CD- Kirtana by Robert Gass
On Wings Of Song
The music is put together by Spring Hill Music.
Tina taught a wonderful Yoga Relax & Renew class this past Friday and we so enjoyed the music, that she wanted to post the info for everyone!!
Peace!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Ashtanga and Anusara Yoga ~ From Jeanne Ann
Question: What’s the difference between Ashtanga and Anusara Yoga?
I’m reminded of something one of my acupuncture teachers said once: “ If you keep practicing, regardless of what style you’ve been trained in, at some point you’ll be doing your own style of acupuncture.” To a beginner this was a scary idea--who am I to be creating something new? And what if I like feeling protected by identification with a style?--but over time I’ve come to see that it’s a fundamental truth: even as we learn from others and honor our teachers and traditions, each of us is inevitably creating something absolutely unique as our lives and experience and understanding unfold according to our unique dharma. And as the Bhagavad Gita tells us, it’s better to do our own dharma imperfectly than someone else’s perfectly!
This is my preface to addressing different styles of yoga. So much practice has been done by so many dedicated yogis over such a long period of time, and out of that have emerged traditions, lineages, and styles of practice. Each style represents someone’s (or a group of someones’) insights and understanding of yoga practice, often building on insights of prior generations. Every style by necessity focuses on some things, and is less focused on other things. Each style is worthy of respect and honor. Ultimately each of us chooses what resonates for us, perhaps from a variety of traditions, and makes it our own--for our own discovery and enjoyment. Even for those of us who feel totally at home in one particular style of yoga, it can be a stimulating experience to explore other approaches to practice, and it just may enhance our own in unexpected ways.
Anusara Yoga is a style that was established in 1997 by John Friend, after many years of study, teaching and leadership within the Iyengar Yoga tradition. Anusara Yoga reflects both this central focus on alignment that it shares with the Iyengar method, and also the Tantric philosophy of John’s meditation path (Siddha Yoga). Anusara Yoga is deeply grounded in a Tantric philosophy of the intrinsic goodness of life and each person, and each class has a heart-oriented theme that aims to inspire students to perform each pose “from the inside out,” with a constant awareness of the grander spiritual purposes of yoga.
Anusara Yoga has a concise system of alignment principles known as the Universal Principles of Alignment--“Universal” because they all apply in every pose. For me, the Principles of Alignment are like a treasure map that helps us explore and open the body and heart to a greater flow of prana/shakti/life force. I think this opening and enlivening influx of shakti is what creates the transforming and empowering effect that yoga has had on so many of us and our students. Also, working with a clearly articulated set of principles brings great clarity and independence in practice, helping students answer their own questions--for instance, when you come up against the kind of question like “What am I supposed to be doing with my back leg in this pose?”
So back to the question of differences: Although my experience of Ashtanga Yoga is somewhat limited, I think of it having a strong focus on naturalistic flow--moving at the speed of "normal" movement--through vinyasa, moving with the breath, and generating internal heat. My Anusara Inspired* classes will move less quickly, though still moving with the breath, but often with more time spent in individual asanas to explore a particular alignment focus or dynamic. I think of it like cranking a microscope down a power or two to look and feel at a greater level of detail, or of slowing down a movie to allow more analysis of what’s happening in individual frames. An Anusara style practice can be as strenuous as a practitioner wants, but Intro level classes will tend to focus on basics--one person described this as "We make the easy things hard so the hard things will be easy." My experience has definitely borne this out--after focusing on "basics" I have returned to challenging poses with a new level of ease, even though I hadn't been practicing those particular poses at all. Alignment insights, once integrated into our bodies, become available to us more quickly in a faster-paced practice or in everyday movement.
Over the six weeks, I’ll introduce the fundamentals of the philosophical context and alignment method as expressed in basic yoga asanas--most of which will be familiar to Ashtanga students, though there may be some small variations. There are no set sequences in the Anusara Yoga style--each teacher creates each class “from scratch,” but there are principles of sequencing that are used so that each student can move safely through a range of poses, and progress from more basic to more complex variations. Modifications, props, verbal and hands-on adjustments, and demonstrations are all used as needed. The course can serve as an introduction to further exploration of the Anusara style, an opportunity for a few alignment epiphanies to bring back to your current practice, or just a taste of a different flavor from the wide world of yoga!
