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Abhinivesha

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Before we start the new term, I would like to officially close the subject of the kleshas, or obstacles of the mind. It seems like such a long time ago that we discussed the last of the 5 kleshas in class. I hope this newsletter will bring it all back to you.

Abhinivesha is the last klesha or obstacle of the mind. Translated from Sanskrit, it means fear of death or clinging to life. In our everyday life we can become obsessed with remaining youthful and we do not talk about death if we can help it. In our culture we find it hard to accept death as just another part of life. Clinging to our youth or another natural phase of our lives is not going to make us happy. Accepting that we are on a continuum of change makes it easier for us to accept the process of aging.

Clinging to life can also be seen as clinging to our ego. Our society sees old age as a burden. Old people are often dismissed as needy and worthless, since they no longer financially contribute to society. But we can embrace old age as we reflect on our gaining of wisdom, a wisdom we can share with younger people. We have had our chance to be young and to shine, now it is their turn.

Abhinivesha also stands for the little losses we experience in life. Lost friendships, jobs, skills and houses or places we have lived in. All these losses belong to a phase in our lives and the more losses we collect and accept, the easier we can move on to the next stage. Abhinivesha (mental obstacle & suffering) will only appear if we are not able to let go of the natural stages of life.

I am looking forward to seeing you back this week, starting the 15th July. This term we’ll focus on general asana practice, technique and alignment.  I hope you have enjoyed the philosophy of the kleshas, or obstacles of the mind. Perhaps awareness and some of the techniques to overcome these obstacles have helped you find greater contentment in your lives. My website is back up and running properly, after it has been off air for a while due to a little glitch. Over the holidays I have put all the newsletters online and you will be able to search by specific subjects of interest, just in case you would like to look back on the things we have done in class. www.innersanctumyoga.com.au

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,

Namaste,
Ernestine

Raga and Dvesha – Kleshas 3 & 4

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We are nearly done with the 5 kleshas (obstacles of the mind) as part of our yoga philosophy in class. They are fascinating little concepts that really ring true for me and once I knew about them I noticed them everywhere. Because of the opposed relationship between  the 3rd and 4th obstacles, Raga and Dvesha, I thought it would make sense to discuss them together in this newsletter. Both are tightly connected to the natural aspect of our mind that continually operates the like/dislike judgment. This is how we learn, but when ‘the likes’ become strong desires, or greed, we notice Raga and when ‘the dislikes’ turn into hate and/or fear, we are dealing with Dvesha.

RAGA
Raga is desire to repeat something that gave you pleasure previously. In the extreme, this can take the form of greed, lust and addiction.

But how do you know that the same thing will give you the same amount of pleasure? Perhaps you may gain no pleasure at all?

In our society we see the effects of Raga all the time. Marketing is completely geared to creating a strong desire for things that companies sell. Tapping into our subconscious, we are made to believe we deserve, whatever they are trying to sell. No wonder we feel deprived, when we don’t get them. It is very beneficial for out well-being to be aware of the dukha (suffering)-inducing powers of marketing, in our Western society.

Parents, who are strongly attached to their children, find it hard to let their children go to kinder, school, uni and finally their own adult destiny. In a strange way they don’t want them to grow up or go away. The sayings ‘love hurts’ and ‘When you leave me, can I come too’, very aptly describe the problem of raga in these situations.

It’s only when we can let go of desire that we can find contentment. The only constant is change. We need to move with and adapt to the change to remain content.
In life we cannot make other people love us, or do things we want them to do. In yoga or meditation we cannot wish to repeat a wonderful practice from the past, because now is the present and now is new and different from the past.

If we are trying too hard to do something, (we desire it so much) we often get stuck or muck up. Only when we find ourselves in a relaxed state, free from wanting, will grace enter our lives, showing us beauty and inspiration.
Letting go of a desire requires us to recognise it’s existence first before placing it in a larger context. To stop wanting something is like having a weight lifted of your shoulders, quite liberating.


