Kurmasana+supta kurmasana. Sri K Pattabhi Jois Yoga Mala

Kurmasana has sixteen vinyasas, the 7th and 9th vinyasas of which constitute the states of the asana.
The state of the 9th vinyasa is called Supta Kurmasana [Reclined Tortoise] (see figure).
METHOD
Begin with the first 6 vinyasas of the first Surya Namaskara, as specified in earlier asanas. In the 7th
vinyasa and doing puraka, jump as in Bhujapidasana, lower down to the floor with the strength of the
arms, stretch the arms out under the thighs, straighten the legs, put the chin on the floor, lift the head to
some extent, and do rechaka and puraka as much as possible. Then, doing rechaka, bring the hands up
behind the back and take hold of the wrist; this is the 8th vinyasa. Next, cross the legs over each other,
put the head on the floor, and do puraka and rechaka as much as possible; this is the 9th vinyasa, the
state of which is called Supta Kurmasana. The next vinyasas follow those of Bhujapidasana.

Natural Alignment 1/2 Richard Freeman and mary Taylor from the book Art of Vinyasa

IMAGINE THAT YOU GET A JOB AS A MODEL FOR AN artist who’s going to carve a statue of Avalokiteśvara, the buddha of infinite compassion. Avalokiteśvara is to be seated holding the wish-fulfilling gem in front of the lotus flower (padma) of the heart, and your alignment must be perfect! All you have to do is sit in that pose and not move.
 It takes extraordinary focus to picture what Avalokiteśvara looks like, bringing your attention again and again to rest along the plumb line of your body. Releasing the palate in silent contact with a softening tongue and feeling a smooth, steady breath unfold, you begin to experience all the physical patterns associated with inhaling. You then drop even more deeply in, observing as the breath effortlessly turns around; the exhalation dissolves all those endless forms back to their roots, like petals falling from a flower. The centers of your ears are directly over the centers of the shoulder joints, so they’re aligned exactly on the coronal plane of the body; your hip joints are centered in that same precise line. The back of the diaphragm spreads, and you notice that right around the twelfth thoracic vertebra, a radiant point of awareness is forming a warm, vibrant circle. You envision yourself having four arms, but you know not to pinch any of the shoulder blades together or the artist will kick you out and hire someone else as the model. So you drop back into the breath and feel more arms growing—just a few at first, but then an infinite number sprout and reach up out of that warm, vibrant area in the middle of your lower back. The center of each palm tingles, and you realize you can actually see through the palms as you reach out to all other sentient beings, but you’re not distracted by this visual stimulation. It’s hard work and you start to sweat, but if you release the palate and the muscles in the back of the tongue, your mind clears; you feel an extension along the spine, out through sides of your body, and then up through the crown of the head as if you are growing bigger and taller. The pose feels easy, steady, and buoyant. You cultivate a vivid sense of concentration and form and, at the same time, the ability to dissolve and let go.
 This is how alignment was taught in ancient times before the study of anatomy and theories of biomechanics and postural alignment became the norm. In those days, alignment was embodied through visualizing deity forms, which brought the finer qualities of the emotions, sensations, and thought patterns into the breath and body. Artists trained for generations in a highly disciplined manner to reproduce in their sculptures and drawings exactly what sages had discovered to be, through lifetimes of practice and visualizations, optimal forms of alignment. Forms that would facilitate a physiologically awake and open, integrated, and finely tuned state of being that is perfectly suited for contemplative practice. Symbolic representation of this kind of esoteric knowledge followed prescribed patterns and proportions that were described in minute detail so that one could meditate on a deity form and feel correct alignment. In those days, teachers didn’t bother describing the alignment of joints or any of that dry, boring anatomical stuff. Instead, they went right for the source—the deity form—and breathed right into it.

From padmasana to handstand

More work in karandavasana

Clases en Tarragona

Yoga Sutras, Patanjali. Chapter 4: Kaivalya Pāda

 


janma auṣadhi mantra tapaḥ samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ
The mystic skills are produced
through taking birth in particular species,
or by taking drugs, or by reciting special sounds,
or by physical bodily austerities or
by the continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to a higher concentration force, object or person.

jātyantara pariṇāmaḥ prakṛtyāpūrāt
The transformation from one category to another
is by the saturation of the subtle material nature.

nimittaṁ aprayojakaṁ prakṛtīnāṁ
varaṇabhedaḥ tu tataḥ kṣetrikavat
The motivating force of the subtle material energy
is not used except for the disintegration of impediments,
hence it is compared to a farmer.

nirmāṇacittāni asmitāmātrāt
The formation of regions within the mento-emotional energy,
arises only from the sense of identity
which is developed in relation to material nature.

pravṛtti bhede prayojakaṁ cittam ekam anekeṣām
The one mento-emotional energy
is that which is very much used
in numberless different dispersals of energy.

tatra dhyānajam anāśayam
In that case, only subtle activities
which are produced from the effortless linkage of the attention
to a higher reality are without harmful emotions.

karma aśukla akṛṣnaṁ yoginaḥ trividham itareṣām
The cultural activity of the yogis
is neither rewarding nor penalizing,
but others have three types of such action.

