Tag: yogasutras

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Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind

The fourth of the Niyamas is a call to deepening our study of ourselves as a means to prepare the aspirant for the continued journey toward Liberation. It is with true knowledge of existence and the reality of the world of change that the yogi can finally see through the fog of human existence to the Truth of themselves, to know the Ātman (Soul, Self, Divine Within, etc.).

Svādhyāya surfaces in the Niyamas, as a repetition of one of the components of Kriyā yoga and can initially cause some misunderstanding. While the word svādhyāya gets commonly translated as ‘self-study’ there is often an important mechanic of that self-study which is often omitted. Patañjali teaches yogis to learn about themselves by studying spiritual texts, chanting, repeating mantras, etc.

Through the study of spiritual texts, the aspirant can gain knowledge on the journey ahead of them. Additionally, knowledge of the subtle layers of existence can be revealed through this continued study. When combined with chanting and repetition of mantras, the yogi will find balance in their subtle energies and gain increased clarity of the human experiences. With this knowledge and awakening, the aspirant will gain grace and ease with navigating the challenges of daily life and the human experience.

For a journaling practice today, explore how does self-study can lead to more meaningful and productive relationships? How has your knowledge of yourself grown from reading and studying spiritual texts?

For a chanting practice, you might try repeating this mantra 12 times:

Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ

This is a chant which invites in knowledge of our own innate capacity to overcome obstacles. It acknowledges that we each have the power Gaṇeśa represents contained within ourselves. It’s already there, we just have to awaken to our own divine nature.

A gentle way to ease into a chanting practice is to begin with 12 repetitions, for one week continuously. After that, you might try 36 repetitions for two full weeks. Next step could be to complete 108 rounds of the chant daily (or twice daily). See this post on the benefits of Chanting and encouragement for a consistent chanting practice.

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives. Share how you’re experiencing and practicing truthfulness today and everyday with our Ashtanga community and read what others are learning by following #yogafoundationschallenge on IG.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the remaining schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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Saṃtoṣa – contentment, feeling joy everywhere

The second niyama, saṃtoṣa, requires the yogi to practice contentment in all situations, in every moment. This practice can bring about clarity of heart and mind. It opens the aspirant to the vast network of connectivity which weaves the fibers of existence together.

The idea of finding peace and joy, regardless of whether the circumstances are pleasant or unpleasant can be an overwhelming practice to begin. Life consists of highs and lows and the emotions, sensations and knowledge that comes from those situations is invaluable in the experience of life. It’s a bit boring to think of a life lived without the rising and falling of the waves of a life well lived.

It’s important to distinguish the practice here, saṃtoṣa is not a practice of disconnecting from these moments and viewing them as plain, gray, stagnant components of a life free from highs and lows. Contentment is a practice of feeling the pleasant joy of existence through these ebbs and flows of life, without being ruled by the avoidance of pain or the continual lusting for joy. Saṃtoṣa is present when we see the sufferings of life as teachers, as messengers of truth and keys to where we need to grow on our journey inward and when we feel the beauty of our magical life, without clinging to it.

For our journaling practice today, try uncovering what contentment could mean to you?

How can the practice of contentment lead to a deeper experience of honesty on our journey of self-discovery and healing?

Does it feel as if this practice of contentment ask you to be disingenuous about difficult situations?

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives. Share how you’re experiencing and practicing truthfulness today and everyday with our Ashtanga community and read what others are learning by following #yogafoundationschallenge on IG.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the daily schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Monday, February 3 – Tapas – self-discipline as a path toward freedom
  • Tuesday, February 4 – Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind
  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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Śauca – cleanliness and why it’s so important on our spiritual journey

The first of the Niyamas, śauca, is a practice of physical, energetic and mental cleanliness. Building on the foundations the aspirant has already developed in Kriyā Yoga and the five Yamas, yogis will find this practice expands beyond regular bathing and brings about clarity of thought, health and vitality. This practice includes both inner and outer cleanliness. Yogis must work to keep their environment clean, their physical body clean and their inner thoughts and intentions clean.

Cleanliness of thought can be a comprehensive practice of all the previous practices we’ve been discussing. With our kriyā yoga practice firmly rooted, and non-violence as the foundation for all our connections, the aspirant can find that practicing śauca aligns comfortably with our spiritual journey and aids in commitment to the path of self-discovery and the search for Truth.

For our journaling work today, try to identify a subtler way you can incorporate a practice of cleanliness. Maybe it involves a small shift in the food you nourish your body with, possibly a change in the media you consume today, or even a practice of joyfully removing an item of waste you see.

Additionally, explore how cleanliness is important to your spiritual growth and development?

Can you identify subtle ways cleanliness is essential for a safe and effective posture practice?

The following guidelines can help to deepen your śauca practice through the context of your posture practice. As the body sweats during practice, it releases toxins and impurities; it also releases essential minerals during this process. Teachers suggest the yogi rub the sweat back into their skin to give the body a chance to reabsorb the minerals back into their system. It is also advised to refrain from showering immediately after practice. Try waiting 15-30 minutes before getting into the shower, this is another opportunity for the body to reabsorb minerals, which left the body during the practice.

