That’s the title of a song by Karl Denson from the album Tiny Universe.  In the song he says ‘Why don’t you check out your mind?  It’s been with you all the time.’  You can listen to the song here. 

Anymore, when I’m teaching or practicing Yoga, I realize that’s really what I’m doing is checking out my mind.  Often, that process is about differentiating Truth from maya (illusion).   

The popularization of Yoga in the western world has brought with it a lot of myths.  I was really exploring that in today’s classes that I taught.  So many of the Yoga classes in our western culture are fast-paced and athletic.  Although, technically, there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s not the way Yoga was originally practiced thousands of years ago.  One of my favorite Yoga teachers is Erich Schiffman who teaches Yoga in a very slow, mindful, conscious, meditative way.  (And I love the way he looks, too.  He’s like a beautiful, cuddly, Yogi bear.)  Sometimes, he only has you do like 3 or 4 poses in the class.  The whole intention is to meditate and his classes are incredibly meditative which is why I love them.  While Asana (poses) can help someone to develop great athleticism, it’s not the ultimate intention of the practice.  The intention of Asana practice is to prepare the practitioner for meditation.  The poses help to settle and still the body and the mind so meditation can unfold effortlessly.  It’s also said the poses are designed to promote optimal health and well-being physically, mentally, and emotionally, so, the fullest growth, spiritually, is possible.  Without health, spiritual growth becomes very difficult…

I really enjoy demystifying any of the conditioned western beliefs about what yoga is because there are many.  For instance, there are many people who think they aren’t practicing Yoga correctly if they don’t do any Upward Facing Dogs or Sun Salutations in their Yoga practice.  This is simply not true.  When I attended Rod Stryker’s Master Class about two weeks ago in Dallas he, intentionally, didn’t have us do any Sun Salutations.  He said the intention of Yoga is to exert the least possible effort for the greatest return.  In other words, if you are feeling inspired to practice an Upward Facing Bow Pose, it may not serve your practice to do a bunch of Sun Salutations because the Sun Salutations don’t necessarily prepare the body for Bow Pose.  What he said really resonated with me because I’ve been practicing that way for a while now, letting go of unnecessary movements and poses in my practice when it doesn’t serve my practice or me to practice them in that particular moment.  But, for many people in the west, they’ve been so conditioned to do lots of Sun Salutations and Upward Facing Dog Poses that it’s difficult for them to have an enjoyable experience without doing all that stuff.  I’m glad I’m no longer like that.  I used to be more like that thinking I had to do it a certain way and if I didn’t I wasn’t doing it correctly.  That’s just not true.  There are many ways to practice Yoga Asana and one is not right and the other wrong.  It’s about discovering what’s best for the body and that will change over time. 

Like, B.K.S. Iyengar, for instance.  He’s the teacher who developed the widely practiced style of Yoga called Iyengar Yoga.  I’ve read his primary Yoga practice these days is Sirsasana (Headstand, which is the King of Poses) for 30 minutes every day.  (without wobbling)  That’s remarkable.  Iyengar is in his 90s.  There was a time when his practice was very physical.  Over time it has changed and he allowed those changes to happen in his practice and himself.  This doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any physical practice but it’s less physical than it was 40 years ago.  He allowed himself to let go of what was no longer serving him or his physical Yoga practice over time.  It’s important we are willing to let ourselves change over time in what we are doing and how we are doing anything. 

There was a time where I wanted to be able to do every pose.  I thought if I wasn’t able to be able to do every pose I wouldn’t be fulfilled or happy without it.  I also felt like I had to get better at the poses to prove to myself I was a good enough student and teacher and that I could do it.  On some level I believed I wasn’t enough and I practiced the poses to help myself feel better, like I was good enough.  As I would grow into certain poses I would feel increasingly confident.  If practicing the poses helps to give someone that, I think that’s wonderful and awesome.  And, yet, it’s not about the poses.  The poses are a vehicle for self-realization to realize, beyond many other things, that you already are enough and you have everything you could ever need.  The poses help to connect us with Truth and what’s in our highest Good.  Even the practice of the Asanas is a form of meditation, it’s really not so much about what you can do.  Although, it is gratifying to be able to do stuff.  But, it’s ultimately not about you or the poses.  This is what Dharma Mittra teaches.  Every pose in Yoga is an offering.  Whatever you are opening or strengthening in yourself, you are really cultivating it so you can share it with others.  As you grow stronger physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, your presence will strengthen others.  Whatever you realize for yourself you eventually share it with others.  That’s also what master Yogi David Swenson says who grew to incredible places, physically, in his Asana practice.  He said whatever poses/places you grow into you end up giving it away and sharing it, i.e. your strength, energy, wisdom, focus, concentration, peacefulness, etc.  That’s like what the poet Maya Angelous says:  “When you learn, teach.  When you get, give.” 

