Writer's Block

Hello everyone!

I was planning to start talking about the niyamas today, but alas, the words just aren't coming to me. Truth be told, I am leaving for a trip tomorrow morning and haven't been able to think about anything else all day. I am SUPER excited!!!! I have a really good feeling about what will come of this trip.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that this good feeling means I will find a home while simultaneously trying not to get my hopes up too high. My goal for the next two weeks is to follow my instincts, the subtle movements of my soul, and not get caught in any of the traps set by my mind.

When the words come back to me to continue the discussion on the eight limbs of Ashtanga we will back to our regularly scheduled program. In the mean time, I may be writing about my home-seeking journey!  =)

I hope everyone had a great February!
Namaste

Aparigraha - Non-acceptance of Gifts or Bribes

The final yama is aparigraha, or non-acceptance of gifts or bribes. The purpose of not accepting gifts or bribes is to free the sadhaka (practitioner) from avarice and greed. How much of what you currently own did you need and how much did you simply want? We all like to spoil ourselves sometimes (myself included, and near the top of the list I imagine). I am not here to tell you to stop.  In fact, I'm not even going to continue talking about it because it's something we are ALL aware of.  Instead, I would like to talk about another, slightly more abstract, side to aparigraha.

How do you feel about gay marriage? Abortion? The death penalty? Whoa! Dangerous topics, lady! No one in their right mind would bring these up at a dinner party. They are just three of an endless list of "hot-button" topics that people feel so strongly about that it's rare to find anyone capable of having a calm, open-minded conversation about them. Aparigraha doesn't only apply to material possessions, but also to thoughts. How many of you have seen that show, Hoarders? That's how I visualize the minds of those who desperately cling to their thoughts and ideas. It's ok to be open-minded. Let go! You never know what you may discover once you open yourself up to it.

Namaste and have a great rest of your weekend!  Niyamas will commence on Monday!

Brahmacharya - Divine Conduct, Purity in Relationships, Moderation

Today I am going to stick with the traditional meaning of brahmacharya because I believe it's often skipped over by modern day yoga practitioners due to a lack of understanding.

Brahmacharya has a wide range of interpretation. At its most extreme, brahmacharya means celibacy; but for those of us who have not chosen a cloistered life, it is understood to refer to divine conduct in the use of sexual energy. Sexual energy is the energy of life and rebirth and according to the practice of yoga, should be treated with reverence. So what does that mean exactly?

All of the yamas are interwoven, so a good place to start is evaluating how brahmacharya fits in with everything else we've talked about thus far. Let's look at some of the negative uses of sexual energy - rape, molestation, coercion, manipulation, infidelity, just to name a few.  Abolishing each of these acts fits into one, if not all, of the yamas we've already discussed; nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing.   I like the phrase 'purity of heart' when addressing brahmacharya. Sexual energy is such a powerful force that it really can be destructive in the hands of those with wrongful or thoughtless intentions.

Your personal understanding and application of brahmacharya will evolve as you progress in yoga. As you learn to control your senses and eliminate attachment to desires, you will also learn to harness and utilize the vitality inherent within your sexual energy. But for now, begin by identifying and avoiding lust where you can. Definitions of lust include words like 'uncontrolled' and 'overmastering.' Uncontrolled emotions often lead to thoughtless actions and as we discussed earlier, sexual energy can be a dangerous force in those who act thoughtlessly. Be good to yourself, be good to others, and never use sex as a weapon.

Asteya - Non-stealing

Asteya.  Non-stealing.  Don't take things that aren't mine.  Got it!  What's next?

I'm no mind reader, but I would bet that the above is pretty close to what you are thinking right now. And guess what, you're right! That's exactly what asteya is about. Stealing is bad. We all know that.  But, in the interest of provoking thought, let's take asteya a step further.

A central concept of yoga is "living in the now."  Before I started a regular yoga practice this phrase used to really irritate me.  'Of course I live in the now, where else am I going to live?!'  Well, eventually I discovered that I was constantly fluctuating between living in the past and living in the future. Some thing would happen, I would get caught up in it, go over and over what happened in my head, then start planning what I would do in the future to make it better.  Back and forth, past and future.  My body may have been in the present, but I certainly was not. Ultimately, I was stealing the opportunity to really experience life from myself.

Your challenge for today - do something today that is all about the now.  Go for a short walk, or sit quietly away from your computer, and really BE there; take in the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feel of the air on your skin.  Pay attention to how you feel.  Are you upset? Are you relaxed?  Don't try to change that feeling, or figure out why it's there, just experience it. You may even find that once you take the time to experience what you're feeling, it magically transform into peacefulness. Regardless, just be in the moment once today and see how it feels.

