Opening the door to our heart & mind: Panchakarma, Practice & Yama/Niyama

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Sri Swami Sivananda

Forget the past. Begin life afresh. Face life boldly. A glorious future is awaiting you.

Well, it's been quite a week for me. For the first time in 7 years I decided to do an 8 day Panchakarma rejuvenation cleanse at one of the revered Ayurvedic clinics in Mysore.  I cleanse all the time at home; UECleanse, colonics, juicing, etc, but I have never done Panchakarma; which is not only a cleanse, but a rejuvenation & oleation of the internal body using different Ayurvedic therapies.  I drank a total of 270ml of medicated ghee (clarified butter) over the course of 4 days for breakfast, had Abhyangha massages, eating only sattvic foods like kitchadi & warm cooked veggies (no spice), dal, chapati, etc, sirodhara  treatments daily (warm fluid slowly pours over the forehead for 40 min to calm the mind) with medicated buttermilk and then the last day (which is Tuesday) I'll be eating a certain medicated paste that will keep me close to the toilet all day long, eating only some rice porridge once the bathroom trips stop which they tell me is about 7-8 hours. FUN FUN FUN!! ;)   One of the main reasons I have hesitated doing this 'cleanse' here is b/c #1 India is already so intense and strips us of some many creature comforts, #2 for the fact that i have a very long, intense practice and #3 the dreaded thought of giving up my favorite vice.... COFFEE!!!  yikes!  But, intuitively I knew it was time and that I needed to do this for all 5 'layers' of me (the 5 mayas).   Tomorrow will be day 7 so I am almost there!  I have made it to practice all but 1 day and I feel amazing.  The best part is I will take many things I have learned and bring them with me into my everyday 'routine' to sustain these results. After all, isn't that the point?  To go through all of this only to go back to habits that don't serve me would be a waste of time, energy and money. 

Practice is the same... we get on our mats each day to move, breathe, meditate, chant, etc.. WHY? Ideally, to see the divine in all things and to get clear & find peace within our heart & mind. To clean the body and the mind so that our relationship with ourselves and everyone/everything else around us becomes healthy and peaceful.  Practice gives us an opportunity to slow down and LISTEN to what is inside our heart and mind... the COURAGE to look at it and face it, process it.. and then TAKE ACTION. And then create new behaviors and actions that produce healthier outcomes. (moving away from old samskaras and creating new ones that we water and feed so that we don't go back to the old ones)  It's about cleaning our karma and seeing clearly so that our future actions aren't based in klesha but are based in yama & niyama & prama.  Then we can, in time, be truly happy, peaceful, and free.  

The auspicious happenings in India always amaze me.  Today I was going to have the courage to ask Sharath to speak about the yamas & niyamas at conference in front of over 300 people.  We all came in and sat down... he chanted for us and then began... "Yama & Niyama"......  my jaw dropped.. it was as if he read my mind!  He took 1 full hour to expound on the HEART & SOUL of yoga practice.. how we live our lives OFF THE MAT is the most important thing.  This is the 2nd time I have heard him so passionately make a point to all of us that yoga is NOT ABOUT THE ASANAS... the handstands, the 'up & over's' (in fact he mentioned that he doesn't understand why so many people are doing these acrobatic things... Guruji was not teaching this) the "flying" around with each vinyasa.  He began to go through and talk about each yama and niyama with examples:

Ahimsa: don't hurt anyone or anything; with your actions, thoughts, or words. 

Satya: always be honest with yourself first and then others. this will enable you to walk around at peace.. these 2 yamas together; ahimsa & satya are so important. 

Asteya: don't steal; things, thoughts, ideas, etc.  

Brahmacharya:  celibacy, or being totally faithful to your partner and he/she to you. this will cultivate a very special energy inside of us.. very positive. 

Aparigraha: non hoarding. not taking more then we need. He talked about how greedy people are nowadays and how people will go to any measure to get what they want. He said the most happy people have nothing; those living in the slums of India who are lucky if they have 1 meal a day.  It's the people who have 7 meals a day whose bellies are full.. yet, they are still not happy or satiated. 

He went on to speak of the Niyamas:

Sauca: cleanliness; of the inside of the body/outside of body & most importantly cleanliness of our mind.  He said it means to keep the inside of your body clean by what you feed it, how you clean the outside (and here he was funny by reminding us how important it is to WASH BEFORE YOGA.. take a hot shower to clean the dirt and wash away the previous day's "energy" as well as warm the muscles. he proceeded to say "many of you are coming stinky.. i don't even want to touch you".. the room filled with laughter)  Even more important then these 2 aspects of sauca is cleanliness of mind.. think peaceful, kind, happy thoughts. Don't wish ill will upon others, jealousy, anger, envy, etc.. this will surround you with bad energy and that will attract more bad energy. 

Samtosha:  contentment. being happy with what we have. 

tapas:  practice and living a structured, DISCIPLINED life.  eating at same time of day, practicing same time of day, bedtime same time... good food, keeping good positive healthy company, speaking kind words, reading spiritual uplifting books. Not running around gossiping, partying, eating & drinking toxic things, etc. He said that many people show up on the mat and then go and basically lose or destroy all that good energy by embarking on negative behavior.  what is the point of doing yoga then?  he said you might as well go take an aerobics class.

