ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN LIVING History and Philosophy of Yoga by Debbi Murphy, PhD, E-RYT 500 WHAT IS YOGA?
YOGA IS AN ART, A SCIENCE AND A PHILOSOPHY. YOGA VIEWS TO ATTAIN A STATE OF PERMANENT PEACE OF MIND IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE ONE’S TRUE SELF. YOGA IS UNION WITH THE DIVINE. YOGA IS A WAY OF LIFE, A LIFESTYLE. YOGA IS NOT A RELIGION, NOT SUPERSTITION. YOGA IS THE OLDEST ORGANIZED ATTEMPT AT TRYING TO ANSWER METAPHYSICAL QUESTIONS….WHO AM I? WHAT IS MEANING OF LIFE? HOW CAN I LIVE MORE HEALTHFULLY, HAPPILY? HOW CAN I AVOID SUFFERING? YOGA IS JUST ONE TOOL TO HELP ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. YOGA MEANS “UNION” IN SANSKRIT (THE OLDEST LANGUAGE). “YOGA IS THE UNION OF THE WORLD WITHIN AND AROUND TO THE JOY OF ALL CREATION, THE ETERNAL BLISS THAT IS OUR TRUE NATURE.” BKS IYENGAR YOGA IS THE UNION OF BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT. YOGA IS UNION WITH THE PRESENT. “YOGA IS A FRIEND…IT ENABLES US TO LIVE FULLY, TAKING DELIGHT IN LIFE.” BKS IYENGAR “YOGA IS LISTENING.” RICHARD FREEMAN YOGA IS BEING AWAKE AND AWARE. YOGA IS OLD!
Leslie Kaminoff suggests its roots go back as far as when our species first took time to crouch before a fire and contemplate …. maybe 300,000 years ago!
Newly discovered hearth full of ash and charred bone in a cave in modern-day Israel hints that early humans sat around fires as early as 300,000 years ago — before Homo sapiens arose in Africa.
In and around the hearth, archaeologists say they also found bits of stone tools that were likely used for butchering and cutting animals.
The finds could shed light on a turning point in the development of culture "in which humans first began to regularly use fire both for cooking meat and as a focal point — a sort of campfire — for social gatherings," said archaeologist Ruth Shahack-Gross of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. ARCHAIC YOGA 20,000 TO 4000 BCE ORIGINS SHROUDED BY THE MIST OF PREHISTORY
20,ooo to 8000 BCE Paleolithic Period: Hunters, Shaktism (goddess worship). Shakti = energy, cosmic existence.The earliest Mother Goddess figurine unearthed in India, belonging to the Upper Paleolithic, has been carbon-dated to approximately 20,000 BCE. Thousands of female statuettes dated as early as c. 5500 BCE have been recovered at Mehrgarh, one of the most important Neolithic sites in world archaeology. While it is impossible to reconstruct the spiritual beliefs of a civilization so distantly removed in time, current archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that the religion of the great Indus Valley Civilization is probably a direct predecessor of modern Shaktism.
8000 to 4000 BCE Neolithic Period: Farmers - Myths of nature, sacrifice, rituals. Shaktism continues. 2700 BCE, the earliest archaeological evidence of yoga seen in the Steatite Seal of a yogi seated in meditation carved in stone and recovered from the Indus Valley Civilization (2700 B.C.E.).
1900 BCE Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, highly advanced culture. The pashupati seal discovered depicts the Indian deity Shiva meditating in a very advanced yoga pose called mulabandhasana (below).
These dates are based on the drying up of the Sarasvati River (Rig-Veda mentions the flowing river).
VEDIC PERIOD 3000 - 600 BCE
Rishis design four texts, the Vedas (Knowledge), which tell of a ritualistic, sacrifical, non-dualistic way of life.
Gods were aspects of nature (especially Agni, fire god because of it’s necessity for sacrifice).
Gods became more patriarchal.
The Rig-Veda, oldest of the four texts, mentions the Sarasvati River which archeologists have determined dried up at 1900 BCE.
This means Yoga is the product of a mature civilization, literally the oldest surviving culture in the world.
