Om Mani Padme Hum

Om Mani Padme Hum as Temporary Tattoos

My friend and yoga student, Dan Telep died on August 5th, 2014, a few days before his 80th birthday. He went out for a bike ride and that day and never came back. He died doing one of the things he loved doing. He said his doctor told him that if he was still riding his bike at the age of 80, the odds were that he would probably die on his bike. I’m sorry to have lost Dan, but I am glad that he went out the way he did, full of life and adventure.

The mantra I have chosen for the month of August is in memory of my friend. Dan told me that he chanted “Om Mani Padme Hum” while riding his bike. It helped him push the pedals and get up hills. It was Dan that inspired me to ride the MS City to Shore Bike Ride. I had always wanted to do it, but I always found an excuse to not do it: “It’s too far. What if I can’t do it? What if it rains, or is cold, or, ….” Losing Dan motivated me to stop procrastinating and get going!

This chant is often called “The Jewel in the Lotus” because the mantra is said to contain the essence of the teaching of the Buddha which is that life is filled with suffering. Once we really learn that suffering exists, we can look deeper and discover its cause. When we discover that the cause is dependent on certain conditions, we can explore the idea of removing those conditions. This is the process of becoming enlightened; to understand what we need to do in order to save ourselves and others from suffering.While this mantra has no direct translation, its six syllables are said to represent The Six Paramitas of the Bodhisattvas, or The Six Perfections. These are six lessons we need to learn to overcome suffering:

The first syllable, Om, is supposed to bless you and help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity. Ma helps perfect the practice of ethical behavior. Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Pad helps to achieve the perfection of perseverance. Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration and the last syllable, Hum, helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.

Chanting this mantra with dedication and devotion can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech and mind of a Buddha.

Om Mani Padme Hum is often the mantra depicted on Buddhist prayer wheels.

P.S.  People have been asking me for links to the mantras I have been playing in class.  Here they are:

The first one is the version by M.C. Yogi called Prayer Wheel.

The second one is Secret Sounds by Veet Vichara and Premanjali

FAQs about Starting a Yoga Teacher Training Program

Do I have to want to become a yoga teacher to take a yoga teacher training program?

No.  Some people take teacher training as a way to learn more about yoga in general and their own practice in particular. However, there will be a portion of the program where you will need to step up and teach to your fellow classmates.  It is often surprising to students how much they feel like they know their teacher’s script by heart but when it comes time to tell someone else how to come into Warrior II, they can’t find the words.  One of the best ways to make sure that you know something inside and out is to have to explain it to someone else.

I love yoga and think I want to teach it, but I don’t see myself teaching yoga in a large class in a studio or a gym.

Teaching yoga, as I do, in a large group class in a studio or gym is not the only way to teach yoga.  There are many ways to specialize in teaching yoga:

• You can teach privates only.

• There are opportunities to teach in the corporate world; lots of companies offer yoga as a perk to their staff.

• Find your own special niche: pre-natal yoga, yoga for people in recovery, women who have been abused, kids, teens, seniors, retirement communities, teaching people in nursing homes, people who have MS.

However in order to branch out into any of these specialties you will need a basic 200 hour program under your belt, first.

I can’t touch my toes, stand on my head, do a split or wheel.  Can I still become a yoga teacher?

OMG!  Yes!  I couldn’t touch my toes for the longest time when I first began teaching yoga.  I thought I wasn’t good enough, or a “real” yoga teacher because of that.

But, what I saw as a detriment actually became a skill.  If the yoga poses come easily to you, you might not understand why others can’t do the things you can do.  I had to figure out how to touch my toes and that skill helped me explain to others what they needed to learn and do in order to become more flexible, too.  I learned a lot about flexibility, both mental and physical, anatomy, alignment, the physiology of stretching plus patience and surrender, too.  All of these lessons served to help me become a better teacher. I knew about the hard work and dedication necessary to achieve a pose.  I also knew about the dangers of caring too much about achieving a pose and pushing too hard and getting injured in the process!

