ADHIKARI

S. N. Desai.
 

Founder, Shri Yogendraji, left his only relation – his father and went to the jungle with his Guru. There he spent six months learning nothing. He then told his teacher to teach him something. The teacher, as if reminded, asked him to sit in a posture and went away for three hours, then came back and tapped the young boy on his shoulder and said, “That’s all for today.”

One single act of sitting continuously was the objective. That the learner has this kind of objective capacity is what is required. One has to be an Adhikari. To be an Adhikari is very important in yoga. Are we Adhikaris?

Yoga is only for those who are capable. Yoga does not require speed and show. What is required is quietening oneself so that beliefs can sink.

We can reach a steady state if an Asana is done well, but because of our temperament, we can’t enjoy the steady state. We change sides during the Asana, we think a lot. Apparently we do an Asana, but not in the way it has to be done. We are in a hurry.

We can overcome external problems like heat and cold through Asanas. If the body is in a certain state, the mind becomes steady and can be controlled. A simple test of an Asana done well is the achievement of a steady state of mind for a long time. Variety of Asanas is not required. But our make up is such that we can’t do even a single Asana well.

REDISCOVERING MYSELF THROUGH YOGA

Ila Sanghani

There I was, a mental and physical wreck, a menopausal woman at 51, and it showed in everything I did. I needed a break and I finally took one from my mundane routine - a vacation trip to Goa with some close friends. It was a very good trip, a welcome break.  Sharing problems with friends helped but even then my depression and pain would not leave me. A very dear friend suggested the 7 Day Yoga Camp at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai.

I was in two minds, but then decided to join, figuring that if it was going to help, I had nothing to lose. At the camp, ours was a mixed group of some willing and some reluctant participants. I was the oldest. On the first day I could not sit on the floor and I also hated the food, to say the least. But as the week progressed, I started enjoying every bit.

Getting  up early, doing yoga exercises with Kavita Ma'am, a brisk walk, breakfast, followed by a  Karma yoga session -  it all involved a lot of learning but  with a lot of fun.

I looked forward to sessions with Hansaji. She would explain the complex things of life in such a simple and subtle way that I even shared my problems with her separately. I loved the sessions with Sujata Banerjee, with  young Ankita teaching us about Bhavas, Hansaji’s  video talks, Bhajans and games sessions, a session with my friend Ushma Shah,  Pranayama sessions, the evening yoga sessions with Daniel……they all imparted some really substantial lessons.

Yoga is very holistic. Apart from relieving my physical pain, it taught me the importance of loving myself. We are always taught to be giving and unselfish, but in the process many times we end up being unhealthy and negligent towards ourselves. At the camp I learnt how important it was to treat ourselves well. The calmness and stillness here helped me to love myself and learn that anger is destructive, first and foremost to the person who is angry. It became the start of a very healthy process.

It was one wonderful week that had come at a very important time in my life. I seemed like a new person. Despite this, I was apprehensive about whether I would be able to implement all this when I returned to my routine life. Little did I know exactly how much I would later apply all that I had learnt. After the camp was over, I returned home to Kolkata where some terrible problems occurred. Of course, I had left them behind for a vacation and could not expect them to magically disappear when I returned.

However, I was able to deal with them calmly and coolly. I could not believe I was the same person: the old me would have reacted negatively, crying and shouting, but I really feel that Savasana  helped me to remain composed and calmed me down a lot. My reactions were completely different; I was surprising myself by handling things so maturely.

 I continue practicing yoga exercises. I still feel depressed at times, but I am able to tackle it. I also re-discovered my passion for music and am now taking classical vocal music lessons. Now I tell people I meet to practice yoga to make their lives better. I thank everyone at the camp who helped me to re-discover the parts of myself I thought I had lost forever.

Published in the Jan 2011 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.

Santosa

Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra

Contentment (one of the 5 Niyamas) implies absence of desire for any possession in excess of the immediate necessities for maintaining one’s life.

Contentment (Sam + tus) with what comes of itself.

From contentment unsurpassed happiness is gained (Yoga Sutra 11.42). Contentment is the highest heaven in Mahabharata (XII . 21.2).

It has been said in this connection:  ‘The happiness gained on this earth through enjoyment of desired objects, or the supreme heavenly joy, is not even one-sixteenth of the happiness caused by the cessation of desires’.  

Santosa assumes a spiritual content viz. full faith and satisfaction in God as against external changeful objects and in this it is rightly said that the Niyamas help in creating right reorientation for Isvarapranidhna.

Contentment is freedom from desire in Vishnupurana quoted in Patanjalarahsya of Raghavananda Sarasvati. As Vijnana-Bhiksu has rightly said in his Yoga Varttika on Yoga Sutra 11.42:  the joy obtained in contentment is not resulting from desire for any sensory object. It is really the Citta’s establishment in its own Sattvika nature which is joy and which arises spontaneously when desires get reduced. This joy of tranquility does not depend on any object. 

