Disclaimer for 2012

The past year I have held back in writing about deeper yoga philosophy for fear of alienating students with discussions which to an outsider would appear to be about religion. I have since seen the error of my ways. Today, I will try to explain that although Yoga may be in Religion, Religion is not in Yoga. My hopes are that with this explanation, I can delve deeply into the science of uniting the body, mind, and soul and show that Yoga is about finding the true you, your unblemished soul, your Self.

If one day I say I am a Buddhist, the next a Christian, the next a Hindu, the next a Jew, the next a Muslim, and the next something else, has the "I" actually changed, or only the opinions of the mind? Who am I? That cannot be answered with a mere opinion of mind. It can only be experienced in the stillness and silence of direct experience, wherein these divisions evaporate.

Yoga systematically deals with all levels of your being. leading you to a place of deep stillness and silence. From within this stillness and silence, you can more fully experience spirituality in the context of your own religion and personal beliefs. When we are not experiencing such a deep stillness and silence, it is because our world, senses, body, breath and mind have become obstacles to inner peace and spiritual awareness. It is in the spirit of observing, accepting, understanding, and training ourselves in Yoga Meditation that these obstacles are gently, systematically removed. It is somewhat like gradually thinning out a cloud bank that is veiling the spiritual serenity that is naturally there. In this way, our world and the aspects of our own being can become tools rather than obstacles. This spiritual focus is the entire purpose of Yoga. Through this spiritual focus of Yoga, one may come closer to their own religious roots, although the practices themselves are not necessarily religious.  (Source: swamij.com)

O man, realize that the kingdom of God is within you, the Lord of life is the highest of all. Anyone who has realized this, would like to go to his innermost self. And there is a way for that. I am not talking about Hinduism, I am not talking about Buddhism, I am not talking about Christianity, I am not talking about Islam. I am talking about something universal. The moment you realize that the absolute truth which is not subject to change, death, and decay is within you, then you attain a freedom, freedom from fears, all fears. That is called the state of enlightenment and that can be considered to be a state of perfection. Therefore, learn to go to the deeper aspect of your being. Everyone should learn to meditate so that he’s free from many, many diseases. That meditation should be simple, a purely scientific technique, without putting any brand, like Hindu meditation, Buddhist meditation, Zazen, Zen meditation, Christian meditation or Jewish meditation. These teachers have destroyed the whole philosophy of meditation. Meditation is a simple method.

Swami Rama, Conscious Living

Words From My Master

This comment from my Master was too important to be lost in the "comments" section:

While doing Sadhana whenever the ego and egocentric vulgarities such as lust, greed, anger and passion arise even a little, destroy them immediately by means of Dharana, or Dhyana. One technique from Patanjali Yoga Sutras chap 3 is to bring the shape, brightness and radiance of the sun to the Muladhara Chakra. The mind at times will dash towards sense-objects or subjects again and once again, this because for hundreds of lives we have been asserting and striving at the ego-level. It is very pertinent that we shift our attention to techniques as proposed by sages such as Adi Sankara, Patanjali, Krishna, and etc.

Continuing on the Ashta Anga path, we can end all misconceptions. How much you have studied is not the most crucial, but how much you have moved away from it matters. Ultimately, practice to remove all superimpositons.

Guru Brahma
Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat
Param Brahma
Tashmai Sri Guruve Namaha 

Home? Found.

As 2011 comes to an end I find myself reflecting on the past 12 months. Now I know that you're thinking, "but Stephanie, yoga is about living in the present. Why are you thinking about the past?" And you have a valid point. But, I do believe there is some value in a quick review of the year so long as one does not get too caught up in it. So here we go! My 2011:

• FOUND HOME

There it is! There were many (many!) steps along the way, but the short of it is, I have found home. I am at peace, and feel that peacefulness daily.

YOUR TURN:

Take a moment and think of the one thing that sums up your year.  Are you at peace with 2011? Sit quietly for a moment today and accept the past year for exactly what it was. Don't think of how you would change it, or what would have happened "if (fill in the blank)." It doesn't matter. You are here today, so be here today. Celebrate these last few days of the year that contributed to who you are right now, because you are amazing. 

Magical Science

Yoga is a science, but I swear sometimes it feels more like magic. Yesterday I woke up with an incredibly sore and swollen tendon in my foot. I have absolutely no idea why it was hurting; perhaps I took up sleep marathoning the night before. I hobbled to the studio early and pondered whether I should take a break from my own practice, or give it a try and see how my foot held out. Remarkably, I did not talk myself out of practicing (a strong will must have been in my horiscope). By the time I got through my warm-up of sun salutations (Surya Namaskara A&B) I wasn't even thinking about my foot anymore. And when I picked up my foot for Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana I was pleasantly surprised to see the swelling had vanished! Magic! Ok, not magic, ashtanga vinyasa yoga is designed to exercise your lymphatic system which would have drained the swelling, but it felt like magic!

I'm not recommending everyone do a full ashtanga practice when injured, but sometimes movement really is the best cure!

Rhythm

Find your natural rhythm; honor the natural rhythm of others. 

LIVING YOUR YOGA: We feel happier when we move with our body's own rhythms. Find a day soon, stay home, and find out what your natural rhythms are. For example, eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired. Honor your tempo.

All of us get into a routine, often that routine even works well for us. But take a moment to evaluate what dictates that routine. It may be something you have no control over, such as your work schedule, or your children's school and activity schedule. Even though you can't change when you do some things, pick one thing that you can alter such as what time you eat lunch. Most of us have that one golden hour to cram our food, relax for a bit, then go back to work. But are you actually hungry at that time? Maybe eating small meals during your breaks and using your lunch hour for a walk to the park feels more natural to you? Try out different ways to make your day fit with who you are instead of making who you are fit in with your day.