Wednesday 9 May 2012

The Road to Unconditional Love


A friend of mine wrote this and it is just so beautiful and hit me so deeply I had to share it with all of you.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  Peace and Love to all, Stacy 

Rejoice! For I now know unconditional love.  I have tasted the fruits of a divine woman, and was able to act beside myself and let go. As if to be starving for food, and with pure joy, deny the offerings of a generous meal so a child may eat. To deprive the mind and body of ego and greed, so it may be filled with love. And believe me when I say, your vessel may hold a finite amount of greed and desire, but an infinite amount of love.
            This does not come with ease; you must understand that you feel pain only when you are focusing on your experience. Remove the self; remove the pain. And in this moment of transformation, your extraordinary power of intention does not cease to exist, you merely project it outwards instead of inward. When you do this, the basic emotions you have are still thriving, but you feel them in others. You no longer are concerned with your own happiness, for you feel the pain in others. Once you give yourself to others, you are eventually giving to yourself. And to give or receive, is to be in line with the universe as a whole.




Sunday 11 March 2012

The Grace of Trust & Surrender


Once I made the decision to move Balance into a larger space, I asked the Universe to help me find Indian temple doors. Mind you, I had not found a new home for Balance yet, but 3 days later I was up visiting my family in Saratoga, NY and while walking down Main Street I saw a small corridor that drew my attention. I walked down it to find some small shops and outside of what looked to be an old furniture store lay 9 ft tall extraordinarily beautiful Indian temple doors!  A very kind Thai woman came up to me and asked if I was interested in them.  She informed me they were in a temple in Rajasthan.  I was overwhelmed by this entire experience and couldn't believe how quickly the Universe gifted my wish. She called the manager of the furniture store and I spoke to him. He informed me that the furniture store had closed down and that these doors were a few of the pieces they had remaining. When I told him I was the owner of a Yoga Shala/ Wellness Center he was thrilled and so happy that they would be loved and cherished in the right environment. He practically gave the doors to me. I found a moving company on Long Island who occasionally travels upstate and was able to pick the doors up for me and drive them down to Huntington 3 weeks later, 2 days after I finally found a space and signed a lease!  The doors were delivered to the space and my beloved contractor/yogi took 2 and a half weeks to install them. They didn't come with any hardware so he found old rod iron gate hinge's and the like to hang the doors. It was meditation in motion for sure watching him take the proper time and care to get them up for all of us to enjoy.  Everyone who comes to Balance comments on these special doors; their beauty and energy.  And each time I touch them and graciously walk through them to enter each sacred yoga space, I am reminded of the love, devotion and constant surrender we must continuously cultivate each day of our practice and life.  

Sunday 12 February 2012

Improving your life through the 8 limbs of yoga; an excerpt from Mysore, India




I wake at 4:15am to the sound of a boisterous rooster who lives just down the block. I say a prayer of gratitude for another day and ask that all beings be free from suffering and peaceful.  I slip out from underneath my mosquito net, put my feet on the floor and touch the earth with my right hand and then to my heart. I thank mother earth for her constant love and support underneath me and all around me.  I flip the switch to the hot water geezer and wait... hopefully water will come this morning.  Right away it begins a slow stream and a silent sigh of relief comes over me.  I grab my stainless steel coffee pot that has come with me to India now since 2004, fill it with locally grown coffee that i get from the man down the block, and tread up 3 flights of stairs to the kitchen where a single burner awaits me. Ten minutes later with coffee in hand, I'm sitting outside on the foyer listening to the sound of the locals on their morning walk, rickshaw engines off in the distance, morning chanting and my friend the rooster who still continues to let his presence be known.  

Twenty minutes later a slow, steady stream of hot water has filled my 5 gallon bucket and i'm ready to squat down and take a "bath".  I dry off, throw on some old cotton yoga clothes and unroll my yoga mat and rug.  I stand facing east in my room as I step mindfully onto the top of my mat looking down and spreading my toes and making sure my connection to the earth  is grounded and yet gentle.  I bring my hands into prayer position in front of my heart, press my thumbs against my sternum, close my eyes and quietly begin to chant an opening mantra. This particular mantra asks for the veil of illusion and conditioned existence to be lifted so we many see clearly and know our Self and it also acknowledges, with tremendous gratitude, all of the teachers who have come before us and worked tirelessly on their own spiritual practice to ensure I can be standing here today reaping the benefits of this ancient science of yoga.

