Marine on the Mat: Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga - from Parris Island to Mysore India

By Rishi Eric Infanti

In story format, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Yoga teacher, Rishi Eric Infanti outlines the parallel of his Marine Corps experiences and his journey as a Yoga teacher. Threading the Eight Limbs of Yoga from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and his seven week exposition to Mysore India to deepen his understanding and practice of Yoga, Ayurveda and f

• Language: English
• Publisher: Namaste Services
• Release date: Mar 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781944785550

Rishi Eric Infanti

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Rishi is a teacher of Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. He has studied in Mysore, India with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois's family at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and Acharya V. Sheshadri. His background and training includes over 2,000 hours of Yoga Teacher Training, and has been exploring the psychology of the mind-body connection to foster balance and equanimity, while deepening his passion for movement and contemplation to form his own constitution. It is from this template that he leads a Yoga practice into a calm and focused style of instruction, allowing each student to fully access the practice. Yet, it is from a space of love and compassion that he works with others to bring Yoga into all areas of life as a vehicle for wellness, healing and personal transformation. As a multi-modality mind-body healer, board certified and trained in over 30 specialties including Massage and Body Movement Therapy, Yoga, Ayurveda, Jiu Jitsu, and Sport Rehabilitation & Mobility training, Rishi Eric combines the power of the physical body with the psychology of mind to foster optimal health and well being to people of all ages. Rishi is a certified personal trainer, a tactical fitness instructor and a CrossFit Level 2 Coach, holding seven additional CrossFit certifications. He has been the therapist for, coached and trained a more diverse group of people than ever imagined, from a team of world-class athletes, to aspiring competitors, to seniors of a maturing audience with highly complex physiological and clinical issues. His approach is an eclectic methodology to facilitate healthy awareness, rooted in creativity, movement, and meditation as the medium of personal change and transformation. He facilitates this by holding context for optimal wellness, participant safety, and mindfulness; tailored to fit personal and group needs to utilize the replenishing mind-body-spirit modalities through creative expression. These practices are skillfully blended to serve participants in optimizing their wellness, empowering all life stages, and assimilating their life experiences within a fitness setting. From high performance athletes suffering with physical injuries, to aging seniors seeking strength and balance, Rishi Eric utilizes advanced methods in Bio-mechanical and Neuromuscular Healing together with ancient Eastern wisdom. Operating at the highest levels of therapeutic massage and bodywork practice, Rishi also incorporates various yoga techniques from Ashtanga, Iyengar and Yin to facilitate creative and spontaneous healing depending on the unique and specific needs of his clientele. His training in India together with experience in Western medicine, allows him to manifest a unique space for healing where physical and personal transformation can occur in the local community in which he serves individually or through corporate groups. In addition, Rishi takes his experience and vast amount of knowledge to another level thus implementing education and business-marketing services to the ever-growing Health, Wellness and Fitness Industry. Trained as a Software Engineer and Systems' Analyst, Rishi Eric has now designed marketing and technology-related programs, products and services aimed to educate the next generation of healers and trainers by providing them with strategic tooling necessary to compete in today's marketplace. Rishi is available for workshops, trainings and seminars on; CrossFit Mobility, Kettlebell, Olympic Lifting, and how to integrate CrossFit into both everyday and military lifestyles, as well as eclectic Yoga Asana programs, Yoga Philosophy, and integrating the Eight Limbs of Yoga into your Yoga classes. To book Rishi, contact him at 561-779-9690 or [e-mail]. Follow Rishi @: www.Yoga-WOD.com www.MarineOnTheMat.com www.facebook.com/YogaWOD www.LinkedIn.com/in/YogaWOD

Book preview

Health Disclaimer, Liability, and Indemnity

Health Disclaimer:

The U.S. Marine on the Mat book, or website, or training contains information intended to assist you in improving your health and overall well being, however, the information presented herein is offered only as-is for informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for the professional judgment of a medical professional.

Yoga-WOD.com, marineonthemat.com, nor Rishi Eric Infanti makes no warranty or representation whatsoever regarding the services or products provided through or in connection with the book, website, or training. Use your own discretion when performing any yoga practices. Work at your own level and explore your own limits.

The reader and viewer of the information presented here assumes all risks when using the information provided herein. This book, and website’s operators, authors, owners, and affiliates disclaim any and all liability from the information provided herein. Any medical, financial, legal, health, psychological or other information provided on this book or website is not intended as a replacement for professional consultations with qualified practitioners. If this book or website provides health-related or medical information, no such information provided by this site is intended to treat or cure any disease or to offer any specific diagnosis to any individual as we do not give medical advice, nor do we provide medical or diagnostic services.

