Did you know?

Tristana 

A key principle of Ashtanga is observance of Tristana when practicing yoga: Pattabhi Jois is known to have often quoted the 4th śloka of the Yoga Korunta “Trīstanam avalokayé āsanam prāņāyāma dristhihi” (Tristana is observation of posture, breath and looking place. In this way we draw our senses inwards away from external stimuli so the practice can be focused and draw closer to a meditative state. This increases our concentration skills and deepens the mind body connection. Pattabhi Jois also quotes (Yoga Mala 1962) Vamana Rishi “Vina vinyasa yogena asanadin na karayet” (Oh yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa). The vinyasa link the asana together like the beads on a mala, keeping the body warm, breath equal and constant, energized and aligned ready for each pose in succession. All of these refinements assist in deepening our inner stillness and focus – or in other words ‘yoga’.

Vinyasa

Vinyasa is Sanskrit for specific breath with movement and it is the golden thread which holds together the asana on the ‘mala’ (chain of flowers or beads) of the astanga system. Each asana/pose is a flower/bead on the mala and the thread holding them, is the vinyasa. Ashtanga was the first vinyasa yoga practice, though it is now a popular form driving many yoga practices worldwide. 

Astanga has one prescribed breath per movement (each counted), deliberately using one inhale or exhale per focused movement. Smoothly entering and deepening each pose, mindfully, in synchronisation with the prescribed count. 

Pattabhi Jois quoted Vamana Rishi:  Oh yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa, his book, Yoga Mala 1962 is worth a read. 

Sadhana

Patanjali has advice for creating a practice and he suggests a regular, consistent pattern of practice over a long time period, with devotion. Even though a small amount of yoga is beneficial; more can be better if practiced mindfully and without expectation. 

Ashtangis self practice and it is wise to start small and increase frequency and duration over time. Ultimately a 6 day a week asana practice can be sustained. This would become your sadhana. We are always on hand to help and advise if you’d like to discuss how to achieve this.

As householders we still need to live life and 'perfection' is not always achievable, however, if something unexpected happens and we 'fall off the path' we can resume. Where we resume after a break (long journey, illness or injury etc.) we should start small again starting to breathe and move in Sun Salutations, continuing in primary series and build up gently with a patient approach. We are    

always available to advise particularly if one has an 'injury' for whatever reason. There is a lot of healing that can happen, after a chat with us and a little modification of the approach to the asana it  will bring you back swiftly in your recovery. Often students think that 'stopping practice' is the answer but we have found after a long time of observation that the opposite is true for the healing process to begin; we have been there ourselves many times.

Photo credit: John Bultman 

(Mark centre row)

Kriya Yoga

We have talked about Patanjali’s practice method for yoga being regular, consistent and over a long time and with devotion previously. There are also three main elements to deepening the path of action (Kriya Yoga) and they are collectively expanded on by Patanjali for people who need help training the mind and body to deepen their experience of yoga. 

1. Tapas: Developing the heat of change through effort, mentally and physically. Whatever your practice there may be a degree of discomfort and it is learning to see this as a normal aspect of the way we practice as that which is called for here. There is no like or dislike, only a way which develops heat and this causes change; it’s just what we do. 

Q: Where is work required?

2. Svadhyaya: Developing study of the self through introspection and deepening attention to the areas of ‘heat’ revealed through practice, mentally and physically. It is true to say that change can have a degree of heat until the change is accepted and this then frees us to look at other areas of heat in more depth. 

Q: What effort do I need to apply to the area identified?

3. Isvarapranidanani: Developing an attitude of dispassion, to detach from the fruits of practice. This is perhaps the most challenging of the three in that it calls upon the practitioner to set aside pride, desire and aspirations for achievement. Our position on advancement is sacrificed in favour of neutrality, whether the challenge is quick or slow, hard or simple, nice or uncomfortable. It is addressing the opposites as equal that Patanjali suggests. 

Q: How do I detach from wanting progress and simply concentrate on the work I need to do?

