Last week, I was in Nova Scotia with my family. We stayed for a week, splitting our stay between Halifax, where my in-laws live, and White Point Beach Resort on the southern shore. The highlight for me, this time, was the ocean. Talk about “meditating on the infinite” (the theme of my recent posts)… the … [Read more…]
Anantāsana (Sleeping/Reclining Vishnu): Lie on your side, supporting your head with the bottom arm or hand. Stretch the body into a long line, with hips and feet stacked vertically. Bend the top knee, and bring it towards your shoulder. Holding that foot with your hand or a strap, extend the leg upwards. Open the foot … [Read more…]
2.47 By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness and by meditating on the infinite, āsana is mastered. The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, translation by Swami Satchidananda The question of “meditating on the infinite” in āsana practice has continued to occupy my mind this week. I’ve been reflecting on how I teach the āsanas. When I … [Read more…]
Lately, I’ve been reading the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. This ancient Indian text was written about 400 CE in Sanskrit. It contains 196 aphorisms – sūtras, or “threads” – that present the essence of yoga. It is a concise manual, at times enigmatic in its conciseness, that begins with the premise that 1.2 Yoga is … [Read more…]
When, like a tortoise withdrawing his limbs, one withdraws each and all of the senses from their objects, his wisdom is established. – Bhagavad Gītā, 2.58 prati = away from or against āhāra = food; what we take in through our senses; external influences pratyāhāra = withdrawal from external influences; sense withdrawal Those of you … [Read more…]
Wed. Apr. 10th, 7:30-8:45pm – New session (11 weeks) of Traditional Hatha Yoga starts at the Meredith Centre. All levels. Registration is through the Meredith Centre. Drop-ins are also welcome. Sat. Apr. 20, 4:00-5:00pm – Community Kirtan at Vraie Nature Yoga. This a free event, open to all. Join us for the singing of yoga … [Read more…]
This year, my calendar features the wisdom and calligraphy of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. February’s page looks like this: Beneath this beautiful calligraphy, we find the explanation that true love consists of: loving kindness (maitri in Sanskrit) – benevolence, friendliness, good will compassion (karuna) – the desire to help, to alleviate another’s suffering joy … [Read more…]
This is the last of our eight-week series on the “Deeper Dimensions of Yoga.” This week, we explore “isvarapranidhana”, which can mean either surrender or devotion, or both! Here, Patanjali (author/compiler of the Yoga Sutras) is referring specifically to surrender or devotion to God. But even if God is not a concept we relate … [Read more…]
Two weeks ago, we started our foray into what Patanjali calls “kriya yoga”, the yoga of action (Yoga Sutras, 2.1). Kriya yoga has three components: – “tapas”: self-discipline, self-restraint – “svadhyaya”: Self-inquiry, Self-study – “ishvarapranidhana”: devotion, surrender This week, we focus on svadhyaya. Svadhyaya is any form of “study that leads to knowledge of the … [Read more…]
Last week’s class focused on “tapas” – the energy of self-restraint. When we practice tapas, we choose to restrain ourselves from habits that in the end bring us suffering and/or lead us away from Truth. There are many examples of this, but today we focused on one such habit: thinking too much! (Recall Patanjali’s definition … [Read more…]