Happy New Year, My Friend!
Don't you just love the excitement of new beginings? They contain within them all of the possibilities and dreams we have for how life could be. Many people write lists of changes they'll make, attitudes they'll adopt, and bad habits they are committed to transforming. Like new love or springtime, the energy of beginnings is an aphrodisiac - positively intoxicating! In the yoga tradition this relates to Brahma and Saraswati - the Creative Energy. This spark is quick and explosive; it's the 'ah' hidden in the beginning of a chanted "OM."
However, as we find ourselves now just one week into the New Year you may notice that already some of that excitement has burned off. The hard work of change reveals itself to be more demanding than previously believed. Many people feel that if their efforts aren't met with immediate results than the goals are unattainable, and so not worthy of pursuit. Or they find boredom slipping into excitement's place, and they forget the inspiration for the desired changes. The phase that follows the creative spark of beginnings in the energy of Sustenance and Preservation, symbolically represented by Vishnu and Lakshmi; it is the longest part of a chanted "OM." Because this phase has the longest duration one needs tremendous focus and discipline to stay the course. It is during this phase of life that our mettle is tested. Like boulders in a river, we are shaped and smoothed by the force of life's current. I believe this is where we discover who we are, what we are capable of; it is also where and when we can genuinely enjoy this existence.
The "MMM" part of a chanted "OM" represents the ending, the dissolution, or the destruction of the thing. This is the energy of Shiva and Kali. It's the closure we all yearn for at the end of a bad relationship, and it's also the loss of something we hold dear and feel devastated without. It's the Savasana of an asana class; bedtime of any day; 11:59 pm on December 31. This phase often provides clarity and immediacy, and often reveals our deepest values and what we hold most dear.
What's exciting to notice is that this "OM Cycle" (so named by the lovely Manorama Devi ji) is continuous. Every ending leads to a new beginning; everything that is still vital can be infused with extra energy; relationships can be transformed; what hasn't happened yet doesn't have to happen; what is happening now has never happened before. It's like hundreds of people singing "Row Row Row Your Boat" in 'rounds,' each one starting when the previous singer hits "gently down the stream." Every where you look you will find different phases of this cycle.
Another word for OM is Pranava, which translates to mean "That which is ever new." And so as the 'new-ness' of 2010 begins to fade, if your mind tries to seduce you back to sleep with phrases like 'been there, done that,' or 'same ol' same old,' carefully bring your attention to the continuous flow of life, and realize that your experience of being alive is unfolding one breath at a time. Maybe what we’re all heading toward is the experience of the three audible parts of the OM cycle happening simultaneously in the present moment; the ‘Atha,’ the NOW. Perhaps through careful observation of the flow of life each moment will reveal the excitement of new beginnings, the comfort of what is familiar, and the sweet sadness of letting go. Maybe this is the reminder each of us needs to live consciously, conscientiously, with veracity, tenacity and love!
Friday, January 08, 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Gratitude
Dear One,
The fullness and richness of gratitude is perhaps what we should aspire to in each passing moment of our lives. Anthony De Mello is quoted as having said, "You sanctify whatever you are grateful for." Renata has shared that Swami Satchidananda often said, "You want to be great? Be grateful." Paul Grilley has shared that his spiritual teacher, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, has insisted that by being grateful for every single situation and event in your life you can reach enlightenment in this lifetime. And Julio Kuperman, long time yoga student and very dear friend, often reminds me of the origins of words used to offer gratitude. Merci in French indicates Mercy; Gracias in Spanish and Grazie in Italian hint at the Grace required for gratitude. Danke from German comes from the root "to think." Perhaps we can think with mercy and grace to arrive at gratitude.
Being grateful for what is good and special in your life is easy. When you catch a 'lucky break' or receive a special honor, for example, gratitude easily flows from the pores like sweet scent from a honeysuckle. Finding sincere gratitude when things are challening, frustrating or painful, however, is a true practice. To remember that life's difficulties often lead to the greatest rewards, and that we discover our true mettle through adversities, is to remain peaceful and grateful no matter what the arising moment brings.
Remembering to be grateful for the many gifts and treasures already present in your life is the antidote for taking anything for granted. Running water, heat, electricity, ample access to food, people to love and love you, sunlight sparkling on the water, the smell of chocolate cookies baking, the soft fur of a kitten, the gurgles of a baby ... these are some of the greatest gifts of life, and yet we often brush past these obvious luxuries to complain about the many things we perceive to be lacking. It's occurred to me that taking something for granted is the opposite of gratitude. If we make something sacred through gratitude, then perhaps we desecrate anything we take for granted.
