Embody the mountain before you

This weekend was my first ever time leading a yoga class. My theme was surrendering to what is. As I intently thought about what embodies this, I couldn’t help but imagine large mountains and how they can weather any storm. After a deep meditations I wrote the following and read it aloud during slavasana.

Oh Mountain how beautiful you are under all the suns glory

Covered by the snow you are confidently breathing.

As the rain begins to fall you cleanse your soul, as if you are singing in the shower.

When the wind whistles determined to sweep you away you open your arms following its sweet song, you dance.

Dear with mountain, you can weather any storm.

Just breathe.

 

My favorite sutra of book 3

After reading book three of the yoga sutras I was left a bit perplexed. These sutras move quickly but are pretty self-explanatory. As a class, our homework was to read the sutras and deeply digest them by reflecting and meditating on each of them.

What I gathered from both was that as a yogi, if we live correctly and work each day little by little our lives will change and we will be capable of attaining great things. Some great things that come from living wholesomely are non-attachment, siddhis and intuition.

When you read through this book, some may think that by being diligent in their yogic lifestyle you will attain mystical powers. I feel differently about this. I believe that by knowing yourself wholesome and understanding humans in general you are capable of understanding the world unbiasedly. You will then have a deeper intuition and knowledge of the “unknown” because of your emotional intelligence you have gained.

The last sutra says “When the tranquil mind attains purity equal to that of self, there is absoluteness.

This is the sutra I understood the most. There is not need for grasping, justing being steadfast and living your life according to your values and morals you are able to show yourself to others. If there are obstacles presented by distractions, you are able to ignore them by simple moving on.

Patanjali wrote about not grasping. And it brought me back to floating down the river in the warm summer heat. When the current got going fast or we wanted to stop I would hastily grasp for the weeds in the river. Reaching for something that provided support or security, much like we do when with our attachments. Alcohol when we are stressed, our phones when we are lonely or anxious in public, cigarettes, our ego speaks for us when we grasp for comfort. But if we float through life according to our true intention, we will be unaffected by everything around you and more easily attain the exact things you want in life.

Learning about the Chakra’s

I feel as if I could learn about the chakra’s for years and years, maybe that is why I am attending school to get a degree in psychology! Chakra is a hindu word for wheel. We have 7 wheels in our body and I have discussed these wheels a few posts back, noting their sound that is associated with each. Chakra’s draw parallels with modern psychology and development so that we can identify potential deficits in ourselves and others and where on the body we can work to aide issues we may be facing.

Though I was only able to attend 10 hours of the 30 hour training I was able to learn a great deal of the 6th and 7th chakra as well as 1-5. Elation of the 7th chakra is usually accessed by chanting mantras, headstands and stillness.

It is important to be grounded when you access these chakras, often times when you are not grounded you can live life in a state of elation. Like bible thumpers who yell at you on the street corner telling you are going to hell, you could be out preaching to the tree if you are not careful. Ensuring that you live each moment in the present and living in bliss during the times that matter is the most important part I learned.

I can see this in my life very clearly. When I was able to access a blissful state, I felt like I could rule the world. I felt untouchable and put my mind into everything. Only after a few weeks I was able to “ground down” again. Now, when I am in a blissful state I am able to understand and channel it, with out feeling so aloof or righteous. I then practice grounding exercise like bod checks or talking to my Mother or Father, I in a sense GO HOME. That is the root chakra in a sense, it is home. When your work situation, your long term relationship, your family members, or place of living are in turmoil, you will experience great pain.

Knowing this and knowing how to breathe, you will be fine.
This is why you learn about the chakras, isn’ that neat?

The 60 hour mark

A truly amazing weekend. I know I will hold this experience very close to my heart for a long time. My classmates, teachers and myself are all amazing teachers, I am grateful. I see myself changing, I see my classmates changing and it is awesome. We have this great dynamic flow, every time we all speak we have growth. We are constantly learning from one another and it is wonderful. I’ve never felt more in the perfect place.

