Welcome to Yoga Montclair
Pratibhā
This series of short essays we call Pratibhā. Pratibhā is a Sanskrit word meaning a light that comes into sight, to present or offer oneself, to appear to the mind, to become clear or manifest. We offer these contemplations on yoga every 2 months and hope that they inspire your journey of self-exploration. This year we will be exploring the Seven Steps of yogic practice. They are: Upadehsa learning; Diksha initiation, consecration; Sadhana practice; Abhisheka bathing; Seva to create an exchange, to give it back; Purna Abhisheka the full bath; Moksha liberation.
In the first issue of Pratibhā, we explored Upadesha and we explained how learning is taking in what comes close to you, and you chose to either create a deeper relationship or not. We used the example of the power your breath, what could be closer? This month we are exploring the second step, Diksha, which is usually translated,“initiation or consecration”a ritual of making special or sacred. That is exactly what we are doing in our asana practice, and as you read below, you’ll see how we participate in this step.
When we go through the steps of any ritual, whether it’s a graduation ceremony, the way you do housework, or take a yoga class, it is a self-conscious act that has particular meaning to you. The special meaning, what you have taken in, what you teach yourself, how you make it special to you, is Diksha. We all go to the same class, but whatever you take away, what you imbibe and teach yourself, is Diksha. The process of learning is always 2 ways, the material you study and they way you take it in, your particular lens and understanding. Diksha means that you are not only always a student, but always your own teacher simultaneously.
A great example of taking things in through different lenses is the history of hatha yoga and how it has proliferated in the America. In 1920’s India, a yogi named Krisnamacarya had 3 star students, Desikacar, Patthabhi Jois, and B.K.S. Iyengar. They had the same teacher, but what they heard and cultivated resulted in 3 very different forms of hatha yoga. Viniyoga focuses on the breath initiating slow repetitive movement. Vinyasa Yoga is a strict sequence mastered silently. Iyengar yoga teaches super-precise application of alignment. Nearly all hatha yoga in the United States can be traced back to Krisnamacarya, but his 3 students took in the same teachings and what they heard was very different. When you come to class, what you take in through your particular lens, what you hear, is the initiation, the consecration, the ritual of Diksha.
Diksha comes from two verbal roots, first, the root di which means to shine. This root is the same root as divine, deva and diva, and day. The second part of the word ksha, means to churn, break, …the act of moving, which is the transformative power of the universe. Think of a diamond, it only shines when it has been faceted, broken. When it’s raw, it’s uncultivated and undifferentiated. The breaking of the diamond is the ksha, the cultivation that transforms it to reveal its di, its shiny beauty. The same is true for us. What we take in is at first raw in a way, uncultivated. The process we then undertake of integrating it, of churning it in, of our recognizing it and giving it our meaning is Diksha. What this means as students of yoga is that in the process of learning, you are always both the teacher and the student. Think about a typical yoga class. You all hear the same teachings, but what you imbibe is completely different. The process of learning is you hear the teachings and relate them to things you already know, teaching yourself the difference in the new idea and how it fits into your catalogue of knowledge. The moment of recognition of what you hear is diksha, opening up what you already know and initiating a new idea, sprouting the cultivated seed of what you have taken in.
Over the next few weeks, bring a notebook to class. At the end of every class, write down what you were initiated in that class. Chronicling your new insights, the act of remembering them and then writing them down, is another way to make what you learn more concrete and meaningful. Discover how you actually are both student and teacher at every moment.
© 2008 VishandHill.com
It is an amazing feeling to be a part of kula, a community that has
really followed us to the bottom and back to the top. Vishali and I
truly appreciate our group of dedicated teachers and students. Many
thanks and much love to you all -- we look forward to new memories
and deeper insights with each of you.
Yoga is not about stretching yourself into something you're not.
Yoga is the practice, the resolution to live in your heart, mind and
body more fully. Rather than trying to commit to something that you
think you should be, yoga guides you to experience the manifest of
your good intentions.
Yoga inspires a joyous dedication to your own greatness. Yoga inspires commitment as it teaches you to be true to yourself. Commitment only comes when the experience of your highest self is your most natural self. Joy and fulfillment that is inside you is brought out. Rather than trying to make yourself into something you're not.