I just made that word up, but, it  means the enlightenment that comes from the social, political, spiritual process of an election.   Because no doubt in our differences and diversity we realize the reality of our oneness.  We are all one…we are all the same.    One  breath…one blood…one love…

I’m sure you have also been tuned into so many people’s opinions and preferences (facebook, twitter, etc) regarding the upcoming presidential election this Tuesday.

Here’s my final thought on it all.  May the best person to lead and unite our country and world for the Highest Good of all win.    Om shanti.

While our leaders or anyone may not be a perfect person, I trust our leaders in this country to lead for the Highest Good of all.  That’s all I know.  I’m definitely not worried about the outcome, but, I do think it’s important that the President who is elected be able to unite us for the Highest Good of all.  The only way our country and world will grow better is if we have a cOMmon goal for, again, the goodness of all…

OK, so, on a different note…I’d like to share an article with you on the True Yoga Blog.  I’d also like to share about a couple of awesome products I received and have had the opportunity to try out recently.  First the article…then the reviews on the products.  The article is by the wonderful and intelligent Melina Meza.  I so appreciate her inspired wisdom and I’m sure you do, too.  I love sharing her articles on the True Yoga Blog.  Oh, yes, also, I am finding the flow with motherhood and it is wonderful…challenging in moments…but absolutely awesome.  So grateful for this blessed life that has come into my life.  So, so grateful…om…  Also, grateful for feeling almost completely back to myself, again.  I did have a bit of postpartum healing and recovery.  But, a daily 15 minute Yoga practice (looking forward to longer practices again one day) has helped me to strengthen, revitalize and re-energize myself every day.  I’ve learned, yet again, through pregnancy and now with a child in my life that life is best lived, enjoyed, experienced one day at a time, trusting, in God’s plan to support us and guide us because it absolutely will…IF…we believe and surrender to His Grace, Goodness, Glory…

Ok, here is the article by Melina.  Thank you, Melina, for sharing this with all of us…

KRIYA YOGA – YOGA IN ACTION
by Melina Meza, E-RYT, BSN

With fall’s arrival, it’s an excellent opportunity to make some lifestyle adjustments that honor the changes occurring out in Nature. A few examples include: going to bed a little bit earlier each night, slowing down and doing less activity in general, wearing warmer clothes and scarves, saying YES to creative projects and hot baths, strengthening your digestive fire with warm soupy foods, and detoxifying your organs with a simple whole food diet and herbs before the onset of winter. Each will hopefully help you connect to Nature’s rhythm and bring nourishment to you and your family.

Living in harmony with nature is what Seasonal Vinyasa Yoga is all about. This means you learn to see and embrace the changing world around you in all its seasons, ages, and states, including suffering and destruction, as well as joy and renewal. Since we are part of Nature, we have the opportunity to be graceful and let the seasons flow. We can do this without clinging or grasping, despite our preferences for certain seasons, those times of year that resonate with our core elements and make us feel more like ourselves. And yet, developing equanimity and contentment with all seasons—regardless of dosha, or where you live—is essential to well-being.

Now that a new season has started, consider taking some time to reflect on these questions to help you connect with where you live, as well as your state of mind, physical health, goals, and aspiration for the fall.

Consider these questions:

·      What changes are going on outside in Nature?

• How does this season make me feel?
• What are the challenges I face?
• What brings me joy during this season?
• What diet or lifestyle routines do I want to change?
• Am I getting the right amount of sleep?
• What yoga or exercise routine feels the best to me?

After reflecting upon them, see whether are there places in your life where you are interested in making some changes? Can you sense what part of your life is more inclined to go out of balance (diet, work, spending habits, travel) during particular seasons? Are you willing to change a behavior or habit for two weeks, one month, or the entire season? While this may seem like a short window, it is enough time to witness considerable changes in your personality, bodily functions, energy levels, sleep patterns, and general well-being. Here’s how to get started:

Stepping Into The Fire – Tapas

Select one aspect of your life you wish to change. For example, I want to clean up my diet, so I am going to stop eating all foods made with processed sugar for the entire month of October.

As you experiment with ridding yourself of your vice or habit in the short term, you will learn that certain habits or cravings have stronger karmas (meaning, in this case, mental or emotional history) than others and may require more than a two-week cessation to break free from the bondage accrued over many years (or lifetimes). The important thing to be aware of is how much tapas (fire) is needed to bolster your willpower and break away from each vice. People are always surprised by the amount of effort and discipline it takes to break from their habituated way of being. This realization is another important concept in yoga. To grow and transform (indeed to become enlightened), we must strive to live consciously instead of unconsciously.

Observation – Svadhyaya

And like any good scientist, I highly recommend keeping a journal and taking notes during your experiment to log the changes you observe in your mind, body, and spirit on a daily basis. Your insights and reflections may continue to be valuable long after the experiment is over. Svadhyaya and self-reflection help cultivate a pool of experience to help you grow more consciousness in your blind spots. Everyone learns at different speeds, so it’s essential that you experiment with how much to study or change at one time and honor the lessons as they come. If you take on too many studies at once, experiences stay superficial. Too much information without practice can create mental constipation. Instead, think about the “less is more” maxim and strive for deep connections in your relationships to teachers and texts. Go slow and enjoy every moment in your practice, digesting and savoring the insights that feed you along your spiritual path, as you evolve from unconscious towards more conscious living.

Arrival – Isvara Pranidhana

With tapas sparking the enthusiasm and curiosity for the adventure and svadhyaya lighting the way through self-study and reflection, we use isvara pranidhana (the omniscient self, God within) to teach us to be the lord of our own actions (remembering that actions can mirror intent better than words), to investigate the meaning of faith (from personal experience and scriptures), as well as to remind us to offer our unique gifts and talents to the world in which we live. Through our practice of isvara pranidhana, we learn to humble ourselves and soften the ego in order to receive the counsel, sustenance, and unconditional love that comes from joining with nature, the divine, God, or whatever you choose to call it. You’ve arrived at the end of your experiment. Can you let your heart rest now, appreciating your willingness to grow, remembering your wholeness, and knowing you are divine?

