Sri K Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar reunite…

Legends & Legacies
B.K.S. Iyengar & K. Pattabhi Jois

Translation of conversation by Sunaad Raghuram

Namarupa- Issue #4

In 1934, K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar, both still young men, were students of the fearsome…and soon to be legendary… yogi T. Krishnamacharya. India was still under rule of the British, and the Maharajas of India still had their limited roles intact as head of state. Their glory and pomp were still present, their care for maintaining the traditions of their beloved country foremost in their minds, all the more important while under foreign rule. The Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, particularly well known for maintaining and archiving traditional Sanskrit texts, had a great love for traditional art, music and yoga. The inhabitants of Mysore celebrated the important religious festivals such as Dusserah with grandeur, lived in a well kept up and clean city and generally maintained the lifestyle and traditions of ancient India. Enveloped in this atmosphere, the young boys learned yoga from Krishnamacharya, who was himself under the patronage of the Maharaja.
While Pattabhi Jois was destined to remain in Mysore, and Krishnamacharya to eventually move to Madras in 1954, the young Sundaraja Iyengar was sent to Pune, in Central India in 1934 with little or no resources other than the command from his guru to go teach. He stayed there teaching and practicing, while in Mysore Pattabhi Jois attended the Sanskrit University, continued his yoga practice and eventually took a teaching position at the Sanskrit University. The two guru brothers did not meet again until 1940. Although little is remembered by the two men about this meeting, they recall that it was during one of Krishnamcharya’s yoga propagation tours- the venerable yogi had come to Pune with Pattabhi Jois, to visit a nearby Swami Kuvalayananda and his Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute. The two men stayed at Iyengar’s house for a short time.
The years passed, and after an initial spark in the 1960’s and 70’s, the practice of yoga spread around the world like wildfire, after having been practically hermetically sealed in India for countless thousands of years, just the barest whisper of it having escaped earlier on with seekers such as Madame Blavatsky, Vivekananda and others. The names Pattabhi Jois and Mr. Iyengar became familiar on the lips of untold thousands of yoga practitioners, and yet the two men had not shared so much as a cup of coffee since 1940.

And then 2005 arrived; sixty five years after their last meeting.- Pattabhi Jois had just celebrated his ninetieth birthday, Iyengar had reached his eighty seventh year, and it was now time for two of the most influential yogis of our time to meet again- but first, a cell phone call by mobile was in order:
“Yaru yaru? (who is it)”
“Pattabhi, it’s Sundaraja!”
So began the conversation preceding what was to be a historical visit.- two men who are normally fearsome in their capacity as teachers were so brotherly on the phone, it was nothing short of endearing.
Their reunion (facilitated by Alexander Medlin whose interviews were included in the last issue Namarupa and appear in this one as well) was a joyous one by any standard. Mr. Iyengar drove four hours south from Tumkur where he was being honored as part of a yoga festival. Unable to attend Pattabhi Jois’ birthday celebration due to its confluence with Guru Purnima, the day when all spiritual teachers in India are usually engaged in addressing their own students, the close proximity of Tumkur allowed for a quick visit just a few days after Pattabhi Jois’ ninetieth. Accompanied by a party of six students and his secretary Raghu, Mr. Iyengar arrived at about one pm in Gokulam. There were smiles all around as the two great masters embraced each other and began a flurry of conversation in Kannada. One of Iyengar’s students, who hails from Karnataka, remarked, “Guruji is always saying that he does not know Kannada very well, but look at him now, going on and on with you!”
Coffee was given to everyone present, and after some time, all adjourned to the adjacent room and the two men shared their first meal together since 1940.
Pattachi Jois’ daughter, Saraswati, had made sure that only the most special dishes were prepared. After the meal was finished, Pattabhi Jois’ grandson Sharath, co-director of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, invited everyone downstairs for a tour of the yoga sala, and Mr Iyengars’ student, Madhava, began putting questions to the two men:

Madhava: When you gentlemen started learning yoga did you imagine that it would all grow so big?
K.Pattabhi Jois: No,no, not at all. At a young age I saw Krishnamacharya giving a yoga demonstration, and was fascinated by the postures. The next day I went to him, prostrated before him and begged him to take me on as a pupil. He spoke rather gruffly to me asking who I was, and he was quite intimidating. He then asked me where I came from and who my father was. I explained that I came from the village of Kaushika five miles away and that my father was an astrologer and priest. Would I be prompt in attending classes, he asked me – I readily nodded yes.
The next day I was promptly in class. And on that very day began the beatings (much laughter!).
M: Then why didn’t you quit?
KPJ: My God, how could I? There was this great desire in me to learn.
M: If I had been you I would have run away a long time ago.
KPJ: Oh no, as I said, I really wanted to learn. I remember two friends of mine, Garuda and another chap Hassan Rangaswamy, we all would learn together. (To Iyengar) Do you remember Garudu?
B.K.S.Iyengar: Oh yes, I do.
KPJ: In 1932 the Maharaja of Mysore invited Krishnamacharya to teach in Mysore, and he opened a yoga shala near the Jagan Mohan Palace – we all used to practice there. There was this director of education, I forget his name, what was his name?… N.S Subbarao! It was this man who fixed a salary for Krishnamacharya and sent him to all the district headquarters to teach and propagate yoga. When Krishnamacharya came to the Sanskrit Pathasala in 1932, I went and stood before him and paid my respects. He said “Hey, Its you!” I said, “Yes Guruji, I am studying here.” He seemed happy and my practice under him began all over again.
On occasion we would get invited to the palace to give yoga demonstrations – me and my friend Mahadev Bhatt. Once they gave us a gift of five rupees, and a Hanuman kaccha (underwear), and we were so happy. ( To Iyengar) Remember that lady from America Indra Devi? She would come to practice at the yoga sala.
BKS: Yes, yes I do – she changed her name to Indra Devi much later, isn’t it?
KPJ: I heard she died recently.
BKS: In Brazil.
KPJ: Ahh Brazil. Well one thing led to another and we continued to practice. We had Mahadev Bhatt, Srinivas Achar, Ranganath Desikachar, and all of them.
KPJ: Yes I remember them all.
M: You have earned much more than five rupees now but I guess that five rupees that you got from the Maharaja must be special, isn’t it? Which do you think is more valuable, the five rupees or the money you have earned now?
KPJ: Well, those five rupees were very, very special. After I got the money, I put it in a trunk underneath a pile of clothes. I would open the trunk every day, look at the note, and close it back again (much laughter). You know what, I had never seen one rupee in full until then! (more laughter). Well that was life then…