Svadhyaya:  self study... looking at your own thoughts, words, actions, reactions, taking accountability, having a teacher who can help to show you 'yourself" and working towards really knowing your Self (with a capital S... higher self)

and lastly...

Isvara Pranidhana:  the ability to surrender to the divine. Whether it be God, a higher force, etc. Ideally picking an Ishta Devata (diety of choice) like Jesus, Ganesha, Krishna, Alla, etc and working towards living like they did. Connecting to their energy while you practice and you will begin to embody their qualities. 

As you can imagine I was beyond pleased that he discussed all of this with us as you all know how important the Yamas & Niyamas are to cultivating a truly "yogic" (peaceful, happy, healthy) life.  I thought he did a wonderful job in his delivery with examples from the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and his own life.  Once again, Sharath is proving himself to be the Guru that Guruji so confidently appointed to take over the KPJAYI when he passed on and I have no doubt he looks down upon his grandson & most dedicated student with great pride & love. 

So, I have decided to extend my stay in India until February 18th.  I'm not ready to leave this energy just yet.  This has been a wonderful trip and I am not only learning more and more about myself, but getting confirmation on so many things I have felt for a long time now.  I will see you all the week of February 20th as I will be teaching 8 classes at Balance that week.  Jessica will be posting those classes in the next email blast as well as on the Balance Face Book page soon.  I will be leaving again on Feb 26th to head back out west until early April to do some teaching on the other coast. I'm really excited for these new opportunities.... it is time. And i am SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL for the amazing staff of teachers and Jessica, our wonderful new manager at Balance, who I know are doing a wonderful job bringing you all the many gifts & blessings of yoga. 

May we all be protected together.

May we be nourished together by these practices.

May we work together for the greater good of mankind.

May our studies be enlightening. 

And my there always be peace, respect, and love between us.

Hari Om Tat Sat. 

Stacy 

p.s. here is a picture of me and Shiva with his new puppy! ;) Shiva is a wonderful man who is a swami & helps all the yoga students find apartments, scooters, pretty much anything you need.. 

p.p.s. some information on ......

for Cleansing, Balancing, Healing and Rejuvenation Panchakarma (five actions) is a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing. Our Natural State According to Ayurveda, our natural state is one of health, happiness and an inner sense of well-being. Health is defined as the body being clear of toxins, the mind is at peace, emotions are calm and happy, wastes are efficiently eliminated and organs are functioning normally. In a busy, stressful and toxic world, our physical and mental systems accumulate toxins causing deterioration in bodily functioning. This eventually weakens our systems, which opens the door for chronic, degenerative, and non-specific diseases to develop. These can evolve into serious specific diseases, ultimately damaging an individual’s health and wellness. Panchakarma can help by reversing these negative effects of daily living. It can restore your natural state of health and wellness by cleansing your body of toxins, bringing balance into your system and improving bodily function. It can also help you sustain this process by making positive changes in lifestyle. The Panchakarma therapeutic process appears quite simple in its application. However, its effects are powerful and effective. Panchakarma is a unique, natural, holistic, health-giving series of therapeutic treatments that cleanse the body’s deep tissues of toxins, open the subtle channels, bring life-enhancing energy thereby increasing vitality, inner peace, confidence and well-being. (Taken from Dr Vasant Lad's website:  www.ayurveda.com/panchakarma/index.html)

Ahimsa Satya Asteya Brahmacarya Aparigraha Yamaha

Sauca Samtosa Tapaha Svadhyaya Isvarapranidhanani Niyamaha

The New Moon, Surrendering, Temple, & More....

Om gananam tva ganapatigmhavamahe kavim kavinamupamasravastamam jyestharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata a nah srnvannutibhissida sadanam sri mahaganapataye namah  

Om Shantih Shanti Shantihi. 

Monday is the New Moon!  The new moon is a time for new beginnings and also for reflection.  Ashtanga Yogi's don't practice on the full or new moon in accordance with honoring nature and the moon's affect upon us.  It's Sunday evening here, 7:30pm and I've just arrived home from a long, fruitful day.

Led Practice with Sharath at 6am, then a dosa & tea for breakfast and then headed over to the 10am conference. Today, a very special documentary was shown to over 400 Ashtanga yogi's who are here practicing at the Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois Yoga Shala. This documentary was an idea had by a long time student on Jan 29th.. on Jan 30th with the help of some friends they began planning it out and on Jan 31st they began to shoot!  On January 13th the documentary was finished and today shown to us!  One thing I adore about Ashtanga yogi's is our ability to GET THINGS DONE! Here is the link that not only has a preview of the movie, (and a $4.99 link to actually purchase it and view it which i HIGHLY RECOMMEND), but the person who's website this link is on also blogged about the conference, so rather than me doing it again, you can go to this site and see many pictures that were taken today as well as the blog re: conference and view the video which is about 25 min. long.  I hope you enjoy!

http://earthyogi.blogspot.com/2012/01/sunday-sharaths-conference-mysore-magic.html


(you have to copy and paste this link above into your URL window.. you can't click on it.) 