tataḥ tadvipāka anuguṇānām
eva abhivyaktiḥ vāsanānām
Subsequently from those cultural activities
there is development according to corresponding features only, bringing about the manifestation of the tendencies
within the mento-emotional energy.

jāti deśa kāla vyavahitānām api ānantaryaṁ smṛti saṁskārayoḥ ekarūpatvāt
Even though circumstances are separated
by status, location and time,
still the impressions which form cultural activities
and the resulting memories, are of one form
and operate on a timeful sequence.

tāsām anāditvaṁ ca āśiṣaḥ nityatvāt
Those memories and impressions are primeval,
without a beginning.
The hope and desire energies are eternal as well.

hetu phala āśraya ālambanaiḥ saṅgṛhītatvāt
eṣām abhāve tad abhāvaḥ
They exist by what holds them together
in terms of cause and effect, supportive base and lifting influence. Otherwise if their causes are not there,
they have no existence whatsoever.

atīta anāgataṁ svarūpataḥ
asti adhvabhedāt dharmāṇām
There is a true form of the past and future,
which is denoted by the different courses of their characteristics.

te vyakta sūkṣmāḥ guṇātmānaḥ
They are gross or subtle, all depending on their inherent nature.

pariṇāma ekatvāt vastutattvam
The actual composition of an object
is based on the uniqueness of the transformation.

vastusāmye cittabhedāt tayoḥ vibhaktaḥ panthāḥ
Because of a difference
in the mento-emotional energy of two persons,
separate prejudices manifest
in their viewing of the very same object.

na ca ekacitta tantraṁ ced vastu
tat apramāṇakaṁ tadā kiṁ syāt
An object is not dependent
on one person’s mento-emotional perception.
Otherwise, what would happen
if it were not being perceived by that person?

taduparāga apekṣitvāt cittasya vastu jñāta ajñātam
An object is known or unknown,
all depending on the mood and expectation
of the particular mento-emotional energy of the person
in reference to it.

sadā jñātāḥ cittavṛttayaḥ tatprabhoḥ
puruṣasya apariṇāmitvāt
The operations of the mento-emotional energy
are always known to that governor
because of the changelessness of that spirit.

na tat svābhāsaṁ dṛśyatvāt
That mento-emotional energy is not self-illuminative
for it is rather only capable of being perceived.

ekasamaye ca ubhaya anavadhāraṇam
It cannot execute the focus of both at the same time.

cittāntaradṛśye buddhibuddheḥ
atiprasaṅgaḥ smṛtisaṅkaraḥ ca
In the perception of mento-emotional energy
by another such energy,
there would be an intellect
perceiving another intellect independently.
That would cause absurdity and confusion of memory.

citeḥ apratisaṁkramāyāḥ tadākārāpattau svabuddhisaṁvedanam
The perception of its own intellect occurs
when it assumes that form in which there is no movement
from one operation to another.

draṣṭṛ dṛśya uparaktaṁ cittaṁ sarvārtham
The mento-emotional energy which is prejudiced by the perceiver and the perceived, is all evaluating.

tat asaṅkhyeya vāsanābhiḥ citram
api parārthaṁ saṁhatyakāritvāt
Although the mento-emotional energy is diverse
by innumerable subtle impressions,
it acts for the sake of another power
because of its proximity to that other force.

viśeṣadarśinaḥ ātmabhāva bhāvanānivṛttiḥ
There is total stopping
of the operations of mento-emotional energy
for the person who perceives the distinction
between feelings and the spirit itself.

tadā hi vivekanimnaṁ kaivalya prāgbhāraṁ cittam
Then, indeed,
the mento-emotional force is inclined towards discrimination
and gravitates towards the total separation
from the mundane psychology.

tat cchidreṣu pratyayāntarāṇi saṁskārebhyaḥ
Besides that, in the relaxation of the focus,
other mind contents arise in the intervals.
These are based on subtle impressions.

hānam eṣāṁ kleśavat uktam
As authoritatively stated, the complete removal of these
is like the elimination of the mento-emotional afflictions.

prasaṁkhyāne api akusīdasya sarvathā
vivekakhyāteḥ dharmameghaḥ samādhiḥ
For one who sees no gains in material nature,
even while perceiving it in abstract meditation,
he has the super discrimination.
He attained the continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to higher reality which is described
as knowing the mento-emotional clouds of energy
which compel a person to perform
according to nature’s way of acting for beneficial results.

tataḥ kleśa karma nivṛttiḥ
Subsequently there is stoppage of the operation
of the mento-emotional energy
in terms of generation of cultural activities
and their resulting afflictions.

tadā sarva āvaraṇa malāpetasya
jñānasya ānantyāt jñeyam alpam
Then, because of the removal of all mental darkness
and psychological impurities,
that which can be known through the mento-emotional energy, seems trivial in comparison to the unlimited knowledge available when separated from it.

tataḥ kṛtārthānāṁ pariṇāmakrama samāptir guṇānām
Thus, the subtle material nature, having fulfilled its purpose,
its progressive alterations end.

kṣaṇa pratiyogī pariṇāma
aparānta nirgrāhyaḥ kramaḥ
The process, of which moments are a counterpart,
and which causes the alterations,
comes to an end and is clearly perceived.

puruṣārtha śūnyānāṁ guṇānāṁ
pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṁ
svarūpapratiṣṭhā vā citiśaktiḥ iti
Separation of the spirit
from the mento-emotional energy (kaivalyam)
occurs when there is neutrality
in respect to the influence of material nature,
when the yogi’s psyche becomes devoid
of the general aims of a human being.
Thus at last, the spirit is established in its own form
as the force empowering the mento-emotional energy.

