Mallet's Bay Congregational Church

Several weeks ago, I attended a birthday party of a neighbor and friend. At the party, I met her church pastor. Young, pretty; I would never had guessed she was a Reverend. Later that evening, whilst I was into my cups, I recall having a conversation with her (and others) about God. I don't
remember everything I said, but I remember passionately saying that we all worship the same God, it's just Religion that puts filters on and separates us. Rev. Mary said something about, we should talk again. Then I remember later telling her "when I'm sober, I'm coming to your church!" What a drunk-ass!

Anyway, I kept my promise today. I got the boys ready and off we went to Mallets Bay Congregational Church. My neighbors were there (thankfully) because my boys were restless. Their only church experience is my in-laws' Roman Catholic church. My 5 y/o at first was not happy, but when his friends came in, he was. And they were SO GOOD! They colored and kept voices low. (For the most part, my 2 y/o has only two settings: off and very loud).

It was not a typical day, it was a hymn sing. We sang...a lot. But my neighbor warned me and I went anyway. I was determined to keep my promise, and going to church is one of those things that I have been saying I will look into, but kept putting off. It was time to make use of willpower and act. Reverend Mary greeted me warmly. The church members greeted me warmly. I "re-met" people I had met before. Certain sense of community. I look forward to more days and sermons.

Why am I going to church? Seeking inspiration in my yoga journey, in my own personal journey. Seeking community. Now my boys are in school, I feel this is a part of their education. Much like the public school, I will monitor the messages and lessons and ensure they are hearing and absorbing things I think are correct and enriching to them.

I have shunned church for the last 25 years because of Religion and how it separates people. I think Reverend Mary may receive openly and allow for other Religious teachings to inspire her congregation without filtering us out.

Travel within

I started getting another inspirational message to my email account from the author o the Gita book I am reading, Eknath Easwaran. This quote below was particularly interesting to me...

"There are many going afar to marvel at the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the long courses of great rivers, the vastness of the ocean, the movements of the stars, yet they leave themselves unnoticed!" -Saint Augustine

Easwaran's comments:
Today many people who enjoy traveling are not content with visiting London or Paris; they want to travel by camel in the Sahara, or kayak in the Antarctic. But no matter how exotic, this is horizontal travel, where we stay on the surface of life. Much more fascinating is vertical travel - that is, meditation, which takes us to the Land of Love in the utmost depths of consciousness.

For a long time we may not get very far, but if we insist on traveling deep, meditation will become a daring adventure. We will pass through level after level of consciousness, just the way one travels from one country to another. There is this difference: when we pass from the United States into Mexico, we know when we have crossed the border. We must stop and speak to the guard. Then the language changes. We know we are in a new land. In meditation, it is rather different. The changes are likely to take place so gradually that we may not even be aware of it immediately. But slowly and surely we will begin to have a strong feeling of coming home to our native land.

As I delve into yoga, I am becoming more aware of aspects of my life that help or hurt our environment be it Nature, relationships, or the growth of humanity. I used to think it was an item of success to be able to travel the world, visit new places. But now I think about the Carbon Footprint I leave--the jet fuel, the dumping of waste by ships in the ocean, the special small packaging items I buy so I do not have to carry so much with me. Or how about the layers o sunscreen that wash of at the beach, destroying coral reefs? Oh, there is much damage. Am I really going to be a better person by travel distant places to learn? I wonder...

Moments of bliss

The last three evenings, my kids and I have gone swimming at or after sunset. The water at the beach is calm, no one is running about, and the sun setting behind the Adirondacks is beautiful.

The first time I took them, my 5-year-old kept asking if his friends would be there. He usually plays the older kids and thought he'd be bored without them. But when we arrived, he was thrilled by the fact that he was at the beach "kind of late" and he played in the water with his little brother. It is the best they have played together in several weeks.

I forgot to bring a life jacket for my 2-year-old to swim in. At first I was afraid of the risk, but he adapted well. He's been swimming better and better every day. By the third evening, he was showing me how he can "go underwater." He holds his breath and tries to go under. He only goes up to his nose, but it's a start and I was happy he was finally going under without sucking in water.