As we look around at all the gifts we enjoy in life, I firmly believe it's important to be grateful for the gift that YOU are to the world. To see and celebrate your own goodness and talents and uniqueness; to not only see your 'shortcomings, failings, or inadequacies.' Toward the end of my Grandmother's life, as she looked through photo albums of her life, she quietly remarked, "I never knew how beautiful I was." This is probably true of all of us; revel in your own splendor!
As we head toward the holiday season and end-of-year festivities, hopefully we can all remind ourselves of the richness and fullness of our lives, exactly as they are. I'm confident that everyone receiving this email is blessed with tremendous abundance, relative to the rest of the world, even if it doesn't always seem that way. All of us have the choice to spend energy focusing on what is wrong and who to blame, or we can invest our most precious resource bowing down in reverence before each situation, regarding each moment as a blessing.
The fullness and richness of gratitude is perhaps what we should aspire to in each passing moment of our lives. Anthony De Mello is quoted as having said, "You sanctify whatever you are grateful for." Renata has shared that Swami Satchidananda often said, "You want to be great? Be grateful." Paul Grilley has shared that his spiritual teacher, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, has insisted that by being grateful for every single situation and event in your life you can reach enlightenment in this lifetime. And Julio Kuperman, long time yoga student and very dear friend, often reminds me of the origins of words used to offer gratitude. Merci in French indicates Mercy; Gracias in Spanish and Grazie in Italian hint at the Grace required for gratitude. Danke from German comes from the root "to think." Perhaps we can think with mercy and grace to arrive at gratitude.
Being grateful for what is good and special in your life is easy. When you catch a 'lucky break' or receive a special honor, for example, gratitude easily flows from the pores like sweet scent from a honeysuckle. Finding sincere gratitude when things are challening, frustrating or painful, however, is a true practice. To remember that life's difficulties often lead to the greatest rewards, and that we discover our true mettle through adversities, is to remain peaceful and grateful no matter what the arising moment brings.
Remembering to be grateful for the many gifts and treasures already present in your life is the antidote for taking anything for granted. Running water, heat, electricity, ample access to food, people to love and love you, sunlight sparkling on the water, the smell of chocolate cookies baking, the soft fur of a kitten, the gurgles of a baby ... these are some of the greatest gifts of life, and yet we often brush past these obvious luxuries to complain about the many things we perceive to be lacking. It's occurred to me that taking something for granted is the opposite of gratitude. If we make something sacred through gratitude, then perhaps we desecrate anything we take for granted.
As we look around at all the gifts we enjoy in life, I firmly believe it's important to be grateful for the gift that YOU are to the world. To see and celebrate your own goodness and talents and uniqueness; to not only see your 'shortcomings, failings, or inadequacies.' Toward the end of my Grandmother's life, as she looked through photo albums of her life, she quietly remarked, "I never knew how beautiful I was." This is probably true of all of us; revel in your own splendor!
As we head toward the holiday season and end-of-year festivities, hopefully we can all remind ourselves of the richness and fullness of our lives, exactly as they are. I'm confident that everyone receiving this email is blessed with tremendous abundance, relative to the rest of the world, even if it doesn't always seem that way. All of us have the choice to spend energy focusing on what is wrong and who to blame, or we can invest our most precious resource bowing down in reverence before each situation, regarding each moment as a blessing.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween!
To celebrate All Hallows Eve this year, come to a workshop at the Wake Up Yoga Fairmount Studio! It's happening from 1-4 pm, entitled: Unmask Your True Self, and Face the Poses That Scare You! It's currently pretty small, but the event is ON, so come join us!
With "Unmask" the student is invited to drop the many layers of ego identification that each one of us hides behind. Through Yoga practice, you come to realize that you are not really a gender or race, not truly a profession or relationship role, not a success or failure, not a vegetarian or carnivore. As we loosen our grip on these roles that define us, we discover there's not so much at stake, not an image to protect, nothing to defend. We realize how much effort is often expended simply to prove to ourselves and others that we are these things.
Unmasking yourself has the potential to unleash tremendous stores of energy that you can now put to good use exploring yoga poses that scare you. We will break the postures down to their most basic element: combinations of joint movement, and then explore finding those movements in different relationships to gravity. We will demystify some of the more glamorous poses (like eka pada kundiniasana) and also unpack some of the basics, like Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and Sirsasana (Headstand). The sequencing of the workshop will also shine light on how to unlock the body to prepare you on many levels to explore these asana.
Wake Up Yoga Fairmount is at 2329 Parrish Street in Philadelphia, and the event costs $50. If you enroll by 4 pm on Thursday, save $10! Enroll by calling the studio at 215.235.1228, or email: info@WakeUpYoga.com.
Looking forward to seeing you there! And in any event ... Boo!