*”Anusara Inspired” is a registered designation for teachers who have completed a certain level of training but are not yet fully Anusara Certified. I am, however, Certified as a Hatha Yoga Teacher, and Registered with the Yoga Alliance as well as being registered as an Anusara Inspired teacher.
~Jeanne Ann
I’m reminded of something one of my acupuncture teachers said once: “ If you keep practicing, regardless of what style you’ve been trained in, at some point you’ll be doing your own style of acupuncture.” To a beginner this was a scary idea--who am I to be creating something new? And what if I like feeling protected by identification with a style?--but over time I’ve come to see that it’s a fundamental truth: even as we learn from others and honor our teachers and traditions, each of us is inevitably creating something absolutely unique as our lives and experience and understanding unfold according to our unique dharma. And as the Bhagavad Gita tells us, it’s better to do our own dharma imperfectly than someone else’s perfectly!
This is my preface to addressing different styles of yoga. So much practice has been done by so many dedicated yogis over such a long period of time, and out of that have emerged traditions, lineages, and styles of practice. Each style represents someone’s (or a group of someones’) insights and understanding of yoga practice, often building on insights of prior generations. Every style by necessity focuses on some things, and is less focused on other things. Each style is worthy of respect and honor. Ultimately each of us chooses what resonates for us, perhaps from a variety of traditions, and makes it our own--for our own discovery and enjoyment. Even for those of us who feel totally at home in one particular style of yoga, it can be a stimulating experience to explore other approaches to practice, and it just may enhance our own in unexpected ways.
Anusara Yoga is a style that was established in 1997 by John Friend, after many years of study, teaching and leadership within the Iyengar Yoga tradition. Anusara Yoga reflects both this central focus on alignment that it shares with the Iyengar method, and also the Tantric philosophy of John’s meditation path (Siddha Yoga). Anusara Yoga is deeply grounded in a Tantric philosophy of the intrinsic goodness of life and each person, and each class has a heart-oriented theme that aims to inspire students to perform each pose “from the inside out,” with a constant awareness of the grander spiritual purposes of yoga.
Anusara Yoga has a concise system of alignment principles known as the Universal Principles of Alignment--“Universal” because they all apply in every pose. For me, the Principles of Alignment are like a treasure map that helps us explore and open the body and heart to a greater flow of prana/shakti/life force. I think this opening and enlivening influx of shakti is what creates the transforming and empowering effect that yoga has had on so many of us and our students. Also, working with a clearly articulated set of principles brings great clarity and independence in practice, helping students answer their own questions--for instance, when you come up against the kind of question like “What am I supposed to be doing with my back leg in this pose?”
So back to the question of differences: Although my experience of Ashtanga Yoga is somewhat limited, I think of it having a strong focus on naturalistic flow--moving at the speed of "normal" movement--through vinyasa, moving with the breath, and generating internal heat. My Anusara Inspired* classes will move less quickly, though still moving with the breath, but often with more time spent in individual asanas to explore a particular alignment focus or dynamic. I think of it like cranking a microscope down a power or two to look and feel at a greater level of detail, or of slowing down a movie to allow more analysis of what’s happening in individual frames. An Anusara style practice can be as strenuous as a practitioner wants, but Intro level classes will tend to focus on basics--one person described this as "We make the easy things hard so the hard things will be easy." My experience has definitely borne this out--after focusing on "basics" I have returned to challenging poses with a new level of ease, even though I hadn't been practicing those particular poses at all. Alignment insights, once integrated into our bodies, become available to us more quickly in a faster-paced practice or in everyday movement.
Over the six weeks, I’ll introduce the fundamentals of the philosophical context and alignment method as expressed in basic yoga asanas--most of which will be familiar to Ashtanga students, though there may be some small variations. There are no set sequences in the Anusara Yoga style--each teacher creates each class “from scratch,” but there are principles of sequencing that are used so that each student can move safely through a range of poses, and progress from more basic to more complex variations. Modifications, props, verbal and hands-on adjustments, and demonstrations are all used as needed. The course can serve as an introduction to further exploration of the Anusara style, an opportunity for a few alignment epiphanies to bring back to your current practice, or just a taste of a different flavor from the wide world of yoga!
