The Guest House

Skogofoss - Iceland

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 its 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 

photo via 

SFI: Swedish For Invaders

Last week, I started Swedish for Invaders. The true term, Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). A well organized government program (free I might add) for new inhabitants living in the country of Sweden. Class is 5 days a week (M-F), four hours a day, a big commitment, but essential to learning the language in the beginning. My brain is fried, but I'm loving the process. There's something energizing that happens when learning something new. Jumping in with both feet. I love it for now, but who knows, maybe I'll be pulling my hair out at some point in the near future. Let's hope not.

The first two weeks is a simple Introduction to Swedish, then after the two weeks are over, we break into our respective levels dependent on prior education. For my time slot it's only me and a young man from China. He's a cool guy, who does his best with the "l" and "r" sounds. For those who do not know, in many Asian languages, such as Mandarin, these sounds are pretty much nonexistent and makes for a challenge. Who knew Swede's rolled their "r's" as much as they do. Geesh.

Anyway, it's nice to have such a small class, therefore extra attention. I've been thanking my lucky stars for the Rossetta Stone program I started a year ago, because it really gave me a good start. It's some of the best stuff out there to get the basics down. Although, I've already come to the conclusion that I've got a pretty steep mountain to climb before becoming fluent. But it's funny, I seem to have an edge over my Chinese counterpart, because English is in the same language family, however with that being said, over 90% of Swedes speak English, and speak it incredibly well. So, out of sheer laziness I can always rely on my English to get by, which doesn't force me to speak Swedish, unless I'm über disciplined about it. With my Chinese classmate, who doesn't speak English at all, he will be forced to speak the language, therefore has even more motivation to speak it. This is the dilemma for English speaking people who move here. I mean, most Swedes understand English even in a cultural sense. My boyfriend even has an American accent when he speaks. Whereas during my time living in Asia the Taiwanese English speakers I conversed with didn't usually understand English in a cultural sense, especially when I would make jokes and such. Here, it's never a problem. Even the kids speak English, and speak it well.

I'm having fun being a student. Stretching the insecurity of sounding stupid and ridiculous, while seriously feeling like I'm back in the first grade. Learning to count, saying the alphabet, sounding out words, identifying colors and nouns, putting together sentences. Hey, we all gotta start somewhere.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can say I'm bilingual! Won't that be nice. This is a challenge I'm am definitely up for.

        

Only in India

Only in India would you see this blessed madness. Somehow it works, lol.

(Source)

Bringing Presence to a Conversation

I love the following instructions for deep listening from Eckhart Tolle. I had to share it. A great reminder that it's more than simply hearing the words.

Question:  How do I maintain a sense of presence when I’m in the company of another person?  How do I bring presence into conversation?

Eckhart:  It’s not easy.  The moment you start talking, the two minds come together and so they strengthen each other.  A flow starts, a stream of thought.  A moment ago you were present, and then somebody starts talking.  What applies here is the loss of space during the conversation.  Both participants of the conversation have lost any sense of space.  There are only the words, the mind, the verbalization, the stream of thinking that becomes sounds.  They are taken over by that.  It has its own momentum – almost a little entity, a stream, that doesn’t want to end. 

Often, it generates emotions in the body.   That strengthens it, amplifies it.  If the mental stream triggers emotions, which it often does, especially when talking about other people, what they did, failed to do, did to you, did to others, criticisms, gossip, all kinds of emotional [things], the ego comes in.  When you can criticize another, the ego feels a little bit stronger.  By diminishing another, in the delusional system of the ego, you have enhanced your own self-image a little bit.  Any criticism of another is a part of that energy stream.  And then emotions come, and they amplify the thoughts.  It’s the loss of space.

For you to regain space, without saying “I’m not talking anymore”, one thing is necessary for you – which is the realization that you’ve lost space.   Without that, there’s nothing you can do – when you’re so taken over by a stream of thought, that you don’t even know you’ve been taken over by a stream of thought – there’s nothing you can do.  “Forgive them, for they know not what they do”.  They are unconscious.  They are the stream of thought.  And as the stream of thought, you don’t want it to end – because you don’t want your own end.  Every entity wants to remain in form for as long as possible.

If there’s the slightest realization that you’ve lost [space], at that moment you have a choice.  What is your choice?  Your choice is to bring some presence, some space, into the stream of thought.  But how do you do that?

It’s coming at you not only from within your own mind, but it’s coming at you from the other person too.  The awareness is there, and it may only last three seconds, and then it’s gone again.  So you have to use those two or three seconds, where you realize the loss of space, and do something in that space where you have some freedom to act.  By a conscious choice, you take your attention out of thinking – but you have to anchor it somewhere else, otherwise it won’t work.  So you choose your breath, or your body, or some other sense perception around you that you become aware of.  When you are actually talking to another person, it’s probably easiest to either use your breath or your inner body. 

