Cornerstone

"The stone that the builder refused will always be the head cornerstone........what we refuse, we lose."

Bob Marley

I love all things Bob Marley.  He was a great musician, mystic and spiritual and social activist.  I recently watched the documentary Marley and found out more about him.  He was born the outcome of a brief affair between his mother, a poor black Jamaican,and his father, a white British soldier.  Bob had virtually no contact with his father as a child and attempted to establish a relationship with his father when he was a young adult.  His father refused to be a part of his life, an action which devastated Bob and was the inspiration for the song Cornerstone (above).  One can only wonder if Bob's father later regretted turning him away when Bob Marley became famous and wealthy.

This holiday season I have been thinking about reconciliation, the union with and embrace of what is.  In the Catholic church reconciliation is the sacrament of confession and penance.  After the rite, which an act of raw honesty and clarity of vision, we are reconciled with the divine once again.  "What we refuse, we lose."  By embracing whatever comes our way, even though perhaps it may seem like something we might not like at the time, we are returned to the divine embrace.

What are we refusing, denying, hiding, refusing to see or pushing away?

Shine the light of truth on the subject- how do we feel, what do we believe, what part did we play in creating the situation?   (this is fertile- what do we believe to be true- this  will never change for example- when the reality is that all things change all the time)

What can be done now?  Is there penance or a remedy or do we need to simply embrace what is at least for now?

Holiday Schedule 2012

Holiday Schedule:
Christmas Eve:  9 am Rishikesh Flow with Shri with MUSIC (only class of the day)
Christmas Day:  closed
Wednesday, Dec. 26:  915 am Warrior Flow with Erin (only class of the day)
normal schedule back on Thursday, Dec 27
New Years Eve:  9 am:  108 Sun Salutations with Shri  (only class of the day)
New Years Day:  closed
normal schedule back on Jan 2

Scent Alchemy

This week in the shala we were working with the use of scent to facilitate alchemy- growth and transformation.  Many traditions use scent and perfume for healing and growth- the bible has over 500 references to essential oils and the plants from which they are harvested and at the birth of Jesus, the 3 wise men came with gifts of essential oils, fragrance and resin.

Or the concentration on subtle sense perception can cause steadiness of mind. 
Yoga Sutras 1.35
Patanjali tells us that one of the ways to quiet the mind (and to move toward enlightenment) is by working with subtle sense perception. 
The sense of smell is considered exalted because of its connection to the breath- the vehicle for prana.  The experience the scent of something is to commune with its essence.
Scents may be categorized into solar scents and lunar scents.  Solar frangrances are energizing and invigorating and lunar fragrances are calming and soothing to the nervous system.  A solar scent, like orange, would be great to use before a hot practice, like sun salutations. Lunar scents, like lavender or sandalwood, would be great to use before meditation.
The scent of burning aromatic artemesias like sage and mugwort purify the pranic body and help us to let go of what no longer serves us.  They are nice to burn before or after a Yoga practice.

A perfect perfume has 12 notes, or scent ingredients, that come together in 3 chords chosen for their harmonic affinity.

The first chord is the head, the first impression the perfume makes, which lasts a few minutes.
The second chord is the heart, the theme of the perfume, which last for several hours.
And the third chord is the base, the tail of the scent, which lasts for several days.

A relationship with Yoga practice has similarities- there is the first impression- we may decide that we like or do not like practicing Yoga right away.  Then we experience the heart chord- the honeymoon is over and we either decide to stay with it and dive deeper into the theme of the practice or we decide to quit all together.  The base chord is the result of practice which we start to see in all areas of our lives.

