Montreal Intensive Day 3: The Picnic June 26, 2009

Day three happened to fall on St.Jean Baptiste day which is a provincial holiday in Quebec. Illias(sp) from New York via Mexico, suggest that we all bring our lunches and have a picnic on the lawn of Dawson college as most stores would be closed.

Well, what I thought would be just a little sharing turned into the most gorgeous array of food and abundance I have ever seen come together in a short time. We found a group of picnic tables to set up food on and then laid our blankets, mats and shawls around the lawn. We laughed, talked, shared and even played Frisbee. We really were a merry band.

Day three also fell on Gurumayi Chidvilasanada’s birthday. John spent the morning in a really playful and celebratory mood and the Guru principle led our practice through the morning. He said that the Guru is really a tattva- a principle of existence even though it is not on the chart. It is the revelatory power of spirit that is found in every one of us. The teacher’s dharma is to show the student the teacher within them; the students grace (chali-kripa) allows the teacher to take the seat of the teacher. In the practice of sadhana ( spiritual practice), we awaken in relationship. We learn to see the Absolute in others and others show us the Absolute in ourselves. This revelatory power is found in every one of us, even if we don’t believe it.

John told a great story about being very down and after just a short visit from Gurumayi he was completely changed. Those with a high vibration of light can lift the dark from us. We can also learn to do this ourselves. Tantra is a science- it is alchemy- it is the process of turning the impure into gold. We learn to turn negative situations and emotions into positive ones- it is not just a simplistic changing of your mind but it is through skillful means and practice.  When you are going up into backbend number 12 with John, I know he is not joking, and no matter how my body responds, my heart sings with the possibility that this next one might be the big one that changes and illumines everything. Every moment- especially the intense ones- is a gateway. It is a chance to do alchemy.

Alchemy happened. For the first time in my life I rocked up from urdva dhanursana to drop to my knees and then rocked back to urdva. I spent a minute going tick-tock smoothly back and forth laughing- it was so powerful. I realized all my skillful means of doing ustrasanadrop backs ( thanks again SJ) had now prepared me for this pose I had never even tried…or thought I could do. It literally “rocked” my world! (get it? tick tock… rocking…I know – it’s a groaner….)

In the afternoon we went back to basics: what is our vision? How is Anusara yoga different than other hatha yoga systems?

1) We see everything as a manifestation of Spanda. Tantra can literally mean the “loom” on which we weave- it is a philosophy that sees the world as an interconnected tapestry. Nothing is separate- nothing is discarded- it is merely woven back into the new fabric of understanding. We assimilate what has gone before- we do not forget the past- it is useful as a reference for that we chose to emphasise or not emphasise. We serve the present in life enhancing ways and we plan for the future so whatever we do now counts.

2) We use technology, a methodology that aligns with nature that we call the Universal Principles of Alignment.

3) We work in community. We bring everybody up- we are all members of the same orchastra. We celebrate each others success and we have great picnics together.

We ended the afternoon lecture with a very deep question: If the world is supposedly intrinsically good, why do evil things happen? I think that may be a blog unto itself after I do I little more reading that John has suggested.

The afternoon practice finished with giddy laughter trying to think of how many ways we could theme iccha, jnana, kriya and we ended up tying the whole Wizard of Oz to every possible notion. I had the tin man iccha- heart, the scarecrow as Jnana- mind and therefore the Lion as kriya – courage, but John started going on about Oz being the manifested word in all it’s colours and the downward shape of the tornado being in the shape of shakti’s downward pointing triangle and it just got really funny and silly. Ami beside said “Ok- let’s do Starwars now…..” . At least I have lots of themeing ideas for the next little while!

Well, the next time I will see John will be Vancouver in August 2009 and though I will be busy during the event as a volunteer, I hope to blog that training as well.

A bientot! Merci Montreal!

Montreal Anusara Intensive: Day two June 26, 2009

Myself, Lynn from Winnipeg, and Karin from North Van

Learning how to assist more difficult poses

Masa and Primo

A beautiful view from Westmount

The ultimate in Indian takeout…

Good food and company in Montreal

 

 

On day two we dove deep into metaphysics first thing in the morning and discussed the Malas. The malas are like impurities. The dust that covers the mirrors of our hearts. It creates confusion and suffering and yoga is then the means to clean the dust , the malas, away and allow the true heart to shine through. We used the following chart to look at how the malas work.

Top 5 Tattvas                               Malas                                            Elements                               Dosha

Shiva                                                                                                         Sky

Iccha                                              Anava                                              Water                                      Kapha

Jnana                                             Mayiya                                             Fire                                         Pitta

Kriya                                               Karma                                              Air                                          Vata

Shakti                                                                                                        Earth                         

When Iccha ( you also can use the term Sat) gets covered by Anava-mala then our sense of fullness becomes impure. We suddenly feel we are lacking; we feel fragmented.  The natural outcome of anava-mala is to then to increase the water element and increase Kapha which can cause depression.  When Anava-mala is then lifted by polishing the mirror through practice, we feel our natural state of Iccha which is peace. We are full again.

When Jnana ( you can also use Chit) gets covered by Mayiya-mala our sense of connectedness becomes impure. We see difference- we become prejudiced. Mayiya-mala is related to the fire element and when it increases then Pitta increases and we become angry. When Mayiya-mala is lifted we feel love.

When Kriya ( or Ananda) is covered by Karma-mala, then we lose the agency to act- we feel powerless. Kriya is related to Air and when it becomes out of balance then Vata is increased and we experience anxiety. When Karama-mala is lifted we feel joy.

