Hatha Yoga
PIGEON – KAPOTASANA – beginner to advanced
Going into the pigeon:
From kneeling position on the mat sitting on heels, sit sideways to the left of your feet and extend the right leg back, toes pointed back. Support yourself with your hands beside you to help keep the spine upright and chest open. The left foot is in front of the right hip and outer left foot on mat. The left knee faces forward. Relax the right leg. Hold pose a few breaths then release and repeat on the opposite side. Alternatively, from an inverted V position (hands on feet on mat with hips raised) swing the left leg forward, bending the knee forward and lower the body so that the left foot is in front of the right hip, and take the right leg back as above. Support with hands on mat as above. The spine is upright. Hold, release and repeat on the opposite side.
Taking it further to an advanced level – RajaKapotanasana:
Bend the right knee, catch hold of the inner right foot with the right hand. Place left hand on floor next to your left hip to help keep balance. Take your head back and pull the right foot close to the shoulder and turn the right elbow upward. Keep balance in upright position, using your legs to help the balance.
To come into full pose, bring the left arm over your head and left hand next to your right hand on your right foot. Aim to bring the right foot to the top of your head. You will be balancing on the back thigh and on the front leg. Hold, release and repeat on the opposite side.
Keep breathing rhythmically throughout the pigeon pose. As this is a pose involving much contraction of back muscles and opening of the chest, it is recommended to go to child’s pose following the pigeon.
Benefits:
Develops spinal stretch and flexibility.
Stretches the front of the body, sternum, ribs and chest open.
Tones back muscles and helps develop a strong back.
Increases stretch of knee and leg muscles.
Helps develop excellent balance.
This yoga asana is an edited contribution for the Sivananda Gurugram sourced and edited from the Sivananda Publication – “Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion” – Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre – 2010.
Meditation and contentment are the secrets of good health and longevity. – Sri Swami Sivananda
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Spiritual Calendar
| AUGUST 2015
10 Ekadasi SEPTEMBER 2015 05 Krishna Jayanti |
Glossary
VYAVAHARA – worldly, material, practical relations, the empirical truth of things, the practical life. When all vitality is sapped by unnecessary worry, anxieties, troubles and other worldly Vyavaharas, one cannot do any spiritual practice.
The SAMADHI JNANI AND VYAVAHARA JNANI –
The way of living of Jivanmuktas or sages differs. One sage lives in a princely style. Bhagiratha lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a beggarly manner. One sage is always in a meditative mood. He never works. He never talks. He lives always in seclusion. Jada Bharata lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a busy crowded city. He plunges himself in service. He talks with the people. He delivers lectures, holds religious classes, and writes books, etc. Sri Sankara led this kind of life. This is due to Prarabdha. Every sage has his own Prarabdha. If all sages have the same kind of living and the same kind of Prarabdha, this world will be like a prison. Variety in manifestation is the nature of Prakriti. The Jnani who has desire for worldly activities or Vyavahara and works in the world is a Vyavahara Jnani. The Jnani who withdraws himself completely from the universe is a Samadhi Jnani.
Knowledge is the same in these two types of Jnanis. But the Samadhi Jnani enjoys more Ananda (Bliss) than the Vyavahara Jnani. The Samadhi Jnani is one who is ever absorbed in Brahman. He does not see names and forms. The world has entirely vanished for him. He is quite unable to work. He is a Muzub (a silent sage of the highest category). He is a Paramahamsa. Food has to be thrust forcibly in the case of a Samadhi Jnani.
A Vyavahara Jnani will experience pain when his finger is cut, but a Samadhi Jnani will not experience pain even a bit even if his leg is amputated. The case of Shams Tabriez of Multan would serve as an example to justify the truth of the above statement. When he was skinned out, he laughed and uttered Analhaq, Analhaq. ‘Analhaq’ means ‘I am He’, and corresponds to the Hindu ‘Soham’.
A Vyavahara Jnani sees names and forms. A Vyavahara Jnani knows that this is Vishta (faeces), this is Chandana (sandal paste); this is a fool, this is an intelligent man; this is an Adhikari (a qualified person), this is a rogue, this is an honest man. But, he is not affected in his feelings. He is neither exalted when he gets success nor depressed when he fails. He neither loves an honest man nor hates the rogue. In this sense, he has Sama Drishti or equal vision.
The desire for work in the case of the Vyavahara Jnani is due to his Prarabdha. He uses his body and mind as his instruments just as a carpenter uses his tools. While working, he has not lost his Brahmic consciousness even for a second. He is settled always in the Chaitanya Svarupa or pure consciousness.
The Vyavahara jnani sees the whole world within himself. He sees nothing outside, just as you do. He sees through his Divya Drishti (divine perception) or Jnana Chakshus (divine vision), and not through the physical eyes. A Jnani, with the help of the powerful lens, the eye of Atman (the Self, God), sees the whole world with all the details of creation. He sees the astral body, the causal body with its Samskaras, the Pranic aura, psychic aura, magnetic aura, etc., of a man. It is very difficult for a worldly man with practical Buddhi (intellect) to mentally visualize how a Jnani sees the physical universe while he is working.
Be in the world, but not of the world. Lead a simple life. Lead a regulated life. – Sri Swami Sivananda