ACIM

"Humility will never ask that you remain content with littleness. But it does require that you be not content with less than greatness that comes not of you."  (ACIM)

"Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the world." (ACIM)

A number of years back I started study on A Course in Miracles. It's been on and off to say the least, and with that being said, I'm always amazed by the power and truth within this amazing work. The first time I picked it up was early in my college years and it felt rather dense and heavy for me at the time. However, the fact I was intrigued never faded. As I pick it up again it will be interesting to see what it will awaken within me if at all. There is no doubt something will be stirred. It just has that way of bypassing the unnecessary and going right into the core of the matter. 

Friday Quote

"Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."  (Lao Tzu)

Open As The Sky

"Colors blind the eye. Sounds deafen the ear. Flavors numb the taste. Desires wither the heart. The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is as open as the sky." 

(Tao Te Ching, Translation by Stephan Mitchell)

Self Practice. Self Knowledge. Ashtanga Yoga Retreat.

We still have plenty of space left! I know there are plenty of retreats out there to choose from, and with that being said, this year I deliberately set my sights on developing a life affirming retreat, giving one the opportunity to dig deep, to open, and develop, uniting the invaluable tools of yoga practice and the application of yoga philosophy. With the passionate help of my co-collaborator, Sati Shannon Rose Chmelar, I hope we can inspire more to attend. It's gonna be great!

For program and schedule details, click here

For registration details, www.yogainsalento.com

Monday Inspiration

“Let the waves of the universe rise and fall as they will. You have nothing to gain or lose. You are the ocean.” 

(Ashtavakra Gita)

Friday Quote

"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude  will also break you with it's yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could." 

(Louise Erdrich)

Mysore. Is it Magic?

Outside KPJAYI

Mysore. Is it Magic? Yes, but not magic in the way you may think. Often I don't realize what is in the process of developing or what has been ignited until I leave. Something is always working just below the surface and can manifest in ways that may surprise, delight or even scare you, because truly it is about the unknown. I always find it interesting when listening to the criticism in regards to practicing at the source. Practicing here has a way of mirroring our own inner turmoil and then people blame the place. Be happy that it does because that is where the awareness can begin to shine it's wisdom upon our blocks and projections. Within that a new freedom can be found. I've had practices where I have felt shattered and broken, and often those are the best lessons that can be learned and experienced. If it wasn't worth it then I don't think I would continually feel the call to go back no matter how arduous the work is. Work that gives, and exposes, internally washing away the chains of conditioning. 

You may ask why go then? Good question. Why? Well, I will tell you. It is like no other place to practice. May sound like a canned answer with no depth and meaning behind it, but really it is as simple as that. At first you don't even realize how deep it begins to work under the watchful eye of R. Sharath Jois, but words can't really begin to illustrate fully, and I'm not sure I am prepared to try. However, in the same light, to describe practicing at KPJAYI as about unicorns and rainbows is a fallacy. Simply put, it is what it is. What arises will be your lesson and your lesson alone. The thing that is most interesting is the intensity of practice has a way of aggravating what we cling to. We then have the opportunity to see what no longer serves us and the definitive change begins only when we decide to lean into those areas through what arises. If we continue to practice and ignore, then we still live in the same delusion. However, that in itself can be a lesson. When traveling somewhere to simply focus on practice is yes, in a sense, a luxury, but one that gives an opportunity to reduce our worldly distractions and responsibilities for a block of time to then tune into our internal landscape facilitated by the energy and focus generated in the room.  Simply put, it feels amazing to be a part of it. 

Another thing to remember is the community that encapsulates all when in Mysore reaches not only far and wide, but deep, colored by a vast array of cultures and backgrounds enriches the experience of being there. Much can be learned not only on and off the mat but also how we interrelate and learn from each other as students and stewards of this amazing process. My recommendation is to soak it up.

