The Hatha Yoga Pradipika - On Asanas - Chapter I, 1-9

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a small book that consists of four parts and since I love yoga, the review of the text begins. The translating authors of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika to be used for this review are Pancham Sinh and Brian Dana Ackers.

Pancham Sinh's translation was done in 1915 and in his introduction he points out that there are two classes of students of Yoga. Those who studied it theoretically and those who combined the theory with practice. He stated that Yoga is of little use if studied theoretically.

Chapter one is named Asanas. As with all spiritual and or yogic text it begins with acknowledgement /salutations to the Guru or Deity responsible for the making of the text.

शरी-आदि-नाथाय नमोअस्तु तस्मै
येनोपदिष्ह्टा हठ-योग-विद्या
विभ्राजते परोन्नत-राज-योगम
आरोढुमिछ्छोरधिरोहिणीव १ १
śrī-ādi-nāthāya namoastu tasmai
yenopadiṣhṭā haṭha-yogha-vidyā
vibhrājate pronnata-rāja-yogham
āroḍhumichchoradhirohiṇīva 1 1

Salutations to Adinatha (Siva) who expounded the knowledge of Hatha Yoga, which is like a staircase that leads the aspirant to the high pinnacled Raja Yoga. - translated by Pancham Singh

Salutations to Shiva, who taught the science of Hatha Yoga. It is the aspirant's stairway to the heights of Raja Yoga - translated by Brian Dana Ackers

(Raja Yoga - the path of meditation combining all of the paths. Included also is the study of body as a vehicle of spiritual energy.)

परणम्य शरी-गुरुं नाथं सवात्मारामेण योगिना
केवलं राज-योगाय हठ-विद्योपदिश्यते २
praṇamya śrī-ghuruṃ nāthaṃ svātmārāmeṇa yoghinā
kevalaṃ rāja-yoghāya haṭha-vidyopadiśyate 2

Yogin Swâtmârâma, after saluting first his Gurû Srinâtha explains Haṭha Yoga for the attainment of Raja Yoga. 2. - Sinh

Ackers translates this line as Yogi Svatmarama, after saluting the Lord and Guru, explains the science of Hatha for one reason - Raja Yoga

भरान्त्या बहुमत-धवान्ते राज-योगमजानताम
हठ-परदीपिकां धत्ते सवात्मारामः कॄपाकरः ३
bhrāntyā bahumata-dhvānte rāja-yoghamajānatām
haṭha-pradīpikāṃ dhatte svātmārāmaḥ kṝpākaraḥ 3

Owing to the darkness arising from the multiplicity of opinions people are unable to know the Râja Yoga. Compassionate Swâtmârâma composes the Haṭha Yoga Pradipikâ like a torch to dispel it. 3. - Sinh

Ackers translation here is For those too ignorant of Raja Yoga, wandering in the darkness of too many opinions, compassionate Svatmarama gives the light of Hatha.

Verses 5 through 8 refers to the names of Siddhas (masters) that have existed in former times:—

इत्यादयो महासिद्धा हठ-योग-परभावतः
खण्डयित्वा काल-दण्डं बरह्माण्डे विछरन्ति ते ९
ityādayo mahāsiddhā haṭha-yogha-prabhāvataḥ
khaṇḍayitvā kāla-daṇḍaṃ brahmāṇḍe vicharanti te 9

These Mahâsiddhas (great masters), breaking the sceptre of death, are roaming in the universe. 9. - Sinh

Or as translated by Ackers - ...these and other great masters, having conquered death through the power of Hatha Yoga, roam the universe.

See related post:

Asana - Posture YS II 46

Yoga

Yoga is fascinating. In the west, the people that are aware of yoga - not yogurt- are aware of it primarily in the form of Hatha yoga. The Wikipedia begins its description of it as Hatha Yoga (Sanskrit हठयोग haṭhayoga, IPA: [ɦəʈʰəˈjoːɡə]), also called Hatha Vidya (हठविद्या), is a system of Yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. In this treatise Swatmarama introduces Hatha Yoga as preparatory stage of physical purification that the body practices for higher meditation. The Asanas and Pranayama in Raja Yoga were what the Hindu Yogis used to physically train their body for long periods of meditation. This practice is called shatkarma.