I open my eyes as the sun begins to rise, inhaling deeply I raise my arms up over head pressing my palms together and gaze up at my thumbs.  Exhaling, I bend forward touching my hands to the earth and bow my head with humility and grace. 
The next 90 min that follow will be a steady stream of long and smooth inhalations and exhalations coordinated with many different types of body postures (asanas) that bend the body forwards and back, side to side, twisting and eventually upside down for some time.  All of this breath and movement creates a deep internal heat INSIDE the body, flushing the muscles and skin, lubricating the joints and cleansing and massaging all of the internal organs as a gentle sweat pervades the body. Each inhalation is consciously taken in slowly and deeply down into the bottom of the ribcage and lower abdomen and each exhalation begins with a steady lower abdominal contraction moving the breath back out of the body as completely as possible.  The sound of this gentle glottal breath along with extremely mindful movement through the postures instantly brings the mind into a state of calm and peace.  A state of conscious focus as we continue to bring the mind back to "the present" each time it shows signs of wandering off.  Each inhale is a gift and each exhale an offering. At the end of the practice I lay down, cover myself with a light blanket and lie very still in body and mind.  I allow the healing energy of the practice to penetrate all aspects of my being.  After ten minutes i slowly rise up, chant a closing mantra of thanks and again ask for all beings to be happy and free from suffering.   Now the REAL practice begins.

Those 90 minutes on my mat focusing my mind sets the stage for the unwavering mindfulness I ideally want to sustain all day long as I interact with many different types of people in many different situations.  Throughout the day I observe my thoughts, my feelings, my actions and reactions, my speech, my intentions, my motives, and my behaviors.  My breath is a constant barometer of feedback as to the quality of my mind and emotions, as well as a priceless tool to help get me through those uncomfortable and "sticky" moments of life, just as it does on my mat.  The physical benefits that yoga brings are clear and necessary for us to go deeper in our practices to reap the benefits of a clear and focused mind as well as healthy relationships. The postures are the foundation and springboard for our practice but they are just the beginning.  If we really want to see if our yoga is working we must look at our relationships, our relationship with everything, particularly the one we have with ourself first and foremost.  

The practice of the 8 limbed yoga path is the most special gift we can give to ourselves each and every day. It helps to set us free from so much unnecessary, often self-induced, suffering. It connects us very deeply to our true nature and from that place so many questions are answered.  And in the process we feel better, think clearer, breath easier and love more. 
All we have to do is step onto our mat in a special place, set our intention and begin with an inhalation. The rest will unfold in time and the transformation that is possible goes beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I hope you feel inspired to begin and I wish you so much peace on your journey.

Blessings from India,
Stacy

Sunday 5 February 2012

SHARATH'S CONFERENCE YESTERDAY


FEB 4, 2012  completely cut and pasted from:  earthyogi.blogspot.in

SHARATH IN CONFERENCE: "I AM NOT IN FACEBOOK I MADE THAT MISTAKE BEFORE"

Sharath comes in through the main door and foyer, chatty students fill the room again and it looks like it is fuller than ever.  He sits in silence for an uncomfortable long period of time.  We all look at him, the walls, then him again. A cell phone rings.  "Some girl is calling him" he says, laughter ensues.  Another long silence.  OK! finished conference! he says with a smile.  Everyone laughs.  Must be hard to talk for an hour after leading 3 classes.

Sharath:  There was a young boy, enlightened, who did not talk.  He goes to a town that has a big population and sits by the Bayan tree which is where people gather to talk.  He sits there in silence, says nothing. He is 14 years old.  No talk, not a word.  In the morning by 5:30 AM there are 100 people sitting next to him, silent.  Nobody is talking, everyone is still.
Just like the Budda Boy of our times
Then two professors of Sanskrit from a university are angry. They cannot believe people are going to him while they have read all the books and know all interpretations. They decide to degrade him, to shame him. They will go to the boy and ask him about the interpretations of the shasthras, the scriptures.  They go, at first they sit for 2 minutes, then they forget everything.  Then they sit still.  They don't say anything.

Why am I telling you this?

If you read but don't experience yoga within, or if you are reading books and only that, it is useless.  That is why Pattabji Jois said 99% practice 1 % theory.  99% means experience yoga within you, to develop ourselves in a way so that yoga will happen.  People like to do 99% talk about yoga.

Why is Ashtanga Yoga so popular? because there is an energy there that changes us from within and happens through our practice, only then you realize yoga practically. Then, when we practice like this something will change within, many things will change.

Krishanamacharya and Pattabhi Jois, the greatness about them, is that they did it practically and they also read all the manuscripts, so they had complete knowledge of yoga which some people don't have.  Other places where you go they tell you yoga is not physical it is only chita vriti nirodaha (cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, yoga sutra 1.2), asana is not yoga.

Krishamacharya
But asana is the foundation for our spiritual practice.  Spiritual practice causes changes, but the change should happen from within.

If we are not doing yoga, then is like when you are thirsty, if you don't drink water for a while you die. Yoga becomes like that, I do it otherwise I die.  Someone asked me once why do I wake up at 1 O'clock to do yoga. Instantly I replied: Why do you eat food everyday? -  It is like that, it comes with practice, for a long time, not one day for 6 hours but many years.

Before people thought that yoga was only for sanyasis or renunciates, all these restrictions, but Jois and Krishnamacharya changed all that, they taught yoga to their own.  My grandfather taught his wife first.

