Yoga Rahasya (“Secrets of Yoga”) is said to have been written by Nathamuni a 9th century Yogi who did much for the evolution and application of Yoga. It was lost a few decaded after he died and remained dormant for a long time. It was revived in a mystic occurrence by Krishnamacharya – my teacher’s (Ziva Kinrot), teacher’s (Paul Harvey), teacher’s (TKV Desikachar) teacher.

It is a very dense source of knowledge. When I first read through it I felt as if it was at the heart of all the teachings I had received. I believe it would have been lost upon me had I encountered it in my early Yoga years. Now it is like a well of endless inspirations that sends me back to my teachings and brings them into new light time and time again.

It is a unique source of knowledge about the application of Yoga in a therapeutic context and it’s role in different phases of life. It is also the only text I know that directly addresses Yoga for women and for pregnancy.

I believe it should only be consumed under the guidance of a teacher who knows it, respects it and practices it both as a practitioner and teacher. It contains powerful knowledge that can be easily misused and abused – leading to illness instead of health.

It can be ordered here.

It began when  Andreea wen to Romania (October). This presented me with unique and fresh circumstances. We were already living a intimate life in retreat. I was alone for the first time in a long time. I had a renewed daily practice (Yoga asana, Pranayama & Shakuhachi) and daily routine that felt good. There were days when I would not say a word except for greeting our cat and parakeet in the mornings. I felt at home in my body, I was eating well and sleeping well. The times in between my practices were unimportant and playful – filled with consistent writing and small interventions in a few projects I carry with me.

Then when I flew to join Andreea in Romania (supposedly a 2+ week vacation – around mid December) – the peaceful pattern was broken. It was a pleasant visit, but I did not manage to sustain my practices and energy. I was not surprised, traveling is rarely easy or comfortable for me. I made a conscious sacrifice going to Romania, knowing it would disrupt my peaceful state of being, knowing I would need to settle and recollect myself afterwards.

A week after we returned from Romania (early January), as I was practicing a few Asana I strained my lower back. It took me a few weeks of gentle work to bring peace to my lower back. It took almost a month for me to reach a full capacity practice and to enjoy a quality pranayama practice. There was also a matter of adjusting to new practice and life patterns that included Andreea’s presence again. I was begnning to feel present again… until March came.

March promised to be a hectic month and it is delivering on its promises. Before it is over we will have visited with my family 3 times. Each visit involves a 3+ hour (one way) journey (from our home in the North of Israel to the center area of Israel) and usually lasts 3 days. The visits are pleasant, my parents take us generously into their home. But my parents’ place leaves very little place & space for practice. It is an intense space, filled with lots of friction, well-intended aggressions and a constant background of distractions. Sometimes there are conversations in which I invest great energy (mostly with my father). It drains my already travel-dissipated energy and gives me vey few opportunities to replenish it.

Two visits are already past. We are now in a recess, and in a few days will be on our way to the third visit. I am trying to sprinkle my days with a few light practices – to create some regularity, focus, lightness & softness. Practice doesn’t come easy when my energy is dissipated. These very words are coming to me instead of a physical practice. I intended to practice, but something drew me to the window, maybe it was a promising warmth from the sun (the house feels cold these days, even though the sun is shining outside). As I stood there looking outside silently, I realized I feel empty – it is an unpleasant feeling.

For quite some time I haven’t been able to fool myself into taking my work too seriously. I consider myself fortunate to be free to pursue projects that are close to my heart. Almost all of these projects are driven by clear intents and purpose…. and yet none of them relate to my own sense of purpose. When I was alone and completely immersed in my practices I felt filled with purpose. Now, when I am away from my practices, I feel empty.

p.s.: when we are on the train heading out on our first visit it was around sunset time. there was lots of humidiy in the air. on the outskirts of Haifa I remember seeing some beautiful images. they were dominated by a creamy color, the ocean and the sky were a continous texture, there was no horizon… there were very few visible details… a boat floating in the midst of creamy emptiness, some gently waves in the foreground… it was mostly beautiful emptiness… it soothed me.

“Samyama [constraint/control] must be developed gradually”

Translation by TKV Desikachar

This sutra contains the word “viniyogah” which over the years was used to relate the teaching approach of TKV Desikachar and his father Krishnamacharya. Some years ago it began to transform into another “yoga brand”, and so Desikachar asked that it not be used in that context anymore. Following our two quotes which shed some light on the idea of “viniyoga” as implied in this sutra:

“The spirit of viniyoga is starting from where one finds oneself. As everybody is different and changes from time to time, there can be no starting point, and ready-made answers are useless. The present situation must be examined and the habitually established status must be reexamined.”

TKV Desikachar (from the Essence of Yoga by Bernard Bouanchaud)

“We should begin with the less complicated objects and with those that can be inquired into in several different ways. Then there is a greater chance of sccessful development. It is implied that a teacher who knows us well is a great help in choosing our objects”.

TKV Desikachar (from The Heart of Yoga)

If I were (at this time) to give this chant a title it would probably be something like “Walk the Walk: Practice, Practice, Practice”:

click to play

yogena yogo jnatavyo
Only through Yoga, Yoga is known

yogo yogat pravartate
Only through Yoga, Yoga progresses

yo prama tastu yogena
One who is patient with Yoga

sa yoge ramate ciram
Enjoys the fruits for a long time

With that in mind here is a very simple practice you can do lying down in bed, on a carpet or if you’d like  – on a yoga mat. Yes, this means that you don’t even need to get out of bed to do  this practice.

A recurring pattern in the practice will be your breath – and for that I would suggest focusing on two things: try lengthening your breath and try introducing a short break (1 or 2 seconds) after every inhale (holding the air in). Using this pattern of breathing – count 6 breaths in every step of the following practice. The practice is incremental – so each step is a slight modification of the previous step – so it should be very easy to follow.

1. Place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest – feel your breath moving your body. Count 6 breaths.
2. Bend your knees and place both feet on the bed (or floor) – leave the hands as before. Count 6 breaths.
3. Place both hands on your abdomen and focus on the word “That”. Count 6 breaths.
4. Place both hands on your heart space and focus on the word “That”. Count 6 breaths.
5. Place both hands on your eyes (covering your eyes with your palms) and focus on the word “That”. Count 6 breaths.
6. Place both hands on your heart again and focus on your breathing. Count 6 breaths.

That is all for now – 6 easy steps – 6 breaths each – it only takes a few minutes (you can do it whenever you feel like it).

If you wish to take another step forward – you can this same practice using Ujjayi breathing – Ujjayi is a simple technique that will enable you to lengthen your breath even more.

Practice this for a while, then we will explore a few more things you can add to this.