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Place Trust in Yourself - Step 4 to Happiness.

17/11/2012

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Trust, belief, faith and hope... all of those are important, at different times and in different measures. But, to be honest, each of those words implies an element of surrender, of being out of control, of letting go. Scary stuff, for many; yet oddly comforting.

You've definitely heard it and been told that "you can't love someone else until you love yourself"; true that, but no one talks about trust this way. I think it is exactly the same proposition. Or, maybe I should say "in case of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, be sure to place your mask on first before assisting those you are traveling with."

How do we start building trust in ourselves? If you're here and reading this, you won't be surprised by this answer. It's a spiritual practice; it begins by believing at an authentic level that the Universe is a basically intelligent and benevolent and loving place that is evolving in common good. And, that you are uniquely and intricately insinuated in creation.

The trust is built from belief; the belief is shored by the knowledge. Knowledge that you are important to the Universe and its creative function, and that you are co-creating the experience which you believe you are simple living and perceiving.

Then, you ask, how do we make that happen? You just start trusting... First, you figure out how to align your own beliefs and actions in order to create trust with yourself. Whether that be the choices you make or the discipline you stick to or the goals you set yourself. Know that you are worthy of the challenge, up to the work, and be accountable to it.

When we trust, others or ourselves, it's an incredible act of vulnerability. We are vulnerable, because we believe, without knowing, that we can depend on others or ourselves. Therefore, the level of trust we can give others is completely related to the level of trust we can expect from ourselves. There's that subtly threatening aspect again, the surrender and the vulnerability. Well folks, the greatest work is done with the eyes closed and the heart breaking. Trust yourself, it's worth it.

Practicing mindfulness is one way to develop this relationship of knowing and being nurtured by the cosmos; as with any spiritual practice or one based on consciousness, you must do the work, within. We've go to strike an intentional interchange and play between hope, faith, and belief. Sitting daily and cultivating a relationship with reality and your mind is the best way to create the basis for trusting your own beliefs and having faith in oneself.

Trust - that's when we have a belief and we see it or experience it, and it's reliable and it's dependable. When we know the intentions and actions are in alignment, we can build the foundation for trustworthiness. Trust is truth, in action and in experience. It is a gift, it is a blessing, and it is a boon.

It is most often our ego, or experiences and the residual stain those leave on our personality that will prevent us from fully experiencing trust in ourselves and others.  Becoming more aware of triggers and unconscious roadblocks to trust allows us to work through them and move past those impediment. Perhaps, then we can allow ourselves to experience the joy of trustworthiness.

What is it that you aren't doing? Where have you lost faith in yourself or your abilities? What would it be like to simply trust yourself, your intuition, your gut, your best instincts?

Give thanks and praise, trust yourself to be up to your challenges and rise to meet them - come back tomorrow for Step 5 - Create Bonds.


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Explore The Shadows - Step 3 to Happiness.

16/11/2012

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Well, you know you're blogging in the yoga-sphere when you are Shine one day and Shadow the next - that gentle tug of the balance in opposing forces.

I think one really common misconception, and one that is perpetuated by a lot of folks in the community is that it's all love and light, happy and bright. Holy blue-face, it's NOT! It's more often about getting real with what is real, and understanding where we 'are coming from.'

You know, you can't tell how bright it is unless you've seen the darkness. We have to know isolation and desolation to be able to accept the sweetness in consolation. And each of us has had our struggles. One thing about my community, we can get bragging rights for sharing really openly in the right environment. I've been to enough deep trainings and intensives to tell you all, confidently, no one comes through unscathed... so many are hurt and damaged and have been abused, misused, maltreated, neglected, etc.

It's always amazing to me now when folks are surprised. When someone's carefully created facade finally crumbles and falls and you realize someone you held in high esteem is just as frightened and insecure and triggered as you have been; that we have all failed, been shamed, been hurt.

A long time ago, because I really wanted to be doing the work --- the more profound work of yoga education, which to me means getting deeper than the asana, into all of the experience, and to use this to discern, train and understand --- I moved to the folks who I thought could get me there. I was fortunate to be able to find my primary teacher, Seane Corn.