And so it went, history that has become legendary in our time, casually recalled after a good lunch. More photos of the two were taken. Afterwards, all adjourned upstairs for yet more coffee, and of course conversation about coffee. There was general agreement with Mr. Iyengar that coffee is certainly the soma rasa ( the intoxicating nectar of immortality) of the Kali yuga (the present age of darkness)- to which Pattabhi Jois added, “Yes, and you get so many different brands or soma rasa in the shops these days!”
As the afternoon hour quickly passed by, the time came for Mr. Iyengar to make a move, and the conversation returned to Krishnamacharya.

BKS: The credit goes, whatever one may say, no doubt, to our guru – he was a sea (of knowledge), but he did not give what he had to all of us. He had plenty of knowledge, but he just gave a little here, a little there, a little there. Like the hen or the cock that pecks, we had to peck and take his knowledge. And we learned, and it is we who made it to grow into examples. So my advice to all of you – see that the light that has been light by Krishnamacharya’s direct pupils does not fade at all. The light (of his teachings) should be kept burning – the yoga dipa (a lamp, light). So please keep to the practice. Let it be burning, burning, burning.
KJP: We began to understand yoga the moment he made us stand in a stone court yard burning in the sun for hours on end!
BKS: Can I add something more? You have to sweat 100 percent, not only physically but intellectually then you know something of yoga. So 100 percent from the body, 100 percent from the intelligence. You have to sweat, intelligence has to sweat.

At the close of such an important day, those of us present silently acknowledged the thrill and inspiration of seeing these great men together. The years of history – the differences and criticisms between their so called “camps” of yoga seemed like a vapor , a cloud of senseless, intellectual fog that lifted as the two shared coffee. As far as Pattabhi Jois and Mr. Iyengar were concerned, they were just old yoga brothers seeing each other after a very long time: “1934 together, 2005 together. I think that’s important and a rare privilege,” remarked Mr. Iyengar.

Differences in practice, styles, philosophies and opinions always exist- these are but peripheral concerns. The message of mutual respect and friendship lies at the heart of the great Indian traditions, and in the hearts of these two revered men.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 8

"After the vibration has pierced the last knot
[the agna chakra], the forehead's center [of consciousness], it rises to the divine place. With this the

fourth stage sets in, where one hears the sound of the flute and the vina"

Let us stop analyzing. Our experience does not suffice to understand the meaning of the sound of the
flute of Krishna, or the vina of the divine messenger, Narada. Those who have experienced this high
state have become teachers from whose lips flowed the Vedas, the Eddas, the Avestas, the Sermon of
the Mount, the Koran. The sounds now grow ever more subtle, yet more powerful. They are sounds
that proclaim the Eternal Wisdom of God, the power of Ultimate Truth undisturbed and unimpeded
by the word. Nothing is understood, everything known. The gates of the Kingdom of Heaven fly
open, the eternal light is manifest) the music of the spheres rings out.

"When the mind becomes unified, this is raja yoga. The yogi, now master of creation and
destruction, becomes one with God. −−Whether or not you call it liberation, here is eternal bliss. The
bliss of dissolution [laya] is obtained only through raja yoga. −−There are many who are merely
hatha yogins, without the knowledge of raja yoga. They are simple practicers who will never reap
the [real] fruits of their efforts. I believe that concentration on the space between the eyebrows is
the best way to reach samadhi in a short time. For those of small intellect this is the easiest means to
attain to raja yoga."

The state of dissolution [laya] arising from the [inner sound] nada creates this spontaneous
experience. −−[All] yogis who have reached the state of samadhi through this concentration on nada
have experienced a bliss in their hearts that surpasses all description and can be known only by a
god. −−The silent ascetic, having closed his ears, listens [attentively] to the sound in his heart until
he attains the state of oneness with all [samadhi]. −−The power of inner sound gradually surpasses
the external sounds. Thus the yogi can overcome the weakness of the mind and reach his goal in 15
days.
The power of the internal sound, its meaning as an audible designation of our personality, is a
thousand times stronger than the logical combination of the sounds of letters which has really no
meaning at all. The pronouncing of the name−word is purely inner sound.
Now the mantra is that name which is the common property of both the jivatman and the
paramatman (the self and the Self).
At first it is separateness that impinges upon our ears. There is still an I and a Thou, the one who
perceives and the one who is perceived: the dynamic mind is active. In the inner sense, however, all
separative tendencies, all sound−conditioned differentiations cease according to the degree of their
inner refinement, i.e. the degree to which they sink and become one with the static mind. The mantra
becomes the true name.
At the beginning of an acquaintance a name only tells us who the person is. Later on it stands for the
sum total of what the person is, what we have experienced with that person. The name then does not
merely speak of the "Thou," but equally of the "I" and its relationship to "Thou."

