There is scientific evidence of the therapeutic effects of yoga. It is said to be a healing art. As many of you know anything healing usually involves trusting in something or someone outside of yourself.
The Yoga of Patanjali follows an Astanga or 8-limbed path. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharna, Dhyana, Samadhi. If you've read my other blogs, you know that Iyengar likens the Yama and Niyama to the two banks along side a river. The banks of the river are what keep the river flowing in the right direction.
These ten precepts like the 10 commandments, the Golden Rule or many other such things are guides to help us conduct ourselves in order to serve ourself and our community for the greater good -- and ultimately lead us to freedom from the pains of the body and mind. The tenth precept is Ishvarapranidhana, which is trusting in a force outside ourselves.
The Yama and Niyama are disciplines for the most part that take sustained effort to uphold at first, but as time goes on they become a part of who we are. You might even say they make up a practice of who we were before our egos took hold.
However, when most of us come into yoga in the West, we start with Asana practice. The words Yama and Niyama might not even come into our vernacular for years of practice. We begin our yoga with our physical body and our ego (usually in high gear). One of my favorite quotes I read from Iyengar is when he talks about just letting the yoga do the yoga. No matter how we come to yoga or what type of yoga we practice, something wonderful still occurs.
We begin to know ourselves. If just to know what is stiff or what won't work like we want it to. We are drawn inwards. No matter who the teacher is or what type of yoga practice. We are put in a position to face ourselves in a unique way. Like with any new endeavor, as time goes on and we continue whatever practice we are doing, we learn to trust ourselves. In yoga, we learn to believe in our ability to connect our mind with our body to move through and heal the pains, while creating a slew of what some might deem crazy pretzel positions.
It is this growing belief in ourself to connect our mind and body that leads to more sustained effort and total focus and absorption…which then leads us to another place: A place of surrender. A place where fragmented directives of how a pose should be performed soon dissolve into a blissful stillness that seems to keep evolving, ultimately connecting to what feels like something outside ourselves. It is in this state where deeper healing and evolution occur. Whether it is a "happening" in the brain or a spiritual phenomena we can debate forever.
It may seem hokey to some to consider a blissful surrender to something other than ourselves; but I figure we all once experienced a oneness like what is being suggested. We didn't even have to believe in it. It just existed: in the womb. If you consider all of the incredible transformations that happened there, it seems worth striving for at least.
Personally, I don't feel debating whether there is or isn't a spiritual force outside ourselves is what matters. What matters is your belief in your own experience. Belief in what that experience does for you. Where that experience leads you. And how you evolve or "heal" as a result.
Namaste.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
When the student is ready the teacher will come: The Power of Belief in Learning.
In BKS Iyengar's book Light on Yoga, he highlights four different types of pupils or aspirants: 1) mrdu (feeble), 2) madhyama (average) 3) adhimātra (superior) and 4) adhimātratama (the supreme one). The supreme ones, of course, gain the most freedom and union with the "source". They are able to transcend the shackles of the ego, desires, and expectations of the manifest world and live a life of love, moderation, and humility. Iyengar explains:
I don't want to short change Iyengar's message on the role of a real Guru (and remember from my last article gu=darkness ru=light - so Guru lights the dark areas for the aspirant). The Guru inspires us to maintain abhyasa (constant and determined practice) and vairagya (freedom from desires) so that we can create the foundation of a calm and tranquil mind needed for our growth and evolution. A Guru has deep significance in Yoga, because someone who has reached true Guru status is free from ego drives, so is unequivocally devoted to our growth and isn't in it for the "fame or gain". In turn, the student must have confidence, devotion, and love for the Guru. The student must believe in the guidance provided.
It is this idea of "belief" on which I want to concentrate. I'm going to tangent off subject to make a point that belief creates a powerful energetic exchange. Much of our world is created on beliefs. Belief that our currency has a particular value. Belief in the medical testimony of wellness as a result of a series of specific diagnostic procedures and/or prescriptions. Belief in the Scientific Method of query, observation, hypothesis, prediction, testing, and analysis.
Over the last several years, belief has created much controversy as our blind faith in certain institutions has duped us --sometimes out of our life savings. It has come under scrutiny as well in scientific experiments with what has become known as the Observer Effect. It has been an ongoing question (for some) as to whether the experimenter has any influence on the outcome of an experiment. It was most publicized on the Double Slit Experiment where depending on the experiment set up a photon behaved like a particle or a wave. (Click on experiment but also see New Scientist article and search others)
The result in my eyes has been that we've had to be a lot more discerning. Steve Jacobson, a teacher of Philosophy at Georgia State University and of Yoga at Stillwater Yoga in Atlanta has delved into the concept of belief in regards to the Ancient Indian Theories. He tackles the subject of rational belief much better than I ever could in a chapter he wrote for the book, Yoga - Philosophy for Everyone: Bending Mind & Body, edited by Liz Stillwaggon Swan. In Chapter 5, entitled "Standing on your head, seeing things right side up," Steve sets up vivid examples of scales of rational belief that (as a quick broad statement) run the gamut of people who would be considered scientifically illiterate to those with highly specialized scientific expertise. He explores the question of whether it is reasonable to believe in Ancient Indian Theories when there are clearly superior theories in science. I encourage you to read it and decide for yourself what is reasonable for you and don't stop there. Keep searching.
