The 2nd Limb - Fixed Observance

Niyam, fixed observance: a life that has a discipline, a life that has regularity about it. Because unless there is regularity in life, a discipline, we will be a slave of our instincts. That is not freedom. Only a person who has regularity about him can become the master someday.

Now the various subcomponents of Niyam.

First is "purity," shauch. Means purity on 3 fronts - food, body and mind One has to watch one's food. Whatsoever you eat, it is no ordinary matter. You should be careful because your body is constituted of whatsoever you have eaten in the past. Be careful what you eat, be careful what you drink -- be careful how you keep and care for your body. Small things do matter. For an ordinary man they don't matter because he is not going anywhere. Once you start on the spiritual path, everything matters; even the slightest disturbance matters. It is like if you are driving a car to work vis a vis driving on an F-1 track. On the F- 1 track everything matters   -J. Food – vegetarian food that is light on the system and fresh.  Body can be purified by drinking lots of water, eating healthy and exercising regularly. And mind can be purified through meditation.

The second step of niyam is "contentment," santosh. Contentment means: whatsoever is, is beautiful, the feeling that whatsoever is, is the best that can be. A feeling of deep acceptance is santosh, contentment, a feeling of saying yes to the whole existence -- as it is.  Or in other words not being cynical of things, not being negative and stop complaining all the time. Remember that contentment is not consolation. When we console ourselves we are not contented. In fact, there is a very deep discontent inside -- but seeing that discontent creates worry, seeing that discontent creates anxiety, seeing that discontent leads nowhere, so logically, we persuade ourselves that "this is not the way."  Finding that you cannot reach, do not rationalize that the goal is not worth reaching. Contentment is a positive state of being; consolation is suppression.

After contentment, is "austerity," tapa. One can be austere before contentment but then the austerity will be through desire. When a person is content then austerity is not a means; it is just a simple, beautiful way of living. Then it is not a question of having a few things or more -- that is not the problem then. Austerity is simplicity: to live a simple life. What is a simple life? It is like that of a child -- enjoy everything, but don't cling. As LDV said “"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

And then comes "self-study," swadhyaya. A man who has attained to purity, contentment, austerity, only he can study self because now all the garbage is thrown. If there is too much garbage (judgments, prejudices, grudges etc) in the person self cannot be studied, as it will not be self-study, because first all that rubbish will have to be studied. These are very logical steps. After austerity, when you have become very simple, no rubbish accumulates, when you have become so contented, when you have become so innocent and pure, you have become like fragrance, weightless, on the wings, in the air, riding on the air -- then self-study. Now, you can study the self.

The last step in the second stage i.e. surrender to Divine." When you have studied the self, only then can you surrender. Because what will you surrender otherwise? The self is to be surrendered. If you know it well, only then you can surrender. Otherwise how will you surrender?

"Purity, contentment, austerity, self-study, and surrender are the laws to be observed." These are laws for growth. They do not prohibit; they help. They are not restrictive; they are creative.

Cheers

A

The 1st Limb - Self Restraint

Yam means self-restraint. -- In English self-restraint looks like suppressing, repressing. Self-restraint is not repression. Here self-restraint does not mean to repress oneself. It simply means to direct one's life -- not to repress the energies, but to direct, to give them a direction. These energies can be used in such a way that they can become the door for the unlimited.  Because you can live such a life, which goes on moving in opposite directions, in many directions -- then you will never reach anywhere. It is just like a car: the driver goes a few miles to the north, then changes the mind; goes a few miles to the south, then changes the mind; then goes a few miles to the west, then changes the mind; and goes on this way. He will never reach anywhere. He will never have the feeling of fulfillment. You can go on moving in many ways, but unless you have a direction you are moving uselessly. You will feel more and more frustrated and nothing else.

So self-restraint simply means: to give a direction to life and be a little more centered. Direction creates the center; then the center gives direction. And they are mutually fulfilling.

Nonviolence simply means loving life in all its manifestations. Love life so much that you would not like to hurt anybody, that's all. Remember only one thing not to hurt anyone willfully. To be nonviolent means to be beneficial, to be helpful to everybody -- to yourself and to others also.

Truthfulness means authenticity, to be true -- not to use masks: to be natural and at ease anywhere be truthful to yourself. How to remain true? By not being a football of other peoples opinions, what they say for you to be: always listen to your inner voice, what you would like to be. Don't allow others to manipulate and control you.

