Food for Thought

Hello Dear Ones

There’s been an explosion in my garden--a bursting forth of huge green leaves, and the lush tangle of vines. The small, delicate blossoms bring the promise edible delights, and the sweet curve of pea pods dangle abundantly around me. Every year at this time I am in continual amazement. I sprinkle a few little seeds in the ground, and the earth gives them back to me, a hundredfold. I take these greens and fruits into my body, and somehow they are transformed by the Agni (fire) within me into prana that moves through me into the world. I offer these fruits to others-- as action, as ideas, as song, as teaching, as attention, and love. It’s a beautiful cycle of receiving and giving.

There’s a Hindu prayer that is often said before a meal.  It comes from the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, and it’s actually about sacrifice. The word “sacrifice” comes from the same root as “sacred,” and it has to do with making something holy. It is an offering of oneself to God. Food partaken in this way becomes Prasad (consecrated offering), and eating is lifted into a new realm of experience. Here is the prayer:

Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmaagnau Brahmanaa Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
Brahma Karma Samaadhinaha 
The act of offering is Brahman. The offering itself is Brahman. The offering is done by Brahman in the sacred fire which is Brahman. He alone attains Brahman who, in all actions, is fully absorbed in Brahman.

Aham Vaishvaanaro Bhutva
Praaninaam Dehamaashritha
Praanaapaana Samaa Yuktaha
Pachaamyannam Chatur Vidam 
This verse is a sort of acknowledgement and assurance to us from Brahman: "I am Vaishnavara, existing as fire God in the bodies of living beings. Being associated with ingoing (prana) and outgoing (apaana) life breaths, I will digest all the four different types of food (that which we bite and chew; that which we masticate with the tongue; those which we gulp; that which we swallow) and purify them." 

Harir Daatha Harir Bhoktha
Harir Annam Prajaapatih
Harir Vipra Shareerastu
Bhoonkte Bhojayathe Harih. 
Oh Lord Hari, You are the food, You are the enjoyer of the food, You are the giver of food. Therefore, I offer all that I consume at Thy Lotus Feet.


The first two lines of the mantra remind us that, as we take in our food, the food itself is part of Brahman, the unmanifest primordial essence that lies behind form. And, the fire in which you offer the food (the sacrificial fire of your hunger, your desire, your digestive system) is part of Brahman, too.  You are feeding Brahman into Brahman.

And since YOU are also Brahman, when you partake of the food, you are actually offering it to Brahman.  So, it’s Brahman pouring Brahman into Brahman. There isn’t anything that isn’t God. As Ram Dass writes:

So, it turns out that you are Brahman feeding Brahman to the fire of Brahman and offering it to Brahman—which means nothing is happening at all. See? The whole thing is an illusion—it’s all Brahman playing with Brahman. It’s all the play of the Lord, it’s all Divine Lila. And you thought you were just going to eat a meal!

Another way of thinking about this, from a different spiritual perspective , is the concept of “interbeing”, as taught by the Vietnamese Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh. Interbeing is a word that he coined which speaks of the interconnectedness of everything in the universe.  A plate of food can be a portal into the understanding of this web of life, if we practice looking deeply, with awareness and gratitude.  

A few years ago, I wrote and recorded a song called "Many Hands" that was inspired by these teachings, and I offer you here are the lyrics to the song. I am honored to say that Thich Nhat Hanh’s publisher, Parallax Press, has recently included this song in a book and CD for children entitled Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children. The song is also available for download through  iTunes. Enjoy!

Many Hands

On this plate there are many hands

The hands that sowed the seeds, the hands that plowed the land

The hands that worked the harvest, and brought it to the stands

Yes, on this plate are many hands

In this bowl are sun and rain and air,

The garden soil and all the tiny creatures that live there

The delicate balance of beings great and small

Yes, in this little bowl we have them all

In this meal are many hearts and souls

Some may be our families who served it in our bowls

Some may be migrant workers whom we will never know

who can’t afford to buy the food they grow

In this room there are many hands

Let’s join them all together in a circle, if we can

And in this sacred silence, let there be gratitude

for the many hearts and hands that made this food

©2003  In the Moment Productions, lyrics and music by Jody Kessler

Asana as Prayer

Yesterday I had the good fortune to participate in an exclusive webcast Q&A session with Ram Dass, one of the most beloved spiritual teachers of our time. As many of you know, Ram Dass is the author of the groundbreaking “Be Here Now” and several other books that have helped make Eastern spirituality accessible to Western minds. As a member of his online satsang, I have the opportunity to send in questions via email and receive his teachings in a live video stream from Maui, where he lives.

During last night’s webcast, a viewer sent in the following question:  “I am a yoga practitioner, and when I do yoga I feel something shift in me energetically, but I don’t feel connected to Spirit. I don’t feel that sense of union that everyone says yoga is about. How does one experience unity and oneness through yoga?”

