Yoga (yo-ga): Union, to yoke, to balance, to harmonize, India’s
spirituality, any of a group of related Hindu disciplines
that promote the unity of the individual with a supreme being
through a system of postures and rituals
Once upon a time on the subcontinent of India, there existed
wise, immortal beings called rishis (seers). They lived for
thousands of years in various states of meditation while observing
the dynamic interplay between nature, time, cosmos, and spirit
(God). These divine beings, living near the Himalayan mountains
and communicating in a sacred language called Sanskrit, are
said to have released the jewels of yoga into the world.
The solitary aim of yoga at this time in history was to experience
self-realization, or moksha (liberation) of the individual
soul. Attaining the state of moksha is like reaching the pinnacle
of one’s physical manifested life. Moksha is that stage
when a human being is able to cut across all the shackles
of the mind and gain liberation from the cycles of birth and
death forever.
The secret, esoteric lessons of yoga were transmitted by the
rishis to the revered teachers known as gurus (literally translated
as “destroyer of darkness”). The gurus then passed
along this divine insight to a few fortunate disciples throughout
life-long relationships. To this day there are still traditional
relationships where the guru transmits the wisdom of yoga
to students who, in turn, become integrated into his family
for life.
The yogic story of creation is described in a series of four
sacred, timeless books called the Vedas, which originated
from non-human origin but were thought to be “heard”
or “seen” by the rishis. The books were so named
because the word Veda means knowledge. There are four Vedas:
the Rig Veda (book of mantras), Sama Veda (book of song) Yajur
Veda (book of ritual), and Atharva Veda (book of spells).
Together these texts help maintain cosmic order and protect
dharma (universal truth) as well as lay the foundation for
medicine, mathematics, astrology (jyotish), music, language
and the Hindu arts that continue to inspire culture in the
East and West.
It is believed that the Vedas were transmitted to the supreme
Gods at the beginning of each new yuga (cosmic cycle of time)
to benefit the world. The disciples of yoga (often referred
to as yogis) believe the universe is without a beginning or
an end; rather it is composed of four yugas, each lasting
over one million years and each categorized by our collective
relationship to the cosmic source. The proximity of the collective
to the light of the cosmic source during each yuga defines
the spirituality, human condition, health, and environmental
situations that will be evidenced during this time.
Although it’s not clear exactly when these texts originated,
most yogic scholars believe it was around 5,000-4,000 B.C.E.
The lessons within each of the Vedas were preserved for centuries
through a strict system. Disciples would learn the Vedas through
studying with their guru, memorizing the scriptures by heart,
needing to recite them with perfect pronunciation. Many of
the devoted yogis went on to codify or organize these teachings
into what are now the classic Vedic texts—such as the
Upanishads, Mahabharata, Yoga Sutras, Shiva Samhita, Charaka
Samhita, Spanda Karikas, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika—to
ensure that the revered scriptures would not be forgotten.
To this day in India, you will find yogis reciting various
sacred verses from the Vedas or more modern texts under each
breath they take, just as their gurus did before them. In
this way, tradition continues and the prana (vital essence)
of yoga continues to live on as it did lifetimes before.
Yoga exists within Hinduism. The term Hindu, derived from
the Persian word for the Indus River, signifies followers
of a particular faith and culture and, in ancient times, was
used to describe those living in a particular region. Hinduism
is referred to as Santana Dharma (eternal law or religion
of the Vedas) by its practitioners. Today, Hinduism is considered
the world's most ancient and complex living world religion
and encompasses a broad spectrum of philosophies ranging from
pluralistic theism to absolute monism. While sometimes referred
to as a religion, it is more often defined as a religious
tradition.
From the rich soil of India matured numerous other valuable
spiritual traditions. In addition to Hinduism (practiced by
roughly 80% of India’s population), the three other
religions born out of India are Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
Although each of these four world religions holds divergent
beliefs that are complete, independent, and include the practice
of different traditions and pujas (daily rituals), they do
share common values: they all uphold the cultivation of love
and respect, the honoring of others, and the humbling of one’s
personal ego so that the inner pure nature can shine forth.
Additionally, within all the great spiritual practices in
India—including Hinduism—there is a common belief
that all spiritual or religious paths will lead to the same
truth and understanding of the Divine or absolute God (Brahman).
It is understood that there is not one specific teacher, mantra,
dogma, or deity (Hindu god) that each person should follow
to become enlightened. In the eyes of the modern Hindus, all
paths are equal and will lead you to God-realization. Followers
are encouraged to explore teachers, deities, mantras, and
techniques until they find what motivates them to discover
their own svadharma (personal truth).
