We watch summer sliding effortlessly into autumn, and the invitation to look within continues. The next series of classes at the Yoga Sanctuary will emphasis this journey inward to live what yoga is. Our practice on the mat is only helpful if we are living in the crucible of truth every moment, burning away the blocks that bind us, and together we uplift and encourage each other along the way.
In heightened circumstances like birth and death, falling in love, or watching a golden sunset, there is an undeniable invitation to become present; we may choose to respond to that invitation or not. Either way, the opportunity is always available to arrive in the present moment. As we become more practiced in presence, mindfulness, and truth telling, we begin to realize that everything is unfolding for our benefit. The benevolent Divine is always calling, but we can’t hear that until we become still and silent within. We don’t have to wait for a dramatic event either! This invitation is eternally now.
As anyone who has meditated before can vouch, the first time we try to meditate can be overwhelming! Our mind is like a flea, bouncing here and there, seemingly impossible to catch! In this beginning phase, many of us decide that stopping the mind is just too hard. We return to our “normal” life and endless cycles of suffering. But for those of us who are dedicated to finding peace (and/or die trying!), we discover that the mind doesn’t control us once it is tamed. The mind is simply a tool along the way. When the mind is used skillfully, it is the sharpest tool in the box. When the mind is used unskillfully, it is like a jackhammer on the loose! One way to unplug the demolition device of unwise mind, is to unplug it with true Yoga practice.
I have found there is so much help available; all we have to do is ask…and really be open to listen to the ever present answer. In the meantime, see you in class!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Summer Yoga Series
The summer yoga schedule will run July through August with a new format! In my effort to more fully serve each individual, all classes will be pre-registered, no more drop-ins! This means the classes will move with a deeper intention and flow. Also, with several of you interested in deepening your practice or becoming a teacher of yoga, I am offering the Raja series. If you are concerned that you cannot make every session, you can still reserve your space in a class. Pricing will remain the same, so all the passes continue to be valid.
Watch the website for updates posting soon...
All Blessings and Happy Summer!
Watch the website for updates posting soon...
All Blessings and Happy Summer!
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Isha Upanishad
The Isha Upanishad extends the view that all is clothed in the Lord, and the Lord is clothed in all. The individual movement is part of the universal motion. Resting in this knowing, the Upanishad reconciles all opposition through the essential unity: God and the world, renunciation and enjoyment, birth and non-birth, immortal sight and mortal view, motion and stillness. Isha is an invitation for action in the world, but complete immersion internally with the One. As Aurobindo says, “Enjoyment of the universe and all it contains is the object of world-existence, but renunciation of all in desire is the condition of the free enjoyment of all.”
The awakened soul in its knowing becomes anointed to the truth. Thus it is taught through Isha that action in the world is the great offering and play, to retreat into inaction is to fall into avoidance. Full acceptance of the terms of physical existence and action in the material world, meet full realization of the terms of non-physical existence and inaction in the eternal; then can the individual reside in internal freedom while in the world. Nothing is left to be desired when the awakened one has obtained everything in the Lord.
The One being of whom all is a becoming projects forth our individual expression. Each personality polished to perfection, reflects our divine nature. Each spark of creation reflects this light, and guided by this view, all will see.
Delight recognizes its own variety, and out of its laughter the universe bursts forth. The ignorance and the knowing dance in perpetual spiraling unity; the One ever projecting its play, and the Many a shimmering reflection of its One. Looking into the eyes of God, man in his separateness glimpses the imagination of the Divine in all that he sees; every speckle of creation is a reflection of God’s grinning view. In That, we are His spiral dance. In Avidya our confused Ego mistakenly accepts its viewpoint of the part as the whole; this is the broken reflection that deceives us into believing in limitation. As the vision expands in Vidya, through our knowing, we recognize the entirety of Brahman’s great mirror everywhere we turn, seeing God in every thing.
