Number 108 In Yoga

[Fidelia Boldul]

Itis 108 chances to let go. In a regular practice, the sun salutations are used as a moment to warm up the body and draw the mind into the present moment. When we do 108 sun salutations, we go beyond that. The body warms up, the mind melds into the sensations, and then lingers there. Mentally it is a constant, continual, reminder to be here. Each breath, each flow, seems to beckon me in farther, deeper, more fully, through the sensations, into oneness, and nowness that is a little beyond understanding. And as I drive into the present, I leave behind the past; I find comfort with letting the future wait.

I could talk, write, for hours about why I love the 108. I love the way my body feels in the flow. It becomes hypnotic. I become supple, and strength. I loose my ego, and find my breath. I drop the past, and find the present. It is a chance to rededicate myself to the light within, and the work of living my yoga. My body begins to feel like a mala bead, slipping through the fingers of some greater being. I am insignificant, and One, at the same time. I am in love with the 108 practice.

In yoga, the number 108 refers to spiritual completion. It is why japa malas are composed of 108 beads, why pranayama is often completed in cycles of 108, and why sun salutations are often performed in nine rounds of the 12 postures (totaling 108). By practicing chanting, breath work, or asana in rounds of this sacred number, the ancient yogis believed we could align ourselves with the rhythm of the creation, and ultimately bring an end to our cycle of reincarnation.

Throughout spiritual teachings beyond the traditional yogic texts, we are reminded of this number in our search for liberation. Hindu deities have 108 names, and India is said to have 108 sacred sites. In Jainism there are believed to be 108 virtues. In China, some forms of Tai Chi have 108 moves. While in Tibetan Buddhism there are 108 delusions. Many Buddhist temples have 108 steps representing the 108 steps to enlightenment, and in Japan, at Zen Buddhist temples, a bell is chimed 108 times at the end of the year closing a cycle to serve as a reminder of the 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve nirvana.

Like the mantra Aum, 108 seems to have an essence that connects us to the whole. Be it used to guide sun salutations, to tally up the number of chants to the Divine, to count the steps leading up to a temple, or to measure the structures built for the heavens, it serves as a reminder of the wonder and interconnectedness of the universe.

Helen Avery is a senior writer for Wanderlust Media. She is also a journalist, writer, yoga teacher, minister, and full-time dog walker of Millie, residing in Brooklyn, New York. You can find out more about her on her website, Life as Love.

In this frantic state you are much more vulnerable to the rollercoaster ride of thoughts and feelings that cycle through your psyche. How not, when your brain is so used to flitting back and forth between events?

So consider the following proposal: For three days (a weekend!) only do one thing at a time. Only wash the dishes, only drive the car, only watch a movie, only cook, only practice yoga asana, only sit still and scratch the dog. But really only do one thing at a time. And then notice how you feel at the end of it. You might feel the way you do just after a lovely Savasana (in the moments before you turn your cell phone back on).

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As of today, April 8, 2016, there are just under 90,000 subscribers to the YBC Yoga YouTube Channel. With so many subscribers, you can imagine how many comments the channel gets. I pride myself in answering as many as I can. Sometimes the comments are funny ("Push-up party?! Worst party ever!"), and sometimes they're heartwarming ("I have a major social anxiety disorder and through doing your videos, my anxiety has decreased significantly"). Sometimes they're mean ("WTF THIS SUCKS, YOU'RE TERRIBLE, THIS ISN'T YOGA") and sometimes they're weird ("I wonder what you smell like"). But the number one thing that is said? It is some variation of:

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