Amma, Pattabhi Jois' wife, seen here with a very young Sharath
When my grandfather married his wife he took her to meet Krishnamacharya, he wanted to introduce her, and Krishnamacharya said "be careful with this man, if you ask him to bring Chamundi Hill he will carry it to you".  So they had a relationship like that of a father and son, it was so beautiful, he spent so much time with Krishnamacharya.

Once Krishnamacharya was giving a lecture to a few of his students and P.Jois did Kapotasana, and next thing Krishanamcharya was standing on top of Jois, there was a stone on the floor and it was hurting my grandfather's shoulder.  What would you do? I would have screamed!

But he stayed there, he did not say anything, then after 15 minutes Krishanamcharya finished his lecture and came out, P.Jois had blood coming out of his arm.  Krishnamacharya asked if he was OK, and Jois said that yes he was, he took some mud and put it on his shoulder. He had a scar there for the rest of his life, until the day he died.  That is how tough he was, he had to be cause to learn yoga was hard in those days people did not have food and as I told you last time, now we have everything and also a lot of problems.
Wonder if that was the moment, we know that is Jois
under Krihsnamacharya
Mind is a very tricky thing, you can go to higher level to make your mind clear, active , pure, so when we practice it is not only physical but how we can go through a spiritual path? only through devotion.

Some say "oh I just do bhakti yoga or Dhyana or Hatha. What is Hatha? in America these days they say, oh I do ha-tha yoga, but what is that? Hatha Yoga is bakthti and jnana and all of these are within Ashtanga Yoga.  Hatha is surya and chandra (sun and moon), but you also have devotion.  So within Ashtanga yoga we have all of them.

It is only through ignorance that we cannot realize it and then the practice can become physical because we look at others, then there is no meaning in the practice, we are just comparing.

Everyone has their limitations we cannot always compare with otters. Oh he can jump back so nicely, or why can I not do backbend (I know, guilty of that!).

Never follow the Buddha don't imitate him. Become the Buddha.  You are not to be a carbon copy of the Buddha. You can only become a Buddha when you are separated and try to find your destination on your own.  When you discover your path, try to reach for your goal then you become a Buddha.

Downtown here some people dress like Gandhiji and stand there, but they don't become Gandhiji, they would need to develop his qualities, like ahimsha (non-violence), to become like him.

All of our experiences are different but the goal is the same. When you do asana our experiences are different, we have different kinds of energy, but the goal is always the same. So do not compare to others. You see in practice, some senior students due a handstand, ekam dwi, (one two), and handstand, and others copy that, or they watch some videos and try to copy that.  They highlight that because they can do it, I guess is good they do not highlight the bad.

Doing handstands like that will make your shoulders suffer, you need to balance the practice.

People get frustrated with Mari D, Kurmasana, Backbends.  The practice is testing you.  Do you like your yoga or not? If your teacher goes too easy on you you will get less respect for it.

There was a yogi who had a student going along with him everywhere, he did sava (service) and cleaned his ashram for years but one day he became disillusioned and asked the guru why it was taking so long to become enlightened.  The guru took him to a lake and tried to drown him. He left him under water for 3 minutes and when he finally let him breathe he said: There is your answer, you have to want it like you wanted to breathe.

People say I am in a spirtiual path, they sit in asharam, like this (signals someone sitting and falling asleep).  Then they talk or gossip: oh this woman is now with another man.  Especially as they get older, they have less to do so they go to temple but they gossip: Oh did you hear?  People go to a temple because it gives a chance to connect with God, but some just go to get free food, as here in India sometimes different families do for the temples and so people go for the food.  So you get to eat.

This happens in yoga also, in Facebook.  "Oh Sharath gave me a new asana". "Sahrath did chatuary properly".  "Sharath stopped me on Mari D".  "I have been doing yoga for 35 years and he stopped me at Mari D!"  But they do not think why you were stopped at Mari D.

Guruji knew little English, sometimes that is good.

Pattabhi Jois, a very special person
I have seen 100,000 people come through here and so many people come with so much ego, or with their teachers energy, because our energy also comes from our teachers.

You see Krishnamacharya students and they are always so serious (laughter) they don't even smile (he mimicks someone really serious), but Guruji was not like that, the first thing with him was always a smile.  So people come with so much ego, they say: I am here a month and I want to show I know yoga very well, I know, but you don't know anything. I dont know anything either. Once we are humble we can learn something.

He mentions in Sanskrit the Yoga Laksha? the qualities of a yogi:

He says that a yogi talks with purity, whatever he is thinking or feeling he talks, it is always good things, so when you hear him is very impressive, a real yogi is impressive, has no impurities.  A yogi is also healthy, no physical or mental diseases. There are lots of delusions and we can't be yogis like that, we need to practice for many years.

OK, 20 minutes for questions

Q: People say that in traditional ashtanga yoga we don't use the wall but you told me once to use it and I saw a student in the afternoon using it, and I wanted to clarify that

A: You said "traditional" ashtanga yoga, those people don't know ashtanga, so you should say asana.  Phrase it like that.

So yes while doing the 3rd limb, when in asana, yes, I don't want a student to crash on the floor and break our shala, [laughter] so I told that student to use the wall.  Nothing wrong with that.