The malas then in some way help move the spanda back and forth between these states of emotions. The yoga practice helps create longer periods in the higher vibrations of peace, love and joy but we all feel the negative emotions sometimes too. It is very natural. What is really amazing about tantra metaphysics is that they have a method to get from the lower, darker, vibrations to the higher ones. We don’t have to stay angry, we don’t have to stay depressed. We can learn to recognize that as part of the spanda and use techniques to help us get back to a more desirable plane of being.

In the afternoon of day two we touched on intention. Intention can be conditional or unconditional . Unconditional is like children at play- why do they do it? Just for the fun of it- it is not dependent on conditions. Conditional is more like ” I do this to be free”: free from pain, free from suffering.  A yoga practice can have either of these intentions. In Anusara, we always make our intention the highest- we desire to be free. Sometimes we just like to play though….

John had some encouragement to give us too about being our unique selves. We have to all find our own unique frequency- how can you make music with one note? At least that’s how I looked at it. It is not a free for all- you are all in the same orchestra but we all play different instruments and our notes blend in harmonies. In a room full of very different practitioners, I could truly appreciate that we all had something unique to offer. The Spanda needs these differences to be able to pulsate. I like that I am part of a group yet unique. As John said, “do not diminish yourselves”.

If Spanda is everything, then even the difficult things that happen in our life are Spanda. If we never had difficulties, most of us would not appreciate the blessings in our life. This is a great lesson from many of the Hindu mythologies such as the Ramayana- do not ask the Absolute to take away your problems- ask the Absolute to give you the strength to deal with them. We learn and grow from the difficulties in our life- they can be wonderful gifts that, when we emerge from them, give us greater awareness. The Spanda is greater sometimes in those really intense situations- if we learn to work with the spanda it can bring us openings faster than ordinary situations.

It was a crazy asana day and I got to do a great demo with John- well it was  great according to everyone that saw it. It’s weird- John just says do and I do. Total trust and back I went into what I think for me ( aka stiff girl) was a pretty deep standing backbend. Maybe someone in the kula has a pic but of course I have none…

We ended the day with a lovely dinner and gathering of the growing Canadian Anusara teachers. It was a wonderful night to share and chat and feel a little more connected to the Eastern side of Canada. There is some really beautiful, bright, spirits in the group and I was blessed to get to know them better.

Montreal Intensive: The Spanda Karikas: Day One June 23, 2009

This three day intensive, in John’s words- is a master immersion and a teacher training compressed into three days. In other words- buckle up and hold on.  The process was not so much a dissection of the Spanda Karikas, as I did with Carlos, but more of how does this text help us share our vision of Anusara Yoga?  John had his own translation and commentary book made up for us to follow along.

We started off the day with a review of the aspects of the Divine, the Absolute, Spirit, The One. Which are:

Chit:  the power of consciousness

Ananda:  the highest bliss and joy

Svatantrya: unlimited freedom

Purna : fullness- lacking nothing

Spanda: a stillness that is trembling

Shivaya/Shri: auspiciousness- goodness, absolute benevolence

 

We chose to focus on Spanda for this training but we still talk about all of them as we go along because they are qualities of something that is not just ever one thing. The reason pulsation, or Spanda, is so important is because the place between these pulses- the place of seemingly stillness- is the place of the middle. That place of the middle becomes a point, a “bindu”, and a gateway to the Absolute. It’s the pause at the top of the inhale and at the bottom of the exhale.

Everything pulsates – down to the smallest atom- and pulsation can’t happen without two things in contrast. (Think sun/moon, light/dark, and open/close.) How can you know light unless you have ever experienced dark? The pulsation arises from the dark and goes to the highest pinnacle of light, the apex, and from there slowly fades back into the dark to wait for the next pulse.  Spanda exists in the cycles of the day, the year in our own life. We are created, we reach the pinnacle of life and then we return to the dark.  Contrast increases our knowledge; it doesn’t have to be a seemingly negative thing. Diversity helps us understand our own world better. So even in diversity there is a place of the middle and around it from that core line everything expands out into ever increasing complexity. Think of a tree- from a trunk, to the major branches, to the smaller branches, to the leaves and then finally the flowers- ever expanding complexity all from the middle.

After the morning talk we went into a basic practice that worked on seemingly simple stuff but it was all down in a way to work with the Spanda, to start from the place of the middle.  Things like aligning your feet and your hands rather than going all the way to skull loop right off the bat. It made me feel better about how I teach because I seem to talk every class about choosing to align and how we even set our feet and our hands in a way that is full of desire to know ourselves better- to know the One in us. Maybe it really is just that simple.

After lunch and buying a new pair of yoga pants- left all my clean ones at home by mistake- we settled into an afternoon of deep discussion.  John launched into the second stanza which mentions the shaktichakra- wheel of Shakti. John described the wheel as literally the wheel of time, of climbing apex and dissolution. So when the Absolute manifests, time is the result of the Absolute becoming aware of succession: the passing of time. Therefore everything manifested has a sequence-how does that happen? How out of pure consciousness which has no limit, no time, any sequence- comes this deep order of nature? 

As best as I understood it here it goes: The top five tattvas, or principles of existence, are Shiva, Shakti, Iccha Shakti, Jnana Shakti, and Kriya Shakti.