Thanksgiving Schedule 2012

Thanksgiving Day Schedule:
9 am All Levels Flow with Pam (our only class of the day)

Shiva Wisdom:

This week in the shala we were working with archetypal Shiva energy.  The archetypes are energies and/or forces that we may choose to align ourselves with.  In order to learn about the nature of the archetype's energy and to understand the best means to create the alignment, we look to the mythic stories of the deity.  Shiva is a master meditator.  He sits in perpetual meditation with his physical eyes closed and his third eye, his inner vision, remains open.  In mythic art, vertical lines represent action and horizontal lines represent stillness.  When a Yogi performs a ritual offering to Shiva, we may use the sacred ash to create a symbol on the forehead (like holy ash on Ash Wednesday) to remind us of our act of devotion.  The symbol for Shiva is 3 horizontal lines- the wisdom of Shiva is instruction on the power of stillness and of meditation.
Shiva has a relationship with the concept of Tripura- the 3 worlds.  Tripura is where the roots of suffering lie- it is the 3 worlds of Me, Mine and Not Mine.  Me is my body and my mind.  Mine is my property, my family, my self image.  And Not Mine is everything else on the planet that is not under our authority.  All suffering dwells in the realm of the the 3 worlds.  One of Shiva's 108 names is Tripurantaka- the destroyer of the 3 worlds.  Shiva energy is a means toward the alleviation of suffering.  It is through the cultivation of awareness, Shiva's 3rd eye is always open, and the practice of stillness and meditation that we move toward happier lives.  Through a dedicated practice of meditation, the transitory nature of the 3 worlds is revealed and we begin to understand the futility of clinging to Tripura as our source of happiness.  Each meditation serves as an introduction to the part of ourselves that is beyond the 3 worlds, the part of ourselves which has always been and always will be- for many people this essence is called soul.
The sound structure that we may use to align ourselves with Shiva energy is
Om Namah Shivaya

Balance

This post is from an article i wrote in 2010- this week our theme was balance so I thought it would be appropriate to share again.


Asana and the Zero Point

In the Mongolian creation myth, the world was created when a wild, male dog mated with a female deer. The wild dog was fierce, powerful and aggressive and the doe was gentle, sensitive and intuitive.
Out of this marriage of opposites limitless love was created. The state of balance precedes the Genesis moment.

Recently, in my Yoga teacher training program, we considered the question What is the purpose of asana? Those things that normally come to mind like strength building, the cultivation of flexibility, weight loss, increasing stamina and endurance, etc. are true, yet these benefits are just a small part of the larger, more profound gifts of asana.

If we look at the name for the practice of asana, pranayama and conscious relaxation, Hatha Yoga, we see balance as the purpose of asana. Ha=Sun and Tha=Moon. Hatha Yoga is to balance the polarities of sun and moon physically, mentally and energetically. As we balance the polar opposites of strength and flexibility, thinking and feeling, doing and nondoing, in breath and out breath, left brain and right brain, sthiram and sukham, prana and apana, pingala and ida, Shiva and Shakti, we set the stage for the greatest goal of Yoga to be experienced, Enlightenment. Enlightenment is the realization of our greatest potential, the state of communion and grace. It is only by the balancing of these polarities that Kundalini Shakti, the great, dormant creative force, awakens and begins Her evolutionary ascent through the chakras.

The moon must be made steady in order for the sun to rise.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The moon represents the mind, chitta, and the sun represents energy, prana. In order for Kundalini Shakti to rise, we must bring the mind to a state of harmony and tranquility. Swami Satchidananda tells us that the asanas make the body healthy enough and the mind peaceful enough so that we are able to sit in meditation. Meditation is perhaps the most efficient tool to create a tranquil mind.

The purpose of Hatha Yoga is to give you the knowledge of controlling these two energies: “ha” and “tha” (prana and apana). Without that knowledge it is very difficult to gain that control over the mind which is called Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga deals with the mind, Hatha Yoga works with the prana and apana. Many students make the mistake of considering Hatha Yoga to be mainly asanas, when actually asana is only one of the eight steps of Hatha Yoga. Furthermore, there is no real difference between Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. There is no possibility of attaining Raja Yoga without the practice of Hatha Yoga and vice versa.

Swami Vishnu Devananda

Seeking balance is the path of the Yogi. The state of balance is like the zero point on the number line. Zero is nestled peacefully between the positive integers and the negative integers that extend infinitely in both directions. It is a state which is both full and empty simultaneously- a state of infinite possibility and pure potential. There is a reason that the model of the 3 main nadis in the body- ida, pingala and sushumna- looks curiously like the double helix of DNA. It is through this apparatus that we create a new reality- a life of meaning and fulfillment. The Genesis act was not a one time, isolated event. Genesis happens all the time for Yogis.

