The Teacher’s Journal

Find Center…………………….Stay There……………………….Keep Moving

Go back and read this post again because I want to add another word to The List.

JUST

  We all need a little guidance from time to time.

Oftentimes I will consult the I Ching when I am looking for a little other-worldly guidance.

Thru the decades I have used various different resources to interpret the hexagrams, however I continue to rely most on Carol Anthony’s, “A Guide to the I Ching”.

Today, the coins produced Hexagram #8 or Pi.

According to Carol Anthony this means “Holding Together”. Water is over Earth and they hold together because of their ‘natural affinity’. Even though 5 of the 6 lines are yin, the strong yang line in the fifth place represents inner independence. “The path ahead lies in proceeding straight ahead innocently, holding to our inner independence in the face of all challenges, keeping ourselves alert, steady and serene as a shining lake”

Hmmmm.

The weather today is a high-alert, high-warning, high-risk day for those who are vulnerable to heat. We did a lot of cooling, soothing, practices in yoga class this morning and I have to say that ‘holding together’ in the midst of changing world & personal conditions can be challenging at best. Yoga helps.

A lot.

Get off the computer and go practice breathing. Lengthen out the exhale so that it’s twice as long as the inhale. Feel what happens. Relax. Stay serene.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

Moon conjuncts Saturn today.

Responsibilities Rule.

I visited Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland a few years back and had what I consider an amazing experience there.

I was standing on steps, waiting with many other people to be allowed admittance into this magnificent space.

I arrived at this moment feeling pretty calm & healthy despite the joyful vibrations of extreme anticipation. Libraries are special places for me and I was about to enter the oldest library I had ever visited.

Suddenly, my heart starting beating twice as fast. My palms became sweaty. My face flushed into a raging shade of red. It was hard to breathe.

I became frightened and witnessed the negativity of those first thoughts. Am I ill? What is wrong with me?

I frantically began to retrace (in my mind) what I had to eat, the level of physical exertion I had been expending, etc., etc., coming to the conclusion that I was still healthy. This was ’something else’.

I watched my mind decide to view the physical symptoms as evidence of karma at work.  No one was around who would challenge my viewpoint, for a change, so I  began to just take some long deep breaths to calm down this body .

Finally, I was allowed into The Room which immediately took even more breath away………..but, at the same time I became infused with a fiery impulse to investigate What Was In There For Me. I gave my feet complete permission to lead me around and within one minute of this absent-minded ‘absorption trip’ I came across this harp in a secured glass case perched on a large pedestal. As I stood there and gazed at this harp my body started calming down to a more relaxed state. My breath returned. It felt as if I had just returned …………………………………. home.

The body is a powerful antenna that picks up signals from a multitude of sources both internal & external. How we interpret these signals has everything to do with how our emotional minds process incoming information. Also, many of us have put ourselves in a position where we have relied on others (family, friends, our culture,) to define us to ourselves thereby weakening our inherent ability to discern reality clearly. Labels become words, and words can be limiting and hurtful. “You’re sick”. “You’re crazy”. “You’re paranoid”.

The information on the harp in the glass case describes it as “the oldest surviving Irish harp”, erroneously associated with Brian Boru, a high King of Ireland who died in 1014.

Before leaving for Ireland I had been practicing Brian Boru’s March. It was the very first tune I learned on my new harp.

Listen Here:

It’s been nearly a week since I made my last post, and what a week it’s been!

Just as the moon slipped into the balsamic phase and Saturn made it’s station, my daughter gave birth to her daughter. I was so grateful to be a witness to this miracle of birth……what a moment. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

I’ve been facilitating pre-natal yoga for about 5 years, however this was my first opportunity to witness the techniques in action. Personally, I didn’t begin my yoga practice until after my children were born, so I don’t have any first-hand info to share. However, my daughter practiced yoga thruout her pregnancy and her experience of childbirth was 180 degrees different from my own. (No doubt modern-medicine had an impact as well as the presence of an enlightened doula/midwife)

Watching my daughter I was amazed at her composure & her acceptance during the powerful contractions of late labor. She appeared to be under control and quite present thruout those slow minutes of ‘discomfort’. I, however, found myself tense, tight, and frightened for her. Clearly, her long-standing yoga practice supported her, while my even longer yoga practice kinda went by the wayside during this highly emotional time!

Afterward, I spoke with her well experienced doula and asked her if she saw a difference between mothers who practiced yoga and those who don’t.
” Absolutely!!”, she replied. Their labors were shorter, the delivery’s were easier, and they were more composed. The doctor agreed.