Shiva is pure consciousness, it is like the sun, and Shakti is the creative power of that consciousness, it is like sunlight. They are the same but different aspects of the same.  In the top five tattvas there is Iccha- the will of the consciousness. It is will that comes before action- we have an idea before we can create. Jnana is the knowing of that will and Kriya is the action- a spontaneous action that has no condition or expectations- it is action for the sheer delight if it. In with all these five tattvas is a fine “trembling”. So from this pure consciousness it the trembling that causes the Iccha to wilfully pulsate from fullness to contract part of itself- it creates the screen of prismatic crystal unto which and into which all the possibilities of diversity and colour then manifest. Shiva/Shakti loses nothing of itself in the process- it stays completely unaffected in  the unmanifest. 

Iccha, Jnana, Kriya, then become the aspects of the wheel- the shaktichakra.  The wheel starts with Kali- the Goddess of destruction. She is the consumer of time (kala being time and kali meaning the one who consumes time) she represents the blank state of your mind, no form or colour from which everything grows. She is the dark ground where the seed of the tree is planted. She represents Iccha. Saraswati represents Jnana, she is the deep order, the sequence that the growth follows- she is the tree that sprouts from the seed.  Finally at the apex of the wheel, at the height of the cycle before it moves downward again is Lakshimi, she is Kriya, the final action that is the fruit or flower of the tree- that which decays and falls to the ground, into the dark and back into Kali. Kali who seems to represent chaos, and darkness and destruction then is just part of the wheel- she is the ground upon which all ideas sprout. (I know Sjanie will love that….)

I have a great dissection of the Nataraja and his meanings but I think I will save that for a later blog. I’ll add pictures in the next few days!

How to Breathe on Maui June 3, 2009

Local fishing at Baby beach....

Yes- I am alive. I have been extremely busy lately and I have been putting my blog last on my to do list. I was supposed to be practicing this morning but I have a weird virus of some type that has left me weak and achy and so rather than sit on the couch I decided to sit at my computer. Lucky you.

Part of my crazy schedule was flying back to back crazy so I could manage a week off work and secretly take my two kids to Maui. They thought their father had left to vacation without them- which he did on my insistence- to Haiku , Maui.  Haiku is located on the north side of the island on the road to Hana and it is a slice of heaven to our family. My husband practices Ashtanga with Nancy Gilgoff when he is there and I usually hang at the Studio Maui if I am practicing Anusara. Yes- we only take yoga vacations….

Because of my flying, we couldn’t take a two week holiday all together so I sent my husband without us. He thought he was going to be alone for two weeks but I spilled the beans to him- and swore him to secrecy- that I was going to surprise the kids and take them to join him during week number two. He was extremely pleased as he misses the kids when they even go for a sleepover! I secretly packed bags for weeks and surreptitiously snatched various vacation items from my unsuspecting children’s rooms. On D-Day ( departure day) I told them we had to drive their Grandma to the airport- which was true- and then we were going out for lunch after I stopped at my airport office. As I parked in the employee lot and got out I asked them if they still wanted to go for lunch. To which they responded with resounding choruses of “YES!!!” I said ” Well we can go for lunch,” I then dramatically pulled a blanket off the suitcases in the back of the truck, “ Or we could go to Maui?”.

I think my son literally stopped breathing. My daughter lit up like a little sun and they both starred at the suitcases. “Mom!!! We are going on the plane? I think I am going to explode!” Words of joy out of a nine year old boy. My daughter couldn’t believe I had everything- she kept asking me if I had her bathing suits. She is five and is going through a stage where she changes every five minutes and gives us a fashion show- her latest one being her swimsuits. In order to keep the secret I had to go out and buy two new ones for the suitcase!

Over to the airport we went and I was so glad as I checked in that my husband carried a cell phone and that I did not keep the trip a surprise from him. Apparently you can’t take your kids on a plane out of the country if you are one parent…you need a letter from the other parent giving permission! Yipes! I made a call my husband who happened to be not far from a fax machine and voila- 30 minutes later we were at the boarding gate. After a lovely flight to Maui- my kids were so good on the plane- we arrived to a very happy husband and father.

I was dissapointed to find out that I would not be doing much yoga with a teacher as Skeeter Tichnor was out of town teaching an immersion, but I made the most of self practice which consisted of many handstands in the playground with my kids. I don’t know if I will ever be able to kick up without a wall or a spot but I have to say I feel much more comfortable on my hands than I used to . There is a familiarity to handstand now that has come over the last few years and I can hold away from the wall now for a while. It really is such a playful and joyous thing to do! Chris managed a daily practice with Nancy which was great. There is lots of yoga on Maui no matter what your style and no matter where you are on the island: the other islands have lots to offer as well.

Practicing on Maui always seems so effortless to me. There is something in the air there that is just conducive to practice. I feel like I can breathe more deeply there. I remember when I was in Maui for an Anusara Immersion with John Friend, he talked about how you could feel the island breathe: the island itself was alive with pulsation. One of the local teachers commented saying ,  “Polynesians call non-Hawaiians  “Haole” -which actually means one who can’t breathe.”   Yup- us white folk really don’t know how to breathe. We rarely breathe deep into our bellys and are breath is short and fast. When the breath slows, we slow, and therefore we get to enjoy the present moment that much more. That’s how I feel on the North side of Maui.

Haiku Heaven- Max and Tracey's

I wanted to tell you about some of our favorite places on the North side if you ever give Maui a visit. First of all is Max and Tracy’s place. Our little studio cottage that is home on Maui is one of two studios you can rent year round. The property is beautiful with 180 degree view of the water. There is an abundance of fruit trees on the property and they always have a basket of what’s in season waiting for you when you arrive. Lychee was just about in season when we left but my son managed to find a few ripe ones to try. The avacados, apple bananas, mangos and oranges are some of my families favorites. You might have to compete with Buttercup, the golden lab, for ripe bananas. My kids call her a banana retriver and she is our rent a dog on Maui. If you really want to get a feel for what it’s like to be a local check it out: ludwig@maui.net.

