“ Think carefully. Decide correctly. Act faithfully. Speak truthfully. Behave properly. You are bound to succeed in any walk of life. You will have peace of mind. You will have a pure conscience.. You will get inexhaustible spiritual wealth.”

Sivananda Upanishad (letters written by the Yogi Shivinanada).

Yoga is a method to introduce you to the teacher within. It may happen as a result of reading a book or attending a class. Some yoga students even travel to India, though most of us will not seek out a teacher, or guru, that way. The guru is meant to be that teacher which takes us from the darkness to the light. In our society yoga is often emphasized more as a physical practice than what it is in its entirety. Someone told me that the name the locals have given to a teacher in her area who is nationally acclaimed is “sweaty so and so”. Another person told me that when she went to this studio she was not allowed to leave when she decided it was too strenuous physically for her. In its pure form yoga is a path to self knowledge. Sat Bir Khalsa, the Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School interviewed in the Fall 2008 Integral Yoga Magazine, said, “ Perhaps some of the students who started out doing ‘yoga for the abs’ are going to eventually gravitate to a more comprehensive practice”. He labels many of the yogas practiced today as “physical yoga for cosmetic purposes”.

Krishnamurti, another yogi, wrote “ This self-knowledge cannot be learnt through a book or another. To be aware of the total entity that you are, to be aware of the conscious and unconscious process of your thoughts, feelings and activites is self knowledge. The beginning of self knowledge is to be aware of your mental and emotional activities…If you do not know yourself there cannot be right thinking and acting.” This path will have its ups and downs but ultimately lead to inner peace. According to another yogi, Mahashi Raman, contemplating on the single question “Who am I?” can lead the aspirant to self realization. Swami Rama, the founder of the Himalayan Institute, said, “I have a firm conviction that no one can be enlightened by anyone else.- but sages can inspire and give great inner strength, without which self enlightenment is impossible. In today’s world human beings do not have an example to follow, there is no one to inspire them, and that is why enlightenment seems to be so difficult. Great sages are the source of inspiration and enlightenment.” (1978!).

By reading the writings of the yogis who have gone before us, like these, we can see that yoga is much more than a group of physical exercises. In the yoga sutras, (Pantanjali). There is little written of the physical poses (asanas) but this:

“Yoga pose is a steady  and comfortable position. Yoga pose is mastered by relaxation of effort, lessening the tendency for restless breathing and promoting an identification of oneself as living within the Infinite breath of Life—from perfection of yoga posture, duality, such as reacting to praise and criticism, ceases to be a disturbance." Sutra II: 46-48.

Yoga as many of us know and practice it becomes a physical practice, a system to connect with our breath, expand and control the way we breathe and also affect the mind. The well known Sutra I states that yoga is experienced in that mind which has ceased to identify itself with its vacillating waves of perception.

Self study comes from allowing ourselves to experience life’s situations and emotions so we can learn from them and learn to be peaceful within. When the country and world go through major changes, as they have been, this is the kind of challenge that allows us to use our yogic tools. Iyengar, a still living Master, gives this guideline “Do not eat when emotionally disturbed. While dining, talk well and eat wisely – The fire of digestion is lit by the energy that arises from respiration – moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain your strength and alertness. We are lucky in our culture that most of have these choices – to do things that contribute to our inner health and well being or not. Yogi Bhajan, the yogi I studied with, spoke frequently of converting our emotion to devotion. This practice truly brings inner peace and no longer the need to (over) eat, drink or do other destructive habits when feeling emotional.

Here is a meditation from Paramansa Yogananda that may help carry you through times you are seeking inner strength and peace:

“Wisdom and Understanding”

Teach me to wipe away
The superficial stains of ignorance
May all demoniac noisy
Thoughts take flight, that
Thy silent song-whispers of
Guidance be audible to my
Forgetful soul
I will behold wisdom in ignorance, joy in
Sorrows, health in weakness
I am here to behold the tragedies and
Comedies of this changeable life with an
Attitude of unchangeable happiness.
Each morning I will rouse the judge of
My impartial introspection and ask it to try
Me before the tribunal of conscience. I will
direct the district attorney of discrimination
to prosecute the rowdy errors and not
steal the peace wealth from my soul-
Through my self effort and
Knowledge, let me climb the
Precious ladder of realization.
Whatever conditions confront me
I know that they represent the next step in my unfoldment. I will welcome all tests because I
Know that within me is the
Intelligence to understand and the
Power to overcome-
I am a prince(ss) of peace
Sitting on the throne of poise-
I will cultivate calmness of mind-

(Author of Autobiography of a Yogi)

Giving ourselves that hour in a yoga class or with a DVD, tape or yoga/meditation book can make us feel more peaceful. As we courageously move deeper within ourselves in our yoga practice let this lead us to the happiness and peace which Yogi Bhjana told us is our birthright.

Here are two yoga poses to calm you: ( In both of them let go as best you can)

CHILD – is a classic yoga posture that relaxes the body, known to be restorative in its effetcts.

Start by sitting on your heels. If this does not work place a pillow between the heels and buttocks. Proceed to gently bow forward and bring the head to the floor, using a pillow for the head if it does not comfortably reach the floor. Make sure the knees are not strained. (or anything else like ankles or feet). Close your eyes and breathe deeply only through the nose, feel the breath pushing the belly against the thighs. Hold for 1-5 minutes, then relax on your back.

LEGS UP THE WALL – is a great posture to take pressure off the internal organs and reverse the effects of gravity, aiding circulation.

Bring your buttocks as close to the wall as possible, right up against it if you can. If you need a pillow to be more comfortable, use it or keep your buttocks a little from the wall if that works better for you. Bring the legs up the wall, have them as straight as you can, close the eyes and breathe slowly, gently and deeply into the belly, slowing the breath. Hold 1-15 minutes. Then bend the knees into the chest, lay on your side and gently come up.

Love to all, Light to All, Peace to All.

Donna Amrita Davidge has been a student of yoga and teacher of yoga for nearly 25 years. She continues to do both and owns and operates Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, Maine in addition to maintaining a teaching practice in New York City  (for now!).

www.sewallhouse.com 888-235-2395.