Dreaming Yoga

August 25, Greenhouse Studio - Denman yoga class

2011-08-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. FIONA WILL BE CONDUCTING HER REGULAR CLASS.

I'll be teaching a yoga class at the Greenhouse Studio on Wednesday, August 25th at 9:30 am. It will be a follow up to the Divine Mother Mudras and Moon/Sun Salutations we covered last time.

The address is 1720 Northwest Road, Denman Island, BC. Watch for the blue dragon sign.

Do come out and fill up on summer fun while August yoga lasts...

I'll be teaching a class at the Greenhouse Studio

2011-08-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, August 11, at 9:30 am, please join me as I lead a yoga class on Divine Mother Mudras and Morning Salutation practice. The session will take place at the Kang Ren Clinic on Northwest Road (1720, watch for the sign with the dragon):

The Greenhouse Studio is a lovely spot for yoga, with a heated floor and airy breezes to compliment the surrounding full length windows and abundant veggies, herbs and peach tree.

We will learn hand yoga (mudras) for prayer and the moon / sun salutations for blood flow.

Mudras will be as taught at the Yashodhara Ashram, and to increase circulation for feet and hands we will greet the four directions with both the moon and sun salutatory movements.

See you there I hope :)

Summer2Love

2011-07-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

The folks at the Shanti House Yoga Retreat and B&B are putting on a month long yoga program in their yurt studio. Since the 2007 arrival of Shanti House, Denman Island has solidified its reputation as a Yoga Mecca - through popular events like this program. The teachers are local, with some visitors to enhance the mix. Check out their schedule for the month of August, a truly inspiring way to celebrate Summer 2011!

(On a personal note: their place is so beautiful, I am pleased Lama Rodney's former house went to such deserving souls.)

SUMMER2LOVE: It started in 2010 with Summer of Love, and the tradition carries on...

A Month of Yoga on Denman This Summer

Inspired by last year's Summer of Love yoga festival, which lit up the Shanti House yurt with yogic bliss, this year Laurie, George and Laura present the Summer2Love this August.

We are pleased to be bringing senior teachers from Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest to our Island. David Wilson from Alberta is the founder of Body, Breath and Voice Integrative Therapy and a much-sought-after teacher of workshops on the use of yoga, breath and voice to develop vocal strength and personal confidence, and to unleash one's full creative potential.

Elizabeth Rainey is the Director of Advanced Studies at Seattle Yoga Arts and a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher. Anusara, which weaves a heart-expansive, life-affirming Tantric philosophy with a universal set of alignment principles, is one of the fastest growing yoga styles in North America.

Local teachers Laura Busheikin and George McFaul are both passionate about sharing yoga's power for healing, personal transformation and fun. George's approach is informed by wisdom from his teachers Donna Farhi and Richard Miller, and Laura is inspired by Sandra Sammartino's teachings about yoga as an adventurous path of personal growth.

Odette Slater and Ron Stelting kick-start the festival with a weekend of yoga and drumming. Odette combines a rich background in yoga with extensive explorations in dance, Pilates and various mind-body healing modalities. Ron has been facilitating drum circles for almost ten years, inspired by his studies with Arthur Hill, the "father of the drum circle movement."

SUMMER2LOVE SCHEDULE:

July 29/30: Yoga and Drumming: Odette Slater and Ron Stelting

August 1 - 5: Yoga for Body, Breath and Voice with David Wilson
August 8 - 12: Get Back to the Garden -- Yoga and Nature with Laura Busheikin
August 15 - 19: Loving What Is -- Asana, Vinyasa and Yoga Nidra with George McFaul
August 22 - 29: Devotion in Motion: Dancing the Universe Awake -- Anusara Yoga with Elizabeth Rainey

Schedule for weekly workshops:
Monday through Friday 9:30 - 12:30
Tuesday and Thursday evening 7:30 - 9:30
Friday afternoon closing session 4:30 - 6:00

Pricing:
$245 for a week-long workshop; early bird special $215 if registered one month before your event. individual sessions: 3-hr class: $35, 2-hr class: $25. Five mornings $175.

More info: email peace@shantihouse.ca, or call 335-9141.

Avalokitesvara: Way of Love and Compassion

2011-07-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Visiting Lama at the Denman Hermitage on Saturday, August 6 – Sunday, August 7

Teachings/Meditation led by Lama Shenpen.

"Lama Shenpen has led a full life, first as a married woman with children, and then as an ordained Buddhist nun. She is best described as a true spiritual elder, having spent much of her life studying and practicing the Dharma. In 1995 she accomplished a Three Year Retreat on Mt Tam, Salt Spring Island, with the guidance of by her root Lama, the late Kalu Rinpoche.

Lama’s retreat will focus on the practice of devotion, love and compassion, particularly embodied in the luminous ideal of Avalokitesvara. She will explain what is required to access the purer level of your being through meditation. Lama’s instruction will cover such subjects as Calm-abiding (shamata) practice, meditation posture, sitting and walking meditation, going-to-sleep meditation, the four thoughts that turn the mind, silence, and how best to establish a daily routine. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. Learn how the power of love for others is capable of profoundly transfiguring your heart and mind."

Another engaging event facilitated by the Denman Hermitage!

P.S.
It's going to be wonderful to have an esteemed woman Lama give these teachings on my solar return :)

Learn about yoga from the Jedi Knights: Installment #3

2011-07-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

In the Introduction to learning about yoga from the Jedi Knights I gave a list of quotes that would be addressed. Today we're looking at the following Yoda quote and addressing what it means in the context of yoga:

"Patience young Padawan"

In this context the student is distracted by an urge to run off and use his new sense of power to save his friends. He is pained by visions of them, seeing them suffer feels like too much to bear. The teacher understands that a compulsion to help is at the core of each warrior but that real danger lurks behind the veil of ego, or false/temporary identity. It takes much discipline to avert taking on the pain of others. A young student is most at risk - of being driven mad, or at least to make the same rash mistakes again and again, by identifying with temporal pain and behaving recklessly. The discipline of practice is what tears away, necessarily, all false identification. The Padawan-learner is not patient - the teacher cautions. If you feel fear as a motivation for action, stay mindful. Question the root of your urges. Consider potential outcomes from a grounded stance.

To abide by the path of yoga is to see the extent of how many personalities can exist in a psyche. In the quote in question, we gain the same guidance that has been passed down from teacher to student since the time of the Rshis and before. Meditation helps students learn that the personality of the moment is just that, fleeting and finicky. What is the essence of changelessness? Is there conflict? Breathe into mental pain that comes up. If it gets to feel too much, you are encountering an ageless stage in spiritual growth and have the choice to deal with it in many ways. You can dart off in the hope of helping with an imagined show of might, or you can utilize the method of yogis. Move stuck energy for good by stretching your muscles, including your heart and head.

The question behind, "patience young Padawan" is "will abandoning the task at hand to go after something else help in the long run?". Persevere in asking: Who will it help? What will be the repercussions? How do feelings affect thinking?

New Moon yoga in the sunshine on Mother Earth

2011-06-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is meant for laying out a mat on the grass and doing yoga. If it's not too hot, like early morning, let the sun stream into you and inspire you with divine light. Feel the earth grounding you where you stand. Allow the wind to open your lungs with fresh, clean breath. In the peak of the day, find a partly sunny spot to practice in, and make it secluded so you can include some chanting or simple mantra. The winter was long and the spring was even longer, however, we are about to enter a new season: summer at its finest. This, along with New Moon energy, makes the holiday weekend an ideal occasion for focusing on gratitude and asking for guidance in the next steps on the spiritual path. I'd recommend the Moon Salutation series, as always at the moon phases.

... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA!