We do most of our shopping in Paia town which is down the road a few miles. Mana Foods is a local legend and all your organic, health, specialty foods can be found there. I recommend buying the cotton shopping bag which doubles as a great beach bag/purse. Most of the saleable fruit from the property we stay at goes to Manna so they really help support the local farmers. Support them during your stay.

We always pick up a few shorts and T’s and sandals when we are in Maui and our favorite place by far to buy these things is the Hana Highway Surf . They carry all your basic beach needs and they have really great t-shirts with their logos on them. My husband and son love their hoodies.  Jud and Kelly Lau, the husband and wife that own it are really welcoming and Uncle Squidy- the owners uncle and local surf legend- has wave reports for Maui at (808) 871-NALU ( 6258).His absolutely hilarious advertisment on local radio is what sent us searching for them many years ago.

We tend to make our own dinner but there is nothing better than breakfast after primary series in the morning so check out Colleen’s in the Haiku Cannery Market near the Studio Maui. The french toast and fresh squeezed OJ is to die for…

Colleen's in Haiku french toast

Swimming and beaches on the North side are limited. The far west side of Baldwin Beach is located close to the residential area of Spreklesville and contains a small lagoon- perfect for family swimming without the shore breaking waves. The locals call it baby beach.  Of course famous Ho’okipa Beach is located on the North side just past Paia near the equally famous- and expensive- Mama’s Fish House. Hanging out at Ho’okipa during a good wind is a real North shore experience- some of the best windsurfers, kite surfers, and just plain old surfers are there all day for free entertainment. It really is amazing to see the talent and althleticism out in the water.

My son investigating the reef at Baby Beach

 If the weather is wet on the North side- which it often is- we suggest driving down into Makena area and checking out the beach  in front of the Maui Prince Hotel. It is a public beach with washrooms and a shower and the waves are great for boogie boarding. We do not recommend swimming at Big Beach in Makena with children. The wave break is very high and very close to shore and in water no higher than your knees you could be picked up and dashed into the sand. People with broken bones are taken off the beach daily. The locals call Big Beach “ Killer Beach” for a reason.

Having a yoga vacation on Maui dosen’t have to cost you a lot and it really is a fabulous place to practice.

I am looking forward to going back to Maui in September to study with John Friend andRam Dass. Let’s hope I get accepted and if I do I promise to blog during the training!!

Haiku Heaven- Max and Tracey’s

Haiku Studio

The Haiku cottage two studios in a duplex cottage

Hana Hwy Surf- on Hana Hwy in Paia

Entrance to the shop

Kelly Lau of Hana Hwy Surf

Entrance to Baby Beach off the Hana Hwy just before Paia

My son investigating the reef at Baby Beach

Local fishing at Baby beach….

My water baby

Baby Beach- near Paia

Colleen’s in Haiku french toast

Arm Balancing Workshop May 27th: Change of Date April 21, 2009

Learning to Fly

Anusara-Inspired Yoga^TM   Workshop

With Leanne Kitteridge

  

                                                                      Come unlock your unlimited potential to soar with this fun and challenging arm balance workshop! Even if you have never arm balanced before, this workshop will teach you techniques to help you start to get off the ground. Best suited to those with a regular yoga practice but beginners are welcome as well.

We have changed the date and time!!!! 

May 27th 7:45 pm to 10pm

Hari Om Yoga, Langley B.C.

HariOmYoga.com

 

 

 

 

 

Carlos Pomeda: An Invitation to Practice March 10, 2009

Dan Clement of Indigo Yoga invited Carlos Pomeda to Vancouver this last weekend to present a talk on the history of Yoga and more specifically the Spanda Karikas. I have seen Carlos on his wonderful DVD series , The Wisdom of Yoga, and I had the pleasure of meeting him once in person in Japan last year.  I was struck by his approach to the material, which though still academic, was so accessible and dynamic.  Carlos has not only practical knowledge,  gained during almost 18 years as a monk of the Sarasvati order, 9 of which he spent in India in the Siddha Yoga Ashram, but he is an academic scholar too. He holds two Masters’ degrees: one in Sanskrit from UC Berkeley and another one, in Religious Studies, from UC Santa Barbara. He is currently working on his Ph.D.  These are not just old texts that he has learned to recite and decipher, but he is actually living, and loving, their teachings. Carlos’ enthusiasm is only matched by his complete sincerity.

The first night Carlos gave us a lecture on the history of Yoga and cleared away some common misunderstandings. Basically if it could not be proven through archaeological means, or was not in the old texts, then it cannot be proven and therefore we must not assume or infer things that were simply not there. Coming from a background as a social historian, I totally appreciated this approach. Carlos and I had a chat during one of the breaks about how the winner is the one who gets to write history. I told him how Japan’s name is like that- the one with written language got to write history in that case. The name for Japan is “Nihon” or “Nippon” two Chinese characters put together that mean origin of the sun…land of the rising sun. Chinese characters were brought by traders and buddhist monks from China around the 5th Century and they gave the name “nihon“- because from a Chinese perspective the sun rises in the direction of Japan. The character for China however is two characters that mean middle country ” Chu-koku“- as China was the center of the world from their perspective. The Japanese word for their country was actually “Yamato“.  Similarily, colonialism has effected India’s own history having been first interpreted by Westerners and then re-interpreted by post colonial India trying to reclaim their history.

