Hello, Folks,
I hope this email finds you all well!
Lately I’ve been studying different aspects of the three actions in Yoga that Patanjali discusses in the Yoga Sutras, called Kriya Yoga. Kriya means action, and shares the same verbal root of karma, which also means action. The difference between the two words is
that karma is an action that more often than not leads to a repetition of that same action, while kriya is an action that leads towards freedom. In order to free ourselves from the bondage of karma, we perform kriyas.
The three actions of Kriya Yoga are
- Tapas, which means to face challenges of life with a calm, fearless mind, without getting thrown off balance.
- Svadhyaya, to examine yourself honestly and strive to correct the flaws that you see you have
- Ishvara pranidhana, to live with a feeling or sense of devotion, gratitude, and non-ownership of things, even your body.
Tapas is often related to physical practices, such as asana and pranayama, but more than that it is the attitude that we should have while practicing asanas, pranayama, and other practices that involve using our body (such as non-harm). The Yogi-scholar Raghu Anantanarayan related that Sri Krishnamacharya described the word tapas, which literally means to cook or heat, as the ripening
that occurs in spiritual practice. When a fruit is ripe, it can naturally fall away from the tree. The process of heat that occurs while ripening causes it to be ready to be eaten. Physical practices are used to help us ripen into more evolved states of being, and prepare us for the inner practices of yoga.
There is also the analogy of the pot: a potter will shape a pot until they feel it is the shape that will fulfill its purpose, perhaps to hold water, or store things in. After the shape is achieved, it needs to be baked in a kiln. If they don’t bake it, the clay will always stay porous, things will leak out, or if it gets wet it will lose its shape and fall apart. Physical practices are the
metaphorical baking of the pot of the body, nervous system, and mental perceptions. We should use these practices to gain fortitude, not simply to gain amazing skills for some unknown end, other than self-enhancement. Doing yoga in that way takes some of the pressure off of having to improve, or do things “right.” All we have to do is be present and consistent in practice to nurture steadiness inside of us, and support our body functioning well. That’s it. The ripening of practice will take
care of the rest.
Placing ancient practices in a present day context is a very important part of assimilating these things into the relevancy of daily life. Yesterday, I once again came across the Three Rules for Life that Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson wrote, which I’ve mentioned before, but absolutely love. I think they accomplish perfect relevancy. They are:
- Don’t be afraid of anyone
- Get yourself a very sensitive bullshit detector and learn how to use it
- Be very, very tender
I realized that they remind me of the three actions of Kriya Yoga
- Face challenges with a calm, fearless mind without getting thrown off (Don’t be afraid of anyone)
- Examine yourself honestly and correct the flaws you see (use your bullshit detector on yourself, too)
- Live with a feeling or sense of devotion, gratitude, and non-ownership (To be very tender means to have love and respect for everyone and everything)
Eternal truths show up in many different forms... try practicing some of these, and see what happens!
That’s all for now...
With love,
Eddie
You can listen to Raghu Anantanarayan, who was a student of Sri Krishnamacharya, speaking about tapas and anataranga yoga in this wonderful video here.
October 27th, 2013 was when Lou Reed passed away. Here is a video of Laurie Anderson giving an acceptance speech on his behalf when he was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, where she concludes with the three rules.
Lastly, our updated class schedule for the next month is here.
