Quote of the Week

"A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, 'You are mad, you are not like us.' " St. Anthony the Great

A Disclaimer

Embarking upon a spiritual journey has been the most rewarding, sane and beneficial thing I have ever done. I hope everyone will come to look inside themselves and question what the true meaning of their existence is, and then to try to find a way to answer that question.

Because of my natural tendencies or previous karma, or likely both, I was drawn to eastern thought, mainly Hindu and Buddhist philosophies along with their corresponding yogic practices. The little I've learned thus far I'd like to spread the word about in hopes that others can apply the same practices and achieve the same sense of peace and the much, much deeper appreciation for life as I have. I have to say in advance, however, that as marvelous as yoga is it is not a toy to be played around with. Anything that has the power to generate and release energies within the body and induce higher states of awareness is to be respected.

We cannot practice the higher stages of yoga in the beginning of our sadhana. In this day and age everyone wants the best results immediately, while putting in the least amount of effort possible. This is not how yoga works and can be very dangerous. We must be very careful not to adopt these attitudes. This is of utmost importance for people to understand - yoga is a powerful system of transformative practices that can cause serious harm if not respected and taken slowly. People have done irreversible damage to themselves from trying to practice the higher methods of yoga before they were ready. Therefor it is essential we start at the beginning and pace ourselves. This isn't said to scare anyone away from yoga, and the things discussed on this blog really aren't of a high enough caliber to cause that kind of damage. It's essential to build a solid foundation first, working hard to thoroughly purify the body and mind before trying to deal with the very powerful energies we have within us.

This is why yoga has been traditionally taught in a guru/disciple relationship. It is imperative that one has a guru or qualified teacher before trying to commence the higher practices. There are plenty misconceptions about gurus out there and it should also be noted that there are plenty of false gurus too. When you have progressed sufficiently on the path, you will find your guru and when you do, you will feel you have finally come home after a long and arduous journey. We don't need to understand this principle right now, but we do need to make sure we aren't biting off more than we can chew.

You wouldn't give a power tool to an infant. Likewise, don't think you can handle the more advanced sadhanas without first spending adequate time laying down the proper foundations. Don't overdo the more basic techniques either - we'll discuss how we should go about pacing ourselves in a later post. I've over done it a few times already resulting in anxiety, fear before falling asleep and uncomfortable energies in the body that would not dissipate, and this was from overdoing some of the basic practices.

Due to the purifying effects of yogic practices on the body, mind and soul, there will be times where some of your more uncomfortable baggage is brought up. If you go on a detox diet, the body will purge toxins it has accumulated resulting in headaches, acne and lethargy. Likewise, yoga will sometimes "purge" physical, emotional and spiritual toxins, and this is an extremely important part of the yogic process - without it we cannot advance to higher states of awareness. The good news is that this likely won't be happening until after you've already come to realize a more peaceful and nonreactive way of living. Yoga first brings about harmony in the body/mind complex, and when you're ready for the purging it will come.

Please be respectful of yourself and of yoga, and you will soon find the peace and depth to life that you may have been looking for.

Surya Namaskara

As I've said, part of the purpose of this blog is to help ease the suffering of others. I want people to be able to come to this blog and immediately start putting this information to use. It's good to have a bit of insight into the theory of yoga - it's very useful for us to have a map in order to get to our destination, but it's imperative that we start walking in order to actually get there. For this reason I'd like to jump right into things and explain a series of asanas called surya namaskara, or sun salutations.

Surya namaskara is a dynamic series of asanas that awakens and rejuvenates the entire body/mind complex. According to A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya, Swami Satyananda expounds that this series "revitalizes the whole body, removes all signs of sleep and is excellent for preparing the body and mind so that maximum benefits can be derived from subsequent asanas, pranayama and meditational practices". He also states that it "loosens up all the joints, flexes all the muscles of the body, massages the internal organs, activates the respiratory and circulatory systems as well as helps to tone all the other systems of the body."

Here's how it's done.

1. Pranamasana (Salutation Pose)

Stand erect with feet together, joining the palms together in front of the chest. Concentrate on standing straight, steady and in a prayerful attitude. This posture helps induce a state of introversion, relaxation and calmness. Exhale fully.

2. Hastauttanasana (Raised Arm Posture)

Inhaling, stretch both arms above the head, palms facing each other or up ward. Arch the back and stretch the whole body. This posture stretches the chest and abdomen.

3. Padahastasana (Hand to Foot Posture)

Exhaling, bend the body forward and down, keeping the spine straight. Avoid collapsing the chest. Keep the legs straight and perpendicular to the ground. The knees may be allowed to bend a little if needed. This posture massages the abdominal organs, especially the liver, kidneys, pancreas, adrenals, uterus and ovaries. The power of digestion increases and female disorders such as prolapse and menstrual irregularities are relieved. A healthy flow of blood is sent to the spinal nerves as they are stretched and toned, and the inversion increases blood flow to the brain.

