PYS II.46 sthira sukham asanam The connection to the Earth should be steady and joyful. Sthira means steady, sukham means joyful, and asanam means seat or connection to the Earth. This sutra belongs to the chapter on practice, and we are going to explore how it applies to both our physical practice on the mat and the way we live our lives outside the mat. Yoga sutras can be cryptic, the language flowery and sometimes we even feel like it's a lot of fluff. The words are carefully chosen and they make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. But what is their application beyond the intellectual game that we yogis like to play? Let us get practical. Stand. Let us give what is not sthira sukham asanam a test drive. When we worry about things like what I should do tomorrow, or how I am supposed to work out my financial problem, what is going to happen to my relationship, what do others think of me so on and so forth, we start to carry the weight on our shoulders. Our shoulders tense without us even being conscious of it. And then we think of what a horrible place it is to live here, so many problems that are seemingly endless, everyone keeps doing the wrong thing, people are so ignorant, everyone should change but myself (because I am already perfect), we are consumed with anger and we tighten our fists. And we are so afraid of this dangerous world we live in, we are so afraid of how others may hurt us, we are constantly suspicious of them, and we shrivel up to protect our hearts. Then we walk around like that, tightened fists and clenched jaws, tensed up shoulders and drooping posture, and we get so used to it we think we are supposed to live this way. We feel back pain and shoulder pain and this discomfort and that discomfort and we wonder why. Let us now try sthira sukham asanam on our bodies, if just for size. When we let go of our future worries and focus on the present moment, we come to realize that in this moment worries and fear do not exist, and we unburden ourselves and release the weight on our shoulders. When we look to others with compassion and see that everyone is trying his or her best to be happy, we no longer feel angry. We realize that our dissatisfaction with the world is a mirror, and we can transform our own lives and live positively that way. Our fists unclench and we open our palms into the possibilities. When we are consistent in our practice of yoga, we realize the world will still turn its wheel according to its rhythm, we will not be exempt from hurt and it will happen again and again throughout our lives. But because we are centered and secure and confident, we open our hearts anyway because we know pain is temporary but love is permanent. And when we stand like that, shoulders relaxed, chest open, rooted in security and uplifted in confidence, we stand in tadasana, mountain pose, which is the foundation of all poses. The correlation between how we stand (or sit or twist or bend or invert for that matter) and the way we see the world becomes obvious once we start making the connections. Our bodies are storehouses for our karma, our histories, and the stories we tell ourselves. Our bodies take in our fear and love, our anger and forgiveness, our regrets and compassion. Our bodies do not lie to us. Our bodies can tell if we have been kind. If we stop eating animals, our digestion improves and twisting feels easier. If we forgive others, we let go of the chains in our hearts and we come into backbends with more openness. If we realize that our apathy is rooted in our fears, we progress in our inversions. And so it is that kindness has everything to do with sthira sukham asanam. It is the kindness in our hearts that will open our eyes to our relationship with all beings. It is the kindness we have in thought, word, and action that will keep us steady and joyful, both in our seat when we do asana and in the way that we connect to the world. "Patanjali says for those who want yoga, their relationship to the Earth, to life itself, to all others should be mutually beneficial. It should be based on sthiram and sukham. Steadiness and joy." - Sharon Gannon
0 Comments
I decided to go on a Facebook fast mainly because I wanted to get out of my own tendencies to judge and be negative. Here are the things I learned. 2. I read a book and a half within the 7 days that I would have otherwise spent scrolling through the news feed. Time better spent. 3. I slept better. Instead of instinctively reaching for my phone when I wake up in the middle of the night, I just let myself fall back asleep. 4. I do not have to get caught up in other people's business, especially friends of friends whom I have not even met. 5. It was not as hard as I thought. Deleting the app from my phone made it easier. 