Happy July to you all! 

During this time of high-summer light and heat, energy surges and thoughts of freedom reign as we celebrate Independence Day: freedoms granted, earned, and threatened, freedom from slavery, poverty and suffering, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom to be you and me!

The concept and goal of freedom is also fundamental to yogic philosophy. Just as Patanjali’s final pada concerns kaivalya (emancipation), B.K.S. Iyengar devotes the final chapter of his great book Light on Life to “Living in Freedom.” Here he discusses moksha, the ultimate, spiritual freedom. Acknowledging the relative importance of the pursuit of happiness, political and economic freedom, he states:

“Spiritual freedom actually requires greater self-control and the ability to direct our lives in the right direction…as we release our own wants and wishes for a higher purpose and a higher knowledge of the will of the Absolute in our lives.”

Iyengar constructs a river-like metaphor using the four aims of life. Within the banks of dharma (duty) and moksha (freedom) flow the dual paths of making a living and enjoying earthly pleasures. This is where we make our choices of daily living. He maintains that moksha is not “some fanciful concept of future liberation” but “acting with detachment in all the little things of here and now…a thousand little freedoms that we accomplish each day—the ice cream returned to the freezer or the bitter retort left unsaid.”  These “small daily victories of moksha…come from the persistent and sustained will to be ever more free, to cut the myriad threads that bind us…. Freedom is gained incrementally and over time.”

In these uncertain times, I’m thankful for teachers past and present, who guide us through their words and actions along the liberating path of yoga. 

Please join us on July 9 to observe Guru Purnima, a traditional Indian celebration of the bond between guru and shishya—teacher and student.

The Yoga Place in La Crosse, Wisconsin, will host this event in person and via Zoom. Our most senior and very generous teacher, Chris Saudek, will be teaching class from 2:30–4:00 pm, with Q & A and refreshments following. This Yoga Day event is FREE! for members.

Nancy Marcy

IYAUM President

IYAUM YOGA DAY

This event will be both in-person and live stream via Zoom. We request that all in-person attendees be fully vaccinated.  Video recording from the event will be available for 14 days.  

SCHEDULE:  

2:30 to 4:00pm:  Āsana class 

4:00 to 5:00pm:  Q&A with Chris, reception with hors d'oeuvres 

COST: 

Free to all IYAUM members

$20 for non-members

$10 for IYNAUS members of other associations

$10 suggested donation for Zoom

Joe Hunziker

Home:  Golden Valley, Minnesota

Years with Iyengar Yoga: 33

Fun fact:  Because I am passionate about death education and awareness as ways to maximize life, I serve as a hospice volunteer and am in training as a death doula.

How would you like our IYAUM community to grow?

My hope is that Iyengar Yoga will reach a wider audience of younger, more ethnically diverse practitioners.  While many yoga styles seem like “glorified aerobics,” I feel that the Iyengar method offers a well-rounded, deeply rooted, meaningful path of life enhancement. Social media seems to be the preferred marketing method to reach younger folks.  Perhaps outreach could include creative class names and welcoming descriptions of what to expect.

I feel humbled and honored to have been asked to share my Iyengar Yoga journey with fellow IYAUM members.

While I was born and raised in Mankato, MN, San Francisco became my home for 34 years. My introductory yoga class was in December 1987, after I underwent surgery related to my fascination with long distance running.  It was obvious to me that I needed to balance my marathon running with more mindfulness about stretching, and slowing down rather than chasing.

I was blessed to find a convenient class that was taught by Donna Farhi, who was just beginning her teaching career and is now a world-renowned yoga practitioner, teacher and author. I continue to smile at how fortunate I was to be a student of hers for six years.  Donna was teaching Hatha/Iyengar Yoga then, offering me a profound foundation and knowledge of the importance of body alignment, for a yoga practice that went far beyond simply doing āsana.

Because I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to study at The Abode of Yoga and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. My teachers included stalwarts in the Iyengar Yoga lineage: Judith Lasater, Dona Holleman, Angela Farmer, Victor van Kooten, and more recently Patricia Kalman, Patti Martin and Jaki Nett.

