"The Problem is Civil Obedience"

Oh yeah.

It's the ONLY Thing Worth Doing

www.charterofcompassion.org

"I believe that we are here for each other, not against each other. Everything comes from understanding that you are a gift in my life - whoever you are, whatever our differences." 

(John Denver)

It's the ONLY thing worth doing. Radically simple. Radically effective. Practicing compassion or in other words living by the golden rule does more than heal others it heals our own heart when we practice it. As the well known author on religious thought, Karen Armstrong states after decades of research and study it seems to be the only thing that brings everlasting happiness. One reason why this concept fascinates me is because it isn't always the easiest thing to do from time to time. I guess that is why it is worth doing and yet makes our life more fulfilling. I can only speak for myself in that there are definitely moments where I default and pass judgement not consciously putting myself in another's shoes. These lapses never feel good and weigh me down giving good reason to focus on practicing compassion. Somehow, when focused on it things tend to challenge me to arise to it on a more radical level. Not always easy but always rewarding.

One thing I've realized is that it is truly a practice. One that brings conscious effort in the beginning just like anything and one I have failed on many occasions. So much seems to stem from simply being conscious. When we ride on selfish behavior it usually originates from the mind not the heart. I write about this not because I am there, but because I'd like to better live in the heart of compassion in my day to day life. Like Karen Armstrong states, it is the only thing worth doing. I guess personally I would add yoga practice to that or any practice that brings us inward, consciously watching and observing the patterns of the mind acting as a gateway to our center, into our hearts. Unblocking ourselves daily is an important part of the process I can attest to. Writing has also helped in this regard to cleanse what inhibits my heart and weighs on my shoulders, especially if I am filled with thoughts and worry. It's a daily effort. An effort worth making.

Another thing I have come to realize is right and wrong doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. We will always have our differences with one another. There will always be various points of view but at the end of the day honestly looking to one another in truth that we are connected holds more value. I truly believe every human being deserves dignity and respect and above all compassion. We all have experienced grief and sadness as well as joy and triumph, this we share and can honor in one another. One person's triumph and success is our own! We never have to think as if we are less because of it. At the same time when those around us suffer we can share in it too and find understanding that sometimes in life there is a hard battle to be had. We are never above or below it. Extending a hand of understanding is sometimes all someone needs in the most challenging of moments and life experiences. It becomes tiring to find fault with others when instead I can find the thread that connects us all.

It is not only a new year but a new age. If we don't stand together we will fall.

Independent Film: Blood Brother

www.bloodbrotherfilm.com

Holding Space

Outside KPJAYI

"It would be easier to roll up the entire sky into a small cloth than it would be to obtain true happiness without knowing the Self."  

(Upanishads)

I'm in Mysore. In the mist of rounding out my 3rd week today. My 7th trip and as always feels as if I'm coming into something new. I like to be in a space of discovery and exploration within the practice. It takes the edge off. It is important to touch, taste and feel every part of the experience. Even those challenging bits we find ourselves in on occasion. At this point settling in happens with ease but the practice in the shala is always full of surprises. Whether pleasant or unpleasant, witnessing the process of unfolding allows me to sit in a place of neutrality and observation. Understanding what is in and out of my control I can then ride the wave of energy that no matter what courses strong in the room like a steady march.

There have been so many things I have been contemplating lately. The process we all go through from time to time most certainly ebbs and flows in life and recently I have been feeling a flow. So many impressions and mental processes have come to light that sometimes it has been overwhelming. Within all of this I continue to place my heart in the center of it all. With countless hours of practice and study under my belt I am beginning to realize and lean on the simplicity of what it all culminates to. Can I love more openly? Can I live more open heartedly? How often do I rest on my fears and close? Do I extend a hand to the unfamiliar? Am I kind? Because it doesn't matter how many trips I make to Mysore and it doesn't matter how may complicated asanas I can do, if I don't open to the truth it is pointless.