Yoga Journal Març-Abr. 2003 Richard Freeman

Matthew Sweeney Interview

Yoga sutras esquema 1

the nine distractions for the mind (Patanjali)

Obstacles are to be expected: There are a number of predictable obstacles (1.30) that arise on the inner journey, along with several consequences (1.31) that grow out of them. While these can be a challenge, there is a certain comfort in knowing that they are a natural, predictable part of the process. Knowing this can help to maintain the faith and conviction that were previously discussed as essential (1.20).

Predictable Obstacles (1.30)
Illness	Dullness		Doubt
Negligence	Laziness		Cravings
Misperceptions	Failure		Instability
Companions to those Obstacles (1.31)
Mental and physical pain		Sadness and frustration
Unsteadiness of the body		Irregular breath

One-pointedness is the solution: There is a single, underlying principle that is the antidote for these obstacles and their consequences, and that is the one-pointedness of mind (1.32). Although there are many forms in which this one-pointedness can be practiced, the principle is uniform. If the mind is focused, then it is far less likely to get entangled and lost in the mire of delusion that can come from these obstacles (1.4).
Remember one truth or object: Repeatedly remember one aspect of truth, or one object (1.32). It may be any object, including one of the several that are suggested in the coming sutras (1.33-1.39). It may be related to your religion, an aspect of your own being, a principle, or some other pleasing object. It may be a mantra, short prayer, or affirmation. While there is great breadth of choice in objects, a sincere aspirant will choose wisely the object for this practice, possibly along with the guidance of someone familiar with these practices.

Shri K. pattabhi Jois and Sharat performing Puja London 2002

Ashtanga en Indra

PATANJALI—PHILOSOPHER AND YOGIN Georg Feuerstein

Most yogins, like most ordinary people, do not have an intellectual bent. But yogins, unlike
ordinary people, turn this into an advantage by cultivating wisdom and the kind of psychic and
spiritual experiences that the rational mind tends to deny and prevent. And yet there always have been
those Yoga practitioners who were brilliant intellectuals as well. Thus, Shankara of the eighth century

C.E. is not only remembered as the greatest proponent of Hindu nondualist metaphysics, or Advaita
Vedânta, but also as a great adept of Yoga. The Buddhist teacher Nâgârjuna, who lived in the second
century C.E., was not only a celebrated Tantric alchemist and thaumaturgist (siddha) but also a
philosophical genius of the first order. In the sixteenth century C.E., Vijnâna Bhikshu wrote profound
commentaries on all the major schools of thought. He was a noted thinker who greatly impressed the
German pioneering indologist and founder of comparative mythology Max Muller. At the same time
he was a spiritual practitioner of the first order, following Vedântic Jnâna-Yoga.
Similarly, Patanjali, the author or compiler of the Yoga- Sûtra, was obviously a Yoga adept who
also had a great head on his shoulders. As Yoga researcher Christopher Chappie wrote:
Some have said that Patanjali has made no specific philosophical contribution in his presentation
of the yoga school. To the contrary, I suggest that his is a masterful contribution communicated
through nonjudgmentally presenting diverse practices, a methodology deeply rooted in the
culture and traditions of India.1
The Yoga of Patanjali represents the climax of a long development of yogic technology. Of all the
numerous schools that existed in the opening centuries of the Common Era, Patanjali’s school was the
one to become acknowledged as the authoritative system (darshana) of the Yoga tradition. There are
numerous parallels between Patanjali’s Yoga and Buddhism, and it is unknown whether these are
simply due to the synchronous development of Hindu and Buddhist Yoga or are the result of a special
interest in Buddhist teachings on the part of Patanjali. If Patanjali lived in the second century C.E., as
is proposed here, he may well have been exposed to the considerable influence of Buddhism at that
time. But perhaps both explanations apply.
Disappointingly, we know next to nothing about Patanjali. Hindu tradition identifies him with the
famous grammarian of the same name who lived in the second century B.C.E. and authored the Mahâ-
Bhâshya. The consensus of scholarly opinion, however, considers this unlikely. Both the contents and
the terminology of the Yoga-Sûtra suggest the second century C.E. as a probable date for Patanjali,
whoever he may have been.3
In addition to the grammarian, India knows of several other Patanjalis. The name is mentioned as a
clan (gotra) name of the Vedic priest Âsurâyana. The old Shata-Pata-Brâhmana mentions a Patancala
Kâpya, whom the nineteenth-century German scholar Albrecht Weber wrongly tried to connect with
Patanjali.4 Then there was a Sâmkhya teacher by this name whose views are mentioned in the Yukti-
Dîpikâ (late seventh or early eighth century C.E.). Possibly another Patanjali is credited with the
Yoga-Darpana (“Mirror of Yoga”), a manuscript of unknown date. Finally, there was a Yoga teacher
Patanjali who was part of the South Indian Shaiva tradition. His name may be referred to in the title of
Umâpati Shivâcârya’s fourteenth-century Pâtanjala- Sûtra, which is a work on liturgy at the Natarâja
temple of Cidambaram.
Hindu tradition has it that Patanjali was an incarnation of Ananta, or Shesha, the thousand-headed
ruler of the serpent race that is thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. The name Patanjali
is said to have been given to Ananta because he desired to teach Yoga on Earth and fell (pat) from
Heaven onto the palm (anjali) of a virtuous woman, named Gonikâ. Iconography often depicts Ananta
as the couch on which God Vishnu reclines. The serpent lord’s many heads symbolize infinity or
omnipresence. Ananta’s connection to Yoga is not difficult to uncover, since Yoga is the secret
treasure, or esoteric lore, par excellence. To this day, many yogins bow to Ananta before they begin
then- daily round of yogic exercises.
serpent lord, Ahîsha, is saluted as follows:
May He who rules to favor the world in many ways by giving up His original [unmanifest] form
—He who is beautifully coiled and many-mouthed, endowed with lethal poisons and yet
removing the host of afflictions (klesha), who is the source of all wisdom (jnâna), and whose
circle of attendant serpents constantly generates pleasure, who is the divine Lord of Serpents:
May He, the bestower of Yoga, yoked in Yoga, protect you with His pure white body.
Whatever we can say about Patanjali is purely speculative. It is reasonable to assume that he was a
great Yoga authority and most probably the head of a school in which study (svâdhyâya) was regarded
as an important aspect of spiritual practice. In composing his aphorisms (sûtra) he availed himself of
existing works. His own philosophical contribution, as far as it can be gauged from the Yoga-Sûtra
itself, was modest. He appears to have been a compiler and systematizer rather than an originator. It is
of course possible that he has written other works that have not survived.

