7th Limb of Yoga- Dhyana
(meditation)
"The main tool is the practice of meditation. It trains you to stay, it trains you to be gentle with yourself, it stabilizes your mind so that it can stay more and more, and it also gives you a method to work with the discursive thoughts, with the momentum that takes you away from the present. So it's a simple instruction and learning how to do it with gentleness, spaciousness, light touch, and all of this, is what you train in" Pema Chodron, Getting Unstuck audio cds
"The tendency to struggle with ourselves is so strong" Pema Chodron
We come back to the breath with gentleness and warmth. The breath becomes a support for what we are doing.
In meditation we are spending more and more time absorbed in the ocean of consciousness. We slip into it effortlessly.
It can be difficult to know when absorption is happening, or has happened. Two clues are your breath has become quieter, and time passes quickly.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
6th Limb of Yoga- Dharana
(contemplation, concentration)
The final three limbs of yoga are not practices, but progressive states of consciousness. In dharana, we spend some small amount of time absorbed in what we are doing. We are briefly touching into the vast ocean of consciousness and experiencing absorption. And then we return to the breath. Over and back, over and back.
We each are like drops of water in the great ocean. We struggle in life because we forget we are the vast ocean; we think we are separate- we think we are small. In dharana, we are absorbed, however briefly, in the vast ocean.
An advanced yoga student is one who can stay with the breath.
(contemplation, concentration)
The final three limbs of yoga are not practices, but progressive states of consciousness. In dharana, we spend some small amount of time absorbed in what we are doing. We are briefly touching into the vast ocean of consciousness and experiencing absorption. And then we return to the breath. Over and back, over and back.
We each are like drops of water in the great ocean. We struggle in life because we forget we are the vast ocean; we think we are separate- we think we are small. In dharana, we are absorbed, however briefly, in the vast ocean.
An advanced yoga student is one who can stay with the breath.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
5th Limb of Yoga- Pratyahara
(relaxation, or sense-withdrawl)
The most subtle of the three aspects of Hatha Yoga.
We relax back into our deepest self and rest there.
We relax back from the surface activity/tension in our minds.
Find an inner gaze, such as the flame of a candle at the third-eye point (center of the brow.) As we learn to turn our attention inward and rest there, the mind is well-prepared for the deeper limbs of yoga.
(relaxation, or sense-withdrawl)
The most subtle of the three aspects of Hatha Yoga.
We relax back into our deepest self and rest there.
We relax back from the surface activity/tension in our minds.
Find an inner gaze, such as the flame of a candle at the third-eye point (center of the brow.) As we learn to turn our attention inward and rest there, the mind is well-prepared for the deeper limbs of yoga.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
4th Limb of Yoga- Prananyama
(refinement of breath/life force)
"Through the steady rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, the air and prana circulate within and between the physical and subtle bodies" p. 233
It is said there are three main energy channels in the body though which prana flows: ida, pingala, and shushumna nadi. When the first two are balanced, latent energy can travel up through the central channel (shushumna), which leads to deeper states of consciousness.
Refinement of the breath creates an environment for meditation. Meditation leads to deeper states of consciousness.
Together with asana and relaxation, pranayama is an essential component of Hatha yoga.
"With rhythmical breathing, we align and "comb" the energy; it becomes smoother, calmer, and more focused. The focused energy then acts like a magnet, attracting like polarities to us" p.235
"Asana steadies the body; pranayama aligns the mental and emotional patterns. We will then guide the senses through pratyahara, allowing us to focus and dive deep within" p.238
The yoga sutras say pranayama "lifts the veils covering the inner light". Our true selves are revealed as the prana in the body is enhanced/guided/refined. Things have prana. The ocean, for example, has a lot of prana. Prana is life force.
quotes taken from The Secret Power of Yoga, by Nischala Joy Devi
(refinement of breath/life force)
"Through the steady rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, the air and prana circulate within and between the physical and subtle bodies" p. 233
It is said there are three main energy channels in the body though which prana flows: ida, pingala, and shushumna nadi. When the first two are balanced, latent energy can travel up through the central channel (shushumna), which leads to deeper states of consciousness.
Refinement of the breath creates an environment for meditation. Meditation leads to deeper states of consciousness.
Together with asana and relaxation, pranayama is an essential component of Hatha yoga.
"With rhythmical breathing, we align and "comb" the energy; it becomes smoother, calmer, and more focused. The focused energy then acts like a magnet, attracting like polarities to us" p.235
"Asana steadies the body; pranayama aligns the mental and emotional patterns. We will then guide the senses through pratyahara, allowing us to focus and dive deep within" p.238
The yoga sutras say pranayama "lifts the veils covering the inner light". Our true selves are revealed as the prana in the body is enhanced/guided/refined. Things have prana. The ocean, for example, has a lot of prana. Prana is life force.
quotes taken from The Secret Power of Yoga, by Nischala Joy Devi
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