Thursday, June 21, 2007
Mind Blowing
As I was browsing through the website yesterday, I stumbled upon Yogananth's blog. I found a link to photographs of him performing Asanas for his first ever coffee table Yoga book, which he has recently published. You've got to check these pics out...they will blow your mind!
I've got to say, I felt slightly inferior in my own Yogic ability after viewing these pictures. Since then, I've brought it into perspective and can see the awe-inspiring beauty of his physical ability. I came to learn that Yogananth has been practicing Yoga since the age of 2...simply remarkable. As one fellow Yogi said best...
"He makes our bodies feel stiff and old! His elegance in the asanas has no comparison." - Alex
Yet, why is it we continue to compare ourselves, whether it is in the Asanas in Yoga class or in life? As I've said many times before, the Asanas are a gateway, and in Yoga, there are many ways to open the gates to the Immortal Self and to the ever-present Divinity within one's Self and in Life Itself. And, this growth and evolution can not be measured, but only felt and known from within. It is the silent communion of Atman, the Individual Spirit within, and Brahman, the Universal Spirit or God. Just because we can perform a certain pose does not mean we are enlightened or better or further along the path than the next person. And, where we are in relation to our neighbor is irrelevant. The picture here is of Patricia Walden in Vrschikasana I, otherwise known as Scorpion Pose. This is a pose I've been practicing growing into for over a year. In Light on Yoga, Iyengar writes about this pose and the mental/emotional awakening one realizes through practicing it. (Again, practicing Vrschikasana is only one of many ways to dissolve the ego.)
"The asana has also psychological significance. The head which is the seat of knowledge and power is also the seat of pride, anger, hatred, jealousy, intolerance and malice. These emotions are more deadly than the poison which the scorpion carries in its sting. The yogi, by stamping on his head with his feet, attempts to eradicate these self-destroying emotions and passions. By kicking his head he seeks to develop humility, calmness and tolerance and thus to be free of ego. The subjugation of the ego leads to harmony and happiness." - Light on Yoga, Iyengar
Imagine, these self-defeating thoughts and emotions, as Iyengar says, are more deadly than the poison of a scorpion. Realize there is no comparison to you, not because of a pose you can do, or how good of a parent you are, or how successful you are in your career, but simply because the Immortal Spirit and Light within your Soul is brilliant, unique and incomparable.
"I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware, I
sit content,
And if each and all be aware, I sit content".-Walt Whitman
"We will discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other people's models, learn to be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open." - Shakti GawainRead more
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Journey
Perhaps you are aware of this poem entitled The Journey by Mary Oliver. I just came across it today and felt inspired to share it with you. It spoke deeply to my heart. Enjoy...The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.
~ Mary Oliver ~
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Summer Vacation for Restoration
The weeks leading up to the training with Shiva Rea in July have been intense. As I mentioned in a previous post, it feels as though I am being prepared mentally, emotionally and spiritually to be able to absorb my experience this summer to its fullest.In addition to the two weeks I will be away at the training from July 13 - 28, it turns out I will be taking a week off from teaching following the training, as well. I arrived at this decision after much contemplation, even though my senses told me this is what I should do long before I finally made this choice. I can remember a two-day Advanced Anusara Yoga workshop I attended last year in April. At the end of the workshop, John Friend strongly encouraged us to take a few days off before going back to work. I did not heed his advice and was exhausted when I returned to my teaching schedule the next day. And that was only a two-day workshop. The training this summer will be unlike anything I've experienced before. I realize I will need time to allow everything to assimilate and soak in, as well as, time to take care of myself and rest...
I continue to awaken to the importance of honoring and taking care of myself. It's amazing how often I justify "taking on too much" as a necessity to get by and make it in this world. Over the next year I envision transformations happening in my career and how it all looks. After a busy day and a full schedule of teaching yesterday, I asked myself the question last night of "How would I spend my day and what would my work look like if financial compensation was not a factor?" I listened to my heart and allowed its dreams to flow through as vision after vision began to surface. Most of these visions are not anything new, it seems as though they've just been stuffed down for a while as I work day-by-day to "make a living."
And, the truth is I love my work. And, I am at the place I envisioned being over a year ago. It's just that I see new possibilities for how I can continue to expand and grow, ways in which I would be able to access the full spectrum of my passions and interests. It's not that I wouldn't teach anymore. This is one of my true loves. I've always had a dream of developing other aspects of my business and work such as creating an amazing and unique Yoga clothing line, Yoga podcasts, organizing retreats around the world, being able to continue to travel and study in depthly with a master teacher and more. I would also love to be more involved in the community. As an ambassador with lululemon I am looking forward to their stores opening here later this year so I can continue to be a part of growing and expanding the practice of Yoga in Dallas. And, I also would like to be more involved in charitable work. I have recently sought out the opportunity to offer Yoga to one local charity in Dallas. So, all of this and more.