DVESHA

Dvesha is the root cause for human suffering: War, break-up, religious quarrel, fear, murder, revenge and self-hatred are all forms of Dvesha. Wherever there is Dvesha, there is jealousy.
Often we are subconsciously driven to avoid previously painful experiences. We tend to accumulate dislikes and hold on to them. They become part of the invisible walls we build around ourselves. Our aversions are expressed in: ‘I don’t talk to him/her, because he/she was nasty to me’, or ‘I don’t go there or do that anymore, because I had a bad experience’ or ‘I need to get away, because this is unbearable’.

Habitually shutting ourselves off from people or things we dislike, creates a narrow view of the world. These habits are dangerous, because when we feel trapped by our fears and dislikes, we start hating ourselves. As part of our yogic practice of self-study, it is advised to re-visit our dislikes from time to time, in order to keep an open mind to change.

Also in yoga practice we like and dislike certain poses. Let’s explore why we have these judgements. Do we like certain asanas, because they feel good, or because we can do them easily? Do we dislike other poses simply because we find them hard, or is there more to the story?

The journey of yoga is one that helps us become more aware of our thoughts and actions. Our self-knowledge will gradually lead us towards a deeper sense of well-being and contentment.

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,

Namaste, Ernestine

Asmita – the second Klesha

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ego-face-masks-1Yoga recognises the 5 Kleshas as 5 obstacles of the mind. These are traits that stand in the way in our pursuit for happiness. In the last newsletter I talked about the first klesha, Avidya or ignorance. We will now investigate the second Klesha, Asmita, which translates as the ego.

The mind is a complicated ‘organism’. ‘I think, therefore I am,’ is a quote made famous by French philosopher Descartes, but we cannot reverse this statement. It appears that we are sometimes not even in control of what we think. The mind has its own creative and compulsive tendencies. The ego or Asmita is such a creation of the mind. This ego suffers an ‘image problem’ in our society and surely too much ego is not a good thing, but we need some ego for motivation and drive so we can achieve our goals in life.

The constant chatter we have in our mind from the minute we wake up, is a product of Asmita. This chatter is mostly negative and involves doubt, worry and fear, which in turn causes suffering (dukha) in the form of anxiety, despair and/or depression.

How can we deal with the Asmita part of our ego in order to avoid dukha?
When observing our ‘inner chatter’, we can hear thoughts about how we perceive ourselves to be: ‘You are hopeless’ or ‘Wow, look at me!’ and ‘Do something else, this is boring..too difficult.’ or ‘I deserve something better’, or things like: “That is not going to work’, ‘It’s impossible’ or ‘This always happens to me!’. Asmita largely responsible for the bad perceptions of ourselves. I like to think of Asmita as our ‘inner drama queen’. If we take everything from Asmita on board, we experience dukha. And although Asmita is considered a part of the normal brain process, our practice is to rise above it.

For convenience, the yogis have divided the self in a higher self and lower self, whereby Asmita is part of the lower self and the Inner Observer, the higher self. So if
we appeal to our higher self and, we recognise the chatter of Asmita, we realise that we don’t need to take these comments too seriously. ‘Aha’, we notice,’ It’s the ego overdramatising things again.’ From the Inner Observer position we know that making mistakes is part of learning. Practice will bring us knowledge, ability and capabilty. We are all on this world to reach our full potential, on a journey that constantly needs to adapt to a changing itinerary. Our higher self is considered to be closer to the universal truth, as opposed to the lower self, which is closer to the perceived truth.

How can we neutralize the negativity of Asmita in our yoga practice?

Just notice what you are saying to yourself during your practice.’Try harder…I can’t do this pose…I hate this…My arms are too short…I wish I was home in bed.’ In English we have the expression ‘to lose oneself in something’. In that instance Asmita is quiet, no more inner chatter. To lose yourself a pose or asana is possible by bringing yourself into the present moment. Once you stop doing something, but become one with what you are doing YOGA truly happens: your body mind and breath unite in a moment of stillness…bliss.

