unity. peace. bliss.

the beach and the sea

2010-08-22T19:44:00.001-04:00

floating on the dead sea in Jerusalem

Jacksonville Beach, FL August 22nd, 2010 at 1:00pm
The water has never been so clear. It is no mistake that my first visit back to the sea is filled with the perfection of solitude. My heart becomes entrained with the rhythm of the earth as I float on top of the crystal blue water. My heart is so full of light my chest always stays above the waves.

How can this not be God?

The sensation of warm then cool touches my skin and a smile stretches across my face. To be in communion with the waves of consciousness, past ever-changing thought one must swim out into the waters with an open heart, facing the fears of the unknown, the unseen lurking below and embrace their being as much as your own, sending the light of love to all with closed eyes.

There is a peace that comes with surrender. And when you are at the point of confusion or doubt return to the practice of love. Go out into the sea, past the comfort of others.... when your toes lift off the ground and you begin to float.... I promise you will have support to keep your body above the waves, but much more than that - your spirit will surround you, even lifting you up.... you know no boundaries. Your skin dissolves and your blood becomes the ocean. The light in your eyes becomes the sun and the sand crystals sparkling beneath you. Then you will know - you are one with God once more. You are home. We are all one.

I honor you in the place in which the whole universe dwells.
I honor you in the place of peace and love and light and truth.
And when you are in that place in you
And I am in that place in me
We are one.
Namaste.

dullness & agitation

2010-07-06T10:18:00.001-04:00

Finding a balance of dullness and agitation is the goal of a yogi while in meditation or practicing asana. I find it is helpful to begin the introspective glance into your current state by bringing to mind your San Kalpa (intention - something you want out of life that is non-worldly such as deep inner peace, harmony with all beings, ability to have heart open to giving and receiving love, etc.). Once you have this clearly in your minds eye then become the observer during your practice - the silent watchman.

If you are feeling a little sleepy, bored or lethargic you are too dull. This may be because you ate too much food (or perhaps food that did not give the body the right type of energy), got too much or too little sleep (even 1 hour can make a big difference) or because you got upset the day before (it is very exhausting to the entire psyche to experience anger, hurt, grief, shame or guilt).

If you can do something about it, then why get upset?
If you can't do anything about it, then why bother getting upset?

To combat dulless, picture something in your mind that is physically bright like the light of the sun or uplift the mind by thinking of something that makes you truly happy like the face of someone you love.

The worst is subtle dullness where you are still, focused and the intent is clear, but the energy behind your practice is missing. People go on practicing like this for years. When you are really immersed in your practice, there is an excitement about it - a passion for it. You need to be fully present, engaged with a razor sharp mind.

One the other hand, if you are feeling restless and can't focus you are too agitated. This may be because of the stressors of your day, worrying about the future or lamenting about the past or going over things you need to accomplish. Worry can cloud the mind and create sickness in the body. I read a helpful hint to releasing worry - where will your worry be 100 years from now? You are here, now, worrying, but the object of your worry will be long gone 100 years from now. Things are exactly how they should be, because they are. We have to take responsibility for the karma we have accumulated in creating the current situation and accept the ground where we are and move on. Worry does nothing but harm.

To combat agitation you should think of someone who is in pain and realize that you are doing this for them, for their healing. You can also remember your own death, know that it is coming and focus on what it is that you really want out of this life (your San Kalpa).

The subtle form is when the mind is steadily focused, but underneath there are thoughts running around in the background. Like when a river is frozen, but there is still moving water underneath. The solution is to relax a bit - if the mind is too locked it needs to shift into subtle dullness.

We want our minds exactly in the middle - in between dullness & agitation. When we are beginners we are typically dull then we push too far and become agitated or vice versa. Balance takes practice and cultivating the beautiful process of watching and learning your own mind.

namaste.

inspiration

2010-03-07T12:53:00.003-05:00

On a recent trip to visit my mother I had just finished the book I was reading and decided to bring along three new literary adventures: two that I was already familiar with and one that I wasn't sure exactly how or why it had made it's way to my bookshelf and to the top of my stack of books to read. This mystery was the of course what I opened first after I was comfortable in my seat on the plane: Caroline Myss's, "Anatomy of the Spirit". When I read the first page tears flooded into my eyes and I knew that the divine spirit had brought this book into my life as it showed up in my mail without my knowledge of the author or title. It was exactly what I was looking for: a book delving into the mind-body connection and interweaving the Hindu Chakra system, the Christianity rites of sacrament and the Jewish Kaballah in an attempt to give insight on to how to heal one's whole self from a point of self-knowledge, intuition and intellect.

For the next 3 days I read feverishly through the book making notes and outlining phrases, asking questions of myself and giving thoughtful answers, I meditated and prayed and waited for intuitive guidance. Now, almost one month later - I have the answer.

