New Yoga Term - The Antahkarana, Inner Instrument
Hello everyone,
I am wishing you so much light today. Before I get into introducing a brand new yoga term and philosophy theme for March (!) , I wanted to take a moment and say a special thanks for your understanding last week when I had to cancel classes due to a nasty stomach bug. I am almost fully recovered now, thank you all so much for your kindness.
Our new yoga term will run from this Sunday March 8th until March 29th, with Hatha Flow practice at 5pm and Soft Stretch practice at 6:30pm, as per usual :) If you would like to book in please let me know, I have a small few spaces available for both full term (discounted rates) and drop ins. I would love to have you there!
Now - a drumroll please!
This month's new philosophy theme dives deep into the core of what yoga is all about: understanding the self. We're not pulling any punches here. For the next four weeks I will invite you to explore the antahkarana, the mind and its four faculties. *A little disclaimer if you're new: the Sunday yoga practices will always be about moving your body and connecting to your breath, above all else. These philosophy themes are only a soft and optional extra, an invitation to go deeper into exploring yoga and its rich history. It's so important to me that my classes are accessible and about light-heartedness and embodiment, so please take what serves you here and leave what doesn't :) I find yoga philosophy so fascinating! That's why I write about it :)
Okay - Antahkarana. The inner instrument. The psyche. Lets dive in!
Traditional yogis were masters of observing the mind, and they considered the physical practice of yoga (with all its many challenges and benefits) as merely a mental and energetic preparation for meditation and self-realisation. They coined the term Antahkarana Chatushthaya to refer to the four parts of the mind. The phrase literally translates to mean 'four parts of the inner instrument'. Already, we can see that the mind was considered as a tool for self-realisation in yoga; an instrument. But, the mind was also known and taught to be the cause of human suffering. A double edged sword.
So, what are these four parts of the mind? What is the Antahkarana?
First, we have the Manas, the everyday mind. This is the part of us that goes out to meet the world. Think: Where are my keys? Oh, that's a nice blue sky there now - hang on, what was his name again? Shite, I need to take the dog out. The Manas is not just the mind but also the body, it relates to our physical senses; how we feel and see and respond to the world. Visual stimulation, touch, smell, sound, taste - what part of our psyche is experiencing the world at surface level? This is the manas.
Then we have the Buddhi, thought of as the intellect of the psyche - a guiding voice and decision maker. The Buddhi assigns value and meaning to things, and is witness to the surface level thoughts that come from the manas. Have you ever noticed that you can have a conversation with yourself, inside your head? A thought pops up and simultaneously another thought sorts of...butts in to respond to it? I am not an expert, but this is how I understand the Buddhi; as a sort of wise mental voice that watches the other voices, like a teacher or parent, sometimes scolding (you can't think that! Suck that back up right now!), but nevertheless acting in line with your values and usually for your greater good.
Then we come to the Citta - my favourite. The Citta is the subconscious mind, the world of dreams, symbolism, memories, emotions, impressions. Within the study of citta we can find fascinating concepts like the samskaras and the malas, which I can't wait to explore with you.
For now though, let's briefly meet our fourth component of the mind, the ahamkara. The ego. Identity. The 'I am'. Me. My. Mine. The word 'ego' can mean many different things depending on the school of study; modern western psychology defines the ego as the centre field of consciousness - the thinker, the 'I am', the organiser, and the intellect. In other words, most of this whole yogic antahkarana is thought of as 'the ego' in western psychology. In day to day life, however, we often say things like 'she has a massive ego' or 'don't be so egotistical'. Narcissism and ego are naturally interlinked in our language. It's interesting! Western colloquial speaking seems to intuitively understand the ego more naturally as it's defined within the yoga tradition - the ahamkara - which is to say a specific part of our mind that identifies, creates story, has wants and fears, dislikes and insecurities, and clings to things, or rejects them. Not the conscious mind as a whole, but the selfish part of us that won't let go.
Lots to chew on! I am so excited for this philosophy theme. As a special extra, for the visual/auditory learners out there - I want to include a link to a short video on youtube that gives a really beautiful and clear overview of the antahkarana. It's very special to me because the speaker in the video is my actual real-life teacher from India, Sadhu, who I studied with over seven years ago!!! He is so wonderful, and he teaches this topic so beautifully (*don't worry, after the first few seconds in the video he starts speaking english!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_0TqDG0SQ
I can't wait to see you Sunday, please let me know if you'd like me to save you a space in the Hatha or Soft Stretch practice :)
Le grá,
Macha
