natural yoga method~ living yoga

Weathering the Ups + Downs and Staying Open

2012-01-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

In order to blossom, that requires us to allow ourselves to be open. We have to stop ignoring our experience, our mental-physical-emotional experience day in and day out. We have to witness the highs of joy and ecstacy and the lows of emotional and physical pain with openess. It is intense. But anthing short of that is to die a little to life.

We have to witness our urges, our longings, our feelings, and let them show us the truth. Once you are in-love, you forever know what it feels like to be in love. The glow of timeless being togetherness, savoring of closeness and fulfilment of desire. But we rarely acknowledge that what is also part of that love is the sweet agony of longing, the painful tearing at the soul in parting, and the depth of loneliness before we find that love or when it perishes, not to mention the ecstatic bittersweet pain of longing for each other throughout the development of the relationship.

Where typical Americans are encouraged to become hardened to the raw intensity of experience in order to become more efficient, more rational, more conformed to social norms and mores, the truly conscious person goes in the other direction. Can we remove every barrier between us and reality in all its raw, fearsome, swe-striking, ambrosial beauty? Can we forge ourselves in that fiery intensity of sensation and become open to the world? This enables us to feel everything, to miss nothing, to find inner peace in all circumstances and gives us the strength to live the truth of our hearts and thus an extraordinary life with no regrets.

It requires us to witness it all. The raw, dull ache of loneliness or longing. The sharp tearing of loss. The flush of fire in embarasment and anger or injustice. The open, expansive joy of loving. The feelings of aliveness that comes in all of this. This is real life, this is reality; not the sanitized, vaccuum-sealed consumer friendly version of life that serves corporate bottom-lines well, which we are sold in our ridiculous culture. Happiness doesn't come from giving in to conformity, it comes from knowing and following your very own heart.

Stay open. Witness your experience. Talk to others or rest in stillness on your own. Connect with nature. Use powerful hobbies like music and art and writing to move the energy through you and allow it to become a creative force. Out of the force of our experience in life comes all inspiration and art. From stillness arises insight, from insight arises freedom.

A few Poems by Mary Oliver to Savor

2012-01-03T01:07:00.000-05:00

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

The Sun

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone--
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance--
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love--
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed--
or have you too
turned from this world--

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

The Dangers of Dehydration

2012-01-03T00:49:00.001-05:00

The human body is composed of 75 percent water and 25 percent solid matter. To provide nourishment, eliminate waste and regulate all the functions in the body, we need water. Most modern societies, however, no longer stress the importance of drinking water as the most important "nutrient" among all nutrients. Entire population groups are substituting water with tea, coffee, alcohol and other manufactured beverages. Many people don't realize that the natural thirst signal of the body is a sign that it requires pure, plain drinking water. Instead, they opt for other beverages in the belief that this would satisfy the body's water requirements. This is a false belief.
It is true that beverages such as tea, coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks and juices contain water but they also contain caffeine, alcohol, sugar, artificial sweeteners or other chemicals that act as strong dehydrators. The more you drink these beverages, the more dehydrated you become because the effects they create in the body are exactly opposite to the ones that are produced by water. Caffeine containing beverages, for example, trigger stress responses that have strong diuretic effects (causing increased urination, at first). Beverages with added sugar drastically raise blood sugar levels, which uses up large quantities of cellular water, too. Regular consumption of such beverages results in chronic dehydration, which is a common factor in every toxicity crisis.
There is no practical or rational reason to treat an illness (toxicity crisis) with synthetic drugs or even with natural medications and methods unless the body's need for hydration has been met first. Drugs and other forms of medical intervention can be dangerous for the human physiology largely because of their dehydrating effects. Most patients today are suffering from 'thirst disease', a progressive state of dehydration in certain areas of the body. Unable to remove toxins from these parts due to insufficient water supply, the body is faced with the consequences of their destructive effects. The lack of recognition of the most basic aspects of water metabolism in our body can be held responsible for seeing a disease when it really is the body's urgent cry for water.
Recognizing Dehydration
Those who have lived for many years without proper water intake are the most likely to succumb to the build-up of toxins in the body. Chronic disease is always accompanied by dehydration and, in many cases, caused by dehydration. The longer a person lives on a low water ration and/or on a high ration of stimulating beverages or foods, the more severe and long lasting is the toxicity crisis. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ulcers, hypertension, cancer, MS, Alzheimer's, and many other chronic forms of disease are precipitated by years of "body drought." Infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses cannot thrive in a well-hydrated body. Drinking enough water is therefore one of the most important preventives for any disease.
People who do not drink enough water or unduly deplete their body's water reserves through overstimulation for a period of time gradually lower the ratio of the volume of water that exists inside the cells to the ratio of volume of water that is found outside the cells. Under dehydrated conditions, the cells may lose up to 28% or more of their water volume. This certainly undermines all cellular activities, whether they occur in skin cells, stomach cells, liver cells, kidney cells or heart cells. Whenever there is cellular dehydration, metabolic waste products are retained, causing symptoms that resemble disease but in truth are nothing but signs of disturbed water metabolism. Since more and more water begins to accumulate outside the cells, the dehydration may not be apparent to the afflicted person; he may in fact notice that he retains water, leading to swelling of his legs, feet, arms and face. Also his kidneys may begin to hold on to water, markedly reducing urinary secretion and causing retention of harmful waste material. Even the enzymes and proteins living in the dehydrated cells become so inefficient that they are no longer able to recognize the dehydrated state of the body; they fail to set off the 'thirst alarm'.
Demetria, a 53-year-old Greek woman consulted me to find relief for a painful condition of gallbladder disease. Her skin was dark gray, indicating a high concentration of toxins in her liver and throughout her body. Seeing how dehydrated (and swollen) her body was, I offered her a glass of water. She said: "I never drink water, it makes me sick!" I told her that her natural thirst signals no longer worked because of cellular dehydration and that without drinking water her body could not return to balance. Any water she would drink would instantly be used to remove some of the toxins lurking in her stomach, giving rise to nausea. In her case, any other therapy than drinking water would have been a waste of time and money.
A dehydrated person may also suffer from lack of energy. Due to the shortage of water inside the cell the normal osmotic flow of water through the cell membrane becomes disrupted or severely disturbed. Like in a stream, the movement of water into the cells generates "hydroelectric" energy, which is subsequently stored in form of ATP molecules (the main source of cellular energy). Normally, the water we drink keeps the cell volume balanced and the salt we eat maintains the balanced volume of water that is held outside the cells and in circulation; this generates the right osmotic pressure necessary for cellular nourishment and energy production. During dehydration, this basic process is undermined.
The Pain Connection
Another major indicator of dehydration in the body is pain. In response to increasing water shortage, the brain activates and stores the important neurotransmitter histamine, which directs certain subordinate water regulators to redistribute the amount of water that is in circulation. This system helps move water to areas where it is needed for basic metabolic activity and survival (from drought). When histamine and its subordinate regulators for water intake and distribution come across pain-sensing nerves in the body, they cause strong and continual pain. These pain signals, as they manifest, for example, in rheumatoid arthritis, angina, dyspepsia, low back problems, neuralgia, migraine, and hangover headaches, etc., are necessary to alert the person to attend to the problem of general or local dehydration.
Taking analgesics or other pain relieving medications such as antihistamines or antacids can cause irreversible damage in the body. They not only fail to address the real problem (which may be dehydration) but they also cut the connection between the neurotransmitter histamine and its subordinate regulators such as vasopressin, Renin-Angiotensin (RA), prostaglandin (PG), and kinins. Although the action of the pain killing drugs can relieve local pain for a while, they nevertheless stop the body from knowing the priority areas for water distribution, adding confusion to all its functions. Antihistamines -- also known as allergy drugs - effectively prevent the body's histamines from ensuring balanced water distribution.
In addition to jeopardizing the water regulating mechanisms, after reaching a certain pain threshold, painkillers become ineffective because the brain takes over as a direct center for monitoring pain perpetuation (unless of course the body is hydrated again). If the body produces pain out of its own accord (not caused through an injury), this should first be interpreted as a cry for water. The use of painkillers, which suppress this cardinal signal of chronic and local dehydration in the body and which "short circuit" its emergency routes, sabotages waste elimination and sows the seeds of chronic illness.
There is enough documentation to show that these drugs can have fatal side effects. They can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, killing thousands each year. Yet the body's natural pain signals are perfectly normal responses to an abnormal situation, which may be simple dehydration. In the case that a pain is simply unbearable, the use of painkillers, however, may be unavoidable. At the same time, the pain-afflicted person should drink plenty of fresh water and discontinue all energy-depleting factors, as these tend to have a strongly dehydrating effect.
'Body Drought' - the Strongest Form of Stress
Our brain, working round the clock, requires more water than any other part of the body. Under normal conditions, it contains about twenty percent of all the blood that circulates through the body. It is estimated that brain cells consist of 85 percent water. Their energy requirements are not only met by metabolizing glucose (simple sugar), but also by generating "hydroelectric" energy from the water drive through cell osmosis. The brain depends greatly on this self-generated source of energy to maintain its complex processes and efficiency.
Water deficiency in the brain tissue cut downs its energy supply and thereby depresses many of its vital functions - hence the word depression. With a low level of brain energy, we are unable to meet our personal and social challenges and subsequently succumb to fear, anxiety, anger and other emotional problems. We may feel drained, lethargic, stressed and depressed. The chronic fatigue syndrome, which is commonly known as M.E., is mainly a symptom of progressive brain dehydration and subsequent retention of metabolic toxins in the brain. The syndrome may disappear on its own when the afflicted person stops stimulating the brain with caffeine, tobacco, drugs, animal products, etc., and begins a consequent program of re-hydrating the body.
The Stress Response
When dehydrated, the body has to put up the fight of a lifetime -- similar to the one experienced in a "fight or flight" situation. The body meets a crisis situation by mobilizing several powerful hormones, including adrenalin, endorphins, cortisone, prolactin, vasopressin, and Renin-Angiotensin (RA).
Endorphins, for example, help us to withstand pain and stress and allow the body to continue most of its functions. Cortisone orders the mobilisation of stored energies and essential raw materials to supply the body with energy and basic nutrients during the crisis. In other words, this hormone allows the body to literally feed off itself. This in itself is a very stressful and damaging situation for the body and is expressed by such emotions as, "I can't cope anymore" or, "I feel this is eating at me." Many patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS or other degenerative diseases take cortisone drugs, which often give them a boost of energy and morale for a relatively short period of time.
The 'success' of the drug, however, only lasts as long as there are still reserves left in the body that can be mobilized for energy and nutrient distribution. Once the body has used up its emergency reserves the organism can barely function anymore and the symptoms of disease become worse than ever.
Constriction of blood vessels
When the cells in the body are under-supplied with water, the brain's pituitary gland produces the neurotransmitter vasopressin, a hormone that has the property of constricting blood vessels in areas where there is cellular dehydration. During dehydration, the quantity of water in the bloodstream is reduced. Vasopressin, as its name suggests, squeezes the vascular system, i.e., the capillaries and arteries, to reduce their fluid volume. This maneuver is necessary to continue having enough pressure to allow for a steady filtration of water into the cells. This gives vasopressin a hypertensive property. High blood pressure is a common experience among people who are dehydrated. A similar situation occurs in the liver's bile ducts, which begin to constrict in response to restricted availability of water. Gallstone formation is a direct result of dehydration.
A person who drinks alcohol suppresses the secretion of vasopressin and thereby increases cellular dehydration (if alcohol consumption is excessive, cellular dehydration may reach dangerously high levels). To survive the body "drought," the body has to secrete ever more stress hormones, among them the addictive endorphins. With regular consumption of alcohol, meaning every day for several years, dehydration increases even further and endorphin production becomes an addictive habit. This may lead to alcoholism, a disease that has devastating consequences on a person's personal and social life.
Water Retention and Kidney Damage
The Renin-Angiotensin (RA) system is activated when there is a water shortage in the body. This system is used to direct the body to hold on to water wherever possible. It instructs the kidneys to inhibit urination and tightens the capillaries and the vascular system, particularly in areas that are not as vital as the brain and the heart muscles. At the same time, it stimulates an increase in the absorption of sodium (salt), which helps the body to retain water. Unless the body returns to its normal level of hydration, the RA system remains activated. But this also means that the pressure of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels remains abnormally high, causing the damage that is known as cardiovascular disease.
Hypertension and the retention of urine in the kidneys lead to kidney damage. Conventional treatments for this condition consist mostly of diuretic (urine forming) drugs and restricted salt consumption. Both may have severe drawbacks. Diuretic drugs, which are used to normalize the blood pressure, as well as reduced salt intake strongly undermine the body's emergency efforts to save the little water it has left for cell functions. The resulting stress response causes a further increase in dehydration and the vicious cycle is complete. There are so many kidney replacements made today that result from chronic dehydration, caused by something as simple as not drinking enough water or overstimulation of the nervous system.
The Caffeine and Alcohol Drama
The caffeine contained in such beverages as tea, coffee, cacao or colas not only stimulates the central nervous system and immune system but also acts as a strong diuretic. For every cup of coffee or tea you drink you relinquish approximately three cups of water, which the body cannot afford to give up without suffering damage. The caffeine containing cola beverages work in a similar way. Caffeine, being a nerve toxin, stimulates the body's stress hormones and triggers a strong immune response that may give a person the (false) impression that his level of energy and vitality has suddenly increased. To remove the nerve toxin caffeine, the body has to come up with extra water, which it takes from its cells. Hence there is an occurrence of cellular dehydration.
Caffeine, which is a major component in most soft drinks, removes water from the body faster than the body can absorb it again, thereby generating constant thirst. People, who frequently take soft drinks, can never really quench their thirst because their bodies continually and increasingly run out of cellular water. There are college students who drink as many as 10-14 cans of cola a day. Eventually, they confuse their bodies' never-ending thirst signal with hunger and they begin to overeat, causing swelling and excessive weight gain. Apart from its diuretic action and its addictive effects on the brain, regular caffeine intake overstimulates the heart muscles, causing exhaustion and heart disease.
Alcohol has a similar diuretic effect as caffeine containing beverages. For every glass of beer, for example, the body is forced to sacrifice about three glasses of water. A hangover results when due to alcohol abuse the brain suffers severe dehydration. If this occurs repeatedly, a large number of brain cells become damaged and die. Many important brain functions slow down or become depressed. Recovery is possible to a certain extent if alcohol consumption is discontinued.
Kidney Stones
The main functions of the kidneys are to keep the blood pure and healthy and maintain proper fluid balance in the body. To accomplish this difficult feat, the kidneys constantly monitor normal blood volume and filter from the blood the right quantity of urine to keep it balanced. There are many influences that can disrupt this mechanism and cause congestion in the kidneys. They include overstimulation, dehydration, fatigue, overeating, gallstones, blood pressure disturbance, medical or narcotic drugs, vitamins, digestive disorders, etc. When the kidneys are incapable of sufficiently separating the urine from the blood, part of the urine continues to circulate throughout the body, depositing urinary waste products in the blood vessels, joints, tissues, and organs. Skin diseases, strong body odor, sweating of palms and feet, water retention, intestinal swelling, high blood pressure, etc. are all signs of toxic blood caused by crystals and stones in the kidneys.
Stones in the kidneys begin as tiny crystals and can eventually become as large as an egg. The tiny crystals are too small to be detected by X-rays and since they do not cause pain, they are rarely noticed yet they are big enough to block the flow of liquid through the tiny kidney tubules. Crystals or stones are formed in the kidneys when urinary constituents, which normally in solution, are precipitated. Precipitation occurs when these particles occur in excessive amounts or when urine becomes too concentrated. The crystal particles or stones are usually full of sharp angles, which may cut and wear away the inner surface of the urinary canal (ureter) during their passage from the kidneys to the bladder. This causes severe pain in the loins or lower back. There may even be blood in the urine, pain running down the legs, numbness in the thighs and a difficulty in passing urine.
Most crystals or stones originate in the kidneys, although some may also be formed in the bladder. If a large stone enters a ureter, urine flow becomes obstructed. This can lead to serious complications, such as kidney infection or kidney failure.
Why The Need For A Kidney Cleanse?
The kidneys make a tremendous effort in trying to keep the body clear of toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury and other impassable pollutants. They also maintain fluid and electrolyte balance and regulate the pressure from the heart that forces the blood through their filtering system. Kidney stones greatly impair this ability, which consequently increases the amounts of heavy metals and raises the body's general level of toxicity. This can lead to infection, high blood pressure, heart disease, brain disorders, cancer and many other diseases.
The following signs indicate the presence of crystals and stones in the kidneys or bladder: A dark or whitish color under the eyes; puffy or swollen eyes, particularly in the morning; deep wrinkles under and around the eyes; tiny whitish, tan-colored or dark lumps under the eyes, which can be felt or made visible when stretching the skin outwards towards the cheekbones; overlapping of the skin of the upper eyelid; chronic pain in the lower back; swelling of feet and legs; constant fear or anxiety. There are a number of herbs that can effectively dissolve kidney stones within a period of 20-30 days. Whether someone has been diagnosed as having kidney stones or not, doing a kidney cleanse once or twice a year produces tremendous curative and preventive benefits. The kidney cleanse not only improves physical health but also reduces stress, fear and anxieties.

[This is an excerpt from the book 'Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation' by Andreas Moritz]
Andreas Moritz is a writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine. He is the author of 13 books on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation and Cancer Is Not a Disease. His most recent book is titled 'Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time.
Moritz is also the creator of Ener-Chi Art ( http://www.ener-chi.com ) and Sacred Santémony.
Much of his life's work has been dedicated to understanding and treating the root causes of illness, and helping the body, mind, spirit and heart to heal naturally.
Connect with Andreas at: http://www.facebook.com/enerchi.wellness
Copyright © 2011 by Andreas Moritz

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andreas_Moritz

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January 2012 teaching: The Bravery to Bloom

2011-12-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais
Nin

Yoga practices help us to clear away the debris that gets in the way of expressing our innermost and highest nature. It helps us to clear away all that is false to be
our true selves. Many of us, I daresay in the Western world especially, all of us, at one time or another struggle with our confidence or our self-image. For some of
us, that negative view is debilitating and robs us of all real joy in life. For some, our harsh self-view is the ultimate obstacle to freedom in life. There comes a
point when, as Rumi calls it, we reach, "self-hating fatigue", the point at which we cannot stand to be so filled with hate, anger, guilt, and sadness. This is the
point from which we give up clinging to our fear, and we are ready to blossom. We can give up the habits of negative self-talk, self-depreciating, passive-agressive
self destruction and finally begin to have compassion for our self as a living being.

Anyone can sit in self-pity and misery if it is their habit, but it takes true bravery to begin to care for ourselves. And once we do, we see that to care for oneself
is not selfish, but is the only way to care for others. When the cup of our heart is empty, we have nothing to give to others, we are not kind or compassionate. But
when the cup of our heart is full, that which overflows can be given to all around us, we are automatically kinder, more joyful, more helpful and patient. Being deeply
honest makes the world a better place by our mere presence. Following our heart conscience is the way to blossom and brighten the world. Our happiness lights the way
for those around us.

Building trust in your own heart-conscience by experience, you learn that you can withstand anything that life brings and that there is beauty to be found everywhere.

NO ROOM FOR FORM by RUMI

On the night when you cross the street
From your shop and your house
To the cemetery

You'll hear me hailing you from inside
The open grave, and you'll realize
How we've always been together.

I am the clear consciousness-core
Of your being, the same in
Ecstasy as in self-hating fatigue.

That night, when you escape your fear of snakebite
And all irritations with the ants, you'll hear
My familiar voice, see the candle being lit,
Smell the incense, the surprise meal fixed
By the lover inside all your other lovers. This heart tumult is my signal
to you igniting in the tomb.
So don't fuss with the shroud
And the graveyard dust.
Those get ripped open and washed away
In the music of our final meeting.

And don't look for me in human shape,
I am inside your looking. No room
For form with love this strong.

Beat the drum and let the poets speak.
This is the day of purification for those who
Are already mature and initiated into what love is.

No need to wait until we die!
There's more to want here than money
And being famous and bites of roasted meat.

Now, what shall we call this new sort of gazing house
That has opened in our town where people sit
Quietly and pour out their glancing
Like light, like answering?

'No room for form' by Jelaluddin Rumi page 138 'The 'Essential Rumi' translations by Coleman Barks. Harper Collins 1995

Attitude of 'no gain' in Relationships- from Tricycle

2011-12-22T21:50:00.002-05:00

?MY TEACHER Charlotte Joko Beck pretty much sums up her attitude toward relationships when she says, “Relationships don’t work.” Rather than talk about everything we normally think that we gain from relationships, like love, companionship, security, and family life, she looks at relationships from the perspective of no gain. She focuses on all the ways relationships go awry when people enter into them with particular sorts of gaining ideas and expect relationships to function as an antidote to their problems. Antidotes are all versions of “If only...” If only she were more understanding; if only he were more interested in sex; if only she would stop drinking. For Joko, that kind of thinking about relationships means always externalizing the problem, always assuming that the one thing that’s going to change your life is outside yourself and in the other person. If only the other person would get his or her act together, then my life would go the way I want it to.

Joko tries to bring people back to their own fears and insecurities. These problems are ours to practice with, and we can’t ask anyone else, including a teacher, to do that work for us. To be in a real relationship, a loving relationship, is simply to be willing to respond and be there for the other person without always calculating what we are going to get out of it.

Many people come to me and say, “I’ve been in lots of relationships where I give and give and give.” But for them it wasn’t enlightenment; it was masochism! What they are missing from Joko’s original account is a description of what relationships are actually for—what the good part is. In addition to being aware of the pitfalls that Joko warns us about, we should also look at all the ways in which relationships provide the enabling conditions for our growth and development. That’s particularly obvious with children. We would all agree that children need a certain kind of care and love in order to grow and develop. Nobody would say to a five-year-old, “What do you need Mommy for? Deal with your fear on your own!” The thing is that most of us are still struggling with remnants of that child’s neediness and fear in the midst of a seemingly adult life. Relationships aren’t just crutches that allow us to avoid those fears; they also provide conditions that enable us to develop our capacities so we can handle them in a more mature way.

It’s not just a parent-child relationship or a relationship with a partner that does that. The relationship of a student with a teacher, between members of a sangha, between friends, and among community members—all help us to develop in ways we couldn’t on our own. Some aspects of ourselves don’t develop except under the right circumstances.

Aristotle stressed the importance of community and friendship as necessary ingredients for character development and happiness. He is the real origin of the idea that “it takes a village” to raise a child. However, you don’t find much in Aristotle about the necessity of romantic love in order to develop. His emphasis was on friendship.

Aristotle said that in order for people to become virtuous, we need role models—others who have developed their capacities for courage, self-control, wisdom, and justice. We may emphasize different sets of virtues or ideas about what makes a proper role model, but Buddhism also asserts that, as we are all connected and interdependent, none of us can do it all on our own.

Acknowledging this dependency is the first step of real emotional work within relationships. Our ambivalence about our own needs and dependency gets stirred up in all kinds of relationships. We cannot escape our feelings and needs and desires if we are going to be in relationships with others. To be in relationships is to feel our vulnerability in relation to other people who are unpredictable, and in circumstances that are intrinsically uncontrollable and unreliable.

We bump up against the fact of change and impermanence as soon as we acknowledge our feelings or needs for others. Basically, we all tend to go in one of two directions as a strategy for coping with that vulnerability. We either go in the direction of control or of autonomy. If we go for control, we may be saying: “If only I can get the other person or my friends or family to treat me the way I want, then I’ll be able to feel safe and secure. If only I had a guarantee that they’ll give me what I need, then I wouldn’t have to face uncertainty.” With this strategy, we get invested in the control and manipulation of others and in trying to use people as antidotes to our own anxiety.

With the strategy (or curative fantasy) of autonomy, we go in the opposite direction and try to imagine that we don’t need anyone. But that strategy inevitably entails repression or dissociation, a denial of feeling. We may imagine that through spiritual practice we will get to a place where we won’t feel need, sexuality, anger, or dependency. Then, we imagine, we won’t be so tied into the vicissitudes of relationships. We try to squelch our feelings in order not to be vulnerable anymore, and we rationalize that dissociation under the lofty and spiritual-sounding word “detachment,” which ends up carrying a great deal of unacknowledged emotional baggage alongside its original, simpler meaning as the acceptance of impermanence.

We have to get to know and be honest about our particular strategies for dealing with vulnerability, and learn to use our practice to allow ourselves to experience more of that vulnerability rather than less of it. To open yourself up to need, longing, dependency, and reliance on others means opening yourself to the truth that none of us can do this on our own. We really do need each other, just as we need parents and teachers. We need all those people in our lives who make us feel so uncertain. Our practice is not about finally getting to a place where we are going to escape all that but about creating a container that allows us to be more and more human, to feel more and more.

If we let ourselves feel more and more, paradoxically, we get less controlling and less reactive. As long as we think we shouldn’t feel something, as long as we are afraid of feeling vulnerable, our defenses will kick in to try to get life under control, to manipulate ourselves or other people. But instead of either controlling or sequestering our feelings, we can learn to both contain and feel them fully. That containment allows us to feel vulnerable or hurt without immediately erupting into anger; it allows us to feel neediness without clinging to the other person. We acknowledge our dependency.

