The Root Center - Andi Goldman & Jonathan Goldman - Tantra of Sound Harmonizer
Om Shanti - Daphne Tse And Matt Pszonak - Jala
Constellation of the Heart (Native Edit) - I Awake - The Core
Wandering Star - Portishead - Dummy
Rainbow - Oh Land - Oh Land
You Wish - Nightmares On Wax - In a Space Outta Sound
All I Want - Ganga - Don't Wake Me Up
Nataraja - The Dum Dum Project - Desi Vibes
Where We Are - Mackintosh Braun - Where We Are
May All Beings - EarthRise SoundSystem - The Yoga Sessions
Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Swagga (Downlink Remix) - Excision & Datsik - Boom / Swagga (Remixes)
Saturdays - Cut Copy
Dream Machine - Mark Farina - Om 10
Where Is My Mind? - Pixies - Surfer Rosa
So This Is Goodbye - William Fitzsimmons - Derivatives
Slip Away - Si*Sé - Si*Sé
Kashiraja
to reign with light
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Relaxing into my own divine nature
As we live and grow through time, we evolve. Everything living evolves over time. Natural selection acts upon the individual favoring traits that are best suited to their environment. We know that this happens on a genetic level, but we are made up of body, mind & spirit. We know that through time, as a species, our brains have become larger & we are learning & building upon that knowledge exponentially. On an individual level, we learn so many things as we grow and live. So, mentally, we evolve individually as well as together. Over time, we have evolved spiritually from the accumulation of teachings from enlightened ones, such as Buddha & Jesus, and from the accumulation of human experience with divine connection.
Universally, we are all connected to, and so affect, each other. When we forget about this connection we feel separate from the whole, lonely, disconnected to life and we are more likely to experience, and get stuck in, fear, guilt, judgement, blame, hate, and other darker illusions. They are dark because they are unconscious to the one universal truth, that we are perfect, whole & complete. They are illusions because they prevent us from experiencing our truth, our connection to divinity. Divinity is the collection of life force, or spirit. We are a part of this life force and yet we have our own individual life force as well. God is in everything, and everywhere & God is in us too. We are a microcosm of the macrocosm that is Spirit.
The purpose of walking a spiritual path is to hold true to your highest good, your highest purpose, to see the divinity in you & reflect it outwards, spreading love & light wherever you go, no matter what. To live this path is to live your truth, your Tao, your way. just surrender your life to God, to let God flow through all you feel, see, think, say, and do. I promise what you manifest co-creatively with God will be much better than you could have ever dreamed of. It is true, walking a spiritual path requires that you are present to everything. Sometimes when you commit your life to growing spiritually, the Universe brings you some tough lessons. Sometimes you might think to yourself, “I was so much happier when I was ignorant!” Just remember, as with everything, there is a fluctuation. What goes up must come back down, so when you find yourself in a lull, remember that it will go back up when it is meant to & when it does, watch out for pure awesomeness. Do not get attached to the highs or avert yourself from the lows, experience them with equanimity. The highs of a a more spiritually evolved being are naturally higher in vibration & therefore more intense. It may be tough always walking in the light, but it is infinitely rewarding.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The dance of masculine & feminine
The masculine way follows clarity, action, and decision making skills. The feminine way follows the natural flow of life. Men make decisions from their head, while women make decisions from their heart. Both are effective, but the masculine gifts the feminine by contributing his clarity, action & decision making skills. Masculine has trouble getting out of the head, and so the feminine is able to gifts by bringing the masculine into the body & into the heart, helping to reconnect with life. Masculine & feminine polarity is a reciprocal & a mutually beneficial gift from the Universe, especially when used as a sadhana, or spiritual practice.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
My Burning Man Experience
I first heard about Burning Man about 5 years ago from a long time girlfriend who had never been. WHen I first looked into it, I got about half a page down into the What Is Burning Man article & knew right away that my Husband would not be into this. It was a little pricey & I knew he wouldn't let me go. Yes, I knew I had a choice to go anyways, but it wouldn't have been worth-it & I couldn't afford to do it on my own either. So many years went past & we ended up peacefully separating and are now better friends than ever. When I became single again at he ripe of age of 29 & having not been single for 10 years, Burning Man was put on my "stuff i've always wanted to do & can now" list. I was a little hesitant to buy a ticket at first since I didn't know anyone that was going & who I could camp with, but then I discovered my friends from Big Sur were going & bought a ticket on the spot. As I began to prepare I was overwhelmed with how much planning & preparation was needed to go be wild, crazy & free in the desert for a week, but some order is necessary to be the foundation from which you can be wild, crazy & free from. The structure at Burning Man is so essential to your survival at Burning Man. Sometimes it is the only structure within your experience at Burning Man & you rely on it to get back to your home to your tent at who knows what hour.
Burning Man started at 12AM on Monday, August 29th, this year & I left that night in order to carpool up with some experienced Burners. Hooray for not getting lost or broken down without friends! We left around 9PM & drove through the night. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, at 2AM, my girlfriend's tire blew & one of the guys in the group googled tire shops in the area & called one. They picked up! We were within 12 miles & so we got our tire fixed & were on the road again in no time. Around 10AM on Tuesday, we arrived to Reno, 2 hours from Burning Man. We stopped at a gas station & one of the women in the group was having a panic attack after driving all night with her son in the car, so she took some meds & rode in with me the last 2 hours, sleeping. I was a little nervous, but thought "If anyone can handle this, I can. I am a Reiki Master after all" :-) So, driving into nowheresville, a.k.a. Black Rock City, Nevada, I was doing Reiki on a woman who was about to get the shock of her life possibly. As we pulled off the dirt road & onto the playa, dried up ocean bed, the car began to jostle her and she woke up. Mother Nature decided to create a display of sand/dust storms for us to freak out over in the long drive to the gate. Coned-off lanes contrasted the natural desert scene & directed us towards will call, the gate and eventually the welcoming committee. We first pulled up to some Rangers who were not wearing goggles or a mask & so were covered from head to toe in a thick layer of playa dust, almost as if on purpose to scare us. I definitely had an "oh shit" moment here and this sent the newly awoken and still panicky passenger of mine into a crying fit. It was hard not freaking out myself & consoling her, but I pulled it off. I pulled over to will call where the other caravaners were and right before my passenger got out she asked me if I wanted any Ketamine. My Mother had a brain injured patient who got that way because she took too much Ketamine. I declined, but was curious as to what it does to you so I asked. It was the funniest thing, this woman was asian & barely spoke any english & she looked at me & said "fucked up" in her japanese accent. It made me laugh & set the tone for my adventure on to the gate by myself.
When she got out fo the car my car engulfed layers of playa dust & it set in that it was about 110F. You couldn't roll the windows down because of the dust storms & the a/c didn't work. You just have to blast air & get as naked as you can to survive. Oh... and don't forget your goggles & face mask/scarf to keep the dust out & so you can still breathe. I then pulled up to a 65 year old man who tried to act like my ticket was fake... he obviously didn't get the memo about how gullible I am & thought it was funny. After driving all night, I didn't think it was very funny. Then I headed to the welcoming gate where they said "Welcome Home." Having never been to Burning Man I said "I've never been here before," & they were super welcoming. They got me & a few other Burners out of our cars & made us make love to the playa. As we undulated & made playa angels getting the playa all over us, they explained how the playa was going to be everywhere for the next week & we better get used to it, become one with it & love it. After that they had us ring out a bell & yell out "I am no longer a Virgin!" to Black Rock City, a made up name for the city in which Burning Man takes place, which is a temporary, leave no trace behind city that is only up for one week out of the year. This would be the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, which started by just a few dudes in San Fran. Once I left the welcoming committee I headed out to the city to locate my Big Sur people and our camp. I had the address & had yet to figure out the layout of the city & how to find my friends. Burning Man is layed out like a clock. The center of the clock is called the playa, although playa is the geological term for flat, dried up ocean bed that Burning Man is built on. From 2-10 O' Clock, radiating out from the center were streets. Each street was 15 min apart, so you could live on 2 or 2:25, etc. Going across those streets were encircling streets that created concentric circles to the playa. So you would have an actual address when you were there, like 2 & G, or 3:15 & I. Towards the center of the playa with A & towards the outskirts of the city was L. The central most street, which encircled the playa, was called Esplanade. I parked near the address & set out to search for my group with my jar of water, goggles & scarf over my mouth. Everybody was in party mode & I ended up walking in the vicinity of 8:15 & E for 3 hours in the hot sun, in the dust & continuously having to return to my car for more water & more chap stick. Finally I gave up & went back to my car to fix my bike, get in the Burning Man mode & start having some fun. Fun entailed getting half naked & smoking a solar bowl with a new friend I made on the playa & heading out on my bike to search some more. I rode around for awhile & when I gave up on that I landed at some trampolines & decided to have a jumpsy. Not long after I got on a woman asked if she could join me & we started doing acro yoga on the trampoline. I guess it was pretty good because the Burning Man filming crew asked if they could film us. She asked me where I was staying & I told her I couldn't find my camp & that I hadn't slept in 36 hours & needed to set up my tent & sleep. She told me to set up in her camp & took such good care of me. I do a lot of camping & have an amazing tent, so I set it up & made it all nice & homey & fell right asleep around 8PM & didn't wake up until 9AM the next morning to the sound of someone puking right outside my tent. Awesome!
I set my mat out on the playa under a shade structure the camp had & began a little Ashtanga practice. I was facing the street side of our camp & it was a little ironic doing yoga & being disciplined while watching people who looked like they never went to bed & are staggering out of the port-a-potties. I knew that might be me soon, but I wanted to start my burn off right, with some yoga. One of the guys in the camp took me to a yoga class that was down the street & it was pretty good. The teacher didn't even use a mat, she practiced right on the playa & was totally covered in it by the end of class. It was awesome! After the yoga class, he took me to the Temple of Remembrance. The temple is the largest wooden structure built without a foundation & consists of multiple towers connecting to a central tower via arched pathways. In the central tower was over 100 bowls & gongs set to go off to play a song from the bottom of the chamber upwards, awakening the 7 chakras and opening your crown chakra (where your connection to divinity lies). When I sat down in the temple I immediately went into deep meditation for a good hour. I felt completely connected to God in that temple, it was very powerful. After the temple, we went to Center Camp, where they had internet & a system for finding people & leaving messages. Thankfully, one of the members of our group put a message in about having had to move camp sites & so we located them. After saying hi I returned to my temporary camp & broke everything down & had to set everything back up again at my true camp site, in the heat & a light dust storm.