Ram Dass speaks haltingly (due to the effects of a stroke several years ago), but nevertheless with great wisdom. In essence, he said:

You can let your yoga be God-focused. You can choose to make it simply a practice of physical exercise, or you can let it be an opportunity to direct your mind, heart and body toward Ram, Krishna, or Shiva. Asana is shaking hands with God. All asanas are communications with that Presence, with the One.

He used the sacred Names of Ram, Krishna, and Shiva, but one can focus on any form or name of the Divine. One can do Christ-centered yoga, or offer oneself to the Divine Mother. Or to the Ein Sof, the primordial formlessness that gives rise to all Life. or simply to the Radiance of one’s own true nature.

In yoga, we practice deep and mindful breathing. What if each inbreath were an opening to Grace? What if each outbreath were a surrender of the ego into the ocean of God’s Love?

Asana is body prayer. What if each upward lift of the arms and opening the chest were an act of inviting that river of Grace to fill our hearts and minds? What if each forward bend were an offering of ourselves to be an instrument of God’s Love?  Each inversion a surrender of small self to Big Self?

Yoga practice can be a meditation-in-motion, and a vehicle for prayer. When we bring a devotional quality into our sadhana, we cultivate a deep peace and sense of expansiveness of which the great yogis have spoken:

Yoga pose is mastered by relaxation of effort, lessening the tendency for restless breathing, and promoting an identification of oneself as living within the infinite breath of life. ~Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 11, 48

I’ll leave you with this delicious image from The Radiance Sutras, as an invitation to play with movement as prayer. Beyond alignment, placement of the feet, and doing it “correctly” our asana practice can be an exploration of the joy of embodiment:

Rocking, undulating, swaying,

Carried by rhythm,

Cherish the streaming energy

Flooding your body

As a current of the divine.

Oh, Radiant One,

Ride the waves of ecstatic motion

Into a sublime fusion

Of passion and peace.

~Radiance Sutras, #60, translated by Lorin Roche

Celebrating Summer Solstice with the Gayatri Mantra

Hello Dear Yogis,

Happy Summer Solstice! This is pinnacle of the year, a time to celebrate the fullness of life. Enjoy this longest day of the year, and partake of the sweetness of strawberries and flowers and the verdant earth. In this week's classes, we will be practicing embodying that radiance and abundant prana through our posture flow and chanting.

Summer Solstice is a perfect time to chant the Gayatri Mantra, one of the oldest and most sacred mantras from the Vedas.It's a prayer to the Sun, asking that the radiance of the sun illuminate our minds and guide us on the path toward awakening. Below is the Sanskrit transliteration, followed by a few possible interpretations of the mantra. Interestingly, the translations I've found vary vastly. That's because Sanskrit is a language with many layers of meaning, more poetic than linear, and touches us on a vibrational level. If you google around on the web, I'm sure you'll find many more versions. But more important, I invite you to try chanting it and see what happens energetically in yourself.

Gayatri Mantra

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svaha
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo na prachodayat 

Oh Divine Presence, Creator of the Universe,
May your supreme light
illuminate our intellect and guide us on the path toward enlightenment.
~~~

We meditate on that wondrous spirit of the Divine Solar Light, which shines in every dimension of life. May that Light inspire and guide our inner vision.            

~~~~~

Let us honor the unity of Divine Spirit
that pervades all realms of existance:
the earth, the atmosphere and the heavens.

May That most brilliant Divine Light
protect us, sustain us
and illuminate our consciousness

that we might realize
our inherent goodness,
our inborn divinity
and our unity with All That Is.

