Pratyahara and Dharana

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we will be exploring the fifth and sixth limbs of Yoga Pratyahara – refinement of the senses and Dharana – concentration.

Envy and wrath shorten the life.

                   

                                      – Ecclesiasticus

All of us have a need to forgive, whether in large or small matters. All of us suffer little irritating pinpricks every day. It is not very effective to analyze these small wrongs and then forgive them one by one. Much more effective is not to dwell on them at all. Whenever a stray bit of wrath arises and wants to talk over some incident from the past, don't invite that thought in.

When we can withdraw our attention completely from the past, it is not possible to get resentful; it is not possible to be oppressed by mistakes in our past, no matter who made them. All our attention is in the present, which makes every moment fresh, every relationship fresh. Staleness and boredom vanish from our life.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to consider the fifth and sixth limbs of Yoga Pratyahara – refinement of the senses and Dharana – concentration as a way to help you maintain your presence in the moment.  Start by applying these two limbs to your Asana practice as a training ground for the cultivation of awareness and presence.

Blessings,

paul cheek

Rushing Water Yoga

417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607

360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com

info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003

Saucha

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we will be exploring Saucha -  keeping our bodies clean outwardly through bathing, through the foods we eat, the exercises we do, as well as inwardly through the thoughts we think.

A good action is never lost; it is a treasure laid up and guarded for the doer's need.                         

                                      – Calderon de la Barca

In Hinduism and Buddhism this principle is called the law of karma. The word karma has been much misunderstood, but its literal meaning is simply action, something done. So instead of using exotic language, we might as well refer to the "law of action," which states that everything we do - even everything we think, since our thoughts condition our behavior - has consequences: not "equal and opposite" as in physics, but equal and alike.

The comparison with physics is deliberate, for this is not a doctrine of any particular religion. It is a law of life, which no one has stated more clearly than Saint Paul: "Whatsoever we sow, that shall we also reap." The working of this law, we should bear in mind, is not necessarily negative. If we sow mercy, we shall receive mercy in ample harvest. If we give love, we shall receive love; if we are kind and patient to others, others will be kind and patient to us.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to apply the second Niyama, Saucha or purity to your thought process.  Saucha is keeping our bodies clean outwardly through bathing, through the foods we eat, the exercises we do, as well as inwardly through the thoughts we think. Think about how angry words and thoughts affect you. What happens to your relationships when you get angry? How do you feel when you get angry? How does your body feel? Our actions as well as our thoughts can pollute not only the world around us but our inner world as well.

Blessings,

paul cheek

Rushing Water Yoga

417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607

360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com

info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003

Pratyahara

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we will be exploring pratyahara - the withdrawal or the refinement of the senses.

Each of us sees the Unseen in proportion to the clarity of our heart, and that depends upon how much we have polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more - more Unseen forms become manifest.

                                                    - Jalaluddin Rumi

As your meditation deepens, there will still be occasions when you get upset, but you will be able to watch what goes on in the lab of your mind. It's like getting into a glass-bottomed boat, where you venture out onto the ocean and watch all the deep-sea creatures lurking beneath the surface: resentment sharks, stingrays of greed, scurrying schools of fear. You slowly gain a certain amount of detachment from your mind, so you can observe what is going on, collect data, and then set things right.

Some of the chronic problems that millions of people suffer from today might be solved by gaining a little detachment from their minds and emotions, so they can stand back a little when the mind is agitated and see the ways in which it makes mountains out of molehills. Many problems simply are not real; they start to seem real only when we dwell on them. The thorniest problems to solve are those that are not real; yet most of us go on giving them our best efforts.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to learn to witness your mind as you practice, practicing detachment through pratyahara (5th limb of Yoga). The work of practicing pratyahara is to have the perspective and discrimination to not be drawn into the foray of mind stuff about the goings on in the world.  This needs to be balanced with the yoga of action and with making yourself and the world a better and a more loving place.  Pratyahara is practicing moderation at all levels, simplicity, getting by with less, and questioning your wants.  These all require detachment.  Detachment requires total engagement and it does not mean you are uninterested.  It means you can be in the middle of the mess and still be present to reality.  The benefits of pratyahara includes the development of willpower which helps us to not run after external objects of desire and to turn inwards, where we are set free from the negative trappings of the world.  Pratyahara prevents the energy of the senses from flowing outwards.

Blessings,

paul cheek

Rushing Water Yoga

417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607

360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com

info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003