Wisdom

The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 7 discusses  Hindus ideas of "jnana" meaning spiritual wisdom and "vijnana" meaning, an intimate of practical familiarity with God. These terms exists in every religion, albeit under  different monikers and, I believe, every religion seeks to support their own idea of jnana through specialized practice. Catholics believe they know the true nature of God and worship accordingly. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus are all the same. All people have a glimpse of spiritual wisdom, but depending on circumstances, people find different ways to praise honor their deity.

Krishna says "when a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify in that."

I believe that God sees faith, regardless of the wrapping individuals place it in. God honors faith, because those with faith honor God, in whatever way they choose. I believe that God is bigger than any denomination or religion, and that God cares not for the Earthly labels we place on our faith. This passage from The Bhagavad Gita really stood out to me, and I cherish it as Truth in textual form.

Goodbye Advil

Aches and pains are as much a part of life as laughter and smiles. From the day we are born to the day we die, our bodies get sore and hurt and trouble us in manifold ways. Thankfully, in my current life as a College Student my body doesn't hurt as much as it did years ago when I was a High School Wrestler, or as much as it will in coming years when I'm an Arthritic Old Man, but I still have my days of discomfort.

Lately, I've been staying up late at my desk studying. After hours of unchanging posture, I often notice that my back is sore, or I have other random aches. I also write a lot, and tend to do so with a feverish flick and firm grip that always leaves my hand in pain. In the past, I would have taken a few Advil and tried to forget about it, and this method worked great! My aches would usually subside, often not to return, and I could continue on my day. However, now that I have Yoga, I've replaced this effective chemical method. 

Now when I start to feel sore or my body starts to ache, I break out my yoga mat and get to work. 

When my back hurt from sitting too much, I found some yoga postures really helped to ease the pain, and much more quickly than an Advil regime would have. Although I don't have a moral aversion or any other type of issue with OTC and other medicines, I do think that there is an almost calming aspect of healing the body in more organic ways. Yoga has become my go-to remedy for various minor hurts. 

Yoga Friends

My Yoga Class is wonderful, not only because it has taught me so much about Yoga and Yoga Philosophy, but also because it has given me a chance to get to know some truly beautiful people. My first day in class I knew only two other students, and only on a first name basis. Now, although I haven't spent time with them outside class or even talked to them for longer than a standard "class conversation," I feel that I know my classmates fairly well and I'm thankful. 

Yoga is a small class, like most in the BIC. It's also a class where the students are truly engaged and interested, like all in the BIC. My class mates and I probably chose this course for various reasons, but now, we are united in our pursuit of yoga knowledge. The relationships I've made so far in Yoga are unlike those I've made in other classes for two main reasons.

First, Yoga is a physical exercise, and demands more intense interaction with "class material" than other classes. In my Comparative Government class, we take notes, take quizzes, and take tests at the same time and this builds a certain bond. However, in my Yoga class, we discuss morality and mortality together. Synchronously, we stretch our bodies into poses we never thought possible. As one, we focus and control our breath. Yoga is a intimate act between the body and the Soul, but also between the individual practitioners in a class. My class mates have seen me sweat and hurt from trying the splits, they've witnessed my bare, smelly feet, and pressed my thighs downward to aid my practice. I certainly can't say the same of my fellow political scientists.

Yoga also reminds us of the sanctity and beauty of the Soul. Yoga teaches us that the Soul is prefect, undying, magnificent, and that the Soul's of every living thing are connected in the Atman. In this class, I'm forced to see my classmates not as competitors, or as study aids, but as sacred and beautiful individuals. I've found that I truly cherish the personalities and individualizes of every class mate, and I look forward to the time we spend together each week. Although I can't necessarily tell you anything about their personal lives or actions outside of class, I can vouch for the positive energy and happiness that they bring to those around them. 

The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna As God

Restorative Yoga

As a newcomer to the world of Yoga, I feel that my perspective of yoga is very narrow. I certainly understand the philosophical texts associated with the practice, but know very little about how yoga is practiced and viewed be the millions who practice yoga in America.

            In class on Tuesday, our instructor shared a type of yoga meant to relax and rejuvenate the body and mind and in doing so, helped to expand my understanding of American yoga. This particular practice took us through a sequence of poses mostly done on the back. With the help of a bolster, straps, and blankets, we performed various supine poses that expanded the chest and groin, aligned the spine and neck, and relaxed the entire body. These poses allowed me to focus on my breathing and shut out distractions more fully than I ever had before. When my torso was lifted by the bolster, my lungs and airways felt clear and capable. My mind was calm and focused.