Since yoga and its many branches are fascinating and to the average person is unknown, I will begin a review of The Hatha Yoga Pradipika in the next post.  Stay tuned.
Related posts:

Yoga As a Tool

Object of Perception YS IV - 19

Yoga Sutra - IV- 19 - NA TAT SVABHASAM DRSYATVAT - The mind-stuff is not self-luminous because it is an object of perception by the Purusha.

Swami Satchidananda informs of this sutra that "The mind-stuff is not the subject. It is the object to the one subject who is the Purusha. The mental functions are what you, as Purusha, perceive. The perceived can never become the perceiver, nor vice-versa. If the perceiver is perceived by something, then he is no longer a perceiver, but, rather, the perceived. To really have this awareness, this isolation of perceiver and perceived, is Yoga."

Swami Satchidananda states that it seems that this should be easy, however, because of the quality of the mind is not that clear. The unclear mind drags us down and doesn't allow us to stay separated from the mind. "Maya (illusion) tricks us." We are given an example how we want something one day and then say we don't, then maybe two days later we want it again. We become convinced because of Maya that what we didn't want yesterday will be wonderful today. And this is because of our ego which is based in the mind. The ego doesn't allow us to know our true self, that we are the Purusha.

He finally ends the commentary on how when we do something we blame the mind and when someone does something to us we blame them, instead of their mind. A great example given is in Hatha Yoga when we lay in the corpse pose (savasana) we say we are not the body, the body is just lying there. However, when we get up and someone calls us plump, we get disturbed identifying with the body and not our true nature, the Self. So because of this constant slipping of awareness, we have to bring it back again and again and that is spiritual practice.

Asana - Posture YS II - 46

Yoga Sutra II-46- STHIRA SUKHAM ASANAM - Asana is a steady, comfortable position.

Swami Satchidananda starts his commentary with "Asana means the posture that brings comfort and steadiness. Any pose that brings this comfort and steadiness is an asana. If you can achieve one pose, that is enough. It may sound easy, but in how many poses are we really comfortable and steady?" He tells us that as soon as we sit in a position we get uncomfortable being continually being reminded of different parts of their bodies. "Unless the body is perfectly healthy and free from all toxins and tensions, a comfortable pose is not easily obtained. Physical and mental toxins create stiffness and tension. Anything that makes us stiff can also break us. Only if we are supple will we never break."

Swami Satchidananda shares a story of a weed and a big tree. The bottom line was that when the rainy season came bringing heavy rain, the big strong tree got swept away since it was big, stiff and could be supple like the weed. It is pointed out that we need the strength of steel, but with flexibility. "The body must be so supple it can bend any way you want it to. Such a body will always be healthy and tension-free. The moment we sit down for meditation in such a body, we'll forget it."

In order for us to attain such a meditative pose was the reason that Hatha Yoga was created. It was realized that the pain, stiffness, bile, gas, etc. was created by toxins that came from eating the wrong foods at the wrong times in wrong quantities. The questions of the proper foods, amounts and times lead to the Yogic diet which did not include meat, fish, eggs, stimulants and excessive use of spices.

Swami Satchidananda informs us that the squeezing of the body in different directions was to get rid of toxins that were already inside the body. Some positions are mentioned and if they were not enough, other deeper postures were developed to deal with the toxins. "When the spine was stiff and didn't want to move, they employed postures that bent it forward, backward, sideward and upside down. Although Hatha Yoga is several thousands of years old, it never becomes outdated." The truths are always current, like gold always staying the same.

Minimize Obstacles and Attain Samadhi YS II-2

Yoga Sutra II-2 -SAMADHI BHAVANARTHAH KLESA TANUKARANARTHAS CA - They help us minimize obstacles and attain samadhi.


