Isvara Pranidhana

“…the gradual shift within from the external self to the True Self, loosening the hold of my ego and coming to identify with the billion lights within and all around – with what is larger than I… brings me a deep, uncanny relief.”

~ Sue Monk Kidd

I could approach this post the same way I usually do, with full yoga scholar hat on.  If I did that, I would tell you the ways in which the phrase is translated, the take of modern scholars on the meaning in current social contexts, and the way that plays out in our physical and energetic anatomy on the mat.

However, this niyama is personal. It’s as personal as it gets. So personal that it’s universal. When I see the phrase “devotion to the Lord” and consider the diversity of our yoga circles: different religious paths, different spiritual experiences, different lifestyles, etc, etc, my ego worries about pleasing all of those differences with a one-size fits all definition.

Instead, I’m going to go the deeply personal route and describe Isvara Pranidhana from my own experience. I use the yamas and niyamas as an ethical framework for approaching my work in the world (yamas) and my internal work (niyamas). And, even through that good work, my ego perseveres. There is a sense within of trying to control the output following on all this very intentional input. But, in the end, I give it all up. I give it up to my Teacher, to the Earth, to the Universe. I give it up to the All-That-Is which includes me but is certainly not limited to me. And one thing I know is true from years of practicing and teaching yoga, letting go is about the hardest job we can ever do.

So, practice this this month. Let go. Surrender. Trust in Grace. And see if you can glimpse the billion lights within and all around.

Svadhyaya - self-study

Svadhyaya takes the power of tapas and directs and integrates it. We begin to dive deeper, moving past the stilled surface created by our work with the yamas. According to Iyengar, it is reading one’s own book of life, at the same time as writing and revising it.

Svadhyaya is not narcissistic. As we know, this eight limbed path moves towards Samadhi – a realization of our oneness with all that is. Therefore, svadhyaya, although the study of the self, is not limited to the study of the individual personality. It begins there and moves deeper and deeper as we release, through tapas, the masks of separateness.

In asana, we practice svadhyaya as we cultivate an internal gaze – seeing our body from the inside and letting go of external ideas of how our body should look or feel.

As you move through your asana practice, pause after each pose. Actively cultivate the internal gaze of self-reflection. What do you notice? In what way has the pose shifted your energy, your muscles, your bones, your breath? Move thoughtfully through your practice this way, and notice how this perspective begins to follow you off of the mat as well.

Tapas - right effort

Tapas is variously translated as right effort, sustained practice, and heat. Tapas is the heat that burns away impurities as well as that which kindles the sparks of divinity. The heat of tapas is generated by our non-habituated and enthusiastic commitment.

Tapas, therefore, is not a concept only limited to our yoga mats or even to some sort of obtuse philosophical side road. Tapas is the commitment we show towards our mates, towards our children, towards our work in the world, towards ourselves. Cultivating tapas really begins at the source of these commitments. Discipline which becomes competitive or habituated is not tapas. Commitment is chosen out of enthusiasm and connection. We connect to our partners, our work, our children, ourselves in joy and out of that connection, our commitment grows.

Tapas is an important step along the path of the yamas and the niyamas as it is the hinge between the internal and external practice – it is a conscious turning inward toward growth.

In asana, tapas is naturally created as we step onto our mats. Asana burns away toxins and releases impurities. To continue this, we need only make a commitment to stepping onto our mats regularly and enthusiastically connecting our body and our breath.

Santosha - contentment

Yoga Sutra 11.42:

samtosat-anuttamah sukha-labhah

“contentment brings supreme happiness.”

Santosha is a feeling of deep contentment. Although it is not a permanent state, it is also not fleeting, such as the joy one feels at an external event. The state of santosha is an essential ingredient in many of the yamas. For example, the way to stem greed (aparigraha) is to cultivate deep contentment.

And so, as with the other yamas and niyamas, santosha is a cultivated state. It is as natural and available to us as air, we need only open up and allow it. Greeding, hatred, lying, etc all mask santosha. If we can accept that it is our true nature to be content, we can release these masks.

How does contentment come into your work on the mat? In asana, we cultivate this balance between challenging ourselves and non-attachment to outcome. That balance point is santosha. When you are struggling in a pose, moving back and diving into your breath can bring you back to santosha.

Saucha - purity

Saucha, as with all of the yamas and niyamas, strives for cleanliness in thought, word, and deed. We may think exclusively of external cleansing, yet even our notions about being clean can be examined.

Cleansing the body:

Externally: Dinacharya, an ayurvedic guide for daily purification.

Internally: Asana and pranayama, healthy (sattvic) food and herbs

Cleansing the mind:

We have begun the work of cleansing the mind through our practice of the yamas, particularly when we focus our intentions on our thoughts: cultivating non-harming, truthful, pure and nongrasping thoughts.