Practice this beforehand, when conditions are easier, so that you can do it once it’s necessary.  Go into your inner body, feel that your energy field is alive.  And you’ll notice, you’re not thinking anymore.  You can still listen.  The amazing thing is that you can listen to another person, without thinking, easily, beautifully.

You are listening, but part of your attention is on your energy field – so you’ve taken attention away from your thoughts.  There is a sense of aliveness in the background.
It’s ultimately formless; it’s already the doorway into the formless.  Feel that while you sit there and listen, and you’ve stepped out of the stream of thinking.  Then, the quality of the interaction immediately changes.  The other person may not consciously notice what’s happening, and may carry on for a while.  It also does not mean that you cannot respond anymore.  But how you respond and the quality of your response changes, too.  You are no longer contributing to the negative nature, which is often the case, in conversations.

A certain amount of stillness, then, will also be a part of the words that you speak.  It’s so subtle that the other person probably will not notice it, consciously.  So hang on to the inner body, let it be the anchor, and then you become present.  If you lose it again, if the other person says something challenging, then after a little while you remember – and you go back into the inner body.  That’s a powerful anchor, and then everything changes from there.  It takes continuous practice.

"I suppose there are thousands of ways to look at life. But I tend to dwell on two of them. The first view is that nothing stays the same and that nothing is inherently connected, and that the only driving force in anyone’s life is entropy. The second is that everything pretty much stays the same (more or less) and that everything is completely connected, even if we don’t realize it. There are many mornings when I feel certain that the first perspective is irrefutably true: I wake up, I feel the inescapable oppression of the sunlight pouring through my bedroom window, and I am struck by the fact that I am alone. And that everyone is alone. And that everything I understood seven hours ago has already changed, and that I have to learn everything again. I guess I’m not a morning person."

- Chuck Klosterman

photo via

Ashtanga Yoga Workshop with David Robson at Yogayama

Saturday, Sept. 11th 

Session 1: 10:00-12:30 

Learn to Float 

When breath and movement are in perfect unison, we achieve floating vinyasa. This workshop will look at ways to bring "floatiness" into your Sun Salutations, with a special emphasis on lifting and landing the jump-backs and jump-forwards. 

Session 2: 14.00-16.00 

Floating in the Primary Series 

The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body. David will lead you through the traditional Sanskrit count for the Primary Series with a special emphasis on floating in the vinyasa.

Sunday, Sept. 12 

Session 3: 10.00-12.00 

Pain-free Backbending 

Backbends don't have to hurt! Learn techniques and exercises that will help you safely deepen your backbends. 

Session 4: 14.00-16.00 

Intro to Intermediate 

Ashtanga's Intermediate Series is known as Nadi Shodana, or "nerve cleansing." In this workshop we will take a close look at the first half of the asanas and vinyasas from Intermediate series.

350 SEK per session

1100 SEK for the entire workshop

David Robson, is a phenomenal, highly devoted student/teacher in the practice of Ashtanga yoga, and one of the few who have built a Mysore program with over 80 students daily. Talk about dedication! Deepening his study of the practice, David has taken annual trips to the KPJ Ashtanga Yoga Institute, in Mysore, India, since 2002, and is Authorized to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from the source. David lives in Toronto, Canada with his family where he is director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto. Stockholm is extremely lucky to host a teacher of his caliber and sincerity. This is a workshop you won't want to miss.

For more information and for registration, visit www.yogayama.se

Three Requirements for Yoga Practice

OvO passed on an amazing link (click here) in regards to mediation and the essential tennants to long term practice. On the page they had the above video posted. I felt compelled to share it. Doesn't get much better than this.

Practice with devotion everyday. Without exception.

"If [yoga] is done properly... then a state of mind will be reached in which whatever you think will occur. This exalted state, in which concentration has, to the utmost, been achieved, will also lead to mental and physical strength, as well as go a long way toward helping you achieve whatever it is you have set out do in life." 

(Sri K. Pattabhi Jois)

Meditation in August

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

(Bruce Lee)

I've decided to dedicate the month of August to deepen and re-establish my meditation practice, along with continuing my morning pages, stream of conscious writing. I've never had a problem being consistent with my yoga practice, however my meditation has flex and flowed over the years for whatever reason. Now, I simply feel called to sit. It's coming from the inside with no external pressures to fulfill some type of mold when partaking in such things. Better that way. Just like when yoga found me, and I found it - it was a calling, a pull that took me as much as I took to it. It must come from this place. Hopefully, I'll have interesting insights and reflections to share throughout the month, or maybe not. We'll see. Only time will tell. 

"Just because the road ahead is long, is no reason to slow down. Just because there is much work to be done, is no reason to get discouraged. It is a reason to get started, to grow, to find new ways, to reach within yourself and discover strength, commitment, determination, discipline.