I am not there to help, so you can use the wall but not props, otherwise you end up using props for everything all your life, for trikonasana you use props and never get to grab your toe.

Q: You say Guruji was your inspiration. What was his inspiration, how did he just come to the shala even when old and sick?

A: As I told you you can't copy others.  Krishanamcharya was Krishnamacharya, Guruji was Guruji.  Although he was his student.  He had so much energy as Krishnamacharya.  He wanted to be there for his students, so he came and sat here.  He was there for all, for me and for all, he was a special person.

Q: Tell us about your yoga practice, about your spiritual practice...

A: After marraige I became wiser in my spiritual practice.  It is a cycle that should happen.  When you are a bachelor be a bachelor when you are a family be family.  Everyone should experience this, getting married, having children, then you understand the beauty of it.

Before for 4 years I did not practice, but once I added the practice to my life I did yoga for 7 years just for fun, then everything shifted to Gokulam, then for 6 years no practice.  Then when I was 19 my mother told me to come and help Guruji.  I resisted I said I would come tomorrow and then tomorrow again. One month went by, then one day I don't know what happened, I came and have been here ever since.

Once it became part of my life I became more serious about asana, like you are, 2, 3 hours like that, month by month. Then Guruji started me on philosophy and I became more spiritual. Before that I was doing aerobics.  Then I got married. I was one now I am four. I am divided into 4.  I don't know how many divisions I have here, students are like a family too.  As I said when everyone comes together like in chanting we develop a good energy, very high energy, meditation happens automatically here.

It does not happen in one moment, or if you go somewhere: "Oh if I go to America and breathe this air..." it is not like that.  Everyone is spiritual, only because of ignorance and our attention not going in the right places we do not see it.  When the attention comes then we realize we are spiritual.

We are all spiritual it just does not look like that
Nothing comes like a big light.  To grow a business someone might say that but if it comes like that it goes very quickly.

It is like a plant that has a seed and soil and what you put in it.  It grows, you have to water it.

--
A man outside, a seller of some sort, calls out trying to get attention.  Be careful of that man, says Sharath.  I tried giving him my old clothes and he refused them because he can make more money with his old clothes. He laughs.

---

I had a friend, he is a Brahman and he was always making fun of spiritual people, of priests.  Then his father and mother died within three months.  Then one day I went to visit him and he was doing puja (religious ceremonies).  Sometimes life changes us.

MY QUESTION: yes,  I dared ask.  I confess I was very nervous, especially because of the type of question, but since he had brought it up I thought it would be OK... so I asked:

Q: Are you in Facebook?

A: No.  (Laughter). I made that mistake once and within one day I had 1,600 requests for this and that [he laughs], I realized there that it was a mistake, and I corrected that mistake.


Q: How do you manage so much attention? So many people?

A: I never thought about that.  I am used to this, I have seen people come and go for 40 years.  I am one man to 200 students I try to do my best, to give everyone something. Most of our practice is giving.  Your attention should be on the yoga not on me.

Yoga is great, I am just the transmitter, it comes through me, I transmit to you. I try to become a stabilizer too, to stabilize the energy, but it is always about giving.

Krishnamacharya and Jois have already done a lot of work now we must first realize it ourselves and then pass it to the next generation.
-----

NOTES FROM CONFERENCE FROM FEBRUARY 5th 2012 taken from

FEB 4, 2012

SHARATH IN CONFERENCE: I AM NOT IN FACEBOOK I MADE THAT MISTAKE BEFORE

Sharath comes in through the main door and foyer, chatty students fill the room again and it looks like it is fuller than ever.  He sits in silence for an uncomfortable long period of time.  We all look at him, the walls, then him again. A cell phone rings.  "Some girl is calling him" he says, laughter ensues.  Another long silence.  OK! finished conference! he says with a smile.  Everyone laughs.  Must be hard to talk for an hour after leading 3 classes.

Sharath:  There was a young boy, enlightened, who did not talk.  He goes to a town that has a big population and sits by the Bayan tree which is where people gather to talk.  He sits there in silence, says nothing. He is 14 years old.  No talk, not a word.  In the morning by 5:30 AM there are 100 people sitting next to him, silent.  Nobody is talking, everyone is still.
Just like the Budda Boy of our times
Then two professors of Sanskrit from a university are angry. They cannot believe people are going to him while they have read all the books and know all interpretations. They decide to degrade him, to shame him. They will go to the boy and ask him about the interpretations of the shasthras, the scriptures.  They go, at first they sit for 2 minutes, then they forget everything.  Then they sit still.  They don't say anything.

Why am I telling you this?

If you read but don't experience yoga within, or if you are reading books and only that, it is useless.  That is why Pattabji Jois said 99% practice 1 % theory.  99% means experience yoga within you, to develop ourselves in a way so that yoga will happen.  People like to do 99% talk about yoga.

Why is Ashtanga Yoga so popular? because there is an energy there that changes us from within and happens through our practice, only then you realize yoga practically. Then, when we practice like this something will change within, many things will change.

