A the beginning of most Iyengar Yoga classes, there is a chant that is done in a call and response fashion. What is the purpose of this? I will share with you my thoughts on this subject.
When I was in India, and had the privilege of being in classes taught by BKS Iyengar, his daughter, Geeta, and his son Prashant. All the classes always began with this chant. At the time, I had no idea what the chant meant and what the purpose of it was. All I knew is that I was in India, being taught by the most knowledgeable authorities on yoga, and I participated in the experience, even though for the most part I was inventing the words.
After a few days of chanting the invocation, it became an essential part of my focal direction. My mind knew it was time for yoga, and it was almost like the cells of my body received the announcement that it was time to be in yoga mode. My body and my mind became accustomed to the foreshadowing of what was to come. A message to my mind to focus, and for my body to be ready. Then the asana would follow.
(I did go home and learned the chant, and even taught it to my girls. They would mock chant the last verse around the house and crack up.)
As an iyengar yoga addict, I decided that if I were to share this system with others, I (Rosa) would try to stay out of the way, and just share the teachings as they were given to me, and truthfully, as I experienced or understood them. I found the teachings so profound, that I did not want to pollute them with my "improvements". BKS Iyengar is a yoga master, and his teachings have touched the essence of my being with such depth, that I want and at least strive to pass them on just as they have been delivered to me, either directly from him, or through the torch of his senior teachers. I chant OM and the Invocation of Patanjali before the class, just as I experienced directly with him.
The invocation still helps me to focus my often agitated mind in my own practice.
We call the chant "the Invocation to Patanjali". So who is this Patanjali, who feels the need to be invoked? Patanjali was an ancient sage, who codified the path of yoga. He organized the teachings of yoga in a systematic and progressive way. His teachings have lived for 3-5,000 years, passed down verbally from generation to generation. Think about it. We get to study and practice something that has been around for thousands of years. And we don't even have to go in a cold cave up in the Himalayas in search of a guru. We get to practice in gyms, trendy yoga studios, and pay lots of money for private instruction. The cool thing about all this explosion of yoga, is that we get to decide how much or how little we take in from the ocean of yoga. Some are looking for exercise, some for enlightenment, some are there for fellowship.
Just as one can choose how much to delve into this subject, as far as I see it, the invocation is optional. It may not speak to you. It may make you uncomfortable. This is when modern yoga can be adapted. The invocation can be an invitation for the ancient sage to bless us with the teachings of yoga. Or it can be a meaningless chant, or just a nice song. It depends on the intention you choose to put behind it. A very wise student of mine who practices Orthodox Judaism, asked me if Patanjali was a sage or a god, as she is not into idol worship. As a Catholic, neither am I. Patanjali was not a god, although there are theories of him being a semi divine being. He was a sage, who took the teachings of yoga and organized them for us. Believe it or not, there are yoga teachers out there who have never heard of him, lest alone think of invoking him...
And what if I am not into invoking? There are some Iyengar Yoga teachers who do not use the chant. And they are still good people! Some only chant OM, and I have had some students who instead of chanting the invocation use this time to do their prayers. It has helped them to maintain a daily spiritual practice. Either way, the mind stuff is controlled and brought to a standstill to prepare for the practice of yoga. With or without Patanjali, the teachings can help us to understand our own Self. The dark cloud that creeps up in the mind, obscures our ability to have a direct view of the essence of who we are. That majestic essence which is a part of a greater collective consciousness. That unmanifested light that resides in all of us and makes us shine. Maybe we really all are semi divine beings of radiant light. Even if our name is not Patanjali.
Pat-anjali: Messenger, sent.
ReplyDeleteI love that his work in Grammar and Medicine ( and there was one other) brought "him" to codifying yoga, most importantly, the one you taught me, "yoga chittavritti narodha". And the niyamas, yamas, and all 8 spokes of ashtanga that have become part of my life's energy.
Also:1) nor was Buddha a God.
2) THE SOUNDS resonate in our very BEING. IN the beginning was the word, mahatma archelogos.
A wholehearted !YES! to your blog, YogaRosa!!
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have found that my time spent on the mat has been the catalyst for exponential personal growth. I agree with your opinion that invocations are a personal choice. I have never practiced Iyengar style but most modalities incorporate this concept in one form or another and at first I was uncomfortable with them myself. I had to chuckle with what you said about your client, the orthodox Jew. I also held many unfounded spiritual "laws" in my mind from my upbringing and being a Christ follower. It is wonderful to now be free of those dogmas and to use the invocations as a concrete conscious commitment to "practice" the Five Niyamas written in the Yoga Sutras. We are a long way away from Patanjali's third century writings of these but they certainly ring true today....if we choose to listen for the bells!
Thank you for the reminder of these truths that I read years ago. For the benefit of those interested:
The first niyama is Shaucha, which means “that and nothing else”, or “living purely”. It involves making conscious choices about what you want and don’t want in your life. We are at liberty to practicing Shaucha hundreds of times each day from the food we eat to the way we treat our planet.
The second is Santosha, meaning “contentment”. This refers to finding joy from your inner life rather than desiring what you do not have. It entails letting go of limiting beliefs that life "should" somehow be different. It helps us cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
The third is Tapas, which literally means “fire” and can be defined for our purposes as burning enthusiasm. When we live a life in accordance with our values, our energy is directed more toward personal growth, rather than being eaten up by trivial matters. We have the courage to face reality and the zeal to move forward with a clear sense of purpose.
The fourth is Swadhyaya, or “self-study”. It means being willing to examine our own process and more deeply understand our strengths as well as our limitations. When faced with life’s challenges, Swadhyaya helps us to achieve personal growth by encouraging us to turn inward and discover more about ourselves.
The final niyama is Ishvarapranidhana, which means “celebration of the spiritual”. It entails deepening our awareness that there is a higher power that is continually present, supporting us. We are more focused on the spiritual matters of our journey and invite God to bring greater meaning to our lives.
(excerpts from Alisa Murray's "Yoga as a Spiritual Practice";(Yes, for Christians, Too!)
Thank you again, Rosa for your blog. I am in gratitude for the reminder of what is, and always has been, the most important reason I come to my mat.... to dispel the dark clouds and stoke "this little light of mine!"
Janet S.
Chattanooga, TN
Dear Janet, thank you so much for sharing. we are so blessed that through this technology, there is so much more union between individuals. We can be in our cave, and still communicate with the outside world.
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