Carlos explained that most of us would think Yoga was Vedic, as coming from the Vedas, but in actuality many of the practices we think of as yogic, such as meditation and tapas, were not in the Vedas. These practices came from other groups known as Shramanas which contained Buddhism and Jainism among the surviving forms. Meditation as a practice doesn’t really show up until the Upanashads. This change seems to come from an eastern movement of the Vedas into areas where more Shramanas lived and you start to hear in the texts terms like “moksha” and “karma”- terms never seen in the early Vedas. 

We then did a common meditation style which was to focus on one point. Carlos noted how many texts said to meditate “on the tip of ones nose” but how Abhinavagupta- considered one of the most reknown scholars of Kashmir Shaivism- said,  ” Tip yes- but the other end of the tip” which then places the meditation point right between your eyes- the so-called “third” eye. Interesting isn’t it? So at that point of the lecture we then practiced a meditation of  focus on that point. I loved this. All through the weekend every time a way to practice was brought up in the Spanda Karikas we would try it. This wasn’t just about reading the texts and understanding them at an intellectual level; it was an understanding on a personal level.  All weekend rather than trying to just understand the words, I began to want to understand what that meant to me as a practioner. You can be a student , but to be a student and a practioner is a whole other level. I mean, imagine in university if every time I read a chapter of a Japanese Bunraku play I pulled out the puppets and performed it? That is just a whole other depthof knowledge; it becomes cellular. I know that is how we learn in asana but I didn’t think to apply it to philosophy and history. I don’t know if Carlos just teaches this way as natural manifestation of his personality, or if it is something he has cultivated over time as a teacher, but it truly brings a richness to the teachings. He also laughs a lot- I think we all liked that.

By the end of Friday night, we were firmly seated in where Tantra fit into this timeline and what new innovations it brought to yoga. The three major ones are : hatha yoga, kundalini and mantra. The physical asana part of yoga  is therefore actually Tantric in historical development.  We started the next morning by placing the Spanda Karikas in their historical context and then began to learn them one at a time.  We covered 19 ( not in order) of the Karikas in four three-hour sessions. 

 The Spanda Karikas were written around the 9th century by Vasugupta from the Spanda school of Tantra. Spanda means ” vibration” or “pulsation”. The Spanda school’s approach to reality then is that everything is vibration: prana, mind, body. That means then that we can potentially connect to the source of that pulsation- the Absolute- by using anything… because everything is Spanda. Sounds simple dosen’t it? But it’s not.

First of all the Karikas are stanzas written in poetic metre called slokas. Thirty-two syllables per sloka written in two lines of 16 and sung in 4 groups of eight syllables.  Each Karika is a complete idea. Carlos brought to our attention the genius of Vasugupta. The author had to: convey the teaching, convey the practice, argue against rival viewpoints to win practioners, kept the teachings secretive to the uninitiated, and do it all in metered form in 32 syllables. As Carlos said, “WOW! Amaz-ing!”

At first it was so hard to even grasp what the key idea was in each Karika, but Carlos showed us how to simplify it and get the essence and then work from there. The first one we all really struggled with, but as Carlos helped us decipher the text ( for example  what was meant when the author said “That” and “This”- “that” refering to the transcendental and “this” referring to the material world) things became clearer.  Revealing  how the entire teaching was summarized in the first Karika- the invocation- Carlos made some really great comments on why we do an invocation. His comments the first night were, “Remembrance of the teachers and the teachings” and ” To open our heart and mind to be in a receptive state of mind” but the one he added during the discussion of the first Karika was “An invitation to practice“. I think Christina Sell might have said that once but  it resonated with me again and my students will now hear it on a regular basis.

Carlos provided us his own translations of the Karikas but if you are studying them on your own I would recommend two books: Mark Dyczkowski’s Stanzas on Vibration and Jaideva Singh’s Spanda-Karikas: The Divine Creative Pulsation. There are other books out there but these two are the best, most accurate and complementary.

To go through all of Carlos’ humorous and insightful teachings on here would take more time than I have at the moment ( because now I really want to meditate and study more) and I want all of you to have some curiousity about what he has to offer, but there are some key points of the weekend that I would like to leave you with.

1) Learning hard things can be fun if you have a good teacher. Study with Carlos and you will see what I mean.

2) Know the source of the material you are reading. What is their background, what is their bias, what type of scholar are they?

3) Tantra opens up the possibility for everyone to meditate- you just have to find the right meditation

4)There is no such thing as a bad meditation (ok- this was HUGE for me)

5) You cannot uplift others if you are not uplifted yourself

6)You do not have to give up your life and who you are to be a sincere practitioner- we just need to polish the ruff bits ( I don’t have to be the quiet girl…just listen better!)

I hope that all of you will get a chance to study with Carlos Pomeda in the future. After one short weekend I can feel the shift in my practice. The shift is Spanda, I am Spanda and all these vibrations “are waves to ride back to the source”. I am going to meditate now.

Book Review: Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy March 1, 2009

Yantra of Shiva/Shakti

Thanks to being stuck at home with a sick family, I have just finished Georg Feuerstein’s book  Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy. ( I included an Amazon book link but actually I like to pay a little  more and support my local Vancouver book store Banyen Books) . This book was probably first mentioned to me by Christina Sell and then Robin Golt pulled it out again in our last Anusara Immersion. I think I flipped through it a few years ago and it seemed a little too deep for me at the time. I picked it up again during Robin’s Immersion and realized it was exactly what I needed to read right now.