Krishanamacharya and Pattabhi Jois, the greatness about them, is that they did it practically and they also read all the manuscripts, so they had complete knowledge of yoga which some people don't have.  Other places where you go they tell you yoga is not physical it is only chita vriti nirodaha (cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, yoga sutra 1.2), asana is not yoga.

Krishamacharya
But asana is the foundation for our spiritual practice.  Spiritual practice causes changes, but the change should happen from within.

If we are not doing yoga, then is like when you are thirsty, if you don't drink water for a while you die. Yoga becomes like that, I do it otherwise I die.  Someone asked me once why do I wake up at 1 O'clock to do yoga. Instantly I replied: Why do you eat food everyday? -  It is like that, it comes with practice, for a long time, not one day for 6 hours but many years.

Before people thought that yoga was only for sanyasis or renunciates, all these restrictions, but Jois and Krishnamacharya changed all that, they taught yoga to their own.  My grandfather taught his wife first.

Amma, Pattabhi Jois' wife, seen here with a very young Sharath
When my grandfather married his wife he took her to meet Krishnamacharya, he wanted to introduce her, and Krishnamacharya said "be careful with this man, if you ask him to bring Chamundi Hill he will carry it to you".  So they had a relationship like that of a father and son, it was so beautiful, he spent so much time with Krishnamacharya.

Once Krishnamacharya was giving a lecture to a few of his students and P.Jois did Kapotasana, and next thing Krishanamcharya was standing on top of Jois, there was a stone on the floor and it was hurting my grandfather's shoulder.  What would you do? I would have screamed!

But he stayed there, he did not say anything, then after 15 minutes Krishanamcharya finished his lecture and came out, P.Jois had blood coming out of his arm.  Krishnamacharya asked if he was OK, and Jois said that yes he was, he took some mud and put it on his shoulder. He had a scar there for the rest of his life, until the day he died.  That is how tough he was, he had to be cause to learn yoga was hard in those days people did not have food and as I told you last time, now we have everything and also a lot of problems.
Wonder if that was the moment, we know that is Jois
under Krihsnamacharya
Mind is a very tricky thing, you can go to higher level to make your mind clear, active , pure, so when we practice it is not only physical but how we can go through a spiritual path? only through devotion.

Some say "oh I just do bhakti yoga or Dhyana or Hatha. What is Hatha? in America these days they say, oh I do ha-tha yoga, but what is that? Hatha Yoga is bakthti and jnana and all of these are within Ashtanga Yoga.  Hatha is surya and chandra (sun and moon), but you also have devotion.  So within Ashtanga yoga we have all of them.

It is only through ignorance that we cannot realize it and then the practice can become physical because we look at others, then there is no meaning in the practice, we are just comparing.

Everyone has their limitations we cannot always compare with otters. Oh he can jump back so nicely, or why can I not do backbend (I know, guilty of that!).

Never follow the Buddha don't imitate him. Become the Buddha.  You are not to be a carbon copy of the Buddha. You can only become a Buddha when you are separated and try to find your destination on your own.  When you discover your path, try to reach for your goal then you become a Buddha.

Downtown here some people dress like Gandhiji and stand there, but they don't become Gandhiji, they would need to develop his qualities, like ahimsha (non-violence), to become like him.

All of our experiences are different but the goal is the same. When you do asana our experiences are different, we have different kinds of energy, but the goal is always the same. So do not compare to others. You see in practice, some senior students due a handstand, ekam dwi, (one two), and handstand, and others copy that, or they watch some videos and try to copy that.  They highlight that because they can do it, I guess is good they do not highlight the bad.

Doing handstands like that will make your shoulders suffer, you need to balance the practice.

People get frustrated with Mari D, Kurmasana, Backbends.  The practice is testing you.  Do you like your yoga or not? If your teacher goes too easy on you you will get less respect for it.

There was a yogi who had a student going along with him everywhere, he did sava (service) and cleaned his ashram for years but one day he became disillusioned and asked the guru why it was taking so long to become enlightened.  The guru took him to a lake and tried to drown him. He left him under water for 3 minutes and when he finally let him breathe he said: There is your answer, you have to want it like you wanted to breathe.

People say I am in a spirtiual path, they sit in asharam, like this (signals someone sitting and falling asleep).  Then they talk or gossip: oh this woman is now with another man.  Especially as they get older, they have less to do so they go to temple but they gossip: Oh did you hear?  People go to a temple because it gives a chance to connect with God, but some just go to get free food, as here in India sometimes different families do for the temples and so people go for the food.  So you get to eat.

This happens in yoga also, in Facebook.  "Oh Sharath gave me a new asana". "Sahrath did chatuary properly".  "Sharath stopped me on Mari D".  "I have been doing yoga for 35 years and he stopped me at Mari D!"  But they do not think why you were stopped at Mari D.

Guruji knew little English, sometimes that is good.

Pattabhi Jois, a very special person
I have seen 100,000 people come through here and so many people come with so much ego, or with their teachers energy, because our energy also comes from our teachers.

