You have no idea how hard I've looked
for a gift to bring You.
Nothing seemed right.
What's the point of bringing gold to
the gold mine, or water to the ocean.
... Everything I came up with was like
taking spices to the Orient.
It's no good giving my heart and my
soul because you already have these.
So I've brought you a mirror.
Look at yourself and remember me. ♥
Rumi ♥
I was dead, I came alive. I was tear, I became laughter - all because of love. When it arrived, my temporal life from then on changed to eternal. Love said to me, "You are not crazy enough, you do not fit this house." I went and became crazy; crazy enough to be in chains. Love said, "You are not intoxicated enough; you don't fit the group." I went and got drunk, drunk enough to overflow with the light-headedness. Love said, "You are still too clever filled with imagination and skepticism." I went and became gullible and in fright pulled away from it all. Love said, "You are a teacher, your are a head, and for everyone you are a leader." I am no more a teacher, not a leader, just a servant to your wishes. Love said, "You already have your own wings, I will not give you more feathers." And then my heart pulled itself apart and filled to the brim with a new light - overflowed with fresh life. Now even the heavens are thankful that because of love, I have become the giver of light.
~ Rumi
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
~ Rumi
I am no longer just one drop.
I have become the Sea.
I speak the language of the heart where every
particle of me, united, shouts in ecstasy!
Rumi ♥
Be melting snow.
Wash yourself of yourself.
A white flower grows in the quietness.
Let your tongue become that flower.
Rumi
Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune:
every success depends upon focusing the heart.
~Rumi
Caught by our own thoughts,
we worry about everything.
But once we get drunk on that Love
Whatever will be, will be.
Rumi ♥
I will find new meaning in every joy and sorrow
In that silence, I will hear the voice of spirit,
and freed from this world, I will see another world
where the end is another beginning.
~ Rumi ♥
I love my friends neither with my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forget.
~ Rumi
Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune:
every success depends upon focusing the heart.
~Rumi
If you knew the secrets of life
you too would choose no other
companion but love.
♥ Rumi ♥
The time has come to turn
your heart into a temple of fire.
Your essence is gold hidden in dust.
To reveal its splendor,
you need to burn in the fire of Love.
Rumi ♥
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
♥ Rumi ♥
There is a force within
Which gives you life
Seek that.
In your body
Lies a priceless gem---
Seek that.
O wandering Sufi,
If you want to find
The greatest treasure
Don’t look outside,
Look inside, and seek that.
~ Rumi
Lila is the Sanskrit word for Divine Play, Life is about Infinite Play... Passion, Beauty, Creativity, Freedom & Joy in the Present Moment
Foundation - The Four Corners & Universal Principles of Alignment
The Universal Principles of Alignment
OPENING TO GRACE Having the intention to place oneself—body, mind, and heart—in alignment with the flow of supreme consciousness. This involves approaching asana practice with an attitude of softhearted devotion.
MUSCULAR ENERGY A drawing of energy from the periphery of the body into the Focal Point (see below), which increases stability, strength, and physical integration in the pose.
INNER SPIRAL An ever-expanding energy spiral that moves outward from the core; it runs from the feet up through the pelvis into the waistline area. Inner Spiral rotates the legs inward, moves the thighs backward, and widens the thighs and pelvis.
OUTER SPIRAL An ever-narrowing spiral that moves inward toward the core; it runs from the waistline area down through the tailbone and out through the legs and feet. Outer Spiral rotates the legs outward, moves the tailbone and thighs forward, and draws the pelvis and thighs closer together.
ORGANIC ENERGY An outward extension of energy from the Focal Point through the core lines of the body to the body's periphery, which increases expansion, flexibility, and freedom in the pose.
The Secondary Principles
FOCAL POINT A localized power spot within the body. Muscular Energy draws into it, and Organic Energy extends out from it. There are three possible locations for the Focal Point: the core of the pelvis, the bottom of the heart, and the upper palate. In any given pose, only one Focal Point is active. The active Focal Point is the one nearest the most weight-bearing part of the pose. When the three possible Focal Points are equally weight-bearing, the pelvic Focal Point becomes the active one by default.
SIDE BODY LONG Lengthening the sides of the ribs so the tops of the shoulders come in line with the base of the neck.
SHOULDER LOOP One of the seven energy loops within the body. This loop originates in the upper palate and flows backward to the base of the skull and down the back of the body to the bottom of the shoulder blades. When you engage Shoulder Loop, the head moves back slightly and the shoulder blades move down the back. At the bottom of the shoulder blades, the loop begins arcing forward and upward as it draws the bottom tips of the shoulder blades in and upward, toward the heart. The loop continues forward and up to the palate again as it lifts the chest and opens the throat.
INNER BODY BRIGHT A soulful expansion of feeling and vital energy from within the body that gives the outer form of the body a buoyant fullness. This attitude is created in the first principle, Opening to Grace, in which the fullness of the inner Self is embraced so the inner luster of Spirit naturally shines forth.
The yogi should continually practise showering himself with nectar. He becomes free from old age and liberated and devoid of all disease. He plays within the Ocean of Samsara, dearest one, is accomplished and independent -
Kaulajnananirnaya VII, 20
You are speech. You are consciousness. You are bliss. You are Brahma. You are being-consciousness-bliss. You are the non-dual. You are plainly Brahma. You are knowledge. You are intelligence - Ganapati Upanishad
Kaulajnananirnaya VII, 20
You are speech. You are consciousness. You are bliss. You are Brahma. You are being-consciousness-bliss. You are the non-dual. You are plainly Brahma. You are knowledge. You are intelligence - Ganapati Upanishad
Shoulder Alignment
SHOULDER SAVER - by Julie Gudmestad - Published in Yoga Journal, February 2008
Learning to engage and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles is crucial to preventing common shoulder injuries that plague yogis and non_yogis alike. If you know how to use these muscles the right way, your Down Dogs can help keep your shoulders strong and healthy for a lifetime.