We learn to keep our relationships and support systems in good repair because we admit to ourselves how much we need them. We take care of others for our own sake as well as theirs. We begin to see that all our relationships are part of a broad spectrum of interconnectedness, and we respect not only the most intimate or most longed-for of our relationships but also all the relationships we have—from the most personal to the most public—which together are always defining who we are and what we need in order to become fully ourselves.

Relationships work to open us up to ourselves. But first we have to admit how much we don’t want that to happen, because that means opening ourselves to vulnerability. Only then will we begin the true practice of letting ourselves experience all those feelings of vulnerability that we first came to practice to escape."

From Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide, © Barry Magid 2008. Reprinted with permission of Wisdom Publications, wisdompubs.org.

Don't Throw Away This Day

2011-12-15T14:38:00.001-05:00

As I am about to write dates onto our 2012 calendar, I can easily get ahead of myself. Ooooh, next year's vacation, how great that'll be! But, I read a great blog article by Galen Pearl (Ten Ways to Find Your Happy Place and Stay There), that called us to remember that every moment is precious and we shouldn't throw any away, even in excited anticipation.

It is so easy to get caught in our heads, looking back, looking in, looking forward. But we have to remember to be here; just spacious, engaged and here, for as many sacred moments as possible. Every moment we are here is sacred. Every moment free of concepts is true freedom. This can be any moment of any day, regardless of where it falls on the calendar.

Throw no one and not one moment away. Each moment lived honestly and fully is a moment we are truly alive. Follow your truth with no fear, only love. There is not time but the resent, and today as beautiful as any other day.

Music as Yoga Therapy

2011-12-14T22:45:00.002-05:00

I had nearly forgotten what music has done in my life. Ever since I was old enough to know how to play a tape or CD, I would play a certain song or two, or album, over and over until I felt finished. That song or that album hit just the right chord in my heart: expressing the love, the loss, the longing, whatever I was experiencing at the moment. It would help me to move that energy through me, to process those feelings, insteaad of letting them get stuck. I'd feel fresh and new when I was finished.

Sharon and David offer music as one of the four pillars of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, and I totally understand why all over again. Not only the mantram, or sacred sounds, but any song or sound, if it is the right one in the right moment can be a mover of prana, of life energy. It triggers that feeling in the heart, and lets it flow. Sometimes it also helps tears to flow, further washing the energy through. Very often, at least for me, it is not enough to merely listen, but to sing the song, to belt it out, is what really does it. It is a form of pranayama.

What is the right song or sound? The one that you really want to hear, the one that feels right in the moment. You'll know when you've hit it- it'll be all you want to hear. It will leave you feeling fresh, present, expansive, clear and free.

Fresh mind, Trusting Self, Flowing on the Blessed Path

2011-12-04T21:53:00.001-05:00

When we embark on the spiritual path, that mere intention sets things into motion. With awareness comes information, feedback through the heart and body. We may receive a lot of feedback we consider positive or neutral, which is easy to honor.
We are greatly challenged when living in harmony with inner truth means doing something difficult, truly difficult. We are put to the test. And we will be slowly, quietly grinding until we walk the talk and listen to our spiritual-heart's intelligence. The karma will repeat, the groove (or pit) will get deeper, we'll get increasingly stuck until we finally take responsibility and take the appropriate measures to become in harmony with the truth.

We can learn from each instance where we ignore our truth until a crescendo of consciousness makes it impossible to turn a blind eye anymore. We can use it to increase our awareness and trust the inner knowing above the rational sense of propriety, hoping not to fall into the same mistake again. If we vow to only follow our inner truth, and live up to it, wouldn't that be 'pushti marg', the path of grace? ...following only the inner light of knowing, the Divine Self... so very often it is effortless effort, but sometimes it is agonizing, relentless, and cruel... But it always facillitates the highest good of all. Follow with trust in your inner knowing at all times, and proceed with unconditional loving tenderness for all.

Love demands us to start fresh

2011-12-02T20:05:00.001-05:00

A man (or woman), can never step into the same river twice. Both are constantly changing. It is never the same river, and we are never the same. Always changing, we keep evolving through our experiences. We can develop unconsciously by developing habits through conditioning or we can develop consciously through our awareness and choices.

To think of each other as solid entities and sources of happiness kills love. To each be who they are moment to moment, and feel the light of love in the sharing of spcae and time is the real gift. But we cannot take this for granted. It requires honesty with ourselves, not just each other. It requires openess to be maintained through practice.

To a great extent, labelling love and trying to disect it for rational understanding does little for the world. To open oneself to feel love naturally without judgement or boundaries is pure bliss, a connection to the Divine in our own hearts. Love is such ecstacy, that it is easy to become attached to it, that is, selfish and fearful. There is a real poverty mindset towards love in our culture. So when we feel it, we can automatically become afraid to lose it. That egoic attachment and fear is exactly what destroys love. It wants to control, it is jealous, it is attached to the high.

Starting fresh in each moment by being present, we can enjoy love fully. We can worry less about "how long will it last?" and instead just delight in it. By being our Self as honestly and courageously as possible in each moment, we can continue to love and feel loved just by being alive. The gift of love becomes omnipresent. The fear can disappear. We are new and open in each moment to the love that arises from within.

December Teaching: Starting Fresh

2011-11-30T21:27:00.001-05:00

When we meditate, we are clearing the slate of our mind, habits, and views. We can come out of each session fresh and new, and
consciously choose how to act, think, be. We do not have to act in accordance with the habitual personality that we have created or fallen into. To do so (blindly
follow the habits/personality) is to let conditioned beliefs, inherited ideas, stale views and patterns that cause discontent to rule us. Whatever habits or patterns
are conscious and leave us feeling spiritually peaceful, content, loving, and generous are likely the ones we should keep. Resentment, jealousy, inadequacy, drama,
anger, and judgement are some of the patterns we should let fall away, no matter how well we can make excuses to justify them.

Every moment is a moment that we can
start fresh in. It just takes self-control to resist the hard pull of our habits. Coming out of our old comfort zone can be frightening, but nothing can be more truly
liberating. In fact, if we do not venture into new territory, starting anew every moment, we can never be liberated or live life fully. We are responsible for our own
life's bhava, or tone. Set the tone, and all will follow. --from enlightenamsterdam.com

Ram Dass Holiday Interview (Spirituality & Health magazine)

2011-11-30T21:23:00.001-05:00

http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/magazine/2011-november-december/interview-with-ram-dass.html

“Better Souls than Roles:" An Interview with Ram Dass

By Paul H. Sutherland

from Spirituality & Health magazine * November-December 2011

Ram Dass, which means “servant of God,” was born Richard Alpert into a Jewish family in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1931. He earned a PhD in psychology at Stanford and began his spiritual awakening in the early sixties, using hallucinogens at Harvard with Timothy Leary. In 1967, he traveled to India, where he met his Hindu guru, Neem Karoli Baba, whom he calls Maharaj-ji. His most famous book is the 1971 classic on meditation and yoga, Be Here Now; his latest book is Be Love Now. Recently, Spirituality & Health columnist Paul Sutherland visited Ram Dass’s home on the island of Maui and spoke about giving and the holidays.

Paul Sutherland: What meaning does Christmastime have for you?

Ram Dass: It’s a celebration, the giving of gifts on one hand and the celebration of Christ Jesus’s birth on the other. I’m Jewish, so we celebrate Hanukkah. At Christmas, we got a tree, which was a bush (laughs). When I was a child, my peers were celebrating wildly, and I sort of didn’t know about Christmas, and so, I fell in love with Christ, fell in love with Jesus — and I am in Christ, and I didn’t know then, but I know now what Christmas is all about.

What about presents?

The giving and receiving is the tricky thing. It’s not the gift. It’s what the heart says in giving the gift, and from my point of view, one doesn’t give or receive — that’s a role we have to play. But the gift — it’s God’s gift. I think that it’s better to be souls than roles.

Roles of giving?

Right, yes. The present is two souls, come together. The giving and receiving is the way for them to come together. I think that people should give gifts by really recognizing the spiritual worth of the person and their (the givers’) own worth. You usually give a present that the other person needs or wants, and I think it just emphasizes wants and needs. Now, of course, with kids, it doesn’t matter, you know, because they want, they want, they want, they want . . .

If you think of the gifts that you’ve been given, what gift comes to mind?

At Christmas? I think I would say that the gift of the love of Jesus. That’s the best gift.

And how did you discover that?

Well, I usually go to church at Christmastime, and I’m meditating while I’m at church and usually meditating on Jesus. And it’s his love, and that’s a pretty good gift. Now I’ve gotten cigars, and desk sets, and dictionaries, and shirts — lots of shirts — and slacks, and jellies, and jams. We had a raspberry patch, and Dad likes to make raspberry jam, and that’s a big thing at Christmastime to give — to give raspberry jam.

What would be on your Christmas list today?

Spiritual books.

Which ones?

All teachers are one person. I read Rama Krishna, or I read Ramana Maharshi, and it’s just like Maharaj-ji. In fact, it’s not just Eastern, because the Christian mystics or the Jewish mystics — they’re all the same person. Well, they’re different — they have different paths up the mountain — but they’re all going to the same place. They’re all as One. When you try to differentiate — like Buddhism from Theism or something like that — it’s good for your mind, but actually, they’re all the same place. They just have different signposts. I think that it’s good for you.

When you’re climbing that mountain, what’s at the top?

Your spiritual heart, which is the One inside. It’s the little voice in the heart. The mountain isn’t external; the mountain is inside.

It’s easy to start walking up a mountain, but if it’s in here, the path is a bit obscured, perhaps?

Well, you could take many paths. You could attend to the moment. Because if you stay in the moment, the moment is not time and space. The moment is infinite. I usually like to use love, and I love everything. And that brings me to the place where I am love. You are love. And so are all the trees and the ocean and all. You get Oneness with everything — to love. Or you can, say, use energy, like Hatha yoga. Bring the Kundalini up, bringing it up gently, through the chakras. Or it can be to use the mind; read books. It’s the place at the top of the mountain, the place, and it’s not, and it’s not, and it’s not, and it’s form and it’s not form. But it’s both.

And the words make it hard to describe? Is that what you’re saying?

Yes. In fact, the top of the mountain is clouds. The clouds are in your mind.

When you talk, you talk about everything is love, and I’m wondering about your stroke and how that changed the way you see things.

I was depressed, and think that was because my faith was wavering. Before the stroke, I had a graceful life. His grace was an incredible part of my life, and then the stroke, and I said to him in my mind, “What were you doing? Where were you? Were you out to lunch or something? Because this isn’t grace.” And then he told me, “This is grace.”

So in that depression and in that state of realizing that your life had changed forever, you came through that feeling grace?

Yeah. It made suffering graceful in my life. I wouldn’t say, “You’re not suffering; it’s all grace.” No, no. I would say there was just a little change of attitude. I came around from the stroke in the hospital, and everybody said, “Oh! Isn’t that too bad — your stroke.” I sat with Maharaj-ji’s picture, and I asked, “Well, is it really that terrible?” And he says, “No.” For example, I was a long time without speech, and I was really that silence. I was just loving.

You didn’t want everybody else to be silent, just you?

No. I was giving speeches. And silence isn’t great. I realize that dependency has just a little essence thing that I had never met. It’s like when you’re on the curb in your wheelchair, and somebody comes along and asks, “Can we push you across?” and boy, it’s gratifying to get that. It’s not the push across the street, but it’s the motivation.

How do we get out of that mind that’s always sort of judging and looking at the differences and not the similarities?

The Maharaj-ji taught me that I could identify with my soul. He said, “Ram Dass, love everybody.” I said, “I can’t do that. I can’t do that” [points to his head]. He says, “Yes, you can.” Then he said, “Tell the truth.” I can do that. “Tell the truth and love everybody.” No. I can’t do that. And I kept saying no [motions to his head], and he kept saying, “Yes [motions to his heart], with your heart, and you can see the souls.” You can see the souls. —S&H

Love is the Guide, Are You Brave Enough to Follow?

2011-11-26T15:11:00.001-05:00

If the ultimate the purpose of yoga is Self-realization, or releasing all that not an expression of our essential nature, then our spiritual heart is the crucial compass on the journey.
If we live "normal" lives in tune with culture, we should seek happiness in material goods, and we should base our relationships to others on appearance propriety according social norms, which includes ignoring or supressing our honest experiences. No wonder cancer is at an all-time high, general morale is low, and people are fed up enough to occupy Wall Street.
Our culture gives us no model for truly following the guidance of the spiritual-heart/soul. Beyond loads of romance novels or chick-flicks that make it look so clean and easy, it can be much more complicated then that. Real life living based on the heart means lots of self-control, unselfish passion, and the guts to practice kind but incredibly, brutally raw honesty.

Following the rational or socially-accepted way of life, we see numerous examples of how we don't want to live: loveless marriages filled with passive-agressive rage, understimulated brilliance in people of all ages, and a fear of life that keeps people bored, frustrated, lonely, and generally unfulfilling their life's entire purpose. It is not worth trying to fit in, especially when normal in America means some level of dis-ease; tragic lack of self-esteem, cynicism that makes life miserable or physical maladies.

For God's sake (literally!), we need to wake up and come to our senses. Stop ignoring the cries and wisdom of the body and heart! Learn to hear the "small, still voice" within by paying attention to the sensations within the body. We feel our physical and energy bodies in the frame of our physical body. Tune in. Learn to trust your inner knowing and deepest experience.

For what we have to shell out in restraint, effort and determination, we are rewarded manifold with limitless joy and satisfaction, feeling truly fulfilled in how we use this precious life.

Veggie 'meatballs'

2011-11-04T22:53:00.001-04:00

These are simple and delicious! They make for great vegan spaghetti and 'meatballs', or change the spices (add fennel and crushed red pepper flakes) to use these as a faux Italian sausage.

dried White beans, cooked in a slow-cooker on high 6-8 hours until well done
bread crumbs
whole wheat flour
dried oregano, thyme, parsely, and garlic granules
salt
Combine all but the flour. Puree with a blender, and add flour slowly, a couple tablespoons at a time, mix thoroughly by hand, aiming to achieve a very stiff dough. Refrigerating the dough for at least an hour before cooking helps it to stay together.

You can bake the little veggie balls on an oiled cookie sheet, or I chose to sautee in a little less then 1/4 inch of high heat oil, like safflower. Keep moving them as they become golden/medium brown. Serve with tomato sauce.

For a gluten-free version, perhaps sticky white or brown rice would work, possibly adding GF cracker crumbs as well.
Enjoy in good health and clear conscience! Namaste!

Lentil Carrot Soup

2011-11-02T20:32:00.001-04:00

Fall is a great time for vegan soups, stews, and chilis. This soup is simple, hearty, and delicious! We used crumbled chunks of whole grain bread to toss is, but crackers, brown rice, or barley are also great toss-ins as well.
Start this in the morning for dinner, or before bed for lunch.

dry Lentils de Puy (french green lentils)
carrots, peeled and cut crossways into coins
a head of garlic, chopped or minced
oil of choice
lots of water (3 times as much as lentils for stew, about 5 times as much or more to make this a brothier soup)
a few servings of "better then boullion" vegetable base (available on the Nature's Place ailse at Hannaford)
dried spices to taste: garlic powder, ginger, parsely, cilantro, curry powder
a decent serving of salt
Put it all together on high setting in your slow cooker and let it go for 8 hours or more! Check in when you can, about midway if possible, and adjust the water level if you need to. Enjoy!

November Teaching: Gratitude and Perception

2011-10-26T21:14:00.001-04:00

"Yoga provides the means to reintegrate all aspects of one's being. If one's heart is filled with sincere,

pure, and selfless intention, then one will experience a deep internal healing and a deep inner peace in one's own body,

mind, and soul".

-Sharon Gannon, Cofounder of Jivamukti Yoga

November 2011: Gratitude and Perception

The Buddha said, "What we think we become." What we are looking for and
expecting colors what we find, as does our attitude. Therefore, life truly is what we make of it. It doesn't mean everything
is easy or clear just because we have a good attitude, however, we do have the option not to struggle or suffer. Pain and
discomfort are inevitable at times, but if we keep ourselves open and remember that everything is an opportunity for mental-
emotional-spiritual growth, then we will be connected to the peace deep within. Even when we are sick, we will have gratitude
for whatever is good in our life. Our very life depends on the sacrifice of the lives of others- both in the sense of hard
work, and at times, literally the giving up of life so that we may continue on. Plants are just as alive as animals, and they
sacrifice for us constantly. Our breath and their breath is a constant exchange: we breathe in the oxygen that they breathe
out, and they breathe in the carbon dioxide that we release. If we open our minds and hearts to revel in every small and
large wonder, we can regain a connection to the sacredness of every moment. In finding that connection, we live a compassionate life, filled expansive freedom, unlimited love and deep joy. If you look for the good, the connection, and the opportunity to love and be loved, you will find the kind of life that you long for. Change your perception, change your intention, change your actions to embody a vibration of conscious compassion, and this is what you will find within all life.

Throughout the month of November I will try and post many thoughts on living a life of gratitude, non-harm and compassion, and about the consequences of our expectations and actions. I will share ideas for a healthy, compassionate, sustainable, and delightful Thanksgiving feast (which can be applied to your holiday celebrations if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving).

While plants and animals sacrifice their lives to support our lives everyday, we can choose to eat only plants, which spares hundreds of animals per person each year, spares our health from the main killer diseases, spares the earth unsustainable and unneccesary abuse, and provides a bounty of delicious, affordable, enjoyable choices. Choose life, choose sustainability, choose compassion, choose plant-foods!

October 2011 teaching of the month~ Integrity with the Truth

2011-09-30T22:47:00.000-04:00

October 2nd is World Farm Animals Day. Every year, in the US alone BILLIONS of animals in factory farms live short,
miserable lives, suffering horribly, and are killed for food that is not even healthy for humans to consume.

Many people say things like, "if I knew the animal, I
couldn't eat it", or "I am an animal lover, but I eat meat" or "if I think about what it's like I don't want to eat it, so I won't think about it."

Plugging our ears
or turning a blind eye to the horrors that humans, animals and the earth suffer does not vindicate us from our responsibility to live ethically and in a way that is
harmonious with our deepest, highest conscience. It is very difficult to make changes in life, especially changes that take us further from cultural norms. However, if
we wish to be free from suffering, we need to live our lives in a way that strengthens our hearts and enriches not just ourselves, but all whose lives we impact everyday and with every choice.

Reflect on how many lives yours touches, from those on the road with you, neighbors, loved ones, tiny creatures on the ground where you walk, creatures that are affected by the creation of products you buy, people working to make those products, the animals who gives their lives to give you meat, milk, eggs, the earth who gives everything and takes so much abuse... reflect, from the center of your being outward, on all those lives you touch.

How do you want to impact the world?

Do you want to enslave people and animals by buying cheap sweatshop made goods, cheap chocolate bars at the expense of child labor, products (including eggs and dairy) that come from animals whose lives end in traumatic and excruciating slaughter? Is that your vote for how the world should be?

Get informed about veganism, about fair-trade products and foods. Do your best everyday and in all ways to live in integrity with the truth, living in a way that enriches you and all of those you touch. Inner peace cannot come while we are harming others. Contemplate integrity, truth, deep and total honesty on all levels. This is the beginning of the path to freedom.

Nothing But Here

2011-09-25T15:06:00.002-04:00

I have felt distracted lately, like I have been allowing too much energy to go into my thoughts and not being present. It manifests as a guilty feeling and almost a panicky sense of time going too fast to handle. I am with my son all day but distracted by chores, thoughts and not paying deep enough attention to him.

This is all subtle stuff, meaning that I am watching my son, he is staying safe, but we can be here and simultaneously somewhere else with our thoughts. It comes in cycles, I find. Sometimes its easy to disconnect from the constant thinking, and sometimes it lures you in. The ego is what the devil represents, that and the kleshas, or roots of suffering, such as avidya, or ignorance to Reality. It is interesting that the Qu'ran refers to the devil as "the obsessor", because the mind is filled with obsesive repetition of thoughts. Unenlightened beings tend to identify with and pay a lot of attention to, these thoughts. We miss consciously participating in life as it happens.

So I realize that the guilt and sadness I feel is a red flag, not something to keep creating or ignore. If we listen to our hearts and balance our emotional and rational urges, we can live a balanced path that honors love and service to others, especially those our dharma leads us to be completely responsible for (as minors), our children.

A clean house, good hygeine, pure water, and plenty of healthy food are important. So is living as an example of our highest beliefs. And one of those beliefs is that it is our honor and duty to pay our child as much undivided attention as possible. Being here and not in the fluctuations of mind-stuff (chitta vritti) is the most important way to show and share love. In our conscious, loving, gentle but passionate kindness, we don't just say I love you, we are unconditional love. Unconditional love is the highest high and the most ecstatic sensation of joy, it is a glimpse of the Self. It is this way in giving and in receiving. It is who we are, what we are, and the only way to feel it is to be nothing but here in the moment.

Global Mala Project Equinox Workshop-

2011-09-21T08:54:00.001-04:00

Wednesday September 21st 2011-

Participate in the first or second half, or stay for the whole event, dedicated to finding inner peace for the sake of world peace. Each half is a whole practice, but the entire workshop is going to be a deep hike into the heart!

5:15-6:40~ vigorous practice dedicated to discovering and dissolving the roots of suffering, freeing us to be peace and love. Practicing deeply physically, we will relax deeply as well.

6:40-7:45~ beginning with a little mantra, guided relaxation and meditation, our movements will be mainly inwardly directed explorations of being. Opening ourselves deeply, we go within to find the roots of peace and unconditional love in our heart.

Suggested donation $20, but any donation is accepted, as always.

This is in connection with Shiva Rea's Global Mala Project, creating a network of worldwide events for celebrating the UN's World Peace Day.

VEGAN Recipe: Simple Black Beans and Barley with Winter Squash

2011-09-20T21:15:00.002-04:00

I'd like to start sharing lots of beautiful vegan recipes. Hope you enjoy!
SIMPLE BLACK BEANS AND BARLEY WITH WINTER SQUASH

winter squash of choice~ here we used spaghetti squash, but butternut or acorn, or any others for that matter, are perfect

dry pearled barley

dry black beans

1 onion, size of choice
vegan broth or boullion or concentrate

grapeseed or safflower oil, or other non-gmo, high-heat oil

oil of choice for drizzling
sea salt

The method: I put dried black beans in a crockpot to simmer all day, about 12 hours, or you can do them overnight. With them I added plenty of water (at least 3 times the amount of beans), dash of salt and splash of real maple syrup, but blackstrap molasses is wonderful too. I coursely chopped an onion and tossed that in midway through.

For the barley, I threw it in a rice cooker with 2.5 times as much water as barley. You can use vegetable broth or add some concentrate such as Better Then Boullion's vegetable base. It can be started around the same time as the squash.

I used grapeseed oil on a baking sheet and on 375 degrees F let a lovely spaghetti squash bake. It was seeded and place shell side up. It took about 55 minutes or so to cook.

I tend to love simplicity, a good sprinkle of sea salt, a drizzle of grapeseed oil and voila! But you can actually change this dramatically with your choice of herbs and spices. Cumin and chili powder with the beans or thyme and a tiny touch of nutmeg with the barley make a very different dish!

Vote Now for the Holidays and Beginning Anew Week at Enlighten

2011-09-19T18:17:00.002-04:00

Dear Ones! It may seem too early to consider the holidays but please text (518-866-3621) or respond via FB to let me know your vote!

DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING: still coming to Happy Hour at 5pm?
BEGINNING ANEW WEEK: Dec 26-31 (M-Sa) we would like to host special classes and workshops instead of our regular classes... What would you like? Let me know your ideas!! Here are our ideas so far...

Jivamukti Yoga Workshop led by John Smrtic... maybe that Wednesday evening...?

Family Yoga Camp: 11am-12noon classes each day with a theme of living yoga, living health, living peace. Drop in $15 per fam or $65 for the week per fam.

Monday Night: New to Yoga Workshop: what Yoga is, how to practice, learn basics and have a great practice.

Tuesday Night: Natural Yoga Method Workshop: what the Natural Yoga Method is, a nice long practice and learning why we need to bring consciousness and sustainability to all we do for health and happiness. Led by Laura, the founder of the Natural Yoga Method.

Friday Night: Enlighten Your Life, Live Your Yoga: after practice share tea and healthy vegan snacks while we discuss what it means to be a Yogi or Yogini in this era.

Any requests for other topics.. Yoga, sustainability, vegan cooking...
Morning Practices or Daytime workshops with Christen... Any requests on times or topics???????
Thank you and namaste.

Back To Eden

2011-09-15T21:52:00.001-04:00

Visit www.backtoedenfilm.com to watch Back To Eden for free. I haven't had the chance to see it yet, but I plan to. It shows techniques for highly productive, highly sustainable and enriching agriculture.

It is so very true that by working with nature in growing and eating a plant-based diet we can feed the world, live healthier as individuals and be freer. We are sold so much biased information as fact these days. Whenever anyone stands to make a buck off of us we should question the information they present us with. The media often represents the highest bidder.

Having just dug my potatoes this week and with ideas for next year's planting dancing in my head, I won't wait long to watch this film. Jai Ma! Salutations, Mother Earth!

Indoor Gardening: lemons in the Northeast

2011-09-15T09:56:00.001-04:00

This lemon tree was started from an organic grocery store lemon's seeds in the Summer of 2009. She has been transplanted to this spacious pot and has taken off, growing her first branch recently. Anything is possible!

