Bhagavad Gita on BEING TRUE to YOU

 

 कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् |
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते || ३ ६ ||

 

 

 

karmendriyaani sanyamya ya aaste manasaa smaran.h .

indriyaarthaanvimuudhaatmaa mithyaachaarah sa uchyate

Bhagavad Gita 3:6

TRANSLATION: One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.

This Gita verse calls us to be honest with ourselves, whether in our yoga practice or in our life.  The secret to doing this is to refrain from passing judgement.

After spending many years of teaching Yoga for adults, kids, pre/post natal women, in groups, private classes, and Yoga Teacher Training, the biggest thing I have learned is Yoga resonates with each individual according to how receptive they are, and I myself as a teacher am always learning.  This verse points out the importance of being true to yourself.  Embrace where you are on and off the mat, and be exactly what you desire.  Rather than being guided by desires or passion, live them. The reality is regardless of our spirituality, we all encounter challenges.  Rather than pretend struggles do not exist, we can always be true to our present moment (on and off the yoga mat), knowing that we are on a journey. 

Evaluate your current circumstance/yoga practice and ask yourself where are you pretending?  Where are you passing judgement?  Create a plan of change and take action. ~ Namaste

Learning to be in a State of Yoga.

"Yogastha kuru karmani sangan tyaktva Dhananjaya Sidhyasidhyo samo bhutva samatvang yoga uchyate" Bhagavad Gita 2:48

Yogastha - Steadfast in Yoga

kuru - perform

karmani - duties or actions

Translation: Be steady in yoga, Arjun, do whatever you must do; give up attachment, be indifferent to failure and success.

In life we have to accept our path, accept our Dharma (our purpose) without being attached to the fruits of our actions, the same goes for the yoga journey. Concentration on action means concentration on the present or living in the present. While concentrating on the present that is the only way one can make conscious based choices and decisions. Once we concentrate on the present, we are no longer caught up in the past or the future, thus, past anxieties and future worries no longer can make us suffer.

In this epic Hindu Verse, Krishna explains to Arjun "do your best and leave the rest", meaning give 100% and be attached to your actions but be detached to the results. This is also an act of surrender to God, to Divine intervention, and an example of faith. Always living in the present moment with awareness, and practicing the beauty of allowing. The primary gist of the Gita is that at all times, your mind should be in a "state of yoga", having consciousness in our actions, acknowledging that at every moment our mind is working through our actions, united. This unity is where we derive the word Yoga, translated in Sanskrit as to yolk/join/unify which is the union of the mind, body and spirit.

This "state of yoga" translates onto our asana practice....when beginning a class never be attached to the studio, the location of our mat, to the instructor, to the asana we plan to do in our class, to the asana that other people may do in class, but rather surrender to our breath, and just allow the practice to be an extension of that surrender. This approach to practice without ego and with total receptivity is when miracles happen.

This "state of yoga" translates into our dietary habits. We are always in a rush to eat, on the go lifestyle forces us to adapt to quick meals, fast food or skipping meals. Do we enjoy the sight of our meal, the smell, the touch, the taste, or even take time to notice how much we must chew? People who eat with awareness, connection of mind to body, generally never over eat.

Regardless of what religious faith you abide by.... a good lesson from the Gita, a parable from the Bible, a verse from the Kabbalah are all means for us to learn, grow and better ourselves.....to be aware, to allow, to be present & receptive, and invite a "state of yoga"

Bhagavad Gita - On & Off the Yoga Mat

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most beloved of Hindu Scriptures. It is an excerpt from the Mahabharata. In almost every Yoga Teacher Training it is one of the main texts that students explore and study. Often times when I teach Yoga class I like to incorporate a theme from the Yoga Sutras, The Chakras, The Bhagavad Gita, The Mahabharata, The Ramayana, Biblical quotes or even a song, something to tie it into the practice so people go beyond the physical exercise.

The Bhagavad Gita tells the story of Arjun from the Panadava family having to accept his Dharma (purpose) of battle with his tyranical cousins from the Kaurava family, also known as the Kurushetra War. Ironically, the Kaurava's are led by Dhritarashtra, who is blind. This blindness is also symbolic for ignorance. The Pandava family are very pale in complexion, almost white, and this is symbolic of purity. The Kaurava family are led by greed and ignorance. While Arjun looks across the battle field he sees his cousins and struggles with accepting his Dharma, as he looks at them with compassion. The size of the Kaurava army is great compared to the small army that Arjun has, but Arjun is a Master Archer and he has Lord Krishna on his side.

While Yoga is not teaching people to fight, in our lives there are times we are up against blindness, ignorance and greed, we have battles, and it is important to look at our opposition with compassion, to put God first in all our battles, and to know that when we assert ourselves for the purpose of the greater good, we are fulfilling our Dharma.

How do we embrace this on the Yoga Mat? We must understand that Yoga Asana and Pranayama exercises are to rid the body of toxins, in order for us to grow deeper in Spirituality. If we practice yoga without peace in our heart, without awareness of Divine love, we are just going through motions. Similar if we go to church, temple, and mosque reciting prayers, and having no love in our hearts, then we are just going through the motions. It is far better to allow these ancient teachings to help us grow spiritually than anything else.