The rotator cuff is one of the most important but widely misunderstood structures in the body. It gets damaged often enough that its name has become synonymous with injury. It's a group of four shoulder muscles that surround each shoulder—like a cuff. Boiled down to the essentials, its job is to support and position the ball that forms the head of the upper arm bone and fits in the socket of the shoulder joint. The shoulder is inherently an unstable joint, so building the strength of these supporting muscles is crucial. If they're weak or deconditioned, as is often the case, the shoulder is vulnerable to injury and pain, and the rotator cuff itself may tear.
You can remember the four rotator cuff muscles by the acronym SITS, for subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, and supraspinatus. They all originate on the scapula (shoulder blade) and insert on the humerus (upper arm bone), near the humeral head (the ball that fits in the shoulder joint). The names of three of the muscles give you a clue to their location: subscapularis sits under the scapula, between the ribs and the front surface of the scapula. Supraspinatus sits above and infraspinatus sits below the spine of the scapula. You can feel them with your fingers: Touch one of your collarbones with the fingers of the opposite hand and slide the fingers straight up over the top of the shoulder. Then reach down the back about an inch or two; you'll find a ridge of bone that's more or less parallel to the ground. That is the spine of the scapula, which separates the supraspinatus and infraspinatus on the back surface of the scapula. The teres minor gives you no clues about its name; it just sits on the outer edge of the scapula, near the posterior fold of the armpit.
Shoulders 101
WHILE ALL FOUR MUSCLES work in concert to stabilize the shoulder, each muscle also helps support the shoulder individually. The subscapularis is a powerful internal rotator. Supraspinatus helps hold the ball up in its socket against the downward pull of gravity on the arm, and it initiates abduction, or lifting the arm up from your side, as in Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II). Teres minor and infraspinatus are the primary muscles that control the external rotation of the shoulder. When they're strong and healthy, they help to protect the shoulder joint by positioning the ball in the socket while you raise your arm overhead. Conversely, their weakness can contribute to common shoulder problems such as shoulder impingement, tendinitis, and bursitis.
These important external rotators, infraspinatus and T. minor, are the part of the rotator cuff that is strengthened in Downward Dog. It's a good thing, too, because these days, the laborsaving products and devices we use make our arms and shoulders progressively weaker as the decades slip by. A weakened rotator cuff might lead to abnormal shoulder-movement patterns, which can contribute to inflammation and pain. Not only that, but weak muscles are likely to tear when you put a load on them that they aren't strong enough to handle. Sometimes the tears are microscopic and will heal on their own. But if the tears are bigger, a surgeon may have to sew the separated ends of the torn tissues together. Repairing a torn rotator cuff surgically, though, isn't a given: One doctor described the repair process as being like trying to sew up a run in a nylon stocking. The tissues of the atrophied muscles and their weakened tendons are just plain flimsy—liable to tear and difficult to repair.
So, a word to the wise: It's much easier to work your rotator cuff muscles, make them strong, and keep the tissues healthy than to have to see a physical therapist like me for shoulder treatment and rehabilitation or, worse still, to have to visit a surgeon. And it's in this way that your daily Downward Dog practice will really pay off—if, that is, you know how to engage infraspinatus and teres minor.
Right Rotation
PROPERLY ENGAGING THE EXTERNAL rotators takes some training. In fact, many students unknowingly let their shoulders slip into internal rotation in Downward Dog, leaving the external rotators lazy and inactive.
To get a feel for engaging the shoulder external rotators, stand facing a dining table or desk. Lean forward and place your hands on it, palms down and bearing a little weight. Now look at your elbows, noticing the crease on the inner sides and the point of the elbows on the outer sides. When you rotate your arms so that the elbow creases point forward, you will be externally rotating your shoulders. When you rotate in the opposite direction and the points of the elbows poke out to the sides, you will be internally rotating your shoulders. Play with this a bit by rotating in and out with this light amount of weight bearing, and you may even be able to feel the teres minor and infraspinatus contracting across the back of the shoulders as you turn the elbow creases forward.
Now go to your mat and do Down Dog. If you're a newer student or have tight shoulders, you may notice that they tend toward internal rotation, with the elbows sticking out to the sides and maybe even bent. Still in Dog, come forward a few inches toward Plank Pose and actively rotate the elbow creases relatively forward, so that they point toward your thumbs. Move back into Dog and try to keep some of this external rotation, though you'll have to give some of it up to fully open the shoulders. Maintaining some external rotation will keep the teres minor and infraspinatus contracting, and you'll probably notice more space opening up between your shoulder blades.
Once you've mastered keeping the external rotators engaged in Downward Dog, you can apply the action to more challenging poses such as Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) and Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). From Downward Dog, come forward into Plank Pose. Rotate the creases of your elbows forward and hold your elbows against your sides as you let down to Chaturanga, then glide forward into Upward-Facing Dog. As you actively turn your elbow creases forward in this pose, the external rotators will be contracting strongly, and you should notice that this action broadens and lifts your chest.
