The Body and its Limitations

One of the key differences of Swásthya Yôga is that we hold the physical positions for long periods of time, in order to maximise the benefits of the practice. However, when we start practising we often experience discomfort and this often stops us from getting the most of the techniques. It is easy to mistake this discomfort with the impression of having reached our physical limit.

Paulo Pacifici executing samakônásana

The limitations of the body: that is always in my mind when I am teaching and when I practise. How far can I push myself, or encourage my students to push themselves, without risking injury?

In simple terms an injury will only occur when we pass an individual, natural limitation; but how do we identify our REAL limitations?

Everyone, at least once in their life, has seen, or heard of, someone being hypnotized during a TV show and, under hypnosis, suddenly being able to do unbelievable things. Hypnosis works on the subconscious (the repository of the emotions), where usually our real limitations lie. Essentially, the hypnotized person achieves, or endures, things that they would never have thought possible if they were in their normal state of consciousness. So, we can conclude that, often, our limitations, as experienced in waking consciousness, are based on our state of mind and on our emotions, instead of on our real physical limitations.

I believe that to understand our limits we must work simultaneously to increase our body consciousness and to manage our emotions and mindset during the practice. In the Swásthya Yôga, this is achieved with the positions and the breathing exercises.

I am certain that we rarely ‘touch’ our real limits, but we can increase our reach by practising regularly, simply because you are working on your overall structure and expanding your consciousness.

Next time you practise and have a ‘strong feeling’, do not relate it immediately with pain but with the sensation that you’re developing your body. Injury will be caused if you go over your limits but those are a long way away!

Changing your mindset regarding the physical sensations that you have during the practice will help your physical and emotional development. Personally, when I hold a position for long time I try to keep in my mind that the sensation comes from something beneficial; this makes my subconscious accept it, and I can really enjoy what I am doing.

However, Swásthya Yôga has a General Rule of Safety which must always be observed when we practise:

“Push yourself without forcing. Any discomfort, pain, cardiac acceleration or excessive perspiration are signs from our body that you should be more moderate.” Prof. DeRose

 

Mentalization and localization of consciousness.

Today’s topic is mentalization, visualization and localization of consciousness.

Paulo Pacifici 2003

This subject often generates resistance in more skeptical people, who have reservations in accepting or using these tools, misunderstanding them as something of the mystical realm. On the other hand, those who keep an open mind about it have improved not only their practices, but their lives.

To the doubters, we can assure them that this is not a matter of belief, since these elements are based on observable facts that science can prove to exist and indeed to be powerful.

As soon as practitioners begin to better manage their breathing, to feel less anxious during the positions, and to develop stronger musculature to hold the body for longer, the next step to improve the practice is to use localization of consciousness, and later introduce mentalization techniques.

Sri Sivananda, the famous Hindu Master, said that “where there is consciousness, there is life”. It suffices to simply settle your mind on a specific part of your body in order to expressively increase the flow of blood into that area, consequently the energy and temperature.

Make this test yourself and see how it works.

Place your hands over a table. For 5 minutes place all your attention on your right hand and visualize it surrounded by a red colour (red is stimulating). Forget and completely ignore your left hand, so your attention and intention are only on your right hand.

When the 5 minutes are up, compare your hands. You will see that the veins on your right hand are much more dilated than those on the left, and the temperature of your right hand is also higher.

This experiment shows that we can direct our mind to a specific part of our body and have some influence on it, consequently improving the vitality in that area.

When you next practise ásana, localize your attention on the area of your body that calls your attention. This action suffices to optimize the effect of the positions.

But you can do more. You can visualize colours surrounding those areas. Light blue has a sedative effect, orange stimulates and increases the energy in the area, green improves the general health.

The most important thing is the intention that accompanies every visualization.

If you don’t visualize anything but have a strong intention, for example to get stronger, your body will respond.

Always remember that your body follows your mind. Whatever you say, or think, is very likely to take place. Therefore, always be positive during your practice, and you’ll get the best result of every exercise you do.

Ásana practised in an ancient way

Everyone loves practising ásana (physical positions); they are amazing; they make your body strong, supple and definitely healthier. But why does almost every style of yôga practise ásana in a different way?

I can not tell you much about the others methods, as I don’t practise them, but I can explain ours and why is so effective.

India is, historically, one of the most invaded countries in the world.  Every great emperor in the world passed through there, including the Aryans, later Alexander the Great and most recently the British invasion. You can be sure that every single colonizer somehow changed and influenced the Indian culture and, consequently, Yoga. The most recent, and significant, change that happened in Yôga was the introduction of repetition of the ásanas. 

Ásana was traditionally practised with permanence, but when the British army landed in India the yogins of that time seemed to like the Western idea of working out the body with repetition and this new habit got stronger when Yôga was exported to United States.  

