Maybe we are all in need of a hug and nobody better than Amma for that, who has been hugging people around the world for decades. I attended her darshan when she came to NY a few years ago and it was impressive to see how people are magnetized to her.
Three things surprised me today:
1- She serves 73,000 meals per year in the United States! She is doing a lot for India too, but this is for the US, a country where I thought everyone ate, not the case.
Mother's Kitchen feeds more than 73,000 meals every year in the U.S.
The Mother's Kitchen project has been providing a full-course healthy meal to the needy on a regular basis in various centers all over the United States.
2.- A question from a student, which I think we can all relate:
Question: Mother, my mind runs away and wanders while I am trying to concentrate. Amma: Son, it is the nature of the mind to wander. It cannot sit quiet. When we try to quieten the mind by concentrating on an object of meditation, we can see it wander even more. More thoughts will come. Beginners may get frightened and sometimes feel discouraged by these numerous thoughts which come up during meditation. These thoughts and other tendencies of the mind have always been there, but because we were engaged in different activities we had no awareness of them. These thoughts and tendencies manifest only when we try to withdraw the mind from external activities and concentrate on a single point. Therefore during such times, do not get frightened or discouraged. Constant practice coupled with determination is the only way to conquer the mind.
3.- Her take on the practice, or teachings, especially the part where she says selfless service is the engraving on the coin:
"...Meditation and studying the scriptures are like two sides of a coin. The engraving on that coin is selfless service, and that is what gives it its real value. Our compassion and acts of selflessness take us to the deeper truths. Through selfless action we can eradicate the ego that conceals the Self. Detached, selfless action leads to liberation. Such action is not just work; it is karma yoga."
Sometimes I wonder if service at the level that she can provide is really a gift, makes me wonder how can I help more and makes me wonder if it is a cycle, whereby it is by connecting with spirit, by up-keeping the practice one actually finds the way to a life of meaning, to a life where service comes to the forefront.
She was recently given an honorary doctorate from Buffalo at the State University of New York.
Here is her website, the projects she is doing are so many! it makes me wonder and leaves me in awe everytime I hear from her.
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Wayne Dyer told me to "get up and go help someone". I was calling his radio show seeking advise to deal with low moods in the early days of 2004, I was depressed. He was right. Walking away from my desk to see if someone needed help got me out of my own head (the trouble-maker) and resulted in a little love for me since I did do something useful that day.
Giving a hand is such a good suggestion when it comes to depression that it makes it to number 1, then there is the other 31 unusual ways:
#1 - Follow Wayne Dyers' advise and get up and try to help someone else, I know it is hard, but it will result in getting you out of your head, it did to me at that time. If you cannot find someone in your immediate surroundings that needs help there is NYCares.org in the NY area and similar organizations pretty much in every state/country.
#2 - If the depression is so bad that you cannot handle it, if the weight is so heavy, if the tears are too many and you cannot get out of bed, then you, or me, or anyone, needs help. Talking to a therapist and getting medication for depression is a sign of strength is telling the universe that we are willing to go wherever we need to, to be well, to be healed. And western medicine is wonderful sometimes, lets give it credit.
#3 Asking for help in the form of someone helping us cook a meal or get through something that needs to be done, or simply just asking for someone to listen to us is very humbling, and healing.
#4 Let the sunshine in, both metaphorically and in practice, I love listening to this song, it does not always do it but sometimes it works. If you just want to let the sunshine in and skip the dawning of the age of Aquarius, jump to minute 2:18. After listening it might be a good idea to take a walk, and see the sun shine, let us never take it for granted!
In my next life I want to sing and talented like them
#5 Clean up the house. How are the surroundings? Depression, hatred and bad energy all have something in common, they love clutter, thrive in it, so they make a home and never leave. Cleaning your surroundings helps the mind get clean, focused, and thriving.
#6 Take up yoga, whatever style resonates with you (I like Ashtanga), whatever brings you in line with your own truth, whatever works, that is the one! Moving the body is critical for mind well-being, and yoga provides a way to synchronize the body with the breath and sending air into the lungs and areas of the body that do not generally get it. Also the stretching allows for tension and release, and savasana or corpse pose at the end, for deep relaxation.
#7 Read inspirational quotes. I got this one from Waylon who was actually going through his own dance with the blues a few days ago, and I found the quotes recommended by him inspiring, I also have my own set of yoga quotes that jolt me back into center. Any book that floats your boat is also a good idea (Course in Miracles, the Bible, the Koran, The Torah, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Women Who Run with the Wolves, you name it).
#8 Meditation returns us to the blank page, to a place of open possibility, or at least it aims for it. I certainly cannot get my mind to stop the chatter for over 20 seconds, sometimes even that is too hard, but in the trying, in the sitting, in the ritual of meditation I find solace and refuge. Also, sitting with our feelings without judging them can "wash them" away, give them less power, and eventually, if we are lucky, clear them.
#9 Nutrition is an enormous part of our state of mind. If we are only eating starches and sodas we are not going to be successful coming out of the dark. It is important to eat those leafy greens, get a dose of those B Vitamins and make sure we are drinking plenty of water. Just as a side note, not long ago I watched the movie "Food Matters". In it there was an M.D. (whom apparently cannot practice in the US anymore due to being so "anti-establishment" I guess) who found out that high levels of Niacin (a type of B vitamin that can be bought over the counter) succeeded in clearing depression. You can watch the movie here, and no, I am not affiliated with them or anything like that.
#10 Flowing energies. For a body to be in optimal balance it needs to flow, creatively, lovingly, sexually, organically. For example: are you going to the bathroom daily for 1 and 2? This is a critical question that needs investigation, if things are not flowing there is a problem, and it needs to be addressed.
#11 Are you sleeping? After much traveling and seeking throughout the world, I realized that when it comes to sleeping there are some basic guidelines for rest, and there is not much more to it. I am a big proponent of sleep, don't know about you, but I love it. I find it restores me and gets all my bodies back in line.