Over the years that have passed since that fortuitous introduction, I never forgot that yoga spoke to me and offered an integral inroad to my well-being. Yet life—becoming a father, work responsibilities and daily distractions—often took precedence over attending class regularly.  It was only after significant life events that I returned to the yoga mat with renewed curiosity and dedication in January 2014.

Because my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1970 when I was 12 years old, I was drawn to work with aging individuals. During my professional career I managed a senior center and directed adult day care services.  The latter program, which offered affordable care in a community-based setting, assisted people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke and other illnesses. My life work/passion remains immersed in the realities of aging, physical and cognitive decline, and death.  These experiences make me grateful for what I  have.

In 2018, I retired and moved back to Minnesota.  I presently study at the Yoga Center Retreat studio in Saint Louis Park.  I rejoiced at the opportunity to return to in-person classes that nurture social interaction among students and build a sense of community (sangha). My teachers include William Prottengeier, Nancy Marcy, Julie Welle, and Carlton Morris, all of whom are deeply knowledgeable about the history, methods and nuances of this life-affirming practice.

Each time I step on my yoga mat, I have the opportunity to slow  down, pay attention to my thoughts, sensations, emotions and actions, and delve deeper into my being.  As I step off my yoga mat with a reborn sense of self, I strive to live more peacefully and with greater awareness.

My renewed desire to remember gratitude has magically morphed into a more positive outlook. While taking a moment each day to reflect on my exceptional life circumstances, I smile, set positive personal intentions and take steps to make them happen. This is my way of making a meaningful difference.

By Jenn Bowen, CIYT

Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana

Utthita: Extended

Pārśva: Lateral or Side

Koṇa: Angle

Āsana: Pose

When I first came to Iyengar Yoga in my twenties, I was captivated. I loved the discipline, the variety, the jumpings, the balancings! I also remember having strong aversions to any pose that challenged me mentally or physically. One of these was Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana. In the early days of learning this standing pose, I often felt heavy, compressed and trapped. It didn’t seem like my hand would ever reach the floor. Armpit to the knee? Forget it.  Fast forward twenty years, and I have found an appreciation and curiosity for nearly every pose, and a quiet steadiness in Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana.

Extended Side Angle Pose teaches one to lengthen and open the sides of the body from the little toe to the fingertips. One challenge many beginners face, and one source of my early difficulties, stems from the weight of the body falling to the bent knee side of the pose. When the back leg is active and weight is distributed evenly to both feet, this pose can become a wellspring of extension and expansion for the entire body.

For those of us who struggle finding lightness or ease in a pose, props can assist. Since the sides of the torso should be equally long in Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana, placing a block under the bottom hand can create more space for the bottom side of the torso to extend and also help to open the chest upward, away from the floor. Another supported way to practice is by placing the outer edge of the back foot to a wall. This contact helps keep the attention—and the weight—on the back leg and foot. Actively pressing the foot into the wall and floor facilitates the extension of the spine away from the wall and toward the head side. 

Practicing the pose with support helped me begin to access the actions required for extension. Over time, I’ve observed a physical and mental shift away from a pose of heaviness and resistance, toward a pose of lightness and alacrity. 

Instructions:

1. Stand in Tādāsana.
2. Jump or step the feet apart and extend the arms sideways to Utthita Hasta Pādāsana.
3. Turn the right leg out and left foot slightly in for Pārśva Hasta Pādāsana.
4. Bend the right knee and hip to make a 90-degree angle.Take one or two breaths.
5. Extend the trunk to the right and place the right hand outside the right foot. 
6. Stretch the left arm overhead in line with the left ear.
7. Stay in the position, and observe the following points: (i) tuck the right buttock in line with the outer right knee, (ii) tighten the left leg straight and firm, (iii) extend the left arm from the left hip, (iv) turn the chest from the right to the left.
8. Inhale and lift the right arm, straighten the right knee, turn the right foot forward.
9. Return to Tādāsana. Repeat on the left side.