            This sequence of restorative poses was an exciting new practice for me. I feel that Tuesday’s lesson showed me a glimpse of what yoga practice in studios throughout America might look like. In our modern culture, especially in modern fitness culture, people tend to isolate and specialize to a high degree. In the weight room, this is shown to be the norm, and probably for good reason. Lifters typically isolate a region of muscles to focus on in a single workout e.g. “today I’m working back and biceps” and “don’t skip leg day.” I’m assuming that this habit of separation extends into the yoga world, where instructors might lead their class in restorative poses one day, and core strengthening poses the next. This segmentation makes a lot of sense, especially in a world we’ve organized into rigid categories. Yoga sequences that isolate one type of pose or aim for a few, select benefits in particular show that yoga is a practice that can benefit everyone in many ways and can be adapted to an individual’s own needs.

            The acceptance of tools like bolsters, straps, blankets, and blocks also shows that yoga can be molded to fit any individual. Uses of these tools are often personalized so as to meet the individual’s specific situation. Yoga is truly a practice everyone can benefit from. 

The Dog's Most Recent Teaching

Remember my roommate’s Black Lab puppy? The dog who ate my favorite eye pillow? This semester living with Shiner and all the messes and all the puppy kisses she comes with has certainly been a mixed bag of blessings and curses. I’ve begun to think of Shiner as my own personal Karma dispenser, a powerful and terrible entity charged with dealing out my cosmic fortune one chewed belonging at a time. She’s certainly claimed many of my things, the eye pillow being only one of many.

            When she vanquished my eye pillow, Shiner led me away from detachment. She helped me along my yoga path in her own canine way. I was certainly thankful for her aid, and I soon adopted a mindset of acceptance whenever I noticed she had torn through another of my socks. Recently however, Shiner waged her quiet puppy war on an object so important, so valuable, that even my considerable skills of carelessness couldn’t assuage its loss: my new pair of glasses.

            My glasses are integral to my survival. Without them, not only am I blind, but I also feel that I lack the confidence and “me-ness” my spectacles seem to provide. Due to my optical difficulties and penchant for bold eyewear, I had chosen a pair of thick black-rimmed Ray Bans and wore them with pride. That is until Shiner decided to snack on them.

            I still feel sick when holding the mauled plastic carcass of my most valuable accessory. My parents just recently bought them as a replacement for a pair I had lost, and this will be no cheap fix. I will certainly be without clear vision (and impeccable style) for a while before they can be fixed or replaced, and even then, who knows how long they’ll last before Shiner gets them again?! I have been crippled by the loss of my glasses. I’d like to imagine that even Patanjali couldn’t expect me to practice detachment at a time like this, but I know I’d be in error. My glasses are not a part of my true Self. My eternal soul is not blemished by my lack of vision or by my negative thoughts and emotions associated with their loss.

            My glasses have been taken from me just as easily as they were given to me. Shiner has fulfilled her dharma of destruction, my psyche has been shaken, yet my Self remains perfect and undying and, of course, free from chew marks. 

Downward Facing Depressed.

When I first started doing yoga, the poses were difficult, but I soon felt that I had reached a point when I could do at least a few poses fairly well. I was wrong. Yoga is much harder, and takes MUCH more practice than I had previously thought and this realization brought with it a flood of negative gunas. 

From about week 3 to week 6, I had started seeing real improvement in my practice. I could finally get my heels down in Downward facing Dog, my Tree Pose was more steady, and I even felt more calm in Shivasana. This illusion of my apparent ability to perform poses I had just began to practice was ridiculous looking back, and I feel stupid for taking pride in my poses that were so close from perfect. looking at Iyengar's pictures and then analyzing my own posture, along with more closely watching my teacher in class, and YouTube yoga instructors, showed me that I still have a ton of work to do. 

At first, I was a bit upset. The progress I had seen was false and I became dejected and unmotivated to practice.  I think that leading discussion on Thursday, and having to engross myself in Patanjali in preparation for our discussion, helped to remind me what really matters, And it isn't prideful feelings about poses.

Yoga Evangelist

The first response I usually got when  I told my friends that I was taking a Yoga Philosophy class through the BIC was an almost freak-interest. I think they were shocked that the Honors College would provide a course like yoga, and shocked that their most nonathletic and uncoordinated pledge brother would sign up for a class like yoga. They quickly became used to seeing me and my mat either heading to class or after a practice at home, and they slowly began to show interest.