It was so good to see familiar faces amongst the chaos of the previous few days & I was so happy to still have a week left to bond & have fun with my group. I loved my group & had so much fun with them. The first night we all got dressed up & headed out together on our bikes. We stopped at the "poops," as we called them, and then headed out to an Irish Pub that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere & made with plywood. You are drawn towards warmth at night in the desert & so anything with fire is fun. This Irish Pub had two trash cans with fire in them to warm up near & some really amazing dub step to dance to & warm up that way as well. After the Irish Pub we headed over to a main stage where Fractal Nation was opening that night & caught a really awesome fire dancing show as well as Sofia Thom, who is an amazing dancer & performer. A few of the women in the group stayed at a campfire that was near the show & the rest of the group headed off into the dark night, across the playa t check out some of the art. We checked out a giant wheel with skeletons that looked as though they were rowing a boat, twisting left and right, when the wheel was spinning. Then we headed over to a giant zip line that traversed the mile-wide playa. We lost some more members of the group, but pushed on to visit the Temple and right away I went into deep meditation again for another hour. At this point I only had one friend with me & it was about 3/4AM, so we headed back to camp.
Each night there was some kind of main event & our group would get all dressed up & would head out on our bikes together & the group would get broken up over the course of the night based on who was wanting to do what & it flowed quite naturally. One night they set all of the many art instillations on fire, which was awesome because they were all over the place & some were pretty big. It got pretty hot & we had to watch out for ashes. This night was special because our group cleaned out dome & put on a formal dinner where we all got dressed up. Another night we all walked to go watch the big Trojan Horse burn. This was my favorite burn. We were pretty close & the horse was pretty big. I had come to love this horse actually. It was right near our street close to Esplanade & during the day, it stood out as being big & black & at night stood out as being lit up in neon red. It was our beacon toward home/camp. I didn't realize how much I would miss that Trojan beacon ;-( Another night we all went out on a mutant vehicle/art car called the Samba Bus. They played good music that was a break from the constant dub step, although I do love dub step, & had a double decker London Style bus with the top removed & a bar upstairs. We rode this car out to watch the Man burn. After the burn it got really quite & I realized my group had disappeared. I decided I didn't want to be out that deep in the middle of the playa by myself & I wanted to get back to camp & call it an early night. Being deep playa & having no art instillations or trojan Horse to guide me having been burned, my bearings were off & I was lucky to have headed towards Esplanade, the exterior of both the playa & the neighborhood. I remembered that we had ridden pretty far from camp to hop on the art car &, by the grace of God, remembered the address where we had parked. I was a little nervous at finding the campsite where my bike was at remembering that there was nothing really stand-out-ish about it & it was now very dark. I ended up walking to the edge of the playa & being pretty far away from where my bike was, so I headed towards the right street. Once I got to the street I began looking for the cross street & had only gotten 2 blocks down when, in the darkness of the desert, it appeared as thought the street had ended. I had a little mental break down & knew that this was no time for me to lose my shit & that I had to get my shit together. My perception was a wee bit altered as well, so I really needed to get it together. Primal instincts kicked in & I decided I needed to pee & then I could calm down, walk back out to the main road & start back again down the street hoping to see where the street continued. I finally happened upon the cross street & like a beacon from heaven I had left my flashing red light on from my head lamp, which was squeezed around the basket of my bike & so amongst a sea of bikes in an obscure camp site in the middle of nowhere I found my bike & happily, and groggily rode back to my camp at about 2AM. During the day, we would ease into the day & when we felt motivated go out & play & visit other people. Although, our camp itself was really cool. We had a dome equipped with stereos for playing music, a kitchen, a bar, hammocks & lots of chill space & pillows. Hanging from the top of our dome was a nest with colorful ribbons & peacock feathers hanging from it. It was really great & so we spent a lot of time just chillin' at our camp. The last day we were all there, Sunday, we spent a good portion of the day packing up & tearing down our beautiful little home for a week & had fun doing it. After we packed everything up, we got ready out of our cars & headed to go watch the Temple burn. This burn was silent, unlike the others that were orchestrated with dub step or other loud music. It had a very different feel to the other burns, it was silent, sacred & spacious. The temple meant different things to different people. For me it was a place where I found God & where I made a promise to my Self, to God & the the Universe which I am a part of that I will always see that I am enough & that I will always remember my connection to wholeness & never let my Self feel lonely. I also wrote a note in sharpie on the plywood walls of the temple two of my dear friends who passed away. So to me the temple burning was symbolic of me releasing their spirits & also releasing the outcome of my life to God, of offering my life up to God & letting that promise & that remembrance be ignited.
It took us 5 long hours getting through the line out of Burning Man & then we had a long drive through the night to get to Reno for breakfast. Our group was all tired, delirious, hungry & fragile on that long drive towards breakfast. We all met up & woke up a little with some good food & then headed to one of our friends houses on a beautiful 200 acre property outside Tahoe to spend one last night together & be blissed out by the presence of so many trees & creeks to play around in, a drastic contrast to the lifeless playa life we had all just been through. The whole week was very surreal, eye-opening, freeing & respectful. I found a family amongst strangers in the middle of nowhere for 10 days. We created a sustainable community in which we all shared our inherent gifts with each other, sometimes material, sometimes, immaterial. It was a beautiful experiment to be a part of & a beautiful experience & one that I will never willfully miss out on in the future, come hell or high water.
Returning home was an experience in & of itself. The drive was so long, yet empowering having doen it by myself. I had a lot of time to think & process what I had just been through & even let it seep in & incorporate it into who I am & what gifts I have to offer this world. When I got home, unpacking became a multiple day adventure. Its true nothing that comes to the playa remains unchanged. The playa was a force to be reckoned with, both at Burning Man & back home. It sticks to everything & is so drying & smells distinctly like old, dried up ocean bed. Burning Man ended about 2 months ago & I am still finding playa everywhere. Although, it reminds me of my true Self & what I experienced there & so I don't mind it at all. Every time I find more playa I sing "I'm bringin' playa back!" I can tell you about my experience, but everyone has a different experience. You just have to go, I can't tell you why, but you just have to do it.
Burning Man started at 12AM on Monday, August 29th, this year & I left that night in order to carpool up with some experienced Burners. Hooray for not getting lost or broken down without friends! We left around 9PM & drove through the night. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, at 2AM, my girlfriend's tire blew & one of the guys in the group googled tire shops in the area & called one. They picked up! We were within 12 miles & so we got our tire fixed & were on the road again in no time. Around 10AM on Tuesday, we arrived to Reno, 2 hours from Burning Man. We stopped at a gas station & one of the women in the group was having a panic attack after driving all night with her son in the car, so she took some meds & rode in with me the last 2 hours, sleeping. I was a little nervous, but thought "If anyone can handle this, I can. I am a Reiki Master after all" :-) So, driving into nowheresville, a.k.a. Black Rock City, Nevada, I was doing Reiki on a woman who was about to get the shock of her life possibly. As we pulled off the dirt road & onto the playa, dried up ocean bed, the car began to jostle her and she woke up. Mother Nature decided to create a display of sand/dust storms for us to freak out over in the long drive to the gate. Coned-off lanes contrasted the natural desert scene & directed us towards will call, the gate and eventually the welcoming committee. We first pulled up to some Rangers who were not wearing goggles or a mask & so were covered from head to toe in a thick layer of playa dust, almost as if on purpose to scare us. I definitely had an "oh shit" moment here and this sent the newly awoken and still panicky passenger of mine into a crying fit. It was hard not freaking out myself & consoling her, but I pulled it off. I pulled over to will call where the other caravaners were and right before my passenger got out she asked me if I wanted any Ketamine. My Mother had a brain injured patient who got that way because she took too much Ketamine. I declined, but was curious as to what it does to you so I asked. It was the funniest thing, this woman was asian & barely spoke any english & she looked at me & said "fucked up" in her japanese accent. It made me laugh & set the tone for my adventure on to the gate by myself.
When she got out fo the car my car engulfed layers of playa dust & it set in that it was about 110F. You couldn't roll the windows down because of the dust storms & the a/c didn't work. You just have to blast air & get as naked as you can to survive. Oh... and don't forget your goggles & face mask/scarf to keep the dust out & so you can still breathe. I then pulled up to a 65 year old man who tried to act like my ticket was fake... he obviously didn't get the memo about how gullible I am & thought it was funny. After driving all night, I didn't think it was very funny. Then I headed to the welcoming gate where they said "Welcome Home." Having never been to Burning Man I said "I've never been here before," & they were super welcoming. They got me & a few other Burners out of our cars & made us make love to the playa. As we undulated & made playa angels getting the playa all over us, they explained how the playa was going to be everywhere for the next week & we better get used to it, become one with it & love it. After that they had us ring out a bell & yell out "I am no longer a Virgin!" to Black Rock City, a made up name for the city in which Burning Man takes place, which is a temporary, leave no trace behind city that is only up for one week out of the year. This would be the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, which started by just a few dudes in San Fran. Once I left the welcoming committee I headed out to the city to locate my Big Sur people and our camp. I had the address & had yet to figure out the layout of the city & how to find my friends. Burning Man is layed out like a clock. The center of the clock is called the playa, although playa is the geological term for flat, dried up ocean bed that Burning Man is built on. From 2-10 O' Clock, radiating out from the center were streets. Each street was 15 min apart, so you could live on 2 or 2:25, etc. Going across those streets were encircling streets that created concentric circles to the playa. So you would have an actual address when you were there, like 2 & G, or 3:15 & I. Towards the center of the playa with A & towards the outskirts of the city was L. The central most street, which encircled the playa, was called Esplanade. I parked near the address & set out to search for my group with my jar of water, goggles & scarf over my mouth. Everybody was in party mode & I ended up walking in the vicinity of 8:15 & E for 3 hours in the hot sun, in the dust & continuously having to return to my car for more water & more chap stick. Finally I gave up & went back to my car to fix my bike, get in the Burning Man mode & start having some fun. Fun entailed getting half naked & smoking a solar bowl with a new friend I made on the playa & heading out on my bike to search some more. I rode around for awhile & when I gave up on that I landed at some trampolines & decided to have a jumpsy. Not long after I got on a woman asked if she could join me & we started doing acro yoga on the trampoline. I guess it was pretty good because the Burning Man filming crew asked if they could film us. She asked me where I was staying & I told her I couldn't find my camp & that I hadn't slept in 36 hours & needed to set up my tent & sleep. She told me to set up in her camp & took such good care of me. I do a lot of camping & have an amazing tent, so I set it up & made it all nice & homey & fell right asleep around 8PM & didn't wake up until 9AM the next morning to the sound of someone puking right outside my tent. Awesome!
I set my mat out on the playa under a shade structure the camp had & began a little Ashtanga practice. I was facing the street side of our camp & it was a little ironic doing yoga & being disciplined while watching people who looked like they never went to bed & are staggering out of the port-a-potties. I knew that might be me soon, but I wanted to start my burn off right, with some yoga. One of the guys in the camp took me to a yoga class that was down the street & it was pretty good. The teacher didn't even use a mat, she practiced right on the playa & was totally covered in it by the end of class. It was awesome! After the yoga class, he took me to the Temple of Remembrance. The temple is the largest wooden structure built without a foundation & consists of multiple towers connecting to a central tower via arched pathways. In the central tower was over 100 bowls & gongs set to go off to play a song from the bottom of the chamber upwards, awakening the 7 chakras and opening your crown chakra (where your connection to divinity lies). When I sat down in the temple I immediately went into deep meditation for a good hour. I felt completely connected to God in that temple, it was very powerful. After the temple, we went to Center Camp, where they had internet & a system for finding people & leaving messages. Thankfully, one of the members of our group put a message in about having had to move camp sites & so we located them. After saying hi I returned to my temporary camp & broke everything down & had to set everything back up again at my true camp site, in the heat & a light dust storm.
