Neesha's Blog

Anusara Yoga- the crisis, the re-boot process, my place in it

2012-02-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Community,

In light of the recent shadows that have fallen in Anusara yoga, I would like to briefly address a few things: what has happened, my issues with it and why I am staying with Anusara yoga at this stage. As much as I wish for an immediate ability to “force quit and re-boot”, we know that life is more complex than that and that there is no instantaneous fix for what is at hand.

As many of you know, John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga was faced with allegations of misconduct ranging from messing with his employees pension plans to inappropriate sexual behavior with employees. He has admitted to some of these accusations and the pension charge was proved to be unfounded. The truth is that he has kept secrets, smoked pot, and engaged in sexual conduct that I am not sure the details of- some are playing it up and others are playing it down.

My heart breaks for several reasons. This man teaches ethical precepts as an integral part of the system Anusara yoga. He is our leader and founder and we have trusted him to hold high integrity in his actions as the face of what we all represent. John’s actions hurt all of us personally and professionally.

As a result of John’s actions, there is a huge fragmenting in our community. My anger, saddness, feelings of disillusionment and betrayal of trust are strong not only because I believed in him and his teachings, also because he has created a painful earthquake that has moved many teachers of this tight-knit community to remove affiliations from John Friend and Anusara Yoga.

John has promised to re-structure the school of Anusara and add more voices of leadership to it. He has promised to pursue creating a better system that will bring more distinction between the man and the method. He has promised to step away and get therapy. Legal processes of re-organizing will take time and work. It will not be apparent quickly how well this goes over. He did show up to teach in Miami this weekend. Bloggers say he was humble, honest, apologized and claimed his missteps. He had other teachers teach and a scholar teach the philosophy sections. These actions, though not perfect in my mind are baby steps in a postitive direction.

At this moment, I am trusting that John will do as he has promised, and support the re-organization of Anusara Yoga, get help, show transparency and improvement.

The yoga as we all know is and always has been so much bigger than the man. There is no doubt that what I have learned from John and the teachings that it has brought me to are good. My heart has absolute faith in the method and the community that it has grown. My faith in the man, John, has been very rocked. I am willing to give it and him some time to see if he can heal, our school can heal and if there can be change for the better. I do not want any of us to blindly forgive, but I remind myself that to err is human and though we do not just turn the other cheek without appropriate remediations and actions, to forgive is divine.

However information and realities continue to present themselves, I accept my own human limitations but am inspired to practice every day to become even more honorable and impeccable to what I believe in: beauty, yoga, truth, service, abundance, community … ever striving for deeper recognitions of love.

Bless you all.

Neesha

New Moon Musings

2012-01-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

The act of dedication, application...

Is one of the definitions of commitment.

I bring this up now in late January to inspire you to remember what is of value to you and to invite you to re-commit.

We just entered the year of the Dragon (in Chinese Astrology), on a new moon. Many say these are powerful portals in time to plant seeds of visioned action. As yogis, the invitation is always there to re-fresh, re-ignite and amplify your awareness around your actions. Some times are even more potent (now).

So- I invite you into the inquiry:

- what is next nudging of creative action that wants to come forward?

- are my daily and weekly patterns a reflection of staying in track with my creative vision?

- does my vision require commitment, if yes, how do I practice that quality?

- in what ways can I apply myself to staying on track with manifestation of my dreams?

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

MLK Jr. -> Service for the Greater Good ->$200 off Immersion Sale!

2012-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my heroes. He dreamed of a better future, and he took action. He put his own small needs aside. My question to myself is how I can more fully heed the calling of my deepest/universal self: to serve. I find myself bowing down to my teachers daily for the access and opportunity for my practices to move me in this direction. Anusara weaves all aspect of self into the journey, and for me continues to shed light on what is valuable and what is not necessary, what is real and what is more real.