All work with saucha exists in a cycle, for cleanliness is a transient state. For this reason, we return to our mat on a regular basis, we can read inspirational works, journal, engage in reflective communities, among other things.

Asana practices, particularly heating poses such as utkatasana (chair pose), chaturanga dandasana (four limbed staff pose), and pranayama such as kapalabati (skull shining breath) and nadi shodana (alternate nostril breathing), burn our toxins and impurities. Internal cleanliness radiates beauty and joy. Impurity brings rigidity in the body, mind and energy field. By contrast, internal cleanliness and clarity allows us to come into both physical and energetic balance.

Turning

“As we begin to shift our sense of what our lives are about, we’ll notice that our focus starts to change. Instead of always pre-occupying ourselves with trying to get what we think we want or need, we’ll start to quiet, we’ll start to listen. We’ll wait for that inner prompting. We’ll try to hear, rather than decide, what it is we should do next. And as we listen, we’ll hear our dharma more and more clearly, and so we’ll begin turning more and more of our acts to that place of deeper wisdom. As that happens, all our fascination with our roles and our plans and our desires and our melodramas will begin to fall away. More and more, we will open ourselves to just being the instruments of the dharma. And then we’ll discover that we’ve lost our lives – and found them. “  - Ram Dass

As we transition from working with the yamas (restraints) into the niyamas (observances), we let go of assuming the role of school marm to an untamed mind. We are starting to get a sense of what’s external, including our bodies. We’re getting that it’s not really wise or efficacious to boss our bodies or others around (ahimsa), to be fake (satya), to take what’s not ours, including a deep forward bend when our low back is sore, (asteya), to direct energy towards our most magnificent self as well as the MMS of others (brahmacharya) and to get in our bodies and in our closets that more, more, more of anything doesn’t serve (aprigraha).

We now observe within – we look inward to our natural state – a state of purity, contentment, austerity, self-understanding and surrender.

Oh, no. It’s really there. Trust me.

But, in order to make that transition, we have to take a 180 of sorts. Instead of the arduous discipline of excavating our deepest held violences, falsities, thefts, lust, and greed, we are now just allowing the cleansing wind (prana) to blow all excess away as we watch and listen and begin to open our internal eyes to just how magnificent we truly are. To our innocence, joy, dedication, beauty and absolute and unshakeable support. We won’t decide to be any of these things. We’ll just accept that we are.

In preparation, try this:

Begin by finding a comfortable seated position, closing the eyes lightly, loosening the shoulders down away from the ears, and settling in to focus on the breath.

Deepen your interaction with the breath by drawing the inhale fully into the whole torso – to the front, the sides, the back and all the way down to the tailbone. Let the exhale release its way up the spine. Feel the crown of the head draw up and the spine lengthen. Continue this way as each breath lengthens the spine, creating space between the vertebra. It’s as if you are growing taller with each breath.

Now, begin to open up to the full capacity of the breath, the fullness of life energy (prana) circulating through you. Take a full inhale. Pause and take in an extra sip of breath. Now release the breath, letting go completely. At the end, pause, and, using the strength of your navel chakra, pump the last bit of stale breath out of the body. Repeat this process, and, as you inhale, imagine bringing in everything that’s available to you – breath, and also support, ease, joy: more than you could have imagined. As you exhale, visualize releasing all that doesn’t serve your body, heart and soul: discomfort, toxins, self-limiting beliefs. Actually feel these things leaving your mind, your heart, your body – releasing down into the earth.  Repeat this cycle 10-15 times.

Release the breath work and move back into a steady, easy inhale and smooth exhale. Notice the change in the quality of your breath and your energy (prana). Use this technique whenever you are holding on too tightly or feel blind to your blessings. Know that you have enough, you do enough. You are enough.

xoxoxom

Namaste,

Amy

Aparigraha - non-greeding

When we are greedy, we rob ourselves of contentment. More subtle than asteya (non-stealing), greed is an internal seed which disrupts our ability to accept the flow of goodness in our lives. According to Iyengar, “one should not hoard or collect things one does not require immediately…collection or hoarding of things implies a lack of faith in God and in [one]self to provide for [one’s] future.” The anitidote, Iyengar claims, lies in trust that “everything [one] really needs will come… by itself at the proper time.”

“Whatever you stockpile – be it diamonds, big houses, fame, money, proficiency at advanced yoga poses, or less flashy things, you will inevitably encounter two certainties. First, all will be lost. Second, these things, in and of themselves, will never satisfy your cravings, which are expressions of your feelings of fear and emptiness.” (Lasater, p. 107).

Try these affirmations:

There is enough

You are already whole.