In summary, Patanjali asks us to practice to the point of generating the heat of change, to develop curiosity about what is happening and what is coming and to nurture equanimity over failure and success. Equanimity in all things is yoga and that is a nice lesson for life on and off the mat. 

Take aim with Samyama

Yoga has a subtle side where our emotions, vital energy and consciousness have equal value to the physical. In the lYoga Sutras commentary, I described the subtle nature of the last 3 limbs of yoga. 

How do we engage with these subtle aspects of yoga?

When we tame our emotions, our minds and bodies become peaceful and communicative with us. 

When we maintain a peaceful nature we achieve this through managing our preconceptions and expectations, by being content. 

Patience and practice without grasping deliver sustainable transformation through yoga. This is equanimity in all things, good and bad we carry on unperturbed. 

In the peace we generate for ourselves we become aware of our  untapped potential energy. Our practice brings much awareness of the power of our life force. 

When we concentrate to address, transform and remove obstacles we realise and manifest the real object of yoga via control, it is skill in action. 

How is this useful as part of my yoga practice? 

Yoga is a useful tool to purify us, to help us see and  properly experience things. When we know this we can control our body, mind and spirit; we can transform and grow. 

Practically these concepts can be applied in your practice using three simple words:- 

Peace: Being peaceful in mind, body and emotion, maintaining fertile ground for a regular, ongoing, sustainable, yoga practice. 

• Ground yourself before practice and maintain this calmness. 

• Always start slowly and listen to your body.

Power: Adopting an attitude of gratefulness, self awareness and patience to cultivate and increase the subtle life force powerfully in you. To maximise the capability of this through focus. 

• Focus on breathing deeply and evenly during each pose and transition. 

• Move unhurriedly with precision and ease. 

Control: Understanding an introspective, intelligent, learning, unforced practice which is light, measured and controlled. Unblock your obstacles using the learning you glean in practice and from the unblocking process; reflect and grow. 

• Skill in action feels smooth like slow motion, no mistakes, smooth is faster. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. 

• Try to practise often and consistently over time, even if it’s just for 10–15 minutes.

The 3 words - Peace - Power - Control - consider how they can transform you each time you practice. 

Come to practice with a peaceful mind, feel the energy and direct it with control.

In Sanskrit the 3 are 

Shanti, Shakti, Ganapati. 

The mind tools

Sound is everywhere. In yoga sounds soothes us and the making of sound controls the breath and calms the mind.

How do you feel when you listen to music? Seemingly random notes put together in some kind of order make you 'feel' something, happy, unhappy, excited, sleepy... It is the vibrations that make this happen.... the connection to your brain when you listen and your whole body feels the sound.

Sanskrit is a sound based language, every word is a collection of sounds with specific meaning and connection to the material world.

Yoga is the stilling of the mind to help us find our higher selves. A precondition of this journey is to develop purity of body and mind by cleansing ourselves using yogic practices. We start with asana and for some this is enough.  Asana practice is one of of three methods which increase in subtlety towards realisation of this connection, this union (union means yoga in Sanskrit). The three are:- 

1. Asana practice is the body’s means of connecting with the mind through controlled breath and movement; 

2. Chanting is the body’s means of deepening its connection with the mind through, remaining seated for a protracted period, controlled breath, concentration and the making of the sound itself.

3. Meditation is the body and mind connecting with the higher mind and spirit through focussed, concentrated stillness in silent sitting and/or chanting aloud or silently. 

After asana etc. therefore we can use mantra. Mantra means ‘mind tool’ in Sanskrit, a clear indication of it's intended purpose in yogic practices. A simple analogy is to consider it a means of cleaning the soots from the glass of a lamp to brighten the light from it. In this analogy our mind is a lamp needing regular maintenance to remain functional. 

The sound vibration generated by chanting fills the whole body and the world around us with the same sound, the same connection with everything else. 

Yoga is a form of union at many levels and in its subtlest and deepest form, the connections are the most healing and developmental for the mind. Even a small amount of yoga is healing but more is better and variety helps the practitioner to widen the benefits.