Learn about yoga from the Jedi Knights: Installment #2

2011-06-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

"How you get so big on this food?!"

In this context, the question suggests a looming imbalance. The student is big, but he or she eats prefabricated food with an endless shelf life. How can this be sustained? When will the foundation s/he stands on rot?

One of the major branches of yoga is Ayurvedic medicine, which is focused on diet as the primary route to a solid foundation in complete health. The practices of Ayurveda are regimented, and usually result in a trim, stream lined body. An efficient shape and size is helpful for the long haul of life. No need to carry more weight than necessary, otherwise the yogi may stumble and fall on the spiritual path

Balance is part of practicing yoga, not just in the diet, but also in the physical postures and in the habits of the mind. To stay in good balance in all aspects of being is to understand that there is no easy, quick, prefab package. True might comes from feeding the soul and the body well everyday, and is key if you want to be your mightiest Self until the day you die.

Learn about yoga from the Jedi Knights: Installment #1

2011-06-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

"Do. Or do not. There is no try, only do."

In this context the teacher is helping the student deepen the ability to commit. To begin a task with a half hearted commitment can sabotage success from the start, and no one on the spiritual path has time to waste! Putting oneself wholly into projects means unifying the body/mind, and union is the aim of all yoga practice. The translation of the Sanskrit word yoga means union. Half assed, half hearted - these are colourful terms that mean a lack of commitment.

How do projects turn out if your hands are involved but not your head? What if your spirit doesn't support the work your body is doing?

If we delve even deeper into the yogic meaning of this quote, it's actually about mindfulness. "Trying" leaves room for failure in the future, and hauls past inadequacies (or lack of training/experience/support) into the present. Look to the pure potential of the VERY NOW, breathe into it, do your best to hit your target, and stay grounded in non-attachment - because circumstances are sometimes such that the goal can not be hit. This doesn't have to mean failure, as long as your mind set is open to learning from each moment, from each experience, a person can increase his or her power of manifestation.

Do commit to being present every moment, and taking action for a better now. Do not focus on "ifs". There is no other truth than this.

Learn about yoga from the Jedi Knights: Introduction

2011-05-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Did you know Swami Radha was neighbour to George Lucas at a crucial time in his authorship of Star Wars?

Well before George Lucas wrote the Star Wars Trilogy, featuring Jedi Knights - an order of mystic warriors who use The Force in life and battle, he spent time conversing with her, on the shores of Kootenay Lake, BC, where she had an ashram and he had a cottage. Her ashram thrives now, 40 years later, and his movies went on to grip generations like nothing before or since.

As a child I was touched by each film, and together they helped shape the course of my life

It was the story. I felt inspired to believe... to recognize a power grounded in spirit. The story urged me to look to the past, present AND future, and realize their oneness. I remembered - I was one with the guardians of peace and justice in the Universe.

photo credit: sl-lost.com

Sound like yoga? Even though that word was not familiar to me as a child, the moment I moved closer to:

the big trees
the ashram where Swami Radha spoke the words of yoga to George Lucas
a hermit lifestyle

... I was introduced to yoga. At 19, in Kingston Ontario, the city of my birth, the event still resonates with the instant and joyful recognition of the root of the unforgettable Jedi teachings...

They influenced me and others but what do I mean by "gripped generations"? The original Star Wars movie first hit theatres in 1977, and in 2001, census stats from several countries reported approximately half a million people had entered Jedi Knight as their "Religion".

"Jedi Knight" has made it onto the official list of religions for the UK

Almost 30 years later, in Canada, 21,000 Jedi Knights... in England/Wales, almost 400,000! There was enough devotion to the films after 3 decades that a second (horribly empty) trilogy was not just created, but endured by millions and millions and millions. (The second trilogy is a whole other ball game indeed.)

The title of the original movie: A New Hope could have been A New Hope from an Ancient Doctrine

There is so much fodder for yoga discussion in the movies, that several quotes need to be addressed over a few sections. Stay tuned for more in the Learn about yoga from the Jedi Knights series... as interpreted through the Swami Radha's teachings.

Until then here is a selection of quotes by the most venerated of the Jedi Knight teachers.

The Yoga of Yoda

Do. Or do not. There is no try, only do.
How you get so big on this food?!
Patience young Padawan
Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them. Take your first step into a larger world.
Great warrior...? Wars not make one great.
A Jedi must have deepest committment, the most serious mind. Luke: I won't fail you, I am not afraid. Yoda: You will be... you will be.
Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things!
Beware the dark side. Anger. Fear. Aggression. Easily they flow. Quick to join one in fight. Once you have started down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.
Luke: Is the dark side stronger? Yoda: It is more seductive.
Luke: But how will I know the good side from the dark? Yoda: When you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.
Clear your mind of questions.
You must unlearn what you have learned.
Judge me by my size do you? Size matters not. My ally is the force. And a powerful ally it is.
Life breathes it. Makes us grow. It is energy surrounding matter. Feel the Force. Here between you and me. The rock... everywhere. Yes, even between the land and the ship.
Luke: I don't believe it. Yoda: That is why you fail.
Control you must. Through the Force things you will see. The past, the future. Difficult to see. Always in motion the future is. You must complete the training.
If you choose the quick and easy path, you will become an agent of evil.
When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.
That is the way of things, the way of the Force. It runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned.

The Yoga of Obi-wan

Reach out with your feelings
Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing though him
The Force gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together.
You must do what you feel is right, of course.
The Force will be with you always.
Does the Force control your actions? Partially. It also obeys your commands.
Let go of your conscious self and act with instinct.
Yoda will always be with you.
So, what I told you was true, from a certain point of view. You are going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.
You can't win Darth. If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can even imagine.
Use the Force, let go...
Trust your feelings.

Balancing my maniacal appreciation of the sun!

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Although the winters here are (supposed to be) temperate, when spring arrives and brings the sun again, I feel elated with the flow of deep freeze leaving me. How can I describe this celebration?!? A picture tells a thousand words...

I feel like a maniac about getting in the sunshine, making Paschimottanasana, Intense stretch to the west, AKA Sitting forward bend, a particularly appropriate yoga pose at this time.

I am humble in the face of sun cycles.

The East, the bringer of the sun is the obvious focus during springtime, but always in the back of my mind is that it will set again, in the West, and how important it is to stay balanced when darkness inevitably falls. Love the sun with all your heart, but fear not its departure, for in the cycles of nature we find the source of all equanimity.

How can I celebrate both the dark and the light today... ?

Radha Yoga, letting go of expectations, and local classes

2011-04-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

Although many people I have met in BC valued their time at the Yasodhara Ashram, and many local teachers are very committed to going there regularly, I know of others who were put off by their experience. It has been almost 3 years since I went to the ashram, and in that time I have given these responses some thought. I believe a negative reaction to the ashram, not my experience at all, may have more to do with our western-world mindset than anything inherent in the place itself.

In general North Americans don't have anything to base expectations on. Perhaps people go into the Yasodhara experience subconsciously anticipating something unrealistic, like a spa, or maybe a vacation. This unexamined hope is a little like shooting yourself in the foot, because yoga is some of the most challenging work that can be undertaken and requires surrendering expectations.

The Yasodhara Ashram, located on Kootenay Lake in the interior of this beautiful province, is a karma yoga ashram, so everyone works to make it run well, even visitors. Personally, this was challenging because I arrived there exhausted so the initial stages of my 2 week schedule were a little grueling. The positive:

it provided me with the opportunity to cultivate daily living as my spiritual practice, which is one of the most effective maxims I have encountered for actually thriving in this world.