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,

Namaste,

Ernestine

Avidya – the first Klesha

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turning a blind eye

 

 

 

 

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the kleshas are said to be the main causes of unhappiness or suffering in our lives. Regular yoga practice aims to improve our total well-being: the physical as well as the mental. A lot of the ‘feel-good’ effects of yoga practice happen sub-consciously, but it adds an extra dimension if we look at these ‘mind-practices’ with a little more consciousness.

The first Klesha, or obstacle of the mind, is Avidya. Direct translation from Sanskrit gives us the meaning ignorance, not as in ignorant meaning stupid, but more in the literal sense of the word ignoring. In Yogic texts you often see the explanation: ‘Like the wave forgets it’s part of the ocean, so do humans forget they are part of a larger consciousness, that is avidya.’  On a more basic level avidya happens when we ignore or forget the true nature of things. This true nature becomes hidden or veiled and consequently perceived truths are, in fact, just illusions (Maya).
To bring this esoteric concept closer to home, I have conjured up a few real life examples relating to Avidya:

  1. It often happens that we feel singled out and alone during tough times. We tend to ignore or forget that we are all energetically connected. Seeing the bigger picture and connecting with other humans or feeling connected with nature and animals is a wonderful antidote to this suffering (dukha).
  2. Short term thinking & acting, while ignoring long term goals, often leads to suffering (regret).
  3. Thinking yourself to be the centre of the universe, like children do, can lead to many disappointments (another form of dukha). Recognising and considering other people’s wants and needs will put things back in perspective, will ease the dukha.
  4. Seeing the Self in terms of status in society  – what you do, where you live, went to school and what you have, will lead to dukha, either because we feel we miss out or because we feel superior.
  5. Ignoring or forgetting that life is a continual change of events also increases suffering. Perhaps you can remember a time when you were filled with sadness and thought you would ‘never get over this’, but realizing that some time later the intensity has lifted.
  6. Probably the simplest example of avidya is ‘the habit’. We can even see this popping up during our asana practice, where our mind is no longer in the body and we ‘mindlessly’ go through the motions. It would be prudent to revisit some of our habitual patterns on a regular basis, particularly those that give you grief (cause dukha). Just think of the following: repeatedly getting annoyed with the same people about the same things, procrastinating, short cutting, bad eating habits, etc. We subconsciously allow ourselves to be blinded by avidya on those occasions.

Becoming aware of the Kleshas has been an eye opener for me. I feel, that understanding their nature, allows a deeper insight in general and takes us one step closer to happier and healthier self.

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,
Namaste
Ernestine

The Kleshas

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Term 1, 2013 Yoga in Hawthorn and Malvern

As the end of this term is getting close, I thought it was time to get another newsletter out. With the very hot start of the new year we gently eased ourselves back into the ‘yoga routine’. We learned about the sheetali and sheetkari pranayama practices, which helped us to create an evaporative cooling effect within our bodies and the last three weeks of the term we dedicated to ‘yoga against the wall’.

I always find it interesting how, using the wall as a tool of alignment, can change the way we ‘see’ ourselves in a pose. Once you have the support of the wall, it is easier to concentrate on the technique of balance and alignment, particularly with trikonasanaand ardha chandrasana. Everyone was able to remain in the poses for longer than they normally do, which helps to create the muscle memory for next time they practice these poses without the support of the wall.

It was also very pleasing to see that quite a few students attempted the reverse right angle handstand against the wall.This pose is particularly good for a sense of empowerment and knowing that you can trust yourself, not to mention the gaining of core- and shoulder strength. It made me realize we have come a long way together since we started!

Next term, after Easter, I would like to introduce a few more useful, but not as ‘mainstream’ aspects of yoga. We will continue with our normal asana practice, just like we did when we went through the Kundalini practice, but this time we are going to centre our practice around the ‘5 obstacles (afflictions) of the mind’ or Kleshas, as they are called in Sanskrit. These obstacles are said to be the main cause of unhappiness in our lives. Once we raise awareness to these obstacles, we can neutralize their power over us and hopefully become more relaxed about life.