There will always be spinmakers and haters who will plant a seed of doubt about it all. Funny how some of the biggest critics who say it isn't for them have never stepped foot inside KPJAYI. 
It is important to remember that it's not about getting or attaining something, it's about realization and recognition. I think that can be the frustrating part for those who feel they need an immediate payback, understanding or experience. All I can say is what develops is priceless. It's so much more than receiving a magical adjustment or given validation. Here you strengthen what cannot be seen with the naked eye. Never once has Sharath or being in the presence of Guruji when he was alive (however one could say he is very much alive there), have I gotten the impression that asana is of most importance. Quickly and clearly one learns just how minimal it is and in the same light how important the ritual becomes and the attentive awareness we open to as we touch a bigger and greater part of ourselves. The magic. 

Preparation

"No matter what is going on in your life today, remember, it is only preparation. People come and go; situation rise and fall; it's all preparation for better things. You must stretch, reach, grow into your goodness. Without the preparation we receive through adversity, disappointment, confusion, or pain, we could not appreciate the goodness when it arrives."  

(Iyanla Vanzant)

Wild Woman Archetype

I had heard the author of "Women Who Run With the Wolves," Clarissa Pinkola Estés, speak on several podcasts and always found myself pulled into her talks like a rip curl pulling one out to sea, but never picked up one of her written works. The best way to describe her is being a women of innate wisdom, who also dances in the great mystery. Graceful, light, ultimately powerful. Recently, I struck up a conversation with an acquaintance who spoke highly of her most famous book and how moving it was. Being a book lover myself it motivated me to read it and already I am preparing myself to go on a great journey.

Myth and story has a way of igniting not only the mind but the heart. Think about it, before the written word, wisdom was passed down through oral traditions. Not only do they carry illuminating wisdom but energy. Carrying the energy of each person who has passed these great stories along.

"A woman's issues of soul cannot be treated by carving her into a more acceptable form as defined by an unconscious culture, nor can she be bent into a more intellectually acceptable shape by those who claim to be the sole bearers of consciousness. No, that is what has already caused millions of women who began as strong and natural powers to become outsiders in their own cultures. Instead, the goal must be the retrieval and succor of women's beauteous and natural psychic forms. 

Fairy tales, myths, and stories provide understandings which sharpen our sight so that we can pick out and pick up the path left by the wildish nature. The instruction found in story reassures us that the path has not run out, but still leads women deeper, and more deeply still, into their own knowing. The tracks we all are following are those of the wild and innate instinctual Self. "

(Clarissa Pinkola Estés, "Women Who Run With the Wolves.") 

Entering the Void

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."   (Jedi Master Yoda)

The void. In our modern culture we will do anything NOT to feel what it is to sit in the void. Unavoidable, I have found myself here on a number of occasions. Sometimes by choice, others not, and in that I can see the design of modern life does all it can to stop us from entering into this space of empty awareness.  The void, a place of darkness that gives opportunity to experience the light. The light generated from mysterious unknowing.

Void: noun an empty space; emptiness. Something experienced as a loss or privation. Gap or opening; as in a wall. A vacancy; vacuum. 

When looking at the word more thoroughly for some it may seem scary when much of life is defined by how we fit into the world in relationship to others. How we stack up. How we coincide. Going back, my experience has been that I didn't. Growing up biracial never really completely melting with one group or the other I began to understand how important it was for others I be labeled as something. Funny that it wasn't me who was uncomfortable with being in a state of ambiguity it seemed to give more comfort to those around me. Who are you? What are you? Labels and criteria just distance us from truly seeing what is infront of us. With a label we then have set expectations or past experiences downloaded into our psyche at lightening speed. Separation ensues. Moving away from reality and clear observation.

Even the word is confusing because the word has it's own set of limitations depending on the heart and mind of the individual. I guess I could have said spaciousness, silence, emptiness, etc. The important point is it isn't always the most comfortable especially if deep issues of control are present unable to let go to the mystery we call life. Contemplate on it. Even with all the books to be read and all the knowledge we can acquire, what can be known if we are then not willing to sit in the depth of our own being, in the void?

