Patanjali an Ancient Creator of Tweets?

Patanjali  an ancient creator of tweets?  #yoga #quote "The term sutra ... literally means a thread and essentially refers to a terse and pithy philosophical statement in which the maximum amount of information is packed into the minimum number of words.": Edwin Bryant, "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali".  So as Patanjali wrote the sutras, he was in effect creating tweets??? at least in concept, although not necessarily sticking to 140 characters!

Spectacular Ballet Performed by Q Dance

Tonight Royal Winnipeg Ballet presented a performance by Q Dance (artistic director Peter Quanz) that was invigorating and insightful. The small theatre at the Gas Station Arts Centre was the perfect venue of intimacy; you felt that you were right there beside the dancers experiencing their passions.

The first piece, Quantz by Quanz, was performed to a flute concerto by Johan Joachim Quantz, a distant relative of the artistic director. This dance generated the feeling of the elegance of the Baroque period. So much action - "sound and fury" by the dancers - but it produced a grace that transcended this earthly realm.

 The second piece, Double Bounce, was delightful and whimsical. It was performed to a recording of David Lang’s “these broken wings, III” by the quintessential New Music ensemble, Eighth Blackbird. Very good stuff! I had the sensation that I was watching the creation and expansion of non-Euclidean self imaging geometric shapes. (btw, I think that’s a good thing!)

 The final piece, Murder Afoot, was a narrative that was a spectacular multimedia event. It was entertaining and wonderfully humourous. It used video very effectively, including live feeds of the dancers from a different angle than the audience was seeing them on stage; as well as travelling through the Arts Centre following the dancers into the lobby, back stage, dressing rooms, etc.. Totally irreverent ballet that was most pleasurable. Pieces from various operas provided the music which was dramatic, and used to great effect to enhance the fun that was clearly being had by the audience and the dancers. Conjure a mixture of William Tell Overture, Bugs Bunny and love triangles, and that will give you just a start of what went on.

 If you have tickets, don’t miss. If you don’t have tickets, that’s a shame because all performances are sold out – and this company is not one to be missed!

Evolving Mysore Practice

An interesting article in the recent Ashtanga Yoga School Philadelphia newsletter. I really like the author's concept of saving some asanas for my next life. And yes, I too know of parts of the practice alluding me - yet we continue to practice. "Nothing is perfect. Or permanent." She nailed it!

Student Spotlight:
Karen Karuza
Confessions of a "Yoga Hussy"

 I did not choose this ashtanga practice--the practice found me. Never in this lifetime have I been a Flipper, Flyer or Bendy Barbie. My mother often tells the story of my early childhood dance lessons and how it took a year for me to finally master a cartwheel. I live and breathe fashion-went to design school in New York, worked on 7th Avenue. All flash and glam. I disco roller skated, went to the gym, pumped iron, did aerobics, studied tae kwon do and took up spin class. Once I got a yoga video out of the library and attempted "Tree" and "Mountain" pose-not too successfully. A friend suggested "Bikram Yoga." I liked the intensity. That studio brought in a teacher from New York and I made the switch to Ashtanga. Within no time this was soon to evolve into a Mysore room. Not quite sure what that would really mean, I googled some images and thought "What the hell is going on in there?" That was over a dozen years ago. The practice found me. And I found my practice. I never did a backbend or headstand until I was more than several decades into this life. At AYS I am often in a room where I have tattoos older than most of the lovely people practicing beside me. When an asana looks so impossible (and many do) I think, "I'll save that one for my next life." The breath-yes,that natural habit we all have-has so much power. And yet, I STILL cannot harness it! The bhandas! The roots, locks-still so often elude my attempts. But I will continue to try. Nothing is perfect. Or permanent. It is difficult to articulate all that transpires and transforms from practicing Ashtanga. The blogoshpere and Facebook are chockablock with those perhaps more eloquent than I on this matter. However, for me, this practice changes everything--internally, externally, redefines ego and humility, discourages competition and encourages introspection, learning and re-learning. Again. And again. It sometimes shouts but more often it whispers-very quietly. So as is life on and off the mat.

 I have been studying and "flowing on the crooked path" with David Garrigues since shortly after he settled in Philadelphia.

The Eight Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga

I am still in the infancy of my yoga practice and study.  I have heard of various parts of the 8 limbs of yoga in various talks.  However when I read this post (I've included a copy below) by Anna Coventry at doyouyoga.com, it nicely brought together a straightforward explanation of them for me.  It's one of those things that I'd don't want to lose, so am storing it in my blog.

What Are The 8 Limbs Of Yoga?

