Thursday, October 25, 2012

Heart Sutra


The Heart Sutra

Gaté
Gaté
Para Gaté
Para san Gaté
Bodhi Svaha

The great Laama spoke these words just before he died. They speak of the great beyond, going to the great beyond, beyond everything and even further. Svaha means the going and coming, to AWAKE. These words speak of the deepest truest love. The love that exists beyond all else.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Hearts and Hands

Hands are expressive, holding clues in every gesture of what lies within the heart. There is nothing as beautiful as flamenco dancers hands. Gypsies came from India a thousand years ago and with their migration brought unique character to hand mudras that have been around for thousands of years. We learned hand mudras and though the clarity of the fingers fade, the words do not:

Bound within space and time;
by your grace knowledge dawns;
and dispassion is attained.

Understanding the reality of creation;
immersed in Om;
liberation unfolds.

Returning to the self;
with senses controlled;
I offer my mind and heart to thee in complete surrender.

If yoga is a cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, the yoga Sutras invoke having a still mind. Chitta is mind stuff, Vritti is a wave or undulation. Narodaha is a negation of what came before.

"Chitta, Vritti, Narodaha"

The Heart Sutra

Gaté
Gaté
Para Gaté
Para san Gaté
Bodhi Svaha

The great Laama spoke these words just before he died. They speak of the great beyond, going to the great beyond, beyond everything and even further. Svaha means the going and coming, to AWAKE. These words speak of the deepest truest love. The love that exists beyond all else.



Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Timing and Sequence

Focus on the goal of the practice and build on the participants


Knowing when to push harder and when to be gentle involves reading energy. What time of the day is it? What is the weather? How big is the class? Who is there?

Engineering the order of asanas is demanding and involves skills with reading energy and how to integrate something new with something familiar. Transitions and length of time holding each pose is based on experience level, energy level and participants.

The passing of time can be measured in many ways. Getting the hang of inverted physical poses means that I need to keep focused on the ground. My gaze will lead and the momentum will take me as far as I can see. Its up to me to make sure I have laid a good foundation. A good base.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Fish Story- Matsyasana

Lord of the Fishes


Matsya, the Fish, was one of the incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu. One of many stories tells that Vishnu assumed this form to save the world from the Flood. My favorite is the one I heard from Mataji...

The story is told that while meditating for many years Shiva was granted the key to the universe and which uncovered the mystery of Yoga. Having awakened from many years of performing austerities with this spiritual knowledge, Shiva returns from the Himalayas to his spiritual consort, Parvati.

Shiva quickly shared this glorious discovery with his wife Parvati while unbeknown to them Vishnu in the form of a fish was listening to them. Parvati wasn't listening too carefully as she had other matters on her mind, mostly concerned with how to engage Vishnu. Several times Vishnu caught Matsya listening and threw him back into the river. Each time he swam back to absorb more knowledge.

As he absorbed the information magical things began to happen and he became enlightened by Shiva's words. Shiva became the first "guru' and Matsya became the first "student". Here began a long lineage of teachers and students who have passed their teachings down to students and teachers throughout the centuries.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Arm Balances and Saving Worms

Somewhere Between Dharana and Dhyana, Balance is Possible...

The effort of trying too hard is like Sisyphus rolling a rock uphill on a Farm. Roll too hard and you just wear yourself out, not hard enough and you will never get there. I struggle between my mind and body every time I try to achieve handstand. Am I warmed up enough yet? Will I fall flat on my back and get the wind knocked out of me again? Where is my drishti?

If we work on doing something right, eventually the pattern makes it easy and the once difficult discipline becomes its own reward. This lesson can be drawn into life as well. With work, play and relationships. Balance is the key for success with all.

When it rains, Mataji suggests helping the displaced earthworms find real ground. I try to carry it from my yoga poses to every day life. Helping others find fertile soil, healing where you can and letting nature take its course.

Helping others is also a pattern that can be created. Sometimes it's frustrating to watch the worm we just tossed into the grass make a bee-line back to the pavement, then balance becomes a matter of knowing when to let nature take its course.

Finding the pivot point is learning how to use momentum without overdoing it. Each endeavor has its own unique balance that we must find through trial and error and hopefully some luck. The main ingredient in finding balance is practice.

Eventually, when no one is looking, I manage a little hang time. Having found that perfect moment in space, where my legs pivot over my body and I balance in the air effortlessly for a few sweet seconds, before I start thinking about the worms and crumble back to the ground.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Karegrea Vasate Lakshmi

Reality is a mere dream of Shiva and Shakti. We call their blessing with invocations. We call to Saraswati for justice and to Vishnu through Brama. We invoke Krishna and ask to be infused with manifestation of their divine presence. Our work is our reality, we take on divine qualities when we perform tasks that guide and aid in the service of others.

Karagrea Vasate Laksmi
Karamule Saraswati
Karamade to Govindaha
Parabate Kara Darshanam

Work with happieness in the light and love of peaceful divinity.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Workshop - May Bliss


1st Hatha Yoga - Ashtanga based poses
7th  Ashtanga Breathing - Basic poses & stretching
14th Ashtanga Primary Series warm-up - focus on inversions
21st Ashtanga Vinyasa sun salutations - focus on backbends and second half of Primary Series sequence
28th Ashtanga Vinyasa overview - Primary Series - focus on meditation (Guided meditation)