By this knowledge may our actions be inspired.

~~~~

If you want to hear some beautiful versions the Gayatri Mantra sung, I recommend renditions by Tina Malia and Shimshai, Deva Premal, and HARC. These are all available on iTunes.

Our asana practice is also an opportunity to discover our own radiance, as breath and movement allow the chattering mind to drop into stillness. We begin to touch into That which is moving us, breathing us, illuminating us, and shimmering in each particle of our being.  May you enjoy that exploration and feel the glow!

Sacred Weaving

This is the time of year when we celebrate the energies of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine joining together as the earth comes alive. In the ancient Celtic tradition of Beltane (also known as May Day), celebrated on May 1st, the Goddess and God are symbolically woven together in the traditional maypole dance. The weaving of the ribbons around the pole actually reflects the creative act from which life in all of its forms springs.

There are many traditions in which the the Goddess and God become merged in sacred union, ritually, symbolically, and in the poetry of scripture. In the Hebrew Bible, the Song of Songs speaks to this, as the Lover calls to the Beloved:

Oh, give me the kisses of your mouth, For your sweet loving is better than wine...


The very first words of Shir Hashirim send us on the journey of relationship. We don't ask to hold hands or turn our face for a peck on the cheek. We lift our face and wet our lips in anticipation of meeting Life and Love in its fullness.  We are commanded to pucker up, as it were, to explore the boundaries of our separate self, and to keep challenging those boundaries. Every word of Shir HaShirim can be read as both the word that I speak to God and the word that God speaks to me. As we ask for Love, we must also rise to its challenge. 

Each relationship in our lives opens the door to a whole other universe. As we step through that door we escape from the confining prison of self and get a glimpse of the world through the eyes of the "other." Entering through the Other we are drawn by the Mystery of innumerable galaxies, swirling around each other, all interconnected. As we stand in awe of this vast cosmic drama, we experience it all unfolding within a great Oneness.  That great Echad is supremely conscious and supremely loving. When in a moment of loving we can feel ourselves inside that Oneness, then the power of Yearning is unlocked. This is the power that frees us from separateness and sends us into the arms of the Beloved.

~Rabbi Shefa Gold 


The tantric yoga teachings are also overflowing with delicious imagery of the the lila (divine play) between the Divine Feminine and Masculine. The word Tantra comes from the Sanskrit Tantram, which means "loom,"  or "warp and woof." Each verse of a tantric teaching is called a sutra, which means "thread." So here we have another image of weaving together opposites, interconnectedness, and merging.

The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, an ancient text recently re-translated by Lorin Roche, is a stunning poetic conversation between the Goddess (who is the creative power of the universe) and the God (who is the consciousness that permeates everywhere). They are lovers and inseparable partners, and they dwell in the human heart.

The text begins with the Goddess asking, "Beloved, tell me, how do I enter more deeply into the reality of the universe?" In reply, the God describes 112 techniques of enlightenment through everyday life experience. Each of these is a way of attending to the rhythms, pulsations, and sensuousness of the Divine Energy which is always flowing through us--and out of which we are made.

Below are some selections from this remarkable text, which Dr. Roche has renamed The Radiance Sutras.  I highly recommend this book for daily meditations, inspiration, or as a way to deepen your loving with your beloved. This is the yoga of delight, awe and wonder. Enjoy!

There is a current of love-energy that flows
between Earth below and the Sun above.

The central channel of the spine is the riverbed.
The streaming is as delicate and powerful
as the tingling touch of lovers.

Entering there,
radiance arches between the above and the below.

The whole attention resting in the nerve,
tingling delicately in the center of the spinal column,
tracing this current between earth and sun,
become magnetism relating all the worlds.

~Radiance Sutras, #12

The roar of joy
That set the worlds in motion
Is reverberating in your body,
And the Space between all bodies.
Beloved, listen.
The ocean of sound is inviting you
into its spacious embrace,
Calling you home.

Find that exuberant vibration
Rising new in every moment,
Humming in your secret places
resounding through the channels of delight
Know you are flooded by it always.

Float with the sound,
Melt with it into divine silence.
The sacred power of space will carry you
Into the dancing radiant emptiness
That is the source of all.

~Radiance Sutras, #16


Eating dark chocolate,
A ripe apricot,
Your favorite treat--
Savor the expanding joy in your body.
Nature is offering herself to you.
How astonishing
To realize this world can taste so good.

When sipping some ambosia,
Raise your glass,
Close your eyes,
Toast the universe--
The Sun and Moon and Earth
Danced together to bring you this delight.
Receive the nectar on your tongue
As a kiss of the divine.

~Radiance Sutras, #49

Ishvara-Pranidhana

Hello Dear Yogis,

Over the past ten weeks we have been exploring the yamas and niyamas, or restraints and observances that are an essential part of the yogic life.  They are invitations to take our practice beyond our mat, allowing yoga to be something we live rather than something we do for a few hours per week.

This week brings us to the last of the niyamas, Ishvara-Pranidhana, which means “surrender to God.” Now, if the “G” word makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to insert whatever word resonates with you.  Ishvara-Pranidhana means to surrender to THAT which is larger than ourselves, and THAT can be called Spirit, Creator, Source, Divine Presence, Essence of Being, Infinite, or simply Love.