Also, since we are on this topic, I would like to bring back the old South American concept of "siesta" and stand up for it. Taking a little rest during the day is refreshing (OK, maybe not if it goes for longer than an hour) and can help in having better concentration for afternoon tasks. If you can do it (not all of us can), go for it! and enjoy it for all of us.
#12 Identifying Who or what is draining you? Some people mean well and say that they are your friends, this is all good, but once in a while it might be a good idea to check on our own definition of friendship. It is important to be clear on the energies that surround us. If you feel drained after visiting with someone then maybe seeing less of that person is a good idea. Even Patanajali (the father of all yogas) suggests it ( I-33 ... by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked)
#13 Eliminate all drama. Drama has a place: soap operas, not our lives. I have made it a point to eliminate all dramatic people and dramas from my life as much as possible, and strive to keep on reducing it. I believe that a life free of drama is not only possible, it is healthy.
#14 Give up reading the news for one week, or six, or 52. Media fasts are my favorite way of dealing with the blues. I know that the world is there and that things are happening but believing that by knowing more about the latest stream of yellow press we will be helping is deluded. It is important to find our own center and be well ourselves before we can be of any service to others, and hence a media fast aids in the recovery of our own energies. The world will always be there when we return.
#15 Take care of you. Just like we talked about the house up on #5, our body being a temple is not just something we say in this time and age, is something we should take as the gospel. Taking a salt bath, doing a Castor oil bath, having a facial, nails, feet scrub. Anything that will send our body the message that we love it is helpful.
#17 Taking one step a day towards our passion. Many times depression is linked to not following our own passion, and sometimes this happens because we do not know what our passion is. I find that allocating time to finding out what it is we love doing is well worth it. For example, writing lists of things we enjoy is a good starting point, going to a workshop that has exercises designed to uncover what our passions are is another one.
#18 Doing one thing that will make things easier tomorrow. i.e.: washing the sheets of the bed so tomorrow we an sleep on a bed that smells like fresh laundry, or finishing the dish-washing tonight so tomorrow we wake up to a dashing clean kitchen, or setting up the coffee machine at night so we wake up early to the nice smell of fresh brewing java. Making that appointment with the dentist we know we need to get to. Dealing with those tax return papers so they can be put away from our minds. Thought of another one? please let me know in the comments.
#19 Avoiding future pain. The yoga sutras point to this very wisely on sutra II-16, which basically states that all future pain should be avoided. If someone is furious or taking a strong stand against us or if we know that doing something will bring further repercussions then it might be a good idea to choose peace. It does not mean letting anyone walk over us, it just means choosing our battles, and aiming for peace in the days to come.
#20 Checking on that coffee and stimulants. A lot of coffee (more than 2 cups a day) and red-bulls or cokes can add up and get our nerves on edge. It is always necessary to keep an eye of caffeine intake when we are feeling low, because the crash of it can propel us to new lows.
#21 You tell me. Yes, I am adding this one because I wonder if by reading this list so far you have come up with an idea of your own that you would like to share, please do tell me in the comments!
#22 Fast. A fast maybe too strong a call, especially if you have never done one before, but extending the amount of hours that your stomach can rest, i.e.: not eating anything after 5:00 PM and until breakfast the next morning is a wonderful opportunity to give your possibly overloaded (stressed out) system a break and let it rest in a deeper way.
#23 Mantras that help. Oprah says that if the only prayer you say is "Thank you" that is enough. I agree, that is a very good mantra, other useful mantras are:
#24 Write down 10 things you could do to cheer yourself up. Did I hear you say "oh no"!? in that case write 100. Write them in the comments so I can read them too :-)
#25 Gratitude. Being grateful for the things we have in our lives makes us suddenly realize that we are very blessed. For example, if we ate today, had a hot shower, are dressed, can see, have hands, legs, that is right there quite a blessing. It is good to remember it.
#26 An Inspirational date. Take a date by yourself and go to a museum, or go to an old train station and photograph it. Take pictures of everything you eat and drink, or take a drive out to the country side. What other ideas qualify do you think?
#27 A long walk. If you have a dog then you probably already know the power of long walks. If you do not then you are in for a treat.
#28 Checking on that alcohol intake. I do not drink at all, but if you do, for example: socially, then it might be good to keep an eye on what is happening in this area as excess alcohol has a taxing effect on our systems.
#29 12 steps meetings. Depression comes along many times because life seems too out of control. If you find yourself in debt, or addicted to love or sex, or gambling, then maybe a 12 step meeting is a place to visit. There is no need to say anything, just being in a room with others who are going through something similar is very cathartic and healing.
#30 Routines. Having a routine of things that must be done every day helps, that is the beauty of a yoga or meditation practice for example. Work tends to provide such thing, but if you work by yourself this might be a bit harder to come across as you are the manager of your own time. I find that scheduling tasks (does the car need to be taken for the oil change? do you need a dentist clean up?, etc. helps in keeping life within a rhythm, and that in turn aids in bringing a sense of balance. It is not necessary to over-schedule but just have some minimal things that need to be done, for ourselves, other than work, each day.
#31 Plan that vacation and do it. I find that trips work for me as a "restart" button in a computer, especially if they are well planned. Going to another country for example is a wonderful way of learning how other people live, how they cope, how they enjoy, what they eat. It opens the creativity flowing powers, it can, sometimes provide use with deep inspiration. Suggested destinations: India, Thailand, Australia, Buenos Aires (Argentina), Motevideo (Uruguay), Santiago de Chile (Chile), Costa Rica. In no particular order, if you have another suggestion of a place to visit please share in the comments.
#32 Surrendering - This too shall pass is a phrase that I keep repeating to myself whenever I get low, it helps in a way to know that it will pass, it is not so fun on the other side, when I feel great and I still know that "this too shall pass", but such is life, we are here on a mission bigger than we comprehend, we are following our own cycle of growth and need respect it. May it be what it may be, May thy will be done.