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 7

"Dissolution [laya] depends on nada. Laya produces prana. Prana is the lord of the mind [mano]; mind is the
lord of the senses [indriyas]. When mind is absorbed in itself it is called moksha [liberation]. Call it

this or that; when mind and prana are absorbed in each other the immeasurable joy of samadhi
ensues."


We enter a church and feel the sattva element that governs the lofty sacred room. Something like a
shiver of enchantment pene−
trates us. It is bindu that (for a moment) transfigures us. We know that it has to do with the divine, to
which this place is dedicated. We know it, but the inner concept of this "divine" is more than the
word; it is that which speaks within us, nada. Let us recognize this: not the specific term "the divine"
exercises its power, but the "inner something" that vibrates with this concept. Then the concept as
such, with its thought content, dissolves (laya), and what remains is the experience of the spirit. This
phrase, "experience of the spirit," already contains the duality: prana (experience) and spirit.
So much for our everyday experience. For the yogi approaching samadhi, the process is reversed: he
has recognized the meaningful germ, bindu, within himself, and knows that the divine vibrations in
him were merely released by the sattva element in the outside stimulation.
Therefore, like the ancient master mystics, he turns inward and finds liberation in detachment from
the releasing element. For liberation means "nothing but" freedom from exterior influences.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 6

"There are 72,000 nadis in this cage [body]. Sushumna is the central nadi which contains the
shabhavi shakti. This has the property of bestowing bliss upon the yogi. All others are then useless.
−−Guide the prana into the sushumna and kindle the gastric fire and awaken the kundalini. Only

when prana fiows through the sushumna wilt there be samadhi. All other methods are futile. When
breath is suspended then [discursive] thinking also is suspended. He who has power over his mind
can also control prana.
[For] the two causes that activate the mind are prana [respiration] and the sources of karma
[vasanas, latent tendencies]. Death of one [of these] is the death of the other. When mind is
absorbed, breathing subsides: when prana is absorbed in the sushumna [not available to the body]
then mind also is absorbed."

The deepest sense of this yoga will be understood only by one who is convinced that from physical
process to psychological experience and religious phenomena there is one straight (if usually secret)
path, and that none of the three can exist and function by itself. He who is prepared to familiarize
himself with what naturally seems to be a strange terminology will find not only confirmation of the
most modern knowledge, but the possibility of new insights as well, for the problem of relationship
between the inner and outer worlds will always be a
topical one as long as the human race exists. The last word on it can never be expected, for each
culture, even each phase of individual life presents new perspectives. It is by the great visionary
works of antiquity that we are most deeply touched−− we who have become so clever.

"Mind and prana are related to each other like milk and water. If the one dries up the other one
also dries up. In whatever chakra the prana is concentrated mind becomes fixed, and where the mind
is fixed prana is conquered"

The fact that men's cultural levels differ so greatly is not simply a problem of society; nor does it
depend on ambition, or even on intelligence. It is really the chakras that cause stratification in
culture.
Genius is the product of the highest development potential of that chakra by which it lives. As long
as our mind is not nourished by that same chakra we only comprehend the lower levels. At the
highest level our understanding is no longer limited. There we need no intellectual hints; we perceive
the spirit everywhere, even in silence.
The chakra determines whatever level of development we are on, and this level determines the measure of our consciousness.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 5

"As one opens the door with a key, so the yogi should open the gate to liberation
[moksha] with the kundalini. The great goddess [kundalini] steeps, closing with her mouth the
opening through which one can ascend to the brahmarandhra (crown of the head), to that place
where there is neither pain nor suffering. The kundalini sleeps above the kanda [where the nadis
converge]. She gives liberation to the yogi and bondage to the fool. He who knows kundalini knows
yoga. −−The kundalini, it is said, is coiled like a serpent. He who can induce her to move [upward]
is liberated. There is no doubt about it. −−Between Ganga and Yamuna sits a young widow,
arousing compassion. One should despoil her, for this leads to the supreme seat of Vishnu [her
spouse in sahasrara]. The sacred Ganga is ida [nodi] and Yamuna if pin gala [nodi]. Between ida and pingala sits the young widow kundalini.
You should awaken the sleeping serpent by grasping its tad. The shakti, when aroused, moves upward."


Once more remember the churning of the ocean of milk. The demons seized the head of the snake,
the gods took hold of the tail, and thus the work was accomplished.
Here we have the same process. The physically manifested powers, prana and apana, pull on the
head; that is where the current flows into the sushumna, which is closed by the head of the serpent.
The spiritual forces, however, work from the tail. We will presently learn about the nature of these
spiritual forces

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 4

"When the kundalini is sleeping it will be aroused by the grace of the guru.
Then all the chakrasand knots are pierced
and prana flows through the royal road of sushumna.
The mind is released from its work and the yogi
conquers death"

One thing is certain: kundalini is more than just a symbolic term for one of our known forces or
faculties. It is a potential of which normally we know nothing, and one that does not seem to exist for
the average man.
The chakras are occasionally perceptible in everyday life. In times of danger there is usually a
convulsive contraction of the muladhara chakra; in the case of acute danger, it intestifics as the
often−mentioned experience of "seeing the whole life flash through the mind." In sexual excitement
the svadishthana chakra is noticeable. Best known is the influence of the manipura chakra on crying
and laughter, which are related to the region of the diaphragm. One speaks of loving devotion as
coming from the heart; it really involves the neighboring anahata chakra. The well−known choking
sensation when a speaker is "blocked" relates to the vishuddha chakra. The index finger on the
brow−−"Eurekal'−− means that the ajna chakra has spoken, and the halo on the image of a saint has
its center in sahasrara chakra, to mention just a few minor characteristic signs of these unknown, yet
so important centers in man.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 3

"When the breath is controlled, the mind firm and unshakable, the eyes fastened between the
eyebrows; why then should we fear death?"