As I've explained, our world is dependent on our having certain beliefs. There are benefits and pitfalls, so we must be discriminating. However, it has been my personal experience in the whelm of learning that when I believe in something wholeheartedly for the time that I am learning it, I gain much more. I feel when we believe in our teachers, if only for that hour and a half in class, we create a solid space for new learning and growth. Iyengar explains that when the student has faith in the teacher and teacher has faith in the student the senses are more alert, the concentration more absorbed, the actions are more focused. So learning takes place faster. Iyengar tells the story of two students: Indra and Virochana. Indra, the king of the Gods, and Virochana, a demon prince both went to a spiritual teacher Brahmā to learn about the Supreme Self. Both were in the same space, listening to the same words, but Indra obtained enlightenment, and Virochana did not. Indra developed and evolved with intellectual humility, his memory sharpened with every lesson - all due to his devotion to the subject and belief in his teacher. Virochana stayed in his intellectual pride. He wanted the knowledge so he could pontificate, impress, and gain power. His memory was limited by his intellect. Even though he was an intellectual giant, he gained nothing from his lessons. He felt it condescending to listen to Brahmā, so he left a doubter and no brighter.
You may be thinking, 'That's all well and good, but what if one of my teachers tells me to do it this way and another says something totally different. How do I know which is the right way? What is the truth?' Did you ever consider that the truth is still unfolding for you? The little I know about BKS Iyengar, I've come to truly admire how his articulation of a particular pose changes as his experience of it evolves through his personal practice and teaching. Therefore, what may be emphasized one year, may be totally different from the next. However, if we were lucky enough to be there for both years (and I hope to one day), we'd have the benefit of comparison - the benefit of evaluating how both articulations bring more intelligence, more stability, and more depth to the pose. Remember from my last article the goal of Iyengar teachers is to help us find Sthira Sukham Āsanam (Sutra 11:47, sweet, stable comfortable yoga pose within a vibration of oneness), so that Prayatna śaithila ananta samāpattibhām (Sutra 11:48, the effort to perform the pose becomes effortless), which will help us experience Tatah dvandva ānabhighātah (Sutra 11:49 a place where the dualities of the pose (or life) cease to disturb or constrain us). Our devotion to the variety of articulations provided by our teachers of any particular pose brings us closer and closer to attaining the benefits outlined in these three Sutras.
As a student of yoga or anything for that matter, we may not ever be able to be the adhimātratama or supreme student as defined by Iyengar. We most likely will teeter from the mrdu to the madhyama and maybe by some miracle get a glimpse of being a adhimātra. However, if we strive to be that supreme student and believe for the duration of our class in what is being taught, our belief will give us the energy to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we are learning. When we walk out the door, we can have our doubts (doubts are good in my book, they make you explore and dig deeper) we can do our own homework, and study what we've learned on our own time, so we can see what the truth is for ourselves.
Again, don't take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Whatever you need to learn, believe in what is being taught for the moment. You may be amazed at how much more you'll get out of your classes, books, or other resources; and even more amazed at how fast your body and mind evolve as you discover your new truths for yourself.
Namaste.
"Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance, and humility generates power. Courage without love is brutish. Abundance without moderation leads to over-indulgence and decay. Power without humility breeds arrogance and tyranny."The mrdu seems to be a seeker who is more apt to find fault with the Guru [for purposes here insert teacher, guide, books and other resources of learning] and thus use that as excuse for their lack of enthusiasm. The character, speech, and action of the mrdu is harsh, weak, and unconscious. It takes years for this seeker to root themselves in the practice enough to bear fruit. The madhyama seems to be of more even temperament and engaged in the practice enough to bear the hardships inherent in it, while striving to work steadily, speak gently, and moderate all behaviors. Madhyama is able to devote themselves and ultimately become absorbed in the practice much sooner than the mrdu. In my understanding of what I am reading in Light on Yoga, what differentiates the average student or madhyama from the superior seeker or adhimātra is not only their mastery of character, speech, and action; but also their belief in the Guru [again for purposes here insert teacher, books and other resources of learning on subject]. What differentiates the superior seeker from a supreme one or adhimātratama is their mastery of all the adhimātra has mastered, along with the mastery of the skills as outlined in the Eight Limbs of Yoga, which ultimately create much goodness, skill, and enthusiasm, as well as control of mind and freedom from fear. The idea being the more skilled you are at being a student the faster you reach enlightenment or freedom.
I don't want to short change Iyengar's message on the role of a real Guru (and remember from my last article gu=darkness ru=light - so Guru lights the dark areas for the aspirant). The Guru inspires us to maintain abhyasa (constant and determined practice) and vairagya (freedom from desires) so that we can create the foundation of a calm and tranquil mind needed for our growth and evolution. A Guru has deep significance in Yoga, because someone who has reached true Guru status is free from ego drives, so is unequivocally devoted to our growth and isn't in it for the "fame or gain". In turn, the student must have confidence, devotion, and love for the Guru. The student must believe in the guidance provided.