Hiranyagarbha

Western Yoga enthusiasts often regard Patanjali as the father of Yoga, but this is misleading.
According to post-classical traditions, the originator of Yoga was Hiranyagarbha. Although some texts
speak of Hiranyagarbha as a Self-realized adept who lived in ancient times, this notion is doubtful.
The name means “Golden Germ” and in Vedânta cosmomythology refers to the womb of creation, to
the first being to emerge from the unmanifest ground of the world and the matrix of all the myriad
forms of creation. Thus, Hiranyagarbha is a primal cosmic force rather than an individual. To speak of
him—or it—as the originator of Yoga makes sense when one understands that Yoga essentially
consists in altered states of awareness through which the yogin tunes into nonordinary levels of
reality. In this sense, then, Yoga is always revelation. Hiranyagarbha is simply a symbol for the
power, or grace, by which the spiritual process is initiated and revealed.
Later Yoga commentators believed that there was an actual person called Hiranyagarbha who had
authored a treatise on Yoga. Such a work is indeed referred to by many other authorities, but this does
not necessarily say anything about Hiranyagarbha. The most detailed information about that scripture
is found in the twelfth chapter of the Ahirbudhnya-Samhitâ (“Collection of the Dragon of the Deep”),
which is a work of the medieval Vaishnava tradition. According to this scripture, Hiranyagarbha
composed two works on Yoga, one on nirodha-yoga (“Yoga of restriction”) and one on karma-yoga
(“Yoga of action”). The former apparently dealt with the higher stages of the spiritual process, notably
ecstatic states, whereas the latter is said to have been concerned with spiritual attitudes and forms of
behavior.
There may well have been a work on Yoga of this nature, and if it did exist, it might even have
antedated Patanjali’s compilation. In any case, Hiranyagarbha’s work is not remembered to have been
a Sûtra, though it is quite possible that other Sûtras on Yoga existed prior to Patanjali’s composition.
It is a fact, however, that Patanjali’s Yoga-Sûtra has eclipsed all earlier Sûtra works within the Yoga
tradition, perhaps because it was the most comprehensive or systematic.

