“Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button, girl,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe”
Lyrics from Anna Nalick’s song “Just Breathe”
A fundamental component of a yoga practice is the breath. Each movement is performed either on an inhale or an exhale. Yogic breathing, known as Ujjaiyi breathing, is deep, rhythmic inhalations and exhalations through the nose. The breath drives the practice and tells the practitioner when to take a pose deeper or when to back off. If the breath is steady and unaffected, it is most likely OK to try and fold further into a forward straddle or push up higher into a backbend. If the breath becomes labored or erratic, that’s a signal to slow down and regain focus. Focusing on the breath in yoga is a wonderful lesson that can be taken “off the mat” as well. How many times has someone told you to “calm down and take a deep breath”? The simple act of breathing deeply and with intention can prove great for stress release in all settings, not just yoga class.
There are many health benefits associated with deep breathing. When stressed, or operating in a state of hurried unconsciousness (which I do multiple times a day), the breath becomes shallow. Studies have shown that when the breath is shallow, blood pressure rises. On the other hand, deep breathing oxygenates the body, providing a boost of energy and a natural release of endorphins. Deep breathing also relaxes tense neck, back, and stomach muscles relieving anxiety related indigestion and body aches.
A yoga class provides the perfect environment to develop a relationship with the breath. After all, the teacher is frequently reminding his or her students to “return to the breath” or coordinate movements with an inhale or exhale. I have had teachers tell their students that if they are breathing in conjunction with the class, they are receiving all the benefits of the yoga class even if they cannot perform many of the asanas. Deep breathing truly allows a yoga practitioner to go deeper into a pose. For example, while doing a seated forward bend, it is helpful to take a deep inhale and lengthen the spine and, on an exhale, fold forward. Even if you only go an inch or a centimeter further, you will begin to experience the relationship between yoga postures and deep breathing.
It is very interesting to become aware of stress related shallow breathing and how often and how quickly it can happen. You can make a daily practice of becoming aware of this occurrence and put into practice deep breathing techniques. Note any positive effects and how it can affect the course of the rest of your day. I invite you to become aware of your breath over the next few days both at yoga class or, if you are currently in my situation and don’t have the time to “escape” , at home with your kids, in the grocery line, or at work. I find it helpful to start my day with a few minutes of deep breathing, meditation, and/or pranayama and then, throughout the day, I try to be aware of the relationship between stress and shallow breathing. I have come to realize that the simple act of taking a moment to focus on your breath, and consciously decide to breathe deeply and with intention, can provide a much needed calming effect and change your attitude. If at work, you can utilize your scheduled breaks to cultivate this practice or, if you are a stay-at-home parent, simply let your kids know that, “I need a time out”, flee to the closest quiet spot and utilize this wonderful and free relaxation self-service.
Wishing you Peace, Love, and Happiness.
Jaime
Friday, January 22, 2010
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sweet Baby J - written by a member of the US Army
Someone very important to me once told me an important story. While puttering in his barn on a rainy Sunday in the spring, a James Taylor song came across his speakers. The secret of life, as the song says is in enjoying the passing of time. Through our discussion, one that I will cherish forever, I realized that I didn’t truly possess the ability to grasp that concept. Time and the passing of it, had become and remains to be an inevitable and fluid thing. Time is something that nobody has ever been able to understand.
I have been out here (Iraq) for over 7 months now, and in two weeks I should have my feet somewhere on US soil, God willing. On July 21st I will reach my 4 year mark as a member of the US Army. By that time I will have spent 22 months deployed to Iraq, 2 months in Ranger School, over 6 months in the field, and less than 3 months at home. I work in a rush, to hurry up and knock out a task to hurry up and wait. I am guilty of waiting on my life to happen while time slips through my fingers. I still have infinite perspective on things to give thanks for, yet I have never had an outstanding relationship with time.
I have learned more since I left than I ever did while I was home. The things I learned while away gave meaning to my past. I have enjoyed passing time knowing that hardships already endured were not arbitrary occurrences in my life rather well calculated events given to me in preparation for something more rewarding. So I take it all now, or as much of it as I can swallow down, with a grain of holy salt and when it all seems like it’s just times way of beating down on me I don’t lose hope. Every struggle endured has a hidden message behind it. I know this to be true for me, it always has been. I will hurt and stumble, suffer and fail only to taste something sweeter on the backside- a direct reflection of a time where I was lacking, or the situation was uncomfortable. We can always learn in time, from ourselves from others, so long as we stay committed to doing exactly that. Passing time in the presence of others and enjoying things they know that you don’t is divinely purposeful.
I will enjoy this passing the best that I can, and if I can’t thrive here how I expect myself too then I will simply hang on. And time will continue and the lesson will be driven home, and when I can thrive it will become obvious again, that nothing is for nothing. We can all find purpose in the passing of time, through good times and especially through hard times but the trick is enjoying your life in the absence of an extreme- and not being bored.
I don’t know many people who capture the essence of their lives but in maybe thirty or forty key moments in their lifetimes. There are milestone events we each encounter goals we set and attack, or set and forget, there are things we accomplish and things we say we always wish we had done but never remedy. As we get older the milestones change from graduating high school, to getting married, to having a child, or buying a house. We never take time to enjoy the passing of our ordinary days. It’s hard to imagine each day we spend here on earth as a milestone, because some days are routine and rudimentary, static and planned. I guess those are the days I miss the most out here, the ones that seem so forgettable.
