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April 14, 2008 - Monday
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The Solution from the Yoga of Letting Go..
Category: Writing and Poetry
As promised - here's the posting of the poem resulting from the positive affirmations of April 11, 2208. They were burned in a big fire ceremony this evening - picture to be posted soon! Next workshop - Mother's Day - honoring the Divine Shakti of the Feminie Principle. Email sudevi@vedicstudies.net to reserve your space. Om Shantih!!!
the solution:: April 11, 2008 a collective poem from the yoga of letting go workshop
be present now
a clear and open channel holding no residue
knowing..
total acceptance--
breathe
moving forward to think positive thoughts
healing through more yoga
letting go to a higher power
easily manifesting abundance:
physical, emotional, and financial--excellently!
(unmanifesting excessive clutter.)
seeking, listening to God.
meditating
being surrounded by love and light.
khapalabhati - skull shining
giving it up to the divine mother
becoming the inner observer
discipline: be still and let the breath breathe you.
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March 22, 2008 - Saturday
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Workshops with Sudevi
Sunday Workshops with Sudevi (linda kramer)
March 21st - The Yoga of Breath & Sound 1 - 3:30 p.m. p.m.
We will use sacred breath and explore pranayama
practices, chant (sacred sound), and
move thru vinyasa (free flowing yoga postures).
Meditation in the cycle of breath and sound will
be explored. The sacred synergy of yoking mind,
body, and spirit will be experienced through the
8 limbs of yoga.
April 13th - The Yoga of Letting Go from 1 - 3:00 .m.
Surrender with restorative yoga using props,
essential oils, and the breath. Release tension
from the body and enter deeply into conscious
relaxation.
Workshops will be held in the conference room of Everman’s Natural Foods on Garden Street in Pensacola, Fl.
Fees: $35 each or $50 for both. Reply to this email or call
(850)791-8259 to register.
LIFE IS A PRESENT!!! BE PRESENT AND GO DEEPER......
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February 16, 2008 - Saturday
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Saha Navavatu - A Mantra of Togetherness
FOR AN EASIER TO READ VERSION GO TO HTTP://LIVINGYOGA.WORDPRESS.COM - TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - THE MYSPACE TEAM IS STILL WORKING
ON THIS. THANK YOU.
Man=mind. Tra=protection. Man-tra. Mantra. Mantra is a way to protect
our minds or to gain protection from the mind. Sanskrit is one of the oldest
indo-european languages and is a living language of luminous sound. Sanskrit
awakens our hearts and is a spiritual language that awakens us to higher
levels of consciousness and awareness. Sanskrit mantra is a living prayer that can repattern our thought forms and lift us to our highest potential through pranic intention.
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A classic mantra of togetherness is Saha Navavatu. This mantra is a shantih
mantra, a mantra of peace. Traditionally it is chanted at the beginning and end
of any study. It is a mantra chanted by teacher and student. We are all each
other's teachers and students. May we learn together in peace.
We can also chant this on our own when undertaking a project or undergoing personalstudy. This prayer brings in help and blessings from the teacher's beyond the beyond, or of our own personal guru's if a physical teacher is not seated in front of us. It is a chant or mantra that protects the sacred relationship of student and teacher. It is a mantra for
study.
God, Parham Brahma, formless and supreme, is ultimate teacher. It is important to remember we do nothing on our own or by ourselves. It is "together" that we have yoga and union. If we try to accomplish something on our own we do not get
very far. If we ask for divine help miracles happen and obstacles can be removed.
Experiment with this concept. Operate from the ego or smaller self in the mistaken idea
that you are doer. Then, when this does not work well, beg for God's help in all
sincerity. Warning: if you operate alone too long you may find yourself on your knees crying for God. Experience the divine and find out what "both together" in this ancient
mantra means.
This sacred mantra is an invocation asking for protection and guidance. It honors our teachers and sacred partnership:
..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />OM saha nAvavatu | saha nau bhunaktu | saha vIryam karavAvahai |tejasvi nAvadhitamastu mA vidviShAvahai |OM Shantih Shantih Shantih |
Om. May we be protected both together
May we be nourished both together
May we grow in spiritual knowledge and energy both together
May our study together be luminous
May we not hate or have discord between us
Om, peace, peace, peace.
One of my favorite places to hear this is on the CD Sarva-Bhuteshu – track number 7, by Manorama D'Alvia. Her website is www.sanskritstudies.org . May we all be one together.