These 5 Kleshas are as follows:

1. Avidya = ignorance – Denial or not wanting to know certain things about ourselves is a common occurrence. What is our true unchanging self? Is ignorance really bliss, or is knowledge no weight?
2. Asmita =  ego – who am I, who is truly me, if I leave the ego out of this equation? Is too much ego and the need for personal power leading us to continuous disappointment? Think here of a ‘control freak’. Can you let go of wanting things to be just so?
3. Raga =  attraction – desperately wanting and acquiring things/people, makes us suffer because we perceive ourselves as incomplete without them. If only I had ‘x’ I would be truly happy….does that really work?
4. Dvesha = aversion or hate – procrastination, not willing to try something new and repression are forms of this klesha we see in daily life.
5. Abhinivesha = fear of death –  because we fear not being able to fulfill our wishes (asmita, raga and dvesha contribute to this). As long as we think that consciousness is limited to our bodily existence we fear losing control of that body. We might have snippets of happiness but our mind is clouded with fear.

These obstacles sound so very profound, but you will see that in daily life every little conflict we face, is connected to one of these kleshas. In fact, they are no big deal if we can remain in the ‘observer’ position of our awareness, creating some sort of detachment, rather than involvement. Life can be smooth and easy, it’s just a matter of practice. Easier said than done perhaps, but through our yoga practice of asanas, pranayama and meditation we’ll get a clear idea of how to tackle these kleshas. I am planning to dedicate 2 weeks to each klesha. Don’t worry if you miss one, it is just a theme for the class and practice is as normal.

Announcement: As from 16th of April I am looking forward to be running 1 hr. meditation classes on Thursdays from 1-2 pm at my home. For those of you who would like to attend, please email me on ernestine@innersanctumyoga.com.au. For the whole term these classes will be free of charge, but I will have a donation box for a nominated charity in the room.(max.10 students)

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,

Namaste,
Ernestine

Complete chakra system

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Welcome to the last newsletter of the year from Inner Sanctum Yoga. It felt right that we concluded the year with the completion of our subtle energy practice by combining asanas from each chakra in one lesson. We substituted our traditional yoga nidra with a Kundalini colour meditation, which was very much enjoyed by all.

 

 

 

As a little take-home practice we learned the ‘magic 7 breaths’, using each finger of our hand to guide us forward and back. Remember that the Ujjayi breath (throat friction) or the AUM-breath on exhalation is a wonderful way to invoke the body’s relaxation                 response, particularly during the
hectic Christmas period.

The last class of the year will be a lovely restorative class, similar to the one we did at the end of last term, in which we used all the available props and cushions to get that ‘complete relaxation experience’.

Below is a brief summary of our subtle energy system practice in an easy to read diagram. With the help of the series of newsletters on the chakras, you can now  practice some personal energy healing/boosting that suits your particular state on a given day. The diagram could also assist you with your personal meditation practice.

Chakra and
Colour		 Representing Action affirmation Asana Breath Mudra
Sahasrara
(Violet)		 Higher, spiritual self I understand Headstand Jyoti
(energy visualization breath)		 Prana mudra
(feeling the energy of all chakras)
Ajna
(Indigo Blue)		 Intuition and knowledge I see Balancing/focus poses Nadi Shodana (balancing breath) Shambavi mudra
(eyebrow gazing)
Vishuddhi
(Sky blue)		 Clarity of speech
(necessary, kind & true)		 I speak Poses involving the neck, shoulders and throat Ujjayi
(throat friction)		 Shunya mudra
(for ear problems and travel sickness)
Anahatha
(Green)		 Love and compassion for self and others I love Chest opening and back bending poses Bhramari
(humming bee)		 Hridaya mudra(for a healthy/loving heart)
Manipura
(Yellow)		 Motivation, drive/ digestive fire I do Twists and core strength poses Kapalbathi
(breath of fire)		 Solar mudra
(symbol for personal power)
Swadhisthana
(Orange)		 Creativity and sensuality/
Relationships		 I feel Hip openers Yoni mudra
( symbol for fertility and creativity)
Mooladhara
(Red)		 Grounding in the material and physical world I am/ I exist Standing poses Abhaya mudra
(symbol for strength and courage)

Wishing you all a wonderful summer break and looking forward to seeing you again when the schools go back around the 28th of January. I will send a reminder email of our starting day a week before.