THE CODIFICATION OF WISDOM—THE YOGA-SÛTRA
Patanjali gave the Yoga tradition its classical format, and hence his school is often referred to as
Classical Yoga. He composed his aphoristic work in the heyday of philosophical speculation and
debate in India, and it is to his credit that he supplied the Yoga tradition with a reasonably
homogeneous theoretical framework that could stand up against the many rival traditions, such as
Vedânta, Nyâya, and not least Buddhism. His composition is in principle a systematic treatise
concerned with defining the most important elements of Yoga theory and practice. Patanjali’s school
was at one time enormously influential, as can be deduced from the many references to the Yoga-
Sûtra, as well as the criticisms of it, in the scriptures of other philosophical systems.
Each school of Hinduism has produced its own Sûtra, with the Sanskrit word sûtra meaning literally
“thread.” A Sûtra composition consists of aphoristic statements that together furnish the reader with a
thread which strings together all the memorable ideas characteristic of that school of thought. A sûtra,
then, is a mnemonic device, rather like a knot in one’s handkerchief or a scribbled note in one’s diary
or appointment book. Just how concise the sûtra style of writing is can be gauged from the following
opening aphorisms of Patanjali’s scripture:
1.1: atha yogânushâsanam (atha yoga-anushâsanam) “Now [commences] the exposition of Yoga.”
1.2: yogashcittavrittinirodhah (yogash citta-vritti- nirodhah)
“Yoga is the restriction of the whirls of consciousness.”
1.3: tadâ drashthuh svarûpe’ vasthânam (tada drashthuh sva-rûpe’ vasthânam)
“Then [i.e., when that restriction has been accomplished] the ‘Seer’ [i.e., the transcendental Self]
appears.”
Of course, such terms as citta (consciousness), vritti (lit. “whirl”), and drashtri (“seer”) are
themselves highly condensed expressions for rather complex concepts. Even such a seemingly
straightforward word as atha (“now”), which opens most traditional Sanskrit treatises, is packed with
meanings, as is evident from the many pages of exegesis dedicated to it in some of the commentaries
on the Yoga-Sûtra.
In his monumental History of Indian Philosophy, Surendranath Dâsgupta made the following
observations about this style of writing:
The systematic treatises were written in short and pregnant half-sentences (sûtras) which did not
elaborate the subject in detail, but served only to hold before the reader the lost threads of
memory of elaborate disquisitions with which he was already thoroughly acquainted. It seems,
therefore, that these pithy half-sentences were like lecture hints, intended for those who had
direct elaborate oral instructions on the subject. It is indeed difficult to guess from the sutras the
extent of their significance, or how far the discussions which they gave rise to in later days were
originally intended by them Our knowledge of Pâtanjala-Yoga is primarily, though not entirely, based on the Yoga-Sûtra. As we
will see, many commentaries have been written on it that aid our understanding of this system. As
scholarship has demonstrated, however, these secondary works do not appear to have come forth from
Patanjali’s school itself, and therefore their expositions need to be taken with a good measure of
discrimination.
Turning to the Yoga-Sûtra itself, we find that it consists of 195 aphorisms or sutras, though some
editions have 196. A number of variant readings are known, but these are generally insignificant and
do not change the meaning of Patanjali’s work. The aphorisms are distributed over four chapters as
follows:
1. samâdhi-pâda, chapter on ecstasy
— 51 aphorisms
2. sâdhanâ-pâda, chapter on the path
— 55 aphorisms
3. vibhûti-pâda, chapter on the powers
— 55 aphorisms
4. kaivalya-pâda, chapter on liberation
— 34 aphorisms
This division is somewhat arbitrary and appears to be the result of an inadequate reediting of the
text. A close study of the Yoga-Sûtra shows that in its present form it cannot possibly be considered an
entirely uniform creation. For this reason various scholars have attempted to reconstruct the original
by dissecting the available text into several subtexts of supposedly independent origins. These efforts,
however, have not been very successful, because they leave us with inconclusive fragments. It is,
therefore, preferable to take a more generous view of Patanjali’s work and grant the possibility that it
is far more homogenous than Western scholarship has tended to assume.
As I have shown in my own detailed examination of the Yoga-Sûtra, this great scripture could well
be a composite of only two distinct Yoga lineages. On the one hand there is the Yoga of eight limbs or
ashta-anga- yoga (written ashtângayoga), and on the other, there is the Yoga of Action ( kriyâ-yoga). I
have suggested that the section dealing with the eight constituent practices may even be a quotation
rather than a later interpolation. If this were indeed correct, the widespread equation of Classical Yoga
with the eightfold path would be a historical curiosity, since the bulk of the Yoga-Sûtra deals with
kriyâ-yoga. But textual reconstructions of this kind are always tentative, and we must keep an open
mind about this as about so many other aspects of Yoga and Yoga history.
The advantage of the kind of methodological approach to the study of the Yoga-Sûtra that I have
proposed is that it presumes the text’s homogeneity or “textual innocence” and thus does not do a
priori violence to the text, as is the case with those textual analyses that set out to prove that a text is
in fact corrupt or composed of fragments and interpolations. At any rate, these scholarly quibbles do
not detract from the merit of the work as it is extant today. Now, as then, the Yoga practitioner can
benefit greatly from the study of Patanjali’s compilation.