We strongly recommend that you get professional medical advice before you perform any techniques, poses, postures or routines presented on this book or website or before using any of our text, video, audio, or products.

Disclaimer of Liability:

With respect to content available on the book or website, neither Rishi Eric Infanti nor any of its employees or agents makes any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.

Limit of Liability:

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Rishi Eric Infanti will not be liable for any loss or damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the book or website. In no event shall Rishi Eric Infanti be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from the statements or conduct of any third party or the interruption, suspension or termination of any services, whether such interruption, suspension or termination was justified or not, negligent or intentional, inadvertent or advertent.

Indemnity:

As a user of this book or website, you agree to indemnify us against any loss, damage or cost incurred by us arising out of any violation by you of these Terms of Use. You will also indemnify us against any claims that information or materials which you submit, post to or transmit through the book or website are in violation of any law or in breach of any third party right.

USMC Disclaimer

Neither the United States Marine Corps nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized this book.

FREE Companion Course

Bonus Material to help you read "Marine on the Mat". Go to;

http://www.MarineOnTheMat.com for more information.

Dedication

for

Melanie, Daisy, & Joy

The Butterfly sings loudly through her soft shy-full words and large intentions, shying away… still her heart yearns.

Thank you for always Being, for always Loving…

and for E.N.I.

Acknowledgments

Without our lineage, our leadership, and all of those who have paved the path before us. In gratitude;

Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharia, B.K.S. Iyengar, & Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Dearest One, Karuna

None of this would have happened without you. In dedication to you; the Manjushri Practice

Om Ah Ra Pa Tsa Na Dhi

With the brilliance of your wisdom, O compassionate one,

Illuminate the darkness enclosing my mind,

Enlighten my intelligence and wisdom

So that I may gain insight into the Buddha’s words and the texts

that explain them.

Eileen Muir,

Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts

For all of your compassion and teachings;

Yoga allows you to find a new kind of freedom that you may not have known even existed. - B.K.S. Iyengar

Katryn, Goddess of Healing

Om Mani Padme Hung

Meaning of the Mantra,

contains all the teachings of the Buddha, as well as all the antidotes for all delusions and imprints of delusions.

Introduction:

Before The Journey

When I first came about the quote No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may; we ourselves must walk the path, I completely agreed with Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha, without any specifics of doubt. It is true that we can control our thoughts, and it is completely true that our thoughts relatively can shape our actions. So, there goes my complete agreement with The Buddha; it is just simple truth that developing ourselves, or saving us, depends solely on our ability to develop our body, our mind, and our soul.

For a while now, I have argued that these three should be the single unit that will shape how I existed in this world. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have trained with masters of the art of such philosophy, or perhaps because I have gone through a like-mind spiritual journey myself. But this does not matter, for it remains to be argued if indeed anyone could finally merge their body, mind and soul into a perfect single unit to help shape their existence.

What do we know about existence, apart from the obvious yearning to live and keep living? I have heard of stories of people finding daily peace just by consuming a single round jam-filled doughnut every day. While this might seem funny, it begs the question if the mind has been deliberately trained to accept the sight and taste of the round jam-filled doughnut as a passage to satisfaction and fulfillment. With a routine, this is possible. And you have to agree that sometimes, there really shouldn’t be any scientific reason to those things that make us happy. Like love, fulfillment and peace do not need reasons, it speaks from the irrational wisdom of the heart.

I cannot really tell when these thoughts started, but I owe them largely to Yoga. I prefer to think that Yoga is an art, instead of the common understanding that it is an exercise. As rightly said by Cyndi Lee;

Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about unlocking your ideas about what you want, where you think you can go, and how you will achieve when you get there.

So, there it is. Yoga is an art that shows you the door to exceptional ideas and consequently gives you the key of patience and peace to open it. It doesn’t matter that there are certain things you should affix to, or a personal meditation that you would get used to; what should be the major concern is where you can go after it all, or the mental and physical decisions you will make afterwards.

What have I been explaining all along? And what am I driving at? I have recently gone through a journey, in search of answers, fulfillment, adventure and peace. This is exactly what you will come across in the entirety of this book, but you might want to acquaint yourself with certain Yoga truths to get things straight. Perhaps I can help as well with your personal journey.

