Intensive summer training - Day six

Although I was a half hour late today, I felt very powerful! After taking a break for the last two days, I felt like my body finally was ready to push again. Mentally, I was challenged (haha) because I spent an anxious night thinking of my mother who was in transit via car after her flight was canceled from Washington DC. But I did a 5 minute meditation and pranayama before I started my own asana practice and it seemed to help.

We then spent time reciting the opening and closing chants both slow and fast. Kathy mentioned that there are only 6 pitches in chanting. We then spent time listening to our OMs and AUMs. AUMs is a wider mouth start and finish like OM. I held my hands in front of me to hear the sound of my own AUM and OM. I listened and heard the part that I like the best, and the overtones.

Kathy brought some books in for us to look through. She read several passages from the Shambala Encyclopedia of Yoga by Georg Feuerstein. Some topics people asked about while perusing Feuerstein's Encyclopedia were nadis, purusha, vayu, kurmasa, gunas. (Frankly, I was "in my left nostril" so I decided to meditate during this portion of class.) We also looked through the Zen mind, Beginner's mind again. Kathy also answered questions about the Hindu Gods, specifically Vishnu and his incarnations and a little about Buddha.

Other books she recommended we look at are Yoga: Immortality and Freedom by Mircea Eliade and a Hindu book of Gods and Goddesses with a red cover that we'll have to ask Liza about.

We closed the day with two chants:

Asatoma sadgamaya
Tamasoma jotirgamaya
Mrytyora amritangamaya

and the Maha Gayatri Mantra:

Om Bhuh
Om Bhuvaha
Om Savaha
Om Mahaha
Om Janaha
Om Tapaha
Om Satyam
Om Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat
Om Apajoti
Raso Amritam
Brhama Bhuhr Bhuvaswarom

Kathy explained this chant at the grandest blessing given, paying tribute to the seven forms of light (chakras). In the blessing, we ask for more light, the question is asked what form of light do you want? we answer the light that brings us closer to pure light. We are also saying that we leave nothing but divinity behind us and all of this is given in celebration of the light.