Georg takes a  fairly wide brush to paint the history and principles that lay behind Tantra but it does carry many of the key concepts that we study as students of Anusara Yoga. He is very good at breaking down the various meanings of Sanskrit words that we commonly use in teaching to show how different translations, and therefore different practices, grew from them.  When speaking of the Advaita Vendata traditions he is clear to separate them and then explain the difference in the Tantric traditions which I find is useful for students and teachers of Yoga that have come from the more classical Vendanta schools. His reference to multiple yogic texts make one hungry to dig into more study.

His introduction and epilogue I found especially useful with the sudden revival of Tantra and Yoga in the West. While people believe they are practicing Tantra and studying Tantra,  it really becomes clear in this book that even the most earnest student cannot really be doing the practice unless they have a qualified teacher.  At times I felt down right wary of many of these practices as it seems that dabbling is worse than not doing at all! I have heard stories of people frying their nervous system through pranayama and various practices undertaken without a proper teacher. Essentially, we are dealing with practices in serious energy and I know I wouldn’t want to be re-wiring my house unless I was an electrician or had one telling me what to do every step of the way!

The book is divided into the following chapters:

1) Samsara : Cyclic Existence

~the ideas of karma, the cycle of rebirth, what it means to break the cycle in Tantric perspective

2) Time, Bondage, and the Goddess Kali

~great background on the aspects of Kali and how time becomes a key consideration in Samsara

3) This is the Other World: How Samsara becomes Nirvana

~what the difference is between wisdom and knowledge and how the Tantric vision sees the relative world as not separate from the Absolute

4) The Secret of Embodiment: As Above , So Below

~the Tantric body positive view and an explanation of the Tattvas and metaphysics

5) The Divine Play of Shiva and Shakti

~ how Shiva comes to  represent the principle of consciousness and Shakti the energy of that consciousness. How polarity( opposites)  helps realize the Absolute as one.

6) The Guru Principle: Shiva Incarnate

~the function of a guru and why a guru is needed. 

7) Initiation: Bringing Down the Light

~ being a student and/or initiate and what form  initiation by a guru may look like

8 ) Discipleship: The Ordeal of Self- Transformation

~the actual relationship between Guru and initiate and the ordeals in that relationship. Oral traditions, ritual, and preconditions for studentship are included.

9)The Tantric Path: Ritual and Spontaneity

~detail of the sadana of a Tantric student. Going beyond Patanjali’s eight fold path and into other practices in different schools including a discussion on left handed and right handed Tantra.

10) The Subtle Body and It’s Environment

~ a detailed chapter on the chakras and nadis and how the subtle body affects the physical body

11) Awakening the Serpent Power

~ a chapter on kundalini and how this works in the subtle body. Some discussion on Spanda is included here which I found useful.

12)   Mantra: The Potency of Sound

~ Explanation of the power of sound and vibration and mantras as the manifestations or vehicles of Shakti

13) Creating Sacred Space

~ this is about creating scared space in the body by use of mudras( hand gestures) and yantras and mandalas ( sacred geometry)

14) The Transmutation of Desire

~ This chapter was very useful as the rituals described in it are the most misunderstood by those practising Tantra without a Teacher or Guru: ie: consumption of meat, wine, sexual ritual. Unfortunately these, and not all the other areas of Tantra such as mantra and meditation, are the ones that the West find so tantalizing. Actually- in India it seems that it was a bit of a problem too….

15) Enlightenment and Hidden Powers of the Mind

~ a listing mostly of those adepts who were thought to have gained powers or “siddhis” through Tantric practice as well as a listing of those powers. There is also a listing of the levels of bliss, seven in all, which I had never encountered before.

 

I highly recommend this book to Anusara students or teachers that have a deep interest in what informs many of our teachings. I caution you though that going through an Immersion at least once and some background on philosophy, would make this book not only more useful but more enjoyable. I know that I will be using it as a reference book for many years to come and I would like to actually read it a few more times as I am sure that many layers were not revealed upon my first reading. I am sure those of you out there with a far more in-depth study of Tantra may have some issues with the authors perspective but I am too naive to challenge his assumptions as of now.

If you have read this book I would love to hear your comments about it.

The Seattle Chickwagon February 25, 2009

For the third year in a row now, we packed up the 7 seater Ford Explorer and headed down to Seattle. This years group included Lauren Hannah Roegele from Live Yoga, Sarah Plantenius from Tofino Yoga, Carol Wray from Live Yoga, Sjanie McInnis from Yaletown YYoga, Trisha Wilson from YYoga and Yoga Pod and Laurie Inouye from Yoga Pod. All of us are Anusara Inspired teachers so there was a whole lot of yoga geeking and general shakti mayhem whirling around- it was heaven. The funniest part of the drive was crossing the border. When the border guard asked about why we were going down etc and I showed him the paper work for the conference. He said, “$150 bucks for yoga? Where is this guy from that’s teaching?” We respond together in the chickwagon, “Texas!” The border guard looked at us and said straight up,  ”Texas??? I think you all are getting ripped off- have a nice day.” Hilarious!

Our normal house we rent was not available so we had to rent a new one- great view on the lake but we are all now convinced it’s haunted so next year we will have to find new haunts! Hahahaha. Yes- that was bad. I think I will have to be faster with the house next year and get back our old place.