Even a man who−−like the yogi−−has to fear no punishment at the last judgment approaches his last
moments with at least some apprehension, for the process of dying is beyond our sphere of control.
Here, for better or worse, we are delivered over to the play of natural forces, and this is for man the
most terrifying experience: to be a helpless victim.
For the master of pranayama, things are different. He controls the powers that represent life. He dies
consciously. In life as in death he adapts himself with deep insight to the natural processes of which
he is always aware. It is not only the life stream of prana upon which preservation and end depend,
for if such were the case the yogi would be immortal. Rather, he recognizes the rhythm to which he,
like all other living things, is subject, and it is his task to gain the highest possible harmony with this
rhythm. Once he has accomplished this and his cycle of existence is completed, he will not try to
influence the law of his sunset. This death for him is only the evening which is followed by a new
and purer morning, a new cycle. It is said to be one of the characteristics of the gods that they have
no fear of death to which they are subject like all living things, because they consciously enter the
eternally new cycle of life and consciously pass through the transitory, purifying state of death.
Again and again Vishnu passes through existence: as animal, man, hero, lover, dwarf, or giant. He is
born, accomplishes his divine work, dies, and is reborn. His consciousness is the all−preserving
Unconscious.
To render this Unconscious conscious is the goal of the yoga master, for this is the only way to
become equal to the gods. So let us too pay attention to the physical and spiritual purity of the nadis,
whether or not we are yogis. Let us inhale the life stream without weighing it down with impure
thoughts. Let us also live more consciously, with our inner vision concentrated on that which
elevates us above all other creatures: our spirit. Then every breath is pranayama which makes us
more divine.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 2

"With head bent forward slowly rotate the innards [intestines and stomach], like a whirlpool
in a river, toward the right and toward the left. This the siddhas call nauli. This, the most important
of all hat ha yoga practices, removes sluggishness of the gastric fire, stimulates digestion, and leaves
a very agreeable feeling, it removes all diseases."

This practice belongs not only to shatkarma but also to regular hatha yoga, although it cannot be
called an asana since asana means "position, seat," a motionless posture, while nauli is a movement
of the abdominal muscles. In shatkarma it is rather a subsidiary, as it trains the muscles for dhauti
and basti. This practice−−which is to be recommended to the obese−−begins with deep exhalation.
At the same time, lean forward with hands pressed on the thighs and draw in the abdomen while
raising the shoulders; then try to tighten the drawn−in abdominal muscics. Once this is accomplished
the circular motion is no problem, since the muscles stand out separately on the withdrawn abdomen,
as thick as a child's arm.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 1

"When the nadis are purified, certain signs quite naturally manifest: the body becomes light and
bright.
As soon as the nadis are purified the yogi is able to retain the breath longer, the gastric fire is

activated, nada [the inner sound] becomes audible and he enjoys perfect health."

Perfect health alone is reason enough to concern ourselves with nadi purification. About the gastric
fire and the nada sound we will learn more later. But it is the art of retention of breath that is so
essential in the development of pranayarna.
How is it that the power to hold the breath for a considerable length of time should depend on the
purity of the nadis rather than on the capacity of the lungs?
Breath gets short when the air held in the lungs has lost its prana. If the nadis areimpure (as is
common), then the flow of prana is impeded and is soon unable to reload the breath. The breath
becomes stale like a carbonated drink when it has lost its fizz. If the nadi path is pure, however, the
prana flow can keep breath "alive" for a longer time.
A yogi who can subsist on one breath for days−−as has been demonstrated−−causes the river of
prana to circulate in the body and does not allow the prana to escape. He absorbs oxygen through his
pores.

Dosha by Hans Ulrich Rieker

Vata
It is true that this word means "wind" literally. But more important is the root va, movement. To
quote the Charaka Samhita: "Vata is the source of both structure and function [of the body]. It is that
which is represented by the five forms [of the bodily currents]: prana, udana, samana, vyana, and
apana. It is the initiator of the upward and downward flow [of all internal processes such as
circulation, metabolism, etc.]; the controller and guiding force of consciousness; the stimulant of the

senses; the companion of sensations; the organizer of the elements of the body; the principle of
synthesis; the storage battery of speech; the cause of feelings and perception; the origin of
excitement and stimulation; it fans the gastric fire, dries out harmful phlegm; expels excrements; is
purifier of the coarse and the fine channels of the body; the creator of the fetal form; the principle of
life preservation. All these are the normal functions of vata in our body" (Char. Sam. 1. 12:8).
Disturbance of any one of these functions leads to illness and susceptibility to infection.
Some of the illnesses due to the influence of vata are: rheumatism, dislocations, lameness, cramps,
stitfness of limbs, peristaltic irregularities, trembling, emotional and depressive states, everything
related to tension, relaxation, expansion and contraction, circulation and metabolism, crookedness
and distortion of limbs, abdominal diseases, menstrual irregularities, sterility, hallucinations, and
convulsions.