*”Anusara Inspired” is a registered designation for teachers who have completed a certain level of training but are not yet fully Anusara Certified. I am, however, Certified as a Hatha Yoga Teacher, and Registered with the Yoga Alliance as well as being registered as an Anusara Inspired teacher.
~Jeanne Ann
Saturday, December 15, 2007
What is Meditation? Why do it?
For my part, defining meditation is pretty simple. To meditate is to bring awareness to experience. For many, it helps to start by taking an action to still the body. For others, this is not initially possible or available as an idea, so they will start with meditation in movement, such as yoga posture practice, tai chi or walking meditation. As an option, some people add some additional action at some times, to actively develop or even undo a particular element of being or experience. Examples of this would be repeating a mantra, concentrating on one object of experience, praying a rosary or saying phrases silently.
There are so many reasons why different people undertake some kind of meditation practice, so it’s difficult to answer this so succinctly. Let’s start by saying that all reasons are perfect. They are perfect because they signal an intention to be with what’s happening in a different way, a very effective way, in my experience. They are also perfect because all reasons somehow signal that faith is present, faith that change is possible and that effort can be taken to begin to effect change.
What sort of changes are people imagining might come out of meditation? Some changes might feel very practical, such as developing concentration for use in performance or bringing some attention to a behavior one may wish to break through, like anger. Some desired changes might feel more overarching, such as greater peace of mind. For many, a meditation practice accompanies a spiritual leaning. Maybe it’s felt that meditation will bring us closer to relationship with the divine, or a personal experience of divinity.
Notice, fellow yogis, that you can substitute “yoga practice” for “meditation practice” throughout what I say here and it works very fine!
In the practice of yoga, meditation is seen as a means for revealing to the yogi what is true. This truth business, as with much of yoga practice, works at multiple levels. At first, what becomes available as a newly seen truth may be something like “I didn’t realize how stiff my hips are” or “it turns out I’m pretty competitive, which I see by how I find myself comparing my meditation experience to how that guys’ sounded.” These truths can be accompanied by additional thoughts, judging ourselves, making resolves to change this or that behavior, etc. So our learning here begins to inform our life and inspire change right away. Mission accomplished! For some this can be the fulfillment of practice. This is very beneficial for such a person, and for all of us who know and interact with them, and therefore for the whole world by real association.
As we continue to settle into a meditation practice, truths will continue to present themselves. It seems very important to mention here that these truths may not match up very well with the original agenda. For instance, we may have undertaken meditation as a way to develop peace of mind. And after a short while, we may see that what is present here is a whole lotta NOT peace of mind. Maybe instead there are lots of judgment thoughts or anger thoughts or random-constant-movement mind or boredom mind or etc. It may appear daunting, if not impossible, to turn this around into anything resembling peace.
This is a very important juncture, and it brings us back to the original what and why of meditation. The practice is to bring awareness to experience, not to the experience we want to have or wish we were having or believe the blissful-looking gal is having or the one we had yesterday, but to this experience right here and now. So now we are invited to see beyond some original desire for acquiring a certain state or skill, to recall the original measure of faith and to allow this process to unveil what it will. Can we see this truth as it arises and even re-arises? Or do we stop when what is revealed becomes too uncomfortable or undesirable, or seems to be outside of the realm of the original intention? These are questions to keep in your back pocket as you proceed, with hopes that you’ll remember to take them out and review them when they’re most needed.
In many spiritual traditions of the world, the great transcendent truths are said to be available through the practice of silence and looking deeply at what is revealed thereby. This is certainly taught by the long-standing lineage of gurus and teachers of yoga. Patanjali, the great teacher and author of the Classical Yoga sutras, describes the goal of yoga/meditation as the possibility of a permanent state of being where awareness alone persists with the body/mind, and all belief in, and action as, a limited self falls away. Other traditions might refer to this as enlightenment or total awakening. This is a great topic all by itself for another post, so I will hold you in some suspense!
Nevertheless, I will close by giving away the ending in a way: just remember that every time you say “namaste” to your mat neighbor, you are in effect saying to your friend:
The complete, utter, selfless awakeness that I know I am sees the same awakeness in you; how tremendously sweet to meet my self like this!
Maybe go try that out in the mirror, right now, and let me know what happens! Really!