It was so good to see familiar faces amongst the chaos of the previous few days & I was so happy to still have a week left to bond & have fun with my group. I loved my group & had so much fun with them. The first night we all got dressed up & headed out together on our bikes. We stopped at the "poops," as we called them, and then headed out to an Irish Pub that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere & made with plywood. You are drawn towards warmth at night in the desert & so anything with fire is fun. This Irish Pub had two trash cans with fire in them to warm up near & some really amazing dub step to dance to & warm up that way as well. After the Irish Pub we headed over to a main stage where Fractal Nation was opening that night & caught a really awesome fire dancing show as well as Sofia Thom, who is an amazing dancer & performer. A few of the women in the group stayed at a campfire that was near the show & the rest of the group headed off into the dark night, across the playa t check out some of the art. We checked out a giant wheel with skeletons that looked as though they were rowing a boat, twisting left and right, when the wheel was spinning. Then we headed over to a giant zip line that traversed the mile-wide playa. We lost some more members of the group, but pushed on to visit the Temple and right away I went into deep meditation again for another hour. At this point I only had one friend with me & it was about 3/4AM, so we headed back to camp.
Each night there was some kind of main event & our group would get all dressed up & would head out on our bikes together & the group would get broken up over the course of the night based on who was wanting to do what & it flowed quite naturally. One night they set all of the many art instillations on fire, which was awesome because they were all over the place & some were pretty big. It got pretty hot & we had to watch out for ashes. This night was special because our group cleaned out dome & put on a formal dinner where we all got dressed up. Another night we all walked to go watch the big Trojan Horse burn. This was my favorite burn. We were pretty close & the horse was pretty big. I had come to love this horse actually. It was right near our street close to Esplanade & during the day, it stood out as being big & black & at night stood out as being lit up in neon red. It was our beacon toward home/camp. I didn't realize how much I would miss that Trojan beacon ;-( Another night we all went out on a mutant vehicle/art car called the Samba Bus. They played good music that was a break from the constant dub step, although I do love dub step, & had a double decker London Style bus with the top removed & a bar upstairs. We rode this car out to watch the Man burn. After the burn it got really quite & I realized my group had disappeared. I decided I didn't want to be out that deep in the middle of the playa by myself & I wanted to get back to camp & call it an early night. Being deep playa & having no art instillations or trojan Horse to guide me having been burned, my bearings were off & I was lucky to have headed towards Esplanade, the exterior of both the playa & the neighborhood. I remembered that we had ridden pretty far from camp to hop on the art car &, by the grace of God, remembered the address where we had parked. I was a little nervous at finding the campsite where my bike was at remembering that there was nothing really stand-out-ish about it & it was now very dark. I ended up walking to the edge of the playa & being pretty far away from where my bike was, so I headed towards the right street. Once I got to the street I began looking for the cross street & had only gotten 2 blocks down when, in the darkness of the desert, it appeared as thought the street had ended. I had a little mental break down & knew that this was no time for me to lose my shit & that I had to get my shit together. My perception was a wee bit altered as well, so I really needed to get it together. Primal instincts kicked in & I decided I needed to pee & then I could calm down, walk back out to the main road & start back again down the street hoping to see where the street continued. I finally happened upon the cross street & like a beacon from heaven I had left my flashing red light on from my head lamp, which was squeezed around the basket of my bike & so amongst a sea of bikes in an obscure camp site in the middle of nowhere I found my bike & happily, and groggily rode back to my camp at about 2AM. During the day, we would ease into the day & when we felt motivated go out & play & visit other people. Although, our camp itself was really cool. We had a dome equipped with stereos for playing music, a kitchen, a bar, hammocks & lots of chill space & pillows. Hanging from the top of our dome was a nest with colorful ribbons & peacock feathers hanging from it. It was really great & so we spent a lot of time just chillin' at our camp. The last day we were all there, Sunday, we spent a good portion of the day packing up & tearing down our beautiful little home for a week & had fun doing it. After we packed everything up, we got ready out of our cars & headed to go watch the Temple burn. This burn was silent, unlike the others that were orchestrated with dub step or other loud music. It had a very different feel to the other burns, it was silent, sacred & spacious. The temple meant different things to different people. For me it was a place where I found God & where I made a promise to my Self, to God & the the Universe which I am a part of that I will always see that I am enough & that I will always remember my connection to wholeness & never let my Self feel lonely. I also wrote a note in sharpie on the plywood walls of the temple two of my dear friends who passed away. So to me the temple burning was symbolic of me releasing their spirits & also releasing the outcome of my life to God, of offering my life up to God & letting that promise & that remembrance be ignited.
It took us 5 long hours getting through the line out of Burning Man & then we had a long drive through the night to get to Reno for breakfast. Our group was all tired, delirious, hungry & fragile on that long drive towards breakfast. We all met up & woke up a little with some good food & then headed to one of our friends houses on a beautiful 200 acre property outside Tahoe to spend one last night together & be blissed out by the presence of so many trees & creeks to play around in, a drastic contrast to the lifeless playa life we had all just been through. The whole week was very surreal, eye-opening, freeing & respectful. I found a family amongst strangers in the middle of nowhere for 10 days. We created a sustainable community in which we all shared our inherent gifts with each other, sometimes material, sometimes, immaterial. It was a beautiful experiment to be a part of & a beautiful experience & one that I will never willfully miss out on in the future, come hell or high water.
Returning home was an experience in & of itself. The drive was so long, yet empowering having doen it by myself. I had a lot of time to think & process what I had just been through & even let it seep in & incorporate it into who I am & what gifts I have to offer this world. When I got home, unpacking became a multiple day adventure. Its true nothing that comes to the playa remains unchanged. The playa was a force to be reckoned with, both at Burning Man & back home. It sticks to everything & is so drying & smells distinctly like old, dried up ocean bed. Burning Man ended about 2 months ago & I am still finding playa everywhere. Although, it reminds me of my true Self & what I experienced there & so I don't mind it at all. Every time I find more playa I sing "I'm bringin' playa back!" I can tell you about my experience, but everyone has a different experience. You just have to go, I can't tell you why, but you just have to do it.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
India's 6 Darshanas (Philosophical Systems/Points of View)
Together these 6 philosophical components provide a comprehensive system for understanding metaphysical, religious, sacred and profane realities, as well as a means for attaining liberation from the Ego in order to experience enlightenment. These 6 points of view incude the following...
Samkhya (the oldest): founded by Kapila around 700-600 B.C. This is the essence of yoga & defines the language of yoga. This system deals with spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence by utilizing reading, contemplation & meditation and yoga practice in order to understand the many different aspects of our being; spiritual, mental and physical. Purusha (consciousness) & Prakriti (nature), two of the elements are the source from which all that exists arose. Within prakriti lies three foundational types of energy, called the maha-gunas; tamas (inertia & decay), rajas (momentum & desire) & sattva (balance, luminosity & knowledge), as well as the three elements of the mind; buddhi (higher mind connecting Self with divinity), manas (lower mind connecting self with material world through senses), & ahamkara (Ego resides between the higher and lower mind). Also included are the 5 tanmatras (the 5 senses), 5 karmendriyas (5 organs of action; tongue, hands, legs, reproductive, & exctretory), 5 jnanendriyas (5 sense organs; ears, skin, eyes, tongue, & nose), and 5 mahabhutas (5 elements or states of matter; earth or solids, water or liquids, fire or transformation, air and prana—and space or void).
Yoga: founded by Patanjali around 300 B.C. & is a practical application that deals with both the spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence. Yoga chitta vritta nirodhaha, meaning yoga is for the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. It is a system of tools that enable the yogi to dissolve the ego, sharpen body, mind & spirit and possibly even reach samadhi (enlightenment).
Vedanta: founded by Vyasa around 200 B.C. & deals with spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence. Is a religious philosophy recognizing our individual divinity through our connection to all of existence and honoring and respecting all religious paths as leading to the One.
Nyaya: founded by Guatama around 150 B.C. & provides an explanation of the universe based on observation. Is a philosophy using logic to recognize & obliterate the illusion of our physical form and life, including all sorrows that arise from life, in order to reach liberation of the soul, or enlightenment. Through four sources of valid knowledge (perception, inference, comparison & verbal testimony) one gains knowledge of the 16 categories (means & objects of valid knowledge, doubt, purpose, example, conclusion, the constituents of syllogism, argumentation, ascertainment, debate, disputations, destructive criticism, fallacy, quibble, refutations, as well as points of the opponents defeat).
Vaisesika: founded by Kanada around 200 A.D. & provides an explanation of the universe based on observation. This philosophy works from the principle that all objects of the known universe can be reduced down to a finite number of atoms, whose orientation & orchestration are guided by a Supreme Being. Through two sources of valid knowledge (perception & inference).
Purva Mimamsa: founded by Jaimini around 200-250 A.D. & defines rules for interpreting ancient Vedic (truth) texts as well as meaning, justification, & significance for following the rules of the texts.
Samkhya (the oldest): founded by Kapila around 700-600 B.C. This is the essence of yoga & defines the language of yoga. This system deals with spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence by utilizing reading, contemplation & meditation and yoga practice in order to understand the many different aspects of our being; spiritual, mental and physical. Purusha (consciousness) & Prakriti (nature), two of the elements are the source from which all that exists arose. Within prakriti lies three foundational types of energy, called the maha-gunas; tamas (inertia & decay), rajas (momentum & desire) & sattva (balance, luminosity & knowledge), as well as the three elements of the mind; buddhi (higher mind connecting Self with divinity), manas (lower mind connecting self with material world through senses), & ahamkara (Ego resides between the higher and lower mind). Also included are the 5 tanmatras (the 5 senses), 5 karmendriyas (5 organs of action; tongue, hands, legs, reproductive, & exctretory), 5 jnanendriyas (5 sense organs; ears, skin, eyes, tongue, & nose), and 5 mahabhutas (5 elements or states of matter; earth or solids, water or liquids, fire or transformation, air and prana—and space or void).
Yoga: founded by Patanjali around 300 B.C. & is a practical application that deals with both the spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence. Yoga chitta vritta nirodhaha, meaning yoga is for the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. It is a system of tools that enable the yogi to dissolve the ego, sharpen body, mind & spirit and possibly even reach samadhi (enlightenment).
Vedanta: founded by Vyasa around 200 B.C. & deals with spiritual & metaphysical purposes of human existence. Is a religious philosophy recognizing our individual divinity through our connection to all of existence and honoring and respecting all religious paths as leading to the One.