Swami Radha, founder of Ascent Magazine and Timeless Books, established the ashram in the 60's and was a German raised, ferocious teacher. Her teaching style is one of the main reasons she was so effective, and still remains a potent yogi 16 years after her death. An example of how her approach has played out:

Swami Radha was adamant that her students relied on their own inner guru (or teacher) to guide them, not on anyone or anything external.

The teachers who remain at the ashram carrying on her legacy are true to her in this and many other regards. They are not superficially warm or overly endearing, which urges new students not to idealize the swamis but to hold a truly introspective space and do healing soul work on their own - which absolutely is the only way it can be effectively done.

My ashram experience was so potent that even now 3 years later it still resonates for me everyday.

Every Radha teacher I have met has immeasurable integrity, and without exception I have learned important lessons through them all. I am better for my ashram pilgrimage in more ways than I can tell, and for having studied Radha Yoga for 12 years. Holding to Swami Radha's maxim "make daily living your spiritual practice" is a staple of security for me.

I would recommend to anyone, "go to the Kootenays, without expectations, and walk onto Yasodhara's grounds with great humility." One certainly needs to be prepared to have the inner quagmire stirred, so my advice would be to go with as much spiritual clarity as possible. If a trip to the Yasodhara Ashram is not possible at this time, you can always join classes with local Radha Yoga teachers Arlene Trustham and Sharon Haave:

There are still spaces in the workshop, Relax into Peace, Harmony & Joy on April 9th 10 am -3 pm. Relaxation allows the body to heal and the mind to receive intuitive insights. Practice gentle yoga and breath awareness with a focus on relaxation. Drink deeply from the fountains of peace, harmony and joy within. Breathe easy and see what arises.
Wear comfortable clothing, bring a journal. Fee: $45

On Wednesdays, 4-5:30 pm, there are ongoing drop-in classes in Hidden Language Hatha Yoga in the Common House at Creekside. Bring a journal, wear comfortable clothing for this reflective hatha. Drop in fee $10.00. Series continues until May 18th.

Monthly Sunday satsangs, 7-8 pm in the Creekside Common House Lounge on March 27th, April 17th and May 15th.

FMI: radhacv@shaw.ca

Healthy snack recommendations for yogins with low blood sugar

2011-03-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Proper nutrition is a main focus of yogic philosophy, through the practice of Ayruvedic Medicine, which suits me just fine as there is scarcely anything I love more than good eating.

Although I consume at least 3 hearty meals a day, that alone is not enough to keep up my weight and I find I must have snacks on hand, especially when doing a yoga class. Such is the lot of those of us with low blood sugar! Protein is the key to appetite stability, and so is staying away from quick junk food. Here is a list of my preferred snacks:

Brazil nuts and dulse
Hemp protein (8 grams of protein/tbsp.) with yogurt or juice
Rye crackers with nut butter
Sunflower/pumpkin seeds with a banana
Carrot sticks and peanuts
Apples and Jarlsburg

Haiku, the onset of March, and trying something new

2011-03-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Writing haiku is a form of yoga for me. Distilling down an experience into the basics. Breathing into a moment and withdrawing its essence...

Gathering steam ~
settles on the land
nettles in a pot.

In celebration of the beginning of March, try your hand at writing a little poetry today. Haiku traditionally evokes a season, nature, and uses very few syllables.

The relevance of the Bhagavad Gita in my life

2011-02-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

When I first read the Bhagavad-Gita in 2008, I was confused as to why Lord Krishna would counsel Arjuna to keep fighting even though he wanted to drop his sword and his family's insane blood-feud at last. This theme, from the penultimate Indian sacred text was compiled in 1500-ish BCE, has become more clear to me over the past few years of living experience, mostly in terms of awakening.

With a deeper meditation practice, that involves not just cushion time but every moment of every day and night, I realize that waking up to the reality of my existence can happen in the strangest of places, at the oddest of times. One may find oneself on the front lines of a war, or in a fight with a spouse, but it doesn't matter, because all of life is a proving ground, a battlefront if you will, and one cannot simply drop out of it without committing suicide. That is what dropping his sword would have meant to Arjuna, certain death at the triumphant moment of his awakening to Love. What a waste that would have been! I understand now, Krishna was urging Arjuna to put his warrior fortitude into his faith and keep going into his next steps with love as his self-defense. He must save his life and let divine compassion, ruthless and loving, drive all proceeding thought and speech.

As a sensitive person who was born devoted to permanence - thus finding it hard to fit into this temporal world - the Bhagavad-Gita's ancient message didn't speak to me at first. However, from testing it during the hardest times of my adult life, it makes such clear sense. I have gained resilience and surrendered to Truth, undying and ever present Truth, from putting into action:

Here I am, I must work with what I have.

Quotes about evolution from Yoga of the Mahamudra

2011-01-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

I am fascinated by our evolutionary heritage, the greatest mystery of all. Will Johnson deals with this topic in Yoga of the Mahamudra, the Mystical Way of Balance, and links it directly to good posture - another of my favourite topics. Here are some relevant quotes from his book (2005):

The human evolution of consciousness has directly paralleled our ability to come to a more effortlessly vertical posture.

Our evolutionary imperative is leading our bodies in the direction of an evermore relaxed and upright state of balance.

The progression of human evolution can most graphically be portrayed as our continued attempts to stand up ever straighter.

In 1986, the notion that we were inspired to stand up on 2 feet by an enormous sudden growth and expansion of the brain was reversed. We stood up, and then our brains grew.

The straighter we have stood, the more conscious we have become.

Our ancestors laboured to free themselves from gravity's hold. The embodied memory of this struggle still expresses itself through the body's need to exert constant, subtle and not so subtle muscular tension in order to brace itself against what it still experiences as the primarily downward, destructive pull of earth's gravity.

Ease is evolution's natural response to struggle. Our evolutionary challenge is to figure out how to transform gravity from a force against which humans must brace themselves against in order to remain standing, to one that functions as a source of support of staying erect. It is time to take advantage of its supportive blessings and evolve to a stance that goes far beyond what we currently know as upright.

Quotes from Will Johnson's book Yoga of the Mahamudra

2010-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Even though his use of the term Mahamudra is not bound by any particular historic tradition, thus challenging me to think outside the box of my beloved Kagyu lineage, Will Johnson is highly quotable. Here are some of my favourites:

The embodied cross is the path and the reward for those who want to explore the yoga of balance (We are embodied crosses).

Mahamudra urges us to take full advantage of the incredible privilege of having been born humans in this era.

It is the birthright of each one of us to experience our fundamental identity and a force that feels much larger than us.

The current of life force flows on whether we're aware of it or not. Align yourself with it's motions (through increased awareness) and become happier in your short time on earth.

The focus of the Mahamudra teachings is to remain loose and natural in every moment of your life.

From moment to moment, from breath to breath, what we feel shifts. Keep floating along this sea of change that masquerades as a solid body.

We are NOT trying to achieve a perfected state of balance and then freeze it there.

To surrender the body's weight to the pull of gravity is to initiate the yoga of balance.

It is important not to condemn and injure the egoic "I" of separation, because although it causes you to suffer, and its beliefs are limited and incomplete, it is what FEELS existence, and that feeling is the only port from which you can embark on your great journey inward.

Ask constantly "who am I?"... as it'll change moment to moment.

The "I" of separation is a thought, a word - in your mind. The "I" of union is a state of being, and exists not as a word, but as a feeling.

Give up all questions except "Who am I?". After all the only fact of which you are certain is that you ARE. The "I am" is certain, the "I am this" is not.

Find your way back to the simple feeling that I AM without having to qualify it. The embodied cross keeps leading us, ushering us, deeper into a feeling awareness that is out of bounds for words.

Wavelets of energy don't need to name themselves to know they exist.

