No registration is required. Please plan to arrive 20 minutes before the start of class.
Our 'Free Friday' class is offered every other month, before the start of each new session. Come with a friend, and experience the Yoga St. Louis difference.
Dhyana From Past, Not Present
Yogic dhyana originates in back brain, based on past experience.
Pranayama — Source of Dhyana (Meditation)
Yogic dhyana commences with pranayama. Pranayama to samadhi is a single continuous process.
Prana Kriya
Prana kriya touches 350 nadis (channels) within.
Pranayama—Desha Kala Samkhya Regulation
Pranayama regulates breath by desha (region), kala (duration), samkhya (cycles).
Pranayama Is Driven, Not Done
Breath driven to touch pranic manas (mind), loosen grip of mental vasanas (tendencies).
Breath Circulation in Asana
Asanas teach pranayama fundamentals—breath uses, applications, processes.
Pranayama — Vehicle of Prana Shakti
When body, mind, & breath benefit, we benefit from pranayama.
Karma & Karmaphala
Karma doesn’t end with fruition: reactions form new samskaras (imprints) & vasanas (tendencies)
Pranamaya Kosha—Five Pranas
Prana is one, like the ocean, but named according to function and location.
Pranayama Manages the Chakras
Pranayama burns defects, modifies chakra tendencies. Respiratory benefits are secondary.
Pranayama (Part 3)
Breath and mind: two sides of the same coin. Breath assists comprehension.
Pranayama (Part 2)
Pranayama uses vehicle of the breath. Breath & mind must benefit from asana.
Pranayama (Part 1)
Asana + shvasayama (breath restraint)—prerequisite for pranayama & dhyana.
Chitta Vrtti
Chitta-vrtti includes movements of manas (mind), ahamkara (identity), and buddhi (intelligence).
Pratyahara
Senses seek jnana (knowledge) in pratyahara.
Acts of the Senses (Aindriya Kriya)
Yogic jnanendriyas seek knowledge of the Self—true jnana.
Vachika Kriya (Part 3)
Vachikakriya accrues virtue. Dharma is not limited by time and space.
Vachika Kriya (Part 2)
Prana kriya charms the kundalini & activates aspects of the respiratory system.
Vachika Kriya (Part 1)
Silent sound forms of prana kriya cast a spell on pranic system to open chest.
Pratipaksha-Bhavanam
Pratipaksha-bhavanam = self-admonishment. Violating vow of yama pricks conscience.
Karma Is Not Destiny
Destiny, determined by prior karmas, depends on perception, action
Dhyana Serves Embodiment
Classical Yoga serves the three “spiritual” dimensions of embodiment—adhibhautika (five elements within), adhidaivika (inner celestial forces), and adhyatmika (Self).
Japa Benefits Subtle Body
Japa nourishes and purifies the subtle body just as food and medicine nourish the gross body. Nama japa includes chanting OM, and requires no prerequisite.
Five Types of Dhyana
Dhyana pacifies the causes of suffering, purifies chitta, & normalizes a disorganized mind. Sages used meditation & dhyana to attain jnana (spiritual knowledge).
Mind—External Part of Chitta
Manas is an object, the visible “tip of the iceberg of chitta.” Mental vrttis refer to external objects. Mano vrtti nirodha is the gateway to chitta vrtti nirodha.
Meditation is Not Dhyana
Japa is a form of dhyana that everyone can do to nourish the subtle body. Manas is the “tip of the iceberg of chitta.” Dreamless sleep restrains manas (mind) but not the chitta vrttis.
Adhyatmika Sadhana
Mental clarity requires sensitivity in asana & pranayama. Adhyatmika sadhana (practice pertaining to Self) ascertains the known, knowing, & knower as objects of knowledge.
Virtue of Ahimsa in Asana
Noble qualities surface when asana churns the ocean within. Ahimsa (non-violence) is the manifestation of the Six Virtues of equanimity, control of senses, tolerance…. Identify ahimsa, not the negation of himsa (violence).
Asana — Weave of Thought & Action
Asana is more than physical. It is a mirror for svadhyaya (self-study). It reflects thought, thinking, and thinker.
Dharma in Asana
Dharma is decided deep in the core of the heart and sustains you like a magnanimous mother.
Dynamic Meditation
BKS Iyengar’s Dynamic Meditation perfected his asana to carve, sculpt, and culture the subjective entity, the self. Meditation studies the thinker, thinking, and the thought.
Yama & Niyama — Ethico-Religious Practice
Ashtanga yoga is an ethico-religious practice comprised of yama and niyama.
Yoga—Paradigms of Practice
“I am the doer of asana” is the antithesis of yoga. Be the beneficiary—sculpted by yoga. If you were the doer, how could you be the witness?
What is Education in Yoga?
Body, mind, & breath interaction teaches us about our own potentials, traits, & dispositions.
Body, Mind, & Breath in Yogic Immunity
Reinforce the immune system with asana for the abdomen and brain, and to counteract duality.
Does Viparita Karani Conquer Death?
Viparita Karani is not just an anti-anxiety pose, but an act of meditation, dhyana… the key practice that leads to samadhi.
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