Rig-Veda (Knowledge of Praise includes hymns, chants in praise of a higher power, contains the Gayatri Mantra)
Yajur-Veda (Knowledge of Sacrifice), Sma-Veda (Knowledge of Chants), and Atharva-Veda (Knowledge of Atharvan is filled with magical incantations and philosophical hymns)
The Vedas can be compared to the various books of the Old Testament UPANISHADS/PRECLASSICAL 800 - 200 BCE
over 200 gnostic texts, most composed after 500 BCE (Gautama the Buddha),
means to sit down next to, the “new” news,
goes beyond the Vedas,also known as Vendanta (the end of the Vedas), expounding the ultimate unity of all things.
more internal than the Vedas. Meditation. Earliest emergence of some of the central religious concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Beginning of Mind-Body connection.
The Koshas which lead to the Chakras
BHAGAVAD GITA 600 BCE
a metaphorical battle between right and wrong defines Yoga as the restraint of the senses. classifies four types of yoga: Bhakti, Karma, Jnana & Raja. outlines the ancient principals of yoga, including six of the now eight sutras. central teachings: do your duty with no expectations. to be alive means to be active and, if we want to avoid difficulties for ourselves and others, our actions must be benign and also go beyond the grip of the ego.
“When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad-Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies—and my life has been full of external tragedies—and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. “ Mahatma Gandhi SHIVA & SHAKTI KRISHNA & SATI (PARVATI) PURUSHA & PRAKRITI CONSCIOUSNESS & ENERGY
Oh Arjuna, whatever living entity, animal or inanimate comes into being; know they are produced by the interaction between the field of activities and the knower of the field of activities. CLASSICAL YOGA PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS 200 BCE TO 200 CE
• Patanjali is the first to offer a codification of yoga (The Yoga Sutras), its practice and precepts, and the immediacy of the new light he is shedding on a known and ancient subject is emphasized by the use of the word ‘now” in the very first sutra.
• The Yoga Sutras cover all aspects of life, beginning with a prescribed code of conduct and ending with man’s vision of his true Self. Each word is concise and precise.
• The Sutras are collectively known as moksha sastras (liberation, spiritual sciences).
• Some believe they are dualistic in that they expound upon the need to “liberate” Purusha from Prakriti.
• They are divided into four “books” or feet (padas): Samadhi: Patanjali pada (on contemplation), Sadhana pada (on practice), 500 - 200 BC - 200 AD Vibhuti pada (on properties and powers) and Kaivalya pada (on emancipation and freedom). SAMADHI PADA BOOK ONE on Contemplation Sutras 1.1 to 1.51 Samadhi means yoga and yoga means samadhi. This pada therefore explains the significance of yoga as well as of samadhi: both mean profound meditation and supreme devotion. 1.1 ATHA YOGA ANUSASANAM NOW BEGINS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA
The first sutra of the first book begins with the word “now” which can be seen in the context of a progression from Patanjali’s previous works, on grammar and ayurveda, prerequisites for this, his crowning exposition of yoga: the cultivation and eventual transcendence of consciousness, culminating in liberation from the cycles of rebirth.
atha = now, auspiciousness
yoga = joining
anusasanam = advice, direction 1.2 YOGAH CITTAVRTTI NIRODHAH YOGA IS THE CESSATION OF MOVEMENTS IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS
This is the definition of yoga! It is the art of studying behavior of consciousness.
Yoga shows ways of understanding the functioning's of the mind and helps quiet their movements leading one towards the state of silence which dwells in the very seat of consciousness. Yoga is thus the art and science of mental discipline.
yogah = union or integration from the outermost layer to the innermost self (from skin through muscles, bones, nerves, mind, intellect, will, consciousness, self)
citta = consciousness, the vehicle which takes the mind (manas) towards the soul atma)
vrtti = state of mind, fluctuations in mind
nirodhah = obstruction, stoppage, opposition, cessation 1.3 TADA DRASTUH SVARUPE AVASTHANAM THEN THE SEER DWELLS IN HIS OWN SPLENDOR
When the waves of consciousness are stilled and silenced, they can no longer distort the true expression of the soul.
