Monday, June 11, 2012

Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhah

I'm on day two at Amrit Yoga Institute.  The days start at 7 am with the Amrit Yoga practice.  It's 26 postures designed to elevate the pranic body and still as Guru Dev says, the "modifications" of the mind.  Press points, or establishing yourself in your feet, and then drawing the spine up become your focus.  Your breath becomes your focus.  As you hold the poses for what some would say are excruciatingly long periods of time, the discomfort and sensations in your body become the focus.  All of these serve to bring you back to that sweet space in your mind where you are that, this is that and that is all there is. 

In other words, it's a tangible experience of oneness.  It's the settling and quieting of the mind that allows you to have "no mind" and therefore an experience of who you really are which is not your mind.
 

During practice today I found myself not wanting to move.  Holding a warrior for 1, 3, 5 or even 10 minutes would have been nothing.  The practice is so beautiful.  As you feel the obstacles and blocks in your body you send prana to that spot.  You softly move and adjust until the spot releases.  It's gorgeous.

Relaxed into my body and stilled in my mind, the mind which can be your best friend and introduce your to God or your worst enemy and keep you away forever, went still.  Gone.  Nothing.  No time.  No space.  No....  Spontaneous  mantra came to me:

Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah

Now this would make sense to me if this mantra had been present before practice or if I was focused on this, but I haven't thought this mantra for a very long time.  Honestly, I didn't even know I knew that by heart.  My Sanskrit is poor.  


Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah Yoga Chitta Vriti Norodhah

Translated.....

"Yoga is the individual discipline that leads to the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind."

Wow.....

Om Shanti,  Pamela


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