I am having to cancel this Friday’s class (Friday 27th April) as I am traveling to New Plymouth for a workshop.  Classes resume again on Tuesday.

Namaste

Kim

I have had a fabulous break and have practiced sun salutes and more in lots of lovely sunny places (and a few rainy ones too!).

Classes start back on Friday February the 3rd (5 pm at Awatea Terrace) and Tuesday February the 7th (7.15 at Yoga on The Square).

Hope to see you then – please be in touch if you have any questions.

Go well,

Kim

Wow – sure is winter!  Classes are back in August to heat up the body and get the energy flowing again after winter hibernation!!  Come and join me after class on Tuesday the 2nd for some ukulele music at Cafe Barista, and help me celebrate my birthday.

There will be no classes on August the 16th or 19th as I will be involved in the production Fantasy at the Globe.  (Great family entertainment for only $5 per person – come along!!)

Namaste

Kim

Sanskrit version:

Om, Vande gurunam caranaravinde

Sandarsita svatma sukhava bodhe

Nih sreyase jangalikayamane

Samsara halahala mohasantyai

Abahu purusakaram

Sankhacakrasi dharinam

Sahasra sirasam svetam

Pranamami Patanjalim, Om

An english translation

I pray to the lotus feet of the Supreme Guru who teaches the

good knowledge, showing the way to knowing the self awakening great happiness;

whp is the doctor of the jungle able to remove the poison of the ignorance

of conditioned existence.

To Patanjali, as incarnation of Adisesa, white in colour with 1000

radiant heads (in his form as the divine serpent, Ananta), human in

form below the shoulders holding a sword (discrimination), a wheel of

fire (discus of light, representing infinite time),

and a conch (Divine sound) – to him.

From Ashtanga Yoga by Lino Miele

Kim’s translation: Patanjali, great teacher of the Yogis, please help me on my spiritual path. Eternal thanks, and thanks again.

Kim chanting the closing chant: Closing chant (Open MP3 file, 01:45)

This is the Friday night group chanting the Heart Sutra and Shanti mantra (with the dogs trying to get in the door in the background!). Heart sutra and shanti mantra  (Open MP3 file, 06:35)

These chants are shared to assist your own meditation and learning. I am not a sanskrit scholar.

Here’s the begineer’s version:

ASHTUNGA. Ashtau – Eight. Tunga – Limbs. Literally 8?limbs, or 8 parts of the?whole as outlined by Patanjali.

VINYASA. Vi – to cast from, move. Yasa – to prostrate, place, or plant. Movement and stillness in balance. I often translate this as Breath Movement System.

YOGA. Union with the Divine, or Universal Spirit, or Universal Conciousness. God if you like. This is both the Result and the Practice.

So, literally, if you divide yoga, our result, into 8 (ashtau) equal parts, you have Ashtunga Yoga – the 8 actions that are a part of the whole of union or immersion with the divine.

Ashtunga Vinyasa Yoga means that we use the Vinyasa method, that is a series of movements and stillness, prostration and independence, as a method of balancing the 8 parts (Ashtunga) of divine wholeness (Yoga). Which is why Guruji used to say “Do your practice and all is coming.”

Okay – hope that’s clear as mud. If you’re interest in knowing more, read on, because the quesiton is begged, what ARE the 8 limbs – the 8 parts of the whole.

It is important to remember that life is full of patterns, patters within patterns, and opposites. And remember that all things are connected, that the results of all actions are not just immediate and obvious, but more subtle and future reaching; cause and effect, karma, reaping what we sow.

The eight limbs. Traditionally they are presented as 1/ Yama: 2/ Niyama: 3/ Asana: 4/ Panayama: 5/ Pratyahara: 6/ Dharana: 7/ Diyana: 8/ Samadhi.

However, I will present them as 1/ Asana: 2/ Panayama: 3/ Pratyahara: 4/ Dharana: 5/ Diyana: 6/ Samadhi:? 7/ Yama: 8/ Niyama. Why? Because Guruji says to start at Asana, so why not number it 1? Also, by having Samadhi at 8, people assume it is the goal, but it is not, it is only part of the whole (yoga), and our goal, Santosha 8) (contentment) is part of Niyama – so let’s put Niyama at number 8 so that we remember what our goal is! I like to think of Santosha as the spot at the middle of the circle divided into 8 equal sections. When all the sections (limbs) are in balance, the centre of the cricle (Santosha) can shine.

The 8 limbs (ashtunga) in your AVY practice.

1. Asana. These are the postures. These help to strenghten the body to support the spine so that the practice becomes a moving meditation. As the body strenghtens your practice becomes stronger and more relaxed; don’t overdo it – if you are tired and fixated on the body you cannot move into the next limbs. 30 minutes a day is actually enough – you’ll see why in a moment.

When practicing, remember sthira – firm foundation and root, and sukha – blossoming and opening, space. Balance the gravity and the levity.

2. Pranayama. The relationship with prana, your life force energy. Personally I’m not in a space yet when I can control this directly, so if you’re like me we need to work on the prana through the breath. In our AVY practice we use Ujjayi or Victorious breath, we bring balance (sama) to the inhalation and exhalation, we move the body to the time of the breath, not the breath to the body. This gets easier as we practice our asana (1.) more regularly and we become fitter and stronger, and therefore don’t strain the breath (gasp!) so much.