Special instructions:

  1.  Adjust the distance between the two legs by moving the back leg until the bent leg reaches the 90-degree angle. 

  2.  The left palm should remain facing the floor while turning the left side of the trunk toward the ceiling. 

  3.  Beginners can place the fingertips, rather than the palm, onto the floor if they are stiff.

Sources

B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga. Schocken Books, 1966.

Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga: A Gem for Women. Timeless Books, 1990. 

Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga in Action: Intermediate Course. YOG Mumbai, 2000.

Devotion to God

By Joy Laine, CIYT

Īśvara praṇidhāna overview

Translations of īśvara praṇidhāna include, “profound meditation upon God and total surrender to Him” (B.K.S. Iyengar), “devotion with total dedication to God” (Jaganath Carrera), “worship of God” (Swami Satchidananda), and “devotion to the Lord” (Edwin Bryant). As noted in last month’s newsletter, Patañjali viewed devotion to God as an important source of strength for us when facing life’s obstacles.  Patañjali’s discussion of the obstacles, which occurs in the first chapter (Samādhi Pāda), is the first of three passages in the Yoga Sūtras where Patañjali references devotion to God as an important practice. This month we will focus on these three passages, with the goal of exploring Patañjali’s understanding of God and how he views the role of God within the practice of yoga. Next month we will broaden our study to a more general discussion of the role of God in contemporary yoga.

This topic merits a more extended discussion for several reasons. First of all, because contemporary yoga has become increasingly secularized and disconnected from its roots, the theistic aspect of yoga is often downplayed and may come as a surprise to some. Secondly, because yoga has become a global tradition practiced by individuals of different faiths or by those with no faith tradition, practitioners will likely already have a range of theological, cultural and emotional associations in relation to God. We therefore need to take extra care not to allow our own preconceptions about God stand in the way of understanding Patañjali’s views. Lastly, among the scholarly community too, there is a range of opinions regarding both the nature and importance of God within Patañjali’s yoga. Some contemporary scholars have argued that God plays a relatively minor role within the overall schema of the Yoga Sūtras.  They view yoga as a path whereby spiritual liberation results from one’s own effortful practice rather than through the grace of God. In this model, īśvara’s role is limited to that of teacher and role model. Others, such as Bryant, argue for a more devotional reading of Patañjali and a greater role for God.

First Passage: I.23-I.29

It is important to note the context in which the first mention of īśvara praṇidhāna occurs, relatively early in the text, at the twenty-third sutra. At this point, Patañjali has just described the different categories of samādhi (states of spiritual liberation) and techniques for cultivating these states, all of which rely on the sole efforts of the practitioner. Vyāsa (c.4th century CE) prefaces his commentary of I.23 by asking whether there is any other way, in addition to the methods already given, that one can use to achieve samādhi. Vyāsa then positions I.23 as an answer to his own question:

īśvarapraṇidhānāt vā

Or, by dedication to God.

To fully understand this sūtra, we need to grasp both the nature of the practice given here (praṇidhāna) and the nature of the divine being (īśvara) towards whom the practice is directed.

Fortunately, Patañjali devotes the next six sūtras to describing God’s nature in greater depth and how we can incorporate God into our yoga practice. From these six sūtras we can discern the following:

1. God is a distinct and special Self (puruṣa viśeṣa) (I.24)

2. God is omniscient (I.25)

3. God is eternal, unconditioned by time (I.26)

4. God is not bound by the causal laws of the cosmos (specifically karma) (I.24)

5. God has functioned historically as a teacher (guru) and guide to human beings (1.23, I.26 and I.29)

6. God is responsive to human devotion directed towards God (I.23, I.29)

7. God is represented in the sound A-U-M (om) (I.27)

8. Repetition of A-U-M, done with contemplation of its meaning, brings us to a realization of our inner consciousness

9. God can play a role in leading an individual to samādhi (I.23, I.29)

10. God can help us overcome the obstacles that we might face in following the yogic path (I.29)

These sutras prompt much reflection. First, it is clear that “God” is an appropriate translation of “īśvara”.  Īśvara is no minor deity or demi-god, but a being who is omniscient, eternal and unbound by the laws of the material world. Furthermore, īśvara is a being who is involved in human history as guide and teacher, and one who has a loving, compassionate relationship towards us. In these respects, īśvara has key similarities to the God of other theistic traditions such as Islam and Christianity.