He threw a big accounting ledge book aiming at my face and screamed: "You bounced one again"! The Iranian man's patience was growing thin with this odd foreigner just off the boat and her inabilities to be the perfect off-the-books administrative assistant. The year was 1995 and I was illegally taking jobs left and right to survive in a city like New York.
I made the decision that I would live in the United States at the age of 14 and for a very specific reason: I watched Spielberg's "E.T.". In the movie I noticed that children in America, even though poor and in chaotic divorce family situations, could still order pizza over a telephone using a credit card. They could also express their feelings openly without being worried of a military government kidnapping them and making them go into a "disappeared" list. Bombs were not going off at the delis on their own street or two blocks away every other night. Americans seemed to have lawns.
My family had been waiting for a phone line to be installed in our Buenos Aires apartment since the day I was born. A request had been made to the government and we had just had it installed a few months before the movie E.T. was released. We got something like this (picture). We took turns to pick it up when it rung which was not often as nobody knew our number.
I did not know what a credit card was, and having pizza was a special treat. Should we have it with Coca Cola it was akin to having dinner with the president.
At that time (1982?) my now-husband, who is my own age, had an Apple II + computer in his home and a telephone in his very own room! He could also enjoy pizza whenever he wanted.
I entered the United States on a tourist visa which I later changed to "student" while enrolling at several acting schools which would come handy when begging for jobs without proper documentation, at least until I hit New York where I enjoyed a variety of ways to produce streams of income:
"Candy girl" where I interrupted everyone in night clubs and offered M&Ms, cookies and a variety of flavored gums.
"Bilingual Bike tour guide" at Central Park, I know all about the great lawn and the obelisk and how Trump wanted to shape a building in the form of a T but some Mayor or other thought that was a bit egocentric and did not let him. Yeah, might be an urban legend, I never found out.
"Deli Sandwich Maker". So it turns out people are allergic to peanuts in North America? I did not know, the thought of allergies to nuts had never entered my conscious stream while growing up in South America.
"Waitress" - that was fun
oh, yes, and "Administrative Assistant" for the Iranian guy on 5th Avenue who could not control his temper.
When he threw the book at me I said: "In America we do not treat women like that", then stood up and walked one block to the Salvation Army dormitories where I shared a room with three other foreigners. Oh the feeling of freedom!, did I just do THAT?, yes I did. Of course I came back to work the next day. He never said anything but he stopped throwing things at me.
I am lucky to be an American citizen right now, it is here that I learned to be appreciative of all details of life. Here are 32 things I am grateful for today:
The blog
People who comment in the blog and give advise, courage and reassurance
People who want to know what yoga is
People who are caring and want to be the change they want to see in the world
Utility companies that keep my home warm
Phone companies
Insurance companies, ugh, have trouble with that, but yes I am grateful to them
I am breathing
The cup of coffee in my hand
The country where I live
My husband
Kids - all kids, but especially four of them that are very close to my heart
Friends
Teachers of yoga
Students of yoga
Computers
The world wide web
Health
My family
Healers
People who pray daily for our planet to be at peace
The country where I grew up, and the lessons it taught me
The momentum being reached with people who want to take responsibility for our own beings, to create a planet of peace and where things can flourish
The spring coming
Plants in the house
The closets and the clothes in it that keep me warm
My landlord
Asana
Meditation
Pranayama
Goenka
Krishnamacharya
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Yesterday I was talking to an old friend of mine who is now a full-time day-trader. He is a witty and funny guy who spends his days looking at monitors and watching stocks go up and down with his stress level along for the ride. "It can be brutal" he confessed, "got any yoga tips for a guy like me?" (picture)
Back home I wondered about his state of mind while so much is at stake, what can he do to:
1- Relax,
2- Refocus, and
3- Make more money.
Traders are like warriors, they need to be fully focused and yet be relaxed to make the best decisions, they need a yoga mind, a centered disposition, sharp concentration, and strong nerves.
I decided to come up with a yoga strategy that will take them down into silence, release all tension, refocus and come back with a flush of balanced energy, AND that would only take a few minutes, as I guess Mike will not give me more than that.
This is it, and there is only one warning, do not do it if you just ate...
1- Step away from the computer, sit in another chair, no monitors, and close your eyes. You can do it. Breathe normally, but just a bit deeply for at least 5 breaths.
Benefit: You are giving your eyes a rest. You are becoming aware of your breath. This is the relaxing part, where you are re-connecting with your body.
2 - Roll your neck gently in circles, without forcing anything, this is not the gym, is actually a moment to relax. Let the tension in your shoulders slowly melt away. Breathe normally but a little deeper than in step 1.
Benefit: It will relax the muscles in your shoulders, and release tension. Still relaxing.
3 - Now let your whole torso drop between your legs in front of you, place the hands on the floor for support if you want to, and just let all the tension melt. Play there, let the jaw relax, the face muscles melt, and stay here, breathing, for as long as you can. Feel all tension melting, allow yourself to let it all go.
Benefit: It lets all the tension melt away. The slight inversion will help clear your system (all inversions aid in cleansing the system) It will empty your mind and give room for new ideas to come.
4- Slowly roll back up to sitting, do it slowly otherwise you will get dizzy. Once back into a straight spine position stretch your arms overhead and breathe. Stretch up as much as you can, then let the arms come down on the exhale but keep your back straight.
Benefit: Blood will circulate throughout your body in a refreshed way, your breathing will deepen, your mind will begin to re-focus. Thoughts may come up, do your best to keep them away for a few more minutes.
5- Lay down on the floor. Yes, you read that right. Bend your knees and relax your neck. Put your arms on the floor parallel to your torso for support and push your pelvis up into the air. This is a gentle back bend. Stay here for a few breaths, and go deeper with it. Then come down. Repeat 3 times.