While there are some people who can do everything, most people seem to be better in one group of poses over another, and they have to work hard at those other poses to make progress and to stay balanced.  If that is the way you are, then you will have to learn how to modify and use props and to be inventive as to how to get at the pose from another angle.  You also learn lessons of patience, acceptance and surrender.

If you can’t do advanced poses, you probably won’t attract those students to you who want to do those poses, but this is a good thing.  I recommend that new teachers: “teach only what you know”.  As your practice and skills develop, you will be able to teach more poses.

An important thing to note is that most people may not be looking to be able to place their foot behind their head.  It takes a lot of time and commitment to be able to do those kinds of poses.  About a year ago, I took a survey of my yoga students asking them what they wanted out of their yoga practice.  The top five responses had more to do with finding peace and serenity than they did with doing advanced poses.

How long should one have been practicing yoga before beginning a yoga teacher training program?

When I first started training yoga teachers, I thought people should have at least three years of practice before embarking on a teacher training program.  The more you know about yoga and the more adept your practice is, the more you will absorb from the training program.  However, one of my friends and students said that she signed up for teacher training after only one yoga class.  Now, she had been teaching other forms of fitness before.  But, once she found yoga, she just fell in love with it.  I like to encourage students to follow their passion.

Before the founding of Yoga Alliance and the 200 hour certification requirement, it used to be that you apprenticed with a teacher for at least ten years before you would start to teach.  When that teacher felt that you knew enough to teach, they would encourage you to do so.   People don’t want to wait that long these days.   But one of the things that makes sense from that model is the idea of practicing for a long enough time to get past the honeymoon stage of the practice.  If you practice for long enough something usually happens that creates a disturbance in your practice: an illness, injury or outside commitment.  Sometimes circumstances make it difficult to get onto your mat.  If there is a hiatus in practice, beginning again can be humbling.  Going through that cycle is extremely educational.

Am I too old or too young to do a teacher training program?

The beginning of the Yoga Sutras starts with Atha Yoganusasanam, which means “Now Yoga”.  This can be interpreted to mean that now is the right time to start yoga.  If you are considering becoming a yoga teacher, only you know if it is plausible for you to move forward towards that dream.  With more than 36 million yoga practitioners in the US, it seems that there should be plenty of yoga students to go around.  You might have questions of time or finances, but age should not be a limiting factor.

I don’t think you can be too old or too young to begin to teach yoga.  You will probably attract students who are close to you in age as your interests in the type of practice will be more similar.  Younger students may be more fearless and want to have a faster paced, harder workout.  Older students may appreciate a little more time to move into poses.  They may be more cautious and have more physical limitations.  As a more mature yoga teacher, age  will give you experience, wisdom and sympathy for the diversity you may come across in a yoga class.

I have back pain (or neck, shoulder, knee, hip, etc. …) Should I do a yoga teacher training program?

If this is something that you chronically struggle with, but it doesn’t keep you from living your life, then I don’t see why not.  Honestly, though, only you can answer that question.  If your injury or syndrome incapacitates you, then perhaps now is not the best time and you should wait until you are feeling better.  However, I can tell you that your experience is common.  A lot of yoga students and yoga teachers will suffer from these common ailments from time to time.  Your experience can actually help students.

Look up Matthew Sanford.  He is a yoga teacher who is paralyzed from the chest down.  He has a book entitled Waking.  It is a must read.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at mkeisen@verizon.net.

Mindfulness as part of my Teacher Training Program

Meditation is a part of my Foundations program; it is how we begin each of the ten sessions.  This year we will follow a mindfulness program.  Mindfulness is the conscious act of observing your thoughts.  It is said that we have somewhere between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts a day and over 98% of those thoughts are exactly the same thoughts we have had on any previous day.  Of those thoughts, 80% are negative!  These thoughts take us into rehashing our past or rehearsing and worrying about our future.  If we spend so much time in these thought patterns we are not being present for what is happening to us in the moment.

In the words of St. Augustine, “Men go forth to marvel at the heights of mountains and the huge waves of the sea, the broad flow of the rivers, the vastness of the ocean, the orbits of the stars and yet the neglect to marvel at themselves.”