Anna Coventry on July 25, 2013

Yoga. It’s more than just a bunch of postures named after animals. It’s an ancient healthsystem that has been taught for around 5000 years, helping people achieve greater levels of physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

The concept of the 8 Limbs of Yoga comes from a book called Yoga Sutra. It was written circa 200AD (the exact date is not known) by the sage Patanjali who described yoga as being an 8 Fold Path that leads to the ultimate goal of Samadhi (pure consciousness). Sounds pretty good so far!

The limbs – or practices – follow each other in a specific order working from the external to the internal and the practice that most of us are familiar with is the 3rd limb, Asana. Some people choose to follow Patanjali’s path in a disciplined way, while others focus on just one or two practices. Either way, it’s all yoga.

Understanding the 8 limbs may add a new layer to your practice, so here is a brief explanation of them.

1. Yamas (Ethical Standards)

The Yamas have to do with how we relate to others. They are essentially ethical standards that remind us that we do off the mat is equally as important as what we do on it.

The 5 Yamas are Ahimsa (non violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non stealing), Bramacharya (to live in higher awareness) and Aparigraha (absence of greed, non possessiveness).

2. Niyamas (Personal Standards/Self-Discipline)

The Niyamas relate to our relationship with ourselves. They offer us a framework for self-discipline and remind us of the importance of our actions (and inactions).

The 5 Niyamas are Saucha (cleanliness or purity of body and mind), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (self study) and Isvarapranidhana (surrendering to your spiritual source).

3. Asana (Postures)

The limb that most people know and love, asana makes up a large component of many modern yoga styles. Asana is nowadays used to describe the physical postures that offer a ton of health benefits including increased flexibility, core strength, physical and mental balance and detoxification. Traditionally, the purpose of asana (which translates as “to sit”) was to prepare the body for the internal practices that follow.

4. Pranayama (Breathing Techniques)

Prana is the vital life force that pervades every aspect of creation and exists within us as energy. The breathing techniques of yoga literally help to expand our energy and begin to move our awareness away from the physical body and into our more subtle layers.

5. Pratyahara (Sensory Withdrawl)

When information hits the senses (touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste) the mind is stimulated. Pratyahara teaches us to withdraw from this external stimulation and bring our focus inward.

It is an important preparatory stage of meditation. Even if we sit within a quiet space we can’t completely avoid all sensory stimuli (particularly sounds) but we can train ourselves to be unaffected by it, which paves the way for meditation to happen.

6. Dharana (Concentration)

Concentration is taking the mind to a single point of focus. It’s quite tough to concentrate when the mind is jumping around responding to sounds and smells, hence the importance of Pratyahara. At the stage of concentration, an agitated and busy mind may experience erratic thoughts, colours, images or shapes (or all of the above) and learning to ignore them is part of the practice.

The key is having something to concentrate on, a word or mantra, a symbol or an object, which helps the attention come to a single point.

7. Dhyana (Meditation)

Extended periods of Dharana as above, will naturally lead to meditation. They may appear to be the same thing, however while Dharana takes the awareness to a single point of focus, Dhyana is ultimately pure awareness without a specific focus. The mind has been stilled to the point of few or no thoughts (any we do have simply float in the background without our awareness becoming distracted by them).

We may move in and out of Dharana and Dhyana as we continue practicing, but the key word here is practice. In meditation, the mind and body experience a profound sense of peace and relaxation and even a few minutes can be deeply rejuvenating.

8. Samadhi (Pure Consciousness)

Samadhi is when a practitioner merges with the object of their meditation and becomes at one with it and their surroundings. This is sometimes described as bliss or ecstasy, but it is not an experience of emotion (as the experience of the self and the ego have dissolved). The practitioner simply becomes pure consciousness, at one with the divine.

So obviously everyone has choice when it comes to yoga. Some days I follow the path, other days I might just do a few postures and that’s enough. There is no right or wrong, but knowing about the 8 limbs might just add a new dimension to your yoga.

What is your experience with the 8 Limbs?

ANNA COVENTRY

Anna is a 500hr RYT and writer who grew up in New Zealand and is now an international yoga gypsy. She believes that happiness and wellbeing come from a balanced approach to life and self, and aims to inspire people to care equally for their mind, body and soul. Anna is an advocate for the transformative powers of yoga and meditation and she enjoys sharing her thoughts, ideas and experiences in a light hearted and honest way on her website Bubbles and Backbends. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Why Ashtanga Yoga Works (and what it does)

A friend recently posted to Facebook an article from Psychology Today entitled "Yoga: Changing The Brain's Stressful Habits - How yoga changes your brain".  It was published on September 7, 2011 by Alex Korb, Ph.D.  I wanted to capture the article here so that I don't lose track of it as I continue my yoga practice.

