AHIMSA - Non Harming in Thought, Word, & Action

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We all have so much to be thankful for.  

I thought we'd talk about AHIMSA today, one of several ethical disciplines which are the root teachings of yoga.   These disciplines are likened to the roots of a great tree.  The roots support a tree and provide it with nourishment, strength, and stability.  The first of the "eight limbs of yoga" are the ethical disciplines.  These precepts are called YAMA.   They are the great commandments which transcend creed, country, age, and time; the rules of morality for societies and individuals.  The basic truth teachings of all truly spiritual practices. 

The Angel Tree near Charleston, South Carolina

The word AHIMSA means non-harming, non-killing, or non-violence.  It has a wider meaning, requesting us to love.  It's helpful to understand that violence is a state of mind, not of diet.  Therefore, one can be a vegetarian (non-harming of animals), but still be a person with a violent temperament (harming in thoughts, words, or actions). 

First, ahimsa must be applied to our thoughts.  Our thoughts are the subtlest of forms. Thoughts can then manifest into speech and/or actions.  We can control our thoughts.  First, we need to be aware of what we are thinking.  Then we can change our thought patterns if we observe them becoming hurtful, viscious, or violent.  

We all know how it feels when someone has spoken unjustly or harshly to us.  It feels like arrows into our hearts.  Sometimes we don't think what we say is really going to hurt anyone, but this is so incorrect!  Hurtful speech rips our auras and unbalances our psyches.  Sometimes we react with anger and viciousness by verbally lashing back.  Let us think before we speak.  Let's speak kindly or not at all.

Our actions appear to be the most obvious form of violence.  Think about it, though.  If we didn't have a hurtful thoughts, harmful and violent speech or actions would never be a problem.  We have to start at the root of the action, which is our thoughts.

Violence arises when we succumb to fear, when we are weak or ignorant, or when we become restless.  To curb our violent tendencies we need to be free from fear.  We must change our outlook on life, change our attitude.  We need to re-orient our minds. There are several powerful yoga practices which will accomplish this change.  How do we make our fears subside?  I suggest two ways here.

For the first suggestion,  let's refer back to an earlier post on FEAR CAN CRIPPLE YOU Oct. 17, 2012.  In this discussion I recommended meditation.  Meditation is a practice that interrupts our current state of mind.  When we practice, we stop, sit, and consciously take time to be still.  The physical actions of stilling the body and slowing the breath immediately begin the process of stilling the mind.  Meditation is a powerful and immediate intervention which will help us on all levels.  Continued practice will give us clarity, focus, serenity, and freedom from fear.

 

The second practice I suggest is called ISVARA PRANIDHANA.  This is dedicating our actions and will to the Lord.  It doesn't matter what religion we are, as long as we are aware that there is a power greater than ourselves.  My very first yoga teacher taught me that this surrendering is vitally important.  We dedicate our life, (body, mind and spirit) and actions to the Lord.  After all other efforts and resources have been exhausted, if we still have not succeeded, we turn to the Lord.  "Let go and let God" - one of my pastors used to say this over and over.  When we do this, the mind, intellect, and will have surrendered to the highest power.  "The name of the Lord is like the Sun, dispelling all darkness". (Iyengar, Light on Yoga) 

Freedom from fear comes to those who live a pure life.  The body itself may be subject to age, decay, sickness, and death, but our spirit remains pure and unaffected.  When we have linked our entire being-ness to the Divine, what is there to fear?  How can we be harmful towards others when we are secure in the knowledge that our spirit is deathless?

As yogis, let's be an example to others.  Show compassion towards all living beings. Let's be happy for others' accomplishments.  Show gratitude for and appreciate all we have.  Everyone and all other life forms and creatures have a right to be alive.  When we practice ahimsa we begin to realise we are born to serve others.  What greater legacy can we leave?

If you have any questions related to this post or any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  I'm happy to help answer your questions or reply to your comments.  Namaste!

  

  

Lengthen A Pose in Both Directions

Several times over the last few weeks I've had students ask me about an instruction I give frequently in class.  I often ask students to "lengthen in both directions"  This is an instruction that begins to draw our attention inwards towards pratyahara (sense withdrawal).  This is a state where the mind gains control over the senses.  The distractions from outside lessen, and the mind turns inwards.

Let's work with two specific poses and I'll explain in more depth.  The first pose we'll talk about is Tadasana, Mountain Pose. Here is an excellent example of a pose showing the power gained with the balance of upwards and downwards lengthening.  Note how she is in a straight line from the ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.  If we placed a plum line at her ears it would line up perfectly vertical and run through the 5 points.