I did my research, and I found out that Yoga originated in India nearly 26,000 years ago. I confirmed that on my journey to India, a place surely where everything ‘Yoga’ is spelt in plain words; but this is a story for concluding paragraphs. According to William J. D. Doran, the objective of practicing Yoga is to assist the practitioner (Yogi) in using the breath and body to foster an awareness of ourselves as individualized beings intimately connected to the unified whole of creation. In plainer words, Yoga teaches inner control and self-understanding.

According to Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Yoga is an internal practice. It is the art of doing everything and anything, while paying close attention to how you feel and think. This is exactly how I see it too, as a Yogi, I have participated in the art, and can succinctly describe it as a way of creating balance consistently so as to foster an awareness of your body, mind and soul, as a single entity in this world.

As earlier mentioned, Yoga allows personal observation of one’s identity and existence. The practice basically consists of inner workings of the mind, assisted with various positions of the body, so as to unify everything and create a component aura of peace. It was exactly what I needed as a U.S. Marine veteran. I have to be sincere, like most people, my first time with Yoga was a bit discouraging, for a part of me saw it as an exercise that took too much of ‘ohmming’ and selections of positions, as I was trained for the action as a Marine and this understandably started out too boring to adapt. But eventually, the mantra wasn’t just a tune anymore; it became a passage — an inspiring thought — to my internal compass. Consequently, Yoga became synonymous to how I could understand my body, and my mind.

The truth is that Yoga is fast becoming a workout regime that most people gravitate to, to gain flexibility, inner strength, even breathing and even to lose weight. And this regime sincerely reduces stress and automatically helps people to relax. Of course, Yoga can be the kind of exercise that helps people physically, but as a major part of Buddhism, it remains a meditative process that many seek to develop themselves mentally and spiritually.

How to do this has been documented as the foundations of Yoga philosophy, written down in The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, approximately in the year 200 AD. Accordingly, this Sutra is an eight-limbed path that provides a blueprint for controlling the mind’s restlessness, and enjoins practitioners to enjoy lasting peace.

I would love to continue with the whole proceedings of Yoga, but sincerely, everything will be duly mentioned once I get on with my journey to India. Yes, as difficult as it is to believe, I left my home for three days and travelled across the globe, on a verge to understand the moment of peace; in order to understand what I am as a Yogi, and what remains to be achieved as I developed as an individual. Throughout this journey, I finally understood that Yoga went beyond Yama (universal morality), Niyama (personal observation), Asanas (physical postures), or Pranayama (breathing exercise). To me, I was able to finally begin a perception of this world, especially as I exist inside it as one entity looking up to myself for achievement and success.

For those that might not be too familiar with the tenets of Yoga, there are eight limbs of Yoga which formed the fundamental ethical precepts as practiced and perfected many thousand years ago in India as depicted in the Yoga Sutras. Highlighted above are four most commonly known limbs and I have it in mind to speak on of the limbs. The rest are Dharana (inner perceptual awareness), Samadhi (union with the divine), Pratyahara (control of the senses) and Dhyana (devotion and meditation on the divine).

Accordingly, it is said that when a Yogi can master all limbs, it becomes obvious how easy it is to connect the self to the divine, as well as it is possible to bring completeness to the individual as he does so. There are more than enough benefits to practicing Yoga and that can be found in an everyday brochure, or any search engine on the internet.

Having gotten the description out of the way, it is necessary that I pronounce the objective of this writing. I am inspired to tell my tale on a journey that started from the doorways of U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and landed myself in Mysore, India. It was a trip that started from a single thought to a vivacious realization.

I have always wanted to get the confusion in my life out of the way, so it was easy to quickly accept the need to leave my home, pack my bags and go on a trip that had me thinking throughout the journey. For a long while, I wasn’t sure why I was leaving my home and going through a long stress of a three-day journey to India. Surely, Yoga can be studied anywhere but India, I told myself. But it was more than the study; though, I was not sure what I was searching for, I knew the time was right to flush out those barriers that kept me from seeing righteously.

Okay, perhaps at this point, I might have to explain that there was a time in my life that I wasn’t really sure of some things. I shifted from a time that I wanted answers to certain steps of my life, and also wavered between times that I just wanted to stop thinking and move on. Five months before the journey, my brother passed away and this also affected my love for living. For a long while, I felt so alone and unlucky, and eventually, I wasn’t able to live a single day without thinking about the pain of losing someone and getting to live and get old without seeing them again. So, time and time again, the veil of ignorance, emotion or both shadowed the purity of my judgment in life decisions. Eventually, this trip ended up being the vehicle to learn how to deal with that. It is the sole reason I began to see Yoga as a passage to internal peace.