My friend had commented:

"I like that it talks about how yoga in and of itself is not "relaxing" but rather trains one how to deal with what comes up from a decentered perspective - which can lead to a more mindful, relaxed attitude! Go Neuro-Psych!"

The part of the article I particularly liked is:

"Yoga is simply the process of paying attention to the present moment and calming the mind. Over time you will start to retrain your automatic stress reaction, and replace it with one more conducive to happiness and overall well-being.

... I eventually came to the realization that not only can you practice yoga in real life, but, conversely, you could go to a yoga class and not really be doing yoga. Some ... might just be placing their legs behind their heads, and still not be focusing on keeping their breath calm and steady, or their minds clear ... They might be focused on something else entirely. Without the sustained intention of focusing on the present, and calming the mind, going to a yoga class is literally just going through the motions."

The full article can be found here, and is as follows:

Three times a week at 7AM my Dad drives to a dance studio five blocks from the beach.  In the bright, hardwood room, which sits above a Radioshack, a muscular man with a shaved head and board shorts whispers instructions in a mix of English and Sanskrit.  My Dad, and the rest of the class - mostly lithe, tanned actresses and trophy wives wearing black Lululemmon tights - bend and twist into strange shapes.  The windows fog over with the moisture of their collective breath.

My Dad has been going to yoga for over 6 years. I had always been interested in exercise and athletics, but I didn't get what was so great about this odd form of extended stretching.  I also had a separate interest in neuroscience, but little did I know that this ancient practice would re-shape my understanding of the relationship between the body and the brain.

Yoga can supposedly improve depressive symptoms and immune function, as well as decrease chronic pain, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure.  These claims have all been made by yogis over the years, and it sounds like a lot of new age foolishness. Surprisingly, however, everything in that list is supported by scientific research.

It may sound like magic that posing like a proud warrior or a crow could have such extensive effects, but it's not magic.  It's neurobiology.  This next statement may sound to you either profound or extremely obvious, but it comes down to this: the things you do and the thoughts you have change the firing patterns and chemical composition of your brain.  Even actions as simple as changing your posture, relaxing the muscles on your face, or slowing your breathing rate, can affect the activity in your brain (beyond, of course, the required activity to make the action).  These changes are often transient, but can be long-lasting, particularly if they entail changing a habit.

The first time I woke up early to join my Dad for yoga, I was picturing a roomful of people calmly twisting into pretzels to achieve enlightenment.  As class was about to start my Dad mumbled from the next mat over, "You're supposed to breathe through your nose while constricting the back of your throat to make a sound like the ocean."  That sounded a little hippy-dippy, touchy-feely to me, but I tried it anyway. I realized only later that this was one of the key factors in yoga's effect on the brain.

Within 15 minutes I was dripping so much sweat I could barely hold a downward-facing dog.  Yet through all the poses the instructor kept talking about how we were supposed to keep our breathing calm, and steady.  Remain calm? Are you kidding me?  My muscles were shaking as I tried to hold myself in pushup position 4 inches above the floor. When the teacher asked us to twist so that the right shoulder dipped under the right knee, I could barely expand my lungs. He asked us to do a back bend, and my spine creaked, and painfully resisted my attempts.  Remain calm?  For goodness sake, he wanted us to stand on our heads! 
As a neuroscientist, despite my initial incredulity, I came to realize that yoga works not because the poses are relaxing, but because they are stressful.  It is your attempts to remain calm during this stress that create yoga's greatest neurobiological benefit.

Your brain tends to react to discomfort and disorientation in an automatic way, by triggering the physiological stress response and activating anxious neural chatter between the prefrontal cortex and the more emotional limbic system.  The stress response itself increases the likelihood of anxious thoughts, like "Oh god, I'm going to pull something," or "I can't hold this pushup any longer".  And in fact, your anxious thoughts themselves further exacerbate the stress response.

Interestingly, despite all the types of stressful situations a person can be in (standing on your head, running away from a lion, finishing those TPS reports by 5 o'clock) the nervous system has just one stress response.  The specific thoughts you have may differ, but the brain regions involved, and the physiological response will be the same.  The physiological stress response means an increase in heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and elevation of cortisol and other stress hormones.

The fascinating thing about the mind-body interaction is that it works both ways.  For example, if you're stressed, your muscles will tense (preparing to run away from a lion), and this will lead to more negative thinking.  Relaxing those muscles, particularly the facial muscles, will push the brain in the other direction, away from stress, and toward more relaxed thoughts.  Similarly, under stress, your breathing rate increases.  Slowing down your breathing pushes the brain away from the stress response, and again toward more relaxed thinking.