Benefits: your spine will re-awake, it will begin to energize you, your mind will be clear and fresh with new energy. Ideas will begin to spark in your brain, stay with this, don't go into thinking mode yet. You will get even greater results if you dare do step 6. just be gentle
6 - Roll your hands up and put the palms next to your ears and come up for a full back bend (or wheel). Do not force anything. It might be that you are not able to lift your head off the floor, that is OK, just go as far as you can. If it hurts stop, go only to where you can. If you are afraid of this pose respect the intuition and simply repeat step 6.
Benefits: Congratulations for taking this step. This pose awakens your whole nervous system, it will help you re-focus, give you a boost of energy, and make you look younger. Do not skip step 7 or 8.
7.- Sit down legs straight in front of you and pour your torso over your legs while trying to keep the legs as straight as possible. Release tension from the backbending here.
Benefits: this is the counterpose to the extreme backbending, and it will restore the nervous system back to a neutral, centered position.
8 - Lay down on the floor and relax completely for at least a minute. Let thoughts go, and rest.
Benefits: You are balancing the passive and intense energy before you get back on that desk much wiser and centered. Go ahead, let the flush of new fresh ideas come into your mind, go get it!
So there you go Mike, now put your hands up in the air, away from that mouse and keyboard, and step away from the computer!
BONUS: Should you have an opportunity to go outside as the Spring comes, here is another short sequence you can carry in your I-pod / pad / Droid:
Of course it is always best to go to a studio and take a yoga class to learn new poses and it is recommended to talk to a doctor or health professional before starting exercising if you have medical preconditions. Always exercise intelligent judgement when working with your body.
A couple of months ago I read this article to which I keep coming back because the topic: "Haters" is very relevant. I have no idea why the font is coming all in upper case so forgive my web ignorance. Here is the source ARTICLE where over 4500 people "liked it".
1. It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.
“It’s critical in social media, as in life, to have a clear objective and not to lose sight of that,” Ferriss says. He argues that if your objective is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people or to change the world in some small way (be it through a product or service), you only need to pick your first 1,000 fans — and carefully. “As long as you’re accomplishing your objectives, that 1,000 will lead to a cascading effect,” Ferriss explains. “The 10 million that don’t get it don’t matter.”
2. 10% of people will find a way to take anything personally. Expect it.
“People are least productive in reactive mode,” Ferriss states, before explaining that if you are expecting resistance and attackers, you can choose your response in advance, as opposed to reacting inappropriately. This, Ferriss says, will only multiply the problem. “Online I see people committing ‘social media suicide’ all the time by one of two ways. Firstly by responding to all criticism, meaning you’re never going to find time to complete important milestones of your own, and by responding to things that don’t warrant a response.” This, says Ferriss, lends more credibility by driving traffic.
3. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” (Colin Powell)
“If you treat everyone the same and respond to everyone by apologizing or agreeing, you’re not going to be recognizing the best performers, and you’re not going to be improving the worst performers,” Ferriss says. “That guarantees you’ll get more behavior you don’t want and less you do.” That doesn’t mean never respond, Ferriss goes on to say, but be “tactical and strategic” when you do.
4. “If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative.” (Scott Boras)
“This principle goes hand-in-hand with number two,” Ferriss says. “I actually keep this quote in my wallet because it is a reminder that the best people in almost any field are almost always the people who get the most criticism.” The bigger your impact, explains Ferriss (whose book is a New York Times, WSJ and BusinessWeek bestseller), and the larger the ambition and scale of your project, the more negativity you’ll encounter. Ferriss jokes he has haters “in about 35 languages.”
5. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” (Epictetus)
“Another way to phrase this is through a more recent quote from Elbert Hubbard,” Ferriss says. “‘To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Ferriss, who holds a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive tango spins, says he has learned to enjoy criticism over the years. Ferriss, using Roman philosophy to expand on his point, says: “Cato, who Seneca believed to be the perfect stoic, practiced this by wearing darker robes than was customary and by wearing no tunic. He expected to be ridiculed and he was, he did this to train himself to only be ashamed of those things that are truly worth being ashamed of. To do anything remotely interesting you need to train yourself to be effective at dealing with, responding to, even enjoying criticism… In fact, I would take the quote a step further and encourage people to actively pursue being thought foolish and stupid.”
6. “Living well is the best revenge.” (George Herbert)
“The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you,” Ferriss advises. “That, and [show] how much fun you’re having!” Ferriss goes on to say that the best revenge is letting haters continue to live with their own resentment and anger, which most of the time has nothing to do with you in particular. “If a vessel contains acid and you pour some on an object, it’s still the vessel that sustains the most damage,” Ferriss says. “Don’t get angry, don’t get even — focus on living well and that will eat at them more than anything you can do.”
7. Keep calm and carry on.
The slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On” was originally produced by the British government during the Second World War as a propaganda message to comfort people in the face of Nazi invasion. Ferriss takes the message and applies it to today’s world. “Focus on impact, not approval. If you believe you can change the world, which I hope you do, do what you believe is right and expect resistance and expect attackers,” Ferriss concludes. “Keep calm and carry on!”
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A few days ago I woke up to the Marianne Williamson's quote that Govinda Kay had posted on his Facebook wall:
"A revolution of love is sweeping the planet. Fear has material resources, but love has cosmic support. Ultimately, love will prevail because only love is real"
I believe that love also has material resources.
Think about Warren Buffett donating virtually all of his immense fortune (50 billion) to Bill Gates who is doing work to help all over the world to, among other things: eradicate malaria in Africa, promote small farming, saving kids from diarrhea in India, etc. (Picture from here)
Abundance, when well channeled, works for good. It requires an opening and it requires trust and proper channeling. It demands mindfulness so that we can all make this a better world.
Whenever I get caught in the scarcity complex I always think of the story of when Deepak Chopra realized in his early years as a doctor that he had to go back to India to learn about his country's ways of healing but his wife complained that they would not be able to pay the mortgage and raise their daughter. Deepak, or maybe it was Rita, his wife, asked their guru: "Where will we get the money from?", and the guru responded:
The Money will come from wherever it is at the moment.