Now notice how this shoulder rotation affects the weight placement in your hands. If the shoulders internally rotate, more weight tends to fall onto the inner side of the hand—that is, the thumb and index finger; in external rotation, the weight falls more onto the little-finger side. Ideally, your weight should be evenly balanced between your inner and outer hand, so that as you externally rotate at the shoulder, you'll need to focus on actively pressing down on the base of the index finger and thumb. This action of the forearm and hand is called pronation.
Typically, pronation of the forearm and hand occurs when the arms are internally rotated. For example, as I sit at my keyboard right now, palms down, my elbow points are sticking out to the side, which shows how pronation is linked with internal rotation. But Downward and Upward Dog require us to break our usual patterns by linking active shoulder external rotation with pronation of the hand. As you practice connecting these opposites, perhaps you'll appreciate anew how yoga helps you to break your old, unconscious habits in every aspect of life—and replace them with healthy, conscious, and considered ways of living.
_______________________________________________________________________
A pose can have exquisite alignment and be balanced in its Action, but without a pure spiritual expression from the heart, it loses its power for deep inner transformation. A pure spiritual expression from the heart, it loses its power for deep inner transformation. A pure spiritual expression in a posture is an unfolding of the deepest qualities of the heart, such as love and joy, into the body and surrounding environment. These pure heart qualities make a posture sing with a beautiful inner music, which harmoniously joins into the grand symphony of life. This heart energy (pure attitude) is the key element that makes the practice of hatha yoga into a profoundly transformational art. A pure attitude during the performance of asana purifies the body and mind and lets the light of the heart freely shine out.
~John Friend~
Practice transforms us. We need to eat less, because we assimilate more and more and therefore there is a loss of unnecessary weight. We become more and more beautiful, our faces change and our walk gains in elasticity. Our way of standing is steady and poised, our legs are firmer, and our toes and feet spread out, giving us more stability. Our chests expand, the muscles of the abdomen start to work, the head is lighter on the neck (like the corolla of a flower on its stem moving easily with flexibility while the wind blows). To watch these enchanting changes is amazing. A different life begins and the body expresses a happiness never felt before. These are not just words it actually happens.
-Vandra Scaravelli, Awakening the Spine
Learning to engage and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles is crucial to preventing common shoulder injuries that plague yogis and non_yogis alike. If you know how to use these muscles the right way, your Down Dogs can help keep your shoulders strong and healthy for a lifetime.
The rotator cuff is one of the most important but widely misunderstood structures in the body. It gets damaged often enough that its name has become synonymous with injury. It's a group of four shoulder muscles that surround each shoulder—like a cuff. Boiled down to the essentials, its job is to support and position the ball that forms the head of the upper arm bone and fits in the socket of the shoulder joint. The shoulder is inherently an unstable joint, so building the strength of these supporting muscles is crucial. If they're weak or deconditioned, as is often the case, the shoulder is vulnerable to injury and pain, and the rotator cuff itself may tear.
You can remember the four rotator cuff muscles by the acronym SITS, for subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, and supraspinatus. They all originate on the scapula (shoulder blade) and insert on the humerus (upper arm bone), near the humeral head (the ball that fits in the shoulder joint). The names of three of the muscles give you a clue to their location: subscapularis sits under the scapula, between the ribs and the front surface of the scapula. Supraspinatus sits above and infraspinatus sits below the spine of the scapula. You can feel them with your fingers: Touch one of your collarbones with the fingers of the opposite hand and slide the fingers straight up over the top of the shoulder. Then reach down the back about an inch or two; you'll find a ridge of bone that's more or less parallel to the ground. That is the spine of the scapula, which separates the supraspinatus and infraspinatus on the back surface of the scapula. The teres minor gives you no clues about its name; it just sits on the outer edge of the scapula, near the posterior fold of the armpit.
Shoulders 101
WHILE ALL FOUR MUSCLES work in concert to stabilize the shoulder, each muscle also helps support the shoulder individually. The subscapularis is a powerful internal rotator. Supraspinatus helps hold the ball up in its socket against the downward pull of gravity on the arm, and it initiates abduction, or lifting the arm up from your side, as in Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II). Teres minor and infraspinatus are the primary muscles that control the external rotation of the shoulder. When they're strong and healthy, they help to protect the shoulder joint by positioning the ball in the socket while you raise your arm overhead. Conversely, their weakness can contribute to common shoulder problems such as shoulder impingement, tendinitis, and bursitis.
These important external rotators, infraspinatus and T. minor, are the part of the rotator cuff that is strengthened in Downward Dog. It's a good thing, too, because these days, the laborsaving products and devices we use make our arms and shoulders progressively weaker as the decades slip by. A weakened rotator cuff might lead to abnormal shoulder-movement patterns, which can contribute to inflammation and pain. Not only that, but weak muscles are likely to tear when you put a load on them that they aren't strong enough to handle. Sometimes the tears are microscopic and will heal on their own. But if the tears are bigger, a surgeon may have to sew the separated ends of the torn tissues together. Repairing a torn rotator cuff surgically, though, isn't a given: One doctor described the repair process as being like trying to sew up a run in a nylon stocking. The tissues of the atrophied muscles and their weakened tendons are just plain flimsy—liable to tear and difficult to repair.
So, a word to the wise: It's much easier to work your rotator cuff muscles, make them strong, and keep the tissues healthy than to have to see a physical therapist like me for shoulder treatment and rehabilitation or, worse still, to have to visit a surgeon. And it's in this way that your daily Downward Dog practice will really pay off—if, that is, you know how to engage infraspinatus and teres minor.
