In this episode, I offer an introduction to the five elements taught throughout traditional Indian yoga teachings, including the basis for Ayurveda: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space.
These are not mere substances but principles of matter, including the bodymind. This contemplation is found as part of the First Domain of Mindfulness, The Body, taught in the "Satipatthana-Sutta".After introducing the elements, I offer a short practice.
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In this companion episode to Ep 30, I present some pointers as to how we can bring vedana-sati (mindfulness of feelings) into our asana practice. This is NOT a led practice session, but more a tutorial on principles of practice.
I'd love to hear from any of you if you find this approach helpful.
Due to technical difficulties, this episode recorded in November, 2024 never ended up getting published!
So, better late than never, eh?
The Second Domain of Mindfulness presents "vedanasati" or mindfulness of feelings. What is meant by "feelings" is very specific: it's the sensations we feel throughout the body AND the hedonic or 'felt sense' of said feelings, whether pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
This can arguably be said to be the most important of mindfulness practices as sensations condition and all-too-often determine our behavior!
In this companion episode to Episode 28, I offer a very short sampling of how we can bring the teachings of the satipatthana-sutta related to Mindfulness of the Body into the postural practice of hatha-yoga.
Remember, our principle that we are not here to make asanas of ourselves and that it is NOT about how we look or what we can do, but rather what can we see about the lived experience of the body.
ALL Dana is gratefully accepted!
In this episode, I offer a short summary of the practices associated with the First Domain (otherwise known as the First Foundation or Establishment of Mindfulness) as described in the satipatthana-sutta.
If you'd like to read a version of this episode, click here.
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In this episode I take off from where I left off in Episode 26 and introduce the Foundations of Mindfulness taught by the Buddha which serve as the "curriculum" for Mindfulness Yoga. Discussed is the understanding of Buddhism as a fully integrated Yogic Culture; what Hatha-Yoga is; and how postures of hatha-yoga can be practiced in such a way as to be a comprehensive Mindfulness Practice.
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I've often been asked what makes Mindfulness Yoga different than other forms of Mindful Yoga or simply yoga done mindfully. Well, here's my answer.
This episode also serves as an introduction to a series of episodes that will be devoted to the four domains of mindfulness.
If you wish to try for one of 5 signed copies of my book, that I am offering for a contribution of $30 or more, please note in your "DANA" offering that you wish to get a copy and add your email address as well as your mailing address.
In this second in a series of coversations between Barrie Risman and Pobsa Frank Jude, they discuss the third of the principles Barrie enumerates in her book, "Evolving Your Yoga."
Along the way, they discuss the difference between "change" and "transformation", the three aspects of Kriya Yoga and how to understand them in a contemporary practice context, different understandings of "self" and the relationship between "self-effort" and "grace" such as in what way does "grace" play a part for a non-theist naturalist?
In this first episode of 2024, Pobsa shares his vision for the new year and what he wishes to offer here at Pobsa's Dharma Lounge. Among other things, he will offer occasional book and film reviews so this episode presents a mini-review of a collection of essays about Buddhist ethics.
Pobsa takes this opportunity to teach a bit about Mara, sometimes inaccurately referred to as the "Buddhist devil."
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In this first of a series of discussions regarding the evolution of personal practice, Pobsa and Barrie Risman discuss, among other things, what it means to "evolve one's yoga". What aspects of practice change over time and what, if anything, remains the same.
From there, they go on to discuss the student/teacher relationship and how it has generally changed with the commodification of yoga into a consumer/provider relationship and what that means for yoga practice and teaching itself.
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In an exchange between Ananda and the Buddha, the Buddha tells Ananda, "It is much better to talk of what you know than to speculate foolishly." Sound advice, but what do we actually know?
In this episode, Pobsa explains how our perceptions are constructed and thus open to inaccuracy. After describing several ways we "fool ourselves" he offers some practices to correct for all-too-common cognitive biases.
If you wish to learn more about the nature of the mind according to the Buddha's teaching in the Satipatthana-Sutta, as well as tools for critical thinking based upon neuro- and cognitive science, you can join Pobsa for a four-week course starting Sept 9. All sessions will be recorded if you cannot make the live session.
Registration Information:
https://www.mindfulnessyoga.net/minding-the-mind.html
For Dana Offerings, greatly appreciated: https://www.mindfulnessyoga.net/dana.html
In this wide-ranging conversation with Daniel Simpson we explore questions around how to make use of texts such as The Yoga-Sutra which come from a world-denying, renunciate worldview extolling dis-embodiment and celibacy in a contemporary yoga practice setting which prioritizes embodiment and tends toward body and sex positivity. What elements should be adapted, which should be fully integrated, and what should be rejected as inappropriate for our purposes? Along the way we discuss the ground-breaking work of scholars such as Georg Feurstein, and more recent scholarship from people like Mark Singleton and James Mallinson.