On to Surrender.  Surrender:  This is a tough one for Westerners. We like to think we have control, we have say, we are in the driver's seat. In many ways we do and we are but how much longer do we want to "fight" with what is? How much do we want to struggle and try to swim upstream? When we finally decide we want to live calm, peaceful days, and truly let go of "clinging & gripping"; physically, mentally, and/or emotionally, we know we must simply practice surrender. In this surrendering and letting go comes a softness, a suppleness, an ease and a grace.  An allowance for energy to move and pass through rather than getting 'held' or 'stuck'.  For aspiring yogi's, it is the only way. After all, this is ALL daily practice of letting go to prepare us for the final 'let go' in death.


India luckily affords us MANY opportunities to let go and surrender. ;)  There is no place I have ever been that offers such extreme beauty and for lack of a better word.. "lack of beauty" all blended into one.  Everyday is a challenge and therefore a blessing. Loud sounds of horns constantly beeping, dogs barking all day long, men hocking up phlegm from their throats and spitting it in the street, the intense sun beating down all day, crowds of people, poop everywhere!  the smell of burning garbage & plastic, cigarette smoke, urine & did i mention poop???! But then there's the sound of children's laughter, temple bells ringing, mantra's playing through the windows, the rich smell of  jasmine flowers & beautiful incense, the tantilizing smell of delicious chai.... all of this within walking 10 steps!  The current (electricity) goes out multiple times a day, the rickshaw drivers, for the most part, are always trying to rip the Westerners off so we are always putting our foot down with them, the pollution is scary,  sometimes we have no hot water, we wash our clothes in the same bucket we use to bathe in, the list goes on....  You either have to just relax and accept and embrace all of this and find beauty in the seeming chaos, or, you'll jump on a plane and travel back home! ;) This is why I love it here so much...because it tests you in every way possible.  It tests how much you're able to let go, how uncomfortable can you be? how vulnerable can you be? how much can you change your perspective and find the beauty and fun in it all?

On the way home from the temple tonight (which I'll get to telling you about in a moment) I was riding in the front seat of the car and my 2 girl friends were in the back.. I looked at our sweet driver and i said "Raju, driving a car in India is like being in a video game... except it's real!"  He moved his head back and forth, smiling and laughing.. "yes, madame." As I was getting into the car at the temple I yelled "shotgun!" and Raju just looked at me like I was (am) crazy.. I explained what shotgun means.. again, he smiled. That's just it.. you have to take what you have and make the best of it. I love making the people smile and they do the same for me in return.  It's not always going to be pretty, perfect, comfortable, up to our standards... but the more we can learn to be comfortable in any and all situations the more we'll be able to understand each other better. (there is a concept called Pratipaksha Bhavana which means the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see things from their perspective.) How can we even attempt to do this if we're barely comfortable in our own settings and surroundings?

Living in the states and on Long Island even more so is like living in a fantasy land in many ways... so many people are living unlike most people in the world. We live with so many lavish luxuries and the "standards" of what's expected to "keep up" are so high. I love coming here b/c it continues to break down all those 'keep up standards' in my mind and makes me realize that I really need so little to be happy. Healthy relationships, work that fulfils us and helps others, the ability to surrender to a higher power/something greater than us (so that we don't walk around carrying a massive bag of burdens), and most of all, love.  These are the things that are really important in life and you experience that here in so many ways.

If we look at how much time we spend during our days running on the hamster wheel, working our butts off all just to have those 2 (if we're lucky) weekend days "off".. spent running around doing tons of errands only to plop down on the couch Sunday night in a whirlwind of exhaustion, "ready" to do it all over again Monday morning. It's insane if you ask me!  I've been thinking a lot about this. If we could find it in ourselves to want & need less... buy and live in smaller homes with less land to take care of (landscaping bill!) and a much less mortgage payment, buy less clothes & shoes (must we constantly have the most "in style" fashion? who dictates this anyhow?!) , drive our cars until they don't run anymore rather than buying or leasing a new one every 3.5 years, find less expensive restaurants to frequent & have more pot luck dinners with friends and family, support local farmers or start growing some of our own food b/c we'll have more time to.. (you'll see where I'm going with this), etc ... have our kids play in the backyard instead of going to summer camps that cost over $5k??!!, Do we really need: an ipad, an ipod, an iphone, a macbook, a macbook air, a macbook desktop, a blackberry, mp3, 10 bikini's, 4 pairs of UGG's, etc etc etc...    IF we choose to live our lives in a much simpler way, we wouldn't have the insane "overhead" that we do and we'd be able to work less and SPEND MORE TIME DOING THE THINGS WE LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE WE LOVE BEFORE WE DIE.  Walks in the park, picnics at the beach, coffee & tea time, dinner parties, time to do yoga everyday and meditate, time to work in a garden of our own, time to sing and dance.. just think about it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a lot of nice things... this is not a judgement. I simply just want us all to look at the amount of time & money and then time again to make that money, in order to "attain" & then "upkeep" all of these "things"..   Just some real solid food for thought....