We made it down to Seattle in great time and grabbed dinner near Pike Place market at a cool Thai place Buddha Belltown. With dishes like Succulent Swimming Rama and Pulsating Noodles (which were excellent…) how could you go wrong? The funny thing was we were heading for another restaurant and this one just called to us on the path. Love when that happens! We made to the very cold and slightly creepy house and stayed up way too late and talked of course about yoga. We actually talked a great deal about certification because we are all heading that way some day. After calculating my hours,  I realized that I really should hop on the full path to certification. The idea of taking a vacation to write my 30 hour exam doesn’t thrill me but I figure they can mail it to me in Maui and I can rent the cottage there and delve in deep study for ten days. If I get stuck I can always traipse across the ravine to Ram Dass’ house and, under the guise of borrowing a cup of sugar, ask a few questions! Sjanie has bit the bullet, so to speak, so I figure I might as well too- I like having a study buddy and a hand to hold in the labyrinth of mystery we call certification. Not having a certified teacher in Vancouver does make the process a little bit more shrouded.

I started Saturday with John by plopping  my mat right beside him. That would have terrified me a few years ago but I know I am flawed and need work and who better to call you on it than the source. The theme of the weekend was Maha Shivaratri- the “Great Night of Shiva or I guess “Great Shiva’s Night”. It is one of the major Hindu holidays and it is the 13th moon of the year when the moon is a fine sliver of light and has an almost purple cast to it. That last sliver of a moon before no moon is known as a Shiva moon but the one that happens in February is the darkest one. Hindus who worship Shiva will chant “Om namah Shivaya” all though the day and night in Shiva temples throughout India while bathing the statues in the temple with water and milk.

Om Namah Shivaya is one of the grat mantras- a maha-mantra- and though it is translated literally as ” I bow to Shiva” it can also mean ” I bow to myself”. Shiva is the light of our own consciousness, that which illuminates the darkness which we often dwell in. When we chant ” Om Namah Shivaya” we are saying I bow to the light within me that brings me from the dark ( ignorance) into the light (revelation of our true Divine nature).  The significance of Maha Shivaratri is that the moon is at it’s waning- just that last flicker before we are plunged into darkness. Shiva plays his role as destroyer in that last flicker as what once was will never be again and something new is created as the dark suddenly pulses back to light. John had a good description of a black hole sucking everything in – even the dark itself-  and suddenly on the other side imploding into a new star.

As we practiced on this very auspicious day and chanted and mediated we put our greatest wishes into our prayers.  The  13th moon, with Shiva’s power to transform from dark to light,  takes that wishes and magnifies it a thousand fold. I had to think very carefully about where I wanted to put my thoughts that weekend so I could harness some of that power. We did a really great practice with a potpourri of poses and my backbends felt great though my once broken hamstring decided to get achy. It’s like an annoying relative that comes to visit at the most inopportune times. (”HI! I ‘m, Baaaa-ck!” Oh just go away- I don’t have time for you. ) The afternoon practice was much more of the same and it felt good to not feel freaked out about what poses might come up. We all commented at lunch that the poses were not as challenging as past years but one of our group said, ” John must be looking around the room and teaching to the group- might not be strong enough to go deeper.” He confirmed that observation the next day when John said he couldn’t take us to the next pose until 50% of us had our head off the floor in dwi pada dhanurasa. Adam Ballenger was the certified teacher assisting John this year and he had a really sweet vibe to him and a deep and yet humble practice. He has an amazing story.

 Lauren, with her lovely baby belly,  couldn’t do a lot of the deep poses she usually can so for a few poses she just watched all of us. She was more excited than me I think when she noted how much my backbends had opened. In her words my dwi pada “rocked!” She figures practicing next to Sjanie is good for me!

We had a quick dinner together at a funky place in Ballard called the Root table Restaurant- Thai fusion tapas- and then headed back for Kirtan with Shantala , Gina Sala and Steve Gorn. We were lucky to have them musically accompany us all day during practice but being able to chant kirtan was an even better way to celebrate the music. It was a great way to end the day….but then we got home and even though we were so very,very tired we still talked until late.

The next morning we were up and out early had a great backbending break through morning- ( ie. head resting in arch of foot with both hands on foot ekapada rajakopatasana….) and then had an adventureous time during the break when we headed to Fremont and caught the Fremont market. Sarah was in heaven! Filling our bags at the PCC ( think Whole Foods) we wondered the market finding wonderful treats such as raw local honey and home-made hummus and babaganoush that is the best I have ever tasted. The young Israeli couple doing the cooking were fab and I really wanted to give them a plug in my blog. Go seek them out- so worth it! I bought six bags of my favorite tortilla chips and poor Lauren had them all around her feet in the car on the drive home! We also found the Theo chocolate factory in Fremont and tasted some of the wickedest chocolate ever. I recommend the Coconut curry chocolate bar- not because it was so good but just because it was so totally weird! My husband couldn’t stand it but I was strangely entranced by the flavour combo. Laurie was crazy about the Chai Tea bar. They give tours with lots of samples for about $6 so check it out.

We finished the afternoon with one of the most powerful practices. I don’t know what got into us but it was like Kali- Goddess of destruction – Shiva’s consort in this waning period- seemed to come out. I was doing backbend dropbacks like it was nothing and Sjanie channeled the Goddess and pulled out the most amazing Durvasana’s I have ever seen. She was right in front of John and she just killed it! She was one of maybe four people in the room that could do it. I was so desperate to capture the moment I made her hold it for a whole extra minute. We were screaming our heads off like teenagers. You would have sworn we had all done it we were so ecstatic. It was a great moment.

We said our goodbyes to our friends from around the Anusara community and then packed back into the chickwagon minus Trisha who left to continue studying with Desiree that same week. We had groceries, yoga books, new yoga clothing and yoga music to bring home- I have no idea how we and all our stuff fit. Sjanie thinks it’s Shakti.

It was a great weekend, and though seeing John is always a blast and a blessing, hanging with my yoga girlfriends is really the sweetness of a delicious workshop.

