The Great Deluge

Yesterday I started to blog and then stopped short. It went like this:


It's been a tough year.  My mother has been ill and I am her primary caregiver.  On top of that I have a demanding job that requires travel.  My asana practice has suffered lately as has my diet because I am not taking care of myself. 
So what do I do to make the situation better? 
I beat my self up for not having more energy and patience.  My solution for eating a diet that does not serve me?  Carbs and sugar and chocolate and wine. My asana practice? It makes me feel bad because after all that work to get strong and flexible I am back sliding.  Which makes my asana practice a chore.
But here is the real problem  I am supposed to be living from the heart.  I should be filled with Shakti and Shri and.......


I turned off the computer and went to bed.  Kind of bummed and more than a little frustrated that I couldn't articulate how I was feeling.

As I slept, I dreamt that I was in a flood.  Not a flood of biblical proportions or even of  'spring flooding on the Mississippi' proportions but slowly rising water.  First, I watched the water rise from inside my house and then I chose to walk outside and wade into the water.  Clothes and shoes and all. 
When I was about waist deep, I climbed into a big wooden box that was sitting in the yard.  Almost immediately I began to panic as the slowly rising water lapped at my face. 
Then, just as quickly as the panic set in, the realization set in that all I  had to do was to climb out of the box and wade back to the house to be safe and dry.  And that's just what I did.  Once inside the house I was filled with feelings of relief and surprise and amusement that the solution to my  problem was so simple.


Then I went to work.  In the dream. Work??  I think that might have negated my 'just had to climb out of the box and walk to dry land' Epiphany.  But it was a start.


In dreams floods can symbolize being overwhelmed, obstacles, the unconscious or destruction.  In mythology a flood can stand for cleansing; either in preparation for spiritual rebirth or of being cleansed of sin. 
Which makes me wonder if my flood was of 'biblical' proportions after all. 

Yoga is Like Ice Cream

I love Jamocha Almond Fudge ice cream.  I'm not really sure what a Jamocha is but I think it might be Sanskrit for coffee.  To me it's a perfect balance of coffee, chocolate and nuts.  I think it is delicious. As a matter of fact I think it might just be perfect.

Now that doesn't mean I will pass up a creamy bowl of butter pecan or a simple chocolate cone.  Digging into a carton of pistachio reminds me how good it is.  How could I have forgotten? But, personally, I'll pass on cherry ice cream.  It's not for me. 

But back to Jamocha Almond Fudge. You may argue that Jamocha Almond Fudge does not have a monopoly on coffee, almonds and nuts. Coffee ice cream with nuts and chocolate sauce is the same thing, right? Maybe you feel that your homemade ice cream is superior to anything you could buy because it’s organic, pure and has no trans-fats. Maybe you’ve never met a bowl of ice cream that you didn’t like and you’re secretly happy that my preferences will leave more cherry ice cream for you.

 And you would be right.

Yoga flavors are a lot like ice cream flavors.

 I love Anusara Yoga. I think it’s a perfect balance of spirit, body and mind; of attitude, action and alignment. The ‘heart centered’ language speaks to me like no other; the alignment sings to my body and soul. I think it’s delicious. In fact I think it might just be perfect.

 Now that doesn’t mean that I’ll pass up a great flow session or a classical ‘hatha’ class. Wandering into an Ashtanga class reminds me how good it can be. How could I have forgotten? But personally, I’ll pass on  "Hot” yoga styles. They are just not for me.

But back to Anusara. You may argue that Anusara does not have a monopoly on ‘heart’. All yoga claims to balance the mind body and spirit, right? Maybe you feel that generic hatha yoga is organic, pure

and does not sell t-shirts. Maybe you’ve never met a yoga class you didn’t like and my preference just leaves more mat space for you in the 6:30 Bikram class.

 And you would be right.

We need to remember that yoga is like ice cream. One person’s preference does not invalidate another’s. It is not a question of right or wrong. There is a flavor for everyone and plenty to go around.

