Love Maker, Earth Mover

Posted May 17, 2015

Filed under Poetry

The old rule, are you ready to break it?
Convention just isn’t strong enough to make it
It collapses under the weight
of a new world order played out in faith
enlightened by a good man worthwhile
An indigo child running wild
sparkling eyes so sweet, noble to the core
No story quite like this has been written before
He speaks kindly and clearly to every man
He’s a language that everyone understands
He’ll stay with you come whatever may
Staring down the impossible, he always sees a way
So simple yet so profound is his gift
No need to struggle, he’ll lend a hand and just lift
this burden into the ether and off your shoulders
He’ll laugh with you as you grow older
A hero that wants only your favor in return
A fireman to rescue you as this world burns
A great example that equalizes the good books
A man that forces you to take a closer look
at the version of truth you’ve chosen to greet
and if you look both ways before you cross this street
you’ll surely see his gorgeous, speeding karma
blow by brilliantly and run right over your dogma

Yoga Is A Liberation Teaching

Posted May 8, 2015

Filed under Insights, Musings

Part 2 of “How Do You Qualify Yoga?”

In my previous post, I noted ten points expounded by, the prolific scholar and mystic, Georg Feuerstein on determing “authentic yoga”. I acknowledged these may be controversial; however, they are an interesting platform from which to discuss various aspects of Yoga Philosophy.

Starting out with even the concept of, “Yoga Philosophy”, I often feel fractured. On one hand, I’m thankful to drive around and read all of the bumper stickers which read, ” I Love Yoga”. However, it breaks my heart that most of them are probably unaware that asana and Yoga are not synonymous.

I must backtrack a bit; I have had the great karma to only know Yoga and spirituality to be synonymous. My first encounter with Yoga was as my previous incarnation (in this lifetime) as a devotee of Gurumay Chidvilasananda.

The friends that introduced me to the Siddha Yoga Tradition were sadhakas. Furthermore, in Siddha Yoga asana was presented in the context of being an adjunctive practice.

Ironically, it was my disillusion with Siddha Yoga that brought me into the world of asana as a focus. I left Siddha Yoga because I wanted a personal relationship with my guru– it could not give me that. I explore Sivananda who presented beautiful asana sequences and techniques in the context of Raja Yoga–enlightenment was still the goal. Then, a desire began to arise to know my body more deeply. Asana opened something up that had been blocked. But, my focus moved from knowing the center of consciousness to knowing the center of anna-maya-kosha. I began to study with Iyengar teachers and learn about alignment.

It is important for me to emphasize– this is my experience. It in NOT my critique on the merit or validity of other traditions! Do not read into this what is not there…

This is where my personal Great Schism happened. I went from being a seeker to a posture technician. Although, I have no regrets. I must admit I was distracted. I was allured by the mystique of alignment, angles, and biomechanics. I was fascinated by the improvements my clients experience in their health. All of these are wonderful fringe benefits to a sincere Yoga practice.

Again, I must restate, these are amazing occurrences. But, the goal of Yoga is, as I’ve mentioned in numerous previous posts, is Yoga. Union.

Flexible hamstrings do not bring you Union. Lower blood pressure does not bring you Union. Standing on your head does not bring you Union. It does not mean that they aren’t wonderful.

If you still identify with your body, if you still identify with your career path, if you still identify with worldliness, then you have not attained Yoga.

It is not a judgement. It’s not an assessment of worth or value. Its not saying that we are good or bad if we have not attained the state. Most of us haven’t. In fact, many would argue that the reason we’re in a body is because we haven’t attained this state. Or, at least not permanently.

If the goal of your asana practice is to help you meditate so that you can attain Yoga, then the asana is part of sadhana. If its not, then its something else. That’s fine, too. Even the goal of Hatha Yoga is Yoga!

The fact is, Yoga practices are about completely deconstructing our false identities so we are no longer confused about what we are and what we are not. Once we know this, then we can decide what that is. Once we know this, we are no longer chained to the constructs of conventionality. Once we know this, which I stress as being experiential not conceptual, then we are free.

How Do You Qualify Yoga?

Posted May 6, 2015

Filed under Insights

It’s been awhile since I last posted. I am so grateful to Chad for holding down the fort with his amazing poetry. If you didn’t get a chance to read his evocative piece, “Aghori” you should definitely do so! If you are not familiar with that name, the Aghori are an obscure Tantric sect from India who engage in unconventional practices to bring them union with The Center of Consciousness. I have to admit, even finding a great link to share on them was nearly impossible. Most pages are super-sensationalized and prejudiced.

