DVD Review: Solar Flow

I recently borrowed Shiva Rae's Solar Flow. I wanted to try a different yoga approach, maybe get new ideas or just learn more about the world of yoga.

It was my introduction to Shiva Rae. She travels a completely different path to the uses of yoga than what I am doing. But it is a nice deviation for when I get into a rut and want to break out for a while. I researched her Web site and found that she does a "Yoga Trance Dance" which seems like fun.

As many reviewers stated, this DVD is not for beginners. It certainly has sequences that beginners can do, but I found that many of her sequences were challenging. And very little explanation, so could be frustrating for beginners. It gives me, and other intermediates, something to work toward and I will incorporate some of what I saw into my practice. And I love the music.

Anti-gravity yoga

I just had to post this piece on anti-gravity yoga. Without laughing.

Vote / Clarification from Satchidananda

A few days ago I posted my comments on Satchidananda's Weekly Words for this week. I disagreed with some of what was said. It turns out that I was not the only one. Here is what was sent in a follow up email:

"Although meant in a spiritual sense, this week's Weekly Words of Wisdom message could be taken out of context from the entirety of Sri Swami Satchidananda's teachings on civic responsibility, as it was kindly pointed out by one reader.

"Particularly because Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, we would like to clarify: Sri Gurudev taught that while we should "Accept everything and not allow anything to disturb our ease," he always reminded us that we cannot complain about our political leaders unless we do our part to make our voices heard by voting. He encouraged all his students to exercise their right to vote, especially in major elections. He said, "Remind yourself of the responsibility that you have to bring a good name to our country, to clean up our mess. Every American has this responsibility. Every one of you can do something about it because our country is built by the people, for the people, of the people."

A situation that repels us

During the Pratyahara Saturday session in September, Kathy asked us to recognize situations where our sense change, such as when we notice something is funny, or a situation that repels us.

Today, I had an instance where I realized something I did wrong. I responded to an email and copied another person to make sure quetsions were covered. Later, I went back to the email and realized there may be things written by the sender to me, that may not sit well with the person I copied. Verbally, I said, "Oh no!" and I quickly buried my head in my hands. The instant everything dawned on me I felt ill. Heat washed over my body and I focused completely on my thoughts, is there any way to take it back? How can I fix this? Well, maybe he won't read the email, and things of that nature.

The fact is it is done. Any trust the original sender may have had in me has been comprimised. There is no taking it back. I can only hope that I am overreacting. And I can learn to be mroe careful with these individuals emails and apologize for being insensitive and acting hastily.

Accept Everything and Be at Ease (really?)

This morning's Weekly Words from Satchidananda were about keeping your peace in times of hardship or struggle.

“Anything may happen. Think that it is a part of the Divine Will, or the Cosmic Law, and accept it: ‘Alright, whatever may happen, I’m not going to lose my peace.’ Probably we have seen hundreds and thousands of things daily happen. Millions and millions of people die from diseases, many people die from accidents, paupers become millionaires overnight and millionaires become paupers. We have seen all these things every day in our daily lives. What is there to wonder about? So, accept things with the feeling, ‘Well, that’s the world, let it happen.’ Just be at ease."

It is easy to say, hard to practice. Especially with the upcoming election, the financial crisis, the war, the uncertainty of our jobs. One must take a "chill pill" so to speak, and find peace in turmoil. Take the time to breathe first, think second, act third will unfold a better result than if you act first, think second. In that case, you may not be able to breathe at all.

I have a hard time with the last part of his inspiration...the fact that 'bad' things happen, we can not change it so follow Bobby McFerrin's advice, "don't worry, be happy". It almost seems that Satchidananda is telling us to be passive and don't interfere when it comes to seeing trouble unfold. I disagree. If some things can be changed, we need to look ahead to sort it out. I agree that some things happen for a reason, but we can do our part in living our lives along a path to bliss. If you chose apathy, you have nothing to complain about so yes, grin and bear it. But if you make choices that walks a path to happiness, your happiness will come to you easier.

Dharana Saturday session

Dharana, or concentration, is the sixth limb of ashtanga yoga. It can be described as "focus with effort" or "continuous attention." Opposite of dharana is conversation, particularly the conversation with yourself, the fluctuations of thoughts that occur in an unpracticed, unfocused mind. Once you clear the conversations and narrow your focus, you begin dharana.