Devout Hindus will perform daily devotional actions. These
may include: bathing in the holy rivers; lighting lamps; offering
food, flowers, or incense before the images of deities “gods”
and “goddesses”;reciting prayers; reading religious
scriptures; meditating; and doing yoga asanas (postures) or
prostrations at least once every day. These various practices
are each meant to help link the practitioner to the divinity
hidden in the “ordinariness” of everyday life.
More esoteric practitioners of yoga are called sadhus (ascetics
or renunciates) who leave behind all material possessions,
take vows of celibacy, and wander in search of moksha. There
are estimated to be close to four million sadhus living in
India today. These yogisare taken care of by numerous people
or communities to pursue their work and perhaps burn off some
of their community’s collective bad karmas. Some renunciates
are revered for their holiness, while others may be feared
for their curses or spiritual powers.
The Hindu culture is rich with colorful stories of beautifully
decorated deities. Some have human qualities (saguna) and
some do not (nirguna). These deities teach moral lessons,
alleviate human suffering, and inspire transformation from
ordinary to extraordinary consciousness. For example, one
mythical story describes a powerful trinity of deities and
their female consorts—Shiva (the destroyer) and Shakti
(the symbol of divine feminine energy), Vishnu (the preserver)
and Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth), and Brahma (the creator)
and Sarasvati (the goddess of the arts, speech, and learning)—to
represent the base from which all creation springs.
Depending upon your temperament, intention, or purpose, you
can meditate on any deity that resonates with you. Yet, devotion
to these deities is based primarily on one's region or desires,
and even when devotion is given to only one, the existence
of others is acknowledged. Despite these polytheistic elements,
however, many Hindus explain that all of these gods are actually
various forms of a single Supreme Being called Brahman.
There are a few core concepts that have shaped Hinduism. These
include reincarnation (eternal birth-death-birth cycle), karma
(action or act), and the Four Stages of Life (which will be
introduced in length in Chapter Two). Reincarnation and karma
are linked since karma is the mechanism that binds us to reincarnation.
These precepts suggest that a person’s mental and physical
actions are binding, every action has an equal and opposite
reaction and our actions or inactions keep us yoked to the
wheel of suffering or reincarnation.One is duty bound, not
desire bound when considering karma. Without interest in ones
actions, the actions no longer bind a person to the karmic
cycle or reincarnation.
Hinduism says that liberation from the cycle of death and
rebirth is possible to all beings. The path to this freedom
is through purification of the ego in karma yoga, letting
go of bodily attachments (such as in savasana, the corpse
pose of hatha yoga) and through knowing the distinction between
what is real and not real. It is every person’s birthright
to reach liberation in this lifetime and become one with the
Supreme Reality, Brahman. Only Brahman is though to be real;
the rest of the physical, material world is considered illusionary.
Until one becomes one with Brahman, the soul will reincarnate,
lifetime after lifetime, until all the karmic lessons have
been learned (i.e., all bad habits have been unlearned).
Another core concept is the caste system, within which are
the brahmins (priests), kshatriyas (nobility), vaishyas (merchants/farmers),
and shudras (servants). From our Western perspective today,
the caste system may appear to be riddled with social inequality
or oppression, but initially it was established for the sake
of order and efficiency since it was created during the time
when civilizations began to form around the mighty rivers
to sustain life and agriculture. Each role or trade was considered
sacred, equal, and necessary for survival under the grueling
conditions in India. Families and friends with similar inherited
trades or gifts joined together within their caste to form
new subcultures within society. The organic nature in which
these new societies formed allowed each person to master their
own strengths rather than striving for equality or mediocrity
in everything.
Today in India, there are copious rituals that penetrate throughout
the entire society. For example, within Hinduism ahimsa (non-violence)is
a practice that is woven into a Hindu diet. “You are
what you eat” is a celebrated belief behind a spiritual
person’s food habits, as diet is thought to greatly
impact mental and physical health. For example, eating food
from slain animals is said to block mental and spiritual growth.
This is the reason why Hinduism emphasizes vegetarianism.
The killing of innocent and helpless animals for the purpose
of food is also considered bad karma that brings harmful consequences
not only to the person who is eating, but to the entire planet.
Additionally, the cow is considered sacred in India where
her products—like milk, butter, and yogurt—are
an integral part of the diet. Other types of rituals include
fasting for festivals or sanctified days, touching the feet
of holy men and women, flower offerings, and removing shoes
at temples.
Yoga has now spread out well beyond the motherland of India
into our modern world where everyone can connect with its
ancient healing arts. Since yoga has crossed the Indian border
its original form has changed dramatically. Rather than have
it be a code of spiritual practices, Westerners have taken
this ancient wisdom from the East and used it as the foundation
for a sophisticated movement practice. Say “yoga”
to most Americans, and they think, “yoga poses”
which places the emphasis on the physical body as a vehicle
for personal transformation. Never before in the history of
yoga has the practice of physical postures assumed the importance
that it has in the West today.
