One Reference to Wrong Practice

HathaPradipika of Svatmarama (Original Text, Transliteration, Translation and Notes),
by Swami Digambaraji and Pt. Ragunatha Shastri Kokaje
Hardcover Edition: 1998
Kaivalyadhama, S.M.Y.M. Samiti
ISBN 8189485121

My teachers have told me this is the only HathaPradipika that has a fifth chapter. This fifth lesson, or chapter, speaks of wrong practices and how to correct what results from wrong practice within a Yoga sadhana and Yoga chikitsa. I am only adding a few points from chapter five here and leaving all of their punctuation as it is written.

[I]Lesson V

  1. One who practises (Yoga) erroneously, contracts (diseases of) Vata etc. For the treatment of such diseases the (proper) course of Vayu is being explained (below). page: 179 [/I]It goes on to give many examples of diseases and their treatments.

skipping 2-22

[I]23. Whenever there is affliction due to disease. filling that region (with Prana) one should hold it there. page: 188
24. Whenever fear, affliction or (other) obstacles (in the path of Yoga) arise, the Yogi well-verse in Yoga, should effortfully increase the practice of Yoga according to one’s own capacity. page: 188
[/I]

Namaste,

Hi Nicole,

Thanks for sharing this. It is also my experience that people who are not ready for hatha yoga, may be ready for karma or bakhti or one of the other yoga paths.

I belief strongly, like Swami Sivananda, in the yoga of synthesis, doing a little of all the yogas and to eventually find your niche. I have seen it so many times, people who are not ready for hatha asanas usually falls away by the second or third month of practice after starting as a beginner.

In my own classes I try to encourage people to visit the Divine Life Society in Johannesburg for satsang so that those who are not hatha yogis may find their path in bakhti for example. At the ashram they may also find other forms of yoga such as karma, japa or tantra, which will benefit them more.

It sadens me if people just fall away from yoga path completely because there is no alternative available to them. On the other hand there are people who are just not ready for any yoga and one should recognise that as well.

Well, I am about to do several tons of yoga than. Wait, let me see … maybe I could do a little more. Com’on, let’s bring it on ! :slight_smile:

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home !

[quote=Pandara;8379]Hi Nicole,
Thanks for sharing this. It is also my experience that people who are not ready for hatha yoga, may be ready for karma or bakhti or one of the other yoga paths.

I belief strongly, like Swami Sivananda, in the yoga of synthesis, doing a little of all the yogas and to eventually find your niche. I have seen it so many times, people who are not ready for hatha asanas usually falls away by the second or third month of practice after starting as a beginner.

In my own classes I try to encourage people to visit the Divine Life Society in Johannesburg for satsang so that those who are not hatha yogis may find their path in bakhti for example. At the ashram they may also find other forms of yoga such as karma, japa or tantra, which will benefit them more.

It sadens me if people just fall away from yoga path completely because there is no alternative available to them. On the other hand there are people who are just not ready for any yoga and one should recognise that as well.[/quote]

Pandara,
Have I already mentioned how grateful I am that you are sharing Yoga with the world? I am!

I find this especially difficult in the USA where people are always asking “What yoga do you do?” and what they mean is, “which asana practice do you do.” Where is there room for a tender hearted Yogi who just wants to be dissolve in God’s love and grace and not master asana? What about the Jana Yogi who desires to know God through the vedas, the sutras, and self-study, but feels like Yoga is not for them because asana is not for them. I am empathetic to these same sweet souls too, especially here in the USA, but really anywhere outside of India (meaning the rest of the world focuses much more on asana than those in India do)

I am not sure why we are like this, but I know the pain of trying to be an inward-looking Yogi and in outward-looking world. The smallish city that I live in has 15+ boutiques that sell $100+ yoga pants. There are a lot of folks who love to whip themselves into a rajasic, asana-fueled frenzy. And then they stop for an espresso drink on the way home :smiley: I must say, I love these folks too, because they are so familiar to me…this was me too once upon a time

I wanted to ask you for some clarification about the first line of your post: the ready for Hatha part. Do you mean that Hatha is the goal? Thanks!

With respect and love,

Hi Nicole,

To clarify: Unfortunately Hatha has become synonymous with the practice of asana, what I mean is people who are not ready or who are beyond or who may not need asana, but one of the other expressions of yoga, like jnana, japa, bhakti etc. Therefore no, Hatha is not the ultimate goal. I myself, although a teacher and although I like asana, I tend to be more a bhakti yogi and view myself as such.

Trust this helps. :wink:

Om Shanti and Namaste

Pandara,
Thank you. That does clarify it for me and for the other readers too I hope.
I cleared up the first line to my last post. What I initially wrote was so confusing…goodness.