En la escuela Indra

Yoga Sutras, Patanjali. Chapter 3: Vibhūti Pāda

deśa bandhaḥ cittasya dhāraṇā

Linking of the attention to a concentration force or person,
involves a restricted location in the mento-emotional energy.

tatra pratyayaḥ ekatānatā dhyānam
When in that location, there is one continuous threadlike flow
of one’s instinctive interest that is the effortless linking
of the attention to a higher concentration force or person.

tadeva arthamātranirbhāsaṁ
svarūpaśūnyam iva samādhiḥ
That same effortless linkage of the attention when experienced
as illumination of the higher concentration force or person,
while the yogi feels as if devoid of himself,
is samādhi or continuous effortless linkage of his attention
to the special person, object, or force.

trayam ekatra saṁyamaḥ
The three as one practice is the complete restraint.

tajjayāt prajñālokaḥ
From the mastery of that complete restraint
of the mento-emotional energy,
one develops the illuminating insight.

tasya bhūmiṣu viniyogaḥ
The practice of this complete restraint occurs in stages.

trayam antaraṅgaṁ pūrvebhyaḥ
In reference to the preliminary stages of yoga,
these three higher states concern the psychological organs.

tadapi bahiraṅgaṁ nirbījasya
But even that initial mastership
of the three higher stages of yoga,
is external in reference to meditation,
which is not motivated by the mento-emotional energy.

abhibhava prādurbhāvau nirodhakṣaṇa
cittānvayaḥ nirodhapariṇāmaḥ
When the connection
with the mento-emotional energy momentarily ceases
during the manifestation and disappearance phases
when there is expression or suppression of the impressions,
that is the restraint of the transforming mento-emotional energy.

tasya praśāntavāhita saṁskārāt
Concerning this practice of restraint,
the impressions derived cause a flow of spiritual peace.

sarvārthatā ekāgratayoḥ kṣaya udayau
cittasya samādhipariṇāmaḥ
The decrease of varying objectives
in the mento-emotional energy
and the increase of the one aspect within it,
is the change noticed
in the practice of continuous effortless linking of the attention
to higher concentration forces, objects or persons.

tataḥ punaḥśānta uditau tulya pratyayaḥu
cittasya ekāgratāpariṇāmaḥ
Then again, when the mind’s content is the same as it was
when it is subsiding and when it is emerging,
that is the transformation called
“having one aspect in front of, or before the attention”.

etena bhūtendriyeṣu dharma lakṣaṇa avasthā
pariṇāmāḥ vyākhyātāḥ
By this description of the changes, quality and shape,
the changing conditions of the various states of matter,
as well as of the sensual energy, was described.

śānta udita avyapadeśya dharma anupātī dharmī
When the collapsed, emergent and latent forces
reach full retrogression, that is the most basic condition.

karma anyatvaṁ pariṇāma anyatve hetuḥ
The cause of a difference in the transformation
is the difference in the sequential changes.

pariṇāmatraya saṁyamāt atīta anāgatajñānam
From the complete restrain of the mento-emotional energy
in terms of the three-fold transformations within it,
the yogi gets information about the past and future.

śabda artha pratyayānām itaretarādhyāsāt
saṅkaraḥ tatpravibhāga saṁyamāt
sarvabhūta rutajñānam
From the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
In relation to mental clarity,
regarding the intermixture resulting from the superimposition
one for the other, of sound, its meaning and the related mentality, knowledge about the language of all creatures is gained.

saṁskāra sākṣātkaraṇāt pūrvajātijñānam
From direct intuitive perception of the subtle impressions
stored in the memory, the yogi gains knowledge of previous lives.

pratyayasya paracittajñānam
A yogi can know the contents
of the mental and emotional energy
in the mind of others.

na ca tat sālambanaṁ tasya aviṣayī bhūtatvāt
And he does not check a factor
which is the support of that content,
for it is not the actual object in question.

kāya rūpa saṁyamāt tadgrāhyaśakti
stambhe cakṣuḥ prakāśa asaṁprayoge 'ntardhānam
From the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy in relation to the shape of the body, on the suspension of the receptive energy,
there is no contact between light and vision, which results in invisibility.

etena śabdādi antardhānam uktam
By this method,
sound and the related sensual pursuits, may be restrained, which results in the related non -perceptibility.

sopakramaṁ nirupakramaṁ ca karma
tatsaṁyamāt aparāntajñānam ariṣṭebhyaḥ vā
Complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to current and destined cultural activities
results in knowledge of entry into the hereafter.
Or the same result is gained
by the complete restraint in relation to portents.


maitryādiṣu balāni
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to friendliness, he develops that very same power.

baleṣu hasti balādīni
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to strength,
the yogin acquires strength of an elephant.
The same applies to other aspects.

pravṛitti āloka nyāsāt sūkṣma
vyavahita viprakṛṣṭajñānam
From the application of supernatural insight
to the force producing cultural activities,
a yogi gets information about what is subtle, concealed
and what is remote from him.

bhuvanajñānaṁ sūrye saṁyamāt
From the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to the sun god or the sun planet,
knowledge of the solar system is gained.

candre tārāvyūhajñānam
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy,
in reference to the moon or moon-god,
the yogi gets knowledge about the system of stars.

dhruve tadgatijñānam
By the complete restrain of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to the Pole Star,
a yogi can know of the course of planets and stars.

nābhicakre kāyavyūhajñānam
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in relation to the focusing on the navel energy-gyrating center,
the yogi gets knowledge about the layout of his body.

