Dancing Chi Yoga

Self Perception & Inner Silence - Looking Within

At some point in your yoga and meditation practice, you may start asking the big questions:

* What is my purpose in life?

* Is there a God?

* Do I have the focus and strength to be the person that I feel that I am?

* Why do I feel controlled by my emotions and the external opinions of others?

* What really matters?  Is it love?  Is it each other? Political action? Community?  What are my priorities to myself and others? 

* What is the purpose of my yoga and meditation practice? Do I feel that something is missing?

* When I communicate with the words,  I Am ... what does this statement mean to me?

These are relevant questions or observations that we may all, from time to time, ask of ourselves, whether we practice yoga or not.

Truth be told, the relationship at the heart of all our lives is the one we have with ourselves. No other relationship can be an adequate substitute. This relationship is what inspires the journey of the self, the quest of meditation and of our spiritual alone time. Carl Jung once said that we cannot grow in consciousness without pain. Consider this pain in your life as a stepping stone to personal understanding and growth.

The search for personal truth and validation is a lifelong journey and, no matter old you are, you are still growing in wisdom and experience. The pain of this growth, although it will fluctuate in intensity throughout your lifetime, will always be with you on your travels through self-study and spiritual consciousness.

Take a few moments here to reflect by exploring both of these inspirational videos, as Shakti Mhi  examines Self Perception (how we see ourselves) and the concept of The Observer (the experience of True Silence)...

Shakti Mhi has been teaching yoga for three decades and is the founder of the Prana Yoga College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Shakti has developed a unique style of yoga, with a strong focus on safety, proper alignment, breath control and the intuitive flow of the asanas, known simply as Prana Style. She devotes much of her time to supporting many of her graduates and other yogis who are experiencing obstacles on their own spiritual paths and has created an on-line forum for this purpose. For more information on the the work and writings of Shakti Mhi, visit  www.pranayogacollege.com.

Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that come from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence.
- Deepak Chopra

Bringing Yoga to America - Sri Swami Satchidananda

The future of the whole world is in your hands  -  Swami Satchidananda

Swami (Sri Gurudev) Satchidananda came to the world's attention as the opening speaker at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969. He was also the founder of The Integral Yoga Institute and Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville in Buckingham County, Virginia.

Sri Gurudev was born on December 22, 1914 to a respectable and devoted Hindu family in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Growing up, the family home had been a meeting place for philosophers, poets, musicians and holy men passing through. His early years as a young man found him graduating from agricultural college and by the time he was twenty-three he found himself married, the father of two boys and a manager of India's National Electric Works. Sudden tragedy struck five years later when his beloved wife died. Leaving his young sons to be raised by their paternal grandmother, it is here that that he begins his spiritual journey...studying with many great spiritual masters including Sri Ramana Maharshi and travelling the world, eventually bringing his message of peace around the globe. His life motto was "Truth is one, Paths are many". His belief was that we are all one in Spirit and that after we have found that Spirit within ourselves, we will always recognize it in others.

Swami Satchidananda has been honored with the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award and has devoted his life to the cause of individual and universal peace. He left his body on August 19, 2002 in South India.

 

For more information on the video below, go to www.livingyogamovie.org  

To read more about Swami Satchidananda and his teachings, visit www.yogaville.org or go to www.swamisatchidananda.org for Gurudev's iconic Woodstock address. 

Wisdom, Words & The Yogi

Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issue of how our lives fit into the greater cosmic scheme of things. This is true even when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life.  -  Robert C. Fuller

 

When everyone in the world loves one another, then the weak will not be overpowered by the strong, the few will not be oppressed by the many, the poor will  not be mocked by the wealthy, the humble will not be disdained by the honored, and the simple will not be deceived by the cunning.  -  Motsi

 

Let there be harmony between us. OM, peace, peace, peace.  -  Kaivalya Upanishad

 

Just-sitting meditation:  This meditation has two phases, just breathing and just sitting. First, become your breath. Merge completely with the inhalations and exhalations. Disappear as an observer, letting only your breath remain. In the second phase, just sitting, disappear into all of your sense experiences-seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, even thinking. Rather than being mindful, let only the experience remain.  -  Barbara Ann Kipfer

 

The soul enjoys silence and peace, not by many reasonings, but by simply contemplating the Truth.  -  Saint Peter of Alcantara

 

Practice love until you remember that you are love.  -  Swami Sai Premananda

 

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars. and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.