So, what do we lose by practising ásana with repetition? First of all, ásana should not be categorized as “gymnastic”. Ásana has not only the aim to make your body healthier, but, mainly, to achieve body-consciousness and self-knowledge. Body and mind being closely interrelated, the practice of ásana aims at mastery over the body with a view to securing corresponding mastery over the mind. Control of nervous and vital energies produces control of mental functions. The mind-body complex is brought under perfect control, the indwelling Self shines out and the higher self is realized.

I think it is only possible to achieve such delightful results with permanence of ásanas, never with repetitions.

When you stay in the position for a good time it acts deeply on the muscle fuses, the receptors inside the muscle cell that are connected with muscle tone, and with the protection against the risk of strain. The position, combined with focused attention and coordinated breathing, affects the muscle fuses, stimulating them to lower their defensive control over the muscle. The fibres of the muscles decrease their level of contraction and effectively stretch.

The Body and Limitation

The Body and Limitation

One of the key differences of the DeRose Method is that we hold the physical positions, the asanas, for long periods of time in order to maximise the benefits of the practice. However, when we are first practising we often experience discomfort and this often bars us from getting the most out of the techniques. It is easy to mistake this discomfort for us having reached our physical limit.

Paulo Pacifici executing dhanurasana

The limit of our bodies; this is something that is always at the forefront my mind when I teach and when I practise. How far can I push myself, or encourage my students to push themselves, without risking injury?

In simple terms an injury will only occur when we pass our individual, natural, limitation; but how do we identify our REAL limit?

Everyone, at least once in their life, has seen, or heard of, someone being hypnotized on a television show and the unbelievable things the hypnotized person was suddenly able to do. Hypnotization works on the subconscious (the repository of the emotions) of the human-being where, usually, our real limitations lie. Essentially the hypnotized person achieves, or endures, things that he would never have thought possible if he was in his normal state of consciousness. So, we can conclude that, often, our limitation, as experienced in waking consciousness, is based on our state of mind and on our emotions, instead of on our real, physical, limitation.

I believe that to comprehend our limits we must work, simultaneously, to increase our body consciousness and to manage our emotions and mindset during our practice. That is what, in the DeRose Method, the positions, asanas, and the breathing exercises, pranayamas, achieve.

I am certain that we rarely reach our real limits, but, even though we don’t “touch” our limit easily, we can increase it by practising often, simply because you are working on your overall structure and expanding your consciousness.

So next time that you practise and feel a “strong feeling”, do not relate it immediately with pain, but a sensation that you’re developing your body. Injury will be caused when you pass your limit and there is a long way to go to reach your limit.

Changing your mindset regarding the physical sensations that you have during the practice will help your physical and emotional development. I personally try to keep in my mind when I hold a position for long time; that the sensation is something beneficial; this makes my subconsciousness accept it and I can really enjoy what I am doing.

However the DeRose Method has a General Rule of Safety which must always be observed when we practise:

“Push yourself without forcing yourself. Any discomfort, pain, cardiac acceleration or excess perspiration are signs from our body you should be more moderate.”

Meditation and contemplation

Very few are those practitioners that actually enjoy meditation techniques. Almost everyone thinks that they are boring, that nothing is happening and that they are wasting their time. However to have a good experience practising samyama (concentration, meditation or another deeper state of consciousness) you must be persistent and overcome the anxiety of the mind. We could spend pages and pages talking about dhyana or meditation, but instead today I will give you a simple tip that will make your practice much easier.
Let’s agree that it’s pointless to try to stop thinking. There is a misunderstanding about this subject. You will not stop your mind. Rather, you will focus your entire consciousness on one object, which can be either an image or a sound, and then another type of consciousness will flourish; linear intuition; superconsciousness.
To practise this essential technique sit with your legs crossed, your back straight and your eyes closed. Choose a very simple image at the beginning, a sunset for example, and then, give your best to concentrate on this image, but don’t only see it, contemplate it; because when we contemplate something we don’t think about it, we just settle the mind on it.  No more then 20 minutes per day is needed, but even 5 minutes is a good start. Consistency is the most important thing.

Have a look in this video, it encourages very well your daily practice.

 

Prána, the bio-energy!

Pránáyáma

Expansion of bio-energy through breathing

Prána means bio-energy; ayáma, expansion, breadth, intensity, elevation.  Pránáyáma designates techniques that are always of a respiratory nature, and lead to the intensification, or expansion, of prána in the body. Prána is the general name that Yôga assigns to any type of energy that is manifested biologically.  In theory, prána is energy of a solar origin, but also possibly manifested after metabolization, that is, indirectly, when absorbed by air, water or food.
Prána, of a generic kind, can be divided into five more specific types:  prána, apána, udána, samána and vyána.  These can each be further divided into various subpránas. Prána is visible.  On any sunny day, execute pránáyáma and fix your eyes on the blue of the sky.  Wait.  When your vision adjusts itself, you will begin to see myriads of incredibly dynamic and brilliant minute points that glimmer, making their rapid circular and sinuous movements evident.  When executing your respiratory exercises, mentalize that image, that you are absorbing that energy.