I desire to push myself inside the unknowingness of it all. To look at everything with new eyes. To even come to my mat with a new perspective and curiosity. Because if I place too much importance on structure and the familiar I'm as good as dead, and ultimately building my spiritual home on sand. It isn't easy and sometimes you are stricken for it, but then again, everyone who has done anything of significance came to realize these challenges. Sometimes the path we take isn't accepted by the masses. The truth speaks ever so clearly and the courage to rise up to it can show itself in a myriad of ways. With this realization I can honor various paths and experiences and see the beauty in it all. No matter what differences that stand between, when understanding the truth, all walls tend to crumble.  

Bahá'í How Are You Doing? - Have a Little Faith

Here is a little video about the religion I was raised in. Talk about a great platform to build a foundation upon. Though I no longer label myself as any one thing it takes me back to how powerful the practice and vision of unity is. There is a thread that connects us all. The truth is that we are One. Whenever I deviate from that I know that I have lost my way and what brings me back is the connection we all share. There is no separation, it is only in the mind that we are. 

Monday Inspiration: Struggle

“It is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth. Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place of struggle now and then. In fact, struggle is a sure sign to them that they are expanding; it is their indication of real and important progress. The only one who doesn’t struggle is the one who doesn’t grow. So if you are struggling right now, see it as a terrific sign — and celebrate your struggle.” 

(Neale Donald Walsch)

Highlights from Moscow

Last November I spent 6 glorious days in Moscow, Russia. I know, I'm late posting but better late than never! The hospitality extended was truly heartwarming and I owe it to the spirit of the Russian people. You are magnificent! Thank you!!!

Love in Transformation

“You don’t measure love in time. You measure love in transformation. Sometimes the longest connections yield very little growth, while the briefest of encounters change everything. The heart doesn’t wear a watch - it’s timeless. It doesn’t care how long you know someone. It doesn’t care if you had a 40 year anniversary if there is no juice in the connection. What the heart cares about is resonance. Resonance that opens it, resonance that enlivens it, resonance that calls it home. And when it finds it, the transformation begins…” 

(Jeff Brown)

Just a Flexi-Girl . . .

“Earnestness is the path of eternity, thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already.”  

(Buddha)

"Your just a flex-girl."

This is what a mutual peer and someone I considered a respected friend and colleague, told me a while back while having a conversation on none other than, asana practice. Often, talk has a way of going in that direction for whatever reason. When I heard the remark it took me a back. I was not only surprised but perplexed by the comment because it wasn't used in jest. Perplexed because if I misunderstood came off as if prior years of practice was all so easy. Funny how the act of consistent practice and discipline is never taken into consideration. However, I didn't spend too much time being offended by the comment because to say something like that is one lazy, and reflects more on the shortsighted view point of the one who said it.

So it got me thinking how easy it is to judge another, gravitating toward that something must have made it easier for someone to get where they are. There must be some excuse. It could be in regards to anything. Especially in a community where everyone likes to state their opinions about everything and everyone. It is then easy to miss all that happens in between. Often it is in the human condition that we don't even want to know the truth. We would rather rely on our own shortsighted judgements of someone else using the stories we make up in our heads as actual fact instead of learning a thing or two from the person we judge. In the end we miss a valuable opportunity to learn something.

It happens to the best of us when making snap judgements. This is where the mind likes to take us on any given day and like I said before and what I am realizing now is judgement comes out of laziness and the avoidance of truth. From truth comes responsibility, from truth we have to open rather than close. What we thought we knew may not be and for some a scary place because yes it takes more time to sit down with someone and really get to know them beyond the vision of our own lens. Then our stories don't carry much weight anymore. Wow, what freedom if only willing to step into understanding instead of fault finding!

