Extension of May 4th blog....
My sutra teacher, Kquvien DeWeese explained how the sutras of Patanjali were developed for experienced yogis to give them a quick way to remember how to achieve Kavailya, freedom. Some of you as a child may have studied piano or another musical instrument and had to memorize Every Good Boy Does Fine. By memorizing the sentence you were also creating a mneumonic device to help you remember the notes on a treble clef: E G B D F. Similarly, Patanjali's 196 Sutras were developed as simple, easy to memorize threads, which offer a depth of knowledge that when sewn in with the entire 196 form a sheet of unforgettable wisdom. The series of Sutras I've been concentrating on are the ones that focus on helping us learn to stabilize the mind. My previous exploration was on Sutra 1.33 which emphesized the importance of cultivating three qualities 1) Friendliness 2) Compassion 3) Delight and 4) Equanimity. Now, we will explore Sutra 1.34:
1.34 prachchhardana vidharanabhyam va pranayama
Pranayama is thought of as breath control, yet as you mature in your practice and begin to utilize your breathing to move deeper inward, you begin to sense that prana is a powerful energy source. Kathleen Pringle offers an explanation she credits to Geeta Iyengar, that "the breath is food for the prana". BKS Iyengar says in his book, B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, that once we learn to control inhalations and exhalations, we tap into the "cosmic energy" called prana which is "...the life force energy that gives us the strength, power, and vitality for any activity." When discussing the advantages of the retention of the breath after an exhalation specifically, he says:
"During the process of exhalation, the soul re-enters into an unfathomable space. The mind dissolves and the divine marriage of Prakriti, the body, and Purusha, the soul, occurs."Take a moment to inhale and exhale normally. Don't work hard at breathing that can agitate your nervous system - just breath normally. Now inhale and exhale again adding a pause after the exhalation. Pause only as long as it is comfortable. On that pause try to think about something --- anything. Any luck? Maybe for a second or two...but after that the thoughts dissipate into nothingness. Of course, at first that beautiful nothingness may only last for a second before your autonomic nervous system demands you take an inhalation. With practice the length of time between the nothingness and when the autonomic nervous system kicks in expands. In the interstitial space between the exhalation and the retention or pause we begin to discover that with that stillness of mind -- that nothingness...comes a wonderful sense of peace.
In The Science of Yoga by I.K. Taimni, Sutra 1:34 is discussed in terms of offering a very basic exercise to begin to calm the restlessness of the mind and body or Viksepa. It distinguishes the actions as a preliminary exercise that is not as powerful as what might be deemed real Pranyama practices that serve to purify and revitalize the Nadis or energy channels of the body, but it's a great start.
I put the basic practice of Sutra 1:34 to use after one of my teachers, Nancy Mau suggested it as a way to calm me down before demonstrating a pose in Teacher Training. I'd been noticing in my Pranayama classes at Stillwater that I had difficulty with my exhales. If I was inverted somehow in a rope headstand (Sirsasana) or chair shoulder stand (Sarvangasana) I had an easier time. Kathleen Pringle mentioned that's because of where the diaphram is placed when the body is inverted. After a regular focus and concentration on this simple exercise, I begin to notice a big difference in my disposition and by my next Teacher Training, my demonstration was much easier --- all because I had a tool to help me calm my mind and body when I needed it most.
I do hope you will try it for yourself. It's a great tool to have in your toolbox of life and one you can easily share with others.
Namaste.
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