That is of course, once aligned with spirit! Here are 32 suggestions to attract abundance into your lives:
Take all steps necessary to find out what your passion is, feeling stuck or non-motivated is a big sign that we are not passionate about what we are doing. There are countlessbooks and workshops and seminars that help with the basic steps to uncover what is it we like. Short of that you could also try to write down 10 things you love to do, never mind the money part. Just find out and start including the things you love into your daily life, even if for a few minutes, because it is a well known fact that where attention goes energy flows.
Trust. A phrase like the one up there, centered and bolded, is easy to take at face value. It is a different story to make it a visceral belief. It might take time and mostly trust. It does require an opening and a different way of seeing things, or the miracle of a change in attitude.
Learn to receive. For example: How many times do you receive a compliment and deflect it with "oh this old thing?" Catch yourself, because you are blocking the flow of giving and receiving which are both sides of the same coin.
There is a Hawaiian saying: "Bless that which you want". So, some yoga teacher is famous and makes lots of money, bless that. Someone is enlightened? bless that. Someone gets to travel and see the world, and you would like that, bless them! When I learned about this Hawaiian tradition it took me by surprise because for all the years I had been living up until that moment I had always thought that rich people were inherently bad.
Prayer is perhaps the closest way to connect with spirit, especially when it is true prayer, as in a direct conversation with God. I like what Oprah said: "If you all you pray is "Thank you", that is enough"
Say what you want about visualization, and I will say that when combined with down-to-earth reality-awareness, it works. I have made many collages in my life with images of things I wanted (lots of yoga pictures), kept it cool, but did them anyway. A collage of what you want brings about two things, 1- a clear picture of the things you want and 2- a clarification of where the energy should flow towards.
Wayne Dyer has a special CD dedicated to help manifestations come into life. In its most basic form it consist of a morning practice of chanting "Aum" while visualizing that which you want to attract, and and chanting "Om" at night while being grateful for all the well being already present in our lives. You can get the CD here.
The Gayatri Mantra is the most powerful japa (mantra repetition) meditation know to the Indian world. It is said to contain all the mantras in the Vedas (cream of Indian philosophy) and to bring about 33 specific benefits, including abundance, and cows. I know, that one, which is #33 left me scratching my head. Wonder how that symbolism would translate into the Western world.
Say yes. Adopting an attitude of non-resistance is the best way to let things in and to aid the universe as it folds itself into new shapes to create the realities we would like to attract. Even if confused it is best to say "yes" first (using common sense of course), and see what happens.
Learn to give. On the other side of #3 there is always a #10, of course. Learning to give is key, and not just in money but in energy, time, space, dedication, gratitude.
Know that there is a reason why everything, no matter what is happening and trust universal intelligence.
Be generous with your time and energy.
Meditate. I have found this method very effective.
Use your resources effectively. This means that we use what we already have in an efficient way, trusting that more or better is on the way (if that is what you want), but posting to the universe in capital letters that we are happy as it is, right now.
Learn the value of money. There is no easy way to go around this one, I suppose it applies more to teenagers or people who never had a job, but it could also apply to me, in every day situations. I guess most readers of this blog somewhat know that money is valuable, and needs to be honored and respected, and of course, used efficiently.
Bless money. Bless it because just like any other it is an energy that is very much a provider of our well-being.
Be grateful for at least 32 things you have each day, including a roof over your head, food, light, eyes, books, hands, blog reading
Do yoga. OK this one comes from the lineage, "do your practice, all is coming".
Connect with spirit daily. Make sure that the divinity is connected throughout your activities, especially when difficulties arise, it is good to dedicate and surrender to a higher power prior to acting, it enlists the help of the Gods, why not?
Dedicate everything you do to the divine
Know your self worth. I even have some trouble with this one but can recognize that when we add value to the lives of others, when we enrich and help then we do have value. Putting a number on that may be a bit more complicated and it might need help, consulting with others, checking with general guidelines of the planet we live in etc, but there is a number, and it is good to know it.
Add value to others. Always strive to offer help, to solve a problem, to find out where there is a need and fill it.
Offer valuable stuff for free. Think about Google for example, did you know that when they started, and apparently even to this day, the first thing they ask before doing anything is: Will it be cool? will people like it? will it add value?
Learn to charge for services too. Even Google makes money too, as long as supermarket accept only money it is fair game to accept money in return for services. Having no self worth or expecting to live under the archetype of the starving artist is very 1990's... and not even real in this world, at least in the Westerner world which is the one I write from.
Promote your work, hey! Krishnamacharya did!
Clean up your vocabulary. I know, this one seems to make it into every one of my lists, and there is a reason why, a clean vocabulary means mastery over verbal communication, and when we speak with elegance we are more effective, and can add more value to others.
Create spaces and silences in conversations. This allows for new things to come in. Once the intention to create something new is out it is through blank spaces that the universe gets to fill in.
Listen more than you talk
See what is is that people need, keep in tune
Compile lists of things that can help 10 people you know, and send them to them. Make sure the lists are indeed useful
Use this beautiful visualization from the wonderful book by Shakti Gawain "Creative Visualization" (I am paraphrasing): Imagine exactly what you want and put it in an imaginary pink bubble, then release it to the universe, see the pink bubble fly into space and affirm: "Thank you Universe because this or something better is now manifesting for me, in totally harmonious and satisfying ways for the highest good of all concerned. So be it, so it is".
Surrender. The Gita teaches us that we offer everything we do, including our own "being human" to the Divine. The Gita also teaches us the way of action, we live in the world and it is OK to have desires, we can't block them otherwise we create new problems. So, there is nothing wrong with desires, but we must remember that a higher intelligence is at work, so if we do not get something specific that we thought we wanted we will notice down the line why and learn, or we may never find out, but in the end we release all outcomes and let the will of our Higher Power direct our lives. Whatever will be, will be and it will contribute to our spiritual development.
