Hatha Yoga is rooted in Patajali’s Yoga Sutras (200 BC) 195 sutras. Sutra literally means thread, a thread of meaning on which a teacher can expand and elaborate on. Patajanli describes Raja Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga (8 limbs). These are 8 levels of practice.
1) Yamas (5 disciplines): Nonviolence, truthfulness, right use of sex, no stealing, & non-possessiveness.
2) Niyamas (5 devotions): Cleanliness, purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study & surrender to the divine.
3) Asanas: Control of movement; postures to release tension, remove toxins, & prepare the body for meditation.
4) Pranyama: Control of breathing; breathing practices to balance prana and awaken the mind.
5) Pratyahara: Managing the senses and impressions. Usually withdraw of external sensory overload.
6) Darana: The 1st aspect of meditation. Focusing of the attention to stabilize the mind. Cultivating the power of attention. The focus is on the breath, a chakra, the 3rd eye, a flame, etc.
7) Dyana: The 2nd aspect of meditation. Sustaining focus. The process of training the mind to sustain a focus. There are many methods: self-inquiry, devotion, mantra, etc.
8) Samadhi: Total concentration to what we are doing. Merging the focus of our attention completely in the NOW. The fruit of meditation is
a great sense of peace & blissful happiness.
Ayurveda helps us understand our place in nature, our individual constitution and how to bring about physical and psychological balance, living in harmony with nature. Through the principles of Ayurveda we can understand our tendencies both physically and emotionally. This understanding teaches us how to live in such a way as to promote health and healing. Ayurveda treatment includes prescribing specific Yoga asana and pranyamas for specific conditions.
YOGA & AYURVEDA –Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences with roots in the same Vedic philosophies. In Yoga the main purpose is self-realization or unification with the higher self. In Ayurveda the main purpose is optimal living to manifest our full potential of health, vitality and creativity. These sciences work together and teach us how to both balance our mind-body constitution and how to control and calm the mind and senses creating in us clarity and peace.
What Asana does: Asana (yoga poses) is a conscious use of the mind and body to bring positive change in the body and overall flow of energy. Physically the asana are designed to keep the body running smoothly, comfortably and optimize health. Many chronic conditions and specific diseases can be greatly improved with a regular asana practice.
Yoga teaches that our negative emotions like fear, anger and grief get lodged in our nerve tissue and cause depression or agitation in our behavior. Asana practice can release past experiences and create new flexibility and energy. It can also open us up to rich experiences in the present. Yoga brings together mind, body, spirit and breath focusing us in on the now, balancing the external and internal flow of energy. This experience not only feels wonderful but also nourishes us on a deep level.
Asana can also be used as a mirror to reveal our behaviors and conditioning. By bringing awareness to the emotional state the asana creates in us we can learn to control our thoughts and gain control over our emotions.
Yoga uses Ayurvedic terms and energetics to describe yoga practice like that of the Gunas. The spiritual energies of the mind:
1) Tamas – dullness, inertia, lethargy, little motivation, emotionally blocked, easily comes violent & stagnant.
2) Rajasic – ever active, agitated constantly pursuing desires, ambitious and assertive but with little calm or peace, promotes their own interests and protects those who serve them with a tendency towards anger.
3) Sattvic – Peaceful, calm, focused mind, they have good thoughts and spontaneously do good, compassionate & selfless, emotionally much love, faith and contentment.
We all have all 3 of these gunas at different times but the obvious goal is to promote the Sattvic qualities, which both Yoga & Ayurveda do. This is done in stages in an Asana practice:
1st Stage: Break up tamas using stimulating postures to remove tiredness and dullness and dispel toxins. (Tamas predominates in the early morning)
2nd Stage: Calm rajas and decrease agitation by releasing built-up energy and aggression. Using calming and relaxing asana and pranyama. The focus is on the mind and heart using mantra and visualization.
3rd Stage: To increase sattva through a calm and focused meditation, taking your awareness away from the body. This is the higher level of Yoga in which we come in contact with our higher self.
Doshic influence: Another Ayurvedic term is the Doshas, the biological humors or body-mind constitutional types. Yoga like Ayurveda should be done in harmony with ones constitution. (Vata, Pitta & Kapha)
Vata energy is impulsive, erratic with excessive motion. Vata types need to be restrained gently, grounding and stability. Asanas should be harmonious with consistency and continuity. This is done through compression of the colon and pelvis: forward bends, balancing poses, sitting poses and the prone poses.
Pitta energy is focused, penetrating and can cut and harm. They need to be gently relaxed and diffused. Asanas should be cooling, relaxing and done in a surrendered manner. This is done through compression of the solar plexus (liver, gall bladder & spleen); forward flexion, lateral bends, prone poses with slow and diffusing movements. No competition (keep the eyes closed), no heat, rapid flow or intensity.
Kapha energy is resistant and complacent. It must be moved and stimulated. Asanas should be energizing, light, stimulating and fast. This is done through opening and expanding the chest: backward bends, inversions, a flowing sequence, increasing speed, intensity, focus, heat and decreasing rest.
Doing Asanas: The way we direct our pranic energy in a pose influences it’s effect on us. For example Increasing the speed or intensity will increase the energy and heat of a pose and decreasing the speed and intensity will produce more of a calming effect on you. Our state of mind also influences the effect a pose has on you weather our mind is cloudy or clear or our emotions are calm or turbulent. The more clear and calm the mind is the more liberating the asana will be for our consciousness.
Although an asana may not be good for a particular dosha does not mean you should never do it. It means when you do it should be done in such a way as to guard against any potential imbalance. For example backbends; a full backbend done quickly or forcefully can cause major vata aggravation and strain the nervous system. However doing a partial backbend gently is good for reducing vata that accumulates in the upper back and shoulders.
Each asana family, standing, sitting, inversion, twisting, etc. all exercise certain muscles and organs which should not be neglected. It’s important to select poses within each family that are better for you body type and do them with the appropriate speed and force.
Asanas should also be done with consideration of a person’s age, sex and physical condition.
Ayurvedic Signs of Successful Yoga Practice:
Overall – good digestion, no tongue coating, pleasant fragrance to the body, good complexion, good elimination, lightness, flexibility, clarity and calm.
Vata – removal of stiffness from the joints, steadiness of the muscles (reduction of tremors), feeling of groundedness, calm and support.
Pitta – Feeling of coolness, calm, openness, patience, tolerance: reduction of inflammation, acidity or bleeding.
Kapha – normalization of body weight, reduction of congestion, removal of excess fat, mucus and water from the body, greater sense of detachment.
SONOMA AYURVEDIC WELLNESS CENTER
YOGA & AYURVEDA
Yoga is a broad system of teaching which deals with all aspects of life: music, dance, psychology, sociology, etc. The philosophies of Yoga are deeply Spiritual and are centered on self-realization.
The main practice we see today in the US is asana (Yoga postures) rooted in the Hatha Yoga Tradition, which emphasizes asana, pranyama & meditation to develop our internal energy. The Hatha Yoga texts contain the most elaborate descriptions of the asanas.
The main practice we see today in the US is asana (Yoga postures) rooted in the Hatha Yoga Tradition, which emphasizes asana, pranyama & meditation to develop our internal energy. The Hatha Yoga texts contain the most elaborate descriptions of the asanas.
