause for a moment and think about it.  Breath is a most intricate dance of give and take.  When we are born Shakti, that great feminine principle of the energy of action, is said to exhale into us.  As we exhale our last breath she is there to breathe us in.

Breathing is our primary method of exchange with the universe.  When we inhale, it is an act of receiving.  How do we receive things: money, food, goods, compliments, criticisms?  Do we receive consciously and with gratitude?  Or, are we takers, gulping things down greedily?  Is our breath restricted?  Do we barely breathe, afraid of taking in new things?   Are we afraid of change?  When we exhale, it is indicative of how we give.  Do we do so generously?  Do we give out more compliments or more criticisms?  Do we give with strings attached, restricting the breath by gripping?

The ancient yogis knew about the benefits of slow, deep breathing; they passed down practices of pranayama, or breathing exercises, to us.  Most of these practices were aimed at making our breath longer, slower, deeper and more refined.  These wise practitioners cautioned us that we were born with a specific number of breaths and that when we used them up, we would die.

The ancient yogis knew what they were talking about because modern science tells us that our breath is intricately tied in with our health.  When we are stressed, we breathe shallowly and rapidly, barely ever taking in a full tankful of air. This means that the blood is never fully oxygenated and carbon dioxide is never fully released;  nutrients aren’t being delivered properly and wastes are not being removed fully.  This makes the blood more acidic.  We have all heard that if our systems are too acidic, it is not beneficial.  Increasing the acidity of the blood is one of the ways that stress is injurious to our bodies.  While we cannot control the stressors in our environment, we can do things to lessen the effects of stress on our bodies like pausing to take a few minutes to breathe fully and deeply. By fully oxygenating the blood it is restored to its normal ph level.

Since it only takes the blood about 1 minute to make a round trip to the heart, you can quickly make a difference in the effect stress has on your body.  While it would be ideal to keep up breathing slowly in a full and deep way, you won’t be able to maintain it.  But, the benefits of pausing occasionally during your day and slowing down the breath has enough benefit to make it a practice that is worthwhile.

Our bodies are regulated and controlled by our nervous system which can be further divided into what falls under our voluntary or involuntary control.  As an example, our muscles are under our voluntary control and our digestion happens involuntarily.  Most systems in the body are regulated by one or the other, but the breath falls under both.  Most of the time we breathe unconsciously.  But we can also control our breath voluntarily.

I’m sure you’ve had the experience where someone has told you to calm down and take a deep breath when you have been very excited or agitated.  When we get stressed, we breathe rapidly and shallowly.  Our involuntary nervous system kicks in taking us into ’fight or flight’ mode and shutting down things like digestion.  But we can take some slow deep breaths to calm ourselves.    This brings us out of ‘fight or flight’ and into ‘rest and digest’

The practice of the mantra So-Hum can help with this.  It is a beautiful practice that ties breath with mantra to help bring you into a quiet and calm state.

Find a comfortable seat.  This can be on the floor in a cross-legged position, or it can be done in a chair.    Close your eyes and get in tune with your breath.

As you feel the breath coming in through the nostrils, feel that it makes a subtle “So” sound, and on the exhale feel that it makes a “Hum” sound.

Sit with the breath for a few moments and feel “So” as you inhale and “Hum” as you exhale.  Allow the rhythm of the breath to establish itself.  Be consistent with the “So- Hum” sound.  Let it lull you into a meditative state.

As you feel the breath come in, begin to repeat “I am” with the inhalation and “That” with the exhalation.  With each breath feel each one of your identities that arise with the thought, “I am”.  I am a mother, a teacher, a woman, a friend, a worrier (yes, those things, too!).  You may be surprised at how many things you can identify with.  But, realize that you are more than just “that”.  Stay with this mantra and the meditation of “I am that” for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Set a timer if you wish.     Allow yourself to run out of identities and come to the realization that you are all of those things and more.  You could be any of those things, or none.  You could be anything you want to be.  Stay with this contemplation until you come to a state of unified consciousness.  Your breathing has become slow and deep and just for a few moments, you have entered into a state of deep meditation.  Your mind is quiet.  Your breath is slow and deep and full.  Your body and your brain will thank you for this.

All Dharma Teachings agree on one point – lessening one’s self-absorption.

It is the perfect time of year to be reading The Book of Joy about the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, written by Douglas Abrams.
The topic sentence that heads this blog post comes from The Book of Joy, where the Buddhist method of Lojong teachings is mentioned. (Lojong is a mind training practice based on a set of aphorisms that are designed as an antidote to undesired mental habits that cause suffering.)