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January 18, 2008 - Friday
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THE BREATH AS THE HEART OF CREATION
Current mood:  grateful
Please visit http://livingyoga.wordpress.com for an easier to read version of this article.)
THE BREATH AS THE HEART OF CREATION
by Linda Kramer
"Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts." –Thich Nhat Hanh
According to Dr. Dean Ornish in his book, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease, deep breathing is the best stress reducer known to man. The link between stress and heart failure and the immune system is universally recognized by all health professionals. When your stress level is up, your immune system is down. When your stress level is up and your tolerance level is down — it becomes difficult to live from the heart.
Breath and thought are also partners in the act of creation. What we are thinking as we breathe manifests in our outer reality. That sounds so simple. The problem is many of the thoughts that are creating our experience or personal reality are unconscious. Our personal realities are a reflection of what we believe to be true. Our programming starts at birth. Data goes in and creates a file. We have to be conscious of the file to change it, alter or purge it. As a child we receive programming from the adult figures in our lives about the "Absolute truths" in life: unconscious ideas about love and our own self worth. If we are lucky these are happy loving messages and we create a happy loving life.
If we are not happy, we may not even be aware that we are carrying messages that separate us from happiness; these messages may be creating low self esteem and destructive behaviors. Sometimes in our state of disconnect we do not even realize that we are unhappy until we create a drama or personal disaster.
Our perceptions of the way people treat us in interactive exchanges can reveal what unconscious messages or patterns we are acting out. It is important for our self esteem to examine our behaviors—they are linked. We need to evaluate what we feel is truly missing in our lives. Is our life balanced? Do we have a material, spiritual, or happiness/fun deficit? Are material gains acquired at the expense of our health? Can we pay our bills? What are we feeding our bodies and our minds? When we can change our deepest personal lies and erase the false messages we were unknowingly imprinted with, we can change our outer realities.
We only utilize 10% of our brains consciously. That leaves considerable room for the subconscious mind to co-create with us. Even if we are consciously trying to change our life patterns we can still be derailed by old belief systems that are still stuck in our internal data files. These old programs keep us stuck in recurring situations and life outcomes. Our thoughts can separate us from the divine, and prosperity on every level—including health.
Again, we have to go beyond the surface of what we think we know. Most of us will say we believe we deserve happiness and peace. Yet, somehow we are completely unaware of our own self sabotaging program that is simultaneously running with our vision of how we what our life to be. When we are able to eliminate the shadow program we can have the life we want. We will notice the dramas start to fade and see improvement in all of our relationships. We will be in harmony with ourselves and all others. Once we are able to release our hidden resentments a whole new world of possibilities opens to us. The way creative thought works is that anything good or bad that we've created can be uncreated. So we have to stay vigilant about what goes across the mind screen.
There are many tools we can use to address the subconscious mind. Yoga, meditation affirmations, and hypnosis can help. Yoga philosophy teaches us (See Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2:33) that when thinking something negative we should immediately replace the thought with it's opposite. The Sanskrit for this is Vitarka Badhane Pratipaksa Bhavanam. This is very helpful if we have conscious awareness and the self discipline to stay present. If we don't know what our deepest unconscious patterning is we can only make surface changes and are still shooting arrows in the dark. Even if our desire to change is great – if we are unable to accurately identify the root belief we are holding, we will have only applied a band-aid, and not addressed the cause. If we find we are stuck in any area of our life we may want to contact a professional rebirther, or someone who can help us with through mind/body therapies.
Rebirthing, or "Sacred Renewal Breathwork," is a powerful safe gentle breathing technique which releases stress from the body and helps reprogram old patterns. This breathing technique also increases our energy level and creates more ease and peace. This application of the sacred breath as used in rebirthing was pioneered in the early 70's by Sandra Ray and Leonard Orr. Sanra Ray is also a disciple of Babaji, also named Sri Sri 1008 Bhagwan Herakhan Wale Baba, is an immortal maha avatar and yogi master who blessed this work and supported it while in his physical Body. Ray is also dedicated to Christ believing that truth is but one.
When I took Sondra Ray's professional rebirther training course I made big sweeping changes that are still resonating. As a self aware yoga teacher with a strong meditation practice I thought I was aware of most of the self-limiting monkey chatter in my mind. The personal transformation that took place for me was amazing. My life shifted within one week. The changes I made in my earliest rebirthing sessions had already began to shift my life in new directions. Still I hadn't turned the circle and was still operating out of worn out paradigms and thought I knew what my patterns were. This is why Sondra recommends a minimum of ten rebirthing sessions
Those of us on the spiritual path that are guided by the unseen hand know we are always being guided. The concentrated work shifted by psyche in an unprecedented way and I am dedicated to sharing it with others. It is part of my yoga. Yoga is not limited to our physical bodies. As the Yoga Master Dhrama Mitra points out, "Our bodies are one giant thoughtform." To change the body we have to change the mind.