In this light, the practice is not just about feeling good in yourself (though this too, is your birthright), it is also about taking care of what needs to be taken care of so that you are able to see your vision with greater lucidity, to understand how to do what needs to be done to line up and to take ACTION, informed by the vision and knowledge that you have gained. It is about graceful clarification and refinement of being human. Your practice is not just a personal thing. It is a way to serve, just by showing up and doing the work, facing the friction and resistance that comes with the territory.

One of the greatest ways to up-grade your human experience is to invest in the in-depth studies of yoga. My friends and I are offering the entire Anusara Immersion program this summer, and Teacher Training 1 this fall, right here in the Tetons. To celebrate this day, we are offering a big sale on the prices:

$200 off each immersion today and tomorrow only.

Our hopes is that you are able to invest in yourself in such a way that serves the larger.

All of the details, how to sign up and the nitty-gritty curriculum details are here:

http://www.yogahealer.com/anusara-yoga/

A few seconds to promote the visibility of yoga!

2012-01-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hi friends,

One of my projects: Yoga Today, is nominated for YouTubes "On the Rise" contest. If we get enough votes, then we are featured on their home page for a month!

It looks like an amazing way to share the wisdom and benefits of yoga to me! Please take a few seconds to go to this link and vote.
Thank you!
http://tinyurl.com/6rz53ds

information on rotator cuff injury

2012-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I wondered if you have any sessions with poses for those who have a rotator cuff injury. I'm not sure if I should be doing down-dog pose and which other poses I should avoid and I also wonder which shoulder strengthening poses are safe as I recover from the injury.

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for writing, I hope that these hints are helpful in your process.

When it comes to injuries, getting good alignment, movement and circulation is the best thing that one can do.

This is a razor-edge though, if you are not in good alignment with balanced action, you can cause MORE DAMAGE!

Because of this reality, and the importance of your body and healing, I would recommend that you invest in some private classes with a teacher well versed in therapeutics and alignment.

Once you get good alignment and strength in the shoulder in non-weight bearing poses, then you move toward more weight bearing poses with good alignment. If it hurts, that is your bodies signal that something is not in order.

Even though I am quite aware in my body, as I am sure you are, I would do the same thing that I’m advising you to do. We all need eyes to look at us, to reflect what we can’t see ourselves so that we can optimize the situation. Find someone you trust to help illuminate the dark spots!

Here is one great asana that, if done in this specific way, that strengthens the rotator cuff:

Jathara Parivartasana:

Lie on your back with arms out to your side and elbows bent (cactus arms).

Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.

Breath into all the space in your torso. Investigate with your breath, seeing if you can find more space between your hips and armpits (side bodies) and even between each individual rib. With your curios breath, also sense how the movement of your breath and fill up your back waist and create expansion of your back against the floor. Notice how much more fullness is inside, we call this “inner body bright”. Participate more actively with this feeling of space in side by shrugging your shoulders up towards your ears so that your side bodies get even longer.

Now, actively press your upper arm bones down into the ground. You will feel your chest open toward the sky and your shoulder blades come more flat onto your back ribs and the floor.

Maintaining this action of keeping your arms glued to the floor, as you exhale, lift your knees and feet off of the floor. Hug your legs and outer hips to the midline as you breath your legs to your right. Enjoy some breaths here, all the while firmly pressing your left shoulder and upper arm bone to the ground. Your shoulder and arm cannot lift off of the ground, your rotator cuff depends on you to be vigilant here!

After you enjoy a few breaths with knees to the right, you can bring them to the left. Reverse a few more times noticing that it is a great twist as well as a shoulder strengthener.

Enjoy, and blessings for these words to lead you in the direction of residing in your bliss,

Neesha

Interview with Neesha

2011-12-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed doing this interview with Tanya Markul, and it has some interesting questions about Anusara Yoga, my history and dealing with the depths of oneself.

click here to go to the interview

Tantra in a Nutshell From an email Inquiry

2011-12-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

in a recently added class you talked a little bit about tantra yoga and how that's the yoga that you practice in your life, embracing all things. could you tell me more about that? where did you learn to practice this yoga, did you have a teacher, and could you recommend a couple books, yogis, authors? the practice definitely said something to me.

thanks so much,

namaste,

chris

Dear Chris,

I love it when someone asks about Tantra. Thanks for opening the conversation that I hope does not stop here.