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you.
Namaste,
Ernestine

Sahasrara Chakra

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With Sahasrara chakra we have come to the end of the yoga practice relating to each individual chakra. The 7th and top most chakra in our energetic system means a thousandfold, referring to its infinite nature. This chakra energizes our higher self, the selfless self or the part of our self that is devoid of ego. Its colour is violet and its element is air. A balanced Sahasrara allows us to be open-minded and provides us with clarity and perception of the bigger picture in life.

If you like to practice seeing auras, this chakra may be the easiest to see. In a dimmed room, against a plain background and without focusing you may perceive Sahasrara as an upside down cone-shaped light at the crown of someone’s head.

To stimulate Sahasrara with our breath, we practiced a new form of pranayama, which involved a strong visualization. For Jyioti pranayama, we imagined inhaling a light through the crown of the head to activate and rejuvenate the whole subtle energetic system in 6 stages.

The main asana associated with Sahasrara is sometimes referred to as the crown jewel of yoga practice: the headstand. To be able to do a headstand you not only need to have a strong core, upper back and shoulders, but also complete body awareness and the ability to focus and concentrate. It comes as no surprise that it takes a fair amount of practice to perform a headstand.  Considering that all yoga practice is a training in strength, awareness and concentration, eventually some variation of the headstand can be achieved by most. Any approximation is part of the practice and will benefit body and mind. Realistically some people may never be able to practice the headstand because of a variety of health reasons, but this will not stop them from being an excellent yogis! A good yogi knows and works within the limitations of their own body.

In the remaining classes till Christmas our asana practice will incorporate a couple of asanas for each chakra and their action affirmation. During shavasana, at the end of the class, we will practice a variety of short chakra and colour meditations. Once we have finished the whole subtle energy practice (Kundalini Yoga) we will conclude the year with a lovely restorative/release class, so we feel completely relaxed for the holidays.

Wisdom related to Sahasrara:
Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
T.S. Eliot 1948

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you.

Namaste,
Ernestine

Ajna Chakra

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The first two weeks in October our yoga sessions were dedicated to Ajna Chakra, also referred to as the third eye or the perception centre. This chakra is located at the forehead between the eyebrows, directly in line with the pineal gland, which is buried in the centre our brain. Western philosophy refers to the pineal gland as being the centre of our 6th sense. However, in our current society we place more importance on rationalization and ‘googling’ for information than drawing our senses inwards to find and trust the answers we sense through our intuition (inner tutor).

Ajna chakra allows us to feel connected to what yogis call ‘the universal truth’, but this chakra also plays a big role in developing our creativity through imagination, dreaming and visualization.

Developing Ajna chakra leads to a profound insight into our own personal development and spiritual growth. It often is a challenge to remain balanced, level-headed or ‘detached’ in confronting situations. Inviting our inner observer or inner awareness during our practice allows ajna chakra to flourish.

Nadi Shodana, or alternate nostril breathing, balances our body and mind and is therefore most suited to Ajna chakra, particularly when practiced in combination with Shambavi mudra (gazing towards the eyebrow centre). This mudra was the first ‘non-hand’ mudra we practiced. Remember that mudras work on a neurological level and contribute to our ‘attitude’ in the yoga practice.

Our asana practice became more meditative as we increased our focus and concentration throughout the practice; feeling the poses from the inside out. Our usual yoga nidra at the end of the practice is also a wonderful way to get in touch with our intuition.