With yoga being so widespread, many of the earliest traditions
have vanished or been adapted to the Western ways in order
to stay alive. For example, students of yoga today do not
have to live in caves (although some do), study mantras, chants,
or the Sanksrit language. They likely do not have a guru,
and the physical practices of hatha yoga often motivate students
more than moksha. Additionally, the word “God”
has become a taboo in daily life, we eat for pleasure more
than for ritual, and, with all of our technology, we are more
disconnected from Nature than ever. However, one tradition
still remains—yoga studios, the modern temples in the
city, do make you take your shoes off at the door!
As you can see by this brief overview of yoga’s history,
a lot has changed since the time of the rishis. I look to
the earliest teachings of yoga today and appreciate the relationship
the yogis had with Nature as well as their considerate use
of language, metaphors, storytelling, ceremony, and devotion
to the universal mystery, much of which is missing in our
culture today.
It is these reasons—as well as others—that have
motivated me to create this book (Art of Wellness…in
the near future) as a means to reconnect us with the true
essence of yoga so that we can experience it as a process
of self-realization, a vehicle to help us align with Nature,
and a system that can help us ritualize each daily life activity
so yoga becomes a way of being, rather than something you
do.If you are a practitioner of yoga right now, you are participating
in this auspicious time, making history at a crossroads, where
the ancient Eastern practices are being informed by the Western
sciences and culture. This cross-pollination is birthing something
I call Modern Yoga. It is only a matter of time before the
Western perspective on yoga flows back to India and becomes
one with this eternal cosmic dance.
Kriya—The Path of Transformation
Introduction to Kriya Yoga
When I first read about Kriya yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga
Sutras, I knew it could provide a powerful set of tools to
raise consciousness around everything we as humans do—from
our smallest endeavors to our epic achievements, and everything
in between. Upon discovering the world of Kriya, I envisioned
blending this age-old wisdom with a modern approach to daily
nutrition, a combination that would awaken each person’s
innate wisdom, allowing them to become their own best nutritionist.
I saw how it could unite our unique experiences around food
and wellness with the necessary confidence to choose that
which would nourish, rather than poison, our bodies. I imagined
how this new paradigm could free us from the bewildering world
of mixed messages around nutrition (“carbs are good
for you,” “carbs are bad for you,” “we
eat too much protein,” “we don’t get enough
protein,” etc…), while encouraging a fresh and
simple approach to food politics, as well.
Yoga is more complex and far richer than most of us in the
West give it credit for. It really is a way of life. As a
young teacher, I felt reluctant to express this out loud for
fear of sounding like the latest “new age spokesperson.”
But, after years of living yoga each and every day, and personally
experiencing the transformative power of Kriya (and its three
gems, tapas, svadhyaya, and isvara pranidhana), I can attest
to its amazing ability to harness creativity and desire and
make real change possible. In rather general terms, Kriya
can transform an ordinary experience into an enlightened one.
As mentioned in Chapter Two (from the upcoming Art of Wellness
book), Kriya yoga (yoga of action) begins the second chapter
of the Yoga Sutras, a section of Patanjali’s book chock-full
of tools to help the novice yogi connect to the experience
of balance within the ever-changing world. When working with
Kriya in my personal life and in my nutrition practice, I
often translate its three aspects into simple concepts, so
as not to get tangled up in the esoteric meaning of the Sanskrit
words. I see tapas (the first step) as intention, enthusiasm,
or passion--these are the catalysts for change; svadhyaya
(the second step) is the self-awareness or self-examination
necessary for transformation; and finally, isvara pranidhana
(the third step) is the faith beyond belief that is critical
to creating lasting change. In this third step, you move from
the ordinary to the enlightened by completely embracing in
your heart this transformation you have made. These three
steps—intention, self-awareness, and faith beyond belief—are
for me the template from which all life experimentation and
transformation is based.
Kriya yoga’s three steps will teach you to become both
a scientist and an artist in advancing your own well-being.
The scientist in you will research and question the laboratory
of the body and mind. For instance, in the Ayurvedic health
sciences, your body is employed as one giant Petri dish to
help you confirm your own prakriti (individual makeup) and
understand that which best suits your constitution (i.e. what
diet and herbs are most beneficial, which climate or geographical
locations temper or aggravate your personality, and which
asanas help you maintain healthy bones, joints, and muscles).
As an artist, you will paint your unique vision of wellness
and then trust that you are invited to step all the way into
the painting!
Tapas
Sanskrit definition: To cook or transform; heat; passion;
to glow; the creative incubation phase; enthusiasm; asceticism. Step One in Kriya Yoga
Tapas is found in both the three-fold process of Kriya yoga
and the Niyamas (discussed in Chapter 8). In this section,
consider tapas as a catalyst or spark to initiate, as well
as maintain, the energy for creativity, new beginnings, physical,
emotional, and mental transformations; or alternately, as
the electrical juice to overcome habits that are no longer
beneficial.
