ashtanga tampa bay – Yoga Chikitsa

September 30, 2020May 14, 2023

Yoga In Action

We all come to our yoga practice for individual reasons. Some seeking physical health, others for emotional and mental support. With consistent practice, many come to experience the powerful impact this practice can have on our total life experience. We might notice that our overall well-being transforms. And once we start to feel better in body, mind and heart, that impact can spill over into our personal lives and inform the way we interact with others. This can lead to an increase in meaningful and impactful connections.

However, it will not always be easy to integrate the lessons we learn on our mat. Some situations will be very challenging and we will find ourselves ruled by our previous patterns of conditioning and unable to connect to the calm and insightful teachings of yoga. These are the moments that offer us a powerful opportunity to transform.

The Bhagavad Gītā offers us wisdom and tools for navigating these challenging moments which have the potential to lead us in the direction of profound transformation.

This epic poem beautifully paints the picture of the challenges of the human experience and offers readers a roadmap for navigating challenges and living a life aligned with their purpose.

Set on a battlefield, the main character Arjuna is facing the biggest existential crisis of his life. In the face of having to fight a war with his family, Arjuna throws down his bow and refuses to fight. His charioteer and dear friend Kṛṣṇa, is actually The Lord in human form guides Arjuna through a journey inward to find himself and answer all of his questions.

Kṛṣṇa peels back the layers of yoga, action, study and devotion to guide Arjuna as he is navigating the most challenging moment of his life.

This poem reveals that within each of us, a battle rages between selfish impulses that ignore the claims of justice and mercy and a realization that ultimately we are all connected in a unity that embraces all humanity and the whole world.

Arjuna is our conscious mind, which must make the choice of how we will live. Arjuna’s opponents on the battlefield represent our impulses to self-centeredness and greed. Kṛṣṇa is the divine spark within each of us, our higher Self, which is always available to rein in the horses of our feelings and thoughts and to guide us in the battle of life, if we will only seek that help.

The teachings that Kṛṣṇa offers to Arjuna are vast and multi-layered. In one of those lessons, Kṛṣṇa is educating Arjuna on is how to put yoga into action in his everyday life. This call for action is crucial. We must take action to support the collective growth and evolution of all of us. For, a choice to not do anything is in itself a choice which serves our lower self, the part of us that doesn’t want to do what is best for all because it’s hard, uncomfortable or costly.

Kṛṣṇa offers a 5-step plan to put yoga into action:

Keep the spiritual goal
Offer all actions to something greater than oneself
Don’t be concerned with the result
Be free from possessiveness
Be calm

These five steps offer us a map to navigating the actions we can take in every moment of our lives.

KEEP THE SPIRITUAL GOAL

We are called to always remember what our ultimate goal is – to reduce all suffering and learn to connect with our true nature.

OFFER ALL ACTIONS TO SOMETHING GREATER THAN ONESELF

By offering our actions up to something that is greater than us, we free ourselves to act for the greater good, without prioritizing our own personal benefit of that of others.

DON’T BE CONCERNED WITH THE RESULTS

This concept might be the most misunderstood concept of all. We are being called to not control the outcome of our efforts. But this does NOT equal indifference. This concept is rooted in CONNECTION and calls on us to acknowledge that we are all in a collective and shared reality and to reflect on the impact of our actions (regardless of our intention) have on others and the world around us.

BE FREE FROM POSSESSIVENESS

This concept is also intertwined with the second one – since we are offering all of our actions to something which is greater than us, we will release our urge to grasp onto acclaim, accolades or praise associated with our actions and instead allow our actions to be of service to all – instead of just ourselves.

BE CALM

We must try to always find steadiness within ourselves so we can continually return to this constant process of reflection, release and adjusting.

These are the five steps Kṛṣṇa lays our for Arjuna to put yoga into action in his life. This method can be applied to every area of our lives and will deepen our understanding of ourselves and continue to fuel our spiritual journey.

Next time you notice yourself feeling frustration, anger, fear, nerves, etc. try to analyze your experience through the lens of these five steps and see if you’re able to find freedom in a different perspective. Often, this different perspective is expansive and inclusive all at the same time and might bring a bit of ease in a challenging moment.

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January 28, 2020

Satya, the vast extent of truthfulness

Could truthfulness change the world? If each soul on this planet were to accept a complete practice of truthfulness into their lives, how would the global social norms be altered?

Practicing truthfulness is not limited to simply avoiding lying. Truthfulness also involves an honest view of all of our actions. The activities we participate in, the food we eat, the way we treat our body, the way we keep our home, etc. If any of these actions are not aligned with our internal core values, this is a form of non-truthfulness.