It’s easy to forget the day where you don’t remember anything happening. But it shouldn’t be too hard to remember that day as one spent with peace in your heart, with turmoil at bay. Life seems to happen to us when we are paying attention to something more glorious and elaborate. I have been away from America for so long now, away from the things I know exist that I feel like everything is new again. What is it that we do with our lives while we are waiting for that next big thing? Like the man told me, with tears in his eyes, he looked back at where he had come from to where he had arrived to now. He tightened a new blade down, on a saw that he had bought and enjoyed the passing of time. He looked to where he had come from and where he wanted to go, and somewhere in between found an infinite joy, he was happy to simply pass time.
I feel like I get it so confused sometimes, but I am learning that passing time is not the same as wasting it. There are so few endeavors in life that are useless and meaningless especially if they are arrived at with an open heart, and genuine intention. But why is it that we constantly feel like we are wasting time, yet when time is what we have we never have the presence of mind to enjoy it. I guess it boils down to identifying in ourselves what we want from our lives. I have and I don’t know where this road will lead but I am willing to walk down it. I have no time table and although it is painful at times and rugged in others, it is captivating not by the major events, but rather by the pleasure I am able to salvage from daily things. I don’t know what the secret of life is, nor may any of us ever know the answer to that question. But it is open to our own interpretations I suppose - the secret could be in the passing of time, or even in passing time trying to interpret just what that secret is.
I have been out here (Iraq) for over 7 months now, and in two weeks I should have my feet somewhere on US soil, God willing. On July 21st I will reach my 4 year mark as a member of the US Army. By that time I will have spent 22 months deployed to Iraq, 2 months in Ranger School, over 6 months in the field, and less than 3 months at home. I work in a rush, to hurry up and knock out a task to hurry up and wait. I am guilty of waiting on my life to happen while time slips through my fingers. I still have infinite perspective on things to give thanks for, yet I have never had an outstanding relationship with time.
I have learned more since I left than I ever did while I was home. The things I learned while away gave meaning to my past. I have enjoyed passing time knowing that hardships already endured were not arbitrary occurrences in my life rather well calculated events given to me in preparation for something more rewarding. So I take it all now, or as much of it as I can swallow down, with a grain of holy salt and when it all seems like it’s just times way of beating down on me I don’t lose hope. Every struggle endured has a hidden message behind it. I know this to be true for me, it always has been. I will hurt and stumble, suffer and fail only to taste something sweeter on the backside- a direct reflection of a time where I was lacking, or the situation was uncomfortable. We can always learn in time, from ourselves from others, so long as we stay committed to doing exactly that. Passing time in the presence of others and enjoying things they know that you don’t is divinely purposeful.
I will enjoy this passing the best that I can, and if I can’t thrive here how I expect myself too then I will simply hang on. And time will continue and the lesson will be driven home, and when I can thrive it will become obvious again, that nothing is for nothing. We can all find purpose in the passing of time, through good times and especially through hard times but the trick is enjoying your life in the absence of an extreme- and not being bored.
I don’t know many people who capture the essence of their lives but in maybe thirty or forty key moments in their lifetimes. There are milestone events we each encounter goals we set and attack, or set and forget, there are things we accomplish and things we say we always wish we had done but never remedy. As we get older the milestones change from graduating high school, to getting married, to having a child, or buying a house. We never take time to enjoy the passing of our ordinary days. It’s hard to imagine each day we spend here on earth as a milestone, because some days are routine and rudimentary, static and planned. I guess those are the days I miss the most out here, the ones that seem so forgettable.
It’s easy to forget the day where you don’t remember anything happening. But it shouldn’t be too hard to remember that day as one spent with peace in your heart, with turmoil at bay. Life seems to happen to us when we are paying attention to something more glorious and elaborate. I have been away from America for so long now, away from the things I know exist that I feel like everything is new again. What is it that we do with our lives while we are waiting for that next big thing? Like the man told me, with tears in his eyes, he looked back at where he had come from to where he had arrived to now. He tightened a new blade down, on a saw that he had bought and enjoyed the passing of time. He looked to where he had come from and where he wanted to go, and somewhere in between found an infinite joy, he was happy to simply pass time.
I feel like I get it so confused sometimes, but I am learning that passing time is not the same as wasting it. There are so few endeavors in life that are useless and meaningless especially if they are arrived at with an open heart, and genuine intention. But why is it that we constantly feel like we are wasting time, yet when time is what we have we never have the presence of mind to enjoy it. I guess it boils down to identifying in ourselves what we want from our lives. I have and I don’t know where this road will lead but I am willing to walk down it. I have no time table and although it is painful at times and rugged in others, it is captivating not by the major events, but rather by the pleasure I am able to salvage from daily things. I don’t know what the secret of life is, nor may any of us ever know the answer to that question. But it is open to our own interpretations I suppose - the secret could be in the passing of time, or even in passing time trying to interpret just what that secret is.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Northwest Earth Institute Classes at Living Yoga
The “Green” movement has arisen out of genuine concern for the impact of human activity on the Earth. Resource exploitation, overconsumption, and a lack of stewardship for our planet has resulted in global climate change, extinction of species, and extreme weather events that destroy lives and property. Since the United States economy switched from an agricultural to industrial base, unbridled use of fossil fuels has driven growth and consumption to an unsustainable level. The bio-capacity, or carrying capacity, of the Earth, as defined by William E. Rees author of “Footprints to Sustainability”, is “the maximum population of a given species that can occupy a particular habitat without impairing its long-term productivity”. No matter how evolved or above the natural order some humans consider themselves, we are animals on Earth and our survival depends on our habitat’s ability to sustain us. The idea of sustainability comes from this truth.