With faith in a spiritual entity (really spiritual awareness within oneself always), one has least attraction for lesser things. This is not just a make believe but is really a deep inner feeling nurtured by certainty. If God is with me, who is against me, everything lies within me, is an attitude born of confidence and not weakness.

Published in the Jan 2011 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.

AWARENESS IS THE KEY

- Anil Peter

Awareness is the ability to stand back and watch one’s mental and physical activity. So what’s so unique about this phenomenon? Well, the fact of the matter is that very few of us are aware. Most of the time we have so completely identified ourselves with our body, mind, work, habits etc. that we get lost in them. And yet, this quality called awareness is unique to the human species.

Plants have feelings, but no mobility. Animals have both feelings and mobility. Man also has this but at the same time he has this extra attribute – awareness. Man has this extra and all important ability to be able to know his consciousness, and to allow it to manifest and blossom to its fullest potential. This consciousness, the underlying life principle in every atom, is the same in all things, but its expression can be different. In plants and bacteria, this consciousness is expressed at a very rudimentary level. While in man it is expressed at a far more complex level.   

So, where does all this get us as far as our daily life is concerned? If one looks at the nature of the mind, one can immediately see that its essential nature is movement. By being aware, one watches this movement of the mind. A very beautiful story would illustrate this point.

There once lived a king, with a beautiful, but rampantly wild horse. The king promised that he would handsomely reward anyone, who could subdue his horse. A contest was therefore arranged, where many tried mounting this horse, only to be thrown off it. Finally, one very weak looking individual volunteered. He escorted the wild horse out, and returned a while later, seated astride the horse, with the horse obeying his every instruction. The king was amazed, and wanted to know how this man had succeeded when so many others had failed. To this, the horse tamer replied, “Instead of fighting your stallion, I let him run freely to his heart’s content, following its own impulses. Eventually he became fatigued and submissive. It was then no problem to befriend your horse and gain command.”

It is the same with the mind. If we fight and wrestle with the mind, we will never achieve mastery over it. The method to adopt is similar to the wild horse trainer – let the mind follow its impulses and tendencies without restriction, until it becomes ready to accept your authority. Give the mind a free run, don’t suppress it, but merely watch and get to know it.

Through increased awareness, we start responding to situations instead of reacting to them. That is, by watching the life process – the activities around oneself as well as one’s mental activities – this divine intelligence in us, the consciousness, is better able to express itself. As a result of this, we become better communicators, salesmen, research scientists, family men etc. As one starts responding to the environment, one starts living in greater harmony with it.

Awareness is a quality that can quite easily be developed. It is in fact a quality, we always have possessed, but have forgotten it, because of wrong thinking. Awareness is in fact a process of letting go. We let go of our dogmas, ideas, concepts, and try seeing things as they are.      

Published in the Jan 2011 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.

THE POWER OF PETTY WORK

By Ankita Shah

A few months ago, there was a two day free camp conducted at the Institute over the weekend for which many students and Sadhakas volunteered their services. People from all fields, seniors and juniors combined, worked together with no apparent difference in rank.

You could find a variety of volunteers, irrespective of their backgrounds and professions, serving food, putting up decorations, selling books or arranging chairs. Along with a couple of others, I was given the task to hand over polythene bags to the public entering the building, so that they could carry their shoes in them. We also had to collect the used bags from outgoing people so that they could be reused later.

It seemed like a fairly petty and simple job for which I thought hardly any effort would be required. Turns out, I was quite mistaken…

At certain times when classes would start, there would be a large number of people thronging the entrance and we had to act quickly and be alert enough to stop those who were not aware that they had to remove their shoes. We had to patiently listen to what they wanted and accordingly direct them to the right floor. Also, if they argued against carrying their shoes in the bags, we had to be politely convincing.

In addition, the plastic bags were new and had to be separated from one another and opened to make the process quicker. In the beginning it was quite difficult to open the bags and I felt like giving up and handing them over as they were to the campers. But after a lot of concentration and trials, we devised a way to open the bags very quickly. We found that the handles of the bags were not exactly aligned and the plastic could be separated easily from those areas.

This little discovery was such a revelation! I then understood the concepts of Karma Yoga being taught at the Institute. To be perfect at anything you have to have the genuine interest to work, 100 percent concentration and a will to learn and improve yourself.

After this, it was great fun even collecting the bags from campers, even smoothening them and folding them neatly.

A so-called petty job demanded a large amount of alertness, creativity and innovation and gave me that much more spiritual understanding. From now on, I vow to myself never to judge a task as good or bad, small or big and never to make face at anything I’m asked to do at the Institute and especially at home where I tend to more laid back in my attitude.

Now I understand why the senior Sadhakas who are really committed to yoga are seen running around doing petty as well as important work for the Institute. I only hope that I too get many more such ‘petty’ work to do in future.     

Published in the Jan 2010 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.