The Kosas-The sheaths of Being

One of the fundamental points about Yoga, in fact, THE point is that the practice of Yoga is about transformation. By accessing and bringing attention and awareness (how you can transform if you do not what you are transforming!) to our innermost Being (Iyengar 2005), we see the world for what it is and not what we think or perceive it is. Yoga then describes this a little further by introducing the idea of the Kosa's.  This inner you are surrounded by these sheaths of existence (Iyengar 2005)

 In Sanskrit, these are:-

Anatomical body, Annamaya Kosas,
The energetic body, Pranamaya Kosa
Mental body Manomaya Kosa
intellectual body Vijnanamaya Kosa
Blissful or soul Anandamaya Kosa

You can imagine these as Russian dolls, nesting together. In my mind, I describe them as:-

The body of you, the energy and breath of you, the mind of you, the intellect(the reasoning) of you, the consciousness of you (the universal timeless you).

To be fully in tune with ourselves then these sheaths are seamless, without obstruction. Our bodies connect to our breath and energy, which feeds into our mind and then our intellect (the reasoning mind), we then have clear and transparent access to the inner still lake of 'cosmic consciousness' the universal you. I LOVE this description and most people I speak to do as well.

Nick after being 'IN his Running' with some bling:)

When I teach Yoga I never say we are 'doing Yoga' I stress we are IN Yoga, the yoga state of mind, which reflects a balance of body, breath and mind. Carry this state of mind with you away from the class.

As runners do we know what running well is? We can have moments when we are 'IN our running', have we touched upon these sheaths of existence?

What qualities do we assign to running well? How about the following.

You may be feeling well, the body has been trained to accept the load (the physical you) you have a sense of good energy, a sense of positivity and lightness to our stride and bodies. Breathing does not feel tense or hard(the breath of you). Those gut bombs have disappeared, hydration has been managed well and fuel preparation all seems good. The discipline of practice paid off(the mind of you).  You ran well. The intellect of preparation, the focus becomes aligned. Suddenly you are 'IN your running' completely present, senses have been withdrawn, you are just there(the universal you)!

You see these very eastern descriptions do make sense, for me anyway....... have a think on....

see you on the mat
Nick 

Running is about Self study, Svadhaya.

In this potpourri of ideas, called a yoga blog I  now introduce a yoga term 'Svadhaya' which translated for these purposes to Self-study (it is one of the Nyama's as mentioned in blog 1, more on these later), please note the capital 'S'. In India, the Self is more directly linked to the recognition of Brahman . However, the study of Self also intertwines the deeper and more refined aspects of Yoga.

Yoga mind is running mind

The other key point is that you don't DO Yoga as some people seem to imagine, you are IN yoga; this is a really interesting point, Yoga is a state of mind not simply a practice on the mat. The practise on the mat should refine and amplify the mental, physical and breathing practice to carry with you away from the mat. This move to the Yoga state of mind is THE point.

I think we are getting a little carried away with all things mat-based and physical, although we, as runners love the physical we can and do, get too attached to the pursuance of Instagram yoga and the image. "I need to look like this, be like this and move like this...." In my yoga teaching the focus is on the internal practice, self-care, self-massage of the body, and always a practice of pranayama (breathing ) and finally relaxation, Savasana. We can play with our edge in the physical postures I think it is good to do so, it does need concentration and focus, all key points of being IN Yoga.

Running can also have these qualities of Self study, you, running by yourself, outside, alone, sensing and feeling your responses as you move in time and over the ground. the heightened sensation of your breath can be studied. Listen to the breath, note your emotional shift, there is that hill again, coming at you! The in the moment study of you can be extended over the year and how your Self shifts in approach. You can note your mind as you sign up to an event, the sense of Raja's mind as you shift in energy, the surge of excitement and then the writing down some running plan to follow.

Runners though as we know might just DO the run, it NEEDS to happen, the PLAN suggests it, but remember that word Boddhi Yoga, the yoga of awareness. How many times do you hear 'listen to your bodies, the inner sense of the Self, is there for sure?  Ths growing awareness does have stages. The awareness of the Self begins with the physical, then moves to the breath as you run in a balanced way. Hence, for runners with some running knowledge, run in a way that makes breathing easy, as my yoga teacher stresses, 'easy asana, pleasant pranayama' or for us, easy running and pleasant breathing (nasal). This is the aerobic training pace, and for those training for half marathons or more this running is over 80% of you running. As you become aware of your body and breath growing awareness can focus on the mind as it moves between the three states of mind (the Guna's).