I had known that I wanted to further my education in an effort to gain knowledge and credentials to be in a position where I could use the essence of who I am and what I have learned to help and be of service to others with integrity. What I was missing was patience. I was trying to figure out my educational path right then rather than wait for the right answer to come to reveal itself to me. In this book, not only did I find it packed with information that I will be able to use in working with individuals in a therapeutic setting, but it reminded me that you have to be open to grace. One must ask the questions, then be silent and listen for the inspiration, the answer, the signs that are all around us and within us. Don't fill the gap!

I would take this opportunity to recommit yourself to your own divine light and invite some pure creative inspiration into your life.

namaste

trust

2010-01-24T18:16:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I get out my Osho trasncendental zen tarot cards and pick one that seems to be calling to me and read the description of the card. Today was: Trust. I thought I would share...

"Don't waste your life for that which is going to be taken away. Trust life. If you trust, only then can you drop your knowledge, only then can you put your mind aside. And with trust, something immense opens up. Then this life is no longer ordinary life, it becomes full of God, overflowing. When the heart is innocent and the walls have disappeared, you are briged with infinity. And you are not deceived; there is nothing that can be taken away from you. That which can be taken away from you is not worth keeping, and that which cannot be taken away from you, why should one be afraid of its being taken away? - it cannot be taken away, there is no possibility. You cannot loose your real treasure."

love is salvation

2010-01-11T08:48:00.000-05:00

"Love is salvation from all of our ills, imperfections, mistakes, foibles, shortcomings; it is what gives meaning to our humanness, validates our existence and transcends all the ugliness that often characterizes this world. In love there is perfection, there is always a second chance, there is forgiveness, hope, joy, happiness, there a reason to breathe, to live the best life possible." ~ Adam Buchanan

transformation

2010-01-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

renaissance year

2010-01-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

There are two poems that I find perfect for beginning this new year: the renaissance year - an opportunity for rebirth, growth and transformation. Go ahead! Die and be reborn like the Phoenix, a new being - a fusion of who you were and who you have become. A new person, yet ever more yourself; changed and at the same time the eternal soul. I am sending blessings to you on your journey inward to the underground and may you come back up into the light, spread your wings and fly.

The holy longing

Tell a wise person, or else keep silent.
Because the massman will mock it right away.
I praise what is truly alive,
what longs to be burned to death.

In the warm water of the love-lights.
where you were begotten, where you have begotten,
a strange feeling comes over you
when you see the silent candle burning.

Now you are no longer caught
in the obsession with darkness,
and a desire for higher lovemaking
sweeps you upward.

Distance does not make you falter,
now, arriving in magic, flying,
and finally, insane for the light,
you are the butterfly and you are gone.

And as long as you haven't experienced
this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest
on the dark earth.

- Goethe

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

-Rumi

blinding

2009-12-01T13:45:00.002-05:00

"I could hear the thunder & see the lightning crack, All around the world was waking, I never could go back. Cos all the walls of dreaming, they were torn right open. And finally it seemed that the spell was broken. And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open." - 'Blinding' by Florence & the Machine

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wake up. Open our eyes, pull away the veil of fear and take a look at the reality that surrounds us. There are two places from which one can make any decision in life: love & fear. It is very simple, yet can be so very difficult to take the first step. I didn't understand the difference between living from a place of love and fear until recently and let me tell you that when you do make a first major decision based out of love there is a tangable difference in the way your heart beats. It fills your body with a warmth and comfort that is truly amazing. You know on every level of your being that you have made the right choice (although it may not be easy) you are surrounded by love and you are protected. You are following your own compass, your gut, letting the light of your own truth (the voice of God) shine through you as you walk fearlessly into the unknown.

May you know the beauty of your own true nature.
May you have the courage and strength to trust in the light from within.
May you find solice and peace with each step.
May you be grounded, may you be healed.
Namaste.

entanglement

2009-10-07T19:17:00.003-04:00

This is a post from my brother, Curtis's blog that I thought was very interesting and worth sharing.

Quantum Entanglement – Three Scientific Proofs

this day

2009-09-28T22:12:00.000-04:00

look to this day for it is life.

in its brief course lie all

the realities and truths of existence,

the joy of growth, the glory of action,

the spendor of beauty...

today well lived makes every

yesterday a memory of happiness

and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

look well, therefore, to this day...

-ancient sanskrit proverb

fear

2009-09-27T15:39:00.002-04:00

Our greatest fears lie in anticipation.

Anticipation of what? The unknown. What do we know? Reality. I was listening to Elizabeth Lessor talk this past week and she said that reality is the past; everything that has happened to us up until this moment. So - we can change our future reality by changing our thoughts now. Lessor says that spirituality is to walk ferlessly down a path of mystery. I truly love that idea! So how do we do it? I had a string of events this week that led me to the answer.

I have come to realize that fear, like anything else is a thought and therefore can be released just like a thought to attain peace. Byron Katie says that a stressful thought should be put through the following questions:

1. is it true? (must be yes or no)
2. do you know it to be true? (must be yes or no)
3. how does it make you react? (do you have anxiety, feel numb, etc.)
4. what type of person would you be without the thought?