6. Not all of the time spent on Facebook is wasted, but perhaps 90% of it is. 7. My compulsive tendency to turn to Facebook came a lot from boredom. I am not going to deactivate my account or stay out of it altogether, but I am definitely not going to spend as much time there either. There are notebooks to be filled, documentaries to watch, books to be read, and vegan chocolates to be eaten. My new guideline for Facebook: only in moderation! In the language of yoga, we say that everything is connected. In the language of science, it is said that quantum entanglement is a phenomenon observed where particles, regardless of their distance from each other, act or react as though they are connected. It is similar to how twins have this instinctive feel of what the other is going through even if they are halfway across the world. The setting of our intentions then can be more powerful than our suspicious minds would allow us to think. We can possibly and likely change the outcome of the world around us simply by changing our thoughts and the habitual patterns of our minds. In Jivamukti, the mantra that guides our practice is Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. It means: May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all. It is an acknowledgement of the power of our intentions. Our kindness can be so potent that at the level of thought, word, and action we bring forth happiness to other beings. When we read the news, we may be overcome with despair at how hopeless the situation feels to the victims of the typhoon Yolanda. Though help is coming their way, they might not necessarily feel that. As yogis who are far away from the situation, how can we balance being sensitive towards their suffering at the same acknowledging that our own lives have not stopped? We still go to work. We eat three times a day. We have time for our obligations and we have time for leisure and we have time for yoga. Should we feel guilty that we have it good while others are suffering? Suffering is always present. The typhoon Yolanda is an extraordinary event that alerted the world to this suffering, but there has always been suffering and there will continue to be suffering. Many beings suffer in the quiet ways that we have considered normal. Our economy is based on a game where greed is the currency, and many people work in sweat shops with inhumane conditions because they work within a system that leaves them with very little choice. Our education is based on competition, who does what best is rewarded and those who are left behind are conditioned by our society to believe that they are weak and undeserving and this is what we make innocent children feel. Our sustenance is largely animal-based, where other beings are put into this world only to suffer. So yes, much suffering is quiet and considered normal and part of our everyday lives. Extraordinay events like the typhoon Yolanda point out the collapse that is happening in the world and urges us to take action and change. Following the quantum entanglement theory and yogic teachings of interconnection, the solution is simple: Love. Love in the form of thought and words is intention and in the form of action is kindness. This kindness can be directed towards anyone, and through practicing being kind to those who are near us, we can be kind to those who are far away from us. Through practicing being kind to those who are like us, we can expand our kindness to those who are not like us. Through practicing loving kindness directed towards the victims of the typhoon, we can apply the same loving kindness towards the victims who quiety and routinely suffer. Kindness is a democracy. Kindness is boundless. Kindness is contagious. Kindness is the kind of virus that if spread has the power to heal. If we can be kind to those who are around us, we are effectively making the world a better place for the typhoon victims to come back to. If we can talk about global issues and the economy and climate change from the perspective of what I can do as an individual and how we can all work together, it does not diminish our sympathy towards those who are suffering now. Our resolve to take action at this moment to prevent future suffering is honoring the experiences of those who are victimized now and signing a private contract with the universe that we will be kind in ways that are expansive and concrete and speaks to the current needs of the world's problems. If we want to reduce suffering in the world, we acknowledge that our kindness has no limits and we acknowledge that what we do matters. If I am kind to one being today, that will cause a slight shift towards kindness in the atomic makeup of this world, and perhaps as quantum entanglement suggests, it will bring kindness towards someone else that I am not even aware of. And even if that weren't true, I was at least kind to one being. And the interesting effect of being kind? We produce seratonin which is how our brain tells our body that we are happy. Nature's design is such that if we want to be happy, we make others happy first. Kindness is the blueprint we were meant to build our lives on. Our intention to be kind can empower us even amidst great suffering. Because even as we know that we are limited by this body and we can only do so much, we realize precisely that- we can do so much. We cannot do everything, but we can do something. Our progress towards kindness is this acknowledgement that we can always choose something over nothing. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. Thank you to all those who attended the community classes this weekend at Yoga+ Makati. Thank you for your time and your donations. May all beings everywhere be happy and free. Yoga studios around town are raising funds for the relief of those affected by typhoon Yolanda. Here are the events this weekend. Yoga+ Makati Nov 16 (Sat) 900-1030am Flow Class by Neil Nov 17 (Sun) 300-430pm Jivamukti Class by Nancy Details: Open to both members and non-members. Minimum donation P200. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Philippine Red Cross. The studio's Christmas party budget will be donated as well. Bliss Makati and Bliss Greenhills Nov 16 (Sat) 1200-115pm Vinyasa Flow Nov 17 (Sun) 1200-115pm Vinyasa Flow Beyond Yoga QC Nov 16 (Sat) 800-915am Vinyasa Flow Nov 17 (Sun) 730-845am Vinyasa Flow In our yoga practice, we are called to transcend our egoic tendencies by dedicating our practice to someone else or to a cause greater than ourselves. Please support any or all of these yoga classes! First, I want to extend my sympathies to the individuals who may be directly or indirectly affected by the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). It is a tragedy to have lives lost and casualties abound. I see many people donating their money, their time, and their resources. Some openly talk about it and I think that could inspire others to action. Some are quiet about it and there is beauty in that humility. That said, please understand that I mean no disrespect and I have no intention of minimizing the suffering of the victims with the rest of this blog post. The truth is, I was quite angry. It is sad that this typhoon has been so destructive but I was also not completely shocked. We have been warned many times that the way we live our lives cannot sustain the environment. Certainly the way that we consume resources with greed will have its consequences. So if someone told me they are going to eat a cheeseburger to help the victims of the typhoon, I would tell that person she's deluded. Which I did. Not in those words. I tried as best I can to say it with more tact. What am I talking about? There's a campaign circulating around with a list of restaurant establishments who will donate a percentage of their profit to the typhoon victims. Most of these establishments serve meat, dairy, and eggs which environmental studies have emphasized contributes largely to climate change. The person who posted this being a good friend and someone I believe to have genuine concern for the environment, I expressed my doubts. The immediate response I got (from someone else, not my friend) suggested that I was not being helpful and that I was being negative by putting down the efforts of these businesses. Another comment said that it is not the right time to talk about "climate change yada yada". Those were the exact words. It made me even angrier because I felt that the problem of climate change has been minimized and personal responsibility dismissed. If we have time to go eat at a restaurant, I think we have time to talk about climate change. But I decided to just delete my comment and think about it some more. I suppose someone might say at least they are trying to do something. While I appreciated the intention, I felt that intention with the vehement denial of truth that is readily available is egotistic. It only serves to make one feel good about himself or herself and does not contribute to the solution. Ignorance is one thing, but a flat-out refusal to have a real discussion is misguided at best, and counter-productive at worst. I also understand that many may feel threatened not only because they support these industries, but that they are themselves the owners of similar businesses. And when their livelihood is challenged, it may not be well-received. I also see that perhaps my approach is flawed. Perhaps I have to be more strategic in picking my battles. Perhaps my choice of words puts people on the defensive. Perhaps I am even more egotistic because I am convinced I am right. Everyone is emotional. The person who could not see my point of view was emotional and thought I was not being helpful. I was emotional and could not see this person's point of view and thought she was not being helpful. Perhaps as I write this I am still emotional and I am still not being helpful. I don't know anymore. Maybe I need to meditate and practice what I preach: Let Go. As a yoga teacher, I struggle with the things I teach because I have yet to figure it out myself. What is the more compassionate action- to say nothing or to speak the truth? How can I take action and renounce the consequences of those actions? How can I let go of my ego, my need to prove that I am right? How can I speak the truth and not cause separation? How can I be courageous and sensitive at the same time? And so when I go in and teach a class, it is really not from a place of knowing, but from a place of asking and probing and poking and provoking. I have many questions and not a lot of answers. I want to try my best to reflect on this, because this is what the practice of yoga teaches us- to pause, to reflect, to let go of personalizing things and see things as they are. The ones victimized most by this typhoon are those who are still there, those who are at the moment experiencing intense hunger and thirst and see no hope in the horizon. This puts things in perspective. A fellow Jivamukti teacher, Koryn Lloyd, posed this question "How do I serve them best?". This is not about me or my need to be right. It is about someone who is real and whose suffering is immediate. These are my thoughts based on my assessment. I do not claim to be right. I only claim that I have given this a lot of thought. 