Book Notes - Yoga of the Mahamudra: the Mystical Way of Balance by Will Johnson

2010-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Although this book has nothing to do with the Mahamudra Yoga of the Kagyu Lineage that I am currently studying through the local hermitage, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The author, Will Johnson, inspires the reader to come into his or her most natural expression. Raw, real and personal - theory is tossed aside for practice, and the practice is:

Entirely living the fullness of each moment

Mr. Johnson wastes no time in breaking apart the concept of god, divinity or spirit. How refreshing! He would rather have us dance than plunk down into sitting meditation, but more than anything his call to action is to be relaxation itself, navigating alertly through the body with curiousity while attempting to loosen our bonds on thoughts, worries, planning and strategizing. What a gift to the western yogin.

I see Yoga of Mahamudra to be about getting beyond the formal teachings of asana, and learning to just move the way your body wants. Allow movement to be your friend...

Touch your toes before jumping out of bed

2010-10-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

I often hear the statement, "I've been thinking of taking some yoga classes". They come in short conversations like passing ones at check out tills or by mail boxes. My response is usually the same, "start by touching your toes before you get out of bed, breathing into the stretch, and you'll suddenly be doing yoga." This tidbit never fails to meet with approval, as it brings yoga out of the realm of something you have to go far afield to study, and into the comfort of home. Yes, it's important to get eventually get teachings in yoga, but if someone procrastinates because either they feel overwhelmed, or because they have no reference point for the positive effects of stretching and breathing, then the most important thing is to simply get them started.

Touching the toes, or Sitting Forward Bend (paschimottanasana), stretches the long muscles of the body and loosens the lower back. It wakes up the limbs and torso gently, a much needed contrast to jumping out of bed at the sound of an alarm. I believe in this simple practice because it has helped me for years, both to maintain flexibility and to centre myself after a long night of trancing in sleep.

If it seems difficult at first, persevere with patience. Keep yourself from crunching your internal organs by holding your spine as straight as you can. It's nice to actually touch the toes because it creates an restorative energy circuit, but if that's impossible, place the hands on the knees. If you have good flexibility, then bend all the way forward and lay your forehead on your knees. Breathe... relax... extend... and breathe.

Then, enjoy your day!

Next yoga class - October 5, 9:30 am at the Kang Ren Clinic

2010-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'll be giving a yoga class on Denman Island at the beginning of October, in which we will be focusing on the Gayatri Mantra and Sun Salutations. The class will start at 9:30 in the morning, at Fiona and Willo's Greenhouse Studio, at their Kang Ren Clinic located at 1720 Northwest Road. It will be wonderful to be back in their beautiful (heated floor) studio, where I completed my yoga teaching practicum and have had a number of amazing acupuncture sessions. We'll be done by 11 am, ready to greet the rest of the day with aligned chakras and humming hearts...

Don't get stuck in one healing modality

2010-08-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Among other things, like spiritual evolution and a pressing urge for global peace, I have dedicated the last several years to regular yoga practice in the hopes of pain relief, mainly in my right hip and knee. Certainly I gained some relief, but the experience of stiffness always returned. Talk about stubborn! Well, I see now that I was equally stubborn because I consistently resisted getting acupuncture from my our local TCM doctor (and my friend), Willo Walker, even though I witnessed many people benefit from his treatments of needles and Chinese herbs.

Finally I submitted and booked a session for my 40th birthday earlier this month. I am happy to report that it absolutely did the trick. All my years of yoga, and occasionally other healing modalities, barely budged the stiffness, but, a couple of hours of acupuncture has erased the sensation of pain, completely. Not only that, the herbs he has continued to prescribe and supply have helped me achieve other important breakthroughs as well.

The experience has been a reminder that it's necessary to stay unstuck in the heart chakra if I want to move blockages in my body. I resisted receiving treatment from Willo because of deeply sub-conscious armoring. He's a man, and I am loathe to admit, Chinese medicine had not appealed to me because I am so highly influenced by Tibetan teachings. In hindsight it seems insane, how could I ever have succumbed to that kind of irrational bias?!? All I can say is that my ego got the better of me for too long. A humbling lesson, well learned, and I feel wiser as I move with increased agility into my forties.

Juggling jobs and a silent retreat

2010-07-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

My second silent meditation retreat of the summer ended last week. I was given special permission by Lama Rodney to stay at home while taking the retreat. It was a real challenge to balance my inner and outer realities, but I persevered and am better for it. The inner reality was the ocean of emotion I experienced during the calm-abiding sitting practice at the Dharma Fellowship Hermitage here on Denman Island, and the outer reality was working my jobs at home, in the village and at Deryn's garden. Unifying those two planes of existence was the ideal and I was determined to at least glimpse unity a few times over the course of 5 days.

The main emotional obstacle I encountered was irritation. Probably because of fatigue, but regardless I needed a strategy to cope with the hindrance and found this advice about turning negative cycles to positive ones to be very helpful.

Turn the mind from worry to aspiration.
Turn the mind from anxiety to refuge
From effort to control external condition to attending to basic needs. (Basic needs: food, shelter, clothing, medicine, air, light, movement, sleep).
From experience of the past as grief/regret to experience of the past as insight.
From experience of the present as pain to experience of the present as metta.
From experience of the future as dread to experience of the future as trust.
From depression to energy.

Daily mindfulness practice includes mindfulness of body (posture, breathing, activity, temperature, pressure, sound, taste and smell), and mindfulness of feelings (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral).

The Four Efforts:
1) Strive to prevent unwholesome formations from arising.
2) Abandon unwholesome formations that have already arisen.
3) Strive to support the arising of unwholesome formations
4) Strive to maintain and perfect those wholesome formations that do arise.

I could read these lists everyday to remind myself of the power of my mind, for both destruction and creation!

Breathing for global peace on meditation retreat

2010-06-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

I find this time of year bitter sweet. The longest day of the year has come and gone, and with the passing of the summer solstice I can already notice a shortening of the days. Building up to it, I feel like a crazed ant scurrying around. I want to milk every moment of sun while it shines. Welcome British Columbia in the summer!

Whew! By the time I began my first meditation retreat of the year, at the local Dharma Fellowship Hermitage, I could barely catch my breath. So much activity since arriving home from my east coast yoga pilgrimage! It took all my effort to slow down in order to actually practice some sitting meditation, the whole reason I was taking 5 days of golden silence.

With the help of yoga, I was able to curb my shocking restlessness, but it took a lot of it to bring me inside, to a place where I could follow the breath then watch my mind, not as a participant in the neuronal gossip but as a witness to it. There is no sense in pretending to be still. If I can't let the breath be its natural wave like action then I need to get up and stretch. Stretch out and go in. Yoga is the whole body manifestation of deep breathing and once I get to a place of witnessing without attachment, I can then commit to the cushion.

Breath is the foundation of it all. Yoga, meditation, life, healing, unconditional love. It carries renewal and the tides. We have to rediscover the art of breathing if we want peace. As a whole, we have forgotten to allow breath to bring us together. When that revolutionary thought occurs to me, all my experience of restlessness disappears and I become cosmically effective in my global peace initiative.

Gardening season calls for morning yoga routine

2010-05-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Gardening season has descended upon me with gusto! All winter I have dreamt of this time, and now it's hard to take it easy on my body. There is always so much to do in the spring and if you're like me, you tend to over do it in the garden and then end up stiff and sore by the end of the day.

The weather is still damp and cool but the longer days beckon me to be on my knees in the dirt. If I didn't have my morning yoga routine I would probably be incapable of completing all the physical labour my garden needs in order to be productive for our short west coast summer. Not only does yoga slow me down enough to be mindful of fulfilling my basic needs, such as preparing a hearty breakfast before picking up a shovel, but it gets my joints lubricated and my muscles warm - necessary to stay healthy for the long season of activity that lays ahead.