Satya - Truthfulness

Today's topic is the yama, satya, or truthfulness. Can you imagine a world where everyone told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, all the time? Neither can I. In fact, I don't think the world would function too well in such a condition. What I would like to talk about today is being honest, yet knowing when the "whole truth" is unnecessary and may even be going against our first yama, ahimsa. While practicing truthfulness, it is important to use discretion in what you say to others. I am not just talking about sparing people's feelings, but recognizing when your ego is about to take over and start dishing out purely self-serving truth. I heard a story yesterday about a woman who makes a point of telling her friend how many miles she runs everyday. Although it may be the truth, what purpose does that information serve the friend? It is important to distinguish between information that is true, and information that is true and valuable.

Another important distinction, those who fully embody satya will speak only when they can offer information of value which will be openly received by the listener. Again, this goes back to ego. In my teacher training courses we submerged ourselves so deeply in philosophy that someone walking in on our conversations would probably think we all belonged in a mental institute. I don't share that depth of knowledge with a beginning yoga class because they aren't ready to receive it. It is true information, and although intrinsically it is of great value, it will be useless for those who aren't open to it yet.

Listen to the people around you today. Just observe the way people talk to each other. Then think about the conversations you've had throughout the day. What changes can you make to embrace satya more fully?

One final thought - in the spirit of satya, it's best not to set other people up to lie either....(does my butt look big in these jeans?)

Ahimsa - Nonviolence

The first yama we are going to look into is ahimsa, or nonviolence.  At first glance, most people (myself included) think, "Great! I haven't punched anyone in years!"  While it is terrific that you aren't going around abusing people, let's look at this from a different standpoint.  When was the last time you pushed yourself so hard in a workout that you strained a muscle?  How often do you look at yourself in the mirror and criticize the reflection looking back at you?  How many times have you placed unrealistic restrictions on yourself (no more chocolate....EVER!)?  And how many times did those restrictions backfire (entire plate of brownies anyone?)?  The point is nonviolence doesn't only apply to the people around you, harming yourself is just as bad if not worse.

My challenge for you today - listen to your body and respect what it's telling you. Tired? Take a 5 minute break from work and stretch!  You'll know what you need to do to take some of your self-inflicted pressure off, so go for it!

Remember, the yamas exist to shape your actions, speech, and thoughts. In my opinion, actions and speech are easy to control, it's thoughts that take a lot of time and patience to adjust.  Be patient with yourself!  It will come.

I'd love to hear feedback!  Let me know if you try any of the challenges throughout the next couple weeks and how they work out for you!

Winter Practice Tip

Ideally, we practice yoga in a very warm room allowing our body heat to rise and preventing injury, but who has the money to heat a room to 80 degrees when it's -15 outside?!  My solution....cold weather long sleeve/long pant compression clothes.  They are designed to hold in body heat, but wick away sweat so you stay warm but don't end up feeling like you're in a wet suit. Plus, the compression fit promotes circulation! I have both Under Armour and Reebok styles and honestly can't tell much of a difference between the two except the Reebok seem to be a little bit thicker fabric.  

Stay warm and keep practicing!  

Back to the Basics

I hope everyone is having a good Monday!  It snowed all day here yesterday, but the sun is now out and it is beautiful (from inside).  I was inspired by the quiet stillness of a snow covered morning to introduce a discussion on the daily application of yoga to "real life".  Let's start with the basics...

What is Yoga?
The word yoga literally means union, stemming from a Sanskrit word meaning 'to yoke'.  The purpose of yoga is to liberate the soul from the constraints of the mind and the body so it may join, or yoke, with the Universal Soul. There are four paths of yoga which lead to this union; Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga.  Each path can be followed on its own, or combined with each other, dependent on the nature of the practitioner.

Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of devotion.  It is a path of deep spirituality, often consisting of ritual worship of the Divine, singing devotional songs, and listening to the ancient scriptures as well as several other practices designed to unite the practitioner with the Divine.

Jnana Yoga is the yoga of wisdom.  It is considered the most difficult path of yoga, using the mind to inquire into its own nature and thus transcend the confines of its thoughts and ego.  This path follows the Four Pillars of Knowledge requiring dedicated self-questioning, reflection, and conscious illumination.

Karma Yoga is the yoga of action. It is a cultivation of purely selfless acts, dedicating all actions, both internal and external, to the Divine and thus purifying the practitioner of ego and attachment.

Raja Yoga is the yoga of science.  It is essentially a step-by-step method of 'controlling' the mind and body.  Also known as Ashtanga Yoga, this eight-limb path leads the practitioner towards enlightenment. (This is the path of yoga I have chosen to follow, so most of my discussions in this blog will also follow this philosophy.)

