Beautiful Mistake

“Fear is nature’s warning signal to get busy.”

˜Henry C. Link

It is our lack of insight and understanding that causes us to think that it’s possible to make mistakes in life. In fact, we believe so deeply in this idea that it causes us to fear unnecessarily. For example we think that cancer is the body attacking itself, and since we don’t know how to cure it, we begin to fundamentally distrust ourselves. This is an unfortunate place to be mentally. The truth of the matter, with respect to cancer, is that prevention IS cure. Even after diagnosis, turn to prevention, and by removing the causes and toxic conditions of the body and of the mind, create the conditions to enable the body to heal itself.

Life is wise. We are wise by nature. Mistakes are only the moments before we get it just right, or the moments in-between “rightness”. Mistakes are part of the process. Those in-between moments are often more beautiful than the polished ones.

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished.”

˜Jalal al-Din Rumi

 

Swami Vishnu's arms

I found this photo recently of Swami Vishnu-devananda. I immediately loved it. I guess artistically or aesthetically, but also that we are seeing an in-between, blurred moment.  His face is covered. There is a stillness, but at the same time, the arms are “going” somewhere. I also have my own in-between moment, captured…whether grasping or “un-doing”, we are not sure.

Janaki's arms

These days the artist is creeping back into everything I do. I think I’ve always applied my artist’s mind to yoga, but now the arms are aching to “make”, and “do”. The mind is making connections that are more evanescent, symbolic. It’s all sadhana.

Pranams,

jjz

Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras”

Rajasthani temple in Uttar Kashi, India

“If all the vast traditions of India’s philosophies and literatures were to vanish

 and the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali alone were to be saved,

each of those philosophies and literatures could in time be created again.”

˜Pandit Usharbudh Arya

In the Saturday class, we have begun a study of a text called the “Yoga Sutras”. Here is a little background on this text and its context, and some recommended commentaries if you’d like to follow along. I hope you come to like reading them as much as I do!

The yoga sutras are not authored by Patanjali Maharishi; he was putting into print what was at the time being passed down from guru to disciple in an oral tradition. The sutras date from about the 3^rd century BC (roughly 400 BC); about the same time as the Buddha lived (500 BC). So we can say that they are roughly 2,500 years old. There is certainly a sharing of many of the ideas presented in the yoga sutras with those of Buddhism. A student of Buddhism had once asked me, “Where are the ethics in yoga?” Here they are, in the system described within the yoga sutras.

The word “sutra” means thread. In this context a sutra is a short, dense expression in Sanskrit which conveys the teachings in a compact manner. The yoga sutras describe a system to develop the mind, cultivate psycho-physical evolution, and inner freedom – called “yoga”. Traditionally the student would memorize the sutras, and over time would come to understand them properly through contact with and the elucidation of the teacher. Today we can find many different commentaries on the yoga sutras by various teachers; some more spiritual, some more academic, some aiming to place the teachings in a more modern context. Translations of the sutras themselves vary greatly from one text to another. Choosing which to read is really a matter of connection or affiliation, or simply choosing a commentary that resonates with you.

It is said that in order for the purification of the soul to occur, there has to be what the Greeks call “metanoia”, a total and radical change of mind. That means, everything we think we know has to be turned on its head, a difficult task perhaps. We need practices in order to help us do this. So we can also say that the yoga sutras describe the system of practices that help us to change the mind. All of the modern practices of yoga trace themselves back to the yoga sutras, though it should be noted that there is very little written about asana in the yoga sutras. The system presented is referred to as “Raja Yoga” or “Ashtanga Yoga”, which is one of the four main paths of yoga. Asht-anga means “8 limbs” which are:

1.       Yama (restraints, social code)

2.       Niyama (observances, private code)

3.       Asana (steady, comfortable seat)

4.       Pranayama (control or restraint of prana)

5.       Pratyahara ( withdrawal of senses)

6.       Dharana (concentration)

7.       Dhyana (meditation)

8.       Samadhi (superconscious state)

 

The yoga sutras are not particularly intellectual, however more practice –oriented. There are 196 sutras. They are divided into four chapters:

1.       Samadhi Pada – general theory of yoga and the mind and how to reach Samadhi

2.       Sadhana Pada – eight limbs and how to practice

3.       Vibhuti Pada – cultivation of psychic powers (and pitfalls of such)

4.       Kaivalya Pada – path to liberation

 

To give you an example of how the same sutra can be variously translated.