For meditation purposes, dharana is meditation with effort. During meditation, you may fall from dharana into dhyana (meditation without effort) several times as you begin to meditate. My best description of this happening to me was when I had a massage several years ago. I decided to try and meditate--or at least keep a focused mind--during the massage. I wanted to enjoy the massage and not let my busy mind shorten my experience. I put effort into visualizing a flame in my mind's eye. I felt the masseuse working down my legs. I was so intent on my focus that my mind faded as he went to my feet. The next thing I knew, or when my awareness came back to my massage, he was at my head and working on my shoulders. I realized that I missed several moments (minutes?) when I was not there. I believe that I floated from dharana into dhyana (maybe even samadhi?) for those moments.

We practiced our own practice today for an hour. Kathy asked us to be particularly focused in today's practice, squelching any internal conversations or diversions that arise. When I am thinking about what pose I am going to do next, sometimes I find my mind straying on other topics. It probably would have been better to follow the primary series routine, but instead I followed my own class from earlier in the morning. It actually helped keep me focused, and my thoughts off questioning "oh, what is next in primary series" and more on a statement of, "here I am in a pose." Toward the end, I did more restorative poses.

After practicing asana, we practiced meditation. Then a series of nadi shodana with meditation immediately following.

Kathy asked us a few questions: did we find our self moving in and out of an effort of focus during practice? did we find effort in focus during meditation? nadi shodana?

During my asana practice, I felt effortless focus during movement, especially into the asanas I am comfortable. It took more effort to stay focused when I practiced a pose that I have less comfort, less balance. As for meditating, I found it difficult to stay in it, both before and after pranayama. I just wanted to sleep. I had many internal conversations, and although I kept trying to keep them out, they just kept creeping back in.

One of the thoughts was about why it was so hard for me to mediate. I remember the first time I meditated. In a room of other students my Freshman year at UVM. We had a dignified visitor, a monk that was a disciple of the Dalai Lama. In my mind's eye, I held the image of a flame on a white candle (same mind's eye focus point I use today). It was a very focused meditation, but I was able to keep that focus through most of the 20 minutes. I have used that mental image over time, and I find that the older I get, the harder it is to keep focus. It's as though my mind's muscles are not as supple as in my youth--like my body. 15 more years' experience and thoughts and memories are stored and keep breaking through my intent. The worries of children, job, household press out.

Group Discussion
Kathy had us break into groups and discuss what we were teaching and what we would like to teach. Also what concepts would be important for beginners to know or grasp?

Two in my group had been teaching. In a health club setting. Both of us found that we change the name of the class to suit that segment of the population. Athletic yoga or Power yoga.

When Kathy polled the groups, topics such as children's yoga, yoga for people in wheelchairs, yoga for "blue collar" workers (those who have back problems), yoga for pre-skiing warm-up. For children, Kathy mentioned the issue of growth spurts, and keeping that in mind, esp for adolescents.

We discussed how to design a class. Kathy said she builds a class around warm up, standing postures, strengthening (low to ground), flexibility (like forward bends and twists), and inversions (for balance and being aware of your body's relationship in space).

Someone asked about the difference between an early class, late class, short timeframe classes. Earlier classes your muscles and ligaments are not as warm. But you have not accumulated that day's thoughts and worries to instructor can talk less and let the natural focus of clear mind practice. Shorter savasana as their day is just beginning, not ending. In evening classes, longer savasana and you as an instructor may have to talk more and re-focus minds to their practice. Short classes may have to skip poses or not hold as long.

Assists
We practiced assists in parsvottanasana to utthita trikonasana (triangle). Hips square in parsvottanasna and open in triange. Also utthita parsvakonasana (extended side angle) and urdhva dhanurasana (backbend).

Assignments

• Notice when our students are moving from learning a concept to grasping.
• Notice when there is effort on students' poses or when there is a flow and it becomes effortless.
• In addition to our asanas, practice hand mudras, pranayama, dharana
• Eat a meal in complete darkness.
  

We closed with Closing Chant (see menu on right of blog) and chanting the blessing of the Goddess Lakshmi.