1. Donating money directly is the best option. That way, the organizations we donate to can buy supplies in bulk at a cheaper price. They can also determine what is truly needed, not what we think they need. We can do our own research on which organizations are reputable. We can also look for those with matching programs so we can maximize the money that gets donated. I just read about V-Day setting up a V-fund in which donations will be matched and 100% of the donations go directly to victims. We can look into that as an option. 2. Donating time to sort and repack goods is great, but be guided by objectivity. Am I truly helping or am I just in the way? There are some situations where too many hands can be a liability because of the lack of organization. Be able to discern. Opportunities are aplenty. Choose. 3. The fact that I have written this and you are reading it means that we are in a safe situation. We did not have to go days without food and water enduring the smell of dead bodies around us. We cannot claim to know first-hand the state of mind of those who are suffering. The ones whom the media has reported to be "looting" are victims themselves, perhaps not only of the storm but victims of a profit-obssessed system of oppression (but that is another long discussion). If we cannot help them, I feel that the least we can do is not judge them. When we judge them, we hurt their spirits on top of the physical suffering they are already going through. Most of us do not own private airplanes and are unable to be physically there to help them. But we can heal our disconnection with them in spirit by not thinking that we are better than them. 4. Climate change is real. Yeb Saño's speech in the U.N. climate talks moved and inspired many. The time to have the conversation going is now. What is done is done. But if we act now, we can at least minimize future damage. Now is the time to be optimistic and acknowledge that we can change course now. Now is the time to take a long hard look at ourselves instead of pinning all the responsibility on to others. Does driving a fuel-inefficient car justify the damage I put on the environment? Is my preference for steak and ice cream more important than protecting the Earth? Can my shopping habits take a back seat so we produce less waste in the world? It's very easy to blame the government and big companies and the society in general. But we voted those people into the government. We bought those things that made these companies profitable. We are the society. If we want change, we have to be more conscious of our choices. It is estimated that 18% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions come from the meat, egg, and dairy products that drive the animal agriculture sector, and the projection is that it will grow to 39% by 2050. If we truly want to help fight climate change, reducing meat, egg, and dairy consumption (eventually to zero) is an empowered choice that governments and big companies and society cannot take away from us. Talking about it and acting on it at this critical time takes nothing away from our other efforts. We can do both. 5. This may only apply to me so if it does not apply to you, well and good. We have got to get over ourselves. The crisis is not about us. If I am offended because someone disagrees with me, I need to find a way to get over it. I need to get over my own pettiness at getting worked up over the words "yada yada". It does not matter. My job is to do the best that I can. And if I err in my choices, I get over myself and move on. If I did what I think is best in a situation but others condemn me for it, it also does not matter. The ideal world that exists inside my head does not have to give me intolerance over the world that actually exists right now. I cannot be committed to a better world if I am constantly upset over what I think others are doing wrong. Walk away from senseless bickering. Let go. Get over yourself and your need to prove that you are right. (Emphasis that this is a note to myself.) The world is not perfect and I am far from being enlightened. I share my thought process with you because I think we are all trying to evolve. When passions run high, we cling to our defense mechanisms and want to shut others out, even if we ultimately have the same goal of wanting to reduce suffering. As a yogi, I have to pause and re-evaluate where I am and where I am going, and ask myself that question "How do I serve them best?" I can get stuck in anger or judgment or hopelessness or inaction, or I can acknowledge that I am going through all of that and all of that shall pass. I can then pull myself together and act from a place of consciousness. Tomo Okabe, a Jivamukti teacher, asked me this question "Can you love everyone?" I can choose with complete awareness to guide my actions with that intention. When we look at the world around us, we can be amazed at the kind of progress that we now experience. Changes seem so fast and the modern day mantra seems to be: newer, faster, more convenient, more efficient. Seems innocent enough at first glance, until we start to weigh in the high cost that we pay. What defines contemporary living are fast food, internet, iPhones, GMOs, the pursuit of money. We want newer technology, so we change our phones every six months, creating more waste on Earth. We want faster food and more of them too, so there are faster kill lines to keep up with the demand. (Not that slow kill lines are better. Killing animals is violent in