Ajna in a nutshell:Element: Light
Sound: Om
Colour: Indigo blue
Endocrine system: Pineal gland
Deficient: Poor memory and concentration, poor visualization, suffering paranoia.
Excessive: Headaches, hallucinations, nightmares and difficulty concentrating.
Balanced:Calm clear intuitive knowingness. Being able to see the big picture and being open to all possibilities.
Asana:

Supported child                             Parighasana

 

 

 

Virasana or Hero Pose

 


Mudra:
  Shambavi
mudra,
or eyebrow
gazing

 

Wisdom relating to Ajna:
‘Instinct is intelligence incapable of self consciousness’
– John Sterling

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,Namaste,
Ernestine

Vishuddhi

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Vishuddhi chakra
Welcome to the 5th newsletter in the Kundalini series, which describes Vishuddhi, the fifth chakra in our energetic body. This chakra energizes our creative ability in communication and expression, like speaking, singing and writing. Translated from Sanskrit, Vishuddhi means ‘purifying impurities’.
Thoughtful speech, filled with kindness, wisdom and truth is what a well-tuned Vishuddhi chakra will bring about. As you may expect, this chakra is located at the throat.The third of the 3 major bandhasor energy locks, the Jalandhara Bandha (pressing the chin to the chest; chin-lock) is also placed at this location.The pranyama practice that fits Vishuddhi beautifully, is the Ujjayi breath practice. During this practice our focus is on the throat friction, which happens at the location of Vishuddhi.Our asana practice was centred around releasing the neck, jaw and shoulder muscles. As most of us have a tendency to hold subconscious tension in these areas, we really enjoyed the effects of this yoga practice. However, the roaring lion pose seemed to take a bit of getting used to without giggling too much. It was great to see that everyone had a go at this!

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you,

Namaste,
Ernestine

PS. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays, looking forward to get back on the 10th of October.
Vishuddhi in a nutshell:Element: Ether
Sound: Ham
Colour: Sky Blue
Endocrine system: Thyroid and parathyroid
Deficient: neck stiffness, teeth grinding, throat ailments, underactive thyroid, fear of speaking
Excessive: excessive talking and not listening. Hearing difficulties, stuttering.Asana:
    Neck rotations 

 

  Roaring Lion Pose

 

Halasana or plough pose
(in 2 stages)

Hands mudra:

Shunya mudra for ear problems and travel sickness.

Wisdom for Vishuddhi:
‘Keep your words soft and tender because tomorrow you may have to eat them.‘

~Author Unknown

Anahata

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        Anahata chakra            
Welcometo the 4th newsletter in the Kundalini series. Anahata chakra is interesting from the point of view that it is located at the heart, which is considered the area where the spiritual world meets the physical world. It comes as no surprise that this chakra governs empathy, compassion and love for self and others. Forgiveness and selflessness is also situated at this chakra.The asana practice for Anahata centers around chest opening and invites us to practice back bends. Added benefits of this practice is ease of breathing and improved posture.The pranayama that best suits the balancing of the heart chakra is the Bhramari breath or the Humming Bee breath. After overcoming the initial embarassment of this breath, we were able to focus on the vibrations in our chest and head. We all enjoyed the deep mental and emotional relaxation of this beautiful pranayama.The music repertoire to balance Anahata chakra saw the juxtaposition of ‘heart rendering’ Gregorian chants as well as sythesizer ‘vibrations’. It was certainly interesting finding a wide variety of non-Indian music to balance the chakras.

May the benefits of your practice stay with you and extend beyond you.

Enjoy the break, Namaste,
Ernestine

 
Anahata in a nutshell:
Element: Air
Sound: Yam
Colour: Green
Endocrine system: Thymus gland – immune systemBalanced: Being capable of loving freely (self and others) , without expecting anything in return.
Unbalanced: Shy, lonely, lacking empathy or possessive and jealous. Physical suffering of asthma, lung disorders or blood pressure disorders.
Asana:

Puppy stretch
(Utthan Pristhasana) Fish pose (Matsyasana)


Cow Face pose (Gomukhasana)

Mudra: Hridaya mudra (heart mudra)

Wisdom:
…and love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay –
Love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away.
Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music, “You Are Sixteen ”