Chanukasana!

by Marcus J Freed of www.bibliyoga.com

The festival of Chanukah celebrates a key moment in the history of Judaism. It remembers the moment when a group of dedicated Jewish priests regained control of the Temple in Jerusalem, relit the holy menorah (candelabra) and secured the future of the religion. Chanukah is a family festival that is associated with fun activities and hot food to warm up the winter nights, but it also has inherent symbolism for the Jewish yogi.

The Talmud (BT Shabbat 21b) states how the Hasmonean fighters entered the sanctuary following their exile by the ruling Greek powers, and found that there was only one remaining jar of oil with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). This was expected to supply enough fuel to light the menorah for one day, but ended up surpassing expectations and miraculously stayed alight for eight days.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras describe the principle of ‘sauca’ as part of the second limb (Niyama) of the Ashtanga system. Sauca translates as ‘purity’ but can be interpreted as relating to the purity of our choices.  The sutras state that ‘when the body is cleansed, the mind purified and the senses controlled, joyful awareness, needed to realise the inner self, also comes’. 

We can use our yoga practice to bring an awareness to the motivations of our everyday actions; how pure are our intentions? A simple application of this begins on the yoga mat when we reach an asana (posture) that appears to beyond our reach. If we are pushing towards the posture in order to satisfy our ego then there will usually be a sense of annoying frustration, but if we face the challenge

with a detached acceptance, then our motivation is presumably more pure.

The Hebrew word for purity is tahor and just as the priests were only allowed to use pure oil to light the Temple’s candelabra, we too might only attempt our yoga – and our daily actions – with this ego-less aim.

There are two final yogic clues in the name of the festival. Chanukah means ‘dedication’ and this is a key part of yoga, with regards the need for regular practice.  We are able to accomplish a phenomenal amount when we dedicate ourselves to a cause – whatever the cause may be – and perhaps we can use the burning lights of the menorah to remind us of this principle.

Chanukah is sometimes dismissed as being a festival for children, and it is from the word Chanukah that we get the word Chinuch, meaning ‘education’ – usually the type that is geared towards the young. Another one of Patanjali’s niyamas is  Svadhyaya, referring to ‘education of the self’ or ‘self study’. Perhaps Chanukah is reminding us to connect with our inner child, to educate ourselves through our daily practice as if we are in the prime of our youth. It has been repeatedly proven that yoga practice can slow down the effects of ageing, so let’s put it to the test! Happy Chanukah.

Marcus J Freed

London, 2005.

www.bibliyoga.com