any situation.) We want more convenience so corporations have become more powerful than ever. Monsanto is in so much of our food, their pesticides killing our bees, their seeds oppressing our farmers. We want to be more efficient, get more bang for our buck, and the companies we buy cheap trendy clothes from are using sweat shops and subjecting people to horrible inhumane working conditions. All that so-called progress has a price I am sure we are unwilling to pay had we been on the receiving end of this oppression. The only reason we may think we are not affected by all of this is the illusion of our separation from others. How about a paradigm shift in how we define progress? How about instead of lining up to get new Apple products, we instead use that time to think of solutions to our biggest problems? How about instead of obssessing about how many megapixels our camera is, we focus our attention on how many hungry mouths we can feed? How about instead of being consumed with consumption, we free ourselves and really look at things that matter? How about instead of seeing progress as newer, faster, more efficient, more convenient, we start thinking along the lines of kinder, more compassionate, more aware, more connected? If we think the world around us is messed up, can we see that we are part of it and that we may possibly even be the cause of it? In many cases, it is not enough to take a neutral stand. As Desmond Tutu said, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor". This is how the activism of my teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life and their teacher Swami Nirmalananda inspires me. Being a yogi does not mean we stand back and do nothing. Being a yogi means that we not only chant Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu within the safe walls of the practice room, it means we truly understand that all of our thoughts and words and actions matter all the time. When we acquire newer technologies as a consequence of destroying the Earth that we live in, is that progress? When we create faster ways of killing animals, making something wrong more economically viable, is that progress? When we yield more crops that last longer at the cost of the extinction of bees and oppression of humans and sabotage of our health, is that progress? When trendy clothes become cheap because the workers at the factory making these clothes are treated like slaves, is that progress? If we do nothing but conform to the current wrongs, we may think we are being kind by keeping the peace. But keeping the peace when the status quo is violence is not being kind. Kindness may at times have a strong voice, even an aggressive voice, because it is about standing up to bullies while having compassion for them, and protecting the bullied while empowering them. Kindness may be loud because courage is often heard. And so we must ask ourselves as yogis: What is progress? Can our yoga practice inspire us to be kinder, more compassionate, more aware, more connected? The teachings of yoga are different and yet the same. We learn about ahimsa or nonviolence, karuna or compassion, maitri or friendliness, yoga or oneness, and they all point to the same thing. They all point to love. What is progress if we desire yoga? It is beyond the asana and penetrates into acceptance that we are all connected. It is awakening to the truth that the only direction in which progress matters is towards kindness. It is learning that love is free and democratic and unconditional and unbound. It does not pick or choose or discriminate or isolate. The progress of yoga is the progress towards kindness. The progress towards kindness is active. It requires our voice and commitment to carry it out. It is a progress that cares about sentient beings, not things. It is a progress that drives us to reclaim the meaning of progress. I'm skipping the greens in this smoothie. Why? Because I live life on the edge like that haha! What's in it: Bananas Peanut butter Maca powder Cocoa powder Cashews Flax seeds Soy milk It's pretty good but don't take my word for it. Make your own! The Sandwich Shop at SM Jazz along Jupiter Street has vegan options. I had the tofu bahn mi served with salad in peanut dressing, and it was a pretty good deal at P150. They also had black bean burger and vegan chocolate cake in the menu but they were not yet available when I went. I'm going back for them for sure! There are many health benefits associated with the plant-based lifestyle. Just look into the works of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Joel Fuhrman and it will be clear. There are also other general benefits like clearer skin, better weight management, healthier glow etc. but I hardly ever talk about them. You know why? Because to me, not killing animals is not about our weight or skin or health. Those are just the side effects. Not killing animals is about not killing animals. I notice that my vegan friends would promote the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, and they would get comments about this one vegan they know who got sick. It is definitely interesting how in the mind of that person, it is a valid enough reason for dismissing hard evidence. Never mind that non-vegans get these diseases at a more massive scale. There is that one vegan. Okay. Even if evidence came out in the future that eating meat does not deteriorate