Mindfulness is a powerful vehicle for greater understanding of how our minds work and the causes of suffering – those negative thoughts; and as such it can be an effective tool to end suffering.  Being mindful of your own thinking is very important.  It is said that intention is the crux of all actions and that our intentions shape our thoughts, words and deeds.  If our intentions are wholesome, the results will be fruitful and skillful; if the intentions are unwholesome, the opposite will be true.  This is how and why our minds, through our intentions and thoughts, are the creators of our own happiness and unhappiness.

Consider these statements:

Intention shapes our thoughts and words.
Thoughts and words mold our actions.
Thoughts, words and actions shape our behaviors.
Behaviors sculpt our bodily expressions.
Bodily expressions fashion our character.
Our character hardens into what we look like.

You may have heard the expression that by the time we turn fifty, we get the face we deserve.  This is an interesting insight into how the mind affects the body.

By recognizing our habitual thinking patterns, mindfulness can help improve our sense of well being. It can often be difficult to sit in meditation and come face to face with our fears, shame, guilt and other negative thoughts.  Mindfulness offers a space to step back and observe these thoughts without attaching to them.   With time, we can learn to acknowledge difficult feelings and thoughts, see their origins more clearly, and experience deeper states of acceptance and peace.

Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Every mindful step we make and every mindful breath we take will establish peace in the present moment and prevent war in the future.  If we transform our individual consciousness, we begin the process of changing the collective consciousness.”  How can we ever expect to bring peace to the world if we don’t begin with ourselves?

Practice

Here is a simple mindfulness practice you can do. Pick some task you normally do on a daily basis, like brushing your teeth or washing the dishes, and try to keep your attention on the task as you do it, bringing all of your sense to the experience.  If you are brushing your teeth, feel and listen to the bristles of the toothbrush against your teeth and gums, and smell and taste the toothpaste in your mouth.  If you are washing the dishes, know that you are washing the dishes and take in the feel and the sound of the water, the smell of the soap.  Notice any visual delights you might normally gloss over, such as the iridescence of the bubbles.  Try it out and see what you notice.   You can leave a comment in the section below.

A Sequence to Stretch Your Hamstrings

Here is a preview of an audio yoga practice for you to try out.  This is an abbreviated session of a class I have uploaded to Audible Yoga. While I try to be as clear as I can, I imagine this will work best for students who come to my classes and are familiar with my cueing.

The full session is geared towards improving your hamstring flexibility with a little core work thrown in for good measure.  While it is a generic stretching practice, I am introducing it as an entry level sequence for Visvamitrasana.  The challenge pose is the Half-Squat with the optional stretch over the straight leg.   If you are interested in the full class, you can subscribe to my Audible Yoga page here.

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do the Half-Squat right away.  Keep working on this sequence over time and let me know how your flexibility is improving.

There are 4 sections to the full practice.  This version contains only the standing sequence.   I drew stick figures of the poses if you need some visual help.  Make sure you have 2 blocks if you need them for Half-Moon Pose.

When you go back to the start make sure you do the other leg.

Let me know what you think of this mini audio class.  Leave a comment below.

Three things to do when your yoga teacher goes on vacation

I know students get attached to their teacher and are disappointed when there is a sub.  I'm the same way.  Especially if I travel to take a class with specific a teacher.  But if I practice being flexible (which is what we are trying to do in a yoga practice anyway - aren't we?) I find that I am usually pleasantly satisfied with what the unexpected has to offer me.  Often the struggle is just with myself.

Sometimes I won't go to a class if I know there is a sub, but if I show up for the class, I'll take it.  I think it is very rude to walk out once you are there and it is uncomfortable for the substitute teacher.  I know how I feel if someone walks out on my class.  I've watched people turn around and walk out if I ask people to grab a chair, or find a partner.  I've learned to let it roll off of me, though.  I'd rather not have the negative energy.

That's a roundabout way to say that I won't be teaching next week.  I will be spending some time away with my family.  The way I see it is you have three choices:

1. You can show up as usual.  You have a routine and it is important to stick to it.  If you do go, leave your expectations behind and be open to a new experience;  you may be pleasantly surprised and find you get exactly what you need.  If you do go to class, here is a list of who is subbing for me.  All of these teachers are wonderful.  Take the time to appreciate their offerings.