In the void there is a pulsation like a heartbeat, but first there is only nothingness. Within the vast emptiness a lost feeling may arise. There is nothing to lean up against. There is nothing to judge or compare. There is nothing to know or acknowledge. However, never fear, because you are more home than you can ever know. Sit in the silence and feel the rhythm of the unexplained. Come face to face with unadulterated, pure and unlimited potential.

It's a place of pure love and experience. What can be frightening for some is every construct and definition is ultimately shattered, and that's the thing, we don't trust the void enough. This is true for myself, but somehow life keeps pulling me there, to nowhere, to no past and no future. Little by little, step by tiny step, I navigate the space with more clarity or at the very least a semblance of being here before as every seed of faith I have sheds light within the depths of what I can only call my soul's knowing. It's uncomfortable. At times the heat that arises is unbearable, and at others an intense cold, feeling desolate and alone. A flux that can only be described as the rug being pulled beneath without a moments notice to be ready and awake.

The void. The mind is obsolete. The heart knows all. The truth is available. We know it. We are it. I guess the deeper question is will we recognize it?

The Innovation of Loneliness

Really, really interesting.

Guru Purnima

Happy Birthday, Guruji.

LADIES: The Moon Cup

Okay. So this post probably won't interest male readers but I had to post in regards to my experience with the mooncup without going into too much obvious detail. Ladies only. Years back I heard about the mooncup and it piqued my interest. If you think about it, the cumulative waste produced from our monthly periods can add up. Think about it. In a lifetime how much?! Knowing that I can always do better when it comes to conscious choices in terms of my own personal carbon footprint I thought it was worth giving it a try. The resistance for me at first was connivence and ease. Can I still be active, go about my daily activities and such without hassel and worry?

So I finally took the plunge and bought one. There are a number of different brands out there. The big difference from using a menstrual cup versus tampons or pads is - well, they are resuseable and from the statement on the package can last for years and years. Also, instead of absorbing menstrual flow, it collects it and must be rinsed out between uses. Between periods you can sterilize the cup by putting it in boiling water for 6-8 minutes or using a sterilizing solution. No problem.

When it came to establishing my size I was a bit miffed because the suggestions on the box didn't really go over so well for me. Taking into consideration that I haven't had any children and practice Ashtanga yoga regularly seemed to have made a big difference even though I am over 30 years. Something worth checking into.

At any rate, I feel alternatives such as this will become ever more important. Doing what I can to make more conscious choices on every level available is an importnat step starting with lessening the amount of "trash" I produce. For me using the mooncup will be an adjustment and practice will be necessary when it comes to ease of use. However, from those who have been using it for a longer time swear by it and actually prefer it. I'm still a newbee but a willing one. 

The Breeze

For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.

From within, I couldn’t decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.

(Rumi)

translated by Coleman Barks

Friday Quote

“Letting go doesn’t mean we don’t care. Letting go doesn’t mean we shut down. Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave. It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment. It means we stop trying to do the impossible—controlling that which we cannot—and instead, focus on what is possible—which usually means taking care of ourselves. And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible.”

(Melody Beattie)

Ashtanga Yoga Teacher, Elena De Martin

I've had the sincere pleasure of meeting Elena De Martin in Mysore, India on a number of occasions and I find her simply lovely, yet so open and honest. If ever in Milan you know where to practice. 

When Fear Meets the Line

Fear. It will always be there, it will never go away, but what we do with it is the deeper question.

Monday Inspiration: Life Has No Opposite

“Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal. Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to “die before you die" and find that there is no death. Awareness is the power that is concealed within the present moment. … The ultimate purpose of human existence, which is to say, your purpose, is to bring that power into this world." 

(Ekhart Tolle)

Thoughts From Within - Woody Harrelson