With Seane and company, (as I'm also talking about the collaborative work of OTM) the shadows are not off-limits, rather, they are the fertile ground for self-discovery. I have often seen and witnessed, as well as had the personal insights myself, that 'our greatest fame is a result of our greatest shame'... the introverted child, who was ignored or neglected will often become a really important, key player; a center of attention. Those who have been wronged will become protectors.... those who were diminished will work on helping others grow.

Many very successful people i know have been startled to 'track their success' to some early childhood or adolescent trauma or traumas. Yes, profound, I would suggest, nearly universal and yet, we are taught to be ashamed of those things, to get over them, to leave them behind, not to be a victim, etc.

The act of denial and avoidance leaves us less than whole. And it leaves us reactive - trigger-able! For what we have experienced either directly or otherwise in our trauma can bring out the worst in us; even though the mirror of that is the best of us.
 
Case in point: when I was about 11 or 12, a family member of mine inappropriately used me to experiment with sexually. It was not chronic abuse, it was a one-time occurrence. Still, at that age, before kids had access to Cable and Internet I claim true youthful, naivete. I had no idea I was giving oral sex or being made to have intercourse other than the odd physical acts.


I grew up in a family where sexual abuse was for 'another class' of folks, where no one who drank themselves to sleep was an alcoholic because that term was for losers who hit people and got arrested. I grew up in a family where therapy meant you were fucked up and my family wasn't fucked up. Except, like every family it was in one way or another. Even with lovely parents, pillars of the community.

I never said anything, it then 'didn't happen' and I was able to do this really interesting thing which I will call 'compartmentalization' or 'turning it into an ABC After School Special'. That means it went in a mental box, it got stored, every once in a while I would completely review it (I remember a lot of details) but never 'feel' it, just watch it.

I got really good at it; and I got left alone a lot. I liked that. The situation had nuances. My parents were great, but I was the youngest, by a gap. My older siblings had all the home movies, lots of snapshots, the cute costumes. I've got one reel of Super 8, and some hand-me-downs on in the Polaroids. I'd say my parents went back to having a life and mostly allowed my older siblings to raise me. One did more than the other; that's the one I bonded with. That's the one who abused me.

It's easy to see it now, I blamed my parents for being absentees and not caring for me. I accepted the alternative caregiver and then that person abused the trust and me. I had no one to go to, and it wasn't going to be talked about or good, so I just stuffed it away. It didn't happen again, so eventually, it didn't happen.

For about the last five years, every time I'd get into a deep, good practice, and be presented with some good hip-openers, the 'box' would come out of the 'compartment' and I would review it, but again, like I was watching a movie and it was happening to someone else. That only lasts so long; this year, I put the movie in Sensurround and just played it, felt it, mourned it, raged on it, and then said, 'yup, that's me, that's real'.

How'd we get here from Happy, the gentle reader asks?? In one straight line!


While the shame and trauma I experienced made me who I am, someone who is very loyal, protective, takes the leadership role to ensure integrity and moves to places to care for others, my triggers get the exact opposite. Righteous indignation, rage, vengeful, exclusion, condescension, negativity.

If I don't let the story of where I'm coming from be real, then I can't understand where I am. If I can know my triggers, by finding my shame and owning it and learning from it, then I will know that I am here, better, stronger and in service because of it. And, I can hold myself, use my practice, use my discernment, and not fall victim to being held in that space, but rather continue to shine.

I shine brighter because I found the deepest shadow; I find happiness because I don't deny or avoid real sorrow. Never fixed, just keep turning inward and doing the work - the knife shines after the stone.

Make sense? Feel like there might be something there? Do the work, tread lightly but surely; asana practice is the safest laboratory for personal discovery and change. Find yours.

Give thanks and praise - and come back tomorrow for Step 4 - Place Trust in Yourself!


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Find Where You Shine - Step 2 to Happiness.

15/11/2012

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That sounds exciting, doesn't it?

While some of the folks who dwell in the yoga-world want you to believe your ego is like the HIV virus and must be eradicated (you can live with it), it's nice every once in a while to feel good at something.