Tapas in the Modern World
Living in harmony with nature means you embrace the changing
world around you in all its seasons, ages, and states, including
suffering and destruction, as well as, joy and renewal. If
you are willing to truly embrace all the phases of life, then
tapas will be a warm nudge to help you stoke the fire of inspiration
and engage in the world as a dynamic participant rather than
a static bystander. This first step of Kriya requires energy
in the form of intention, enthusiasm, commitment, or passion.
These act as catalysts to propel your creative endeavor—whether
your wellness plan, art project, vegetable garden, or yoga
practice—forward. This passion fires the creative muse
in you to dream up endless possibilities. It’s the energy
that inspires the farmer to envision a bountiful harvest,
a parent to trust they are doing their best, and a yogi to
organically detach from worldly desires.
Working with Tapas
Everyone needs a different amount of time, inspiration, incentive,
pressure, and heat to prepare for the creative incubation
phase. Start by accepting what stage of life (student, householder,
retirement, or renunciate) you are in. While keeping in mind
the particular demands of your life, look at any undesirable
behavioral patterns, habits, or attachments you have and consider
removing just one to help you change, enhance, or grow into
a more conscious being. What is currently occupying your life
energy (getting through college, raising children, planning
your retirement), which part of yourself is likely to go out
of balance (i.e., diet, spending habits, travel), and consider
whether you have any goals on the horizon for the near future
(graduation, exercising three times a week, buying a new car,
or taking a vacation). This is where the “heat”
and passion come into support your intention and keep you
on track and motivated.
In my teaching experience, I’ve noticed the student
must be truly enthusiastic about constructing change in their
life or else nothing new will manifest. With that said, whatever
lifestyle change you are willing to consider right now, make
sure it is within reason and that you can accomplish it with
very little discipline or support. It’s important that
you succeed in your first experiments in order to build tapas
for the more stubborn habits and behavior patterns down the
road. For example if you wanted to add mediation to your daily
practice, you would try and sit for five minutes a day rather
than for twenty minutes. After successfully sitting for five
minutes a day for two weeks, increase your time to ten minutes
a day. Pay attention to the things you resist, they may be
your most potent teachers.
At its root, Kriya yoga will help you find the insight and
strength to compassionately reign in your mind and your energy
from the objects or habits that have taken away or reduced
your sense of power or happiness.
As a nutritionist, what I see every day is the amazing catalytic
power of suffering to motivate people to make real change
in often very entrenched patterns. These might entail basic
lifestyle changes, like walking more and driving less, seeking
nutritional counseling, or even just incorporating a weekly
yoga (asana) practice into their routine.
Physician and author Andrew Weil once said, “Suffering
and craving goad us into action, forcing us to discover who
we are, to identify with our true selves.” When people
are dissatisfied with the shape of their body, or the time
it is taking for them to recover from an injury, or are simply
stressed out by trying to stay “healthy” in our
modern society, they begin to look at life through a different
lens than someone who is content with the way things are going.
This dissatisfaction and suffering is really a transformative
agent, since at some point, one reaches a personal tipping
point and begins to make new resolutions, maybe just once
a year, to break out of the old habits and try to reclaim
their personal power. If your pattern is to make annual New
Year’s resolutions (and then promptly forget about them),
I suggest you try a year of seasonal resolutions, bi-weekly
or bi-monthly experiments that will give you a reasonable
window of time to witness the subtle and gross affects of
your labor, as well as more than one chance every 365 days
to initiate change.
Two Weeks of Tapas
In the teacher trainings groups I lead, I require that each
student give up something for two weeks during our training
time. While this may seem like a short window, it is enough
time to witness considerable changes in your personality,
bodily functions, energy levels, sleep patterns, and the like.
Students sharing stories of eliminating such things as coffee,
alcohol, meat, sugar, swearing, driving while talking on their
cell phone, listening to their iPods, or checking their personal
email multiple times a day, often fill the room with laughter.
As they discuss their personal struggles with giving up one
of their “comforts,” a theme usually emerges around
the realization that life is better without these habits and
behaviors.
At the same time, many also experience the truth in that timeless
saying, “old habits die hard,” and end up back
in their habituated patterns by day fifteen! Although, a few
never go back to their old vices or habits especially, if
in the forsaking, they have discovered a new sense of happiness
or healthfulness, or if they suffered substantially in the
renunciation (like struggling through the famous caffeine
withdrawals after giving up coffee).