I first learned about the Aghori from, the late German-Canadian Yoga Historian and Philosopher, Georg Feuerstein. His in depth, and provocative, work, “Tantra“, demystifies the various aspects of the, often misunderstood, aforementioned philosophy.

This morning, on my way to work, I was listening to another Feuerstein pearl, “The Lost Teachings of Yoga“–even his voice is mesmerizing. Georg elucidates ten points that demark “Authentic Yoga”. Now, whether or not you agree with this list, he provides poignant arguments. Additionally, we (myself, obviously, included) can find our feathers ruffled by the Truth. Perhaps, if these points cause disequilibrium, like Piaget, you can consider them opportunities for growth.

1. Yoga is a Liberation Teaching.

2. Yoga has many branches.

3. All Yoga paths subscribe to Dharma.

4. Yoga is a continuum of theory and practice.

5. All Yogic approaches require a commitment to radical self-transformation.

6. All Yogic approaches require the implementation of discipline and detachment.

7. The closer we come to Enlightenment the more ordinary we become.

8. All Yogic approaches account for surprise and/or grace.

9. All Yogic approaches are initiatory.

10. All Yogic approaches involve the replacement of old habit patterns with new benign patterns.

I will begin a series of 10 posts based on each of Georg’s posits. I hope you enjoy them.

Om Shanti Namasté
ओम शांति नमस

Hand In Glove

Posted April 19, 2015

Filed under Poetry

Holding each other’s hand
so we are whole, not just a part of.
Shiva and Shakti be damned.
They’ll not survive the night,
when we leave them in favor of
serenity in our guiding light
beckoning from within, not above.
Unravelling dualism’s intricate plan
to decode the illusory distinction
between pigeon and dove.
Arriving at the promised land
of tomorrow, accomplished in love.

Mindfulness Meditation Video

Mindfulness and Guided Meditation

It has been a little while since my last post. I was very busy with my retreat last week–it went swimmingly! Here is a video that I just made with my colleague and friend Robin which has has simple meditation sequence. You can skip to 3:07 if you would like to start with the practice. I will leave this in the guided practices tab for easy access in the future.

Elevated Fantastical

Posted April 12, 2015

Filed under Poetry

Dripping high gloss
liberties in home spun lines,
becoming mental floss
barbed with cosmic rhyme.
There’s a new word for high –

Elevatastical.

Sounds ridiculous, I know.
But go ahead save it in your phone,
let it infiltrate your auto correct.
Accidentally send it to your best friend
in a message trying to describe it –

Elevatastical.

It’ll sneak in and interject.
Don’t blame me, blame the sentiment
as it loops around to circumvent
a crash landing, saving your life
popping your cockpit so you can eject –

Elevatastical!

Embrace the delight
you’ve come to expect
from the previous lines
that flowed from the mind
of a gifted astronaut –

Elevatastical!

No, not Buzz Aldrin.
We left him on the moon because
he was holding us back from resonance.
He ignored the bell that sounded –

ringing Elevatastical!!

Warning us of our fleeting chance
to ride into energy surrounded
by a symphony of the intertwined –

radiantly Elevatastical!!!

Vibrating in a trance,
that stillness designed
finally realized in these
heavenly bodies, embracing the rise.
With pure hearts free,
we’ll make our way outside –

and together we’ll get so Elevatastical!!!!

Profession

Posted April 6, 2015

Filed under Poetry

I’d like to talk to you
about a lucrative career opportunity!
It offers fulfillment through good work
and can provide the raise you’ve been waiting for.
It requires no experience, but is quite life changing.
It’s impossible to be overlooked for promotion,
you are your own boss, and everyday feels like a vacation.
The meetings are spectacular.
It’s a new and different endeavor with each breath.
It’s exactly what you’ve dreamed of, been searching for,
and the answer to the questions that keep you up at night.
First off, you’re hired!
Just keep doing what you’re doing –
but fight hard to hold it all in a place of pure love.
Let negativity go and hold each moment
in a bright clear light.
You may not notice anything at first.
But, give it a year of sincere effort
and you will have the wealth of life you knew you deserved.
This work will reward you with perfect happiness.
If you make this career change for entirely selfish reasons –
it doesn’t really matter.
The benefits are universal and undeniable.
Love and let love be our future.
Do it for you!
Do it for me!
Let’s watch our children flourish
in the indigo of our perpetual prosperity,
an ever-glowing example of a lovely life’s work
that endures and continues to elevate.

Mind, Please be My Friend…

Posted March 31, 2015

Filed under Insights, Musings

The last few weeks have been fairly hectic: I am planning a meditation intensive retreat, I am taking some continuing education classes, my work schedule is changing, the children have a bunch of activities, and I am a little over-extended. So working on a blog post has been demoted on my list of obligations.

