ASHTANGA opening mantra

 

My next challenge is to learn the opening mantra for ASHTANGA YOGA.

I have practiced YOGA for 18 years now, my practice began with an ASHTANGA YOGA teacher in my small  home town Dunedin, New Zealand. It was in a very daggy room, with sneaky stairs up to the yoga space. There was a tin at the door, for your donation, recommended $8.00 per class, if yuh could afford it, I use to leave $10 because I felt that this $10 pr day was the best spent money all day, to give back to my body I was clearly thrashing at the time. Running hair salons, gym junkie, self hate to my own body & busy mind. 

I didn't tell many people back in those days where I went and what I was doing, it was something I discovered for myself that helped me heal and find self love & acceptance. 

Also the postures excited me coming from a gymnastic and competitive back ground. 

At that time of my life I travelled a lot for my work and my husbands work, I was fortunate to try all sorts of classes & yoga styles all around the world. From ASHTANGA, ANUSARA, HATHA, IYENGAR, BIKRAM. The yoga I practiced right up until the hour before I gave birth to my first baby was ASHTANGA vinyasa. I practiced a lot of headstands knowing it was beneficial to my growing baby and keeping my fluid retention under control with pregnancy. 

Yoga for me became my life tool, my daily hygiene, my practice like cleaning my teeth, if I didn't practice I didn't feel right. 

But why has it taken so long to get back to ASHTANGA? I feel like I have returned home again, been away on a journey of learning, but know I as a teacher have to take time out of my life to LEARN EVOLVE & GROW again. 

I'm blessed & grateful to find a great mentor, one I can trust and one who can take me deep into the postures, one who cares so much about his own students bodies to find out what, needs  to happen to open the tightness in my hips. I'm so excited to unleash this tightness, in ready to feel what it will feel  like to have such open hips. I have had enough I accepting it's going to take a life time. Like my body building mentality, if you visualize and commit to it enough magic happens. 

Now to learn this mantra 6 weeks to achieve a CHANT rather than a Mumble. 

Om

Vande Gurunam Charanaravinde

Sandarshita Svatma Sukava Bodhe

Nih Sreyase Jangalikayamane

Samsara Halahala Mohashantyai

Abahu Purushakaram

Shankhacakrsi Dharinam

Sahasra Sirasam Svetam

Pranamami Patanjalim

Om

Translation

om

I bow to the lotus feet of the Supreme Guru

which awaken insight into the happiness of pure 

Being,

which are the refuge, the jungle physician,

which eliminate the delusion caused by the poisonous 

herb of Samsara (conditioned existence).

I prostrate before the sage Patanjali 

who has thousands of radiant, white heads (as the 

divine serpent, Ananta)

and who has, as far as his arms, assumed the form of a man

holding a conch shell (divine sound), a wheel (discus 

of light or infinite time) and a sword (discrimination). 

om

Ashtanga Yoga Closing Chant

The Closing Prayer brings the practice to a 

peaceful end; sealing in the work done & 

offering the efforts of our practice to improve 

the state of the world. 

Om

Svasthi Praja Bhyaha Pari Pala Yantam

     Nya Yena Margena Mahim Mahishaha

   Go Brahmanebhyaha Shubamastu Nityam

    Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

   Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi 

Translation

May the rulers of the earth keep to the path of virtue

For protecting the welfare of all generations.

  May the religious, and all peoples be forever blessed,

  May all beings everywhere be happy and free

   Om peace, peace, perfect peace