There is not one clear, unified definition of sustainability. One of my favorite definitions comes from the Center for Sustainable Communities. “Sustainability is a trend to consider the whole instead of the specific. Sustainability emphasizes relationships rather than pieces in isolation…Sustainability is not about regressing to primitive living conditions. It is about understanding our situation and developing as communities in ways that are equitable, and that make sense ecologically and economically”. Additionally, I believe sustainability has to do with thinking of the long-term implications of actions, behaviors, and lifestyles of excess. As a parent, I am truly concerned about the Earth my children and grandchildren will inhabit. I feel it is the obligation of the current generation to consider how their actions affect future generations’ quality of life.
In an effort to become more involved in my community and educate myself on issues associated with sustainability , I participated in a Northwest Earth Institute discussion group titled Choices for Sustainable Living. For seven weeks, ten members of the Asheville community gathered at a volunteer’s home and discussed the following topics related to sustainable living: A Call to Sustainability, Ecological Principles, Food, Buying, Communities, Business and Economy, and Visions of Sustainability. We brought to the table our diverse life experience, strong opinions, scientific expertise, and universal sense of care and concern for our Planet. Before we arrived for our weekly sit down, we read 5-7 articles from our workbook that never failed to provoke conversation that only ended because our 1 ½ hours were up. I was eager to suggest to my mother, that I thought hosting a Choices for Sustainable Living group at Living Yoga would be an excellent way to bring members of the community together and educate one another on this pertinent issue. If you have interest please let her know or e-mail me at bepresentbefree@yahoo.com. Once I arrive back in the Shire (it sounds more magical this way), I will be organizing other discussion groups from Northwest Earth Institute including Voluntary Simplicity, Healthy Children-Healthy Planet, and Exploring Deep Ecology. Check out their website www.nwei.org for more information. Also important to note, the only cost is the book and it’s shipping…22 dollars. I truly hope Living Yoga can be a home to a variety of these groups. It was an educational, inspiring experience that brings people together to discuss and brainstorm solutions (no matter how small) to problems that we now face and that our children may have to inherit.
~Jaime Miller
Friday, March 27, 2009
How it all began, by Jaime Miller
That first 90 minute practice, I spent as much time looking around the room for guidance as I did trying desperately to have my pose somewhat incorporate the actual alignment. Although the postures were extraordinary, most impressive was how focused, calm, and steady those around me looked. The room was alive, full of energy and regulated by the constant ebb and flow of the breath. It sounded like the ocean and I felt like a tiny dingy being tossed in the waves.
On Day 2 of the conference I was sore, but excited. The focus of the weekend was the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga. An ancient set sequence of postures, designed to cleanse the body from the inside out, increase strength and flexibility, and calm the mind. Since I knew what to expect (from the previous day’s adventure) I was able to relax more. I listened to the cues of the instructor who was constantly reminding us to “follow our breath”. I still felt like I was flailing around compared to the strong, conscious movements of those around me, but something inside me knew that, with dedication and practice, I too could be more focused and calm…and maybe even be able to do a split one day. I was hooked.
After my crash course introduction to yoga, I found a studio in my community and began taking weekly classes (this was before the glorious creation of Living Yoga). I also began reading books and talking to practitioners to try to gain a more holistic understanding of this ancient practice that had recently experienced somewhat of a pop-culture revival. Sri Pattabi Jois, father of Ashtanga yoga says, “Practice and all is coming”. I began to learn how true this is. In yoga, you are your best and most insightful teacher. When I wanted to know something: how my breath would take me deeper into postures, where my arm should be in Triangle, or how to remain calm in a challenging arm balance, I found the answer within. Also, the answer came in its own time, and only when I was ready to integrate the new knowledge into my repertoire. All my exciting progressions in my physical postures occurred when I was able to steady my mind and breathe.
Getting down to basics, yoga asks it’s students to be present. Even if touching your toes seems like an outlandish concept, most of the greatest benefits of yoga are accessible to all people no matter your age, body type, or flexibility. At the beginning of a class a lot of teachers will offer you the chance to set an intention for your time on the mat. This could be to cultivate calming energy, to have your knee feel a little bit better, or to relax. My teacher always asks that we bring our attention to the room and to the present moment, forgetting about what happened earlier in the day or what we are doing after class. All these cues and mental exercises are encouraging the student to be present, to take some time out of their busy day to just focus on their yoga practice and themselves. I find when I am able to do this I, without even trying, am able to relax and focus.