A rebirthing session involves a consultation and approximately an hour of connected breathing. In the consultation, your rebirther will have the opportunity to discuss with you where you are in your life now and how they can best support you. Your rebirther will collect information from you with the goal of supporting you in resolving current issues and changing undesirable patterns.
A rebirther is a professionally trained facilitator who will guide your breath in a way that allows you to process what occurs during a session. They will guide you and support you through emotional releases, thoughts and memories that may surface and physical sensations that you may experience during a session. A rebirther is highly skilled at helping you trace complex issues in your life to the origins of your subconscious mind. By becoming aware of this information, your rebirther will support you in finding solutions and resolutions.
The rebirther guides your breath in a manner that increases the level of oxygen in the body, which increases energy in the pranic body. The increased level of oxygen stimulates the body's natural ability to cleanse itself. Seventy percent of the bodily toxins are eliminated through breathing.
The hour long breathing session in rebirthing also raises the blood's alkaline level which increases our health. One lovely side affect of the concentrated breathing is that it gives you beautiful skin—everyone will tell you look great! Where did you get that new glow…Deep breathing also increases the oxygen levels in the blood which strengthens the immune system. Dr. Alec Borsenko states, "Oxygen gets rid of toxicity. Bacteria, viruses and parasites are destroyed in the presence of oxygen—especially cancer." Breathing controls the flow of the lymphatic system. When the lymphatic system is unbalanced we become unhealthy and subject to eventual pain and suffering.
Yoga teaches us that separation is the cause of all suffering. When there is a split in our thinking or in the mind/body then there is pain, and often ill health. A misdirected or false thought can lodge in the body as a physical discomfort. We've all experienced tightness in the shoulders or neck when we are in the presence of other's whose thoughts are incongruent with ours. Imagine what our own thoughts can do to our bodies!
To begin the yoga of rebirthing is to begin the study of the Self. So let's start by taking this little quiz. Be honest – No one will see the answers but you:
1. The most negative thought I have about myself…
2. What I'm afraid people will know about me….
Now turn around this thought with a positive affirmation by writing the opposite; turn it around by feeling the opposite, turn it around by visualizing the opposite; turn it around with connected breathing throughout the process. Connect your breath to your heart and soar to your highest life intention. When we are connected to our own hearts and life's intention then we can have and be the love we want. The breath is the sacred connection. Get connected.
Linda Kramer, M.A. (Sudevi) is a transformational life coach who uses rebirthing and the principles of yoga to help others transform through mind/body therapies. Visit www.myspace.com/sudevidasi for more information: contact Sudevi@vedicstudies.net or linda@livingyouryoga.net or call (850)380-7166
Please join linda sudevi kramer for an experiential class on:
Breath as the Heart of Change
February 24, 2008 in Pensacola, Fl.
from 1:00-3:00 p.m. - $35
at Everman's on Garden Street
*In Group experience classes everyone focuses their intention and breath on a set theme. In the ten individual sessions as outlined by Sondra Ray, the breath is used as a vehicle for individual change and evolution and is uniquely personal.
Reprinted with permission from "The Light." Thank you Dana! Please review The Light
for other articles on creative transformation.
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December 28, 2007 - Friday
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DAVID NEWMAN IN PENSACOLA FEBURARY 8TH & 9TH - BOLO!
WWW.DAVIDNEWMANMUSIC.COM
Kirtan & Workshop
with David Newman
aka DURGA DAS
Friday, February 8th
7:30 p.m. $25 in advance
or $30 at the door.
Workshop: Heart Opening
Saturday February 9th
1:00 – 3:30 p.m. $45
Water front@4401 Soundside
Gulf Breeze, fl.32561
$60 for both Workshop & Kirtan
Kirtan PROCEDED BY SILENT AUCTION* AT 1511 S. Palafox St.- at Big Sexy Food – formerly
Trader Jon's from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
*Auction to benefit Greater Good Free
Yoga Project dedicated to bringing
Yoga and props to diverse populations.
Join us for cool veggie appetizers
and a fabulous time!