With "Unmask" the student is invited to drop the many layers of ego identification that each one of us hides behind. Through Yoga practice, you come to realize that you are not really a gender or race, not truly a profession or relationship role, not a success or failure, not a vegetarian or carnivore. As we loosen our grip on these roles that define us, we discover there's not so much at stake, not an image to protect, nothing to defend. We realize how much effort is often expended simply to prove to ourselves and others that we are these things.
Unmasking yourself has the potential to unleash tremendous stores of energy that you can now put to good use exploring yoga poses that scare you. We will break the postures down to their most basic element: combinations of joint movement, and then explore finding those movements in different relationships to gravity. We will demystify some of the more glamorous poses (like eka pada kundiniasana) and also unpack some of the basics, like Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and Sirsasana (Headstand). The sequencing of the workshop will also shine light on how to unlock the body to prepare you on many levels to explore these asana.
Wake Up Yoga Fairmount is at 2329 Parrish Street in Philadelphia, and the event costs $50. If you enroll by 4 pm on Thursday, save $10! Enroll by calling the studio at 215.235.1228, or email: info@WakeUpYoga.com.
Looking forward to seeing you there! And in any event ... Boo!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Pulse of the Universe
Inhaling and Exhaling; Expanding and Contracting; Giving and Receiving; Unfolding and Recoiling; Effort and Surrender; Ebbing and Flowing; Moving out into the world to manifest your dreams and drawing within to nourish, nurture and discover yourSelf. This is the pulse of the universe expressing itself in every moment of our lives.
We see and relate with these poles of opposites all the time. We say that something is 'more Yin' if it is deeper, more mysterious, cooling, and lunar. We say something is 'more Yang' when it is closer to the surface, more obvious, heating, expansive and solar.
In Yoga terms, we have the Ida Nadi, which is revered for its cooling, introspective qualities, and we have the Pingala Nadi which is celebrated for its heating, energizing qualities.
Regarding the Gunas (properties of nature) we have Raja Guna which is the principle of activity, motion, and passion, and we have Tama Guna, the principle of inertia, heaviness, and grounding.
In every single asana we have the side of the body that is being stretched, tugged-on, expanded, and at the same moment, the opposite side of the body is being compressed, drawn in or squooshed.
We even see this cycle embedded in the four seasons and any single day, in the arc of a yoga class, and in the expression of every single breath.
For me, witnessing this pattern over and over again makes it easier to understand the nature of impermanence, and to recognize that we are all participating in this Cosmic Dance. I see that the heat of an argument will eventually give way to the coolness required for a resolution; that an impulse to hibernate, meditate and write today will likely give rise to an urge to travel, explore and socialize in some future moment; and that the idea of a permanent resolution regarding relationships or circumstances is an impossible ideal as even our responses to situations continue to expand and contract.
We come to realize that there is a state of being that is supporting the pairs of opposites, or duality. That there is an eternal, changeless reality of which we are composed. In terms of Yin & Yang, this supporting state is called the Tao; realtive to Ida & Pingala Nadis we have Sushumna Nadi; and regarding Rajas & Tamas we have Satva. We begin to establish ourselves in this witness and from that vantage point, begin to genuinely enjoy the experience of being alive.
Here's wishing you awe, wonder and peace as you feel the vibrations of this Universal Pulse reverberate throughout your life!
We see and relate with these poles of opposites all the time. We say that something is 'more Yin' if it is deeper, more mysterious, cooling, and lunar. We say something is 'more Yang' when it is closer to the surface, more obvious, heating, expansive and solar.
In Yoga terms, we have the Ida Nadi, which is revered for its cooling, introspective qualities, and we have the Pingala Nadi which is celebrated for its heating, energizing qualities.
Regarding the Gunas (properties of nature) we have Raja Guna which is the principle of activity, motion, and passion, and we have Tama Guna, the principle of inertia, heaviness, and grounding.
In every single asana we have the side of the body that is being stretched, tugged-on, expanded, and at the same moment, the opposite side of the body is being compressed, drawn in or squooshed.
We even see this cycle embedded in the four seasons and any single day, in the arc of a yoga class, and in the expression of every single breath.
For me, witnessing this pattern over and over again makes it easier to understand the nature of impermanence, and to recognize that we are all participating in this Cosmic Dance. I see that the heat of an argument will eventually give way to the coolness required for a resolution; that an impulse to hibernate, meditate and write today will likely give rise to an urge to travel, explore and socialize in some future moment; and that the idea of a permanent resolution regarding relationships or circumstances is an impossible ideal as even our responses to situations continue to expand and contract.