The practice of surrender involves dedicating all of our actions and will to a Higher Power. It means stepping outside of egoic mind and offering ourselves to a power greater than the small self. “Greater” doesn’t necessarily mean outside of us, as that Power can be seen as the essence of who we are.

Ishvara-Pranidhana doesn’t mean surrender in the sense of giving up anything. Rather,  it means being filled up with the consciousness and love of the Divine Source. When we surrender  to God, no one loses any part of themselves or takes anything away from anyone else. As tantric teacher David Deida describes it:

The word "surrender" is often interpreted as giving up, as weakness, as admitting defeat. Although this is one way to use the word, we will use it in a different way. Surrendering means letting go of your resistance to the total openness of who you are. It means giving up the tension of the little vortex you believe yourself to be and realizing the deep power of the ocean you truly are.

The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to surrender the fruits of our actions to the Divine. This doesn’t mean that we don’t put effort or energy into our work or other endeavors of our lives. On the contrary—we live and love and work with great commitment and intention. But there is a letting go of the attachment to the results, and a softening of the egoic sense of self, the separate “me.”  We open to the flow of grace and allow Spirit to work through us. This involves cultivating a deep faith, a sense of trust in Spirit’s will for us. This is a basic thread of spiritual wisdom that is woven through all of the world’s religious traditions. “Thy will be done” and “Let go and let God” are universal teachings.

One need not have a belief in a specific deity or personified image of God in order to live with a surrendered heart. For some, it’s more of an acceptance of what is, and a practice of embracing each moment fully. In opening deeply to life without resistance, one can move forward with greater power and intuitive knowing of the next right action.

When you surrender to what is

and so become fully present,

the past ceases to have any power.

The realm of being, which had been obscured

by the mind, then opens up.

Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you,

An unfathomable sense of peace.

And within that peace, there is great joy.

And within that joy, there is love.

And at the innermost core, there is the sacred,

The immeasurable. That which cannot be named.

~Eckhart Tolle

Here are some suggestions for inquiry around Ishvara-Pranidhana:

--On the mat, notice if you are struggling with a posture, either straining or resisting. Practice consciously using the breath to surrender, letting your body and mind melt into That which moves through you. Let prana, the life energy that permeates all things and beings, fill you with it's wondrous grace as you release into the pose. Let go of perfecting the pose--rather, give yourself to it fully and surrender the outcome.

--Reflect on an area of your life in which you are struggling with willful attachment and/or are feeling powerless.  Make a conscious decision to practice “turning it over” to a power greater than yourself. Prayer can be an effective tool in surrendering one’s will to the Divine.  The third step prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous has been transformational for countless individuals who are challenged by addiction:

God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!

If this is a new practice for you, it may involve “acting as if”, or suspending your disbelief and embracing it as an experiment—a spiritual adventure.

--Reflect on any areas of your life where you have completely let go and surrendered to Spirit. How has that changed your life?

--Create a “God box.” Each morning, write down on a slip of paper whatever needs to be surrendered or turned over to Spirit. Place it in the God box.  Ask that you may be a channel of God’s love and light today, a conduit through which God’s healing power and grace may flow. At the end of the week or month, take the slips of paper and burn them, allowing the transformational element of fire to send your prayers out into the Universe. 

The Blessed Lord said:

Listen, Arjuna: I will tell you how you can know me beyond doubt by practicing non-attachment and surrendering yourself to me. I will teach you the essence of this wisdom and its realization; when you come to master this, there is nothing further that needs to be known.

~Bhagavad Gita 7:1-2, translated by Stephen Mitchell

Svadhyaya

Today we come to the fourth niyama, or observance, known as svadhyaya, meaning “self-study.”  Sva means “self; one’s own” and  adhyaya  means “study; going into.” Often translated as “study of the scriptures,” it is really more about availing ourselves of all the resources that will help us understand the nature of the true Self. Both scriptural study and inner inquiry through meditation and prayer are essential tools for illuminating knowledge of Self.

Please note that in Indian philosophy, the word “self” (with a lower-case “s”) refers to the egoic self, the personality, the part of our being that is caught up with worldly desires and concerns.  The “Self” (with a capital “S”) refers to the transcendent, Divine essence that is our true nature. It is Self-realization that is our true life’s purpose.

In addition to scriptural study, contemplation and meditation, svadhyaya involves associating with like-minded seekers who will support us on our path. Gatherings where yogis come together to share inquiry are called satsangs, or “meetings in Truth.” This can happen through a community of practitioners that mutually support one another, or in a group of devotees that follow a particular guru or teacher.

Japa, or mantra repetition, is another aspect of svadhyaya. It is traditionally practiced with a mala, a necklace or bracelet of prayer beads. Repetition of a mantra helps to still the mind and focus awareness on the Divine. It is seen as a way of purifying one’s mind and heart, clearing away distractions and obstacles to knowledge. One can use any name or attribute of God/dess that one finds inspirational, or any prayer that serves to open the heart and turn the mind toward Spirit.