The third is asteya nonstealing, honesty. Knowledge, things -- nothing should be stolen.

Brahmacharya. It has been translated as "sexual continence," celibacy. But sexual celibacy is a very narrow thing; it is one part of it, but not the whole of it. Brahmacharya is not against sex. It means transmutation of the energy: it is not being against sex, rather it is changing the whole energy from the sex center to the higher centers. This means: trying to understand sex energy, trying to understand how it moves in the body, trying to understand why it gives pleasure, from where pleasure really comes. When the same energy moves upwards you become a dam of energy. That is brahmacharya. You go on accumulating energy. The more you accumulate, the higher it rises.

Nonpossessiveness. For example, if you love a person: if you try to possess the person, then you don't love. And you are not certain about his love also; that's why you create all safety measures, surround him by every trick, cunningness, cleverness, so that he cannot leave you. If you really love, there is no need to possess. Sharing is the meaning of nonpossessiveness.

Limbs/Steps of YOGA

Steps and limbs both, they are both. Steps they are because one has to be followed by another and they are in a deep relationship. The second cannot come before the first -- the first has to be first and the second has to be second.

And limbs because they have an internal unity. For example, an automobile, it has various parts and all of them have to function together for a successful trip. Everything is joined together. And has to function with organic unity, otherwise things won't happen how we want them to happen; internally.

1.     Yam – Self Restraint

Ø Ahimsa – Non Violence

Ø Satya - Truthfulness

Ø Asteya - Honesty

Ø Brahmacharya – Sexual Continence

Ø Aparigraha – Non Possesiveness

2.     Niyam – Fixed Observance

Ø Shaucha - Purity

Ø Santosha -Contentment

Ø Tapas - Austerity

Ø Swadhyaya – Self Study

Ø Ishvarapranidhana – Surrender to the divine

3.     Asana - Posture

4.     Pranayama – Breath Regulation

5.    Pratyahaar – Withdrawl of senses

6.    Dharana – Maintaining Mental Focus

7.    Dhyana - Meditation

8.    Samadhi – Deep state of equanimity

Each of them has to be interpreted properly as if you go by the English translation it is very easy to distort the actual meaning. Next posts we will dissect the 8 limbs one at a time.

Love

Am

What is Yoga - 1

Yoga is a technology to bring the mind to the moment. Yoga means now you are ready not to move into the future. Yoga means you are ready now not to hope and encounter the reality as it is. Unless this moment comes..... we can go on doing asanas, postures; that is not yoga. The postures are just one part. Yoga is an inward turning, you start moving within – because your being is here and now, it is not in the future and you have all possible resources now to live to the fullest. 

Yoga is very scientific as it has nothing as far as belief is concerned; yoga doesn’t say to believe in anything. Yoga says experience. Just like science says experiment, yoga says experience. Experience is an inside experiment. No belief is required, no faith is needed –You will come to the truth, but not through belief, but through your own experience, through your own realization. 

Because right now as we are, it is nothing but - Chaos. Yoga is a discipline, means yoga wants to create a crystallized center in us. As we are, we are a mob within us. I have been observing  for the last few weeks.

I decide to get up early in the morning. And when the alarm sounds somebody in me says, ”Don’t bother. It is cold outside, it is overcast, it is early. And why are you in such a hurry? Lets do it tomorrow.” And I fall asleep again. When I get up I feel bad. And I think, ”This is not good. I should have done it.” I decide again that ”Tomorrow I will do;” and the same thing happens tomorrow because early morning the one who promised is no more there, somebody else is there.

This is a live example of living life as chaos, a crowd. Yoga means now you will have to be a harmony,

you will have to become one. A crystallization is needed; a centering is needed. Everybody wants it, but you cannot ask. You have to earn it! That is why to achieve it a certain discipline is needed. A disciple is a great achievement. All discipline of yoga is an effort to make a person a master of him/herself. As we are slave of many, many desires. Many, many masters are there, and we are just a slave – and pulled in many directions.

Yoga is discipline, a discipline to change oneself.

What are the various components of Yoga, I will discuss in the next post. And I will wake up early tomorrow (6 am - DONE DEAL...-:)
Good Day
Anurag

A commentary, as I understand it.....