Next topic;  Patanjali speaks of the 9 Obstacles that prevent us from enjoying mental clarity and therefore moving towards freedom & peace. They are:

• Vyadhi = Physical illness/disease
• Styana = depression, mental stagnation
• Samsaya = Doubt, unsure
• Pramada = haste, lack of fore site
• Alasya = laziness, exhaustion
• Avirati = overindulgence; excess use of senses, raga
• Bhrantidharshana = illusion about one's true self; distorted perception
• Alabdhabhumikatva = failure to attain a goal & being upset about this
• Anavasthitatvami = reaching the goal and then slipping from that place; regression

The interesting thing about the 9 obstacles is that they are ONLY seen as obstacles if we choose to view them that way. In other words, we're in these physical bodies and things are going to happen to us no matter what.  The more vulnerable we are to these interruptions, the more difficult it is to reach a state of Yoga.  Sharath spoke a lot about Samsaya today (doubt) and the never ending "thinking" mind. He said if we're always thinking, thinking and wondering and questioning...  doubt will inevitably come. He suggested we try trusting and surrendering to: the style of yoga we're practising, our teacher (Guru if you so choose), in this moment right now and everything as it is.  With surrender comes a lightness and an ability to TRULY RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS & KNOWLEDGE (jnana) of the Guru.  If there is any doubt inside of us, this 'magic' cannot be transmitted.   This really hit home for me in a big way and I feel so grateful to have been in that room for conference today.  I am so proud of Sharath and the job he is doing upholding the parampara.

During the later part of my day I was picked up to go to a temple near Chamundhi Hill with the girls. I had been to this temple back in 2004 on my first trip to Mysore but it was duing the evening and the gardens were closed. There are really no words for me to describe this experience to you, nor shall I even try. Instead, I was given permission, despite what all the signs said, to take pictures...  I hope you enjoy them and get a feel for the beauty & magic that was there.  There is nothing better than spending a significant amount of time in a temple; the peace and beauty and joy that was exuding there tonight still lingers with me now....

(there are too many pictures to upload here) so I've uploaded them into a Shutterfly account and here is the link: (p.s. you DON'T need a Shutterfly account to view them ;) )

Site Name: stacy india 2012

Site URL: http://stacyindia2012.shutterfly.com/

these are pictures not only from the temple tonight, but also from the local area where I live which were taken over the last few days.

Again, I hope you enjoy this blog, the conference blog, and the pictures.

I wish you all peace and love in your life and hope that you are staying warm.

Aum Shanti,

peace...

Stacy

The "Six Poisons" around the Heart (also referred to as the "Sad Urmis" ((6 legs of a spider))

Pattabhi Jois has often spoke about the "Six poisons" around the heart that ideally need to be removed in order for us to experience true liberation.  The great text Yoga Rahasya also talks about these 6 mental sufferings (Manasika) and refers to them as the 6 legs of a poisonous spider; each of them affecting the others. 

The Six Poisons: A vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the yoga shastra it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons: kama, krodha, moha, lobha, matsarya, and mada. These are desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy and sloth. When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.

(This picture was actually taken on the beach at Lake Michigan when I went out to visit Katie this summer.. there are spectacular sun sets every night.)


Prapatti is a term which refers to "total surrender".  You could also say "Isvara Pranidana". There are 6 limbs (Sad Angu) according to the Yoga Rahasya that are necessary for Prapatti and they are: 

• take actions favorable to God/higher force/nature
• avoid things not pleasing to God/higher force/nature
• sing songs (mantram) that please "   "
• have a positive, faithful attitude and you will be protected
• share all you have with the community
• constantly throw yourself at the feet of the Guru. 

Kaya Vaca Manasa =  Do, Say, & Think all in one direction.... towards God/higher force

And lastly, according to the Yoga Rahasya, the 8 limbs of yoga (Ashta anga = 8 limbs) do the following:

YAMA - cleans all 5 bodies; anamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vignanamaya, & anandamaya

NIYAMA - purifies the blood

ASANA -  cleans the muscles

PRANAYAMA - cleanse breath 

PRATYAHARA- cleans the senses 

DHARANA - cleanses the mind

DHYANA- cleanses the soul

SAMADHI -  vision of a higher force

If that's not enticement enough to start a yoga practice, I don't know what is?!  
Alright... check this out.. this is where I practice each day and exactly what it's like, except ONE BIG THING IS MISSING.... Guruji.  Although, I have to say, I feel his presence tremendously so let me rephrase... Guruji's physical is missing.. not his spirit. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o97hfhtXJwo&feature=email  (thank you K.B.)

One of those "perfectly balanced" days

It's 4pm and I've just settled in from a long, fruitful day.  The bells are ringing outside as today is a very special South Indian holiday called Pongal.

What is Pongal?

Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.

In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins. 

Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day'on Jan 16. 


Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.