We come to realize that there is a state of being that is supporting the pairs of opposites, or duality. That there is an eternal, changeless reality of which we are composed. In terms of Yin & Yang, this supporting state is called the Tao; realtive to Ida & Pingala Nadis we have Sushumna Nadi; and regarding Rajas & Tamas we have Satva. We begin to establish ourselves in this witness and from that vantage point, begin to genuinely enjoy the experience of being alive.
Here's wishing you awe, wonder and peace as you feel the vibrations of this Universal Pulse reverberate throughout your life!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
purnam adah purnam idam
We left Delhi first thing in the morning. We were headed to Agra, which houses the Taj Mahal.
Driving on India's roads in a bus is quite an experience. Drivers honk their horns like mad, and pass each other as if on a racetrack. But there is no road rage. Rickshaws and pedestrians seem to have to make the most compromises; the bigger the vehicle, the more entitled the driver. We learned that the speed limit is 60 kph ... that's roughly 36 miles per hour. Not fast. So the distance between locations isn't necessarily that great, but access is quite limited. The view through the windows displayed many workers walking along the road balancing huge parcels on their heads. Cows and water buffalo meander as they like, with stray dogs also adorning the landscape. We saw camels and what looked to be a genuine caravan ... 8 or 9 huge ballooning parcels on carts being drawn by camels parading along the road. Monkeys are a common sight, and the urge to pet them is always overruled by a fear of rabies.
The trip to Agra is said to be five hours. In truth, it's maybe 7. We make a few stops for snacks and to pee. Ah, yes, the bathrooms. Often there are western toilets, sometimes just porcelin treadmarks leading to a hole in the ground, complete with a handle to flush. Always carry t.p. with you! Sometimes a person stands outside the bathroom 'selling' a swatch of paper for 5 or 10 ruppees. We've even encountered signs that say, "Toilets are free; please do not pay."
En route to Agra, we stopped at Akbar's tomb. It's called Sikundra, I think, and it was really lovely. Beautiful grounds ... more monkeys, some deer and what looked like gazelles grazing on the lawn. We were told there were some peacocks, but I didn't see them.
India really is about peak experiences threaded together with hours of bumpy, hot and even uncomfortable travel. It's as if she is saying, "You want to see what I have to offer? How much do you want it?" And she only drops her veil if you are willing to endure much discomfort.
The group yoga practice has necessarily shifted during this portion of the journey. At many of the hotels we've been granted open space for group self-practice, which has sustained many. Others express a yearning for that shared group experience which works as an adhesive keeping the group glued together.
This trip is definitely the maiden voyage. We're all learning together. And yet, amidst the challenges and the things that might be better executed differently, it is still perfect in its own idiosyncratic way.
Driving on India's roads in a bus is quite an experience. Drivers honk their horns like mad, and pass each other as if on a racetrack. But there is no road rage. Rickshaws and pedestrians seem to have to make the most compromises; the bigger the vehicle, the more entitled the driver. We learned that the speed limit is 60 kph ... that's roughly 36 miles per hour. Not fast. So the distance between locations isn't necessarily that great, but access is quite limited. The view through the windows displayed many workers walking along the road balancing huge parcels on their heads. Cows and water buffalo meander as they like, with stray dogs also adorning the landscape. We saw camels and what looked to be a genuine caravan ... 8 or 9 huge ballooning parcels on carts being drawn by camels parading along the road. Monkeys are a common sight, and the urge to pet them is always overruled by a fear of rabies.
The trip to Agra is said to be five hours. In truth, it's maybe 7. We make a few stops for snacks and to pee. Ah, yes, the bathrooms. Often there are western toilets, sometimes just porcelin treadmarks leading to a hole in the ground, complete with a handle to flush. Always carry t.p. with you! Sometimes a person stands outside the bathroom 'selling' a swatch of paper for 5 or 10 ruppees. We've even encountered signs that say, "Toilets are free; please do not pay."
En route to Agra, we stopped at Akbar's tomb. It's called Sikundra, I think, and it was really lovely. Beautiful grounds ... more monkeys, some deer and what looked like gazelles grazing on the lawn. We were told there were some peacocks, but I didn't see them.
India really is about peak experiences threaded together with hours of bumpy, hot and even uncomfortable travel. It's as if she is saying, "You want to see what I have to offer? How much do you want it?" And she only drops her veil if you are willing to endure much discomfort.
The group yoga practice has necessarily shifted during this portion of the journey. At many of the hotels we've been granted open space for group self-practice, which has sustained many. Others express a yearning for that shared group experience which works as an adhesive keeping the group glued together.
This trip is definitely the maiden voyage. We're all learning together. And yet, amidst the challenges and the things that might be better executed differently, it is still perfect in its own idiosyncratic way.
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