In asana, trust that you have enough – enough energy, enough support, enough breath. In pranayama, work with breath retention. Within the space of retention, consider the pause. Rest in the space of greedlessness: neither grasping for inhale or exhale.

Brahmacharya - Non-lusting

Brahmacarya may be the single most contentious tenet on the yogic path. Perhaps because, on the surface, it appears to draw such a hard and fast line between the ascetic in the cave and the householder. It is classically translated as “chastity” or “celibacy” and not as easily clarified. If you were to really look into the classical roots of this concept, you would almost need to understand the whole of the history of Yoga and all of its branches and manifestations.

Suffice it to say, a more helpful modern interpretation of the word Brahmacarya is to “walk with the divine.” In the same way that a renunciate may choose chastity in the form of sexual celibacy, we householders and modern yogis may choose to purify our own energy (prana). We can do this by staying in the present moment and expressing our prana wisely. We don’t want our energy to leak out in frivolous pursuits. We want to channel it so that we are in line with our dharma, or right path.

In asana, we can work with the energies of the chakras to purify what we manifest in our poses. The “lower” chakras – particularly muladhara, the root chakra, and svadisthana, the sacral chakra – are what tie us to the Earth and our own creativity. We channel that energy up and through our heart, anahata chakra, and manifest it into the world. A great practice for this is udiyanna bandha, or the abdominal lock.

In general, consider your own energy in your asana practice. When you move into a pose, breathe there and consider the flow of prana through your body. Make any adjustments that feel right to facilitate that flow. Keep your awareness in the present moment – bringing together your body, your breath, your prana as one seamless manifestation of the divine.

Asteya - non-stealing

“The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child.” – Joe Houldsworth

B.K.S. Iyengar calls the impulse of stealing: “The desire to possess and enjoy what another has.” In this regard, in our asana practice, we may be tempted to “steal” a pose that our body isn’t ready for. This then leads back to the first two yamas: ahimsa and staya. Accept your body and be kind to it. This will tame the temptation to move beyond your own body’s limits right now. Further, it can encourage each of us to see our bodies anew with each breath -- meeting our body moment by moment.

Yet, deep within, there is a strong undertone of accepting abundance (pusti) and releasing a fear of scarcity, as stealing “grows from believing we cannot create what we need” (Aadil Palkhivala). In asana, we may resist moving fully into a pose due to a feeling of lack in regards to our own energy. To counter this, we can cultivate a trust in each pose’s inherent ability to provide the energy required to do it, to breathe, and to accept our own magnificence!

Satya - Truthfulness

“A truth that’s told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent.”

– William Blake

The foundation of yoga, it is said, is love and truth. Ahimsa and Satya go hand-in-hand. Truth is a tricky thing. There is the external truth and the internal truth, or integrity. It may be easier (or not) to tell the truth about something you saw, heard, experienced which was also seen, heard, experienced by another. But, what about our internal experience? What does it mean to be in integrity with our internal truth?

In asana: Are you being truthful about your ability to move into a pose, particularly a challenging pose? If there is major misalignment based on your body’s own chronic holding patterns, is your whole body truthfully executing the pose? Assess yourself honestly. Listen to the truth your body speaks. If you’ve lost your breath, feel more tension than awareness, or go into pain, move back, modify, listen.

How does satya manifest in your work on the mat this week? Are you telling the truth about your own experience? Onsider the interplay of ahimsa and satya. When I am truthful about my own body, it is natural to treat my body with awareness and kindness.

What is a meaningful way to work with satya in your daily life? Ask: "Are my thoughts truthful? Are my words truthful and in integrity? Are my actions truthful?" Take one small step in your practice of satya.

Settle in to a comfortable, supported reclined position. Beginning with the physical adjustments of your body, listen in for your body’s truth about its needs for comfort and support.

 A meditative journey with Satya

Extend the body long to unwind any contractions held through the length of the body. If your low back is sore, support it by taking a bolster, pillow, or rolled blanket under the knees. Lengthen the legs and then relax the feet out to the sides.

Shrug the heart center towards the sky and relax the shoulder blades down and in towards the heart. Find a comfortable place for the hands – out to the sides with palms up? Onto the belly to feel the breath? What feels right for this moment?

Roll the head from side to side on the floor or mat to release any tension in the neck. If you’d like, place an eye pillow over the eyes or simply allow the eyes to close and the gaze to turn downwards towards the heart.

As you relax in this comfortable, supported pose, begin to hold this question: What is my truth?  Move through your body, heart, and mind, releasing any tension with the breath. As you create extra space in this moment, continue to hold this question: What is my truth?

