Some excerpts from an article by Paul Harvey outlining the viniyoga (application) of prāṇāyāma from a Rāja Yoga and a Haṭha Yoga perspective.

“In the Rāja Yoga approach, as delineated in texts such as the Yoga Sūtra, the practice of Prāṇāyāma is focused around developing and refining the principles of attention, timing and number of breaths.

The fruits of this approach are a reduction in confusion (Yoga Sūtra C2 v52) and fitness for the first steps in the meditative process (Yoga Sūtra C2 v53) towards cultivating an experience of being filled with a subtle sense of stillness (Yoga Sūtra C1 v3).

“In the Haṭha Yoga approach, as delineated in texts such as the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, the practice of Prāṇāyāma is focused around developing and refining the principles of using two primary channels (īḍā and piṅgalā) through a variety techniques to effect a śodhana (clearing of blockages) of the nāḍī (channels for prāṇa).”

“…..the practice of Prāṇāyāma links the student to the more refined aspects of dhāraṇā (concentration) and dhyānam (meditation) as a seated practice.”

Read full article. The article is also available as a downloadable PDF, courtesy of Dharma Downloads


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January being imminent, many will be making New Year resolutions and looking at fitness from the perspective of body and mind. Yoga is a practice that encompasses both. The popularity of Yoga and the choice of classes available in Dublin has increased dramatically over the past 15 years. Reading a recent article in the Irish Independent titled ‘Is Yoga actually bad for you?’ my initial thought was ‘yes’ Yoga, as with many disciplines, may be bad for you if the practice being taught is inappropriate for the individual and being taught by a teacher who does not have a professional qualification.

As there is no formal regulation of Yoga teachers in Ireland, top of the list in terms of selecting a Yoga class is to look at the prospective Yoga teacher’s training and teaching background. Speaking with and/or emailing the teacher to find out more prior to signing up for a class will also help in terms of making a decision.

A number of Yoga teachers in Dublin now also offer individual lessons. However many of these lessons are taught ‘as if’ a group class for one, as opposed to being specific the individual. Yoga taught on a one to one basis provides an opportunity to tailor practice specific to your needs and personal situation. The Yoga teacher must have been taught the skills of appropriate application. There are few teachers in Dublin, indeed in Ireland who are sufficiently qualified in this regard.

Many current Yoga trainings do not provide a sufficient grounding for teachers in the skills fundamental to the application of Yoga to the individual whether it be from a developmental, a recovery or a therapeutic perspective. It is important here to check out the training background of the Yoga teacher. For individual lessons an initial consultation where both you and the Yoga teacher meet to discuss objectives and expectations, prior to committing to individual Yoga lessons is beneficial.

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The following is an extract from an article by Gary Kraftsow from Yoga International the Yoga Magazine published by the Himalayan Institute. The article demonstrates how Yoga teaches us to lift ourselves out of stress, anxiety and depression, and move towards a deeper sense of self.

“Yoga teaches us that we aren’t our feelings or our symptoms but live in multidimensional relationship with them. One way to grasp this paradox is to picture the Self (purusha or pure, undifferentiated awareness) as pervading all nine interlocking and interdependent spheres of influence without being any one of them. The first three spheres correspond to our moods, thoughts, and behaviors and, where they overlap, our sense of self or svabhava. These spheres profoundly affect—and are affected by—our memory, unconscious conditioning, and by the fourth sphere, our physiology, particularly our autonomic nervous system (ANS). The remaining five spheres represent our anatomy and our relationships with family, society, the world, and the entire cosmos”

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Mark Singleton author Yoga Body, the Origins of Modern Posture Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010) in conversation with Susan Maier-Moul - The Magazine of Yoga.

Part 2 of the conversation focuses on the evolution of modern postural Yoga and how it has been translated through time and transmission. The point is made that “ yoga traditions are far vaster than our modern translations usually give them credit for. And the range of benefits are also far wider.”

Read Part 2 of the conversation

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Yoga as a View, Practice and Tool

Published in Spectrum, The Journal for the British Wheel of Yoga’ the following is an excerpt from the third of a three part article by Paul Harvey cYs.

“Yoga as a tool is more likely to be the starting point for most students these days in that we often choose a style or approach to Yoga as a starting point in our Yoga experience. There are many, many choices these days, although the common denominator now appears to be based around Yoga teachers rather than Yoga teachings.

For example we can choose from Anusāra, Aṣṭāṅga, Bikram, Dru, Gītānada, Integral, Iyengar, Jīvamukti, Kripālu, Kuṇḍalinī, Sahaja, Scaravelli, Śivananda, Satyānanda, Viniyoga, etc.

Which is fine in itself. However the question that arises is how much do the various ‘types’ actually apply the Haṭha energetic principles of Practice in order to realize the View of Yoga? My own field of expertise lies within the teachings often referred to as Viniyoga, so I can only speak with experience from this perspective.

The primary principle here is that the Practices of Yoga must be adapted to the starting point, potential and needs of the student. Within this premise is a further question how, or even how much, the tools of Yoga utilize the Practice principles of Haṭha, in order to realise the View of Yoga as presented in what is seen as the primary teaching on the goal of Yoga, the Yoga Sūtra.”