So after thinking a lot on what should the next posts be like, I came to a conclusion on why not write a terse commentary on Yoga. Mainly about what exactly it is, what are the different stages on the path of Yoga etc. The time is suitable for such posts as from tomorrow start the NAVARATRIS (9 auspicious nights). You can read about them here.

Here is the deal every day I will put a post about Yoga for the coming 9 days, starting tomorrow. But even before I start let me 1st share a wonderful analogy between Yoga/Spirituality and Sexuality. One of my friends talked about this and he made a lot of sense. Here is a gist of the discussion we had.

In a way the sexual path and spiritual path and are very similar. Remember when we hit teen age, the usual things do not interest us anymore. The toys, dolls, teddy bears are no longer exciting and we want to explore more. Here the game is played by the chemicals in body. Certain hormones are released and they  change our perception and the way of looking at the world in toto. 

Similarly on the spiritual/yogic path when all that other stuff that you thought will make you happy looses its charm we can start -:). You got into relationships, marriage, got the dream job, house, car, etc but still there is some emptiness. When you realize that one can derive transitory happiness from these means then begins the spiritual journey. A journey to put your happiness on self start not the one that will need crutches...-:). THis should not come from a state of denial but rather from a state of abundance and dispassion. As it is very easy to say I do not want that thing, a true seeker is the one who has everything but still does not get caught up in the charm.


Unbelievable, right!!! Not quiet though. The reason is, I stumbled upon the oldest text on Yoga (Patanjali Yogsutras) and the 1st line is - "AND NOW BEGINS THE DISCIPLINE OF YOGA". Just think on this, Patanjali such a great Yogi, started his commentary with the words - AND NOW. The only rational here is that you have tried all the other means and come to a conclusion experientially that none of them are making you happy. So now you can start with YOGA...-:). Smart Guy right.


Only difference is on this path instead of hormones it will be your awareness that will come into use. More the level of awareness more is the progress.


With this I will end the post and start the next one tomorrow.


Happy Navratri....
Anurag

Jokes....

Just to lighten the day...

1. Husband: "Everytime I hit you, you never fight back. How do you manage your anger?"

Wife: "I clean the toilet seat!"

Husband: "How does it help?"

Wife: "I use your toothbrush!" -:).

2. An old man visits his doctor and after thorough examination the doctor tells him: "I have good news and bad news, what would you like to hear first?"

Patient: "Well, give me the bad news first."

Doctor: "You have cancer, I estimate that you have about two years left."

Patient: "Ooh No! That's awefull! In two years my life will be over! What kind of good news could you probably tell me, after this?"

Doctor: "You also have Alzheimer's. In about three months you are going to forget everything I told you."

3. John hoisted his beer and said: "Here's to spending the rest of my life, between the legs of my wife!"

That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night! He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the prize for the best toast of the night."

She said, "What was your toast?"

John said: "Here's to spending the rest of my life, sitting in church beside my wife."

"Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said.

The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary."

She said, "He told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You know, he's only been there twice in the last four years. Once he fell asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come!"

Bye

A

A case for Marrying Older Women !!

Ever wondered why in a marriage the girl is younger (99% time). I tried to think on this with some reasoning, but it did not make any sense. In fact if you do the opposite i.e. girl is older than the boy it all fits in so well. The reason is because women live longer than men, on an average 3 - 5 yrs more. So for marriage the age of the girl should be more than the age of the boy.

Boys are less strong than girls. Men live for less years than women. That’s why, there are more old women than old men, more widows than widowers. If the average age for a woman is eighty, then the average for men is seventy-five. It is five years more. But why, why do women live more? The reason is a woman is capable of accepting more than a man. If a man dies first, the woman will cry, weep, suffer, but will be able to accept the fact and regain balance. But if a woman dies than it is difficult for man to regain balance and come out of it. Additionally, just think about carrying a child in the womb for 9 months and then delivering the baby is a lot of stress and requires strength; both physical and mental. Thus, nature has designed women to be more resilient and stronger than men.

Therefore, every man should marry a woman who is at least 3 - 5 years older than him. Then the balance will be perfect. Then they will die almost within six months of one another. But why has this not happened? Part of it has to do with the man's ego as a man feels a little weak if he is going to marry a woman who is older, more experienced, more knowledgeable than him. If the woman is older it also makes sense on other fronts as well because the woman needs to be more experienced as she is going to become the mother and take care of the house and raising the child.

What do u say? Time to reinvent the wheel.....^-^

LAter

A