2. You can take the day off.  Sometimes the body needs a break in order to rest and recuperate.  Perhaps there are some things you have been procrastinating about at home.  This could be a good opportunity to get some things checked off your to-do list.

3. Practice by yourself at home.  Have you ever tried it?  Set aside some time - try the same amount of time you would normally spend in class.  Because you don't have to drive over to the yoga studio you will need less time than you do when you go to take class.  Set out your mat, put on some music and start.  If you follow this routine, you can easily get in an hour or an hour and a half practice. Remember 80% of the work is simply showing up.

   1. 5 minutes Ujjayi breathing or Mantra practice

   2. Seated warm up stretches and/or a couple of cat/cow movements

   3. Three (at least) Sun Salutes

   4. Standing poses.  It helps to know which pose is your peak pose.  Do poses that will help you warm up for that.

   5. Standing Balancing Poses

   6. Inversions or Hand Balancings.  Things like Crow, Handstand and Headstand are perfect here.

   7. Hip Openers

   8. Backbends - prone and supine

   9. Twists

   10. Forward Bends

   11. Shoulder Stand - If you choose to do it.

   12. Meditation

   13. Savasana

Let me know how it works out, with whichever option you choose.  You can leave a comment in the section below.  I'll be back to teaching my regular schedule on Monday, July 17th.  Until then....

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

“May all the beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom of all.”

By chanting this mantra, we move from our personal self and radiate a prayer of love for the world around us. It takes us from the egoic, little self, and its limited world view, and radiates from us global wellbeing. It is a reminder we are a part of the universe and can positively impact all of creation.

Though not a traditional Vedic mantra, Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is a Sanskrit prayer (or sloka). It has been used for many centuries to invoke greater states of compassion and peace. Often said at the end of yoga practices, it is an invocation for personal and collective peace. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” may be the closest western equivalent. Yet, the impact of this ancient mantra is far grander than simple human kindness.

Guru Jagat teaches “To vibrate these sounds within the body, we raise the frequency of our beingness.” We say these words not only for personal power but that they may raise our vibration. Once we achieve this elevated state, the mantra radiates from us to bless others. In this way we better affect the collective states of love on the planet.

Pose of the month for July - Visvamitrasana

This pose is named after an ambitious king who became a sage by a lot of hard work. This pose is a variation of Vasisthasana, who was the sage that king Visvamitra was trying to outdo. The yoga pose reflects the story behind it; Visvamitrasana is a much harder posture than Vasisthasana, better known as Side Plank. This posture incorporates the elements of a standing pose (think Hand to Big Toe Pose), an arm balance (Side Plank), a big side stretch (Gate Pose), a big twist (Revolved Seated Tree) and a major hamstring stretch (Split). Don’t look at that list and get intimidated. It just means that we will work on all of those elements, bit by bit, to get to the final pose. There are also many variations, options for props and entry level versions on the way. We will just take it one step at a time and warm up to the final pose. As we work on Visvamitrasana this month, remember: “It’s nice to have and end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” – Ursula LeGuin.

I can’t wait to get started! I’ll see you in class. Karin

The Foundations of Yoga Program

Each September I begin another round of my teacher training program with a course called Foundations. In this program we explore the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, intellectual and blissful layers of our yoga practice.  We get to dive deeper into our yoga practice than you can in any public class.  We explore the alignment and the physiological and energetic properties of the asanas. We also practice pranayama.  We dip our toes into  philosophy and we practice meditation.  These ten sessions are a deep immersion into your full yoga practice.

A sample day:

Meditation
We begin with an introduction of a topic or technique for meditation and then we sit and meditate for 20 minutes. This is followed by a writing in our journals to help us remember our meditation and to draw us deeper into the experience.

Asana practice
We explore a different group of postures each week starting with the standing poses and moving through all of the categories of poses:  Sun Salutes, inversions, hand balancing, hip openers, back bends, twists and forward bends.  We discuss the alignment, actions, benefits and contraindications of the poses.

Alignment
An in-depth look at the alignment of poses.  We start with the premise that every pose is based on Tadasana and then we look to see if we can find that in each posture.