The ultimate goal of yoga, the achievement of the state of kaivalyam is described in the yoga sutras as a journey through the eight limbs. The final three limbs are three mental states of deepening concentration (consciousness) referred to as dharana, dhyana and samadhi; collectively known as samyama ‘equal control’. When they are applied to various focus points, the third chapter of the sutras highlights skills which arise. 

Mantra and meditation enhance the work commenced in asana, pranayama (controlled breath)  and pratyahara (sense withdrawal) practices to help in achieving further advancement and deepening in yoga. Ultimately we are healthier, brighter, stronger (body, mind and memory) and more contented in the round when we practice all aspects of the  ashtanga yoga method. 

We teach chanting free to all comers prior to led class every Saturday morning - recommencing after the summer  break from September. We decide what we teach in these 20 minute slots unless there are requests for specific chants. 

Our website has a collection of chants available to download  HERE, we have more on request.

Photo credit Boris (Left): CNN footage of Jayashree & Narashiman's study

Puja: Our shala has candles, jostiks, a bell and two deities in the window during practice. They remind us to strive for focus and detatchment to achive depth and control in practice. 

These are elements of puja, a traditional means of paying respects to the tradition which yoga is based upon. 

Ganesh is the first son of Shiva (the Indian Yoga God) and he is known as _'the remover of obstacles'_. He has a big tummy within which the universe is contained, so he also wears the cobra belt to hold it in and remind us who his father is. Hence he has for millennia looked after yogis whilst they practice. We welcomed the new Ganesh into the shala on New Year's day 2024. In his four hands he is carrying a goad (Anuksha) to steer us away from ignorance, a noose (Pasam) to capture our difficulties, sweets (laddu) because that keeps him sweet and emptiness in an open hand to stop difficulties and show us the way. 

His trunk turns to his left so he grants success to householder yogis (grihastha). 

He is sitting on a lotus flower representing purity and divine energy and he is also accompanied by Mooshika (Rat) to show that he controls the ego by riding on him (as his Vahana /vehicle). 

You may notice that his tusk is broken as he used this to scribe the Mahabharata.   

We welcome him with this simple japa mantra 

'Om GamGanapataye Namaha' 

Hanuman  is the immortal monkey god, the first son of Vayu (the wind god) and reputedly also an avatar of Shiva. He is to the right of Ganesh above. 

He personifies immeasurable strength, control and devotion (very ashtangi). 

His life and exploits are set out in part in the stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata (two of the oldest books). 

He is often depicted kneeling on one knee or standing guard to signify his devotional nature and carries a ‘gada’ a huge, heavy mace to demonstrate his super power. He can leap great distances and change in size from small to gigantic. A deity best kept on your team. 

Hanuman came to the shala in on our return from India in the form of a puja bell. Those of you in the shala early, when we are setting up, may have heard the puja bell in action as we prepare for opening. 

We welcome him with a simple japa mantra: 

Om Hanumate Namaha

 🙏

The present of self care

There are days when things can be a bit tense. For example when it's snowing and the house is full of people and noise. Its not just for Christmas but thats a great example. 

At these times it’s ok to be overwhelmed and to allow yourself to detach. 

Doing nothing is a restorative practice which makes you stronger and more resilient, for you and those around you too. 

We even need down time away from those tense moments with those who are near and dear. Especially so at Christmas, it can be a little full on.

If you are looking for a remedy to those Christmas blues then you could: -  

1. Find a quiet place and sit with your eyes closed. Try some soothing music, go for a walk outside, it doesn’t take long.

2. Breathe a long and equal breath in and out through your nose. Try ‘nadi shodana pranayama’: pinch the right nostril closed, slowly and equally inhale left, exhale right 5 times. Then reverse slowly and equally inhale right exhale left 5 times. Then sit free breathing for as long as it takes. 

3. Chant if you need more. Pick a simple mantra like: Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha and repeat. 

Taking out time for restorative self practices is an action of self restoration. 

It isn’t being lazy or selfish; it’s a necessary part of self maintenance in being human. Hang in there and have a very... 

Merry Christmas all. 

Photo credit: Nick Reuchell