Right Rotation
PROPERLY ENGAGING THE EXTERNAL rotators takes some training. In fact, many students unknowingly let their shoulders slip into internal rotation in Downward Dog, leaving the external rotators lazy and inactive.
To get a feel for engaging the shoulder external rotators, stand facing a dining table or desk. Lean forward and place your hands on it, palms down and bearing a little weight. Now look at your elbows, noticing the crease on the inner sides and the point of the elbows on the outer sides. When you rotate your arms so that the elbow creases point forward, you will be externally rotating your shoulders. When you rotate in the opposite direction and the points of the elbows poke out to the sides, you will be internally rotating your shoulders. Play with this a bit by rotating in and out with this light amount of weight bearing, and you may even be able to feel the teres minor and infraspinatus contracting across the back of the shoulders as you turn the elbow creases forward.
Now go to your mat and do Down Dog. If you're a newer student or have tight shoulders, you may notice that they tend toward internal rotation, with the elbows sticking out to the sides and maybe even bent. Still in Dog, come forward a few inches toward Plank Pose and actively rotate the elbow creases relatively forward, so that they point toward your thumbs. Move back into Dog and try to keep some of this external rotation, though you'll have to give some of it up to fully open the shoulders. Maintaining some external rotation will keep the teres minor and infraspinatus contracting, and you'll probably notice more space opening up between your shoulder blades.
Once you've mastered keeping the external rotators engaged in Downward Dog, you can apply the action to more challenging poses such as Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) and Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). From Downward Dog, come forward into Plank Pose. Rotate the creases of your elbows forward and hold your elbows against your sides as you let down to Chaturanga, then glide forward into Upward-Facing Dog. As you actively turn your elbow creases forward in this pose, the external rotators will be contracting strongly, and you should notice that this action broadens and lifts your chest.
Now notice how this shoulder rotation affects the weight placement in your hands. If the shoulders internally rotate, more weight tends to fall onto the inner side of the hand—that is, the thumb and index finger; in external rotation, the weight falls more onto the little-finger side. Ideally, your weight should be evenly balanced between your inner and outer hand, so that as you externally rotate at the shoulder, you'll need to focus on actively pressing down on the base of the index finger and thumb. This action of the forearm and hand is called pronation.
Typically, pronation of the forearm and hand occurs when the arms are internally rotated. For example, as I sit at my keyboard right now, palms down, my elbow points are sticking out to the side, which shows how pronation is linked with internal rotation. But Downward and Upward Dog require us to break our usual patterns by linking active shoulder external rotation with pronation of the hand. As you practice connecting these opposites, perhaps you'll appreciate anew how yoga helps you to break your old, unconscious habits in every aspect of life—and replace them with healthy, conscious, and considered ways of living.
_______________________________________________________________________
A pose can have exquisite alignment and be balanced in its Action, but without a pure spiritual expression from the heart, it loses its power for deep inner transformation. A pure spiritual expression from the heart, it loses its power for deep inner transformation. A pure spiritual expression in a posture is an unfolding of the deepest qualities of the heart, such as love and joy, into the body and surrounding environment. These pure heart qualities make a posture sing with a beautiful inner music, which harmoniously joins into the grand symphony of life. This heart energy (pure attitude) is the key element that makes the practice of hatha yoga into a profoundly transformational art. A pure attitude during the performance of asana purifies the body and mind and lets the light of the heart freely shine out.
~John Friend~
Practice transforms us. We need to eat less, because we assimilate more and more and therefore there is a loss of unnecessary weight. We become more and more beautiful, our faces change and our walk gains in elasticity. Our way of standing is steady and poised, our legs are firmer, and our toes and feet spread out, giving us more stability. Our chests expand, the muscles of the abdomen start to work, the head is lighter on the neck (like the corolla of a flower on its stem moving easily with flexibility while the wind blows). To watch these enchanting changes is amazing. A different life begins and the body expresses a happiness never felt before. These are not just words it actually happens.
-Vandra Scaravelli, Awakening the Spine
Sublime teachings of Douglas Brooks
Tantra
* Tantra can be defined as "looming together weaving together." Tan - means "to stretch" or "to expand," while - tra means "to integrate." This definition of tantra can be used as a metaphor for discussing spiritual community. Each member of the kula might be seen as a thread, that when woven together becomes tapestry. Thread alone has very little function. It can even be lost or broken quire easily. The value of thread is found in its functioning together with other threads. Thread can be used to mend and it can be used to attach things together. When thread is woven into cloth, the cloth becomes infinitely more useful than a handful of single threads. It is the same for us within a sangha or community - we have the opportunity to be woven into a beautiful cloth. As we bring our individual skills to the group, the group becomes stronger and more functional for service. We, in turn, have function, purpose, strength and stability when bounded in such a way. This bounding creates a continuity of support even when we are not physically surrounded by the ones with whom we practice. This support becomes an internal sanctuary that backs us up and gives us strength to live in the world with values of a spiritual practitioner.
* Don't worry about being perfect. Step into your Beauty
* In your vulnerable moments you are held by the current, floating. In your empowered moments you swim with the current. In your ultimate moments you and the current are one. You don’t feel the difference between you and the current. That's Anusara.
* Kali says Stop asking what is not being offered, and to return to the realm of what is being offered.
* Truth is a plural narrative
* People aren't factual truths so much as what they can create as their narrative: people are the stories they tell about themselves and about others.