In general, Tantra is an evolution of the pantheon of yoga. It refers to teachings from texts called Tantras and Agamas and the practices specified there in and began about 1500 years ago. Tantra means “mechanism that expands the heart” or “a loom- something which stretches and weaves a fabric”. It can apply to any practice that does expand and create, though there are many specific, methodological, sequential practices that are beautiful artistic sciences laid forth in the ancient texts to achieve the said expansion.

The non-dual Tantra that I have been exposed to sees everything as energy. Nothing exists that is not energy. Tantra is a technology that teaches one to navigate these different frequencies and densities of energy to experience the full human potential of Bliss. We see that the essence of all things is good. That there is an inherent positive in everything if one looks deep enough. One of the hallmarks of Tantra is doing practices (chanting, breathwork, meditation) to attune the subtle body to the heart of Consciousness. Another hallmark is that it is a practice, something that you return to daily or every other day, to rehearse and train oneself to relax, merge and synchronize with the depth of one’s being.

Even though Hatha Yoga (yoga poses as we know them) all evolved from Tantra, most systems have strayed away from the subtle practices that really are the distinctive characteristic of Tantra. (myself included I am a student still). Though there is remarkable goodness in all of the beautiful yoga systems that we have at our fingertips today, it is exciting when a student feels a pull to something deeper, something more. It is the natural progression of yoga to start working more with the subtle.

There is more access to the universal teachings of Tantra because of the growing body of scholars and practitioners. My initiation into this general out look was through John Friend and Anusara Yoga. It teaches a non-dual Shiva-Shakti Tantrik philosophy. I received further teaching from Paul Muller Ortega PhD. (http://bluethroatyoga.com/) Tantra is an evolving field of study, since most of the texts have not been translated. It is exciting that there are scholars of Sanskrit and practitioners of these methods who are translating, practicing and teaching this great technology. One other scholar/practitioner that I know of is Christopher D. Wallis (http://www.hareesh.org/). Both of these men offer courses and have books for study. I am very excited about a new book that is freshly published: Tantra Illuminated By Christopher D. Wallis. There is a great explanation of the book and you can order it from: http://www.anusara.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=268&Itemid=331

If you would like more help in finding a teacher that you resonate with, I will do my best to help you. For now, I hope that this is illuminating and exciting!

Bliss in the Tetons

2011-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like external grandeur to enliven the experience within this container of personal identity. I found this day of practice and creativity with Andy and Weston (more visuals to come), took me to a sensual place of feeling and seeing the beauty around me. In turn the external gorgeousness kept amplifying my internal experience of shri (auspicious beauty). I was one with total enjoyment of being the platform of exchange of life's goodness. The joyous shock of being the bouncing station of life pulsing in and out can never be down-played... We are lucky humans. Not only to be in this play, but to be able to know and recognize.

From this lucky awakening, I am more amplified to teach, share and create... projects of goodness are coming forth! Stay tuned.

short practice- great for summer

2011-07-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

winter in the cave - a different experience of bliss

2011-01-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

Here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem the bears and other animals are sleeping. They are tucked away in their caves, their heartbeats drop from 55 to 10 beats per minute. Hibernation is considered to be a state of inactivity and depressed metabolic rate. The trees are quiet, many of them fully sleeping.

My teacher John Friend has always taught us: life is full spectrum- any experience can be a gateway into the heart.

I have asked John before, how much time does one spend on the other side of the pulsation- the shadow, the dark? He answered, only as much as you are able to know it but not so much that you get stuck and can't get back. Wow. So in other words, life is an experiment.