As you experiment with ridding yourself of a vice or habit
in the short term, you will learn that certain habits or cravings
have stronger karmas (meaning, in this case, mental or emotional
history) than others and may require more than a two-week
cessation to break free from the bondage accrued over many
years (or lifetimes). The important thing to be aware of is
how much tapas was needed to bolster your will power and break
away from each vice. People are always surprised by the amount
of effort and discipline it takes to break from their habituated
way of being. This realization is another important concept
in yoga. To grow and transform (indeed to become enlightened),
we must strive to live consciously instead of unconsciously.
In order to be successful on this path, it is also important
to be patient with yourself during your two-week experiment.
For instance, if you choose to experiment with your diet,
know that measured change (introducing or eliminating new
foods one at a time) is far more effective than throwing out
everything familiar to you all at once. If fast change is
your speed and you are an out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new
type of person, be mindful of the pendulum effect. The drastic
swing out into the extremes can easily be followed by a strong
swing back into old habits.
Also, try and pull back and witness the effects of your experiment.
In this way, you are acting as both the subject and observer
(or scientist) in your own personal transformation. This more
objective perspective, coupled with unhurried adjustments
in your diet, gives you the best chance for successful and
lasting change. Trust you will grow no matter what the final
product or outcome looks like.
Svadhyaya
Sanskrit definition: Self-study; one’s own going into;
reflection of one’s self; memorization of scriptures.
Step Two in Kriya Yoga
Svadhyaya, the next step in Kriya yoga, introduces the importance
of self-awareness and the understanding that within every
one of us resides a spiritual being or teacher. Each person
has the potential to be their own guru, yoga teacher, nutritionist,
counselor, psychic, and lifestyle coach. This inner teacher
is heard only if we are living in harmony with nature and
the natural rhythms of life, maintaining balance, and taking
responsibility for our actions. As we learn to listen to our
body’s own innate wisdom, we will live healthier and
happier lives.
Our bodies and minds naturally seek, and strive to maintain,
balance and health. And, yet there are so many demands and
distractions in our modern world that can throw us out of
balance. When this happens, we usually know it. Our bodies
suffer, we lose energy, our mood flags, and our minds feel
cluttered and unfocused. These are symptoms of dis-ease and
imbalance, as well as the voice of the inner teacher guiding
us back on the path. It’s easy to miss these voices
and lessons hidden in the ordinariness of our chores, work,
and relationships, especially in a world filled with highly
polished experts and idols. Not only must we realize that
we are our own best teachers but it takes mountains of patience,
compassion, and humility to watch time go by and realize how
much there is to know and experience each precious day as
a human being.
If you visualize a life in harmony with nature, there is a
strong chance that not only will a bond form but you will
be able to harness some of those powers to help you realize
your desires. By acting in accord with nature (i.e. spending
time outside, sitting in meditation, floating or swimming
in the sea, watching the sunset, or stargazing), you will
tap into the very universe itself. Here your instincts will
guide you back to yoga, or union, with any divided parts of
yourself, making way for the free flow of ideas, happiness,
and bliss that is your birthright.
What does that do to a person’s spirit when they no
longer believe or trust in themselves? When their intuition
is ignored? How are we to evolve as a species if we no longer
experience and respond to our own instincts? At its heart,
svadhyaya, strives to help us recognize our own instincts
and believe in our own uniqueness. To aid you in understanding
the full meaning of svadhyaya, I encourage you to seek the
counsel of wise teachers, mentors, therapists, and others
who will inspire you to think for yourself. You can also read
sacred texts that remind you of your true potential, as well
as invite anything that expands your perspective and provokes
new ways of thinking into your daily life. All of these teachers
and tools, as well as your own inner guru, can awaken you
to new possibilities and knowledge, and are important touchstones
as you face new forks in the road.
Svadhyaya in the Modern World
Relationships are a valuable way to deepen your experience
of svadhyaya. Other people offer reflection on our re-occurring
patterns, actions, body image, lifestyle choices, and understanding
of the yogic path. One of my teachers Gary Kraftsow says,
“You can see how evolved you are on the spiritual path
by spending one week with your parents or family.”
Your relationship with your parents can indeed spark old,
undesirable behavioral patterns, judgmental thinking, and
insecurities you never outgrew. Yet, do you react the same
way now that you did last year or last month? If you answered
no, then your yoga is working. If you answered yes, then keep
practicing until you can confirm or even visualize your behavioral
patterns shifting. This is where living consciously, versus
unconsciously, comes into play. Even if you respond to certain
relationships in less than optimal ways, simply acknowledging
this and then consciously being aware of your responses next
time is an enormous step on the svadhyaya path. These relationships
with family, friends, partners, and co-workers will at some
point force you to see habitual patterns, strengths, weakness,
fears, and talents that could easily be avoided in solitude.
As much as I believe in taking time each day for silence and
solitude, I also know the benefits and wisdom that grow from
interacting with others far outweigh a life lived in seclusion.