I decided to go to Mysore, India, to experience the full taste of being a Yogi and a healer. At the time, I had experienced the knowledge and practices of Yoga, but I wanted more. For a typical Yogi, there was nothing more to want, for I owned my own Yoga studio at the time, and there was support from my family at the time, my friends, students and my teachers. And yes, I had Eileen’s support as well.

My primary Yoga teacher, Eileen Muir was my Yoga teacher at the Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts, and I could still remember her usual mantras as she put me through the very elements of bonding my body with my mind and soul. Often, she would instruct me to lie lifeless on the floor, a Yoga posture that culminated a class, called Shavasana (which means corpse pose), thinking of nothing else but blankness. But I guess Eileen always knew there was blankness in my life too, that need to be filled. So, while I was almost complete with my five-hundred hours Yoga Teacher Training with her, I asked for a break, explaining that I needed the journey to Mysore, and surprisingly she gave me the thumbs up.

So, 2008 was the year and I was on the road in the early days of April to the airport, having it in mind to spend as much time with Yogacharaya Shri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system. I have practiced and taught this particular system which is a style of Yoga that is primarily breath-based and then there are subsystems that focused on total meditations on movements with physical practices that are equally demanding. I understand that it is a merging the Pranayama limb with the asana limb, but it was already obvious that this wasn’t all of the practice. So, my first thought was to get to India and spend quality time mastering myself and with the Ashtanga Yoga system. I totally repeated in my head how each day would pass by, studying and getting used to Yoga exactly from the source.

With the break from my advanced Yoga Teacher Training coursework, the first thing I did was to get things I would need for my journey. It wasn’t much; just few sets clothing, Yoga materials such as a Yoga towel, tops and pants, shoes, socks towels and my laptop. I held the ashes of my brother along too; which I later spread in one of the most spiritual grounds near Mysore India, Chamundi Hills. Then I did a mental calibration that carved my trip as a seven-week journey.

Sometimes, I wonder if everyone else was like me. I did things sometimes, knowing full well that I was as confused about what I have done as well as I am confused about why I did it. The whole confusion eventually becomes circular, evolving round and round daily routines, until finally, the answers creep out of nowhere. I could remember that someone once told me that every person in this world have gone through a similar phase in life before, it is just that some do not stop to notice. They just keep on living.

As I made the arrangement for the journey after training with Eileen, it didn’t take long to think about contacting someone who could help out with accommodation. It so happens that I found a traditional Yoga Shala that could take me in and it was the perfect opportunity to study the Ashtanga Yoga lineage. My additional Shala appreciated Yoga as well as healing arts and I have to admit that it was a sight to watch him practice and instruct others that practiced with him. So, there it was, an entire experience with the teachings of Iyengar Yoga gained from Eileen and the enlightenment on the Ashtanga family from my new Shala, and I still wanted in on the secrets of Yoga and life’s meaning that waited for me in unknown lands.

Perhaps the stronger need I acquired for the journey could be blamed on the new knowledge I gained on the Jois family. Their lineage had this kind of love for the art of Yoga that would impress any enthusiast. Their practices were completely fed with Pranayama, meditative movement, and a deep sense of the profound and their routine reportedly aligned with the peaceful practice of Yoga like no other. Living with my Shala and studying with them for a short period gave me the most direct and authentic foundation into Yoga and before long, I had made up my mind, India it is.

Training with Eileen was the most memorable aspect of Yoga before Mysore. With the Iyengar method, I would always remember the in-depth practices that involved everyone in silent meditation for hours, and there was the healing aspect of a physical therapy. For many classes, we held postures for long durations, which would usually have me feeling nothing while I concentrated on my mind as well as my body. Eventually, I learned that the isolated Pranayama and the guided Shavasana enveloped what everyone was looking for; the practice that explains how to heal a wounded mind, or a tired body, and to further the ecology of our humanity.

I could have chosen anywhere to go, but my experience and my research pointed a straight finger at India. I mean, the name of the country carries an old cultural and religious belief of the true concept of studies on the mind, the body and the soul. It also speaks about the origin of the practice that have become a meditative pattern in other religions such as Christianity and Islam.

So, thinking about it now, I have no iota of doubts what could have drawn me to Mysore beyond my relationship with Yoga, the Jois family, my enduring confusion and the need