Tomatoes, greens, & even curcubits (squashes, cucumbers, melons...) grow phenomenally well in ots or 5 gallon buckets. Even potatoes can do famously well in buckets.

Everyone is a gardener at heart!!

Secial note for female yoga practitioners (and teachers)

2011-09-11T10:31:00.001-04:00

This is about the effect of inversions on energy during a women's cycle...

Inversions are very powerful energetically, and can reverse the downward flowing prana. This is why they should be done very lightly during menstruation, because the strong earthward flow of energy is very important and shouldn't be reversed. It is not about fatigue, lack of strength or any other issues. It is not gender-bias. Doing inversions like you normally would can prematurely stop the cycle...so unless you are consciously choosing to play with that as part of your sadhana, they should be minimized or avoided during the peak days.

During pregnancy, especially during the last trimester, inversions should be avoided, even mild ones like downward facing dog, to avoid moving the baby out of position or disrupting the powerful downward flowing prana (called apana). Inversions can be used as directed by a midwife to help the baby to move into position during the last weeks of pregnancy.

Namaste!

Resistance and Letting Go- who's in control here?

2011-09-10T22:45:00.002-04:00

As we sat in the Wild Woodstock studio practicing meditation, David Life said, "Let go of everything that get in the way of that peace within in each moment."

According to the philosophy, yoga, or oneness is our natural state. Yoga's practices help us to expand our consciousness to its natural, limitless state. They help us to see all of the ways that we resist our natural state, which is described a pure consciousness and bliss. Unparallelled joy is our default state, so where is our problem, why are we resisting?

From conception we start to get confused about the source of our joy (internal), we start to pick up habits, preferences and unconscious views from our friends families, culture and other experiences. This would be fine, but we cling to our likes and run from our dislikes, and form a hard, unchanging idea about who we are, what life should be like and where happiness comes from. As soon as we solidify these ideas and cling to them, we shut out the actual reality in each moment. Our experience becomes increasingly tainted by our ideas and we no longer see the truth. We suffer in this rigid state, constantly seeking a narrow range of approved experiences, averting ourselves to any newness or challenge.

Yoga practice helps us to see and remove these filters one at a time. We make the unconscious conscious. We embrace the unknown, the discomfort of newness, and the freedom of being unattached to our preferences. We can have preferences, but if things don't go "our" way, instead of throwing a fit we instantly accept that reality, and move on consciously.

I notice my habit of being constantly in motion, sometimes beneficial and appropriate, sometimes incredibly inappropriate. It is okay when doing chores or work, but when I give in to it at the wrong times it robs me of my most precious resource- time with my son. I remind myself to stay conscious, checking, "do I need to do that now, is it beneficial to us all?" Then I try and remember when I am with my son, or at other times, "now is not the time for this- let go of everything that gets in the way of this love and peace."

We all can get pretty addicted to constantly rushing, it becomes a strong habit. It takes recognition and strong self-control to break the habit of running at inappropriate times. Recognizing when we seek busyness or distraction just for the state of it, dilligently letting go of urges, compulsions, addictions we can regain self-control, literally taking the reigns back from our habits, placing control back in the conscious mind and heart.

Is Yoga for Real People?

2011-09-09T21:38:00.001-04:00

Some people feel like yoga is too esoteric for them. They are turned off by seeing others eat, sleep, live, breathe yoga in an outwardly apparant way 24/7. Maybe the Sanskrit terms, concepts and chants turn them off because they don't understand them. Yoga doesn't have to be esoteric. It doesn't have to look one way or another. But real yoga does influence the way practitioners live, at least in the sense of changing their point-of-views and priorities. You don't have to emmulate Indian culture, and you don't need to learn Sanskrit to benefit from yoga. You don't have to be "wierd" or isolated or be anyway that you don't want to be.

If anything, practicing yoga is about being yourself with less inhibition. It encourages open-minded acceptance of yourself and others. It encourages you to accept changes, challenges, limits and growth in life without suffering. It benefits the body, energy, emotions and mind all at once. It is about the middle path, sponteneity and developing an ever clearer view of reality and universal truth.

So just because the way other people express themselves under the influence of yoga turns you off or you have no desire to chant mantras doesn't mean that it won't benefit you. And in time, maybe you'll change your mind, or maybe not. Yoga is for anybody interested in highest health, happiness and the ending self-consciousness and uneeded suffering. You can be as "normal" as you want to be. But with your attention becoming stronger, you may very well notice that the need to fit in, and other habits become boring, annoying or are seen as unbeneficial and thus no longer useful to continue. Yoga helps you to discover who you really are, past all those conditioned responses and unconscious habits. From there you can know what makes you tick, how to be completely satisfied and happy in life. There's nothing "new-age", "superstitious", "wierd" or impractical about that. It sounds exciting to me!

Natural Migraine Relief

2011-09-09T21:14:00.002-04:00

Depending on what your trigger is, you may find different things relieving. My trigger is light, heat, what is known as "pitta" in ayurveda.

Feverfew is an herb that can be taken (always check with your doctor and pharmacist!) preventatively, or regularly when you feel one coming on, or have one more full-blown.

Fasting once my headache gets strong helps to avoid severe nausea, but with a weak headache or while fighting one off, eating something comforting helps. Sometimes low blood sugar contributes to tension and pain.

Relax the facial muscles, massage the face and scalp, especially the points around the forhead, temples, eye sockets... Use peppermint essential oil on the temples and hairline.

Shirodhara is an ayurvedic treatment in which warmed oil is slowly dripped from the hairline over the scalp, while you relax on a massage table. It is very excellent for regular migraine sufferers.

I love using a cool, wet cloth over my eyes and forehead, it helps immensely. A long bath, a soak in the hot tub or hot shower can help relax tense muscles that contribute to a migraine intensifying and going full-blown.

If you can, go to sleep! Stay cool (but not shivering cold) and relax your body and especially the face/scalp. Use a wet cloth and keep flipping it to the cool side when you stir. I used to put my forehead up to the wall to keep it cool when I was younger.

If you have to work or stay alert, relax your facial muscles as much as possible. Cool down, or quiet down, if sound is your trigger. Keep your mind present as much as possible, you will feel much more pain as soon as you even subtely stress.

Migraines can be treated with regular meditation, yoga, and staying well hydrated, in addition to observing and respecting your triggers. I have been able to make a full-blown migraine go away with some feverfew, a cold-cloth, consciously relaxing, and resting a little bit. Even while teaching yoga classes, or playing with my toddler, I have been able to keep migraines down to a dull roar with increasing success using these techniques. I have never taken migraine medications and don't plan to. And yes, I experience real migraines. Regular meditation/yoga practice is key because it hones the powers of observation and conscious relaxation that are crucial to recognizing the triggers and actions that make it feel better and worse.

One blessing of migraine pain is it can help you become more acutely conscious of the way you tense your facial and scalp muscles. There is a Guru in everything! namaste!

September Events at Enlighten

2011-09-08T13:13:00.001-04:00

Blessings to all! It has been heavy times in our community, but may we all know when to take help and when to give. May we be as generous as possible and assist in any way we can to restore peace and safety to our neighbors. May we remember that selfless service is rewarding in a deeply profound way that no material reward or fame could touch.

Our true success in life is measured by the way we live in relation to others. If our choices, words, thoughts and actions enrich the happiness and freedom from suffering of the world around us, then we are truly successful. Being rich spiritually is to love unconditionally all and to uplift others in any way possible. This will give us more lasting joy then owning any amount of posessions.

This September, we have many events to choose from, so we hope you find something that uplifts and inspires you! Namaste!

SEPT 11~ Satsang 3-6pm: a long, deep, devoted practice to bring us to our Source, followed by a vegan potluck and conversation with other positive-minded people. Suggested donation is $15, but if you have been adversely effected by the floods, please come for free. All donations will be used to buy baby and personal care items for those in need.

SEPT 21~ Global Mala Equinox for World Peace 5:15 to 7:45pm: come for the first or second halves or the whole practice.. 5:15-6:40 We will dig deep with a vigorous practice, devoting the fire of our effort to removing the obstacles to inner and outer peace... 6:40-7:45 We will use gentle movement and restorative postures to bring us to a deep state of inner communion, finding the peace within. $20 Suggested donation goes to SEEDS OF PEACE. ~World peace truly starts with commiting to inner peace as individuals, making peace a worldview and way of life.

SEPT 24 AND 25~ Classical Dance of South India- "An Evening of Bharata Natyam for New Audiences"- two shows, Sat 24th 6-7:30pm and Sun 25th 2-3:30pm... Join us for a performance of richly ornate, precise and narrative dance sponsored by Dakshina Palli, a non-profit dance school and company dedicated to preserving and sharing the tradition of this unique dance style. Tickets are $20 at the door ($12 for seniors and students with ID), and support Dakshina Palli and Enlighten.

SEPT 30~ Global Wave of Yoga 7-8:30pm: celebrating the culmination of "yoga month" the global wave of yoga is a synchronized practice. By practicing at our local times, we will wrap the earth in a practice of unity, love, peace and compassion. We dedicate our practice to the healing, well-being and complete joy of mother earth and all beings. Any donation accepted. Hosted by Christen.

All events hosted at Enlighten~
clock tower complex
37 Prospect Street
Amsterdam NY 12010

contact Laura by call or text: 518.866.3621
more info on: www.enlightenAmsterdam.com

Also, please save the date:
OCT 24th~ 3-4pm Gene Baur, founder of Farm Sanctuary will give a talk and host Q&A. Gene has been on the frontlines, advocating for farm animals, and rescuing them, from factory farms for over 25 years, seeing firsthand the cruelty and destructive results of human greed and ignorance.

Please tell your friends!

Learning about love~

2011-09-04T20:41:00.002-04:00

Love is said to be the feeling-tone of the universe. It is also called bliss or bliss consciousness. It is our goal, as yogis, to expand our sense of Self to include all beings, all of existence. Union, the meaning of yoga, is this, a visceral recognition of the quantum oneness of all that is.
Our culture doesn't equip us for this. We learn that love is something that is conditional, tempermental and exclusive. We are allowed to love our family members, our pets and our "one true love", and to an extent our friends. There is no allowance to be in love with others, or to care too deeply about our neighbors, strangers, or animals that are considered "useful" for food or other "uses".
This leaves the one Self shattered into bits and pieces. Why can't we love and respect the life of others. Why can't we be extremely generous with neighbors, strangers, or other species without being considered wrong or inappropriate? Why can't we fall in love with everyone we meet, without wanting anything from them? The one Self that is the entire universe, the one Cosmic Consciousness, also called God by many people, is in ALL equally. Omniscient, omnipresent, invisible and everywhere simultaneously, equally in trees, people and animals of all shapes and kinds, rocks, the earth herself.

Our society encourages a disconnected pity more then sympathy. What about empathy? If we take a moment to imagine ourselves in the same situation as the people, animals, or planet, I mean really think for a minute, we can feel a little of what they may feel. How would we change our reactions? Would we stop supporting the exploitation of children for cheap labor in coffee and coccoa fields by supporting fair trade chocolate? Would we purchase only fair trade teas to end the exploitation of women in the tea lands? Would we think again about paying for someone else to slit an animals throat (or worse) for us to eat it? Or change our minds about how acceptable we think wool is when we know that the world's major suppliers rip large areas of flesh off of the sheep without anesthetic?
Part of the course of enlightenment is is shining the light of consciousness to all the dark places within us, making peace with what we find. We also have to shine that light on all of the dark corners of our lives externally, learning the truth behind what we purchase, therefore vote for. We need to know where it came from and where it will go. In this truthfulness and open search for justice, we find an integrity developing. And from there, unconditional love arises, because we can see what others may see and relate to what they feel. We can empathize, see ourselves in them, and them in ourselves.
Some say that unconditional love arises in response to a recognition of the divine in another. We love that holy essence, the universal being. We can be in love with anyone and everyone, for me that means feeling strong, unconditional love for them. But ultimately we recognize that the love is not coming from them or because of them, but in reaction to finding our Self there, the love comes from within us, the other is a mirror of the Divine source and essential substrate of the entire universe: one ecstatic, fluid ocean of pure conscious love-bliss, of which we are all a drop.

Guerilla Volunteerism: just do something

2011-08-29T22:23:00.002-04:00

I have been very lucky in this very destructive aftermath of Hurricane Irene's wake. Not everyone has been that lucky. People have lost their homes to the floodwaters. All of us who have gotten away unscathed should be humble and grateful. Sitting home pretty much taking it all for granted and saying, "phew!", doesn't cut it. Can we do something to enrich the lives of those who have been affected? Can we do something to lessen the suffering, to bring some peace and happiness?
Donating to the Red Cross certainly helps, but can we take just a little more time and effort to go beyond throwing a buck in a jar and actually serve those in need? Volunteering for the Red Cross would be even better. We met two kind, strong, unselfish beings today, volunteering at one of the local schools serving as an emergency shelter.
We should rise up when others are in need, just like the hand goes to the foot when it is hurt. We are all one. We shouldn't do it for the glory, the pat on the back, the credit or thanks. We should do it because simply it is what is right, it is the least we can do. It is our privellege to help others.
Even if you aren't already a volunteer with the Red Cross, or if you don't think you have the time to make a difference, then you should do something anyways. We went to the school and just asked who was there what they needed. Then we went to the store and bought a few things and dropped them off. That's it. It really wasn't much, but we did something.
There are opportunities to help in many unglorious ways: see some trash, pick it up, throw it out; help an elderly neighbor; save a worm from scorching to death on the sidewalk; take a genuine interest in how someone is feeling; whatever opportunity is presented before you, it is your duty to rise to meet it with a fully opened heart. All volunteerism needn't be formal, recognized or remarked upon. It enriches us to serve others. That is it, the ability to serve is a privelege.
So rise to the next occasion for guerilla volunteerism. Take the time to enrich the life of another being, feel yourself enriched.

Feet as an expression of integrity in consciousness

2011-08-26T23:44:00.002-04:00

Freeze. Notice your feet. Are they equally and evenly touching the earth? Are your legs crossed? Try this while you are standing, while you are walking. Just notice the quality of awareness and the degree to which your feet twist or do not press into the ground actively with every step.
This is like a physical representation of how conscious you aren't in the moment. We resist Reality, the way our feet resist the floor. We can activate our feet, and feel the corresponding blossoming upward and opening of the chest. The degree to which we engage the feet is the degree to which the heart/chest can open. It is the degree to which we can be free and compassionate.
In our asana practice we should strive. Strive for engagement, strive for eveness, strive to activate. In shavasana, we relax fully, and the degree to which we can open, relax, transcend is the degree to which we were able to strive, work, strengthen. The harder we push without strain is the harder we can let go.
The we open up physically the more we can transcend the physical in meditation.
It all starts with the feet, our foundation, telling us how our relationship to the divine Consciousness is. Are we really open and accepting of everything life brings? Watch your feet and take the challenge to embrace life entirely.

Overcoming difficult relationships

2011-08-25T16:39:00.002-04:00

The true test of how far we are on the path is not how proficient we are at the poses or other techniques and practices, but how conscious we are in daily life and how conscious and compassionate we can be in our interactions with others.
We cannot think we are so enlightened if one harsh word from another crumbles our values and has usacting hateful and enraged. Its not to say that pain, anger, etc, will disappear, it is to say that enlightenment resides in our hearts, in our reactions, actions, intentions.. We can feel the anger fully, we can witness it and choose how to act consciously. We can cultivate the opposite emotion as Patanjali said to do in the Yoga Sutras. And at all times, we can look into our experiences as the Guru- opportunities to investigate where we are resisting our natural state. Everything is an opportunity for spiritual development.

We can dedicate the interactions that are challenging to revealing the Divine within as much as we can dedicate our joyous moments. The people who push your buttons are cosmically doing you a favor- they are acting like a catalyzing agent- speeding your growth if you accept the challenge.

Different techniques for working with difficult relationships exist, and really the number of techniques is limitless. You can find your own as well.

Witnessing: cultivating the identification of who you are with that witnessing state of consciousness invites a broader perspective. By stopping and witnessing the anger, jealousy, fear, etc. you can watch its effect on your mental state and physical form and begin to see the unconscious, automatic reactions that you employ. Slowly you will be able to witness the emotion and choose a new reaction.

Blessing: Sharon Gannon, co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga recommends a meditative technique that tranforms both yourself, the other and the relationship. Grounding in a meditation posture, inhaling, think "blessings to", and exhaling allow an image and name to arise. Starting with loved ones, moving to neutral beings and then to those that challenge you, push your buttons and whom you may very strongly dislike. David Life, the other founder of Jivamukti Yoga, tells a story of how that technique transformed his relationship with a person that was violently hostile towards him. After some time with that practice, the same man that had threatened his life at one time spontaneously greeted him like a very dear friend.

Step into their shoes with compassion: reflect on others as holy beings at heart, seeing how their unkind actions may come from pain, loneliness, and other places where they have been hurt. See that they are someone's child. See that we all bleed, laugh, cry. We could be in the same place ourselves. We all do the best we can with the awareness we have. Take the higher road and do unto them as you wish they could do unto you. Don't objectify and demonify other beings.

See the Divine everywhere: looking at all beings as the Divine consciousness transforms our interactions. When you are looking to see God in the eyes of others you are not going to be as prone to fixate on the less amicable qualities. You will begin to see what you look for, the indwelling consciousness At the heart, not the habits of personality unconsciously operating on the surface.

Everything is the grounds for enlightenment. The keys to happiness are right here within and everywhere in everyone. When we think of yoga not as a workout on the mat, but as a practice to transform our relationships and lead us to enlightenment, we see the opportunity in each moment. We accept all beings and experiences with the open, grateful heart of the student. We make the unconscious conscious. We live love and become whole.

Family and children's classes to begin again...

2011-08-24T17:37:00.001-04:00

As Fall approaches, we will soon begin family/children's offerings again.

I need to know who is interested, and what you would like. I want these classes to take off, but I need your help, through feedback, to serve you and your family!

What age are the children you'd like to bring? What day of the week and time would be perfect for you?

I am starting to envision a very loosely structured class where toddlers are welcome to play with toys or join in. Bigger kids can participate and be examples and learn to help the little guys. Classes would build friendships, family and communal bonds, patience, concentration, confidence, fitness, compassion and reverence for life. Children raised with these qualities become gifted at anything they do and are valuable local and global citizens.

Class activities include partner poses, imagination activities with poses (which also are relaxing and strengthen concentration as well), mindfulness/meditation, and other activities such as stories, songs, games, or coloring and relaxation.

I envision one class, Saturday mornings, for families and kids 18 months and up. Younger kids will watch and freeplay with parents (who are responsible to be with their youngest kids first) and bigger kids can participate in a more structured way. Big kids can sit out and watch, journal or color instead if they choose. Kids older then ten are welcomed to participate on a more adult level. Ages 11 and up are welcomed to come to our regular yoga classes with a parent or other family member over 18.

Yoga and meditation provide body awareness, tools to develop confidence, inner peace; they impart invaluable coping skills for lifelong mental health. Yoga poses are a fun, non-competitive way to encourage fitness through strength, flexibility, balance and cardiovascular wellness.

Please let us know how to serve you and your family. Namaste!

What is real freedom?

2011-08-24T16:57:00.001-04:00

In our society, freedom is viewed commonly as the ability to buy, say, do anything at anytime, in spite of the consequences. However, this ties us deeper to the suffering of being at the whim of the ego, the false identification with thoughts and body as the full extent of the being.

If we can do and have anything, if we can hop on a plane anywhere, we can run away from everything- except ourselves. We can eat anything we want or have relationships with anyone at anytime, we are not free of the after effects, nor are we free from our inner experiences. No matter what we do, where we go, we are not free if we are prisoners in the tyrrany of the thoughts.

The thoughts are relentlessly streaming and if we participate whatsoever, it is like throwing fuel on the fire. The thoughts are repetitive, unconditioned behaviors and habits absorbed and strengthened over the years that we allow to define us. Only as we begin practicing mindfulness or meditation do we begin to notice that the thoughts define us- many of them can be very judgemental towards ourselves and others and are just echoes of things we've seen and heard from others.

We do not have any peace and therefore freedom until we begin to loosen the grip of the ego and stop limiting who we perceive ourselves to be by the defined parameters of personality. Then we become truly free to be what we are in each moment. Then we are free to be boundless. Then we are free to just be. This is true freedom, limitless freedom.

A Powerfully Liberating Practice

2011-08-23T21:45:00.001-04:00

The past has happened, and this moment is happening. We can't change it by complaining, we can't stop it by resisting, and if we fight, we suffer. If we cling too hard to our preferences and expectations, we suffer. The end of suffering is the end of clinging. When we open our hearts wide enough to swallow reality we are free. When we surrender the struggle against what is happening, we have the energy to accept it.

Our culture doesn't give us a healthy structure for this way of living. Opinions and preferences are considered important ways to express our existence. They strengthen the ego, the false self. Its not that preferences are evil- its that we suffer when things don't go our way. Freedom is found in having an opinion, but fully accepting the outcome whether it jives with our opinions or not.

Complaining is used as a way of life, a form of social bonding. This unhealthy practice affirms the mindset that we know better then reality. If we constantly disagree with life, constantly complain, make critical and sarcastic remarks, we are out of harmony with reality. We cannot find peace when we fight the moment.

We have to be dilligent and whenever we feel frustration, strong tension or a sense of anxiousness or sad dragging or longing, we have to ask ourselves, "what am I resisting?". This simple practice becomes one of the most powerful and freeing of all!

Expectations cause suffering...

2011-08-22T15:57:00.001-04:00

Even compassion expectations, such as hoping and expecting that our tired child will fall asleep right away, create suffering when we get attached to them. If we get too wrapped up in the goal of napping, then all of the time between then and now becomes cheapened- precious time together thrown away and brushed aside with an anxious attitude.

By fixating on an expectation or even on something like a trip or event, not only do we give away the ability to fully appreciate all the time between then and now, but it is as if we tell ourselves that our happiness depends on getting what we want or on being somewhere other then where we actually are. Our attitude changes, our way of relating to others changes. The quality of our lives and of those around us drops.

Its not that having hopes, goals or exciting plans are bad things, its that being too attached to them causes suffering. If we cling too tightly to what we think SHOULD BE happening, we are disconnected from what IS ACTUALLY happening. This causes us suffering. If we have hopes, but remain open to what unfolds, we will be much happier, much more present and able to maintain inner peace through the changes life inevitably brings.

If we are not so attatched to our preferences, our likes and dislikes (raga and dresha in Sanskrit), then we are free to receive and enjoy what comes. If we let go of struggling for the goal, we effortlessly come into harmony with life itself and feel that the journey is the goal, that each moment is the goal.

The Power of Yoga.. To change your perspective in daily life

2011-08-21T22:59:00.002-04:00

A lot changed when a child is born. I knew that I was signing myself up for a challenging-yet-exquisite experience. I look at everything in life as a means to Self-realization, so my daily life, my relationship with my son, and the change I've made to care for him are no exception.

However, what I never thought about were the effects of practicing yoga formally much less then I had been. I was practicing 6 days each week pretty solid for at least 3 years, and almost everyday for 4 1/2 years when my son came. Now I rarely practice when I am not at work (due to the fact that my son needs supervision and attention), and to be an almost-stay-at-home mom, I reduced my work week to four days.

It took me a while to realize, but I really feel it on the days when I don't practice. And I don't mean just physically, although I am conscious of the compression in my spine I start to feel increasing if I don't redirect the posture properly with very frequent reminders. I mean that that sense of loving-bliss and patient resillience I have come to be is tested by the normal circumstances of life faster and faster the farther I am away from my last practice.
I am thankful for this opportunity to experience the power of daily yoga, then to have had it taken away, and to be able to feel the changes. I am aware that daily practice is incredibly neccessary if one really wants to transcend all of the pitfalls and negative habits of the human experience. If we want to be free from suffering, to live life from the still, loving center of consciousness, then getting to the point of being able to practice on our own and practicing in between classes is key.

I feel my mind heavy with junk, with sediment, and I feel the overthinking wearing me down in between sessions. I am not as loving, in fact I can fall prey to negatively perceived sensations that set off a cacade of energy blocking thoughts, actions and experiences, which drag my energy and mindset down.

Doing even 10-15 minutes of thorough sun salutations every morning, utilizing ujjayi breathing could be enough on the "in-between days". Over time, we can easily guide our own asana practice, and use group classes as a well to drink from once a week to keep us energized, creative, in-touch and on-track.

For a while I felt this slowly edging in, and I thought doing daily meditation would help clear and recenter me. Its not that meditation wouldn't work, but that for me, the difference between meditating "cold" or right after an asana practice is so profound that I have absolutely no desire to sit unless I am in the "right" state of mind, even if I have the desire to have the desire.

I think that my small, almost daily, window (a.k.a. nap-time), during which I have to fit all of the computer work that goes into running Enlighten and numerous projects, will be best used to include an asana and meditation practice on the three days each week that I don't teach classes. This is a more important self-discipline I feel then struggling to sit for ten minutes, when I can very clearly feel the alignment of my physical and energetic layers are off and need adjusting, so that the prana can flow as it should. Yes, this is what I feel, and its what you can detect with your senses too, and much more, simply by practicing yoga everyday. It may be 3 hours some days or only 15 minutes a day, but any bit helps expand your consciousness. Then there will come a time when you will know how much it takes to get yourself to the place where you are able to walk taller, meditate joyously, and live from your heart with an extraordinary amount of loving-bliss and brilliant creativity that allow you to be successful at all levels of life.