My day started at 4am as I woke, as usual, to the sound of the roosters reminding us of their brilliant and dependable internal "alarm clock" ;)   Was on my mat for a 6am led class with Sharath and the room was PACKED... there were about 90 of us!  I ended up practicing down the middle (like at balance on New Year's Eve when we have that special class and so many ppl come that some ppl have to go in the middle where the teacher usually walks back and forth) which was an interesting experience.  Aside from the fact that both the gentleman to my right and to my left were nothing less than rude & stingy regarding "their" space (I guess they haven't learned about Aparigraha yet) , I managed to have a lovely practice; it felt really strong, peaceful, and mindful. The entire time I had to be sure where my feet landed, where my head was- literally, bringing my leg out to the side in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana was quite an effort (more than usual!) and Garbha Pindasana was a bit comical... but I managed well and it reminded me how practice is no different than life. We're not always going to have the "perfect space" or "pefect set of circumstances/situation" to be in, nor is it always going to be comfortable. We must learn to accept "what is" with santosha (contentment) & be mindful of ourselves and others; considerate and compassionate.  

After practice I walked home and took a rest, then a bucket bath and then had some fruits.  At 11:30am I walked back to the shala for Vedic Chanting class. It is now required when you register at the shala that you also take Vedic Chanting (like Danielle Tarantola offers at Balance Yoga) 3 times per week.  Today was my first chanting class ever at the shala and it happened to be the advanced class, but since I've been chanting with Danielle and the gang back at home now for 5 years now, I figured I'd give it a try.  

I walked in and introduced myself to Lakshmish, the lovely chanting guru, and briefly explained I've been chanting for some time and asked if it would be OK if I stayed. He was warm and gracious and said "of course".   So, we began with the Shanti Mantras (Peace Mantras): Vakra Tunda, SahaNa Vavatu, San No Mitra, Ganapathi Mantra, Asatoma, etc... all of which I knew very well so I closed my eyes and chanted along without the sheet.  After we got thru all of the mantras twice, Lakshmish points to me and says 'Where did you learn to chant?  You are chanting perfectly!"   I replied "in NY with my teacher Danielle Tarantola. (kinda funny giving that hard core Italian name ;)   Lakshmish looked confused.... I said "She studies at KYM and is a very good teacher."  He said.. "I was watching your lips during San No Mitra... can you please chant it for the group?"  OMG... i wanted to die!!  "In front of everyone!? I asked..  "Yes", he said, "Please.. chant for us".  My armpits started sweating profusely & my heart was racing, but, I sat up tall and closed my eyes and began..... Aum...  Afterwards he shook his head in a semi circular motion and smiled with delight.. "Perfect" he said.. "Only 2 small mistakes in your pitch. "

I enjoyed chanting with him very much, particularly his explanation of a long Siva chant we did.  

From there I went to lunch and had a beautiful mix of healthy, prana-filled food cooked by a local Indian woman named Anu.  I met another aspiring yogi from Sag Harbor that Corey from Tapovana had mentioned to me would be here. Cara, one of our Balance students who is also here in Mysore now was there too.  It was lovely. 

From there I took a very long walk over to Kalidasa Rd to find a new, small, organic "market" I stumbled upon in the dark last night walking home from dinner. (This trip I'm walking everywhere, no scooter. It brings a new "pace" to this visit)  When I finally found it again, it was closed for the Pongal Festival as many businesses are today. We didn't have conference today for the same reason.  So, I walked back to Gokulam and ran a few errands, stopped and drank a coconut, and headed home to bucket bathe and sit and write to you all before I practice guitar.  

I've washed my clothes in the bucket and need to hang them out to dry while the sun is still up and hot (it's 80 degrees, sunny, & blue skies everyday) and then i need to run up to the kitchen and put all the veggies and fruit I picked up today in the fridge.  

Tomorrow I have practice and then I need to go downtown to the city to pick up some things for the Balance teachers and at 6pm tomorrow evening I have an Ayurvedic consultation with the very well-known and well-respected Dr. Kumar. I am really looking forward to that.  I will also hit the organic market again for some organic whole grains, more veggies, and the like.  

I hope you all are staying warm and having wonderful practices... 

Sending love from India...

Stacy

Sangha (Community of like minded people)

Om Saha Navavatu
Saha Nau Bhunaktu
Saha Viryam Karavavahai
Tejasvinavadhitamastu Ma Vidvisavahai
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi

May be be protected together
May we be nourished together
May we work together with great vigor
May our study be enlightening
May there be no hatred between us


Walking home from breakfast and some errands I passed many aspiring yogis' at the coconut stand, one of which is my friend I was telling you about in an earlier blog. Turns out after about 10 min there were about 15 of us all sitting and talking "shop", laughing, sharing, and making plans for dinner, Kirtan, and a movie tomorrow night.  I ran into an old friend, also a Stacey, and met a few new ones.  It was really great to be able to sit and talk so open and honest about so many topics close to the heart with people that are also going thru the same things and contemplating the same as well. This is the priceless value of Sangha; community.   I was so happy to hear that back at home many of the early morning Mysorians gathered at one their homes for I believe lunch or dinner.  This is what life is about; people.. relationship, sharing our experiences and learning and growing from one another; supporting each other.  It is a very special bond that takes place when you do this special practice; all of us going through very similar feelings; physically, mentally, & emotionally. It's so good to talk about it all as it 'comes up'.  I am so blessed to have had that 45 min at the coconut stand today and even more blessed to TRULY have such a special Sangha (really family) back at home in Huntington.   I miss you guys a lot and so wish you could be here with me, but someone has to teach, right?!  ;)

