My favorite sutra

Sutra 2.7 & 2.8
Attachment is which follows identification with pleasurable experiences.

Aversion is which follows identification with painful experiences.

Happiness is an inside job.

If we continuously think that pleasure brings happiness and pain only brings  sadness, what would life be like?

In my mind, I think of a disporportional body. We love, love; so our hearts are big. We hate muscle aches so we avoid working out. We like meditating, but we forget to breathe and fall asleep. What do we get? Skin, bones, a big heart, simple mind, resting body with no spirit to continue.

Happiness is an inside job, if you are truly happy you will feel no pain during harmful experiences but go through them with a sense of understanding that it is what it is, and just breathe.

Let’s say for instance, physical activity is the only thing that gives you happiness. One day, your knee snaps and your unable to do any physical activity for 2 months. How do you survive? Your happiness is gone.

No, it’s not, you see this as a lesson to take care of your body and learn from it. Your happiness is inside you and you find other things that make you happy. You learn to take your mind for a run with meditation or a ponder through a nice read.

Your happiness is your choice.

If for instance other things like animals or people give you happiness, look at the qualities in them which make you happy.

Animals don’t live forever, when it dies will you?

If your cat is loyal, carefree and cuddly, exude those characteristics in your life and you yourself will be more happy and they will never die, because it is in you.

Pantanjali says that some people are like deer, forever sniffing around for a scent they love, forgetting its on their forehead right between their eyes.

Happiness is an inside job.

Happiness is a choice.

Happiness is here.
Happiness is now.

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!