Balancing the mind and body

2011-08-21T16:01:00.001-04:00

There is definately a correlation between stress, fatigue, burnout, thinking too much, not getting outdoors enough and time spent using with technology (TV, computer, phone, video games..). The more time that is spent indoors on a nice day, or in front of the computer, the more a subtle, anxious energy builds up. Pitta, or fire in Ayurvedic terms, or rajas in Vedic terms. There is an imbalance that builds when the body is very inactive and the mind is very active.

The average person spends hours in front of a computer or rushing on the job, both of which speed up brainwaves, then comes home and plops in front of the TV to "rest". We become exhausted from mental exertion, and we zone out in front of the TV, relaxing the body, but keeping the mind sped up, and since we are tired, the mind absorbs all of the imagery like a sponge.

To balance this split between mind and body, try getting movement outside as much as possible, while relaxing the mind by not actively thinking. Enjoy gardening, yardwork, walking, cycling, or hiking for example, or take your yoga practice outside. Whenever possible incorporate practical tasks as to get the job done and not make more "things to do" to stress you out later. Life can be your gym if you embrace it- between chores and outdoor hobbies one can stay very active and fit physically.

It seems that if our physical exertion can match our mental exertion, we start to feel balanced, and after a session, maybe 15-60 enjoyably vigorous (to our own definition) minutes, we are integrated and rejuvenated. We can then relax more fully. Our mind can be more still, even as we move through the rest of our day.

That is why at the culmination of our yogasanas, after the cleansing of pranayama, we are most open to meditation. After we tense and finally release, we are more clear, the lake of the mind more calm, and we can see the bottom more easily.

What do you want to know about Yoga???

2011-08-20T00:02:00.001-04:00

I am inspired many times during the day to write, but only have so many chances to actually write. I write to share yoga with the world, and for the benefit of all.

So please let me know-- what would you like to know about yoga (practice, philosophy, lifestyle...)??? I am so inspired to share, and would love to answer specific questions or requests. If I don't have an answer, I can send you in the right direction of one who may have the answer you need.

I am at your service! In loving presence, Laura

Yoga insights

2011-08-09T23:03:00.002-04:00

Guru~ may I be a guru to those that I can be of use to. May I be able to shine the light of unconditionally Loving-Awareness and celebrate the Self in all. I am here to be of service. I-AM here to enrich the earth & beings around me, it is my delight and joy to be useful to others.
Freedom~ true freedom is freedom from the tyranny of the ego, and consciously deciding how to live. Self-control with loving-awareness, living joyfully, compassionately and consciously is bliss. Running amok, packing it all in, quantity over quality and doing anything, anytime, anywhere is not real freedom; it perpetuates ignorance, ignore-ance and contributes to suffering.

Love~ "prem" or "priya" is the love of a mother for her only little baby. Some love Existence/God like a lover loves Beloved. Some love like a friend loves a Friend. Some enjoy the relationship as a subject loves a King. Some experience It as a Parent-child relationship. While I enjoy moments of lover/Beloved occasionally, I very often explore, sample, delight in Life with the holy wonderment of a child. I spend the vast majority of my time loving Life/Earth/God as a mother loves her only precious child, seeking to tenderly serve and pour unconditional Love into all. How do you Love the world?? I am not special, you too have an essence of unconditional loving-awareness. The way it manifests is effected by our age and stage in life's journey.

Practice~ we have to practice. It is as simple as that- check in every day. We can't think its a good idea and not do it. We just have to do it, to the best of our ability, each day. Compassion and consciousness need to be practiced everyday, and with that little effort, big transformations grow!

Dedication~ dedicate everything to something meaningful- to God, to serving others, to compassion and freedom from suffering for all, to unconditional Love and pure consciousness, the the Greater Whole... When you dedicate everything, something inside ignites, and life really responds.
Remember that we are all one. When we serve others we serve our Self.

"It is in the shelter of each other that the people live" ~ Irish proverb

may you be free from suffering and find your bliss and Love, may my offerings serve your path to freedom and Love-bliss. To ALL, everywhere.
Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu.

108 nights ~ how meditation prepares us for enlightenment

2011-08-07T13:33:00.001-04:00

108 nightly sessions of meditation from 8-7-11 to 11-22-11

I have decided to begin again, a new cycle of nightly meditation in bed. I think diving into Tantra/Mahamudra reminded me to think less and be more, but I also think that what felt so homey about it is how it excuses the laziness and resistence of the ego. To the ego, the small self that doesn't want to disappear, the idea of not challenging oneself with any discipline is exciting.

I was enjoying my sessions until I found an excuse to stop. I was learning a lot from them, and I witnessed so much egoic resistence to practice, although it was actually relaxing and enjoyable.

I won't set a forceful time limit, so ten minutes will be my basic standard, but more as I feel comfortable, following my bliss.

The goal of meditation is to enter consciously into Samadhi, a state of super-consciousness. To enter peretually after years or lifetimes of practice is enlightenment. But initially, entering Samadhi is like falling asleep: one can't force it to happen, one can only present the proper condusive conditions and let it happen naturally. So our practice of asanas, pranayama, bandhas, mudras, and meditation is all designed to prepare our mind and body for the intensity of Samadhi. We prepare, practice and let it happen.

Samadhi versus our typical state of awareness can be likened to electricity: the voltage of typical unconscious living is very low, whereas the voltage of Samadhi is extremely high. So through years or lifetimes of practices, we can cleanse, strengthen and prepare our nervous system, mind and body for that very intense state of consciousness.

In each moment our brain weeds out a vast amount of information, only presenting us with a very simplified version of what is actually pouring in through the senses. As we practice yoga we can handle more information, we become more conscious. We can experience heightened senses and I even find that greater sensitivity translates into occaisional overload, especially in boldly stimulating places such as malls, department stores, grocery stores. Continuing dilligently we can handle the greater and greater load with more and more peace and equinimity.

By practicing our indentification with "the witnessing consciousness", or sakshi in Sanskrit, our indentification with thoughts and body decrease and we abide more and more in a witnessing state, where we have peace and equinimity. From there we can develop the concentration and openess for the experience of Samadhi. From there we begin to live from our heart and in harmony with the higher Self.

Oh, pity us, the lumbering sleepwalkers!

2011-07-28T23:13:00.002-04:00

eIn the introduction to Will Johnson's "Yoga of the Mahamudra", he discusses the idea of correlation between degree of human consciousness and how straight and upright the spine is. The straighter we become the more conscious we become.

You might be saying, "hey, well now, aren't we all standing up pretty straight?" No, well, some of us more then others but no. We are much straighter then our ancient ancestors but evolutionarliy speaking, we have more work to do. "What?!" Yes! Check your posture. Even after six years of sleeping, eating, breathing, teaching, living, constantly seeking yoga I am still day by day discovering a new degree of alignment and a new degree of awakening consciousness, and I think that I may have quite a ways to go.

Thankfully, yoga and the awakening of consciousness (and the awakening of alignment, for that matter), is a process-oriented experience-- their isn't a need to struggle or race to the goal, because the goal is the process.

I am not an engineer, but if we talk in basic terms about the body as a structure, we can feel and understand this concept. Think of the four-leggeds, the quadripedal animals. Imagine them standing up onto two legs and prancing around. Oh, isn't the idea of prancing doggies and kitty-cats so cute? :) But seriously, whenever meow-meow and woof-woof come up, they can't stay long, because their entire structure is designed for their four-legged lifestyle. For humans to make the jump from knuckle-dragging apes (said with love) to bipedal beings was nothing short of radical, revolutionary and maybe even random.

Coming from that vision of humankind's two-leggedness, we can now shift to contemplating gravity- a force that we have to work to overcome, or that can effortlessly stabilize us, depending on our alignment. Posture has gone by the wayside, sacrificied to the frantic multi-tasking monster devouring our society. In ages long past, parents consistently worked on their children's last good nerve with postural reminders. Even if it was done just out of ettiquette or tradition or habit, it was quite beneficial. In the last century and especially last few decades, people don't seem to pay attention to their own banana-like posture, let alone their children's, we have just forgotten to care. We plod along like dinosaurs, with the posture of a jumbo shrimp.

There are many factors compounding the Western constellation of issues- illness, unhappiness and unconsciousness- one of which is poor posture. While we stopped paying attention, or where we never thought to pay attention, we have left our bodies to fall slowly into gravity. Most people don't actually think much about posture and bodily structure, how they sit or relax or stand or sleep. To stand in poor alignment increases structural pressure to 150% and to sit slouching increases that preasure to 200% or more. This constant, daily pressure is the equivalent of carrying that much extra weight, it prematurely grinds down joints like the spine and knees. It chokes circulation to a minimum, it starves the major organs very, very slowly. It pinches nerves and diminuishes their ability to function profoundly. It also makes our torso distend, get bloated, feel heavy and look much bigger then it is, making us feel very uncomfortable and unhappy with ourselves. It can cause major digestive issues, including contributing to IBS. We are paying a heavy price for our ignorance and laziness.
If we don't give any thought or attention to how we sit, stand and move, then we are relying on unconscious support, gravity is having its way with us, and we actually spend a lot more energy whenever we sit, stand or move just to stay up. Proper alignment takes months of transition to make it past getting some sore muscles (because they have to strengthen in new ways), and years of transtion to newer and newer levels of straightness and lightness. But its only work for a short while. Once we reach a critical mass point, we suddenly feel horribly uncomfortable if we slouch and have to stand up straight because it just feels so much better.

Consequently, since it takes reminding ourselves every time we notice postural deviation, we also strengthen our ability to be conscious. We have to develop a level of mindfulness, a low-level watching that monitors at least the body position, if not the body's other senses and signals as well. This is where the mind-body consciousness connection becomes clear. As we develop posturally, we develop a clearer and clearer level of consciousness.

So how should we be using our body, to stay well and evolve our brains in all our true bipedal glory?

step by step...
Whatever part of us touches the ground is our foundation- feet or feet and hips when sitting. Feet should be flat (watch how you may be habitually shifting weight to the side of one or both feet!), and especially when standing, should apply a gentle to moderate amount of pressure downward into the earth. Pushing down just a little activates the legs, and those big muscles do the majority of the work of overcoming gravity for us. Next, point the tailbone down toward the earth a little, drawing the lower-belly diagonally up and in, navel toward spine. Continue the gentle lifting upward through the chest, and allow your heart to be held high and openly, shoulders opened out to each side. The muscles in the upper-center area of the back will become much stronger and the chest muscles will need to get a bit looser. Slide the ribs back a bit to place them over the hips, and I know, it feels like leaning back at first, it's okay, it just takes practice.
So, to recap, feet (and hips when sitting) push downward, which encourages a lifting motion. Engage navel to spine and lift and open the chest high, allowing the ribs to slide back over the hips.
The stranger this feels the more important it is that you patiently and dilligently practice EVERYDAY, even weekends and holidays. The more you practice the more quickly it becomes natural. Practicing yoga poses helps speed this process tremendously and make it more comfortable. Working out usually makes it harder, because unconsciously, or maybe unavoidably, when we do resistance training we tend to strengthen our muscles in the same imbalanced patterns we hold all day- in other words the imbalanced tightness-looseness of the muscles is what causes improper posture, so working them out gets them stronger, but at the same level of imbalance- unless you work with a very exceptional personal trainer. ( I can help you with that, actually.)

To work on building proper posture similtaneously stimulates the opening of awareness. When we pay attention to our posture and regularly check in on it, we begin to develop body awareness. We hear the body's signals more clearly, we may even start to listen. In time we have found greater all-over health, we eat better because we feel the effects of junk food, we are more joyful because we are better taken care of, we have less stress because we feel better. Just by practicing better posture, we have practiced better mindfulness. We transition from unconcious living slowly to more and eventually fully conscious living, enlightenment.

So physically and mentally, practicing proper posture is one of the most powerful and important endevors possible. It is crucial. It is the work needed in our times. Through the doorway of the body we become more truly human, more alive, fully conscious. In this very lifetime we make a huge leap in evolution. By finding bodily peace we find mental/emotional peace, and with that, our desire to harm or hate others melts away. We become peace.

108 Days of Meditation~ sips of mindfulness + dancing with delight

2011-07-26T23:47:00.001-04:00

Originally attempted to post July 13, 2011

Inspired by Daniel Odier's book "Desire", I am changing techniques, but retaining my pledge of meditation for 108 days consecutively. Instead of requiring myself to sit in classical meditation for 20 minutes, I am going to take mindfulness breaks for 15-30 seconds each, and I'm aiming for 10 times an hour-every 6 minutes or so. So I will have been present for closer to 30-60 minutes daily, instead of just 20.

The shift from traditional practice is in line with my heart and experiences. I believe that forcing things is never as fruitful as allowing interest or delight to guide the consciousness freely.

I rather enjoy sitting to meditate directly after my asana practice. I can feel such a delightful pulsation of energy throbbing through me, I am joyful to just be. At other times, I'd rather delight in my senses, and get a similar experience from taking in a sunset, tree, fresh air, the wind, my child, colors or textures, sounds, Cooking, cleaning, gardening, movement, playing uninhibitedly with my son... life, I'd rather delight in living life.

It's a very high feeling to live this way. Its highly devotional. It's a kind of ecstatic feeling, like being turned-on or post-sex relaxation, but its not sexual. Its the same high, the same jovial loving-bliss, free of worries, energized but totally smooth and mellow, very sacred. Its like being in love, but without one particular target. I think this is where yoga is leading, what enlightenment is like- a constant loving, blissful, ecstatic state, no hesitation, just intuitive from the heart-center.

It's my asana practice that feeds this level of consciousness, it frees my body and brings it into harmony. My asana practice is a pilgrimage within, a long drink from the well. The rest of my practice is in taking sips while living life boldly and blissfully. By drinking from the Source frequently, a level of peace, openess and joy is maintained and fueled by life itself. Instead of being frustrated because I can't maintain continuous mindfulness, the intention to sip whenever I remember to is powerfully affirmative and profoundly effective. It has brought me full-circle in a mature way.

This is how I intend to practice.

108 Days of Delight: following the rules and seeing how it goes

2011-07-26T23:41:00.001-04:00

So again my transformative commitment of 108 days takes a turn. I realize that what I need is to deepen my practice in an unconventional way-- by actually living it even more fully.

This is more challenging because much of my time is spent with my young son. I am frustrated when what I need to do, or think I need to, is met by his sadness: he wants my full attention and I feel the need to do other things. Sadly not all of it is probably necessary at the moment, but I assure you, its pretty paired down. Dishes, cooking, peeing top the list, doing laundry and sometimes sitting with him instead of carrying him when I'm tired. But there are random, inspired bursts of cleaning/organizing, gardening or other creative acts that are very much a meditative/flow state experience for me, that are sometimes met with his joyful participation or happiness to play his own way, or may be faced with his frustration or sadness. I endevor to find my flow without causing him or others any sadness or harm.

But what if I meet his resistance the same way I'd meet my own inner aversion?? What if I trust that the "sweet spot" will be found as it has so many other times, when he will be in the mood to play or sit or help me do some chore, and we enjoy the moment together? What if I let go of another layer of resistance and ignore-ance/ignorance and truly surrender to my body-heart-mind's spontaneous guiadance?

This is how I am deepening my sadhana these 108 days- I am answering each moment spontaneously from my heart-conscience before my brain/ego gets in the way and starts debating. So much guilt, resistence and tension is eliminated by trusting the gut, so to speak. And in that way I am following my bliss. I do whatever non-harmful (non-stressful to myself or others) acts pop in my head without second-guessing or rationalizing them. I speak my heart. I am practicing raw, loving honesty. My quality of mindfulness is improving, because I am following fascination and wonderment of the senses, with whatever I experience. Whatever works. If I feel like asanas, playing wildly and whole-heartedly, seated meditation, getting lost in the sky... I just live from my heart.

In fact today, during walking meditation to the park I took 2 minutes to swing, and it was amazingly blissful and profound. I felt such an expansiveness gazing into the sky and flowing on the swing... I really had to hang on because I was so relaxed I could've just laid down or floated away!

My mindfulness, my moment to moment level of awareness is the greater goal, and it is improving, so I am having success with this experiment. In some ways I output a little bit more energy, but I am getting so much more consciousness, lightness and bliss. I feel myself in that post-yoga-practice spacious-bliss-flow longer, I'm out of it much less then before.

Beautiful things are happening! All it takes is practice and true willingness! Namaste!

Solar Oven: cheap, simple, gourmet, and helping to feed the world"s poorest

2011-07-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/CooKit

Solar Cookers International, sells the CooKit solar panel cooker for US$25 online here.

Check this link to see information related to solar ovens. There is a DIY plan to make your own for under $10, then google up some recipes and cook away. Cook with a solar oven like you would a slow cooker, or you can even bake- the person who gave me the link said he made some AWESOME banana bread in his!

There is information about Solar Cookers International, from which you can purchase a very sleek version of the solar oven for $25, supporting there work in impoverished areas of the world. Places that are ravaged by poverty and disease still use cooking fires, which as romantic as they sound, produce a lot of smoke and force people to keep buying and burning coal or other fuels. The smoke is very unhealthy, especially for someone suffering diseases such as AIDS or who are otherwise weakened, or the young and elderly as well. By providing these solar ovens, SCI is helping people to afford more food and to stay healthier by avoiding smoke, plus doing the earth a favor, reducing burning that releases greenhouse gases.

Plus, I love the idea of putting out a suntea jar and the solar oven on my picnic table, and having a delightful dinner all ready to enjoy al fresco. Keep the house cool, keep power bills lower, and do the earth a favor! Please feel free to send us your favorite solar cooker recipes to share! NAMASTE!

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/CooKit

108 nights of meditation: how concentration works

2011-07-08T23:39:00.002-04:00

I am still keeping the chain, although my meditation style is very creative, tactile and not very rigid and forceful. The difference between formal meditation and my interpretation of Tantric meditation is that one can feel bored, forced and restricted in a formal seated practice. In keeping my consciousness as the focus, my attention naturally falls where it wishes. Where there is interest or delight there is concentration, naturally. So I practice opening my awareness in the moment without expectation, judgement or agenda. I let creativity lead.

So I basically follow my fascination for 20 mins a night. I feel joyful when I practice, and after as well. It actually gives me a lot of energy, where forcing my concentration stiffly caused me to feel tired more often. They say it takes more energy to fight the flow. Instead of trying to control the situation, I am riding the wave of consciousness, not clinging to the objects in it, but delighting in their experience while they flow by. Sometimes a natural little fluid movement arises and I flow with it and feel presence, or I sit very straight and still + just enjoy the ride. I enjoy the rising and dissolution of what tickles my senses, without seeking it.
In this way I find it hard to NOT become energized, inspired, joyful and at peace. Meditation can take many forms. Don't let those stuck on form poison your ability to explore and adventure. Eventually, we have to go beyond ALL concepts on our journey to clear awareness.
We also have to keep evolving. As we do, what used to work for us may not any longer. We change, so new ways work better in our new consciousness. Change and movement are the nature of the manifest universe. Embrace the flow! We can't fight reality if we are trying to find reality-it certainly doesn't help!

Living in your fullest potential is possible, you just have to do it

2011-07-08T21:46:00.003-04:00

Many of us judge ourselves so harshly, and idolized the achievements of others, so we often feel paralyzed before the seemingly monumental task of self-improvement. Perhaps though, if we start by thinking of it as organizing and clearing our lives of all that is unnecessary, cluttering and superfluously burdensome, so that our essence can shine through, we will have the courage to start.
From the Eastern perspective, we are not broken needing to be fixed, we are whole + holy, waiting to be unburied and rediscovered like a lost treasure. Our essential nature is buried under a lifetime of conditioned thinking, the whims of the ego and society crushing our ability to just be.

We have only to do the work of regular meditation, and begin cultivating ways of eating and living that brings us inspiration, lightness and freedom. But we really have to do it. It is as many have said- drop by drop the bucket is filled. Begin by follow the desires of the spiritual-heart, not the ego. We all want happiness, health and freedom from suffering. So takes steps according to your energy and lifestyle each day to manifest that freedom. And that is it! One step at a time, the greatest potential is revealed!

Stay on track by attending yoga classes with a group, to benefit from the group energy. Know that others are on similar paths. It isn't always easy, but its always worthwhile.

Step by step, you will climb. Life is too short to sit around unwell and complaining about what you should've done or being too afraid to start what you know you need to for your own sake. To free yourself is to free others around you too. Namaste!

What would the perfect yoga sanctuary be like?

2011-07-07T22:24:00.002-04:00

I have a constantly evolving inspiration for what our studio can and will be for our community. Please share what would inspire YOU and create the perfect sanctuary for recharging and recollecting the Self.

I am open to whatever it becomes, but a couple visions grip me. I see a space with wide french doors, and large screen doors opening into a meditation garden.

I see the studio as both a sanctuary and community space, a place for deep relaxation and for energizing, mobilizing and forging connections.

There are other thoughts for the future that may manifest slowly over the years... Some may manifest and others may not be for us.

Contrasting ideas emerge, one of a hip urban scene, one of a deeply peaceful ashram.

An ultra eco-modern space: studio, juice/tea bar. Nourish your body with pure water, herbal/decaf teas and select fresh juices, including wheat grass.
Sanctuary~ Maybe private relaxation rooms, available to visit anytime during hours for 30, 60 or 90 minutes of relaxing music or silence, meditation or chanting, asanas- as you wish. Just an inspiring space for you to use freely to enhance your wellbeing.
Retreat~ Maybe one guest room for private retreats...
Comfort~ soft, embracing furniture in the lobby, a hammock on the porch.

PEACE~ a meditation garden with herbs and flowers, a small pond, a little path to walk, stones or benches to sit on, communing with nature for healing and relaxation.

Energy~ Friday night Kirtans, morning, day and evening practices, even weekends. Workshops for deepening your practice physically, mentally & spiritually and using creativity as meditation.

While staying in the heart of Amsterdam is best, at least for the forseeable future, inspired by the founders of Jivamukti Yoga, I hope to buy forest lands in the name of the studio to create forever wild spaces of sanctuary for all life.

Being green and clean is a major goal as well~ solar lights outside, solar panels, led lights, minimal energy use, conserving water, no chemicals, composting/repurposing/recycling be close to zero waste...
What would the perfect yoga sanctuary in the city be like for you? Please feel free to share your feedback, it is so dear to me!
Dedicated to the inspiration, freedom and deepest joy of all~ namaste

108 Days of Meditation: path of spirals

2011-07-05T23:51:00.002-04:00

It is so funny how life unfolds! Just inside a self-imposed commitment, I find myself climbing a new fork on my path and my relationship to formal practice shifts.

I am studying Kashmiri Shaivism (Tantra, but not what most people think of it), and find lots of Truth in it for my path. It is a very different approach to the same yoga, but it places less stress on conventional practice and more emphasis on just trusting on the unconditional Love to be the guide.

So I feel like I'm cheating, but my way of just being in a creative groove is to follow my heart-center/conscience, which is much the purpose of the whole meditation thing- to get you into the timeless participation and non-judgmental awareness of the moment. Formal practice is important to cleanse/heal/purify and re-balance mind + body to return to that heart-space within. But for me that includes my walking in nature, communing with nature, seeing the Consciousness 'smiling' back at me in all things, and deep yoga asanas followed by some seated meditation. But for now, I'll still be sitting for my night session. But its almost too easy, being informed by this new perspective has revealed much of the innate and natural 'yoga' that has always been my nature.

Some days I am just a beginner, so humbled and just starting, looking out into the big unknown almost scared, but inspired. Then some days, I almost think I am really onto something, ready to just about be a guru (a "remover of ignorance"), an unconditionally loving consciousness that can be a mirror for others to show them their true essence with my loving words. Its all just cycles. Spirals, the path is filled with spirals. Its not linear, like I once conceived, its swirling, spiralling deeper. With each cycle the veils are removed one by one, the veils of ignorance dissolving, I feel clearer and clearer.

We build up the unknown to be so Poof! magical. Yet somehow thid enlightenment thing is more real and everyday, and completely attainable. It takes constant striving. But there is shift after shift in awareness, there is constant swirling change and rapid evolution. Its getting swifter and swifter and my expectations and attachments are disappearing of themselves.

So anyways, I'm going to sit my 20 mins enjoying the sensation of spanda and the oneness of internal and external sensations. Om namah shivayah, namaste!

Interbeing and the Myth of the Independent Person

2011-07-01T21:26:00.002-04:00

So your ego thinks its so tough and independent? You say, yes! I work and pay my own bills and cut my own lawn and don't ask anyone for help! I suck it up and suffer through on my own, I don't ask for the support of others. Do you really think so?

Do you grow your own food? Spin your own thread and weave your own cloth, make your own clothes? Do you have anxiety or a temper because you are so bottled up, or do you judge (yourself and) others harshly because of your bitter internal resistance? Do you digest well, have deep peace, unshakable confidence?

No one is really independent. Asking for help when it is needed, knowing ones limits and humbly accepting help and generosity when it is offered is the sign of a wise person. What makes the difference between being lazily dependent on others and being balanced is reciprocity. If one can also be as generous as possible in every opportunity that arrises, if one is humbly and truly and deeply grateful for what is received, then one is on the path of yoga.