Pitta
This can be translated as "gall," but here it implies rather that which is also expressed by the word
gall: temperament. But this again only in a limited sense. The Charaka Samhita derives this word
from the root tap, "to heat," and this brings us closer to the meaning. We quote: "It is only the fire
which in pitta brings on good and bad results, according to the normal or abnormal condition [of the
organs]. The results are digestion and indigestion, power of perception and its loss, normal and
abnormal body temperatures, healthy and unhealthy look, temerity, fear [nerves], anger and joy
[moods], confusion and clarity, and other such contrasting pairs" (Char. Sam. 1. 12:11). "The normal
function of pitta causes: power of cognition, fire of digestion, fresh complexion, clarity of thought,
body temperature, hunger and thirst, and nimbleness of mind" (Char. Sam. 1. 18:50). Diseases from
this source are: inflammation, fever, pus, perspiration, softening of bodily substance, itching,
metabolic irregularities, redness, bad odor and taste, as well as discoloration.

Kapha
This word is composed of two roots: ka== "water," and pha, which refers to the process of biological
evolution. And since we know that the body is largely composed of liquid we could translate kapha
as "life−fluid."
"Kapha is the nectar [soma]. It is the fertile water for the play of life; it is living fluid, the protoplasm
that sustains all life processes; it is indeed the scaffold of life. It binds the limbs together and
produces all the connecting, nourishing, developing, and fortifying functions. It promotes the
well−being of the body by its lubricating action. Thus it supplies the water for the roots of life. In its
physiological aspect [!] kapha is the power and perseverance of man, which, however, immediately
becomes a disturbing impurity when his balance is disturbed" (Char. Sam. 1. 12:12). Kapha ailments
are: pallidness, cold, edema, constipation, diabetes, secretions, cold sweat, languidness, and
swellings (tumors).

BKS Iyengar Hatha yoga pradipika foreword

Mind
Man is known as manava (human), as he is descended from Manu, the father of mankind who is said
to be the son of Brahma, the Creator of the world. The word mana or manas (mind) comes from the
root man, meaning to think. Man is one who possesses a mind.
Manas means mind, intellect, thought, design, purpose and will. It is the internal organiser of the

senses of perception and the organs of action, and the external organiser of intelligence,
consciousness and the
Self. Man is graced with this special sense so that he can enjoy the pleasures of the world, or seek
emancipation and freedom(moksa) from worldly objects.
Knowledge
Knowledge means acquaintance with facts, truth or principles by study or investigation. The mind,
which is endowed with the faculty of discrimination, desires the achievement of certain aims in life.
Knowledge (jnana) is of two types: laukilfa jnana, which concerns matters of the world, and vaidika
jnana, the knowledge of the Self (relating to the Vedas, or spiritual knowledge). Both are essential
for living in the world, as well as for spiritual evolution. Through yogic practice, the two kinds of
knowledge encourage development of a balanced frame of mind in all circumstances.
Aims of Life
The sages of old discovered the means for the betterment of life and called them aims orpurusarthas.
They are duty {dharma), the acquisition of wealth (artha) (necessary to free oneself from
dependence on others), the gratification of desires (kama) and emancipation or final beatitude
(moksa). Moksa is the deliverance of the Self from its entanglement with the material world:
freedom from body, senses, vital energy, mind, intellect and consciousness.
Dharma, artha and kama areimportant in matters of worldly life. Dharma and moksa should be
followed judiciously if they are to lead to Self−realisation.
Patanjli, at the end of the Yoga Sutras, concludes that the practice of yoga frees a yogi from the aims
of life and the qualities of nature (gunas), so that he can reach the final destination−−kaivalya or
moksa.
Health and Harmony
To acquire knowledge−−whether mundane or spiritual−−bodily health, mental poise, clarity and
maturity of intelligence are essential.
Health begets happiness and inspires one to further one's knowledge of the world and of the Self.
Health means perfect harmony in our respiratory, circulatory, digestive, endocrine, nervous and
genito−excretory systems, and peace of mind. Hatha yoga practices are designed to bring about such
harmony.
Afflictions
Human beings aresubject to afflictions of three types: physical, mental and spiritual (adhyatmika,
adhidaivika and adhibhautika). Afflictions arising through self−abuse and self−inflictions are
adhyatmika. Physical and organic diseases are caused by an imbalance of the elements in the body
(earth, water, fire, air and ether) which disturbs its correct functioning. These are called adhibhautika
diseases. Misfortunes such as snake bites and scorpion stings are also classified as adhibhautika.
Genetic and allergic disease or diseases arising from one's past deeds (karma) are known as
adhidaivika. The practice of hatha yoga will help to overcome all three types of affliction.[...]

The first Sloka (verse) of the book reads: "Reverence to Siva, the Lord of Yoga, who taught Parvati
hatha wisdom as the first step to the pinnacle of raja yoga" (Patanjali yoga). And at the end we
arereminded that "all hatha practices serve only for the attainment of raja yoga". (4:103).
Hatha means willpower, resoluteness and perseverance; and Hatha yoga is the path that develops
these qualities and leads one, towards emancipation. The word hatha is composed of two syllables:
ha and tha. Ha stands for the seer, the Self, the soul (purusa), and for the sun (Surya) and the
inbreath {prana). Tha represents nature (prakrti), consciousness {citta), the moon (chandra) and the
outbreath (apana). Yoga, as already noted, means union. Hatha yoga, therefore, means the union of
purusa with prakrti, consciousness with the soul, the sun with the moon, and prana with apana.