The master Patanjali speaks of balance as the path and the goal of asana.

Asana is a steady, comfortable posture.

Sutra 2.46 translated by Swami Satchidananda

On the mat we seek to harmonize sthira, strength and steadiness in posture, with sukham, comfort and ease. We attempt to balance the world of form, structure and alignment with the world of formlessness, feeling and energy. We journey to the realm of form with external awareness- my foot goes here, my pelvis tilts this way or that- and with focus on structure and alignment in asana. We experience the world of formlessness with breath awareness and internal focus and sensitivity. Magic happens on the mat when the two worlds collide and our practice is illuminated with both form and freedom, structure and shakti.

The most successful yoga teachers I know are those who find balance in instructing asana as well. They are both strict and loving simultaneously.



By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness and by meditating on the infinite, posture is mastered.

Sutra 2.47 translated by Swami Satchidananda

Swami Satchidananda and Patanjali tell us that asana is mastered by meditation on the infinite. The word for infinite is ananta. Ananta is also the archetypal serpent deity on which Lord Vishnu rests. The stories of the deities are to teach us lessons. The story of Ananta is that when Lord Shiva was teaching Parvati yoga asanas they heard a rustling in the jungle. Ananta, the serpent, was discovered eavesdropping on Shiva and Parvati. Lord Shiva was angry with Ananta and told him that his punishment would be to go to the humans and teach them what he had overheard, but Shiva told Ananta that the humans would be frightened of him in his current form so he was also instructed to take human form to teach yoga to humanity. Ananta’s human incarnation was the master Patanjali. Ananta is depicted with the entire material universe balanced perfectly on his head and the divine in the form of Vishnu rests nestled in his lap. Ananta teaches us about balance in life. Yogis are master jugglers. We perform the ultimate balancing act. We move through life performing our material world obligations with the divine sitting in our laps, in the state of grace. Meditation on Ananta also teaches us that sometimes radical transformation is required in order to manifest our greatest potential.



Thereafter, one is undisturbed by dualities.

Sutra 2.48 translated by Swami Satchidananda



The pairs of opposites, the dvandvas, belong to the physical and mental realms. Physically the dvandvas represent hot and cold, hunger and thirst, pleasure and pain, and so on. Mentally, the pairs of opposites are the ever changing emotional states we experience. With mastery of asana, the Yogi finds herself steady in the midst of change. We experience ourselves as larger than the pairs of opposites and find a part of ourselves that is beyond suffering.

In the bigger picture, the pairs of opposites represent the state of duality that makes us believe that we are separate from our source. As we move toward balance, we move from darkness to the light of understanding that union with the divine is possible. In fact, it was there all along.

Labor Day Schedule 2012

Labor Day Schedule:  9 am All Levels Flow with Shri on Monday (4 pm and 6 pm cancelled)

This week with Shri: Firefly Pose: This shape reminds us to cultivate an internal source of light thru Tapas- those fire practices that makes us glow. Tapas creates the subtle essence Tejas. "Tejas is the radiant splendor of personality that expresses itself as courage, creativity, love and a melting tenderness that draws all hearts." - Eknath Eswaran

Guru Purnima 2012

Tasmai sri guruveynamaha!  I honor my teacher Guruji Divyananda Saraswati, who left his body in 2002.
Today is Guru Purnima- a day to celebrate the fullness of your teacher- the good and the bad- they are only human.
Here is an interview with my Guruji from years ago:

Hinduism Today: Swamiji, please tell us about life in the Himalayas.




Swami Divyananda: I dreamed of the Himalayas from my early years. Above Badrinath I found a valley, just three mountains on three sides with one big river flowing and some small streams. I said, "This place is meant for me. Lord Siva is there. He will take care of me."



HT: Do you get visitors?



Swamiji: Sometimes sadhus visit the cottage. It is our pleasure sometimes to prepare seventy glasses of tea in one day. But for weeks, when it is cold, nobody comes.



HT: What do you do for heat?