Everything is Consciousness

2011-07-01T21:17:00.002-04:00

Let us guide our lives in a way that honors the Consciousness that is in everything and all forms. If we remember that everything in the world wears the gentle smile of consciousness, we cannot be so callous with human and animal lives, so quick to slice down a tree that has lived two hundred years, to toss our faithful possessions around and abuse them like ingrates and to treat the intricately living Earth like merely inputs to be manipulated.

We all felt the "aliveness" in the world as children. We are not wiser or smarter for forgetting. We are colder and duller, a little bit dead when we give up acknowledging the beingness of all that is.

Life is vibrant and miraculous when we live with wonder, gratitude, patience, and respect for life itself, and everything that manifests within our experience.
To know this and live this is surely a path of yoga.
May all beings be free from suffering and have total happiness! May existence clearly sparkle once again in the eyes and hearts of all conscious beings!

So simple, so difficult

2011-07-01T21:08:00.002-04:00

We come to a place on the path where we are pretty pure- our body, lifestyle, motivations... And then the bigger challenge isn't to hold on to increasing information, but to let go. To let go of everything, and become purely motivated from the stirring of our heart-center in a completely personal-impersonal way.
Letting go of past, future, expectations, sense of self, sense of others and just re-becoming pure awareness.
This is a simple yet completely, incredibly difficult challenge...

108 Days of Meditation. Day 2

2011-06-29T15:09:00.002-04:00

Already I noticed my sleep is deeper, fewer dreams, and when I do dream it seems more lucid and spiritually oriented. It is too soon to say but my waking consciousness seems a little clearer as well.

I have heard many times that meditating at night (versus during dawn, daylight or dusk) challenges the fears one has stored in the ego. I am bold, comfortable and at ease any other time, but have always felt uneasy at night. The fears are usually directed at nothing in particular and are usually active only when I am completely alone. Fear comes from the ego, it is a form of ignorance.

I originally didn't think of this possibility, but I am excited and solidly going to witness and become free of this aspect of egoic fears. I am embracing this practice with determination. I am feeling safer and safer just in making this determination.

I try to continue the practice of mindfulness throughout my days, but I feel a deep strength and joy arising in this experiment and I positively anticipate my meditation session when it comes into my awareness.

108 Days of Meditation~ Are You In?

2011-06-28T23:05:00.002-04:00

I'm challenging myself to 108 days in a row of meditating before bed for at least 20 minutes. Would you like to join me for this transformative challenge?

I have kept my sadhana active since 2005 when I undertook my yoga teacher training at a Sivananada Ashram in the Bahamas. My sadhana has taken many forms- asanas regularly, mindfulness meditations, lots of reading and study in classic texts and books by others on the path, but I haven't had much of a sitting practice for quite a while. I have the "best" or most naturally focused meditation experiences after thorough asana practice or in nature, but my life situation doesn't allow me to practice like that outside of practicing with my student-friends. So I decided to commit to a sitting meditation practice for 108 days. Please commit with me!

You can use mantra, breath-awareness or any techniques you enjoy. I'm beginning with open awareness, just witnessing all as it is without judgement. I may switch techniques, but will do 20 minutes or more of meditation each evening for this next 108 days. I am starting tonight, June 28th, but you can start anytime. My 108 days will end after October 14th, just after the 5th anniversary of our yoga studio (Oct. 2nd). I am meditating in bed, but you can maybe meditate on your porch or in a special space in your bedroom or other quiet space.

I will share how it is coming along. Feel free to post here or on our Enlighten Facebook fanpage, letting us know how your practice is coming along.

I cannot take a retreat at this time in my life because of family commitments, but I feel that deepening my practice will give the needed catalyst to come to the next level of awareness. This is the way. I started practicing two days ago, but yesterday I barely meditated, because I just witnessed my ego throwing all the tricks at me. I just witnessed it, let it have a little run and said, last time! So don't let boredom, fatigue, feeling antsy or other tricks of the ego fool you. Ram Dass often says that the ego pulls those tricks out because it doesn't like to let itself be ordered by meditation, it creates resistance because it wants to be in control. I'm not letting my accumulated subconscious conditioning and habits rule my mind anymore! This is a peaceful coup! Join me! 108 days, we can do it! It will be glorious, every night unique, vacation, camping, home, work night, party night, lets witness it all!

Enough! Time to start! Namaste!

Overcoming Obstacles On the Path

2011-06-28T15:44:00.002-04:00

Whatever you see the path as, a way to a healthier lifestyle, a way to more peace and happiness or a spiritual path, the ego gets in the way. This isn't the same entirely as what we normally think of as ego, it's much more subtle then that. It is getting caught in our emotions and the impulses of our mind and body as being all there is to us, forgetting that there is a deeper part to us that witnesses all of those constantly changing factors.

The ego is the part of us that is so resistant to change, so determined to not do what we know we truly want and need to do to be our best possible Self.

As I am restarting a home meditation practice, after years of mindfulness, yoga asana and other meditation practices, I am witnessing my ego throwing every trick at me. Anxious antsy boredom, fatigue, constant roving and distracted eyes... Ram Dass says that the ego pulls out those tricks right when we are about to come to a deeper state of meditation or awareness. So I smile to my silly ego, as it worries and tries to resist transformation. Its afraid of non-existence being revealed in the unknown beyond. I'm not concerned with any of that, I trust in the deeper state of my own consciousness that I'm ready to know.

Just smile to those tricks. You have time for anything that you truly need and want. You have to want it. Enlightenment or transformation won't come find you if you are too busy resisting, or pampering your resistant ego. You have to show up to be marked present. Continue on! Don't give in! Fearless! You have to really want that freedom and peace to go claim it! Namaste!

Fierce Like Kali, Gentle Like a Loving Mother with Her Newborn

2011-06-26T21:08:00.002-04:00

To reach the goal, to climb the Mt. Everest of consciouness to enlightenment, we need to be simaltaneously fierce and relentless, tempered with gentle-loving patience.
We have to accept fully what is in each moment, but always strive.

We have to be a ferrocious warrior-destroyer like Kali Ma. We have to be tender and calmly present with unconditional loving-acceptance like a mother with her only baby. We have to be consistant but know how to take care of the body and mind so that they may be pushed to the edge, but do not break.

Be like Mother Nature- raw, unconditional acceptance, always strong with such power. If you want enlightenment, you're going to have to work for it. If you want to make it, you can fight reality and you can fight yourself. Your body-mind are the vehicles through which you make the journey to pure consciousness, so treat them well, discipline them, make them strong. They'll get you there if you find the balance.

Egoic Avoidance and Time to Move On

2011-06-26T20:58:00.002-04:00

The ego has a strong set of defense mechanisms. It is the part of us that back-paddles, self-sabotages, stalls, over-questions and throws enough excuses and doubt in the way so that we don't take the risk to try, to begin, to continue, to overcome + go beyond.

In the beginning, the ego gets in the way of our starting a program of yoga and meditation, throwing enough excuses in the way to keep us distracted. "Oh, I have too much other stuff to do. Meditation is not important enough to prioritize!" Do you really feel that way? Do you really not want to practice something that can so naturally and drastically improve not only the health of your mind and body, but also help you continuously increase your inner peace? Is it not worth what you can give, 30, 60, 90 minutes a day to become more imaginative, efficient, healthy, patient and compassionate?

Once we are on the yogic path, subtler forms of avoidance maifest as the ego feels threatened. The selfish part of us withers in the light of mindfulness, opening us to greater and greater freedom and love. Now we may have even come very far in our practice, our mindfulness and our lifestyle towards harmony with Reality. But the ego can get us stuck as long as it is still around.

Reading the words of saints, other yogis and holy books is considered important on the path to help inspire and teach us. But as many masters have said theory (which we obtain from lectures or studying books) is only a small part of the journey. An ounce of practice is like a pound of theory. The journey is 1% theory, 99% practice. There comes a point when even reading holy books is just a crutch, a form of attachment, avoidance of really going within.

Just start. No more excuses. Start living from your heart-center. Start practicing meditation and yoga postures, or other meditative practices that light your inner fire. Throw away the crutches when you are ready, you'll know when. You'll be squirming, dying to dance. Don't let your ego hold you back. Don't listen to it's excuses anymore. You can make time for whatever you really think is most important in your life. Do it, and don't let the ego's tricks convince you to stop- boredom, anxiousness, its all just crocodile tears, because your small self is afraid to dissolve into the higher Self that you really are. That's too bad, because you know that you are capable of so much more, you ARE so much more. No excuses. Accept nothing short of sat-chid-ananda for the sake of all.
Namaste!

Letting attachment go, letting them let you go

2011-06-25T23:35:00.002-04:00

In the beginning of serious sadhana it often feels like one has to emulate what a yogi is "supposed" to do, and to some extent that is necessary. It is part of the initial purification process and paves the way for the journey to really begin.

But it is often the ego that gets some sort of rise out of "looking pure" or "acting austere". The real process unfolds as one is dedicated to practicing daily. As the consciousness is transformed, old habits lose their fulfillment. They just don't seem as good as they used to be.

Once you clean up your eating for a while, eating the old junk "treats" is not nearly as satisfying or exciting as it once was. The person that used to enjoy those habits is gone now. An important part of the path is dissolving any idea of who we are by definition of ego and attachments, such as things we like or dislike. As the path progresses it all changes faster then the weather near the Arctic Circle (pretty rapidly). Likes, dislikes, interests, etc, even the form of sadhana changes. All that stuff is constantly evolving like the consciousness. To define your sense of who you are by it is to get attached, get stuck.

As the consciousness unfolds, new choices begining to draw and old habits and choices fall away, effortlessly, like leaves from the trees in Autumn. Let them fall!

When the time is right, with consistent sadhana, habits will quit you naturally, like it or not. Don't fight it.
Encouraging healthy choices is important and takes self-control. It is part of the process of getting pure, the first steps of embarking on sadhana. However, we don't always need to struggle that hard. Isn't that to which we aspire to attain the truest effortless, intuitive harmony with the will of the Universe Itself?

Try letting the more subtle attachments finish with you in their own time.

What's really stopping you from fulfilling your intentions + potential?

2011-06-22T22:02:00.002-04:00

As humans with human minds, the ego as it's referred to in yoga, we constantly look externally for satisfaction, for excuses, for the cause of our circumstances. Because of the weather, because of work, because of time, because of money... That's why I don't do what I otherwise intend to do. That's why I don't quit smoking, or practice daily meditation or exercise, or eat healthier or whatever else I "know I should be doing".
All of these excuses are never the main reason we don't fulfill our intentions of transforming our health and awareness. It's the part of us that makes the excuses, the ego (not all the same as the English concept of "egotistical" but just the individual identity that we wrap ourselves in like a prison), that is afraid to transform. The ego feels threatened by change. It is the part of us that sabotages our plans of positive growth. It's the part of us that would rather stay the same, even if it means suffering, because it is familiar. Beyond the familiar is unknown, and to the ego, the unknown is too frightening to be risked.

Set intentions carefully, making changes one at a time and adjusting for a time befre making new changes. One month after reinforcing your positive change daily you will feel more acustomed and comfortable. After two months you will have built momentum, but still, strong intention and guarding against the habit-energy of the ego is crucial. This is especially the case for new habits like meditation that are highly transformative. This threatens the ego's view of itself, because who you are will change, but only for the better, so there is no need to fear. Do not give in to the ego when it goes against your spiritual-heart. Control your mind, don't let it control you. This is what is referred to in the Bible by "deny thy self". It could be written as maintain self-control.

Life doesn't have to be miserably austere, but if we apply the self-control to transform ugly habits that make us suffer, and introduce new habits that allow us to soar we will become activated, inspired, fulfilled on the deeper level. It will give us greater health, inner peace and bliss. What is there to be afraid of?

By using our will power to transform and create new habits that are in line with our deepest well-being and intentions, we develop integrity. This integrity is a form of honesty with ourselves. It is in place when we live up to the urges of the spiritual-heart, which always knows what is best for us. If we can get past the ego, the small or false self, we are free to live in harmony with the Self, the deepest essence of our being. If we are in harmony with the Self, we have boundless joy, fulfillment and luminous peace.

So, what is there to fear?

"And then the day came when the pain of staying the same became greater then the fear of opening up"
~Anais Nin (paraphrased)

My Guru

2011-06-10T22:27:00.002-04:00

I am definately a bhakti-yogini. I am a lover in the Rumi sense of the word. Bhakti yoga at its core is finding wholeness, union, Yoga, by dissolving the ego (false-self) in the ocean of love that is the Cosmic Self, (the Universe, God, the Infinite, the Nature of Being- many names for one Source). This realization of the oneness of being is also called Self-realization, or enlightenment.

Glimpses of my bhakti-yogini nature foreshadowing this realization came in many forms. Of course, I believe, every child is a yogi-scientist-artist-explorer, nature and animal lover at heart. I used to extend my sphere of compassion to the many animals I tried to form a close bond with, innocently catching 'pets' that I wanted to so badly to love + care for- ants, grasshoppers, frogs, dragonflies, "leroys + beebles", (aquatic larvae and diver beetles), crayfish, and more, plus my domestic cats, gerbils, mice and hamsters. When I was young I even extended my sphere of concern to my stuffed animals, feeling worried that they would be saddened if I didn't pay equal attention to them. These things adults think are children's folly are the world of lovers, we know that sat-chid-ananda is the fabric of the universe, toys + 'real' beings alike.

I remember feeling the inauthenticity of having to decide "what to be" when I grew up, and I asked why being a good person wasn't enough to be.

I played outside as long as I was allowed. Nature was my playground. When I was inside, I most enjoyed learning about nature, the earth and the world cultures. Science and global studies were my favorites, along with art. To create was my passion.

Now, with an ever clarifying awareness, I see all these glimpses as obvious indications of my path. A yogini all along, a lover of Life Itself, but who is my guru?

In Ram Dass' description, the guru is the fully-realized or enlightened person that loves you unconditionally, whose prescence gives the instant experience of the love-bath that is sat-chid-ananda. The guru is one with Life fully, and gives the student unconditional love and exctly the right cues at the right time to facilitate awakening and the spiritual path. The guru helps burn the ego or small self to reveal the Self within. The guru is the reflection of the Self, in the mirror of one particular body.
I have no guru in this sense. Perhaps on pilgrimage to India in the future I will meet such a being. Maybe I will meet such a being here in America, but right now, I don't think so. My guru is the Guru reflected in all beings and especially in the natural world. My guru is the Guru. Life 'talks' to me when I ask it to clearly, honestly and with pure intention. If I ask for a certain sign in that way, I can't remember a time when it has not been given.
I have had and still have many influences and teachers. I began my yoga journey at the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas. I have done a great deal of self-study and Self study (actual practice). On the path they say that an ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory. K. Patabhi Jois said yoga is 1% theory and 99% practice. I have practiced with Shiva Rea. I resonated so well with Shiva's teachings that I consider her my primary teacher. I have been inspired by Jivamukti Yoga and will practice with its founders this August as well.

Thus far, Shiva Rea is the closest to a guru in human form that I have found. She inspires me and sparks an expansion of my awareness. She is "me in the future" in that when I touch base with her (through a dvd, a workshop, a blurb on her website) I often hear her articulate so clearly and with such knowing from experience something that I am just coming close to consciously experiencing. What is just busting out of the seed in me is fully blossomed and has given fruit and shared many seeds in Shiva. She is genuine and definately connected to what is the Source of life. I feel a great love in me for Shiva and her work. Much of what she does is so beautiful and resonates so well with me that it could be my own. I do adore her very much. However, Shiva Rea is world-renowned and is very busy. She hasn't the time to spend personally with all of her students. A guru doesn't need to spend a lot of time with the student, but I imagine a more personal connection both ways- for guru to know student too.
Will I ever find a guru in human form? I do long for a guru, at times quite passionately. Will Sharon Gannon or David Life be the guru of my dreams? Is Shiva my guru, will I get to understand that as the truth?
Will I meet a guru here in America or in the future in India? I cannot know now. But I do know that the more I practice, everyday I experience a small micrometer of expansion in my consciousness. And I feel that expansion, that warm immersion in the love-bath of being-bliss-wisdom when I am actually present in nature. Maybe I long for the guru to come in human form because that is the only way I have ever experienced loving-closeness, and because of the lack of really deep closeness I have had with much of my family. When I ask the Universe with genuine love and presence, It answers, and I do feel loved. The more aware I am, the more love I feel. And the more unconditional love I can allow to shine through me onto others, the more loved I feel.

So as far as I know, my guru is Nature. The Universe, Life Itself. That's what most people refer to as God. I kind of like the name Guru myself.

When I grow up, I aspire to be a guru. I want to be so illumined that the unconditional love that is the undercurrent of life itself flows through me into the world. I want to BECOME the love of the Guru. I want to shine that light on all beings, on all objects, to make the sacred universe aware of itself. I want to live my life as my message, as Mahatma Gandhi said and did. I want to live my life in perfect peace and perfect non-harm, living as a giving to the peace, happiness and freedom from suffering of all beings. I want to dissolve my small-self-ego in the ocean of unconditional-love-bliss-wisdom and just be That. May I become worthy of the title guru when the time is right and may I be that which the enables the Universe to unfold at Its own will (may I uphold the dharma, meaning that natural, balanced flow of all things 'as they are meant to be'). May my life enhance the peace-joy-love-freedom-nourishment of all beings, including the earth and entire Universe Itself. That is my greatest wish and desire.

When I am unified in love-consciouness, and you are unified in love-consciousness, we are one. In essence, we are all One, all is One. This is the meaning of Namaste.

What type of Yoga-path do you practice? Do you have a guru story? What teachers inspire you? Om, shanti, namaste!

This-moment-asana (pose): a way to be mindful

2011-06-07T22:17:00.001-04:00

A trick I have found to be more present and incorporate the some of the same benefits of asana practice when you absolutely can't practice is to think of the body position in each moment as an asana (yoga pose) and use the same motions through the body. So it may be holding-the-toddler-up-to-play-with-the-light-switch pose, or doing-the-dishes pose or just-walking-down-the-street pose, but its all asanas to me! (No, I don't label every action that way, although once in a while I may, smiling to myself- can't be too serious!)

To practice this way, as soon as you are aware of a lack of integrity or some slouching in the body, begin with the foundation, the feet. Push through the feet firmly but gently, and feel the counter-current that helps you to engage navel toward spine comfortably and open the heart up + out through the shoulders. Feet, navel, chest... Foundation first. That is mainly it.

Once you create that kind of structural integrity, notice the difference and notice the breath. Then the rest is just being alive and enjoying it... Mindfulness indeed.

Gorgeous hair, good for the earth, cheap, super simple eco-shampoo + conditioner

2011-06-07T14:06:00.000-04:00

care of care2.com...

I seem to be on a body-care roll these days. Perhaps it’s the cold weather, keeping me inside and giving me time to think about all the ways in which my daily routine is still in need of an eco fine-tuning. I tend to live pretty low on the consumer scale, but I still buy commercial (all-natural) toothpaste; I still use shampoo in plastic bottles (though I buy as local, handmade, toxin-free as possible); I still buy commercially-made soap (Dr. Bronner’s – but I could make my own, or buy more locally if I really tried). So the other day, when my friend sent me a link to a mom-blogger who posted her homemade, non-toxic, eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner routine to her site, I thought, okay, I should really try this.

I was definitely (still am) thrown off a little by the caveat, “You might have a transition period that lasts from a few weeks to a few months, where your hair reacts with excess oil to the lack of shampoo.” Now, my hair is naturally fine, naturally prone to being oily, and naturally my least favorite feature, so when someone tells me it’s going to look worse than it usually does, I take pause. But this week, I’ve washed and conditioned it with six different shampoo and conditioner combinations (due to construction at my house, I had no hot water this week, so vagabonded my way through showering at other people’s houses), all resulting in less and less happy hair. In fact, resulting in very oily hair. Which led me to realize that if I was going to suffer through oily hair, it might as well be while working towards the gorgeous results I hope to find in homemade shampooing and conditioning.

Here is her basic homemade shampoo and conditioner recipe (I would quote her by name, if I could find her bio anywhere on the blog site, but all I know of her, besides her beautiful hair, is her byline name of TSH), and I encourage you to read her whole post as it explains a bit about why commercial shampoo is damaging to both you and the environment and gives a nice personal story to go along with the recipe below:

BAKING SODA SHAMPOO:
1 TBS baking soda
1 C water

Note: “Those with curly or thicker hair might need a bit more baking soda, and those with thin or fine hair might need less. Experiment, and see what works for you. I use a simple 8-ounce squeeze bottle, pour in a tablespoon of baking soda with a funnel, then fill up the rest with water from the kitchen sink. I give it a good shake to dissolve the baking soda, and it’s ready to be used. In the shower, I soak my hair with water, then I squeeze a bit of the baking soda mixture on my scalp, starting at the crown. I massage it in as I go, squeezing a bit more here and there, concentrating mostly on the scalp. I include my hair as well, but since most of the
oils originate from the scalp itself, the hair will naturally get cleaned once the scalp is clarified.”

VINEGAR CONDITIONER:
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 C water

Note: “For this, I use an old conditioner bottle, and fill it with the vinegar and water via funnel, then finish it with a shake. My hair tends to rest a little on the oily side naturally, so I don’t use much of this. I pour a little on just the ends of my hair, let it rest for a few seconds, then rinse it out.” [1]
I am without both baking soda and apple cider vinegar, but am clearly with oily hair that needs washing so badly, even the “I-just-got-back-from-the-yoga-studio-knot-of-hair-on-top-of-my-head look isn’t fooling anyone; and therefore am off to Whole Foods to go get myself some old-fashioned hair washing ingredients.
- Jocelyn Broyles

[1] “How To Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo” by TSH on SimpleMom.net
Headline image © Jessica Mullen

Mahatma Gandhi quotes to light your heart

2011-06-05T15:58:00.000-04:00

If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.

"Almost anything you do seems insignificant. It is very important that you do it. You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.

My life is my message.

A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.

As human beings, our

greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.

Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts.

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into. Faith... must be enforced by reason... when faith becomes blind it dies.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us.

I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.

I do all the evil I can before I learn to shun it? Is it not enough to know the evil to shun it? If not, we should be sincere enough to admit that we love evil too well to give it up.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

Namaste, pranams Gandhi-ji. You are such an inspiration to so many, a beautiful example of rising to the Truth in every moment. Om shanti. ~laura H

Are you still wiping your ass with virgin forests?

2011-06-03T22:07:00.002-04:00

Are you using toilet paper with 100% recycled paper content? Or are you still using that plush extra-soft toilet paper?

Do you realize that those 'cushiony soft' papers come from virgin trees, many taken from irreplaceable old-growth wilderness? That means every time you buy toilet paper you are supporting the cutting of precious trees, you are taking home trees. In this time when our environment is exploited and considered nothing more then a source for raw materials, this is the ultimate insult! We are wasting our precious environment and endangering ourselves and all future life on earth for temporary, instant material gain, in this case slightly softer toilet paper.

Trees are the 'lungs' of the earth. Deforestation is a crucial issue and an incredibly dangerous obsession of modern industry. All over the world forests are being slashed and burned for irresponsible agriculture. Even when trees are replanted in logging, it takes minutes to kill a tree, but hundreds of years to grow to full-size. Trees are absorb and hold carbon-dioxide, but when we cut them down, all of the carbon-dioxide absorbed is released back into the atmosphere. This wanton and ill-planned tree killing has to be checked, it needs to stop. Better, more sustainable farming techniques need to be implemented and people need to start using alternative fibers for paper products, including recycled paper.

If this is the first time you are realizing how wrong and selfish it is for humans to kill trees and destroy forest ecosystems for TP, then I implore you to make the right choice from now on and use only 100% recycled paper toilet tissue. If you are balking and defending the softer toilet paper and fully intend on continuing to buy it, you need to recheck your priorities. Does the texture of what you wipe on your ass mean more then clean air for future generations? Is that the legacy you want to be part of- selfish fools who create pain and suffering for all others and the yet unborn generations? People who thought life was about material consumption, that the only measure of what is right is what one can monetarily afford? We cannot afford to think this way as a species. We need to evolve if we want to prevent lots of suffering for ourselves and others.

Marcal's Small Steps 2-ply (they make a 1-ply, but I think 2-ply is actually more efficient and much softer) is available at the local grocery store, is 100% recycled, and is very affordable. If its not soft enough for you and you think that you "need" the plusher paper, you should eat more whole grains. If you eat a high fiber diet you'll be pleasantly surprized- you'll be more regular and you'll be neater too, less wiping required.

The well-being of the earth should come before personal taste at all times, considering that we ALL depend on her well-being for our survival.

Personal + Global Sustainability

2011-05-31T22:19:00.001-04:00

Most of us realize that our lifestyle has to change. Be it too hectic or chaotic, too rushed and auto-piloted, many of us need to upgrade to a streamlined, more conscious lifestyle.

Along with that, we ALL need to immediately and continuously work on becoming truly light on the earth. We have to recognize that change won't and shouldn't have to come from the government first- we have to initiate and work through a peaceful revolution at the grassroots level.

We have to MAKE the time to stop, and truly notice every action we perform, from purchases to daily chores to what we choose to include in our lives, and how we do it all. Can we just use a little less of everything? Can we all eat more home cooked meals and home-packed lunches, and less take out? Can we shut off the TV and rediscover the joy of winding down with a book before bed, or reading and family cuddling?