It is this idea of "belief" on which I want to concentrate. I'm going to tangent off subject to make a point that belief creates a powerful energetic exchange. Much of our world is created on beliefs. Belief that our currency has a particular value. Belief in the medical testimony of wellness as a result of a series of specific diagnostic procedures and/or prescriptions. Belief in the Scientific Method of query, observation, hypothesis, prediction, testing, and analysis.
Over the last several years, belief has created much controversy as our blind faith in certain institutions has duped us --sometimes out of our life savings. It has come under scrutiny as well in scientific experiments with what has become known as the Observer Effect. It has been an ongoing question (for some) as to whether the experimenter has any influence on the outcome of an experiment. It was most publicized on the Double Slit Experiment where depending on the experiment set up a photon behaved like a particle or a wave. (Click on experiment but also see New Scientist article and search others)
The result in my eyes has been that we've had to be a lot more discerning. Steve Jacobson, a teacher of Philosophy at Georgia State University and of Yoga at Stillwater Yoga in Atlanta has delved into the concept of belief in regards to the Ancient Indian Theories. He tackles the subject of rational belief much better than I ever could in a chapter he wrote for the book, Yoga - Philosophy for Everyone: Bending Mind & Body, edited by Liz Stillwaggon Swan. In Chapter 5, entitled "Standing on your head, seeing things right side up," Steve sets up vivid examples of scales of rational belief that (as a quick broad statement) run the gamut of people who would be considered scientifically illiterate to those with highly specialized scientific expertise. He explores the question of whether it is reasonable to believe in Ancient Indian Theories when there are clearly superior theories in science. I encourage you to read it and decide for yourself what is reasonable for you and don't stop there. Keep searching.
As I've explained, our world is dependent on our having certain beliefs. There are benefits and pitfalls, so we must be discriminating. However, it has been my personal experience in the whelm of learning that when I believe in something wholeheartedly for the time that I am learning it, I gain much more. I feel when we believe in our teachers, if only for that hour and a half in class, we create a solid space for new learning and growth. Iyengar explains that when the student has faith in the teacher and teacher has faith in the student the senses are more alert, the concentration more absorbed, the actions are more focused. So learning takes place faster. Iyengar tells the story of two students: Indra and Virochana. Indra, the king of the Gods, and Virochana, a demon prince both went to a spiritual teacher Brahmā to learn about the Supreme Self. Both were in the same space, listening to the same words, but Indra obtained enlightenment, and Virochana did not. Indra developed and evolved with intellectual humility, his memory sharpened with every lesson - all due to his devotion to the subject and belief in his teacher. Virochana stayed in his intellectual pride. He wanted the knowledge so he could pontificate, impress, and gain power. His memory was limited by his intellect. Even though he was an intellectual giant, he gained nothing from his lessons. He felt it condescending to listen to Brahmā, so he left a doubter and no brighter.
You may be thinking, 'That's all well and good, but what if one of my teachers tells me to do it this way and another says something totally different. How do I know which is the right way? What is the truth?' Did you ever consider that the truth is still unfolding for you? The little I know about BKS Iyengar, I've come to truly admire how his articulation of a particular pose changes as his experience of it evolves through his personal practice and teaching. Therefore, what may be emphasized one year, may be totally different from the next. However, if we were lucky enough to be there for both years (and I hope to one day), we'd have the benefit of comparison - the benefit of evaluating how both articulations bring more intelligence, more stability, and more depth to the pose. Remember from my last article the goal of Iyengar teachers is to help us find Sthira Sukham Āsanam (Sutra 11:47, sweet, stable comfortable yoga pose within a vibration of oneness), so that Prayatna śaithila ananta samāpattibhām (Sutra 11:48, the effort to perform the pose becomes effortless), which will help us experience Tatah dvandva ānabhighātah (Sutra 11:49 a place where the dualities of the pose (or life) cease to disturb or constrain us). Our devotion to the variety of articulations provided by our teachers of any particular pose brings us closer and closer to attaining the benefits outlined in these three Sutras.
As a student of yoga or anything for that matter, we may not ever be able to be the adhimātratama or supreme student as defined by Iyengar. We most likely will teeter from the mrdu to the madhyama and maybe by some miracle get a glimpse of being a adhimātra. However, if we strive to be that supreme student and believe for the duration of our class in what is being taught, our belief will give us the energy to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we are learning. When we walk out the door, we can have our doubts (doubts are good in my book, they make you explore and dig deeper) we can do our own homework, and study what we've learned on our own time, so we can see what the truth is for ourselves.
Again, don't take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Whatever you need to learn, believe in what is being taught for the moment. You may be amazed at how much more you'll get out of your classes, books, or other resources; and even more amazed at how fast your body and mind evolve as you discover your new truths for yourself.
Namaste.
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