* When conditional love and unconditional love meet - that's intimacy
* the beauty of the Self is that it advances and progresses
* Shri is the unyoked potential of abundance, the certain prospect of creating value and maintaining worth, and the ultimate claim that hope will always fill the future with possibilities as yet undreamt.
* Receive it all and now you can step fully into it all.
* Certainty is more dangerous than ignorance.
Essence
The beauty of Anusara is that the essence is moving. The moving is essential.
Embracing that paradox is realizing that it wants to be mahadeva, the one who creates the world out of the choices that try to make the right choice. The optimal choice. While at the same time you have to defer. You have to give up to other peoples choices. Because you can become greater for that not lesser.
What do you want?
Learning to ask for what we want is at the very heart of a Tantric yogi. And if you can't know to ask for it you can't possibly know you can have it.
Nonduality
'Appa said, "you know what God says in the Bible?"
My ears all perk up. Because Appa talked about the bible like three times.
God said, "vengeance is mine".
And I said, "Appa why is that a good idea?
And he said, "Because it's not yours. Because it doesn't belong to anyone but god. In which case you don't get to have it."
So... I kinda like that, i thought OK i can live with that kind of god.
But what the tantra invites us to is the process of value that necessarily invites comparison.
Because there is no experience, the Tantrika says, that invites otherness.
Because one of the other things that the Tantrika's want to tell you about dualists is that if they are right there would be nothing we could do about it anyway.
So even if they are right we're not going to pay much attention to what they have to say because, swaha... i mean into the fire, gotta let go fo that. he's in charge - you're not. So... quit it. Get onto some other kind of yoga because even if that is your yoga the best you can do is stand up, sing, sit down and hope for the best.'
~~~~~~~~
Hanuman
When Hanuman rips open his heart Sita and Ram are already there.
He doesn't do it to hurt himself.
He does it to show you what could be in your heart if you are willing to open it.
How far are you willing to go?
That's all he wants to know.
~~D. Brks~~
Srividyalaya
Rajanaka QOTD (Dec. 29/11): We do not seek our freedom; freedom is our very nature. We seek to bind ourselves exquisitely, to hold and to be held in the very arms of Grace as she chooses to become us.
* Tantra can be defined as "looming together weaving together." Tan - means "to stretch" or "to expand," while - tra means "to integrate." This definition of tantra can be used as a metaphor for discussing spiritual community. Each member of the kula might be seen as a thread, that when woven together becomes tapestry. Thread alone has very little function. It can even be lost or broken quire easily. The value of thread is found in its functioning together with other threads. Thread can be used to mend and it can be used to attach things together. When thread is woven into cloth, the cloth becomes infinitely more useful than a handful of single threads. It is the same for us within a sangha or community - we have the opportunity to be woven into a beautiful cloth. As we bring our individual skills to the group, the group becomes stronger and more functional for service. We, in turn, have function, purpose, strength and stability when bounded in such a way. This bounding creates a continuity of support even when we are not physically surrounded by the ones with whom we practice. This support becomes an internal sanctuary that backs us up and gives us strength to live in the world with values of a spiritual practitioner.
* Don't worry about being perfect. Step into your Beauty
* In your vulnerable moments you are held by the current, floating. In your empowered moments you swim with the current. In your ultimate moments you and the current are one. You don’t feel the difference between you and the current. That's Anusara.
* Kali says Stop asking what is not being offered, and to return to the realm of what is being offered.
* Truth is a plural narrative
* People aren't factual truths so much as what they can create as their narrative: people are the stories they tell about themselves and about others.
* When conditional love and unconditional love meet - that's intimacy
* the beauty of the Self is that it advances and progresses
* Shri is the unyoked potential of abundance, the certain prospect of creating value and maintaining worth, and the ultimate claim that hope will always fill the future with possibilities as yet undreamt.
* Receive it all and now you can step fully into it all.
* Certainty is more dangerous than ignorance.
Essence
The beauty of Anusara is that the essence is moving. The moving is essential.
Embracing that paradox is realizing that it wants to be mahadeva, the one who creates the world out of the choices that try to make the right choice. The optimal choice. While at the same time you have to defer. You have to give up to other peoples choices. Because you can become greater for that not lesser.
What do you want?
Learning to ask for what we want is at the very heart of a Tantric yogi. And if you can't know to ask for it you can't possibly know you can have it.
Nonduality
'Appa said, "you know what God says in the Bible?"
My ears all perk up. Because Appa talked about the bible like three times.
God said, "vengeance is mine".
And I said, "Appa why is that a good idea?
And he said, "Because it's not yours. Because it doesn't belong to anyone but god. In which case you don't get to have it."
So... I kinda like that, i thought OK i can live with that kind of god.
But what the tantra invites us to is the process of value that necessarily invites comparison.
Because there is no experience, the Tantrika says, that invites otherness.
Because one of the other things that the Tantrika's want to tell you about dualists is that if they are right there would be nothing we could do about it anyway.
So even if they are right we're not going to pay much attention to what they have to say because, swaha... i mean into the fire, gotta let go fo that. he's in charge - you're not. So... quit it. Get onto some other kind of yoga because even if that is your yoga the best you can do is stand up, sing, sit down and hope for the best.'
~~~~~~~~
Hanuman
When Hanuman rips open his heart Sita and Ram are already there.
He doesn't do it to hurt himself.
He does it to show you what could be in your heart if you are willing to open it.
How far are you willing to go?
That's all he wants to know.
~~D. Brks~~
Srividyalaya
Rajanaka QOTD (Dec. 29/11): We do not seek our freedom; freedom is our very nature. We seek to bind ourselves exquisitely, to hold and to be held in the very arms of Grace as she chooses to become us.
