Santosha: Contentment

We are on to the second Niyama this week, Samtosha (Contentment).

Life is a pulsation (spanda) of ups and downs. It is so easy for me to practice my yoga and this Niyama in particular when I am on an up swing. When life is good. However it is much harder when I meet resistance. That is when it is easier for me to let go of contentment and grasp on to anger, fear, sadness, and resentment. Some people think because I practice yoga and try to see the good I think all of life is good. I don't. There are horrible horrible things that happen in the world. I don't believe we have to think these  tragedies are good. However I do think we can find contentment and an acceptance that can keep our soul lighter during heavy times.

Yesterday I was struggling. Weeks of no sleep had caught up to me and I was at my edge. Full of resentment to my husband for getting to sleep while I am up all night nursing, rocking and singing to our baby. My head was full of frustration as I was planning my class with the theme santosha, I laughed. Here I was planning a class on contentment even during troubling times while I was experiencing a troubling time and not choosing contentment. I took a few breaths. I accepted the reality of the situation. Yes I am sleep deprived. Yes it sucks. But no I won't feed that by getting more mad and cultivating anger to the world. I will be okay with what is happening even though I don't like it. Funny thing is 30 minutes later my husband unexpectedly took Sage from me and took a 90 minute nap. How sweet!  

We can practice this Niyama in our asana practice by accepting where we are in our practice. Yes I would like to be able to do mandalasana again running out my stationary head  on the floor but after my c-section I haven't been able to practice this backbend. Although I don't like that I can no longer do that playful asana I can be content with it. Another way to practice contentment with asana is practicing poses you don't like. I used to get so frustrated when a teacher taught a pose I didn't like. As if they could read my mind, know I didn't want to do a certain pose so purposefully taught it. How rude! Now I love it. Because I can practice being okay, being steady, even smiling during a challenging experience. That is where growth happens.

I challenge you. Practice contentment. Santosha. On your mat off your mat. When life is good but more importantly when it's not.


Saturday Anusara
Props: blanket, 2 blocks, strap
P.o.e is, os. Oe

AMS:
Lunge
Lunge - short lunge- lunge
Lunge T arms twist- rev hand behind head- high runners lunge twist - l.l quad twist
L.l quad both hands- twist
Eprk active - Eprk quad  swivel hand
Danurasana
Eka padangustha dhanurasana strap
Crunches- crunches twist opst knee lifts
Ustrasana
Pec stretches at wall
Pinch wall
Eprk myriad
Triag mukhaikapada paschimottanasana
Root femur bones
Mantra missile strap
Symmetrical pose





Saturday fundamental
Poe: thigh loop

1/2 sun 3x
Lunge
Anjaneyasana
Tree
Pigeon
Camel
Bridge
Danurasana
Supta pigeon
Mod. Mod. Parsvak
Mod. Parsvak
Trikonasana
Seated twist
Root femur bones
Twist

Saucha: cleanliness

After focusing on the yamas, the first limb of Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga system which focus on our ethical conduct with others, now we are moving on to the second limb the Niyama (observance) which focus on our conduct with ourself.

 These practices involve the internal environment of body, mind and heart helping us maintain a positive environment to grow, and gives us the self-discipline necessary to progress along the path of yoga.

The first Niyama: Saucha often translated as cleanliness or purification. Many of the yogic techniques are aimed at removing impurities from the body, mind and heart, as well as strengthening their capacity to maintain a pure state of being. There are two main contributing factors to these impurities. Those that are external including friends, work, environment, drinks, food... And those that are internal including thoughts, organs, muscles, and systems of the body.

In anusara yoga we talk about optimal blue print. This is based off of the anatomical position and is the best posture for your body. The closer your body is held in optimal blue print the more healing that occurs and the further the body is from optimal blue print position the more dis-ease happens in the body, mind, and heart.

