Do Your Duty

It's better to do your own duty
badly, than to perfectly do
another's; you are safe from harm;
when you do what you should be doing.

Bhagavad Gita
Stephen Mitchell's translation

Soft abdomen

I googled "soft abdomen iyengar". I was curious why Geeta always reminds her students to keep the abdomen soft, and I found an explanation:

"...A primary point is that the facial muscles, neck, and abdomen are to be soft throughout this practice. This is key to the inner exploration, discovery, and joy inherent in practicing this sequence as a whole, resulting in tremendous beneficial effects that are described in the text. ..."

Talent is Overrated

Mr. Pretzel
Credit: Flickr

Talent is overrated. What really counts is work, work and work. Norman quoted this (I forgot who though) In yoga lingo that would be sadhana or practice.

"Sādhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Abhyāsa is repeated practice performed with observation and reflection. Kriyā, or action, also implies perfect execution with study and investigation. Therefore, sādhana, abhyāsa, and kriyā all mean one and the same thing. A sādhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies...mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal."

BKS Iyengar

But talent sounds more exciting than practice, which brings thoughts of repetition, hard work, diligence to my mind. I did find a nice paragraph on practice or repetition in Paulo Coelho's book "The Witch of Portobello" though:

"...Look at a skilled blacksmith working steel. To the untrained eye, he's merely repeating the same hammer blows, but anyone trained in the art of calligraphy knows that each time the blacksmith lifts the hammer and brings it down, the intensity of he blow is different. The hand repeats the same gesture, but as it approaches the metal, it understands that it must touch it with more or less force. It's the same thing with repetition: it may seem the same, but it's always different. The moment will come when you no longer need to think about what you are doing. You become the letter, the ink, the paper, the word..."

Photo: Flickr Credit - Blacksmith at Work

Winds of Yoga

The Vayus - or winds are subtle forms of energy

Prana Vayu

governs the chest and respiration

Apana Vayu

governs the lower abdomen and elimination

Samana Vayu

stokes the gastric fire and aids digestion

Udana Vayu

which dwells in the thoracic cavity and governs intake of air and food

and Viyana Vayu

which pervades the entire body and distributes energy from food and breath.

from the Introduction of Light on Yoga

Music

"Yoga is like music:

the rythm of the body,

the melody of he mind and
the harmony of the soul create the
symphony of life."

Asanas

“My body is my temple and asanas are my prayers.”

“Do not treat the asana as a physical exercise meant to keep the organs healthy. Treat the asana as if you are using them to adore and adorn the soul.”

BKS Iyengar

Brave Choice

"The decision to relax rather than to grip, even in the face of impatience or fear, is a conscious and brave choice."

B.K.S. Iyengar


Thanks for sharing this quote, Cynthia!