(Prof. DeRose; Treatise of Yôga)

Our definition of quality of life

Synthesis: Quality of life is to make your existence less complicated; to do what gives you pleasure, happiness, health and well-being.

Quality of life is to fulfil physiological and ergonomic needs, it is to adopt habits that improve and maintain the functionality of the body, emotions and intellect. It is the improvement and development of our abilities, through the triad composed of: good nutrition, fitness and mental well-being.

Quality of life is to socialize in an easy going manner, ethical and responsible towards the environment and society, aspiring to share and integrate, always with generosity, elegance, respect and affection in our human relations (social, professional, family, intimate relationships and others), by adopting a set of values that include exceptional civility, culture and education.

Quality of life is to adopt a vision of the world that motivates us to pursue development and constant improvement, conquering excellence by means of study, ideals and self-conscious.

Quality of life is to maintain a standard budget two degrees below your earnings. It is to live near work. It is to eat frugally. It is to be able to find satisfaction in everything. It is spending your time giving attention to your friends and acquaintances. It is to give flowers to the people your love. It is not to be unsettled by life’s mishaps. It is to love frankly and forgive sincerely.

These are our values.

Ethical Code of the Yogin

Yoga does not exist without good human relationships

There is no point in practising Yoga, meditation, mantras, if you do not know how to relate well with the others.

Yoga is any strictly practical methodology that conduces to samadhi.

Ethical Code of the Yogin

The ethical code of the yogin has 10 principles: 5 yamas, that concern the yogin´s relationship with the world, and 5 niyamas, that concern the yogin’s relationship with himself. These principles are exposed in the primary written source of Yoga, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

Yamas, ethical proscriptions:

Ahimsa – non-aggression

The yogin must not gratuitously exert violence against any human, animal or nature in general, neither physically, nor by words, attitudes or thoughts, or allow that an aggression is perpetrated, when the yogin can prevent it.

However, the yogin must not be passive, but stand for his rights and beliefs.

Satya – truthfulness

The yogin must be truthful, do not lie or use falsity, either by mistaking, distorting or omiting facts.

However, this must not lead to a lack of tact or of kindness, for there are many ways of expressing the truth.

Asteya – not stealing

The yogin must not get hold of objects, ideas, credits or merits of others.

However, while opulence is a tacit theft, prosperity is a goal when it stands for an improvement in the quality of life.

Brahmacharya -non dissipation of sexuality

The yogin must not dissipate the sexuality, that occurs with the excessive practice of sex with orgasm.

However, this must not lead to puritanism or moralism, distancing or lack of affection.

Aparigraha –non possessiveness

The yogin must not cling to his possessions, nor to the possessions of others, or to his beloved ones. Jealousy and envy are reproachable manifestations of possession towards people, objects, or the accomplishment of others.

However, this must not lead to carelessness concerning possessions entrusted to us, or towards our beloved ones.

Niyamas – ethical prescriptions:

Sauchan – cleanness

The yogin must be clean, externally and internally, that is, both physically and psychically, avoiding intoxicating substances, ideas or feelings.

However, this must not lead to intolerance towards those who do not see cleanness in this wider sense.

Santosha – contentment

The yogin must develop the art of finding contentment in all situations.

However, this must not lead to self-indulgence or lack of self-improvement.

Tapas – surpass oneself

The yogin must observe a constant effort upon himself, in order to improve at every moment and circumstance.

However, this must not lead to fanatism, repression or any kind of mortification.

Swadhyaya – self-study

The yogin must search self-knowledge by observing himself, concentrating and meditating, reading, and through sociability, friendship and companionship, for self-study must not lead to alienation from the world.

Ishwara pranidhana – self-commitment

The yogin must always be confident that life follows its natural laws and that every effort for self-surpassing must be conquered without anxiety, handing the fruits of his action to a higher will, whose intents are sometimes unfathomable.

However, this must not lead to fatalism or negligence.

(based on DeRose, 2008, Tratado de Yoga, pp. 799-807)

My favourite Swasthya Choreography

Yael Barcesat – from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Mudra

Mudras – Reflexological, Symbolic And Magnetic Gesture Executed With The Hands.

Mudra’s origins are in the ancestral Tantric tradition. As Shivananda affirms, the presence of mudra, puja and mantra characterize the Tantra inheritance, and it is with exactly there angas that Swasthya Yoga begins its basic practice.