As you practice the poses you can ask yourself what you are seeking to acquire, get, realize, align with, or awaken to through your practice.  There’s no right or wrong answer.  But, it’s important to be mindful and conscious of what moves you to practice and move, to grow and strengthen.  Chances are you’ll get to share what you get along the way.  It’s not about getting a pose.  It’s really about being in service to others and loving our neighbor as ourself, selflessly.  What inspiration do you have to give and share?  The reality is you have tremendous light, love and inspiration to share.  Every time we feel better because we realize we can do something, whether that’s a Yoga pose or getting a Ph. D, we share that belief in our self and our potential, and that inspires others to grow, as well, too.

A lot of people practice Yoga these days because they are seeking to be enlightened.  What is enlightenment?  This teaching about serving others resonated with me more deeply than anything I’ve heard recently.  The spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, traveled to India back in the 70s in search of enlightenment and to study with his teacher, Neem Karoli Baba, who he hoped could enlighten him.  When he asked his teacher how to find God, Neem Karoli responded-feed people and serve.  At first Ram Dass said he couldn’t believe it.  Feed people and serve?!  That’s it?  He said he couldn’t believe his teacher didn’t have any sophisticated spiritual doctrine to talk to him about or teach him.  Just feed people and serve?  That’s it?

Indeed.  Feed people and serve.  We practice to serve, to give and to share with others all of the positive energy we receive from aligning ourselves with our Highest Good each breath of the way.  As you become increasingly aligned with your Highest Self/Truth/Wisdom through continuously making better choices for yourself and your life, you will realize, the path to God really may be that simple.  Move your body, breathe, meditate, feed people and serve…selflessly.  Love/Yoga is service in action.  Let’s open ourselves to being servants of the Flow in the best way possible, so that our being here on the earth benefits all beings, in whatever way we are guided to give, share, serve and offer the gifts we realize and receive with others.  It’s important to embody this practice of Karma Yoga (selfless service) all the time, not just some of the time.  The American culture is incredible about being in service during times of tragedy.  Let’s open to being in service all the time in whatever way we are guided to great or small, as I’m sure many of you already are.  Whether your actions seems significant or insignificant, aligning with that intention in your heart will always cause it to be great whether that’s serving meals at a homeless shelter or doing something selflessly kind for someone else.  There’s no limit to what we can realize and contribute when we align with that intention of selflessly serving in our hearts.  This is the time to realize we are prosperous no matter what the stock market says.  We are prosperous because we carry the Spirit of Light and Love in the heart.  What else is there?  You are not your possessions.  You are that Light, Love and energy.  So share it with others whether you have every possession in the world or nothing and let go of the fear of losing anything because there is nothing to lose.  You have and will always have everything you need.  Trust in that, trust in yourself, and realize you are already whole and complete and it’s time to share the Light and Love you are. When you are offering yourself to others in the way you are guided to, you will realize you always have enough. 

Blessings.

I’ll be back soon to write more.  I’m also working on the book I’m writing which will be published in Spring of 2011.  So, I’m writing a lot these days but I’m also loving it.  Writing is an incredibly cathartic practice.  In fact, writing is a form of Yoga practice because it brings us into seclusion where we become tranquil and still.  And, I’m all about service, but what a blessing to actually be paid for this work, as well.  I’m very grateful for the gifts and grace of God flowing in my life.  May we ever-increasingly realize God’s grace and abundance flowing in all of our lives.  And, may we be grateful for the blessing of health, too.  It is a blessing to be healthy.  Thank you, God.  May you continue to bless our lives with health and well-being and awaken us to your abundant Flow, regardless of global economy, with every breath we breathe.  (I’m pretty sure Adam and Eve weren’t worried about the stock market.   Worry is wasteful and pointless.  The Buddha said ‘The secret to a healthy body and mind is to let go of mourning the past, to not anticipate or worry about troubles in the future, but to live wisely and earnestly in the moment.’  And Yogananda said ‘Live each present moment completely.  Fully enjoy the beauty and wonder of each instant and the future will take care of itself.‘) 

Om shanti~

Jai guru

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