But, despite all the busyness, my mind-state has been fairly steady, or ekagra. I attribute this to regularity in my practice.

In the Yoga Tradition, the mind is viewed as an instrument through which we receive information about the sensory world (manas), where we store memories and formulate opinions (chitta), it is where our sense of individuality arises (ahamkara), and where our conscience resides (buddhi)–but, not our consciousness.

The four aforementioned aspects of the mind are collectively called the antahkarana–or the inner instrument. The word “instrument” is so profound. Yoga science expounds the concept that the mind is not who we are; but, a tool, which can be sharpened, to glean a clearer understanding of who we are and what needs to be done to Realize our True Nature.

According to Yoga science, our minds becomes colored by our experiences— think of it as a dusty layer on a window. Therefore, they do not allow the truth to diffuse through. We are colored by perceptions of race, social status, gender, etc. Reflect for a moment on a baby who lacks all of these associations.

Through meditation we wipe off the layers of dust and eventually the clear mind allows the truth to shine through.

But, the mind is only capable of becoming crystalline…

What is the light that shines through the crystalline mind?

Eventually, the mind, like all good tools must be set down. Would you walk around in the house you built clutching the hammer?

Over time, with dedication, consistency, and faith, the mind is set down and total awareness of the Self will shine through.

Until then, tell your mind “thank-you” for all that it does. Do not be angry with your mind for thinking any more than you would be angry with your hand for grasping or your ear for hearing. Ask your mind to be your friend, so that you can dust the lens, and see the world as it truly is.

As always, click the links!

Djinn

Posted March 24, 2015

Filed under Poetry

He would not strike his brother,
but the bar behind him meant nothing.
Clenched and thrust towards hot breath.
White knuckles break wood as they whistle past head,
splintering like a spider’s web.
Termites emerge from deep within,
jaws fit for red oak choke on blood splattered,
soaking to the core of this easterly wind
where soldiers settle debts with swords
and women listen to their men.
The fates, that night allowed him to avoid
an evening ending with a funeral bell’s ring.
The beautiful moon shining through the void
gave him a peace fit to ponder for years on end
but also a profound sadness in
knowing with this grave dishonor,
his brother would never come home again.

The bugs swarm and burrow deep
with the good brother’s blood on their teeth.
Crawling, manipulating energies,
animated by what was once.
A wood entombed Djinn
harnessing not the peace,
but the fury of the same fateful wind.
Possessing the disgraced, bequeathing purpose,
unholy strength in blood filled eyes.
A broken man, the perfect vessel for this demon’s rise,
finding vigor in angry desire,
consuming the family name in gorging fire
uncaged by misplaced rage, the flames.
Fanned by all that’s transpired.
Worming into the double helix of what’s yet to come,
gripping the blood yet to flow
until it’s undone and he does descend
with the souls of them all to exact his revenge.

This poem is meant to illustrate the voracious, all consuming disease of addiction.

Opening My Eyes

Posted March 19, 2015

Filed under Insights, Musings

One day while walking along the Ganges, my teacher was told, specifically, by his Guru , “Witness Everything“. He knew that Swami Rama did not incline towards repeating himself; so, he grunted to acknowledge that he heard the instruction. But, the sound also signified he needed to digest this morsel a bit longer.

“Witness Everything”, what a specific, yet, elusive instruction. As my teacher paradoxically says, “it is simple; but, not easy.”

Often, during the opening of an asana (yoga posture) class, when we begin to focus on the breath, I remind my students we take about 20,000 breaths a day–but, most of them come and go unconsciously. Yet, it is the most essential of all our bodily functions. If we were forcibly made to stop breathing, for even a few seconds, we would suddenly become very grateful for our lifeline!

Witnessing = Observing + Non-Attachment

Why on earth would we want to cultivate this state of detached observation? Witnessing is the essence of mindfulness–the practice of paying attention to and seeing clearly what is happening in our lives.

If we always act from the perspective of the self, life happens to us–it is very personal and selfish. The person that cuts us off is doing that to us personally. The traffic is affecting us personally. When we begin to witness we are able to “see” the person cutting us off is actually thinking about themselves. Maybe they were rushing to an emergency! We begin to see all of the people stuck in traffic–we may even develop compassion for so many frustrated individuals.

But, on a deeper level, when, in our meditation practice, we bear witness to our thoughts (remember, this is done with non-attachment or non-judgment), we begin to notice the patterns, trends, and colors of our thoughts. We begin, without necessarily having to analyze the source of our tendencies, to have more space from the fluctuations in our mind-field. We begin to see the mind as it is, an infinitely creative tool that is a blessing and a necessity to navigate this earth-plane–instead of seeing the mind as a source of our frustration.