Sleeping World
The Sleeping World functions according to laws of separation, competition, judgement, domination, submission and division. In terms of body image and self-esteem, the Sleeping World holds us hostage to ideals for the human body that are unrealistic, often unhealthy, and founded on a lack of respect for our essential worthiness or goodness. The diet industry, fitness industry, fashion industry, cosmetic industry, entertainment industry, and even the yoga industry, bombard us with images that narrowly define beauty, while setting an unrealistic value on its attainment. An inordinate amount of our time, money and mental, emotional and spiritual energy are spent in the pursuit of an essentially empty ideal. The Sleeping World is a big machine that functions to reinforce the myth of separateness, fear, and unworthiness, while convincing us that those meaningless pursuits will relieve our existential suffering. The machine tells us that the suffering we feel is due to the conditions such as our looks, our financial status and our psychology.
The Sleeping World hides from us the root cause our our suffering - our mistaken belief that we are separate from the Divine. With the true cause of our suffering hidden and our attention directed toward promised "cures" that actually only perpetuate our suffering, we stay forever trapped in a cycle of illusion and searching.
(from Yoga from the Inside Out - Christina Sell)
The Sleeping World hides from us the root cause our our suffering - our mistaken belief that we are separate from the Divine. With the true cause of our suffering hidden and our attention directed toward promised "cures" that actually only perpetuate our suffering, we stay forever trapped in a cycle of illusion and searching.
(from Yoga from the Inside Out - Christina Sell)
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave
This is a very ancient chant which encompasses some of the main, core teachings of yoga. It has been adopted by Anusara as it's primary invocation, chanted three times at the beginning of practice.
OM, OM, OM
OM Namah Shivaya Gurave
Satchitananda Murtaye
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Niralambaya Tejase
OM
Meaning: (there can be many shades of meaning with sanskrit)
I bow to (Divine Consciousness) the true teacher within
I am pure awareness and at one with Source of all things
Forever expanding and fully peaceful
Depending on nothing else, I am radiant and powerful
When you hear the mantra Om Namah Shivaya being chanted, you can experience how natural and easy it is to chant the mantra, to be in the body of sound. It is so easy for the mind to relax and let go. You feel that you could continue chanting Om Namah Shivaya for hours. You have no desire to do anything else because chanting this mantra will purify you, will give you a meditation, will give you the experience of the Divine, will give you just about everything.
~S. Chidvilasanada
OM, OM, OM
OM Namah Shivaya Gurave
Satchitananda Murtaye
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Niralambaya Tejase
OM
Meaning: (there can be many shades of meaning with sanskrit)
I bow to (Divine Consciousness) the true teacher within
I am pure awareness and at one with Source of all things
Forever expanding and fully peaceful
Depending on nothing else, I am radiant and powerful
When you hear the mantra Om Namah Shivaya being chanted, you can experience how natural and easy it is to chant the mantra, to be in the body of sound. It is so easy for the mind to relax and let go. You feel that you could continue chanting Om Namah Shivaya for hours. You have no desire to do anything else because chanting this mantra will purify you, will give you a meditation, will give you the experience of the Divine, will give you just about everything.
~S. Chidvilasanada
The Path of Discipline
Discipline gives total freedom;
it allows you to go beyond limitations,
to break through boundaries and reach the highest goal.
The path of discipline will not only save a person's life,
it will also give it meaning. How?
By intorducing him to deeper joys and deeper longings,
by creatinig a scilence in which
the whisper of the heart can be heard.
Truly, discipline is the road to liberation.
it allows you to go beyond limitations,
to break through boundaries and reach the highest goal.
The path of discipline will not only save a person's life,
it will also give it meaning. How?
By intorducing him to deeper joys and deeper longings,
by creatinig a scilence in which
the whisper of the heart can be heard.
Truly, discipline is the road to liberation.
When the mind is happy, it can experience the sunrise of supreme bliss shimmering in every particle of the universe. It can actually drink a fresh cup of joy every day and become insppired with new perception. It is willing to renew and love and respect with each dawn. It is ready to dive into the Great Void of liberation.
Tapas/tapasya (lit. heat) 1. Austerities. 2. The experience of heat that occurs during the process of practicing yoga. The heat is generated by friction between the senses and renunciation. It is said that this heat, called "the fire of yoga," burns up the impurities that lie between the seeker and the experience of the Truth.
On the list of niyamas is austerity, tapas, which literally means heat. This is the fire of yoga. First, it burns up the impurities in the body. Then it reveals itself as the great fire, the blazing light of the supreme Self. For a mediator, tapasya also includes accepting whatever happens as the best thing for your sadhana, and not being disturbed by any discomforts. inner and outer, that you may experience.
Austerity develops endurance, which is the backbone of yoga. In yoga, your need the power of endurance. Constantly enduring whatever happen, never falling apart. You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because when you do, it becomes a tendency, and it happens over and over. Endurance is an invaluable quality that strengthens a mediator and helps him overcome the obstacles on the path. The path is strewn with many obstacles, so you can't let one obstacle stop you. You have many obstacles to overcome, so you must gain strength as you walk the path.
Even though at times you feel very tired and depleted, so tired that you feel you can't go on, even then, remember cleanliness, remember the purification that has already happened. Remember that austerity is good. It is the real fire that will burn the impurities and obstacles. Do not let yourself become completely exhausted. Without austerity, it is easy to give in to temptations and fall back on the indulgences that are so much a part of the lower self and the world of sense objects. So a yogi, a seeker, must always remember to ascent higher and higher. There should be nothing in the closet to revert to. Many people think if they put their bad habits in the closet, somehow no one will see them. Then, if they really want to indulge themselves, they can. But it's better to keep the closet clean.