Until recently I was unaware that Hatha yoga was considered to be so difficult! When I began my practice 9 years ago, I was fortunate to find a reputable center and highly-qualified teacher who instructed us in the many facets of yoga. Health Advantage In fact, she often incorporated meditation into our class while encouraging gentle movement and focusing on the breath - and was especially alert to individuals with limitations, providing them with alternate asanas or modifications. So, in essence, Hatha felt right to me from the very beginning!

You seem to be a Hatha yogini and your well-trained and compassionate teacher facilitated a lovely introduction to your appropriate practice. Your practice seems to bring you a lot of joy.

I think there are 2 topics that are now being discussed in this thread: 1) wrong practice meaning practice done improperly and this is what the HathaPradipika quote is referring to and 2) Hatha practice as not being the appropriate or union-creating practice for a person.
It seems that most practitioners describe Hatha practice as difficult for themselves when they are, like Pandara shared so well, [I]“people who are not ready or who are beyond or who may not need asana, but one of the other expressions of yoga…” [/I] Asana and many sitting meditation practices leave so many people still disconnected from their inner teacher, their Sadguru. I have found that simple things, like offering up the fruits of practice for an ill friend or a loved one can be the extra things that connects a Karma Yogi to their seva. Or having a Bhakti focus on their devotion and what makes their inward smile beam during asana practice. One can see that without these considerations, many asana practices could cause the vata-provoked issues listed in the HathaPradipika.

Thank you Nichole. I am learning a lot here and I am grateful for that! I was trying to say that Hatha turned out to be just right for me - and I feel very fortunate to have found the right fit.

I have always been closely attuned to my own emotions and needs which helps me remain in balance most of the time. I don’t know why this is true for me and not for everyone, it just is. I wish it were as easy for others to know and understand what they truly need at a particular time. But so many struggle with this for a variety of reasons. I can’t tell you how often I see and hear people around me trying to overcome stress, grief, depression or physical pain and I know a yoga or meditation practice would do a world of good for them. Sadly, many are still unwilling to open their minds to it, especially now that yoga has become somewhat of a “fad” in parts of the western world.

Also, I believe if a person is unwilling to fully immerse themselves into their practice, especially if they are having some difficulty, that resistance will ultimately doom them.

What do you think?

I am grateful to be learning and sharing with all of you too. I appreciate stories such as your own because it gives others hope to find similar joy in Yoga. In that appreciation, some people, some of the time, myself included, overlook an important and simple truth, that what may be right for one is not necessarily right for another. Our joy is there for us to to have, but it doesn’t come from doing another’s practice; it comes from finding and doing our own. Being our own.

I have been thinking about your last question. I need to choose another word other than “doom” to answer though. Here are 3 types of “difficulties” with Yoga practice that I have seen for myself, with my friends and colleagues and with clients: 1) difficulty arising from doing a practice or an aspect of practice of improperly, 2) Not adapting Yoga practice to the individual (approaching this through the tools of koshas, gunas and doshas) and 3) Experiencing pain in your koshas as you shake off the numbness and wake up.

I believe you are speaking, more or less, of number 3. I am right about that?
I think that going deep into a practice and committing yourself to be open-hearted, open-minded, to have a teacher who will help see through where your mind gets hooked by fear, anger, confusion, etc., and to rest when you need it will help you in burning through your karma. That commitment comes in many forms, but all keep you close to those tender parts of you that get scared and angry and confused; your immersion is your promise to yourself to never abandon yourself in the face of it and to also keep a wise, healthy and compassionate pace to the process. You need to be able to integrate the fruits of your practices and that means loving kindness and sweet patience. I know there a few members who share here that say one does not need a teacher, but I respectfully disagree. I think that there are very few in this world do not need a teacher to offer them unshakable and loving reflection.
When Mukunda speaks to us about working with clients, he often says that when people don’t come back for sessions, that it means that the practices are working. The emotions around a particular issue become more intense than appears to be manageable, at least for now. We all need a rest, a chance to regroup before going back in to do this holy work. Some people are not interested in doing this type of work and they simply want what can be offered in a hour-long asana class and that is OK too. As practitioners, we need to honor it all. Rather than being doomed, I think we will just get more opportunities to work through what we need to work through. As Pema Chodren says, this is the wisdom of no escape!

Sometimes it takes me a little bit to get to what I am trying to go, but I think this is it for now. So, what do I think?
Encourage everyone in Yoga practices that will connect them to their inner teacher, their Sadguru. Everything else, in the Sadguru’s grace, will fall into place as it should.

With my respect and love,