When we are doing something we like, where we know we can do well (and we feel the flow), we create positive feelings in ourselves. Not just positive feelings, but improved overall moods and mental states, through optimized brain chemistry. Not only does it feel good and make us feel better, it makes us learn more quickly and retain that knowledge more specifically.


If what we do well is service or involves giving, then we can also imbue those feelings into the service and others may choose to feel better. Like when you see a musician perform really well, you know they're digging it, yet you're digging it - you feel moved. Even though their enjoyment might be seen as selfish, they are expressing Self through the muse and therefore, serving others. And, we all feel good.

Now, comes the discernment - what are you good at? Next question - does that 'talent' or 'skill' or 'attribute' serve and promote well-being, connection and elevation? Interesting question, because I'm not talking about are you good at being sarcastic, condescending, superior, a prick, a bitch, a really nasty person? Those aren't areas I'm interested in seeing you excel in! Therefore, the title - Find Where You SHINE!!

Shine - it's the essence of passion embodied; it's the emanation of calling from the deepest Self that is apparent to others; it's the attractive force that draws the curious and the lost, like a moth to a flame. And, it's a source of subtle yet magnificent power, safety, security, care, love, illumination and elevation.

If you can't think of what you do well, think of what you'd like to do well and put your focus there - improve, practice, fail and get back up, endeavor, persevere, persist and surrender and become just a little better, and a little brighter.

If you do something well, hell, I don't care, maybe it's crocheting (I wouldn't even be able to evaluate your proficiency), then crochet like it makes the world better. Share it, love it, do it, serve with it, teach it, make it your mediation, choose it over vice - SHINE!

I did grow up getting my schoolin' in the Brady Household, via the small tube that back then had a knob on the side.... I remember, you do, too, and will probably out yourself by correcting which brother, but I'm pretty sure it was Peter (see, totally wrong, I'm in the edits, and it was Jan who got this advice; after the 'lemons on freckles debacle', she needed a solid), who went to ole Poppa, Mike Brady, and whined his (her) adolescent ass off about not being special. MIke's advice, to this day, rings in my ears - "Find out what your best at, and do your best at it!"

Words to live by: even if they came from Sherwood Schwartz, truth knows no container.

Ask your friends if you don't know - say, "hey, what am I good for?? what should I be doing?" - and if they love you, they'll answer!

Give thanks and praise, and come back tomorrow for the flip-side, Step 3 - Explore the Shadows!


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Happiness - A Twelve Step Program: The Primer.

13/11/2012

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Happiness - elusive, hard to attain, a lofty goal, worthy of our ardent efforts, here today and fleetingly gone before the dawn... and hey, why is that guy over there just smiling like everything is alright? Hmmm...

I've been reading about, studying on and more actively experiencing and witnessing happiness for a few years now. It's a fascinating concept, and one that is as simple as it is complex. Or, shall I put it this way - it's like trying to hold water or talk about air. It's simply there, we can't really grasp it, but we can experience it.

I posit that we here in the US start out with a detriment, through our childhood education and emphasis on Civics. We learn in our Founding documents that we have 'inalienable rights', and that those include the most excellent LIFE, and the oft-curtailed LIBERTY, but unfortunately, only the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS. Well, that kinda sucks, because in the crime chase scenes, a 'pursuit' is where the one in flight gets away. Otherwise, it's an 'apprehension'!

Have we been conditioned, from young-uns? The same way any of us can Pledge Allegiance in one rambling breath, we got it in there, early and often; did that taint our actions?

I see a lot of people 'pursuing' happiness... like, it's the next lover, the next job, the next car, the next vacation, the next Friday night off. And, that's so situational. And, so deeply disturbing, because it's transient and comparative... "You're better or worse, so you're happy or you're sad. You got the job or not." But, when you got the job, is that enough?? Or, once we've 'apprehended' it, is it as satisfying? Remember the kid who got all the toys and 30 minutes later was bored?