Hosted by Kimberly Casson,Marianne Franklin (Ambika), Linda Kramer (Sudevi)with special help from Catherine Penzone at: 4401 Soundside (on the water), Pensacola, Fl.
Space is limited. Register Now!
For information or tickets contact Marianne at: SOARMAFf@aol.com
850 418-2763 or Kimberly at adhealth@bellsouth.net or 850 777-9964.
Kirtan means to CUT. We cut away all the things that hold us back from
the divine as we open our hearts to
Grace with devotional chanting.
Join us as David Newman, aka, Durgas Das leads us to greater heights with
Devotional singer Mira.
Check out David's divine sound at
www.davidnewmanmusic.com
This is a non-profit event.
After David's fee procedes will go to bringing yoga and mats to diversely challenged populations with special needs. So far the Greater Good Free
Yoga project has donated mats to the Lakeview Center and is working on a prison
Project in Atmore, Alabama.
Directions to the workshop:
Turn onto the Pensacola Bay Bridge and follow Hwy 98 east through
Gulf Breeze for 12.2 miles, turn right onto Hwy 191E or Soundside Drive and travel 0.9 miles to the cottage by the water at 4401 Soundside Drive.
See you There! Jai Ma! Sudevi J
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December 25, 2007 - Tuesday
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MANTRA 101
What better thing to do on Christmas than chant the names of God. My personal favorite for Christmas is the "Gayatri Mantra," a universal prayer of light. I like Om Mani Padme Hum for it's significance in planetary healing. I will add to this posting as time go by. These are just a two of my favorites...
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Chanting
"Sound is your Essence," –Upanishads
Chanting the names of God is a wonderful way to elevate one's mood and consciousness.
Chanting helps us let go. With enough sincerity and practice chanting (mantra*) eliminates all our "stuff."
Chanting almost always helps us deal with the outside world while bringing us inside to our true nature--it makes us happy by connecting us to anahata nadam (The heart center, the "unstruck" sound). Chanting balances the left and right side of the brain; it lowers our blood pressure and it makes us feel good. Chanting can unifiy us with the eternal truth.
Everything comes in and out of Om. Sanskrit is a language of "being-ness" and has no adjectives. We become the sound we are chanting. How divine. Om Shantih.(Divine Peace.)
The world was created with sound vibration. In the beginning was the word and yogi's think it was AUM. Om. Aum or Om is the sound of God.
What is Mantra?
Man refers to the mind and tra means portection. Mantra proctects us from our minds! All those whirling thought-forms...
"Mantra is a set of sound patterns and thought-forms which can code consciousness into the consciousness of Light. The mantras are holy energy forms of meditation which can be used to charge the body with the powers and rapture of the Divine Mind."
--from The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch – J.J. Hurta
Om Mani Padme Hum
"Om – Maah – Neeh – Paaad – Meeeh – Huuum ," means Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus – to the God Within. Om is the sound of God. Mani, or Jewel refers to enlightened compassion, Padme or "Lotus" symbolizes divine wisdom. It is said that chanting this awakens the vibrations of love, peace, and compassion. Alice Bailey in "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire," says each syllable of this phrase has a secret potency, and it can bring seven different results.
This mantra is one that is chanted for planetary healing. It is said to evoke the combined energies of the Buddha and the Christ simultaneously releasing blessings known as "The Great Outpouring" when ceremonially chanted during the full moon.
Gayatri Mantra
"Om Bhoor Bhuvah Svaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayaat"
As translated by Deborah VanDyke:
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OM the ultimate reality, the sound of God.
BHUR OR BHOOR(or Bhuh Loka) the physical plane and earth
BHUVAspace, ether, mental plane
SVAHAthe celestial plane, heaven, causal plane
TAT– "that" – the essential reality
SAVITUR radiant, luminous, enlightening creative sun – Light
VARENYAMto adore and worship
BHARGO permeated with bliss and shining light
DEVASYA Divine Grace
DHEEMAHI to contemplate, to meditate
DHIYO intelligent understanding
YO who
NAH us
PROCHODAYAAT inspires, enlightens
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The Gayatri Mantra is second in sacredness only to OM-- and like everything, contains OM! "Gaya" means lifeforce and "tri" stands for protector and so it could be said that the Gayatri is the protector of the life-force. It is the holiest of the Vedic mantras and is chanted as a sacred universal prayer by Buddhists, Hindus, and many others, going beyond religious boundaries or understanding.