Austerity has the power to mold a person into a sturdy vessel capable of holding the immense energy of yoga. This energy, this shakti, is very strong. In order to hold it, your need a strong body, a strong vessel. To sum it up, every part of your being profits from austerity, which curbs the appetites and purifies the will.
On the list of niyamas is austerity, tapas, which literally means heat. This is the fire of yoga. First, it burns up the impurities in the body. Then it reveals itself as the great fire, the blazing light of the supreme Self. For a mediator, tapasya also includes accepting whatever happens as the best thing for your sadhana, and not being disturbed by any discomforts. inner and outer, that you may experience.
Austerity develops endurance, which is the backbone of yoga. In yoga, your need the power of endurance. Constantly enduring whatever happen, never falling apart. You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because when you do, it becomes a tendency, and it happens over and over. Endurance is an invaluable quality that strengthens a mediator and helps him overcome the obstacles on the path. The path is strewn with many obstacles, so you can't let one obstacle stop you. You have many obstacles to overcome, so you must gain strength as you walk the path.
Even though at times you feel very tired and depleted, so tired that you feel you can't go on, even then, remember cleanliness, remember the purification that has already happened. Remember that austerity is good. It is the real fire that will burn the impurities and obstacles. Do not let yourself become completely exhausted. Without austerity, it is easy to give in to temptations and fall back on the indulgences that are so much a part of the lower self and the world of sense objects. So a yogi, a seeker, must always remember to ascent higher and higher. There should be nothing in the closet to revert to. Many people think if they put their bad habits in the closet, somehow no one will see them. Then, if they really want to indulge themselves, they can. But it's better to keep the closet clean.
Austerity has the power to mold a person into a sturdy vessel capable of holding the immense energy of yoga. This energy, this shakti, is very strong. In order to hold it, your need a strong body, a strong vessel. To sum it up, every part of your being profits from austerity, which curbs the appetites and purifies the will.
Well, the sages say, if you want to realize the purpose of human birth and enter the abode of supreme bliss, then you have to change your view on life. It's that simple - you have to change. Much of your life has been created from your unlimited supply of negative concepts. Purify them. Give your ,mind a break. Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever considered what your mind must think about you? Give your mind a break avery now and then. It wants to be free from your clutches.
Consciousness is the very nature of the mind, and Consciousness is totally free and steady at the smae time. So let the mind become still; it wants to become still and savor its own elixer. Let it eb. Don't drag it off to go shopping with you. Let the mind become sserenc; then a fountain od joy will flow within you. When a meditator learns to strengthen the mind and the heart by invoking the presence of contentment within he drinks from that fountain of joy.
(p.31)
Consciousness is the very nature of the mind, and Consciousness is totally free and steady at the smae time. So let the mind become still; it wants to become still and savor its own elixer. Let it eb. Don't drag it off to go shopping with you. Let the mind become sserenc; then a fountain od joy will flow within you. When a meditator learns to strengthen the mind and the heart by invoking the presence of contentment within he drinks from that fountain of joy.
(p.31)
Bliss
Gunas - The scriptures of India identify three essential qualities of nature, which determine the inherent characteristics of all created things. They are sattva (purity, light harmony, and intelligence); rajas (activity and passon); and tamas (dullness, inerta, and ignorance).
Sattvic happiness arises from the discipline of the mind and the senses.
Once again, tamasic happiness is wretched and thrives on laziness and others' pain. Rajasic happiness seems like nectar in the beginning, but turns to poison in the end. Sattcic happiness is born of restraint, and though it may seem bitter at first, in the end produces a fountain of nectar.
Beyond these three kinds of happiness is the pure bliss of the Self, which transcends the three gunas. Bliss is absolutely free from the stains of this world. Bliss is the very nature of Consciousness. When you say, "The sunrise of supreme bliss shimmers in every particle of the universe," you acknowledge its presence. You give it the honor that is due. You make the experience your own. It is not someone else's; it belongs to you. Supreme bliss belongs to you; you actually take possession of it. Then whenever you or someone you know goes through something less than bliss, you begin to experience deep compassion. There is a point below which your spirits never fall. You are no longer devoured by maya, by illusion.
What kinds of happiness have you experienced in your life? There may have been times when you experienced tamasic happiness. And than, once in a blue moon perhaps, you were happy for no reason at all. Just simply happy. You didn't see a deer in the woods you were just happy.
What kind of happiness have you known best? Sweet happiness? Bitter happiness? Bittersweet happiness? Pure happiness? Impure happiness? Happiness that is mixed, both pure and impure? Something to contemplate.
Sattvic happiness arises from the discipline of the mind and the senses.
Once again, tamasic happiness is wretched and thrives on laziness and others' pain. Rajasic happiness seems like nectar in the beginning, but turns to poison in the end. Sattcic happiness is born of restraint, and though it may seem bitter at first, in the end produces a fountain of nectar.
Beyond these three kinds of happiness is the pure bliss of the Self, which transcends the three gunas. Bliss is absolutely free from the stains of this world. Bliss is the very nature of Consciousness. When you say, "The sunrise of supreme bliss shimmers in every particle of the universe," you acknowledge its presence. You give it the honor that is due. You make the experience your own. It is not someone else's; it belongs to you. Supreme bliss belongs to you; you actually take possession of it. Then whenever you or someone you know goes through something less than bliss, you begin to experience deep compassion. There is a point below which your spirits never fall. You are no longer devoured by maya, by illusion.