Om Namah Shivaya~

Free Anusara Inspired Class Feb.25 February 12, 2009

The Yamas and Niyamas: Anusara Inspired Flavoured February 4, 2009

I have been teaching the Yamas and Niyamas, ten ethical precepts, in my Anusara-Inspired classes for the last few months. My girlfriend likes to call them the Yoga 10 Commandments. It was an interesting way to learn them a little better myself. The biggest challenge was to interpret the Yamas and Niyamas from a more classical vein into a more Tantric/Anusara vein. I wrote the Yamas into my Christmas blog and by request (Pauline); I am going to describe both the Yamas the Niyamas as I taught them. What I am saying here is “This is my interpretation“.  John Friend, or a certified teacher, might not agree with me or have a completely different spin on them, but it was a great exercise in analytical thinking and adapting classical yoga material into a heart-based teaching. I have put the classical interpretation in regular script and my interpretation in italics. The first 5 are Yamas, dealing with the external more so, and the Niyamas are the next five and they deal with more internal observances.

 

Ahimsa: (non-violence) Non-violence towards others. This includes animals, which is one of the reasons many yogis are vegetarians. 

 

 By loving ourselves and remembering our true nature we are naturally more inclined to love others. We do not obstruct the divine flow. In asana, this also means we go to our edge but we never push so much we are in pain.

 

Satya: (truthfulness) Speak the truth.

 

Be truthful to who you are and where you are in your practice. Speak the truth to others in a way that doesn’t hurt them (the first Yama) I always remember John talking about the gates of speech when I think of this one.

 

Asteya: (non- stealing) Do not steal from others.

 

 Be full in your experiences and let others be full in their experience. Do not rob yourself of the joy of new experiences- do not steal another’s pleasure by being jealous.  People often steal because they feel they are lacking so remember that the first principle in Anusara Yoga reminds of our fullness: purna.

 

Bramacharya: (celibacy) One should abstain from sexual intercourse except for procreation because it depletes the body.

 

Yeah- mama. This was a fun one to teach…I went at it this way:  Have the conduct (charya) of God (Brama).  Do not let small things in life take you away from the bigger picture. God is all seeing, can you spread you awareness to encompass more than one thing? We should live our lives in moderation and consideration of all things. We should have integrity in our relationships.

 

Aparigraha: (non-coveting) Do not covet or horde things. Do not covet things that belong to others. Do not cling to material possessions.

 

Everything has a time and a place and we have to sometimes let things go when there time is over; both people and things. By letting the things that no longer serve us go we actually make space for something else. When we let go of something, or someone, or some idea, we have space in our lives for other things, experiences or ideas to enter.

 

Saucha: (cleanliness) Our bodies and minds should be clean and purified.

 

Do you notice when you walk into your house when it’s clean you seem so happy and when it’s a mess you get angry? (Ok- maybe that’s just me….) Making your place to practice simple and clean, having a clean mat and natural light all bring saucha. Eating organic food, recycle – all these things can be saucha. At the heart level we come to every practice with a fresh attitude. Though we may be troubled or injured we begin on the mat like a clean slate waiting for Grace to write on us. (Of the 3 A’s in Anusara Attitude come first for a reason)

 

Santosha : ( Contentment) Rest or ease of mind in one’s current situation. To be with out envy.

 

If our true nature is “always present and full of peace and completely free” why do we feel so discontented? We feel content when we are truly aligned with Grace- we feel content when we remember our true nature. When we are misaligned or feel separate, than these feelings of unease and discontent come up. In a way it is a reminder to come back to the place of the middle. You can look at unhappiness as way to remind you that your true nature is not in alignment with your current situation. On a subtle level this is reflected in the 2nd A in Anusara- Alignment.

 

Tapas: (austerity)  lit. “heat” or “glow.” Sacred heat generated by certain physical or spiritual practices; ritual self-purification; austerity. A process of transcendence through continued effort, experiencing the force of evolution in life; heat; austerity

 

Tapas helps us burn away the cloaks that cover the pathway to our heart. It burns away obstacles in our path but it also lights the way with its glow.

 

Svadhyaya: (Self- Study) Self reflection. Study of Scripture or Sacred Texts. 

 

Tapas clears a pathway to the mirror, burns away the layers so we can see in the mirror but when we look into the mirror what do we see? What information and wisdom do we gain when we look into the mirror? What is reflected in the mirror is only valuable if we choose to look at it with the openness of self reflection. Often the study of texts or scripture helps give us insight into what we see in the mirror and how to deal with it.  To discover who you really are is one of the greatest rewards of Yoga practice. We may, or may not, like what we see, but our past inherent responses to daily situations, and our habits, give us measurements to clearly see which path is our proper direction. Anusara is a practice where we actively do svadhyaya in the asana practice. The poses themselves become a tool for self reflection when done in that inquiring, active, mindset.

 

Ishvarapranidhana : ( Surrender to God) Surrendering to the will of God, surrendering the fruits of your action to God.

 

The quality of our actions is more important than the end result. In Anusara we have: Attitude, Alignment and Action- the 3 A’s. Attitude still comes first and then alignment and then action. Most of us focus on the actions and therefore miss a whole journey along the way. The other interesting point is that with English language surrender can mean to “give up” to not try. In Anusara, we start with first principle, a big “YES” to remembering we are part of a divine connection that goes through everyone and everything. It becomes more of a joining than a surrendering. We then effort, we do the pose to the best of our abilities and training, but what we surrender is the outcome. We can only surrender the outcome if we remember the first principle in Anusara “Open to Grace”.