The first four limbs are outward practices, focusing on how we interact with others, self-discipline, observing ourselves breathing and moving. The next four are inward practices that begin to subtly take us deeper within our minds. These four practices build upon one another to bring us to the highest consciousness.

Prayahara is the withdrawing from the senses. In other words, it’s tuning out the physical and mental stimulators that take in the world around you. In this practice, we use pranayama as the tool for withdrawing our senses.

Dharana is acute focus and concentration. The practitioner strives for complete absorption into one thought by stilling the busy, turning mind.

Dhyana is moving into Meditation, or concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it.

Samadhi means to bring together to merge. In this state, the body and senses are at rest, but the faculty of mind and reason are alert. You need to control the feelings of Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life).

We practice the first four limbs in order to prepare the body and mind to take on the task of moving inward. Do we reach Samadhi? Is that the final outcome? Most likely, we won’t. Or if you obtain a bright flash of the brilliance of Samadhi, it goes as quickly as it comes. Seeking the state of perfect consciousness is the essence of the practice of yoga. Come, and let’s practice together. Let’s change the world by changing ourselves.  One step at a time.

The fourth rung of Ashtanga yoga is Pranayama, or control of the life force. In a word, breath. Stop and think for a moment… breath is so important that it’s given its own category in the eight limbed practice. Breathing, this seemingly mindless, simple effort, has a powerful effect on our physical bodies. Additionally, it affects our ability to cope with life’s daily stress and in helping us maintain our optimum health.

In our Ashtanga vinyasa yoga practice, and in our Hot Yoga 40 and 41 sequences, we use Ujjayi  (pronounced “OO-ja-ee”) pranayama, or Victorious Breath. It’s a deep, full breath through the nose with a lift or constriction of the glottis, or back of the throat. The resulting sound is a loud “whisper” often compared to the sound of the ocean as the waves wash in and out from the shore. So, using this Ujjayi breath, we put the effort of maintaining connection to the breath throughout the entire practice. Aside from the physical benefits of deep, concentrated breathing (increased lung capacity, more movement of the muscles involved with breath…) we find the concentration required is soothing to the nervous system and helps the body stay in a state of relaxation during an extremely demanding physical practice.

If life force = breath control, it would follow that the study of the practice of pranayama is the study of being alive; much like the study of Asana is practice being ourselves. And in addition to the Ujjayi pranayama, there are many other types of breathing exercises that are available to us in the study of Yoga. There are many teachers at our studio who can instruct you if you’re interested in studying pranayama. We’re here to help you.

I always like to leave you with some motivation to explore the subjects of my blog, and today’s motivation can be simply this: watch yourself breathing today. Come back to the observance continually throughout today and for the week ahead. Give yourself a trigger that you will associate with remembering this task. It could be each time the phone rings, or every red traffic light. Just watch how you breathe in the different situations that arise through your day. Watch and take note. You only need a minimum of 5 breaths, but shoot for more. Are you breathing deeply or shallowly? Do you use conscious awareness of breath? Try to breathe your way through difficult situations such as a working at a demanding job, the compulsion to eat because of stress, experiencing feelings of loneliness or anxiety… stay with your breath and stay connected to yourself and to being alive in this physical body. Take note of all you observe as you breathe. You will notice immediately a sense of peace. There are many things will learn from this practice.

Pay attention. Seek information from your body. Breathe deeply and keep practicing.

Namaste.

I’ve been doing some reading on this subject and thought I’d share what I’ve been learning and thinking about. Until recently, I’ve thought of compassion as unconditional love for others. But, I’ve come to find that it’s much more than this.

Compassion is the willingness to take on the perspective and suffering of another in order to share that burden and in exchange, to give that person love, hope and support. So, it actually is much more active than I had realized. It becomes an effort in reaching out and allowing your mind to rest on the suffering of another person. You must somehow identify with their pain, not just sympathize. True compassion requires dialing into the other person’s emotional responses to their circumstance rather than seeing or feeling your own personal response. It requires “energetic listening” and a desire to really understand what the other person is going through.