We can think of this in terms of purity or cleanliness by comparing our alignment to a lake. Let's say we have a body, and we will pretend its a lake, that has never been taken out of optimal alignment (which is never the case) then the lake would be crystal clear with no pollutants or dirt or anything clouding the waters. This creates a clarity connecting the body, mind and heart. Now let's say every time the body moves away from optimal alignment it causes impurities to enter the lake. The dirty the lake gets the harder it is to connect mind, body and heart. And let's face it a dirty lake in not such a joyful experience to visit. Now let's start moving back toward  optimal alignment that would be like adding a filtration pump to the lake to take out some of the filth that has been acquired from moving away from optimal alignment. This is just like the body. When it is heldmore toward optimal blue print injuries are healed, we experience more ease in the body, freedom in the mind and clarity in the heart. When we move out of this alignment depending on how long and far we are away from it depends of how dirty our body gets with injuries, how frustrated our mind gets and how clouded our heart feels.

Optimal alignment isn't ever attained it's not one specific position that is the same for each person. Instead it is a ruff posture that we are ether moving toward or moving away from. In asana we can begin to see what is out of alignment and we can use our breath and muscles to being out body more toward this clean alignment of not causing any injuries and healing old ones.

In every yoga pose we can practice alignment principles to bring us I wars optimal blue print. I remember my first teacher training 9 years ago we learned pose counter pose. The idea being that's how you kept yourself in balance. Practice a big backbend and follow it with a forward fold. However in anusara yoga when we are in a backbend we are still practicing the actions of a forward fold pulling the tailbone in and in a forward fold we are still practicing the actions of a backbend extending the spine backwards. In this way no matter what pose we are doing we can move toward alignment, toward clarity, toward purity.

Anusara
Principles of emphasis: outer spiral, organic energy. Optimal blue print
Theme: saucha: purification, cleanliness
Antidote: a lake

Tadasana
Uttanasana:
Lunge - parsvotonasana 2 blocks
Lunge- short lunge- fire glute- L
Eprk prep create curve with is/tl then fire glute with os
Active Eprk
Kneeling mod. Parsvak
Kneeling ardha chandrasana
Mod. Parsvak- ardha chandrasana
Parsvakonasana- vira 2 - ardha chandrasana
Low lunge quad- trikonasana- ardha chandra chapasana
Scandasana- ardha chandrasana - parvrita ardha Chandra chapasana- Standing pigeon
AMV up wall one leg lower, both legs
Wall-hanumanasana
Standing quad stretch
Eprk quad swivel hand
Eprk myrmaid
Partner Eprk strap
Blanket roll uttanasana 2 blocks
Supta fish crunches
Supta femur bone rooting
Supta twist





FUNdamental
Back leg straight. Front knee over ankle. Spine lifted.
Abaya mudra

1/2 sun 3x
Tad:
Lunge
Lunge
AMS:
Mod chat. 3x
Anjaneyasana
Tree wall
Standing pigeon wall
Wide leg forward fold
Vira 2
Vinyasa
Mod. Parsvak
Vinyasa
Vira 2
Vinyasa
Low lunge quad- trikonasana block &blanket
Lunge
Tadasana 1/2 moon stretch
Pigeon
Bridge 3x
Supta baddha konasana
Twist

Brahmacharya: moderation of energy

Brahmacharya
Definitions of what it means vary widely – from total celibacy at one end, to the application of moderation towards all sensory experiences. If we look at the literal translation of the word we find "Brahma" means the ‘divine consciousness’ and "charya" in this context, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. A literal definition of the fourth yama becomes "one in alignment with divine consciousness" or "being established in divine consciousness"or sometimes translated to mean ‘walking with God’.

Looking at this from a place from moderation is realy going against the norm of society where we race around to acquire. We want more money, power, things. We want want want. An example of not being on moderation and living brahmacharya could be the show Sex and The City. Carrie with all the fancy shoes and clothes, Samatha with all her men, Charlotte chasing perfection , and Maranda always working more and more. Think about how much time and energy those women devote to their various obsessions and quests. Now think about what would happen if that time and energy was freed up and available for use in other things, like coming more into alignment with the divine.

Patanjali says in Surta 2.38 "Brahmacharya pratishthayam virya labhah.