Let's all remember to cherish those special relationships with our friends, family, & community...
Support each other, love each other, and be kind and compassionate and forgiving to one another.
Just like Jesus, just like the Buddha, just like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Guruji, Krishnamacharya....... these great ones paved the road for us..  May we be forever grateful to them for showing us the way and may their very simple but very profound & true message not get lost amidst dogma, fundamentalism, & "name" or "form"...  the message is the same. The TRUTH is the same..  

The 5 Obstacles that prevent us from seeing things clearly.

YS II.3  Avidya asmita raga dvesha abhinivesaha

The 5 "obstacles" that cause us suffering are: Misapprehension, false identity, excessive attachments, unreasonable dislikes and insecurity. Misapprehension being the source, or 'root' of all the other obstacles.  More specifically, Avidya is the experiencing of something permanent as impermanent, something pure as impure, something that causes suffering as something that will make you happy, and vice versa for all of these. And lastly, something unconscious as conscious.  It is a fundamental misunderstanding and again, it is the root of the other 4 obstacles.  Patanjali says that if we can remove the roots so to speak, we will be free from the other obstacles.  The klesas are often compared to a tree: roots being Avidya, the trunk being asmita and the 3 branches being raga, dvesaha, & abhinivesaha. When I walked past this beautiful tree the other day, the klesas immediately came to mind. 

Patanjali goes on to say that born from avidya is asmita: a misidentification regarding who you are and how you act/what you do.  Asmita is a form of avidya. Raga is pursuing or following happiness.  After having a pleasurable experience, we want to repeat it again and again. But,  just b/c it's pleasurable one time doesn't mean it will be the next time.  Also, if we're chasing after something that makes us happy, it means we're not connected to that place inside of us that is always happy.  Dvesaha is the opposite of raga.  You have a negative experience and now you want to avoid it at all costs.  Also, it refers to excessive dislike.  Abinivesaha we've talked about in an earlier blog; it is fear. This fear has it's own flow and can come up at any time unexpectedly and even without a trigger. Patanjali goes on to say that it affects even the wise & learned.  This klesha is very deeply rooted in us.   Raga, dvesaha, & abhinivesaha are all forms of asmita.   I took a picture of the whole tree as a symbol of the klesas.  

So you ask "how do i nip these klesas in the bud?" Patanjali says 1. be diligent; especially when things are going well you must continue to do your practice, stay aware, and take your time.  2. when you see klesa's arising, take steps towards nipping them while they are small, don't wait!  

And how do we know if our actions are based in klesa?  Patanjali says you DON'T know at the time of action... you only know based upon the actions taken and more importantly the results of those actions.  When klesa is there at the root of our actions, the quality, duration, & experience of our actions will be affected. The consequences will be painful if klesa is at the root. 

Klesas are inherently causing suffering. They are within us and they represent a lack of clarity which causes suffering.   Again, we must try and catch them when they are small and nip them at the bud stage before they (very quickly) shoot up like weeds!  

Will you ever look at a tree the same again?!  ;) 

"Practice"

Well, it's 8pm and I'm still awake!  This is fantastic!  I think the jet lag has finally left me.  I just returned from a beautiful walk around a lake/ nature preserve that surprisingly I have never been to before. Aside from the swarms of mosquitos,  (we went at dusk?!) it was simply breath taking. A sanctuary for sure.  I will walk it with my friend Regina again on Thursday morning and watch the sun come up around the lake.  Just took a rinse and am sitting here with my Ayurvedic "Anti-Aging" Face Mask on. The nice (young & beautiful) Indian girl sold it to me at the store... "Yes, madame, you take.. you are liking very much.. anti-aging... good for ladies over 30"  Wow! it's that obvious, huh? ;)  oh well... what can i say... my face is stiffening as i write this.

Prakash buried my baby kitten today. It's just not the same without her loud meowing around my room. I loved coming out of my room in the morning and seeing her little white body snuggled up on the couch in the lobby. I showed up to the shala to practice at 9am, eyes swollen from crying.. stepped onto my mat and slowly began the 90min journey inward. I had a lovely experience on my mat today. Everything felt really good.. strong and yet soft. My breath was long and smooth and nothing felt pushed or forced. Finally, I'm learning...  Towards the end of practice I recognized one of Sharath's helpers to be an old friend of mine from NY that I had met in Mysore many years back.  He came over and we said hello and I asked him if he could help me with my drop backs.. he was so happy to assist me and what a wonderful job he did! They were grounded and effortless. No pain. What a gift it was to see an old friend; someone I trusted so much to help me with postures that I have not done in a very long time. By the time practice was over I felt much better. Calmer inside- more space around my heart; lighter. And a sense of tremendous gratitude came over me for having this very sacred, life-changing practice of yoga in my life. To my left were huge pictures of the great Krishnamacharya & Guruji, both adorned with malas of fresh flowers. In front of me were over 75 yoga students from all over the world practicing the same thing I had just finished.  And to my left were Sharath & his mom, Saraswathi.. standing and smiling.  It was surely a moment to take in and cherish. I honestly don't know how I ever lived without this.. the inner strength, clarity, mindfulness, and "space" it creates in body, mind, & heart is priceless. And the relationship with everything that come from this state are nothing less than divine.