What are other ways you use to attract and receive abundance into your life?
Last night we received an E-mail from John warning us that one of us (students in the shala -not me-) is writing an article for Time Magazine and hence a photographer would be coming. What a great opportunity to show the world John's work surrounded by his students, ourselves!
Even though the article will be only "partly" about Ashtanga, I am always happy to see yoga getting national attention.
Provisions were made for those who did not want to be photographed, but I doubt too many people did not want to because, after all, this is New York City, and we are always on stage. Although it could be argued that our practice may not always be the most "flattering" when seen in the raw...
I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend and, as I am human, I had lots of thoughts run through my head like: What color should I wear? How can I bribe them to be center stage? Do you think they will want to interview me? Delusions apart, I feel so happy that John and our shala will be featured in the most read magazine out there, with or without me -in purple-. And I am grateful to the student doing the piece.
I discovered today that having the lens of a magazine during practice has pretty much the same effect of Sharath being in the room, I was in my best practice disposition.
I suppose projecting yourself into their pages is EXACTLY how it feels like when you are in Mysore, you are being "observed", "scrutinized", "judged", and so you want to "give it your best", "engage those bandhas", "follow that drihsti", "relax that palate", "live that yoga" and "focus like you mean it". I highly recommend it for next time you feel the need to raise the bar.
So thank you Time Magazine, glad you came to visit us. Picture from timeinn.net, and they seem to have been writing a lot about yoga, you can see the archives here.
The most unexpected part of the Mysore trip last month was the sprouting of Vipassana Meditation "cells" or communities that came out of nowhere, or now-here? Hee hee.
Private invitations from people I know from previous trips or from the blogosphere manifested about 10 days into the trip. Perhaps my having blogging about Vipassana put me in the circle of people "in the know", and I was glad to go to rooms where the level of seriousness and appreciation for the practice was devoted and efficient. We would arrive, greet, and sit down. We would "do the practice". A blessing.
Needless to say, my thoughts on the recommendation that comes with the end of each Vipassana 10-day retreat (to upkeep a one hour meditation in the morning one in the evening) came back to me with it a desire to try. It was difficult to imagine how one would carve the time, but a conversation with Jen and Martina helped.
In the end I settled for trying one hour a day for the first month as I begin the relocation into my daily life in the United states. Then see what happens...
It has been 10 days and some of my findings so far include:
Finding the time somewhat has not been a problem, call it beginners luck, maybe that is what it is.
I had to accompany HB on business trips so I have been doing the practice in all sorts of sofas or sits or beds. I noticed that it was a lot harder to concentrate when the back was not straight or supported by the sofa. There is a reason why the cushion is recommended.
Life has thrown a pretty hot potato my way in the past couple of days, and the practice feels it in the amount of time it gets for it to quiet, sometimes it does not quiet at all, and the hour goes by. Then I remember Jen telling me that sometimes in her 6 hour practice (yes she dedicates a day to a long practice!) the mind does not quiet at all either, and she is cool with that
Overall I feel good about sitting quietly, I am amazed at the state of my mind before (in a rush, turbulent) and after (still turbulent but no rush)
In the interview with Tomas Zorro in the "Guruji" book, Pattabhi Jois says that "Meditation is easy" and "asana and pranayama" are hard. That it is through the practice of the hard practices of asana and pranayama that we find the preparation to actually make meditation ready, and real. I am paraphrasing of course.
He is onto something, I guess you could say meditation is easy, the outer form at least, the sitting for an hour. I guess the easy part could be translated (and this is just me I am not trying to put words in his mouth) is the "trying at" meditation or the "attempted" meditation.
I find that the true meditation (i.e.: the focus really follows the sensation in the nostrils for at least more than 3 breaths to begin with), requires a level of concentration that is beyond grasp for a regular mind like mine, so I can see how in order to get the true fruits of it a discipline of asana and pranayama is required.
I am grateful again to have stumbled upon this lineage.
Today for the first time I will practice meditation after asana practice, and it is likely this will be the trend for the next ten days as the speed of life picks up again. We shall see how the month continues.
Sharath says a month in Mysore, practicing Ashtanga with them is the equivalent to 5 elsewhere. For me it was more like 12.
I feel blessed to come back to the shala at Pure: Rolling out the mat without any wait time, reconnecting with my great teacher, having room all around me, being able to do Uttita Hasta (video) in the front of the mat not worrying about losing balance or hitting a neighbor. Oh the wonders! I am grateful.
The place where I notice the biggest difference is in the dristhi (eye focus points for each pose), all thattalk during conferencemade me very aware of the important role that keeping the eyes in check plays for concentration.
The fiery element associated with the eyes is obvious, they want to jump and look around, in my case even more than anyone else's, or so I feel.
All the distractions around in Mysore (people practicing very advanced poses, Sharath and Saraswatti walking around, Sharath's 3-year-old screaming "you finish!") forced me to try harder. And so, on my first practice here back home, even though glad to see everyone, once the practice started the focus took over, I went inwards and sweat-ed Mysore style in a cold NYC February day.
Now that I feel a little over the hill on the "pain" part of the primary series, and by that I only mean it does not hurt "as" much, something new and delicious is flourishing, yoga is doing me it seems.
Ayela came over to help me with prasarita D, where the hands touching down seemed a lot closer than I remember them being pre-India, and then she also helped me with a deeper than ever Marichasna Awhich I quite enjoyed.
It makes me so happy to appreciate the energetics of the pose, feel the breath, the bandhas (internal locks), keep the eyes softly on point yet relaxed, feel the connection of the tissues and the bones, feel yoga.
I did the intermediate part of the practice again for the first time since returning, and had no expectations as one would considering I had not touched it for over a month.
I took it on stride when Sharath said that the best way to progress in asana is to focus on perfecting the poses we have rather than greedily trying to gain new frontiers on new ones. In a way I even felt a little guilty travelling through pasassana and carrying on with second series, but the breathing felt so inviting, the poses opened me, and the air went where no air had ever gone before.