On the mat, our asana practice offers us an opportunity for deep Self-study. Paying exquisite attention to the movement of the breath, the sensations in the body, and the arising and passing of emotions and mental states can cultivate deep insight into who we truly are. Eventually we see that there is something greater, deeper, more subtle and vast than what is passing through this body-mind.  In the words of poet and yogini Danna Faulds:

What is the soul of yoga? Follow your heart into the center of the pose and find in the midst of detail and precision, in breath, alignment, balance, bliss, fear, and sadness—
at the very core of all this is Love.

One of the methods of inquiry into the Self is the deep and relentless use of the question “who am I?” This is the core practice of Jnana Yoga, the path which uses the power of the mind to transcend the mind. One peels away the layers of the self by affirming: “I am not this body, I am not this thought, I am not this wave of emotion, not this ego—not this, not this, not this,”-- to discover what is left when all those false layers the self are dissolved. One asks, over and over,” Who am I, essentially, in truth, beyond appearances, beyond what is always changing?”

As rivers, flowing down, become indistinguishable on reaching the sea by giving up their names and forms, so also the illumined soul, having become freed from name and form, reaches the self-effulgent Supreme Self ~ Mundaka Upanishad

What I’ve mentioned above are some of the traditional methods of Self-study. However, there are countless ways that one can explore the nature of the Self.  Any sport or athletic discipline, artistic or musical endeavor, or the development of any skill or art form can be an avenue into one’s true nature if undertaken as a spiritual practice (rather than motivated by the ego’s need for recognition and achievement). Any study that helps cultivate self reflection is part of svadhyaya.  Just as it is said that “all roads lead to Rome,” all passionate pursuits lead to Self-knowledge.

The practice of Svadhaya is supported by and interwoven with the observance of 2 other niyamas—tapas (discipline) and Ishvara-pranidhana (surrender to God). When our inquiry into ourselves is energized by the inner fire of tapas and inspired by a strong  devotion, then we have found a powerful formula for awakening.

There’s a simple and lovely meditation practice that I’ve been working with lately. It uses the repetition of the mantra So Hum. (aka So Ham). So Hum literally means "I am That" (So = "That" or "Thou" or "Divinity"; Hum = "I am") and the mantra’s aim is to bring about union (yoga) between one’s individual consciousness and Divine Consciousness. 

Find a comfortable seated position, either in a chair or on a cushion on the floor, with the spine erect and the body relaxed. Inhale on the word “so,” exhale on the word “Hum.” Let the mantra follow the breath, with the exhale being longer than the inhale. Soooo…  Hummmmmm.... This mantra is repeated silently to oneself—no actual sound is made, except for the breathing. As the breath cycles in an out, the mantra becomes an endless loop affirming “I am that I am that I am…”

Just a few minutes of this practice has the power to calm the mind and sharpen the awareness, reminding us of the vastness that we truly are.

Self is what gives breath to Life. You need not search for It, It is Here. You are That through which you would search. You are what you are looking for! And That is All it is. 
~Poonjaji

Here are some suggested inquiries for exploring svadhyaya in your life:

--In what ways do you seek out community that supports you in turning toward your true Self? How do you experience satsang?

--using a mantra or Divine name that resonates for you, make a commitment to practice japa (repetition) of that mantra for 40 days. Reserve judgment of the efficacy of the practice until after the 40 days are over. Keep a journal to record what changes you notice in your life.

--Similarly, practice the So Hum meditation for 40 days. Take it on as an experiment, with a spirit of adventure. Notice what shifts, either in subtle or more obvious ways, in your life.

--What sacred texts have been powerful for you in shifting your views of self or reality? Be willing to read something new. In exploring scripture, one need not be restricted to Hindu texts. The Tao Te Ching, the Buddhist sutras, the Hebrew or Christian Bibles, or the writings of contemporary authors such as Eckhart Tolle and Gangaji can all be inspiring and transformative tools for exploring the question “Who am I?”

--Don’t forget to have fun in your inquiry!

The Self that is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great is seated in the heart of every creature. ~ Katha Upanishad

Be the Self and that is bliss. You are always that. The Self is always realized. ~Ramana Maharshi

Saucha

Hello Dear Yogis,

In previous posts, we’ve been exploring the yamas, or ethical restraints that are part of the life of a yogi. The yamas are the “don’ts” of yoga; the niyamas are the “do’s”.  And, whereas the yamas are guidelines for social conduct and relationships, the niyamas focus more on personal conduct and inner discipline.

The first niyama is called saucha, which means purity or cleanliness. Saucha can be practiced on many levels, relating to body, mind, and spirit.

At its most basic and obvious level, saucha involves personal hygiene. The yogi incorporates the practice of kriyas, which are various cleansing techniques ranging from methods meant to address the hygiene of the physical body to methods meant to bring balance to the energetic body. Some kriyas are quite familiar to most of us, including daily bathing, brushing and flossing the teeth, exfoliating the skin with a loofah, cleaning the tongue, and flushing the sinuses with warm salted water (neti pot).

