The First Two Niyamas

This week we began our discussion of the first 2 niyamas or personal observances. The first niyama is Saucha which means purity. This includes both outer and inner purity or cleanliness. I think of it as a sort of washing clean, externally and internally. We are all aware of good hygiene and how the postures and the breathing practices purify and cleanse our internal organs and systems of the body. However, the more subtle aspects of Saucha are the internal cleansing of negative emotions. It is important to cultivate skills to release or diminish negativity but only after we have acknowledged it, feel it and identify it. It is easier, then, to begin to cultivate the opposite emotion. Examples would be anger and forgiveness, envy and abundance etc. It is important to recognize these negative emotions as part of being human and then develop skills to move toward a more positive state of mind. Another aspect of Saucha is keeping our living spaces clean and clear of too much clutter. We all know how much better we feel when we are not immersed in chaos.

The second niyama Santosa means contentment. In my view contentment is intentional not just something we sink into. How does one cultivate contentment? Maybe when we are able to get a clearer and more accurate perception of our lives in any moment. But of course that takes practice. Some days it may seem that nothing is going well. Yet by taking a higher vantage point we may see that we are dwelling on one or two events and stuck in an attitude of despair. Yet, if we instead choose to view our life as a tapestry of light and dark and a myriad of colors and textures, we may get a clearer picture and feel more at peace.
We can also choose to be fully involved in our lives, engaging fully in whatever we are doing. In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mikail Csikszentmihalyi outlines his theory that people are the most happy when they are in a "state of flow " -a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity or situation at hand.
This theory has stayed with me since reading his book many years ago. I know that when I am fully engaged with what I am doing, in any moment, I am much more content, peaceful and ultimately happy.

Summer classes!!

Just found out... summer registration begins May 2nd.
This is particularly important for Wednesday morning students
as this class fills up very quickly.
I will also, of course, be teaching Tuesday and Friday evenings.

The Yamas

The 5 yamas are: 1) ahimsa/ non- harm, compassion and kindness.
2) satya/truthfulness.
3) asteya/ non-stealing, non-envy.
4) brahmacharya/ right use of energy, non-indulgence.
5) aparigraha/ non-attachment, non-possessiveness.

In our discussion of these moral codes of behavior it is important that we continue to look deeply into our own thoughts and behaviors, not with judgement but with an open and curious mind.
If I am conscious I become aware for instance how I use my energy from day to day and where I am placing my values. I can ask myself, did I make really thoughtful choices today or did I react from my conditioning and old habits?

The Eight Limbs or Yoga Tree

This quarter we are revisiting the classical teachings of yoga.
The eight limbs are the whole of a yoga practice. When we see yoga as a tree with parts we cease to think of yoga as just poses with breathing techniques. We see it more as a practice that engages the body, mind and spirit at a deeper level which then makes us accountable for how we live.
This is how I like to teach and share my experience of yoga. We all come from different backgrounds, yet we are all familiar with ethical codes of behavior that we hold up as right and good. In yoga we are privileged to make time to reconnect with our thoughts, our actions, our feelings, our faith, our belief systems and the burdens that wear us down. The teachings remind us that we can reconnect with what is pure and whole within. The light in me, the light in you.
We also give names to aspect of our nature and can then make conscious choices. In other words we wake up.
Yoga is an opportunity to wake up to our life, to being alive , to living well.

Monday Night Yoga

Monday night is yoga at my home yoga studio with 4 intermediate yoginis.
We do mostly flow yoga with philosophy, pranayama and meditation at the beginning.
A wonderful group to say the least.

Guilty Pleasures

At the first class of the each 8 week session, I typically do an introduction and have a "go around" so everyone gets to say a little something about who they are and why they are here.
This week I tweaked that and asked everyone to share their name and then one "guilty pleasure"! That was quite a step away from our usual beginning. However it brought forth not only lots of laughter but our unique humanness and imperfections.
Yoga is not about trying to be perfect or aggressively stomp on our tendencies. It is more about self awareness and conscious choices.
When we do that our guilty pleasure becomes more "just a choice" and something we can look at more deeply and honestly. Maybe we will cease then to feel guilty about it and just thoroughly enjoy it.