Upon being established in brahmacharya, there is the attainment of vital energy."

We can apply this yama to our yoga practice by using our energy wisely. When you come into the pose and begin to apply the universal principles of alignment think how you can do the alignment and hold it well with the least energy possible. This way you arnt using up your energy to fast and teach yourself how to use your mind, body, heart efficiently.

I remember when I used to practice a more flowky style I would use my energy so quickly swinging legs around and doing dance like movement. I would use my energy so much I needed to come to child's pose frequently and would leave the class equashted and drained. Now when I practice I work hard for sure but I don't experience that same equation. I rarely take a child's pose and never teach child's pose. I do this because it helps students learn to pace themselves and not burn out. I leave class feeling like I worked by refreshed and at ease, not like I need a nap.

Toning the low belly is another way conserves prana (life force energy). A teacher once explained to me that "dropping the lower belly splatters our life force out in front of us". Conserving this pelvic energy can them be channeled up the spine (along the shushumna channel) to the heart, anahata chakra.

Anusara 1-2
Heart quality: concentration
Poe: outer spiral, organic energy

Tadasana - L 3x:
1st: L
2nd. L - short L fire glute - L
3rd. Glute firing: L- hrl twist - W2
AMS
L
Mod. Parsvak- scandasana- half moon
Mod. Parsvak- parsvak- scandasana - half moon
Glute firing exercises:
Tad- standing pigeon - half moon 3x
Tad-standing pigeon -parvrita vira 3 3x
Anjaneyasana quad
Pigeon
Pigeon twist quad
Pigeon quad
Pec stretch wall
Handstands wall
Forearm balance wall
Fish
Bridge
Urdhva danurasana
Root femur symmetrically
Fish crunches- shavasana




FUNdamental's
Poe: TL, ABB

1/2 sun 3x
Tadasana- lunge 3x
Chest stretch wall
DD prep wall
Vinyasa prep wall
Sun A 3x
Dd- L
Tree
Tree
Standing pigeon
Pigeon
AMS- w2
AMS- mod. parsvak
Sphnx quad
Supt pada- a- b strap
Trikonasana- wall block
AMV
Janusirsasana
Sucasana twist
Shavasana

Asteya...or a-stay-a-way from what does not belong to you (non-stealing)

Teaching 2 Anusara classes tomorrow level 1-2 9-10:30 + FUNdamentals 10:45-11:45. Both classes we will talk about the third yama Asteya...or a-stay-a-way from what does not belong to you (non-stealing) the first class we will look at how this means not seeing you are surrounded with abundance is a form of stealing from yourself just like thinking you can't do challenging yoga poses so not really trying. At the same time we can't forget that doing poses that are to advanced and we can't maintain the alignment is stealing from our future health and happiness. We will work stronge  muscle energy in the upper body and do fun poses like Ganda Bherundasana  (Formidable Face Pose/ chin stand) + eka pada rajakapotasana (full pigeon).  The second class we will focus on the basics. Gotta love how basic seem simple but can have so much depth if you look into them. Don't steal. From others from yourself. Practicing yoga can help is not steal from our health and our future longevity. Patanjali states that when one is fully engaged in astaya, non-stealing, all the wealth of the world becomes yours. As it's often said, the greatest wealth is one's own health! We will also focus on the basic yoga postures and how a simple foundation can help hold the spine and heart up better.


Anusara 9-10:30
Theme: Asteya...or a-stay-a-way from what does not belong to you. Not stealing in the basic sense but This third Yama also speaks to not stealing from yourself. Not thinking that you are surrounded with abundance is a way of stealing from yourself, just as is thinking you can't do a certain yoga pose so not giving it a REAL try.
Peak poses: Ganda Bherundasana  (Formidable Face Pose/ chin stand) + eka pada rajakapotasana (full pigeon)
Poe: open to grace, muscular energy, shoulder loop