Nyaya: founded by Guatama around 150 B.C. & provides an explanation of the universe based on observation. Is a philosophy using logic to recognize & obliterate the illusion of our physical form and life, including all sorrows that arise from life, in order to reach liberation of the soul, or enlightenment. Through four sources of valid knowledge (perception, inference, comparison & verbal testimony) one gains knowledge of the 16 categories (means & objects of valid knowledge, doubt, purpose, example, conclusion, the constituents of syllogism, argumentation, ascertainment, debate, disputations, destructive criticism, fallacy, quibble, refutations, as well as points of the opponents defeat).
Vaisesika: founded by Kanada around 200 A.D. & provides an explanation of the universe based on observation. This philosophy works from the principle that all objects of the known universe can be reduced down to a finite number of atoms, whose orientation & orchestration are guided by a Supreme Being. Through two sources of valid knowledge (perception & inference).
Purva Mimamsa: founded by Jaimini around 200-250 A.D. & defines rules for interpreting ancient Vedic (truth) texts as well as meaning, justification, & significance for following the rules of the texts.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Women as Waves... notes for all the men out there
Women are like the ocean and, since waves are a form of the ocean, women are also like waves.
Like the ocean, women are wild, chaotic, disorganized, spontaneous, and formless masses of energy.
Like waves, women are formed energy hurling at you. It is up to you to decide which ones you take & which ones you skip. Some you ride for awhile and quickly forget, others you ride for a short while and remember forever. There will be some you take and regret, others you skip and regret. Some are big, some are small. Some hurt, while others are massively healing.
Assess if the wave, or woman, is one you can handle. If so, be totally present with it. Take control, lead, direct, pursue, and penetrate the energy and the experience. That is the masculine role. The masculine penetrates the feminine with love & presence and in return gains access to infinite love, light and vitality. Let go into the experience of a mutually beneficial dance of life, whether it be a woman or a wave.
Like the ocean, women are wild, chaotic, disorganized, spontaneous, and formless masses of energy.
Like waves, women are formed energy hurling at you. It is up to you to decide which ones you take & which ones you skip. Some you ride for awhile and quickly forget, others you ride for a short while and remember forever. There will be some you take and regret, others you skip and regret. Some are big, some are small. Some hurt, while others are massively healing.
Assess if the wave, or woman, is one you can handle. If so, be totally present with it. Take control, lead, direct, pursue, and penetrate the energy and the experience. That is the masculine role. The masculine penetrates the feminine with love & presence and in return gains access to infinite love, light and vitality. Let go into the experience of a mutually beneficial dance of life, whether it be a woman or a wave.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Promise to myself
As a human Being, I have a choice to live my live unconsciously, or consciously.
To live unconsciously means to live solely in the physical world,
thinking that all of my existence can be played out in the physical realm.
But, we are so much more than physical beings.
Yogi Bajhan says "We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around."
To live consciously is to recognize that my existence is more than that.
That my existence, my experience, my time here as a human Beng is a gift.
A gift that is an aide toward enlightenment.
An aide towards recognizing my Oneness, my Divinity, my divine feminine role as a Goddess.
Choosing to live the life of a Goddess is not a right, its a privilege.
To radiate true Goddess beauty is to balance and transform both light & dark.
It is easy to hold light and show the world how beautiful it is,
but can you hold darkness as well, and radiate that with equanimity?
This is a true Goddess.
Living the path of a divine embodiment of a God/Goddess means that you have to be able to hold, have compassion for, forgive, accept and radiate light & dark with equanimity.
Not just that you are beautiful on the outside, but within as well, and all of the inside, dark & light alike, all of it IS beautiful!
Living the life of a Goddess is not always easy.
It means that often times you have to take the higher road, turn the other cheek, again & again, wait for divine intelligence to guide you through every breath, and sometimes your timing does not agree with Universal timing.
This past year has been the darkest & most light-filled & light-giving year of my life.
Today I stand in my own power because every moment I have lived fully according to my truth.
I give & receive love freely.
Tonight I have learned one of the toughest lessons of all.
Acceptance of what is.
Seeing timing of all beings and being accepting of it, even when it makes me hold on to a hope I am growing weary of holding.
I wish to hold no more.
I let go of all outcome.
I let things be.
I let what is to come to me when, how & where it is supposed to come to me.
I hold space for the goodness of life, for divine timing & purpose.
I remain open to love and accept nothing less than the kind of love that can match mine, which is feminine, gentle, soft, big, infinite, unconditional, formless, powerful, life-transforming and amazing.
I fully surrender to what is & can't wait to see how this love story of my Self unfolds.
To live unconsciously means to live solely in the physical world,
thinking that all of my existence can be played out in the physical realm.
But, we are so much more than physical beings.
Yogi Bajhan says "We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around."
To live consciously is to recognize that my existence is more than that.
That my existence, my experience, my time here as a human Beng is a gift.
A gift that is an aide toward enlightenment.
An aide towards recognizing my Oneness, my Divinity, my divine feminine role as a Goddess.
Choosing to live the life of a Goddess is not a right, its a privilege.
To radiate true Goddess beauty is to balance and transform both light & dark.
It is easy to hold light and show the world how beautiful it is,
but can you hold darkness as well, and radiate that with equanimity?
This is a true Goddess.
Living the path of a divine embodiment of a God/Goddess means that you have to be able to hold, have compassion for, forgive, accept and radiate light & dark with equanimity.
Not just that you are beautiful on the outside, but within as well, and all of the inside, dark & light alike, all of it IS beautiful!
Living the life of a Goddess is not always easy.
It means that often times you have to take the higher road, turn the other cheek, again & again, wait for divine intelligence to guide you through every breath, and sometimes your timing does not agree with Universal timing.
This past year has been the darkest & most light-filled & light-giving year of my life.
Today I stand in my own power because every moment I have lived fully according to my truth.
I give & receive love freely.
Tonight I have learned one of the toughest lessons of all.
Acceptance of what is.
Seeing timing of all beings and being accepting of it, even when it makes me hold on to a hope I am growing weary of holding.
I wish to hold no more.
I let go of all outcome.
I let things be.
I let what is to come to me when, how & where it is supposed to come to me.
I hold space for the goodness of life, for divine timing & purpose.
I remain open to love and accept nothing less than the kind of love that can match mine, which is feminine, gentle, soft, big, infinite, unconditional, formless, powerful, life-transforming and amazing.
I fully surrender to what is & can't wait to see how this love story of my Self unfolds.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Jivamukti Yoga
"The Jivamukta is not transformed by pleasure or pain.
Joy does not exalt the mukta, nor is the mukta depressed by pain.
The Jivamukti no longer regards the world as real...
The Jivamuktiis pure the akasha...
The Jivamukti is neither subject to attachment, nor to egoism.
The Jivamukti does not fear the world,
Nor does the world fear the jivamukta
The jivamukta is at peace with the ways of the world.
The mukta is free from worldly-mindedness...
Finally, the jivamukta maintains a cool head."
-Vidyaranya, The Jivan-Mukti-Viveka
Jivamukti Yoga provides the jiva (individual soul) with a means to liberation, freedom from the bondage of maya (illusion).
The 5 Elements of Jivamukti Yoga:
1. Scripture: Avid studying of the ancient sanskrit texts including Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads & Sanskrit alphabet & grammar.
2. Bhakti (Devotion): Practicing compassion towards all living beings as well as letting go & letting God & loving all life brings to you.
3. Ahimsa (Non-violence): Following a vegetarian diet as well as animal, environmental & social activism.
4. Music: Singing devotional prayer songs or chanting the many names of God, often in kirtan, or call & response, format.
5. Meditation: One-pointed mindfulness.
3 Types of Jivas:
1. Pravahi (tamas): worldly & not interested in attaining enlightenment
2. Maryada (rajas): seeks enlightenment through systematic approaches.
3. Pushti (sattva): filled with the grace of God.
Joy does not exalt the mukta, nor is the mukta depressed by pain.
The Jivamukti no longer regards the world as real...
The Jivamuktiis pure the akasha...
The Jivamukti is neither subject to attachment, nor to egoism.
The Jivamukti does not fear the world,
Nor does the world fear the jivamukta
The jivamukta is at peace with the ways of the world.
The mukta is free from worldly-mindedness...
Finally, the jivamukta maintains a cool head."
-Vidyaranya, The Jivan-Mukti-Viveka
Jivamukti Yoga provides the jiva (individual soul) with a means to liberation, freedom from the bondage of maya (illusion).
The 5 Elements of Jivamukti Yoga:
1. Scripture: Avid studying of the ancient sanskrit texts including Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads & Sanskrit alphabet & grammar.
2. Bhakti (Devotion): Practicing compassion towards all living beings as well as letting go & letting God & loving all life brings to you.
3. Ahimsa (Non-violence): Following a vegetarian diet as well as animal, environmental & social activism.
4. Music: Singing devotional prayer songs or chanting the many names of God, often in kirtan, or call & response, format.
5. Meditation: One-pointed mindfulness.
3 Types of Jivas:
1. Pravahi (tamas): worldly & not interested in attaining enlightenment
2. Maryada (rajas): seeks enlightenment through systematic approaches.
3. Pushti (sattva): filled with the grace of God.
Guru Invocation
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshvara, Guru Sakshat, Param Bramha, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha
Acknowledging the many different teachers in our life's that lead us in the direction of enlightenment if we are open enough to recognize them, listen to them and follow their lead. Honoring Guru Brahma, the creator, and acknowledging our birth and our existence as an aid toward enlightenment. Honoring Guru Vishnu, the preserver, and acknowledging our time here on earth, our experience as a human being, and what a blessing that is. Honoring Guru Devo Maheshvara, Shiva (the destroyer), and acknowledging revelations and the opportunity they provide for transformation. Honoring Guru Sakshat, the teacher nearby, both within ourselves and the people around us, which act like mirrors reflecting back aspects of ourselves, whether that is divinity or resistances. Honoring Param Bramha, formless and infinite. Lastly, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha finishes the invocation by offering one's life up to God.
Acknowledging the many different teachers in our life's that lead us in the direction of enlightenment if we are open enough to recognize them, listen to them and follow their lead. Honoring Guru Brahma, the creator, and acknowledging our birth and our existence as an aid toward enlightenment. Honoring Guru Vishnu, the preserver, and acknowledging our time here on earth, our experience as a human being, and what a blessing that is. Honoring Guru Devo Maheshvara, Shiva (the destroyer), and acknowledging revelations and the opportunity they provide for transformation. Honoring Guru Sakshat, the teacher nearby, both within ourselves and the people around us, which act like mirrors reflecting back aspects of ourselves, whether that is divinity or resistances. Honoring Param Bramha, formless and infinite. Lastly, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha finishes the invocation by offering one's life up to God.