The text clarifies that when we focus only on ourselves, we are destined to be unhappy: “Contemplate that, as long as you are too focused on your self-importance and too caught up in how you are good or bad, you will experience suffering. Obsessing about getting what you want and avoiding what you don’t want does not result in happiness. Included in this text is the admonition: “Always maintain a joyful mind.”
This ties in with the yogic teaching on the five kleshas being the main obstacles on our path to Samadhi, which translates as meditative absorption, freedom and joy.

The five kleshas are:
Avidya, or seeing things incorrectly. (Looking for happiness in all the wrong places)
Asmita, or ego. (Focusing too much on ourselves)
Raga, or attachment (Focusing on getting what we want)
Dvesha, or aversion (Trying to avoid what we don’t want)
Abhinivesha, or fear, specifically fear of death (Fear of change of any sort, but specifically the ultimate change of dying.)

So, what is a joyful mind?

Buddhists believe that joy is our natural state, but the ability to experience joy can be cultivated as a skill. So much depends on where we put our attention: on our own suffering or that of others, on our own perceived separation or on our indivisible connection.

Everybody wants to be happy, but the challenge is that a lot of people don’t know how. I was surprised to read in this book a statistic about a psychological study done in 1978 that found that lottery winners were not significantly happier than those who had been paralyzed in an accident! The study was perhaps the first that put forth the idea that we all have a default state of happiness; that after the initial reaction wears off, we return to a “set point”.

Further psychological studies suggest that certain immutable factors such as our genes and our temperament make up this idea of a set point which constitutes about 50% of our happiness. The other half is determined by a combination of our circumstances, over which we may have limited control, and our attitudes and our actions, over which we have a great deal of control.

Three practices that have the greatest influence on increasing our happiness are:
Our ability to reframe our situation more positively. (Learn to see the lesson or blessing in every situation.)
Our ability to experience gratitude. (Cultivate a gratitude practice.)
Our choice to be kind and generous. (Always be mindful of the needs of others.)
These three practices create the attitudes and actions help us cultivate a more joyful life.

There is a wonderful Buddhist parable about suffering and the end of suffering. This story is known as the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
A young mother’s only son dies. She is heartbroken and stricken with grief. She carries his body from neighbor to neighbor asking each one if they have any medicine or can do anything to revive him, but no one can. One neighbor suggests that she take her son to Buddha and ask him to bring her son back to life. The Buddha agrees to revive her son, but he tells the woman that she needs to gather mustard seeds from households that have never been touched by death. From these special mustard seeds he will create a medicine that will revive her son. All of her neighbors are willing to give her mustard seeds, but they all told her that none of them have been untouched by death.

Through this process the woman becomes enlightened. She is able to step out of her own grief and experience the grief of others. She becomes less focused on herself and finds friends and community.

As you gather around the Thanksgiving table this year, be grateful for the many blessings in your life, for the food you have to eat, for all of those who contributed to that food being on your table, for your family and friends and finally, may you not be too self-absorbed, may you always be mindful of the needs of others.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie

The Great Death Conquering Mantra

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra:

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

Literal meaning:

Tryambakam = the three-eyed one (accusative case)
Yajamahe = We worship, adore, honor, revere
Sugandhim = sweet fragrance (accusative case)
Pushti = A well-nourished condition, thriving, prosperous, full, and complete
Vardhanam = One who nourishes, strengthens, causes to increase (in health, wealth, well-being); who gladdens, exhilarates, and restores health; a good gardener
Urvarukam = disease, attachment, obstacles in life, and resulting depression (accusative case)
Iva = like, just as
Bandhanan = stem (of the gourd); but more generally, unhealthy attachment
Mrityor = From death
Mukshiya = Free us, liberate us
Ma = not
Amritat = Immortality, emancipation 

Usable meaning:

Om, We worship The Three-Eyed One (Lord Shiva)
Who Is Fragrant (Spiritual Essence)
And Who Nourishes All Beings
May He Severe Our Bondage Of Samsara (Worldly Life),
Like A Cucumber (severed From The Bondage Of Its Creeper)
And Thus Liberate Us From The Fear Of Death,
By Making Us Realize That We Are Never Separated From Our Immortal Nature 

Listen to a traditional version of the chant here.
Listen to it performed more as a song here.  This is the version I play in class.

Mantra of the Month - The Peace Chant

This mantra opens the Katha Upanishad. These are the teachings about death as taught to the most unlikely of students, a teenage boy named Nachiketa.