Tadasana clasp hands chest stretch - vinyasa - shalabasana
Cat/cow- knees/chest/chin push ups 3x
Fish
Lunge fish arm
Knees chest chin- low cobra
Active pigeon -Pigeon twist quad
Knees chest chin- low cobra
Anjaneyasana - scandasana - ardha chandrasana chapasana
Knees chest chin- low cobra
Anahatasana
Camel
Core work:
Crunches
Crunches opst knee to elbow
Bicycle crunches
Fish
Mod. Chin stand 2 blocks medium level
Mod. Chin stand 2 blocks lowest level
Mod. Chin stand one knee on ground one leg lifted/ maybe foot to opst thigh
Chin stand
Torture pose:
Anjaneyasana reach arms to wall-  Eka pada raja prep ""
Urdhva danurasana wall
Eka pada rajakapotasana partner strap
Matsyandrasana twist
Femur bone rooting
Tadasana (strap) shoulder loop neck stretches
Shavasana (manual shoulder loop adjustment)

FUNdamentals 10:45-11:45
Theme: Asteya...or a-stay-a-way from what does not belong to you getting back to the basics with morals right and wrong non stealing seems simple but there is so much to it. Just like the foundation of out yoga pose, seems simple but there are so many refinements.
Poe: open to grace. Foundation.
Heart quality: softness

1/2 sun 3x
Tadasana- lunge 3x
Chest stretch wall
DD prep wall
Vinyasa prep wall
Sun A 3x
Dd- L
Wide leg forward fold- star
W2
Mod. Parsvak
Tree
Standing pigeon
AMS- w2
AMS- parsvak
Sphnx quad
Supt pada- a- b strap
Trikonasana- parvrita trikonasana wall block
L stand prep
L AMV
Janusirsasana
Matsyandrasana twist
Shavasana

Ge

Satya: Truthfulness

The Yoga Sutras, believed to have been written some two centuries before the life of Jesus Christ. Patanjali gives the yamas as basic rules of living. The yamas and niyamas are the doS and fonts of yoga. Similar to the 10 commandments but if you don't follow them you don't go to hell. Following these rules helps the yogi suffer less. In  the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali states significantly in verse 16 that “the sorrow which is yet to come is to be discarded.”

     Satya, telling the truth has many layers. The first and most obvious is speaking the truth to others. Being vigilant that what we say is true is less likely to hurt another which supports the first Yama, non violence. Just like we should speak the truth to others we should also speak the truth to ourself.
This is the next layer of satya has to do with inner truth. This is the difference between honesty vs. integrity. Honesty is speaking the truth externally. While integrity is what we do when no one is looking and how we speak to ourself.
Consciousness

Let's break down the Sanskrit : “Sat” means the eternal unchanging Truth “Ya” is the activating suffix which means “do it”. By this definition, satya means aligning and being in harmony with the ultimate Truth.  We chant this in our invocation. If the un changing truth is that we are all one when we act/ do it from this place we act kind to all, ourselves included again supported the first Yama, ahimsa.

As I focused on practicing Satya this week one area I noticed where I was avoiding looking at the truth was my credit card statement. Gulp. Thinking maybe if I don't look at it I can pretend it's my happening. But unfortunately it only gets worse with no awareness. Which is similar to my kidneys. If I don't keep an awareness on my likelihood to collapse my kidneys it will only get worse and cause back pain. I have to look at the truth of my tendencies so I can move into better harmony.

Another example off the mat, your in a relationship and you think it is so great and you are so in love but he is beating you. You don't let yourself see that part so you can go on thinking at a good relationship. We have to look at the relationships we are in and see if they are truly/ truthfully good for us. And I'm not talking about just your relationship with your significant other but the relationship you are in with everyone and everything. Your family, job, food, body, environment... I remember my first anusara class I was shocked when a teacher suggested I feel my own butt and help widen it. What a foreign concept! Fast forward 5 years and I love palpating my body to a) help it come into alignment and b) notice I it is doing what I want it to do. For example when I draw my thighs back do I get a curve in my low back? When I squeeze my legs toward the midline do my muscles fire? I am still amazed to this day that I think I am doing certain alignment principles and think I am getting a certain result but upon further investigation find that I am not actually straightening my back leg when I think I am.

