Yoga Sampad

A few weeks ago I added an image to the blog’s banner that says: DISCIPLINE, STUDY, and DEVOTION. I chose these words as I believe they symbolize perfectly well the yoga principles and what the entire system covers, and because they complete the human being development.

The next phrase in fact belongs to the Sutra II.1 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This is one of the big sutras that feature the three pillars on which Patanjali’s yoga is settled.

The sutra II.1 says:

Tapah svadhyaya Isvarapranidhanani kriyayogah.

“Burning zeal in practice, self-study and study of scriptures, and surrender to I̅śvara (the Lord) are the acts of yoga” (B.K.S. Iyengar’s Translation)

Why do I say that they “complete”? Because I believe that with these three works, discipline, study and devotion, one walks a big part of the path that leads to clearing up the fundamental truths.

Discipline

Discipline contains the ethical principles (yama and niyama) that one must adopt for oneself and in his relationship with other members of society and that are, undoubtedly, the base on which the entire system is set. If they are not observed and followed, the yoga student will not make any progress. The ethical behaviors and dharma are the base that prepares and shapes the student’s nature and allows us to follow the lifestyle that will lead us to the teachings assimilation. read more »

I receive emails from people who want to start to study and practice astanga yoga and ask me on several questions we have all wondered about.

How to start? In which school? Can I practice at home? Can I start with just a book? Which asanas are recommended for such and such health problems?

There is only one answer to all these questions: they all need a teacher.

Why? Yoga’s tradition is ORAL and is transmitted in-person, from teacher to student, from teacher to disciple. So it has been for centuries and so it will ever be. There is no other way for it. We cannot short-circuit or replace the on-site learning of a teacher with other means such as books, DVDs, web sites, etc. Tradition is oral and on-site. The student puts himself under the teacher’s guiding, which fulfils all the requirements to make it an adequate learning instrument. read more »

There is a verse in the Muṇdaka ūpaniṣad that describes our need of self- knowledge and tells us how to gain it:
परीक्ष्य लोकान् कर्मचितान् भामणो | निर्वेदमाय् आन्नास्त्यकृतः कृतेब | तद्विज्आन् आर्थं स  गुरुमेवाभिगच्चेत् समित्पाणिः |  श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम्

parīkṣya lokān karmacitān bhāmaṇo

nirvedamāy ānnāstyakṛataḥ kṛteba

tadvijān ārthaṁ sa  gurumevābhigaccet

samitpāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahmaniṣṭham

“”By analyzing the world experiences obtained through effort, a mature person earns dispassion, clearly distinguishes that what is not created (therefore limitless) cannot be produced by any action. To know That (what is non created or limitless), that person must call on a teacher, who is knowledgeable in the Scriptures and resolute/firm in self-knowledge“”

The teacher is necessary
As it it stated in this verse, tradition shows that a teacher is needed to gain this  knowledge that is myself. This is compulsory, essential. This is how it works and there is no short-cut to avoid this.  One must approach the qualified teacher who has the vision and knows how to handle the words and the teaching methodology so the student is able to understand and assimilate without any doubts. This cannot be accomplished by reading a book. There is teaching tradition and there is a valid prama̅ṇa (a means of knowledge) which needs to be operated by the teacher so it can create the jñana vṛttis in the student that destroys the ignorance. read more »

I still keep having surprises: this last weekend a yoga “practitioner” told me that scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gi̅ta̅ are beliefs for which he has no interest at all, that what he cares for is only “practice”.

This is a very common patter. He wanted to convey he wanted only “experiences”. He wanted to consume more experiences. In spite of all what he had experienced over many decades, he clearly said that he wanted more experiences, new experiences, experiences where he could go consume  the  ”eternal”, “blissful”, “ecstatic” self.

This sounds to me like an advertisement from BMW or Coca-Cola. But it is a very good example on a very important topic about how self-knowledge is gained.

