“Whatever you stockpile – be it diamonds, big houses, fame, money, proficiency at advanced yoga poses, or less flashy things, you will inevitably encounter two certainties. First, all will be lost. Second, these things, in and of themselves, will never satisfy your cravings, which are expressions of your feelings of fear and emptiness.” (Lasater, p. 107).

Try these affirmations:

There is enough

You are already whole.

In asana, trust that you have enough – enough energy, enough support, enough breath. In pranayama, work with breath retention. Within the space of retention, consider the pause. Rest in the space of greedlessness: neither grasping for inhale or exhale.

Suffice it to say, a more helpful modern interpretation of the word Brahmacarya is to “walk with the divine.” In the same way that a renunciate may choose chastity in the form of sexual celibacy, we householders and modern yogis may choose to purify our own energy (prana). We can do this by staying in the present moment and expressing our prana wisely. We don’t want our energy to leak out in frivolous pursuits. We want to channel it so that we are in line with our dharma, or right path.

In asana, we can work with the energies of the chakras to purify what we manifest in our poses. The “lower” chakras – particularly muladhara, the root chakra, and svadisthana, the sacral chakra – are what tie us to the Earth and our own creativity. We channel that energy up and through our heart, anahata chakra, and manifest it into the world. A great practice for this is udiyanna bandha, or the abdominal lock.

In general, consider your own energy in your asana practice. When you move into a pose, breathe there and consider the flow of prana through your body. Make any adjustments that feel right to facilitate that flow. Keep your awareness in the present moment – bringing together your body, your breath, your prana as one seamless manifestation of the divine.

B.K.S. Iyengar calls the impulse of stealing: “The desire to possess and enjoy what another has.” In this regard, in our asana practice, we may be tempted to “steal” a pose that our body isn’t ready for. This then leads back to the first two yamas: ahimsa and staya. Accept your body and be kind to it. This will tame the temptation to move beyond your own body’s limits right now. Further, it can encourage each of us to see our bodies anew with each breath -- meeting our body moment by moment.

Yet, deep within, there is a strong undertone of accepting abundance (pusti) and releasing a fear of scarcity, as stealing “grows from believing we cannot create what we need” (Aadil Palkhivala). In asana, we may resist moving fully into a pose due to a feeling of lack in regards to our own energy. To counter this, we can cultivate a trust in each pose’s inherent ability to provide the energy required to do it, to breathe, and to accept our own magnificence!

Extend the body long to unwind any contractions held through the length of the body. If your low back is sore, support it by taking a bolster, pillow, or rolled blanket under the knees. Lengthen the legs and then relax the feet out to the sides.

Shrug the heart center towards the sky and relax the shoulder blades down and in towards the heart. Find a comfortable place for the hands – out to the sides with palms up? Onto the belly to feel the breath? What feels right for this moment?

Roll the head from side to side on the floor or mat to release any tension in the neck. If you’d like, place an eye pillow over the eyes or simply allow the eyes to close and the gaze to turn downwards towards the heart.

As you relax in this comfortable, supported pose, begin to hold this question: What is my truth?  Move through your body, heart, and mind, releasing any tension with the breath. As you create extra space in this moment, continue to hold this question: What is my truth?

Move your awareness slowly through your body from head to fingers and toes. Bring awareness to any parts of the body that feel particularly good, where you feel a sense of your strength, your absolute wellness and utter safety. As you identify places like this, breathe in gratitude. As you exhale, feel that feeling of gratitude expand. Slowly, breath by breath, feel your whole body, your whole heart and mind, filled with gratitude. Let the threads of gratitude weave and fortify this internal space, holding this question: What is my truth?

Relax and ease each part of your body – moving from the crown of the head, over the forehead, under the eyes, through the jaw, the scalp, the neck, the shoulders, the arms, the spine, the torso, the legs and feet.  Imagine the breath as nurturing hands kneeding away the tension and stress of the day. In this space of ease, hold the question: what is my truth?

Feel your breath get easier and easier. Effortless. Feel the systems of the body return to their natural state of wellness. The heart is open and easy. All other thoughts in the mind fade as you hold this singular question: What is my truth?

What is my truth?

After some time, begin to deepen the breath and expand your focus to include your body. Listen into the body as you begin to move again. Gently return to a seated position and begin to live into this question: What is my truth?

Beats all the lies you can invent.”

– William Blake

The foundation of yoga, it is said, is love and truth. Ahimsa and Satya go hand-in-hand. Truth is a tricky thing. There is the external truth and the internal truth, or integrity. It may be easier (or not) to tell the truth about something you saw, heard, experienced which was also seen, heard, experienced by another. But, what about our internal experience? What does it mean to be in integrity with our internal truth?

In asana: Are you being truthful about your ability to move into a pose, particularly a challenging pose? If there is major misalignment based on your body’s own chronic holding patterns, is your whole body truthfully executing the pose? Assess yourself honestly. Listen to the truth your body speaks. If you’ve lost your breath, feel more tension than awareness, or go into pain, move back, modify, listen.

How does satya manifest in your work on the mat this week? Are you telling the truth about your own experience? Onsider the interplay of ahimsa and satya. When I am truthful about my own body, it is natural to treat my body with awareness and kindness.

What is a meaningful way to work with satya in your daily life? Ask: "Are my thoughts truthful? Are my words truthful and in integrity? Are my actions truthful?" Take on small step in your practice of satya.

Violence, according to B.K.S. Iyengar, resides in a person’s “mind and not in the instrument [s/]he holds in his[/her] hand” (1994, p. 32). Ultimately, it is essential to evolve toward the change of thoughts in order to achieve ahimsa.