By believing the thought creates a stressful environment and to disprove the thought creates a peaceful environment. Once you disprove the thought - you can release it, knowing that it does not serve you. There is the thinking body (ego) and the truth body (self). You are not your thoughts. You are the light of your truth and you are your own best gift to the world.

In the words of John Lennon:

Why in the world are we here

Surely not to live in pain and fear

Why on earth are you there

When you are evrywhere

Come and get your share

Well we all shine on

Like the moon and the stars and the sun

I dedicate all that I do to my teachers: past, present & future
om gum ganapatayei namaha

affermation

2009-09-27T14:40:00.002-04:00

all is well in my world

I love and approve of myself

the information I need to know is revealed to me

and I can recall and apply the information I have learned with ease

everything I need comes to me

prosperity flows freely into my life

I am safe, grounded and the universe supports me
every experience in my life is an opportunity for growth

my heart overflows with the ability to love and to be loved

I use my unique gifts to express my truth for the highest and best use of the universe

om shanti shanti shanti

to understand

2009-08-16T19:01:00.004-04:00

I have been reading Thich Nhat Hanh lately and have been meditating on many of his words, most recently the concept of understanding. He describes it as such in his essay of 'Feelings and Perceptions':

"The French language has the word comprendre, which means to understand, to know, to comprehend. Com means to be one, to be together, and prendre means to take or to grasp. To understand something is to take that thing up and be one with it. The Indians have a wonderful example. If a grain of salt would like to measure the degree of saltiness of the ocean, to have a perception of the saltiness of the ocean, it drops itself into the ocean and becomes one with it, and the perception is perfect."

In reference to meditation, he goes on to say:
"To sit is not enough. We have to be at the same time. To be what? To be is to be a something, you cannot be a nothing. To eat, you have to eat something, you cannot just eat nothing. To be aware is to be aware of something. To be angry is to be angry at something. So to be is to be something, and that something is what is going on: in your body, in your mind, in your feelings, and in the world.

While sitting, you sit and you are. You are what? You are breathing. Not only the one who breathes - you are the breathing and the smiling. It is like a telivision set of one million channels. When you turn the breathingon, you are the breathing. When you turn the irritation on, you are the irritation. You are one with it. Irritation and breathing are not things outside of you. You contemplate them in them, because you are one with them."

The passage that I read and had to put the book down to absorb as I could feel my mind expanding when I looked around the room and thought of all the possibilities of our connectedness follows in his essay 'The Heart of Practice':

"Just as a piece of paper is the fruit, the combination of many elements that can be called non-elements, the individual is made of non-individual elements. If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud there will be no water; without water, the trees cannot grow; and without trees you cannot make paper. So the cloud is in here. The existence of this page is dependent on the existence of a cloud. Paper and cloud are so close.

Let us think of other things, like sunshine. Sunshine is very important because the forest cannot grow without sunshine, and we humans cannot grow without sunshine. So the logger needs sunshine in order to cut the tree, and the tree needs sunshine in order to be a tree. There-fore you can see sunshine in this sheet of paper. And if you look more deeply, with the eyes of a bodhisattva, with the eyes of those who are awake, you see not only the cloud and the sunshine in it, but that everything is here: the wheat that became the bread for the logger to eat, the logger's father --- everything is in this sheet of paper."

I hope you will enjoy the rest of your day in the same light that I found these passages.

I pray for the compassion, or understanding, for you, for me and for all people on earth. May the light of truth grace us all. Namaste.

trees

2009-05-18T20:27:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been moved by the beauty of trees. There are types of trees that can seed, grow and live in absolutely desolate conditions. The Taiga forest circles the globe in the Arctic, is the first sign of life from the North Pole and contains one third of all of the earth’s trees. Without this forest life on the planet may not be able to sustain itself as the trees refresh the entire atmosphere. There are Redwoods that span over 330 ft high, that have been alive over 20 million years and existed before the Swiss Alps or the Rocky Mountains were even raised. This astonishes me and makes me realize we have a lot to learn from trees. These massive organisms can sustain so much life just by growing. They can root down where no other life can live and provide a home. Imagine the knowledge and wisdom we could gain if these wonderful living, breathing organisms could speak.