Last Power Yoga (Fall)

This morning I taught my last Power Yoga session at my friend's health club for the Fall. I enjoyed this class very much. I am looking forward to the Spring. I was thinking that I would be able to do some classes with them in the winter, but it is doubtful. I think I will focus on my practice for now.

Happy Halloween

An Open Heart, but a Blocked Mind

Still reading An Open Heart. I am beginning to understand why this is a meditative book. It is very yoga to read...you must be clear-minded, free from distractions, completely focused and absorbed. I have found myself rereading several chapters again and again to comprehend. First, reading, then comprehending, now meditating.

I have come to Chapter 6: "The Vast and The Profound". This chapter started out well in an explanation of what exactly does it mean to have an open heart. We practice love and compassion. We extend our hearts to hone the qualities of generosity and patience. An open heart is really a mind open to compassion, love, sympathy, righteousness and intuition. This is known as "the vast."

I got troubled in the discussion of "the profound." I understand that this is found within the realm of the mind where understanding, analysis and critical perception are the ruling notions. However, I fail to grasp the understanding of impermanence; I am foggy when it comes to realizing the true state of selflessness; and I do not entirely agree with the idea that the nature of human existence is to suffer.

The Dalai Lama knows that these concepts are hard to fathom and concedes that these insights may take many lifetimes to understand. He explains that if we can dispel one basic illusion--the inherent existence of ourselves and all phenomena--then our difficulties become easier to manage. Once you understand the impermanent nature of things, you release the idea of permanence and attachment to life. And once we gain insight to or meditate on the miserable nature of life, we overcome attachment and decrease suffering.

This is difficult for me to understand because I believe that happiness is the nature of human existence, not suffering. I do agree that the miserable nature of things causes suffering, but they are merely obstacles or layers that cloud our blissful core.

Sometimes I wonder if our first life is human life--we reason, we emote, thus we chose and suffer. As we begin to meditate what is true happiness, we find ourselves unraveling mental afflictions, unsheathing our emotions. In a Buddhist view, we would actually be reborn to creatures or existences with less ability to inflict suffering, until we find ourselves a simple amoeba, swimming happily without distraction. Or a simple spark of pure blissful energy.

Karma

The Dalai Lama dedicates an entire chapter to Karma. First, he explains that human life is extraordinary and precious. We have the ability to reason and find happiness and to willfully pursue a spiritual and virtuous life. According to Buddhist text, our current human situation is a result of an accumulation of virtue over countless past lives. Although we can not change the past, we can, in this life choose/continue to pursue an ethical path. We can do this by avoiding the ten non-virtuous actions (see below).

Karma is defined as actions in which we engage in as well as the repercussions of the act. Additionally, karma refers to how the repercussions effect everyone and their future lives. The ramifications of karma in the 10 non-virtuous acts are defined below.

3 non-virtuous Acts of the Body

1. Killing: The act is to take a life. The repercussions include suffering of the victims loved ones as well as effecting the killer so that his progress toward enlightenment/Buddhahood is displaced. Depending on the severity and malice in the act, he may be reborn into a realm of Hell, or into a life full of suffering, or as an animal with no ability to change his will or improve mentally.
2. Stealing: causes one to lack future resources or be stolen from. Willfully stealing begins a tendency to steal in the future, thus decreasing ones virtues rapidly.
3. Sexual misconduct: especially promiscuity and adultery, causes you to become distrustful of others, and in the company that you keep. You may suffer future infidelity and betrayal.
   

4 non-virtuous Acts of Speech

1. Lying: leads to a life in which other speak ill of you. Your tendency to lie in the future will lead to chances that people will no believe you and lie to you as well.
2. Divisive speech: speaking in such way to cause discord or strong disagreement will result in a life of loneliness and tendency to cause mischief.
3. Verbal abusive: is a spearhead to abusing others and leads to an angry attitude.
4. Idle chatter/gossip: causes other to not listen to you, ignore your words and leads you to speak incessantly.

3 non-virtuous Acts of the Mind

1. Covetousness: leads us to dissatisfaction.
2. Malice: leads to fear and to a life of causing others to suffer
3. Wrong views: causes us to have difficulty understanding and accepting truths.