Working with Svadhyaya
Each person is a unique spirit, one-of-a-kind, despite the
fact that we are born from the same matter and made from the
same various sugars and proteins that compose our DNA. Regardless
of our similar physical makeup, each of us has an exclusive
relationship to our body, the world, and the Spirit. Your
capacity to understand how to best use your life energy in
this time and space requires the discipline to witness and
abide by the Law of Cause and Effect (karma) on the path of
svadhyaya. In the end, we must learn to take responsibility
for our own destiny and choices we make each and every day.
As the Buddhists say, “You make your choice (likened
to seeds) and you bear the results (likened to fruit)”.
As one of the principal tenets of svadhyaya, the Law of Cause
and Effect dictates that everything happens for a reason.
For every effect in your life, there is a cause, or series
of specific, measurable, definable, and identifiable reasons.
This law also implies that if there is anything you want in
life, an effect that you desire, then by finding someone else
who has achieved the same result and following their example,
doing the same things that they have done over and over, you
will eventually enjoy the same results and rewards. Teachers
model what is essential to our success. They teach us to experience
far more joy, satisfaction, and accomplishment in a few years
then we might experience in an entire lifetime without them.
Understanding karma and appreciating the immense value of
teachers, in whatever form they take, necessitates a mindfulness
and consciousness that many of us do not readily cultivate.
In our fast-paced society it is easy to see why people so
often live their life in reaction instead of reflection. We
are almost required to react to one event after another at
a heart-stopping pace, simply dealing with what life throws
at us from moment to moment. Yet, in this type of unconscious
existence, we miss the important lessons and connections,
as well as the voices and wisdom of our teachers that allow
us to grow and become enlightened. By following the path of
svadhyaya we are able to see the creative potential of our
thoughts, and from this understanding ultimately create our
own reality. Simply put, if you change your thinking from
unconscious to conscious, you change your life.
By waking up and taking direct responsibility for each and
every action, you are able to apply the Law of Cause and Effect
to svadhyaya and thus create the environment to allow your
actions, personal beliefs, thoughts, and desires to transform
your destiny.
Two Weeks of Svadhyaya
Success with svadhyaya is not an accident. It is not a result
of good luck versus bad luck. Even if you have not taken the
time to clearly identify how you got from where you were to
where you are, there have nonetheless been a series of cause
and effect relationships that have brought you to where you
are at this moment. You here because of the choice you have
made. Your choices and your decisions over the past few weeks,
months, and years have inevitably determined the condition
of your life at this very moment. The most wonderful part
of this law is that at any time you can start making different
choices and different decisions, taking different steps that
will allow you to inevitably reap the benefits of these choices
(these seeds you sow) in the future. Svadhyaya is about awaking
to self-awareness, understanding the laws of karma, and practicing
mindfulness and conscious living every day, like a scientist
committed to the laboratory of life.
Hopefully, by now you can understand the nature of svadhyaya
and appreciate how crucial and transformative it is in your
life, relationships, work, and spiritual practices. Now let
me demonstrate how this fits into your body and nutritional
practices.
I recommend keeping a journal handy during your experiment
phase with svadhyaya to log changes in mind, body, and spirit.
Your insights and reflections may continue to be valuable
long after the experiment is over. If you are eager to try
a two-week experiment and are willing to modify a number of
aspects in your life, it is best to pay attention to the obvious
(weight loss, improved digestion, better communication in
relationships, etc…) and subtle changes (more energy
in the middle of the day, feelings of contentment, stable
emotions, etc…) that occur in order to know whether
the experiment has been successful. For example, if you decide
to give up dairy products for a two-week period, and change
nothing else in your life during that time, you will invariably
experience results, whether they be large or small, from this
specific change.
Large scale results might include the drying up of excess
mucous in your nasal passages, the reduction of allergy symptoms
(sniffling, sneezing, itchy eyes), the elimination of gastrointestinal
distress or flatulence, and the delight in sound sleep and
unbridled energy. Smaller, or more subtle, effects related
to the experiment might include mild irritation in your behavior
due to dairy withdrawals, cravings for some “other”
foods like nut butters or animal protein (that fill you up
like dairy products do), mood swings caused by a reduction
of hormones found in dairy products, or insatiable longing
for other comforts to replace the sweet, nurturing qualities
of these foods.
On the magical fifteenth day when the experiment is complete,
re-introduce dairy products to your diet and pay attention
to results as if it were a meditation practice. Watch your
sensual response to the taste or texture, emotional response,
physical reactions, and digestive issues your body might experience
post-cleanse. This practice of paying attention, or mindfulness,
should lead you into more conscious decision-making as to
whether dairy products create ease and sweetness or dis-ease
and discomfort in your life. This is an instance of svadhyaya
in practice, as well as an example of where you start to become
your own best nutritionist!
