Yoga is about consciousness. In today's culture we spend a lot of time running, ranting and raving. We rarely allow ourselves one moment of "unproductive" time. And then we wonder why our bodies hurt, why we feel unhappy and why our lives are in a state of upheaval? We are completely distracted, therefore we can not truly understand who we are. How do we find balance? We. Stop. Running. To me, the single most important posture in all of yoga is Shavasana. Here's why:

Shavasana, aligns the spine. The brain and spinal column are command central for the entire body. Align the spine and the body begins to function properly. Shavasana can be performed by people of all ages, regardless of their level of fitness. We can all lay down. Shavasana is completely restorative. And it can be done almost anywhere.

Shavasana should always be done on a flat, level surface. Begin by slowly lowering the body from a sitting position with knees bent. Lower the spine one disc @ a time, with full conscious awareness of the way the body feels as it is rolling down toward the ground. Make certain that the shoulder blades are flat against the ground and that the spine is straight. Then lower the legs one @ a time. To perform Shavasana properly we must completely relax each and every part of the body. This takes practice. I recommend that you take time for total relaxation in Shavasana @ least once a day, preferably within minutes of returning home from work. I try to perform Shavasana anytime I notice an imbalance in the way my body feels. This means that I am usually on the floor several times a day. I always feel better immediately after.

Dharma Mittra, a modern yoga master, has this to say about Shavasana:

"All restorative poses can be held for 5 to 30 minutes since they don't create any undue tension, sensation, or strain. Shavasana, Corpse Pose, is the pose of total relaxation, and the only pose in which a yogi breathes through the mouth. Beginners often skip this pose @ the end of practice but they are missing one of yoga's most powerful moments. With every breathe you allow awareness to enter the deepest part of yourself. Resting, but with your mind fully aware, Shavasana calms the brain, relaxes the body, helps lower blood pressure, and rebalances the entire system. Ten minutes will bring you all these benefits; fifteen minutes is preferable, and corresponds to two or three hours of deep sleep."

The very first thing I ever teach any student new to Kriya Yoga is Shivasana. If you only have 10 minutes a day to dedicate to yoga, I would encourage each and everyone of you to practice this one pose. You will reap the benefits each and every time you do it. 

I had commitments after the last couple of group meditation lessons, so I neglected to make blog entries. To those of you that follow it, my apologies. 

One of the greatest obstacles to setting up a regular meditation practice is ego identification. In order to truly let go we have to accept that we are not this thought, we are not that thought, we are not thought. Acknowledging this means that we must accept that we are, @ our core, pure consciousness. And that's when the house of cards we've built starts to fall down and we become afraid. What? You mean I am not my wonderful, fabulous personality?!?!

It seems to me that we have two cultural forces that prevent most of us from achieving our goals of living a peaceful life: 

"Every spiritual tradition advises the same: Keep the thought of death near. Don't run from it. ... The ego grows bloated by the denial of death; the spirit grows strong and steady living in its presence." ~ Sam Keen

It was another beautiful day as we met @ the Rothko Chapel. There's something about the place that, for this personality, makes it so easy to let go. I think that perhaps there are several reasons for this. One is that thousands if not millions of people have traveled from all over the world to come to the chapel to meditate. Another is the lovely natural setting of the place. Sometimes trying to meditate can make effortless concentration, well, effortful. Appreciating nature is a simple way to lose one's self in the miracle of the life that surrounds us. Have you ever had the experience of being wrapped up in your own circus of nagging thoughts and then let your eyes lift to notice a sky full of clouds? Did you find that for a moment or two you were so taken by the beauty that you completely let go? The circus left town, there was not a thought in your head. Nor were you daydreaming. Only the experience of that moment remained. Effortless, single pointed concentration. That's meditation, my friends.

I've decided that during the summer months the Rothko Chapel will be our regular meeting place on Tuesday evenings and some Sundays. If it rains, we won't meet. Simple as that. 