Philosophy
We read and discuss pertinent Yoga Sutras as they relate to our practice on and off the mat.

Restorative practices
Each day ends with a pranayama practice and a restorative pose.

Sanskrit
Using Sanskrit is not mandatory,  but it is important to have some familiarity with the language of yoga.  We study the names of the poses and we work with mantras.

Homework
Each session has its own homework which can include asana practice, meditation, philosophical readings and writings plus an external practice such as observing silence.

You don’t have to want to be a yoga teacher to immerse yourself in this Foundations program.  In fact, it was designed for the serious yoga student who wants to dive deeper into their practice than you can in a public class.  Each session of this course is designed to be part workshop and part yoga retreat.

If you have any questions you can ask them in the comments section below or contact me directly.  Remember there is an Early Bird discount if you register by August 15th. To register contact Erin Lento at Cornerstone: 215.862.2200.

10 Signs That You Are Ready for a Yoga Teacher Training Program

You’ve had the thought that you would like to become a yoga teacher.

If you have ever entertained the thought of doing a yoga teacher training program it could be that your intuition is talking to you. I had this hit of intuition one day in a yoga class. The theme of this class was to know what you wanted to do with your life. The teacher asked us to get quiet and go inside and make a mental list of our 10 best qualities or strengths. She suggested that what we wanted to do was encoded in that list. I was at a stage in my life where I needed to make a decision about what to do next. I had just had what I called my midlife crisis; I quit my job, adopted a child and moved, all in one year! Part of what I needed to do was to stay at home and take care of my son, but I was also looking for something else: something more, something for me. When the teacher asked us to do this exercise, a voice in my head said, “I want to be a yoga teacher.”

What I wrote down as my 10 best qualities were:
1. I am outgoing and social. I like being around people.
2. I love to understand how things work.
3. I am good at explaining how things work to other people.
4. I am empathetic.
5. I am good at teaching. I taught woodshop for 18 years.
6. I am hard working.
7. I am conscientious.
8. I am dedicated.
9. I am organized.
10. I have always been a spiritual seeker.

These are all good qualities that helped me become a yoga teacher, but they are not the only “right” qualities. Now it’s your turn. What are your 10 best qualities? Do they fit with the profile of being a yoga teacher?

You’ve been waiting for the right time to do a teacher training program.

A friend once told me that if a thought pops into your head that you should do something, you should pay attention to that thought. It is there for a reason; otherwise you wouldn’t have had that thought. In the Yoga Sutras, the first sutra says, “Atha Yoganusasanam.” This translates as “Now is the time for yoga.” This has been interpreted to mean that yoga, or the union of the mind body and spirit is available now, in the present moment. You don’t have to be perfect, or be able to do a split or a handstand, lose 50 lbs or quit smoking to become a yoga teacher. You just have to be willing to show up. If you have that inspiration it could be your muse talking to you. We often feel that we don’t have enough time, or money, or that somehow we are not good enough, young enough, old enough, smart enough, etc. Life is often messy and if we wait for the perfect time, we can miss the opportunity. If the time is right for you, you’ll know. Listen to that muse. We all know that we will often regret the things we didn’t do.

You are passionate about yoga and want to share that passion with the rest of the world.

Yoga is your favorite form of exercise. You love to do yoga in a class, with your friends, in the park or on the beach. Whenever you travel, the first thing you look for is where you can take a yoga class. You may not be sure exactly what it is about yoga, but you know that it makes you feel better. You feel calm and more grounded after practicing yoga. If you can’t do your yoga practice for a few days, you feel as if you are missing something. It is a discipline that has improved your health and brought you a lot of happiness and you just want to learn more about it and share it with your friends. If someone you know has some kind of an ache or a pain you always find a way to let them know that yoga can help them. You are always trying to talk your friends, or their mothers, into trying yoga.
You love to learn more and more about yoga and about life.

You would be a perpetual student if you could.

You first got into yoga for the physical benefits of the practice but the more yoga you do, the more you realize the other benefits: you feel happier and more settled and your relationships are going more smoothly. You are becoming more interested in the relationship of the breath and your state of mind. You recognize the importance of meditation and are more interested in reading the Yoga Sutras or going to a kirtan or a mala making workshop than going out and partying on a weekend.
You already meditate or you want to learn how.