The road ahead is long and difficult, and filled with opportunity at every turn. Start what needs starting. Finish what needs finishing. Get on the road. Stay on the road. Get on with the work.


Right now you’re at the beginning of the journey. What a great place to be! Just imagine all the things you’ll learn, all the people you’ll meet, all the experiences you’ll have. Be thankful that the road is long and challenging, because that is where you’ll find the best that life has to offer."

(Ralph Marston)

Ojas

Tree Hotel in Sweden

Ever fantasize about living in the trees? Now you can. In northern Sweden they've done it, and done it so well. Check it out the Treehotel. Incredible!

5 Day Ashtanga Yoga Intensive at Yogayama with Laruga

August 16th - August 20th 

Yogayama - Stockholm, Sweden

18:00 - 20:00 (6pm-8pm)

Join me, for a deepening journey through the soul of Ashtanga yoga. Practical knowledge of internal alignment, focusing on the fundamental principles of vinyasa, joining movement and breath, balancing strength and flexibility, will be integral to the intensive. A perfect way to jump start your practice or simply delve deeper into an existing practice, extending a week that will challenge, inspire, and stretch not only the body, but your preconceived potential.

950 SEK

India Envy

I can't help but have a bit of India envy. When there, there are many times I throw my hands up and want to be somewhere else, you know, those crazy situations that push my western mind, but has a way of pulling me back. Time and time again. Taunting me.

Another favorite.
xoxoxo

European Nudes and American Prudes

"Regimen is superior to medicine."  (Voltaire)

In Sweden, July is vacation month, well, put it this way, it is for much of Europe.  A concept that is completely foreign to my American mind. Month long vacations are unheard of in the United States, unless you're a student or on disability, and I wouldn't really call disability a vacation.Various shops and small business owners shamelessly, and with great pride, post signs on their doors stating, "closed for the summer." Rock on. I like this European attitude (smile).

Living in Europe there are innumerable common factors in comparison to living in America. Simple fact. It's not like going to India, or other parts of Asia, where much in regards to life and culture scream contrast. On the other hand, there are subtle differences beneath the surface. In America, we celebrate our "freedom." However, why are we so uptight? I can say this because I'm American (and at times, uptight). Ok. 

After reading the following article, European Nudes and American Prudes, by travel guru Rick Steves, it got me thinking. For one, when it centers around our bodies and sex we don't stand a chance. In Europe, nudity isn't a big a deal. I've seen bare ass on regular television commercials as if common place. No, they weren't infants, but grown adults. On normal t.v. shows and movies, on regular channels, it isn't a big deal to see a woman's breasts or even full frontal nudity both male and female. It's never done distastefully or for shock value, it just is. In many ways Europeans on the whole seem to be more comfortable with their bodies. Why is that? Why is there such a disconnect with our bodies, and our sexuality in the United States?  Of course there are exceptions, but I'm talking about as a whole. We are more apt to accept inflated violence on television versus nudity. I don't get it.

When it comes to sex, I 'm not even sure I should go there. As Americans we tend to be convoluted in our thinking centered around the topic. It's no wonder people are confused. Oh well, I might as well go there. In Sweden, for instance, sex education has been in the schools since 1956. Wow. That's pretty darn progressive if you ask me. The curriculum starts at the age of 6 with basic anatomy then progresses from there at the age of 12 where topics are guided towards disease and contraception. Really, I don't see a problem with this. Especially since the percentage of teenage pregnancy is one of the lowest in Sweden compared to other developed countries. In America, we have one of the highest. Also, studies are showing that introducing sex education early doesn't equal teenagers having sex earlier. Duh. Swedish teenagers actually wait a bit longer than American teenagers. In my simple opinion, when open and not fearful over our natural biological states, what is there to worry about? I mean, really.

From a yogic perspective, sexual energy is simply a form of spiritual energy, inherent in all of us. It can be transformed into something beautiful. Through yoga and other energy practices it never has to be a scary thing or even nonspiritual, and in my eyes, how can anything which boils inside of use be that? We walk on sacred ground when connected from this place, and to suppress it does a great disservice. Honestly, suppression causes major problems, and opens a whole new can of worms.

I'm no expert on the topic, and with that being said, I find amusement in the stark differences in life and culture. It opens my perspective. Takes me out of a comfort zone and opens my eyes to something new. Then from here, I enter into a new place within myself, and just maybe release some of my uptightness.

I love this song. 
xoxoxox

"Yoga is showing where to look for the soul-that is all. Man is taking a human body-this is a very rare opportunity. Don't waste it. We are given a hundred years to live; one day you have the possibility to see God. If you think in this way, it is giving you good body, good nature, and health"


(Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, 2001)

Locust