Years ago, one of my clients gifted me with a wonderful book before I left Chicago. It's called The Shaman's Bulldog - A Love Story. In only 104 pages author Renaldo Fischer M.D. captures the wonder of the natural world through the eyes of an unlikely hero - an English bulldog named Faccia Bella. The dog transforms the man by teaching him to live in the moment.

Have a Blessed Evening,
  S.

Pranayama is a very important yogic practice. It isn't sexy. In all likelihood, you won't turn any heads by practicing breathing techniques. Pranayama takes a tremendous amount of discipline to learn. Done improperly, it can cause problems. But practiced, regularly and properly, it has many benefits. For example, in a normal breath cycle you breath approximately 1 pint of air. By learning the habit of breathing more deeply with the practice of pranayama, you begin to automaticlly breathe in an additional 3 pints of air!

This evening we focused on the basics. Pranayama, while appearing quite simple, is complex. Even a preliminary technique like Deep Abdominal Breathing (Dergha-shwasa-prashwasa) takes focus and concentration. Pranayama is not a competition. It should be practiced gradually and with patience. But it will give you that little extra "something" that will get you where you want to go. You will develop a disciplined mind and a relaxed state of consciousness. You may even find that it improves your sense of humor. ;-)

For those of you that would like to learn more about this practice, I would be happy to meet with you to give you individual guidance.

Shanti,
  Sandy

Part One - The Disturbance

A couple of weeks ago, I was about to start a load of laundry before heading out the door. I had a moment of intuition that caused me to think better of it. When I returned home, I started the washer and sure enough a flood began pouring out of the bottom of the machine. I quickly turned the washer off, but the flood kept coming. Oh my gosh, I thought, I really don't need this now, but I'll remain calm and call a repair man. I won't make this a big deal. It's the weekend and I use my washer a lot for my household and work, but I can wait until Monday to call.

Late in the afternoon on the following Monday, the repairman came. The news was not good. He'd have to go back to the office to find out how much the repair would be w/ parts and labor. The next day he called. It would cost less to purchase a new washer. So, off to the laundry mat I went. It's okay, I thought. It's an unexpected expense, and I'll be too busy w/ work to shop for a washer the next several days. This still isn't a big deal. I can make it through a week until I can purchase a new washer. 

After work, on a Sunday, I went to a large appliance store to purchase a washer that was on sale. I paid cash. I told the sales person that I would be off all day Monday and Tuesday and I could be home any time, but asked could they please not deliver on Tuesday evening? This was very important to me, I told him. 

On Monday I received a call from the service department. The washer was being delivered on Tuesday evening. No amount of talking to the person on the phone - or that person's supervisor - could change the time of the appointment...unless I agreed to wait until the following week for the washer to be delivered. I could feel my personality becoming disturbed. The ego was not getting what it wanted. I had to make a decision: break plans and possibly disappoint other people and have the washer (which I really need) delivered or wait another week and make another less than optimal trip to the laundry mat? I felt really terrible, but I reluctantly agreed to have the washer delivered that Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday @ 6:00p., the deliveryman arrived. He opened the door to the laundry closet, took one look and said, "It's not going to fit." I was in denial. Of course it would fit! He tried and naturally he was right. A spigot on the hot water heater was in the way making the space about half an inch too short for the washer to fit. What to do? I called several numbers, was on hold, stuck in voicemail and passed from person to person before finally reaching someone who could advise how to handle the return. This customer service person told me that the washer could go back w/ the delivery person, but that I would have to wait until the next day to go to the store to receive a refund. The deliveryman was a saint. He took the washer back. I could feel myself becoming emotional. Egos don't like not getting what they want, but, I told myself, just one more day and things would be taken care of.

The next day after work traffic was heavy, so I called the store to make certain that my refund had been processed before heading over. As luck would have it, I was speaking to the exact same customer service person that I had spoken with the night before. She informed me that, regretfully, since I had paid cash, they could not give me my refund in person. I would have to wait 10 business days to receive a refund check by mail. 

I'd like to say that all my years of meditation allowed me to observe my thinking and feeling states, center myself and let it go. But that is not what happened. I became very emotional. I spoke to several people. I wasn't having it. I wasn't accepting it. I WANTED and, I felt, NEEDED a washer...or a refund, so that I could purchase another washer somewhere else. I behaved badly. I let my mind become disturbed. It didn't help. I have no washer. I am waiting on my refund.



