If you are like me and you can admit that you don't know everything
there is to know about yoga, and you feel that you are not embodying
your greatest potential, please keep reading. If you have the courage
to be humble, anything is possible. Yoga and meditation transform
my life— this year the practices brought me to the farthest point
from
home, to India, and closer to my soul than I ever knew possible.
When I was asked to write an article about the history of yoga I had to
laugh. Yoga is not only one of the most extraordinary spiritual
sciences that man has ever discovered, but it is a 10,000 year
compilation of individual experience. The most profound techniques I
have been taught are not mentioned in writing. Rather, these practices
are passed from teacher to student, with an air of secrecy, and the
understanding that the practices will not be taught to the general
public.
Simply putting yoga into a historical context is a daunting task. Yet
how auspicious to have an opportunity to assimilate some of what I have
learned about yoga.
The first yogi was Shiva, which, in Sanskrit, means “auspicious,” not
in the sense of being lucky, but in the sense of attracting sublime
happiness that cannot not be touched by any of life’s circumstances.
Auspiciously, I met three yoga masters and one Ayurevedic master in the
past nine months. First, practically in my back yard, I met the teacher
I feel most at home with. Then I met the famous BSK Iyengar in Pune,
India. Shortly thereafter, in Pune, I met Vasant Lad, who could be the
wisest Ayurevedic doctor on the planet. Then I met a yogi by the name
of Balak Nath, who was performing a sacred fire ritual in the courtyard
of the guest house I happened to be staying at, in Pushkar,
Rajasthan.
Each of these charismatic individuals arose from different lineages,
but their affect on me is the same. Their souls are so bright, and so
pure, that I still feel their light shining through me. Simply
remembering one of these people, I feel transparent, like no part of me
is left in shadow or doubt. At their feet, I felt humble. Each master
taught me a different way of brightening and sustaining my inner fire.
I am very lucky that yoga has been made so accessible.
I have come to know yoga through three different lineages or sciences: The Classical Yoga of Patanjali, Ayureveda, and Tantra.
Classical Yoga, or Raja Yoga, as it is sometimes called, is described
by Patanjali's yoga sutras, written about 2,000 BCE. Sutra literally
means rope or thread that holds things together, and more
metaphorically refers to an aphorism of collection of aphorisms in
the form of a manual. The sutras are short, concise and can be memorized easily.
"Yoga is the process of becoming free from limited definitions of the
field of consciousness. Then the yogi knows his one true nature (Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali I. 2,).”
Iyengar Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, are examples of traditions that have
grown out of Classical Yoga. Asana, or physical postures, is only one
of the Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga. The other limbs are necessary
aspects of living a moral, balanced life and make spiritual practices
more efficient.
Yoga and Ayureveda are sister sciences and historically have always
been used together. Ayureveda, has been practiced for about 10,000
years, but the first written scriptures are about 4,000 years old.
Ayureveda, the science of life, uses everything imaginable to balance
the mind and the body, so that spiritual development can occur.
Examples of some of the methods of Ayureveda include: Diet, herbs,
gemology, astrology, chiropractic, massage, various cleansing
techniques, and mantras, or sacred sounds.
My experiences have taught me that using yoga and Ayureveda hand in
hand is very efficient. Ayureveda details different layers of the
energetic and subtle bodies. Wise use of Asana brings the most subtle
energies into balance, so that the physical body is healthy and the
mind is tranquil. Physical health and a quiet mind are the
prerequisites for meditation and spiritual advancement.
But what are we advancing toward? What is the point of it all? Tantra
offers a really exceptional world view: You are living in heaven. As
one of my teachers said recently, "What is here is in heaven, what
isn't here isn't in heaven.” With our five senses we
perceive only part of reality. As you may or may not know, behind what
we can hear, what we can smell, taste, feel and see, the world is
absolutely splendid and awe inspiring…awesome beyond words!
Tantra can accelerate growth because it uses any technique that will
help one realize the truth behind their thin veil of disillusion.
A tantric can pull the threads of truth from anything; Iyengar Yoga,
Ashtanga Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, modern psychology and medicine, and
Taoism, weave them together, into the whole of life, and feel so
touched in the heart that every moment is joyful, vibrant with the most
supreme beauty.
Do you know how humble you have to be to experience the world as
perpetual orgasm? Neither do I. But I am so absolutely moved by the
glimpses of truth that I have experienced that I can do nothing other
than practice more, meditate more, and share more.
The community yoga classes at the Aspen Club are for you, for your
health and spiritual journey, for you to receive the joy of giving to
those in need. Please come. Black spandex not required.
