In yoga classes I have been talking to students about building structures of support. In an asana (pose), we begin with where our body is touching the mat, the ground. In seated pose, or in standing poses. Where our body is touching the mat is where it begins.
We are building from the ground up. Wthout the feet being solidly planted, we cannot stand firmly. When we stand firmly, the rest of the body feels supported. We bring our awareness up and out from that grounding, that support.
This is only one thing yoga teaches us, and it is one of the most powerful practices we can do now. In March 2011 we – all human beings on the earth – were knocked off of our feet. Our planet, the earth, shook us at our foundation. It moved so intensely (even before Japan’s earthquake it had started), that the earthquake and tsunami was felt by us all around the planet.
We were shocked. Those closest have died, aftershocks are continuing, we are feeling it in Minnesota. I see it in my classes and on that mat – this impact. No one was left untouched.
People are experiencing helplessness, confusion, disorientation, shock. . . This is all the first stage of grieving. We want to deny change and fight it. Resisting change is painful, so we try to numb.
As we allow ourselves to experience our pain at the fullest, that experience is like a tidal wave, an emotional, psychic, tsunami.
Those of us who have had a practice of grounding, be it in martial arts, yoga, meditation practice. Or prayer and the practice & discipline of going to church. We have something – someone – many someones our community to turn to. . . Wherever we have been practicing planting our feet or our seat.
When something knocks us off our feet, it is time to wake up, look around – look what happened, start rebuilding – from the ground up. It begins for me at home. I stay home and reflect. Look at my house – it needs cleaning, I clear it. I realize where I have not been connecting in my community. From my home base where I gather my strength and rest, I reach out and say “I love you”.
From my foundation, my structure of support, I go to my job – the yoga studio – and teach others how to build their body foundation. Plant your feet so that you feel powerful. Don’t lean, have your feet be strong and flexible first.
From that foundation, and practice, you can reach out and help those who need it – right next door. Your neighbor, the person you meet. You are not helpless. You can be aware, take care of you, get strong, rooted and grow up from there. Go help, and recognize when your body and mouth needs a rest. There are many human beings. We are all connected. Trust that there is a plan to handle it all without you doing it all.
Whether you are alone, or with others, the most powerful practice you can do is listen. Listen to what you need to be well. Listen to your heart. Listen to your soul’s yearning. In meditation listen. When you are with others: listen. My spiritual guide, Ishwar Puri, gave me a simple way to remember this:
“The Mind always talks and never listens. The Soul always listens and never talks.”
Listen for the whispers of your soul, if you are ignoring that, you cannot listen to others. You will be in the practice of “not listening”
With that I leave you with Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Listening to Give Relief”
"Deep listening, compassionate listening is not listening with the purpose of analyzing or even uncovering what has happened in the past. You listen first of all in order to give the other person relief, a chance to speak out, to feel that someone finally understands him or her. Deep listening is the kind of listening that helps us to keep compassion alive while the other speaks, which may be for half an hour or forty-five minutes. During this time you have in mind only one idea, one desire: to listen in order to give the other person the chance to speak out and suffer less. This is your only purpose. Other things like analyzing, understanding the past, can be a by-product of this work. But first of all listen with compassion." Thich Nhat Hanh
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Abundance!
My last blog I wrote to stay tuned for more about our weekend away. Once a year is a gathering I attend with my meditation group it is called "Bhandara". People arrive, we greet old friends, meet and make new friends, sit down, listen to a talk, eat good food prepared with love and devotion. We get to celebrate abundance. Words cannot describe the experience. . .
Bhandara - Celebration of abundance & receiving our gifts...
Abundance - what blocks it? fear
What if I cannot handle the success/abundance? business of it all.
The longer you block it, the more you are holding back
At some point you either give up or you allow it in
I allowed it, it is just as intense as I was afraid it would be
It causes my heart to race - my mind says is this panic? am I dying? am I sick?
I cannot breath - what is wrong?
