Asana
| Pranayama | Mudra
| Drshti
| Bandha
|
|
|
Always breathe through the nose, not the mouth, which is designed for eating and drinking. All that is required is to breathe with awareness, always. As you breathe in, know that you are breathing in. As you breathe out, know that you are breathing out. This alone will greatly enhance your general health and well-being.
Breath is life itself - each in-breath brings the gift of life, and each out-flowing breath can be a natural release of tension and a movement towards life itself.
"As fire, which is a latent potential of wood,
does not become potent except by friction,
so also wisdom, which is latent within each person,
reveals itself through the practice of breath control."
(Swami Rama)
"Oh Yogi, do not forget the precious bandhas......"
Yogi Vamana Rishi
Translation of bandha: binding, tying, catching, sealing, locking, taking,
holding.
 |
 Kovalam |
What is being harnessed with use of bandha is energy. In Astanga Vinyasa Yoga three bandhas are used to a greater or lesser degree throughout the practice: Moola bandha, located at the perineum / neck of cervix (pelvic floor). This is the main bandha used. Uddiyana bandha, initiating in the lower abdomen, and spreading upwards. Jalandhara bandha, in the throat. These last two occur in subtle ways during the practice. In very simple terms, bringing full attention to, and using certain muscles in the above locations whilst breathing in a focused way (ujjayi pranayama) harnesses subtle yet very powerful energies. These energy locks are used to bring strength and protection as well as greatly increased awareness (of the body, the self, life and others). Learning to work with bandha energy does take time and much patience. You can read more about bandhas in various books written by experienced Astanga teachers (see book/author list) but the greatest teacher will be your own effort, practice and observation.
"Men and women travel far, to gaze upon mountain
heights, the waves of the sea, broad flowing rivers and the expanse of
the ocean, and yet they pass themselves by; the crowning wonder."
(St Augustine)
The simple act of speech creates both sound and physical vibration. A mantra could be a single sound or a collection of words or sounds, short or long. Let us take for example the mantras chanted at the beginning and the close of each Astanga practice. The opening mantra honours the practice as teacher and healer, and ends by giving thanks to Patanjali, great sage of Yoga, and all teachers who have passed the sacred art of Yoga down through the ages. The closing mantra asks that all beings may come to have peace in their hearts. These mantras are chanted in Sanskrit, an ancient language. As Westerners, we may initially stumble over the words and be uncertain about their purpose or meaning, but we can nevertheless chant with sincerity and respect. Simply chanting with respect for the practice (of chanting, or Yoga itself) will be sufficient to start the process of change and healing that is one of the main purposes of mantra. Different mantras can be used for a wide variety of reasons. Eknath Easwaren writes movingly and clearly about mantra in his book "Mantram Handbook ISBN 0-14-019113-5. Thomas Ashley-Farrand has also written most eloquently on the subject in his book "Healing Mantras", " ISBN 0-345-43170-7.
"On the spoken word all depends.
The word is the imperishable, the firstborn of natural law,
the mother of the Vedas, the navel of the divine world"
Taittiriya Brahmana
Simply being aware that you are breathing is a movement towards meditation. Being focused and aware is part of that journey. Focusing on just one thing, for example, paying great attention to placing your foot in the optimum position to support your body in a posture, this is concentration. Focusing on all parts of the body at the same time with total awareness - this is meditation. There are countless ways to meditate. Because of the wide range of options you may wonder what on earth is the correct approach. In the same way that Gertrude Stein wrote that "......a rose is a rose is a rose......." so we can understand that to meditate is to meditate is to meditate. It could be the sitting, or standing, or lying down, or doing the washing up, or making love, or walking the dog, or writing an essay - meditation. Being absolutely absorbed in whatever you are engaged in is a form of meditation. It is a wonderful thing to set time aside to sit in quiet repose, doing nothing, being no-one, going nowhere, simply a being who breathes and sits, eyes closed, attention within. This is meditation.
"Surrender all thoughts of the fruits of your
actions"
Bhaghavad Gita
Hatha Yoga aims to make the human body into a fit and worthy vehicle for self-realisation. It is a very practical means of awakening and releasing hidden qualities, strengths and understanding in the practitioner. Countless postural, breathing, and meditative techniques are utilised to foster strength, flexibility, awareness, and above all, a state of deep and profound relaxation. This brings the student to a much greater sense of who they are and how their body is; weaknesses are first revealed then strengthened and healed; strengths are developed, and understanding grows; beginning with the body, the breath, the self, and then others, the world, and life itself. Fantastic as these claims may seem, the reason Yoga has been around for thousands of years is because it really does work!
Though the focus of Hatha is often on postural work (asanas) it is far more than an exercise programme, it is a way of life that relaxes and liberates mind, body, breath and spirit. The word Yoga means to join or unite; the training of the mind, through the perceptive organ of the skin, leads to the student being fully aware of being focused on their body, in the position, and in the present moment.
When the mind-body connection is made......Yoga blossoms.