Asana (postures) and pranayama (breath work) are also powerful methods for cleansing our physical bodies. The practice of asana tones the entire body and removes the toxins and impurities caused by over-indulgence. Pranayama cleanses and aerates the lungs, oxygenates the blood and purifies the nerves.

Maintaining an orderly space around us nurtures clarity of thought, balance and calm.  Clutter and disorder affects us energetically (you may be familiar with the Chinese art of Feng Shui, which emphasizes the relationship between one’s physical surroundings and the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity in one’s life). When we clean, arrange, and let go of items that are no longer of use to us, we stimulated renewed flow of prana and creativity into our lives. Through practicing this aspect of saucha, we begin to create an environment that supports our internal process of spiritual growth.

In addition to caring for our physical space, we can bring mindfulness to our consumption habits, avoiding processed foods and choosing organically-grown food as much as possible. Purchasing environmentally friendly household products and using chemical-free cosmetics are also forms of bringing purity into our lives.

Occasional fasting, as well as colon and liver cleansing are powerful ways to eliminate toxins are restore the body to optimal health. The Ayruvedic, Chinese, and Western herbal healing systems all offer effective ways to do this, under the guidance of skilled practitioners.

Purifying the mind is another of the intentions behind saucha. During the course of the day, most of us experience a constant, random inner dialogue. Our senses are pulled in one direction or another, as is our attention and energy. Devotion, self-study, and concentration are some of the methods used to bring this random mental activity under control. There are many kriyas that serve to focus and calm the mind, such as gazing steadily at a candle flame, or following the movement of the breath with one-pointed attention. Mental purity can also be achieved by Japa (repetition of sacred names), chanting mantras, and studying and contemplating scripture. All of these practices serve to replace negative thinking and habits with positive thoughts, attitudes and behaviors.


Every day offers us opportunities to practice purification in a variety of ways. All faith traditions and cultures have their own purification techniques, and there are many that we can incorporate into our own practice of saucha. In addition to our culturally prescribed bathing, tooth brushing and flossing, here are some examples of ways to cleanse your life, physically and energetically:
-- Walk mindfully in nature. Taking in the expanse of the land and the sky can serve to clear the mind and body of stagnant energy.
--Singing, repetition of mantras, and devotional chanting opens the heart.
--The ringing of bells, singing bowls or gongs can shift and lighten the energy in a space.
--Smudging with sweetgrass, sage, or incense can cleanse the energy of our physical space and energy body.
--Blessings with water, rituals with fire, anointment with oil help us release the old and begin anew.
-- Refrain from speaking for a day or more. Notice what clears in the mind from observing a period of silence.
--Take a hiatus from television, computer, recorded music, and other technology for several days. Notice how much time you have for connecting with loved ones and with Spirit!
-- Go through closets and clear out clutter.  Give away items you don’t need. See what shifts energetically, and in your life circumstances, when your material world is purified.
--Laugh!. A good, long, belly laugh works wonders for clearing the mind and opening the heart. Check out   www.laughteryoga.org.


In closing, I’d like to add a reminder to be aware of the challenge of focusing on purity in our culture. Western society doesn’t support clean living. We are constantly bombarded with messages to eat junk food, pesticide-laden produce is more affordable and available than its organic counterpart, and our fast-paced life doesn’t allow us enough time to eat pure, home cooking as often as we would like. We are surrounded by environmental pollution, and bombarded with emails, advertising, and toxic messages from the media. Let’s be gentle with ourselves on this path, avoiding self-judgment, rigidity and perfectionism. Let’s support and encourage one another, and enjoy the practice of saucha as a many-layered, loving inquiry.


From purity of food follows the purity of internal organs. From purification of the internal organs, comes unfailing memory. After achievement of memory (i.e. establishment of Soul-consciousness) comes falling into pieces of all knots of life. ~Chandogya Upanishad 7:26:2


Through the knowledge of the Soul, God, one is pure and clean constantly. ~Katha Upanishad 1:3:6

My Weekend with Dharma Mittra

Hello Friends,

I've just returned from a wonderful and inspiring weekend at Kripalu with the great living master Sri Dharma Mittra. He's the dude on that famous poster with 908 yoga poses. At 71, he is still quite impressive both on and off the mat.  I learned some new postures and powerful pranayama techniques, but much of the inspiration that I felt came from listening to his talks on scripture and the yoga lifestyle. 


Sri Dharma spoke at great length about the yamas and niyamas, the first two steps of the eight-limbed path of yoga. Yoga, he explained, is "purifying the mind, heart, and body to enter the kingdom of God," and yamas and niyamas are an essential part of that preparation.  We have 72 thousand psychic channels that run through us, and insight from God comes to us via these channels. Practicing yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) serves to purify those channels, so that we may experience the deeper realization of and connection with the Divine Presence.

He also stressed the importance of eating a clean diet and cleansing the colon, as he believes that an unhealthy colon is the root of all disease. Sri Dharma is a staunch vegan and spoke at great length about the physical and spiritual benefits of renouncing meat. His interpretation of Ahimsa includes non-harming of any animals (This certainly made me squirm, as after being vegetarian most of my life, I returned to eating meat a few years ago. A long moral dilemma story, which I'll save for another post).