Atha yogānuśāsanam

Has been variously translated as:

Now, therefore, complete instructions regarding yoga.

(“now”, suggesting that there were previous instructions)

Thus proceeds Yoga as I have observed it in the natural world.

In the present moment is the teaching of yoga.

(“now” meaning, literally “NOW”…yoga only existing in the present moment)

I will now review for you how we become whole.

 

So you can see what I mean. Here are my favourite commentaries:

• Swami Venkatesananda (Divine Life Society), “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” (brilliant, but hard to find)
• Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Bihar School), “Four Chapters on Freedom” (solid understanding)
• Geshe Michael Roach & Christie McNally, “The Essential Yoga Sutra: Ancient Wisdom for Your Yoga” (from a Tibetan Buddhist approach)
• Swami Vishnu-devananda (Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres), “Meditation and Mantras” (good, shorter commentary included in book about meditation)
• Dr. Rammurti S. Mishra, “The Textbook of Yoga Psychology”

I also like what Michael Stone has to say about the yoga sutras in his book (though it is not a commentary), “The Inner Tradition of Yoga”.

Enjoy! I look forward to seeing you on Saturdays!

Pranams,

jjz

 

Teachable

Dakshinamurti - Siva in the form of the Teacher

 

“You cannot help anyone – you can only serve”.

˜Swami Vivekananda

You’ve heard the expression, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. It is absolutely true. In yoga, or on the spiritual path, many of us spend time and resources looking for the ‘right’ teacher, always searching for the one who can offer us something better. The better approach is to make yourself a better student, teachable. Remain open to what is around you. The irony is that unless we are teachable, we won’t be able to recognize the teacher when they present themselves.  How to make yourself teachable? Good question.  I read an article on education some time ago that suggested that as a society we are no longer teachable. We don’t know how to listen and we all think we know everything.

The best plan of action in entering any class situation or new situation is to let go of expectations. That can be expectations for yourself, your practice, or for the class itself. If we are mentally ‘in the moment’ instead of a state of memory (which is both past and future) this is a good start. We also need to constantly forget what we have learned. I think this goes against very deep cultural conditioning that we have. We see learning as cramming in more and more on top of what we already know. We have a fear of losing what we already know. Instead, it is more an integration and the process of learning is not instantaneous. We take in something new, without judging whether it is of use of not and slowly let it percolate. In a sense, it becomes part of us. Initially it may just seem “interesting” or our intuition can be strong that there is value it in, however, In time, we can better understand if it is of use or not.  And finally to ask the question, “Am I here to learn or to show how much I know?” It’s a tough one!

It is also important to understand that even the best teacher really has nothing to teach. By being around them, the environment and conditions may make it possible for us to learn, but they have nothing to ‘show’ or teach us.

The prayer that we say at the beginning of the class is about the student and teacher, recognizing that the two are interchangeable but also that the roles each plays are important:

Om Saha Navavatu

Saha Nau Bhunaktu

Saha Viryam Karavavahai

Tejasvi Navadhitam Astu

Ma Vidvisavahai

Om Shantih Shantih Shantih

Accept us both together

Protect us both together

May our knowledge and strength increase

May we not resent each other

Om Peace Peace Peace

 A good yoga class is difficult to define, because while it should be “kind” and leave you feeling mentally relaxed (and thus better able to look at yourself clearly), it should also push your buttons a little. I’ve observed this most excellently accomplished by David Life (of Jivamukti Yoga in NYC) when he asked workshop participants to find some space against the wall. He observed everyone claiming space without awareness or concern for the others in the room. He used this as an opportunity to remind the class that we are all in this together. If we all don’t find space, it’s not going to work. The mistakes in our thinking need to be looked at right away. And this is yoga, simply put.

Pranams,

jjz

 

Light

India at night during Diwali

Happy Diwali! Today India celebrates to commemorate the victory of good over evil, when Lord Rama defeated Ravana and rescued his wife Sita. It is said that Lakshmi, goddess of spiritual and material wealth, roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean and brightly illuminated. The word Diwali originates from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning “rows of light”.

May you experience the light of spiritual illumination!

Pranams,

jjz

You

All of human history, time, past, and future has been leading only to you. Everything has happened in just the right way to make your life possible. All the people who have come before you have worn a path and acted in such a way to make “you” possible. In doing so each person has left traces of themselves on the world. You also will leave traces yourself, your own indelible mark. It is completely your choice to decide what to leave behind. And it is also your responsibility to act in such a way as brings honour and fulfillment to the inner stirrings of your soul.

