Meditation

6 Steps to Begin a Meditation Practice (and why do it)

November 2, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

Have you heard that you should meditate? There are many potential benefits from meditating like reducing your stress, clearing your mind, feeling less tired, getting happier, etc. Interested, but not sure what this meditation stuff is?The practice of meditation is simple. Find a place to sit or lie down, close your eyes, and focus your attention on one thing (like your breath or sensations or visual aid). Actually practicing meditation is not so easy.Some folks get caught in the “I don’t have time for this” barrier. It feels like you’re doing nothing and there are SO MANY things to do! Some folks sit still and just fall asleep – so you get a nice nap, but no enlightenment.Some people try meditating and get frustrated with the constant chatter of their mind. They feel that they are not good at meditating, so why waste the time.Some people can set aside time … Continued

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Expect Obstacles!

October 4, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

Yoga philosophy is based on the idea of evolution toward mental clarity and reduced suffering. Patanjali described in the Yoga Sutras methods for achieving this goal. Three consecutive sutras (1.30-1.32) describe potential obstacles along the path and how to overcome them.1.30 vyadhi styana samshaya pramada alasya avirati bhranti-darshana alabdha-bhumikatva anavasthitatva chitta vikshepa te antarayahDistractions arise (disease; dullness; doubt; carelessness; laziness; craving; distorted perspective; inability to know the true meaning and purpose of one’s practice; and inability to remain grounded) as obstacles naturally encountered on the path of evolution and self-awareness.1.31 duhkha daurmanasya angam-ejayatva shvasa prashvasah vikshepa sahabhuvaAs a result of encountering the obstacles listed in the previous sutra, four consequences arise: 1) duhkha = mental or physical pain, 2) daumanasya = sadness or dejection, 3) angam-ejayatva = shakiness or restlessness, and 4) shvasa/prashvasah = irregularities in the inhalation/exhalation.1.32 tat pratisedha artham eka tattva abhyasahTo prevent or deal with these nine … Continued

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Learning to Breathe

May 11, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

Pranayama is the yogic practice of breath control. This Sanskrit term is made up of two smaller words; prana and ayama. The term prana refers to the subtle energy that pervades all things. Ayama translated as “to stretch” or to expand. The practice of controlling breath allows us to expand breath capacity and manage subtle energies.Pranayama is also the fourth limb in Patanjali’s 8-Fold path as described in the Yoga Sutras. According to the sutra 2.50 (bahya abhyantara stambha vrittih desha kala sankhyabhih paridrishtah dirgha sukshmah):“Pranayama has three aspects of external or outward flow (exhalation), internal or inward flow (inhalation), and the third, which is the absence of both during the transition between them, and is known as fixedness, retention, or suspension. These are regulated by place, time, and number, with breath becoming slow and subtle.” – translation from SwamiJ.comThe mechanics of breath involve the process of pulling in oxygen … Continued

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Sitting with Discomfort

March 26, 2018 | Yoga

Not everything we do in yoga class is comfortable.That’s a little weird, maybe, since the goal of yoga is to open the body up so that people can be comfortable while they sit still to meditate. But getting comfortable with discomfort is part of the value of a yoga practice.Being comfortable with discomfort allows us to sit with uncomfortable situations peacefully. This means we can be there for a friend who is grieving without having to change anything.  No amount of good energy or intention will bring a beloved back from death, for example, and the urge to make everything comfortable again often causes harm. It’s where unhelpful platitudes like “God wouldn’t have put you through this if he didn’t know you could handle it” or “This was meant to be” come from – the idea that we need to make things better for a grieving person.Be Comfortable with Being UncomfortableWe … Continued

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Yoga & Chronic Illness

March 8, 2018 | Yoga

The Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are widely regarded as the authoritative text on yoga. These “threads” (translates from Sanskrit for sutra) of wisdom offer guidelines for living a meaningful and peaceful life.  Recently Sutra 2.16 has been on my mind:“Pain that has not yet come is avoidable” (in Sanskrit “Heyam Duhkham Anagatam”).  By practicing yoga with meditation, postures, breathing exercises, we are practicing a form of preventive medicine for our minds. I had already been addicted to yoga by the time I discovered this sutra, but if I had not discovered yoga, this sutra would have drawn me to it.  I had this realization that I actually had control over my thoughts, and in this busy world we live in, anything we can do to help calm the mind and prevent future stress, pain, anxiety is worth looking at. Since most chronic illnesses are due to stress, we know that our bodies can … Continued

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Clear Your Mind of Suffering

February 9, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

Abhyasa/practice and Vairagya/non-attachment (Sutra 1.12-1.16)The practice of yoga includes deep awareness of habit patterns (samskara). These habits of thinking, feeling, and reacting affect our capacity for joy. The unconscious habit patterns create filters over the reality of the present moment, with the potential of creating distress or suffering. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the methods of yoga are described as a pathway to reduce the internal machinations that provoke suffering. Sutra 1.12 suggests that our thought patterns (vrittis) are mastered, regulated, or quieted (nirodhah) through practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya).  The process of persistent, systematic exploration of thought patterns, fears, and false identifications allows for detachment from the filters that enable suffering.  Abhyasa describes the continuous practice necessary to clear the mind. It cannot be accomplished in one sitting. Clearing the mind requires discipline of consistent attention and time to develop the cumulative power of yoga. It is also true that old … Continued

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Inviting New Ways of Thinking through Yoga

February 2, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

Have you ever been stuck in negative or disturbed thinking? Ever had a time when all looks dark and there seems to be no good in the world? Yoga philosophy offers a suggestion for changing perspective, inviting new ways of thinking.Patanjali’s Yoga Stura 2.33 “VITARKA BADHANE PRATIPASHA BHAVANAM” suggests that when suffering from afflicted thinking, we need to cultivate a different perspective. Patanjali continues to describe how negative thinking is a kind of violence done to ourselves. The practice of yoga is to develop clear thinking and introduce thoughts opposite to the negative.The Western psychology perspective of this idea is cognitive restructuring. This is where the individual works to adjust their attitude, thoughts, and reactions.Cognitive restructuring refers to the process of replacing cognitive distortions with thoughts that are more accurate and useful.  Cognitive restructuring has two basic steps:  (1) Identifying the thoughts or beliefs that are influencing the disturbing emotion;  … Continued

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A Meditation Practice for Creating Conscious Habits

January 8, 2018 | Yoga Philosophy

 At the start of each new year, many of us dust off our good intentions – resolutions to eat better, exercise more, or let go of long time bad habits. Unfortunately, these old habits are strong. We’ve all got unconscious habit patterns that guide our actions rather than our conscious intention. This is nothing new. Thousands of years ago Patajali described unconscious habit patterns of the mind in the Yoga Sutras. Patajali identified the subtle impressions of our past actions, or unconscious thought patterns, as samskara. The word samskara translates from Sanskrit sam means joined together and kara means action or cause. One way to understand samskara is as neural pathways that form deep connections in our brains through repetition. The concept that “neurons that fire together wire together” reflects this idea.Some habitual thinking is useful. Often when the thought pattern is first employed, the purpose is to reduce effort or suffering. The problem comes when … Continued

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