A very large oak tree was cut down near my house on an empty lot last week. As I walked by the first thing I noticed was the aromatic beauty of freshly cut wood. I saw the men working away: sawing, mulching, trimming and stacking this great-grandfather oak. I saw his dynasty coming to an end before my eyes. On my way back home the men were gone and all was left were the huge belly cuts of the tree. I felt sadness come over me that I felt in my throat. My fingers touched what used to be his spine – the center coils that swirled and grew one on top of the other. It was still warm and moist. I had a moment of silence for my lost friend that I never got to know and wished he could translate to me what had transpired in his lifetime there on the 3900 block of Walsh St. As I walked away I smiled as I realized that yes, I had truly become a tree hugger and days later I am still contemplating the lessons we can learn from trees. This is what I have come up with so far:

Energy, Growth, Versatility & Strength. Whether it is a sapling or a giant tree, they have the energy to be born, grow and survive. They use their energy efficently and can grow to get to the sun light by bending and twirling their trunks and branches or simply growing around each other or other inanimate objects like fences, sidewalks or decks. Trees are strong and get their nourishment only from the soil, sun and rain. They have roots that grow deep into its mother earth and provide their own support as they continue to inch taller.

Overcoming Fear. I get a sense of peace from trees. I feel stronger and more connected to the world by being near them. They teach us that we can hunker down and grow roots despite any barren surroundings, create a new life and everything will be alright.

Life, Death & Sacrifice. Trees humbly provide so much life and in their death they give the planet something back to use as it will. Hopefully we will use the body of their wisdom well and thank it for being so wonderful.

perfectly imperfect

2009-05-10T17:05:00.003-04:00

Rabbi Rami Shapiro was asked by a student, "I have devoted the past years to perfecting myself through various spiritual paths , but I am no closer now than when I started. How can I reach perfection?" I thought his answer was very insightful and fitting following the previous post about perfection.

Shapiro wrote: "The very idea of perfection makes me nervous, and the idea of a human being imagining she or he is perfect terrifies me. The people I trust most are the broken, imperfect sort. Compassion arises not from perfection, but from imperfection; not from standing above the fray but from learning to navigate it with love for self & others. It is only when I see that you & I are each broken & flawed that I can begin to have compassion for us both."

I am using this new prayer for unity at the end of each class which I will share with you:

I honor you in the place in which the whole universe dwells.
I honor you in the place of love & light & peace & truth.
And, when you are in that place in you
And, I am in that place in me.
We are one.
namaste.

sending love to all mothers today...

perfection

2009-05-01T11:27:00.002-04:00

Perfection in an asana is acheived when the effort to perform it becomes effortless & the infinite being within is reached. - Yoga Sutras

Out of the 196 Yoga Sutras only three concern asanas. The first talks about remaing firm & relaxed in the posture. The second talks about the end of the practice - effortless oneness with what is. The sutra above deals with the obsticale that most of us encounter in our practice: we try too hard.

Our culture tell us we are not enough, we must achieve, try harder and if we stumble we must pick ourselves up, move on and improve. This marks a fundamental difference in the eastern vs. western way of thinking. We think that if we push ourselves into a posture then we will "arrive" and get more out of the posture. The mistake is believing we can get more out of effort. We have to change our way of thinking while practicing yoga to non-thinking, non-effort. Just allowing the poses to mold our bodies through the breath. If the breath is short or strained we are trying to hard.

Patanjali describes sucess as effortlessness. Floating in the center of the posture - we suceed by moving into harmony with the movement, our limbs, our breath, our awareness.

In daily life, I often find it hard to find time to relax and read a book for enjoyment. I feel like I need to be bettering myself in some way by enriching my mind with spiritual texts or research of some kind. The other day - I found myself with 5 minutes on the couch. I reached over and grabbed a book of zen quotations next to me, randomly opened the book to a page in the middle and began to read. This was the best 5 minutes of my day gifted to me by Jean-Jaques Rousseau:

"I got up at sunrise & was happy,
I walked, and was happy;
I roamed the forests & hills,
I wandered in the valleys,
I read. I did nothing,
I worked in the garden,
I picked fruit.
I helped in the house & happiness
followed me everywhere-
happiness which could not be referred
to any definite object,
but dwelt entirely within myself
& which never left me a single instant."

enjoy today.
namaste.

five remembrances

2009-03-20T13:19:00.003-04:00

According to the buddha these five remembrances are extremely helpful in personal evolvement. Embracing these changing aspects in our lives aids reaching our ultimate potential.

~ I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.

~ I am of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape ill health.

~ I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.

~ All that is dear to me & everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.

~ My actions are my only true belongings.
I can not escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

For me, the first three are grounded facts and really are pretty easy to accept. We may not want to think that our bodies are not able to stay healthy all of the time, but it is a truth that at some point we will be susceptible to illness. There is an element of fear associated with the unknown quality of death, but death is in the nature of all living things and we cannot escape death.

The last two remembrances are very special. Everything and everyone is, too, of the nature to change, but there is no way to escape being separated from them. This is so very comforting to me. No matter if someone passes from this life to the next or if a special place we love to visit begins to change - they will always be part of us. This can be challenging to accept, but life transforming when we acknowledge that we are all connected despite the changes of time and space. We all will live on forever united in our hearts, memories and energy.

