Today is the final day of the Telluride Yoga Festival. I can’t begin to tell you the fun I’ve had in the past two weeks traveling Colorado and ultimately hooking up with Cinci Yogis for this festival. There is truly something magical about Telluride and it brings to the festival setting a deep and rich yogic experience grounded in ancient philosophy. About 500 yogis attended the festival this year making it a truly intimate experience. It’s a chance to personally connect with master teachers and even make friends of most of them.
I spent today with James Boag, a brilliant yogi from the UK deeply studied in philosophy. He shared a fresh perspective on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and The Eight Limbs of Yoga. He talked about the qualities needed to be a yogis and practice as well as how to practice and the non-optional codes of conduct. Beyond the fact he has a beautiful voice and is a gifted story teller, he made this yogic lifestyle approachable and fresh. I share below my understanding of his understanding from my notes taken in a state of awe…
Qualities to Practice Yoga
1. Faith or Shradda. You must have faith that what you are doing is making a difference. Faith is something you can achieve by doing the practice and proving to yourself it works.
2. YOU MUST BE READY TO DIE or Virya. This really struck me. You see, to be a yogi, you are walking the hero’s path. You must have courage to face yourself. You must have courage to change your life. You must have courage to give up your attachments. As in Warrior 1, the back foot is poised in the past creating understanding, the front foot is poised in the future of possibility, the arms are stretched up to embrace all of the uncertainty coming. At any given moment you can quickly step back to balanced Samasthiti. You must be ready to give up what you know…you must be ready to die.
3. Memory or Smriti. My understanding is smriti as the creation of new memories meaning we overwrite the old and outworn. It speaks to mindfulness and repetitive practice of new behaviors. I think of the limbic region of this human brain and how most of our habits, beliefs, and identity are created before age 7. I think about the rewiring that needs to be done to overcome our habitual nature to allow us to see a better way or an expanded path.
4. Samadhi. This is a state of bliss or integration we come back to again and again. It is union with a divine consciousness that is unlimited vs. the limited self.
5. Higher wisdom or Prajna: Going beyond what you are to realize what you really are as an unlimited being. I think this really has to do with implementing knowledge into action to have wisdom.
I have much more to study from what I learned from James today and will share as my knowledge expands. Are you ready to die? (I LOVE that!!!)
OM, Pamela
*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.