Revealed in his own nature, the radiant seer abides in his own grandeur.
The vision of the soul radiates without any activity on the part of citta. Once it is realized, the soul abides in its own seat. 1.4 VRTTI SARUPYAM ITARATRA AT OTHER TIMES, THE SEER IDENTIFIES WITH THE FLUCTUATING CONSCIOUSNESS
When the seer identifies with consciousness or with the objects see, he unites with them and forgets his grandeur
Dirty lens - worked upon by the desires and fears of turbulent worldly life, it becomes cloudy, opaque, even dirty and scard, and prevents the soul’s light from shining through it.
The goal of yoga is to clean this lens 1.12 ABHYASA VAIRAGYABHYAM TANNIRODHAH PRACTICE AND DETACHMENT ARE THE MEANS TO STILL THE MOVEMENTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. abhyasa = repeated practice vairagyabhyam = freedom from desire, non-attachment to results tannirodhah = their restraint, control, regulation, channeling, mastery, integration, coordination, understanding, stilling, quieting.
These thought patterns (vrittis) are mastered (nirodhah, regulated, coordinated, controlled, stilled, quieted) through practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya). Abhyasa/Practice: Abhyasa means having an attitude of persistent effort to attain and maintain a state of stable tranquility (1.13). To become well established, this needs to be done for a long time, without a break (1.14). From this stance the deeper practice continues to unfold, going ever deeper towards the direct experience of the eternal core of our being.
Vairagya/Non-attachment: The essential companion is non-attachment (1.15), learning to let go of the many attachments, aversions, fears, and false identities that are clouding the true Self.
They work together: Practice leads you in the right direction, while non- attachment allows you to continue the inner journey without getting sidetracked into the pains and pleasures along the way.
Supreme Non-attachment: Gradually, non-attachment expands to the depth of the subtlest building blocks (gunas) of ourselves and the universe, which is called paravairagya, supreme non-attachment (1.16). Eventually the three gunas resolve back into their cause during deep meditation, leading to final liberation (4.13-4.14, 4.32-4.34) Two practices: Abhyasa and vairagya are companion practices, and are the means of mastering (nirodhah, 1.2) the many levels of mind, so as to experience the true Self (1.3). All of the many other practices of Yoga rest on these two principles.
Two directions: There are two directions that one can go in life as well as individual actions, speech, or thoughts. One direction is towards truth, reality, Self, or spiritual realization. The other direction is opposite, and involves those lifestyles, actions, speech, and thoughts that take one away from the higher experiences.
Abhyasa means cultivating the lifestyle, actions, speech, and thoughts, as well as the spiritual practices that lead in the positive direction (rather than going in the opposite direction, away from the positive, and towards the negative).
Vairagya is the practice of gradually letting go of the mental colorings (1.5, 2.3) that lead one away from the spiritual (rather than going in the opposite direction, giving in to the attachments and aversions).
Discrimination is key: To be able to do the practices and to cultivate non-attachment, it is necessary to become better and better at discriminating between what actions, speech, and thoughts take you in the right direction, and those which are a diversion (2.26-2.29, 3.4-3.6). This discrimination is both a foundation practice and also the subtler tool of the inner journey.
1.13 Practice (abhyasa) means choosing, applying the effort, and doing those actions that bring a stable and tranquil state (sthitau).
(tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasa)
tatra = of these two (abhyasa and vairagya)
sthitau = stability, steadiness, stable tranquility, undisturbed calmness
yatnah = effort, persistent exertion, sustained struggle, endeavour
abhyasa = by or with practice, repeated practice
Two words for practice: There are two different words that are often translated into English as practice. One is abhyasa and the other is sadhana, which is the title of Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sutras (Sadhana Pada). It is important to understand the difference between these two words.
Abhyasa means practice, but in a very general, all encompassing way. It means choosing (with buddhi) the wiser of alternative courses of action. It means making decisions on the basis of what will bring greater tranquility or peace of mind, as these are the preparation for the deeper, subtler practices leading to Self-realization.