When one weighs whether a particular act is moral or spiritual, one must contemplate the quality of the motivation. If you make a resolution to not steal, do you do it because you are afraid of getting caught? or because you are afraid of others' opinions? These motivations may be positive, but not considered moral. But if you think "stealing causes others to suffer" this is not just an ethical consideration, it is also spiritual. You increase your positive Karma and tread closer to Enlightenment.

Causes

In An Open Heart, The Dalai Lama says that things in the physical world come and go by the combined force of causes and conditions. This is evidenced by the fact that we exist. If matter existed without cause, everything would exist eternally in the same state.

He then explained two categories of causes: substantial causes and cooperative causes. Unfortunately, he glosses over substantial causes. I'm taking it to be defined by the causes that happen as a matter of circumstance or internal forces. For instance a seed. A seed has the inner physiology to sprout (substantial cause), but can not do so without external forces. These external forces are cooperative causes, such as sunlight, water, nutrients that cause the seed to sprout.

Then we extrapolate causes onto our state of mind. "The substantial cause of our present state of mind is the previous moment of the mind." Thus, we are where we are in our mind because we put ourselves there. Any stimuli from our senses effect our state of mind and are cooperative causes to our state of mind.

Subbing

At tonight's skier/rider session, Kathy was feeling particularly energetic. I felt in some ways very tight, maybe still recovering from the weekend, but in other ways felt the energy from Kathy (or within me). I'm menstruating soon, so that may have much to do with my sluggish response.

Anyway, Kathy asked if I were interested in subbing some Intro to Ashtanga classes. I immediately said yes...7:30pm is a great time for me. But after talking to my hubby, methinks I have to work on him a bit.

What comes around...

I forgot to mention that when I opened An Open Heart, a photo fell out. It was a picture of two large, middle-aged men. One is grinning mischievously at the camera while touching the other man's belly. The standing man is barely smiling, more out of being the butt of a joke than fun. The back of the picture reads, "Uncle Ritchie giving birth." I thought it was an odd picture, not one you would expect to see in this kind of book. I also thought how silly it was to leave a picture in a book...

Today, I picked up Living Buddha, Living Christ which came in at the library. I flipped through it, and found another picture. I thought that people ought to be more careful when they return their borrowed books. When I turned the photo over, I was shocked to see it was a picture of my son! I laughed at myself for leaving a photo in a library book. And surprised that it was still there after all of these months.

Beginning Meditation

Although we wish to be happy and experience bliss, we continue to experience pain and suffering.

In An Open Heart, The Dalai Lama explains that Buddhism teaches that humans engage in things that cause unhappiness and once in the habit of those conditions have a difficult time changing their perspective. Buddhism offers meditation as a means for humans to turn their attention from bad habits to virtuous activities that can lead to a longer-lasting happiness.

In "meditation" we don't mean to sit on a rock by yourself for hours in lotus pose. Meditation is a thought process of contemplating on a subject or object to familiarize and understand deeply about it. This is much like what we do in yoga--still the mind of the fluctuations and focus on one thought.

The meditation that The Dalai Lama suggests to help change attitude can be obtained through the use of two ways: analytical meditation and settled meditation. With analytical meditation, we use the rational process of analysis to get to know our new focus of attention. We devote attention to the subject/object deeply, exploring every facet or it we can think. Once we are familiar with it, we used settle meditation to maintain our sense of closeness. This process is just keeping the object/subject in our thoughts. If we feel we are distancing from it, we may then use analytical meditation to bring us closer again.

Finding a guru

As The Dalai Lama explained in An Open Heart, our transformation and spiritual journey is a long one. He suggests finding a spiritual teacher to help guide us. This may take decades to find the right teacher.

I thought about this and realized that the reason I have been struggling with my definition of God is because I have no teacher. It is unfair for me to reject ideas without exploring them with a qualified teacher. I admit that I have let hearsay and flippant translations guide my opinion.

I don't really know where to start looking for a guru, or even if I have time to devote to study with kids, family, home, etc. to manage. I do understand that without it, I will continue to struggle, but then maybe now what I recognize is the need to keep an open mind to everything and try to not pass judgment using bad information.