Pain is the Touchstone

A good friend and spiritual advisor has often said to me, "Pain is the touchstone of all Spiritual Growth."

I used to really hate it when he said that. I don't hate it now. But swallowing the truth of it isn't always that easy.

Most of the growth in my life has been preceded by various amounts of pain. All past pain in my life has provided fertile ground for future growth - whether I saw it that way or not!

Before going forward I think it's a good idea to define what I mean by Spiritual Growth. It simply means that I grow, deepen and develop Spiritual qualities such as: Patience, Love, Tolerance, Forgiveness, Humility, Service, Compasssion, Honesty, Peace, etc.

So now the examples of painful past experiences: I lost a job, I embarassed myself, I hurt my body, I made a mistake, I said something I shouldn't have, I failed, I dissapointed someone - all painful events.  What's on the other side of these episodes? An opportunity to reflect, contemplate and improve the quality of my Spirit - OR - an opportunity to continue the cycle of pain.

My inital and habitual responses to events such as those listed above used to be to defend, deflect, defer and cover-up. Pride would not want me to look bad. Fear would make sure I didn't. Anger would be my weapon if I was ever questioned. Silent regret would continue to smolder in my mind and heart. And thus the pain would fester and multiply creating more painful events.  

The Yoga Sutras say,.. all future pain can and should be avoided - but how to do that?

I have to look the pain straight in the eye and ask it what it wants to teach me? When in pain I have to ask myself what part I played in bringing this on. Where was I selfish, self-centered, dishonest or afraid? Where did I try to force my opinions, motives and beliefs (no matter how well-intended) upon someone or some circumstance? Where was I arrogantly trying to play God - trying to control life's events to suit my desires and will? (Yuck!) 

When I look at my pain in this way I see that it's usually me that sets the pain pill in motion. For me, seeing the truth of who I am and how I really behave is the most painful pill to swallow. I don't like seeing myself like that. But I'm human and I sometimes walk far off the beam. I make mistakes. I do stupid shit. Yet, if there's any hope for growth - Spiritual Growth - I have to take the medicine, swallow the pill and get honest with myself about what I've brought into any situation - and then, I have to discover what Spiritual Quality should be brought into the situation to make it right. Then I can right the wrong, grow up and act like the man I was born to become. 

Pain is the Touchstone.

Road Warrior

I'm going to be 55 years old this year. My yoga teacher is 58 this year. His yoga teacher will be 94 this year. One old man - one older man - one SUPER old man. But all three of us practice yoga every day.

By the time a person reaches 30 years of age - there's a good chance they have racked up a few bumps and bruises. - perhaps a scar here or there, and maybe even a surgery or two.

By the time a person reaches 40 years of age more wear and tear on the body may be visible including stiffer backs, knees, shoulders and hips.

At 50 years of age a person realizes that they are no longer a "spring chicken" and that they need to do "something" to at least maintain flexibilty, strength and range of motion. At this point in a person's life they may know other people who have had debilitating injuries or illnesses and these facts frighten them - wake them up!

At 60 it's a necessity to maintain whatever health and fitness (mind, body and spirit fitness) one has - otherwise it can be a painful ride throughout the rest of their lives.

This is why Yoga is so important. It's also important to know what KIND and type of practice a person should do based on age, fitness level and a number of other factors.

The practice my teacher's teacher does (at 94) is unlike my practice (at 54).

What is critically important as one practices yoga at more advanced ages is a relentless focus on absolutely precise alignment to avoid the risk of injury or setback. Furthermore a focus on supporting poses and motions with props and support to avoid other problems.

This is why Iyengar yoga (created by that 94 year old practitioner above) is so important as a yoga modality. Mr. Iyengar created a process, practice and method that anyone at any age can get involved with and benefit from.

No matter what shape you're in - no matter how many miles on your frame - any Road Warrior can benefit from Yoga.

Sit your mind down in that pose!

The other day a student asked me the following questions:

"Jim, why do you hold the poses for as long as you do? How long should we be holding each pose? What's the rule of thumb?"