You are the most important person in the world. It’s not about ego. But if you were to live your life at every moment aware of the perfection and power of “you”, if each of us were, we might do a much better job of avoiding pain and conflict and experiencing beauty. I don’t mean to sound hokey. Just what I’ve been thinking about.

“Heyam dukham anagatam”
Future misery should be avoided.
˜Yoga Sutras, 2:16

This sutra suggests that indeed, we do have a choice. But I leave the final word to Rilke:

“The world is large, but in us it is deep as the sea”.
˜Rainer Maria Rilke

Pranams,

jjz

 

Make a new plan, Stan

Swami Vishnu's cave in Gangotri, Himalayas

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans”.  ˜John Lennon

Or rather, always have a plan, but be ready to let go of it at any moment. In fact, to me, this is exactly what it means to live a spiritual life – to be able to recognize our path when it appears before us. This may well mean letting go of what we had planned for ourselves. Where it becomes spiritual is in the willingness to let go or to surrender. We tend to hold on too tight and can be most stubborn.

A student happened to snap this photo of me as I was stepping-into Swami Vishnu’s cave in Gangotri. The photo reminds me of a story told by Ramana Maharishi about a king who experienced enlightenment in the split-second fraction of time as he was getting on his horse; one foot in the stirrup, he swung the other leg up and in that moment of time his perspective changed and he saw the world differently. At that moment I was thinking, “let’s do this”, meaning, we’ve come all this way, this is the important part. Let’s go inside and see what happens. Something did happen in that moment however in terms of my connection to Swamiji and to my lineage or tradition. I felt deeply honoured to be stepping into the cave as a woman and as a yogi and certainly as a teacher. Almost as if I were meeting Swamiji at last; that I’d come all this way to greet him properly and to affirm my faith in the tradition of which I am a part. A beautiful moment certainly. I am open to the next step, the next stage of my path, whatever that may be.

Swamiji spent much time in the cave, meditating, doing sadhana, chanting and reflecting. He experienced moments of bliss in the cave, but he also suffered there, frostbite and illness. While in the cave you feel you’ve entered the earth itself, and while it may be tempting to say that you are within the embrace of the earth, it is a cold and lonely place. It requires great strength to remain there. In fact the Ganges herself, just outside, is icy cold. The river, seen as female, is loud and relentless.  Here are his words, an exerpt of a letter he wrote from the cave in 1986:

“Time is fleeting. Life is being burnt like an oil lamp and many of my childhood friends are gone. So also this body is waiting to finish its karma. Do not waste time. Use every minute in Japa, Pranayama, and other spiritual activities. Maya is waiting to push you from the spiritual path. Before you know you are in the old rut, only grace of God & Gurudev will help you. Your own effort is successful only when God’s grace comes. So pray, pray and pray. For me day & night are all same. 60 years of my life is gone just like a dream. Life is like a two days play. Born, grown up and now in old age many things only exist in past memory. There is difference between the time I spent as a young swami in the Himalayas and now at 60 an old swami. Those days body is under control walking, climbing etc were easy but turbulent mind. Now the body is weak but by the grace of God mind is calm and strong. Younger days mind used to plan too many things. But now mind wants solitude. Those days physical discipline was easy. Now physical body can do very little. Those days I thought only physical action can bring success. Now it is opposite. You can do everything by the thought alone and the thought is the only reality. Body, you feel like a worn out shoe. But with the mind you see now the world in a different way. That concrete world now only looks like a mirage. …People, you see, like phantoms moving in shadowy world, do not see that their existence is only the darkness. When the light comes, their phantom body & world will disappear like a mist when the light comes, it is beyond any description”.

 

What to do in a Himalayan traffic jam?

Sing and dance....of course!

 

It seems I learned one thing this month. Don’t sweat it. “Nothing special” is what a landslide is in the Himalayas.

Of course it all seems special to me. And I hang onto this viewpoint. Probably better to be somewhere in-between the two. This has been one of the most beautiful lessons I’ve had from India. “Who do I think I am?” My life is valued about as much as the next guy, which is to say…not much! Only another human life. And, while I subscribe more to the “special” school, understanding this detachment has been tremendously helpful. A little release of the ego. I remain grateful for this lesson.

And, I am home, in one “special” piece. I will write more soon.

Pranams,

jjz