Swamiji: Nothing in particular. I live in a sort of refrigerator. My God, it gets very, very cold. Sometimes, I tell you, I slept at night with my knees joined to my neck.



HT: We've heard stories that there are sadhus in the Himalayas that are 100, 200 years old. Have you ever met such sadhus?



Swamiji: Yes, in my meditation I have met persons like that. Actually, they live in their astral body, not in the physical body. Under divine command they live to help other sadhakas who really deserve their help. Sometimes in my meditations I have met such sages, some very ancient sages.



HT: What do you meditate on?



Swamiji: Meditation can be on form, on name, on quality and on the Absolute Reality. So I do all the meditations according to my mood. When I do my own meditation, then I go very deep. We may call it root meditation. One hour I do pranayama, and other things.



HT: Were you ever married?



Swamiji: Yes, I was married. My wife and my husband is always with me, because I am married to God. There is no fear of divorce!



HT: Please tell us about your guru.



Swamiji: He was Sri Swami Abhinava Satchitanand Tirtha Swamiji Maharaj. the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Mutt. My guru had only two monk disciples. He was a very highly God-Realized soul. I had a vision of him in my dream before I met him. When I met him, I recognized him and he also recognized me. My guru used to run many institutions, colleges and children's schools. My Guruji wanted me to take up [the leadership of the Mutt]. He was my guru, I couldn't disobey him. I told my guru, "I will do whatever you want. I spent my whole life in society, and now I have gone to the Himalayas for solitude. You are my guru. I do not want to conceal my feelings from you. But I want to stay in solitude." He understood and gave his blessings.



HT: What is the Swami Divyananda Sharda Foundation?



Swamiji: I had some money from before my renunciation which I gave to make an institution and to give scholarships to willing, God-minded students. To receive a scholarship the student must be of a religious mind, single and have faith in our Hindu culture and religion. There are three things it does: educational service; social service, such as in calamities, floods and famine; and dispensing spiritual knowledge amongst the people.



HT: What sampradaya do you adhere to?



Swamiji: It is very difficult to answer this question. People often ask me, "Swami, to what do you belong?" I tell them, "Let me think for a while." I think that I belong to all sampradayas, because I accept the basic teachings of all. The basic teachings are not different. The aim of sampradayas is to reach God. I worship the Mother aspect of God. Now in my present level of, you can say, God consciousness, I don't see any difference anywhere. Wherever I go, I see the same deity. I go to all temples. I worship all Gods.



HT: How do you keep so young?



Swamiji: The first thing is brahmachariya, self-control. Second thing is a very pure diet, simple food. For the last 42 years I have been living on fresh fruits and vegetables. I eat only enough for my hunger to be satisfied. One thing more is my belief in God. I believe my primary responsibility is to do my duty to God. I should not worry about what comes in the end. I believe in His justice, in His fearlessness. With that attitude mentally I am very free, very easy in mind and heart.



HT: What are your observations on the West?



Swamiji: Internally I don't see any difference. For me the Divinity there is the same Divinity here. But externally there is a difference. God is the one truth, and yet God can express Himself in many ways. The Himalayas is the austerity aspect of God and North America is the luxury aspect of God. So it is all Divine.



HT: What is your insight into the relationship between Muslims and Hindus in India?



Swamiji: Just as love begets love, fanaticism begets fanaticism. If you find any fanaticism in Hindu religion, it is not because Hindus are fanatics. It is because fanaticism begets fanaticism. So fanaticism has to go from all sides. Certain mistakes were made by the [founding] political leaders of India, initial mistakes, great blunders, I would say. Indian society has had to reap the consequences. Secularism does not mean Godlessness. You have to believe in God. You have to respect your way, and you have to show respect to others. That is the meaning of secularism. You don't discard God, religion and all truth and philosophy in the name of secularism. This was a wrong meaning of secularism that they took, and this is the cause of all the present maladies. They forgot that all ethics is contained in religion. In the name of secularism they removed all religion and the good teachings of our ancient seers and sages from the students' books and courses. That was very unfortunate. It is not easy to set things right now. Cooperation and understanding have to be developed.