I think this is us, the US, to the letter. But, I also know of, see and understand that many folks understand that true happiness comes from a sense of purpose, engagement, caring, giving, involvement and being able to accept things as they come, with an understanding that all is as it should be.

Perhaps this is aphorism - happiness can no more be created than a flower forced to grow from seed to bloom... but, we can cultivate the right conditions and create the best environment for that offering to grow within.

Therefore, for the next 13 days, I'm starting a 12-Step Program to Cultivate Happiness - check back tomorrow for "Dwell In Wonder".

Give thanks and praise!!


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Vulnerability, Confessions and Lessons...

15/10/2012

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Had a really nice weekend - my wife came home from her Seva trip to India on Saturday and we have just been catching up, telling and hearing stories, trying on lungis and dhotis and salwar kameez and just being together.

Truth be told, we normally share just about everything - especially travel. While it's not uncommon for us to travel separately or take business trips, we predominantly choose to travel together and to discover new places in each others company.

This wasn't one of those times - Susannah got selected to be on her Seva trip through the Whole Planet Foundation. The timing of the trip wasn't set early on, and there were options for spouses or family members to apply to serve on the trip, as well. So, I did and was accepted.

Then, two heavy revelations followed; the first was that I would have to pay all the expenses to attend (this wasn't made clear up front, and while the folks from WFM who were attending were only required to pay for their airfare, family or guests needed to pay all. The second issue was the timing of the trip was set for the exact same time we had committed to GaneshFest, here in ATX.

Given these two factors, and given that GaneshFest was the fundraiser for my Global Seva Challenge (and if successful, would have me going to do Seva in India in February of 2013), it only seemed prudent at the time to have Susannah do her thing, and me do mine. It was not without some sorrow - neither of us had been to India, and had planned to for quite some time, so to not go together was a little sad and painful.

Then, while GaneshFest was a rocking collaborative and joyful success as an event, as a fundraiser it was not as successful and leaves me and my collaborator quite shy of the goal. As in - potentially not going to happen.

I'm not ashamed to tell you I'm really sad, and I got kinda depressed and shut off. I wasn't with my best friend, I wasn't sharing my experiences and my feelings of shortcoming, and I wasn't getting to share in her experiences and her excitement and new revelations (like hanging with the elephants and those things that only happen in India). I missed her enormously, I wanted to be with her, I wanted to be in India doing Seva, and I was consumed with the thought that I'd made all the wrong choices.

I haven't really felt depressed in decades, and I did my best to stay focused on good things and doing what I needed to do. It didn't help that I felt I'd passed on my chance to go to India - not saying I've given up on my Seva Challenge, but I have been really surprised, and a little disappointed at how difficult it has been to get people's attention for long enough to get them to consider a donation.


And, this is a tough time, with a lot of need, and I get it - it's probably a lot easier to just not think about six-year-old girls getting raped 10-15 times per day but rather just buy some new shoes, go out to a show, drop $50 at Alamo Drafthouse, buy Lotto tickets, or just give another donation to your other causes. I'm not bitter, just really sad that I'm not succeeding at helping.

I'm not used to not succeeding, especially when I put all of my efforts into something. Yet, here I am, 6 months later, teaching classes to 1, 2 or maybe 5 people... having workshops where 1 person shows up, having fundraisers that break even, watching other teachers get classes at studios I've been talking to, and simply wondering when things will break?

They say that the arrow has to feel the backwards draw - the pull back -  before it's released into flight. That would be now, and this bow doesn't stretch much farther. And, it's the harvest season; I know I've planted good seeds and I intend to keep tending them. Just looking for that break-through moment.

And, I'm not giving up on my Seva Challenge - and I'm not giving up on asking! So, here's a plea - hit the link and drop a donation! I'd love to serve for you in India, and improve the situation for a small number of the girls there that are in slavery and despondency. Don't make it about me, make it about serving them!!

Thanks and praise!


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Authenticity - Are You Hiding Your Thorns?

5/10/2012

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Wow, sorry!! I guess I took about a week off there! Thanks for your patience, consider me back at it!