Beyond judgement it also has me thinking what a disservice it does to comment on someone's practice in that regard or even their physical makeup. I've had a number of students with natural flexibility and in my eyes I'm like, so what. Whether flexible or hyper stable there is a sadhana (spiritual practice) being done and as a teacher I support one's sadhana. The result relies solely on the individual far beyond the performance of asana. It's not necessarily about mastering something external but about exploring each moment in each asana through conscious breath. The beauty viewed in practice stems from an internal alignment. The funny thing is some of my most sincere and humble students may have a few areas of natural ability but that in turn doesn't stop them from desiring to go ever deeper into the essence and truth of what this yoga tradition offers. One can never get the full story from the outside.

I think on another level it saddens me when we reduce things down on a level that in truth doesn't do much good for the one commenting or the one receiving the comment. If we understand that yoga practice leads to self-realization and the actualization of our true potential there isn't much to debate on what one does on the outside. It reminds me of what one student asked during a workshop I taught recently in regards to what I thought of her practice. I simply told her, "You're practicing consistently, I'm already impressed. Many stop long before where you are now. Just keep going. Keep exploring. This is what matters."

There is Nothing Wrong

“There is nothing wrong. Sadness is not wrong. Fear is not wrong. Confusion is not wrong. Our pain is not wrong. Resisting our pain is what makes everything seem wrong. And yet here is a deeper truth, for those who are open: even our resistance of pain is not wrong. If that’s what’s happening, it cannot be wrong. It is a valid expression of life in the moment. Beyond ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. This love even embraces resistance. This Now is vast, and forgiving. Yet even ‘resistance’ is just another concept. Another judgement. Another way to make ourselves wrong. “Resistance bad”. “Acceptance good.” That’s what we learn. It’s not that we “resist” our pain. We just never learned how to be with it. How to sit with it. Stay with it. Have a cup of tea with it. See it as a beloved friend, at home in the vastness. Our ignorance is our innocence. We just never learned. Our pain is not wrong. It is an invitation. An ancient teaching. Universal. Free. Life invites us to come closer Falling through imagined layers Into great mystery.” 

(Jeff Foster)

Monday Inspiration: Peace Within Me

Being, enliven me. 

Breath, inspire me. 

Beauty, enrapture me.

Heart, connect me.

Knowledge, expand me. 

Wisdom, empower me.

Truth, justify me.

Light, illuminate me.

Darkness, educate me.

Mystery, amaze me.

Grace, uplift me.

Peace, comfort me.

Center, draw me.

Oneness, embrace me.

All-in-all, use me.

Blessing, I bless you


Love, I love you.

(Julian of Norwich)

His Day is Done

Friday Quote: Violence

"When I was about 20 years old, I met an old pastor’s wife who told me that when she was young and had her first child, she didn’t believe in striking children, although spanking kids with a switch pulled from a tree was standard punishment at the time. But one day, when her son was four or five, he did something that she felt warranted a spanking–the first in his life. She told him that he would have to go outside himself and find a switch for her to hit him with. 

The boy was gone a long time. And when he came back in, he was crying. He said to her, “Mama, I couldn’t find a switch, but here’s a rock that you can throw at me.”All of a sudden the mother understood how the situation felt from the child’s point of view: that if my mother wants to hurt me, then it makes no difference what she does it with; she might as well do it with a stone. 

And the mother took the boy into her lap and they both cried. Then she laid the rock on a shelf in the kitchen to remind herself forever: never violence. And that is something I think everyone should keep in mind. Because if violence begins in the nursery one can raise children into violence.” 

(Astrid Lindgren)

Keep The Faith

"Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely daydreaming, but vision with action can change the world." 

A hero of our time, a man of greatness. There is no way I could go on another day without expressing my profound gratitude to Nelson Mandela. His life is my inspiration. The attributes he embodied I can only hope to understand and practice as I contemplate on the weight and brevity he offered to the world. What touches my heart is his vision. A vision that never diminished even in the darkest of times and the fact he didn't shy away from the darkness. He embraced it. He looked at it. He talked about it. He ultimately transformed it.