 

Be here now. -  Ram Dass

Awakening the Self through Meditation

Compose yourself in stillness, draw your attention inward and devote your mind to the Self. The wisdom you seek lies within  -  Bhagavad Gita

Self-realization through meditation can be seen as a journey inwards. There are many routes to the meditative state: it can be reached in stillness or movement, with sound or in silence. The sage Patanjali, saw hatha, or physical yoga as a preparation for this transformation of consciousness. His teachings on yoga as the path to meditation still form the basis of most of the yoga practiced today.

The practices of meditation help us to balance our evolved and primitive natures. The tradition of Vedanta claims that all creation arises from the desire of the one Absolute Reality to experience itself as life (nature) and light (consciousness or spirit) in relationship (love) with each other. This relationship is continuously enacted within us, and is seen as the purpose of human existence.

To find contentment and inspiration, we must seek the real truths within us.

Here are a few guidelines to enhance your meditation practice

Find a well ventilated, quiet and peaceful place for your meditation. If possible, try to set a regular time of day for your practice.

Prior to your meditation, if you have time, practice some yoga postures or stretching to loosen and relax the body for more comfortable sitting. You may find, as I do, that postures also help to relax the breath and mind, allowing for a clearer focus in your meditation practice.

You can meditate at any given time, however, in many spiritual traditions, dawn - when the world is at its most peaceful - is regarded as an ideal time for meditation.

Try bringing your meditation practice outside. As the sun emerges above the horizon, fill your awareness with the brightening hues of the sky...rejoice in the beauty of the new day.

Sit in a comfortable, cross legged position, on a cushion or a chair. Have a blanket, shawl or sweater ready if you tend to feel chilled.

Let go of distractions, focus on your breath, relax the facial muscles.

Gently close the eyes. Take three deep breaths to start your meditation.

Remember to always inhale and exhale through the nose during meditation.

Relax your jaw and rest your tongue on the roof or bottom of your mouth.

Follow your breath..nothing to do, nowhere to go ...just sitting, at home in the body.

Thoughts and distractions are bound to come up. Accept this. Observe them mindfully, then return your focus on the breath.

Trust in your meditation. Let go of expectations...just meditate.

If you like, you may dedicate the efforts of your meditation to benefit others. 

Breathe, relax, experience peace.

At the end of your practice, open your eyes gently and take three deep breaths to come back to your day.

For more insight and information on this vast subject, take a look into Stephan Bodian's  Meditation for Dummies (Book & CD edition) as a starting point on your journey to self-awareness.

Be patient with yourself and your meditation practice. For a little help in getting started, try the guided meditation video below with Anusara yoga teacher, Bridget Woods Kramer. This gentle practice was filmed on the beautiful clifftops of Cornwall, England. I hope you enjoy it. 

Yoga for Stress Management

For better or worse, stress is unavoidable in our busy lives and an integral part of being a human being. Ever since our cave-dwelling days, we've been equipped with the fight or flight response, which, at that time, was an essential tool for our survival. This stress response initiated a hormonal rush of strength which prepared us either to do battle or to run away quickly. Either choice exhausted the body, allowing it to return to its natural state.

 In our modern daily lives, many of our stressors have no clear resolution and no apparent conclusion, which keeps the mind and body in a tense, edgy fight or flight mode. This creates radical changes in our bodies, such as an increase in oxygen, increased muscular tension, raised heart rate, as well as a huge surge of adrenaline. While stress in itself is not harmful, our inability to deal with our bodies' response to it can be; eventually we become accustomed to living with headaches, back and neck pain, indigestion, insomnia, as well as ongoing feelings of rage and a lack of vitality.

Here are a few simple tips to help you deal with daily stress:

Exercise regularly, including yoga (even a 10 minute session can do wonders).

Set aside a few minutes for relaxation daily: meditation, a breathing exercise, positive affirmations or visualizations.

If you're really tired, try listening to some soothing music or even a motivating book on tape while in Savasana (Corpse Pose), eyes closed and just focusing on your breath.   

If you feel like dancing, dance.

Be in the moment. Be aware of your body. Notice where your tension is building. Inhale slowly and deeply through the nose, exhaling gently and slowly through the tension, exhaling the tension away.

Notice how your emotions affect your behavior and the people in your life. Think about ways in which you could change your day.

Have fun with others who are positive-minded.  

Change what you can change in your life. Have patience with the rest

Remember that you already have everything you need to transform your life.

If you are ready to make some personal changes and are looking for a bit of inspiration, I highly recommend The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. This contemporary fable blends the spiritual wisdom of the East along with cutting-edge success principles of the West, while gently guiding the reader to greater balance, joy and spiritual fulfillment.

If you're feeling stressed and need a quick fix right now, Try the following 4 minute upper body practice with yoga teacher Esther Ekhart . You can do these exercises literally anywhere, and they really help to release tension and discomfort.

Have a Beautiful Day...