As I continue along my journey as a student of yoga, I often recall my first experience: the exhilaration, wonder, confusion, and innate knowing that this practice could provide me with much, much more than a stronger, more flexible body. That it could provide me with many ways to consciously and calmly approach my life on and off the mat.
Namaste,
Jaime
The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more. ~Liza Ciano, co-owner & co-director of Yoga Vermont
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I Am Here to Teach You Patience by Jaime Miller
“I am here to teach you patience”. As I bought my infant daughter Sage a tiny tee shirt with these words and a meditating Buddha Baby silk screened on it, I thought it was perfection on a onesie. Having “adopted” my boyfriend’s daughter Jenna as my own child years ago, I was aware of children’s role as teachers in their care takers lives. The birth of Sage augmented my role as Mother and I am reminded every day of the lessons children teach you. Patience, selflessness, compassion…did I mention patience?
Now, as a mother of two living in the mountains of North Carolina away from my support system, asana practice has slowly dwindled from a regular routine to seldom sweet relief. But, I assure you, I still do yoga every day. Yoga is not solely a physical practice. It is a complex system that, if adopted wholly, impacts your entire lifestyle. Asthanga Yoga, Living Yoga’s foundational yoga style, is an eight limbed system that includes physical posture practice (asana), breath control (pranayama), and restraints or abstinence (yamas). The yamas include non-harming (ahimsa). Non-harming does not just mean non-violence, but kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things. Considering the needs of others is a key component of mothering and something that children require of you all day.
Additionally, when I begin any asana practice, my intention is to cultivate peace. Feeling peaceful amidst stressful situations can be difficult, but regular asana practice helps yoga practitioners to do so. Typically, there are multiple postures during a practice that are truly difficult. In pigeon, when your hips are screaming and your foot is numb, can you calm your mind? Can you breathe through the stress and rising anxiety and release or do you hold onto the tension and feel anger towards the teacher who is holding you in the posture for so long?
The same applies to kids and other individuals who challenge you (an ungrateful boss or rude cashier perhaps). I try to remind myself of potential opportunities to refine key virtues as my baby screams at 2 a.m.: to be calm in the eye of the storm, to breathe, to be peaceful. Amazingly, the more I practice, the more it’s possible. Don’t get me wrong, I am challenged everyday by my role as a stay-at-home mother. But on days when Jenna never stops talking and Sage won’t eat, sleep, or entertain herself when I want, I have to remember that they are teaching me patience, I am practicing yogic principles, and that very soon I will live within one hour of the best babysitters I could ever ask for: my parents.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Living Yoga on & off the mat - first entry by Jaime Miller, 3/3/09
The Bright Side of a Down Economy by Jaime Miller
Consumer spending is low, fear of the current economic situation is high, and individuals and families are putting more thought into what they do with their money. One sector feeling the negative effects of people’s penny pinching is the travel industry. Vacation travel, no doubt falling into the “luxury” category, is being replaced with what NPR reporter Tovia Smith is calling “comfort consumption”. Instead of traveling, individuals are instead choosing to nurture themselves close to home at establishments such as spas and yoga studios.
Although travel can be a wonderful experience, it can also be stressful. Haven’t you said to yourself, “I need a vacation after that vacation?”. I certainly have. Travel is also inherently energy intensive. Flying does nothing good for your carbon footprint and many hotels and resorts are wasteful and mass consumers of resources. Not only can staying close to home benefit your wallet and the environment, but it can benefit the local economy as well. You can help revitalize yourself as well as local businesses by choosing to spend vacation and leisure time in your community getting a massage or practicing yoga at your local studio. Living Yoga is offering many opportunities catering to those seeking relaxation and/or rejuvenation in their very own yoga community. Check the calendar for events such as the Community Wellness Fair on March 21st and Yoga Spa Day on April 4th.
Overall, I encourage people to look at the bright side of this troubled financial time. The down economy has forced consumers to slow down their spending and become more aware of what they do with their money (and time). I consider this forced awareness a blessing. I would welcome a shift from blind consumerism to conscious spending. More people are asking whether or not they truly need this good or that vacation. Additionally, with winter still heavy upon us (hey, we got 4 inches of snow down in North Carolina!!) it is naturally a time to slow down and conserve. Combined with the current economic state of affairs, it is a good time to look within ourselves, through our yoga practice, and our communities for ways to relax and rejuvenate as we patiently wait for spring and a revitalized economy.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Shifting from Belief to Knowing
Do not believe what you have heard.
Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations.
Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times.
Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage.
Do not believe in conjecture.
Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders.
But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.
~Buddha
From Wayne Dyer's Wisdom of the Ages book:
All miracles come from shifting out of doubt and into knowing.... You cannot learn anything through the efforts of others. The world's greatest teachers can teach you absolutely nothing unless you are willing to apply what they have to offer based on YOUR knowing. Those great teachers only offer you choice on the menu of life. They can make them sound very appealing, and ultimately they may help you to try those items on the menu. They can even write the menu. But the menu can never be the meal.
To understand what you know, rather than what you believe, Dr. Dyer suggests we:
* Inventory as many of your beliefs as you can think of. Include such things as your attitude toward religion, capital punishment, minority rights, reincarnation, young people, old people, nontraditional medicine, what happens at death, your cultural biases, the ability to perform miracles.