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives. Share how you’re experiencing and practicing truthfulness today and everyday with our Ashtanga community and read what others are learning by following #yogafoundationschallenge on IG.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the daily schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Sunday, February 2 – Saṃtoṣa – contentment, feeling joy everywhere
  • Monday, February 3 – Tapas – self-discipline as a path toward freedom
  • Tuesday, February 4 – Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind
  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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Asteya, understanding the scope of non-stealing

The third Yama, asteya, is a practice of non-stealing. Patañjali next calls upon the yogi to deepen their discipline by incorporating the practice of asteya into their life. As it was with truthfulness, this practice must first be rooted in the previous practice of non-violence. All acts, thoughts, and speech must be rooted in non-violence.

So, what is Patañjali asking of us? The concept of not stealing is not new, most of us learn at a very young age that stealing is wrong and will result in some form of punishment. So, maybe the yogi is being called to expand their understanding of what it is to steal to include more subtler practices of non-stealing. With a firmly rooted practice of non-violence and truthfulness the aspirant might find their exploration of non-stealing to expand and include ideas about how our behavior in relationships, and our exchange of time, energy, thoughts, feelings, trust, generosity, etc. 

As a human, we can all have moments of inadequacy, fear, doubt, pain, judgment, etc. and it is quite easy to forget that all humans have these same feelings. Have you ever had a moment of feeling panic or doubt about a situation and then were surprised to learn someone you viewed as ‘so confident’ was also feeling similar threads of doubt and worry? With time, we might find the practice of non-stealing expands and reveals moments when we might not be recognizing the interconnectedness of existence, or the humanity and similarities within each of us.

What about our global resources, are there ways we can alter our daily practices to be sure these global resources are available to all?

For your journaling practice today, explore your definition of stealing and see if there are ways to deepen your understanding of this concept into subtler layers of meaning.

How do you define stealing? Does the concept of non-stealing expand to include more than simply taking an item, which isn’t yours?

How can the practice of Asteya deepen our posture practice?

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives. Share how you’re experiencing and practicing truthfulness today and everyday with our Ashtanga community and read what others are learning by following #yogafoundationschallenge on IG.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the daily schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Thursday, January 30 – Brahmacarya – celibacy and what it means for the yogi
  • Friday, January 31 – Aparigraha – non-grasping, feeling the difference between holding and grasping
  • Saturday, February 1 – Śauca – cleanliness and why it’s so important on our spiritual journey
  • Sunday, February 2 – Saṃtoṣa – contentment, feeling joy everywhere
  • Monday, February 3 – Tapas – self-discipline as a path toward freedom
  • Tuesday, February 4 – Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind
  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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Ahiṃsā, non-violence includes so much more than you might think

To observe and practice non-violence, yogis are called to much more than simply the restraint from physical violence. Non-violence is a lifestyle and the respect for all the world and the collective journey of existence we are all participating in. In fact, Patañjali calls for an elimination of violence in thought, word and deed. That’s quite the tall order, to control your engagement with the world with such precision that you are no longer even harboring thoughts that are even remotely violent.

Original commentary on the yoga sūtras goes on to elaborate that this practice of non-violence is required every single day. We learn we can not truly embody non-violence unless it is a constant force saturating throughout our intentions, impacts and ideas.

Ahiṃsā is the tolerance and acceptance of all of the differences amongst the living creatures of the universe. As well as a respectful use and care of all non-living objects as well. Ahiṃsā is also the practice of kindness. Kindness in all of our actions, thoughts and intentions.

As we meditate on this practice of non-violence, I invite you to grab a journal and explore a couple of questions. As you journal on what comes up for you with these questions, use this as an opportunity to get to know yourself better, to see a clearer vision of you. This exploration will lead to gaining knowledge of yourself and offer you opportunities for growth and transformation.

What does it mean to you to be non-violent?

Personally, how have you identified moments in your existence where you have caused harm and what steps did you take to be accountable for that impact? How could you adapt your patterns to impact the world less violently?

Are there truly violent acts, which are considered socially acceptable? And if so, why do we accept them?

Practicing non-violence can take an infinite number of forms. It may come in the form of forgiveness, letting go of past sufferings for the sake of both you and the world around you. Or maybe it comes in the form of acknowledging the presence of the human asking for food on the street corner. It’s also possible to for our act of non-violence to be standing up and using your voice to help those whose voices are being ignored. Or it might be making choices to support the health and vitality of our planet, instead of what is convenient or familiar.

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the daily schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Tuesday, January 28 – Satya, the vast extent of truthfulness
  • Wednesday, January 29 – Asteya, understanding the scope of non-stealing
  • Thursday, January 30 – Brahmacarya – celibacy and what it means for the yogi
  • Friday, January 31 – Aparigraha – non-grasping, feeling the difference between holding and grasping
  • Saturday, February 1 – Śauca – cleanliness and why it’s so important on our spiritual journey
  • Sunday, February 2 – Saṃtoṣa – contentment, feeling joy everywhere
  • Monday, February 3 – Tapas – self-discipline as a path toward freedom
  • Tuesday, February 4 – Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind
  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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