I rise with the sun, and complete a series of at least 8 salutations, consisting of 2 toward each direction. As I perform the prostrations I contemplate the nature of existence, of change and of cycles. All the while reminding myself of the precious present moment, staving off the human tendency to get lost in planning for the future. It's so lovely and peaceful right now. Why spend so much time rushing around it? Stop. Do a hands overhead backbend, and roll down to touch the ground. Feel the connection to the earth and breathe into it... before you know it, the snow will cover it again, and the mind will wander to a spring day just like this very one...

Yoga in the airport makes a long flight bearable

2010-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

A flight across Canada is enough to make even a yogin cramp up! On the way west to east, I swore I'd bring my yoga mat in my carry-on next time, and just this week I followed through on my promise. It was a very good idea, and I dare say, one of my finest public yoga actions yet.

Certainly I was discrete, not wanting to draw attention to myself. People were respectful but I immediately noticed nods of approval and comments of support which gave me confidence to continue in the face of hoards of weary air travelers. (They're not as curious as one may think). I truly felt I had enough semi-private space to do my yoga routine, which I dearly needed after a restless sleep the night before, and stewing for extended periods like a claustrophobic sardine.

I brought a travel yoga mat with me. It's thin and shorter than standard mats, and folded up nicely in a cloth laptop bag, without the laptop of course.The one drawback was that it was damp. 24 hours wasn't long enough to dry the mat, much to my surprise. It actually turned out to be slightly refreshing in the dry as dust airport. However, I would recommend giving your mat a couple of days to dry before traveling with it!

Mainly I was happy to lie in Savasana - the corpse pose - but I didn't want to fall asleep so did several other stretches as well:

Balasana - childs pose
Matsyanasana - spinal twist
Paschimottanasana - sitting forward bend
Baddhakonasana - the cobbler
Gomukhasana - cow face pose
Padmasana - sitting meditation in the lotus pose
sitting side stretches

All those poses were done on my mat but the following can be done without a mat.

Virabhadrasana - the warrior pose
Trikonasana - triangle pose
lunges
backbend
standing forward bend

Suffice it to say, I won't take a long trip again without my travel yoga mat, when I arrived home to BC I was decidedly more relaxed than when I arrived in New Brunswick. This had a lot to do with stretching between flights, which kept my joints lubricated and the deeper breathing kept my mind calm.

Headstand turns thinking around and clears depression

2010-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

The winter is long. Lately I have been experiencing a rut. My thinking is cloudy and it's been hard to stay positive, even though there is much to be happy about. It's all in my head I know, but depression at this time of year can be tenacious.

When darkness seems takes hold of my thoughts, one of the best things I can do is stand on my head. Sirsasana must be undertaken with due diligence, as it is an advanced pose, requiring the practitioner to built up good strength in the neck muscles, and to warm up before hand for at least 20 minutes. Salutations are always recommended, or a sequence of neck rolls, back bends, and spinal twists. Now I am ready to ease into a headstand and balance my thinking.

With my feet over head, I am Skywalker. Liberated from earthly concerns and looking straight ahead, what I thought I knew is debunked. Everything changes when my view turns upside down.
At first it's jarring... then, when I begin to see what's ahead differently, with fewer preconceived notions ~ the clouds clear.

When I lower back to earth, and rest my third eye for several breaths on the ground, my head feels warm and energized. It feels like the sun is shining out my crown and I radiate into the morning renewed, giving thanks again for the gift of yoga.

Chakra balancing to cure a long-term stomach ache

2010-02-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

I got some great feedback from a yoga client yesterday. She called me the week after our first session to book another appointment, saying "I have had a stomach ache for 5 months and since our chakra balancing, it has disappeared."

Now that's what I wanna hear!

It resonated with me on a deeper level as well. At one point in my life I endured a long-term stomach ache that nothing seemed to abate. After dedicating myself to studying the chakra energy system and practicing techniques to balance it, I was finally relieved of the pain, and in the process healed my spirit of its disconnect with my soul.

These stomach aches could be seen symbolically as having gut feelings that something is very wrong. When all forms of mainstream and alternative healing modalities fail to bring relief, a much deeper issue than the physical, or even emotional, may be at fault. We are spiritual beings having a material experience, in the high hopes of learning about the true depths of compassion we are all capable of. Follow your gut feelings, understand that everything happens for a reason, and that not listening to our inner experiences, our spirits may end up succumbing to an early demise. As dark as it sounds, cancer is a modern day plague that people still think you can catch for no reason at all. A terminal illness starts somewhere in the energy field, we are warriors in this incarnation and must stay strong in our health, our lifestyle and our faith in our gut feelings...

Live in light always, dear heart warriors, in this ongoing and feverish battle with illusion, duality and fear.

Public yoga on a sub-zero morning

2010-02-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Gentle flurries danced around me as I joined the procession of kids marching off to school today. A yoga mat in one hand and a camera in the other, I clearly stood out against the grey morning. This made me happy. The scene would have been so uninspiring otherwise (my judgment): a sleepy subdivision, dirty snow, screaming girls, swearing boys, rushing parents, alarms... none of it softened by the fact that this weekend is the beginning of a new year. TIGER, one of my favourites. It's the birth animal of my boyfriend and the name sake of our homestead, both of which are 3000 long miles away...

In this the start of my journey to the eastcoast, I seek to shine light on each moment, to open my spiritual heart centre, and let 'er stream forth. I'm back in my small hometown, starting from scratch to teach yoga full time, and attempting to cultivate non-attachment. A yogi's task indeed! It would be enough to darken my spirits, but I remain mindful of the precious present tense, and this keeps my pilot light flickering.

So, arising at pre-dawn, I braved the cold to do something different. Public yoga, an action which is part of my mission to spread yogic energy in New Brunswick, which is crying out for it. I seek out places to show, share, shape-shift and shelter folks from their modern disillusionment, which is spreading like a plague everywhere I look.

The action was as much for my health as for anyone else... if it touched the heart/mind of even one person, all the better. All I know is that I needed and got fresh air, made eye contact with a few folks, and left my sneaker prints in the snow.

HAPPY LOSAR EVERYONE!

My journey to the eastcoast

2010-02-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's been 3 weeks since I left home to take the long trip eastward. I am finally settling in here ~ and even enjoying myself. It was touch and go at first... man was I homesick for the west coast! Thankfully I am keeping grounded with yoga, and my parents are great company. The weather is bright and sunny, although cold, which I don't mind. Sunshine is one of the surprise bonuses of being in New Brunswick, as opposed to wintering on Denman Island, where it stays pretty grey all season long.

So far I have spent the entire 3 weeks organizing a teaching schedule for my stay, which lasts until April 21, at which time I'll enthusiastically fly home to BC.

My next goal is to get out the camera and tripod, and start posting photos... stay tuned for pics of my experiences in Riverview... the town I grew up in, and never thought I'd be returning too... Ha! Never say never :)

How to protect yourself in purvottanasana

2010-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

Intense stretch to the east, purvottanasana, is an advanced yoga pose but can be done by beginners with some modifications.

It's worth becoming familiar with this asana, due to thyroid healing effects and heart opening benefits, so, take a deep breath and sit down in dandasana, the staff pose, close your eyes, and prepare for the coming movement. Begin by visualizing the front part of your body as the direction east, the place of the rising sun, and new beginnings. For this reason it is an ideal pose to do in the morning as you contemplate rebirth and the possibilities that lay ahead in your day...