Ashtanga is Bhakti David Garrigues

Richard Freeman Interview: Quiet Connection (yoga journal)

By the time he met his teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois, Richard Freeman had practiced yoga for 19 years, visited several ashrams in India, and taught yoga to Iran's royal family. Less than a year after meeting the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, Freeman became the second Westerner certified by Jois to teach Ashtanga. Today, Freeman lives with his son, Gabriel, and his wife, Mary Taylor, in Boulder, Colorado, where they run The

Yoga Workshop.

How did you first come across yoga?

 When I was 18, I reread Henry David Thoreau'sWalden, which talks about the Bhagavad Gita. That led me to [Ralph Waldo] Emerson and the Upanishads. My family was uneasy with the fact that I was studying even Western philosophy, because it's possibly the least useful in terms of a career. So without their blessing, I embarked on the yogic path at the Chicago Zen Center. Later I studied Iyengar Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, bhakti yoga, Tantra, and different Buddhist practices. It wasn't until 1987 that I discovered Ashtanga Yoga and met Pattabhi Jois.

What made you think "Yes! This man is my teacher"?

 When I went to one of his workshops in Montana, I could already do most asanas well. However, the way he linked them internally was interesting, because I was able to go into the midline of the body and into the nadis [energy channels]. We had a strong connection; this is where my previous studies really paid off. His English isn't very good, so we mostly talked asana in Sanskrit.

This wasn't the first time you worked with a cultural barrier. What were some of the challenges of teaching yoga in Iran? 
A friend invited me to teach at his studio there. For four years I taught yoga to the empress, the princes, and other members of the royal family. They were mostly Muslims with a strong conception about the Divine. I had to be very careful to not use terms that suggested I was trying to convert them or speak of idolatry and reincarnation. Working across cultures, I had to become honest with myself about what it is I actually know, what are theories or metaphors, and what is essential spiritual teaching and practice.

So what is essential?

  Meditation. It's focusing the mind on any pattern or thing that comes up. This mindfulness practice is something you could do as a Hindu, Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Buddhist. I enjoy quiet time. I go outside and contemplate insects, my dog's nose, the rabbits around here, or whatever presents itself. Everything is connected, and so I feel a natural affection for these things. My wife is a chef and does most of the cooking, so I make washing the dishes my meditation. I pay close attention to my breath and what I'm doing.

How has fatherhood changed your practice? 

It's been enlightening. I had to let go of some poses and studies a bit; as a father you deal with moments of crisis, which can happen at any time. My practice is more internal now—I might have time just to sit down and do a tiny little Pranayama. Still, there's no other medium that's quite as potent as raising a child with someone to either drive you crazy or open up your heart and mind to compassion to yourself and others.

about anxiety Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Strangely enough, many people regard anxiety
or mental dissatisfaction as the first step, as
the prelude to seeking higher awareness or
spiritual life. Actually there is a lot of truth in
this belief, for it is only when one feels
discontentment, emptiness and unhappiness
that one seriously starts to look for something
more meaningful in life. Often anxiety in the
form of uncertainty of human existence is the
driving or motivating force which impels people
to seek higher states of consciousness, and
eventually enlightenment. Without some form
of anxiety, each person complacently wallows
in the insecure world of ignorance. For most
people, dissatisfaction is the incentive to try to
find out the 'truth', if indeed it exists in the
first place.

Ashtanga Yoga Q&A with Richard Freeman BY Yoga International ON February 4, 2014

What are the 8 limbs of ashtanga yoga (as described in the Yoga Sutra)? Do you have a favorite limb, and

what is the main limb your students overlook?

Depending on their circumstances, students tend to overlook the particular limb of yoga—that aspect of the practice—that exposes the hidden side of their ideas about who they are. One may be likely to overlook meditation because they can’t be with chaotic, frustrated, sad, or other uncomfortable mind states. Another might, lacking compassion, overlook the effect of their yoga practice on their own body or how their actions impact others. Still another might overlook or demonize asana because of not understanding the purpose and the subtle internal technique of the practice or because they have somehow developed a fear of the full spectrum of physical and emotional feeling that will occur in a consistent practice.

The reason that there are so many limbs is so that we may learn to apply the insights of yoga to all aspects of our lives. This is particularly true in terms of how yoga impacts our relationships with other beings, for these basic relationships have the most powerful emotional influence on our body and mind.

It is the nature of any student to avoid exposing the silliness of their mind and their egotistical attachment to unimportant frills associated with yoga. So all of us, as students, must continue to inquire again and again

What is the importance of breath?

Besides keeping you alive, breath has an intimate relationship to the overall movement of prana throughout the entire body and the sense fields. One of the axioms of yoga practice is that as the breath (prana) moves, so the mind moves and as the mind moves, so the breath moves. Breath gives us a tool with which we can explore the subtle structure of our mental and emotional worlds.

Awareness or mindfulness of breathing can lead to insight into the nature of mind and freedom from suffering. Also, breath has everything to do with structural alignment and the patterns in which we hold the body, perceive the body, and move the body. Breath awareness can eliminate joint compression and other imbalances from one’s postures and attitudes and is a foundation for flowing seamlessly in movement through an Ashtanga Vinyasa practice.

We have heard about the annual Ashtanga Yoga Confluence led by the top Ashtanga teachers. What can people expect at the Confluence? Why is it so important to gather as a community annually?