Dharma's humor and loving energy, along with his emphasis on the spiritual foundations of yoga, made it a joy for me to be in his presence. To learn more about this extraordinary teacher who is considered "the rock of yoga," visit www.dharmayogacenter.com


Fix your mind on Me alone, rest your thought on Me alone, and in Me alone you will live hereafter. Of this there is no doubt.


~Bhagavad Gita, translated by Swami Nikhilananda.

Aparigraha

Hello Dear Yogis,

Those of you who have been reading my blog for the last few weeks will be familiar with the yamas and niyamas. I've been highlighting a different one each week as an exploration of the yogic lifestyle. If you've missed any, simply click on the "yama" label below and it will bring up all those previous posts.  I invite you to comment, and share your reflections.

Today we come to the last of the yamas, or restraints, that are part of ethical yogic conduct. Aparigraha means non-possessiveness, or refraining from hoarding. It involves a letting go of greed and attachment to wanting or owning. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't own anything, but rather that we cultivate non-attachment to the things we do own. We practice being content with what we do have and be willing to let them go if necessary. We practice generosity and willingness to share what we have without expecting something in return.

The ego, by nature, keeps us in a state of perpetual wanting, craving, and not-enoughness. Greed and possessiveness are woven into the fabric of our Western consumer-driven culture. Our economic system depends on dissatisfaction. Environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill speaks of our societal mantra, "bigger, better, more, now," as a reflection of the human ego's functioning on a collective level.

In the yoga sutras, it is said that when we are free from greed, the mind begins to open to receive insight about greater spiritual knowlege. A mind that is contracted around holding on to possessions, relationships, status, or experiences cannot be spacious enough to see the "big-picture." Aparigraha invites us to release clinging and fear and asks us to trust the Universe. In the classical teachings, it is said that through practicing aparigraha, we will come to know the illusion of death and the cycles of rebirth. We trust that we have nothing to lose, and so we can let go of grasping. The great Sufi poet Rumi expresses this beautifully:

Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round
in another form. The child weaned from mother's milk
now drinks wine and honey mixed.

God's joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box,
from cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flower bed.
As roses, up from ground.
Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish,
now a cliff covered with vines,
now a horse being saddled.
It hides within these,
till one day it cracks them open.

~ excerpt from “Unmarked Boxes”by Rumi, Trans. Coleman Barks

Living by the principle of aparigraha, we do not identify with, or invest our ego in, our possessions. I'm reminded of the woman who was known as Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981), a great American sage who truly embodied the spirit of aparigraha. She devoted her life to living simply and walking across the United States spreading her message of peace.

Before she began her pilgrimage, Mildred Norman Ryder led a “normal” American life. She enoyed the comfort of a large home in the suburbs, was married to a successful businessman, had a job, money, fancy clothes, and expensive furniture. Then, when she was thirty, she went through a personal spiritual transformation in which she no longer saw that lifestyle as having any meaning for her whatsoever.  She received a calling to give up all her material possessions, her job, her home, and all her money. She even renounced her name and became known simply as Peace Pilgrim. She vowed to walk across the United States, never accepting rides in vehicles.  She carried no money or possessions, except a toothbrush and a comb. She fasted until she was freely given food, and walked until given shelter, with an unwavering trust in Spirit that she would be given exactly what she needed. In her words:

Just after I dedicated my life to service, I felt that I could no longer accept more than I needed while others in the world have less than they need. This moved me to bring my life down to need-level. I thought it would be difficult. I thought it would entail a great many hardships, but I was quite wrong. Now that I own only what I wear and what I carry in my pockets, I don't feel deprived of anything. For me, what I want and what I need are exactly the same, and you couldn't give me anything I don't need.

I am not burdened by unnecessary possessions or meaningless activities. My life is full and good, but not overcrowded, and I do my work easily and joyously. I feel beauty all around me and I see beauty in everyone I meet - for I see God in everything.

No one is truly free who is still attached to material things, or to places, or to people. We must be able to use things when we need them and then relinquish them without regret when they have outlived their usefulness.

From Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

To learn more about this inspiring woman, visit www.peacepilgrim.org . And, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn a bit, I invite you to watch an 8-minute documentary about her life that includes me singing a song I wrote about Peace Pilgrim. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVRC3sPctCM. Enjoy!

To conclude, I offer some suggestions for inquiry around aparigraha, and how it might apply to your own life:

--Do you have possessions that no longer serve you but that you have been reluctant to give away? What fears come up when you think about letting them go? As a concrete practice of aparigraha, go through your closets and give away some of those items. Notice how you feel when you lighten up.