Move your awareness slowly through your body from head to fingers and toes. Bring awareness to any parts of the body that feel particularly good, where you feel a sense of your strength, your absolute wellness and utter safety. As you identify places like this, breathe in gratitude. As you exhale, feel that feeling of gratitude expand. Slowly, breath by breath, feel your whole body, your whole heart and mind, filled with gratitude. Let the threads of gratitude weave and fortify this internal space, holding this question: What is my truth?

Relax and ease each part of your body – moving from the crown of the head, over the forehead, under the eyes, through the jaw, the scalp, the neck, the shoulders, the arms, the spine, the torso, the legs and feet.  Imagine the breath as nurturing hands kneeding away the tension and stress of the day. In this space of ease, hold the question: what is my truth?

Feel your breath get easier and easier. Effortless. Feel the systems of the body return to their natural state of wellness. The heart is open and easy. All other thoughts in the mind fade as you hold this singular question: What is my truth?

What is my truth?

After some time, begin to deepen the breath and expand your focus to include your body. Listen into the body as you begin to move again. Gently return to a seated position and begin to live into this question: What is my truth?

Ahimsa (Non-Violence): starting on the mat

Working with Ahimsa means bringing an intention of non-violence into thought, word, and deed. Ahimsa is considered the foundation of yogic ethics.

Violence, according to B.K.S. Iyengar, resides in a person’s “mind and not in the instrument [s/]he holds in his[/her] hand” (1994, p. 32). Ultimately, it is essential to evolve toward the change of thoughts in order to achieve ahimsa.

In asana: begin to witness your body. Let go of competitive ego and expectations and trust that your body is right where it’s supposed to be. Be present to yourself, treat yourself with compassion. Modify when necessary and accept props as appropriate.

What is the tone of your body awareness during asana? Fighting or surrender, dominance or witnessing, attachment or acceptance?

How does the idea of non-harming play out in your life off the mat? Witness your thoughts, listen to your own speech, notice your actions. What does non-harming mean to you?

Intention

It is the work of the heart to birth intention, rather than that of the mind.

Phillip Moffitt, a Buddhist meditation teacher, offers this article on fine-tuning our understanding of intention and differentiating intention from goal-setting. With goals, Moffitt says “the future is always the focus: Are you going to reach the goal? Will you be happy when you do? What next?” Intention, by contrast, “is a path or practice that if focused on how you are ‘being’ in the present moment.” A goal says “I want to grow a tree.” Intention tends the soil.

 Moffitt is clear that intentions are generated not by the mind, but in the heart (see the intention meditation below). “Goals help you make your place in the world and be an effective person. But being grounded in intention is what provides integrity and unity in your life.”

 Setting an intention is not a one-time event, but a process, a practice. We set our intention and live it. We use our practices (yoga postures, pranayama, meditation, journaling, etc) to move inward into that reflective space to again cultivate those intentions and then we move it back out into the world. We walk it off our mats and into our lives. And then we begin again. It’s this dialectic process of working back and forth between the mat and our lives that allows us to stay engaged in life in a way that is grounded in our deepest truths.

"And now the teaching on yoga begins."

Thus begins the Yoga Sutra, a quintessential text for anyone intending to take the study of Yoga deeper into their hearts and lives. It's easy to see this opening, as Charlotte Bell did, "as a throwaway verse," but on deeper examination, it can be honored as a setting of intention.

Next time you take to your mat, or begin anything -- your day, a task, a conversation -- try pausing to feel an intention take form in the heart. I'll offer here a formal way for creating that pause, but know that even the pause of one breath can create a framework for what proceeds that is more fully-tethered to your inner truth.

Find a quiet space and take a seat which supports the spine. This may be a traditional seated posture, or it may be sitting in a supportive chair. Wherever you may be, sit with purpose. Let your spine be supported by the rooting of the sitting bones and lengthened by the suspension of the crown of the head towards the heavens.  Rest your hands on your knees or thighs.

Inhale as you let your gaze soften to the floor. Exhale as you let your eyes close and your shoulders melt down and back. Scan your senses, bringing your awareness into the present moment. Let your present moment awareness come to focus on your breath.

As your breath lengthens, direct the breath to the heart center. As you breathe in, behold the space of your heart. As you exhale, feel any tightness there float out. As you inhale, draw your hands together in prayer position just in front of the heart. As you exhale, hold the space open as you feel intention arise. Trust whatever comes through -- be it a word, an image, an affirmation, or something you can just glimpse a bit of. Trust that you have more than enough to begin.

As you feel ready, press the thumb knuckles into the heart center to seal your intention. Rub the palms together vigorously to begin to manifest your intention. Split the warm palms over the eyes. As you are ready, open the eyes into the palms -- begin to see with your intention. Float the hands back down to the knees and proceed with your practice, whatever it may be.

Namaste