In asana: begin to witness your body. Let go of competitive ego and expectations and trust that your body is right where it’s supposed to be. Be present to yourself, treat yourself with compassion. Modify when necessary and accept props as appropriate.

What is the tone of your body awareness during asana? Fighting or surrender, dominance or witnessing, attachment or acceptance?

How does the idea of non-harming play out in your life off the mat? Witness your thoughts, listen to your own speech, notice your actions. What does non-harming mean to you?

Phillip Moffitt, a Buddhist meditation teacher, offers this article on fine-tuning our understanding of intention and differentiating intention from goal-setting. With goals, Moffitt says “the future is always the focus: Are you going to reach the goal? Will you be happy when you do? What next?” Intention, by contrast, “is a path or practice that if focused on how you are ‘being’ in the present moment.” A goal says “I want to grow a tree.” Intention tends the soil.

Moffitt is clear that intentions are generated not by the mind, but in the heart (see the intention meditation in the 12/29 post). “Goals help you make your place in the world and be an effective person. But being grounded in intention is what provides integrity and unity in your life.”

Setting an intention is not a one-time event, but a process, a practice. We set our intention and live it. We use our practices (yoga postures, pranayama, meditation, journaling, etc) to move inward into that reflective space to again cultivate those intentions and then we move it back out into the world. We walk it off our mats and into our lives. And then we begin again. It’s this didactic process of working back and forth between the mat and our lives that allows us to stay engaged in life in a way that is grounded in our deepest truths.

Good luck!

Xoxoxom

Amy

Thus begins the Yoga Sutra, a quintessential text for anyone intending to take the study of Yoga deeper into their hearts and lives. It's easy to see this opening, as Charlotte Bell did, "as a throwaway verse," but on deeper examination, it can be honored as a setting of intention.

Next time you take to your mat, or begin anything -- your day, a task, a conversation -- try pausing to feel an intention take form in the heart. I'll offer here a formal way for creating that pause, but know that even the pause of one breath can create a framework for what proceeds that is more fully-tethered to your inner truth.

Find a quiet space and take a seat which supports the spine. This may be a traditional seated posture, or it may be sitting in a supportive chair. Wherever you may be, sit with purpose. Let your spine be supported by the rooting of the sitting bones and lengthened by the suspension of the crown of the head towards the heavens.  Rest your hands on your knees or thighs.

Inhale as you let your gaze soften to the floor. Exhale as you let your eyes close and your shoulders melt down and back. Scan your senses, bringing your awareness into the present moment. Let your present moment awareness come to focus on your breath.

As your breath lengthens, direct the breath to the heart center. As you breathe in, behold the space of your heart. As you exhale, feel any tightness there float out. As you inhale, draw your hands together in prayer position just in front of the heart. As you exhale, hold the space open as you feel intention arise. Trust whatever comes through -- be it a word, an image, an affirmation, or something you can just glimpse a bit of. Trust that you have more than enough to begin.

As you feel ready, press the thumb knuckles into the heart center to seal your intention. Rub the palms together vigorously to begin to manifest your intention. Split the warm palms over the eyes. As you are ready, open the eyes into the palms -- begin to see with your intention. Float the hands back down to the knees and proceed with your practice, whatever it may be.

Namaste

 If ever an oil could "have me at 'Hello'", it's Peace and Calming.

Just as it's name suggests, this blend issues in a wave of peace and relaxation -- allowing you to begin to melt back to center. 

During savasana, we often work into our own natural state of deep calm. It may not seem so some days, but we all have access to this state. Working with the yogic tools of asana, pranayama, meditation and relaxation, we can fine tune our ability to move back to this internal abode of serenity. 

For your practice, it is beautiful to diffuse Peace and Calming throughout. You can also use it topically as you move down onto the floor, heading towards savasana. It is great applied to the feet (just 21 minutes and it's found it's way into every cell), swept from temple to temple, or at the backs of the ears.

It is good and right that you relax each day. Those moments will work wonders for your health, your relationships, your work and all that you do and touch.   

I find myself very drawn to the smell of Purification. I don't know if it's the tangy cirtus enticement or just the evocative name that draws me. Nonetheless, it's the bottle I pull out the most.

I've found my exploration of the oils to be similar to my work in asanas. Some I love all the time, as I love child's pose or utkatasana. Some are just what I need on certain days, like I need a round of spinal extensions when I'm feeling heart-heavy or a downward dog at the wall when my low back is tender. Some I think I should like, but admit only to myself that I don't like (locust), fear (upward facing bow), or <gasp> despise (I'll leave those to your imagination).

And, although I can sometimes trick myself into thinking child's pose and lavendar are good for everyone, I know from serving my yoga circles that that's simply not true.

And so, as I continue my exploration with Purification and all the oils, please join the conversation. I'd love to hear more about your experiences, too.

Saucha, the first of the Niyamas, is often translated as clealiness or purity. Those of us taking meaning at the most mundane level may think of physical cleanliness or "living clean" -- eating well and nutritiously, refraining from toxic substances, etc.

We can also take the practice of saucha into our asana practice. Look back on this blog for more on that possibiltiy.

In using Purification, I am looking for a deeper dimension of purity. Inhaling the scent of citronella and lemongrass, I invite in the cleansing inhale. Exhaling with ease, I let go of whatever doesn't serve me -- be it physical restriction or tension, mental business or fatigue, a heavy or lonely heart -- I use my breath and this scent to clean myself out. Clearning myself out for some new delight, as Rumi would say.

What does purification mean to you?