One of the most precious prayers we enjoy on the yogic path is the teacher-student prayer. This is a very ancient invocation that comes to us from the Vedas. Hardly a yoga class transpires in a yoga studio where this chant is not invoked to harmonize energies between student and teacher. As westerners, we enjoy the “feeling” it invokes, but this chant is more than that – it is a prayer, and if we do not know the meaning of it, its potency is somewhat diminished. The more multi-dimensionally we relate to it, the greater fruit it bears for our growth.

Why do we chant this prayer? Because in every learning session there is great potential for insult, hurt, and anger. Because a lot of ego comes into the student-teacher dynamic. Students may become irritated with each other. The student may become irritated with the teacher, the teacher with the student. The teacher-student prayer conveys – let us never hurt each other.

We make a commitment to study together, to put up with each other. When we get on each other’s nerves we let it go because we say that the dharma is the most important, to realize our nature is the most important. It is a contract that we make in a call and response form, back and forth to each other. May we shine brightly together in this study for the benefit of all beings.

One way to experience this prayer is as an ordering of the five elements in our microcosm. Indeed, this prayer evokes the five elements. Lets go through it.

OM SAHA NAVAVATU

Earth element in the form of protection.

May that Truth that we are pursuing protect us both. Artha, security, is the prime mandate human beings pursue, and fulfillment of that allows us to yield to higher goals.

SAHA NAU BHUNAKTU

Water element in the form of nourishment.

May that Truth nourish us together. And may we not get emotionally attached to the results of our study.

SAHA VIRIYAM KARAVAVAHAI

Fire element enables understanding to illuminate what we study.

May we work with energy to pursue that objective Truth together. May we gain ability to understand what we study. May we receive the illumination of knowledge.

TEJASVINAVADHITAM ASTU

Wind element enables communication of Essence (that which we have understood via the fire element).

May we have great energy in our mutual study. May our study be brilliant.

May we overcome the inertia of our density. May our knowledge expand like the wind and be brilliant for the benefit of others.

MAA VIDVISHAVAHAI

Space element as harmonious hosting capacity of all.

May there be no enmity or hostility between us. May we agree with one another.

Disagreement is symptomatic of space violation. When space is out of sync, relative positions are out of sync and people disagree.

SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI

Peace, peace, peace.

Only when the five elements are aligned can there be peace.

And this luminosity pours out and helps everybody.

This prayer repeated at the onset of study/practice placates the five elements and all that emanates from them. At a fundamental level it realigns us with the building blocks of manifestation. If we experience the depth of this one chant and practice, we are able to organize the five elements and senses successfully. From that alignment arises a more coherent and sane experience of that which is both within ourselves and beyond.

Contributed by Sri Acalayogini, May 2009

In an older world, we would pass by farms and see the crops which would soon be at the market. We would be concerned about whether there was enough rain, not just for the sake of food availability, but also for the sake of the farmer, whose very livelihood depends on the harvest. We would do rituals and make offerings to the forces of nature so that we may be more connected to it. The idea of a “whole food” is greatly expanded in this context, for it includes not only the importance of the food, but the importance of the grower, the land, the economy and the consumer.

Ayurveda states that one should eat meats of the nearby region, and make use local plants. Animals, as well as plants, raised for food in the same region as the people consuming them experience the same environmental conditions. This creates a relational principle. Acquired immunity is an example of this, when buffers to disease manufactured in animals are passed on to their consumers. One Ayurvedic text states that since goats are not susceptible to tuberculosis, one with tuberculosis should live very near goats so as to drink of their milk daily.

One of the virtues of the Slow Food Movement and an often overlooked aspect of beneficial eating is enjoyment. In an interesting experiment on digestion, subjects were found to absorb more nutrients from food they enjoyed than from food they didn’t enjoy. Ayurveda speaks of satisfaction being one factor that maximizes digestive capacity. If a meal contains each of the six tastes, is prepared by a loved one, the amount is just right, if it is eaten with company, quietly, slowly, is followed by a suitable drink, and is seasonally and constitutionally appropriate, then satisfaction is nearly guaranteed. It is no coincidence that by eating like this, adverse reactions to food are rarely, if ever, experienced.

Ayurveda says that the way to show the highest respect to its health philosophy, is to emulate nature. If we can overcome our own individual habituations and gain insight into the instru ctive rhythms of nature, then we can open ourselves to a freedom that transcends time, a freedom to not leave a path of destruction as we travel through life.

Contributed by David “Atibala” Thorp, February 2009

Classical Yoga in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali leans strongly toward medit ation, famously discussing asana (posture, lit. “seat”) in just two verses (2.46-47), and then only to describe the necessary qualities of ease and stability, and to recommend a meditation subject. It is the much later Hatha Yoga texts, with their roots in Tantra, that begin to detail the panorama of asana and pranayama exercises we know today.

On the Buddhist side, Siddhartha (the soon-to-be Buddha) studied with two ascetic “Yoga” teachers as he began his practice. He mastered the deepest yogic states (samadhi) that they knew, but sensed that because these states were conditioned, i.e. self-induced and temporary, they coul d not be the full liberation he sought. He used his yogic skills as a doorway into the investigation and clear-seeing (vipassana) that led to enlightenment. Later Buddhist teachings merged with Saiva Tantra from Kashmir to become Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism.

The Yoga texts, both Classical and Tantric, show remarkable overlap with Buddhist meditation teachings and the traditions both support and supplement each other. The Yoga practices of energetic cultivation (pranayama) and purification of the subtle body are more detailed and precise, while the Buddhist teachings elaborate the practical details of meditation more than the Yoga texts do, offerin g concrete skills for the cultivation of absorption (dhyana/samadhi), insight (vipassana) and wisdom (prajña/jñana).

At Yoga Mandala I teach a longer Hatha Flow class to give time for meditation and pranayama (breathwork). I focus on the cultivation of concentration and inner clarity in asana, supported by precise physical alignment and teachings from the Yoga tradition. With commitment to both the physical and mental practices, Yoga can become truly transformative, a path to radiant, integrated liberation.

Contributed by Sean Feit, October 2008

When asked what the fastest thing in the world is, a myriad of answers might ensue and range from the jaguar to the jet. The clever yogi knows that there is nothing faster than the mind; one can almost feel the whiz-bang, clunking around of the myriad messages we send and receive in our brains on a moment to moment basis.

In one sense, yogic practices are designed to give our busy minds the content that they need. For example, elborate pujas require that the participant fill his or her mind with beauty – contemplation of the deva/devi, the sounds of mantras, the ringing of bells, the offering of flowers. Similarly, yoga asana focuses the mind on the task at hand, be it balancing or standing purposefully in a mountain pose.

So, what is it that occupies our minds? What do we contemplate on a regular basis? What are the pa tterns of our mind our go-to thoughts, emotions, ideas? One surefire method of experiencing the fluctuations of the mind is to sit quietly for five minutes a day and just observe what shows up. Sounds easy enough, but many of us will find this seemingly lovely exercise quite a challenge  at least at first. Some people experience panic what do I do with the five minutes? Others still are shocked and amazed by both the content and the volume of thoughts that hurtle through in this short time frame. Either way, it’s worth taking five minutes a day (at the same time everyday) to reflect, meditate and/or simply be present with your breath. In addition to giving yourself a peaceful, easy da ily ritual practice, it’s a good start in understanding the underlying principle of Yad Bhavati, Tad Bhavati.

Contributed by Skanda, October 2008