* From this inventory be honest about how many of your firmly held beliefs are the result of your own life experiences, and how many have been handed to you. Make an effort to open your mind to experiencing things directly before proclaiming them as true and living by them.
Today was perfect - our time together joyful and precious..... I also leave you with the link to Govinda Kai's blog so you can read the entire posting of The Glory of Atman.
http://blog.lunaticmonk.com
Peace ~ Make an amazing day!
~Maureen
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tao de Ching - Verse 8
Verse 8 – Tao de Ching (Stephen Mitchell translation)
The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.It is content with low places that people disdain.thus is it like the Tao.In dwelling, live close to the ground.In thinking, keep to the simple.In conflict, be fair and generous.In governing, don’t try to control.In work, do what you enjoy.In family life, be completely present.When you are content to be simply yourselfand don’t compare of compete,everybody will respect you.
Living in the Flow (excerpts from Wayne Dyer’s translation)
The Tao and water are synonymous according to the teachings of Lao-tzu. You are water; water is you.
Think about the mysterious magical nature of this liquid energy that we take for granted. Try to squeeze it, and it eludes us; relax our hands into it, and we experience it readily. If it stays stationary, it will become stagnant; if it is allowed to flow, it will stay pure……. Water does what it does – being what it is!
The Tao asks us to clearly see the parallels between us and this naturally flowing substance that allows life to sustain itself.
When we are free to flow as water, we are free to communicate naturally – information is exchanged, and knowledge advances in a way that benefits everyone.
Let your thoughts float freely.
DO THE TAO
Drink water silently today, while reminding yourself with each sip to nourish others in the same life-flourishing way that streams give to animals and rivers deliver to plants. Note how many places water is there for you – serving you by flowing naturally. Give gratitude for this life-sustaining, always-flowing substance.
On Monday we will read and discuss Verse 49 - Living Beyond Judgment.
Have a great weekend! Weather is calling for lots of water - RAIN, that is!!
Namaste,
Maureen
The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.It is content with low places that people disdain.thus is it like the Tao.In dwelling, live close to the ground.In thinking, keep to the simple.In conflict, be fair and generous.In governing, don’t try to control.In work, do what you enjoy.In family life, be completely present.When you are content to be simply yourselfand don’t compare of compete,everybody will respect you.
Living in the Flow (excerpts from Wayne Dyer’s translation)
The Tao and water are synonymous according to the teachings of Lao-tzu. You are water; water is you.
Think about the mysterious magical nature of this liquid energy that we take for granted. Try to squeeze it, and it eludes us; relax our hands into it, and we experience it readily. If it stays stationary, it will become stagnant; if it is allowed to flow, it will stay pure……. Water does what it does – being what it is!
The Tao asks us to clearly see the parallels between us and this naturally flowing substance that allows life to sustain itself.
When we are free to flow as water, we are free to communicate naturally – information is exchanged, and knowledge advances in a way that benefits everyone.
Let your thoughts float freely.
DO THE TAO
Drink water silently today, while reminding yourself with each sip to nourish others in the same life-flourishing way that streams give to animals and rivers deliver to plants. Note how many places water is there for you – serving you by flowing naturally. Give gratitude for this life-sustaining, always-flowing substance.
On Monday we will read and discuss Verse 49 - Living Beyond Judgment.
Have a great weekend! Weather is calling for lots of water - RAIN, that is!!
Namaste,
Maureen
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Do the Tao
Verse 2: Living the Paradoxial Unity
Do the Tao today by noticing an opportunity to defend or explain yourself and choosing not to. Instead, turn with in and sense the texture of misunderstanding, feeling it all the way through your physical system. Just be with what is, instead of opting, ease it by tranversing the outer-world path of explaing and defending. Don't get caught up in the apparent duality of being right or wrong. Congratulate yourself for making a choice to be in the paradoxical unity of oneness where all of the spectrum simply is silenty apprecaite the opportunity along with your willingness to practice your sageness.
From Susie:
I had a situation at my job where my Dept. was emailed and asked to "volunteer" to cover the Front Reception Desk for our satellite office on Monday afternoon. My first "reaction" to this email was annoyed and frustration for what appears to be lack of management on my Boss' part. I wanted to scream at my Boss. "What are you crazy?, asking us to cover that office", "What is wrong with you?", "Don't you know how to manage the office and say "NO" to the person that asked for time off when we are short staffed".. and on and on and on...I took this very personal knowing that the other 3 people in my Dept would never "volunteer". THEN... The "Do the Tao" poppped into my head... I then sat on the email and didn't respond. I tossed around the Tao te Ching (2nd verse) and thought on how to not defend myself and try to not explain why I felt that we should not have to cover the other office. I truely felt I was right and she was wrong however I really wanted to "Do the Tao" and not get caught up in the "right and wrong" of the situation. Over the afternoon this became increasing harder to do, I started to steam and think of a way to "nicely" respond with out saying I would do it. I felt I was caught in the middle. I am always they one to "give in" and cover, but this time I wanted to stick to my guns and "show my boss" that she had made a mistake by allowing someone to have time off when there was no one else to cover the position. Again, showing I was right and she was wrong.