These evening swims also allowed me some time to read. Usually when I come down other families are there so you socialize. But I was able to sit at the water's edge and watch the kids while reading. It was a wonderful atmosphere with the difference in lighting and the stillness of the waves to remember how blissful is life.

Methods of yoga

• Jnana yoga:Yoga of Knowledge. Followers use will and discrimination to dis-identify from the body, mind and senses until they know they are nothing but the Self.
• Bhakti yoga: Yoga of Love. Followers identify with love and devotion to God to find the Self.
• Karma yoga: Yoga of Action. Followers dissolve identify with everything in life, going beyond the finite self, and the body and mind, to discover the Self.
• Raja yoga: Yoga of Meditation. Followers discipline the body, mind and senses until mind fluctuations are stilled and they merge into the Self.
  

Bhagavad Gita

I have recently begun to read the Bhagavad Gita translated by Eknath Easwaran. According to his web site, Easwaran "is respected around the world as the originator of passage meditation and an authentic guide to timeless wisdom. His method is a practical approach that fits naturally into any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle, enabling us to bring universal ideals into daily life."

I am still reading his introduction. He is setting the reader up to be able to understand the ideas presented in and teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. He discusses the background of the Gita, from the Upanaishads, and explains concepts of Inidian/Hindu spirituality such as atman, brahman, maya, karma, and dharma. He also discusses the yoga psychology that weaves throughout the Gita such as seperating purusha, spirit, and prakriti, everything else including mind and matter and the forces that bring prakriti together.

I am now reading a section that describes the essence of the Gita. In this section, Easwaran says the Gita is "a text book on the supreme science of yoga." But, he declares, yoga has many meanings. He defines four of them: jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga and raja yoga. I have read of these many times before and glossed over them, seeming to be out of my ability to grasp. But either I have finally come to a point where I finally have comprehension, or Easwaran just makes good examples I can understand. No matter which yoga you follow, the Gita offers something for everyone. The essence? Selfless action.

A few more pages to read on the higher image of the Self, and faith and spiritual evolution will conclude the introduction and I will delve into the battle Arjuna must fight and the fundamental answers Krishna provides his questions on life.

Feeding the Dog: new asana sequence

Yesterday, while browsing the handbook Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, I came across a series of poses that included vajrasana, balasana, and adho mukha svanasa. I wanted to create something that would link the breath and motion with each exhale and inhale. I came up with this gentle sequence below. I call it "Feeding the Dog" as in giving energy toward the downward dog.

1. Inhale to Vajrasana (or Virasana)
2. Exhale to Balasana with extended arms above head, palms on floor
3. Inhale to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (or Bhujangasana), roll toes under then
4. Exhale to Adho Mukha Svanasana, bend knees to floor and repeat
   

Notes

• Poses flow so that you should not need to change placement of feet and hands. They should land in the same place in every cycle.
• In vajrasana, your feet are together, toes touch, and your buttocks are rested on your heels. In virasana, the legs are open, feet spread slightly to allow buttocks to rest on the floor. Which one you choose will change whether your balasana is a deeper hip stretch, or you are rested up on your legs.
• If chosing bhujangasana, practitioners may push up onto hands and knees before pressing up into adho mukha svanasana.
  

Teach through yourself

Every once in a while I think, "Am I teaching yoga well?" as though there is a standard for teaching yoga. Yoga Alliance has given a loose standard to how teacher teach yoga, and what must be covered. But there is no lesson plan. If you know 10 asanas well, you can teach yoga. But the styel and delivery of any yoga class will be different from teacher to teacher. Each of us is different and focus on some aspects of yoga different than another teacher. You will not ber perfect for every student. I think back to an article I read last Fall, "As a teacher, you have the right—and some might say the obligation—to bring all of your talents to the table and express the teachings through yourself." The students have an obligation to themselves to find the right teacher for them. And if that teacher is not you, so be it.

Satchidananda's Words this week center around being a humble teacher. "Don’t pose as an all-knowing person. That’s the problem: Are you going to teach or preach? Preaching is not important. Practicing is what’s important. In fact, nobody is a teacher; we are all learners. Sometimes, we learn from the students themselves. So be humble and gently impart what you know. Say: ‘This is all I know; this what I’m hoping for. You try. You may even get it before me.’ That kind of humility is important."

And as Pattabis Jois said, "99% practice, 1% theory"