They started to ask about the poses, and wanted to look at the pictures in Light On Yoga. One day, my next door neighbor and good friend told me that he had bought a yoga mat online and wanted to do yoga with me! I was shocked, but excited. When his mat arrived he and I planned to do a practice and a little discussion of what I had been doing in class later that night.

I was a little anxious that I would look like a poser, but being the "nonathletic guy" of my friend group, Edmonds was a bit shocked that I could do some of the poses. We watched a few YouTube videos of pose instruction, and ended the practice with Shivasana and a discussion of the 8 Limbs of Yoga.

I was so happy that the practice went well, and Edmonds seemed to like doing yoga. It has certainly been really fun bringing these new ideas that yoga has shown me to my own friend group, and I hope that those I practice with begin to see yoga in a new light.

The Bhagavad Gita: Arjuna's Dilema

         I really enjoyed reading the Intro and first few chapters of The Bhagavad Gita this weekend. I found the text strangely reminiscent to The Illiad and a few other great texts I had read in the past, and had no time maneuvering the very clear translation.

          The first chapters of The Gita show Arjuna, a great prince and little brother of the rightful King, preparing to go to war against, “fathers and grandfathers, teachers, uncles, and brothers, sons and grandsons, in-laws and friends.” Arjuna is certainly in a tough dilemma. His brother should have inherited the throne from his uncle Dhiritarashthra, but the boy’s uncle, favoring his own son, disobeyed the King’s orders and refused to relinquish the throne to Yudhishthira. Arjuna now must choose to fight for what is right- his brother becoming king, against an army of his closest friends and family. Many scholars argue that this conflict established in the beginning of The Gita is a metaphor for Arjuna’s inner conflict, but either way, Arjuna must decide whether to stand up for what is right, even if it means going against all he knows and loves.

          I have had a similar conflict, although not of such epic proportions. When I had set my mind on Baylor, found an acceptable roommate, and attended Orientation, I was faced with a huge choice. Like many 18 year olds, I still had no idea what I wanted to choose for a career, but had to pick a major before I could become seriously invested in my university academics. I had studied all the options and knew my strengths, talents, and passions well enough, and I knew I wanted to be an English Major. However, my friends and some family tried to convince me of a more reasonable and direct route to a well-paying career. Most of my buddies were going to attend Business Schools and couldn’t understand why I would pick something with no clear career line after graduation. After having an internal conflict and after being mentored by my own Sri Krishna, my father, I decided to major in English and Political Science, and also to join the BIC. Although it may be too soon to tell, but I think I chose the right option. 

Yoga from the Inside Out

For my first Yoga memoir I chose to read about Christina Sell in her book, Yoga from the Inside Out. I really enjoyed the memoir. From the first chapter, aptly titled “War and Peace,” Sell shows remarkable openness with the reader while discussing her tragic past. The author narrates an early life of sexual abuse, abnormal self-consciousness, extreme physical exertion, as well as issues with bulimia and depression. Sell is candid and tells the story of her life with a detached acceptance. Later in the chapter, Sell tells about her emotional healing, breakthrough, and epiphany through yoga under the instruction of John Friend. Through Friend, Sell becomes more accepting of her body and engrossed in Tantric style yoga. Friend’s reinforcing teaching style and Tantric yoga combine to form Sell’s idea of “yoga from the inside out” and “accepting the body through yoga.”

Throughout the memoir, Sell’s deep understanding of yoga philosophy is revealed through her well explained descriptions of ideas like dharma, karma, samsara, and the atman. Sell’s memoir is rooted in Patanjali’s sutras, which is what one would hope to find from a yoga instructor and educator. Along with evidence of the sutras, a prevalent motif of body image and acceptance of one’s natural body. Early in the book, Sell explains her own issues with her body, her movement towards acceptance, and why others should learn to love their flaws and imperfections. She also diagnoses the root of many of society’s, and especially women’s problems as the unattainable preferences for beauty instilled in individuals by “The Sleeping World.”

One thing that really stuck out to me about the Yoga from the Inside Out was the chapter about body acceptance and the mention of Tantric yoga. Patanjali in his sutras does speak about using the body as a vehicle to gain enlightenment, but he also describes the need for practitioners to develop a segregation of body and self and a “distaste for one’s body.” Self, on the other hand, repeatedly remarks on the need to love one’s body and accept one’s physical form. This is far from the teaching of developing distaste as described in sutra II.40. As a beginning yogi, I was this deviation as an example of the versatility of the yoga practice. In class, we learned about how Patanjali describes many ways to enlightenment through yoga. The term yoga itself is broad enough in meaning to incorporate many different ways of practicing. Sell’s memoir maintains a close relationship with Patanjali’s first description of the practice, but makes changes where a modern American society needs changes to be made.

