Greetings Yogis and
Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering the third, fourth and sixth limbs of Yoga: Asana, Pranayama and Dharana.
This week in class we are considering the third, fourth and sixth limbs of Yoga: Asana, Pranayama and Dharana.
Know well what leads you forward and what holds you
back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
- The Buddha
Blaming ourselves when we get angry is not going to be of much
help in the long run. What is helpful is to gain a clearer understanding of how
anger comes about. Getting angry is like having a malfunctioning engine. The
mind is like the engine of the body, which can be compared to the chassis of
the car we drive. But the sad fact is that most of us know a lot more about our
car engine than we do about our own minds.
We don't even have the slightest idea of where the ignition
switch of the mind is located. As a result, the engine goes on cranking out
thoughts of every description throughout the day and throughout the long night
in dreams. Worry and resentment and anger use up enormous quantities of vitality.
It's like leaving our car idling in the garage all night long; in the morning
when we need to get to work, we have to push it down the road.
What we need to do is learn how to slow down the mind, and eventually
to park it at the side of the road when travel isn't necessary. Then we will
have all the vitality, all the fuel, we need when we want to reach a worthwhile
destination.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath
Easwaran
The homework is to learn how you can use the breath
(pranayama) as your ignition switch to interrupt the mind and slow it
down. Learn to use the concentration
(dharana) you develop in your asana practice to direct the mind in ways that
encourage the positive use of your vitality.
Combine the use of both the breath and concentration to rest the mind
more and store up your vitality.
Is this a description of the practice of Yoga?
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
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