Then Ishwar gave me some words to satisfy the mind
Take 3 words out of your vocabulary
Hope, Fear, Anticipation
what will happen now?
Only what your soul creates in the moment
I say all is well. I have all I need right now
Enough help from others
Enough energy
Enough food
enough CLUES to satisfy the mind
I received a book - inside the author wrote his Acknowledgements to all who helped him
and the last sentence read:
" I thank God . . who wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote this book"
Thank you God
What (who what where how) is God?
God is love, abundance, all that is
the word GOD is too small, too short to hold something that is so infinite
many have tried to name that which cannot be confined or named - how many religions?
how many names of God?
we can agree on that
Bhandara - Celebration of abundance & receiving our gifts...
Abundance - what blocks it? fear
What if I cannot handle the success/abundance? business of it all.
The longer you block it, the more you are holding back
At some point you either give up or you allow it in
I allowed it, it is just as intense as I was afraid it would be
It causes my heart to race - my mind says is this panic? am I dying? am I sick?
I cannot breath - what is wrong?
Then Ishwar gave me some words to satisfy the mind
Take 3 words out of your vocabulary
Hope, Fear, Anticipation
what will happen now?
Only what your soul creates in the moment
I say all is well. I have all I need right now
Enough help from others
Enough energy
Enough food
enough CLUES to satisfy the mind
I received a book - inside the author wrote his Acknowledgements to all who helped him
and the last sentence read:
" I thank God . . who wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote this book"
Thank you God
What (who what where how) is God?
God is love, abundance, all that is
the word GOD is too small, too short to hold something that is so infinite
many have tried to name that which cannot be confined or named - how many religions?
how many names of God?
we can agree on that
Thursday, March 31, 2011
April 2, 2011 Bhandara
We are going to see Ishwar in Rice Lake for our twice-annual meditation group retreat. This year, is very special! It is the year that there is a major shift in consciousness, earth changes, energy. It will be very hard for many, not hard for some, I don't really know what will happen. I simply know that we are where we are supposed to be and the practice of yoga, grounding, being strong, eating healthy. Be happy. Be loving. It is all good and will create the safest and best way to do this. More next week...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Practice every day
Many of the great teachers - the ones we can trace our lineage back to, have all said the same thing. Practice. The past week, I have appreciated my practice more than ever. My practice is a daily habit. Every morning. Meditate. If I cannot focus, take care of something for someone (service with love & devotion). Then practice my asanas. Observing my breath, my body, how I use my body, how I feel, my mind. Observing it all, at the same time keeping my body strong, alive & healthy.
The practice - when it is a habit - it supports you. How? Well, do you remember how you feel so much better afterward practicing yoga?
You know that when you are not in the habit of practicing...when you feel sad, sick, low energy, upset, busy - any number of human excuses - the last thing you want to do is go sit on a yoga mat or meditate.
If it is a habit - like brushing your teeth - you have to do it. You cannot not do it. No matter how I felt before my practice. I feel alot better after.
How to get into the habit? Read about the 40-day yoga challenge or 108 Sun Salutations in my blog...
Live with Beauty, Connection & Love. . .
Karen
The practice - when it is a habit - it supports you. How? Well, do you remember how you feel so much better afterward practicing yoga?
You know that when you are not in the habit of practicing...when you feel sad, sick, low energy, upset, busy - any number of human excuses - the last thing you want to do is go sit on a yoga mat or meditate.
If it is a habit - like brushing your teeth - you have to do it. You cannot not do it. No matter how I felt before my practice. I feel alot better after.
How to get into the habit? Read about the 40-day yoga challenge or 108 Sun Salutations in my blog...
Live with Beauty, Connection & Love. . .
Karen
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
108 Sun Salutations Spring Equinox
Sunday we did our quarterly 108 Sun Salutations event for the Spring Equinox. Now it seems like spring, but the forecast is more wintery stuff coming. (When is that Basketball Tournament?) In Minnesota, spring is like the biggest party ever and it is known that the state basketball tournament is the unofficial mark of the end of winter storms.