Cheer, Blessings, Namaste to you all! Love, Margaret
There are so many reasons why different people undertake some kind of meditation practice, so it’s difficult to answer this so succinctly. Let’s start by saying that all reasons are perfect. They are perfect because they signal an intention to be with what’s happening in a different way, a very effective way, in my experience. They are also perfect because all reasons somehow signal that faith is present, faith that change is possible and that effort can be taken to begin to effect change.
What sort of changes are people imagining might come out of meditation? Some changes might feel very practical, such as developing concentration for use in performance or bringing some attention to a behavior one may wish to break through, like anger. Some desired changes might feel more overarching, such as greater peace of mind. For many, a meditation practice accompanies a spiritual leaning. Maybe it’s felt that meditation will bring us closer to relationship with the divine, or a personal experience of divinity.
Notice, fellow yogis, that you can substitute “yoga practice” for “meditation practice” throughout what I say here and it works very fine!
In the practice of yoga, meditation is seen as a means for revealing to the yogi what is true. This truth business, as with much of yoga practice, works at multiple levels. At first, what becomes available as a newly seen truth may be something like “I didn’t realize how stiff my hips are” or “it turns out I’m pretty competitive, which I see by how I find myself comparing my meditation experience to how that guys’ sounded.” These truths can be accompanied by additional thoughts, judging ourselves, making resolves to change this or that behavior, etc. So our learning here begins to inform our life and inspire change right away. Mission accomplished! For some this can be the fulfillment of practice. This is very beneficial for such a person, and for all of us who know and interact with them, and therefore for the whole world by real association.
As we continue to settle into a meditation practice, truths will continue to present themselves. It seems very important to mention here that these truths may not match up very well with the original agenda. For instance, we may have undertaken meditation as a way to develop peace of mind. And after a short while, we may see that what is present here is a whole lotta NOT peace of mind. Maybe instead there are lots of judgment thoughts or anger thoughts or random-constant-movement mind or boredom mind or etc. It may appear daunting, if not impossible, to turn this around into anything resembling peace.
This is a very important juncture, and it brings us back to the original what and why of meditation. The practice is to bring awareness to experience, not to the experience we want to have or wish we were having or believe the blissful-looking gal is having or the one we had yesterday, but to this experience right here and now. So now we are invited to see beyond some original desire for acquiring a certain state or skill, to recall the original measure of faith and to allow this process to unveil what it will. Can we see this truth as it arises and even re-arises? Or do we stop when what is revealed becomes too uncomfortable or undesirable, or seems to be outside of the realm of the original intention? These are questions to keep in your back pocket as you proceed, with hopes that you’ll remember to take them out and review them when they’re most needed.
In many spiritual traditions of the world, the great transcendent truths are said to be available through the practice of silence and looking deeply at what is revealed thereby. This is certainly taught by the long-standing lineage of gurus and teachers of yoga. Patanjali, the great teacher and author of the Classical Yoga sutras, describes the goal of yoga/meditation as the possibility of a permanent state of being where awareness alone persists with the body/mind, and all belief in, and action as, a limited self falls away. Other traditions might refer to this as enlightenment or total awakening. This is a great topic all by itself for another post, so I will hold you in some suspense!
Nevertheless, I will close by giving away the ending in a way: just remember that every time you say “namaste” to your mat neighbor, you are in effect saying to your friend:
The complete, utter, selfless awakeness that I know I am sees the same awakeness in you; how tremendously sweet to meet my self like this!
Maybe go try that out in the mirror, right now, and let me know what happens! Really!
Cheer, Blessings, Namaste to you all! Love, Margaret
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Standing on your own two feet
The exploration of how we use our feet speaks to issues of security, self-support, and self-sufficiency. In the physical world, the ground is our ultimate support and it is through our feet and legs that we experience that support. Independence requires support. Without the support of the ground, our legs would be useless. Independence does not mean that we cannot depend on anyone else. On the contrary, we need stability in order to receive support, In what ways do you stand on your own two feet? In what ways do you “take a stand”? In your desire to be independent, do you still allow support? A firm foundation underneath us allows an integration of independence and support and lets us better under-stand whatever we are dealing with.
Namaste
~Beth
Namaste
~Beth
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