Lastly, our actions are our only true belongings - the ground upon which we stand. This brings to mind a wonderful book that I often reference during classes, Mutant Message by Marlo Morgan. The story is about an American writer who goes on a walkabout across the Australian outback with an Aboriginal tribe. Among other wonderful tales along her journey, Marlo writes about the gift of non-attachment towards objects and belongings saying that the weight of attachment is ultimately too much to bare. We often measure ourselves up by how much stuff we seem to accumulate over the years, not realizing that we don't really own anything. Our actions are our only true belongings. We pave our own path in this life. We are our own gift to the world. The ground upon which we stand is made either firm or soft by our daily encounters on earth.

loving compassion

2009-02-23T17:19:00.003-05:00

om mani padme hum
-mantra for loving compassion-

yoga sutra 1:33
In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil.

I can not describe this sutra better than Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
this next exerpt is taken from www.swamij.com enjoy.

Towards those who are happy or joyful

We might feel resistance/distance: Remember how it is that sometimes when you are not having such a good day, you might resist being around other people who are feeling happy or joyful. It is very easy to unintentionally have a negative attitude towards them at such a time, even if they are your friends or family members. This is not to say that your mind is being 100% negative, but it is the tendency, however small, that we want to be mindful of. It is not about setting ourselves up for an over expectation of perfection, but a gradual process of clearing the clouded mind so that meditation can deepen.

Better to cultivate friendliness/kindness: If you are mindful about this normal tendency of the mind, then you can consciously cultivate an attitude of friendliness and kindness when you are around these happy people, or when you think about them. This conscious act of being mindful of the negative tendency of mind, and actively promoting the positive and useful has a stabilizing effect and brings inner peace and calm. It is being mindful that the mind often holds both sides of the attraction and aversion, positive and negative. Here, we want to be aware of both, but cultivate the positive and useful.

To those who are in pain or suffering

We might feel imposition/frustration: You might normally think of yourself as being a loving, caring, compassionate person. Yet, notice how easy it is to feel the opposite when someone around you is sick. You have other plans and suddenly some family member gets sick, or there is an extended illness in the family. Surely you care for them, but it is also a habit of the mind to feel somewhat imposed upon. Again, we are not talking about some 100% negativity or psychopathology. These are normal actions of mind that we are systematically trying to balance and make serene.

Better to cultivate compassion/support: It is good to observe that inclination of the mind, however small. It just means to be mindful of it, while at the same time consciously cultivating compassion and support for others who are suffering. It does not mean acting, or suppressing the contrary thoughts and emotions. It does mean being aware, and lovingly choosing to act out of love. Again, we want to be mindful of the habits of mind. Unawareness leaves disturbances in the unconscious that will disturb meditation. Awareness allows freedom and peace of mind.

Towards those who are virtuous or benevolent

We might feel inadequate/jealous: We all want to be useful, to be of service to our families, friends, and other people, whether in our local community or across the world. Often we privately may feel there is more we could do, but that we are just not doing it. Jealousy and other negative emotions can easily creep in when somebody else is sincerely acting in virtuous or benevolent ways. We can unconsciously push against such people, whether we know them, or they are publicly known people.

Better to cultivate happiness/goodwill: Better that we cultivate attitudes of happiness and goodwill towards such people. It is not always easy to cultivate such positive attitudes when, inside, we are feeling negative. But something very interesting happens as we become a neutral, non-attached witness to our inner process. That is, humor comes; the mind is seen to be a really funny instrument to watch, in all of its many antics. Then the happiness and goodwill seems to come naturally.

To those who we see as bad or wicked

We might feel anger/aversion: Most of us have some limits of what we find as acceptable behavior. We might sincerely hold the belief that all people are pure at their deepest level. Yet, are there not some individuals you think to be dishonest, cruel, mean, or even wicked, or evil? Are there not some behaviors that you consider so outside of acceptable conduct that it strongly causes you to feel anger and frustration? Even if you really feel strongly about some other person in this way, is it not also true that you, yourself, carry the burden of this? How to be free from that is the question.

Better to cultivate neutrality/acceptance: To counterbalance the negative feelings toward someone you feel is bad, wicked, or lacking in virtue, the antidote is to cultivate an attitude of neutrality, indifference, acceptance, or equanimity. It can be difficult to cultivate this attitude, since it might make us think we are approving of their bad behavior. We seek the neutrality of inner balance and equanimity, which does not mean approving of the person's actions. In fact, cultivating attitudes of neutrality might go a long way in being able to cause change. It surely helps to stabilize and clear the mind for meditation.

dharma

2009-02-10T11:52:00.002-05:00

dharma.
purpose.

three questions to send out into the universe:

who am I?
what do I want?
what is my purpose?

Whether you are standing at a crossroad, in the seemingly darkness looking for the answers or needing some reaffirmation of what you already know - it is refreshing to know that simply asking these questions will bring you closer to your truth, your purpose. If your dharma seems unclear to you, don't worry. The focus of life will change throughout different phases of your life the more you experience and live through challenges.