So how does this all fit together?  As I stated before, the stress response in the nervous system is triggered reflexively by discomfort and disorientation. The twisting of your spine, the lactic acid building up in your straining muscles, the uneasy feeling of being upside down, the inability to breathe, are all different forms of discomfort and disorientation, and tend to lead reflexively to anxious thinking and activation of the stress response in the entire nervous system. However, just because this response is automatic, does not mean it is necessary.  It is, in fact, just a habit of the brain.  One of the main purposes of yoga is to retrain this habit so that your brain stops automatically invoking the stress response.

Some people might think that the stress response is an innate reflex and thus can't be changed.  To clarify, the response is partly innate and partly learned in early childhood.  Yes, the stress response comes already downloaded and installed on your early operating system.  However, this tendency is enhanced, by years of reinforcement.  In particular, you absorb how those around you, particularly your parents, react to stressful situations.  Their reactions get wired into your nervous system. However, just because a habit is innate, and then reinforced, does not mean it is immune to change.  Almost any habit can be changed, or at least improved, through repeated action of a new habit.

To give an example of changing a similarly innate reaction, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you have a gag reflex.  This gag reflex gets in the way of many college freshmen as they struggle through the college socialization process of chugging a beer.  Most have a difficult time.  However, by the time senior year spring break rolls around, many of them have learned how to largely suppress that reflex.  Like your gag reflex, just because your stress response is innate and automatic doesn't mean it can't be reshaped through sustained, and intentioned practice.

For some people waking up at 6:30AM to go to a yoga class would automatically trigger their stress response.  The good news is that you don't actually have to go to a class to practice yoga.  The poses most people associate with yoga are just a particular way of practicing yoga called the asana practice ("asana" translates to "pose"). The asana practice challenges you in a specific way, but life itself offers plenty of challenges on its own.  Under any stressful circumstance you can attempt the same calming techniques: breathing deeply and slowly, relaxing your facial muscles, clearing your head of anxious thoughts, focusing on the present.  In fact, applying these techniques to real life is what yoga is all about. Yoga is simply the process of paying attention to the present moment and calming the mind.  Over time you will start to retrain your automatic stress reaction, and replace it with one more conducive to happiness and overall well-being.

After going back to my Dad's yoga class a few times, I eventually came to the realization that not only can you practice yoga in real life, but, conversely, you could go to a yoga class and not really be doing yoga.  Some of those hot, tan, thin women around him might just be placing their legs behind their heads, and still not be focusing on keeping their breath calm and steady, or their minds clear (Note: I have removed a lame blonde joke).  They might be focused on something else entirely.  Without the sustained intention of focusing on the present, and calming the mind, going to a yoga class is literally just going through the motions.  Come to think of it, who knows if my Dad is really doing yoga, and not just staring at the women with their legs behind their heads? Well, all I can say is that from my mat I can hear his breaths rolling deep and slow like the ocean, and he has no problem standing on his head.

No Mysore Practice of Ashtanga Yoga on Moon Days

Moon Days are the days of the full and new moons. Traditionally there is no mysore practice of ashtanga yoga on these days. Here are the reasons why provided by two noted teachers of ashtanga yoga.

Tim Miller has posted the following:

Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?

Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.

The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.

The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it.

Richard Freeman has posted the following:

Moon days provide time for rest between rigorous days of practice which is especially important if, as is traditional in the ashtanga system, you practice six days a week.

It’s part of the traditional approach to take time off during the new and full moons. This is partly due to the Indian astrological belief that it is not auspicious to do certain things on moon days. Because we are part of this lineage, we have chosen to honor the moon days in this way.

In addition, once you practice on a daily basis (six days a week is recommended), you’ll notice that being invited to take a day off is a luxury. The body can rest (after all the ashtanga practice is physically demanding) and on moon days you feel like you have a huge chunk of unspoken for “free time” when you’re used to daily practice.