Put a lot of effort into GaneshFest and what an incredible gathering it was!! I still am high from all the love, vibrations, prana and soul-sweetness that I felt there. So eternally grateful for my co-creators and collaborators, and in fact, just spent much of this last week sitting in gratitude. Letting it settle in, make sense, feel good - oh, and yes, some deep long naps, and some crazy number-crunching to bring it all to close!

I wouldn't trade that experience for the world! In fact, I'm super buoyed by the amount of positive feedback and buy-in... so many folks, both those who attended and those who created, are asking 'what's next?'. I am as well! I think this community and the work we can do is clear; now we need to focus on how to continue that service, and how to uplift our entire group! I'm excited for the challenge!

One pleasure of the weekend was watching such a diverse group of folks, who really share so much in common, connect, share, get real, and be authentic. We had Asthangis, Flowers, Kundalinis, and of course, the ever popular 'yoga mutts' - just breathing, hanging, practicing and being together. That resonance, and the conversations I had, lead me to this post - a post on 'authenticity'.

If you read me much, by now you know I love language and linguistics. Not only because I see so much of the PIE (Proto Indo-European) cognates run from Sanskrit to both the Romance and the Teutonic/Norse language groups, but also because words are like asanas. They contain so much
inherent information; if we simply explore the foundations, then the expressions mean so much more.

Authenticity - being yourself, being true to yourself, being authentic... ok, let's go deeper.

authentic (adj.) mid-14th century first usage, meaning "authoritative"

This comes down from the Old French root, autentique - then, down from the 14th century into Modern French authentique.

The word came into Old French via the words "authentic; canonical," which are directly from Middle Latin -  authenticus. This comes to Latin, from the Greek word  authentikos meaning "original, genuine, principal," which itself is a conjugate of authentes, or "one acting on one's own authority,"

This breaks down really directly, from autos "self" + hentes "doer, being,". Like I mentioned before, go back far enough and you get to PIE, where we have the root *sene- "to accomplish, achieve."

Ok, so you're 'self-being' and that makes you some level of acting from one's own authority; let's look at that.


authority (noun) from the Old French auctorité "authority, prestige, right, permission, dignity, gravity". I like that! From the Old French of the 12th century down to Modern French, the word is autorité. This was influenced from the Latin -  auctoritatem (the nominative is auctoritas) and means "invention, advice, opinion, influence, command,". From this same root, we get the Latin auctor  or "master, leader, author".

Authentic  also indicates "accomplishment" and "achievement", so let's dive into those, briefly:

accomplish (verb) from the late 14th century word in Old French -  acompliss-, the stem of acomplir "to fulfill, fill up, complete". This was refined from the 12th century Vulgate Latin word  *accomplere. This is formed via the Latin ad- "to"  + complere "fill up" (think of "complete").

achieve (verb) from the early 12th century word in Old French - achever,  "to finish, accomplish, complete". This comes from the phrase à chef (venir) "at an end, finished". We also see this in the Vulgate Latin -  *accapare, from Late Latin - ad caput (venire); both the French and Late Latin phrases share the literal meaning "to come to a head," from stem of Latin caput "head" (think cap, as in ballcap; think Capitol, as in the head of government; think Kapala Bhati as in "Skull Shining!).

The way I read it, authenticity is taking responsibility for being exactly who we are, and acting from that sense of purpose. It means we should find dignity and gravity in our composure, and that we should become leaders - either to self, or to those who may need guidance.

It also contains the principle of fulfillment; of the joy that is found in truly being the self. In allowing others to love your entirety, rather than deciding what to share with whom, from guilt, shame or concern of judgment. Simply to be, and to be fulfilled - to be complete, to come to a head.

This is a noble goal, and kinda scary. That means maybe you find out your yoga teacher loves a beer now and again... that's ok, if they're authentic - but if there are shame games, or "do as I say, not as I do", or even subterfuge, that is denying our wholeness, our self, our divinity - the nature of our authenticity.

And, as a friend reminded me - being authentic is like being bald and accepting it... which means, you don't worry about which 'hat you are wearing' or when to switch them. You don't have to be this person, then that, and then one in the middle when two worlds collide. You don't have to remember what language and words to use, if you don't edit yourself to the occasion.