Both at Dhanurassana and the dropbacks (deep forms of bending the back) I heard those two words that are so encouraging when they come from our teacher: "It's coming".
I am thinking of making a video where I do a dance saying "Do your practice - all is coming" I sort of picture rotating the hips a lot and clapping my hands. Not sure my PR person will allow me to videotape such dance, but I might try...
I don't have a PR person, but when I tried making a video of my understanding of "nutation" a few months back (basically me thrusting my pelvis back and forth) HB suggested maybe it was not such a good idea. I guess that makes him the "quality control" guy. So, no PR, just QC.
In any event, happy camper ashtangi here! and I just heard that the groundhog did not see his shadowthis year so spring is in the air, or so I want to believe.
Sharath mentioned how Pattabhi Jois used to have his students wait, rightfully so as the Yoga Sutras state, until they were very well established in asana, or poses before teaching them pranayama, which in layman terms means 3rd series or being able to turn yourself into a pretzel many times over.
Iyengar tells the story of how Krishnamacharya would just NOT teach him, and he had to spy on him to try to learn on his own, good thing he did.
Then again, some say that in the early days pranayama was taught in Mysore. I guess we will never know for sure, and maybe we do not even need to, maybe, just like OvO dares imagine, the good old days are these days. Maybe we are living the golden days and do not even notice it.
Reasons why pranayama is harder to stick to:
It is boring
It is lonely
There is no obvious show-off progress to demonstrate to our peers
It is time consuming
We might not be sure about the credentials of the teachers around us
There is few "regular" places where to practice as a group
These are valid reasons, but I think that last night I stumbled upon one that really scares me, and that is the facing death part.
As Iyengar says, when we inhale and retain the breath we are full of life, but when we exhale and retain there, in the emptiness, that is pretty similar to death. Of course I am paraphrasing, but the image formed is accurate: on the next breath after retaining on exhalataion, we are "greedy for life", scared, and grasping for air.
In this wonderful video by Richard Freeman I found a possible answer to the fear factor, whereby Richard directs us to keep our attention in life as we go to the death energy and to keep the energy in death as we go to the energy of life, he calls it prana and apana or the upward and downward energies. He is definitelly onto something.
I found this gem of a video via John Fossella's blog
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I am angry. The reasons why are delicate, too personal, and irrelevant, but the most pressing issue right now is that I feel the rush of heated blood running through my veins, the full blossom of hell energy pulsating throughout my body, the tornado of emotional confusion, the propensity to jump out at someones throat. Shiva must be turning the wheels in some parallel universe.
Two nights ago at the height of the hating exasperation I tried sitting, as I am doing daily following Jen and Martina's advise, not to much avail, but I did remember while in the midst of the silence the wonderful book by Shakti Gawain: "Creative Visualization"
At a time when the chemicals of anger are taking over our bodies (all bodies, not just the physical but also the emotional, mental etc.), I found this beautiful visualization from the book very helpful, and so it makes it number 1. I have not read the book in a while so I am paraphrasing a little, I recommend you get the book for full accuracy
1.- I imagine myself protective cocoon or egg of light. I am safe within the cocoon. And now I affirm that
All thoughts coming from others towards me that are beautiful and loving will travel through my egg of light and reach me; while
All thoughts coming from others that are negative or harmful will contact my egg of light and the words sent back to the sender
I also affirm that all thoughts coming from me that are beautiful and loving, will travel through my egg of light and reach their recipient
While all thoughts coming from me that are negative or harmful will be neutralized by that light and a blessing sent instead.
Guess this number 1 comes at a right time since Lady Gaga was brought within an egg to the Grammy's last night. So what better collective consciousness image to have in our minds when visualizing number one.
And so I wonder, how many times do we find ourselves in situations like this? blood boiling, seeing red, wishing to do things we know we will regret. Here are the next 31 ideas I jotted down, what are some of the things you do?
2.- Breath deeply, for 20 times, no less. No, don't just breath deeply, actually step away of wherever it is you are, find a new chair, sit down and purposely breath deeply.
3.- Sit for a one hour meditation, it will be hell for the first 30 to 45 minutes, especially if you keep it real and keep your eyes shut and don't move, you may feel better after this mark.
4.- If you happen to be in the middle of a corporate meeting when anger strikes do the following:
Mentally say to your self "Stand up, say "excuse me", and walk away",
say that one time, then again, then say it again,
say it as many times as it takes until your body responds, and actually stands up, says: "excuse me" and removes it self from the situation.
Should someone ask why, say "you have to poo", it always works.
I have been in this case way too many times to know for a fact that it is the only way to deal with it, you must cool off before proceeding. Once at the bathroom see point 1 and if at all possible put 24 hours between that encounter and the next one in which you need to deal with the same issue.
5.- Deep anger is sometimes related to issues with our parents or close family members. ALANON meetings are very effective in helping us clarify why is it that we are angry, and sometimes find healing and solace.
6.- Ask yourself: "Why am I so angry?" and be as honest as possible in your response.
7.- Many times anger comes from denial, from seeing things the way we want to see them rather than the way they are, it is important to run our thoughts by others, perhaps a therapist or a member of a support group, have a "reality check". You can also email three friends and see what they think. I do not recommend doing this often as getting too many points of view from people who do not know the whole story can confuse things even further, but in extreme cases, or when a decision must be made quickly it might help as collective intelligence advise.
8.- Take up yoga, especially ashtanga, and yes I am biased. Believe me after practicing just the opening part of the primary series things in the world seem a lot easier to deal with. Any style of yoga that gets you deeper in connecting with your own truth will do, does not necessarily need to be the type I practice, although I like that one.