I am thrilled to have been present for the miracle that is my 1st GrandDaughter. I am so proud of my daughter, that she could be so willing to trust the process and be present for this event. Yoga teaches us to be more present in our bodies and to be fully connected to the Now, regardless of what is happening. Suffering, negativity, and pain are all minimized when we can Be Here Now. At the miraculous moments of birth, the ‘now’ is the place to be.

Perhaps when I return home to my students I’ll initiate a workshop, Yoga for Grand Mothers!

Happy Mother’s Day.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

It’s a Girl!

I get a lot of students asking me for yoga techniques to help with sore feet. It seems to be quite a common complaint.

My first suggestion is to tell them to begin to pay more attention to the shoes that they wear and to try going without shoes for longer periods of time.  There’s really no reason to wear shoes at all when one is home, is there?

Then I show them various massage & acupressure points to help relieve some of their pain.  The fun really starts when we stand up and begin to really notice just how we stand.  Where (on our feet) do we carry our weight?  Are we balanced on our feet?  Do they turn in? or out?  Then, we walk around the room and pay even closer attention.  What part of our foot touches the ground first when we walk?  What part comes next?  And so goes the inquiry………

Yesterday, I stumbled upon an article on the Internet and had a good giggle while reading it.  It seems I am not alone in my conclusions about shoes. Click on this picture to read more.

What happens when you integrate astrology into the yogic practice of self-observation without judgement?

Self-inquiry is a spiritual practice that directs our energy and our attention inward. It’s a particular form of self-discovery that encourages one to first recognize and then drop the social mask (also known as the persona, personality, or ascendant) and practice authenticity in every moment. (rather than productivity or some other external goal). In, The Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield, he describes a Buddhist practice of sitting quietly and repeatedly asking yourself, “Who am I”, over and over until you reach a point where something in the body/mind relaxes (?) and a subtle shift in consciousness happens. It’s one of those things that you have to experience for yourself and hard to describe.

Svadhyaya is one of the niyamas (from Patanjali’s 8 Limbs of Yoga) that encourages us to look at ourselves, clearly, without prejudice. It’s a challenging task and requires constant practice. Kripalu Yoga is the methodology that i practice. It brings the physical and energetic bodies into the mix by developing a heightened sense of awareness to sensations, breath, thought patterns, and spontaneous emotional expression.

Astrology attempts to find meaning in the natural order of the cosmos. Everything has it’s own time, it’s own season, and every minute that passes is unique. Astrologers observe both long term & short term trends and relate that information to the present moment. In addition, astrology also adds mythological, archetypal, & psychological dimensions that are extremely personal and relevant.

Natal Astrology looks at an individual (or oneself) thru a lens that has no prejudice. The natal horoscope does not see: gender, race, religion, economic status, socio/cultural differences, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any of the ways in which we categorize ourselves. What the natal chart does describe is our ‘energetic’ makeup and the timing of unfoldment. The ‘how’ is up to us. There are many ways to manifest the potential of our horoscope. It’s the energy pattern and the timing that are pre-determined. All else is free will. When approached with equanimity and non-judgement the natal horoscope becomes an impartial map of possibility with a built-in clock to help one connect to the present moment more intimately.

Yoga & Astrology have co-existed harmoniously in various cultures for eons. Each discipline recognizes the value & contribution of the other. Across the centuries, astrologers have continued to relate the movement of what is above to the movement of what lies below. Whereas, at the same time the yogi’s were discovering what lies without, also exists within. They both agree that here & now is important.

Yoga provides us with the tools to help us be with that moment in peaceful co-existence. Astrology helps us to understand the characteristics of the our particular ego-state and the nature of the obstacles that impede our path towards a higher consciousness. Yoga helps us to smooth out the obstacles, minimize the ego drives and approach life’s challenges in peace. Astrology provides us with the nature of the ever-changing present moment. Yoga practices train us to respond to the ever-changing moment with acceptance. Astrology, when properly understood, can advance us towards spiritual awakening. Yoga does the same.

As a Professional Kripalu Yoga Teacher & Astrologer it’s taken me most of my life to bring these two paths together in a way that goes beyond the mental field or intellect. After 30+ years of study and practice I have now reached a point where I can no longer keep them separate. My personal practice and the programs I offer always include the cosmic point of view in an attempt to teach the hermetic principal, As Above, So Below. For those who are ready for the practice of self-inquiry and seek to approach life multi-dimensionally, astrology & yoga together can be quite enlightening.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.