I have been experimenting.
The darkness of this Wyoming December, along with the year anniversary of my beloved partner Mark's death, have seemed a natural entry to a deeper place. At the height of the solstice, the full moon was even shadowed. The pull to be in alignment with the currents of nature and be in the dark was not the most enticing thing to do. Bears sometimes go into a state of winter lethargy instead of full hibernation. (Is this really what I want to do???) A part of me wanted to go to Maui for a couple of weeks. But, the gravity of events and the path of my life took me to a place of my own inner cave, clearly a part of me felt it needed to go into this unlit terrain.

My month has not been fun or easy. Who wants to feel down, dull and as dark as the long, black nights? At times I felt like a thick black felt had been pulled over me and I have had very uncomfortable times of losing perspective. I wonder how fun it is for bears to shut down for a season. I don't know how easy it is for the trees to go dormant.

Many things have surfaced from this time. My cave has housed not only tiredness and sadness, but also reflection, and a slow process of rejuvenation and insight that came from facing my deeper patterning (samskaras). One of the starry gems from the December night is an embodied knowing of victory. I know that I can be alone, and be fine. I know that I can handle the most intimate memories of sadness. I know that I can choose how to be in the face of suffering. I know how to feel and watch emotions without allowing them to fester into a wound. These accomplishments in my inner world have come with a renewed sense of light and hope that my investment will be of service to others. That my fully embraced depth of experience can offer empathy, support, insight, freedom, guidance and inspiration. (have I been like Luke Skywalker going into the cave of his fears?) I pray that my testing ground has prepared me to be able to hold something larger for others. Yes, I want to be a Jedi-knight working with the light side of the Force! (for those of you who have not watched Star Wars/ Empire Strikes Back, it is your homework).

One of the most profound insights that has come forth is a different angle on Ananda (sanskrit for the highest bliss and ecstasy). Ananda is one of the essential attributes of all of us, and cidananda, (the c is pronounced with a ch sound) the bliss of Consciousness, is the highest purposes for yoga or other spiritual practice. I had always identified with bliss as a happy state, but as I was tapping into moments of super-bodily experiences including sensory and beyond sensory peaceful perfection, I started to wonder about my interpretation of the highest bliss.

Deeper comprehension of my own experiences of bliss came in reading Swami Shantananda's The Splendor of Recognition: An Exploration of the Pratyabhijna-hrydayam, a Text on the Ancient Science of the Soul:

"The bliss of Consciousness is not to be confused with the passing joy and satisfaction we can derive from moments of pleasure or peace in our lives. It's not "blissfulness"that we're speaking of here, but cidananda, a state that is beyond what is pleasurable, enjoyable, delightful, wonderful , or any other qualifying term we might think of. It's the state in which the yogi rests permanently in what is"

Resting in what is. Yes. I get it. Now for the permanent part.

dutch yogis in amsterdam

2010-11-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

go Daisy! go Marie-Louise!
what a great room full of friends!

I learn a lot from places I go. More than learning is a growing sense of fascination, wonderment, curiosity and discovery, from sounds, language and words. Cultural exploration through the Anusara community is adding amazing depth to my reality.

My new word from Amsterdam this time is "Gezellig"… it is like: cozy, just right, good company, nice time. One great thing about this word is that there is no direct translation. The mystery of unpacking these kind of words is very enticing and influences me to experiment.

I have a long arm!

At the end of the first session of workshop I was thanking all for the Gezellig experience. (note that this word begins and ends with a sound that one makes when one is clearing ones throat). So, just hearing me say it is certainly humorous as my American mouth is not accustomed to making such sounds. What was interesting is the response I got. One of my friends tells me that I got Gezellig all wrong, that yoga is not Gezellig at all, but that maybe post-yoga can be. Most agreed, and as we all lingered after each session enjoying the good company in the sweet flavor of practice and inspiration, I think I get it a little more.

To all my friends in the Netherlands, thank you all for such a "lekkere" time amonst the straats and grachts in the shadow of the Westermarkt church tower.