Sadhana also means practice, but is more specific, relating to the direct practices one does. These include the specific methods or techniques of working with the body, breath, and mind, as well as the specific principles applied in working with the external world and other people. For example, the eight rungs of Yoga (2.29) are all a part of sadhana.
Stithau has two parts: Abhyasa is defined in this sutra as choosing or cultivating that which leads to sthitau. To understand the meaning of sthitau, it is necessary to combine two principles. First is that of tranquility, calmness, or peace of mind. Second is that of stability, steadiness, or being of firm ground. Thus, sthitau means a stable form of tranquility. In other words, it is the pursuit of an equanimity that is with you at all times.
This stability is not just a matter of regaining peace of mind when it has been lost, like having a weekend away from work or taking a vacation. One might be able to temporarily have some tranquility while avoiding the core decisions of lifestyle, attitudes, and practices. However, to have stable tranquility, which is with you all, or most of the time, it is necessary to take the extra steps in life planning that supports meditation. This is the meaning of sthitau.
Exercise with Abhyasa: Abhyasa is the practice of choosing that which brings sthitau, or a stable state of tranquility. It applies to all levels, ranging from the most external, worldly actions, speech and thoughts, to the most subtle aspects of our being. To practice Abhyasa, it is easiest to start with the gross and gradually work towards the subtle.
One simple way to enhance this practice is to sit quietly and reflect on what actions, speech or thoughts lead you either towards or away from sthitau, that state of stable tranquility. Put two columns on a piece of paper and write down your personal reflections from your own life:
Actions, speech or thoughts which lead me towards steady, stable, undisturbed calmness or tranquility; I need to do more of these: Actions, speech or thoughts which lead me away from steady, stable, undisturbed calmness or tranquility; I need to do less of these:
1) ______
2) ______
3) ______
4) ______
5) ______
6) ______
7) ______1) ______
2) ______
3) ______
4) ______
5) ______
6) ______
7) ______
In the away from column, you'll probably be listing some of your negative habits that are not useful to you on your journey. In the towards column, you may be listing some of the practices related to yoga, as well as other positive actions that you already know are useful to you on your journey. Such simple exercises can be quite insightful and helpful in building a solid foundation for meditation.
By increasingly taking charge of your choices in life and the ways in which you use your personal energy, and increasingly focusing on doing what is in the left column, you gradually watch that which is in the right column weaken and fade away.
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SADHANA PADA BOOK TWO On Practice 11.1 to 11.55
By the practice of yogic discipline, one is led towards spiritual illumination. A sadhaka is one who practices, applying his mind and intelligence with skill, dedication and devotion. Samadhi pada prescribes a certain level of sadhana for those of balanced mind and stable spiritual attainment but also shows beginners how to work towards spiritual emancipation. Here, the art of abhyasa is fully laid out to guide us around the pitfalls so that we may find great clarity. We are taught how to survey our own weaknesses in each domain - moral, physical, physiological and intellectual - and how to eliminate them. 11.1 tapah svadhyaya Isvarapranidhanani kriyayoga
Burning zeal in practice, self-study and study of scriptures, and surrender to “what will be” are the acts of yoga.
tapah = heat, burning, self-discipline svadhyaya = self-study Isvara pranidhanani = surrender kriyayogah = yoga in action
Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. ~ Reinhold
How has this worked in your life? 11.2 samadhi bhavanarthah klesa tanukaranarthasca
The practice of yoga reduces afflictions and leads to samadhi.
11. 3 avidya asmita raga dvesa abhinivesah klesah
The five afflictions (kleshas) which disturb the equilibrium of consciousness are: ignorance (avidya), ego (asmita), attachment (raga), hate (dvesa), fear of death (abinivesah).
The first two are related to our intellect (ignorance & ego = front brain, conscious brain),
The second two are emotional (pleasures and pains = base of brain, hypothalamus, subconscious),
The last is instinctive (fear, clinging to life = reptilian brain, unconscious brain).
How do these play out in your life?
