The Wonders and Wisdom of Yoga
By Donna Amrita Davidge
Yoga is an example of the old, which is now new for many, imparting its wisdom that comes from Yoga’s original teachings of 5000 years ago.
Pantanjali wrote the tenets of Yoga in his Sutras, which spell our succinctly the purpose of and approach to Yoga. There are many translations of these sutras. This article will be quoting the interpretation of Mukunda Stiles, who also wrote Structural Yoga Therapy, having himself been healed of a knee injury years ago with the use of Iyengar Yoga. There is much more to it but here is a taste of Pantanjali’s wisdom:
” Yoga pose is a steady and comfortable position. Yoga pose is mastered by relaxation of effort, lessening the tendency for restless breathing, and promoting an identification of oneself as living within the infinite breath of life.
From that perfection of yoga posture, duality, such as reacting to praise or criticism, ceases to be a disturbance.”
We can see from these words that Yoga is much more of a system than simply physical exercise and that how we approach our yoga practice and our life is yoga itself. Also integral is the breath, the “infinite breath of life” and “ lessening the tendency for restless breathing”.
Also from Pantanjali:
“Contemplation is the confining of thought to one point.
Meditation depends upon this foundation for directing thoughts into a continuous flow of awareness.
Being absorbed in Spirit is that consciousness whose object is void of form or goal and only the essence of the object remains shining forth.
Samyama occurs when these three processes flow together harmoniously integrating the full spectrum of the mind’s potential.”
In today’s climate of Yoga some might say the wisdom of Krishnamacharya is being applied. He was an Indian Yogi who taught Iyengar, Patabis Jois and his son Deschikichar. They each developed diverse forms of yoga ( Iyengar, Astanga and Viniyoga respectively). He believed Yoga should be designed individually, hence his different approach when teaching each student.
Some others though might argue that yoga is not individualized enough today as those choosing yoga may have to take what is available to them in their location or heath club, for example. If people are lucky they can be exposed to different types of Yoga and decide for themselves or better yet find a qualified teacher who has the student’s best interests at heart enough to direct them toward a way or practicing or a type of Yoga that may truly apply to their physical and mental condition and needs.
Iyengar Yoga is excellent for those wanting to move and learn very slowly and specifically, to learn poses assuredly and heal from physical ailments and injuries.
Kundalini Yoga, which does not emphasize exact physical alignment as much as Iyengar does, is however excellent for emotional healing and energetic work as it deals specifically with the chakras (energy centers) of the spine and is very breath oriented, which can help open blocks in the mind and body. Specific sets in Kundalini Yoga not only deal with chakras and energy but also with specific body organs and body systems like the nervous or immune system.
Ninety per cent of illness is said to be stress related. If we can just learn to use the breath properly much of this stress can be alleviated. The breath is a great tool. If we can simply learn to breathe correctly and hold our posture in a way that does not constrict the flow of breath energy (prana) to any part of us, all the “airs” of the body can be brought into balance, decreasing the likelihood of stress related physical or mental illness.
Kundalini Yoga has been studied and proven to be effective in helping those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Vinyasa (flow) Yoga has become a popular form of Yoga for exercise, Hatha Yoga associated with a more gentle physical approach. Actually hatha means the physical branch of yoga so all the aforementioned are actually a form of Hatha! People like Ana Forrest have created their own popular forms of yoga, taking teachings from eclectic study of yoga and creating a challenging physical practice. Bikram too has formed his own yoga using his knowledge of the ancient wisdom of yoga he learned originally in India.
In looking for a Yoga teacher it might be wise to inquire as to what legacy the teacher has studied from, for how long they studied this legacy. Even if Yoga teachers have studied the technique of several legacies, it is a good idea that they relate to one Master teacher such as Iyengar, Pattabis Jois (Astanga), Kripalu (Amrita Desai) or Yogi Bhajan (Kundalini) instead of a weekend course of Yoga-Fit, which might be ok if you are looking for an exercise class where the teacher does not have extended knowledge of the body and it’s functioning’s that a well trained teacher can offer you. When things become popular and trendy people like to jump on the bandwagon and often may not be qualified as is important to a well-guided yoga practice.
For the wisdom of the other aspects of Yoga, our thoughts, words and actions, I turn to a book mentioned in a prior article on meditation, “The Diamond Cutter” by Geshe Michael Roach. This is a book based on Buddhist principles, and while Yoga is not a Buddhist practice per say, the mental practice as set out in the yoga scriptures are quite similar to these (For example, the concept of practicing nonviolence, or ahimsa, in Yoga is very similar to Buddhist principle of killing no living things and not practicing anger).
In Yoga we would refer to our Karma as a result of Samskaras, which the Buddhist would call imprints, that cause certain things in our lives as opportunities to grow and be challenged.
From Page 82 and 83 of “The Diamond Cutter”:
Perhaps the most famous proclamation ever to come out of the mouth of a Buddhist wise man…is the following, by an Indian master named Nagarjuna, some eighteen centuries ago. The verses are from his STRINGS OF PRECIOUS JEWELS, they speak first of the most desirable imprints we can plant in our minds:
I’ll tell you briefly the fine qualities of those on the path of compassion: Giving, and ethics, patience, and effort, Concentrating, wisdom, compassion and such.
Giving is giving away what you have, and ethics is doing good to others. Patience is giving up feelings of anger, and effort is joy that increases all good.
Concentration’s one-pointed, free of bad thoughts, and wisdom decides what truth really is. Compassion’s a kind of high intelligence mixed deep with a love for all living kind.
Giving brings wealth; a good world comes from ethics,
Patience brings beauty, eminence comes from effort,
Concentration brings peace, and from wisdom comes freedom,
Compassion achieves everything we all wish for.
A person who takes all seven of these and perfects them together will reach that place of inconceivable knowledge, no less than the world’s protector.
Donna Amrita Davidge runs the Sewall House Yoga Retreat in her great grandfather’s Historic 1870 home with her husband Kent Bonham from June to October (Columbus Day) in Island Falls, Maine. The rest of the year she teaches in New York City, where she has been teaching since 1985. Her practice began with the legacy of Yogi Bhajan, who she considers her teacher, and she has continued with teaching of Patabis Jois and also with Dharma Mittra in NY City. For more information please visit: www.sewallhouse.com or call 888-235-2395.