Although Patañjali portrays īśvara as a supremely powerful being, note that Patañjali characterizes God as a special (viśeṣa) Self (puruṣa). This connects God’s essence to our essence, since we too are puruṣas. In our deepest nature, we have an essence of divinity. One aspect of īśvara praṇidhāṇa is that a devotion to īśvara is also a way of leading us to comprehend our own deepest Self. If we look at III.49, where Patañjali attributes omnipotence and omniscience to the liberated yogi, it seems that Patañjali has quite a literal understanding of this equivalence. 

Īśvara seems to have the power to manipulate the laws of nature and bestow grace upon us, yet Patañjali does not describe God as the creator of the cosmos, nor is God portrayed as a cosmic judge overseeing the laws of karma, punishing and rewarding human beings for their actions. In the metaphysics of yoga, the material world (prakṛti) is given as an independent and eternal principle in its own right and is not described as being created by God. Some commentators, however, argue for the importance of situating Patañjali’s conception of God within the broader theistic landscape of his time. Bryant, for example, argues that against such a background, “we must …. accept that Patañjali considered īśvara at least as efficient cause of the world.” (Edwin Bryant p. 91) By this he means that, although we may not be able to attribute the creation of prakṛti itself to God (God as material cause), we should view God as the intellectual architect of the material world (God as efficient cause). In order to fully address such questions, we would need to engage in the kind of lengthy metaphysical debate that Patañjali tends to eschew (especially because debates about these issues are, at best, inconclusive). Patañjali’s goal is not to require that we assent to a set of creedal propositions about the nature of God, but rather, to persuade us that devotional practice can play a key role in achieving spiritual liberation.

Since this is Patañjali’s emphasis, we will rightly wish to know what form a devotional practice should take.  The term “praṇidhāna” can be broken down into its three components, two prefixes pra+ni and the verbal root √dhā (to put). It means, among other things, to lay down, to prostrate.  Vācaspati Miśra adds that praṇidhāna means a particular kind of devotion, done with the mind, speech and body. Īśvara-praṇidhāna implies a total surrender of oneself to God. Īśvara praṇidhāna can be seen as a form of abhyāsa (practice) and vairāgya (dispassion), the two pillars of yoga.

In his commentary, Vyāsa notes that samādhi is speedier for one who is devoted to God, who will show “grace” towards the yogi. Thus, although samādhi can be achieved on the basis of meditation on any object of the yogi’s choice, choosing God as the focus for one’s contemplative practice will bring extra benefits. In the two passages examined below, we are given further guidance as to the nature of the practice of īśvara-praņidhāna. As is the case with āsana and prāṇāyama practices, however, we are not given any details regarding devotional practices, but rather, just the basic contours of such practices. By the time of Patañjali, temples were being built within the Indian sub-continent and, along with them, we see the rise of devotional practices centered on the temple. The Yoga Sūtras were composed at a time when bhakti (devotion) was taking center stage in Indian religious life. 

Second Passage: II.1-2

In II.1 of the Sādhana Pāda (the chapter on practice), Patañjali describes a practice that he calls “kriyā yoga,” the yoga of action. Kriyā yoga consists of three practices (which also all reappear in the niyamas, the second limb of the eightfold path), namely:

1. tapas (asceticism, renunciation)
2. svādhyāya (scriptural study)
3.  īśvara praṇidhāna (devotion to God)
    

It’s interesting that two out the three practices of kriyā yoga have a devotional element in them. Svādhyāya is understood by the classical commentators not so much in psychoanalytical terms, but more as a set of devotional practices—such as reading sacred texts about God and the saints and sages. Svādhyāya also has an additional devotional element that includes chanting. The result of practicing kriyā yoga is that the afflictions (kleṣas) loosen their hold on us, and we will move towards samādhi. Once again, we see that God can assist us in overcoming life’s difficulties.

