“Yoga is not
a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness,
science of integrating body, mind and soul.”
Howdy wellness warriors; how are you all? This
blog post is dedicated to yogic philosophy and how it can inspire us in day to
day life. Many people go to their weekly yoga class where the focus is very
much on yoga postures (asana); yoga means so many things to so many people and
that’s wonderful. It’s what makes life truly interesting!
However recently for reasons that I will
indeed explain wellness warriors I have been led back to basics – back to the
source and essence of yoga philosophy. I have been taken back to Patanjali’s
Yoga Sutras and the eight limbs of yoga; ancient Indian texts written in
approximately 200AD in Sanskrit outlining the yogic way of life.
These eight limbs as they are often called act
as guidelines on how to live a balanced and purposeful life. They serve as a
prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline and help us to
acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.
Yoga for me is a way of life; trying to better
myself from the inside out and accepting change. It means working on being strong
kind and compassionate in the face of adversity and connecting with the
universal consciousness. Sometimes I forget these principles and things fall a
little out of balance. As we all know gargantuan chunks of chocolate cake (with
a mind of their very own) just fly from the ethers and just land slap-bang in
your mouth and before you know it you have swallowed them (and more) and the
ever-so-delicate body balance has tipped! Or the
slightly-ego-driven-over-zealous-up-for-it will to do that handstand in yoga
class has taken over and you push-push-push to get there; and before you know
it you can feel your trapizius muscle elongate (but not in a good way – eeek -
crash) because you are too busy watching the teacher watching you in the mirror
and you lose your balance! Or what I call the ‘empty-asana-syndrome’ – where
you achieve the posture but forget to breathe (pranyama) and end up
hyper-ventilating. And after all it’s the breath that gives the posture its
life (prana) vitality and meaning; it’s personality if you get my drift!
On a more serious note and the reason why I
have recently returned to Patanjali’s sutras is because I have been suffering
the symptoms of a hiatus hernia which has limited my ability to perform a great
number of yoga postures. It has also has given me a great deal of pain and digestive
discomfort – oh the joys of getting older! Anyway coming to terms with this has
been a bit of a journey to say the least wellness warriors but a re-visit to
the eight limbs of yoga has been a real inspiration for me; like a visit from
the wise old sage that Patanjali was. A reminder that yoga is indeed a way of
life and not just a set of postures (asanas).
This journey has reminded me about the
impermanence of the physical world; it has been another draw towards the
internal ‘spiritual’ world (Niyama). It has helped me to
further deepen my understanding and compassion for the old sick and vulnerable
(Yama). It has brought me back to meditation (Dharana). And it has also helped me to focus on being more disciplined with my
diet (Niyama) and to heal pain/imbalance using my breath (Pranyama & Asana)
It has also helped me to tune into my body
and focus on the idea that if I rest/surrender/tune-in my body will know how to
heal itself. This belief is very important wellness warriors! I now have a
deeper more rounded yoga practice.
So wellness warriors there we have it! Let us
embrace and remember (in brief) the ancient yogic wisdom of Patanjali in eight easy
steps.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
One – Yama – Universal Morality
-Non-violence and compassion for all living things
-Truthfulness
-Not stealing
-Continence (not being controlled by the senses)
-Neutralising the desire to acquire and hoard wealth
-Truthfulness
-Not stealing
-Continence (not being controlled by the senses)
-Neutralising the desire to acquire and hoard wealth
Yamas are
universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule,
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Two – Niyama – Personal Observances
-Purity (inner and outer)
-Contentment/acceptance of life
-Disciplined use of our energies
-Self study reflection and examination
-Surrender and celebration of the life force
-Contentment/acceptance of life
-Disciplined use of our energies
-Self study reflection and examination
-Surrender and celebration of the life force
Making a habit of taking contemplative walks
alone for self reflection is an example of niyama in practice.
Three – Asana – Body Postures
Asanas are the postures practiced in yoga and
are the most common form of yoga to be practiced in the western world.
Four – Pranayama – Breath Control
As implied by the literal translation of pranayama, "life force
extension," yogis believe that it not only rejuvenates the body but
actually extends life itself.
Five – Pratyahara – Control of the Senses
It is
during this stage that we make the conscious effort
to draw our awareness away from outside stimuli. The practice of pratyahara
provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves.
Six – Dharana – Cultivating Inner Perceptual Awareness
Through the practice of Dharana we learn how to slow down the
thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object such as a mantra.
This prepares us for deep meditation.
Seven – Dhyana – Devotion and Meditation
Meditation or contemplation is the uninterrupted flow of
concentration. At this stage, the mind has been quieted so that we can try to
achieve Samadhi.
Eight – Samadhi – Union with the Divine
At this stage, the meditator transcends the Self altogether. The
meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine.
Well there we go wellness warriors; a brief salute
to the wonderful ancient yoga sutras of Patanajali – I hope that it has
inspired you to find out more about yogic philosophy and perhaps take the
concept of yoga beyond the doors of your weekly yoga class; and catapult it
into the epicentre of life itself - which is how it should be! After all yoga
means ‘to join’ in Sanskrit; to join the individual consciousness with universal
consciousness – it’s big stuff people!
Look out for my next blog post about my yoga
workshop and experience in amazing Japan. How exciting!
Peace
Mounira x