I have been going at this all wrong.  My instinct is to provide nurturing to people and trying to come up with ways of getting them to see another perspective of their situation. I see that this approach can make people feel that their state of suffering is not valid, that their feelings are being dismissed.  Compassion, in its fullness, means to take on that suffering as if I am the other person. So, instead… I must allow myself to experience their pain, and from that place, provide comfort in the form of quiet meditation that they may be free of their suffering and the cause of that suffering.

This practice of compassion is going to be an ongoing effort now, for me. I’ll just try to catch myself when I start going back to my old patterns and remember what I’m learning…  Practice and all is coming, once again.

This week I’m sharing with you the article below about Moon Days and Ashtanga Yoga. This comes from the Ashtanga.com website. This official website is a wealth of information for Yogis that want to learn more about the practice. I’ve found that taking regular rest days, which include Saturdays and Moon Days, is vital in progressing your asana practice. After a rest day, I feel stronger and my practice is better because my body has had time to recover. When you begin a consistent practice, you’ll really find these opportunities to rest beneficial.
My nature is to keep pushing through soreness and pain… maybe leftover runner’s mentality? And, I have to be disciplined when it comes to resting. You may find that as a beginner, it’s the opposite and you need discipline to get you on your mat each day. Over time, as you develop that “habit” of a daily practice, you find your body almost craving the practice the way you might crave food. That’s because you come to associate the series you’re working on as a welcome constant, a daily challenge and because you just plain feel better, physically, when you’re done.
As you read below, notice the reference to the idea of becoming attuned to the cycles of the moon and earth. Just another reason to commit to this practice…
Keep working and strive for that connection. And, all will be coming.
“Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?
Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.
The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.
The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.
Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it.”

PS – there are times when your personal schedule may not coincide with the prescribed rest day. When that happens, there is room for small adjustments to the specific day off. “Switching out” your rest day with another is a good way to honor this tradition. And, it’s better than not taking a rest day. Also, menstruation may require an additional day or two off your mat.
Peace and Blessings.

Sometimes I take a quiet moment of gratitude for the life I’m living. I get to do the thing I love the most for my job. And, maybe I don’t make very much money doing it, but it brings me such happiness.  Teaching yoga is so rewarding. I see people at their best… making life changes, meeting challenges on the mat and becoming strong in body and mind. I work with some of the coolest people around. The teachers that teach here are some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever known.

I am also involved in the training of new teachers. I love getting the group on that first day, seeing their excitement and hearing about their motivation to become yoga teachers. They’re so energetic and fresh as they embark on this journey. These students work really hard. First, they work on their own practice, then we shift and start working from a teaching perspective… it’s LOTS of work! Memorizing Sanskrit, learning anatomy, and attaining the confidence and skill to command a class…  and so much more.  I see amazing growth through this 6 month course. The class of 2012 graduates soon and I see such potential in them. Gratitude again for this life.

Above all, today I’m full of gratitude for my students. They come from all walks of life. High powered executives, educators, surgeons, stay at home Moms, college students, health care workers, engineers, bankers, laborers, technicians… I see one thing in common – people come to yoga to improve their lives. Whether the focus is health, weight loss or stress relief, more people are turning to yoga than ever before. And, I watch them change. I watch them as they lose weight, get strong, stand taller, smile more often and begin to move with awareness and elegance. It is so inspiring to witness.

From my heart, I thank you. Ashtanga yogis, Hot Yoga students, all of you that practice here  – I thank you, every one. You come in all weather, in the early mornings, after long days of work to practice yoga. It’s not easy to even find the time to get here, and once you’re here, the classes can be very challenging. But, you keep coming. I just want to express how much I admire you and what an inspiration you are to me and to all the teachers here. Keep practicing and moving forward with power and grace and focus. Show the world the beauty I see inside you.