Slide your hands, fingers slightly forward, about a foot behind your buttocks and on the next inhale lift your entire body into a table position. Caution. Protect your neck by keeping it level with the floor, or even better, slightly tilted upwards as you gaze down the length of your torso.

Adjust your feet to take the pressure off your knees. Stay in this position, especially as a beginner, only as long as is comfortable for you. Simply come to the edge of your comfort level and breathe into it. It's not a competition. Be kind to yourself and keep breathing into your belly, ribs, and upper chest.

If you want to complete the full pose then one leg at a time, stretch out until you look like a plank. Always remember to protect your neck in any yoga asana. The best way to do this is to listen to your body and notice any rising tension that feels uncomfortable. If this occurs gently tilt the chin toward the chest and continue observing and listening to your body.

Perhaps this full extension is too much for your tight shoulders. If this is the case find a couch or sturdy chair on a non slip surface and rest your hands on it to complete the pose.
By regularly practicing purvottanasana, the shoulders will become more limber, but to avoid undue stiffness, don't rush it. To quote Jerry Garcia, his ashes resting peacefully in the Ganges, "all good things in all good time".

Reflection:
The sun shines its rays equally on all beings and things. It shares warmth and light unconditionally and dispels darkness without judgment. How can you benefit from this example of equanimity?

Reflections on purvottanasana - intense stretch to the east(coast)

2010-01-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Asanas, physical yoga postures, can be used to break through personal boundaries in the mind. Last year I cultivated commitment in my home life on the west coast by practicing Paschimottanasana (Intense stretch to the west) everyday. At the end of 2009, I was able to go inside myself and uncover the source of my suffering better than ever before. I needed that inner strength to save my relationship and to pull myself out of the blues. That was my first lesson about commitment. It is up to me to enact my wants and needs and to do that properly I must know them and myself inside and out.

Here it is almost February but up until this weekend I had not yet chosen a new posture for the year. Interestingly, it chose me. During a moment of homesickness for the west coast I grabbed my deck of yoga asana cards, shuffled it with the intention "please show me a yoga asana that will help me positively persevere as I spend the coming 3 months on the east coast visiting and reconnecting with family and teaching yoga to maritimers."

There it was, Purvottanasana - intense stretch to the east - exactly what I'm doing this winter, staying on the east coast for the first time in years, exploring faith, innocence and curiosity.

The first few days of my sojourn have been challenging, but in a befuddled moment, I opened my heart and the universe granted me clarity. When I pulled the card I smiled and reminded myself of all I learned in 2009 about committment. "No wavering. Focus. Remember the love that surrounds me, yet also comes from within me."

Open my heart. That was the first lesson from Purvottanasana... and upon further reflection I can see a connection to the morning blues I seem to experience and the need to rise like the sun, with warmth and light emanating from my heart like sun ray shining with equanimity...

With so much to get down about in the world, we must find ways to transform global pain into joy, both for ourselves and our community. The idea of taking time for myself everyday to practice and reflect on the Intense stretch to the east makes me feel jazzed. I have a feeling that the practice will help me be a better person because it will illuminate the dark parts of myself I get afraid of, and in turn will allow me to be free of illusion - the ultimate aim of any yogin.

Downward-facing dog and grounding your energy

2009-10-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Adho Mukha Svanasana, literally downward facing dog in Sanskrit, is one of the poses I deliberately fine tuned during my recent YTT. It is actually a resting pose, doable anywhere, and I have no plans to EVER stop giving it to myself or students. Our Root Chakra, the muladhara, comes alive in this asana... it is absolutely superb for awakening our stability and moving up a tired yogin's life force.

My trainer here on Denman, Sandy Melnyk, and her yoga guru, a foremost teacher on the west coast of Canada, Sandra Sammartino, both helped me surrender to the down-dog as a resting pose, to see it as a place to exercise my will yet abandon effort. At her packed workshop in Cumberland, BC, Sandra kept repeating:

"draw up the sacrum, within adho mukha. Let go at the neck, and breathe... straighten the spine upward. Drop the shoulders - drop the shoulders - send energy through the backs of the knees. Soften muscles and expand your bones... "

My reflections:

I can feel my vertebrae defying gravity...
Loosen up!
Pointing the tip of my tailbone to heaven, I feel connected to my foundation, to the warmth of Father Sky, and breathe in abundant security...
Adho mukha turns my face red, like the colour associated with this cakra.
I'm inverted in this triangle. My perspective is reversed.
My lifeforce and qi are starting to really flow. Skin heating up like the gas has been lit.

Intention:

Svana means dog so I am going to use Adho Mukha Svanasana this week to help me better understand why my 14-year old dog won't sleep through the night? It is disturbing our household but the root of her fear has remained a mystery to us?

Questions to ponder:

What is insomnia? What is sleeping, dreaming, meditating, dying and suffering? What is the root of my sleeplessness? How do I experience sleeplessness?

Build a tool kit for building confidence within relationships

2009-08-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

When I initially began my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) 9 months ago, I successfully put the daunting practicum out of my mind... until now. I am co-teaching the 8 sessions with my yoga teacher trainer, and it is happening in my small island community, which happens to be brimming with yogis. They say your home audience is the scariest one... Lifelong stage fright is presenting more of a problem than I anticipated.

Perhaps I could have been better prepared and not found it a humbling lesson in ego breakdown. No regrets, revealing experiences are hard to come by and I feel blessed for the opportunity to let go of ignorance. Not to mention having one on one training with the one and only Sandy-gi.

She has been instrumental in helping me build a tool kit, one that may not be visible to others but packs as much punch as a hammer, one to create living solutions with, to open when I encounter a personal challenge, or am feeling overwhelmed. Speaking, or performing in a group makes me anxious and negatively affects my breathing, posture, focus and metabolism, given to flux on any given day.

Living solutions are made on the spot, adapters for evolving.

As I learned how to use ancient yogic tools during my teacher training and gathered the relevant ones, I built my psychic tool kit. I am getting good use of it now. During class I regularly employ the kit to hone my listening skills, tone my diaphragm, open my energy field to the students and universal consciousness, and free my channels from static. The tool kit is always changing.

My current yogic tool kit for stress relief:
Non attached alertness mindfulness
Three Part Yoga Breath
One line mantras or one word mantras
Open the eyes wider and pay attention to the task at hand
Visualize the spine as a rainbow, red in the root colour
Hear music ~ the sound blowing through my cakras
Recognize the other as you

Patience on the yogic path brings what is needed, when it's right

2009-08-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

As I sit here studying the art of sequencing, curriculum architecture, and the Kapalabhati Breath, I remember that I left this place one year ago today (8-8-8) and headed straight for the nearest ashram.

The Yasodhara Ashram, on Kootenay Lake, also happens to be the spiritual centre founded by the most influential writer in my life thus far, Swami Sivananda Radha (1911-1995). I first discovered her teachings in 1998 when I moved to Courtenay, on Vancouver Island in BC. It was there I attended yoga classes at the Comox Radha Centre, with teachers Arlene Trustham and Sharon Haave, and first heard Swami Radha's phrase "make daily living your spiritual practice.” Bingo! I have been using her mantra ever since.

In reflecting upon what a year can bring, it's true that time heals all. The stuff I fretted about when trying to decide whether to pursue yoga training at the ashram, or stay on this little island and be happy with attending intermittent classes... not yet aware that my Hatha teacher on Denman (Sandy Melnyk) would soon be able to train yoga teachers.

Time teaches patience, and patience teaches perseverance. Through the whole process of finding my yoga guru, I filled my time with hope, and never gave up on my instincts... even when I felt aversion about being at Yasodhara. What a shock that was after having built up the ashram in my mind for a decade. It was so hard for me to admit that it was the wrong time to be there. I felt clearly that my place was at home on Denman Island, with my partner, and in my community.