It's a tough mission; I've seen some incredible examples in the past two weeks and I'm renewed in my desires and emboldened in my actions to come to a place that is authentic ,caring and sharing. I just gotta be me, wouldn't wish it on anyone else!! And, if I'm gonna be me, I've gotta get better at it, everyday! That's the plan!

How are you feeling about that? Do you notice authentic folks in your life, or on the contrary, have you begun to notice when it doesn't feel solid? When folks don't seem to be who they are?

Do you notice the tendency in your own life to 'become someone else' in an alternate situation? Are you one way with friends, one with family, one with co-workers? Just think on it, notice what it might be about...

Then, give thanks and praise - feel complete and bring it to a head!


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Collaboration - A Form of Yoga... or Linking Two Forces for the Good of All...

25/9/2012

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Sorry, been a little bit - I've been having some busy days getting ready for GaneshFest!! Have you purchased your tickets, yet?? You can do so here - we're looking to have a full house, to raise spirits, funds, consciousness and the roof!!

If you were in the ATX this past week, we've had some good things going on. We were one of the cities globally that hosted an event and held the BeThePeace gathering, hosted by LOVEATX, this past Friday night.


Check that link and go to the photos of the event, some really incredible moments captured in there! Hundreds of like-minded folks came together to do yoga, to celebrate in a moment of planetary community, to chant together, to march together and to meditate together!

I had the pleasure of co-leading the yoga session with my newest collaborator, Joshua Sukhbir. We were those Facebook friends, you know, with many common friends and similar tastes, and I'm sure we liked each others posts! But, until Thursday afternoon of last week, we hadn't met or rapped in person; so we did just that!
 
It was great - I love working with other yogis all the time, but this was particularly sweet! I know his training background and he is in my lineage of teachers and from my 'world.' So, we easily created common space, and just started talking about what we wanted to bring to the yoga, what our message was, and how that related to Peace.

Didn't take long, we just shared some thoughts, some anecdotes, agreed and hit some resonances pretty early on, and then just agreed to play it by ear, and by eye. I'd have to say, that this is my favorite way of collaborating - find and share common ground, then just play with what arises in that laboratory! And, we did!

Our shared message was that 'One cannot fight for Peace' - we can't force it, enforce it, or expect it if we are fighting people; nor could we continue with language that separates, makes other into 'other' and doesn't recognize both the divinity within, and the struggles and traumas imposed from without! Our messages were from our own perspective, but supported and complemented the other. The folks got into the groove and let go - there were times where one of us simply finished a sentence, turned his head, made eye contact and the other just picked right up. Again, feels like true collaboration - no leading, no following, just syncing and sharing.

We were able to bring folks inside themselves, then connect folks to each other - we even did some standing assists as a complete group in our Trees - feeling the support, the community, and how struggle can become play, when shared. We did a lovely heart-to-heart meditation where we tried to imagine ourselves as others  and the other as our self. We did a healing circle, for those who attended and needed, but also for the world. We did a 'metta' - loving compassion - pranayama, and we simpy made linked community.

I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity and the community within which to collaborate. It's very satisfying, is most often done in the spirit of service, and it feels like we are changing a paradigm. From top-down to side-to-side...

That's part of my mission, and part of the entire conversation about Peace. Don't fight, work. Don't struggle, endure. And, make every change you can within yourself, and let that shine. Can you be the calm flame in the roaring fire? Can you be the soothing voice in the screaming tempest? Can you show peace, create it and make it obvious, in that others might find it?

Good work, good news - you can do it!! Give thanks and praise!


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Ganesh Chaturthi - You Say It's Your Birthday? It's His Birthday, Too!

19/9/2012

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It is an auspicious day!! 

First and foremost, it is Ganesh Chaturthi - the occasion on which we celebrate Ganesh, his birth and his works! It just also happens to be my beloved teacher, and solid friend, Seane Corn's birthday, and I find no irony in that - Seane has done a lot to remove obstacles and be a support on my own personal growth.