In today's classes we will be focusing on muscular energy and really investigating how our muscles engage. What is the truth? How do you engage the truth?

Second Yama, Satya = truthfulness.
Poe: muscular energy
How do you engage the truth? Investigate for the truth. Are you muscles really engaged?

Anusara:
Lunge
Low lunge forarms
Anjaneyasana - l.L quad
Active pigeon
Warrior 1
High runners lunge twist - w2
Wide leg forward fold - scandasana - scandasana
Trikonasana
Eka pada quad
Eka pada twist quad
Ardha hanumanasana
Ardha hanumanasana ankle loop
Parsvotonasana 2 blocks
Partner handstand legs isometric "L"
Kick handstand
Torture poses are wall:
Low lunge pointed
Anjaneyasana flexed reach hands to wall
Janusirsasana

FUNdamental:
Tadasana lunge 3x
Lunge- Tadasana blanket 3 pushes, hold
Standing pigeon wall
Wall mod. Chat
Wall spider finger cobra
Sun A 3x
W2 blanket
Star:
Wide leg forward fold
W2
Mod. Parsvak
Handstands wall
Supta pigeon
Bridge
Bridge blanket
Bridge
Janusirsasana
Strap ground femur point/ flex foot
Strap supta pada a, b, c

Ahismsa: Nonharming

The yamas and niyamas are the first 2 branches of Patanjalis 8 limbed path (ashtanga yoga). They are like the do's and donts of yoga that promote inner and outer peace and bliss. John Friend said, "they create harmony within you, and in relationship to your environment and to others. Where there is harmony, consciousness can expand, they lead us to a natural revelation of insight into the nature of being, and joy naturally arises." They also provide a mirror in which to observer our practice, giving us infinite opportunities to transform our Self. I find when I am in alignment with the yamas and niyamas I experience more peace, truth, abundance, harmony, contentment, self-acceptance, and love.

Ahimsa is the fist yama, This word is usually translated as non-violence or non-harming. If we break down the Sanskrit we learn that "himsa" can be translated as "lion" and "a"  is a negating prefix. So "ahimsa" can be translated as "not like a lion". I love this. It reminds me to come from a place of calmness and the heart instead of the impulse of anger and causing harm.

Violence happens through our words and thoughts as well and can be just as harmful as physical violence. To practice ahimsa is to be so aware with our interactions with ourselves, our thoughts and our interactions with others. To incorporate ahimsa into your life, look at all the attitudes you have that might be keeping you from feeling at peace. Write down your five most negative thoughts, these thoughts themselves are a form of violence.  Just noticing the negativity will help you stop feeding the thoughts and will lead you toward peace.

Ahimsa tells us not to hurt other people, the planet, animals.. The law of karma tells us that when we hurt another that that suffering in which we inflict will inevitably will come back and hurt us. When I think of ahisma I am so reminded of the hurt I can inflict on myself. How often do we physically, emotionally and spirautally beat up on ourselves. I know I can be ruder to myself then I would someone I hate. This yama is a reminder to love thy neighbor and to love thy self.

We will be talking about ahimsa in my Saturday classes this week and will continue to over through the yamas and then the niyamas over the next 8 weeks. Ahmisa fits so beautifully with anusara yoga because we do a lot of harm to our bodies with our habitual posture and we can also do a lot of violence to our self with our yoga practice not practicing alignment. We can practice self love with a good strong alignment based practice.

Perspectives are powerful.

The weather has been crazy in SLC, it was snowing the other day. (I worte this blog April 28th , the day it snowed in the valley, but forgot to post it) As I went along the day I could feel and hear everyone’s resistance and anger about the snow. At first when I saw the snow on the lawn as I was about to walk out of the house in my shorts and Choacos, I felt myself getting a little upset. Then I thought about my perspective, I could choose to make myself miserable thinking about how I was planning on going mountain biking, or I could choose a perspective that would help me enjoy my day, snowflakes and all. As I walked out to the car I stuck out my tongue and spun in a circle trying to catch snowflakes. I was thinking these lovely flakes could be the last snowflakes to fall into my mouth until next winter. With this perspective I headed off to school.