Īśvara praṇidhāna is described by Vyāsa as making God the motive for all our actions, and dedicating the “fruit” of our actions to God. This idea of dedicating the fruit of our actions to God echoes the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā, one of the most important devotional texts in the yoga tradition. Vyāsa also makes the statement that in the previous chapter, the Samādhi Pāda, the practices were intended more for one whose mind is already inclined towards the state of samādhi, that is, for one who is already well traveled along the yogic path. Vyāsa notes that Patañjali is now turning his attention more towards the novice and kriyā yoga is given for such a person. From this we can infer that for the person setting out on the yogic path, a devotional element is of particular importance. The optional element attached to īśvara praṇidhāna in the first chapter is not repeated in this second occurrence. Kriyā yoga further echoes the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā in that its three elements line up with three yogic paths described in that text, namely: (i) the path of action (karma yoga—renouncing the fruits of one’s actions), (ii) the path of knowledge (jñāna yoga), and (iii) the path of devotion (bhakti yoga). This parallel is noted by the commentators.

Third Passage: II 32 and 43-44

The third occurrence of īśvara-praṇidhāna occurs within the eight limbs of yoga, where it constitutes the last of the niyamas. Patañjali teaches that the preceding niyama, svādhyāya, will initially help us establish a strong connection to our chosen God, and as a result of practicing our devotion, we will reach samādhi. This might seem like a short cut, allowing the practitioner to bypass the subsequent limbs of yoga, a point taken up by the commentators. Vācaspati Miśra notes, however, that we should not consider the other limbs of yoga to be superfluous if we follow a devotional path. The devotional path is itself not an easy path, a point reiterated by B.K.S. Iyengar, and requires the support of the other limbs of yoga. According to Vyāsa, the devotional path requires followers to dedicate all of one’s actions to God, and we need the other limbs to cultivate the kind of mind that can achieve this level of devotion and renunciation. The niyamas, as we have seen, can be viewed collectively. On the basis of purity of mind, contentment, and the self-discipline of tapas, we will reach a level of peace with the world. Then, the commentators note, we are ready to turn inwards and learn about our inner transcendent nature, which will in turn lead us towards the transcendent reality underlying the cosmos.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we see that the role of God within the system of classical yoga is complex, and we have just touched the surface of the topic. In each of the three passages we have studied, however, īśvara praṇidhāna is given as a means towards reaching samādhi (a transcendent state of consciousness), the eighth limb of yoga and the goal of yoga.

Patañjali seems to introduce the notion of God in a non-dogmatic way. He admits the possibility of a non-theistic yogic path, while strongly encouraging devotion to God. He leaves it up to the practitioner which form of God to make the focus of one’s devotional practices. Nowhere in the Yoga Sūtras does he name a God for us to worship, nor does he tell us about his own devotional path. The yogic path is more about following practices that will have a transformative effect on the human psyche, moving it away from its egocentric obsessions. Devotion to God, for Patañjali, is a powerful tool in that process because it directs our energies away from our ego. Surrender to God becomes a means to Self-knowledge.  What role God will ultimately play in one’s spiritual path is left open.

Joy Laine taught philosophy at Macalester College for over thirty years and teaches Iyengar Yoga around the Twin Cities.

Selected Bibliography

Edwin Bryant, The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Northpoint Press, 2009.

B.K.S. Iyengar, The Tree of Yoga, especially the chapter “Faith.” Shambala Classics, 2002.

Popsi Narasimhan, The Yoga Sūtras, A Collection of Translations. popsi narasimhan, 2018.

Rama Prasada, The Yoga Darśana of Patañjali with the Commentary of Vyāsa and the Gloss of Vācaspati Miśra. LOGOS Press, 1912.

2022 IYAUM Board of Directors

President: Nancy Marcy

Vice President: Nancy Footner

Treasurer: Dawn Talbert

Secretary: Katharine Wood

Membership: Bethany Valentini

Media & Communications: Shannyn Joy Potter

IYAUM Liaison to IYNAUS: Susan Johnson

Contact:  iyengaryogaaum@gmail.com

IYAUM Committee Newsletter

Editor: Irene Alderson

Visuals: Shannyn Joy Potter

Contact: news@iyaum.org

Iyengar Yoga Association of the Upper Midwest

P.O. Box 582381 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458