Part Two - Pranayama

"Yoga differs from western medical philosophy. This is not to say that doctors are wrong and yogis are right but that they have different theories. The medical field has been very conservative in acknowledging many concepts that yoga has adhered to since the beginning of time. When it was first discovered that blood circulates, medical science denied this. When a number of other scientific physiological concepts were first developed, medical science denied them. The point is, the scientific community has constantly had to give ground, somewhat begrudgingly, to new concepts. The conservatism is not negative, for it has kept much superstition out of the medical field and is utilized as a safeguard, but it has also caused many medical discoveries to develop @ a very slow pace.  Allow me to elaborate on two very basic concepts in which yoga and the medical field differ.

One of the fundamental distinctions between yoga philosophy and western medical science lies in the concept of prana, Life-energy. Yoganandaji called these energies life-trons. They are also called vital airs. ... Many teachers have tried to superficially equate prana with oxygen, but they are distinctly different. When you inhale oxygen, it chiefly enters capillaries in the lungs, and is transformed into the bloodstream. Although prana also enters the bloodstream it is primarily absorbed by the mucous membranes and moves toward the nerves, energizing and vitalizing them. This contributes to increasing the physiological functions of the organs, plexuses, and brain centers."

~ Goswami Kriyananda

So, now that we have a basic understanding of prana, what then is pranayama? Prana means Life-energy. Yama means control. Therefore, pranayama are exercises whereby we practice controlling the Life-energy. Breathing is a manifestation of prana. This force/energy causes you/us to move, think and create. By regular practice of pranayama you/we gain the ability to directly control the life-force within.

Pranayama is a powerful tool that is best practiced under the guidance of a competent teacher. In addition to the many physical benefits of this practice, higher states of consciousness become more attainable.



Part Three - Contentment

Today was lovely. We met on the lawn near the Rothko Chapel. The weather was more than cooperative as it was sunny, but not as hot as it could have been. We practiced 4 basic pranayama techniques:

The Resurrection Breath
a ritual typically performed before hong-sau Kriya and other meditation techniques

The Sipping Breath
this will reduce phlegm - also used before meditation techniques

The Cold Maker (Sitkari)
sometimes called the wheezing breath, this is a practice used to cool the body, but it also clears the eyes and ears, activates the liver, improves digestion and helps prevent high blood pressure

The Drawing Breath (Ujjaya)
also known as the hissing breath, is used in yoga affirmations to promote spiritual success and has many benefits including being helpful in curing consumption and asthma

We began our meeting with meditation on the breath and we also practiced hong-sau Kriya as our ending meditation.

A friendly squirrel observed us discussing pranayama. Tiny creatures crawled in the grass around us. A couple of fire ants informed me that I was sitting on top of an area that they considered home. A large carpenter ant crawled across my arm, I removed her gently, she came back and I removed her again. 

After our final meditation, a little chat and good-byes, I laid back on my yoga mat and rested, dozing off and on as I listen to near-by mourning doves cooing. I could not have been more content.



Afterword

After reading all of this you may be asking yourself, 'What about the disturbance? What changed? You still don't have a washing machine or the money you paid for it.' The answer is simple: I changed my attitude. And in life, attitude is all.

Namaste,
  Sandy

So, why do we sometimes procrastinate when it comes time to meditate? Well, there are several reasons. The first, of course, is that we are conditioned to believe that doing busy work is somehow more valuable than balancing our minds. Taking time for ourselves is somehow a waste. Being wound-up tight and stressed out is "normal" and shows that we are "busy people" and therefore "contributing" in some way to society. Hogwash.

If I wanted to believe that, I couldn't. It only takes a little while before my body begins to protest and remind me of all the reasons my meditation practice is important. I am aware, however, that some people who perhaps haven't been as hard on their bodies as I have may not have that built-in reminder. So, I thought I would list some of the benefits of a regular meditation practice on your individual mind/body complex and how this in turn contributes to a more healthy society.