Contemplating on his life I understand and am inspired to take more action and follow through on the vision that resides within. Before leaving Stockholm for India I had an important meeting in which I was compelled to say "let's do stuff." Nowhere near as elegant as the great visionaries of our time but in the same light I am understanding if we don't bring forth what desires to awaken we miss the opportunity to step into our unbounded potential whatever that may be. I have also understood that most of the greats honored others and their gifts and never felt threatened by it because they understood that we all draw divine inspiration from the same place. There are no exceptions. To be great you have to want others to be great.

Sometimes we stand alone and are isolated by others. This is okay and I have learned isn't always a bad thing. Being part of the "establishment" makes us lazy because the establishment sure has a lot to say but not so much to offer. Moving forward it is more imperative than ever to align with those who are willing to go the extra mile, to do stuff and open to the greater good. There is room for all to shine and why would we want it any other way?

Another question could be, what have you done to help others find their greatness? Something worth chewing on. Something that compels me to move forward no matter how great or how small.


“On the long walk that is life
A man discovers who he is
Each step must be the search for purpose 
Not regret
Many roads will present themselves
He must often take the one few others would follow
And though he may wish to rest
When he is asked to stand
He must stand taller than he ever thought possible
For when the long walk is over
A man must be able to look back and say
I would not change a single footstep”

Nobody

“You fear no one because you’re perfectly content to be nobody. You don’t give a damn about success or failure. They mean nothing. Honor, disgrace, they mean nothing! If you make a fool of yourself, that means nothing either. Isn’t that a wonderful state to be in! Some people arrive at this goal painstakingly, step by step, through months and weeks of selfawareness. But I’ll promise you this: I have not known a single person who gave time to being aware who didn’t see a difference in a matter of weeks. The quality of their life changes, so they don’t have to take it on faith anymore. They see it; they’re different. They react differently. In fact, they react less and act more. You see things you’ve never seen before. You’re much more energetic, much more alive. People think that if they had no cravings, they’d be like deadwood. But in fact they’d lose their tension. Get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding, you will be yourself. Relaxed. You wouldn’t be driving with your brakes on. That’s what would happen.”

(ADM)

Going The Distance

Ranko and I practicing at Ashtanga Yoga Belgrade. Ranko is a true inspiration and I had the pleasure of teaching a weekend intensive with his students. 

“All the while a silent laughter sings, like wind through an open window saying: be deeper still, stand at Zero.” 

(Rumi)

Over the course of the last few months I've had an intense schedule of teaching which in turn means tons of learning every step of the way. As most have experienced when teaching the learning goes hand in hand. I tend to throw myself into the abyss not really sure how I will land. Knowing if it flows from my heart how can I be faulted? In many ways I could give or take the label of teacher because what it feels like from my core is a sharing of experience and a holder of a method of practice I embrace in reverence.

This past year on an internal level was a struggle if I am to be frank. From last winter through the spring I felt the crushing feelings of exhaustion and sadness triggered by various events but also a pouring out of what needed to be burned away. Instead of acting as if it wasn't there I immersed myself in it. I looked at it. I observed the feelings and felt the insurgence of memories I wished never were. Like a flood everything rushed in filling every empty space of my consciousness. Luckily, I had the freedom to feel what it was I needed to feel and to be sad if I needed to feel the sadness. It is never an easy thing for your partner to experience but to have the freedom to simply be without expectation is truly an act of unselfish love.

As the summer approached I slowly started to turn a corner. Through all the ups and downs I continued to work because as the saying goes, life moves on and what we bring forth ultimately heals us. What is the use in holding back? As my energy slowly resurged with a few hiccups here and there then came a sense of softness. Oh how important it is to simply soften. Even though I can feel myself revert I come to understand how within the softening there is a receptivity on a much deeper level as before. There is so much to taste and open to and at the same time I have learned how important it is to keep watch over my energy. I tend to recharge my batteries in a space of silent contemplation, writing, and/or reading. Though it is still a challenge for me to say "no" I have learned how important it is to make time to recharge and be still.