You see Krishnamacharya students and they are always so serious (laughter) they don't even smile (he mimicks someone really serious), but Guruji was not like that, the first thing with him was always a smile.  So people come with so much ego, they say: I am here a month and I want to show I know yoga very well, I know, but you don't know anything. I dont know anything either. Once we are humble we can learn something.

He mentions in Sanskrit the Yoga Laksha? the qualities of a yogi:

He says that a yogi talks with purity, whatever he is thinking or feeling he talks, it is always good things, so when you hear him is very impressive, a real yogi is impressive, has no impurities.  A yogi is also healthy, no physical or mental diseases. There are lots of delusions and we can't be yogis like that, we need to practice for many years.

OK, 20 minutes for questions

Q: People say that in traditional ashtanga yoga we don't use the wall but you told me once to use it and I saw a student in the afternoon using it, and I wanted to clarify that

A: You said "traditional" ashtanga yoga, those people don't know ashtanga, so you should say asana.  Phrase it like that.

So yes while doing the 3rd limb, when in asana, yes, I don't want a student to crash on the floor and break our shala, [laughter] so I told that student to use the wall.  Nothing wrong with that.

I am not there to help, so you can use the wall but not props, otherwise you end up using props for everything all your life, for trikonasana you use props and never get to grab your toe.

Q: You say Guruji was your inspiration. What was his inspiration, how did he just come to the shala even when old and sick?

A: As I told you you can't copy others.  Krishanamcharya was Krishnamacharya, Guruji was Guruji.  Although he was his student.  He had so much energy as Krishnamacharya.  He wanted to be there for his students, so he came and sat here.  He was there for all, for me and for all, he was a special person.

Q: Tell us about your yoga practice, about your spiritual practice...

A: After marraige I became wiser in my spiritual practice.  It is a cycle that should happen.  When you are a bachelor be a bachelor when you are a family be family.  Everyone should experience this, getting married, having children, then you understand the beauty of it.

Before for 4 years I did not practice, but once I added the practice to my life I did yoga for 7 years just for fun, then everything shifted to Gokulam, then for 6 years no practice.  Then when I was 19 my mother told me to come and help Guruji.  I resisted I said I would come tomorrow and then tomorrow again. One month went by, then one day I don't know what happened, I came and have been here ever since.

Once it became part of my life I became more serious about asana, like you are, 2, 3 hours like that, month by month. Then Guruji started me on philosophy and I became more spiritual. Before that I was doing aerobics.  Then I got married. I was one now I am four. I am divided into 4.  I don't know how many divisions I have here, students are like a family too.  As I said when everyone comes together like in chanting we develop a good energy, very high energy, meditation happens automatically here.

It does not happen in one moment, or if you go somewhere: "Oh if I go to America and breathe this air..." it is not like that.  Everyone is spiritual, only because of ignorance and our attention not going in the right places we do not see it.  When the attention comes then we realize we are spiritual.

We are all spiritual it just does not look like that
Nothing comes like a big light.  To grow a business someone might say that but if it comes like that it goes very quickly.

It is like a plant that has a seed and soil and what you put in it.  It grows, you have to water it.

--
A man outside, a seller of some sort, calls out trying to get attention.  Be careful of that man, says Sharath.  I tried giving him my old clothes and he refused them because he can make more money with his old clothes. He laughs.

---

I had a friend, he is a Brahman and he was always making fun of spiritual people, of priests.  Then his father and mother died within three months.  Then one day I went to visit him and he was doing puja (religious ceremonies).  Sometimes life changes us.

MY QUESTION: yes,  I dared ask.  I confess I was very nervous, especially because of the type of question, but since he had brought it up I thought it would be OK... so I asked:

Q: Are you in Facebook?

A: No.  (Laughter). I made that mistake once and within one day I had 1,600 requests for this and that [he laughs], I realized there that it was a mistake, and I corrected that mistake.


Q: How do you manage so much attention? So many people?

A: I never thought about that.  I am used to this, I have seen people come and go for 40 years.  I am one man to 200 students I try to do my best, to give everyone something. Most of our practice is giving.  Your attention should be on the yoga not on me.

Yoga is great, I am just the transmitter, it comes through me, I transmit to you. I try to become a stabilizer too, to stabilize the energy, but it is always about giving.

Krishnamacharya and Jois have already done a lot of work now we must first realize it ourselves and then pass it to the next generation.
-----

NOTES FROM CONFERENCE FROM FEBRUARY 5th 2012.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Panchakarma is finished!!!


