Our approach to Ashtanga Yoga in Lausanne

Yoga classes in Lausanne

Although the word "yoga" can have several meanings, we will define it as "change," because now, something is finally going to change, something we are not used to, and because we believe that life holds an immense mystery, but that it is possible to access it with simplicity of mind. Through openness to what is. Pure existence, eternal and universal, yoga touches the hearts of men, whether we see it or not.

Attention

“When we are attentive to our actions, we are not prisoners of our habits”.

- T. K. V. Desikachar

Breathing

Breathing is central to the practice, but most students think that breathing is simply inhaling and exhaling with an audible sound called Ujjayi. The fact is that when asked to focus on breathing according to their understanding, it reminds them how demanding this process is and requires special attention. But is that enough? The process requires much more than simply saying that breathing is central to the practice. Once we put all the elements in place, we see that it is a much more involved process than it seemed at first glance.

It is a conscious choice to place breathing at the center of the practice. If you start with poor breathing, don't even think that it will improve; in fact, the opposite will happen. By placing breathing at the forefront and allowing all other actions to become secondary, this creates an internal environment in which it becomes possible to address all other aspects of the practice. It imposes a pace that may be slower than some would like, but the main point is to take the time necessary to ensure that the practice does not become a form of enslavement, but rather serves the individual, at the risk of experiencing what should in fact be a timeless moment, without expectations, appreciating each moment and leaving space for what is.

Tristana (3 places)

Posture (Asana) supports breathing, but breathing (Pranayama) also supports posture, which in turn supports the state of mind necessary for a more subtle application, the gaze (Pratyahara), the withdrawal of the senses, which is more accurately described as the conscious use of the five senses. Together, these three elements constitute an opening conducive to the quality of deep concentration (Dharana). The continuous support of this process (Tristana) three places of action becomes the point of quality to support (Dhyana) the state of meditation.

This is the practice, insofar as the quality of each thing is performed without one taking precedence over the other, in order to achieve the rightness of the moment and remove any idea of attaining perfection, which would create opposition to the meaning of the practice and highlight the full meaning of Yama and Niyama.

The study of yoga

Study is understanding our involvement in conscious actions and appreciating the process.

The wonder and amazement we feel when we witness that, from diligent application of this method, transformation of the quality of action involves being more closely anchored in Yama principles.

Any unecessary action is a source of distraction
Any aggressive thrust is incompatible
Staying physically in your truth
You can't do more than your current capacity allows
One leaves the practice full of energy
You generally feel completely satisfied, both during and at the end of practice

This implies committing oneself totally, with one's whole person, to the qualities, but developing the right effort. This is achieved with intelligent, step-by-step application, less effort is required. In other words, effort that reduces effort.

Internal purification

It is certain that it will not stop there, but it is clear that with the right practice, emphasizing quality over quantity, this creates an essential openness to the smooth running of the process of transforming the psychology of yoga. Doing too much is often counterproductive. Breathing, posture, gaze, as well as the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga described by Patanjali, make this practice a tool that is worth practicing correctly, which will become an invaluable jewel.

An essential aspect of internal purification concerns the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the science of yoga, it is said that God dwells in our hearts in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons: Kama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha, Matsarya, and Mada. These are desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy, and laziness. When the practice of yoga is sustained with great diligence and devotion over a long period of time, the heat generated by it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature is revealed.

Ashtanga = eight limbs
Yoga = unity

Because it is subtle, invisible, and immaterial, the wise have spoken of its accessible form, and it is through gradual stages that this form will be attained.

— Avhadûta Gîtâ ll.15

The observation

Everything is based on Samkhya (system of enumeration or the order of manifestation), a system based on observation and experience. These are the foundations of the psychology of transformation in Yoga, clearly describing how creation manifests itself through the individual soul. Taking Samkhya into account is a necessary requirement for any holistic approach in the field of health, which also includes Ayurveda (the science of life) and Jyotish (the science of light or Vedic astrology). Yoga represents the practical application of this approach.

Yoga covers infinitely broader aspects than the purely physical aspect, to which most people are accustomed, such as postures (Asanas). This teaching, called Ashtanga Yoga or the eight-limbed path of unity, is set out in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, to which all schools of Yoga refer, and should not be confused with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga developed by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Ashtanga Yoga has its origins in Sanskrit texts, expounded by the sage Patanjali, who was the first to systematize the path of classical yoga. These are the stages that structure the logical progression through which the practitioner passes before reaching the state of Yoga. They are all interrelated and can be practiced simultaneously. The first five limbs (the external support) are the foundations of the last three (the internal practice). The first two limbs, Yama & Niyama, are crucial and are often the most neglected. Without them, the practice loses its meaning and does not allow for the process that yoga practice is supposed to bring about: an upward inner transformation towards the opening of consciousness.

1 - Yama

Inner purification (awareness of conditioning)

Ahimsa

Awareness of our violent thoughts

Satya

Truthfulness, sincere self-examination

Asteya

Awareness of the desire to possess

Brahmacharya

Awareness of life energy

Apargraha

Awareness of mental concepts

2 - Niyama

Purification extérieure (conscience de l'action)

Shaucha

Action sans profit personnel

Santosha

Satisfaction par l’acceptation de ce qui est

Tapah

Être déterminé à rechercher la source de la conscience

Svadhyaya

Rechercher à s'associer à la vérité

Isvara Pranidana

Abandon au divin (amour)

3 - Asana

Physical purification (body awareness)

4 - Pranayama

Subtle purification (awareness of the breath)

5 - Pratyahara

Sense withdrawal (conscious use of the 5 senses)

6 - Dharana

Discernment (concentration)

7 - Dhyana

State of being (meditation)

8 - Samadhi

State of unity, wholeness, liberation (pure consciousness)