42 - Jackie Robinson's Journey Against Racism in Major League Baseball

Last evening I saw “42”, the movie about Jackie Robinson’s entry as the first African-American into Major League Baseball. It is an excellent movie and I’d highly recommend seeing it. The movie depicts the struggles against racism, not only in Robinson’s acceptance by other players in MLB in 1947 but also the discrimination he had to live through in his day to day life at that time: segregated washrooms, seating on public transit, refusal of service on an airline plus the outright bigotry of people in their day to day dealings with him. What hatred; what anger; what despising! There’s a very telling scene in which there is a young boy with his father, sitting in the stands, out to enjoy the ball game, but the fans, including the father are shouting out racial insults at Robinson. The boy looks at the fans around him, not knowing what to do. Then it comes to pass that he starts shouting the same things so as to fit in. An apt metaphor for how racism is started and sustained in a society! The movie is well written; so listen carefully when you go. A couple of examples: The story is set just after the Second World War and Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers (whose farm team interestingly enough was in Montreal), who is leading Robinson’s hiring by the team and the acceptance of African-Americans in MLB, says words to the effect: we’ve just had a victory over fascism abroad, now it’s time to have one over racism at home. Rickey does say in the movie that he is bringing African-Americans onto the team for business reasons. I’m not totally convinced. I think he deserves a lot of credit for having the strength to lead this change in society. Then in another scene when the players are warming up on field before a game, and Robinson is being racially insulted by the fans, the shortstop, who during the movie has been slowly evolving out of his racist beliefs, comes over to stand by Robinson, show his support, even puts his arm around Robinson to show the fans his support visibly, but then he says to Robinson: tomorrow we’ll all wear 42 (Robinson’s number on the back of his uniform) so they can’t tell us apart. It is so hard for me to understand how society can become and remain racist. In the U.S. South there were lots of mean people who were consumed by it, but there were lots of good people too who just got caught up in it, swept along by it and embraced it; not realizing that it was wrong. Why didn’t they give their head a shake? How could they have ensured that they did not accept the norm of society and support such inappropriate behaviour? The norms of society are very powerful on the populace. In hindsight we see and realize how wrong it was. My concern is whether there are things today which are so ingrained in our societal norms that we don’t think about whether it is really right that we act that way – something that with the benefit of hindsight at some point in the future we will realize it is wrong and say: what were we thinking, how could we have acted in such an inhumane manner. Might it be how we as a society treat the poor, the uneducated, the homeless, the mentally ill, etc.? I sure hope we aren’t missing something because I wouldn’t want history to look back on us and think we were bigots for the way we are acting now.

Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers' Show with Sasha Ivanochko

Last evening I attended this performance undeterred by the WCD's caution of nudity and adult themes. It was a wonderful show. Both dances were choreographed by Sasha Ivanochko. The first piece "Gods They Are Dreaming, Gods They Are Awake" is in the words from the program "a series of supported solos that investigate different energy channels of the body, on the pathway from fragmentation to wholeness". I believe this is what the WCD had also written that Ms Ivanochko was "inspired by reading that she has done on the Chakras, which are centres of life force and vital energy in the body from Hindu traditions and beliefs. The choreography plugs metaphysical expression into the tangible, weighted bodies of the performers." Through the performance I really enjoyed the build up through the nattering of the gods, to the torment of the dancers, culminating in a primal scream. This then progressed to a dancer crying and then later laughing. The conlifct was tangible. The sounds from the dancers really added to the essence of the performance. At points I had the sense of the gods nattering and being very difficult on the people. There were some resulting grotesque postures and movements. Towards the end it came around and there was a very primal beat. I struggled to understand what the story of this dance was. but then I finally decided that for me there was not a story - and that's ok. It just was – it was what it was. And what it was, was a pleasurable performance. Quite enjoyable. I enjoyed the second piece "Speak, Love" even more. There were two dancers, one male and one female. From the program notes: "Speak, Love" is framed in the polar literary worlds of Rumi, a 13th century Persian mystic poet and Roland Barthes, a 20th century French literary theorist." I loved the opening: the music, the poetry spoken by two dancers. It very much had an aura of mysticism. But then the imagery really took off for me. I ultimately concluded that for me the piece was a life cycle of a lovers relationship. In one of the initial stages the clothing over the top part of the male dancer enveloped him as he proceeded between her legs from behind and the chairs she was standing on - conjuring for me that he was a condom. Then it switched to a scene that was like a Renaissance dance. She was very active, pulling him along and has the moves were repeated over and over and over he became tired by her activity. Anyone ever felt that way by the activities of their lover? Then the relationship progressed on to a lovers squabble/fight and then a rape. Another powerful image for me was when the two of them went into the same piece of upper body clothing ( his hoody, worn backwards), with her putting her arms down the sleeves. They basically morphed into one being, with the full power and enjoyment of that; after which she performed an ecstatic, active and very orgasmic dance. She then challenged him to speak to her. He responds in gibberish unable to communicate but eventually comes around to say "I love you". What a journey of development of this lovers relationship! Quite an enjoyable evening. Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers are Canada's oldest modern dance company. This was good work and very worth attending.