A pure practice of truthfulness is a powerful opportunity to examine your perception of the world around you and how you engage with it. When journeying into the practice of noticing patterns of truthfulness/non-truthfulness in your life, it’s important to understand this practice must be rooted in non-violence (ahiṃsā). Ahiṃsā, the first of the Yamas, is the foundation of the ladder of Patañjali’s Aṣṭāṇga Yoga system and all actions (even honesty) must be rooted in non-violence first, in order to maintain the appropriate foundation for the spiritual journey of yoga.

Satya is non-violent truthfulness in thought, word and action. Below you’ll find a couple of journaling questions to help you deepen your exploration of Satya.

What does it mean to you to be truthful? Beyond your spoken words, what else is included in this definition of honesty? As you sit and contemplate these ideas, remind yourself of your practice of kindness toward yourself.

Do your thoughts embody truthfulness? If not, how often is your inner monologue untruthful to you? How does your level of stress or calm transform your inner monologue?

How often do you witness un-truthfulness in the world around you? Are there non-violent and honest ways for you to transform those untruths?

How could practicing truthfulness encompass all eight limbs of yoga and guide the aspirant toward freedom?

This practice of journaling and meditating on these questions (and the questions they inspire you to contemplate), can be a powerful tool for self-study and will continue to elevate your spiritual journey. Stay rooted in the concepts we have discussed earlier: Kriyā Yoga and ahiṃsā and remind yourself these practices are a means to overcome suffering and lead us toward peace.

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 🙂

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

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January 15, 2019January 15, 2019

Uḍḍīyana Bandha: What is it and how to use it

In our posture practice, we often hear instructors using Sanskrit in their cues and it can be hard to understand exactly what they’re trying to help you with.

A cue like ‘engage your bandhas’ would often times be a guide from your teacher to find steadiness from the pelvis and lengthen your spine to support the work you’ll be doing in the posture of the moment. But what does it mean to ‘engage your bandhas?’

Over the 12 plus years I’ve been practicing Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, I’ve noticed that using the bandhas in posture practice often means something quite unique to each student. In general, the use of the bandhas will give you control over your center of gravity (mūla bandha) and help you keep your spine healthy and long (uḍḍīyana bandha).

Known as the abdominal lock or upward lifting lock, uḍḍīyana bandha will

provide support the the spine
help ease pressure from the lower back
support healthy postural
keep you standing tall later in life
aid in healthy digestion and elimination
help foster confidence and grace in challenging postures, and more!

PLEASE NOTE: Uḍḍīyana bandha, used in āsana practice is different than uḍḍīyana bandha kriyā. Uḍḍīyana bandha kriyā is a cleansing practice that involves breath retention and is NEVER done during āsana practice.

In āsana practice, the firm and steady contraction of the transverse abdominus will help students to keep their spine long and healthy while executing any posture. And when used with mūla bandha, these two engagements work to flush the body with vital healing energy. Additionally, the proper use of the bandhas fuels the energetic body and ignites the transformative aspects of yoga.

The physical postures will be safer with the use of mūla and uḍḍīyana bandhas, even if those poses are still really crazy and really hard. You will have greater control over your center of gravity and your spine will be supported. Uḍḍīyana bandha is especially important and useful for those who are experiencing lower back pain.

Contraindications:

Pregnancy
While recovering from abdominal surgery
There also may be other reasons your teacher advises against the use of uḍḍīyana bandha. Please connect directly with your teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Advice for finding, feeling and experience uḍḍīyana bandha:

Feel the space of the lower abdomen, between the bony parts in the front of the pelvis, above the pubic bone and below the navel.
Firm this space of the lower abdomen, and imagine it could gently pull back toward the spine, while not restricting the breath.
Observe the way your body responds to this engagement.
Sometimes, placing your open palm on this area, above the pubic bone and below the navel, can help you to feel the subtle contraction of these muscles.

Directions to engage uḍḍīyana bandha:

Sit in a comfortable meditative posture with the pelvis upright
Close the eyes and find softness throughout the body
Feel the breath natural and effortless
Allow your awareness to shift to the lower abdominal region
Contract the transverse abdominus and hold this contraction steady while taking a conscious inhale, release as you mindfully exhale
Continue this rhythm of contraction and release with natural breath and continual awareness

Uḍḍīyana bandha is a valuable and transformative aspect of the posture practices in yoga. This subtle engagement can support a long and healthy yoga practice. Try finding this stability, this strength at the midline of the body the next time you roll out your mat and observe the way your body responds.

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