You may already have a meditation practice, or you want to start one but don’t know how.

You may have downloaded an app on your phone but wonder if it counts as real meditation. Mediation is something that is covered in teacher training. It may be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding practices you can undertake. It is also something that evolves over time.

You love to be around other yogis.

People in yoga teacher training groups often form fast and lasting friendships. There is something about going through the process that bonds people together. Some of it is the learning and sharing of information and some of it is the support that students provide for each other as they learn and grow. Trainings can be intense and wonderful; if you are willing to peel back the veils and look inside the lessons can be life changing.

You’ve thought of becoming a yoga teacher but you can’t touch your toes, or do a split, handstand or put your foot behind your head.

These poses are not necessary to do and in fact most students may never want to or be able to do these things. I once took a poll of my students where I asked them what they wanted from their yoga practice. Most of them said that they wanted to be calmer and less stressed. They were looking for clarity and peace of mind. The third, fourth and fifth reason for doing yoga was to improve strength, flexibility and balance. Advanced poses weren’t really mentioned. I always think it is an asset for a yoga teacher if poses not to come easily to them. If you could accomplish all of the poses you might falsely presume that these things are easy to do and you might wonder why other people can’t do them. When you have to work at being strong and flexible, you are able to better share the path with others and have empathy for them.

You are up for a challenge.

There is something about wanting to become a yoga teacher that excites you, yet there is something that is a little scary, too. Any new adventure will challenge you and make you grow. As with anything we set out to do there are the anticipated consequences and then there are the unanticipated ones. It is when the unanticipated challenges show up that the opportunity for real growth and change occur.
You are ready for a change.

You feel that there is something more to life than just working and trying to have fun on your time off.

You may feel that there is something else that you were meant to do, something bigger and more important. Often people get into yoga for the physical practices. Maybe they want to ease their back pain, or reduce the tension in their shoulders. But, often there is a sense of a deeper longing or seeking going on inside. Ultimately, the practice of yoga takes you deeper into yourself, into a search for meaning. This may be exactly what you have been looking for.

You want to change the world.

Have you had the thought that you’d like to be doing something in life that benefits others and/or our environment? One of the things that the Yoga Sutras teaches us is that we can only change the world by changing ourselves. While you may want to go out and tell everyone about the beautiful practice of yoga you have discovered, one of the best ways to spread the beauty and magic of yoga is to embody it yourself, to be a shining example of the practices. Ghandi said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.”

You may have experienced some of these things or not. You may have had other feelings that have lead you to inquire about a yoga teacher training program. That is awesome. I encourage you to follow your heart. However, don’t quit your day job just yet. Becoming a yoga teacher takes time. First there is the training program itself; two hundred hours spread over 10 months. And then there is the experience you need to gain to build your experience and a following of yoga students. Like anything else, this takes time. Be patient, but take steps in the direction of your dreams.

If you have any questions about my Yoga Teacher Training Program which starts in September, feel free to contact of please leave your questions in the comments below. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Propasana

Props – devices used to help students align their yoga poses.

Propasana – the practice of putting all props away,  neatly folding the blankets and winding up the straps.

While walking down the street in Manhattan one day, my friend bends down to pick up a piece of trash and throws it out in the nearby trash can.  This is something I have done before, but I was surprised to see a native New Yorker doing it.  When I asked him about it, he said that there was an anti-littering campaign that advertised if every one of New York’s 8.5 million people would pick up just one piece of trash a day, there wouldn’t be any litter on the streets of New York City.  He thought it made sense and was doing his part.  What would the world be like if we all cleaned up after ourselves?

This is part of the idea of saucha, or cleanliness, the first of the Niyamas, or practices for the self, outlined in the Yoga Sutras.  Cleanliness can be interpreted on several levels.  There is the cleanliness of the body to promote health.  It is recommended that you eat a clean diet, with lots of whole and fresh foods.  Eating well promotes health and mental clarity.  Junk foods and intoxicants can cloud the mind.  Cleanliness can also refer to the thoughts.  We are more settled when our thoughts are not disrupted by disturbing emotions such as greed, envy, anger, pride, hatred, lust and delusion. Then there is the cleanliness of our bodies and our physical surroundings.