Back to the 108...4 of us attended and we donated proceeds to Salvation Army's efforts in feeding people in Japan who have been devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As I was going through the 108, it is like a moving meditation, I focused on my body. Usually it takes about 30 Sun Salutations for me to feel really warmed up, but this time it took more. The counting is a challenge too, to keep track of which one I am on, so I probably do a couple more in case. However, it is not about how many I do. I realized during the last 30 or so, that the reason I can do them has nothing to do with my strength or endurance...I've done them with a head and neck injury, during times when my energy is really low, . . .like yesterday. I have been recovering from the Minnesota ick that many yoga teachers have mysteriously come down with (and other people I know who almost never get sick). I have had the lingering cough now going on the 3rd week...
No, it is not endurance or strength that gets me through this. It is that I never give up. That's it. I don't stop. I rest a little after each 27 (1/4), but then I continue until I've done 108. It is not rocket science really. It also helps to have an intention. When I thought about how long it was taking, my mind went to the survivors of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and now dealing with rebuilding and possible radiation poisoning. It is not an option for them to give up. To stop. So I won't either.
My heart goes out to everyone there. And as many of my students have heard from me. . . the best thing we can do for them is to be a light in our own part of the world.
Back to the 108...4 of us attended and we donated proceeds to Salvation Army's efforts in feeding people in Japan who have been devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As I was going through the 108, it is like a moving meditation, I focused on my body. Usually it takes about 30 Sun Salutations for me to feel really warmed up, but this time it took more. The counting is a challenge too, to keep track of which one I am on, so I probably do a couple more in case. However, it is not about how many I do. I realized during the last 30 or so, that the reason I can do them has nothing to do with my strength or endurance...I've done them with a head and neck injury, during times when my energy is really low, . . .like yesterday. I have been recovering from the Minnesota ick that many yoga teachers have mysteriously come down with (and other people I know who almost never get sick). I have had the lingering cough now going on the 3rd week...
No, it is not endurance or strength that gets me through this. It is that I never give up. That's it. I don't stop. I rest a little after each 27 (1/4), but then I continue until I've done 108. It is not rocket science really. It also helps to have an intention. When I thought about how long it was taking, my mind went to the survivors of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and now dealing with rebuilding and possible radiation poisoning. It is not an option for them to give up. To stop. So I won't either.
My heart goes out to everyone there. And as many of my students have heard from me. . . the best thing we can do for them is to be a light in our own part of the world.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Living the Dream
I found out yesterday that Larry Schultz passed away over two weeks ago. I didn't know until I went to a friends Facebook page, then read an article on Yoga Journals website, then kept going and reading and watched a little You Tube video he had made recently.
Larry Schultz was one of the most important yoga teachers in my life. I took his workshop in 2004 thinking it was an Ashtanga yoga teacher's workshop, and found out it was a Rocket yoga workshop! Rocket is Ashtanga yoga, but taking it to another level....a fun one. The Rocket changed my attitude about alot of things. Larry changed my yoga practice, my teaching and after his death....taught me something else. He taught me to keep it alive...the dream.
In his You Tube video he was talking about his "ashram". His home estate yoga center where students could come and just focus on their own yoga. There's a community kitchen, sleeping areas, beautiful outdoor practice area... It is not his dream that struck me, but that he achieved it. Then he left.
Well, it's not that he left either really, just, well, what happens when you do achieve your dream. Carpenter's say that when they finish their house, then they die. I don't think that is necessarily "the truth". The message here is that you have a future. You have a day you die. I don't know if you have a say in "the day", but you certainly have a say in your future. To live it like Larry did...now THAT is juicy. He was so ALIVE. He taught people all over the world how to access that. These people that Larry taught. These are teachers to learn from. Not just any of them. If you are looking for a teacher. Look them in the eye. Do their eyes twinkle? You do know what I mean don't you? If you can't find it in yourself. You better look harder and keep looking until you find it.