What kinds of happiness have you experienced in your life? There may have been times when you experienced tamasic happiness. And than, once in a blue moon perhaps, you were happy for no reason at all. Just simply happy. You didn't see a deer in the woods you were just happy.
What kind of happiness have you known best? Sweet happiness? Bitter happiness? Bittersweet happiness? Pure happiness? Impure happiness? Happiness that is mixed, both pure and impure? Something to contemplate.
The human body is equipped with the incredible ability to open doors to subtler realms. Just as gold is found in a gold mine and lotuses in a pond, just as pine cones are found on a pine tree, wisdom on the tongue of a scholar, creativity in the hands of a painter, innocent laughter in a chid, lightning in rain clouds, steam in hot water, and tenderness in a generous heart, in the same way, the great Self can be found in this human body. It does exist; and its nature, which is bliss can be experiences.
And do you know what the best part is? This experience does not have to be a one-time thing. It can become an unfading source of inspiration, bringing forth ver-new and ever-fresh experiences. The bliss of the Self is inexhaustible. It is unlike anything else. A gold mine can rn dry. The more gold you take out, the less remains - until all that's left is dirt and rock. But when you tap into the bliss of your own inner Self, the more emerges.
And do you know what the best part is? This experience does not have to be a one-time thing. It can become an unfading source of inspiration, bringing forth ver-new and ever-fresh experiences. The bliss of the Self is inexhaustible. It is unlike anything else. A gold mine can rn dry. The more gold you take out, the less remains - until all that's left is dirt and rock. But when you tap into the bliss of your own inner Self, the more emerges.
It's pretty simple..
the Action you take will determine the Results you Achieve
~ Tony Robbins
Make the artistry in your pose simple and poetic
The yogi responds to the worse things in the highest manner
Creation is like a beam of Moonlight shimmering in the many ripples of a pool of Love.
Tantric cosmology ~John Friend
Intelligence of Water
Nothing in the world,
Is as yielding and receptive as water;
Yet in attacking the firm and inflexible,
Nothing triumphs so well.
Because of what it is not,
This becomes easy.
The receptive triumphs over the inflexible;
The yielding triumphs over the rigid.
-Lao Tzu
Tao-te-ching
The Warrior of the Light sometimes behaves like water,
flowing around the obstacles he encounters.
Occasionally, resistance might mean destruction, and so
he adapts to the circumstances. He accepts, without complaint
that the stones in his path hinder his way through the
mountains.
Therein lies the strength of water: It cannot be touched
by a hammer or ripped to shreds by a knife. The strongest
sword in the world cannot scar its surface.
The river adapts itself to whatever route proves possible,
but the river never forgets its one objective: the sea. So
fragile at its source, it gradually gathers the strength of
the other rivers it encounters.
And, after a certain point, its power is absolute.
-Paulo Coelho
from Warrior of the Light
Is as yielding and receptive as water;
Yet in attacking the firm and inflexible,
Nothing triumphs so well.
Because of what it is not,
This becomes easy.
The receptive triumphs over the inflexible;
The yielding triumphs over the rigid.
-Lao Tzu
Tao-te-ching
The Warrior of the Light sometimes behaves like water,
flowing around the obstacles he encounters.
Occasionally, resistance might mean destruction, and so
he adapts to the circumstances. He accepts, without complaint
that the stones in his path hinder his way through the
mountains.
Therein lies the strength of water: It cannot be touched
by a hammer or ripped to shreds by a knife. The strongest
sword in the world cannot scar its surface.
The river adapts itself to whatever route proves possible,
but the river never forgets its one objective: the sea. So
fragile at its source, it gradually gathers the strength of
the other rivers it encounters.
And, after a certain point, its power is absolute.
-Paulo Coelho
from Warrior of the Light
Today's Smoothie
red kale
kiwi
small pink lady apple
a few fresh strawberries
(1July11)
arugula
purple kale
apple
strawberries
raspberries
blueberries
mango juice
water
(5May11)
Yayyy I *finally* got a VitaMix (happy dance)
2 handfuls of arugula
1 pear
1 pink lady apple
1 bananas
Splash of mango juice
A little H20
mmmm!
(4May11)
kiwi
small pink lady apple
a few fresh strawberries
(1July11)
arugula
purple kale
apple
strawberries
raspberries
blueberries
mango juice
water
(5May11)
Yayyy I *finally* got a VitaMix (happy dance)
2 handfuls of arugula
1 pear
1 pink lady apple
1 bananas
Splash of mango juice
A little H20
mmmm!
(4May11)
Quotes from Friday's Creative Flow Class (April 29, 2011)
In the life of the spirit you are always at the beginning
~The Book of Runes~
Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning Beginner's Mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.
The phrase was also used as the title of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki's book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, which reflects a saying of his regarding the way to approach Zen practice: In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
A Hopi Elder Speaks
"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . .
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader."
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"
"There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly.
"Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
"The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for."
-- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder
Hopi Nation
Oraibi, Arizona
~The Book of Runes~
Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning Beginner's Mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.
The phrase was also used as the title of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki's book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, which reflects a saying of his regarding the way to approach Zen practice: In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
A Hopi Elder Speaks
"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . .
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader."
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"
"There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly.
"Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
"The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for."
-- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder
Hopi Nation
Oraibi, Arizona
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