It isn't just environmental sustainability we are talking about. The same changes required to eliminate the 80% of our carbon footprint by 2020 are the same kinds of changes that bring us back to a more deliberate and savored pace of life. Moving towards sustainability isn't about deprivation, even though using less of more things is a universal and crucial step. It enriches our lives because it is a process of looking at what we truly need to be healthy and happy. Slowly we come to see that the basic neccessities of food, water, air, clothing and shelter are followed closely by time with friends and loved ones. We can live without many things, and live a higher quality of life without them at that- cigarettes, alcohol, TV and fast food are some examples. But the unconditional love that we give and receive, we soon find, sustains us in a way that is somehow completely neccessary too.

Bringing your life home to its center, living in the light of the meaning of life in your eyes, creates a deeper peace that is less shaken by material circumstances. The zen of daily chores done joyfully can manifest a natural ring of unhurried strength throughout the day. Living connected to the present moment is an important skill used to develop personal quality of life and balance it with environmental stewardship. With this dual integrity to our actions, we find greater peace, solidity and freedom- we are free from guilt or regret.

"In our every deliberation, we should take into account the effects of our actions on the next seven generations." -from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

It is a process that begins small and day by day, and drop by drop it gathers momentum and becomes a peaceful, personal revolution. We cannot force it so quickly that we are miserable, but we need to get started immediately and try to stretch our comfort zone just a touch everyday.

May your mindfulness grow fast and may you find incredible satisfaction on your path to true sustainability!

Our legacy

2011-05-28T16:02:00.001-04:00

Hands in the earth, one afternoon the thought occurred to me, what is our legacy? What part of us lives on, where is our "immortality" in the physical world?

Well, everything is impermanent, so we should recognize and be okay with the fact that our memory will fade someday. But our influence lives on. Our children, our friends carry the memory of us with them. In a few generations, our memory will be gone too.

What we do to the earth, our landscape and our environment has the potential to be an even longer-lived manifestation of our life's influence. How we landscape, how we treat the soil has lasting impact. Cutting down trees changes everything, we should consider that we could be taking a 100-200 year old's life with our saw's blade. What we build outlives us. How we build outlives us.

The Great Law of The Iroquois Confederacy says, "that in every deliberation, the impact of our actions on the next seven generations should be considered."

I try to uphold the integrity of that statement. I have much room for improvement, but slowly over the last 10 or so years I come leaps and bounds toward sustainability, and we do a decent job I feel. We all must begin now, not be paralyzed to never start out of fear for change. No single action has brought me closer to inner peace, happiness, family, community, honesty, mindfulness and nature itself then the personal journey for sustainability.

Namaste!

Lie down in the green grass...

2011-05-28T15:43:00.001-04:00

These few lines of the Tom Waits song "Green Grass" ring in my mind, especially as I walk my son through the local park. If I interpret them correctly, they are positively Yogic, they sound to me like they could just as likely come from Rumi's mouth...

"Clear the thistles and brambles,

whisper dinty rambles.

Lie down in the green grass,

remember when you loved me.

Stand in the shade of me,

things are now made of me.

And the weather vane will say,

smells like rain today.

God took the stars and he tossed 'em,

can't tell the bird from the blossom.

Lie down in the green grass,

and remember when you loved me."

~Tom Waits

I think it's a beautiful and relavent idea. Let's lie down in the green grass, let's just breathe. Let's remember our love of life, our gratitude, by being present. Get drunk on sky, watch the clouds undulate above. Remember to let go of the thinking, let it disappear on the wind. Let yourself disappear on the wind. Let it all pass through and just be the serene witness that witnesses it all without shape, form or prejudice. Just be the Divine Breath that breathes it all.

How can we not question the meaning of life when we think it is all about material gain and appearances? Isn't it, if anything, about the quality of our experience? The depth? The ability to feel unshakable peace within? To give and receive unattached, unselfish, unconditional love? Isn't our true wealth our health? Isn't the greatest gift just being with loved ones, really being present together? This is all within our grasp right here and now- and it begins with one mindful breath.

What exactly do you mean by spiritual?

2011-05-15T21:17:00.001-04:00

Ask 50 people what spiritual means, and you may get 50 definitions. Yet, so many diverse people agree that yoga is spiritual. Yoga is not religious, but can combine with any religion as one wishes. Yoga is a universal, scientific tool for expanding the consciousness, and along the way realizing highest well-being of mind and body as well.

Personally, I feel directly the spiritual nature of yoga. What I mean by spiritual is 'pertaining to the deeper level of life, the profundity, sublimity, and deep appreciation of the awe-inspiring intricate interconnection of all life and actions'. To me, spirituality is about attentiveness, seeing reality as clearly as possible. In the process of seeing, we feel connectedness, we recognize ourselves in others. Separation dissolves. Spirituality is an appreciation for the inherent value of each moment and each life, part of the whole.

The Ebb + Flow of Consciousness

2011-05-15T16:24:00.000-04:00

Some days, the mind is naturally clear and we feel very refreshed and present. Some days it seems like it is impossible to get out of the endless stream of subjective thoughts. It can be frustrating. Remember this, there was a time when you weren't even aware that your consciousness was absorbed only in your thinking. You are far ahead of that place now.

Judging ourselves for not being present is still not being present! So smile to yourself, stop over-analyzing (still thinking!!) and break it down to the basics. Come back to the breath. Feel the breath. Witness the breath in each moment.

In fact, witnessing is all we need to do to be mindful, which includes witnessing the thinking, as well as the physical, emotional, and environmental sensations/experiences in each moment. Accept what you find. Trust in the process. Let your consciousness expand naturally. We cannot intellectually force enlightenment. There is no peace in bitter force.

Every moment in presence, we expand our consciousness. Let the ebbs and flows happen, watch them, witness yourself becoming whole, drop by drop.

You Should Know: GMO's

2011-05-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Audacity of Genetically Modified Foods

"Does it bother you that we consumers are largely unaware that 70 percent to 80 percent of the [non-organic] processed foods we buy contain GM ingredients? We are 'largely unaware' because these foods are not labeled - even though 90 percent of Americans want them labeled and think that we have the right to know what is in our food. The biotech industry fights labeling viciously because they know that, if GM foods were labeled, many would refuse to buy them as is the case in Europe."

- "The Audacity of Genetically Modified Foods," Bruce Robinson, May 8, 2011

We are truly living in a precarious time in regards to food. We have never been more ignorant, more hoodwinked and more harmed by any major industry as we are by industrial agriculture. We need to know the truth about our food. Please read on and research more. Stand up and speak out if you don't think its right! Part of the yogic life is practicing deep honesty with ourselves and others, and yoga is a science of removing ignorance. As long as we remain ignorant, we are not in control and cannot make conscious choices for ourselves and our families. We cannot help support the sustainability of the earth and fellow human and animal life. Once our eyes are opened, we can never again be tricked so deviously.

Learn more... http://www.organicconsumers.org/

The industrial agriculture system has chocked out most small farmers and farms and replaced them with huge fossil-fuel and chemical-based factory type farms. They utilize extremely destructive methods environmentally, including widespread use of Genetically Modified plants and animals. This whole system of agriculture destroys the natural fertility of the soil by poisoning the soil eco-system with chemicals. The soil production comes via these chemicals that poison groundwater and degrade the soil further. Over time more and more chemicals are needed to grow because the soil is literally dead.

Most people fall for the deceptive labeling practices used, which include pictures happy looking animals, images of small family farms, and phrases like "natural" and "humane". None of these tricks or claims are truthful or regulated by law. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Natural agriculture, that which is truly sustainable, uses no chemicals. It utilizes age-old techniques for enriching the soil community and producing maximum crop yields. Techniques include composting, crop rotation, companion planting, encouraging beneficial organisms and other similar techniques. Humane animal raising means allowing them to have plenty of outdoor pasture, letting them eat what diet they naturally evolved to eat for optimal health, and tending to their health overall.

Industrial animal agriculture is like a horrific concentration camp for farm animals. They are fed unnatural diets, which may include animal waste and always include mostly GM corn with a heaping helping of antibiotics. They are kept in extremely dank and cramped spaces, denied proper medical care, bred to grow so fast their bodies become frail. They are beaten and tormented and largely their suffering is ignored. Their waste creates human and environmental health hazards.

Welcome to the food at your grocery store. Look into whole, organic and local-chemical-free plant based foods to boycott this egregious destruction. The sustainable, localized food system can be restored by supporting local chemical-free farms.

The most common GMO's are (non-organic) soy, corn and canola. Avoid these if you wish to avoid GMO's. Organic corn and soy are protected by organic standards, at least for now.Canola is highly contaminated by GM pollen blowing and should be avoided to be cautious.

Learn about the food industry's deceptive, dangerous and destructive practices, especially the company Monsanto, which controls most of the crops grown in this country.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm

Learn more about BIODIVERSITY the antithesis of modern mainstream agriculture.

Grow your own HEIRLOOM produce, protect plants and nutrition.

Learn to COMPOST, ROTATE CROPS and avoid chemicals.

NEVER buy ROUNDUP or any MONSANTO products.

DON'T BELIEVE everything that you see on the label-- remember that their job is to make money, not nourish you or the earth or care about animal suffering. Corporations are committed to the bottom-line and that is it!

from http://www.bnet.com/blog/food-industry/forget-the-royal-wedding-prince-charles-crosses-the-pond-to-denounce-factory-farming/3039

by Michelle Warner

Just days after the hullabaloo of his son William’s wedding, Prince Charles delivered a rousing speech on the evils of industrial agriculture in Washington this morning — instantly turning himself into a new icon in the battle over modern agriculture and its impact on the environment, human health and animal welfare.

Speaking at the Washington Post’s “Future of Food” conference, the Prince called the large-scale, non-local, chemical-intensive, oil-shackled system of food production “no longer as viable as it once appeared to be,” earning him hero status among the assembled sustainable food advocates. In a tweet, Grist’s Tom Philpott called him a “lucid big picture thinker.” (That’s one indication, at least, that Charles may have better luck with this endeavor than he did with his ill-fated critique of modern architecture).

His Royal Highness has been a champion for sustainable agriculture for many years, but this is his first major speech on the subject in the U.S. Citing his concern for future generations, Charles argued for food systems more in sync with nature:

Soil is the foundation of world civilization, the health of nations….But soils are being depleted, demand for water is growing ever more voracious and the entire system is at the mercy of an increasingly fluctuating price of oil…In some cases, we are pushing nature’s life support systems so far they are struggling to cope with what we ask of them…If we do not work within nature’s system, then nature can not be the sustaining force she has been.

This sort of thinking — that industrial farming is ruining the environment and isn’t a good solution for feeding the developing world’s exploding population — is exactly the criticism large farm groups are gearing up to debunk. Trade groups representing the pork, chicken, beef and egg industries and the growers of corn, soy and sugar have formed the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and are planning a PR campaign starting in July. Here’s their message:

Consumers should realize and understand that U.S. farmers and rancher share their values and are committed to producing safe and nutritious food in a way that protects and enhances the environment, responsibly cares for animals and contributes to our larger community.

Some of those same industry groups, plus lots more, have teamed up to create another alliance — the Alliance to Feed the Future — though it’s not clear how these two groups will overlap since they’re both in the early stages.

Another presenter at the conference — Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation — argued that “the survival of the current food system depends on widespread ignorance of how it really operates.” The food industry professes to disagree. Both the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and the Alliance to Feed the Future are based on the idea that once Americans learn the story behind their food, they’ll realize farmers are people too and that everything’s OK.

But as we’ve seen before, when the food industry decides to open up its barn doors, the picture the public gets isn’t always complete. Big Ag is smart to try and counter some of the negative publicity with heartwarming stories of third generation family farmers. But with half of all Americans admitting concerns about genetically engineered foods and 80% of moms saying they’re concerned about antibiotic use on farms, it’s going to take a lot more than slick PR campaigns to turn the tide of public opinion.

For that, the industry is going to have to adopt actual change — using a lot less antibiotics, fewer GE crops and raising animals with a humane amount of space in which to live.

More on the secret practices of Yoga...

2011-05-14T21:49:00.001-04:00

That which is considered secret in the Yoga tradition is everything that would be misconstrued by a lay person, misinterpreted and taken out of context. They are not kept secret for any other reason then that. They are not secret amongst those who practice seriously and deeply as a lifestyle.

Also, what is somehow amazing, is that 'secret' or advanced concepts can be offered out loud into the space of a yoga class, and only those with the appropriate level of undersanding will perceive the true meaning of the words (or really the experience that the words point to). To others, the same words will be meaningless or have a more gross (physical or simple) meaning. But in the garden of the beginner's mind the seed will be planted, and should the appropriate level of consciousness emerge, the seed and sprout and the words will show their true intended meaning through experience.

The Secret Practices of Yoga

2011-05-13T22:51:00.001-04:00

There are certain practices And experiences in the yoga tradition that are taught as being secret- they are not to be shared with others outside of the teacher/guru. Certainly, they were not to be shared with new yoga students, family members, friends or those outside of the yoga lifestyle.

The reason these are considered secret is that they are not beginning level practices. Those outside of yoga practice and those just begining will not have the advanced awareness to understand the purpose and method of these sorts of practices. They may judge these practices negatively because of their external appearance, and they may intimidate or disuede them from practicing yoga at all.

Part of the secret yoga practices, the 'inner work' is the process of slowly expanding one's consciousness to heal all wounds, let go of all attachments and understand the nature of being through experience.

The inner work is crucial for our growth spiritually. Although it makes us want to share, the inner work should mostly remain private. That way feelings aren't hurt, and drastic actions aren't taken prematurely. Much of the inner work reveals distractions, distortions and false-views very slowly so to share or act too impulsively can cause harm when the whole realization is reached.

The journey to enlightenment includes a learning from where we have been, learning to overcome temptations and to sympathize with all beings. On the way we learn how others are a reflection of ourselves and we see how we can be everything we had ever judged. We come face to face with the ego, with the obsessive natural of mind, with the chronic dissatisfaction that poses as our inner guide but is just egoic craving.

To share these deep, personal experiences with others would cause more trouble then its worth, because our awareness and experiences on the path are what provide us with insight into the nature of these experiences. Generally, our friends and family aren't likely to be able to give us the feedback we could use for growth. Brothers and sisters on the path may be able to, and certainly our guru or teacher can.

Dragging raw, unfinished experiences into the language of expression can betray the real depth and internal value. Being patient, non-judgemental and just watching the experience over time will eventually tie up all loose ends, provide understanding and leave a feeling of completion where the nagging questioning once was.

We can trust our experience and our intuition to tell us whether to share or let the lesson happen internally.

Resisting the moment by clinging to speed

2011-05-10T22:24:00.001-04:00

Modern people take pride in how quickly they do things, or how many things they do at once. How fast can you eat, talk, work, read, build, how little can you sleep, how long can you work without a break? Faster, bigger, longer, rest is a sign of weakness- that is what society tell us.

Even some yoga styles emphasize constant movement and no stillness. We resist the peace within us but distracting ourselves with constant movement, constant thinking, constant tension. We are seldom actually present in the moment. Our patience and attention spans are shrinking.

What is the point of living like its a race to death? We rush our kids to grow up fast, then lament that they grew up too fast. We even get streesed on our vacations, and have to fill every moment of that time as well. We forget that the point of all that doing is to have time and space to relax and just be.

We get so used to the stress and adrenaline of rushing that we are addicted to it, habituated to fast-paced living. Isn't that a god thing? Not if it sacrifices quality of life- health, peace and quality time with loved ones! We even rush through relaxing, we stare at televisions that are jumping from one thing to the next constantly, we zone out instead of tuning in to the peace available only in the present moment. We can eat very fast, but if we don't taste our food and end up eating too much, if we don't chew well enough and it results in gastric upset, then what time did we save, what good was it?

Practicing mindfulness is a very important remedy to mediate this negative habit. Just by tuning in, bringing the mind and body to the same place at the same time, we begin the process of slowing down. We aren't weaker, dumber or lesser by slowing down- we become deeper, more awake, more fully conscious. We tune into a deeper level of awareness, and detect a whole different layer of meaning and information in each moment. Slowing down is savoring life, experiencing each moment expertly and with optimal attention to really get every bit of bliss and peace possible. Otherwise we'd be likely to ignore the value of most moments and dismiss them as less meaningful. In this way, so many people just disregard and throw away their life.

Slowing down by becoming mindful is like a boycott of disatisfaction in life. It is a way of honoring the inherent value of each moment and thus finding bliss and peace within it. When we have bliss and peace, there is not much left to seek. This is an invitation to stop rushing, stop resisting and just be fully alive.

~Namaste

How to Boycott Palm Oil and Save Orangutans + Rainforests!

2011-05-10T13:50:00.000-04:00

by - Jocelyn Broyles care of care2.com

It came to my attention not that long ago (sometimes I’m very behind in these things) that Palm Oil is one of the world’s largest ongoing environmental disasters and the primary destructive force behind the rapid extinction of the orangutan. The good news is, each and every one of us can help put a stop to it.
In order to plant palm trees that produce oil-rich seeds, virgin rain forest in Indonesia, Sumatra and Borneo is clear cut. What remains is burned. This sounds bad at the outset, when you just think about the trees, but much worse when you think about the animals that live there, including orangutans. They are the world’s largest tee-living primate, spending 90% of their time in the branches and not on the ground. Their homes are cut down, and they are subsequently killed by hand or by fire. Hundreds of orangutans are slaughtered this way and dozens of babies orphaned each month, leaving us with a bleak 62,000 left in the world. It is estimated that they will be extinct in under 20 years at our current rate of palm oil consumption and planting. The orangutans are the biggest looser in this proposition, but many other animals are also dying from loss of habitat, fire and outright killing, including Sumatran Tigers, Sumatran Rhinos, Pygmy Elephants and Bornean Red Carnivores.
The palm oil industry presents other environmental problems including air pollution, and according to PalmOilAction.org, “This year Indonesia will be included in the Guinness Book of Records as the country which pursues the highest annual rate of deforestation. Currently an area of forest equal to 300 soccer fields is being destroyed every hour in the country.” Three hundred soccer fields every hour is a hard thing for me to get my head around, but it’s enough to make me read my ingredients before I buy.
That’s the sneaky thing about palm oil – we are often unaware it’s in our products, from cosmetics, to food to biofuel. We all heard about the two girl scouts, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen, who made news by asking Kellogg Company, the makers of Girl Scout Cookies, to stop using palm oil in its famous brand; and I found several great resources full of information on other products using palm oil:
Other Ingredient Names Used to Describe Palm Oil:

Sodium Laureth Sulphate (Can also be from coconut)
Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (can also be from ricinus oil)
Sodium dodecyl Sulphate (SDS or NaDS)
Palmate
Palm Oil Kernal
Palmitate
Palm Oil in Cosmetics
Elaeis Guineensis
Glyceryl Stearate
Stearic Acid
Chemicals containing palm oil
Steareth -2
Steareth -20
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (coconut and/or palm)
Hydrated palm glycerides
Sodium isostearoyl lactylaye (derived from vegetable stearic acid)
Cetyl palmitate and octyl palmitate (and anything with palmitate at the end) [1]

Foods/Brands Using Palm Oil:

Balance Bar
Ben & Jerry’s
Check out our “Candy List”
Clif Bar
Enfamil Products
Food Crisps
GeniSoy
Girl Scout Cookies
Glenny’s
Harmony Premium Trail Mix
Harmony Yogurt Flavored Raisin Nut Mix
Jell-O No Bake Homestyle Cheese Cake Desert
Jewel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Little Debbie
Luna Bar
McDonald’s
Mercer Vanilla Waves
Met-Rx
Milk (various products may contain Vitamin A palmitate)
Mrs. Fields
Nissin Noodles / Ramen
Odwalla Soy Milk
Pepperidge Farm
Power Bar
Quaker
Raspberry Danish Fine Baked Goods
Russell Stover
South Beach Diet foods
Soy Milk (various)
Sun Ridge Farms
Sweet’N Low
Sunshine Cheez-it
Walkers Snacks
Whole Foods brand pie
WorldWide Sport Nutrition
Zone Perfect [2]

Personal Care Products/Brands Containing Palm Oil:

Accem Scott
Aloette Cosmetics
Avon
Borghese
Bumble & Bumble
California Baby
Channoine
Clinique
Cornelia
Cover Girl
Day & Night Minerals
DebLynne Soaps
Dial
Dr. Bronner’s
Earth Therapeutics
Ecco Bella Botanical cosmetics
Genome Cosmetique
Herbal Essences
Hoffmans House of Treasure
Island Soap Company
Isomers Laboratories (makeup)
Jerome Alexander cosmetics
Juice Beauty
Kiss My Face Big Kiss Organic Palm Oil Soap
Lancome
La Serie (beauty products)
Mary Kay
MD Skincare
Mountain Country
Neutrogena
One With Nature
Palmer’s
Prai Beauty Products
Protameen
Pur Minerals
Regena Cell’s Anti-Aging Cream
Revlon
Sappo Hill Skin Care Products
Senna Cosmetics
Sensaria
Sephora
Skin Biology
Skin Scope
Soma Therapy products
South of France
Tasha and Co.
Urban Decay cosmetics
ZENMED [2]

More Reading On Palm Oil:
“The Guilty Secrets of Palm Oil: Are You Unwittingly Contributing to the Devastation of the Rain Forests”
Palm Oil: An Environmentalists Perspective
How You Can Help or Take Action:
Great Ape Trust
Centre For Orangutan Protection
Orangutan Conservancy

- Jocelyn Broyles

[1] All data on palm oil alternative names taken verbatim from PalmOilAction.org
[2] AngelFire.com
Headline image from PalmOilAction.org. “These companies have verified that all of the products displayed as at 3/4/07 contain palm oil or a palm oil derivative.”

The Subtractive Nature of Yoga

2011-05-09T21:55:00.001-04:00

Sharon Gannon once said that we can't DO yoga, yoga is our natural state, but we can practice yoga exercises that reveal to us where we are resisting our natural state. The more we practice, the more clear this becomes.

As we practice mindfulness and re-align the body with asanas, as we continue the attentiveness in our daily life, as we eat whole plant-based foods, we cleanse our body and our energy. We lighten the weight of learned suffering, avoidance, stress, expectation. We lessen our karmic load as well, systematically learning to make choices that reflect our inherent oneness. We learn to empower and enrich ourselves and all others with our daily choices. We the more our consciousness expands, we begin to experience deeper and deeper states of inter-being, of oneness.

Many people come into yoga primarilly for the workout or the stretch, but the mental-emotional-energetic impact still effects them. When you cleanse, harmonize, and re-align your body, you optimize the flow of energy through the energy channels (nadis). For every practice you are removing debris and stagnation of energy is dissipated.

If you come into yoga seeking enlightenment or an attractive physique, you are still practicing on both levels. When you consciously embrace the wholeness of the practice you realize faster results. When you dedicate yourself to enlightenment, the other benefits fall into place effortlessly in their own time.

The wholeness to which yoga refers is not an additive wholeness, we are not getting more of something from the outside to make us complete. Rather, it is subtractive, we are removing everything that is not self, not our whole state of harmony. So when we find or tweak some small factor that releases an inspiring burst of joy and energy, and we feel "more ourselves", its not so much that we found a piece of ourselves in the external factor that we experienced, but that we released some form of blockage and became a little freer from non-self debris.

Letting-go, non-resistence (surrender) and open attention are powerful concepts and tools on this journey. Using our mindfulness, we will discover numerous opportunities to release tension, blockages, resistances, limiting mental concepts, opinions, judgements, views and other egoic elements. Pride is another manifestation of ego or false-self. We can learn to exist with the thinnest shred of ego, and be expansive, creative, inspired and free once again.

This is why they say that the seed of enlightenment is within us all, that we all have Buddha-nature. It is our natural state. It is all the heavy, oppressive false ideas and views that we carry that weigh us down, miring us in ignorance. They are like heaps of baggage, distracting us from our reality. To practice yoga and yogic lifestyle is to cast away that baggage, one piece at a time. Slowly, our innate lightness and exapansiveness is revealed.

On this journey the body is a mirror of the state of our energy. As we clear away the false-self, blockages and resistance, we clear away disease, excess weight and imbalance. Slowly, our body comes to reflect the perfect strength, flexibility and harmony that is our true self- expansive, balanced and light.

The more we practice, the more we hasten this process of revelation. Practicing asanas daily and mindfulness all day everyday creates a lifestyle of unfolding the expansive awareness that reveals the true self clearer and clearer every day.

Namaste.

Enlightenment is so simple, but incredibly complex!

2011-05-08T22:04:00.001-04:00

The ultimate goal of practicing Yoga is enlightenment. All the others accomplishments and goals happen on the way to that greater goal. Enlightenment is the realization of the oneness of being- anchoring the constant experience of unity with all life. That is serious stuff, even just to understand intellectually, let alone reach, and beyond that anchor in the distant harbor.

There is irony in that metaphor, because it is taught that enlightenment (a.k.a. Buddha nature), is within each of us at all times. We all have the potential to wake-up (Buddha means "one who has awakened") and stay awake, but for most it is a long, slow process. Yet, as the Buddha said, drop by drop the bucket is filled. Moment by moment we are slowly building our awareness. We are more fully awake.