Monday, September 26, 2011
The 5 Bodies
Within each of us lies 5 bodies in which the most central body is the Self, or Atman. It is good to purify the 5 bodies so that our true divinity, or Brahman, can reveal itself and shine through as the light of absolute consciousness. The 5 bodies can be categorized into 3 types: material, astral and causal.
The most external body is our material, or physical body as is called the Annamaya Kosha. Annamaya meaning food, kosha meaning covering. Annamaya Kosha can be purified through eating a clean diet, through asana (yoga poses) and through kriya (yogic cleansing techniques). A clean diet consists of chemical free plant foods. Animal products are typically laden with all the chemical residues from a lifetime of consuming inorganic and or genetically modified animal feed. Asanas are meant to aide the yogi in physical cleansing through ringing out and accessing deep parts of the body as well as purify the thoughts through one-pointed focus on alignment, and balancing Sthira (steadiness, strength and grounding) and Sukha (gentleness and softness). Kriyas are cleansing techniques a yogi uses to purify the body, the breath, the mind and the spirit. To read more about Kriyas and for some kriya techniques follow this link.
Within Annamaya Kosha lies Pranamaya Kosha, vital or astral body. Pranamaya meaning vitality. Pranamaya Kosha can be purified through Pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) as well as kriya. For more on Pranayama and to learn some techniques follow this link.
Within Pranamaya Kosha lies Manomaya Kosha, or the emotional body, also categorized under the astral body. Manomaya meaning emotions. Manomaya Kosha can be cleansed through karma yoga (selfless service and the yoga of action), bhakti yoga (devotion to God and the yoga of love), chanting (devotional prayer songs chanting the many names of God), yamas (how we treat the world) and niyamas (how we treat ourselves). Karma yoga is one of the 4 major yogas and is rooted in selfless service and is a good way to make sure our actions are in alignment with the Universe and, therefore, cause good karmic affects. There are 3 types of karma: past, present and future. Sanchitta is our unresolved past actions, in this lifetime or previous lifetimes. Parabda is our present action in which we have control over. Agami is our future action in which we also have no control over, and are the result of our present actions, which we DO have control over. Bhakti yoga is also one of the 4 major yogas and is the yoga of love, devotion and prayer. Bhakti yogis see every moment as an opportunity to love yourself, your fellow living beings, life, the Universe, all of it! Every moment contains a drop of golden nectar and it is our greatest gift to see that, honor it and be in a constant state of gratitude and devotion over it. Many Bhakti yogis, as well as many other paths, invoke a connection to spirit by chanting or singing out the many names of God. It is said that in chanting the names repeatedly, known as japa, one becomes completely immersed in and connected to Spirit. Yamas and Niyamas can be filed under Ashtanga Yoga, the 8-limbed path to Self-realization. They are the first two limbs. Yamas are the way we interact with the world around us and are classified into 5 restraints or abstinences. Ahimsa, or non-violence, is the first of the 5 restraints or abstinence and works to endhostility and hold compassion for all living things. Satya, or non-lying, promotes truthfulness and power of the spoken word. Asteya, or non-stealing, reminds us to practice faith in that all things will come to us when, where and how they are meant to. Bramhacharya, non-hoarding, invokes the practice of moderation and strength of will. Last but not least, Aparigraha, non-possession reminds us not to continually let go of our physical, mental and emotional attachments to things. Niyamasare the way we interact with ourselves and are classified into 5 observances. First is Saucham, defined as purity, health & radiance. This includes what we put into our bodies, mind and spirit. Pure diet, pure thoughts, and pure intention are healthy practices for this observance. Santosha, or contentment, is another observance as entails being ok with whatever we experience because it is all meant to be and there is no good or bad and we can only control our reactions to our experience and not what we experience itself. Tapas, or heat, comes with self discipline rooted in the physical practice as well as meditation. When we begin to feel the heat and are in the climax of our experience, it is best to stay there and handle it with grace, compassion and integrity so as to move through it and experience true transformation. Svadhyaya, self-study, is the observance of one's own ego in order to understand it and go beyond it. Isvara Pranidhana is the last observance and requires devotion and surrender to cosmic intelligence or divine intuition, offering your experience up to God as a form of prayer.
Within Manomaya Kosha lies Vijnanamaya Kosha, or the intellectual body, also within the astral body. Vijnanamaya meaning intellect. The intellectual body is comprised of thoughts and ideas and can be purified through satsang, or keeping company of those also interested in seeking liberation from the ego and merging with Oneness, as well as through the study of scriptures (from any enlightened beings), sanskrit (ancient yogic language) and meditation (one-pointed mindfulness). Scriptures from all enlightened beings are equally helpful such as the Rig Vedas, Vedas, Yoga Sutras, the Bible, the Koran, etc.
Finally, the innermost core of the 5 bodies encompasses the Anandamaya Kosha, or the bliss body, which lies within the causal or seed body. Anandamaya meaning bliss. Anandamaya Kosha can be purified through complete and total connection with the Universe, the state of true ecstacy, also known as Samadhi, which is the 8th limb of Ashtanga yoga.
All 5 bodies interact with and affect each other and so purifying them can lead to a heightened state of awareness, and allows for consciousness to shine through.
The most external body is our material, or physical body as is called the Annamaya Kosha. Annamaya meaning food, kosha meaning covering. Annamaya Kosha can be purified through eating a clean diet, through asana (yoga poses) and through kriya (yogic cleansing techniques). A clean diet consists of chemical free plant foods. Animal products are typically laden with all the chemical residues from a lifetime of consuming inorganic and or genetically modified animal feed. Asanas are meant to aide the yogi in physical cleansing through ringing out and accessing deep parts of the body as well as purify the thoughts through one-pointed focus on alignment, and balancing Sthira (steadiness, strength and grounding) and Sukha (gentleness and softness). Kriyas are cleansing techniques a yogi uses to purify the body, the breath, the mind and the spirit. To read more about Kriyas and for some kriya techniques follow this link.
Within Annamaya Kosha lies Pranamaya Kosha, vital or astral body. Pranamaya meaning vitality. Pranamaya Kosha can be purified through Pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) as well as kriya. For more on Pranayama and to learn some techniques follow this link.
Within Pranamaya Kosha lies Manomaya Kosha, or the emotional body, also categorized under the astral body. Manomaya meaning emotions. Manomaya Kosha can be cleansed through karma yoga (selfless service and the yoga of action), bhakti yoga (devotion to God and the yoga of love), chanting (devotional prayer songs chanting the many names of God), yamas (how we treat the world) and niyamas (how we treat ourselves). Karma yoga is one of the 4 major yogas and is rooted in selfless service and is a good way to make sure our actions are in alignment with the Universe and, therefore, cause good karmic affects. There are 3 types of karma: past, present and future. Sanchitta is our unresolved past actions, in this lifetime or previous lifetimes. Parabda is our present action in which we have control over. Agami is our future action in which we also have no control over, and are the result of our present actions, which we DO have control over. Bhakti yoga is also one of the 4 major yogas and is the yoga of love, devotion and prayer. Bhakti yogis see every moment as an opportunity to love yourself, your fellow living beings, life, the Universe, all of it! Every moment contains a drop of golden nectar and it is our greatest gift to see that, honor it and be in a constant state of gratitude and devotion over it. Many Bhakti yogis, as well as many other paths, invoke a connection to spirit by chanting or singing out the many names of God. It is said that in chanting the names repeatedly, known as japa, one becomes completely immersed in and connected to Spirit. Yamas and Niyamas can be filed under Ashtanga Yoga, the 8-limbed path to Self-realization. They are the first two limbs. Yamas are the way we interact with the world around us and are classified into 5 restraints or abstinences. Ahimsa, or non-violence, is the first of the 5 restraints or abstinence and works to endhostility and hold compassion for all living things. Satya, or non-lying, promotes truthfulness and power of the spoken word. Asteya, or non-stealing, reminds us to practice faith in that all things will come to us when, where and how they are meant to. Bramhacharya, non-hoarding, invokes the practice of moderation and strength of will. Last but not least, Aparigraha, non-possession reminds us not to continually let go of our physical, mental and emotional attachments to things. Niyamasare the way we interact with ourselves and are classified into 5 observances. First is Saucham, defined as purity, health & radiance. This includes what we put into our bodies, mind and spirit. Pure diet, pure thoughts, and pure intention are healthy practices for this observance. Santosha, or contentment, is another observance as entails being ok with whatever we experience because it is all meant to be and there is no good or bad and we can only control our reactions to our experience and not what we experience itself. Tapas, or heat, comes with self discipline rooted in the physical practice as well as meditation. When we begin to feel the heat and are in the climax of our experience, it is best to stay there and handle it with grace, compassion and integrity so as to move through it and experience true transformation. Svadhyaya, self-study, is the observance of one's own ego in order to understand it and go beyond it. Isvara Pranidhana is the last observance and requires devotion and surrender to cosmic intelligence or divine intuition, offering your experience up to God as a form of prayer.
Within Manomaya Kosha lies Vijnanamaya Kosha, or the intellectual body, also within the astral body. Vijnanamaya meaning intellect. The intellectual body is comprised of thoughts and ideas and can be purified through satsang, or keeping company of those also interested in seeking liberation from the ego and merging with Oneness, as well as through the study of scriptures (from any enlightened beings), sanskrit (ancient yogic language) and meditation (one-pointed mindfulness). Scriptures from all enlightened beings are equally helpful such as the Rig Vedas, Vedas, Yoga Sutras, the Bible, the Koran, etc.
Finally, the innermost core of the 5 bodies encompasses the Anandamaya Kosha, or the bliss body, which lies within the causal or seed body. Anandamaya meaning bliss. Anandamaya Kosha can be purified through complete and total connection with the Universe, the state of true ecstacy, also known as Samadhi, which is the 8th limb of Ashtanga yoga.
All 5 bodies interact with and affect each other and so purifying them can lead to a heightened state of awareness, and allows for consciousness to shine through.
Aaaaaahhhhh....Oooooooh.....Mmmmmmmm
"Om expresses the four states of consciousness - jagrat (waking), swapna (dreaming), sushupti (deep sleep), and turiya (samadhi) - both visually and in sound. When we chant Om, each part vibrates in a different part of the body and represents a different state of consciousness. The Ah blooms in the lower abdomen and represents jagrat, the waking state. Oooh vibrates in the solar plexus and heart and represents swapna, the dream state. Mmm vibrates in our skull and represents sushupti, deep sleep. The fourth state, turiya, exists in the continuing vibration and resonating, unstruck sound of Om. Om is the sound that is God's name." - Summarized from the book Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon & David Life.
Heart Wide Open: a heart opening medititation
My most favorite, most satisfying, most heart-filling meditation to do involves opening your heart wide open to interact with and accept the whole Universe into your heart without hesitation or fear. This meditation can be done anywhere and anytime. It is a good way to view the present moment with clarity, and to progress.