Each weekend, I try to change more and more. I see how bossy I can be, I see how I over share, I see how I jump to conclusions. These are things I do not like about myself, I am working to make a conscious effort so I can positively impact my community. I aspire for every word that leaves my mouth to have perfect intent with purposeful compassion. I aspire to not be so reactive, I aspire to listen more keenly, I aspire to speak more slowly.

Purusha school is helping me with this greatly. I am thankful.

The most powerful exercise I felt this weekend was the partner mediation. Staring into someone’s eyes and focusing on them always has a deep affect on me. I was partnered with “Trad” I felt great pain for him. He was able to sit with me, and see me for me. I tried to fix him, I was wrong. I should have told him what I heard. I heard pain, my heart broke, I just wanted to hug the man. I wish I could have told him that I heard his pain and I identified. Instead, I tried to fix, telling him he was essentially wrong. This is not what I am supposed to be doing. I see this now clearly, thanks to Joy.

I need to express myself hearing what people are saying and not fixing others. If I continue with accepting and showing others are heard, I will speak less. I will be more intent with my words. Thank you, Trad for showing me this.

Chakra’s and their sounds

This week’s homework was to study and understand the chakras. I literally can’t stop thinking about my friend Laura who got them tattooed down her entire spine without and when I asked what it meant, she told me she liked the way they looked.

I was genuinly curois especially since she said it was related to yoga. Finally, I get to understand the chakra’s to their core. Sound, color and orgins all descripted in depth.

The chakra’s sounds are

1. Lam -Root – Muladahra
2. Vam – Belly – Svadhistana
3. Ram- Solar Plexus- Mamipura
4. Yam – Heart- Anahata
5. Ham- Through- Vishuddha
6. OM – Third Eye- Ajna
7. None- The crown- Saharasara

This week I have practiced doing alternate nostril breathing then  going through the sounds of the chakra’s whie immagining the colorswe are to embody. I felt grounded, centered and more alert after breathing. I felt wholesome and confident as if I was capable and ready for the day after projecting my om.

The colors it ellicits were hard for me to understand except for the ajna, I always see purple when I look to the center. I think over time, the other colors will begin to develop and something I will aim to achieve through understanding myself more deeply.

Learning little by little.

I have been attempting to go to the studio twice per week and so far it has been not too hard to do, granted the studio being (45 minutes from work and 25 from my house). Last night I got the joy of Joy! Joy who is the owner of Purusha studio and leader of the Seva project has such a vast knowledge of the human anatomy and yoga it is almost intimidating. Okay, it is intimidating and inspiring. I opted for her Hatha flow class tonight as she was substituting for a teacher.

Joy who is the owner of Purusha studio and leader of the Seva project has such a vast knowledge of the human anatomy and yoga it is almost intimidating. Okay, it is intimidating and inspiring. I opted for her Hatha flow class tonight as she was substituting for the regular teacher, Stephanie.

With great energy, she led us through breathing and a number of exercises. Since the class was a beginner or for more lived individuals, I was able to learn a lot of new things like:

1. If you have bad wrists or holding yourself up in dog is hard, you can fold them under and in.
2. Cobra is easier on the back for lower back pain if you move your hands to the front of the mat, so that it does not compress the lower spine.
3. I need to memorize the Hatha lounge sequence.
4. Your hips are always smaller than you think they are. A number of my class members had their legs spread wide when in half bridge. She instructed and guided others to bring their legs in closer.
5. Hatha lounge is good for the muscles in the inner thighs.
6. Moving your wrists in a circle around each other and applying pressure is an awesome stretch and something I can do all day at my desk with little to know effort.
7. I love yoga
8. I already knew 7, but I love learning new things about yoga.

So that’s that, I am sore & learned lots and lots! A successful evening at Purusha Yoga Studio if I do say so myself!