Class this week

Hi Everyone,

We'll spend Tuesday working on  poses that teach the basics of shoulderstand.

Thursday, I have a meeting that will cause me to be a bit late for class. We will start at  4 and I will teach you the basics of supine pranayama. 

We'll start our discussion of the eight limbs of  yoga  as we go along this week  but will really focus on it next tuesday.

Keep up the good work. Looking forward to tomorrow. 

Backbend Week

Fun week in capstone.  We started class Tuesday with a brief discussion of whether Christians should do yoga or not.


We did supported Adho Mukha Virasana, Adho Muka svanasana, Uttanasana,  then a good bit of time in tadasana working with the block between our feet and thighs and we used a belt to teach the engagement of our shins.  Then we did some Urdhva Hastasana, and used the belt behind our back to open the shoulders.  We did Vira I, with the arms in UH and then behind the back.  We took all those actions to the floor and did salabasana with the belt, bhujaghasana, Ustrasana,  AMS, parsva Uttanasana and then Viparita Karani.

We finally got around to talking about the kleshas themselves on Thursday and then we did some more backward bends.  We started with AMS, then UH, then we did some gomukasana arm work and then the full pose (which reminds me, we also did a bit of calf mashing on Tuesday) then AMS again, Salabasana, bhujangasana, makarasana,  and oh yes.  anantasana,  Urdhva Mukasvanasana and  AMS to UMS several times. then setu bandha and viparita karani.  

Fun times.    Next week we'll leave the levitation preparation aside for a while (and work more with pranayama)

Summary of Class Thursday

Hi Everyone, 

I really enjoyed listening to you each share your  academic majors and career goals.  

We spent a bit of time talking about  Yoga Sutra 2.1    Tapas, Svadyaya, and isvara pranidhana are the acts of  yoga and a bit of time talking about Christianity and  yoga.  I'll bring a copy of the Waco Today article to class tuesday for ya'll.  I'm also writing a blog post about this topic and other matters so keep an eye out for it. 

Then we did a lovely restorative sequence.   Adho Mukha Virasana with support of  bolster,  AMS  head  supported on bolster,  uttanasana with head support and legs out wide.  Supta Baddha Konasana, Supta Sukasana,  Setu Bandha, Viparita Karani, Savasana. 

We'll talk more about the kleshas on  tuesday. why don't you write about how you see the kleshas manifesting in How Yoga Works. 

Remember to check out the Austin Yoga Festival. 

Class today

Hi Everyone, 

I'm really enjoying reading your blogs. You did a fantastic job discussing how the  Yoga Sutras relate to How Yoga Works both in terms of the big picture issues and also with lots of concrete examples.


Melissa raised a question in her blog about how and what to practice.  We'll have a bit of a discussion about that in class during our philosophy talk  time.

Here is a list of all the Sutras we have discussed thus far. The english translation and transliterations are from BKS Iyengar's translation of the Sutras.    The format comes from a generous student of  my teachers Mary Obendorfer and  Eddy Marks via Leeane Keating.

Samadhi Pada
1.01	atha yoganusasanam
	With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.
1.02	yogah cittavrtti nirodhah
	Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.
1.03	tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam
	Then, the seer dwells in his own true splendour.
1.04	vrtti sarupyam itaratra
	At other times, the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.
1.05	vrttayah pancatayyah klista aklistah
	The movements of consciousness are fivefold. They may be cognizable or non-cognizable, painful or non-painful.
1.06	pramana viparyaya vikalpa nidra smrtayah
	They are caused by correct knowledge, illusion, delusion, sleep and memory.
1.07	pratyaksa anumana agamah pramanani
	Correct knowledge is direct, inferred or proven as factual.
1.08	viparyayah mithyajnanam atadrupa pratistham
	Illusory or erroneous knowledge is based on non-fact or the non-real.
1.09	sabdajnana anupati vastusunyah vikalpah
	Verbal knowledge devoid of substance is fancy or imagination.
1.10	abhava pratyaya alambana vrttih nidra
	Sleep is the non-deliberate absence of thought-waves or knowledge.
1.11	anubhuta visaya asampramosah smritih
	Memory is the unmodified recollection of words and experiences.
1.12	abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah
	Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness.
1.13	tatra stitau yatnah abhyasah
	Practice is the steadfast effort to still these fluctuations.
1.14	sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih
	Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.
1.15	drsta anusravika visaya vitrsnasya vasikarasamjna vairagyam
	Renunciation is the practice of detachment from desires.
1.16	tatparam purusakhyateh gunavaitrsnyam
	The ultimate renunciation is when one transcends the qualities of nature and perceives the soul.

Moving on in the Sutras

In his last blog entry on Memory,  Dan remarked,

The style of the sutras so far is very much question response. After reading the part on memory my question would be how do we keep the past past and the present present? How does one avoid painful or disruptive fluctuations of memory?

well,  as  it turns out we get an answer in  the next set of  sutras 1.12 through 1.16

1.12	abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah
	Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness.
1.13	tatra stitau yatnah abhyasah
	Practice is the steadfast effort to still these fluctuations.
1.14	sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih
	Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.
1.15	drsta anusravika visaya vitrsnasya vasikarasamjna vairagyam
	Renunciation is the practice of detachment from desires.
1.16	tatparam purusakhyateh gunavaitrsnyam
	The ultimate renunciation is when one transcends the qualities of nature and perceives the soul.

Standing Poses, Sutras, and How Yoga Works

I am very much enjoying reading your blogs. I appreciate the additional compliance with the assignments.   I particularly like reading about how some of you are already teaching others you know about yoga.  

My plan for today.

Reorganize the prop situation.  

Pick a sutra and discuss how you see it at work in the story of  How Yoga Works.

Share.


Then, we'll do some standing poses.

Sequence from Class

Hi Everyone,

I very much enjoyed class yesterday.  Please try to do at least one yoga pose a day over the weekend, even a legs up the wall or a down dog would be great.


Here's the sequence of  poses we did in  class.


Tadasana, Vrksasana,  Trikonasana,  Vira I,   Parsvottansana,  Urdhva Hastasana, Urhdhva Namascar asana, gomukasana, paschimanamascarasana,  AMS,  Parivrrita trikonsasana (twice)  virasana,  AMS,  Virasana, AMS,  viparita karani,  savasana

handout for discussion of Sutras 1-1.11

A review from last Tuesday

1.1   Now   yoga  begins.    

1.2    Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.

1.3  When yoga happens,   the seer  resides in its true abode/ sees its true nature.

1.4  At other times, the seer  identifies with the fluctuations of the mind. 

Atha   now

Yoga union

Citta   mind

Nirodha   cessation/stopping

Vritti   fluctuation

Purusha   soul/seer 

Let’s go on

1.     5.   There are five  fluctuations (vrttis). They may be painful/disruptive to samadhi  or not. 

1. 6         They are: correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, illusion, sleep and memory.

1. 7         Correct knowledge arises from direct perception, inference, and the expert authority

1. 8         Incorrect knowledge is  false understanding  based on inaccurate perception.

1. 9         Illusion or imagination is where an idea is conveyed that has no basis in reality. 

1.10       Sleep is the supported cessation of mental fluctuations

1.11       Memory is where things once experienced are not allowed to completely slip away.   Or Memory is  making the past present

Vritti    fluctuation of mind

Pramana   Correct knowledge

 Viparyaya Incorrect knowledge

Vikalpa Metaphorical thinking

Nidra        sleep 

Smrti         memory