--Are there people in your life that you feel attached to in a way that causes pain or stress for you or them? Are you being overly possessive? Can you practice letting go and simply loving them without clinging or controlling? What would that look like and how would it shift your relationships?

--Is there a role or position that you hold in your work or social circle that you have been attached to keeping? Are you digging your heels in or defending your status even though it may no longer be serving you or others? What if you "passed the baton" and trusted that you would be led to the next right situation in which you can offer yourself to others?

Blessings and Namaste!

Just Breathing

You may wonder why we begin our classes by sitting still and just breathing together. Perhaps you've come to class ready for a workout, and you are antsy to start "doing yoga."

In the West, many think of yoga as primarily physical exercise. But if we read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a 2000-year old text that is central to yoga practice, we see "doing yoga" as a much broader endeavor.

The very first thing Patanjali tells us, in the first three sutras, is in essence:

1) This is the beginning of yoga practice, and I offer you these teachings.

2) Yoga is about calming the mind, bringing the wild fluctuations of thought into stillness.

3) When you can do that, then you will know who you truly are.

Notice how he hasn't said anything about putting our foot behind our head, or twisting the spine. That comes later. The first, most basic thing he tells us about yoga practice is to be still and calm the mind, so that we may know our true, limitless nature.

So that's where we start. Taking a few moments to honor that stillness, using the breath and awareness to dip down into the reservoir of peace that lives within us, is a fundamental aspect of our sadhana (spiritual practice). We may not be successful at touching into deep peace, especially if we've been experiencing agitation in our daily life. Most of us bring quite a bit of turbulence with us to the mat. But just that moment of settling in and breathing sets an intention, and is essentially a prayer for inner peace.

May I be peaceful.
May I be happy.
May I see even just a glimpse of the vastness of who I really am.

As a yoga teacher, it is my intention to begin each class by inviting you to into a sanctuary, into that place of peace that can be found in the midst of even the most unsettling day. The breath is our key to that sanctuary, and it's always available to us, always waiting to welcome us in.

In the beginning, darkness covered the face of the deep.
Then the rushing-breath of life hovered over the waters.
Let us breathe together.
Let us catch our breaths from the need to make, to do.
Let us be conscious of the Breath of Life.
We breathe out what the trees breathe in.
We breathe in what the trees breathe out.
Together we breathe each other into life.
Blessed is the One within the many.
Blessed are the many who make One.

 ~Arthur Waskow

Ahimsa

Last week I spoke of the yamas and niyamas, the restraints and observances outlined in the 8 limbed path of yoga.  I'd like to share with you some reflections on ahimsa, the first of these restraints.

Ahimsa means non-violence, or non-harming. On the most gross and obvious level, it means refraining from killing or doing bodily harm to others. As we examine ahimsa on more subtle levels, we see that it also involves refraining from words and thoughts that project violence toward others and ourselves. In its deepest expression, ahimsa means the complete absense of negative thoughts toward self or other, and a pervasive feeling of love and compassion for all beings.

The principle of ahimsa inspired Ghandi's non-violent resistance to British rule in India, which in turn influenced Dr. King's leadership of the civil rights movement in the U.S. Jesus' teachings were also ahimsic, although from a different religious framework.

Our lives offer us plenty of rich opportunities to explore the many layers of ahimsa. Some questions for inquiry:

• How do my food choices and my habits of eating, driving, and consumption impact upon animals, the earth, and other humans? In what ways do I contribute to exploitation of the earth and its populations?
• What are the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that my language may be tinged with critical, angry and judgmental words, or words that in some way cause discord? 
• Am I "shoulding" on myself and others? How does that affect my relationships?
• Do I engage in habitual negative thinking? What impact does that have energetically on myself and others?
• Do I allow others to be unkind, harmful or violent towards me? If so, how can I take back my power in a way that is love-based?
• What ways am I practicing ahimsa in my life? In what ways am I kind, loving and compassionate toward myself and others?
• On the mat: How can I practice ahimsa? Can I move in and out of challenging postures with utmost care, respect and compassion for myself?

Examining our lives with regard to ahimsa is NOT about making ourselves feel guilty, because NO ONE, in pursuing this inquiry, will come up completely innocent. When we become aware of the areas where we have fallen short, we can practice ahimsa by cultivating compassion and forgiveness for ourselves. By nature, our lives have an impact on other beings. The practice of ahimsa calls us to be more mindful and aware, and it is a lifelong adventure.

"Strictly speaking, no activity and no industry is possible without a certain amount of violence, no matter how little. Even the very process of living is impossible without a certain amount of violence. What we have to do is to minimize it to the greatest extent possible." ~Mahatma Gandhi

The peace in the sky, the peace in the mid-air, the peace on earth, the peace in waters, the peace in plants, the peace in forest trees, the peace in all Gods, the peace in Brahman, the peace in all things, the peace in peace, may that peace come to me. ~ Rig Veda X