Swami Satchidananda says of this sutra that Patanjali informs us "why Kriya Yoga should be practiced to minimize obstacles and to get into samadhi." Patanjali basically tells us without Kriya yoga, we can never overcome the obstacles and reach samadhi. So basically all the hatha yoga (physical postures), Japa Yoga (silent repetition of the mantra) and living in Yoga residences or ashrams are all part of the process to prepare us for meditation and samadhi.

Take a Deep Breath! YS I - 34

Have you ever heard of taking a deep breath to calm yourself? I tell people on a daily basis in my classes to take a deep breath. Most adults do not breath properly. Ever notice how babies and toddlers breath? Their little bellies move up and down. When adults take a deep breath they raise their shoulders barely expanding their rib cage. According to Wikipedia Diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing or deep breathing is the act of breathing deep into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly by flexing your rib cage. I notice that most adults are not aware of this breathing, unless they are singers who are familiar about diaphragmatic breathing. Check out the short video clip on the breath process here. During this holiday season there are lots of people out their not breathing deeply, and continued to be stressed.

You might wonder what does this have to do with Pantanjali's Yoga Sutra? Well if you look at Yoga Sutra I-34 PRACCHARDANA VIDHARANABHYAM VA PRANASYA - Or that calm is retained by the contolled exhalation or retention of the breath, you notice the breath is mentioned to keep calm. The word prana, Sanskrit for breath is in this sutra. Swami Satchidananda says of this sutra Pantanjali is not specific about the different kinds of breathing here, but indicates that we should just watch our breath. He mentions that in Buddhist meditation uses similar breathing practices with different names like in Hatha Yoga. Sathdtananda states the aim is to bring the two forces prana (the upward breath) and apana (the down breath) together, which is what Hatha Yoga is based on bringing that equilibrium of the two forces.

So basically to have peace of mind we need to be aware of our breath. If we can remember that the mind and the breath are connected. If we become the witness or the observer, we can see that what happens to the breath. One can think of a person who has a panic attack. Or if one is deeply engrossed in something, if you stop and notice how you were hardly breathing. This is why we take a deep breath afterwards. Swami Satchidananda says this proves that when one concentrates and becomes still the breath stops. This automatic retention of breath is called kevala kumbhaka. If you can regulate your breath (pranayama) you can regulate your mind. It only takes a few minutes to accomplish and if you are stressed, angry, agitated, take a deep breath!

What is your Path?

What is your path in life? Which course, direction or roadway are you traveling? Everyone one is moving in some direction. Some are stuck at the crossroad not knowing which is the best way for them. So there is no movement, stagnation. Some people go down a path not to be alone so they follow others. Some just go down a path to keep it moving.

For some people singing is their path, others teaching, writing a book, having a family. For me my path is yoga. To me yoga is fascinating. Most people might think of physical postures or contortion when they hear the word yoga. There are different limbs of yoga. Yoga is the trunk of the tree and it has many branches. Major branches of yoga include Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Hatha Yoga.[3][4][5] Raja Yoga, compiled in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

I find that the practice of yoga brings my attention to many topics like health, mental health , peace of mind, how to deal with stress, etc. People might be having symptoms that they believe are related to an illness when it might be a sign of an awakened kundalini. A definition of kun·da·lini as a noun is Hinduism a cosmic or divine energy in human beings located at the base of the spine and released upward by means of yogic techniques. Or another definition is the yogic life force that is held to lie coiled at the base of the spine until it is aroused and sent to the head to trigger enlightenment. According to Swami Muktananda in his book 'Where Are You Going?' he states "When the inner energy awakened and this spontaneous yoga begins, your entire body will be purified from within. Your awareness will be turned inside, and you will begin to see inner worlds."

I remember mentioning this topic in a class I was teaching one day. A student that I had not seen for a while came to me after the class. She told me she had stopped the yoga practice for a while because she had a couple of experiences that was a related to the kundalini awakening I had mentioned. She was relieved to find out what was happening to her.

So yoga for me has been a major path in my life that is leading me to a deeper awareness of my inner self, as well as outer self. It is definitely not boring and is full of revelations to waking up in this seemingly complicated world of illusions.