3. Pratyahara. Sence control, or literally, hold back. Left to it’s own devices your mind will stay steady for about 6 seconds (try it!). Pratyahara is conciously controlling the mind to that it doesn’t fly off. It is helped by a calm steady breath (2.) and by setting the eyes on a looking plance (drishti). And the special bonus of AVY? The sanskrit count. Ekam, Dve, Trini, Catvari, Panca – it’s not easy to count in another language, and by giving the mind an important job to do it remains calm and focussed.

If you can hold back your mind for 12 seconds, then you are at the doorway to Dharana – that’s just two breaths! Hang in there!

4. Dharana.? Concentration, literally, to maintain the hold. At a high level of sence control (3. Pratyahara) the mind has become focussed and undistrurbed by stray thoughts and sensations. Within your AVY practice this is when your mind is focussed on the breath, eyes flowing from one drishti to the next – Dharana is only likely when your body knows the practice and is not disturbed by wondering what to do next, and is strong and fit so as not to be strained or breathless by the flow. You can start to see the power of the repitition of a known sequence.

If you can hold Dharana for a mere 12 x 12, 144 seconds (2m 24s), you are at the doorway to 5. Dhyana.

5. Dhyana. Meditation.

Remember the 4 steps to meditation; a supported spine, relaxed body, flowing breath, the repetition of a mantra. So – your body is strong but relaxed (sthira/sukha) and posture firm and open – the spine is caressed as you flow through the postures. The Victorious breath (Ujjayi) is flowing, and your mind counts the breath: Ekam, Dve, Trini, Catvari, – the count is your mantra. Or perhaps your mantra is ‘I am breathing in, I am breathing out’ or similar. Have you been here? You won’t have realised it until afterwards when you thought “wow! What happened there?” Your unbroken thread of breath strung each posture on a garland of asana (postures). You have achieved a moving meditation, and, when you are aware of it afterwards, it was wonderful!

6. Samadhi. Contemplation. Sama – equal, adhi – the highest. Literally, equal with all.

If you have managed to hold Pratyahara for 12s x 12 x 12, that is 28m 24s, you are at the doorway to Samadhi, and you can see all; this is self-realisation, or bliss. And it is bliss! How did we get here? Only 28 and a half minutes of flowing postures, riding the winds of breath. But – although Samadhi is the culmination of a really good session on the mat, remember it is only one part if the whole (yoga). You and I as regular householders will move out of Samadhi and return to our lives as parents, children, co-workers, community members. The purpose of acheiving Samadhi or Dhyana or Dharana is the next limb, Yama.

7. Yama. Relationships.

The yamas are often taught as a bunch of rules. But once you have reached Dharana, Dhyana, or Samadhi, you will naturally see the world around you as a part of a whole web of life. You will naturally, over time, be more compassionate and kind, and less inclined to harm others emotinally or physically (Ahisma), more inclined to be truthful (as long as it is not hurtful) (Satya), to not be jealous or greedy or steal or be stolen from (including our time and energy) (Asteya), and have no need to be possesive (Agarigraha). The reason for the yamas, guidance for relationships with others, is Bramacharya, literally, seeing God in all things around us, and then being inclined to treat others, things, and the planet, as we would like to be treated ourselves.

How is this expressed in you AVY practice? As you come out of your relaxation there is a sense of deep relaxation and joy, and by putting your hands together into the prayer position and mouthing ‘Namaste’ to your teacher and fellow students, you are acknowledging their divinity and equality to you. Listen to the birds or the ciccadas, or maybe the cars, and contemplate their place in the web of life too. Oh, and if you are in a class, you will have paid for it thus giving back your teacher energy in exchange for what they have given you.

8. Niyama. Relationship to self.

The Niyamas are often expressed as a set of moral codes. However, again, once you have been practicing for long enough to finish with a sense of peace, you will again natuarally begin to practice the Niyama as you subtly begin to understand your own divinity, your part in the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, inexhaustible potential and energy of intelligence, of creativity.

You will be more inclined to feel affection for all others as equal expressions of the diving (7. Yamas ), to keep one’s body clean and consume only what is healthy for it, including that others have not been harmed in its production (Shaucha), to carry out oberservances that discipline and purify the body and mind, such as chanting and your asana practice (1.) – oh look – we’ve linked back to the start! – to enquire more into the nature of things through study (Swadhyaya), and to surrender to the divine (Ishwara Pranadhanini) – let things go! And last, but first, Santosha, 8) contentment. Your body is a gift, it is perfect, you are perfect. Tough times make us appreciate the good times, we hurt because we dare to love – if you live you will suffer – but that doesn’t need to get you down! No matter what the weather, there is always something blossoming – take the time to see it.

Didn’t get to Samadhi this practice because you kept wondering what to feed the kids? No bother, in good time you be off this mortal plane and in bliss for timeless time – turn up the edges of your lips (ain’t it great to have lips!), both of them, and make a little half smile, and be in the moment. Pluck that moment of contentment from the end of your practice and place it in your heart – now keep it there – and bring it to mind whenever you need it. It’ll get easier the more times you start at 1.!

You have now practiced Ashtunga Yoga, Vinyasa style. Hurry back to the mat!

“Practice, practice, practice and all is coming.” Guruji.

Vande gurunam charanaravinde (I bow to the lotus feet of the Gurus)

Kim Penny, February 2010