Just a quick note to let you know that I'm alive... I made it through the 8th and last day of Panchakarma.
I arrived at the Ayurveda clinic at 8:30am and was greeted with herbal tea and then an Abyanga massage. After that I was brought to sit in front of the puja room (altar room) as the doctors chanting over me, & I proceeded to eat an entire bowl of CASTOR OIL (vomit!)  & paste of nasty herbs... oh my God I thought for sure I would never get it all down, but I did.   About 20 min later me and the toilet bowl became very good friends and I stayed in my room until 5:30pm that evening reading, studying and going to visit my friend the mr. porcelain. ;)  All I was allowed to consume all day was hot water and lemon and a few raisins.  By the end of the day I was beyond exhausted and had a wicked headache from not eating for 20 hours.   Before I left to go home they fed me a rice "porridge"(that is really more like hot rice water) which tasted DELICIOUS!   I had 3 cups of it and then they took my blood pressure one more time to be sure I was OK, which I was. Then, I was homeward bound in a rickshaw just stopping briefly at a friend's home to pick up my nightly parcel of kitchadi for supper.

I slept like a baby for almost 8 hours and had an amazing practice this morning.  Strong, light, and bendy.... catching heels in Kapotasana... wow!   And even better than that is that I feel so happy and peaceful inside my head and heart!! Like a major shift occurred.  This was the best thing I could have gifted myself with in India. I will surely do it again next year here.  I am super grateful!

Below are a few pictures of the clinic and some of my new "family members" there... these people were absolute angels! God Bless them.

Peace and Love,
Stacy








Sunday 29 January 2012

Opening the door to our heart & mind: Panchakarma, Practice & Yama/Niyama




QUOTE OF THE DAY
Sri Swami Sivananda
Forget the past. Begin life afresh. Face life boldly. A glorious future is awaiting you.

Well, it's been quite a week for me. For the first time in 7 years I decided to do an 8 day Panchakarma rejuvenation cleanse at one of the revered Ayurvedic clinics in Mysore.  I cleanse all the time at home; UECleanse, colonics, juicing, etc, but I have never done Panchakarma; which is not only a cleanse, but a rejuvenation & oleation of the internal body using different Ayurvedic therapies.  I drank a total of 270ml of medicated ghee (clarified butter) over the course of 4 days for breakfast, had Abhyangha massages, eating only sattvic foods like kitchadi & warm cooked veggies (no spice), dal, chapati, etc, sirodhara  treatments daily (warm fluid slowly pours over the forehead for 40 min to calm the mind) with medicated buttermilk and then the last day (which is Tuesday) I'll be eating a certain medicated paste that will keep me close to the toilet all day long, eating only some rice porridge once the bathroom trips stop which they tell me is about 7-8 hours. FUN FUN FUN!! ;)   One of the main reasons I have hesitated doing this 'cleanse' here is b/c #1 India is already so intense and strips us of some many creature comforts, #2 for the fact that i have a very long, intense practice and #3 the dreaded thought of giving up my favorite vice.... COFFEE!!!  yikes!  But, intuitively I knew it was time and that I needed to do this for all 5 'layers' of me (the 5 mayas).   Tomorrow will be day 7 so I am almost there!  I have made it to practice all but 1 day and I feel amazing.  The best part is I will take many things I have learned and bring them with me into my everyday 'routine' to sustain these results. After all, isn't that the point?  To go through all of this only to go back to habits that don't serve me would be a waste of time, energy and money. 

Practice is the same... we get on our mats each day to move, breathe, meditate, chant, etc.. WHY? Ideally, to see the divine in all things and to get clear & find peace within our heart & mind. To clean the body and the mind so that our relationship with ourselves and everyone/everything else around us becomes healthy and peaceful.  Practice gives us an opportunity to slow down and LISTEN to what is inside our heart and mind... the COURAGE to look at it and face it, process it.. and then TAKE ACTION. And then create new behaviors and actions that produce healthier outcomes. (moving away from old samskaras and creating new ones that we water and feed so that we don't go back to the old ones)  It's about cleaning our karma and seeing clearly so that our future actions aren't based in klesha but are based in yama & niyama & prama.  Then we can, in time, be truly happy, peaceful, and free.  

The auspicious happenings in India always amaze me.  Today I was going to have the courage to ask Sharath to speak about the yamas & niyamas at conference in front of over 300 people.  We all came in and sat down... he chanted for us and then began... "Yama & Niyama"......  my jaw dropped.. it was as if he read my mind!  He took 1 full hour to expound on the HEART & SOUL of yoga practice.. how we live our lives OFF THE MAT is the most important thing.  This is the 2nd time I have heard him so passionately make a point to all of us that yoga is NOT ABOUT THE ASANAS... the handstands, the 'up & over's' (in fact he mentioned that he doesn't understand why so many people are doing these acrobatic things... Guruji was not teaching this) the "flying" around with each vinyasa.  He began to go through and talk about each yama and niyama with examples:

Ahimsa: don't hurt anyone or anything; with your actions, thoughts, or words. 

Satya: always be honest with yourself first and then others. this will enable you to walk around at peace.. these 2 yamas together; ahimsa & satya are so important. 

Asteya: don't steal; things, thoughts, ideas, etc.  

Brahmacharya:  celibacy, or being totally faithful to your partner and he/she to you. this will cultivate a very special energy inside of us.. very positive. 