As I approach the official beginning of summer, it is a time of deep self-awareness, transformation, restoration and renewal. It feels as though I am going through the process of giving birth to a new reality, a reality which is filled with visions, though greatly Unknown. I feel as though I am going into my cocoon with the hopes of emerging into an even more brilliant and beautiful Being. Read more
Monday, June 11, 2007
No Want = No Worry
Perhaps this is so. Perhaps it is our language more than anything else, which creates our reality and therefore our existence. I watched this interesting feature last night on 60 Minutes about a fascinating culture of people called the Moken who live off the coast of Thailand and Burma. What intrigued me most about this story was that this group of people were able to survive the Tsunami's devestation, because being sea gypsies of the Andaman Sea, they are in tune with Nature and noticed the warning signs Nature gave them that something was coming.I encourage you to read the story about this civilization of people online and watch the clip from the story, as well. Even more than their ability to be forewarned, I was also interested to learn that the Moken people's way of life and language is vastly different than our Westernized world. Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the feature...
"The Moken don't know how old they are. Ivanoff says this is because, "Time is not the same concept as we have. You can't say for instance, 'When.' It doesn't exist in Moken language."
And Ivanoff says "when" is not the only word missing from the Moken language. "Want" is another. "Yes, you use it very often," says Ivanoff. "Take that out of your language and you see how often you use it. 'I want this, I want that.'
There is also no word for "take." "You take something," says Ivanoff. "You give or you take. You don't want."
The fact is, the Moken want very little. What they don’t want is to accumulate anything. Baggage is not good for a nomadic people. It ties you down. They have no notion and no desire for wealth.
Is there any other word missing from the Moken language? "No goodbye, no hello," says Ivanoff. "That's quite difficult. Imagine after one year, you live with them, and then you go. You go. That’s it. Finish." And, there are no greetings. While 60 Minutes was on a Thai Moken island, a flotilla from Burma dropped by. They didn’t seem terribly excited by this. But visits from relatives, and they’re all relatives, happen all the time. And since there is no notion of time, it doesn’t matter if the last visit was a week ago or five years ago. There’s just a constant commingling. And, in the wake of the tsunami, they’re all busy now, rebuilding their boats and their lives.
But the Moken do have problems. The Burmese have turned some of their islands into military bases. And the Thais are having them make trinkets for tourists, a trend that could ultimately threaten their way of life far more than any number of tsunamis.
But the Moken don’t seem terribly worried by all this. Perhaps that’s because "worry" is just one more of those words that don’t exist in their language."
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Friday, June 01, 2007
Happy Weekend
Just signing off for the weekend. I ask you, as a Yoga enthusiast, to take a moment after reading this post to practice the power of prayer and visiualization. Those of us who practice Yoga are aware of Its positive transforming power and grace, and the continuous healing it awakens us to in our body, heart and mind.As I was teaching yesterday, I had an awareness about this incredible practice of Yoga which is growing and thriving exponentially around the globe. There are currently 16.5 million Yoga practitioners in the United States. According to polls, it is believed this number could grow to 25 million in just another year. It is because of modern technology that we have the influx of Yoga into the U.S. that we do. Swami Vivekananda was the first Yogi to share the practice of Yoga with the U.S. when he attended the World Congress of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Since then, it has continued to grow and flourish in this country. Other significant contributors to its evolution and growth were Paramahansa Yogananda who brought the teachings of Yoga here in the 1920s and 1930s, eventually developing the Self-Realization Fellowship. And, of coure, the Beatles had a great impact on the hearts and minds of many of their beloved fans through their powerful music. And, they also spent a significant amount of time studying Yoga in India and brought what they learned from their time there about peace and love back to the U.S...
Nowadays, Yoga continues to span the globe. It's as though it began Its journey traveling mostly westward to the United States. Today, it can be found virtually everhwhere from South America, to Europe, Russia and on and on. This Universal practice has made Its way all around the globe to Southeast Asia where multi-million dollar studios called Pure Yoga can be found in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Malaysia and they have plans to continue to develop somewhere around 80 studios throughout this area, reaching into places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and beyond.
Needless to say, the benefits of Yoga are being realized by many. I even heard one day while watching the news, that school children in the war-torn country of Lebanon, were practicing Yoga. So, I ask you to please take a moment and close your eyes and visualize the possibility of peace existing on our planet. Visualize countries of desolation and disaster, as well as, countries of prosperity and peace, continuing to discover and know the healing and peace-awakening practice of Yoga. Visualize the hearts and minds of each one of us being purified with the Light of Love, Peace and Joy and visualize the possibility of Yoga bringing healing to this planet and to your own heart and Soul.
Namaste...
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