Svadhyaya...

Been reading a lot here, if you've read my other posts it started because it was cold and rainy when I first got here and I was mostly indoors so I threw myself more into my study of everything, asanas, pranayama and mantra.

Today is my day off so I tend to go to a coffee shop and read a book and write in my journal and this morning I took Pattabhi's Yoga Mala and Sharath's Astanga Yoga Anusthana and read them comparitively. Comparing in the ways of presentation only, curious about the differences.

I've only studied with Pattabhi on his tours, two of them to be exact and well over ten years ago both of them. But Sharath I've spent three months a year with for the last four seasons in Mysore, so I know his take on things but couldn't remember how he put them in his book.

What I found was that his book is super simple, almost nothing for each asana. And his description of the Yamas and Niyamas very simple too, but very nice concepts of each of them. The ahimsa one I especially love... but that's for another time maybe.

I noticed Yoga Mala has very simple concepts but presented very knowledgeably and well. And very interesting ideas that aren't put to students in western classes, almost ever. Much of his instruction is about lifting your anus and sometimes saying lift the anus very sharply or very tightly, and drawing the belly in deeply, those two along with breathing in and out as much as possible are probably the most used instructions. Which I find interesting.

Sharath mostly just lays out the vinyasa and when to inhale and exhale, but he also leaves out many of his uncounted breaths that when you're in class with him you'll get, and leaves out many of the breaths of getting into an asana or out of it. Pattabhi puts both of them in there along with the lifting anus tightly and drawing the belly in while doing breathing a lot.

I find that since I've been with Sharath much more I hear his voice inside my head most of all, but he still even in person doesn't give much detail because he really wants you to figure things out or ask if you need the info. While Pattabhi wrote his book as if it was going to be a text book for a class. The newest one is just a simplified version of the older one. And Sharath will often tell you to refer to Yoga Mala, so I always do.

And on days where I've moved to pull Yoga Mala out and read it I will always be reminded of something and do it the next time I practice and see what it brings for me. Tomorrow morning will be the anus and the belly stuff. Last time I did it I cannot remember what it was that stuck out but I did it and then it fixed whatever problem I was having with my back, so let's see how this goes.

I love this shit. I love the experimenting, not in a dangerous way, but in a way that brings more awareness to things that sometimes we lose track of. How often were you in class where the teacher reminded you to lift your anus? Not often, unless you're in class with me of course lol. But also when the proponent of the system was so strong on mentioning something under almost every asana, and even in a few asanas telling you to release your anus completely, that is something I think one should pay attention to. I look on this as svadhyaya. Self Study.

Now that can mean many things. It can mean studying the scriptures on your own. Taking it into your own initiative to learn Sanskrit. In this case deepening your awareness of things your teacher may have mentioned within your asana practice, or any number of things. And to me then seeing how that changes you in your daily life, or in your practice, or in both and most importantly in your mind! That is the thing here right? Sharath mentions in his book svadhyaya could be your teacher mentioning Ganapati and then you go home and study to find out who that is and what he stands for. I really like this too. It's not the teachers job to hold your hand, it is there job to guide you and yours to figure things out within your own body, within your own mind, within your own being. And I try to do this, always.

Go to Mysore study with Sharath, then see how it all works with what I'm learning the rest of the year. I even think it's not great for people to always practice in a shala, day in, day out, for years. I think its healthy to go 3-5 times a week and practice at home the other days so that you can see how what you learn unfolds in your own practice. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want you all to go to your shells, just saying don't be scared to do the practice you're learning there at home, or on vacation in a hotel room, or at your families/friends house when you're visiting them. All of it is good, as long as you're using it to grow and to become more within yourself and allowing that to then manifest without.

This is what I'm doing now and it's working well so far, I hope it carries over as I transition to India in two weeks and there begins to get deeper even. You? Do you do this? Or are you completely dependent on going to your shala? Do you read and write outside of the physical practice to see how you feel about things and where you stand within yourself? None of it is bad, all of it is what it is to you, so don't worry about my judgment or even think I'm judging you. I'm just presenting ideas here and seeing if they come to fruition with any of you, they are with me these days. I do go long periods of time where they don't as well, but right now they are.

So see what this brings up for you and move forward with it, do something with it, don't just read it and then nothing...

LOL, have a great weekend.