How we benefit from meditation as individuals:
*Stress Removal
*Greater Intuition
*Health Begins to Improve
*Renewed Interest in Life
*Less Fearful
*Personality Softens
*We Become Less Judgmental
*Lower Blood Pressure
*The Mind Quiets Down
*Removes Negative Thoughts and Emotions
*Feeling of Contentment

How society benefits as a whole when we meditate:
*We are Easier to Get Along With
*Healthy, Calm People are more Productive
*Greater Concentration Means Doing the Job Better with Less Mistakes
*We Treat Others w/ Greater Compassion
*We are Truly Present When our Friends and Loved Ones Need Us
*We Contribute in a More Positive Way
*People Around Us Tend to Feel More Relaxed

When we can clearly see how our meditation practice not only benefits ourselves, but the world around us, we are more likely to keep our daily commitment. Thus we eliminate the subconscious desire to procrastinate.

Shanti,
  Sandy

The ultimate goal of meditation can be expressed in two ways:

A) The attainment of Samdhi, or
B) The attaining of Balanced Self-Conscious Awareness

In everyday language, the ultimate goal of meditation is to remove all of your psychological limitations. With these limitations removed you realize all is mind.

Reflection upon the relationship between your meditation states and your life is called 'Tarka on meditation.' Tarka is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to mean logic, reasoning, speculation, inquiry. Therefore, Tarka is the practice of quieting the mind @ the end of the day, turning inward and upward, and then reflecting on the events of the day.

Tarka is a step beyond meditation. It shows our progress along the spiritual path toward maturity.

It is the nature of the mind to filter out certain aspects of an experience, and to over emphasize other aspects. As these patterns are revealed through Tarka, you will begin to see your mind as it is.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself @ the end of the day:

1) Have I hurt anyone today - physically, verbally or mentally?
2) What harm have I done to my body today?
3) What harm have I done to my mind today?
4) What positive things did I do today - physically, verbally or mentally?

The purpose of answering these questions is to make you more self-aware of your own mind.

BEGINNING:

1) Buy a pen that is to be used only for journaling. It should be beautiful and comfortable to use. Keep it with your journal and do not use it for anything else.

2) You should purchase a blank book to be used only for journaling your meditations and their relationship to your daily life. Your journal is a sacred place to store your thoughts and reflections that will support your meditation practice.

JOURNALING:

1) Always find a quiet place and time for journaling. Try to sit @ the same time and in the same place each day when you journal, if possible.

2) Begin your journaling process by closing your eyes and watching the breath for a few minutes. Take a few minutes to detach your higher mind from your personality.

3) Now offer up a short affirmation which will help you see your blind spots. One such affirmation could be, "Every day in every way, I am seeing my personality more clearly."

4) Now write the full date, time and the city in the upper right hand side of the page. Write the time and duration of today's meditation beneath this.

5) Put the pen down and with your journal in front of you, close your eyes again, taking a few breaths to further quiet the mind.

6) Now, in your mind's eye, move back in time to the beginning of the day when you first woke.

7) Write down the first thought of the day and your mood upon awakening.
Then put a horizontal line under that notation, separating the first thought of the day from your evening's tarka, in which you look for the relationship between the first thought and how your day went: tonus-wise and event-wise.

8) With as much detachment as possible, move from the first thought of the day to the next major thought, emotion or action of the day.

9) Reflect upon your experiences and write your comments and interpretations.

10)When you have written a specific thought, emotion or action in your journal, ask yourself how the meditation of the previous day has affected your attitude and your reaction to that particular experience. Write your interpretations.

11) Move forward in time to the next major experience until you have come to the end of the day. Reflect on each major experience of the day.

12) Having finished recording the day's major experiences, draw a line under the last sentence and leave @ least 1/4 page for any thoughts that may flash into your mind later. The task is to find the relationship between the previous day's meditation and today's attitudes, moods and reactions.

Try doing Tarka on Meditation for @ least a month. I think you will find that this practice will lead to greater Self-awareness.

Shanti,
  S.