A New Year

Happy New Year. It has been almost 8 months since I began my teacher training. A lot has happened, a lot has been learned. So much more to learn, and even more to let go.

As inspiration here are Sri Dharma Mittra’s Recommendations for New Year 2009.

1. Spend time Meditating. Meditation is unbroken concentration and the most effective type is self-reflection. Spend at least 15 minutes meditating every morning.
   --I plan to make this a morning ritual
   
2. Get serious about your practice! One must get serious and simply attending class is not enough. Spend at least 15 minutes each morning doing Asana and focus on the main ones: Headstand, Shoulderstand, Plow, Fish and Cobra, etc.
   --I think all asanas have importance, but I do agree I need to get serious about practice!
   
3. Drink lots of green juices and remember the first Yama, Ahimsa. As long as you are involved with violence, your meditation will go no-where.
   --I'm not sure if the absence of green juice and violence have any kind of connection, but I will try to drink plenty of healthy fluids and practice non-harm separately
   
4. Understand the five subtle bodies or sheathes so that you can commence negating them at once.
   --I will work to understand the koshas in more detail
   
5. How you begin something is of great significance. If you begin the New Year with a big mug of coffee, it sets the wrong tone for the entire year to come. Begin 2009 committed to the attainment of Self-Knowledge.
   --I began 2009 with a big mug of coffee, and a healthy piece of chocolate cake. I think that sets a fabulous tone!
   
6. Outside of the three main texts, The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Yoga Padipika, read and study Swami Sivananda’s Self-Knowledge as it contains all the answers.
   --I will add it to my book wish list. I look forward to learning "all the answers".
   
7. Dedicate the fruit of all action and be nice to everyone.
   --always.
   OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.