(big special Namaste to Trix and Carine.... pranams and huge love)

last stop on Euro trip!!! bye bye!

goteborg... yoga and the sense of family

2010-11-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

It was nice to arrive in Gothenberg on week 6 of my European tour. Yoga Buddhi is the place where all of this travel for me began. After several fulfilling weeks with wonderful people, it was a blessing to arrive. Because of Anja’s teaching Anusara-inspired yoga there, and bringing teachers in to this area, the community is well developed. Community is the gift for a teacher: to reflect with one another from an informed perspective, to be able to check in with where we are in a cycle of the sun, and where ever we find ourselves- to evolve, with compassion and truth.

On the last night of our workshop, Anja took me to her Mom's house. I got to feel the comfort of Eva’s care, the joy of family, the woods, the sauna by the lake and the icy autumn morning. What struck me most was the sense of history in that particular spot in the world, how many generations had lived a beautiful, pure life there.

I will never forget our workshop: full of open-hearts, discovery, transformation and JOY. The Connection element in Gothenberg is a gift!

this picture is from Stockholm workshop
No photos of Gothenberg... yet!

I love Sweden

2010-11-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Stockholm is beautiful. I am amazed at the water, the islands, the hills, the architecture and the way the people line up to nature. Seriously, I think that Stockholm is an embodiement of Anusara Yoga. The level of organization to uplift and enhance flow is done in such an aesthetic way, it seems like they make everything beautiful and it is full of shri!

My word of Sweden in general is Lagom. This is a word that is “very Swedish” says my beautiful friend Eva in Goteborg who taught me the word a few years ago. I have fallen more in love with the Swedish language. It is the cuteness, the song of it, the melody. Listening to children talk is 100% adorable. So, Lagom has an emphasis on the La and the gom has an inflection on the m. Cute, fun to say, bouncy in the mouth, makes my mouth happy. This is a word with no English translation. It is “just right”… “not too good, not too bad”. It is “enough” it is the “perfect amount”. In Anusara yoga we would call this, balanced action, or perhaps the midline, the perfect place in the center where the bliss of consciousness in known and can expand.

The word itself shows for me the deep rooted values of the country believing that there should be just enough for everyone.

Osmon (my host in Stockholm) told me that the word itself originates from the Vikings. Picture a group of hearty northerners around a round table. When asked how much they would take of whatever it was: the feast, or glog, they would say: “Lagom” The perfect amount so that there would be enough for everyone else.

Who knew that Vikings honored each induvidual part of the whole so fully, and the importance of everyone having an equal amount?

One thing I enjoy about travel is picking out these embedded virtues and thinking about how our world can evolve by adopting life enhancing qualities like this into our distinct cultures.
________________________________________________________________

Our yoga workshop at Yoga Shakti was like no other. I will never forget the way our group connected so rapidly. The level of gratitude I have for Helena and Osmon for making this happen, is off the charts I also bow with humility to each person who engaged in the yoga, both seen and unseen. Ultimately the gratitude goes back to my teachers, their teachers, and their teachers teachers. My whole life is based on the pebbles that great beings tossed into ponds of consciousness with hopes of rippling the wisdom teachings outward. I am humbled to be in those ripples and sharing with others who are also engaging in the refined engagement with life.

shanti, shanti, shanti.

norwegian kindness and charm

2010-11-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

How did I happen in Oslo? I feel like I am on a magic ride to connect with global friends of like minds. So much of what happens is not up to what us as individuals decide. I know I am not the only one to notice this. And like many of you, I desire to be moved by a larger flow of will, and am deep in the courageous process of trusting it the currents of Life mixed with my intentions. Here is the story:

Part 1: Maria

Maria is how I came to Oslo… she came to my workshop in Goteborg in October 2009, and decided out of her experience of transformation that she wanted me to come to Norway and share with her students. After checking in with the Anusara community there, we decided to do it. She is quite good at harnessing Shakti’s (life energy) manifestational current. In no time the event was made real from idea to form. The shape of it was so wonderful...