To begin, get comfortable and try to relax your body as much as possible, feel the ground beneath you and visualize roots growing from your body into the earth as you grow the spine tall and allow your crown chakra to remain open. Breath open through and soften the front body, especially the heart center, Anahata chakra. Imagine your heart center opening wide with each inhale to interact with and connect to the Universe, and love what you find. Let the feeling of wholeness and Universal love tickle and warm your soul. As you exhale allow the heart to close back in and take a moment to accept love into your heart. Feel the fullness of love and then do it again. Continue inhaling to open and exhaling to close, breathing the whole Universe in and out through your heart. If a bit of darkness is revealed to you, feel the resistance it causes as you try to open to the Universe and breath open to break the resistance up and out of your heart until it is gone. As you do this see the truth about what is revealed to you and ask yourself tough questions. Validate, forgive, and accept it into your heart and let it go. Each moment, live and breath open into your true life’s path and love every single moment of it, no matter how dark or tough it gets.
To begin, get comfortable and try to relax your body as much as possible, feel the ground beneath you and visualize roots growing from your body into the earth as you grow the spine tall and allow your crown chakra to remain open. Breath open through and soften the front body, especially the heart center, Anahata chakra. Imagine your heart center opening wide with each inhale to interact with and connect to the Universe, and love what you find. Let the feeling of wholeness and Universal love tickle and warm your soul. As you exhale allow the heart to close back in and take a moment to accept love into your heart. Feel the fullness of love and then do it again. Continue inhaling to open and exhaling to close, breathing the whole Universe in and out through your heart. If a bit of darkness is revealed to you, feel the resistance it causes as you try to open to the Universe and breath open to break the resistance up and out of your heart until it is gone. As you do this see the truth about what is revealed to you and ask yourself tough questions. Validate, forgive, and accept it into your heart and let it go. Each moment, live and breath open into your true life’s path and love every single moment of it, no matter how dark or tough it gets.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
My first Ayahuasca Journey
First and foremost, every Ayahuasca journey begins with a personal intention or desire, even if that intention is to just connect with spirit & let the Queen Mother Ayahuasca plant medicine show you what you are supposed to see. The experience can be very narly or the best time of your life so be prepared and willing to let it be whatever it is supposed to be. You really have to be prepared for anything.
Ayahuasca is a plant medicine ingested during a shaman-led ceremony that an individual takes to connect with spirit & take a journey from the crown to the heart chakra, dancing with the divine spirit through all the many layers of light, dark, fear & bliss along the way. The plant embodies a feminine presence & so it is called the Queen Mother who takes you & holds you through all of it & you dance with her in the most beautiful display of divine work that can ever take place. The work does not even take place on this realm per say. In fact there has to be a little death that takes place & any resistance to the death will prevent you from journeying & take you into a bad trip. If you are able to let go of your physical attachment to this body, this life, then what you experience will be beyond words, beyond thought, beyond this physical existence & in that place you will meet your deepest darkest fears, pain as well as your most beautiful truth, that we are truly all one & fear & pain are only in the mind & that our purpose here, all of our purposes is to love & to live without fear, without boundaries, without hesitation. That we are infinite beings living a physical & a spiritual life within the same space & time, and in fact there is no such thing as space & time in our spiritual realm. Space & time only exist in this physical reality. Our ego creates the illusion that anchors us in this reality & prevents us from experiencing our highest potential, our divinity. We foolishly believe that all we are is this life, this body, this existence. In reality, we are infinite & formless, we are everything we could ever want or need, we are one with the universe, we are perfect & whole, we are love, light, darkness & that there is no such thing as good or bad, it all just is. The Queen Mother shows us that in a truly profound way.
My personal intention was to meet my fears, pain & darkness & see them naked & bear and transform them into light & love & to experience my divinity. I went into the ceremony with no agenda & what I got was so much more than I could have ever dreamt for myself. My personal journey showed me all of me & I now love my beautiful soul, I love all of the Universe/God. I love it all & I want to fuck it all, making sweet, divine love to all of it with every passing moment. I no longer fear anything as there is truly nothing to fear. I no longer carry the pain of feeling not enough, rejected & excluded. Enough is finite & I am infinite.
I felt my pain from & danced with it & with the Queen Mother & my spirit guides. They watched as I danced in serpent like undulations with my pain, so proud so strong, so courageous. I never, even for a moment, wanted to be anywhere else, doing anything else. I felt that I had prepared for this moment for an eternity. I loved that moment, it was my work & I did it beautifully. She showed me the pain in tolerable doses & I wept through it & when it was too much for me too handle I stopped and breathed the pain open & out of my heart & into the Universe as love & light. I saw the pain, felt the pain & breathed it wide open through my heart & through my pores & transformed it into light & love & forgave. I broke open the protective shell encasing my heart & was left with a free, wide open & vulnerable heart & all is good. I met so many significant people in my life, had conversations with them & transformed our unspoken illusions into truth, love & light.
I danced with the Queen Mother & saw my beauty & danced with it. I met the Motherly Spirit of the World & at first she took form of a beautiful, wise & older woman with a feather in her long, silver, tied-back hair. I looked into her deep eyes & saw truth & nothing needed to be explained to me anymore. I was one with truth.
I saw that all this reading, studying & guidance I have sought out is a phony. It has woven together a false tapestry with threads of Eckhart Tolle, J. Krishnamurti, John O'DOnohue, Judith Lasater, Sharon Gannon, David Life, the Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads & the like. But thy are other peoples words, thoughts, feeling & experiences, not mine. I saw that I no longer needed to walk around with that cloak & I shed them fearlessly. Every time I released something significant a wave of nauseousness came over me & I saw that it was resistance to letting go of that & it was like my body felt like it needed to purge on the physical level as well, but I knew it didn't need to. I sat up & danced with the Queen Mother & invited her to come up if she wanted to, but she didn't. I breathed through the resistance & came back into my journey, back into my power. Every time I almost threw up, a helper (which they called Angels) would sit right in front of me & hold space for me.
Everything I met I breathed through my open heart & through my pours & into the Universe. I invited pain, sorrow, love & light into my heart with equanimity & without fear. Fear is a figment of the imagination, an ego-driven illusion. Every time I opened my eyes I would look around at the Angels & the journeyers & saw them in their beauty. We all wore white & there was about 100 journeyers, 10 Angels & our divine guides Juan & Cielo. It was a 6 hour long orchestration of absolute Divine beauty. In the wee hours of the morning I peeled my eyes open to find the whole room dancing in serpent-like movements. Every time I invited the Queen Mother in, or maybe she took me at her own free will because I prayed to her & gave her permission to, I would feel my crown chakra become fire-hot & wide open. I would also feel my Reiki attuned hands on fire & they would be placed in the perfect spot on my body. Sometimes they got so hot I had to move them. My chakras ran energy un-impeded. I felt everything move through me with no boundaries, no illusions. I felt the whole universe move in & out of my heart & my pores without resistance of any kind. It wasn't until after the ceremony that I threw up & it was only once & it was not bad & it was only because we were not allowed to sleep there & having had to take three doses, the maximum they can give you, my journey began a little later & I was not don when the ceremony ended. The Queen Mother had to come out if I was to sit up, stand up, walk to my car & drive to a safe place where I could finally sleep and it finally did.
This experience was absolutely priceless & I would not have traded it for the world. From this day forward I make no promises but I vow to try to stay present to whatever comes up for me, to breath open through it & as it. I vow to observe my fears as they come up & remember what I saw, that fear is in the mind, in the ego & it is not real, that I am more enough, that I am infinite, that I am not rejected, that I am love, I am light & I am absolutely fearless!
Ayahuasca is a plant medicine ingested during a shaman-led ceremony that an individual takes to connect with spirit & take a journey from the crown to the heart chakra, dancing with the divine spirit through all the many layers of light, dark, fear & bliss along the way. The plant embodies a feminine presence & so it is called the Queen Mother who takes you & holds you through all of it & you dance with her in the most beautiful display of divine work that can ever take place. The work does not even take place on this realm per say. In fact there has to be a little death that takes place & any resistance to the death will prevent you from journeying & take you into a bad trip. If you are able to let go of your physical attachment to this body, this life, then what you experience will be beyond words, beyond thought, beyond this physical existence & in that place you will meet your deepest darkest fears, pain as well as your most beautiful truth, that we are truly all one & fear & pain are only in the mind & that our purpose here, all of our purposes is to love & to live without fear, without boundaries, without hesitation. That we are infinite beings living a physical & a spiritual life within the same space & time, and in fact there is no such thing as space & time in our spiritual realm. Space & time only exist in this physical reality. Our ego creates the illusion that anchors us in this reality & prevents us from experiencing our highest potential, our divinity. We foolishly believe that all we are is this life, this body, this existence. In reality, we are infinite & formless, we are everything we could ever want or need, we are one with the universe, we are perfect & whole, we are love, light, darkness & that there is no such thing as good or bad, it all just is. The Queen Mother shows us that in a truly profound way.
My personal intention was to meet my fears, pain & darkness & see them naked & bear and transform them into light & love & to experience my divinity. I went into the ceremony with no agenda & what I got was so much more than I could have ever dreamt for myself. My personal journey showed me all of me & I now love my beautiful soul, I love all of the Universe/God. I love it all & I want to fuck it all, making sweet, divine love to all of it with every passing moment. I no longer fear anything as there is truly nothing to fear. I no longer carry the pain of feeling not enough, rejected & excluded. Enough is finite & I am infinite.
I felt my pain from & danced with it & with the Queen Mother & my spirit guides. They watched as I danced in serpent like undulations with my pain, so proud so strong, so courageous. I never, even for a moment, wanted to be anywhere else, doing anything else. I felt that I had prepared for this moment for an eternity. I loved that moment, it was my work & I did it beautifully. She showed me the pain in tolerable doses & I wept through it & when it was too much for me too handle I stopped and breathed the pain open & out of my heart & into the Universe as love & light. I saw the pain, felt the pain & breathed it wide open through my heart & through my pores & transformed it into light & love & forgave. I broke open the protective shell encasing my heart & was left with a free, wide open & vulnerable heart & all is good. I met so many significant people in my life, had conversations with them & transformed our unspoken illusions into truth, love & light.
I danced with the Queen Mother & saw my beauty & danced with it. I met the Motherly Spirit of the World & at first she took form of a beautiful, wise & older woman with a feather in her long, silver, tied-back hair. I looked into her deep eyes & saw truth & nothing needed to be explained to me anymore. I was one with truth.
I saw that all this reading, studying & guidance I have sought out is a phony. It has woven together a false tapestry with threads of Eckhart Tolle, J. Krishnamurti, John O'DOnohue, Judith Lasater, Sharon Gannon, David Life, the Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads & the like. But thy are other peoples words, thoughts, feeling & experiences, not mine. I saw that I no longer needed to walk around with that cloak & I shed them fearlessly. Every time I released something significant a wave of nauseousness came over me & I saw that it was resistance to letting go of that & it was like my body felt like it needed to purge on the physical level as well, but I knew it didn't need to. I sat up & danced with the Queen Mother & invited her to come up if she wanted to, but she didn't. I breathed through the resistance & came back into my journey, back into my power. Every time I almost threw up, a helper (which they called Angels) would sit right in front of me & hold space for me.