We are celebrating Ganesh's birthday because it is worthy of celebration and contemplation, but also, because we are in the last days of preparation for GaneshFest, 2012 - our "Off the Mat Into the World" Global Seva Challenge fundraiser! 


We're hosting three nights of music and two full days of yoga (live music an DJs accompanying) with 20 beloved Austin Teachers sharing the flows. Please come check it out - we need your support to be able to reach our goal, as well as bringing folks from all over together in shared joy, service and purpose.

Why Ganesh?? Well, he's a helpful soul. He sometimes puts obstacles in our way, when we need them most. He may test us, temper us, see what we are made of. He also removes obstacles, he is invoked for good beginnings and fresh starts! He's lovable, jolly and in service to us all.

There's a great legend, as there always is, behind the story of Ganesh. Traditional stories tell that Lord Ganesha was created by goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door while she bathed.

Lord Shiva returned and, as Ganesha didn't know him, he didn't allow him to enter. Well, Lord Shiva didn't know Ganesh either, and wasn't excited about him standing at the bath of his lover... Lord Shiva became enraged and asked his follower ghosts to teach the child some manners. Ganesha, being born of Parvati, the embodiment of shakti or power was very powerful himself. He defeated the ghost-followers - called the "ganas" - and declared nobody was allowed to enter while his mother was bathing. 

Sensing a growing turmoil, the sage of heavens, Narada, along with the Saptarshi - the seven wise rishis, or sages - went to appease the boy with no results. Angered, the king of Gods, Indra attacked the boy with his entire heavenly army but even they didn't stand a chance. By then, this issue had become a matter of pride for Parvati and Shiva. After the devas were defeated, the trinity -  the controller, preserver and destroyer of the universe -  launched an attack against Ganesha. Amidst the fight, Shiva severed the head of the child, and brought on Parvati's rage. 

Seeing her son dead, Parvati revealed her true self, as the Adi-Shakti, the prime energy that fuels the universe and sustains matter. Taking on a terrible form, she vowed to destroy the universe where her son was killed and re-create a better one. The Gods prostrated before her and Shiva promised that her son will live again. 

The trinity hunted the world for a head and came across a mother elephant crying for her dead baby. They consoled the mother and fixed the head of the baby elephant in place of Ganesha's head. Lord Shiva also declared that from this day, the boy would be called as "Ganesha" (Gana-Isha  - lord of the Ganas). In this way, Lord Ganesha came to be depicted as the elephant-headed God.

Lovely story - and just for fun, contrast it to the story of Isis - aka Isha, a female diety - who also is served by a family member, once killed and dismembered, and reconstructed, with a Hawk's head. Just sayin', a good story travels a long way.

So, what does it mean for you - it means what needs be meant. Things seem blocked, stuck, in a rut - look to Ganesh for some release. However, if things are going well, don't be surprised if you get a little test. 


The GaneshTest we'll call it - just how serious are you about your purpose, your calling and your dream?? Purposeful enough to endure some hardship? Committed enough to stay placid through the moments where nothing is happening? Are you up to the test?

Whatever you decide, make it a sweet day - enjoy, give thanks and praise!!

Tickets for GaneshFest are on sale now - grab them HERE - we need your help to address the shame and disgrace that is human sexual-trafficking in India. Please join us in practice and in Seva!

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Empty Mind - Mindfulness and the Paradox in Practice.

15/9/2012

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Brain Burned Away - Mindfully Empty...
I was thinking about this a lot this week, then teaching yesterday was a great opportunity to explore the idea and the theme a little more.

I know a lot of folks struggle with 'mindfulness' or 'meditation'. Perhaps more accurate to say they even struggle with the thought of the practice much more than the practice, if you see the nuance.

Meditation is a tough word, probably carries to much imagery and gravitas. Mindfulness works, I like it, but it provides a subtle paradox - what doesn't in this tradition? We want to be 'mindful', yet the problem is our mind if full - full of monkeys, full of ama (undigested sticky matter - the 'junk food' we watch, listen to, the drama, the shite), full of negative thoughts, full of projection and reflection... At least, that's what I experience.