We touch upon the neo-liberal focus on the self that has become such a driving force in both contemporary yoga and mindfulness and use sutra 1.33 regarding the "four immeasurables" (aka 'four brahma-viharas) to distinguish the more isolationist project of Classical Yoga and the pro-social project of Buddhist Yoga. In turning toward a more general discussion on dharma, political concerns arise with examples from Brexit and illiberal so-called "progressive" authoritarianism that lead to ever increasing discord and polarization are touched upon. We end with Daniel's "origin story" filled with at least two of the classic "sex, drugs, and rock and roll."
LINKS:
Our previous discussion on Daniel's podcast: Ancient Futures
My conversation with Scott Johnson on Scott's podcast: Still Points
Daniel's conversation with Scott Johnson on Scott's podcast: Still Points
Daniel's Ancient Futures Website
My review of The Truth of Yoga at Goodreads
The Yoga Tradition by Georg Feurerstein
Roots of Yoga by James Mallinson and Mark Singleton
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda
The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali by Chip Hartranft
In his first teaching, the Buddha presented his yoga practice as a middle way between sensory deprivation and indulgence, showing that both extremes were caught in notions of the self. The Middle Way is an alternative path between the two extremes, but is one that is made step by step by each practitioner. There is no "one way" to be the Middle Way and in the ever-changing circumstances we find ourselves in life, we are always having to adjust accordingly. This requires constant attention to the changing and unique situations we find ourselves in.
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Inspired by a conversation with some students and remembering a song from the Sex Pistols, Pobsa shares about problems and how to work with their inevitability. This episode ends with a somewhat humorous and quite telling story of the Buddha and a Brahman who sought relief from his 85 problems.
Click here to contact Pobsa with any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes.
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Click here to hear the Sex Pistols.
In this episode, Pobsa introduces a form of "objectless meditation" which is a form of meditation that embodies simply maintaining open awareness, without directing the mind to any particular object. He does this through a graduated process of two other meditations that can function as "stand alone" meditations designed to develop stability (Mountain Meditation) and reflectivity of mind (Lake Meditation).
Please subscribe, rate, and share this podcast if you are finding it helpful for your own practice and understanding.
You can contact Pobsa through his website: www.mindfulnessyoga.net
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I think you will enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Barrie Risman as much as I did! Prompted by a Facebook post, I reached out to Barrie and she gracefully accepted my invitation to chat about some of the philosophical aspects of the Yoga Tradition(s).
Barrie is an internationally-recognized yoga teacher, public speaker, and author. Her book, Evolving Your Yoga: Ten Principles for Enlightened Practice, is a guide for yoga teachers and continuing students to deepen, expand, and integrate the benefits of yoga in their lives. I'm pretty sure, as I make my way through her book, that I will be inviting Barrie for further exploration.
Barrie’s alignment-oriented approach to postural practice is grounded in principles of healthy, functional movement. Her events weave together the technical precision of alignment-based practice with principles of yoga philosophy distilled from decades of intensive study and made accessible and relevant to practitioners from all walks of life.
She teaches yoga around the globe through her ongoing classes, workshops, mentoring programs, and trainings, both online and in person. Her work has been featured in Yoga Journal, Yoga International, and on CBC Television.
For further information about Barrie and her work: https://www.barrierisman.com/evolvingyouryoga
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There's a major discrepancy between the contemporary definition and understanding of "mindfulness" and how it is described and understood in the Buddhist traditions. In this episode, Pobsa details the difference and why it matters. There are two places where he mis-spoke: when mentioning the ground-breaking work of Willoughby Britton, he says she discovered that only 4 out of 1800 studies on mindfulness had control groups but the number was 40. And the closing analogy correctly stated is: "mindfulness is like the hand that takes a sheaf of grain in its grip and wisdom the hand that holds the scythe that cuts it down."
The episode where Pobsa introduces sila (ethical training) is here.
The episode where Pobsa introduces principles of meditation is here.
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After a discussion about gratitude, Poep Sa shares a practice from the Japanese Pure Land School of Buddhism that helps cultivate an attitude of gratitude and appreciation for the myriad ways our lives our supported by other beings, processes and things.
If you'd like to read more about this profound practice, check out the book by Greg Krech.
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When asked what he taught, the Buddha said he taught only one thing: "Suffering and the end of suffering." However, the Pali/Sanskrit word duhkha points to a reality of existence more nuanced than the word "suffering" would lead us to expect. In this short episode, I introduce this concept, and some of the various ways it's been understood as a way to make sense of the statement often made by Buddhist yogis that "life is suffering."
Please consider supporting this podcast by subscribing, sharing, and commenting. Dana is also very gratefully accepted. To learn more about this beautiful practice of sharing or gifting, check out this podcast episode.
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To read a more in-depth exploration of duhkha in the context of the Four Noble Truths, check out this blog essay.
In this episode of Pobsa's Dharma Lounge, I use the film After.life as a launchpad to discuss the koan-like phrase from Hsu Yun, "Who carries this corpse?" The hwadu or 'live word' distilled from this question is "Who?" It is an invitation to bring "don't know mind" and the great questioning that can lead to great awakening.
After.life is directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Click here to see a trailer for the film.
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