Friday, February 2, 2007
Hatha yoga
One has to marvel at the amount of knowledge that these people were able to develop and archive (about all these ways of Hatha and its enhancing capacities for the body and the mind i.e., asana with all its different postures). Yoga teaches us that discipline is essential for spiritual growth. What are your thoughts?
7 comments:
I don’t consider myself to be a spiritual person in any shape or form, but I have practiced yoga before (albeit only once) and I don’t recall ever being as relaxed, calm and clear as I have that night. The session felt intense, at first, since I was using muscles I never thought had to be used, while sweat congregated, candles flickered and soft, earthy music felt as though it was suspended just outside my ears. I know this sounds impractical, but during the exercise, my body started to feel more limber as my mind didn’t feel so heavy and the result was a feeling that could only be described as mental and physical purification. Yoga as a spiritual practice isn’t for me, but as a type of cleansing, without the need of Tylenol or wine, is an introspective, focused (without the headache) and fulfilling practice.
It is a very powerful thing to be in complete control of your body. To have that control and to have reached it through discipline has innumerable positive effects on the rest of your life. Someone who has this control perceives the world very differently from someone who does not. So much of what we do in our lives is simply a repetition of patterns, doing what we’ve done before over and over again. Changing those patterns is very difficult; it requires desire and discipline. Though my knowledge of yoga is limited, I can clearly see that it is a powerful way of practicing discipline, which is of utmost importance in life. Then there is breathing, Pranayama. People undervalue the power of breathing, the power of taking time just to breathe. Smokers know this, though they do not practice it in the most holistic way. I used to meditate a lot, I used to take time to breath, and until we began talking about it in class I hadn’t realized that I had stopped. I think that it is time to begin again. It is always time to begin again.
Although I force myself to meditate and take some “time out” from my daily routine, I have never practiced Yoga as a discipline. When I was growing up, I remember that my grandma and my aunt practiced it everyday. My grandma woke-up at 6 a.m. and managed to practice several positions even though she was more than 60 years old. One morning, I saw her on the floor. Her back was on a mat and she was moving her feet and then touching her forehead with her knees. “It’s good for your kidneys,” she uttered. I couldn’t understand how that could be beneficial. I was stunned and somewhat worried that she could hurt herself! She never did.
My gradma has osteoporosis now and cannot do the same tricks, but she always emphasises that Yoga has kept her active. I guess I want to learn more about this discipline now.
I find it amazing how these extremely awkward bodily positions can lead people to such blissful peace. The 8 limbs of Yoga (as described in Wikipedia) are very interesting: "Yama and Niyama, which are ethical obligations, Asana, Pranayama, which is breath control, Pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal, Dharana, which is concentration, Dhyana, which is meditation, and Samadhi, which is the experience of unity with God." This final idea of experiencing unity with God seems to be a common thread in most world religions. In every faith, there seems to be those who look past the dogma, and seek to be in touch with the Divine. In Islam, there are the Sufis, in Judaism, there are the Kabbalahists ( i don't think that's the right word), in Buddhism and Chrisianity there are monks and mystics. And then there's yoga. Whether these practices truly lead people to experience God, I do not know. However, if there is a God, I think pursuing Him will be well worth the cost.
-daniel
My experience has been one similar to Adam's. I first experienced yoga about 5 years ago and remember that for my first time, it was an experience unlike any other. I can still picture the ambiance and the voice of the instructor as he made us close our eyes and slowly focus our energies on every single inch of our body, beginning at our toes and ending at our head and every piece of it. For the first time I felt completely relaxed and aware of the energies in every section of my body. I still try to do it sometimes to relax but it is not the same. However, I did take something with me that day, the name of the singer to the mantra cd that was playing in the background: Deva Premal. I quickly became interested in her music and sanskrit lyrics and even established an email communication with her. Since then my mantra has been "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" and it helps soothes me through intense times. Perhaps you don't necessarily need to physically practice yoga, but you can participate in it by what seems to be simply singing along to a cd. I believe mantras if not simply OM, do indeed lead to pure thought.
I have always found the practice of yoga quite intriguing. Never trying it myself, I always wondered how these interesting positions could possibly cause any kind of comfort or tranquility. It is a very attractive thought when you think about it—being truly in touch with your body, having your mind clear, completely free of the stress and worries of everyday life. It seems like a form of replenishment, not only for the body, but more importantly for the mind. I have realized that I must look beyond the popular thought that it is only an exercise for the body. I look forward to practicing it and achieving these valuable rewards.
i have never tried yoga myslef,but i have always been involved since my friends practice everyday. from what i have seen in them yoga requires a lot of concentration in what your doing (since my friends do yoga with a parter), besides being aware of your own body and movements you have to be aware of your partners body since eachother is depending on the other. practicing yoga makes you clear your mind in a way, since there is no space to think about anythign else but what your doing. (just in case anyone wants to practice yoga they have free yoga sessions in bayfront park at 6, i am not sure which days)
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