Historical Yoga Room newsletter — originally prepared in March 2014 and restored from the Yoga Room archive. References to past activities are retained as part of the historical record and should not be read as current Yoga Room offerings.
March is an opportunity to renew our courage and enthusiasm. If the excitement of the new year has faded and our intentions have slipped into the background, this is a good time to refocus, revitalise our practice and continue with renewed determination.
In this newsletter
- Asana of the Month — Bhekasana
- Article of the Month — What Makes the Mind Noisy
- Question of the Month — What is the significance of Savasana?
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras of the Month
Asana of the Month — Bhekasana
Bhekasana, sometimes called Frog Pose, takes its name from bheka, meaning frog, because the shape of the pose resembles a frog.
The pose is practised lying on the abdomen with the knees bent and the feet drawn towards the hips. The hands work with the feet as the chest and head lift away from the floor.
Bhekasana requires mobility through the knees, ankles, shoulders and front of the body, and should be approached progressively and with appropriate guidance.
The original March 2014 newsletter referred to B.K.S. Iyengar’s description of the pose, its technique and effects in Light on Yoga, pages 97–98.
Reference: B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga.
Article of the Month — What Makes the Mind Noisy?
By Daniela Casotti
Yoga is all about quietening the mind and connecting with our True Nature. But what makes the mind noisy in the first place?
Yoga philosophy points towards three things: Samskaras, Vrittis and Kleshas. Put simply — although this is certainly not a simple subject:
- Samskaras are past impressions that have shaped the mind.
- Vrittis are the movements or fluctuations of the mind.
- Kleshas are causes of harmful or reactive thinking.
Together these shape our mind and colour our outlook. The darker the shades, the noisier the mind becomes. Yoga techniques have developed as a means of diminishing this darkness so that we can tune into the more peaceful rhythms of our True Nature.
Samskaras are deeply embedded in the conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. They can remain dormant until stimulated by the movements of the mind. Our thinking may then become increasingly distorted when the Kleshas are added to the mix.
External actions reflect our thoughts, and external actions also contribute to our thoughts. When our actions are not harmonious, the mind becomes noisy. As the mind becomes noisier, our actions may become more conflicted. The result can be a circle of turmoil and unrest in which thoughts multiply and the mind becomes noisier still.
The eightfold path described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali offers a way of working with these tendencies — bringing awareness to the Kleshas, calming the Vrittis and gradually uncovering our Samskaras.
The Yamas and Niyamas help us develop sensible attitudes towards ourselves, our lives and our surroundings. Asana works with the body and our responses to sensation. Pranayama works with breath and energy. Pratyahara draws attention inward. Dharana develops concentration and the ability to remain with one object rather than following every distraction.
As awareness becomes steadier, the later stages of yoga lead towards an experience in which individual awareness is no longer dominated by the continual movements of the mind.
Eventually Samskaras, Vrittis and Kleshas may become more transparent to us. The noise of the mind may still arise, but we become less completely identified with it.
As long as we are alive, thinking is inevitable and vigilance remains important. The nature of the mind is to seek and collect impressions. Our work is to keep clearing, observing and staying one step ahead.
The way to do that is to keep practising yoga.
Question of the Month — What is the significance of Savasana?
The noisy world and inner silence can sometimes seem like two completely different places. At times it can feel almost impossible to find our way from one to the other.
Savasana can provide a bridge.
After a busy schedule
Savasana gives us time and space to stop, rest and recharge. Instead of immediately moving on to the next activity, we allow ourselves a period of deliberate stillness.
After asana practice
After stretching, contracting, twisting, balancing and inverting the body, Savasana allows time for the body and nervous system to settle.
Rather than finishing practice abruptly, we become still and allow the effects of the practice to be absorbed.
Before meditation
Savasana can also help us withdraw attention from the activity of the outside world and turn inward.
It is not necessarily the ideal position for extended meditation because deep physical relaxation can lead towards sleepiness, but it can be a very effective bridge from outward activity towards inner quietness.
Savasana is one of yoga’s most important postures. Its apparent simplicity can make it easy to overlook, but learning to remain consciously still is an important part of practice.
The original newsletter concluded this section with a reflection from B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Life on Savasana as an experience of simply being, free from preoccupation with past and future.
Reference: B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life.
Patanjali Yoga Sutras of the Month
For this newsletter we selected the first four sutras of Chapter One because, in only a few lines, they introduce much of what follows in Patanjali’s exploration of yoga.
Chapter 1, Sutra 1
atha yoganusasanam
The teaching and discipline of yoga begins.
Chapter 1, Sutra 2
Yoga cittavrtti nirodhah
Yoga concerns the stilling of the movements and fluctuations of consciousness.
Chapter 1, Sutra 3
Tada drastuh svarupa avasthanam
When those fluctuations become still, the seer can rest in his or her own true nature.
Chapter 1, Sutra 4
Vrtti sarupyam itaratra
At other times, we identify ourselves with the fluctuations of consciousness.
These opening sutras encapsulate the central idea explored in the article above.
When the movements of the mind settle, there is an opportunity to experience something deeper than our changing thoughts and reactions. At other times, we tend to identify ourselves with those movements and mistake them for our essential nature.
This summary makes the subject sound deceptively simple. The remaining sutras explore the human experience of yoga in much greater depth: how we practise, what obstacles we encounter and what may emerge as the movements of consciousness become quieter.
Reference: B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, pp. 44–50.
From the Yoga Room archive.
Daniela Casotti and Maurice McCann
Yoga Room, Burleigh Heads