Yoga teaches that all phenomena, although apparently seperate, are on the deepest level, part of one whole. Like cells in the body maintaining their individual identity, we are behooved and more whole once we recognize the oneness of all life. Just like life is simultaneously fragmented into the many and just one whole, realizing that is complex but in practice is simpler then it seems.

To realize enlightenment, we have to follow the Way, a lifestyle dedicated to conditioning enlightenment. The Way for each person is different, so each person much navigate by their heart-center. It can take years of yoga practice before polishing the mirror enough to begin to clearly hear the heart-center. Once there it becomes simpler, but just takes time. Slowly the challenges keep polishing the mirror, we are asked to let go of so much we never knew we were holding on to. All past hang-ups, guilts, judgments, insecurities, attachments and all of the ego is called up in front of us, we have to find the skillful way to naturally resolve and disolve each and every one. And slowly, day by day we are more awake, more present.

Being mindful, as fully as possible. Listen totally to the heart. Be absolute love and compassion for all in all ways. Surrender to reality. Then just keep it up, in the face of ALL challenges, in EVERY single moment. Let the ego dissolve and die. Empty out everything that is not the essential self, just allowing it to leave in its own time. Then, you are there. No control, no rushing, it has to happen in its own time. For most, its much slower then a snail crawls. Watch seeds germinate, or grass grow. It's slower still.

Are you up for the challenge? It's rewards are immense and better than any amount of money. All of the worldly goals happen along the way, but no object or power can compare with being one with All That Is.

In day-to-day practice it is so easy to other think it. Presence is much simpler then that- don't argue with the mind-chatter, just be the "silent witness" watching all vibrations (mental, physical, internal + external). But it still comes down to patience and persistence, because we can't escape our karma. Keep sowing positive seeds every moment and just witness yourself awakening into the cosmic mind.

Drop by drop, we awaken.

Practice all day, everyday, and it will happen!
Namaste!

Eating Disorders~ an inside-out yogic understanding

2011-05-05T22:15:00.001-04:00

Eating disorders are more common then most people realize. What's more, there are more to them then most people think. It is a very complex web of experiences and karmic influences that create this very profound suffering that effects millions of people.

If people who eat when they are not actually hungry, but for psychological/emotional reasons instead, are counted as well as those who don't eat when they are hungry, then there are thousands more people affected by disordered eating then most counts reflect. We will take a look at the details of how disordered eating is not a "defect" or "being crazy", but more an ignorance to certain factors and unskillful reactions to various experiences.

It is undeniable that there is a powerful cultural bias toward thinness as a standard of beauty. And thinness, as long as its achieved and maintained naturally and without strain is very healthy. Yet, the the kind of thin depicted in magazines is rare (1-3% of the population) and even airbrushed to look thinner. It's art, not fact.

So why do we obsess over extreme thiness? We'll see many factors that cause a strong urge to avoid eating or a desire to be lighter. But the primary root that makes it so easy to obsess about lightness is the root desire- the urge to realize oneness of being, enlightenment. We all have an innate urge to be light, as a form of freedom, because light (energy) is our essence.

First, we cannot speak to this issue without addressing obesity in the West. It is not because we are a bunch of lazy slobs that so many people are becoming obese. It is true that we are less active then we used to be, but that is due in a large part to how stressed we are- stress fatigues us and makes us reticent to exercise. Yet, exercising reduces the effects of stress, but people are just waking up to that fact on a wider scale. Obesity is mainly due to some very unethical practices in the food industry.

Evolutionarily-speaking, our bodies have strong instincts to keep us alive in natural, wild circumstances. Although humans haven't been wild for around 10,000 years, the instincts of nearly a million years of evolution are very strong. In nature, we would need to eat whenever food is available, because there is no telling when we would eat next. When we eat high fat or high sugar foods, which are calorie-dense (pack more calories per bite) the satiety response is delayed, we literaly don't get the same signal to know we are full that we'd get with less dense foods. In nature, high fat or high sugar food sources are
few and far between.

Modern humans, who are far less active, have constant access to food and need less energy, still have the same response to high sugar and high fat foods. The food industry knows this. Many processed foods contain high fructose corn syrup- an unnatural sweetener that is more dense then regular sugar. High fat, high sugar foods are the bulk of what lines the shelves in the grocery stores. HFCS is in everything from soda to bread. To put it simply, the low nutrition, high calorie food offered to people sabotages their insticts, ruining their natural guide of when to eat-their appetite.

If eating whole, natural foods we can trust our appetite to tell us when to eat and when to stop. However, modern food, if it can be called that, throws off the mechanism for appetite by messing up the insulin response and creating extreme highs and lows. This creates two situations for average people eating a modern Western diet- trust your sabotaged appetite and get fat and sick, or distrust your appetite and stay thin, but also feel sick and stressed- eating disorders.

There are other factors that play into the obesity/eating disorder paradigm. One of which is stress. We live in a time when being under stress is a constant in many people's lives. That stress creates a constant hurried impulse, an inability to slow-down to a natural pace. Instinctively we crave balance, even if are addicted to imbalance. People who are addicted to the adrenaline of rushing or are constantly under duress may only slow down when they are about to collapse. Having a too-full belly is the only time when some people stop, or it sort of forces them to stop. Both the act of eating and the resulting lethargy bring them to a calmer, more present state. This is when eating is being used as a form of relaxation, and it is not a healthy situation.

So many people are overweight, and clearly it is not healthy. Not only physically, but mentally and energetically as well. Energetically/spiritually-speaking, overweight creates an oppresive heaviness that makes expanding the consciousness difficult. If we think of ourselves as primarily spirits/souls on a physical trip, we can think of the body as a physical manifestation of the soul. The heaviness of the body itself can sometimes be difficult and feel restricting to those who are very sensitive, so any non-essential weight can feel like heavy baggage.

To be aware of this and feel it is one thing, but to be unaware of this and feel it is very challenging. This has a lot to do with eating disorders- it is in a large part due to sensitive body awareness without the mental or spiritual experience or understanding to consciously realize the actual root of the suffering. The root of the suffering remains hidden, and mistaking body for whole self, the war on suffering becomes the war on the body and the war on the self.

For the sensitive, gastric upset causes a lot of bloating and pain, a sense of being huge and lots of discomfort. It can be debilitating, because every meal can set off hours of sharp pain, bloating or gas that makes one feel uncomfortable, socially and personally. Much of this stems from unmindful eating. If we chew very slowly and thoroughly, until our food is liquidy, we can avoid this kind of experience. We have to breathe deeply, and make sure that we are not rushing or feeling anxious when we eat. If we slow down to feel the breath, body and savor each bite we are on our way to better digestion and more comfort. We must also focus only on eating when we eat- not the phone or newspaper.

Until we have the awareness that the way we eat effects the way we digest and the way we feel, this can set up a very difficult cycle. If after every single meal one feels painful gassy bloating or other very negative sensations, one begins to dislike eating, associating it only with the pain that follows. Then we avoid eating, or feel full because of the bloating. Then we wait until we are overly hungry to finally eat- usually eating too fast, too much or not chewing nearly well enough, causing the problem to begin again.

In this situation we begin to distrust our appetite. We distrust that eating is healthy. We feel so puffy, tender, painfully distended all the time, that we distrust and dislike our body. This makes healthy eating very challenging. This makes happiness and self-confidence very challenging as well.

In addition, when we don't utilize proper posture we increase the normal feeling of pressure in our abdomen to nearly 200-250%. This too inhibits healthy digestion, exacerbates bloating and creates a feeling of being bigger than one actually is.

Our lack of trust in ourselves and our fear of becoming heavy can lead to obsessive calorie counting. If we eat truly healthy foods we should never need to count calories. Counting calories is not needed, and can become very frustrating and exhausting. It is like a modern disease as well, certainly it was never needed before, nor is it needed now. We can learn to eat right and trust our appetite and instincts again.

Being in constant mental, emotional and physical turmoil wears a person down and disconnects them from their Essence. Consistent suffering without the right support leads to a broken down self-image, deep feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness, and lots of frustration and confusion. There are often other factors that contribute to these negative self-views that will keep a person addicted to self-defeating or punishing life choices. These negative feelings keep a person mired in an eating disorder, be it eating too much or not nearly enough. The pain can feel safe because its familiar, change and the unknown can be very scary.

So what can we eat to begin trusting the appetite again? How can we heal such deep wounds within oneself to begin feeling worthy of nourishment and love again?

Whole, plant foods, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables and fruits, and some whole grain flours/noodles, are a very clean burning fuel. Animal foods leave unhealthy 'residues', cholesterol, plaque in the arteries, and the plaque of meat in the colon. The way the body utilizes the energy of plant and animal foods is different. Plant foods do not accumulate unhealthy stores of fat on the body, but as soon as animal products are added to the diet, excess calories are stored as unneeded body fat. Processed foods, such as white flour, regular pastas, commercial chips, breads, cereals and crackers also are a poor source of fuel. They are terrible for the energy, they aren't good for the teeth and they lead to bloating, constipation and the resulting energy crash can really adversely effect mood and self-image. Reading ,The China Study by T. Colin Campbell sheds a lot of light on the difference between plant and animal foods for fuel. If eating only plant foods, mostly whole ones, we can trust our appetite and actually eat more calories then the average omnivore, without gaining any fat at all. We will need these extra calories, because eating only plant foods speeds up the metabolism. Trying a whole-food vegan lifestyle for one month can show the difference. If one feels the actual impact, it is more profound then just hearing another's words. It certainly won't hurt to try!

Eating a whole-food, plant-based diet is crucial for ideal health, energy and longevity. Besides a change in diet, how one actually eats makes a huge difference, as was mentioned above. A relaxing environment; slow, mindful chewing; enjoy peace, the meal and those sharing it and NOT working or splitting the attention while eating are simple but very important tips to try seriously as well.

Regular practice of Yoga and meditation is another very profound and transformative experience that is highly recommended for those with any form of disordered eating. The Yoga asanas (poses) stimulate balance throughout the mind and body. The exertion and using of excess energies and the encouragement of relaxation greatly helps those that under-eat or have traditional eating disorders. The movement and encouragment of the flow of energy stimulates circulation, which help those with excess weight.

In conjunction with Yoga asanas, practicing mindfulness, or present-moment awareness, helps access deeper peace and equinimity, and provides lots of insight into the roots of suffering. It enables one to stop and make conscious choices and to see how choices and habits began, by watching experiences openly. Practicing 1 hour each day will have amazing impact on well-being, harmony and peace.

Off the mat, mindfulness can be practiced all-day everyday to continue the process of expanding consciousness. With the tool of mindfulness one can begin to witness the energies rise and fall, come and go, expand and contract without allowing them to govern the actions, thoughts and outlook. This loosens the grip of paralyzing fears, debilitating self-hatred, deep frustrations, guilts and helps to alleviate pain. We can begin to free ourselves from suffering as it occurs and we can cease to create suffering in the first place.

The work may take years, but with practice of these basic techniques, relief can begin instantly. As soon as we choose to end suffering, much of the misery disappears. Then it is a matter of renewing our determination to become free and to have peace by practicing each and everyday, without judgement. Drop by drop we can free ourselves from the habits that created so much suffering within ourselves and our world. We can begin to trust ourselves again!

Peace and health don't happen on accident...

2011-05-03T22:34:00.001-04:00

We have to create a lifestyle that is condusive to health and inner harmony if we wish to feel wellness and wholeness. We cannot put off healthy choices, indulge in lazy avoidance or ignore our needs. It can be a challenge to make time for self-care, but without it our presence and well-being suffers, subtracting from what we have to offer others. When we hurt ourselves, we hurt the world around us.

Prioritize listening to your needs. If you have children, make sure to teach by example the importance of good self-care. That means not just taking care of the outside appearance, but eating whole, natural plant foods, drinking plenty of water (and no sodas or sugary juices), getting active everyday, having a full night's rest and practicing mindfulness and meditation.

Practicing Yoga regualary can help make the body and mind feel like a million bucks. Ignore slight cases of fatigue or resistance to practice. Come to the mat without expectations and pledge to feel everything openly. Let the energy come to you as you begin.

Practice mindfulness or seated meditation everyday. Mindfulness can be woven into everything you do. Get in touch with nature as much as possible everyday as well.,

Making a true commintment to practice regularly will not only transform your life, but the lives of those around you. If not for yourself, practice for the sake of all living beings.

Jai ma! (Salutations to mother earth!)

2011-04-30T22:08:00.001-04:00

I feel so ecstatic I can hardly write. I feel the beat of prana pulsating through me to the rhythm of Aum. I am so alive. Maybe not in samadhi, but certainly somewhere in between, in the doorway between, dervish in the doorway.

Everything is alive, growing, pulsating, reaching to the light and glowing by the night. If I am anything other than an anomoly then its working, this whole Yoga Sadhana, the natural yoga method.

To shut the windows and be closed in the house is to die a little death. I mourn the severing of the umbilical cord of fresh, living breathing air. If I cannot smell that 'nature' smell on my son's hair and on my clothes, we have not been outdoors enough. To be stuck inside is to be half-dead, babbling, stark-raving mad, disconnected. It is a miracle we survive the Winter, but then again, we go out then too. We have to connect to the mother beat, primal spacious experience.

Clear your home of clutter. Throw the windows open- it's all or nothing really, either its too cold to keep your house that temperature or else they are opened all the way. Rip down the curtains and bathe in sunlight. Drink crystal clear pure water, and feel it soak into your insides like water into a dry, thirsty sponge. Say 'thank you' to the water. While you're at it, say 'thank you' to the sun, sky, rain, soil eco-system, plants, insects, birds, farmers, truckers, stockers, and the dinosaur that died a million years ago to create the petroleum that was refined to the diesel that got your food to you. And tell me again how self-reliant you are?! They all danced to bring your wheat to the table. They all sacrificed life force, some surrendered their forms, their life, just so that you, you know who, could sustain your life.

And what will you do with this one very precious life? Will you chase payments, objects, praise and look for something lasting in a world of transience? Or will you be alive so fully in each moment that you remember that you are the dance that dances life into being? Will you live in a way that is limited, polluting, enslaving to yourself and your fellow creatures? Or will you live spacious, loving freedom and set others free with your thoughts, actions, and choices?

Nature is a pure crystalization of the source of life, nature does not manifest contrary to the will of Life Itself. To become one with nature is to be so close to the breath that breathes us all. To be natural is to seperate from all the toxic avenues for mind and body and come home to present moment wholeness, and live every moment in love and non-harm.

Let the breeze caress you, the sun warm your skin, touch the living earth with your bare feet. Contemplate the billion organisms living in every teaspoon of healthy dirt, the interbeing of which is the dirt. Is the dirt a solid object, or an entire world? The rainforests are the lungs of the earth, taking one breath each year, in and out. But we have carved out chunks of her flesh, did she suffer from a cancer called humans? Can a cancer learn to nourish its host and no longer put to death the very ground of its survival? Can we nourish the earth? Can we care more about life and less about plasticy stuff or what rot is on the tube tonight?

Oh mother earth, living, breathing earth. We are just cells in your body, we are cells out of control. Just as our cells are individuals, our tissues are communities, our organs countries, our body a world- so too with you. Let us nourish you while we nourish ourselves. You give us everything we need to live an amazing adventure. We do love you, and we do care. jai ma!

Natural Yoga Method

2011-04-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

Enlighten mainly offers Natural Yoga. Here is a little information about it...

Natural Yoga is a blend of mainly Yoga practices and philosophy with Buddhist meditation and philosophy, with a strong focus on respecting, protecting and connecting with nature.

Natural Yoga is based on universal philosophy that compliments all spiritual/religious paths. It offers practical, health-enhancing, life-affrming and inspiring practices intended for daily use.

The most important daily practices are mindfulness, proper posture, non-harm and connection with nature.

Weekly, or ideally, daily asana (Yoga pose) + meditation practice leads to top physical health, mental clarity, confidence, deep peace, greater awareness, and leads one along the path toward enlightenment.

Four Main Ideas:

Vinyasa: (meaningful flow of exeriences) Life is precious and every moment is meaningful. Life is primarily a spiritual journey. It is up to each of us to not waste the gift of life we have been given.

Smriti: (presence/remembrance/mindfulness) Practicing mindfulness (on the breath, on the bodily sensations or on consciouness itself) is the important practice of being present. If we are not present in life, we are absent from life. Mindfulness is a powerful catalyst for growth, transformation and liberation.

Avinaabhava sambandhu: (all life is inextricably interconnected) We slowly realize that all life and everything is thoroughly interconnected. Everything act, thought, and deed counts, all life is sacred, and there is no "time out" from that. The earth is our home and we are ALL inextricably connected to the whole of the planetary and universal eco-systems. We are all inextricably interconnected with all that is.

Ahimsa: (non-harm) recognizing the oneness of all that is, we recognize the right of every being to peace, health and joy. In order to uphold our own joy, we must rise to every opportunity given to us to alleviate the suffering of others. We must not ignore our "heart", but live as a celebration of life.

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So many paths... One goal. What is enlightenment? The realization of the oneness of being. What does this mean? First recognizing that all that exists is thus part of the whole of Existence... Then walking the long road and doing the inner work required to dissolve the attatchment to individuality and become whole and wholly connected to all that is. Along the way the mind and body are brought to peak health and harmony. The process unlocks the fullest potential in all ways.

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naturalyogamethod.com is being developed to share the philosophy and practices of the natural yoga method. It is up and running, and will be renovated this May, to offer more information and to be presented more neatly.

Seed festival~ grassroots gathering

2011-04-22T21:39:00.001-04:00

In connection with enlighten~ yoga + community center we will offer the Seed Festival Grassroots Gathering as an annual event, here in Amsterdam NY.

The event's mission is to offer lots of free information about healthy, eco-friendly, natural and interconnected living; empowering locals to make conscious, informed lifestyle choices and enabling a strong, joyful sense of community.

The gathering is offered as a solution for the common complaint, "there's nothing to do here". To that, we offer the festival, our community center, and a challenge in the form of a motto- "We believe that it is each person's responsiblity to create the kind of community they wish to see. Don't complain! Live vividly, participate, create!"

The debut will be in May or June of next year (2012), and the festival will run from the afternoon into the evening. It will be held at Riverlink Park. There will be information tables set-up by topic, offering free information on subjects like hydration, energy medicine, vegetarian (vegan) lifestyle, yoga, meditation, eco-friendly living and more. There will be a bounceybounce for the kids and a farmers market as well. Artists will be invited to display their works & crafters their wares.

Well-known speakers will be invited. Speakers will offer inspiring information and moving reasons why we should take good care of ourselves and each other. There will be a group meditation offered, and a playful group yoga session.

There will be an abundant and delicious vegan feast for all to enjoy. Donations will be accepted to fund the experience, but admission will be free.

The evening will hold a public yoga chanting workshop, drum circle, and live music. The evening will culminate with a fire-spinning performance.

We will be going for zero-waste, using the least amount of energy possible, selling or offering no food with packaging and selling very inexpensive stainless steel water bottles (with free refils) instead of bottled water. We will purchase carbon offsets after paying our expenses to balance the energy used. Giveaways will include cloth bags and any other eco-friendly items we can get our hands on.

Volunteers and donations will be needed to make this amazing event a reality. If you are an artist, crafter, musician or performer and are interested in participating, please let me know. We need many volunteers- two for each table, four for the water set-up, four for the meal... We will need donations of food, dish service, insurance, PA system, cloth bags, and possibly even the stainless steel water bottles. We will be applying for not-for-profit status very soon, so when that is complete, all donations will be tax-deductable.

Your comments, suggestions, and enthusiasm will also help fuel this project. Very soon T-shirts will be available for order to raise funds for this awesome endevor.

Namaste~
laura
(naturalmethodyoga@gmail.com)

Defining Ishta-devata, How Hinduism is Monotheistic (+ Comparison with Other Religions)

2011-04-17T21:07:00.001-04:00

Most people, including most school teachers, think of Hinduism as polytheistic. On the surface, it clearly is, by definition. But in practice and in its cultural context, the main traditional philosophy when read just a little deeper reveals this false appearance.

The main philosophy linked to Hinduism is Vedanta, the philosophy of monism. Monism, not to be confused with monotheism, is the belief that there is only one thing in existence, that all that is is part of one whole, which is the entire contents of reality. This doesn't mean that Hindus can't distinguish a table from a telephone, it means that below the surface, on the quantum level of reality, they believe that all is connected, all is really one. Modern science doesn't exactly disagree, either.

All that is is One. That fundamental Whole, the entirety of reality is what we commonly hear reffered to as God. Even in Christianity, where people tend to personify the concept of God and "trap" God in human form, there is the basic concept that God is 1. Omniscient and 2. Omnipresent. That means that whomever we refer to as God certainly isn't limited to a single human form. God must be everywhere always. This is why Muslims consider it a huge sin to draw or create representations of God, because it betrays what God really is- everything, everywhere, always. Although Hinduism is the only explicitly monist of these three, at their core they agree. Hinduism is monotheistic and monoist. Islam and Christianity are monotheistic, and hint at the concept of monism. Islam integrates that concept fluidly in its Sufi branch, which is ecstatically monist. It is amazing how diverse the cultural wrappings are, and how one and unified the essence is!

And it is to this cultural wrapping we will speak next. Although monotheistic and monist at heart, undoubtedly there are a number of Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism. How can this be? Well, how can all of us exist in a world that is just one Whole? These Gods and Goddesses each embody a different aspect of the fundamental Reality, a quality of God. Each one is a piece of God. Each of these representations has a long set of allegorical stories, mantras, songs, images. Each God has a Shakta, a Goddess. They come in pairs, like Yin and Yang. Hindu families will worship one particular aspect of God or pair over all others, that is their Ishta-devata. The purpose of this whole confusing concept is to allow the worshiper to 1. Learn values and spiritual qualities from the stories, 2. Form a personal relationship with their form of God, to be able to Love God.

It is hard for some to feel devotion to an indescribable reality, while loving and honoring a representation of that Reality in the form of human incarnation, through teaching-stories, songs, mantras, and festivals is easier for most people to live.

There is a time in our spiritual evolution to go beyond the forms, the representations, the limited image of the Indescribable. However, the Ishta-devata concept serves many well, for many lifetimes before they are ready to "go beyond". In fact, in Christiany, Jesus Christ is an Ishta-devata, considered an incarnation of the Divine. Through loving Jesus, by hearing his teachings and story of his life and sacrifice, through singing songs, Alleluiah and Amen, people form a personal, devoted relationship to the Divine. Islam, most recent in the trilogy of the Abrahamic religions, does away with this concept- Jesus is a revered prophet, not embodiment of God, and this is the difference and root of rivalry between the two.

Interestingly, Buddhism teaches the same concept we have defined as God- the existence one unified Ultimate Reality manifested in the multitude forms, but uses no term God. The Buddha taught that to try to describe the indescribable and to label what is far beyond labelling was simply not to be done. One can only experience Ultimate Reality through very deep meditation, but words were hollow in trying to convey it. So experience, not labelling or describing, is the Buddhist path. Many think that belief in God is not possible in Buddhism, but it is there, pointed to and not trapped in forms or labels. This really agrees with the Islamic value of not limiting God by representation in any image or form.

Ishta-devata is very powerful and useful to so many people, helping them to strengthen their faith in Ultimate Reality and to practice their values dilligently, to be the very best and highest they can. It is the heart of Bhakti- devotional practice of chanting, loving and trying to see the Beloved everywhere in everyone and everything. In Bhakti, ones personal relationship with God becomes ones personal relationship with life itself, loving until all distinction between lover, beloved and loving merges into wholeness, Yoga (union/wholeness).

New Bolivian Law Will Give the Earth Rights

2011-04-16T13:38:00.000-04:00

By Erin La Rosa, ecorazzi

It’s an annoying fact that not everyone recycles or turns the lights off or makes efforts to so much as conserve water. So, what if the government stepped in and forced everyone to do all of those things?

That’s what lawmakers in Bolivia are taking steps toward with their “Law of Mother Earth” bill. It’s a piece of legislation that would grant nature equal rights to humans.

The laws would be the first of their kind, with 11 in total, and would recognize that the planet has an equal right to be protected.

The Guardian outlined the laws as: “the right to life and to exist; the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration; the right to pure water and clean air; the right to balance; the right not to be polluted; and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered.”

Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said when describing the new law, “Earth is the mother of all…the harmony [between man and nature] must be preserved as a guarantee of its regeneration.”

The South American country has been threatened by environmental changes, with temperatures steadily increasing and its glaciers (a source of water and electricity for them) disappearing at rapid rates.
Hopefully Bolivia’s bold move will lead to laws like this being implemented elsewhere!

A Brief Insight Into the Differences Between the modern Schools of Buddhism

2011-04-12T22:53:00.001-04:00

In the original Buddha's day, he was the only cat in town. Over the first few hundred years after his passing, numerous schools began to appear due to differences in interpretations or emphasis on certain teachings. This is a very general overview to just introduce you to the broadest and most basic differences between the schools. In each Buddhist country in Asia, there are local differences as it was adapted and evolved uniquely once it arrived.

TWO MAJOR BRANCHES~

THERAVADA~ ("the elder's way") the oldest branch surviving, they emphasize the important of reaching enlightment for oneself. They source "the Pali canon" of texts and use terms in Pali. Vipassana meditation is a main practice.