The importance of gathering together as a community is that it provides the opportunity to see others who are working with the same challenges and difficulties and also experiencing exciting insights that arise from the practice. It’s a big world and it’s nice not to feel like you’re all alone and irrelevant to the greater evolution of human culture.
Another reason it’s important to meet is to discuss the details of our own particular perspectives, techniques, injuries, solutions for those injuries, and ways that we have adapted the practice to our unique circumstances. Also, it’s wonderful to get feedback from other practitioners who might see things from a new perspective. It can wake us up to see and listen to others who share a common love for the practice, but who might have seen aspects to it that we have overlooked. Even though we are all working within a single tradition, that tradition is still evolving and is bringing in threads of insight from other traditions. A confluence allows this to happen in an above-board, open atmosphere.
People can expect from the confluence to have fun meeting all of the remarkably friendly and humble Ashtanga practitioners from around the world, and to get re-enthused by fresh and new ways of bringing an ancient tradition to life in the present moment.

What do you hope people take with them into their daily practice? What does the yoga community need to do to take the practice of yoga to the next level?

I would hope that people take from their daily practice a taste and enthusiasm for mindfulness which can be experienced as a brighter flame of intelligence that allows one to work more subtly and precisely with sensations, feelings, and thoughts as they arise. Also I would hope that all of us could be a little more curious about the roots of the yoga tradition, the variety of its expressions, its philosophies, languages, art, and its various beliefs. In other words, I would encourage us all to remember to come back again and again to an open-minded application of the attention of samadhi to everything in the whole world.
Practicing with mindfulness in this way can help us to take the practice to the next level because it requires that we act compassionately toward both ourselves and all others. This can remove the obstacle of hiding within a communal narcissism and can open the door to self-reflection and the ability to truly experience the interconnectedness of all things that is reflected through the practice.

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/ashtanga-yoga-qa-with-richard-freeman

Some videos from the practice

Yoga Sutras, Patanjali. Chapter 1 Samādhi Pāda

CHAPTER 1: SAMĀDHI PĀDA


atha yogānuśāsanam
Now I give the explanation of yoga and its practice.

yogaḥ cittavṛtti nirodhaḥ
The skill of yoga is demonstrated
by the conscious non-operation of the vibrational modes of the mento-emotional energy.

tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe avasthānam
Then the perceiver is situated in his own form.

vṛtti sārūpyam itaratra
At other times, there is conformity
with the mento-emotional energy.

vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭā akliṣṭāḥ
The vibrations in the mento-emotional energy
are five-fold being agonizing or none-troublesome.

pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ
They are correct perception, incorrect perception,
imagination, sleep and memory.

pratyakṣa anumāna āgamāḥ pramāṇāni
Correct perception may be acquired directly,
by correct analysis or by correct reference.

Viparyayo mithya jnanam atat rupa prathistham 

Incorrect perception is based on false information
and on perception of what is not the true form.

śabdajñāna anupātī vastuśūnyaḥ vikalpaḥ
Verbal or written information
which is followed by concepts
which are devoid of reality, is imagination.

abhāva pratyaya ālambanā vṛttiḥ nidrā
Sleep is the vibrationial mode which is supported
by the absence of objective awareness.

anubhūta viṣaya asaṁpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ
Memory is the retained impression of experienced objects.

abhyāsa vairāgyābhyāṁ tannirodhaḥ
That non-operation of the vibrational modes
is achieved by effective practice in not having an interest
in the very same operations.

tatra sthitau yatnaḥ abhyāsaḥ
In that case, practice is the persistent endeavor
(to cultivate that lack of interest).

sa tu dīrghakāla nairantarya
satkāra āsevitaḥ dṛḍhabhūmiḥ
But that is attained on the firm basis
of a continuous reverential sustained practice
which is executed for a long time.

dṛṣṭa ānuśravika viṣaya vitṛṣṇasya
vaśīkārasaṁjñā vairāgyam
The non-interest in the operations
of the mento-emotional energy is achieved
by one who has perfect mastery in consciousness
and who does not crave
for what is perceived or what is heard of
in the mundane existence.

tatparaṁ puruṣakhyāteḥ guṇavaitṛṣṇyam
That highest non-interest occurs when there is
freedom from desire for the features of material nature
and thorough awareness of the spiritual person.

vitarka vicāra ānanda asmitārūpa anugamāt saṁprajñātaḥ
The observational linkage of the attention
to a higher concentration force occurs with analysis,
reflection and introspective happiness
or with focus on self-consciousness.

virāmapratyaya abhyāsapūrvaḥ saṁskāraśeṣaḥ anyaḥ
The other state is the complete departure
from the level where the remaining impressions
lie in the mento-emotional energy.

bhavapratyayaḥ videha prakṛtilayānām
Of those who are diffused into subtle material nature
and those who existing in a bodiless state,
their psychology has that content.

śraddhā vīrya smṛti samādhiprajñā pūrvakaḥ itareṣām
For others, confidence, stamina, introspective memory,
the continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to a higher concentration force, and profound insight,
all being previously mastered, serves as the cause.

tīvrasaṁvegānām āsannaḥ
For those who practice forcefully in a very intense way,
the skill of yoga will be achieved very soon.

mṛdu madhya adhimātratvāt tataḥ api viśeṣaḥ
Then there is even more ratings,
according to intense, mediocre, or slight practice.