kaṇṭhakūpe kṣutpipāsā nivṛttiḥ
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in focusing on the gullet,
a yogi causes the suppression of hunger and thirst.

kūrmanāḍyāṃ sthairyam
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
in focusing on the kurmanadi subtle nerve,
a yogi acquires steadiness of his psyche.

mūrdhajyotiṣi siddhadarśanam
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
as it is focused on the shining light in the head of the subtle body,
a yogi gets views of the perfected beings.

prātibhāt vā sarvam
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy,
while focusing on the shining organ of divination
in the head of the subtle body,
the yogin gets the ability to know all reality.

hṛdaye cittasaṁvit
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
as it is focused on the causal body in the vicinity of the chest,
the yogi gets thorough insight
into the cause of the mental and emotional energy.

sattva puruṣayoḥ atyantāsaṁkīrṇayoḥ
pratyayaḥ aviśeṣaḥ bhogaḥ parārthatvāt
svārthasaṁyamāt puruṣajñānam
Experience results from the inability to distinguish
between the individual spirit
and the intelligence energy of material nature,
even though they are very distinct.
By complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
while focusing on self-interest distinct from the other interest,
a yogi gets knowledge of the individual spirit.

tataḥ prātibha śrāvaṇa vedana
ādarśa āsvāda vārtāḥ jāyante
From that focus is produced smelling, tasting, seeing,
touching and hearing, through the shining organ of divination.

te samādhau upasargāḥ vyutthāne siddhayaḥ
Those divination skills are obstacles
in the practice of continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to a higher concentration force, object or person.
But in expressing,
they are considered as mystic perfectional skills.

bandhakāraṇa śaithilyāt pracāra
saṁvedanāt ca cittasya paraśarīrāveśaḥ
The entrance into another body is possible
by slackening the cause of bondage
and by knowing the channels of the mento-emotional energy.

udānajayāt jala paṅka kaṇṭakādiṣu asaṇgaḥ utkrāntiḥ ca
By mastery over the air
which rises from the throat into the head,
a yogi can rise over or not have contact
with water, mud or sharp objects.

samānajayāt jvalanam
By conquest of the samana digestive force,
a yogi’s psyche blazes or shines with a fiery glow.

śrotra ākāśayoḥ saṁbandha saṁyamāt divyaṁ śrotram
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy,
while focusing on the hearing sense and space,
a yogin develops supernatural and divine hearing.

kāya ākāśayoḥ saṁbandha saṁyamāt
laghutūlasamāpatteḥ ca ākāśagamanam
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy,
while linking the mind
to the relationship between the body and the sky
and linking the attention to being as light as cotton fluff,
a yogi acquires the ability to pass through the atmosphere.

bahiḥ akalpitā vṛttiḥ mahāvidehā tataḥ
prakāśa āvaraṇakṣayaḥ
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy
which is external, which is not formed,
a yogi achieves the great bodiless state.
From that the great mental darkness which veils the light,
is dissipated.

sthūla svarūpa sūkṣma anvaya arthavatva
saṁyamāt bhūtajayaḥ
By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy,
while linking the attention to the gross forms, real nature,
subtle distribution and value of states of matter,
a yogi gets conquest over them.

tataḥ aṇimādi prādurbhāvaḥ kāyasaṁpat
taddharma anabhighātaḥ ca
From minuteness and other related mystic skills
come the perfection of the subtle body
and the non-obstructions of its functions.

rūpa lāvaṇya bala vajra saṁhananatvāni kāyasaṁpat
Beautiful form, charm, mystic force, diamond-like definition
come from the perfection of the subtle body.

grahaṇa svarūpa asmitā anvaya arthavattva
saṁyamāt indriyajayaḥ
From the continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to sensual grasping, to the form of the sensual energy,
to its identifying powers, to its connection instinct
and to its actual worth,
a yogi acquires conquest over his relationship with it.

tataḥ manojavitvaṁ vikaraṇabhāvaḥ pradhānajayaḥ ca
Subsequently, there is conquest
over the influence of subtle matter
and over the parting away or dispersion
of the mento-emotional energy,
with the required swiftness of mind.

sattva puruṣa anyatā khyātimātrasya
sarvabhāva adhiṣṭhātṛtvaṁ sarvajñātṛtvaṁ ca
Only when there is distinct discrimination
between the clarifying perception of material nature
and the spiritual personality,
does the yogi attain complete disaffection
and all-applicative intuition.

tadvairāgyāt api doṣabījakṣaye kaivalyam
By a lack of interest, even to that
(discrimination between the clarifying mundane energy
and the self) when the cause of that defect is eliminated,
the absolute isolation of the self from the lower psyche of itself,
is achieved.

sthānyupanimantraṇe saṅgasmayākaraṇaṁ
punaraniṣṭa prasaṅgāt
On being invited by a person
from the place one would attain if his body died,
a yogi should be non-responsive, not desiring their association
and not being fascinated,
otherwise that would cause unwanted features of existence
to arise again.

kṣaṇa tatkramayoḥ saṁyamāt vivekajaṁ jñānam
By the continuous effortless linkage of the attention
to the moment and to the sequence of the moments,
the yogi has knowledge caused by the subtle discrimination.