Part 2: The unique display of place in people
I wonder every place I go: How does place affect people? Who are we, shaped by place, and how are we identified with any particularities as a country. Norwegians seem down to earth, practical, yet open to the little miracles present everywhere. I am starting to acclimate to the shy sweetness of these northern folk. Initially, they are not that outwardly expressive, but there is so much love and connection when you tap a little deeper. In a cold and dark climate, there has to be a field of protection around the seed of light inside. It does not mean that they don't share their light... they do, and it is precious, it is just not scattered forth without thought.

During our workshop, over lunch, we were talking about the long, dark winters with a very special woman who lives much further north than Oslo. She stated very matter of a fact that when she first moved there she got very tired, but now she is used to it. There was a pause at the lunch table. I got a sense of something so magical and precious, shiny and lustrous inside, something other-worldly coming from her. She broke the long pause with, “and then there are the Northern lights”. I felt that sparkle before she said it, and when she issued forth the words, their song of luminosity washed over me. She was quick to point out that they do not happen all the time. These special moments: the midnight sun, the northern lights are so intensely beautiful and so rare. From her, I feel like Norwegians have learned to make their containers remember and hold the vibration of extraordinary light even when things are dark and mundane.

trolls are an example of some of the magical beings in Norway

Part 3: The yoga

The workshop was such a supported event, and we all blossomed from it. Not only did Maria bless the initial beginnings by visioning it, but Gunn Helene and her husband Joha did so much, (thanks for the pictures!) Heather and Ole helped too, it was evident how much support was there to honor that space that was ours to practice yoga in for the weekend. It felt so welcoming that I brought in my objects from my traveling puja (meditation/sacred objects) in for each day.

Every person makes it so special. I am in full gratitude to each person. It was a treat to savor the time of sharing the wisdom of my teachers and personal insights with the Norwegians (and Ailish from Dublin). As precious as the northern lights.

team work makes it special. Nataraj, Joha, Heather and Ole

Maria demo-ing new found insights on good old muscle energy

doing some contemplation before the friends arrive

I just love Heather, I think this is my favorite picture

the ladies!

Joha rocking it, Gunn Helene admiring!

and for the non-yoga photos:

Loving Vigeland Park and its' inhabitants

my beautiful friends!

the opera house is magic!!!

the sunset that lasts a really long time...

the sun does a good job with shadows in the north

2010-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

it was a perfect "charlies angels" moment, only the norwegian and swedish women did not know of such things!

taken in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo.

CPH denmark. everything is not as it seems

2010-10-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yoga. Mariah Carey. Castles. Deep Slant of Sun. Memories.

All massively strung together with the gauze of inter-connectedness and sense-of-place.

Do you know that no one checks metro tickets in Denmark? How come everyone here is more understanding that their actions are important to the collective whole? Honesty is part of the system. How does place influence this, a way of a culture... I have no answers yet, but am utterly bewildered.

Soham is my host. This was trip #4 to Hamsa Yoga. Soham has a way of making everyone feel at ease. His natural light hearted abundance of spirit flows outward and nourishes all in his presence. It even makes you think about dancing to and grooving with him to Mariah Carey. Did you know that only dolphins and Mariah can make the high C sound?

The yoga of lightheartedness.

Thanks to Soham for that.

The yogis here have great education. We went deep. I am lucky to have so many connections, to know so many of the bright eyes and gorgeous physiques and to the ones that I don't know, I am lucky to have the tool of opening, to meet you where you are, and where I am. In this way, we go somewhere together that is hopefully satisfying for everyone involved.

Copenhagen is a landmark for me in many ways.

My beloved Mark came here with me a few years ago. I felt his presence everywhere. I even saw him, on park benches, at different spots in the city. I could hear his voice. I literally had a conversation with him. It was all very positive.

