What did we do on Saturday 12 September?

…We had our 2nd yoga philosophy chat for the year (made all the better for the large array of delicious homemade treats everyone bought! Yum).

We come together to discuss essential yoga philosophy and to breathe life and momentum into some concerns and questions. Also to voice findings good and bad, that arise from what seems like a relentless discipline on the mat.

We looked primarily at the first two limbs of the ‘8 limbs of yoga’. A stepping stone with in the stepping stones of the yoga path – integration and wholeness.

For most of us it is just how do we ‘practice’ these things, the Yamas and Niyamas? What opportunities do we get? We know we can flick out our mats and practice physical discipline yoga but what about the yoga of conscious decisions to be truthful, content, observant, abstentious, restrained, alive to the beauty, opportunity, spirituality and growth in all moments?

We begin to realise that it is by stepping on to our mats that we learn these things, we begin to see/feel/know we must honour and respect our lives and all living things - we get the interconnectedness, because we feel connected to ourselves, the ground beneath us, the sensations in the body, the aches and pains and the space and light in the body.


Mostly we want to find ways of making these social and personal conducts sustainable, so that they fit our lives and so that they feed our lives positively and all those around us. They become a ‘permaculture’, sustainable, sensible and right.


The Yamas (social observances/conduct) being:

Ahimsa (non-violence, non-harm to self and others),
Satya (truthfulness, seeking the truth),
Asteya (non-stealing, non-grasping),
Brahmacharya (celibacy or appropriate use of sex and sexuality) and
Aparigraha (non-covetousness)


The Niyamas (personal observances/awareness):

Shaucha (purity, cleanliness),
Santosha (contentment),
Tapas (heat, enthusiasm),
Swadhyaya (self-study),
Ishwaripranidhana (meditation on the Divine)


We referred to one book in particular ‘Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit - A return to Wholeness’ by Donna Farhi www.donnafarhi.co.nz Her writing is intelligent and lucid. Somehow she spoke to every one of us in the room personally, lots of ‘yeses’ and nods. She has an amazing (and original) way of describing 'Ishvaripranidhana'…she says it is A Return to our Original Silence. A still point or an original still point for the body so it can function with freedom and ease, a spacious and non-judgemental and clear place for the mind to see things as they truly are and the resonant quiet for the spirit to connect seamlessly with the greater spirit.

Stand calmly on that mat. Here we go.

The next yoga chat will be in October. See you there! All Sunsalute yoga practitioners and friends welcome.