To gain some insight into your dharma - try this meditation:

Sit comfortably in a crossed legged position, close the eyes. You may want to do some breath work to prepare for meditation such as alternate nostril breathing.

Bring your awareness to your heart. Move energy to your heart. The heart center is where the spirit lives and has the deepest connection in the physical body. With every inhale saying the word "SO" - feeling the energy moving into the heart. With every exhale keeping the energy in the heart center by saying "HUM". The literal translation of so hum is I AM THAT. This is a mantra. Mantras have been used by many different cultures for thousands of years. The words themselves create a spiritual vibration, sounds of the universe that create something from nothingness.

Once relaxed, with radiant energy flowing from the heart, after repeating so hum - you are open and receptive in the alpha state. Ask these questions to the universe:

~ have I found joy in my life?

~ have I brought joy into others lives?

~ how would I make use of my passions & talents to fulfill the highest expression of myself?

~ if I had all the time, money & energy I wanted, what would I do?

~ if I had no fear of failure, what would I do?

spend a few moments swimming in these questions, the mind reaches a stillness. peace.

You may not have the answers come to you in an instant, but you posed the questions and know the answers are coming to you.

Sometimes our role in this life is known all along, a natural instinct. Other times - it finds us. Other times we have to ask and wait for clarity. What is your dharma? are you a painter? a teacher? a communicator? a parent? a healer? Throughout the river of life you will have many definitions to your role on this planet, but there will be one truth that reins above all others that will remain constant and true. This is your dharma.

In our asana practice, practice not for the sake of asana, but for the sake of dharma. Our asana must serve our purpose and not just itself (our ego). Every movement, breath, pose and re-pose our focus on yoga. The joining of ourselves with the devine. How does your connection with God manifest in your life as your dharma?

om gum ganapatayei namaha.
namaste.

the time has come

2009-01-29T15:28:00.004-05:00

A very sweet friend of mine recently came up to me and asked why I had not been updating my thoughts on-line and I found myself speechless. As the new year begins and we focus on resolutions and change, we need to learn how to get out of our own way so we can continue to grow.

Some interesting things have happened.

I learned shortly after my last post that my spiritual name, Suci, did not have the meaning that I understood it to have. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I felt extremely panicked. This very personal name had been especially chosen & given to me by my teacher, Shri. In the bliss of the moment during our ceremony had I mis-understood the root meaning of the word? Months later I was studying the 8 limbs of yoga and it hit me like a brick in the head: my name does not come from satya (truthfulness) it is derived from saucha (purity). Immediately I called Shri and asked her if I was right. Yes. I was so upset with myself. How could I have made such a fundamental mistake with my namesake of all things? Shri calmed me by saying that there was a reason why I had understood my name to mean something contrary to the authentic meaning for so long and that I should incorporate it into my personal interpretation of the word. Hallelujah.

Every day I am humbled by my surroundings. On a spiritual, guttural level - I feel my spirit is very young. There is so much to learn. Like most - I make many mistakes and have to learn how to pick myself up from the rubble, brush off my knees and keep walking down my winding path. Thinking of it now, tears swell into my eyes. There is so much indescribable beauty everywhere in the world. Love is the hum of the world. In between every molecule in space is wonder and love. Wow. How blessed we all are to have chosen this life to live, love and learn.

I have been lucky enough to share the art of yoga with some very young people as well. What a wonderful experience. After teaching my first class of 2nd graders they were all full of smiles while they clapped. I had a circle of sweet hearts bustling full of life and waiting to give me a hug. They were so open to the newness of the practice and embraced the challenge. Every body can do some form of yoga and appreciate the peacefulness that a few moments of stillness can bring. Infusing our lives with some childish enthusiasm would do a lot of good.

As I learn to not be gripped by fear, not to judge, release anger, accept myself and those around me and patience - I embrace forgiveness. Over and over - forgiving myself and others. Returning to the state of yoga. Unity with the devine. Just like our asana or meditation practice we return, again and again, open and receptive to learn. The timeframe between extreme falls hopefully growing longer until one day we are walking, no, dancing into the future. Hand in hand, mind in mind, heart in heart - with God.

Thank you, Ken, for being a beacon of light.
namaste.

"the hardest yoga pose is standing on your own two feet"
Satcitananda

self-inquiry

2008-07-19T20:28:00.004-04:00

Whether or not we aware of it - when practicing yoga it is natural that over time the focus will turn inward. Asana (postures) is largely a process of being quiet with ourselves and observing our bodies, breath & thoughts. In each pose the body focuses on it's purpose and we have a chance to see how the breath and emotions have responded. Gradually, we learn more about who we are, the bodies we live in, the emotional habits we have adopted and our reactions to challenges and stillness. This information is both helpful in our relationship with ourselves and with all the people in our lives. This inward self-study is svadhyaya - one of Patanjali's niyamas.