The long and short of the story is, I was NOT able to "Do the Tao" in this situation. In fact I did just the opposite I started to "vent" to co-workers and today at work I was very short tempered with many insurance company collection calls I was making. Normally I am very even tempered and try to understand they are doing "their job". Not today, I was very sarcastic and frustrated and down right rude to them..(knowing I could be as they were some faceless/nameless person on the other end of the phone, somewhere across the country). It seemed the harder I tried to "Do the Tao" the ruder I became. I carried this over from Tues into Wed. Is this awareness???? I feel that I give and give and give to my Boss, always "filling in" everytime and this time I wanted by co-workers to step up... I find that 2 days after we discussed this verse that I was not even close to "doing it"....
I'm going to keep "practicing" the "Do the Tao" this week and see if by Monday I can come up with a situation that I was able to "just be" and let it go and feel this sense and then congratulate myself...
Do the Tao today by noticing an opportunity to defend or explain yourself and choosing not to. Instead, turn with in and sense the texture of misunderstanding, feeling it all the way through your physical system. Just be with what is, instead of opting, ease it by tranversing the outer-world path of explaing and defending. Don't get caught up in the apparent duality of being right or wrong. Congratulate yourself for making a choice to be in the paradoxical unity of oneness where all of the spectrum simply is silenty apprecaite the opportunity along with your willingness to practice your sageness.
From Susie:
I had a situation at my job where my Dept. was emailed and asked to "volunteer" to cover the Front Reception Desk for our satellite office on Monday afternoon. My first "reaction" to this email was annoyed and frustration for what appears to be lack of management on my Boss' part. I wanted to scream at my Boss. "What are you crazy?, asking us to cover that office", "What is wrong with you?", "Don't you know how to manage the office and say "NO" to the person that asked for time off when we are short staffed".. and on and on and on...I took this very personal knowing that the other 3 people in my Dept would never "volunteer". THEN... The "Do the Tao" poppped into my head... I then sat on the email and didn't respond. I tossed around the Tao te Ching (2nd verse) and thought on how to not defend myself and try to not explain why I felt that we should not have to cover the other office. I truely felt I was right and she was wrong however I really wanted to "Do the Tao" and not get caught up in the "right and wrong" of the situation. Over the afternoon this became increasing harder to do, I started to steam and think of a way to "nicely" respond with out saying I would do it. I felt I was caught in the middle. I am always they one to "give in" and cover, but this time I wanted to stick to my guns and "show my boss" that she had made a mistake by allowing someone to have time off when there was no one else to cover the position. Again, showing I was right and she was wrong.
The long and short of the story is, I was NOT able to "Do the Tao" in this situation. In fact I did just the opposite I started to "vent" to co-workers and today at work I was very short tempered with many insurance company collection calls I was making. Normally I am very even tempered and try to understand they are doing "their job". Not today, I was very sarcastic and frustrated and down right rude to them..(knowing I could be as they were some faceless/nameless person on the other end of the phone, somewhere across the country). It seemed the harder I tried to "Do the Tao" the ruder I became. I carried this over from Tues into Wed. Is this awareness???? I feel that I give and give and give to my Boss, always "filling in" everytime and this time I wanted by co-workers to step up... I find that 2 days after we discussed this verse that I was not even close to "doing it"....
I'm going to keep "practicing" the "Do the Tao" this week and see if by Monday I can come up with a situation that I was able to "just be" and let it go and feel this sense and then congratulate myself...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Mudra set for Balancing Energy
Alternately touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of each finger. Do both hands at the same time. Keep each connected for a few seconds or longer and do for a few minutes total.
Thumb touching tip of index finger - calmness, more concentrated
Thumb touching tip of middle finger - fosters patience
Thumb touching tip of ring finger - energy, stability and self-confidence
Thumb touching tip of pinky finger - intuition
Thumb touching tip of index finger - calmness, more concentrated
Thumb touching tip of middle finger - fosters patience
Thumb touching tip of ring finger - energy, stability and self-confidence
Thumb touching tip of pinky finger - intuition
Monday, May 12, 2008
An Ordinary Life Transformed - posting about Gunas from Jenn C
Personal reflection from Chapter 14 of, ‘An Ordinary Life Transformed’.
‘In your own words, how is the process of meditation related to recognizing and understanding how the gunas influence your experience?’
“The gunas are the very essence of prakriti (nature) and it is they, not the Knower, who are responsible for all the changes arising in the field from moment to moment. Understanding the gunas helps us to see the origin of all action and to keep us from becoming entangled.” (page 173)
What a relief! The gunas, not me, are responsible for life’s ups and downs. That’s a load off! The constant cycle of good, bad and in between is, in general, beyond me. So what I can change instead is how I react to those things. Everybody is going to have good and bad days. Meditation is the tool that allows us to avoid the suffering associated with this cycle. I’m always reminded of the saying, ‘In life, we cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.’ Meditation is our course in sailing. We learn to direct our sails to make the most of the wind we have. We watch our thoughts in our meditation practice and start to learn that they don’t really belong to us. As our practice progresses, we gain experience observing our thoughts and their origins, and are capable of recognizing the patterns/habits we’ve developed. Through recognition of these cycles we are able to apply this to our daily life. By seeing the root of our actions we are able to choose whether we repeat the cycle, or rise above.