With the approach of the autumn season I had many commitments planned and it all seemed to flow in due order especially in light of honoring the process of unfolding months prior. True in what they say that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I can attest to that. Also looking back I can see how easy it is to be self identified with pain as well thinking as if we are special in some way because of a certain state of disarray. It never ceases to amaze how the importance of gratitude can pull one out of the dumps and into a clearer perspective. Given the opportunity to give space to the feelings is a luxury in which many don't have.

With the passing of the last several months many have touched me deeply as I've soaked in the wisdom of those who have crossed my path. I take it all to heart, in the workshops I've taught to our Mysore students here in Stockholm. We've built a community that has started to stand united in a very short amount of time. It's an energy wave that is headed into an exciting new direction and I feel blessed to be a part of it. It hasn't always been easy, especially in the infancy stages. It is work you must see through at every turn. Where practical experience, steadiness and passion must stand united for there to be growth, honoring the truth of each person I encounter on the mat.

Where there is quality and attention there is love. 

Burnt To Ash

“All inquiry is meant for one purpose: to take you experientially into the Unknown as efficiently as possible. Once you get there, simply be still because the inquiry has delivered you to its destination. The rest is up to Grace. Do not hold onto any knowledge that comes your way. Even the greatest revelations must not be clung to, or you will end up with a head full of memories and a heart empty of substance. The truth is ever new, existing only in the now. The highest truth is beyond knowledge and experience. It is beyond time and space, and beyond beingness, consciousness, and oneness. Just remember that all direct path techniques are meant simply to undermine, to cut away, the one who is performing them. No matter what spiritual path you’ve walked or what teachings you’ve followed, they must lead you back to no path and no teaching. A true teaching is like a blazing fire that consumes itself. The teaching must not only consume you, but consume itself as well. All must be burned to ash, and then the ash must be burned. Then, and only then, is the Ultimate realized. True Enlightenment destroys enlightenment. As long as you can refer back to yourself and say, ‘I’m enlightened’, you’re not. Enlightenment is authentic only when there is no one left to be enlightened. Even to say ‘I am nobody’, is one too many. There’s a point when you intuitively realize that to be Free you have to give up your attachment to Freedom. You have to quit asking yourself: Is it still there? Am I okay? You have to decide to never look over your shoulder again to see if you’re free or if others know you’re free. You just have to let yourself burn there - no matter what. This isn’t something I can help you with. I can tell you what you need to do, but you have to do it. In the beginning, teachers can help a lot. But the deeper you go, all they can do is point, and clarify, and tell you what you need to do. Only you can take this step. Nobody can push you into this place.” 

(Adyashanti)

Monday Inspiration: Be Ordinary

“We must be willing to be completely ordinary people, which means accepting ourselves as we are without trying to become greater, purer, more spiritual, more insightful. If we can accept our imperfections as they are, quite ordinarily, then we can use them as part of the path. But if we try to get rid of our imperfections, then they will be enemies, obstacles on the road to our “self-improvement.” 

(Chögyam Trungpa) 

Italian Moments: Lecce

I adore Lecce. This southern city has grandeur and charm. I like to call it mini Rome. Quaint and beautiful. A short drive from where I hold our annual retreat I simply enjoy walking the streets. Each one more beautiful than the next. They just don't make'em like they used to. 

Italian Moments: Rome

I've been promising more yoga related topics and they are to come and with that being said it has been an Autumn season like no other. Luckily, I've been able to keep my head on straight on some level. Within the whirlwind I'm late posting photos from our travels. Last september I hosted my annual Ashtanga yoga retreat in Salento, Italy and we made a stop in Rome afterward. The old world charm of Rome goes without saying so I won't bore you. It is one of those places you have to revisit to be able to soak it all up. This was our second trip and we still didn't have time for the Vacatian! That's on our list for next time.