4. Aswha Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Posture)

On your next inhalation, extend the left leg back and touch the knee to the ground. The right knee is bent and kept between the hands and the right foot is placed flat on the ground. Lift the spine and open the chest.

5. Parvatasana (Mountain Posture)

On the exhalation bring the right leg back to join with the left leg. Simultaneously raise the buttocks and lower the head between the arms so that the body forms a triangle with the floor. Try to place the heels flat on the ground. Focus awareness at the neck area. This posture strengthens the nerves and muscles in the arms and legs, stretches the calf muscles and Achilles' tendons and makes the spine straight and taught. It relieves varicose veins and tones spinal nerves. Maintaining the posture take a deep inhalation.

6. Ashtanga Namaskara (Eight-limbed Salutation)

Exhaling, gently drop both knees to the ground and gently slide the body down at an angle as you bring the chest and chin to the ground. All eight limbs - toes, knees, chest, hands and chin - touch the floor. The buttocks are kept up. Hold the breath. This posture develops the chest and strengthens the arms. It sends additional blood to this area helping to rejuvenate the nerves.

7. Bhujangasana (Cobra Posture)

On the inhalation, lower the hips while pushing the chest forward and up with the hands, until the spine is fully arched and the head is facing up. The knees and lower abdomen remain above the floor. Focus the awareness at the base of the spine and feel the tension from the forward pull. This pose gives dynamic expansion to the organs of the chest and abdomen, relieving many ailments such as asthma, constipation, indigestion, kidney and liver problems. It is very helpful in relieving tension in the back muscles and spinal nerves.

8. Parvatasana (Mountain Posture)

Exhale and get back to posture 5.

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Posture)

Inhale and swing the right leg forward between the hands, the left leg remaining back. Resume posture 4.

10. Padahastasana (Hand to Foot Posture)

Exhaling, bring the left foot forward. Join both legs and resume posture 3.

11. Hastauttanasana (Raised Arm Posture)

Inhale and raise the trunk up, bending backwards. Resume posture 2.

12. Pranamasana (Salutation Posture)

Straighten the body and bring the hands in front of the chest. Resume posture 1.

This constitutes a half-round of surya namaskara. Perform another round, this time extending the right leg back first at step 4.

This is an easy and very beneficial series of asanas that refreshes and invigorates the entire body and mind. Practice one to three full rounds in the morning and see if you still need that cup of coffee.

What Is Yoga?

What is yoga? What does the word really mean, and what does the practice of yoga entail? And what are my goals for writing this blog on yogic living?

To answer the above questions fully is no easy task, considering the multitude of yogic texts and traditions, and so for the sake of simplicity I will give a short and succinct answer, not so much watered down as it is distilled.

The word "yoga" is derived from the sanskrit word "yuj", which means to yoke or to join. Yoga can be seen as meaning union, union of individual consciousness and universal consciousness, and the practices that relate to achieving this goal. Therefor the word yoga is used as both the means and the end, the path and the destination.

This is the true meaning of yoga, and the practices go far beyond asanas, or the physical postures you see most people practicing today. These postures are very beneficial in many ways, but it's important to keep in mind that the even more powerful techniques are the ones you don't usually see people doing, things beyond the postures like pranayama, mudras, bandhas, kriyas and meditation.

With enough effort, yoga can help people attain very high states of consciousness and to eliminate the wrong views that cause suffering, bringing about permanent states of happiness, contentment and bliss. I want to help get this message out because I feel that most people, especially in western society, are not only unaware of yoga's true purpose but don't even know that these things are possible.

I want people to use yoga to have better lives. I look around and I see a lot of suffering, and it's not just the sad state of affairs the world is in these days - the wars, the crime, the poverty, the disease and the negative views people can adopt. As the Buddha said, life is suffering. Even "the good life" leaves one wanting more, because deep down a part of us knows we are missing out on something, and that something is our own true nature.

I've decided I have to do my part in trying to get this information out there. I don't want to see people suffer anymore. I hope people will see how beneficial and powerful yoga is and how it can improve people's lives from the beginning. Those who are stressed and depressed can benefit greatly from yoga, the way it regulates the glands and hormones and releases endorphins, the way pranayama affects the brain and how relaxing all of yoga and especially meditation can be. Those who are out of shape or overweight will benefit too, again because of the affects yoga has on the glands and how powerfully it removes toxins and balances the body. The young will find a constructive outlet for all of their energy and the old can rediscover their zest for life and regain the energy they had from their more youthful days. And hopefully when people see how much better they feel physically, mentally and emotionally, they'll ask how far yoga can take them spiritually.

Welcome

Welcome to The Yogic Life.

Deep down in all of us, we know that there is more to this experience we're sharing called "life" than what meets the eye (or the other senses). Behind the curtain of sense experiences is a free and ultimate Truth that has been called many names throughout history. I hope that through sharing wisdom and experiences with other fellow seekers via this blog we can all help each other shed some layers of ignorance and push each other to reach that Truth.

I would like to warmly welcome all seekers from all faiths and to fully dedicate all merit attained through this blog toward the enlightenment of all beings.