~Jenn 5/12/08
‘In your own words, how is the process of meditation related to recognizing and understanding how the gunas influence your experience?’
“The gunas are the very essence of prakriti (nature) and it is they, not the Knower, who are responsible for all the changes arising in the field from moment to moment. Understanding the gunas helps us to see the origin of all action and to keep us from becoming entangled.” (page 173)
What a relief! The gunas, not me, are responsible for life’s ups and downs. That’s a load off! The constant cycle of good, bad and in between is, in general, beyond me. So what I can change instead is how I react to those things. Everybody is going to have good and bad days. Meditation is the tool that allows us to avoid the suffering associated with this cycle. I’m always reminded of the saying, ‘In life, we cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.’ Meditation is our course in sailing. We learn to direct our sails to make the most of the wind we have. We watch our thoughts in our meditation practice and start to learn that they don’t really belong to us. As our practice progresses, we gain experience observing our thoughts and their origins, and are capable of recognizing the patterns/habits we’ve developed. Through recognition of these cycles we are able to apply this to our daily life. By seeing the root of our actions we are able to choose whether we repeat the cycle, or rise above.
~Jenn 5/12/08
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Pratyahara Blog from Beth
Pratyahara in practice
Extension and expansion always stay firmly rooted in one’s center. They originate in the core of one’s being. When most people stretch, they simply stretch to the point that they are trying to reach, but they forget to extend and expand from where they are. When you extend & expand, you are not only stretching to, you are also stretching from.
Overstretching occurs when one looses contact with one’s center. If the stretch extends from the core and the foundation of the asana, it creates space within the body and the stretch is even throughout the whole body, there is no strain at all. This does not mean that there is no exertion. There is exertion, but this exertion is exhilaration. When one stops straining the brain is passive.
When one ceases grasping outward with the mind, with the eyes and with the extremities, one cultivates a knowledge and awareness of the deeper parts of the body and the deeper parts of the consciousness. This becomes spiritual yoga.
Adapted from Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar
Extension and expansion always stay firmly rooted in one’s center. They originate in the core of one’s being. When most people stretch, they simply stretch to the point that they are trying to reach, but they forget to extend and expand from where they are. When you extend & expand, you are not only stretching to, you are also stretching from.
Overstretching occurs when one looses contact with one’s center. If the stretch extends from the core and the foundation of the asana, it creates space within the body and the stretch is even throughout the whole body, there is no strain at all. This does not mean that there is no exertion. There is exertion, but this exertion is exhilaration. When one stops straining the brain is passive.
When one ceases grasping outward with the mind, with the eyes and with the extremities, one cultivates a knowledge and awareness of the deeper parts of the body and the deeper parts of the consciousness. This becomes spiritual yoga.
Adapted from Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar
Thursday, February 7, 2008
An Ordinary Life Transformed - Readings Ch 5&6
Chapter 5: Renounce and Be Free: renounce all that is fleeting to realize the eternal
How to know joy in the midst of sorrow: It is only through dis-identifying with that which causes pain and identifying with that which cannot know suffering that this is possible. This is renunciation.
On Monday - let's discuss times when you were able to do this and examples of times when it just did not or would not feel possible.
Chapter 6: The Inner Sanctuary: discipline and refine the mind through meditation
For the all day - let's discuss our meditation experiences and/or any topic or personal reflection related to Section I.
These two chapters complete Section I- Karma Yoga, The Path of Action. We'll begin Section II next session - March/April.
See you Monday or sooner.
Sat.Chit.Ananda.
Love/truth. Knowingness.Bliss.
~Maureen
How to know joy in the midst of sorrow: It is only through dis-identifying with that which causes pain and identifying with that which cannot know suffering that this is possible. This is renunciation.
On Monday - let's discuss times when you were able to do this and examples of times when it just did not or would not feel possible.
Chapter 6: The Inner Sanctuary: discipline and refine the mind through meditation
For the all day - let's discuss our meditation experiences and/or any topic or personal reflection related to Section I.
These two chapters complete Section I- Karma Yoga, The Path of Action. We'll begin Section II next session - March/April.
See you Monday or sooner.
Sat.Chit.Ananda.
Love/truth. Knowingness.Bliss.
~Maureen
Thursday, January 10, 2008
from Carol
Hi everyone & Happy New Year, I wanted to say hello to everyone and welcome the new members/students/yogis to the teacher training group. Its truly an awesome group of people to learn with and learn from as we explore yoga.
