”Sahavāsam (Dwelling Together)
– What you associate with becomes part of you.”
TKV Desikachar January 15th 2000
State of the Mind
“It is possible to be aware of the state of the mind
by observing the body during an Āsana practice.”
Reference for this post:
Yoga Studies – TKV Desikachar England 1992
Suffering and Pleasantness
“Some define their experience of life by seeking Duḥkha,
some by seeking Sukha.
The Yoga Practitioner sees both as Avidyā
and defines their experience of life by seeking
what lies beyond duality through unwavering Viveka.”
Commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter 2 verse 26 by Yoga Studies
Bhāvana for the Breath in Kumbhaka
“Bhāvana for exploring Kumbhaka
– Explore the Antar Kumbhaka with a soft holding.
– Explore the Bāhya Kumbhaka with a firm surrender.”
Pointer 5 from the series:
108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers by Yoga Studies
When less Āsana time than you would like…..
“When less Āsana time than you would like,
better to reduce the number of Āsana,
or the number of repetitions,
or the length of the stays,
rather than, reducing the length of the breath.
Or….. even considering lengthening the breath,
thus even fewer Āsana, all with a longer breath than usual.
Here the Bhāvana could be to observe the effect
of a more spacious than usual Āsana breathing
on a more cramped than usual daily mindset.”
– Paul Harvey
The movement of the breath is a mirror…..
“The movement of the breath is a
mirror to the movement of the mind”
– Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā Chapter 2 verse 2
Yoga is more about exploring…..
To reach a point we have not reached before…..
Yoga
“to reach a point we have not reached before”
-TKV Desikachar
Conscious breathing is one of the greatest…..
“Conscious breathing is one of the greatest
tools to influence the effect of the posture
without changing the posture”
-TKV Desikachar
What is most important is that we live in the present……
“We can speculate on the future.
We can recollect from the past.
But what is most important is
that we live in the present.”
– TKV Desikachar
Our relationship with Food can be too little, too much, or wrong……
“Our relationship with Food can be too little, too much, or wrong.
According to Āyurveda, even the best food eaten in the wrong amount,
or at the wrong time, or with the wrong attitude
will fail to nourish and even disturb the system.
The same could be said for Yoga Practice.”
– Paul Harvey
The mind is part of a team…..
” The mind is part of a team,
along with the body, the breath and the senses.
Everything that we do is a product of that team,
but the mind is generally the boss……..
We know that the state of the mind affects the breath and,
luckily for us, the opposite is also true”
What are we Seeking – TKV Desikachar
Yoga Practice is about a re-turning towards our inner life……
“Yoga Practice is about a re-turning towards our inner life. However, even without outer obstacles, we can encounter inner feelings that arise and manifest as obstacles to that re-turning.
Here it might be helpful to reflect on the four pillars of Maitrī, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekṣā and the role they can have in helping to transform the unhelpful aspects of these inner feelings.
“Bhāvana is a beneficial attitude that is consciously cultivated
despite tendencies to the contrary”
– T Krishnamacharya commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33
With the spirit of Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33 in mind, the cultivation of the four pillars is a practice that can support a stepping, rather than stalling, onto our mat or seat through:
- Maitrī –
Cultivating a feeling of friendliness towards our own attempts,
let alone other’s demands, to distract ourselves. - Karuṇā –
Cultivating a feeling of compassion towards our bodies and minds,
whatever state we find them in. - Muditā –
Cultivating a feeling of looking for the positive spot in ourselves
and what we can do well and now, rather than what we can’t do well or now. - Upekṣā –
Cultivating a feeling of keeping distance from the self-deprecation that can so often accompany our attempts to improve the quality of our inner life and old responses to inner tensions and memories.”
– Paul Harvey’s personal commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33
Yoga is a process that evolves……
“Yoga is a process that evolves,
from an enquiry into our limitations,
towards an inquiry that expands our potentials.”
Paul Harvey
Shared from Paul’s Yoga Journal
…..it is the purpose of Yoga to unify their movement
“While it is theoretically possible for the body, the breath, and the mind to work independently, it is the purpose of Yoga to unify their movement. In our very first practice classes, we will experience this unification. What appears as Yoga to an outsider is mainly the physical aspects of our practice. They will not be aware of how we breathe, how we feel the breath, and how we coordinate breathing with physical movement.”
TKV Desikachar – Religiousness in Yoga, ch2, p13
Thinking…..
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
-William Shakespeare
Begin your practice from where your are…..
“Begin your practice from where you are,
finish your practice where you are going.”
– TKV Desikachar 1978
Shared from Paul Harvey’s Yoga Journal
Our Practice…..
“Our practice needs to become a celebration of what we have.
Rather than what we have, becoming a reason not to practice.”
shared from Paul Harvey’s Yoga Journal
Progress must be seen as the distance from…..
”Progress must be seen as the distance from the starting point,
rather than the more usual reference of the distance from the finishing point.”
Duḥkha is a disturbance of the mind…..
“Duḥkha is a disturbance of the mind. While sometimes the words sorrow, misery, and disease are used to define duḥkha, it is best identified as a feeling of restriction.
Somehow something deeply disturbs us and we feel restricted.
This restriction is duḥkha…….
We all aim to remove duḥkha……..
That is what Yoga is trying to do.”
TKV Desikachar, Religiousness in Yoga