This blog is inspired by chapters in Melina Meza’s Art of Sequencing – Volume Two – Seasonal Vinyasa book.

Melina Meza, BS Nutrition, 500-RYT
Melina has been exploring the art and science of yoga and nutrition for over 18 years. She combines her knowledge of Hatha Yoga, Ayurveda, whole foods nutrition, and healthy lifestyle promotion into a unique style called Seasonal Vinyasa. Her devotion to yoga and eating well, to teaching and nutritional counseling, and to traveling and experiencing different cultures combine to create a colorful and enlightening perspective from which to share that which she loves about yoga in its entirety. Meza is the author of the Art of Sequencing books and Yoga for the Seasons – Fall Vinyasa DVD. www.melinameza.com

And, now for the True Yoga approved products for the Yogi/ni’s at heart…

Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga Mat

OK, truth be told…I love the Mysore Travel Practice Rug, but, I don’t use these types of mats, usually.  However, I’m so grateful to be given this wonderful gift and, perhaps, when I’m ready for a hot Yoga practice again I will.  It is beautiful, though, and I can tell you that if you like Mysore Rug Yoga Mats for your Yoga practice…you will LOVE this one.  Plus, you can take it anywhere with you because it folds up as small as a shirt in your suitcase…so there isn’t ever a reason not to practice Yoga…   You can learn more and order your Mysore Travel Practice Rug here.

Let’s see…what else True Yoga friends…

How fabulous is this…  A film by Ram Dass called Cultivating Loving Awareness...  Here is more info…I’m looking forward to watching and experiencing this as we each open to the love we are, sharing that with the world through our hearts and minds.  One of the most powerful things we can do is pray for a better world within us and all around us.  The saints say to pray without ceasing.  Aummmmmmm…love…love…love…all you need is love…let our hearts and minds be healed so love is all there is within us and all around us with each breath we breathe.  Forgive yourself and others because now is all there is and now is the only moment we know for certain will be…

Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter because we are so deeply interconnected. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act.

Please join us for a unique experience on November 13^th…

A new film, Cultivating Loving Awareness, explores the path to realizing loving awareness with four insightful teachers: Ram Dass, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg and Mirabai Bush.

Join us for a special screening of Cultivating Loving Awareness and a live video chat with Ram Dass and Krishna Das on November 13 at 7:30 pm EST.

Follow the link below to sign-up for this free event.

http://login.ramdass.org/cultivating/

And, even though I haven’t had a chance to finish it…yet…I was sent this inspiring book called It’s Never Too Late. Yes, as I heard Deva Premal and Miten say at their concert…there is a second chance for all of us…with each exhale we breathe…there is the opportunity to begin again…to let the past go…to release and to begin anew in this moment, this breath full of love, peace, forgiveness for all…  So, exhale the love to all as you let go and surrender…

Here is more about the book…I think you’ll enjoy this wonderful and inspiring story, too…

At the age of 85, William Moss realized he was an alcoholic.  Rather than despair over this late realization, he had an epiphany about his purpose in life—to help others recover from the devastating and debilitating disease.   It’s Never Too Late (Glitterati Incorporated, October 2012) is a story about the frailty of man and the power of God, and Moss’s amazing spiritual journey that accompanied him on the path to sobriety and peace, with a special introduction by George H.W. Bush.

Moss, an extremely successful businessman, oilman, producer, actor, writer, entrepreneur, father and husband, lived a life many only dreamed of.  He was often the life of the party, but unfortunately partied too hard on many occasions. Because of delayed business meetings, Moss missed flights on two separate occasions.  In each case, the planes crashed, killing everyone on board.  After these plane crashes, Moss felt he had been spared him for a reason, although he did not understand the exact reason at the time.

Moss’ candid tale is woven with stories of suffering, forgiveness, happiness, and second chances.  From his acting days in Hollywood, to his oil business heyday, to four shattered marriages, and then finally finding Dianne, the love of his life, It’s Never Too Late is the journey of a lifetime.  The book provides hope and comfort and the greater realization that we all have a purpose in life—even if we haven’t discovered that purpose yet.

You can order your copy of It’s Never Too Late on amazon.com.

And, of course you can also order your copy of the Fresh Fruit Cleanse by, yours truly, on amazon.com.  The spiritual teachings say that when we make a spiritual effort everything in the future will improve.  Good health and nutrition and caring for body, which, is your temple…is one of the ways we make a spiritual effort.  The Fresh Fruit Cleanse book gives you all the info, guidance and many wonderful recipes you need to live your life in the healthiest way each day.  One of my favorite quotes in the book is by David Wolfe.  He says…

When our health improves, every other aspect of our life improves simultaneously.

When I first heard that quote at an Anthony Robbins seminar, almost ten years ago, I realized in that moment the truth of that saying.  And, I have experienced the truth of that teaching first hand over the years.  Yes, it is true…  You can learn more and purchase your copy of the Fresh Fruit Cleanse book here. You can also read the most recent post with tips for your health and well-being on the Fresh Fruit Cleanse blog… Stay tuned for a post about the powerful, healing and medicinal benefits of Turmeric powder…a spice that has been used for centuries in the East for healing…

Love to all of you and I will be back soon, again, when there is more time to write and share.  In the meantime, thank you for your love and patience, with updates on the True Yoga Blog, as I let go and surrender to this new journey of life and motherhood…

God bless all and God bless America and the world…

Namaste