As Regina & I came home from dinner tonight we were talking about music, as she is a very talented musician and I am an aspiring singer & guitar player... guitar being a newly added practice, and she said to me: "Stacy I have an acoustic guitar sitting on my bed! I just took it down off the shelf today... You can take it and practice!"   Wow... another gift.  I am blessed.. so blessed.  Now I can compete with the young boy learning to play the flute next door ;)  The neighbors should love this!  ;)

And after breakfast this morning I was invited to go to a different part of the city tomorrow to a very special ladies home to practice Vedic Chanting and Yoga Sutra Chanting. I have heard about this woman for years but never knew where she was located... Again, another gift.

This day was filled with so many opportunities to "practice"; both on and mostly off my mat. Patience, gratitude, acceptance, trust, the list goes on..  It was filled with many blessings just the same.

Now, I will wash this hardened mask from my aging face and get myself soon into bed... ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

Love & Good night

A very sad morning

I have always said that India is a very magical place and thoughts manifest into action here quicker than I have ever experienced.  Last night I feel asleep at 7pm and woke at 2;30am out of a sound sleep to hear a terrible scream.  It sounded like a dog... I fell back to sleep till almost 4am.
I woke and had my coffee, emailed with many of you, took care of things at Balance and then took a bucket bath and went out for a nice long walk with my camera. I got some beautiful shots.
As I was walking back into my place of stay, the young Indian boy who has been playing with the kitten with me said "Madame... the cat" and he pointed in the road..

My sweet little kitten was laying dead in the road. At first I didn't believe it... I was dumbstruck; no thoughts in my mind made sense.. Quickly it set in and I just burst into tears.  The Indian young men who take care of this apt bldg came over.. they were surprised I think and sad to see me crying. Again, it set in in that moment how accepted both life and death are here.  The young man Ravi who is staying across the hall came out and we walked across the street to the chai stand and asked for a box.  I couldn't stop the tears and now many Indian people were stopped in the street looking at me as Ravi and I picked the kitten's body up from the street and lay it in a box.  Prakash, another sweet fellow taking care of things here, said he would burry it later.. I will try to go with him.

Ravi said "c'mon, let's go for a walk; you'll feel better. And so we did. We stopped and had a chai and he bought me a Cadbury chocolate bar... so sweet.  I did feel better but I'm still crying and so sad.
I have to walk to practice soon. I am dedicating today's practice to my kitten.

Ravi said something to me on our walk "Stacy, people and things come into our life for a reason... And for a season.  The kitten was there to teach you something and it's in a good place now with God".
The timing of this all in regards to yesterday's post is anything but a coincidence. That kitten was put here to love me.... from the very first day it jumped onto my window sill meowing so super loud.. and I was here to love it... for a short while. She is teaching me to let go and again, spend everyday to the fullest.

Yesterday I spent a good chunk of time with her.. she was so playful and feisty! A relatively large cat came into the back area and she had the "hoodspa"to actually chase it away.. it was so funny!
I'm posting some pictures below of her last day with me...
Please say a prayer for her, although I have no doubt she is in such a good place.

Love to you all...

YS II.9 Abhinivesaha

Patanjali is the compiler of the great Yoga Sutra text, which in my opinion IS the HEART of yoga.  It is a philosophical book expounding on how to live a peaceful, sattvic (balanced, appropriate, sustainable) life and be as free as possible from (self-inflicted) suffering most often caused by our own mind and it's constant misperceptions/fluctuations & confusion.

Abhinivesaha, according to one translation of the Yoga Sutras says "Insecurity is the inborn feeling of anxiety about what is to come. It affects both the ignorant and the wise".
"This syndrome may have a reasonable base in past experiences. It may be completely irrational.  It does not disappear even when we know that death is imminent.  It is, perhaps, the most difficult obstacle to remove."  (TKV Desikachar translation)

I was just out walking to grab some fruit for my room and to grab a fresh coconut for a snack and I became overwhelmed with so much fear. The young man who opens the coconuts with a Machette I have known now for many years. He is a sweet as they come.  This trip for some reason I cannot watch him open the coconuts b/c I have so much fear that he will cut his fingers off... even though I know he opens hundreds a day... everyday. The fear was so overwhelming that I sucked down my coconut as fast as I could, paid him, and walked away.  As I was walking I passed a family (husband, wife, and young baby) all on a motorcycle with the baby wedged b/w mother and father and again, fear arose. This is NOT a "new" sight for me in India but today I am feeling so sensitive to the impermanence of it all.  Then there was the starving dog that sleeps near the fruit stand; he likes me and follows me. I so badly want to feed him but we are told not to as it causes problems for the locals... and then there was the man with no foot; on crutches and dirty.. hungry..  There is so much life and death here all at the same time and from my perspective it is just accepted very beautifully by the Indian people. There is an undercurrent of trust and faith and they just live, despite the conditions.