The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga - Ashtanga

• Yama - the yamas shape your actions, speech, and thoughts as they relate to the outside world.
• Ahimsa - nonviolence
• Satya - truthfulness
• Asteya - non-stealing
• Brahmacharya - divine conduct, purity in relationships, moderation
• Aparigraha - non-acceptance of gifts or bribes
• Niyama - the niyamas shape your mind and emotions to begin detachment from the ego and the outside world.
• Saucha - purity, cleanliness
• Santosha - contentment
• Tapas - austerity
• Swadhyaya - study of sacred texts
• Ishwara Pranidhana - self-surrender
• Asana - asanas are the physical postures most commonly associated with "yoga" today. 
• Pranayama - pranayama is the control and extension of breath, the life source.
• Pratyahara - pratyahara is the withdrawal of senses.  It is the bridge between external and internal aspects of yoga.
• Dharana - dharana is one-pointed concentration.  The mind is effected by the fluctuations of thought.  Focus on a single object helps to prepare the mind for meditation.
• Dhyana - dhyana is meditation. Meditation, in short, is non-thought.
• Samadhi - samadhi is the super-conscious state. In this state, the body and mind have been transcended and the soul dissolves into the Universal Soul.

Over the next several days I will be going through each of the above stages, discussing them in a bit more detail and talking about ways they can be incorporated into everyday life!  Stay tuned!

Portobello "Cheese Steaks"

Portobello "Cheese Steaks"

Let me begin by saying this is not my recipe.  It's from Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes: Vegetarian Meals, 2006.  As will be many of the recipes I post here as this is the only cook book I currently own.  I will, however, be trying some new stuff, too, as well as offering my own take on some of the book's items so don't be discouraged by my copy-paste style of sharing this particular one.  

The Portobello "Cheese Steak" has officially become one of my all-time favorite sandwiches!  I LOVE cooking with portobello mushrooms in the place of meat.  The simplest way I've used them is in place of a hamburger patty for "cheeseburgers."  Sooooo good.

Portobello "Cheese Steaks"
(makes 4 servings - though I find the servings very large, the picture above is half the recipe)

2 medium portobello mushrooms, stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow peppers, thinly sliced
1 jumbo sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 (7-inch) pocketless pitas (they don't seem to sell these in MT....conundrum)
8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Heat nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Brush both sides of mushrooms using 1 tablespoon oil.  Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer mushrooms to cutting board and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside.
2. In same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until hot. Add yellow peppers, onion, salt, black pepper, and water; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar*; remove skillet from heat.  Gently stir in sliced portobellos.
3. Meanwhile, place pitas on large cookie sheet; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Heat pitas until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
4. Roll each pita into a cone; tightly wrap bottom half of each with kitchen parchment or foil to help hold its shape and prevent leakage.  Fill pita cones with warm mushroom mixture.

*Vinegar - I made a mistake the first time I did the recipe and put the vinegar in with everything else at the beginning.  It was DELICIOUS!  Good mistake!  The vinegar flavor cooked into the veggies - wow!

You will notice in the picture that I also altered the last step.  Again, I can't seem to find pocketless pitas in this state.  But, I can assure you, they are just as tasty in a pocketed pita.

Do Nothing

I heard once that the best way to figure out what you want to do is to do nothing at all. Well let me tell you, I have truly embraced this concept since I returned to the US.  Aside from a small list of things to accomplish for repatriation, I have been doing nothing.  At least I thought I was doing nothing.  It turns out that "nothing" for me translates into "waiting".   I had this realization at approximately 0623 this morning when I woke up with a spark of motivation unlike anything I've felt before.  I would love to indulge myself in a terrific engine metaphor here, the spark of motivation igniting the fuels of passion bringing the engine of Being to life! TaDa! (You can take the girl out of the engine room....)  But the point is, allowing myself to do nothing completely cleared the slate and today I was filled with an indescribable rush of pure....knowing!

The dualities of life must and will balance themselves.  I have spent years "staying busy," pulled along by schedules, school, and work, only resting out of sheer exhaustion to begin again before I've even come close to catching up with myself.  When my plane landed in Billings, Montana on January 8th I actively (inactively may be more accurate) began to offset the high-paced blur of the previous twenty-odd years.  I did nothing and it was glorious!  Now, by nothing I don't mean I lay in bed staring at the ceiling in complete silence all day.  I did asanas and pranayama and meditation.  I cleaned, I cooked, I went grocery shopping.  Simply put, I still participated in life, but more as an observer.  This morning I experienced the first moment of harmony, of equilibrium, of that incredible space between high and low where, for the briefest moment, my mind stopped struggling for control over Self and gave in to the Universe.  Atha yoga anushasanam NOW the practice of yoga begins!

Welcome to my new blog!

If I had to describe the past year in one word I would have to say discovery.  Throughout the year I discovered more about myself and the world around me than I ever imagined possible.  At the ever-patient pace of nature, life is revealed to me daily through the eyes of yoga.

I have started this blog to share my own experiences along this journey.  There will be anecdotes, practice tips, discussions of texts and ideas, vegetarian recipes (yes, I'm learning to cook!), and a multitude of other topics I haven't thought of yet.

I believe I have a calling to teach, but I also have a hunger to learn.  Please share your own thoughts and ideas and question mine along the way!  Hopefully this can become a place of great learning for everyone!

Namaste