The purpose of the Lord cannot be fulfilled by following either Avidya or Vidya alone. Those lost in multiplicity fall into blind darkness by turning away from the One. In the ever changing current of Prakriti the soul is lost in separation. Grasping and turning over in each wave of the senses: wanting, claiming, desiring, losing. Those who turn entirely away from the Many, mistake exclusion for transcendence. The many is the Self-projecting Brahman in infinite play and supreme bliss. The ego created by Avidya (ignorance) is the necessary vehicle. Through ignorance of the One, and belief in the multiplicity, the soul travels through the lila of birth/death, having/losing, sorrow/joy and ideally makes right use of karmic experience, finding its way back home.
Thereby, the soul may enjoy the marvels of creation and celebrate the playful mind of God while immersed in the sanctity of the One. When Vidya and Avidya unite, realization is lived. In harmony with the One truth, the Many becomes the melody upon which we ride. The universal song is Brahman, the individual in rhythm keeps perfect rhyme.
{Says Sri Aurobindo: Having realized his own immortality, the individual has yet to fulfill God’s work in the universe. He has to help the life, the mind and the body in all beings to express progressively Immortality and not mortality. This he may do by the becoming in the material body which we ordinarily call birth, or from some status in another world or even it is possible, from beyond world. But birth in the body is the most close, divine and effective form of help which the liberated can give to those who are themselves still bound to the progression of birth in the lowest world of Ignorance.}
Within this gift of birth, the perfect way to perfected living is planted like a seed in each soul. The silence within reveals the understanding that every object holds its own law of eternal being; projecting around it through circumstances all the nudges and reminders it needs to awaken. In the presence of unity and abounding play, this is the living sutra of the Isha Upanishad.
The awakened soul in its knowing becomes anointed to the truth. Thus it is taught through Isha that action in the world is the great offering and play, to retreat into inaction is to fall into avoidance. Full acceptance of the terms of physical existence and action in the material world, meet full realization of the terms of non-physical existence and inaction in the eternal; then can the individual reside in internal freedom while in the world. Nothing is left to be desired when the awakened one has obtained everything in the Lord.
The One being of whom all is a becoming projects forth our individual expression. Each personality polished to perfection, reflects our divine nature. Each spark of creation reflects this light, and guided by this view, all will see.
Delight recognizes its own variety, and out of its laughter the universe bursts forth. The ignorance and the knowing dance in perpetual spiraling unity; the One ever projecting its play, and the Many a shimmering reflection of its One. Looking into the eyes of God, man in his separateness glimpses the imagination of the Divine in all that he sees; every speckle of creation is a reflection of God’s grinning view. In That, we are His spiral dance. In Avidya our confused Ego mistakenly accepts its viewpoint of the part as the whole; this is the broken reflection that deceives us into believing in limitation. As the vision expands in Vidya, through our knowing, we recognize the entirety of Brahman’s great mirror everywhere we turn, seeing God in every thing.
The purpose of the Lord cannot be fulfilled by following either Avidya or Vidya alone. Those lost in multiplicity fall into blind darkness by turning away from the One. In the ever changing current of Prakriti the soul is lost in separation. Grasping and turning over in each wave of the senses: wanting, claiming, desiring, losing. Those who turn entirely away from the Many, mistake exclusion for transcendence. The many is the Self-projecting Brahman in infinite play and supreme bliss. The ego created by Avidya (ignorance) is the necessary vehicle. Through ignorance of the One, and belief in the multiplicity, the soul travels through the lila of birth/death, having/losing, sorrow/joy and ideally makes right use of karmic experience, finding its way back home.
Thereby, the soul may enjoy the marvels of creation and celebrate the playful mind of God while immersed in the sanctity of the One. When Vidya and Avidya unite, realization is lived. In harmony with the One truth, the Many becomes the melody upon which we ride. The universal song is Brahman, the individual in rhythm keeps perfect rhyme.
{Says Sri Aurobindo: Having realized his own immortality, the individual has yet to fulfill God’s work in the universe. He has to help the life, the mind and the body in all beings to express progressively Immortality and not mortality. This he may do by the becoming in the material body which we ordinarily call birth, or from some status in another world or even it is possible, from beyond world. But birth in the body is the most close, divine and effective form of help which the liberated can give to those who are themselves still bound to the progression of birth in the lowest world of Ignorance.}
Within this gift of birth, the perfect way to perfected living is planted like a seed in each soul. The silence within reveals the understanding that every object holds its own law of eternal being; projecting around it through circumstances all the nudges and reminders it needs to awaken. In the presence of unity and abounding play, this is the living sutra of the Isha Upanishad.