Svadhyaya is about making time to know ourselves better, to learn, study and grow. The deeper an understanding we have with ourselves, the more we are able to control our moods and emotions. We learn to cherish the time we have on our mats to practice yoga and we look to create the same benefits in other areas of our lives.

Svadhyaya goes hand in hand with tapas. They coexist in a relationship where tapas is the means to purify our systems and svadhyaya is the means of self-reflection where we obtain a better knowledge of self-understanding and self-awareness. Cleansing the body and mind prepare us for svadhaya and studying the body and mind reveal to us where we need to concentrate our practices of purification.

In Yoga for Transformation, Gary Kraftsow writes: "According to the ancients, svadhyaya develops tapas, tapas develops svadhyaya, and together they help us awaken to the spiritual dimension of life. And thus, as we go deeper and deeper into the process of self-investigation and self-discovery, we also go deeper and deeper into the Self, until eventually we discover (or uncover) the Divine. One great teacher has described this process with the image of a drop of water dissolving into the ocean. At first we wonder whether we are the drop. But eventually we discover that we are not and have never been the drop, but only the water itself. "

purification

2008-07-15T10:25:00.002-04:00

The third niyama is tapas. "Tap" literally translates as heat or to burn. Tapas is the discipline which burns off the obstructions which keep us from being in the state of yoga (yoked or joined with our source or simply put spiritual evolvement). We must show this austerity in our body, speech and mind.

Shri Krishna says, in the seventeenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā "Reverential action towards the gods, the educated, the teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, continence, and harmlessness are tapas of the body; speech not causing excitement, truthful, affectionate and beneficial, and used in self-study is the tapas of speech; clearness of thinking, coolness, quietness, self-control, and purity of subject-matter are the tapas of mind."

Judith Lasater writes in Living Yoga, "Unfortunately tapas usually is interpreted to mean that anything which is difficult must be discipline and therefore must be helpful to spiritual unfoldment. But difficulty can create its own form of impediment. In fact, the ego is drawn to difficulty; challenging yoga poses can increase pride and attachment to being an “advanced” yoga student, for example.

Difficulty is a two-edged sword. Just because something is difficult does not mean it is transformational. Good things are sometimes difficult, but not all difficult things are good. If the concept of tapas is misunderstood it can be used as a reason to inflict yoga poses or practices upon one’s self. One can sometimes hear yoga students complaining/bragging about how hard their class was, or how long the teacher made them hold a pose. In this example it becomes clear that difficulty by itself is not enough to make an action a “tapas”."

In asana or yoga postures one must find the edge of the razor. Must push, but not exhaust oneself. The idea is to move with contemplative awareness and grace; to flow in and out of the poses like water - with every breath bringing in prana or vital energy/ life force into the body.

contentment

2008-07-06T09:58:00.005-04:00

The second limb in Patanjali's eight fold path is niyama. The five niyamas deal with our personal observances - the attitude we adopt toward ourselves, values & choices in life. The second niyama is santosha which translates as contentment.

Contentment requires the willingness to enjoy whatever has been given to us today and know that it will change. As long as we are seeking - we can never be truly satisfied with what we come across.

We must exercise both sides of life: if you have never had anything - you think material goods are the answer whereas if you have material things and still remain discontent - there is a sense of betrayal.

It is easy to be content when life seems to be going well. It is much more difficult to be content during difficult times, but in doing so - we are free.

Judith Lasater writes in Living Yoga, "Patanjali's teachings are not for the weak. He requires discipline and strength. He asks us to walk into the unknown. But he does not abandon us on this journey. Instead he offers the wise teachings of the niymas to guide us back home to ourselves; it is this journey to nowhere that transforms us and all those with whom we come into contact. This is the final commitment and the very heart of the teachings of yoga. Bon Voyage!"

Stream of Life & Listening

2008-06-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

Stream of Life
by Rabindranath Tagore

The same stream of life that runs through
my veins night and day
runs through the world
and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy
through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves
of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked
in the ocean - cradle of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious
by the touch of this world of Life.
And my pride is from the life - throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.

Listening
by Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi

What is deep listening? Sama is
a greeting from the secret ones inside

the heart, a letter. The branches of
your intelligence grow new leaves in

the wind of this listening. The body
reaches a peace. Rooster sound comes,

reminding you of your love for dawn.
The reed flute and the singers lips:

the knack of how spirit breathes into
us becomes as simple and ordinary as

eating and drinking. The dead rise with
the pleasure of listening. If someone

can't hear a trumpet melody, sprinkle
dirt on his head and declare him dead.

Listen, and feel the beauty of your
separation, the unsayable absence.

There's a moon inside every human being.
Learn to be companions with it. Give

more of your life to this listening. As
brightness is to time, so you are to

the one who talks to the deep ear in
your chest. I should sell my tongue

and buy a thousand ears when that
one steps near and begins to speak.

moving into stillness

2008-06-28T20:28:00.004-04:00

"The purpose of yoga is to facilitate the profound inner relaxation that accompanies fearlessness. The release of fearlessness is what finally precipitates the full flowering of love."
- Erich Schiffman

Erich is a well known yogi, accomplished scholar and writer. He goes on to say that we use the discipline of yoga to encourage the experience of stillness. The feeling of stillness is peace and the feeling of peace is joy. This is the most direct way of experiencing the truth about yourself.