When I came to the practice, it took me the requisite time to figure it all out. To get body awareness, learn left and right, be able to pay attention, to learn to listen, and to build bone density and basic upper body strength. After I got to the baseline, I was able to work deeper into the practice.

I moved into the more vigorous practices - Flow, Vinyasa, Ashtanga. It was in those practices that I found a way to apply the vigor, and the necessity of staying focused on transitions as a way to burn away the monkey mind, to find a bit of clarity, emptiness and solace. I noticed this to be true in my practice, and later to be true as a teacher. There is a student who presents to the vigorous practice because it takes that to wear away or to burn off the over-riding mind. Therein, those students find their quietude.

You teach from your practice - so I teach that. That's at the foundation of my perspective and it's what defines the tribe I serve. I've got to keep looking at how that might evolve, how that might grow, how that might continue to mature in it's service, both in my practice and in my teaching.

I've also recently really enjoyed teaching MBSR - Mindfulness, in atypical settings and non-yoga environments. More specifically, to folks who don't normally do yoga, or traditional meditative practices, or may not even be active. It's amazing, humbling and encouraging to watch the almost immediate changes this basic practice of mindfulness can bring - calmness, softened features, slower and more deliberate speech, presence, amity, and so much more. It's been a privilege to take these techniques and share them.

To the point of this post - for some of us, we're so full in the mind, so cluttered, so frenetic, that we need a deliberate practice, a threshold, perhaps even the gross sensation of vigor combined with focus, to burn away those thoughts, projections, reflections and assumptions. Then, to our surprise, there is a clarity afforded. Once the mind has been 'emptied', then we can be 'mind-ful'.

What helps me is ritual - routine, discipline. Doing Surya Namaskar is ideal. There is an inherent grace and rhythm to the kriya, and it easily becomes muscle memory. Therein, we have two choices... check out, or dive in. When our body knows what to do, we can often just drift away -  mind emptied. Ever arrived at work in your car, really not remembering any of the traffic lights or cross-traffic turns?? Hmmm.

But, if we take that same muscle memory, and the subtle disconnect that it affords, then we can truly train the freed attention to become the observer; not participant, not driver. And in that observation, become completely mindful - in true Mindfulness.

Meditation, Mindfulness, Yoga - here's where they meet - 'undivided, uninterrupted, single-pointed focus that is sustained'. Make sense as an operational definition?? How does it work for you? Where do you find single-pointed mindfulness?

Give thanks and praise.

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Yo, Yo, Yogis, It's Yoga Aid Challenge Day!

9/9/2012

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Well, if you missed it, Septemeber is National Yoga Month, and Labor Day has become Free Day of Yoga. And, we'll be rounding out the month with our benefit event, GaneshFest!!

So, fittingly, we're here at Yoga Aid Challenge Day! Today it is, and I love this day. Read more about it here, a their site, but simply: Teachers, students and communities from all over the country --- well really, the world! --- will be coming together to raise One Million Dollars for Charities around the world in this global day of Seva (selfless service).

As you know, I'm heavily devoted to conscious activism this year, and as an OTM Global Seva Challenger, I'm personally committed to raising $20,000 through my own collaborations, actions and fundraising activities. 

I've still got over $15K to go, so any consideration or support you want to make to either my cause, or supporting the collaborative fundraising of the Austin Yoga Tribe would be appreciated. 

You can follow this link to learn more about my cause --- you can follow this one to make a donation to the Austin Yoga Tribe's collaborative effort --- you can support this endeavor by attending GaneshFest, purchase tickets at this site!

Today, you can support this spirit-, consciousness- and fund-raising endeavor by attending an excellent Yoga Aid Fundraiser practice, led by the world class Gioconda, and accompanied by the incredible grooves and vibes of the Austin Bhakti Kirtan Tribe!

Good times, great works, lovely people, and to be frank, tough situations we're trying to address. Please, ask more, learn more, and help us to work towards each of these goals.

Austin Yoga Tribe's motto says it all - Local Action for Global Change.

Give thanks and praise - see you today or on the mat!! 

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