The way Christina Sell used yoga to overcome serious life challenges, along with the way Sell adapts the sutras to a modern audience, were really interesting. Her memoir was captivating, tragic, uplifting, inspiring, and reinforcing in one. I’m eagerly anticipating Ms. Sell’s visit to our yoga class later in the semester and I hope that she is able to sign my copy of Yoga from the Inside Out.

Namaste

     From the very first asana practice we did in class, I felt that the end, particularly the bow of gratitude, was one of the most calming aspects of the entire experience. After lying in Shavasana, meditating of how the asana practice changes the way I feel, a sense of calmness seems to settle over my entire body.

     These moments of tranquility are rare and valuable in my busy life, and I cherish them for allowing me to rest and forget about the daily stress and tedium that seems to come with life in Modern America.

     When my yoga teacher instructs us to bow, "here on the mat, in Waco Texas," I can release the tension that life builds on us all, and glimpse the serenity of my "True Splendor."

When you cant nap, Yoga

    We all reach a point in our day when we'd love to just sit down and take a second of rest to catch up on exactly what is happening in our lives, or maybe just catch up on some sleep. I often choose the latter option, but recently replaced these occasional naps with yoga time.
   When I substitute my nap for yoga, i feel more rested and alert for the rest of the day. I get a chance to consciously reflect on myself and how I feel, and that beats hitting the snooze button six times while laying in bed.
    After a 30 minute asana practice, I put my shoes back on, roll up my mat, and continue on with renewed vigor and energy, thankful that I don't have to deal with bed-head.

The Eight Fold Path

Today I will lead a class discussion of the Eight-Fold Path of Yoga. I found the reading to be really interesting, and decided to post the notes so that any of my readers, if I have any, can see exactly what we’ll talk about in class. In bold are the questions I have planned, although I'm sure many more will come up.

The yamas provide the ethical code for the yoga path. What are the yamas?

-Nonviolence, truthfulness, refrainment from stealing, celibacy, and renunciation of unnecessary possessions

-Nonviolence is more than a negative commandment, but also means to love. To kill is an insult to the creator.

            -violence is triggered by greed, anger, or delusion

-Not stealing also means that if you hoard things we don’t need, we are in the wrong.

            -freedom from craving

-Celibacy develops vitality, energy, a courageous mind, and a powerful intellect.

            -but do your part in society

- Not hoarding shows faith in God.

What should one do upon being harassed by negative thoughts? Why is this often difficult to do?

Radiate positive thoughts. Be happy and helpful to those who are being violent towards others. Hate the sin, but love the sinner.

What aspects of discipline does Patanjali describe?

-Purity of body. One develops distaste for gross physical body. Cleansing of impure thoughts. Purity of food- being vegetarian is ultimate way for yoga. Don’t eat too much. Purity of surroundings- need a clean place to do yoga.

-Santosa or contentment must be cultivated. Contentment and tranquility are states of mind.

-Tapas of motivation. Yogis must have a burning effort to reach enlightenment. Three types- body, speech, and mind.

-Svadhyaya or studying scripture. Self-education and studying divine scripture is very important to healthy, happy, peaceful lives.

-Dedication to the Lord.

What kind of environment does Patanjali say we need to practice Asana?

How should our asana postures look and feel?

            -Steady and comfortable

How can we make our postures steady and comfortable?

What comes after Asana Yoga? And why does this come after?

-Pranayama. It comes after because pranayama is a very powerful thing and if done poorly, can really cause damage.

What is Pranayama?

            -Control and extension of the breath. Three parts symbolize everything.

What is Pratyahara?

-Control over the senses. Occurs when senses do not interact with the world. Withdrawal

of the mind.

-Comes from the highest control of the senses.

What is Dharama?

            -Concentration of the mind one one single task.

            -AUM is something we concentrate on in yoga. Each letter represents everything ever.

            -Danger in a concentrated person becoming egotistical.

            -Niruddha is when the mind, intellect, and the ego are restrained so we can focus on God.

What is Dhyana?

-Meditation, or remaining in a state of consciousness that has no qualification whatsoever.

-You become light.

The yogi who can meditate well displays all of the signs of the progress of Yoga.

What is Samadhi?

            -Oneness with everything

            -Enlightenment

            -Awesome.