edition no.1, 2.21

Welcome to our new IYAUM newsletter!

We hope members of our yoga community get to know each other better through this collaborative communication. Each issue will include an āsana and sūtra of the month, as well as a list of coming events. In the future, we plan to include member articles, interviews and photos. Please send us your ideas!

Nancy Marcy, President IYAUM

 

 

Exploring the Āsanas

Ūrdhva Mukha Śvānāsana (Upward-facing Dog Pose)

By Nancy Marcy, CIYT

 

Ūrdhva Mukha Śvānāsana (UMS) is a challenging, yet exhilarating pose that helps develop strong limbs and a supple spine. Once mastered, UMS becomes the dynamic bridge in the Sūrya Namaskār cycle as one swings from AMS (Adho Mukha Śvānāsana) into UMS, lengthens into Chaturaṅga Daṇḍāsana, then lifts into UMS and swings back into AMS. An interesting detail of the pose is how one rolls over or flips the toes from dorsiflexion to plantar flexion when exiting and re-entering downward dog.

 

I love this āsana because it is a “full service” pose: A quintessential combination of movement and stability. What fun it is to swing forward from AMS, roll over and spring off the toe pads, then land solidly planted on the tops of stretched feet with strong, straight arms and proud chest!

 

As a teacher, I find that UMS is appealing and accessible to all ages: from kids who love it because it’s a “howl,” to seniors who appreciate the many ways to modify and support the pose for healthy extension and uplifting expansion.

Instructions:

1. Lie prone with palms on the floor by the side of the chest.

2. Either anchor the toes inwards (dorsiflexed) or stretch the toes outwards (plantarflexed), keeping the knees tight.

3. Inhale, raise the head and chest, straighten the arms and lock the elbows.

4. Lift the pelvis, thighs, and knees off the floor, so the weight of the body rests on the palms and either toes or insteps.

5. Inhale, roll the shoulder bones back and take the chest forward and up.

6. Keep the knees tight, thighs firm and arms straight.

7. Lengthen the sides of the trunk and neck, take the head back and look up.

8. Stay in this position for a time, breathing normally.

9. Bend the elbows and lower the thighs and trunk to the floor.

 

References

Iyengar, Geeta S. (2000) Yoga in Action: Preliminary Course. YOG Mumbai.

Teachers of Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute and Light on Yoga Research Trust (2008) Yogashastra: Tome 2. YOG Mumbai.

Understanding the Sūtras

By Joy Laine, CIYT

vitarka bhādane pratipakṣbhāvanam (Yoga Sūtras II.33)

 

Principles which run contrary to yama and niyama are to be countered with the knowledge of discrimination. (Translated by B.K.S. Iyengar)

 

When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite (positive) ones should be thought of. This is pratipaksha bhavana. (Translated by Jaganath Carrera)

 

Patañjali’s yoga is premised on an ethical foundation of non-harming (ahiṁsa), which forms the cornerstone of the practice. Indeed, he labels the ethical principles “The Great Vow” indicating the solemnity of the undertaking, that yoga practitioners must commit themselves to living a life that aspires to high ethical standards. In the first two limbs of yoga, he gives us a set of practices (yamas and niyamas) which constitute a sort of blueprint for living an ethical life.

 

Living according to these principles is a challenge, however, with the strongest challenges commonly arising from within our own minds. The Bhagavad Gītā teaches us something that we have all experienced, that the mind is more difficult to control than the wind (6.34). One aspect of this is that we do not always get to choose the kinds of thoughts that pop in and out of our stream of consciousness. Sometimes unwholesome or negative thoughts (vitarka) arise in our minds, goading us to act in ways that we will later come to regret. Although we may not be fully in control of what we think, as human beings we do have the ability to take a step back, to evaluate our thoughts, and to intercede before acting on them.

 

In this sūtra, Patañjali is teaching us a strategy, known as pratipakṣa-bhāvanam or cultivating the opposite, to defend ourselves against our own negative thoughts. We need to cultivate a countering thought (pratipakṣa) that will change the trajectory of our thinking. A pratipakṣa is a thought that will carry a persuasive power for us and guide our future actions along the correct path. A pratipakṣa, however, should not be viewed simplistically, as merely thinking the opposite of a negative thought. B.K.S. Iyengar, in his commentary on this sūtra, notes that, “Some people give an objective interpretation to this sūtra and maintain that if one is violent, one should think the opposite, or, if one is attached, then non-attachment should be developed” (p. 158 LOYS). As he observes, the practice known as pratipakṣa-bhāvanam is more complex than this, inviting us to use our discriminative abilities in order to understand the root causes of our negative thoughts. In this way we can better formulate a corrective thought and course of action which we can then put into practice. We see this in the pratipakṣa that Patañjali himself proposes as an effective counter to violent thoughts. It reads something like this: “If I go ahead and act like that, I will only entangle myself in unending suffering and ignorance.”

 

According to Patañjali, we come to the practice of yoga harboring a store of dispositions and tendencies, and it is from these that our negative thoughts arise. Whilst it is important to control negative thoughts through a careful intellectual analysis of how to counteract them, ultimately the goal of yoga is to root out their deeper causes, to address their emotional source. Not only will an effective pratipakṣa rescue us from acting in ways we will regret, but over time and with repeated use, it will also counter the underlying causes of troubling thoughts, those negative emotions such as anger. Pratipakṣa-bhāvanam should be seen as a practice that is both curative and preventive, weakening the influence that negative emotions will otherwise have on our thinking and acting. Thus, as it turns out, we do have the power to influence the kinds of thoughts we have.

 

References 

Reverend Jaganth Carrera, Inside the Yoga Sūtras (Integral Yoga Publications, 2006)

B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali (LOYS) (Thorson, 2002)

Upcoming Events

IYNAUS presents Iyengar Yoga for Kids & Teens with Abhijata Iyengar

Saturday, February 20 to Sunday, May 23, 2021 (meets one weekend per month)

 

Abhijata will teach an online series of classes for ages 8–19, as well as a corresponding teaching methodology series for CIYTs and Iyengar Yoga teachers in training. The Iyengar Yoga for Kids & Teens class will be a 45-minute asana class on Saturdays. The teaching methodology portion will be an hour-long session on Sundays. For more information and registration, click the photo below. Registrants for the teaching methodology series will automatically be registered for the Saturday classes as well to experience Yoga for Kids & Teens as taught at RIMYI.

2021 IYAUM Board of Directors

President: Nancy Marcy

Vice President: Nancy Footner

Treasurer: Julie Sybrant

Secretary: Katharine Wood

Membership: Bethany Valentini

Media & Communications: Shannyn Joy Potter

IYAUM Liaison to IYNAUS: Susan Johnson

 

IYAUM Committee Newsletter

Editor: Irene Alderson

Contact: news@iyaum.org

 

Iyengar Yoga Association of the Upper Midwest

P.O. Box 582381 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458

IYAUM.ORG