So let’s make like ice cream. Keep it cool, keep it sweet, keep it fun and don’t forget to pass the sprinkles!

Myths to Live By

I'm reading "Myths to Live By" by Joseph Campbell.  First of all, I have to say that I love Joseph Campbell.  I remember his TV documentaries with Bill Moyers that played on PBS in the late 80s.  The idea that myths, spiritual allegories and sacred scriptures contain common themes and images was eye opening for me.  I had heard all of this before from my friends who where self proclaimed  intellectuals and skeptics but the message was delivered with a sneer and a mocking tone, as if somehow the commonality of human beliefs carried by these epic tales discounted the relevance of the experiences and the truths that the stories were trying to convey.  Conversely, Campbell spoke with respect and wonder and humor as he wove the world's metaphysical and sacred storiestogether.  I appreciated his down to earth style as he discussed the heroe's journey as it related to Luke Skywalker.  And most important I felt a connection .  A connection to concepts that deep down I felt I already knew but had forgotten. Now, reading "Myths" I am surprised how much of the book comes back to the theories of non-dualism I am encountering in my Anusara yoga studies and the Tantric texts I am reading as part of my own journey.

In the second chapter Campbell gives an interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden.  As everyone learned in Sunday school or catechism class when Adam and Eve eat of the tree of knowledge they were cast out of the garden. They suddenly perceived their lives as an onslaught of opposites; birth and death, good and evil, which then "are regarded, consequently with desire and fear." by the pair.  They felt shame and the frightened pair suddenly saw themselves as as not only different from each other but as different and separate from God.  God becomes 'other'.

But the best part of the story...the part I never absorbed after all those years at Catholic school ... was that there was a second tree in the garden.  If Adam and Eve had only reached up and plucked the fruit from the tree of eternal life they would not have been separated from the divine.  The would not have experienced duality. 

I can't help but believe that there is something buried deep in the human psyche (soul, heart, whatever) that seeks a connection to the energy and divinity that runs through each of us. We only need to step into the stream to access it's joy and power.

May the Force be with you!

Ganesh and his wives Siddhi and Buddhi. In Sanskrit Sidhhi means accomplishment and Buddhi means knowledge. The two working together brings the seeker closer to wisdom. Knowledge of yoga and accomplishment in yoga are at least two measures of progress on the path. But they can also become obstacles if the Ego concentrates on 'book learning' or accomplishments versus true wisdom.

Buddhi

Love the synchronicity I've been experiencing as all the teachings I am being exposed to seem to come together and point me in a new direction to explore.
Yesterday I posted about my questions and curiosity surrounding judgment, discernment and discrimination.
The day before I was pondering my archetype Ganesh and reading about his connection to the intellect and Buddhi.
Last night at yoga class my teacher mentioned Buddhi and Manas. I sat up a little straighter and reminded myself to look into the concept of Buddhi a little deeper.

One definition of Buddhi that I found said that Buddhi knows, decides, judges and discriminates.
I think the universe is trying to tell me something. Can't wait to find out what that is.

Judgment Discerment Discrimination....

Since our immersion last week I've been thinking a lot about judging. It's a topic that is sure to make every yogi in the room sit up and protest that judging is very very bad.

Is judging always negative? I may judge that glorious sunrise over the beach as spectacular. I may judge my yoga teachers as the best I have ever studied with. Does this mean that every other sun rise has been ugly, that every other yoga teacher is incompetent?

And what about discernment and discrimination. Where do they fit it on the judge-o-meter? How do we choose a path if we do not examine and weigh it? Should every decision we make be based on intuition? Do I wait for my heart to open and the world around me to vibrate before I choose to act? If that were the criteria for action I never would have started down this path.

Lord Genesh. Remover of obstacles and a patron of knowledge and intellect. And although my ego wishes that I could claim brave Hanuman, fierce Kali or beautiful Lakshmi as my archetype I have embraced my inner Ganesha.
By the way have you noticed that his ears are large and his mouth is small?

Aum Gan Ganapatye Namah