Om saha naa va-vatu
saha-nau bhun-ak-tu
saha veer-yum kerava-va-hay
tejas vi nava-dahee tamas-tu
ma vid-visha-va-hay.
Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

Om.
May we be protected
May we enjoy each other
May we work together vigorously
May our study be illuminating
May we not quarrel.
Om, peace, peace, peace.

Spiritual Materialism or Beware of the Shiny Object

In the interview with Brene Brown that I just shared, she cautions us to beware of the shiny object.  This is a common warning in yoga, and perhaps in life as well.  In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives Arjuna the same warning:

“You have a right to your actions, but not your actions fruits.  Act for the action’s sake.”  B.G. II.47

In the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the third chapter is devoted to the powers or siddhis that one can acquire through the practices of yoga.  Patanjali is not merely referring to asana.  He very clearly spells out that these yogic practices are specifically related to the last three rungs on the ladder of yoga; namely dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (absorption).

In his commentary on the Yoga Sutras, Mr. Iyengar says this:

“On this innermost quest, supernatural powers or accomplishments (vibhutis) come naturally to a yogi who has integrated his mind, body and soul.  There is a danger that he will be seduced by these powers.  He should bypass them in order to pursue his practice as far as kaivalya, the height of indivisible existence.”

The essence of what he is saying is that when we strive wholeheartedly towards a goal, gratifying rewards and results will incidentally come our way.  It is easy to become enamored of what we have accidentally acquired and that we mistake it for the goal itself.

He gives three examples of how the lure of the shiny object can ensnare us.

The first is that of a young person who dreams of becoming a great actor.  On the way he acquires fame, and if he does not have his priorities straight, he makes fame his new goal.  This power, or siddhi, can enchant him, swallow him up and spit him out.

The second example is that of a young business man who sets out on his career to provide for his family.   Along the way he becomes rich. He now has more than enough, but riches and their pursuit now possess him.  He neglects his wife and children who live in sterile luxury while he pursues money and more money for its own sake.

The third example is that of a man who, through the merits of past lives, is born into a royal household.  Instead of regarding his good fortune as a sign that he must humbly serve his people, he becomes seized by pride of birth and behaves tyrannically.

In all of these examples, the protagonist has let himself be side-tracked, has substituted an agreeable and merited by-product of his efforts for the real goal.  At best his progress is stopped, at worst he is consumed; and in all cases illusion has displaced reality.  The lesson of the siddhis for all of us is not to allow ourselves to be side-tracked, but to stay the course.  Someone who has let themselves become ensnared by the glamour of the siddhis is like one who believes that the bricks and mortar of the temple are God him/herself.  This is known as spiritual materialism.

In the blog post I wrote about Krishna Das and his song Sri Argala Stotram, he talks how about the trap he fell into.  When he lived in India on an ashram he had few possessions, he didn’t need many things to survive.  When he came back to the States, he felt superior to people who he thought were too attached to their possessions.  As he matured, he realized that you need a rich inner and outer life.   It is okay to be comfortable.  Having possessions or not having possessions is a way of life.  One is not superior to the other.

And so it goes with our physical practice as well.  Asana is just one of the eight limbs of yoga.  Being physically strong and flexible is nice and may make us more comfortable in our bodies.  But being able to put your foot behind your head does not mean you are more enlightened than the next person. In my yoga practice I have noticed that whenever the pose became the thing I was seeking, I usually had a lesson delivered to me in the way of an injury.  Instead, when I focus on the practice for the sake of doing the work with mind, body and breath intertwined, that is when the magic happens.

Mantra - Hridaye Citta Samvritta

This mantra comes from the Yoga Sutras, Book 2, verse 35

Hridaye means on the heart

Citta is consciousness

Samvritta means knowledge, awareness

By focusing and holding concentration on the region of the heart, the yogi acquires a thorough knowledge of the contents and tendencies of consciousness.

“The citadel of purusha (consciousness) is the heart.  It is the anahata chakra (heart chakra) the seat of pure knowledge as well as consciousness.  By focusing and holding concentration there a yogi can become aware of consciousness and of true, pure knowledge.  He learns to unfold and tap the source of his being, and identify himself with the Supreme.”  - from Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar.

I hope you enjoy watching this video.  It comes from the Iyengar yoga conference of 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida.  It features 3 of the top Iyengar yoga teachers in the US.  Their devotion in performing a series of back bends is very inspirational!  Near the end of the video, at 15:25, they do this chant.