This was the focus of the dharma talk during the very first yoga class I taught. For me it was absolutely life changing to experience a moment of peace during my first yoga practice. I was hooked. I felt like the world I had known had forever changed into fields of possibility. In essence - this is the primary teaching in yoga: finding stillness in the mind.

Erich also notes that stillness does not mean no energy - it means no conflict. Because there is no conflict - it is a higher energy state than that which we are normally accustomed. When you experience yourself in this unconflicted way - you will experience the truth about what you are.

"And when he sees me in all
And sees all in me,
Then I never leave him
And he never leaves me.

And he, who in this oneness of love,
Loves me in whatever he sees,
Where ever this man may live,
In truth, this man lives with me."

-Bhagavad Gita (ancient Indian text)

unity. peace. bliss.

2008-06-16T15:54:00.005-04:00

"Ishvara-pranidhanad-va"
By giving your life and identity to God
you attain the identity of God.
Yoga Sutra 1:23

The light of God (or whatever your name is for your source) is in everything and all of us. The air that we breathe (which includes prana - or life force), the food that we eat, a wave in the ocean, the eye of a cat, the stars in the sky and most importantly, our hearts. The goal of the yogi is to quiet the mind enough to be able to listen with an open heart.

"The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga."
Yoga Sutra 1:2

"Then the Seer (Self) abides in His own true nature."
Yoga Sutra 1:3

There is a sense of vulnerability here. A person new to meditation may be experiencing true silence for the first time. The practitioner must have patience, devotion and faith.

Patience and forgiveness with themselves. Thoughts will always come up, but there must be no judgement of the thought - only a sense of allowing the calm to take over the mind rather than controlling the chaos. There is no such a thing as a good or bad meditation.

Acts of selflessness or devotion must occur. Donating your energy to someone in need, something you love, your teachers or a higher power opens your heart and creates a foundation of love.

Lastly, faith. Asking for guidance and protection allows you to blindly follow your heart while you drift down the river into your being. Experiencing the wonder of your true nature - the light of God. Union with your source bringing you ultimate peace and bliss.

unity. peace. bliss.

This is my goal in life. What is yours?
The 3 most important questions to always be sending out into the universe:
who am I?
what do I want?
what is my purpose?

what is in a name? truth.

2008-06-03T13:44:00.000-04:00

"Now the exposition of Yoga is being made." Yoga Sutra 1:1

This is the first of 196 sutras written by Indian sage Patanjali, who, to this day is considered the father of yoga. It is not known exactly when he lived here on earth, but it is thought to be sometime between 300 BCE and 300 BC. This text, The Yoga Sutras, is considered the foundation of yoga philosophy. The practice of yoga existed long before this text was formally written down by Patanjali. The short text is composed of 4 chapters that are aimed to liberate the practitioner from suffering. It is said that individuals who come across this first surta in a lifetime are ready for a path of growth. This is my inspiration.

Patanjali's eightfold path is called ashtanga (ashta - eight, anga - limb). These eight pathways act as guidelines on how to live a purposeful life and direct our attention inwards to experience our true spiritual nature.

The first limb, yama, deals with our ethical standards or restraints and focuses on behavior in our daily lives. One of the five yamas is satya which translates to truthfulness. Sat - eternal unchanging truth beyond all knowing, ya - do it.

In pratice, Satya means living a life of honesty -not only in words, but the integrity of your actions when no one is there to see or hear you. This is attempting to live according to inner, not only outer truth: living the life you were meant to live and being open to your purpose in the universe during this lifetime.

In actively expressing and living in harmony with your ultimate truth, you become your own gift to the world - you. I believe this is my life lesson which is why my teacher has selected this name for me to grow into and learn from, Suci (pronounced Soochie) which translates at "the pure" and is derived from Satya.

During my graduation puja or ceremony where "God is coming for a visit" we honored our name for God, asked for guidance, offered prayers & flowers, offered thanks for the experience of learning & the gift of knowledge and received our spiritual name by our teacher. This was the end of my yoga teacher training program and a rebirth as I learn to walk on my spiritual path.

Similarly to the opening quote - yoga existed before it was translated from an oral to written tradition - every person has a embryo of God who is waiting to be born. It is there, existing inside us all. All we have to do is quiet our mind and invite God in. Practice. Faith. Devotion.

I offer these words with an open heart. I dedicate these writings to all my teachers: parents, poets, loved ones, friends, foes, pets, mistakes I have made & all other guides. You are the light in the dark. There are no words to fully express - I owe everything to you. I am so grateful to you and humbled by you.

I bow to the divine in you - namaste.