Read more on Yoga as a Tool - The Art of viniyoga for developing a Personalized Practice

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Yoga as a View, Practice and Tool

Published in Spectrum, The Journal for the British Wheel of Yoga’ the following is an excerpt from the second of a three part article by Paul Harvey cYs.

“Another irony in the emerging role and identity of Yoga in the West today is with regard to the term Haṭha Yoga. The term is mainly used generically these days to identify and group ‘physically’ based Yoga practices. As a teacher I am often asked in connection with the question what kind of Yoga do you teach, is it Haṭha Yoga?

The irony is that when we look at what Haṭha Yoga really is we find that the physical elements are relatively limited with very few Āsana discussed. Furthermore within the few discussed, the largest group are concerned with sitting, in preparation for practice elements other than Āsana. Here primarily to facilitate a quality of being able to sit still and as if move beyond the physical body.

Here the primary concern and field of activity for Haṭha Yoga practitioners is with regard to the energetic or ‘Prāṇa’ body and its role in helping to facilitate a quality of energetic ‘clarity’ and energetic ‘stillness’ ultimately as a ladder to support the practitioners exploration of meditational states of being.

The role of Haṭha is to help take the student towards the View and to help refine the View. What is important also is that we understand the various influences that exist in the West today in terms of ‘Yoga’. What seems to be in danger of being lost in all of this are the ‘energetic principles’ that underpin Haṭha Yoga because people have become very focused on the physicality, or even gymnastic type influences. It seems that modern Yoga practice is dominated by Āsana and the words Āsana and Yoga appears to have become sadly synonymous.”

Read more on ‘Yoga as a Practice’

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Yoga as a View, Practice and Tool

Published in Spectrum, The Journal for the British Wheel of Yoga’ the following are excerpts from the first of a three part article by Paul Harvey cYs.

“It is interesting these days that as a Yoga teacher the question I am more likely to be asked is ‘What kind of Yoga do you do?’ rather than ‘What is Yoga?’. It’s either that we think we already know what Yoga is or, more likely, that the view is becoming lost within the myriad of ways in which Yoga is offered.”

“In terms of what is presented as Yoga today where is the view? We need to have a view, we need to know how to access it and we need to know how to stabilise and sustain it.

In Yoga the View is explored most eloquently in the Yoga Sutra and its main focus is the relationship between two aspects that constantly interact in sustaining our sense of being and individuality. The two aspects are that of the perpetual activity of the mind or Citta and the ever present quality of stillness inherent within the awareness of Cit. When the Citta dominates we are more in the past than the present and when Cit dominates we are more in the present than the past.

The premise of the Yoga Sutra is that when the past takes over we are more liable to act and interact unskillfully. Even within different aspects of our Yoga practice when a disturbance arises it is because the past has taken over, a memory has arisen. However if there was no past there would be no Citta. Citta is like a vault full of past memories. Within this ever active process we want to create a space between impulse and reaction.”

Read more on ‘Yoga as a View’

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Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease causing the immune system to attack joints. However it can also affect other areas of the body such as lungs, heart and bone marrow. It is a painful inflammatory condition that can lead to loss of mobility due to pain and damage of joints. It is known that the practice of Yoga can help people with rheumatoid arthritis. An article referring specifically to recent research in this area has been published on the Irish Health website.

The research was completed in United Arab Emirates. The details of the findings were presented at the 2011 Annual Congress of EULAR - The European League Against Rheumatism, in London. The findings state that “....individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who practice yoga showed significant improvements in disease activity....” Their view is that the practice of yoga long term could result in further significant improvements. They are continuing their research into the benefits of Yoga in the context of RA.

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via Centre for Yoga Studies (cYs) Bristol
“Yogi science is harnessed to the cause of beauty culture. Business and austerity go hand in hand.” Dated August 9th 1941, the now defunct UK Magazine Picture Post published a feature on Yoga from a studio in New York called the House of Prana, using amongst other things metronomes to regulate the breathing and back bending benches as posture aids. Given that this article was published in 1941 it has a strangely familiar and even prescient ring to it given what we can find ‘posing’ as Yoga some 70 years later.

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Important new guidelines were issued in July 2011 outlining the amount of exercise adults and children need to do to stay healthy. They are based on a comprehensive review of the latest scientific evidence regarding physical activity and health. The new guidelines include the following points:
• The intensity at which we exercise is key, heartbeat must be raised
• The more exercise you do, the better
• Sedentary time (time spent sitting down to watch TV, use a computer, etc) is bad for your health

The guidelines, which are now much more in line with those used in the United States, also include recommendations for muscle-building and bone-strengthening, for which lifting weights and Yoga are recommended activities.

For more detailed information

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From an article by Paul Harvey published in cYs Journal “It is interesting these days that as a Yoga teacher the question I am more likely to be asked is ‘What kind of Yoga do you do?’ rather than ‘What is Yoga?’. It’s either that we think we already know what Yoga is or, more likely, that the view is becoming lost within the myriad of ways in which Yoga is offered.”

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The principle that supports the teaching of Yoga according to the needs and circumstances of the individual has long been referred to as ‘viniyoga’. The term ‘viniyoga’ became associated with TKV Desikachar’s method of teaching Yoga. This method was used in order to make the depth and essence of Yoga accessible to Western students.

For more on the principle of viniyoga read article by Kausthub Desikachar

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