Running is a great tool for Self study, If you have not tried this, next time you pop out for a run, ask yourself after the run 'where was your mind?' transformation can only begin with an awareness of our actions and thoughts.
This takes some constant practice(Abhyasa) and non-attachment (Vairaghya) to your actions and achievements.
Enjoy your Self study!

On the three states of mind (the Gunas) as runners and yogi's.

 I did say I would be visiting a lot of places on writing this blog and maybe not in a structured and ordered way. The main reason is that working at home means I end up thinking about and reading about yoga, then a thought will occur to me and this needs to be shared in some fashion.

 In yoga, there are some very pointed ways of describing the states of our mind and worth sharing, because as runners we meet them ALL the time. In fact, as runners, these states of mind are amplified so when you stop running you can continue to be aware of these states of mind in your non-running lives. Bringing awareness to our mind is a crucial aspect of training and sport.

In yoga philosophy, there is a recognition and an awareness of three states of mind called the 'three Gunas'. Being aware of these three states of mind and recognizing when you are IN them is THE very subtle but important point. A general point but in Eastern thinking, all objects have more or less of some of these qualities of the mind. I like these descriptions and they do help me and hopefully, you get a sense of how our mind can fluctuate over time with these descriptions.

As runners, you have experienced these three states of mind namely Tamas, Rajas and Sattva mind. All three moves in and out of phase either quickly, slowly or as I have met, out of control.

Tamas has many definitions but the descriptions I often use and suggest is a mind in a state of inertia, or sluggishness and an extreme state of the Tamas mind may be certain types of depression. Other words come to mind here as well, namely apathy, helplessness and maybe laziness. However, you need this state for sleep!

In running, getting outside can be difficult, I can't be bothered today is typical but also whilst running this sudden feeling of lethargy is all too often present. I meet it at one hill in particular:) My state of mind becomes Tamas but knowing it will improve after I get over THAT hill is better than being IN the state and have it all-consuming (DNF). 

Rajas is a state of energy, action, change, and movement. The nature of rajas is of attraction, longing and attachment and rajas strongly bind us to the fruits of our work. You could also say a Rajas mind is a restless mind.

We need to GO outside, we are restless and yet this drive and energy are essential. Too much can be as problematic as a Tamas mind, this high can appear to be intense and out of control. I have seen this in some events with some runners who seem almost as if their minds and bodies are in a very restless and nervous state.

You could not go to sleep in this state, hence we know this state of mind in a negative light, this restless and moving mind, we can lie for hours watching our mind flit from image to image and thought to thought in our beds!

Find space, find harmony. 

Sattva is a state of harmony, balance, joy, and intelligence. We perhaps wish more of this but this is still a human quality of the mind. This state of mind does not last of course. These states move and fluctuate over time and in time,

We are aiming for Sattva, or are we? the runners high the sense of joy and feeling of oneness, but actually, are you attached to this feeling? Not achieving this is also a problem, in other words, your attachment to these three states of mind is NOT the same as a Yogi mind. A yogi mind is free from these states of mind.

A quick overview of the three states of mind as described and defined by the science of Yoga. Next time you are in a yoga class or running just note where your mind is, what state is it in? A yoga class should focus on the breath and the quality of the breath to begin to control these states of mind. Awareness of your breath is the beginning of a transformation. You cannot change unless you become aware? More on this later:)


See you on the mat
Nick

Dharma of Running

This is a complex hotchpotch of ideas bare with this, as I will edit and redraft over time!

You meet the word Dharma across many disciplines and yet an English definition, or I should say, one word to help us make more sense of this word is elusive. In this very short but I hope thought-provoking blog I suggest a way of thinking about a definition of Dharma that might help you in your daily practice as Yogi runners. It might challenge you as well which is no bad thing.

My initial encounter with Dharma was the usual phrase 'right action' but I was never entirely happy with this. At the moment I am studying the Bhagavad Gita(an ancient Indian text) and re-reading via an Online lecture series hosted by Ravi Ravindra.