Everything I met I breathed through my open heart & through my pours & into the Universe. I invited pain, sorrow, love & light into my heart with equanimity & without fear. Fear is a figment of the imagination, an ego-driven illusion. Every time I opened my eyes I would look around at the Angels & the journeyers & saw them in their beauty. We all wore white & there was about 100 journeyers, 10 Angels & our divine guides Juan & Cielo. It was a 6 hour long orchestration of absolute Divine beauty. In the wee hours of the morning I peeled my eyes open to find the whole room dancing in serpent-like movements. Every time I invited the Queen Mother in, or maybe she took me at her own free will because I prayed to her & gave her permission to, I would feel my crown chakra become fire-hot & wide open. I would also feel my Reiki attuned hands on fire & they would be placed in the perfect spot on my body. Sometimes they got so hot I had to move them. My chakras ran energy un-impeded. I felt everything move through me with no boundaries, no illusions. I felt the whole universe move in & out of my heart & my pores without resistance of any kind. It wasn't until after the ceremony that I threw up & it was only once & it was not bad & it was only because we were not allowed to sleep there & having had to take three doses, the maximum they can give you, my journey began a little later & I was not don when the ceremony ended. The Queen Mother had to come out if I was to sit up, stand up, walk to my car & drive to a safe place where I could finally sleep and it finally did.
This experience was absolutely priceless & I would not have traded it for the world. From this day forward I make no promises but I vow to try to stay present to whatever comes up for me, to breath open through it & as it. I vow to observe my fears as they come up & remember what I saw, that fear is in the mind, in the ego & it is not real, that I am more enough, that I am infinite, that I am not rejected, that I am love, I am light & I am absolutely fearless!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
On Fear
“Someday you will die
Lying on your sick bed, about to breath your last breath
You will be assailed by every kind of pain,
Your mind will be filled with fears and anxieties and you will not know where to go or what to do,
Only then will you realize you have not practiced well
The skandhas/aggregates (matter, sensations, conceptions, impulses and consciousness) and the four elements within you will quickly disintegrate,
And your consciousness will be pulled wherever your ancient, twisted karma leads it.
Impermanence does not hesitate
Death will not wait
You will not be able to extend your life by even a second,
How many thousand times more will you have to pass through the gates of birth and death?
If these words are challenging, even insulting, let them be encouragement for you to change.
Practice heroically
Do not accumulate unnecessary possessions
Don’t give up
Still your ind, end wrong perceptions, concentrate and do not run after the objects of your senses.
Practice diligently
Be determined not to let your days and months pass by wastefully.”
Zen Master Guishan
Lying on your sick bed, about to breath your last breath
You will be assailed by every kind of pain,
Your mind will be filled with fears and anxieties and you will not know where to go or what to do,
Only then will you realize you have not practiced well
The skandhas/aggregates (matter, sensations, conceptions, impulses and consciousness) and the four elements within you will quickly disintegrate,
And your consciousness will be pulled wherever your ancient, twisted karma leads it.
Impermanence does not hesitate
Death will not wait
You will not be able to extend your life by even a second,
How many thousand times more will you have to pass through the gates of birth and death?
If these words are challenging, even insulting, let them be encouragement for you to change.
Practice heroically
Do not accumulate unnecessary possessions
Don’t give up
Still your ind, end wrong perceptions, concentrate and do not run after the objects of your senses.
Practice diligently
Be determined not to let your days and months pass by wastefully.”
Zen Master Guishan
Monday, April 18, 2011
Full Moon In Libra 4/17/2011 - Release Prayer
I let go of my fear in the possibility of being rejected & feeling not enough & of my discomfort in going inward (pratyahara). I release my control in the timing for when a another great love will come into my life. For now, I dance with the Divine and the One is my lover. I trust faith & clarity to light my path. I invoke Guru Ganesha to rid me of the habits that no longer serve me on my path. Ahimsa for myself & for the world I am a part of. I want contentment (santosha) with what I have & where I am at in my asana-pranayama practice & in my life.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Freshen up your asana...
Having a beginner’s mind in yoga is a beautiful thing. A beginner may not have the body awareness that a seasoned yogi may have, but what they lack in awareness they make up for in willingness to try. A good teacher instructs from the present moment and, therefore, will queue a little bit differently in each class.
In addition, each teacher has something different to bring to their students based on their personality, life experience, etc., and this flavors their teaching. Staying in the present moment and following instructions from moment to moment during class breeds opportunity for expansion in your yoga practice. As the saying goes... if you do things the way you’ve always done them, what you’ll get is what you’ve always gotten.
Another way you can keep your beginner’s mind fresh is with where you place your mat in class. I have noticed many yoga practitioners arrive early to class to”get their spot.” Instead of placing your mat down in the same spot, pick a new spot each time. Keeping your surroundings new and fresh will also help you break old patterns, even if it means you are in the sun, the air is stuffy or a higher temperature. Adding new elements to deal with each time will help you step out of your comfort zone in more ways than just the physical.
Above all, a yoga practice of any kind is better than no practice, so take my words lightly. As with all lessons learned on the mat, you may end up taking this freshness into work or at home. Oh, the possibilities!
In addition, each teacher has something different to bring to their students based on their personality, life experience, etc., and this flavors their teaching. Staying in the present moment and following instructions from moment to moment during class breeds opportunity for expansion in your yoga practice. As the saying goes... if you do things the way you’ve always done them, what you’ll get is what you’ve always gotten.
Another way you can keep your beginner’s mind fresh is with where you place your mat in class. I have noticed many yoga practitioners arrive early to class to”get their spot.” Instead of placing your mat down in the same spot, pick a new spot each time. Keeping your surroundings new and fresh will also help you break old patterns, even if it means you are in the sun, the air is stuffy or a higher temperature. Adding new elements to deal with each time will help you step out of your comfort zone in more ways than just the physical.
Above all, a yoga practice of any kind is better than no practice, so take my words lightly. As with all lessons learned on the mat, you may end up taking this freshness into work or at home. Oh, the possibilities!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tales from a Goddess...
Standing firm in that which I am I breath in...
soaking all that is me from within and from without...
I welcome the transformation & can feel its coming...
wrapped up in the moment I smile...
warmth from my heart lighting me up from inside beaming outward...
radiating onto, awakening, encouraging & inviting all in its path to let their lights shine brightly...
I am totally me & love my Self, my God-Self that I knew was always there, but now is my Lover...
My Lover & I stroll along merrily, stopping at all things that spark our curiosity...
Always connected to & receiving guidance from the Divine, the Lover, the Guest, the One, Spirit, reality...
Everything is, was & always has been exactly as it should be...
Releasing what no longer serves me, embracing what's left behind...
Remaining open to the next step in my path, faithful to the One...
Promising that if clear, I will take it...take that next step...
Loving life...
soaking all that is me from within and from without...
I welcome the transformation & can feel its coming...
wrapped up in the moment I smile...
warmth from my heart lighting me up from inside beaming outward...
radiating onto, awakening, encouraging & inviting all in its path to let their lights shine brightly...
I am totally me & love my Self, my God-Self that I knew was always there, but now is my Lover...
My Lover & I stroll along merrily, stopping at all things that spark our curiosity...
Always connected to & receiving guidance from the Divine, the Lover, the Guest, the One, Spirit, reality...
Everything is, was & always has been exactly as it should be...
Releasing what no longer serves me, embracing what's left behind...
Remaining open to the next step in my path, faithful to the One...
Promising that if clear, I will take it...take that next step...
Loving life...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
4 Major Yogas & the 8-limbed path
4 Major Yogas
JNANA YOGA: Wisdom/Knowledge. Discipline. Swadhyaya (self-study). Vichara (enquiry & questioning), discriminative intelligence (kashiraja)
*Obstacle: intellectualism, eventually you need to go beyond the known & step into your own experience.
KARMA YOGA: Action/Service. Selfless service. What work you do on yourself or for others becomes work done in service to God.
*Obstacle: can become too mechanical, not enough emotion or connection behind your actions.
BHAKTI YOGA: Love, Devotion & Prayer. Let yourself be God’s musical instrument & let the breath of God flow through you to make beautiful music in all that you do, experience & create in this world.
*Obstacle: you can get so wrapped up in your devotion you forget to share it with others & affect the world around you.
4) RAJA YOGA (Ashtanga: 8-Limbed Path): Yoga Chitta Vritta Nirodaha - Yoga is for the cessations of the fluctuations of the mind.
Ashtanga/8-Limbed Yogic Path
1) YAMA: restraints
Ahimsa - compassion for all living things, ends hostility
Satya - truth, power of word
Asteya - non-stealing, all things come
Bramhacharya - moderation, strength of will
Aparigraha - non-hoarding, non-posession
2) NIYAMA: controls, observances & application of truth
Saucham - purity, health & radiance
Santosha - contentment
Tapas - heat & self discipline
Svadhyaya - self-study
Isvara Pranidhana - devotion, surrender to cosmic intelligence/divine intuition
3) ASANA: right mental & physical positioning
4) PRANAYAMA: breath control/life force control
5) PRATYAHARA: withdrawing of the senses
6) DHARANA: focus/concentration
7) DHYANA: transition from doing to being
8) SAMADHI: individual to universal, ultimate union of God-Self
***Information obtained through my 200 hour yoga teacher training at White Lotus as well as through many books: 1) The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda, 2) Vedanta: A Simple Introduction by Pravrajika Vrajaprana & Yoga Beyond Belief by Ganga White.
JNANA YOGA: Wisdom/Knowledge. Discipline. Swadhyaya (self-study). Vichara (enquiry & questioning), discriminative intelligence (kashiraja)
*Obstacle: intellectualism, eventually you need to go beyond the known & step into your own experience.
KARMA YOGA: Action/Service. Selfless service. What work you do on yourself or for others becomes work done in service to God.
*Obstacle: can become too mechanical, not enough emotion or connection behind your actions.
BHAKTI YOGA: Love, Devotion & Prayer. Let yourself be God’s musical instrument & let the breath of God flow through you to make beautiful music in all that you do, experience & create in this world.
*Obstacle: you can get so wrapped up in your devotion you forget to share it with others & affect the world around you.
4) RAJA YOGA (Ashtanga: 8-Limbed Path): Yoga Chitta Vritta Nirodaha - Yoga is for the cessations of the fluctuations of the mind.
