Saturday, April 24, 2010

Yoga is bodily gospel. ~Reaven Fields

Today is the 108 Sun Salutation Fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund.
It's an amazing practice -- three hours long -- with the presence and focus being on the cause.

Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskara is a dynamic asana sequence of 12 postures performed as one continuous flow. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois calls 108 sun salutations a yoga mala, after the garland of prayer beads. There are 108 beads on every strand. Each completed sequence becomes a bead of the mala; therefore, every mala calls for 108 sun salutations. Regardless of the meaning of 108 it is important to remember that a yoga mala is a form of meditation and like the prayer beads, each sequence should be practiced with sincerity, devotion and full attention.

(If you practice, then you'll appreciate that we do one full Surya Namaskara A and B to be one complete Sun Salutation.)


Why 108? Well....

• A Harshad number is 108
(harshad in sanskrit means
great joy)
• 108 energy lines join to
form the heart chakra
• With 54 letters in the
sanskrit alphabet each
has masculine and
feminine equals 108
• 1 stands for higher truth
0 for emptiness
8 for infinity

Whatever you're doing today, enjoy; but take a moment to step back and thinmk about those who might be struggling or suffering today - and send some positive energy and good thoughts their way.

Namaste....

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

And the Post Script to this, now that I've completed it is....having not done yoga for 6 months, I don't think I've ever been this sore, ever. And I'll only feel worse tomorrow, but... I'll feel amazing afterwards and it was for a great cause!