What I will be doing all winter!
plus I have a woodburning fireplace in my new apartment!
Salute the Sun on a Rainy Day from MotiYogi on Vimeo.
MotiYogi posts alot of informative and helpful yoga asanas on her Vimeo account… So fun!
Waking the Global Heart
by Anodea Judith
http://www.wakingtheglobalheart.com/
Only through a rite of passage will humanity shift from the love of power to the power of love. This initiation will uproot and transform every aspect of human civilization. It will demand of humankind a new myth, one that insists on cooperation rather than competition, co-creation rather than procreation, networks rather than markets, and sustainability rather than exploitation. Waking the Global Heart is a handbook for this initiation, taking us on a journey through the twists and turns of our collective history to emerge with a guiding vision for our next awakening.
I haven’t been able to put this book down, or stop talking about it to friends and family. It is just as exciting as it sounds. A comprehensive, visionary plan for overcoming this era of strife, extreme poverty and extreme wealth.
Studio Review: Yoga Union
Tucked into the outer edge of what I now know to be coined “The People’s Republic”
“The land where prayer flags and drum circles crowd every corner and Priuses fill every driveway, bordered by Southeast Stark Street on the north, Holgate on the south, 12th Avenue on the west and 60th on the east. ¡Viva la revolución!” — Willamette Week, July 23rd 2008 link
Yoga Union Community Wellness Center is at 50th and SE Lincoln, indistinguishable from the exterior aside from the large signs, behind the tinted windows lie beautiful bamboo floors, large mirrors and a roll up garage door for some extra air flow after the hot yoga class exits and the non-heat seeking yogis (like myself!) arrive.
My first class was Wednesday night’s Prana Vinyasa with Amy Bratton whose inventive sequencing was complemented by her energetic instruction and modifications for all levels.
I bought the 2 weeks intro package for $25, quite a steal! I can’t wait to go back. The best part about experiencing different studios is the teachers, and gaining new ideas for my sequencing.
And as with most studios that offer hot yoga, there are showers!
**Update: Don’t be late! If you are over 5 minutes late you aren’t allowed to enter
Karma in the Sky
The past two round trip flights I have taken this year have been royally botched by American Airlines. I consider myself a fairly blessed individual, and I regard the concept of luck with a large amount of personal responsibility. I maintain my physical, mental and emotional health and always practice good intentions toward others. However, we all are due for some bad luck every now and then, and as they say, I prefer to make lemonade rather than suck on sour lemons.
When my American Airlines flight departed 20 minutes late, I assumed I would still have a decent amount of time to race across the mess that is known as the San Jose airport during my scheduled 1 hour overlay. Somehow we landed after my connecting flight departed, over an hour late. My cat who I was bringing to my new home in Portland had urinated on the flight, and hadn’t eaten all day. So the airline attendant informed us the earliest we could possibly leave was 3 hours later, with a stand-by on an overbooked flight. Otherwise we had confirmed tickets for a 9 pm departure, 6 hours later.
As we wandered the streets of San Jose with a smelly cat and rumbling bellies we decided to rent a motel for a few hours, wash the carrier for the cat, and try to feed her and ourselves. Air-conditioning and running water were luxuries I was grateful to be able to afford.
I said thanks for my ability to take care of myself and my cat, and prayed for whomever needed their luck boosted in some random way I will never understand by my delayed flight.
Perhaps a stand-by for my reservation caught a lucky break. And I feel blessed to pass that karma forward.
yoga teacher 2.0
I just booked my first Portland yoga teaching gig at Loprinzi’s Gym on SE Division St.!
Same time, new place. Thursdays, 6:30.
I can’t wait!
Gita Poetry
No effort on the yoga path is ever lost
Nor can any obstacle hold one back forever
Just a little progress on this path
Can protect one from the greatest fear
The Brahmins work is born of his nature and qualities
Peacefulness, self control, aestheticism, forgiveness, honesty, learning, wisdom
And a firm faith in the supreme lord
There are 3 modes of material nature
Goodness Passion and Ignorance
Though the living being is imperishable
He is bound in the body by these three modes
What is night for all creatures
Is a time of awakening for the self controlled
And the time of awakening for all beings
Is night for the introspective sage
Source: The Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita is revered as a sacred text of Hindu philosophy. The name ‘Bhagavad Gita’, when translated into English, literally means ‘Song of God’. Its written format is that of a poem which is 700 verses long.