As karma teaches us, the future is being generated by every
choice or thought you make in your life. If you are getting
unhealthy, doubtful, negative, or confused signals from your
sub-conscious or your intuition in relation to choices you
make with food, relationships, yoga practices, work, or creative
projects, then have faith in yourself and in your ability
to trust that feedback. Your body is wise and is always looking
for ways of communicating with you to ensure a long, healthy
life. When your experiments, relationships, and health are
effortless, efficient, and graceful then you are on the path
toward liberation and the universe will support you in fulfilling
your destiny.
“Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness
to light, from death to immortality,” so says the Upanishads,
another famous ancient yogic text. This timeless reminder
encourages us to be an active participant in our lives, and
to remain open to the results of our actions, without attachment,
so that the universe can begin to open our eyes to a higher
consciousness that resides in each of us.
Isvara Pranidhana
Sanskrit definition: The Lord abides in the heart region of
all beings; the omniscient self; seer; teacher; God within;
faith.
Step Three in Kriya Yoga
At this stage, Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras has outlined the
essential steps necessary to transform your personal knowledge
into faith. It is not the blind faith of an organization,
institution, or teacher. Rather, it is an inner feeling of
certainty that you are moving in the right direction. You
may not know exactly how your journey is unfolding, but have
an inherent sense of walking steadily towards the goal of
life.
With tapas sparking the enthusiasm and curiosity for an adventure
and svadhyaya lighting the way through self-study and reflection,
we use isvara pranidhana to teach us to be the Lord of our
own actions (remembering that actions can mirror intent better
than words), to investigate the meaning of faith (from personal
experience and scriptures), as well as to reminds us to offer
our unique gifts and talents to the world in which we live
Through our practice of isvara pranidhana, we learn to humble
ourselves, soften the ego, and limited personality in order
to receive the counsel, sustenance, and unconditional love
that comes from joining with nature, the divine, God, or whatever
you choose to call it.
Each journey or experiment with tapas and svadhyaya will expand
our sense of self, view of the world, and eventually lead
you to faith. By committing to various disciplined practices,
like eating new foods or living more consciously, you begin
to open your mind to the point of creating new neural pathways
in the mind. When your brain gets activated by changing behavior
patterns, meditating, doing art, or engaging in new relationships,
the hippocampus (the part of your brain critical in the formation
of new autobiographical and fact memories) begins to make
new impressions based on your experiences whether they be
physical or emotional. If you didn’t make new memories,
you wouldn’t be able to live in the present, you’d
be stuck in the past. A yogi or engaged student strives to
break free of habituated living and works passionately at
staying open minded. If you are not thinking in new ways,
or having different experiences, your brain will not grow.
This is why it is so important to learn new skills, try out
a new language, learn to play a new instrument, rotate your
diet, travel, meditate, and practice a variety of asanas to
develop your “muscle memory” and widen the neural
pathways. So without new experiences, you quite literally
become “narrow-minded.”
As you practice living each moment fully, a certain trust
will grow between yourself and the Divine. You will come to
realize that you have the opportunity to soften your ego,
making it more porous, and in the process yield, without fear
of defeat, to a greater life force than yourself. Your actions,
your work, your art, your good fortune, all of these provide
you with the strength you need to be generous, to trust, and
to offer your service and talents to others. Not knowing what
the future has in store, you continue to walk ahead, into
the unknown, accepting of, even comfortable with, the understanding
that nature is in control, not you. This is isvara pranidhana.
Isvara Pranidhana in the Modern World
Describing isvara pranidhana in words just doesn’t do
it justice; it is most clearly understood experientially.
For example, if you wish to know what a carrot is, a simple
physical description is not enough. You must touch and taste
the vegetable to truly and immediately understand what it
is. The same goes for isvara pranidhana. There are three ways
to understand isvara pranidhana: sustained personal practice
or devotion, witnessing life’s miracles with your own
eyes, and trusting the counsel of another. All three can help
connect you to the presence of a greater power, the divine,
or God (whatever you prefer call it). At its heart, it is
the art of remembering the undivided Self and practicing being
in the presence of God.
Working with Isvara Pranidhana
Isvara pranidhana is a force we all experience on a regular
basis but may have never tried to describe or touch unless
you pray, meditate, or yield to nature’s power by surfing,
skiing, hiking, or engaging in any other similar activity
that allows you to discover the universe’s grace.
No one has yet figured out a way to measure isvara pranidhana
in a dish, weigh it in a laboratory, or store it in a container
for later use. One simple example of isvara pranidhana is
hidden in your belief that the sun will rise each morning.
Why can you say this with such certainty? You can say this
because, year after year, you’ve had the experience
of watching the light fill the darkened sky each morning.