In the Gita and Indian culture Dharma and the word takes many definitions and forms such as:-
Duty and Responsibility, as well as this elusive right action.

tools of the trade

During the lecture, Ravi gave a very useful and insightful definition for Dharma namely
"responsibility for maintaining order". Here the order begins with the personal, then to the family and community which merges to Society, the planet and ecology and then to the Universal order of the Cosmos! Perhaps Governments should use this definition as the beginning of their policy development.

I like this definition and when you then add a quote from the Gita  'no action is right until the actor is right' we have the connection between maintaining order and the responsibility of the individual.

The practice of Yoga relies on students examining their attitudes to themselves and to others first. By combining this with a physical practice with a strong focus on the breath you begin to still the mind. The focus and principles of meditation then can follow. Linking this to the definition of the Dharma the practice of yoga takes on a new perspective. The mat and movement are only a fraction of the whole picture but one which is easily accessible.

Yogi runners have further insight in my view. Running well or feeling you have run well takes commitment and the right actions. Consider training for an event these actions or preparations require right action but in the yoga world, you focus on the actions without focusing on the fruits of your labours. You can only act at the moment, preparing and planning well. There is a skill in the action and not a demand on your future self or Naishkarma (actionless desire). I meet quite a few runners who seem driven towards some future self and unable to focus entirely on what they are doing at the moment. This is a subtle point of course. Enjoying the process is the point, the future runner will happen. Consider the phrase 'yoga is a skill in action' which ties the two practices of yoga and running together.

Let me end this very brief look at Dharma and action with two linked phrases that you can reflect on as runners and as yogis.

i) as one is, so one-acts
ii) as one acts, so one becomes

Actions speak louder than words:) but how you act and how you practice is transformational. Enjoy your running and simply being.

You can cheat the body with the will of the mind, but you cannot cheat your breath (part 1)

 In this section of yoga mind running mind, the focus is on understanding the overview and significance of asana practice for the runner. I also imagine these draft blogs will be rewritten and edited as I move through the year so please keep visiting or following.

The quote which is the title of this post is from the father of modern yoga, an Indian Yoga teacher and possibly Guru(always a debatable issue in Yoga land!) called Krishnamacharya. For those interested, he taught and influenced the greatest of the 20th Century yoga teachers. His story is long and hugely influential in the story of the development of Yoga. The story of how Yoga came to the West is also extremely interesting and not without some passionate debate but I will leave that for another day although finish with another quote from the great guru 'Yoga is not a commercial activity, it is caring for each other in the local community'

I begin this post and chapter with two observations I made when I was sitting next to the Serpentine in London just by the Diana fountain. As I sat talking to my family I was struck by how many runners were running past the cafe. There are a lot of runners in London!

As I watched the runners of all speeds, ages and efforts I was struck by three observations. The first two were not observations of the eye but of the ear. The last observation was also noticeable and very interesting.

The first observation was of the breath, those runners who had lost control of their breath, as they panted and gasped by me, the breathing pattern had been established even at slow speeds. The second was the sound of the foot strike. A word I do not use anymore, in fact, I really think this word is a poor choice of word for the gait cycle, but here the word 'strike' means something. The pounding together with the sound of the breath made it very clear that the runners were working hard to overcome some mental obstacle. The other type of runner, and a lot rarer, were runners who were the silent ghosts, easy breathing, relaxed and soft stride. The face of these runners seemed softer and more at ease.

Linking these two observations was the third visual observation, namely, in general, those runners that appeared out of tune with their breath and stride also tended to keep glancing at their watch. This distraction seemed to have some link/correlation/causation to those runners. 

How does the practice of Yoga inform these observations? How does Yoga help runners become more aware of their movement and sense of where their mind is when running. The whole purpose of Yoga is 'to see things clearly, to clear the mind from obstacles'. Being distracted by sound and breath can be very off-putting!

The physical practice of yoga (Asana) has developed beyond all recognition in the last 100 years.
There is only one mention of asana practice and direct advice in the sutra's of Patanjali and it can be found in Sutra 2.46; this is a very common quote often used in yoga studios and in Sanskrit reads. 'sthirasukhamasanam' which are the dual qualities of alertness and strength(sthira) together with relaxation or 'good space'(sukha) these physical properties of the asana are bound by your breath. The quality of which will give the yoga practitioner the fullest insight into the quality of their practice.

A yoga practice for runners can be based around this initial understanding. Your running needs to feel strong and firm, yet also open and completely relaxed bound by the practice of your breath.