MAHAYANA~ ("the greater vehicle") The broadest branch, this includes many diverse schools of Buddhism, including Zen, Vajrayana and more. The unifying element is the teaching of Bodichitta- the Bodhisattva vow: cultivating one's enlightenment not just for oneself, but out of devotion to the well-being of all others. There are source writings in Sanskrit and in vernacular languages in each coutry, perhaps especially in Japanese.

VAJRAYANA BUDDHISM: Tibetan Buddhism, of which His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the head. Tibetan Buddhism uses various unique meditation techniques, including visualizations, prayer wheels, calm abiding (very similar to vipassana) and more. There is a merging between the indigenous beliefs and worldview (Bon) and Buddhism, which results in a very rich, unique form of living practice.

ZEN BUDDHISM: mainly thought of as a Japanese school, there are Zen schools in China (where its called Chan), Vietnam and other Buddhist countries. Zen is known for its paring down of everything to its simplest form. Its main practice is mindfulness. Seated and walking meditation are used, along with verses, stories and riddles to help the mind come deeply into the here and now. Zen practitioners generally spend a lot of time meditating on the cushion.

ENGAGED BUDDHISM: Thich Nhat Hanh, actually a Vietnamese Zen monk, founded Engaged Buddhism (and monks order of Interbeing) during the Vietnam War to help encourage monks, nuns and lay practitioners to take there practice beyond the meditation hall to be peace and share peace as compassionate activists. Thay (Vietnamese for teacher), encourages mindfulness practiced equally in all moments, not just on the cushion. This is a Zen teaching, but Thay seems to make it even more practical and accessible for the lay person.

NICHIREN BUDDHISM: a Japanese school of Buddhism based on Nichiren, a Buddhist reformer. This schools focuses on studying the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha's ultimate teaching, chanting the Lotus Sutra, and its title in Japanese (namo myoho renge kyo) in front of a special altar (the gohonzon) representative of the journey to Buddhahood.

There are many other schools, but these are some of the main ones you will encounter. Following what intrigues you, you can look deeper into that which resonates for you. This way you may find inspiring practices to serve and uplift your life.

Modern Yoga Lineage~ about contemporary schools of Yoga + their roots

2011-04-12T15:13:00.000-04:00

Sri Krishnamacharya~ Father of modern Yoga:

from- http://www.lifedivine.net/yoga/who-was-krishnamacharya/

"Krishnamacharya is known today in the world of yoga, because he was the teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and TKV Desikachar, three of the great teachers of contemporary yoga. As such he has been called by some the father of modern yoga. Shri Krishnamacharya’s lineage can be traced to the Yogi Nathamuni, a ninth century South Indian saint who was renowned for his great works in Sanskrit and Yoga – the Nyayatattva and Yoga Rahasya.
Krishnamacharya was born on November 18, 1888, at Muchukundapuram in the Chitradurga district in the State of Karnataka. His parents, Shri Tirumalai Srinivasa Tatacharya and Smt. Ranganayakamma were of distinguished ancestry and lived their lives according to the shastras. Krishnamacharya was the eldest of three brothers and three sisters.
Krishnamacharya had his initial education under his father who taught him the Vedas, yoga sutras of Patanjali and the other religious texts in the traditional gurukula (pupil in the house of the guru) manner. The seeds of yoga were also sown in young Krishnamacharya by his father. He would be woken at two in the morning and made to chant the Vedas and perform asanas. His father who was his first guru planted the seeds of knowledge in him, encouraged and guided him in his quest for learning. He lost this precious guidance at the age of ten when his father died.
At the age of 16, the entire family then moved to Mysore to join his great grandfather who was the head of the Parakala Math. It is here that he studied Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar), Vedanta and Tarka (logic) under the religious Guru to the Maharaja of Mysore. His thirst for knowledge increased and at the age of 16 he took the examination in Purva Mimamsa and the different shastras at the Maharaja Sanskrit College in Mysore. In his early adult life he studied with the pundits in Benares (Varanasi), and further studies on the Vedanta and advance Sanskrit grammar in Mysore before returning to Benares.
Once while he was practising asanas as taught by his father in Banaras, a saint saw him and advised him to study yoga under Shri Jha who had the title of Yogacharya. Yogacharya Jha advised Krishnamacharya that if he was seriously interested in Yoga, then he must travel beyond Nepal to Tibet, where Rama Mohana Brahmachari lived. He also recommended a book called Yoga Kurunta in the Gurkha language, which gave practical information on Yoga and health. this knowledge secured Krishnamacharya the permission he needed to leave the country when he was unable to improve the health of the Indian viceroy who was ill with diabetes. The viceroy was so pleased, that he made the necessary arrangements, provided clothing and even sent to aides with him.
After a long trek across the Himalayas, Krishnamacharya reached the sacred lake Mansarovar near Mount Kailash. There he searched for Rama Mohana Brahmachari and on finding him Krishnamacharya prostrated and requested him to accept him as his disciple. Krishnamacharya became a part of Rama Mohana Brahmachari’s family and lived there for seven and a half years. For the first three years he memorised the entire texts including the Yoga Kurunta. The following three years he practiced yogabhyasa (Study of Yoga)and the next one and a half years he studied sikshana (teaching) and chikitsa krama (yoga therapy). His Guru then asked him to return to society, lead a married life and spread the message of yoga.
After these 7 years of study, he came back to South India and studied Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine. His fame as a great scholar led to an invitation from the Mahraja of Mysore Krishnamacharya accepted the offer and lived the remainder of his life devoted to the spread and teaching of yoga. In accordance with his Guru’s wishes that he should live a life of a householder – he married Namagiriammal in 1925.

After Indian independence and the close of the Maharaja’s yogashala, Krishnamacharya and his family left Mysore for Madras. as he aged Krishnamacharya’s teaching style changed. Iyengar said of him "in the early days, he was like a militant. He was a fierce, strong, demanding individual. Pattabhi Jois echoes this saying "if you came one minute early or one minute late you would not be allowed into class. He demanded total discipline and was very tough." His son Desikachar, who did not begin yoga studies with his father until Krishnamacharya was 70 says " Later on, he changed and began to teach people differently. He began to cater to the needs of the individual, rather than to teach everyone the same way. His teaching methodology also involved, which meant that he reduced and adapted it to the needs of individuals, to their culture and mentality. It was not standardization of their "everyone has to do this asana" variety. Although many considered him a Yoga Master he continued to call himself a student because he felt that he was always “studying, exploring and experimenting” with the practice.
T. Krishnamacharya died in 1989, just after his 100th birthday. His work lives on through his son T.K.V. Desikachar who lived and studied with his father for 3 decades. Sri Desikachar still lives in the family home in Chennai and is semi-retired so that he can spend his days translating the library of work that T. Krishnamacharya left for future generations of yogis. So Krishnamacharya will be providing us with yoga teachings for many years to come. He lives on through these teachings and the family that is carefully disseminating them to the world.
T. Krishnamacharya’s work was revolutionary in his time because he believed that yoga was universal to all people, irrespective of age, gender, culture, faith, abilities and interests. He is one of the few masters of m modern times who understood the whole gamut of yoga’s tools and their potentials for health and healing. For him yoga was not merely a form of physical exercise, but one that helped us in our journey towards our authentic selfs."

Modern Teachers + Schools Descending from this Lineage...

Sri Krishnamacharya taught B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and TKV Desikachar.

Iyengar Yoga- a modern school that is known for using lots of modifications and props to create a very safe, effective and therapeutic Yoga practice.

TKV Desikachar has taught many teachers to work one-on-one with a thoroughly customized Yoga program for each student, taking after his father's later teachings.

K. Pathabi Jois, founder of modern Ashtanga Yoga, has taken after Sri Krishnamacharya in that he has taught many of the most notable teachers of the "second generation" of modern Yoga...

from- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Pattabhi_Jois
"Jois was born on July 26, 1915, (Guru Pūrṇimā, full moon day) in the village of Kowshika,^[3] near Hassan, Karnataka, South India.
Jois's father was an astrologer, priest, and landholder. From the age of 5 he was instructed in Sanskrit and rituals by his father, as were all Brahmin boys. No one else in his family had learned yoga or even professed interest in it.^[4]
In 1927, at the age of 12, Jois attended a lecture and demonstration at the Jubilee Hall^[5] in Hassan by T. Krishnamacharya^[6] and became his student the very next day. For two years Jois remained in Kowshika and practiced with Krishnamacharya every day. Jois never told his family he was practicing yoga. He would rise early, go to practice, and then go to school.
In 1930, Jois ran away from home to Mysore to study Sanskrit, with 2 rupees.^[1]^[7] Around the same time Krishnamacharya departed Hassan to teach elsewhere. Two years later, Jois was reunited with Krishnamacharya, who had also made his way to Mysore. During this time, the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar, had become seriously ill and it is said that Krishnamacharya had healed him, through yoga, where others had failed. The Maharaja became Krisnamacharya's patron and established a Yoga shala for him on the palace grounds. Jois often accompanied Krishnamacharya in demonstrations.^[8] Krishnamacharya remained in Mysore with Jois until 1941, when he left for Madras after the death of the Maharaja.
Jois remained in Mysore and married a young woman named Savitramma^[7] (but who came to be known as Amma), on the full moon of June 1937 when Jois was 21 years old. In 1948 they, with the help of Jois' students, purchased a home in the section of town called Lakshmipuram, where they lived with their children Saraswathi, Mañju and Ramesh.
He held a teaching position in yoga at the Sanskrit College^[8] of Maharaja from 1937 to 1973,^[9] becoming vidwan (professor) in 1956,^[9] as well as being Honorary Professor of Yoga at the Government College of Indian Medicine from 1976 to 1978.^[10] He taught there until 1973, when he left to devote himself fully to teach yoga at his yoga shala. He had studied texts such as the Patañjali Yoga Darśana, Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, Yoga Yajñavalkya and the Upaniṣads,^[10] and in 1948, he established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute at their new home in Lakshmipuram.^[11]
In 1964, a Belgian named André Van Lysebeth (1919–2004) spent two months with Jois learning the primary and intermediate asanas of the Ashtanga Yoga system. Not long afterwards, van Lysebeth wrote a book called J'apprends le Yoga (1967, English title: Yoga Self-Taught) which mentioned Jois and included his address. This marked the beginning of westerners coming to Mysore to study yoga.^[7] His students included Madonna, Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow.^[6] All his students, including the celebrities and his grandson, received the same training.^[7]
His first trip to the West was in 1974 to South America, to deliver a speech in Sanskrit at an international yoga conference.^[9] In 1975 he stayed for four months in Encinitas, California, marking the beginning of Ashtanga yoga in the US.^[12] He would return to the US several times over the next 20 years, to teach yoga at Encinitas and elsewhere.^[12]
He wrote his only book, Yoga Mālā, in Kannada in 1958, and it was published in 1962, but was not published in English until 1999.^[12] A film was made about him by Robert Wilkins.^[13]
Jois continued to teach at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, now located in the neighbourhood of Gokulam,^[3] with his only daughter Saraswathi Rangaswamy (b. 1941) and his grandson Sharath^[8] (b. 1971), until May 18, 2009 when he died aged 93 of natural causes."

Ashtanga Students (they have also studied other schools as well) that became influential teachers included

Shiva Rea (Prana Flow) (http://shivarea.com/),
David Life (Jivamukti Yoga) (http://www.eomega.org/omega/faculty/viewProfile/c8b4a27230c94f2bca1d21d825c3a55f/),
Baron Baptiste,
John Friend (Anusara Yoga) and others.

Other Influential schools of modern Yoga include:

Anusara Yoga: http://www.anusara.com/ Started by John Friend.

Kundalini Yoga: http://www.3ho.org/ Founded by Yogi Bhajan

Bikram Yoga: http://bikramyoga.com/ Begun by Bikram Chodhury

Integral Yoga: http://www.yogaville.org/ Founded by Swami satchidananda

SivanandaYoga Vedanta: http://www.sivananda.org/ Founded by Swami Sivananda (Swami satchidananda's guru)

Sai Baba Quotes to Inspire You~

2011-04-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences. He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process.

Do not be misled by what you see around you, or be influenced by what you see. You live in a world which is a playground of illusion, full of false paths, false values and false ideals. But you are not part of that world.

Let love flow so that it cleanses the world. Then man can live in peace, instead of the state of turmoil he has created through his past ways of life, with all those material interests and earthly ambitions.

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.

Look out into the universe and contemplate the glory of God. Observe the stars, millions of them, twinkling in the night sky, all with a message of unity, part of the very nature of God.

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.

Man is lost and is wandering in a jungle where real values have no meaning. Real values can have meaning to man only when he steps on to the spiritual path, a path where negative emotions have no use.

April~ teaching of the month: Exploring what Yoga is + the benefits of practice

2011-04-10T14:42:00.000-04:00

April~
Exploring what Yoga is + the benefits of practicing...

All month in the studio and on our blog we will explore the meaning of Yoga and ways in which regular practice benefits real life. Yoga means "union" or "to yoke, or join". Yoga practice includes numerous styles and types of techniques, the most common being meditation, poses, specific dietary choices, breathing techniques, voluntary service to others, study of philosophy and chanting. Yoga science came out of India, with some practices rooted in philosophical teachings as old as 3,000 years or much more.
Since the philosophy is based in psychology and simple morality, the teachings are timeless and universally applicable. They in fact, compliment and encourage a deepening of one's own spiritual path. The purpose of practice is to create unshakeable health and peace in the mind and body; to encourage "mindfulness", a more open but focused level of attention, which joins mind with body in the present moment; and ultimately, to achieve enlightenment, which is defined as the realization of the ultimate oneness of being, the oneness of all life. (more on enlightenment another month!)
Sadhana, or Yogic practice, can consist of a many or as few components as you wish. The most basic components would be poses, meditation, mindfulness, and some form of study with a teacher or books. In order to redeem benefits, one must practice consisently over time, even if it is only once each week. The effect is cumulative- the skills develop over time. Practicing 2-3 times per week is even better, and 6-7 days per week is ideal.
Benefits manifest through the body and mind, on and off the Yoga mat. Here are some common benefits, but not the only possibilities:

increased flexibility, strength, muscle tone

maintain and come to a natural, healthy weight

reduced aches and pains

improved posture, which carries numerous benefits unto itself, including protecting joints from abnormal wear

improved immunity, digestion

stimulating and re-aligning spine, encouraging optimal nerve functioning

tonifying all major organs and glands, benefiting overall health and wellness, disease management + prevention

increased mental clarity and focus

increased self-confidence, self-image

increased patience, calm and ability to handle stress comfortably

reduced effects or occurance of anxiety and depression

increased positivity, satisfaction in life, everyday happiness

inspires and encourages creativity

benefits interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution skills

heightened body awareness and mindfulness (which contain numerous benefits as well)

Yoga practice is well worth the time, as it benefits every aspect of health and life. It only requires that we are interested and regular in our efforts. It is said that when the student is ready the teacher will arrive. If you want to manifest these benefits and more, just practice. It will unfold in the best way for your path.
Offered with Love,
~Laura Harrison
yogini, environmentalist, artist, activist, creator of Natural Yoga Method, founder of Enlighten

The Yoga of Sustainability

2011-04-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

CHAPTER 7. CONSERVE PAPER + TREES

All of us certainly take paper for granted, which is a shame in general, but especially considering the majesty and miracle of living trees. These gorgeous, ancient plants are the very lungs of the Earth. Rumi likens them to ecstatic Sufis in dancing prayer. Too many people think too little of these incredible lifeforms. Here are some ideas for conserving precious trees.

CLOSE THE LOOP
Whenever you do purchase paper products, especially notebooks and toilet tissue, please choose 100% recycled, post-consumer content if possible. Tree-free is even better.

GET CRAFTY + USE BOTH SIDES
Whenever you use paper, make sure to use both sides and recycle or compost it when it has completed its useful life. You can use an old blender to puree used paper and spread it onto a screen to make decorative or perhaps functional, papers. Use every scrap of paper to the max-- including art projects such as collage and paper mache (a great use for magazine and catalogs). If you aren't crafty check your local library or school to see if they can make use of your old magazines.

GO CLOTH
Stop buying tissues, paper towels and paper napkins. Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels instead. Turn old soiled T-shirts or ripped up, old towels for the truly gross stuff. (and remember that you can compost old cloth bits.) Use handkerchiefs. Flannel clothes make soft and durable hankies that don't cause soreness on your nose when you are sick. When eating out, be bold and bring a cloth napkin, or use the minimal amount of paper napkins possible, and reuse or compost them after. Dry your hands on your shirt if no hand dryer is available in public restrooms. Speak out and request cloth napkins and hand dryers at your local eateries, or at least encourage a change to unbleached, 100% recycled paper napkins.

HEMP OR OTHER PLANT FIBER PAPERS
Hemp, kenaf, banana and sugarcane are some of the options for computer and notebook papers, and for the stubborn, even paper plates and napkins. Using reusable dishes are always preferable, but if they are not possible, there are even elegant, compostable plates made from fallen leaves! Plant fibers are ecologically preferable to plastics and Styrofoams, so it is great that finally there are many alternative options to using trees.

RECLAIMED OR SUSTAINABLY MANAGED WOODS
When it comes to furniture, nothing is more study and healthful than real wood. Pressboards and cheap composite and laminated faux woods are filled with poisonous chemicals. Using fallen trees or wood from sustainably managed forests is a viable solution. Don't be afraid to ask for documentation as to the source of the wood- never trust just the word or suggestion on a label. False representation can happen on accident, so don't let your wishful thinking lead you into a harmful choice.

BAMBOO + CORK
Fast-growing and durable, bamboo is a versitile and highly renewable choice for flooring. Cork too, fascinatingly, is renewable because the tree still lives while a certain degree of its wood is harvested every so often. Both make excellent choices for wood flooring. Marmoleum brand flooring is another sustainable and natural option for elegant, functional, healthy, and environmentally-kind flooring.

PLASTIC LUMBER
One of the only times when plastic is a better choice environmentally- recycled content plastic lumber, perfect for decks and similar outdoor building. Durable, there is no need to refinish or ever use any chemicals on it- making it safe and practical.

PLANT TREES, SUPPORT ARBORETUMS
One way to help is to of course plant trees, or donate to arboretums- plant conservatories, that often care for precious old-growth forests. You can also donate to organizations such as The Arbor Day Foundation that plant trees.

BUY YOUR OWN FOREST
If you have enough of a savings, you could simply buy a forested piece of land. Influencial Yoga teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life have done just that- maintaining a 125-acre forest sanctuary near Woodstock, NY. Perhaps you can't find or afford that large of a space, but no matter how small it is, you are helping the trees and the entire eco-system by preserving precious forest land and allowing it to remain wild and natural. Never be discouraged by the size of the action, remain inspired by the intention.

Only goals accomplished in love can succeed... How I came to Yoga

2011-04-08T21:52:00.001-04:00

Too many people pack into gyms with negative self-image broiling within, prodding them, in self-depreciating punishment, to work-out in retribution for some state of unworthiness. I know, because many years ago, I was one of those people. Not everyone at the gym is in that state, but many people are and to varying degrees.

Any goal we wish to accomplish, be it physical, mental or spiritual, can be fueled in two ways: with a wholesome, peace-driven and compassionate energy or with a sort of grinding, rocky sense of self-loathing.

Either we think that we are not worthy of compassion in some way, or we have learned that habit of poor self-image and never investigated it, but that self-depreciating attitude colors everything in our lives. Interpersonal relationships are rotten from the inside when one or both partners are in that state. The negativity leeches through into shared space and kills the joy of loving, of living. It crushes creativity, health, inner peace and joy. It pushes others away. Children learn it like a deadly, contagious disease. And any goal which we accomplish with that negative energy will inevitably lead to suffering, it will come undone. We truly have to learn to love ourselves before everything else in life can work smoothly.

When people said that in front of me, as a teenager, I felt rage! How clearly, I thought, must they be foolish! Of course I was capable of love. I loved others, just not myself I thought. But that love was hot/cold and dependent on my mood. It was qualified and attached love for the most part. I gave of myself as much as I knew how, but my lack of consistent inner peace wrecked one of the most important relationships in my life.

No matter how toned, tight or tiny I became, at 2 hours a day in the gym, I still had no peace. It was as if my weight were a golf score- the lower it was the better of a person I felt like. I suffered so many digestive problems, and was always so hungry. I counted calories like a tyrant, and was so strict it wasn't real. I'd be so hungry that I'd binge at times, because I was so very hungry and my body was wearing out. Somehow, I realized that I couldn't live like that anymore.

I couldn't tell you exactly how, since I had about 10 minutes experience with Yoga previously, and had said that I had no time for it because my "real workout" took too much time everyday, but somehow, all I wanted to do was learn Yoga. I printed poses off the internet and practiced without knowing anything at all. Within a few months I was moving to Miami and undertook a Yoga teacher training.

Once at the ashram, while studying, and once a few years later, I had an opening, a huge release of past tensions, negativity and blockages. It hit me like a wave of depression, and I had to cry, sob, weep, loud and long. The first time, I felt miraculously relieved right away, and strolled back to the ashram on the beach filled with love, gratitude and light. The second time it was foggier, and took a few weeks or more to assimilate. I beleive these kinds of openings are common at certain points on the path. They help us to burst open and shed our previous skin, leaving behind the mistake of self-loathing, of judgement, of poisonous negativity.

Over the years, I literally had to gain back all that weight I lost so painfully and finally lose it all over again in a self-loving way. I don't know what I weigh anymore and don't care to know. I am happy with my self and my body, I am healthy and that's what matters. But its funny that by my old standards, my body gets better all the time. Once I stopped beating my brains out trying to get it, once I surrendered and finally found some peace, then it came, once I had given it up!

I have practiced dilligently, to the best of my awareness, since then. Slowly over the next few years I was completely cured of my tragic self-image issues. Having a child and recommitting to veganism killed the rest of those negative seeds. Now I have great inner peace. I am content with who I am, my body, and my life. I am not enlightened by any means, but I am on the path everyday, inch by inch, breath by breath feeling really beautiful changes in my heart and life.

I am here to attest that if you don't have self-love or inner peace, make THAT the goal. The body or beauty or riches will come by that path, or by none at all.

Namaste.

5 Easy to Grow Natural Remedies

2011-04-06T14:46:00.000-04:00

c/o care2.com...

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-easy-to-grow-remedies.html#ixzz1IloCPg8t

By Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Natural Solutions
Luckily, you don’t have to head to landscaping school to create a medicinal garden. You don’t even need a backyard, since many healing plants do well in containers. Growing herbs is so simple that even people who routinely kill houseplants will find they can do it. Many herbs, in fact, thrive on benign neglect; the less water they get, the stronger their medicinal compounds. And in most cases, there’s no need to fertilize them. Turning the herbs into soothing teas and tinctures is easy, too. Below, we’ve picked five of our favorites and asked experts to help us understand just how to grow and harvest them—and how to transform them into aromatic, and often tasty, healers.
Rosemary
What it’s good for: Sharpening memory
When British herbalist Anne McIntyre was a student, she kept rosemary sprigs on her desk during classes, squeezing the oils onto her hands. “The scent stimulates blood flow to the brain and aids concentration,” says McIntyre, author of The Medicinal Garden and ten other herb-related books. Years later, science came to the same conclusion. In a 1998 study, University of Miami researchers exposed 40 adults to three minutes of rosemary scent. The group showed increased alertness and worked math problems faster—and no less accurately—than they had before the aromatherapy session.
How To Grow It: Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant, thriving in sun and well-drained soil. If your winters are very cold, grow it in a pot and take the pot inside for the winter. It’s hard to grow from seed, so start with a plant. Or cut a spike from a friend’s plant at the woody end. Add rooting hormone (available at plant centers) to light soil, insert the cutting, and chances are it will root.
How To Use It: Ancient scholars used to wear wreaths of rosemary around their heads, but you don’t have to go that far. Nurse Dorie Byers, author of Herbal Remedy Gardens, simmers a cup of rosemary needles in two quarts of uncovered water, letting the smell waft through the house whenever she’s doing brain work. Or you can brew rosemary tea, adding one to two teaspoons of rosemary needles to one cup boiling water. Steep it for five minutes, strain the herbs, add a squirt of lime juice, and enjoy.....

...Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-easy-to-grow-remedies.html#ixzz1IloZnPTa

Enlighten~ing offerings for all ages:

2011-04-03T22:30:00.000-04:00

Since growing into a community center we are beginning to spring to life and blossom with fresh new ideas + offerings. We strive to serve the whole community. Here is a list of our current + future offerings for children, teens and adults.

For kids: (6 mos. to 10 yrs):

*little yogi playgroup

*sprout yoga for toddlers

*family yoga

*afterschool yoga program for ages 5-7 + 8-10

*we are hoping to have kindermusik, speech therapy + art therapy someday

For youth (11 to 18):

*welcome in any adult yoga class

*opportunity to start their own groups at Enlighten

*hope to have a monthly Friday Night Dance Rave 8-10pm: no drugs, no alcohol, no shoes. Just loud music and dancing.

*Inspiring information about volunteerism + volunteer travel opportunities around the world

*hope to soon have poi spinning classes

For adults:

*yoga + meditation classes

*private lessons

*inspiring volunteerism and service travel info

*hope to have poi spinning classes soon

*hope to have summer retreats beginning in the next couple years

*summer "introspective art" workshop series

If you would like to make suggestions, volunteer, or perhaps offer your holistic service at Enlighten, please let us know! Namaste!