2.26 viveka khyatih aviplava hana upayah Clear, distinct, unimpaired discriminative knowledge is the means of liberation from this alliance.
viveka-khyatih = discriminative knowledge (viveka = discriminative, discernment; khyatih = knowledge, correct cognition, clarity, awareness) aviplava = undisturbed, without vacillation, uninterrupted hana = of removal, of avoidance upayah = the means, way, method 8 LIMBS OF YOGA YAMA NIYAMA ASANA PRANAYAMA PRATYAHARA DHARANA DHYANA SAMADHAYAH ASTAU ANGANI 11.29
Moral injunctions (yama), observances (niyamas), physical posture (asana), breath work (pranayama), freedom from distractions (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption of consciousness in the self (samadhi) are the eight limbs of yoga.
This sutra sets out the eightfold (astanga) path which is described in detail throughout the rest of the pada and into the third. viveka khyatih aviplava hana upayah
2.26 Clear, distinct, unimpaired discriminative knowledge is the means of liberation from this alliance.
viveka-khyatih = discriminative knowledge (viveka = discriminative, discernment; khyatih = knowledge, correct cognition, clarity, awareness)
aviplava = undisturbed, without vacillation, uninterrupted
hana = of removal, of avoidance
upayah = the means, way, method YAMAS 11.30 - 40 RESTRAINTS, ETHICS IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
non-violence, compassion = ahimsa
truthfulness = satya
non-stealing = asteya
moderation, self-respect, control = brahmacarya
non-greediness = aparigraha NIYAMAS 11.30 - 35 PERSONAL OBSERVANCES cleanliness = saucha contentment = santosa self-discipline = tapas self-study = svadhyaya surrender = Isvarapranidhana TANTRIC/HATHA YOGA 600 - 1500 CE
return to the early roots, the divine is in the present, in each of us, the body is a tool to know this.
9th or 10th CE, Goraknath wrote Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, first Tantric text.
1100 Birth of Hatha Yoga, Sacred is in the present, Non-dualistic. Svatmarama wrote ”Light on Hatha Yoga” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika), a Tantric text. Still only seated asanas for meditation and pranayama.
Ha - Tha: Sun - Moon. Strength.
Chakras - Wheels of energy (nadis = fascia?) MODERN YOGA HISTORY
1785, Bhagavad Gita translated into English by Charles Wilkins, a known English typographer and Orientalist, translates the Bhagvad-Gita into English for the first time, allowing yogic ideals and Indian culture to spread to Europe and America. The Bhagvad-Gita came to influence the transcendentalist movement in the 1800s.
1840, First book showing asanas as we know it, an anonymous figure demonstrating 121 poses is published, becoming one of the most complete collections of asana illustrations to date.
1850’s, Transcendentalists embrace yogic principles, especially those from the Gita, Indian Nationalism and European respect for “mind-body connection” fuels a more physical/ therapeutic embrace of yoga in India.
1888 Krishnamacharya, Grandfather of Modern Yoga, is born. His students Patahbi Jois, BKS Iyengar, Indra Devi and Desikachar transform yoga from an esoteric regimen for the elite to a more democratic practice
1893, Yoga comes to the USA, Swami Vivekenanda visits Parliament of Religions in Chicago, bringing with him yogic ideals. Soon yoga will spread in the United States. "The Primordial Power and the Supreme Brahman are identical. You can never think of the one without the other. They are like the gem and its brilliance. One cannot think of the brilliance without the gem, or of the gem without its brilliance. Again, it is like snake and its wriggling motion. One cannot think of the wriggling motion without the snake, or of the snake without its wriggling motion. These are two aspects of Reality: Purusha and Prakriti. He who is the Purusha is also Prakriti. Both are the embodiment of Bliss."
Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950) Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, poet, yogi and guru. ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN LIVING WHAT LESSONS DO YOU SEE?
“Like the lotus, live joyfully amidst the sorrows of life”, Parmahansa Yogananada yoga helps us live with the impermanence of life unity of all life. body, mind & spirit all need to be addressed (don’t leave your spirit behind when you do asana). do right, without expectations for reward.
Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can,And wisdom to know the difference.” Reinhold Niebuhr