I spend a lot of time watching runners at the initial point of observation I also listen to their running sounds. This easy feedback gives me a real sense of runners an inner sense of how they approach their running.   I also listen to their stories beforehand 'tell me why you are here?' 'tell me your running story'. These insights give me a good sense of the obstacles or not that have been with the runner.

stable, balanced easy gait

The physical practice of yoga for runners (should) give runners a greater sense of connection with their body. Our body connects when we run so we need to feel connected in our yoga practice. A correct and balanced asana practise needs to support the runner in this connection. We could stress the spine, the hips, the single-leg balances, the twists and the inversions etc. However, the practice I use for runners is a 'work in, in a work out'. The progression is important between these movements and in the movement rather than the final body shape(future possibility) which can be hugely distracting. As Mohan states 'the asana should fit the person, not the person fitting to the asana', this approach avoids forcing the body shape and creating injury. The look is far less important than the inner work. Set these conditions right and the runner gets a sense of that word sthira. When the breath is entwined with the asana we have a greater focus and greater control 'don't measure the quality of your asana by the clock, but with the quality of your breath' and a growing awareness of sukha meaning 'good space, comfortable and relaxed'.  Take this idea into your running and perhaps you can see the real power of a developing yoga mind.

The physical practice of yoga should complement your running, not leaving you to feel drained and exhausted but open and stronger than before. The quality of your breath is also extremely important and is discussed in part 2!

Yoga mind is running mind

I've been thinking about writing on this connection for years. The thing is there is so much out there already. There is the incessant chatter of 'running stuff' that hits our social media feed. As a yoga practitioner and coach, I think ditching a lot of  'running stuff' and stopping the chatter would make us better runners and people, creating space for ourselves and others. 'The ideal cave for a yogi, is a family life' said Krishnamacharya, the father of modern Yoga. As I watched the preparations for Kiphchoge's successful attempt at the sub 2hour marathon my overarching sense was of family and of the team, interestingly enough not his running form. He was giving as much as he was taking. He also understood that we, as humans, thrive better as a community than by ourselves.

We are not islands, the practice of yoga and running is a very powerful union. For those possessed and driven by running it can be rewarding but also hugely distracting, it can be the only thing that keeps you going of course but here lies the danger. What if you did not have running, what would happen to your mind then? In this series of blogs, a possible precursor to a  more detailed book with my friend and yoga teacher Mark Russell, I will discuss why following a yoga practice is of such benefit to you as runners. Bringing balance, focus and ease with yourself as you journey through life. Befriending yourself and your body is important, we have all experienced 'running angry', the anger manifests itself across our whole body, the texture and tone of our muscles and breathing all change. Kipchoge smiles when he runs, particularly in times of intense pressure!

The other issue and reason why I am writing this series are that quite a few people tend to view yoga as only a physical exercise, the asana, hence we have lessons called 'yoga for runners', or stretching or work out to improve your running form. All of this is valid but Yoga is a vast subject and practice.

In this series of blogs, I will examine the other aspects of Yoga and how they can be experienced and used as runners. I will also make reference to the thousands of runners I have coached over the years and share stories. Stories bring the context alive. Telling our story at the beginning of any workshop I hold is really important, it shapes the workshop, shapes the interaction. It can make it personal, authentic and real for all the individuals.

The practise of yoga is about training your body, breath and mind to 'see things clearly'. Science is catching up with all of this. Breathwork has been re-worked., relabelled and sold under different badges but not altered, the fundamentals of breathing for runners is reflected in the practice of Pranayama, a much more detailed focus on the quality of our breathing in and out of our running practice. The physical aspects of running are obvious and these can be reflected in the physical practice of asana in Yoga, this is what you probably are drawn to and imagine when you are asked to think about the word Yoga.

However there are also guidelines for how we live our lives and respect our body, this right living or Niyama's really do reflect the overarching training principles. How we discipline ourselves and interact with the world is reflected in the Yoga term Yama's. Our focus and concentration on ourselves, avoiding distractions, reflecting on ourselves links to the word Pratyahara, which moves to focus on our mind on one object or Dharana, surely a useful tool for runners! As we progress in our practice of yoga our minds will become still, steady, a flow of consciousness, a calm lake where we reflect the nature of our mind; this is Dhyana, I imagine some ultra runners reading this would love to be in this continual state of mind! Our final stage is then to Samadhi, where you as a runner achieve 'as one with the universe',  this is the ultimate ending and we strive for this clarity but the process of using Yoga is as important.  These words connect and follow, the 8 limbs of yoga give us the tools to explore ourselves as runners and people.