"how do I do this? How do I connect with others in the highest way? How do I keep our connection in a healthy way" I ask

"I am here" he says

"how do I know that it is you?" I say

"trust yourself" he says

I planned to be in CPH on his birthday. I felt like it would be good because people there got to see his magical ways. He was a funny, charismatic guy. He made people laugh.

Soham gave me a rose from Gurumayis puja for the puja in my room for Mark. I wondered what I would do to honor his birthday.

So I decided, that in order to inspire the practice, I would tell people that it was Mark's birthday, and that he had died, and I tried to say that he always went big in everything he did, and hopefully we can practice fully to honor him. I am not sure how much of this I was able to articulate through my racing pulse, heating body and struggle to not cry. But we practiced. It was good, deep and celebratory.

Afterward, a beautiful woman who had been at the weekend workshop came to me and said that she wanted to tell me something. She had been seeing Mark during the weekend. Seeing him where he had sat a few years earlier. She felt his presence so strong, that she wondered where and how he was and was going to ask me where he was because we were clearly so connected. She did not know until that day that he had died. She said that she could see him so clearly, looking at me with ADMIRATION, that it was that: admiration, and support and love. And that he was here. She kept seeing him there, so strong. And she did not know him, just a connection, and the innocence of being open to invisible realms.

I am learning from this, that if we do not know that something is not possible, amazing things happen.

That night, Soham took me to an ashram, that just happens to be a seed source of wisdom, inspiration and teaching for my teachers. We just SO HAPPENED to be celebrating (chanting and meditating ) for Muktanandas mahasamadhi (the word for when an enlightened being leaves their body).

And so it seems to me that death is maybe...a lot different than it seems at the surface...

The FIRST EVER Anusara Yoga workshop in Dunkerque, France

2010-10-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

full of transformation and connection--

even through translation!

thank you, women of yoga

the best part was getting to know one another

and sharing each others company

I learn so much in your reflection, in this engagement

Isn't it amazing how we get to know ourselves better through community?

deeper experience of knowing

technology of opening the heart

awakening all parts of self

shri- beauty

more shri

sharing

purna- perfection

santosha- contentment

connection

ananda- bliss

recognition wow!

expression

fun

dynamism and still presence

play with a sister spirit

thank you my teachers

I am blessed and honored to occupy the seat of teacher.

In Gratitude to Valentine for dreaming this up and working so hard to make it happen, and translating.

And thank you Ben, for driving super-van and capturing essence on the photos!!!

enveloped in blue grey

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago, I was granted an insight into the soft sameness of an overcast sky.

On the abandoned WWII bunkers in Dunkerque, I found a flat spot to practice on.
The day was warm.
A long headstand facing our Mother Atlantic from the east side offered an uninterrupted view of sky and sea meeting. Their engagement was subtle with a soft focus.

My internal gaze got to reflect off of this convergence that extended to infinity. The edge of where I could see was un-defined. I felt a merging with the blue grey, yet, I was still aware that I was having the experience. I did not disappear completely into the beauty. Instead I was a witness and completely enveloped. Being upside down offered me a gateway into the moment in this way, and heightened the awareness of magic.

It is simple magic of really looking, truly opening to the connection.

The inward and outward expression of life meet right here.
Here in the relay station of inner experience and outer.

This body is a conduit for this.

lucky us

Magic Pencils- 1 reason I do Anusara Yoga + 3 of the 5 Universal Principles of Alignment

2010-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

My adorable friend Valentine who teaches yoga, french, greek and latin in Dunkerque, France, gave an assignment to her 11 year old students. The premise was: you have a magic pencil, everything that you draw with it becomes real. She then asked them what would they draw. There are 2 reasons I write about this. One is the beautiful response of the students, the other is that we all have this capacity to create! Anusara Yoga teaches you how manifest (or access your magic pencil).

Let’s begin with your innate power of creativity. This is known as Shakti (which is attributed as female even though the creative display of consciousness within and without is beyond gender). When she flows, the movement is from will to knowing to action. Knowing this hopefully inspires you to break out your inner easel and start dreaming, then drawing, then conducting the work of a true wizard.