A mystic experience is not required to know the self.
There is a general assumption that we can know the  self only through some kind of mystic experience that requires lots of effort, mind control,  even  ”supra-consciousness”. The goal for many is to reachg this so called supra-consciousness which is a state that goes beyond the mind as if the mind or the  self were really separate and very far from the mind or as it were there another  consciousness seating apart from consciousness, apart from oneself.  For them, the mind is a real problem, so they want to switch it off so they can “experience” the self. When there is no proper understanding and a  lot of demagogy, we need to question the fallacies in this kind of reasoning.

Chopping off your head does not solve the problem.
Suppose a person has a headache and goes to the doctor and the doctor says “Cut off your head, your problem will be solved” Do you think this is reasonable? Obviously not.

This is how they want to solve the problem, by chopping off the head with only mind control. And because there are so many wrong notions about the mind, they believe in mind control,  which is a very lucrative business and  a good way to control people. Everybody will be agree to control the mind, as if the poor mind was the responsible. This is really sad and leads to numerous problems. The mind is an instrument to know and it must be used. What needs to be eradicate are the wrong notions that are in the mind, but not the mind itself!!! And for this we need to know, to employ a means of knowledge using the mind, not cutting off the mind. read more »

There is a big difference when you follow a rigorous and well structured sadhana and you undertake not to fail, to be zealous in your study, practice and observation of the yoga principles.

By ‘not to fail’ I mean to commit yourself to practice daily and for a long time, be it warm or cold, may your mind feel like doing it/adequate or not, may you have any doubts on it being convenient or not.

When one tries practicing this way –that is, by very often forcing oneself to practice-, spreads the mat and begins to practice and to study, one starts discerning the fruits and possibilities that the yoga texts and our teachers talk about.

I understand that we cannot consider ourselves yoga adepts if we are not internally committed to undertake regular practice and study. This is not possible. An intermittent practice will not give the expected fruits. If, for instance, you practice during 3 hours one day but you do not at all the day after because you consider you did enough yesterday. Or when you practice three days and then rest during another three days. Or even if you practice daily without following an organized ana adecuate program. This will not work. read more »

As yoga adepts, we should understand what the word yoga entails in its different aspects and contexts.

Generally speaking, there is a lot of confusion of the real meaning of it. Even among its teachers and those dedicated to “yoga” some ideas drifted apart from the real meanings of the word yoga still exist.
We will now take a look at the most used classical definitions to try to understand its meanings and implications.

We must read and study the classical texts. This is not just an option or a complement: it is a must. Love of Knowledge and Truth hold hands, along with the Yogic culture, the Dharma and a disciplined life.
This article is based in part of the first chapter of the book “Light over Yoga” of our master BKS Iyengar. In this text BKS Iyengar uses thirteen verses of the Bhagavad G̅ita̅, one of the Yoga Su̅tras and one of the Kathopaniṣad. With such references, we can grasp the importance of the Bhagavad G̅ita̅ in yoga’s conceptions. read more »

This is a summary of what I understood in Dr. Geeta S.Iyengar’s opening speech held in London  on May Sunday 24th, 2009, where BKS Iyengar’s teachings were given imparted during five days.

Geetaji started speaking on the requirements and the needs of the students who attended the convention. Some of the attendants personally knew Geetaji and had attended other conventions or had taken classes with her. Likewise, Geetaji knew some of them but not many others.
In such a big convention (800 people were confirmed to attend it) there are always persons of different levels and comprehension capacities.

Three different type of yoga adepts

Patanjali himself spoke about the four types of students (sadhakas):
- Lukewarm (mrdu). Whoever has a hesitant, undefined practice and cannot get over difficulties or troubles.
- Medium (madhya). This student has a more methodical practice.
- Intense (adhimatra). This is the most determined, meaningful, scientific and conclusive sadhaka.
- Extremely intense (Tivra samvegim). He/she is intense in applying his/her intelligence in the practice (sadhana); there is religiousness and purity in the sadhana. read more »