Where the 8 limbs of yoga give us some clarity, the instruction manual for yoga are the sutra's of Patanjali, here we can detail out the path of a yogi runner:). These short threads of advice connect, (stitch) and offer some insights into how the mind works and how we can achieve clarity.  The final offering will be some discussion on the Bhagavad Gita, or 'Gita' an Indian epic that shares the story of Arjuna and his 'dark night of the soul' and how Yoga helped him see things clearly. I stress these final two references because I meet a lot of runners who have suffered or are suffering from some form of trauma and/or mental illness. Running has helped, being outside and being with others is such a tonic. The yoga mind is the running mind, and although I am not a qualified counsellor the use of yoga in helping you as runners achieve balance, ease and flow with your mental and physical you is worth a journey.

If you are a performance runner or running is a serious hobby then this series I hope will offer some value to you, the mind-body breath connection is the way forward for any competitive runner.

My final quote is a very personal one and is from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance, we are inundated with new ideas and targeted ads to our social feed but the ancient people were not stupid, they spent time being attentive, listening and observing to themselves and others; we could do better looking over our shoulder back in time rather than make the arrogant assumption we know best.

"What's new?" is an interesting and broadening eternal question, but one which, if pursued exclusively, results only in an endless parade of trivia and fashion, the silt of tomorrow. I would like, instead, to be concerned with the question "What is best?"  a question which cuts deeply rather than broadly, a question whose answers tend to move the silt downstream.

Let the journey begin fellow runners, to become yogi runners, 'with a mind that is as still as a lake and body as strong as a mountain peak' (A G Mohan)

Nick (yoga practitioner, coach and runner)

Two's company.

I generally by myself but every Friday I meet with my pal Jez and we tootle around. Admittedly this tootling has got out of hand, our tootles have ended up being 18 miles long and counting. Below is a nice share from Jez. Running together can make a difference.


'I have had an on-off love affair with running all of my life. I started running in my mid-twenties and could regularly run half marathons in around 1 hour 45 mins by about 1993.  I even went faster getting down to below 1 hour 40 mins.  I carried on running up until about 2002, completing the GNR many times and 2 London Marathons. Between 2002 and 2012 I probably lost interest in running regularly and tended to go to the gym.

Nick the tight old sod who added only 800m

/week

It was around 2009 that I started running again just once a week about 5 miles.  In 2012 I began thinking about going further and decided to enter the York Marathon the following year.  It was at this point that I got involved with Nick who helped me train to complete the 2013 York Marathon, but I vowed 'never again'

I have been following Nick for years, as a friend and as a coach. Following the York Marathon I went back to my routine of just completing 5 miles once a week. This was until about a year ago when I started to work with Nick again.

My job allowed me to take Friday's off and we decided to go running together.  We began with 5 very easy miles, and Nick stressed for the first few times we would just follow our breath and keep things nicely under control. I had a coaching session with Nick a few years ago and found it so beneficial.

We began running every Friday in January of this year, including the beast from the East in March where we did some seriously silly hill repeats into the gale!

Every week, (almost without fail) Nick would increase the distance by a paltry 800m, he was being miserly with his mileage gains but I could feel my body respond so well. I was feeling stronger and much happier when running.  If the session was cancelled Nick would stress 'run 5 miles a little faster today'.

I was also continuing with my usual Sunday run of 5 miles but faster than before.  I could feel a change in my wholes attitude to running and to my physical condition.

As we moved into the Autumn the 10K's have given way to 10-12 easy miles and they are gradually getting a little faster, a little smoother, a little more relaxed.  It has taken one year (just about) to go from 4-5 miles to comfortable long distances without a hint of injury.

Our plans for next year maybe a half marathon or something longer, but I actually don't care really, I feel great, energised, at ease with myself with a sense of good space.

All I can say is that none of this would have been possible without Nick’s inspiration.  If I don’t run I miss it and when I do run I really enjoy it, even when I go 11 miles and finish as fast as I can.

I look forward to what 2019 brings :) 

Thanks Nick.