 Gayatri is a universal prayer. It is said by chanting or listening to this chant that protection and Divine wisdom are bestowed. The Gayatri is sometimes referred to as Sarasvati's mantra and is considered to be the mother of all mantras and Vedic knowledge; it is considered by many to be the key to opening "Cosmic Consciousness." It is meditation on spiritual light and is often practiced with a fire ceremony. Chanting this mantra creates an attunement to the masters who have gone before who also chanted this mantra. Many use this mantra as the foundation for their spiritual practices.
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Sacred Intention
Current mood:  focused
SANKULPA
It is the undelivered communication to self that creates most of the situations that we did not consciously choose. The unconscious will time and time again manifest. Use breathing techniques combined with sacred intention to change your life course and deeply root patterning. Find the root cause. Discover your personal lie. Replace it with the truth. Learn to manage your anger. Increase your joy. Increase your prosperity. Let go of, " I am too __________ whatever it is." Improve your health. Let it go so there is more room for more peace, more joy. Patanjali's gives us many techniques for changing our patterns in the yoga sutras. If you are interested in a session or workshop using concentrated directed breathing for sacred change and living up to your highest intention, please email me: Sudevi@vedicstudies.net I am available for group sessions and individual coaching.
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October 12, 2007 - Friday
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Restorative Yoga Workshop
Sunday, October 14th from 1- 3 p.m.
at "Breathe" Yoga Studio 503 Adams Street in Seville
Rest, Relax, and Renew with Linda Kramer
Workshop: Restorative Yoga (with live flute music and essential oils)
$25
Call linda (850)380-7166 or (850)Sandra 291-5506
Fall into yoga .... experience deep states of relaxation with restorative yoga (supported poses comfortable held)..let the body open and the mind let go...drift off to the sounds of divine live music with Das (flute, chimes, and crystal bowl), be anointed with essential oils...lavender and frankincense...breathe deeply into the spirit of this fall..........inhale let, exhale go........
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January 12, 2008 - Saturday
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Sex and the Urban Yogi...
Sex and the Urban Yogi...
Now that I have your attention....One of my friends is enrolled in a yoga teacher training. The facilitator is a delightful swami from India. He announced to his western students that sex should be refrained from. Everyone in the class had partners and three were pregnant, and two of the participants were a "couple." The couple kissed throughout the course and even visited the bathroom together. I cannot help but wonder how all this appeared to our eastern friend. My outspoken married southern friend piped up and said in her delightful drawl, "You mean we are not suppose to do IT anymore? What about my husband? Am I suppose to leave my husband?" Is this practical for those committed to non-yogi's - or even yogi's in the western world? The swami had no answer and was bemused.
I know several former monks. Some of these monks went to extremes when they left swamihood or the state of renunciation. Just the other day a new yoga teacher called me and announced she was being initiated into "Kryia Yoga" and would become a swami soon. Typically Swami's are yogic monks - this means no sex at all. This was prefaced by a joyful comment about her new husband and baby...hmm. The new Swamidom? I don't think she really understood what she was saying. Or maybe she did. Most feel that complete renunciation is not appropriate for the times we live in. Serious students ask me about this all the time. Brahmacharya is about commitment to one's partner and monogamy for most modern day yogi's. The world we live in makes this a tapasia (discipline) in itself...
Brahmacharya is one of the ethical disciplines or yamas - things we control our development of divine self or divine nature with. It originally meant being celibate. Many still choose the path of swamihood (renunciation) and to live as monks. This may not be practical for the modern urban yogi who is in partnership or married. And renunciation may have more to do with not having cravings or desire than actually restraining one's activities. And the cravings are "physical," not just sexual. How much of anything is enough? Fine if I have more chocolate cake, more material things...fine if I don't. enjoy the coming...enjoy the going. Control all the " I want's," control all the senses.
My diksha guru, Shri Swami Satchidananda (over-seer of my spiritual education - the head guy co-pioleting with God), says that brahmacharya, or celibacy, means control, not suppression of the sex desire or sex force. He says supression is another thing and more dangerous. Supression can lead to increased attachment, irritability, and mental restlessness.
For the modern day urban yogi it is more about our attachment to people, situations, and things, than the acts or objects themselves. It is craving and addiction that we must root out to find the equanimity and peace that we seek. The yogi most be aware of the gateways to the senses and not be controlled by sense craving. Choose your pleasure. Do not become your senses or your cravings. If we are controlled by our senses (and this could be craving food and material comforts as well as sex) it is easy to get off course and forget where we were headed and why. The times we live in don't allow for this indulgence. The world is changing. Look at global warming. We are going to be in physical as well as spiritual crisis. Get up and do your work. Get ready. The time is now. We do not have time to sit idly on the road waiting for shakti to wake us up. Wake up.