Larry Schultz was one of the most important yoga teachers in my life. I took his workshop in 2004 thinking it was an Ashtanga yoga teacher's workshop, and found out it was a Rocket yoga workshop! Rocket is Ashtanga yoga, but taking it to another level....a fun one. The Rocket changed my attitude about alot of things. Larry changed my yoga practice, my teaching and after his death....taught me something else. He taught me to keep it alive...the dream.
In his You Tube video he was talking about his "ashram". His home estate yoga center where students could come and just focus on their own yoga. There's a community kitchen, sleeping areas, beautiful outdoor practice area... It is not his dream that struck me, but that he achieved it. Then he left.
Well, it's not that he left either really, just, well, what happens when you do achieve your dream. Carpenter's say that when they finish their house, then they die. I don't think that is necessarily "the truth". The message here is that you have a future. You have a day you die. I don't know if you have a say in "the day", but you certainly have a say in your future. To live it like Larry did...now THAT is juicy. He was so ALIVE. He taught people all over the world how to access that. These people that Larry taught. These are teachers to learn from. Not just any of them. If you are looking for a teacher. Look them in the eye. Do their eyes twinkle? You do know what I mean don't you? If you can't find it in yourself. You better look harder and keep looking until you find it.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Costa Rica Yoga Retreat
I have just returned from Costa Rica. After spending 7 days at Samasati, I am feeling great! As one student put it "the view alone is worth the trip" then after eating lunch, she said "the food alone is worth the trip!". I agree on both. The view - the rainforest mountain overlooking the ocean - is breathtaking, it is nature at her finest. The greenery, the vibrancy of life there will feed your energy like nothing else can. Then there's the food that Samasati's cooks lovingly prepare 3 times a day.
Food
We all started out hungry for live fresh food. In Minnesota winter, that is not something that is easy to find. I wrote down a few of the meal menus while I was there:
Lunch Monday:
Cooked green beans w/tahini sauce
Fried plantain
Steamed vegetables (cut into cubes): yellow & green squash & carrots
Blackbeans & rice
Rice pudding w/cinnamon
Dinner Thursday evening:
Brocolli cream soup
Garbanzo burgers w/tomato sauce
Cooked Spinach w/spices (onion, jalapeno, etc)
Roasted Vegies
Couscous
Cucumbers & tomatoes
Dessert: Coconut cake
Breakfasts always included the choices of fresh cut local fruit (papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, banana, freshly blended juice (local fruit); blackbeans & rice, cereal, granola, yoghurts, fresh baked bread w/butter & jam selection, eggs
As you can imagine, I was stuffed full each meal - there was so much bounty of live, healthy food. By Tuesday, I had my fill, so I naturally cut back on my meal portions. With the healthy meals and all of the yoga and walking, I feel slimmer, stronger and greatly energized now.
See more about the trip in the next post
Food
We all started out hungry for live fresh food. In Minnesota winter, that is not something that is easy to find. I wrote down a few of the meal menus while I was there:
Lunch Monday:
Cooked green beans w/tahini sauce
Fried plantain
Steamed vegetables (cut into cubes): yellow & green squash & carrots
Blackbeans & rice
Rice pudding w/cinnamon
Dinner Thursday evening:
Brocolli cream soup
Garbanzo burgers w/tomato sauce
Cooked Spinach w/spices (onion, jalapeno, etc)
Roasted Vegies
Couscous
Cucumbers & tomatoes
Dessert: Coconut cake
Breakfasts always included the choices of fresh cut local fruit (papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, banana, freshly blended juice (local fruit); blackbeans & rice, cereal, granola, yoghurts, fresh baked bread w/butter & jam selection, eggs
As you can imagine, I was stuffed full each meal - there was so much bounty of live, healthy food. By Tuesday, I had my fill, so I naturally cut back on my meal portions. With the healthy meals and all of the yoga and walking, I feel slimmer, stronger and greatly energized now.
See more about the trip in the next post
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