9.- Connect with a higher power (in any way in which you understand it) and tell this power that you feel overwhelmed, to please help you. Ask, you will hear answers. Just to give you an example:
A few days ago while traveling with HB we had to rent a car and we were given a Toyota. I am not too happy about them because of what happened repeatedly where the cars have started accelerated on their own and killing people. But, waiting for another car would have taken 30 more minutes and delay all schedules. I was also reassured that all issues have been rectified. I decided to surrender and ask God to help me. Then we went outside to get the car and the plate read" "EZB"... or, "be easy?" answers do come from the most unusual places sometimes. We had no issues with the car.
10.- Let it be, listen to the song, let the words melt you.
11.- Avoid gossip at all times because gossip is the main originator of anger. If you speak poorly about some other person behind their back it is guaranteed that they will eventually find out, it is a law, they will, sooner or later, and it will generate more anger.
12.- When someone is mean to you, as much as possible try to not fan the fire, make a resolution to stop the anger with you. This is the most heroic act a human being can do, it can also be the most difficult.
13.- "Kindness is my religion", that is what the Dali Lama says. When someone is mean, if possible, use elegance to diffuse. This does not mean letting someone walk over you, sometimes strong words and a reality check are necessary but in some cases we can see right through people, and notice that they are angry because they just have a tummy hurt or they are jealous, in these cases it might be better to acknowledge and let them be.
14.- Go to a Vipassana 10-day introductory course, I have found that this is the most effective technique out there to notice how we start reacting and how the spiral is unstoppable unless we catch it at the source.
15.- When someone is completely out of line, before responding think to yourself :"God bless her/him". It will instantly change your attitude towards the whole situation.
16.- When the anger is out of control, manipulative and sick (which sometimes happens) stay out of it, do not respond, contact, or try to explain, let the person who is very angry go through their cycle of learning, and pray they will come out on the other side maybe healthier, maybe wiser. Train the perpetrator that you will not speak to them unless kindness is used as a medium of communication.
17.- Talk to a priest, rabbi, spiritual advisor, someone from a support group. Just talk to someone, let it out of your mind.
18.- Slowly train yourself to pause for 1 second before responding to any question, then 2 seconds, then 3. May not sound like a big step but the results have to be experienced to be believed. Many times situations end up resolving themselves just by allowing the space to be there.
19.-Take care of yourself, and avoid putting yourself in situations that will instigate anger. Yes, be true to yourself, yes, speak your mind, just phrase it so that it encourages, helps, motivates, adds value.
20.- Clean up your vocabulary, words are powerful, they are spells we cast, they have the enormous power to hurt, to cause real wounds, or to heal and help someone flourish.
21.- Be especially careful when dealing with anger coming from children. Listen to them deeply and seriously, then seek advise, talk to professionals and friends, use intelligence and provide the best that your tribe can suggest. Children are the future and we want a society where anger can give way to respect, to happiness, to peace.
22.- Encourage open dialogue with strong boundaries
23.- Respect your own boundaries and create a safe space of peace within you. Especially in love or close relationships, even though counter intuitive, if you find yourself repeatedly being the target of anger stop communications with the perpetrator. It is tempting to keep on giving people a chance, but it is healthier for all involved to put ourselves and our own well being first.
24.- Get enough sleep, go to the bathroom for #1 and #2 every day, and drink plenty of water.
25.- Eat healthy.
26.- Get some sunlight every day.
27.- Take a walk.
28.- Take some 'me' time to reflect. Especially after the first burst of heat wears off, and things somewhat calm down, write down your thoughts, try to learn from what happened.
29.- If you are really angry with someone write them a letter and describe everything, all the reasons why you are angry, let it all out on black and white. Then put the letter in a drawer and let it sit there for at least 30 days to 180 days, see what happens, you may find that you change your mind or at least the urge to mail it is not there anymore. Never react instantly when in the midst of anger, it is sure to backfire and it never works out.
30.- Remember that we are all human and we are all going to die one day. In that light, death becomes a friend and we notice that it might be better to be in awe at the sunset rather than get caught in things that may not really have a solution, for now.
31.- I always say a prayer before proceeding in a situation where anger has settled in me.
32.- In some cases the hurt is unbearable. I look at the world these days and we cannot deny that some atrocities are happening and they are horrible. In these cases I think of this Gandhi story: Nahari: I'm going to Hell! I killed a child! I smashed his head against a wall. Gandhi: Why? Nahari: Because they killed my son! The Muslims killed my son!
[indicates boy's height] Gandhi: I know a way out of Hell. Find a child, a child whose mother and father have been killed and raise him as your own.
[indicates same height] Gandhi: Only be sure that he is a Muslim and that you raise him as one.
I am not sure I could rise to the height of Gandhi on this, when I saw this scene on the movie it literally blew my mind, this is graduate level peace, but I suppose it is a good story to keep in mind. The portion of the script comes from here.
What are your thoughts? How do you deal with anger?
and workshops and seminars that help with the basic steps to uncover what is it we like. Short of that you could also try to write down 10 things you love to do, never mind the money part. Just find out and start including the things you love into your daily life, even if for a few minutes, because it is a well known fact that where attention goes energy flows.
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" (I am paraphrasing): Imagine exactly what you want and put it in an imaginary pink bubble, then release it to the universe, see the pink bubble fly into space and affirm: "Thank you Universe because this or something better is now manifesting for me, in totally harmonious and satisfying ways for the highest good of all concerned. So be it, so it is".
teaches us that we offer everything we do, including our own "being human" to the Divine. The Gita also teaches us the way of action, we live in the world and it is OK to have desires, we can't block them otherwise we create new problems. So, there is nothing wrong with desires, but we must remember that a higher intelligence is at work, so if we do not get something specific that we thought we wanted we will notice down the line why and learn, or we may never find out, but in the end we release all outcomes and let the will of our Higher Power direct our lives. Whatever will be, will be and it will contribute to our spiritual development.
" book, Pattabhi Jois says that "Meditation is easy" and "asana and pranayama" are hard. That it is through the practice of the hard practices of asana and pranayama that we find the preparation to actually make meditation ready, and real. I am paraphrasing of course.