The decision to return home after two weeks with no certificate or even a clear plan for the future of my practice, I surely doubted myself then. Yet, I never abandoned the wish to train in yoga. I yearned to gain the open secrets in a guru-kulu relationship. I simply could not compromise my existence on this island to do it.
I am glad I waited. The timing has been just right. Sandy and I are nearing the end of the course and I wouldn't change a thing.

Saraswati

2009-06-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

May the Goddess of creativity be with us today in our jobs as yogins.

Let's Spend December In Paschimottanasana

2008-12-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Referred to as both Intense Back Stretch and Sitting Forward Bend, we have decided to make Paschimottanasana this month's pose because it helps yogins become familiar with their patterns of grasping, and as Maureen pointed out, is appropriate for the Christmas season!

Much humility can be learned in this pose. A snippet from the Paschimottanasana description in Hidden Language of Hatha Yoga urges us to reflect on "the hands as most expressive for a loving touch" and "the feet as our ground of being". What can we learn about ourselves from the way we reach forward to hold, stroke, massage, or almost-but-not-quite-touch our feet?

As we move into the next couple of weeks let us continue to journal our journeys from the mat, and come up with a keyword or phrase to express what we have been reflecting on in Paschimottanasana. Also, let us choose a body part to focus our investigation on... but don't choose right away. Take a few days with the pose and let it tell you something you may need to hear.

Start by bending in half and seeing how our 2 sides begin to communicate differently...

The Hidden Language Of Hatha Yoga

2008-12-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

The text we are studying on this blog is called Hatha Language: The Hidden Language and was written by Swami Radha in 1987. She developed a yogic way to investigate the symbols, secrets and metaphors that commonly arise from the human psyche while using the ancient postures of physical yoga. The book is a "bible" in the field of psychological yoga.

Swami Lalitananda also has a new book that puts her own deeply realized spin on the asanas. The Inner Life of Asanas is a companion text for us, in our ongoing journey of journaling from the yoga mat.

Both books are published by Timeless Books and available online, or they can be purchased from the Yasodhara Ashram bookstore located on Kootenay Lake, in beautiful BC.

Eagle Molting

2008-11-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

Today in Garudasana - I am moving from visualization to manifestation.

How can I see without looking? Without projecting my biases on to the circumstances before me?

Eyes open, eyes closed
Concentration wobbles like the body in Eagle
Focus on direct pointing to reality
Open the back breath
Breathing fluidly, no hardness
Flex the vision between close and far.

Birds have a seasonal molting period brought on by what? Hormonal changes.
Why do they molt? Plumage renewal.
How are hormones connected to worn out feathers? Aging is a conversation between past, present and future. My voice is but one in the story.

2008-11-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

With garudasana my key words want to float. They do not line up and march evenly across my mind or through my body. What better way to represent them than as a word cloud!

Have some fun and explore key words. Check out - http://www.wordle.net

DOUBLE HELIX

2008-11-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

What a challenge Garudasana is. One seeks balance as one twists. This feels like life, things never seem to be lined up perfectly, yet balance is still sought even in the midst of the twist. My legs twist one way, my arms the other. I am creating a double helix on a macro scale. I seek balance as I imitate the blue print of all creation, a strand of DNA. My movements trigger deep memories, my memories trigger deep movements and in some small way I am a unit (a strand) of the holograph of all life, my contribution a reflection of the whole, my contribution adding the the clarity of the whole.

Ambition, Eyes, And The Eagle Asana

2008-11-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

My keyword this month is AMBITION and the body parts I have chosen to accompany the Eagle are EYES.

I strained my right hamstring and gluteus maximus doing Garudasana because I was overly ambitious in the pose. The much hailed appearance of 2 Bald Eagles on my property shortly after we chose the November asana really excited me and I immediately jumped into action. Ouch! Since that day I have only done the pose through visualization. In contemplating the various angles and aspects of Eagle I have deepened my understanding of the shadow side of ambition. Through holding the following questions in divine light much wisdom has been revealed...

Why do I push myself beyond endurance?
The task of learning to listen to my heart is ongoing and sometimes I confuse other people's standards of behaviour with my own. I must continually remind myself that everyone is unique and that part of being human is to set our own pace.

What is the vision I have of success?
I sometimes find it easy to get drawn away from meditation practice, and then to lose sight of my mission to cultivate non-attachment. In this life, successful living is an internal state not altered by external riches or poverty.

Who motivates me to accomplish feats in the material realm that may compromise my spiritual balance?
There are aspects of my being that compete with other people for the limelight, or for applause. I am aware of these tendencies, but, wow, they sure can dive down upon me with razor sharp talons! Those parts of myself are insecure but clever indeed, and always conniving new ways to earn approval. I must be diligent and walk in the light of spirit instead of the shadow of ego.

How can I clear my sight?
For the health of my two eyes I can close them and stretch them in all directions for a couple minutes each day. As for my intuitive sight, I can centre myself high up on my spine and see what is really before me. In the stillness of seeing without looking, I have the unbiased vision of a child.

2008-11-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

(created @ http://www.wordle.net)

The November Asana Comes Home!

2008-11-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

There are two Bald Eagles sitting in a tree outside my house! What a beautiful affirmation. I have not seen one sitting here in many months (they fly south for the summer and early fall) but when I stepped outside this morning I heard them calling, looked up knowing they were very close and there they were (and still are) sitting side by side on the highest branch of a very tall Hemlock - so close to where I had just been sleeping.

I immediately dropped my defenses - feeling like they were giving me yet another affirmation that I am on the right path. I'll admit I had been feeling a little shaken upon waking. Another disturbing dream...

When I saw the Eagles I felt surrounded by light. More balanced. It was easy to let go of feeling weak and overwhelmed by being a dreamer. I suddenly remembered to let energy flow through me and become a channel of pure light just like I earnestly repeat in the Divine Light Invocation. How could I not feel the power of Garuda's expansive wings wrap me in a victory banner? Just 18 hours ago I posted an entry about our asana for November - the Eagle pose! Signs along this path less traveled feed me with confidence and stamina to keep flying even though sometimes I encounter storms along the way. The human condition is such that I will inevitably experience some confusion until I live in a permanent state of non-duality.

Oh, wow! I just looked out my living room window and spotted another Bald Eagle sitting in the distance on a very tall Douglas Fir tree. As I meditate on the bird I ask myself "how can I bring the balance and power of Garudasana into my being, home and work today?"

Eagle Pose - Garudasana

2008-11-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

We welcome a new month with a new asana - Garudasana. When we first started this blog we thought we would follow the exact line up of poses in The Hidden Language of Hatha Yoga book but now we are letting our intuition guide us in choosing new ones. This month's inspiration came from Maureen, who witnessed these majestic birds for herself in Alaska last month and sensed that an animated pose would be suitable for this season. Thanks for acting on your intuition Maureen! After all that's what we are cultivating here, isn't it?

Garuda is the King of Birds and doing this asana requires both concentration and balance. With both these qualities we can manifest our latent power and allow our spirit to be victorious over our intellect...