I'll answer the latter questions first. The rule of thumb is that you hold the pose to one's capacity. So what does that mean? Well, you don't hold the pose if you're struggling - if your face is clenched, if your breath is rapid, erratic or held, if you're in pain or discomfort, or if you're frustrated or angry. This could mean that you may hardly hold a pose more than a second or two when others in class may be able to hold it for much longer. Some poses are easier to hold for longer durations than others. Tadasana (standing), or Savasana (lying down), can be held for a very long time for most people. Yet other poses, such as Bhakasana (crow pose -balancing on your hands) may be very short in duration. To one's capacity means just that - if you're not capable of doing it, then you don't do it. But then the question becomes - "how does one develop the capacity?" The answer is - over time and with intelligent practice. It takes time and consistent, dedicated practice.

Now to the first question - WHY? Why hold the pose for so long? Some (in fact, most) yoga classes have you moving from pose-to-pose in a flow or vinyasa sequence. Some yoga classes have you really "get a workout" and "break a sweat" as they move from pose to pose. What's the value of holding the pose for so long? The main reason we hold the poses for extended durations is to "sit the mind down" and get it still. Yoga is for the mind as much as it is for the body. In fact, it may have a deeper and more profound impact on the mind than it does on the body. At least that's what the ancient Yoga Sutras say. Scientific research is still looking into this phenomenon. Let me give a few examples of what I'm talking about. Imagine you're in a pose and you're starting to reach your capacity in the pose. What starts to happen? Your mind begins to talk to you. A conversation starts in your head that may sound something like this: "This hurts! I can't do this. I must not be very good at this. Other people look better in the pose. I'm not having as much fun as I did when I was doing the flow yoga class last week." Your mind will say any number of things as you near your capacity. So the challenge is not really the PHYSICAL aspect of the pose so much as it is the MENTAL WALLS and RESTRICTIONS that the mind puts in front of you. What usually happens? The mind wins out, and thus we become slave to the master mind. The mind talks you into its illusion that you can't, that you aren't as good, that it's not as fun. You give up. You stay restricted within the narrow walls of the mind's world. It's a dark hallway of limitations. Over time we experience a daily death of the soul as we never really experience life fully.

All life is an experience. All experience is felt in the body. I believe that if you are able to experience anything in the body (even death - which is truly the only once in a lifetime experience) with a still mind - then you have succeeded in life at the highest human level. This is the promise that yoga offers. To experience all of life's challenges, mysteries, trials, tribulations, joys and sorrows with a still mind. But you have to be willing to wait for it. So that's why we hold the pose - to sit that mind down in it's seat - the seat is the asana.

Peace.

The Apathetic Yogi

What determines who is, and who isn't a true master of Yoga? Is the dedication to the practice the determining factor? Is it the skill of the pose? Is it the depth of the twist or fold? Is it the physical stamina?

Certainly all of these traits are impressive and have some importance in evaluating a person's yoga practice. Yet, I think that true mastery is best seen in the apathetic yoga practitioner- the one who truly doesn't care one way or the other.

Think about it for a moment. Suppose you are in a yoga pose. Say you are in Janu Sirsasana pose - head to knee pose. For some people this is an easy pose - for others (like me) it's a challenging pose. Regardless - you're in the pose. And when in the pose, nearly everyone has his or her own individual thoughts about the pose.

If the pose is easy for you, then you may be thinking to yourself - "This is easy, I'm so skilled at this and I'm delighted that I can do this pose so well - I love, love, love this pose. How great that I can feel my back and legs release in this pose. Janu Sirsasana - YAY!"

If the pose is hard for you, then you may be thinking to yourself - "Darned this pose! It's so hard. The back of my leg is killing me. How can people ever relax in this pose? It's so frustrating. When is this going to be over? I hate this pose."

Then, you have the Apathetic Yogi. He/she doesn't care if she's in the pose or not. The pose is neither easy nor hard. The pose doesn't stir up emotions of any sort. The Apathetic Yogi's mind is completely and utterly detached from the pose. There is no longer any "gripping" of the mind with the pose. The Apathetic Yoga couldn't care if he/she stayed in the pose for another hour - or never did the pose again for the rest of his/her life. It doesn't matter what the pose is or isn't to this yogi. What matters most is that his/her mind is free from desire and/or aversion. The mind is free. The pose is merely the seat (literally - the asana) where the mind can rest.

This is mastery. Apathy is a signpost on the path to Mastery. When you find that you just don't care what pose you're doing or not - then perhaps your practice may have just taken a giant leap in the right direction.