The Universal Principles of Alignment are a very effective method of what you need to get deeper access to your manifestational prowess. I will outline 3 of the 5 here.

We start with the first. Paul Muller Ortega says: “The Highest first.” My friend KK Ledford says: “They call them first things because they are first” John Friend teaches us First Principle in Anusara Yoga:

"Open to Grace”

Open your head, open your heart, let anything be possible, don’t limit yourself.
What is possible?
What can you imagine?
Vision comes from expanding your boundaries. Conjure the spirit of visionaries that imagined a different tomorrow: Martin Luther King, Dian Fossey, Ghandi, Julia Butterfly Hill, Albert Einstein…They dreamt big and saw beyond a standard agenda.

You are being asked to dream big too.
You are being asked to soften your boundaries and let go of the voices that say: "that is not possible" and give some face time to the attitude of YES. In our physical practice we do this by settling into our foundation, by swelling inside with the feeling of shakti, and by softening our boundaries between us and the environment.

"Muscle Energy"
Next step is the work. Muscle energy in Anusara gives form, awareness and support to the dream and the body. You gather your resources. You practice discipline in alignment with your dreams. You hold steady in times of doubt. You embrace yourself as the conduit of something fantastic, unique and irreplaceable. You draw in so much, as much as you can without losing connection to the bigger picture.

The perfected coalescing into your core is a constant practice of paying attention and action to refine. You make the container strong to hold the grand vision that you have. You build a platform for your project. The concept is the same if you are going into handstand or building an orphanage. First see it, then pull the resources, and build from the ground up. It is easy to stay in the realm of possibility for some of us. You have to get on the mat. Do it! Take action!

"Organic Energy"

Expand back out. Shine, share, radiate, express. Do this from a grounded place of vision and integrity. Keep an awareness oft the highest and expand within your structure and form, and it too will grow. Stretch your limits! There is more of where this came from because you know, with each pulsating breath how to connect to source. On the yoga mat we do this by expanding from the focal point, away from the midline and from the bones into the skin…

How do we do it off the mat? Smile, listen, give, take action in the world… This is your expression of your dream, your art, your unique magic.

Now for some inspiration.
The children of Dunkerque largely drew things for humanity. Villages, trees, places for homeless children to eat, play and live, a peaceful world. Co-existence with other beings where we can be in balance with other living and non-living things.

If our children are imagining this, can we also?

Wisdom is wisdom, so for some more inspiration:

“But from heart to heart you will never create.
If from your heart it does not come."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.
Albert Einstein

fireweed seeds

2010-09-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

sigh. autumn. it is here. it, among other events and people are showing me of the sacred fragility of life. it is asking me to anchor myself in what is permanent as leaves dry up and blow away.

The Fireweed here in the Tetons bloom in the summer fiercely saying: "I am HOT PINK", there is no foreshadow to their end of pinkness. They are simply in it. But now, they are not pink, instead they are pods.

Yesterday, the ripe fruit of the flower invited me to engage with them. In doing so, a newness of love washed over me. Exploring the pod revealed soft white cotton connected to perfectly lined seeds. Upon further expansion to air and space, the silky seed fabric that was finely packed revealed its' true nature:

micro opalescent strands

sensitive filaments connecting dense seed wisdom to time / space
shockingly fine tendrils - lively - diffusing light
threads of light - a method of transport, movement, communion.

I was astonished and my insides felt the teaching of the moment:

Fireweed seeds showed me the reality of our light connections. They are analogous to our filamentous relationships. The strands are precious and so tenderly beautiful. They tether my heart to yours and they are real and alive.

Pay attention to the fleeting moments of light. Look, listen, feel the subtle connection that we have to each other. It is so beautiful... and in this changing season and morphing life, these conduits can remain open....

I will be here in this light space. Come and dance with me.