Waking up is about making conscious choices about what to put in our bodies, who to share them with, where to live, with whom to live with, what foods to choose, how to be in relationship with all other beings. For most of us - total renunciation will result in a back lash as it has for some of my former monk friends. Swami Satchidananda taught that if we push off desires too quickly they come back with a vengeance. Instead - do your yoga. Meditate. Pray. Breathe. Purify the mind--don't suppress it. Do good. Love all. Serve all. Meditate. Realize. All the rest will take care of itself.
Yoga is about balance - not about extremes. If in partnership - balance and commit. If not, practice, practice, practice yoga and all will come. It's all in divine time anyway. The urban yogi takes the purity of the teachings and adapts them to the current world. For most of us, commitment, and monogamy is the "Brahmacharya" of today. Take an inventory of your senses and your discipline/non-discipline. Look at your commitments and lack of. Do your commit take you where you want to go or do they hold you back? What could be more important than who you live with (and why), and what you eat, and what you think/feel/do? Does it/they support your spiritual path/growth?
Yes, most of us "Do it." And we should do it with integrity and commitment, and remember the other yama of ahimsa, non-harming. Our actions, words, thoughts, and deeds should not harm ourselves or all other beings. If we tend to ahimsa, brahmacharya will take care of itself.
If we are honest with ourselves this work on self, this commitment is harder than it outwardly seems. Look in the mirror. Do not flinch. Keep polishing. How can we get there if we don't ask the questions? How can we do this if we don't start to polish the smudges? Thinking is over-rated. Just begin where you are. Begin. Be. Now.
Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!
Sudevi
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October 1, 2007 - Monday
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We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For
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We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For
All living beings are spiritual beings, because in one manner or another, all of life breathes. Breath is an indication that spirit is present. In the ancient languages of Aramaic (ruha) and Hebrew (ruach), the word for spirit also means breath. Even in English, breath is defined as the vital spirit, which animates living beings. Our breath is connected to the air that every being breathes. By breathing consciously, we acknowledge our communion with all of life. There are atoms of air in your lungs, which were once in the lungs of everyone who has ever lived. In essence we are breathing (or inspiring) each other.
To be alive is to be breathing. To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism. The enemy to the spirit is the selfish ego, who thinks that happiness can be gained through causing unhappiness and disharmony to others, through possessing and labeling. In many ancient languages, the word for enemy means one who falls out of rhythm, one who is not working in harmony with the larger group. Freedom from this enemy can begin by letting go of the breath as "my" breath. As we let go we enter into the shared life force, into a sense of harmony, which connects us all: the breath, the Holy Spirit.
If you want to know if someone is a "spiritual being" put them to this simple test and ask, "Are they breathing?" If the answer is yes, then you know that you are in the presence of a spiritual being. May we have the good sense to bow to one another in celebration of this universal tribal community of sacred, holy beings. Perhaps this is what Patanjali was suggesting when he said sthira sukham asanam. May our relationships with others be based in steadiness and joy and be mutually beneficial.
The Hopi Elders tell us that we have passed the Eleventh Hour (a time of reckoning) and that now is the hour. Because of this, we should deeply consider all of our relationships, including what or whom we are eating, where we are living, and with whom we are living. The Hopi wisely tell us, "At this time in History, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt."
What could it mean to take oneself personally in such a way that it would cause one's spiritual growth to stop? Our culture is essentially a domineering, herding culture. It is based on the enslavement of others, primarily other animal nations. It encourages us to seek self-gratification at the expense of others, even at the expense of the greater Earth community, assuming mistakenly, that we can exist outside of that community. The separation of spirit and body and of humanity and nature are results of the notion that the earth belongs only to human beings. This ignorance (avidya) and egotism (asmita) lead to low self-esteem, and leads us feeling that what we do as individuals has little bearing on the whole, and as a result we can feel inadequate and insignificant. This feeling of insignificance represents the "personal' delusion that the Hopi elders describe as the ultimate hindrance to our spiritual advancement.
Through communal yoga practice, self-confidence arises as we experience the wonder of breathing together in a variety of ways. Through chanting mantras and prayers, a greater sense of well-being is revealed through adding our voices to the choir. When we rhythmically move together, in tune with breath and intention we overcome debilitating | | |