In How Yoga Works, Miss Friday tells the Captain that yoga works on the outside and the inside.  We do poses, breath work and meditation to knock on the pipes from the inside, but we also must knock on the pipes from the outside.  She explains it like this:  “And there’s this constant interchange going on, you see; this constant interplay of the forces outside and inside of you.  You get frantic at work often enough, and it ties up the inner channels.  That causes an injury like your back; actually just a reflection of something going on deeper, in the channels.  That makes you grumpier, which tightens the choke-points even more, and then because you don’t feel well you’re not as careful about things in general.  And one of those things is just simple neatness: tidiness.  A lack of this very basic kind of cleanliness – plain old tidiness – is almost a sure sign that your channels are ‘untidy’ too, deep down inside: the thought winds are jumbled up, ready to turn into a new choke-point at any time.”

“And so a very simple and effective way to take advantage of the interchange, the interplay, between outside and inside is just to . . .” I waved my arms around again “. . . clean the place up!  If where you live; if where you work; and especially if the place where you do your yoga poses is clean and tidy, then this is all reflected back upon the inner winds, . . .”  I paused.

“And the channels loosen up, and the poses work even better on fixing you; on keeping you strong and healthy,” finished the Captain.

“And you see, something else is at work here too.  If there’s less junk around the room, then when you go to focus and fix your mind on a single point, then there are not as many things that the mind has to sift through to get at what you want to focus on.  It’s a lot easier to find a friend in a group of ten people, especially if they are all lined up , than in a crowd of a hundred all milling around.  It takes less effort, much less effort to focus – all day long.  Focus is like food for the mind: the mind thrives on it, and so do the good inner winds.”

“And once you are done with your room, “I said, “You can go further.  I mean don’t just tidy things up – throw out absolutely as many things as you can.  Half the things that fill up our houses at any given moment are things that we don’t even use anymore, at all.  And a good part of the other half are things that we rarely use, or don’t really need to use anyway.

“And these extra things in our house, you see, they’re tricky.  I mean, it looks like they are just sitting there , pretty harmless, and that’s why we let them stay there.”

“But if I say right now, ‘Think of some of the things in your house’ . . . I paused again so he could do it – and he got sort of an odd look on his face.  “Then you can remember a great many things lying around your house, whether you ever use them or not.  And that proves, you see, that they were taking up a part of your mind: you can remember them, because information about each one of them is stored in your mind.  And the mind – although we don’t often think of it this way – has only so much capacity.  Every time you acquire another object – every time there’s one more thing cluttering up your home – then there’s one more thing cluttering up your mind as well.  And as the mind goes, so do the inner winds, and the choke points in the channels.”

“What you are saying, then,” observed the Captain, “is that the more unused, use-less things I have lying around, the worse it is for my back, and even my peace of mind, because it hurts my channels.”

“Just so,” I said with a smile.  “And when you’re done clearing out the extra things around your house, then you have to go on to your very way of life and do the same.  Throw out extra things you do that you really don’t have time to do well, so you can focus.  Throw out extra things you say that don’t really need to be said anyway; learn to be with your friends, a few good friends, in a happy sort of silence that you both understand and appreciate.  Cut down on all the extra, useless outside stimulation of your physical senses: too much food, too much news, too much ‘entertainment’, too much physical gratification with the opposite sex; all of them fine in themselves, all of them healthy, but in moderation: in amounts that you can focus on and enjoy deeply.”

“And the mind will be free to come inside, and arrive at its own nature: concentration, contemplation, uninterrupted attention – medicine for the channels, medicine for the inner winds, and so for health and a happy state of mind that lasts.  It’s all a kind of cleanliness, in a way:  tidiness on the outside, tidiness on the inside.”

Take a look at these two pictures:

How does each one affect you?  Your mind?  You can leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Does the fact that your house, office or car is a little cluttered have much to do with my yoga?  Master Patanjali seems to think so because the first Niyama, or self practice is cleanliness.  Y.S. II.32