On the OM
One of the basic premises of Raja Yoga is that our perception of the divine Self is obscured by the disturbances of the mind. If the mind can be made still and pure, the Self will automatically, instantaneously, shine forth. Says the Bhagavad Gita: "When, through the practice of yoga, the mind ceases its restless movements, and becomes still, the aspirant realizes the Atman.” Perhaps a more familiar translation in the West, “Be still, and know I am God.”
ON THE OM
Chandogya Upanishad:
"One should meditate on this Syllable [Om]."2 If we do so, we shall certainly come to omniscience, for the upanishad also says regarding Om: "That is the quintessence of the essences, the Supreme, the highest."3 United with Om we are united with ALL. Om, then is not just the seed of omniscience, but of omnipresence as well. This union does not just produce a theoretical or intellectual result, but rather the mastery of life itself, for a little further on the upanishads says: "Speech [vak] and life force [prana] are joined together in the Syllable Om. Verily, whenever the pair come together, they fulfil each other's desire. He who knowing this thus, meditates on the Syllable, becomes, verily, a fulfiller of desires."
A little later the upanishad returns to the power of Om to fulfil desires, saying: "He obtains wishes by singing [intoning], who knowing this, meditates on the udgitha8 [Om] as the syllable. This, with regard to the self."9 The wielders of Om, being made wise, desire only the Self. And Om reveals the Self to them.
There may be various ways to approach the Goal, but Om is the Goal. Logically, then, the upanishad concludes: "This [Om] is the best means [of attainment and realization]; this means is the Higher and Lesser Brahman. Meditating on Om, one becomes worthy of worship in the world of Brahman."20 Om is that which transforms us, elevating our consciousness to the realm of the Divine and establishing it therein.
Mandukya Upanishad
"Om: this Syllable is all this. All that is past, the present and the future, all this is only the Syllable Om. And whatever else there is beyond the threefold time, that too is only the Syllable Om."21 From the original Sound, Om, all things have come into manifestation as Its extension-embodiments. Everything that has ever existed, now exists, or shall exist, is the expansion of Om. Om is all-embracing Eternity, containing and transcending past, present, and future. There is nothing but Om. That being true, the upanishad then says: "The Self [atman] is of the nature of the Syllable Om....Thus the Syllable Om is the very Self. He who knows It thus enters the Self [Supreme Spirit] with his self [individual spirit]."22 By means of Om, the eternal wave merges into the eternal Sea.
The Mundaka Upanishad speaks further on meditation.
"Taking as the bow the great weapon of the Upanishads [Om], one should place in It the arrow sharpened by meditation. Drawing It with a mind engaged in the contemplation of That [Brahman], O beloved, know that Imperishable Brahman as the target."23 The power of Om is emphasized by calling it a great weapon. Its intent and effect are serious and mighty-nothing less than union with the Absolute. It is called "the great weapon of the Upanishads" to indicate that Om, and Om alone, is the effective means recommended by the scriptures of Eternal Dharma for the realization of God. The japa and meditation of Om impel the consciousness of the yogi toward the Goal-Brahman. Moreover, it is the meditation of Om that "sharpens" the consciousness and renders it capable of union with Brahman. "The Syllable Om is the bow: one's self, indeed, is the arrow. Brahman is spoken of as the target of that. It is to be hit without making a mistake. Thus one becomes united with it [Brahman] as the arrow becomes one with the target."24 It is Om that ensures we will unerringly ("without a mistake") reach the Goal.
The Holy Science, Swami Sri Yukteswar
Parambrahma causes creation, inert Nature (Prakriti), to emerge. From Aum (Pranava, the Word, the manifestation of the Omnipotent Force), come Kala, Time; Desa, Space; Anu, the Atom (the vibratory structure of creation.)
