Basava Jayanti

Today we pay our respects to Basavanna, a great Indian saint and philosopher from the 12th century. His teachings transcend generations, religions and apply to all of humanity. Among his many sayings, is one that all of us, Yoga practitioners, can learn from. It is given below in the original form in Kannada language -ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಪದ್ಮಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತು ನಿಟ್ಟೆಲುವ ಮುರಿದು ತುಟಿ ಮಿಡುಕದೆ ಅಟ್ಟೆಯಾಡಿತಲ್ಲಾ ಬಿಟ್ಟ ಕಣ್ಣು ಬಿಗಿದ ಹುಬ್ಬು ಬ್ರಹ್ಮರಂದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟು ಗುಡಿಯ ಕೂಡಲಸಂಗಮದೇವ ಹಿಡಿವಡೆದThese lines indicate the last phase of Yoga sadhana (practice), which is Samadhi. It describes the physical state of a practitioner who is deep in meditation. Sitting in Padmasana (The Lotus pose) with a straight back, slow rate of breathing and steady posture is conducive to meditation and will help the practitioner reach the ultimate goal of being one with Divinity. Basavanna also refers to the body as a shrine. So it is our duty to take care of our body in a way that is sacred, which will help us be free from impurities and health problems. We have mentioned the 8 limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga) during our lessons; Samadhi, referred above, being the final stage. Also we discuss various ways by which we can take care of our body, mind and spirit.

As Guruji teaches in his class –

1. Try and keep the back straight, in line with the neck and head.

2. Breathe slowly and comfortably (reducing the rate of breathing).

3. Try not to let your mind wander. Internalize your practice.

4. In the final stage of an Asana (posture), be as still as possible.

Let us follow these guidelines sincerely to improve our Yoga practice to make our body and mind stronger and more pure. Happy Basava Jayanthi (birth anniversary celebration) to all! We hope you can join us for our next live lesson and watch our videos at “Utsahi Yoga” YouTube channel. Please do show your support by subscribing to our YouTube channel and liking our Facebook page. Do share what you like with others as well to spread the inspiration. Thank you. #UtsahiYoga#InspireAndBeInspired

_{Please join our online global Utsahi community on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for discussions, classes, special events and more:
https://www.facebook.com/utsahiyogafoundation/ Feel free to private message us there, if you have any questions or doubts.
Do subscribe to our YouTube channel to get helpful videos for your personal practice:
https://www.youtube.com/c/UtsahiYogaFoundation
You may visit our website to find more resources for your Yoga journey with us: https://utsahiyogafoundation.org/}