This morning I woke at 2:30am and around 5am I went out walking while it was still dark. Many locals are out walking at this time so it's safe (don't want my mom to have a coronary as she reads this!).  The full moon shone so brilliantly in the sky as I walked I passed the Ganesha Temple that I have been going to for years. Seems they have built a smaller temple behind the current one and many people were there praying and circling clockwise 3 times as is traditionally done..  they were receiving blessings from the Hindu priest who was there; essentially receiving God's blessing and I thought to myself "despite all the "craziness", noise and traffic, yelling and the like that is happening all day long, this is how these holy people start each day. Rising early and in silence walking to temple to thank God for all he/she/it is giving and to ask for divine blessings."  It really struck me. Tomorrow morning I am going to go and do the same.. at that early hour of Brahman.
The truth is, we are all so fragile. Life is fragile & beautiful. We must be so grateful for each and every day. We must be kind and good to each other and try our very best to love each other unconditionally.  That is what yoga is helping us to do: open our hearts and see the divine in each other and in all beings and things.  Guruji (Pattabhi Jois) was never a man of many words; at least not in the short time I was blessed to be in his presence. One thing he was always saying was "See God in all things. See God everywhere."  It's not a secret; we all know where we are going eventually; back to God.  Yoga helps us to let go and trust and fear not death... it is preparing us in this life for that very moment when we slip from this dimension to the next... whatever & wherever that may be.
Tomorrow I will sit in the midst of all of that fear and breathe calmly and deeply, just as I do each morning on my mat, and trust.. everything is unfolding just as it should.

Here's a little something to lighten the mood..
and it only gets worse.

I will need the mega of mega pedicures when I come home! ;) 

First Batch: Mysore early Jan 2012

Sharath (Pattabhi Jois' grandson) really impressed me today.. he gave over an hour of discourse and every piece of it was true and beautiful.

here are some highlights, as i wanted to share with you all..

Sending love as always....

• the importance of having ONE teacher and only listening to him/her.  death of the student is when they have 2 teachers or 2 doctors
• the importance of keeping the lineage going and PURE...  don't change the way it is
• how the world is crazy; people want everything yesterday; no patience. YOGA takes a long time.. many years.. we must be paient in our quest to see God in all things and to yoke the individual self with the universal Self.
• many "styles" of yoga now that are not authentic and are making a big business out of yoga; hot yoga, naked yoga, yoga this, yoga that... people are getting lost within the commercialization of yoga and getting confused as to it's TRUE meaning as we modernize yoga and learn from many teachers which is not ideal.
• he said we can sail around in the ocean and get bored and lost.. it's only when we dive into the ocean of our practice and go deep that we will experience transformation
• he spoke about Vairagyam; the things we have to give up in order to achieve the fruits; he laughed and said the words Yogi's and Party have never gone together... "Yogi's" don't go to parties.  He said none of us are Yogi's; we're aspiring Yogi's... (I totally agree with this. It's a huge responsibility to call yourself a Yogi. 
• He talked about devotion, dedication, faith and discipline as the key ingredients.
• he talked a lot about Guruji and how special he was (of course i started to cry at this point...)  how he had the heart and the mind of a baby...
• He talked about how when he gets up at 1am to do his practice he feels Guruji's presence in the room and he practices like Guruji is there with him; watching him.. He spoke about how much he misses Guruji and the adjustments he would give him in backbending...
• he talked a lot about Yamas & Niyamas and the importance of them; that yoga is not about how many postures we can do or will do... it's about the HEART.  
• he said that maybe b/c we're all doing so many postures in this life next time we can come back and be Enlightened rather quickly like Buddha, Jesus,  and many other great leaders like Vivekananda, etc.. He spoke a lot about Jesus and how he feels Jesus was a true Yogi.
• He talked about correct breathing.. he said in Ashtanga yoga we are NOT BREATHING UJJAYI breath... rather, it is just slow, deep breathing with sound.  He said Ujjayi is a Pranayama; not to be mistaken with the kind of breath we breathe when doing this practice.
• He said when we breath correctly pain will not come 
• He talked about the Bhagavad Gita and how those 18 chapters are all about yoga
• he talked a lot about stilling the mind; bringing it under control so that it is still and not agitated or confused or weak.
• At the end he spoke about the Western way of life/society and how different it is from India. He said he feels sad for us b/c we lack the kind of structure and support that the Indian family has... he was saying that for us Westerners it's much harder b/c we're kind of put out on our own and have to figure everything out... he said that we are all very wise to have come to Yoga and to keep practicing.

And lastly, he told us not to feed the local stray dogs ;) 

I hope these notes are inspiring and brought a smile to your heart.

Below are some of the first pictures I took while driving into Mysore proper and then more as I got settled.