May we all penetrate our highest visions this month from working with the regal Eagle :)

Tension, Release and Trust

2008-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

There is such tension and intention associated with the bow. This is not the asana of relaxation but rather one of firmness and action. However, I pause to ponder, because dhanurasana tells the story of moving with focus to a point of release and trust. Perhaps there are parallels with my life. Tension, intention, firmness, action all seem to abound in my daily life and sometimes they feel as if they are steering me away from yogic realizations. The bow illustrates that it is only my reactions that make me think I am moving out of the yoga zone. Reconsideration and reflection may provide me with the opportunity of viewing the tension and action in my life as an essential part of my walk towards release, trust and yogic realization.

photo credit:otherworldenterprises.com

Gratitude And The Back

2008-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

When I was awakening at the Ashram this summer I learned how to keep my chest high, like a heart warrior or an opera singer. The natural outcome was to slowly release my tight stomach muscles, which felt so empowering that I have been doing it consciously ever since. Before these revelations I had thought my posture was excellent, but I was actually hiding core fears in my heart and withholding tension in my abdomen. Not the stance of a warrior at all!

For the past 2 weeks I have been practicing The Bow, a much more challenging asana for me than The Mountain. Dhanurasana brought up emotional and physical resistance so I decided HEART should be my October body part. By trying to open the doors of my spiritual centre, melting my inner barriers seemed inevitable... but for days and days evolution remained distant. Then something changed on Thursday when I looked at this photo of myself doing The Bow and saw how profoundly the back needs to bend to accommodate the drawing up and backwards of the head and feet.

The major place of flexibility comes from the back in this asana, for me anyway, and I could see that engaging the hips, neck, knees and shoulders was not enough. It's my back that takes the brunt of the bend and I needed to engage it with more awareness in order to stay comfortably in The Bow and allow some true reflection time. With this wave of clarity the symbol of The Bow suddenly had more meaning. Through a channeled flow of tension there can be fluid release. Thank you back for helping me let go of old rigidity and stagnation. Obviously my body part this month is BACK.

My keyword for Dhanurasana is GRATITUDE for all my body does for me, and for the ongoing conversation my back engages me in. In hindsight I can see that it has been pointing like an arrow aimed at a bullseye to the place where I was compromised but I did not see a way out of the tension until I persevered with The Bow and heard my hidden language say "life is not meant to be a back breaking endeavour. Go into life with a grateful consciousness and you will carry yourself in a much more balanced way."

My Life as an Arrow

2008-10-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

My inclination is to be the arrow, to be moving, to be going somewhere. Sometimes I hit my target, meet my goal, sometimes I am off course and sometimes I am aimless with no course at all. It is easy to think that I ought to set firmer goals or take better aim but what if I were to think of myself as the bow? The bow held in the hands of Divine Mother, steady, present? What if I relaxed into feeling the connection of being held with a purpose? Can I shift ~ moving from my life as an arrow to being a bow, being of service and in turn being held?

Bow Poetry

2008-10-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

"Repetition and ease will allow you to deepen the pose far more profoundly than force and strain. So soften your determination and deepen your observation.

LET THE DIFFICULTIES COURSE THROUGH YOUR BODY - don't hold on to them."

- Rodney Yee, Yoga the Poetry of the Body

I am taught by Dhanurasana

2008-10-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Pre-bow asana I lie, face down, on my mat with my arms stretched forward, my spine elongated, my legs stretched and I listen. I use my breath as my internal ears and I listen into the pockets of silence and stillness within my body. Where is that stillness alive and energetic, where is it numb and removed, what messages are whispered through my silence and stillness? I balance will and surrender as I lift my legs, shift my arms and hold on, pubic bone pressed into the earth - gravity and foundation meet at gut level - I deepen my stretch until my bow is taut.

My key words are gifted as I hold the pose. TAUT, TAUGHT, GUT As I gaze at my words I see that each is an anagram of the word TAUGHT. Maybe I should add HUG to my list.

Dhanurasana - The Bow Pose

2008-10-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is more of a challenge for me than the Mountain asana. Of course, it involves deep bending and quite a bit of flexibility. I went into Dhanurasana too quickly the other day and felt sore afterwards. Now I take it slowly and listen to my body to avoid overdoing it. This is NOT a competition! Breathe and focus...

A New Month Brings A New Asana - The Bow

2008-10-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Our yoga pose for October is Dhanurasana, The Bow. Swami Radha's book, the Hidden Language of Hatha Yoga, contains reflections about aspects of The Bow that she discovered but individual Yogins must find the meaning of the asana for themselves. To get you started in the process of investigation, consider the tension and release inherent in the energy of a bow and arrow. Traditional Hindu mythology describes the bow as the OM, the arrow is the mind, and The Divine is the target. The act of concentration leads to hitting your mark, the centre of your goal.

Some of the keywords in the HLHY that may get your stream of consciousness flowing are: Rainbow, covenant, promise, warfare, Cupid, love, attachment, sensuality, desire, breaking the bow, active intelligence, flexibility, limber spine, strength, tension, relaxation, bending backward, counterbalance.

Tadasana Round Up

2008-09-27T16:04:00.001-07:00

Our first month is almost up. After practicing Tadasana - The Mountain - and reflecting on it in our journals the time has come to share some of our relevant personal reflections.

What a great experience this has been! Each day I have done the pose which is actually a simple feat. To stand in Tadasasna is to feel empowered, so why not do it once daily, or better yet morning, noon and night. It is the beginning of all asanas and can also be a peaceful way to initiate newness into my schedule, my perspective and my projects.

Standing eyes wide open in The Mountain for even a minute makes the flow of my day better in many ways. I feel an immediate reconnection with the rhythm of my breath. I feel where my body is holding tension and try to let it go. The asana helps me focus on what lays ahead, helps me look at the process of goal-making, and gives me sacred space to envision my future.

Standing way up high with no distractions is the best way I have found to affirm my essence, to truly be the powerful channel between heaven and earth we ALL naturally are.

My key phrase for this September round up is Remember Your Divinity.

2008-09-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.

- Dag Hammarskjold

2008-09-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I think of Mountain and I think of feeling grounded. It is not until I am in the pose, experiencing it first hand, that I realize a subtle shift has taken place, I am the ground itself.

Accepting myself of clay, my groundness, my belonging, - this essence of muladhara brings with it the gift of foundation. From here all movement becomes expansion and radiance.

Listen,

Put on morning,

Awaken into falling light.

- John O'Donahue

Weather And The Mountain

2008-09-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

During the Yoga Teacher Training course that was happening at the same time as our Writing and Reflection course I noticed the students-teachers were asked to choose a body part along with their chosen asana.

In my last reflection I chose abdomen as my keyword but in hindsight would rather choose that as my body part to accompany The Mountain.

My keyword is actually weather. How can I weather the storms that invariably rise from season to season with equanimity? What would it take for me to face fluctuations of heat and cold with an unflappable temperament?

Yoga, Writing and Reflection Retreat 2008

2008-09-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

This photo contains most of the participants from our August 2008 retreat at the Yasodhara Ashram.

Our group mantra is "I am created by Divine Light, I am sustained by Divine Light, I am protected by Divine Light, I am surrounded by Divine Light, I am ever growing into Divine Light."

Namaste...

Tadasana Keyword: Abdomen

2008-09-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

My keyword after reflecting on the Mountain for a week is abdomen. Tadasana always brings me back to deep abdominal breathing, the most important tool for me these days. As chaos and confusion swirl around I take a stand in the sacred centre like a Mountain... breathing, sturdy and peaking with sunlight (or moon light when she is full).

With the rise and fall of my belly, I become a Mountain and Valley. Fertile, inspiring and lush.

Tadasana - The Mountain

2008-09-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Tada means "mountain" in Sanskrit. In this asana we stand in stillness, feet shoulder width apart pointing directly in front (which may seem awkward at first) and our weight is evenly distributed throughout the entire body. Our arms are at the sides and the spine is erect, as energy rises out the top of the head.

In this posture we take time to ask ourselves questions, and possibly find insight. How does it feel to stand still, within and without? Where do I stand? Who is standing? What does "mountain" mean to me? Ascending? Descending? Where is the path?