Contentment is the second of the personal observances on the path of yoga. It’s both a practice (a verb) and a state of being (a noun). A new yogi starts by practicing contentment and in the process of practicing is transformed into a contented person. How successful you are at cultivating contentment depends on how successful you are at practicing non-attachment/aparigraha (see my previous posts on the yamas). It all boils down to making friends with impermanence. As a human being, you are guaranteed a life with a mixed bag of experiences. Some of them, you will like; others...not so much. Your life will include people, jobs, relationships, money, births, deaths, loves, heartbreaks, etc. Everyone and everything in your life has a time to enter and a time to leave. That is the nature of things. The great news is that if you don’t like what’s happening in your life at this particular moment, another moment will be along shortly, and it will bring something different. This realization, coupled with the ability to let go when it is time, is what gives rise to a state of contentment. It can outlast any temporary change of fortune. If you just give it time, the tides of fortune will turn. They always do - because that is the nature of things. Life guarantees you waves. The trick is learning to surf them skillfully. This is where your practice comes in. INTENTION: ‘I have everything I need in this moment. I have enough. I do enough. I am enough.’ SUPPORTIVE BREATH: Breath observation. Notice your breath coming and going without trying to change/deepen/improve on it. You have enough breath to do this moment. ON THE MAT: Lie in Savasana. Repeat the intention (above). There is nothing you can add to yourself to make you more complete. Rest in that knowledge. Choose a pose that is rich in sensation for you. Do it. Notice the fluctuations in the intensity of sensation while you’re there. Notice how you feel a few moments later when you come out of the pose. OFF THE MAT: Check in with your mental/physical/emotional state throughout the day. Note changes. Repeat your intention.
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Today’s post is all about the yoga of personal hygiene. Timely. Saucha is the principle of cleanliness or purity. It is the first of 5 niyama (personal observances) that a yogi adopts as part of their practice. The ancient yogis regarded the body as something rather disgusting - a big skin sack filled with bodily fluids (urine, saliva, feces, mucus, etc) And they were not wrong. You ARE that, and it IS kind of gross when you stop and think about it . Hence early yoga’s obsession with purity and cleanliness. Let’s also keep in mind that yoga pre-dates public sanitation, indoor plumbing, the invention of sterilization, hand sanitizer and other modern hygienic conveniences. So, yeah, things probably got a little gross and yogis got inventive about how to protect their health. Even the greeting ‘namaste’ is a hygienic, hands-off choice for saying hello that people around the world are now being urged to adopt in lieu of handshaking, hugging and air kissing. Yoga just keeps coming at us with winning life hacks! As far as yogic hygiene practices go, contactless greetings are at the tame end of the spectrum. If we delve into a later text, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, things start to get a little weird. This text provides clues as to just how important purifying is to practice, laying out some very INTENSE cleansing rituals in detail: •yogic enemas •Swallowing rags to clean the stomach •nasal cleansing with thread, water, milk... Just to name a few. Why the obsession with cleanliness? Because clean, hygenic living supports optimal functioning of your body. If you take care of yourself, you are less likely to suffer from sickness and disease, which are major road blocks on the path to liberation. Here are some ways to play with saucha on and off your mat: Intention: ‘I make healthy choices’ Supportive Breath: kapalabhati. Swipe for video. Do 1-3 rounds of 7-10 breaths. Keep a box of kleenex nearby. On the Mat: Incorporate pranayamas and abdominal massage, nauli kriya Off the Mat: eat clean, get some physical exercise, breathe deeply, take a shower, greet people with ‘namaste’ and keep your hands clean. Aparigraha is the yogic principle of ‘non-attachment’ or ‘letting go’. Right now, on a global level, it feels like we’re all taking a crash course in the art of letting go. Let’s first acknowledge that adjusting to change (especially change you didn’t invite) is inherently stressful. Death, illness, marital changes, losing a job, business readjustment, changes in work responsibilities, revision of personal habits, changes in school/recreation/social activities. These are all on the list of the most stressful adjustments people have to make. What do they all have in common? They involve change. And what does change involve? Letting go of something. How does a yogi let go? I think we have to look back at the first 4 principles of yoga for guidance. A yogi lets go with 1) self-nurturing 2) honesty 3) by finding the value in the situation and 4) using their energy wisely. Self-nurturing and honesty require us to acknowledge that letting go of things we love and care about is naturally a painful process. Have compassion for yourself if you’re struggling. If the process of letting go has you focused on a feeling of lack, remember that grieving loss is a natural part of the healing process - but do try not to get so stuck in the grieving process that you forget this: a loss is also an opportunity to engage in a creative process and build something new. Energy spent on wishing things were the way they used to be is energy that could be channeled into re-imagining and re-creating your new future. Remember that the only thing YOU can control is the way that YOU show up in the world. The rest is up to fate. Letting go of what you can’t control is a path to peace of mind. Here are some ‘letting go’ practices to try both on and off the mat: Intention/Affirmation: I do my best in each moment and let the rest go. Supportive Breath: Vishama Vritti (swipe for video instruction). Focus on exhalation On the Mat: Try some restorative poses. Prop yourself up and practice sinking into your supports Off the Mat: You’re already doing it. As they say at #Kripalu... ‘Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Allow.' |
AuthorAmanda Tripp, Yoga/body nerd and woman of a 1000 opinions Archives
February 2024
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