I had hoped to post before my trip to Rosemary Beach, Florida, but I got caught up in getting ready to go away. The vacation was awesome...exactly what I needed...four days of rest and relaxation. I feel rejuvenated in my body, mind and spirit.

As many of you know, the Summer Solstice was this past Saturday, June 21st.
For thousands of years, Yogis, Sages, Rishis and like-minded people have gone through the tradition of performing 108 Sun Salutations on the Fall and Spring Equinox and Winter and Summer Solstice.

The following is from an article written by Shiva Rea explaining the significance of the number 108:

The number’s significance is open to interpretation. But 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads (plus one for the “guru bead,” around which the other 108 beads turn like the planets around the sun). A mala is used for counting as you repeat a mantra—much like the Catholic rosary.

Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. Such phenomena have given rise to many examples of ritual significance.

According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India. And there are also 108 Upanishads and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body.

And, yes, one can offer a yoga mala of 108 Sun Salutations. Please take a moment to visit www.globalmala.org for more information on the power of 108 and joining the “mala around the earth” to be formed by the worldwide yoga community on September 21 and 22 of 2007. - Shiva Rea

The first Global Mala was held last year. This will be an annual event to take place each year on the Fall Equinox. People all around the world participated in this event...it was incredible...all part of the awakening of the Collective Consciousness.

So, on Saturday, while I was at Rosemary Beach, I participated in my own Summer Solstice practice. Whether one is able to perform all 108 Sun Salutations is not what's most important. Any cycle divisible by nine is said to be powerful. So, I meditated for 27 minutes and then performed 27 Sun Salutations. Just 27 Sun Salutations was pretty challenging. I've never gone through the full 108 cycle. I really have only began to recognize the significance of the seasonal changes since beginning my studies with Shiva last July. Prior to then, I was not as tuned into it. But, after going through just 27 on Saturday by myself, it makes sense to me why this ritual is usually performed with a group in order to make it through all 108. I can imagine it would be a bit easier and sustaining to feel the group's energy during the process. There were several instances where I wanted to give up, but I didn't. The practice is for each salutation to be a prayer, typically offering the prayers of the first 9 salutations to oneself, the second 9 to one's family/friends/community, and the next 9 to the planet and global community, and so on, depending on how many cycles one chooses to do.

It was a really powerful experience and I felt purposeful in my efforts. I am glad I chose to honor this tradition and will continue to from now on. It doesn't just have to be Sun Salutations, either. One could also say 108 chants (or 9,18,27), or meditate for 108 minutes, (9,18,27) etc.

One of the things I'm awakening to is the spiritualization of our city. Yes, you can take your spirituality with you anywhere, but it is the community which creates the collective consciousness. Even in the beautiful area of Rosemary Beach, there was a spiritual energy which wasn't present for me in the same way it is here. Dallas is feeling more and more like a spiritual place to me all the time...which is why I was so happy to come back hOMe.

I've talked about this with my friends who also study the Self-Realization Fellowship teachings. Anything can be spiritualized. Yogananda spiritualized the chants and songs he wrote, which is what makes them so effective for meditation. One of my friends shared with me about a spiritualized experience he had in taking a Tango class. Any moment can be connected to the Consciousness, if we allow ourselves to be Conscious enough to connect to it.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it yet, but I will be going to a silent retreat at Yogananada's Ashram in Encinitas, CA next Thursday. I can feel myself already being energetically prepared for this experience. I'll share more in the days ahead, before I leave to go away. Peace and blessings...

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