Namaste -

Satya needs no hype

It really bother's me when I hear a yoga teacher (or any other professional) using hyperbole to over-sell themselves in their marketing and sales communication.

For any self-respecting yoga teacher to claim "extraordinary results" (i.e., beyond ordinary) - or that they have the magic answer that has been handed down to them from "Ancient Masters" - or that they're going to give someone "the secret to unlocking the Vital Pranic Forces" just really makes me bristle. It borders on being unethical. It especially bothers me when I know that the person making these claims is just as human, just as messed up, and just as clueless as the rest of us.

Sure, maybe they can do a pose or two that I can't do - but that only means they know how to do a pose - it does not mean they have the answers to all of humankind's universal questions. It's sad too when the person making these claims actually believes them to be true. Then we have an even MORE dangerous situation.

This is my opinion - and my opinion only - ready: No one among us has the magic answer. There is no secret formula. The truth is we basically know very little.

Satya is the sanskrit word for Truth. Water is the element that symbolizes truth. In fact, there is an expression we use when we know something is false. When something's not true we say- "it doesn't hold water."

To claim that you can "intuitively read" what someone needs "and know how to heal them" - doesn't hold water with me. In fact, it makes me not want to have that person near me. When I hear claims like that I sense "Sales-pitch" or "Charlatan" or both!

Here's the truth - we barely know what's best for ourselves. How the heck can someone be so presumptuous to infer that they know what other people need without even asking them! It insults my intelligence. It doesn't hold water and is - in my opinion - dangerous ground.

The truth doesn't need hype. State the truth - the truth is - no one has any "secrets" to life. The only secret to a long life is this: "Don't die before you go to bed and do your best to wake up every morning." If you do that - you have a good chance of getting through the day.

The Yamas and Niyamas are Spiritual pricinples which need to be practiced. They are simple enough - no mystery in them.

Ahimsa - Don't Hurt or Kill
Satya - Be Truthful
Asteya - Don't Steal
Bramacharya - Try to Restrain Yourself
Aparigraha - Don't take more than you need
Saucha - Clean it up!
Santosha - Be Content now
Tapas - Work with Zeal
Svadyaya - Learn something new - cultivate wisdom
Ishvara Pranidhana - Dedicate everything to a higher power - some may call that God.

No mystery, no secret, but they must be practiced.

Satya needs no hype.

The Elusive Truth

Noted Physicist Richard Fenyman once said this about knowing the truth ..."We never are definitely right, we can only be sure we are wrong."

How then would you apply this logic to discovering the TRUTH about yourself?

In the Brihandaranyaka Upanishad (written some 3,000 years ago), Yajnavalkya is questioned by his students to describe God. His response is very similar to Mr. Fenyman's in that he says "The Divine is not this, it is not that" - (Neti, neti)

If I am to find the deepest Truth about myself then I must identify, remove and discard what I am not. I am not my thoughts, my mind, my body, my job, my car, my story, the name on my driver's license, my imperfections, my talents, my desires or my fears. Neti, neti. Not this, not that!

What's left? Start asking yourself what you're not and see for yourself.

Discipline

My dictionary gives several definitions for the word - DISCIPLINE

1. Punishment
2. Training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character
3. Control gained by enforcing obedience or order
4. Self-Control
5. A rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity.

The reason I've been thinking about this word is because I've been disciplining myself to get up every morning at 5:00 a.m. for the last two years - so I can practice yoga every day at 6:00 a.m. (NOTE: Sunday's are at 8:30 a.m.).

Every morning, as I drive up to the studio at 5:40 a.m. I think to myself the same thoughts..."I need to stop doing this every day thing. Maybe I can do just every OTHER day."

Yes! It feels like PUNISHMENT - the first definition. 6:00 a.m. Yoga is HARD to get to - hard to get started - hard to think about. But then, the practice starts, and by 6:20, 6:30, 6:40 - something starts to happen. I start to feel GOOD that I made it there.

I start to feel the "training that corrects, molds and perfects the mental faculties..."
I start to feel the " control gained by enforcing obedience..."

I start to feel - GOOD!

And then 7:15 a.m. comes and I'm done with the practice. I change my clothes, get a cup of coffee, and drive to work. I feel the benefits of discipline. I'm stronger. I have peace of mind. I'm prepared for what life will throw at me that day.

But then the next morning comes - and I don't want to do it. But I do it anyway.

Discipline.