The Word, Amen (Aum), is the beginning of the Creation.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. HE WAS WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING. THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE; WITHOUT HIM NOTHING WAS MADE THAT HAS BEEN MADE. IN HIM WAS LIFE, AND THAT LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN. THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS, BUT THE DARKNESS HAS NOT UNDERSTOOD IT.”
–John 1:1-5
ON THE OM
Chandogya Upanishad:
"One should meditate on this Syllable [Om]."2 If we do so, we shall certainly come to omniscience, for the upanishad also says regarding Om: "That is the quintessence of the essences, the Supreme, the highest."3 United with Om we are united with ALL. Om, then is not just the seed of omniscience, but of omnipresence as well. This union does not just produce a theoretical or intellectual result, but rather the mastery of life itself, for a little further on the upanishads says: "Speech [vak] and life force [prana] are joined together in the Syllable Om. Verily, whenever the pair come together, they fulfil each other's desire. He who knowing this thus, meditates on the Syllable, becomes, verily, a fulfiller of desires."
A little later the upanishad returns to the power of Om to fulfil desires, saying: "He obtains wishes by singing [intoning], who knowing this, meditates on the udgitha8 [Om] as the syllable. This, with regard to the self."9 The wielders of Om, being made wise, desire only the Self. And Om reveals the Self to them.
There may be various ways to approach the Goal, but Om is the Goal. Logically, then, the upanishad concludes: "This [Om] is the best means [of attainment and realization]; this means is the Higher and Lesser Brahman. Meditating on Om, one becomes worthy of worship in the world of Brahman."20 Om is that which transforms us, elevating our consciousness to the realm of the Divine and establishing it therein.
Mandukya Upanishad
"Om: this Syllable is all this. All that is past, the present and the future, all this is only the Syllable Om. And whatever else there is beyond the threefold time, that too is only the Syllable Om."21 From the original Sound, Om, all things have come into manifestation as Its extension-embodiments. Everything that has ever existed, now exists, or shall exist, is the expansion of Om. Om is all-embracing Eternity, containing and transcending past, present, and future. There is nothing but Om. That being true, the upanishad then says: "The Self [atman] is of the nature of the Syllable Om....Thus the Syllable Om is the very Self. He who knows It thus enters the Self [Supreme Spirit] with his self [individual spirit]."22 By means of Om, the eternal wave merges into the eternal Sea.
The Mundaka Upanishad speaks further on meditation.
"Taking as the bow the great weapon of the Upanishads [Om], one should place in It the arrow sharpened by meditation. Drawing It with a mind engaged in the contemplation of That [Brahman], O beloved, know that Imperishable Brahman as the target."23 The power of Om is emphasized by calling it a great weapon. Its intent and effect are serious and mighty-nothing less than union with the Absolute. It is called "the great weapon of the Upanishads" to indicate that Om, and Om alone, is the effective means recommended by the scriptures of Eternal Dharma for the realization of God. The japa and meditation of Om impel the consciousness of the yogi toward the Goal-Brahman. Moreover, it is the meditation of Om that "sharpens" the consciousness and renders it capable of union with Brahman. "The Syllable Om is the bow: one's self, indeed, is the arrow. Brahman is spoken of as the target of that. It is to be hit without making a mistake. Thus one becomes united with it [Brahman] as the arrow becomes one with the target."24 It is Om that ensures we will unerringly ("without a mistake") reach the Goal.
The Holy Science, Swami Sri Yukteswar
Parambrahma causes creation, inert Nature (Prakriti), to emerge. From Aum (Pranava, the Word, the manifestation of the Omnipotent Force), come Kala, Time; Desa, Space; Anu, the Atom (the vibratory structure of creation.)
The Word, Amen (Aum), is the beginning of the Creation.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. HE WAS WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING. THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE; WITHOUT HIM NOTHING WAS MADE THAT HAS BEEN MADE. IN HIM WAS LIFE, AND THAT LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN. THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS, BUT THE DARKNESS HAS NOT UNDERSTOOD IT.”
–John 1:1-5
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