Tadasana Mountain Pose

In mountain pose, first pay attention to the feet.  They are the foundation of the pose.  Nothing but the feet are resting on the ground.  Draw the awareness to the feet.  How are you distributing your weight on the feet?  Is it mostly on the outside edges?  Is it more on the inside edges?  Note that there are 6 points on the feet, the inner and outer balls of the feet, and the heels.  Try to locate the 6 points.  Then try to press those 6 points into the floor with equal pressure, strongly.  This is called "grounding the feet" .  It helps to imagine your body is sending energetic roots deep into the earth through the soles of the feet.

Now imagine you are about to leap into the air.  This intention sends activating energy all the way from the belly to the feet, waking up the hips, buttox, legs, and feet.  You will actually stand taller.  Pressing downwards into the earth is "lengthening downwards".  

Now imagine you are lifting your arches, as if you had a tiny rock under the foot.  This activates the legs even more.  This is called "padha bandha" or "foot lock".  This action begins a lifting energy up through the vertical line of the body.  It lengthens the upper body from the belly up through the skull.

Imagine the skull is lifting up out of the shoulders.  Imagine the spine lifting upwards from the belly.  This is "lengthening upwards".  Open the chest and allow the shoulder blades to slide down the back.  Let the arms be alert yet relaxed.  The result is a strong, alert, and steady pose.  You are solid on the ground, yet growing out of the ground at the same time. These actions are allowing you to "lengthen in both directions".  This balance from down to up in tadasana is allowing the body to open from the inside outwards which yogi's often talk about.

Now let's discuss Parivrtta Sukhasana or Revolved Easy Pose.  Check out this video.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4943820_parivrtta-sukhasana-pose-yoga-twist.html 

If you watched this video, one of the instructions the teacher states is "root downwards through the tailbone".  This is another way to say "ground your sits bones (the area of the body connected to the floor), or lengthen pelvis downwards".

If I drew an up arrow at the top of the model's skull, and a down arrow at the bottom of the buttox, this would indicate the internal intention and muscular movements you're working towards.

If your question is "I'm sitting on the floor, so how can I drop my tailbone any further downwards?", the point has been missed.  It is the intentional awareness and activation of the internal muscles and bones in the lower torso and pelvis in the direction of the floor.  If you actually accomplish the subtle movements as instructed, it will actually lift the spine higher, and the upper body will twist deeper than usual.  This affects the core and lower back opening much more profoundly.  The balance of intention and action is the end effect in all poses, and also in life.

Hatha Yoga as a practice balances the body, the mind, and the spirit.  Pratyahara is the inward turning attention which experienced instructors help you access in your practice.  These subtle and powerful intentions and actions result in a higher state of awareness.  This light of awareness brings us towards Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation), the sixth and seventh of the eight limbs of yoga.

If you have any questions at all regarding this or any other postings of this blog, please don't hesitate to post them.  Although they won't be visible to the general audience, I read all posts and I will respond to your questions or comments.  If you have insights that will help me improve this blog, please offer your suggestions.  I welcome your comments!

 

Yoga Breathing - Nadi Sodhana

Last night after class a student confided in me that she recently been extremely scattered, couldn't focus, and was unable to shift from task to task efficiently during her busy day at work.  She'd made errors and had lapses of memory, simply forgetting things she normally wouldn't have.  The state of mind she was experiencing is a serious fracturing of the mental processes. She asked if there was something she could do to help correct this problem.

Frontal view using fingers to close nostrils alternately

There is a very powerful and effective yoga breathing practice which will immediately help.  Pranayama is a practice yogis refer to when performing yoga breathing techniques.  Prana means "life force energy"  Yama means "discipline" or "control of".  Thus pranayama means control of life force energy.  

There are thousands of specific yoga pranayama techniques.  B.K.S. Iyengar has written the classic reference book Light on Pranayama. If you're interested, check it out to learn more about the practices.

The specific pranayama I recommended to her is called Nadi Sodhana, or Alternate Nostril Breath. This practice is a powerful method to purify the nadis, or tubular psychic passageways which carry the body's energy, within the brain and throughout the body.  These nadis circulate everywhere in the body, and pass through all of the chakras. They are sustained by the central nadi, called susumna, residing in the vicinity of the spine.  

Benefits of Nadi Sodhana are: 

• Revitalizing the right and the left hemispheres of the brain, as well as the front and the back brain, achieving parity (balance) within the brain and out to the furthest extremities.  
• According to B.K.S. Iyengar, "The sadhaka (practitioner) gains the secret of even and balanced action in all the quarters of the brain, and thus experiences peace, poise and harmony".   
• Practice leads first to dhyana (concentration) and, over time, dharana (meditation).  The sixth and seventh limbs of the "eight limbs of yoga".
• Practice makes the mind and body dynamic, vibrant, energetic, and alert.  
• There is additional documentation of Nadi Sodhana improving hearing, reducing sinus problems, and improving eyesight.

Mrigi Mudra

Now for the practice instructions.

Sit in a comfortable seated asana and perform Mrigi Mudra with the right hand.  Place the left hand on your thigh in Gyan Mudra (first finger to thumb, palm up).  Beginning students may have some difficulty holding their raised arm in position for the length of the practice. Place a bolster or folded blankets across your legs and use this to support your elbow.

Gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril, then close it with your ring-little fingers. Open and exhale slowly through the right nostril.

Keep the right nostril open, inhale, then close it, and open and exhale slowly through the left. This is one cycle. Repeat 5 to 8 times, then release the hand mudra and go back to normal breathing.  As you gain endurance, increase rounds.

Traditional Nadi Sodhana includes breath retention and fixed ratio breathing.  I suggest you begin with a slow count of 4 to inhale, count of 4 to retain breath in, count of 4 to exhale, count of 4 to retain breath out.  For beginning pranayama students, it's best to focus only on the inhales and exhales.

(excerpt from Yoga Journal)

Start with about 5-8 full repetitions.  If you get tired, stop and breathe normally for awhile.  Begin again.  Build up to about 21 reps total over a period of 2-3 weeks.  Remember anytime you feel fatigue, stop and breathe normally.  Do not strain!

Working with Alternate Nostril Breath will begin to clear the imbalance you are experiencing and enable your mind and your actions to be clear, concise, and focused.  Your lucidity and demeanor will be calm and composed.  You will begin to perform at optimum levels throughout your day and throughout your life.  This is a powerful, effective, and time-honored tool for the practicing yogi.

 

Bed Yoga II - Zap Back Pain!

Last post I promised you the rest of the "Bed Yoga Routine".  As a refresher, in Bed Yoga I we've done several lying down postures which gently stretch out and lengthen the lower back.  I'm including herein the last posture of the routine, plus bandha (lock) instructions to perform during this posture.  Lastly we'll give you instructions on how to get out of bed properly.  Getting out of bed correctly is most important of all, because we need to keep the spine quiet as we get up from a reclining position.  This prevents back strain - big time!

Supta Badha Konasana - Lying Down Bound Angle Pose

Bound angle pose is the last pose to do in bed before getting up.  It opens the groins, stretches the lower back, glutes, and adductor muscles.  Bring the feet to the buttox.  Let the knees fall out to the side.  Relax your arms next to the body.

As you lie in this pose, perform MOOLA BANDHA.  Moola bandha is also known as "root lock".  To perform moola bandha, concentrate on the groin area.  For men, we're contracting the ureter and perineum; for women, the ureter, cervix, and vaginal muscles will be contracted.  When performing the bandha (lock) all of the muscles in the area are contracted simultaneously, pulling the soft tissue upwards and inwards towards the base of the spine.  

Hold the contraction for a few seconds.  Do not hold the breath, simply breathe normally. Start gently, then as you increase reps, do the bandha with more force and strength.  I suggest you perform moolabandha a minimum of 15 reps.  The masters suggest that as you perform the lock, you repeat "mool", or "moola bandha" as you hold the contraction.  This intense focus along with the mantra increases the power and effects of the root lock practice.

There are many benefits to performing root lock daily.  " It is helpful in psychosomatic and degenerative illnesses.  It relieves depression and promotes good health.  It helps to realign the physical, mental, and psychic bodies in preparation for spiritual awakening.  Moola bandha is a means to attain sexual control.  It may be used to sublimate sexual energy for spiritual development (brahmacharya) or for enhancement of sexual relations".  (Swami Satyananda Saraswati).  

Other yoga masters have taught us that moola bandha controls and increases life force energy and lengthens one's life.  It controls cravings and strengthens and tones the muscles controlling continence ability, retaining continence into old age.  (I can't think of anything more humiliating than losing the ability to control your elimination processes.  Do you want to wear diapers again?  Not me! This is huge as we age)!  Start moola bandha now and remove the embarrassment later.

Contract and extend hands and feet 15 times.

Just before getting up we move hands and feet to get new blood and lymph to outer extremities!

The last thing we do before getting up is contract and extend hands and feet 15 times.  This gets new blood and lymph to the furthest extremities of the body.  It flushes out the toxins, and allows the body to function optimally after you get up.  Here Jan demonstrates the simple movements.

NOW, HOW DO WE GET OUT OF BED PROPERLY?

First, bring knees to chest.

Second, roll body towards the side of bed.

Then then turn your head/upper body towards bed, placing both arms under upper body. Now push yourself up using both arms (as you swing your legs off the bed).

This method of getting out of bed is optimum for keeping the back and spine quiet and in alignment.  This single change in your "getting up" routine will help immensely!  I have many students who swear by the Bed Yoga Routine.  Their back pain has disappeared.  The getting up routine is also the recommended way to come out of Savasana (corpse pose or final relaxation) at the end of your yoga class or practice.

Remember, do this routine (both I & II) every morning.  The entire routine takes only about 10 minutes of your time and prevents back pain all day!  Thanks to my seniors yoga class for helping with photos, Jan, Steve, Maria, & Terry!