Also, the following is a website that has the Ashtanga invocation chant. It has a call and response chant version to practice with as well as a version of them chanting it from start to finish. I'm finding it a helpful tool for learning. Interestingly a little different style than Living Yoga or Patabi Jois, but its all good. http://www.paulfoxashtanga.co.uk/asana/mantra.htm
Just wanted to share that with everyone,
Be well,
Carol
Also, the following is a website that has the Ashtanga invocation chant. It has a call and response chant version to practice with as well as a version of them chanting it from start to finish. I'm finding it a helpful tool for learning. Interestingly a little different style than Living Yoga or Patabi Jois, but its all good. http://www.paulfoxashtanga.co.uk/asana/mantra.htm
Just wanted to share that with everyone,
Be well,
Carol
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Yoga for Householders (grihasta)
According to Krishnamacharya's biography, the Yoga Korunta contained not only the vinyasa system but also the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and its commentary, Yoga Bhasya. These were bound together in one volume. This means that, in ancient times, what today is regarded as two systems that only share the same name--the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali and the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga of the Rishi Vamana--were in fact one.
Vinyasa Yoga is one of the authentic representations of Patanjali's sutras that is still alive. This system is significant and relevant today because it was conceived by the ancient seer Vamana, the author of the Yoga Korunta, especially for householders. The Vinyasa Yoga described in the Korunta text was thought to be the ideal form of Patanjali Yoga for householders, since it required only around two hours of practice per day. Essentially, nearly all of us contemporary yogis are householders, somebody who has a job and family, and lives and works in society as opposed to a monk, hermit of ascetic. Some forms of yoga are designed for hermits who have no social responsibility and can be engaged with meditation techniques all day long.
The eight limbs of yoga are interwoven into the vinyasa practice, in the moving meditation, in the constant change of form, which we never hold on to. It is itself a meditation on impermanence. As with the other limbs of yoga, the 7th limb meditation, dhyana, occurs in all stages of vinyasa practice. First we meditate on the position of the body in space, which is asana. Then we meditate on the life force moving in the body, which is pranayama. Moving through each stage, to meditating on the senses through drishti and listening to the breath, pratyahara, ultimately meditating on the binding together of all aspects of the practice, we find concentration, dharana. Through this practice the mind becomes like a clear jewel, reflects faithfully what it is directed at and does not just produce another simulation of reality. The highest state of Samadhi arises when the inner breath, prana enters the central channel and truth or deep reality suddenly flashes forth.
The Bhagavad Gita explains, "One who outwardly performs his/her social duties but inwardly stays free is a yogi." If everybody ceased performing their social responsibilities, the Gita tells us, this world would be ruined, for obvious reasons. So we need not be disturbed if responsibilities keep us from devoting more time to our practice, since fulfilling one's duty is also practice. But what is important is how we practice. How do we spend the precious time we can allocate to practicing?
Adapted from Gregor Maehle, Ashtanga Yoga Pratice & Philosophy
Vinyasa Yoga is one of the authentic representations of Patanjali's sutras that is still alive. This system is significant and relevant today because it was conceived by the ancient seer Vamana, the author of the Yoga Korunta, especially for householders. The Vinyasa Yoga described in the Korunta text was thought to be the ideal form of Patanjali Yoga for householders, since it required only around two hours of practice per day. Essentially, nearly all of us contemporary yogis are householders, somebody who has a job and family, and lives and works in society as opposed to a monk, hermit of ascetic. Some forms of yoga are designed for hermits who have no social responsibility and can be engaged with meditation techniques all day long.
The eight limbs of yoga are interwoven into the vinyasa practice, in the moving meditation, in the constant change of form, which we never hold on to. It is itself a meditation on impermanence. As with the other limbs of yoga, the 7th limb meditation, dhyana, occurs in all stages of vinyasa practice. First we meditate on the position of the body in space, which is asana. Then we meditate on the life force moving in the body, which is pranayama. Moving through each stage, to meditating on the senses through drishti and listening to the breath, pratyahara, ultimately meditating on the binding together of all aspects of the practice, we find concentration, dharana. Through this practice the mind becomes like a clear jewel, reflects faithfully what it is directed at and does not just produce another simulation of reality. The highest state of Samadhi arises when the inner breath, prana enters the central channel and truth or deep reality suddenly flashes forth.
The Bhagavad Gita explains, "One who outwardly performs his/her social duties but inwardly stays free is a yogi." If everybody ceased performing their social responsibilities, the Gita tells us, this world would be ruined, for obvious reasons. So we need not be disturbed if responsibilities keep us from devoting more time to our practice, since fulfilling one's duty is also practice. But what is important is how we practice. How do we spend the precious time we can allocate to practicing?
Adapted from Gregor Maehle, Ashtanga Yoga Pratice & Philosophy
Monday, December 17, 2007
Yoga Relax & Renew music info from Tina
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!
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!
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
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Mary Oliver Poem
WHEN DEATH COMES
When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn;
When death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me,
And snaps the purse shut;
When death comes like the measles-pox;
When death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
What is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
And I look upon time as no more than an idea,
And I consider eternity as another possibility,
And I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy, and as singular,
And each name a comfortable music in the mouth tending as all music does, toward silence,And each body a lion of courage, and something precious to the earth.
When its over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it is over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
~ Mary Oliver
When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn;
When death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me,
And snaps the purse shut;
When death comes like the measles-pox;
When death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
What is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
And I look upon time as no more than an idea,
And I consider eternity as another possibility,
And I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy, and as singular,
And each name a comfortable music in the mouth tending as all music does, toward silence,And each body a lion of courage, and something precious to the earth.
When its over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it is over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
~ Mary Oliver
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