Aparigraha: non hoarding. not taking more then we need. He talked about how greedy people are nowadays and how people will go to any measure to get what they want. He said the most happy people have nothing; those living in the slums of India who are lucky if they have 1 meal a day.  It's the people who have 7 meals a day whose bellies are full.. yet, they are still not happy or satiated. 


He went on to speak of the Niyamas:

Sauca: cleanliness; of the inside of the body/outside of body & most importantly cleanliness of our mind.  He said it means to keep the inside of your body clean by what you feed it, how you clean the outside (and here he was funny by reminding us how important it is to WASH BEFORE YOGA.. take a hot shower to clean the dirt and wash away the previous day's "energy" as well as warm the muscles. he proceeded to say "many of you are coming stinky.. i don't even want to touch you".. the room filled with laughter)  Even more important then these 2 aspects of sauca is cleanliness of mind.. think peaceful, kind, happy thoughts. Don't wish ill will upon others, jealousy, anger, envy, etc.. this will surround you with bad energy and that will attract more bad energy. 

Samtosha:  contentment. being happy with what we have. 

tapas:  practice and living a structured, DISCIPLINED life.  eating at same time of day, practicing same time of day, bedtime same time... good food, keeping good positive healthy company, speaking kind words, reading spiritual uplifting books. Not running around gossiping, partying, eating & drinking toxic things, etc. He said that many people show up on the mat and then go and basically lose or destroy all that good energy by embarking on negative behavior.  what is the point of doing yoga then?  he said you might as well go take an aerobics class.

Svadhyaya:  self study... looking at your own thoughts, words, actions, reactions, taking accountability, having a teacher who can help to show you 'yourself" and working towards really knowing your Self (with a capital S... higher self)

and lastly...

Isvara Pranidhana:  the ability to surrender to the divine. Whether it be God, a higher force, etc. Ideally picking an Ishta Devata (diety of choice) like Jesus, Ganesha, Krishna, Alla, etc and working towards living like they did. Connecting to their energy while you practice and you will begin to embody their qualities. 

As you can imagine I was beyond pleased that he discussed all of this with us as you all know how important the Yamas & Niyamas are to cultivating a truly "yogic" (peaceful, happy, healthy) life.  I thought he did a wonderful job in his delivery with examples from the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and his own life.  Once again, Sharath is proving himself to be the Guru that Guruji so confidently appointed to take over the KPJAYI when he passed on and I have no doubt he looks down upon his grandson & most dedicated student with great pride & love. 

So, I have decided to extend my stay in India until February 18th.  I'm not ready to leave this energy just yet.  This has been a wonderful trip and I am not only learning more and more about myself, but getting confirmation on so many things I have felt for a long time now.  I will see you all the week of February 20th as I will be teaching 8 classes at Balance that week.  Jessica will be posting those classes in the next email blast as well as on the Balance Face Book page soon.  I will be leaving again on Feb 26th to head back out west until early April to do some teaching on the other coast. I'm really excited for these new opportunities.... it is time. And i am SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL for the amazing staff of teachers and Jessica, our wonderful new manager at Balance, who I know are doing a wonderful job bringing you all the many gifts & blessings of yoga. 

May we all be protected together.
May we be nourished together by these practices.
May we work together for the greater good of mankind.
May our studies be enlightening. 
And my there always be peace, respect, and love between us.

Hari Om Tat Sat. 

Stacy 

p.s. here is a picture of me and Shiva with his new puppy! ;) Shiva is a wonderful man who is a swami & helps all the yoga students find apartments, scooters, pretty much anything you need.. 



p.p.s. some information on ......


Panchakarma
for Cleansing, Balancing,
Healing and Rejuvenation

Panchakarma
 (five actions) is a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing.

Our Natural State
According to Ayurveda, our natural state is one of health, happiness and an inner sense of well-being. Health is defined as the body being clear of toxins, the mind is at peace, emotions are calm and happy, wastes are efficiently eliminated and organs are functioning normally. In a busy, stressful and toxic world, our physical and mental systems accumulate toxins causing deterioration in bodily functioning. This eventually weakens our systems, which opens the door for chronic, degenerative, and non-specific diseases to develop. These can evolve into serious specific diseases, ultimately damaging an individual’s health and wellness.
Panchakarma can help by reversing these negative effects of daily living. It can restore your natural state of health and wellness by cleansing your body of toxins, bringing balance into your system and improving bodily function. It can also help you sustain this process by making positive changes in lifestyle.
The Panchakarma therapeutic process appears quite simple in its application. However, its effects are powerful and effective. Panchakarma is a unique, natural, holistic, health-giving series of therapeutic treatments that cleanse the body’s deep tissues of toxins, open the subtle channels, bring life-enhancing energy thereby increasing vitality, inner peace, confidence and well-being. (Taken from Dr Vasant Lad's website:  www.ayurveda.com/panchakarma/index.html)


Ahimsa Satya Asteya Brahmacarya Aparigraha Yamaha

Sauca Samtosa Tapaha Svadhyaya Isvarapranidhanani Niyamaha