Īśvara praṇidhānāt vā
Or by the method of profound religious meditation
upon the Supreme Lord.

kleśa karma vipāka āśayaiḥ
aparāmṛṣṭaḥ puruṣaviśeṣaḥ Īśvaraḥ
The Supreme Lord is that special person
who is not affected by troubles, actions, developments
or by subconscious motivations.

tatra niratiśayaṁ sarvajñabījam
There, in Him, is found the unsurpassed origin of all knowledge.

sa eṣaḥ pūrveṣām api guruḥ kālena anavacchedāt
He, this particular person, being unconditioned by time
is the guru even of the ancient teachers,
the authorities from before.

tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ
Of Him, the sacred syllable Āuṁ (Om) is the designation.

tajjapaḥ tadarthabhāvanam
That sound is repeated, murmured constantly
for realizing its meaning.

tataḥ pratyakcetana adhigamaḥ api antarāya abhāvaḥ ca
As a result there is inwardness of the sense consciousness
and the disappearance of obstacles to progress.

vyādhi styāna saṁśaya pramāda ālasya avirati bhrāntidarśana alabdhabhūmikatva anavasthitatvāni cittavikṣepaḥ te antarāyāḥ
These obstacles are disease, idleness, doubt, inattentiveness,
lack of energy and proneness to sensuality, mistaken views,
not being able to maintain the progress attained,
unsteadiness in progression,
scattered mental and emotional energy.

duḥkha daurmanasya aṅgamejayatva
śvāsapraśvāsāḥ vikṣepa sahabhuvaḥ
Distress, depression, nervousness and labored breathing
are the symptoms of a distracted state of mind.

tatpratiṣedhārtham ekatattva abhyāsaḥ
For the removal of the obstacles,
there should be the practice of a standard method
used in the pursuit of the reality.

maitrī karuṇā muditā upekṣaṇam
sukha duḥkha puṇya apuṇya
viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaḥ cittaprasādanam
The abstract meditation
resulting from the serenity of the mento-emotional energy,
comes about by friendliness, compassion, cheerfulness
and non-responsiveness to happiness, distress, virtue and vice;

pracchardana vidhāraṇābhyāṁ vā prāṇasya
or by regulating the exhalation and inhalation of the vital energy;

viṣayavatī vā pravṛttiḥ utpannā manasaḥ sthiti nibandhanī
or by fusion and steadiness of the mind which is produced
by the operation of the mento-emotional energy
towards an object which is different to,
but similar to a normal thing;

viśokāh vā jyotiṣmatī
or by sorrow-less and spiritually-luminous states;

vītarāga viṣayaṁ vā cittam
or by fixing the mento-emotional energy
on someone who is without craving;

svapna nidrā jñāna ālambanaṁ vā
or by taking recourse to dream or dreamless sleep.

yathābhimata dhyānāt vā
Or it can be achieved from the effortless linkage of the mind
to a higher concentration force which was dearly desired.

paramāṇu paramamahattvāntaḥ asya vaśīkāraḥ
The mastery of his psyche results in control of his relationship
to the smallest atom or to cosmic proportions.

kṣīṇavṛtteḥ abhijātasya iva maṇeḥ grahītṛ
grahaṇa grāhyeṣu tatstha tadañjanatā samāpattiḥ
In regards to the great reduction
of the mento-emotional operations,
there is fusion of the perceiver, the flow of perceptions
and what is perceived, just like the absorption of a transparent jewel.

tatra śabda artha jñāna vikalpaiḥ
saṅkīrṇā savitarkā samāpattiḥ
In that case,
the deliberate linkage of the mento-emotional energy
to a higher concentrating force occurs
when a word, its meaning and the knowledge of the object
alternate within the mind, blending as it were.

smṛtipariśuddhau svarūpaśūnya iva
arthamātranirbhāsā nirvitarka
Non-analytical linkage of his attention
to a higher concentration force occurs
when the memory is completely purified
and the essential inquiring nature disappears as it were,
such that the value of that higher force shines through.

etayaiva savicāra nirvicāra ca sūkṣmaviṣayā vyākhyātā
By this, the investigative and non-investigative linkage
of one’s attention to a higher concentration force
consisting of subtler objects, was explained.

sūkṣmaviṣayatvaṁ ca aliṅga paryavasānam
The insight into the subtle nature of gross objects
terminates when one becomes linked
to the higher concentration force which has no characteristics.

tā eva sabījaḥ samādhiḥ
The previous descriptions concern the effortless
and continuous linkage of the attention
to a higher concentration force,
as motivated by the mento-emotional energy.

nirvicāra vaiśāradye adhyātmaprasādaḥ
On gaining competence in the non-investigative linkage
of one’s attention to the higher concentration force,
one experiences the clarity and serenity which results
from the linkage of the Supreme Soul and the limited one.

ṛtaṁbharā tatra prajñā
There with that competence,
the yogin develops the reality-perceptive insight.

śruta anumāna prajñābhyām anyaviṣayā viśeṣārthatvāt
It is different from the two methods of insight
which are based on what is heard
and what is reasoned out, because that is limited
to a particular aspect of an object.

tajjaḥ saṁskāraḥ anyasaṁskāra pratibandhī
That impression which is produced
from the reality-perceptive insight,
acts as the preventer of the other impressions.

tasyāpi nirodhe sarvanirodhāt nirbījaḥ samādhiḥ
The continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to the higher concentration force which is not motivated
by this mento-emotional energy,
occurs when there is a non-operation,
even of that preventative impression
which caused the suppression of all other lower memories