Ashtanga/8-Limbed Yogic Path
1) YAMA: restraints
Ahimsa - compassion for all living things, ends hostility
Satya - truth, power of word
Asteya - non-stealing, all things come
Bramhacharya - moderation, strength of will
Aparigraha - non-hoarding, non-posession
2) NIYAMA: controls, observances & application of truth
Saucham - purity, health & radiance
Santosha - contentment
Tapas - heat & self discipline
Svadhyaya - self-study
Isvara Pranidhana - devotion, surrender to cosmic intelligence/divine intuition
3) ASANA: right mental & physical positioning
4) PRANAYAMA: breath control/life force control
5) PRATYAHARA: withdrawing of the senses
6) DHARANA: focus/concentration
7) DHYANA: transition from doing to being
8) SAMADHI: individual to universal, ultimate union of God-Self
***Information obtained through my 200 hour yoga teacher training at White Lotus as well as through many books: 1) The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda, 2) Vedanta: A Simple Introduction by Pravrajika Vrajaprana & Yoga Beyond Belief by Ganga White.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Follow the Bhakti Path
Most of us think of yoga as the integration of poses, or asanas, breath, pranayama, and intention, or prayer. In reality, the physical practice is only the tip of the iceberg that draws us into an ancient recognition of our soul’s true nature, the nature of love. Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, love and prayer. Love naturally strips away the ego and allows us to focus on someone or something else. It is love that creates an environment conducive to spiritual growth and transformation.
Master Eckhart Tolle says “love is the recognition of one’s Self in another.” Because the life force that breaths through you is the same force that breaths through all living things, to love is to see that connection, to see your Self in another living thing. This force that breaths through us is called many things in many traditions; God, Allah, Holy Spirit, Universal life force, Reality, the One, etc. Whatever you choose to call it love is formless. Love goes beyond fear, beyond our limited perceptions of what it should look like or what it can give us. It is this love that has the capability to transform darkness into light, the unreal into the real. Love conquers all and seeks nothing in return.
Jimi Hendrix so adequately produced a powerful statement on the transformative nature of love when he said “the moment the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” Imagine a world full of ruled by love and how transformative that would be for humanity. For today, tomorrow and always recognize love in all that you see.
Master Eckhart Tolle says “love is the recognition of one’s Self in another.” Because the life force that breaths through you is the same force that breaths through all living things, to love is to see that connection, to see your Self in another living thing. This force that breaths through us is called many things in many traditions; God, Allah, Holy Spirit, Universal life force, Reality, the One, etc. Whatever you choose to call it love is formless. Love goes beyond fear, beyond our limited perceptions of what it should look like or what it can give us. It is this love that has the capability to transform darkness into light, the unreal into the real. Love conquers all and seeks nothing in return.
Jimi Hendrix so adequately produced a powerful statement on the transformative nature of love when he said “the moment the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” Imagine a world full of ruled by love and how transformative that would be for humanity. For today, tomorrow and always recognize love in all that you see.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Kali Ma
Kali is the Mother of Darkness, she represents the side of us where light is absent. She also represents our primal urges & recognizes them as a part of us and therefore not bad. "Its not a cry that you heard at night, its not somebody who's seen the light, its a cold & its a broken hallelujah." - Hallelujah (original Leonard Cohen). To me these lyrics further demonstrate that enlightenment means to shed light on your darkness until there is no more darkness. Of course, there will always be some darkness, and if there weren't then we wouldn't have to worry about learning that lesson here on earth. We would be a guide to others who still have lessons to learn. It is important to not run away from your dark feelings like blame, guilt, jealousy, resentment, judgement, anger, fear, sadness, doubt (especially self-doubt) & disappointment. It is important to let feelings move through you. Learn form what comes up in your life and handle the tough stuff with grace, integrity & compassion. Let things move through you so you can learn, move on, learn move on and repeat. There are so many beautiful life lessons to be gobbled up here. So get to it! Embrace Kali when a need to be honest with yourself about your darkness & you need a little extra help seeing, admitting, accepting & forgiving yourself for your darkness. Turn darkness into light.
Invocation to Kali (In Sanskrit):
Aum
Kring Kalikaye Namah
Aum
Meaning (In English):
Mother Kali! Godess Of Death
Mostress Of Justice
Wake Now, Mother & Hear My Chant,
I Call You From Your Slumber,
Come & Bring The Warrior Spirit.
Another mantra you can use when you need to motivate yourself toward positive change is the Asatoma Invocation (In Sanskrit):
Om
Asatomaa sad gamaya
Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya
Mrityormaa amritaam gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti
Meaning (In English):
Lead me from the unreal to the real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
Om peace, peace, peace
Invocation to Kali (In Sanskrit):
Aum
Kring Kalikaye Namah
Aum
Meaning (In English):
Mother Kali! Godess Of Death
Mostress Of Justice
Wake Now, Mother & Hear My Chant,
I Call You From Your Slumber,
Come & Bring The Warrior Spirit.
Another mantra you can use when you need to motivate yourself toward positive change is the Asatoma Invocation (In Sanskrit):
Om
Asatomaa sad gamaya
Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya
Mrityormaa amritaam gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti
Meaning (In English):
Lead me from the unreal to the real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
Om peace, peace, peace
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Invitation to be You
"Nothing can happen, nothing can occur in your life which is not a precisely perfect opportunity for you to heal something, create something, or experience something that you wish to heal, create or experience in order to be who you really are." - Neale Donald Walsch
Solitude
Yogic sages say that both human pain and joy are caused by words. As Liz Gilbert says in “Eat, Pray, Love” we become seduced by our own mantras. Mantras of success, failure, judgement, etc. They become a part of us and begin to dictate how we experience life. To enter into silent solitude is to take away the suffocating power of our mantras, to allow yourself to breath and connect with your most pure self, your highest destiny.
There have been two times in my life where I have been asked to spend a day in silence. The first time, I was scared. How will I be able to stay quiet for a whole day? I was pleasantly surprised to find so much pleasure in my own silence. At first everything got louder in my own head but after the persistence of mind grew tired, everything became deafeningly silent. Colors became richer, noises more profound, food more rich and every sensation became more a part of me in a good way. Now, I embrace the silence. I only wish society was more accommodating of it. It seems like everywhere I go, there is a loud bustling about me. People think you are rude if they say hello and you don’t return the gesture, even if you wear a sign indicating you are “in silence.” People can’t seem to fathom why anyone would want to be in silence. Maybe they should give it a try?
It is magical and yet totally possible to go beyond thought. A acorn does not think about growing into an oak tree, it happens naturally and spontaneously. It was the acorns destiny. We are the captain of our own destiny and nobody else shares our path. In silence you come in contact that path... your story unfolds.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Poem by Saint Frances de Sales
Be patient with everyone, but above all yourself.
Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.
How are we to be patient with our neighbors thoughts if we are impatient with our own?
They who are fretted by their own failings will not correct them.
All profitable corrections come from a calm & peaceful mind.
Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.
How are we to be patient with our neighbors thoughts if we are impatient with our own?
They who are fretted by their own failings will not correct them.
All profitable corrections come from a calm & peaceful mind.
GOD
God is in everything & everything is in God
He is in the prostitute & the nun
The bum & the millionaire
The Democrat & the Republican
The black & the white
The wave & the trough
The North & the South
The one & the One
See Him everywhere or nowhere
He is in the prostitute & the nun
The bum & the millionaire
The Democrat & the Republican
The black & the white
The wave & the trough
The North & the South
The one & the One
See Him everywhere or nowhere
Comfortable
Be comfortable in a place if discomfort
Growth occurs outside our comfort zone.
Enjoy you growth
Enjoy the transformation
Enjoy the journey
Enjoy the process
Be comfortable with the whole natural & creative process of the universe in which you are a part of.
Growth occurs outside our comfort zone.
Enjoy you growth
Enjoy the transformation
Enjoy the journey
Enjoy the process
Be comfortable with the whole natural & creative process of the universe in which you are a part of.
Sacred Breath
The breath is sacred
In Celtic Wisdom breath is sister to the divine
Use the breath as a guide to see how you are choosing to empower your experience.
Smooth it out, slow it down, make it strong & powerful.
Engage life by engaging in life spirit
-Self
In Celtic Wisdom breath is sister to the divine
Use the breath as a guide to see how you are choosing to empower your experience.
Smooth it out, slow it down, make it strong & powerful.
Engage life by engaging in life spirit
-Self
EGO
Ego is not bad
It means Self maker
How you choose to make yourself from moment to moment is reflective of how you choose to make yourself in life.
It means Self maker
How you choose to make yourself from moment to moment is reflective of how you choose to make yourself in life.
Step into your greatness
Step into your greatness
We all have the potential for greatness
But not many of us step up to the plate
If you never do, you'll never know your greatness
Go big or go home
If you're going to be here, be here
Namaste Yo!
We all have the potential for greatness
But not many of us step up to the plate
If you never do, you'll never know your greatness
Go big or go home
If you're going to be here, be here
Namaste Yo!
Transition during class
Linking Asana (pose), Pranayama (life force control) & Intention (prayer) in the physical practice link body, spirit & mind together. The integrity you maintain during an physical yoga class (asana/pranayama class) is a reflection of how much integrity you have in life. The way you approach each class & the poses themselves is a reflection of you. How you handle the tough & easy poses. Its how you handle the tough & easy situations in life. Make contact with how you engage in each pose & how you transition from one pose to the next because that is how you engage & move from one tough moment to the next in life. These poses & transitions are mirrors to us. Making a change enables you to make a change in your life.
Fear
Our mats reflect our fears.
Fear of letting go,
moving forward,
seeing the full truth without judgment.
Fear of letting go,
moving forward,
seeing the full truth without judgment.
Rain Inspired Poem - Esalen, Oct 2010 Work Study Month
Welcome Rain!
Wash away my dicontentment so that I may be made new.
Free to create a life that serves me.
Everything is exactly as it should be.
I am meant to have these feelings.
Everything that enters my sacred space is a blessing.
A breadcrumb or clue from one moment to the next.
Let my story unfold
Let my story unfold
Let my story unfold
Live my truth
Find the courage
Be a warrior for truth
Go home
Each breath born from truth leads me into my next moment of pure truth.
Along my path I go
A righteous way
I know the way
But, sometimes am averted
sometimes attached to old ways
Hoping for full surrender & release, unnatachment, strength & true beauty
He is the breath beneath my breath
Untterly inspired by Self
Mislaya Kolo!
-Self
Wash away my dicontentment so that I may be made new.
Free to create a life that serves me.
Everything is exactly as it should be.
I am meant to have these feelings.
Everything that enters my sacred space is a blessing.
A breadcrumb or clue from one moment to the next.
Let my story unfold
Let my story unfold
Let my story unfold
Live my truth
Find the courage
Be a warrior for truth
Go home
Each breath born from truth leads me into my next moment of pure truth.
Along my path I go
A righteous way
I know the way
But, sometimes am averted
sometimes attached to old ways
Hoping for full surrender & release, unnatachment, strength & true beauty
He is the breath beneath my breath
Untterly inspired by Self
Mislaya Kolo!
-Self
Frustration
Frustration with discontentment stems from frustration with false self projected into existence.
Creative Process
Enjoy the creative process without attachment to its outcome. The creative process of life must not be controlled or you and your life will become stagnant & eventually break down. - Self
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