jāti lakṣaṇa deśaiḥ anyatā anavacchedāt
tulyayoḥ tataḥ pratipattiḥ
Subsequently, the yogi has perception of two similar realties
which otherwise could not be sorted
due to a lack of definition in terms of their general category, individual characteristic and location.

tārakaṁ sarvaviṣayaṁ sarvathāviṣayaṁ
akramaṁ ca iti vivekajaṁ jñānam
The distinction caused by subtle discrimination
is the crossing over or transcending
of all subtle and gross mundane objects
in all ways they are presented,
without the yogi taking recourse
to any other sequential perceptions of mind reliance.

sattva puruṣayoḥ śuddhi sāmye kaivalyam iti
When there is equal purity between the intelligence energy
of material nature and the spirit,
then there is total separation
from the mundane psychology.

kaivalya ligth on life BKS Iyengar

“The realized yogi continues to function and act in the world, but in a way that is free. He is free from desires of motivation and free from the fruit or rewards of action. The yogi is utterly disinterested but paradoxically full of the engagement of compassion. He is in the world but of it.”

B.K.S Iyengar

Pattabhi Jois

Lino Miele Interview

Interview with Kristina Karitinou

1-Do you think that the Ashtanga yoga series can be practice whole life?

For sure, you can see the senior teachers of our time! They look amazing,they have great knowledge and they practice the series with the appropriate asana variations!

2-Why did you start practicing yoga?

When I was 19 a friend believed that to practice Ashtanga was my destiny! She was right!I continued

because Ashtanga practice reminds me everyday of the value and the importance of life.


3-have you ever been injured??

Many times,but I learn from my mistakes!!! Sometimes this is the way to experience your one anatomy. Injury teaches us to be more careful and sensitive on the mat.I believe that this method is so powerful in order to teach us to look after ourselves and move forward in life with awareness. Like little children who finally learn to walk.

4-Do you think that after all this years of practicing, you already have found Mula bandha (in the full sense physical / energetic) or you are still looking?

I had my Mula bandha with me when i was born like everybody else. When I start practicing Ashtanga my teachers showed me the way to activate it and since then me and my mula bhanda have been very close friends!



Thank you Kristina Karitinou :)

interviews for Sthira&Bhaga

Correcta alineación en Sirsasana (headstand)

1. Colocar los codos paralelos a la misma distancia de los hombros.
2. Entrecruzar las manos fuertemente formando un triángulo con los codos. Colocar la cabeza en el suelo con el punto más alto del cráneo en contacto con en el suelo. (delante de la coronilla aproximadamente)
3. Al inhalar subir con las dos piernas estirados con la ayuda de la fuerza de la inhalación y el movimiento de la cadera.
   
4. Una vez ya en sirsasana empujar con las manos y los codos hacia el suelo de forma que el peso no se pose en la cabeza,  al mismo tiempo  el cuerpo se proyecta dinámicamente hacia arriba. Es importante fijar bien los codos en la esterilla para evitar que los codos resbalen hacia los lados y se pierda el
   
   equilibrio.  Mantener las piernas activas,juntas y rectas con los dedos de los pies apuntando hacia arriba. Eso mantiene las escapulas hacia atrás y el centro del pecho abierto.
5. Usar la correcta aplicación de mula bandha y uddiyana bandha para estabilizar la cadera en el punto central de gravedad y desplazar el cóccix ligeramente hacía atrás para conservar las 4 curvaturas naturales de la columna vertebral, sin perder el control de la musculatura que protege la zona lumbar para mantener el cuerpo recto y erguido. Una contracción exagerada abdominal restringirá el movimiento diafragmático de la respiración y anulará la curvatura propia de la espalda, por lo que debe ser focalizado el control uddiyana bandha encima del hueso pélvico y nunca más arriba del ombligo. 
6. Mover un poco el cóccix también ayuda a poder sentir el movimiento del suelo pélvico de forma más precisa. La parte posterior del cráneo se alinea con las nalgas y los gemelos.
7. El punto centro de apana vayu (suelo pélvico) y de prana vayu (centro del pecho) se mantienen dinámicamente activos  y se repulsan el uno al otro  como dos fuerzas magnéticas iguales. La parte
   superior del cuerpo proyecta la fuerza hacia el suelo, mientras que la parte inferior energéticamente busca la intención hacia arriba.
8. El paladar blando se relaja, la mente se centra en la cualidad sonora de la respiración. La mirada se
   
   centra en nasagra drishti (la punta de la nariz).
9. Para progresar a Niralamba Sirsasana, las manos presionan fuertemente contra el suelo y al mismo tiempo que se eleva la corona de la cabeza el cóccix ayudado por los bandhas se mueves sutilmente hacia atrás para cambiar el centro de gravedad encima del punto donde están las manos. Manteniendo el control abdominal y del suelo pélvico, levantar la cabeza hasta que el mentón contacta con la parte superior de tórax (posición de jalandhara) y la mirada se centra en los dedos de los pies.