Commonly referred to as The Gita, it is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna which takes place on a battlefield, just prior to the start of a climactic war. During the conversation, Krishna proclaims that he is God and at the request of Arjuna, displays his divine form, which is described as timeless, that leaves the latter awestruck. The conversation summarizes a number of different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies, explaining the meaning and purpose of life and existence.
Favorably disposed consciousness
From B.K.S. Iyengar and the sutras of Patanjali:
Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy & indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favorably disposed, serene and benevolent.
This sutra asks us to rejoice with the happy, to be compassionate to the sorrowful, friendly to the virtuous, and indifferent to those who live in vice despite attempts to change them.
Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha
My latest read, Shakti Mantras, is filled with legends of Hindu mythology and the beginning of the world in order to impart a deeper meaning to the mantras that the author, Thomas Ashley-Farrand has researched for over .
The chapter about Lakshmi particularly caught my attention, as a new yoga teacher and aspiring professional trying to afford to live! She is the goddess of abundance, the abundance of all things that fulfill basic needs and wants in everyday life.
Even Buddha used to say that you cannot teach people how to meditate if they are starving…The idea of abundance is not limited to money. In places around the globe where want and deprivation prevail, abundance simply means enough food to eat.
The oldest references simply refer to Lakshmi as Shri. In the early Vedic hymns, Shri is she who bestows capability, power, and skillful means that manifest as beauty, luster, glory, and high rank. In some texts Shri is referred to as a cushion upon which the royal ones sit. Those who are schooled in European mysticism will recognize immediately that this cushion represents the kundalini shakti residing at the base of the spine in us all. In this context, to sit upon her cushion means to rest upon the power that she can and will provide, if only we know how to invoke or activate it.
My Yoga Sutras Exploration
Upon my graduation of my first yoga teacher training, I took my instructor’s words to heart. He explained that there was no need to race through a book such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, but that to memorize one sutra per month for the rest of one’s life would be ideal.
I am now beginning my seventh month and have decided to share this study with you. I will begin at the beginning, but I must begin my study of this month’s sutra today.
1.7. 
Right knowledge is inference, tradition and genuine cognition.
| What are proven theories? Theories are said to derive their proof from one or the other of the following sources:
(1) direct perception, sense-experience, or intuition, (2) deduction or extension of direct perception and sense-experience or beliefs: in the absence of direct proof or experience, indirect proof is deduced from the right or wrong application of principles of logic chosen by oneself, which often lead to vague generalizations or presumptions that ” since the theory comes from a usually reliable source, it must be correct. “ (3) scriptural or other trustworthy testimony or authority - where, again, one accepts as proof the statements of those whom one has accepted as THE authority, such acceptance being blind and fanatic. |
Tai Chi now at Tsada Yoga
CLEAR MIND ~ STRONG BODY ~ INDOMITABLE SPIRIT by Chinook
As the science and information mounts, technology proves everyday that CHI really exists and is not just a delusional term. Advances in MRI technology (magnetic resonance imaging) and thermo-imaging technology (night vision goggles, etc) help prove that CHI energy currents travel throughout all living organisms and even inanimate objects. CHI energy is similar to vibrational energy but different. One major difference? All diseases involve a blockage of CHI energy.
Repetitive stress injuries are the result of high impact or compression forces on the musculo-skeletal systems. Breakthroughs in the science of healing are moving us towards internal arts for the prevention of and recovery from injury and disease. Tai Chi, yoga, pilates, massage, swimming, meditation, mild calisthenics, walking & hiking, dance and kung fu are all internal arts. These arts are low-impact but over time create phenomenal health and fitness.
Why do these low-impact, internal arts work so well? They strengthen the mind, body and spirit. The mind’s connection to our nervous system is vitally important. A perfect example is when somebody gets extremely stressed out and they break out in hives. Obviously the unseen can have a significant effect on the physical body. My point is that all internal arts relax the nervous system. Collision sports and high-impact activities condition the nervous system to habitually expect jolts and compression. Since these activities don’t typically work with meditation, when the practitioners try to relax – they can’t. Internal arts focus on managing energy and relaxing the nervous system.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extremely alert, clear and focused mind, an extremely fit, strong and functional body and a calm yet indomitable spirit? We at Tsada are excited about offering classes and workshops that assist all of us in finding our own inner peace and harmony. Inner peace is power and this Tai Chi series is just one more option for those who are moving towards this goal. We look forward to seeing you Thursdays and Saturdays for the next 6 weeks and beyond!