This repeated experience is what gives you faith, belief,
or confirmation, and that is isvara pranidhana. Can you identify
a few places in your life that you trust or believe in based
on personal experience?
Here’s another example: Suppose you have tight hamstrings
but religiously practice yoga poses to help lengthen and loosen
your hamstrings, you will eventually be able to touch your
toes with straight legs. On the day you finally touch your
toes, that joy, amazement, and confirmation is isvara pranidhana.
Your persistent effort and experience has led you to this
doorstep where your heart can rest, trusting in the knowledge
that this transformation was real and possible. By doing something
you thought impossible, you experience in a simple yet profound
way the divine. Can you think of something in your life, like
touching your toes, which you just assume you cannot do? What
places in your life are ready for a mystical (or spiritual)
experience? Which disciplines need more commitment from you
in order to come to fruition?
The last way to experience isvara pranidhana is through another
person. For many of us, this is actually the most difficult
place to surrender. If you have been lucky enough in your
life to have had caring and thoughtful parents and inspiring
mentors and teachers in school, work, and life, then you are
probably open to taking someone’s advice, digesting
it, and living with the fruit of these actions (hopefully
sweet) because you appreciate and understand the potential
of this guidance. But if you haven’t had these trusted
teachers, than yielding to someone else’s wisdom and
guidance is difficult and frightening. The very act of accepting
someone’s counsel or advice is another way to look at
the essence of isvara pranidhana, however, it is the ability
to surrender to another’s wisdom.
What is important to remember at this stage in your experiment
is to assimilate or process any input from the teachers in
your life (spiritual leaders, family members, therapists,
doctors) and witness how another person’s insights can
nourish your sense of well being. Look at what relationships
you are willing to deepen. Who can you count on to give you
the best most beneficial advice? Where are your teachers to
model healthy body awareness, connection to spirit, or inspiration
for creative pursuits?
Two Weeks of Isvara Pranidhana
Yoga puts emphasis on controlling our thoughts because we
identify with what is in our mind. We become that. If we always
have negative, critical or destructive thoughts, we begin
to define ourselves through these destructive thought patterns.
You can learn to take control of your thoughts, however.
For a two-week period, work on deepening your powers of concentration.
Start by trying to concentrate on something internal such
as a positive affirmation (I am flexible, I am enough, I like
my…), a prayer (may all beings be happy and free), or
a poem that opens your heart and helps you connect to the
spiritual. You could also choose to focus on an object outside
of your body. Any external object should have some significance
or symbolize the Supreme Being (a religious statue, nature,
fire, etc…). Remember we identify ourselves with what
is in our minds, so focus your mind on God and you will become
that.
After two weeks of dedicated practice, your negative, critical,
and destructive thoughts may disappear. Concentration will
lead to the state of meditation, where you find peace with
all. A place your heart can rest.
A strong mind will keep your focus on virtuous paths, having
the power of concentration will help you in your daily life,
at work, in your diet, and at play. If you have had something
in your personal life distract you from an important job you
need to do, harnessing the power of concentration will help
you focus when you need it, no matter what is swirling around
in your life. When you are following the right path and concentrating
your powers in the right direction, you will notice the positive
energy that says I can do it! I will do it! I have to do it!,
if you pay close attention.
Sustained concentration will lead you to meditation, another
road to experiment with isvara pranidhana. As I mentioned
earlier, describing isvara pranidhana is nowhere near as valuable
as experiencing it firsthand. Anyone can meditate; you don’t
have to be religious, spiritual, or a yogi to try it. You
do have to be patient and persistent. Consider for the next
two weeks setting up a space to sit still for five or ten
minutes each day. For our purpose here, the meditation seat
is used to teach us how to sit with silence (isvara) and prepare
to merge into a space not bound or interested in personal
ego or personality. The moment you (the ego) disappear into
that portal between thoughts or after an exhale, you have
opened the door to meditation. On this doorstep, you begin
to witness the relationship between yourself and the Divine.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Faith is taking the
first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Isvara pranidhana is embodied in your accumulated experience,
knowledge, and insights, offering illumination for yourself
and the world around you.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali teaches that there is no peripheral
teacher separate from the inherent teacher. Isvara pranidhana
is commonly translated as devotion, surrender, or yielding
to one’s highest potential. As described in the Sahaj
Yogi’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras: “Isvara
is the innermost teacher and is always accessible inside.
In yoga, the practice (Isvara pranidhana) is indeed the teaching,
the teaching is in the practice, and the teacher is in the
teaching.”
Opening to a higher force creates a new plane of existence
that has little to do with everyday upsets and struggles.
It makes us aware of a reality greater than our own. Turning
inwards and recognizing a higher power brings about a truer
understanding of ourselves and our place in this universe.