Thinking about perspective reminds me of one of my favorite stories, the story of the Nataraja. There are many lessons that you can learn from the Nataraja, I posted earlier (Friday, March 19, 2010) about how we should make authentic offering and not to compare or to compete with others. This time as I thought about the story of lord Shiva, when he was a dancer, I thought about how perspective is key.

The story of the Nataraja is the story of Shiva as the dancer. In this story Shiva dances the ananda tandava (the blissful dance) at Tillai Vanam in the Pine Wood Forest. Two sages, Patanjali (the half snake sage) and the Vyaghrapada (the tiger-pawed sage) were searching the Pine Wood Forest to witness the Ananda Tandava, the cosmic dance. After searching the forest for a very long time and finding an authentic offering both sages found each other at a very well worshiped Shiva lingam. A Shiva lingam is a holy symbol for Lord Shiva that is considered sacred and worshipped. Both sages made offering to the lingam. The Vyaghrapada offered beautiful flowers that only grow at the top of the Tillai trees, and Patanjali offered wonderful seeds that can only be found deep within the soil of the earth. (I love this part of the story I think it is a good reminder that we all have unique talents that allow us to make authentic offerings). When both sages meet at the lingam with their offering, the lingam explodes into dancing Shiva in the form of the Nataraja. When the Nataraja dances the Ananda Tandava, he teaches about the universe and about yoga.



As Shiva starts dancing Patanjali sits on Shiva’s left and the Vyaghrapada sits on Shiva’s right. Its important to remember the Patanjali and the Vyaghrapada could have sat anywhere, and on any side to witness this dance, however they both choose to sit where they did. Both sages witness Shiva dancing this blissful dance, the dance of yoga. However both sages have different perspectives and the yoga and knowledge they receive are so different. In this story their perspective has more to do with where they choose to take their physical seat but perspective also has to do with how we choose to position our mind in different situation. All because of the perspective and position from which they viewed the dance.

As I describe the different lessons Patanjali and the Vyaghrapada learned as they watched Shiva dance it is helpful to picture the statue of the Nataraja dancing in a ring of fire (see picture above). Patanjali who is on Shiva left side see the side of occlusion. He sees Shiva arm crossing in front of his chest and his legs crossed… From this Patanjali see that there is something past the arm and the leg that he cannot see, he learns that you need to overcome the body that you need to move past the body to get to the other side. Patanjali learns a yoga that turns him inside. The Vyaghrapada who is sitting on Shiva rights side sees an open invitation with his hand, leading him toward the heart; he sees the graceful up turned food. The Vyaghrapada sees that you can celebrate the heart with the body, that we can rejoice and experience the heart. He learns that through experiencing the world we can connect to the heart and the world.

It is so interesting to me that Patanjali and the Vyaghrapada witnessed the same dance but based on the position they took learned different things. In this story the empathies is on the physical position about where the two sages sat but it is important to remember that we choose are perspective by both the position we take physically and mentally.

We have the choice on how we see things. In every situation has a darker side and a brighter side. Even the most horrible situation still has a brighter side. In Anusara yoga we choose to see the brightest side in each situation. We choose to see the goodness and beauty. We choose to see the Shri, the divine beauty in all. It is a choice and many people choose to see the bad, the darkness, and the evil of life. But why look for the bad, why not choose to take a different perspective to look for the good.

We can practice this positive perspective in our asana practice. We have the choice about our perspective in every yoga pose we come into. We can look for our faults in the pose; we can notice how we don’t look like our neighbor. Or we can choose to see the beauty in every pose, we can choose to enjoy the brightest side of each pose. We can choose to see our intrinsic goodness, our divine beauty, our Shri, with in every pose and with every breath. The more we practice choosing our perspective on the matt we can get better at choosing to better select our perspective off the mat.