our health at all (which is not likely to happen), I would still be vegan. As I said, killing animals is about killing animals. If I slapped a person across the face for no reason, it's not going to give me cancer either, but I am not going to do it. What I am trying to say is that nonviolence towards others is not a health issue. It is not a diet. Being vegan will provide a lot of other benefits, but it will not make us superhuman. If a mosquito with the dengue virus bit us, we would still get it. If we expose ourselves to harmful chemicals, our bodies would still feel the effects. If we treated rescue animals with some kind of virus, we may contract that virus. We are only vegans. We are not superhumans. As for myself, when I became vegan four years ago, my body fat ratio became the lowest in my adult life. I credit that to veganism and my yoga asana practice. But my skin is not clear. I have hormonal imbalance which makes me prone to skin breakouts. I have been sick for a total of one time over the four years, and I did not take any medication. I am happy with how I look. I am not obssessed with weight or nutrition. I have never considered liposuction. I have no known health risks. And yes, I get enough protein, thank you very much. My health and weight improved not because I set out to do so, but because it is the side effect of my vegan choices. It's like this. My dog eats food that I accidentally drop on the floor, making it unnecessary for me to pick it up. But I did not get my dog because I wanted a vacuum cleaner with a beating heart and a wagging tail and a very cute face. My not having to clean up food accidents is a side effect. It is not my motivation. It is like this for everyone who is vegan for moral reasons. We are vegans because we do not want to kill animals. The other stuff are just side perks. As moral vegans, we also do not use leather or wool or fur that have nothing to do with reducing our cancer risks, but we stand by our decision anyway. Killing animals is about killing animals. Vegans are not superhumans. We are not 100% disease-free. We do not have all the answers to the health questions you have. We are not necessarily experts in nutrition (but neither are you). Try as we might, we are also not compassionate 100% of the time. Many of us, including me, get angry quite a lot. We are not always patient. We have the urge to snap back at cruel comments about bacon we have heard millions of times. But we are vegans. That means we are doing the best that we can with the information that we have. That also means we feel sad that many otherwise compassionate people have not made the connection. We do not claim to be superhumans who will solve all of the problems in the world, but we do claim that there is no doubt in our minds that killing is wrong. We are not afraid to tell you the truth that you might want to deny: that every piece of meat and dairy and egg involves the death of an innocent life. We are vegans and not superhumans. And although I wish you good health, veganism is not about your health. It is about the animals. I appeal not to your motivation not to be sick, but in your motivation to be just, to be kind, to make things right. Om saha navavatu saha nau bhunaktu saha viryam karavavahai tejasvi navadhitam astu ma vidvishavahai om shantih shantih shantih - Invocatory verse from the Kena Upanishad Translation: Accept us both together. Protect us both together. May our knowledge and strength increase. May we not resent one another. The moon inspires many- poets, musicians, astronomers. I was inspired by the moon myself, and it was in a planetarium that I had an unlikely spiritual experience. While watching a presentation that showed the different theories of astronomers and scientists throughout centuries, it occurred to me that they all looked up at the sky, watched the stars and the moon at night, and asked: Who am I? But that was me. My friend who watched the presentation with me fell asleep. That's the thing. What inspires us is a personal experience. Others are inspired by going to church, or reading the Bhagavad Gita, or attending a meditation course, or taking care of children, or a number of other things that I may not consider inspiring. The problem is, we sometimes get too attached to that which inspires us, and we feel that we are right and everybody else is wrong. It is this mentality that causes wars. The diversity of a mixed-level yoga class is a perfect ground for practicing tolerance. As we are given options in a pose, how do we react or respond to the choices of others? Are we open and ready to accept what others choose to do without any judgment? Are we in the habit of comparing ourselves with others, thus making one person come out as above the other? If a pose inspires us to work harder, can we begin to accept that the experience of another may or may not be similar to ours? Consider for a moment this source of our inspiration, be it the moon or the sky or a particular form or shape of God. Isn't it more important how we are inspired than what it is that inspires us? If we are so moved by our source of inspiration, then let it make us more accepting than divisive, let it bring us together than apart, let it give us love than hate. What inspires us is personal, but to be inspired to connect with another, to speak that moon language, is universal. |
Archives
March 2020
|