Tradition

Let's keep the tradition of yoga alive!

Ujjayi means "victorious"!

This is one of the many wisdoms I was taught by one of my yoga teachers.  In one month of intensive training in Bali, I came to understand deeply what keeping the tradition of yoga alive means.  The yoga we practice today is kind of a new age form of yoga with roots in not only the thousands-of-years-old Vedas, but also more modern European gymnastics and wrestling.  Thousands of years ago there were maybe less than a hundred actual asana.  The focus then was more focused on cultivating the mental faculties required for meditation.  Today we have thousands and thousands of asana and modifications to accompany.  We live more in a physical culture with less emphasis on meditation.  For me like many, one component of settling the mind is this intense and cleansing physical practice.

There is, however, one aspect of today's asana practice that is steeped in ancient tradition.  This is the use of Sanskrit terms to identify certain pranayama and asana exercises.  Sanskrit is an ancient language akin to the use of Greek and Latin in Europe.  I feel that during a yoga class the use of Sanskrit has the ability to bring about deeper and more profound connection to each pose.  During vinyasa yoga sessions, Sanskrit terms almost guide me into a more meditative asana practice with their cadence and link to a deeper story behind the words.  I recently heard of ujjayi interpreted as the ocean sound.  It is true that ujjayi pranayama causes the practitioner to make a sound like an ocean wave with the breath moving across the constriction at the back of the throat, but... ujjayi interprets to "victorious" in Sanskrit.  The strength of ujjayi pranayama moving through the body supports the asana practice allowing the practitioner to be victorious.

Let's keep the tradition of yoga alive!   :)

Ashtanga = 8 limbs
Ha = Moon
Tha = Sun
Yoga = Union
Yama = Ethical restraints
     ahimsa = non-harming
     satya = truth
     asteya = non-stealing
     brahmacharya = integrity in relationship to sexuality
     aparigraha = freedom from desire or greed
Niyama = Observance
     shaucha = purity/cleanliness
     santosa = contentment
     tapas = self-discipline/burning spiritual ardor
     svadhyaya = mindfulness/self-study
     Ishvara Pranidhana = surrender (to god or the absolute)
Vinyasa = Flow/moving meditation/linking of movement and breath


The path is clear, n'est-ce pas?


OM MANI PADME OM

= "the jewel is in the lotus flower"