Staying Connected

"Staying connected "could mean anything these days from:

• being on your cell phone
• plugging in your appliance
• sending a text message
• to hugging and kissing
• going to events together like meetings
• tunning in to your favorite show
  

I believe you get my gist here. The word connected means joined or linked together; plugged in. Staying connected to thoughts; relationships; situations in your life; your bliss in these times that we live is easier said than done. There are so many distractions. Again this is where your tools come into play.

The other day, someone said something to me out of character. The person did not know me and was upset about something I said to her when she interrupted a yoga class I was teaching. I was totally surprised and attempted to explain the etiquette of the class. The person got very heated and I saw it was of no use to go any further with an explanantion. I also witnessed my heart had started to beat faster. I walked away telling myself that this incident was not going to upset my day. I proceeded to take deep breaths and go to my next yoga class.

For me practicing yoga on a regular basis helps me to stay connected; more centered. I notice that as I get involved with the alignment of the asanas, the physical postures, my mind becomes more focused on how the different parts of my body are moving. I become more aware of how my breathing affects the posture. Then I become aware of how 'I' feel when everything is aligned. I can feel the flow of energy in the body and the position begins to become effortless. There is even a type of euphoria during and after the practice. The mind becomes still. There becomes more of an awareness of a free flow of energy and an expansive feeling in my body. I become joined to that higher power or consciousness within. As stated in book one of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali 'YOGAS CITTA VRTTI NIRODHAH - Yoga is the restraint of fluctuations of the mind'. That state consciousness stays with me as I continue in my day and gives me peace as well as enthusiasm about life. If I was feeling down or out of sorts before the practice, it dissipates naturally. So the incident earlier in the day did not have any power of 'ruining my day'. I also looked at that person as showing me where my center was. It was a reminder to be more vigilant in the moment.

So for me to stay connected I have to continually practice and use my tools; become a conduit so to speak, as I to strive to always be om.

Yama and Discipline

Yama is a sanskrit word which has many meanings in different contexts. It could mean restraint and discipline which is what I am referring to here. Yama is the first limb of yoga as defined in the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali It explains the codes of ethical behavior to be looked at and followed daily. Yama has five principles which I will go into another time.

Then there is the word discipline which has various meanings. For most of us, according to our perspective, it could have negative and or positive connotations. The discipline I am referring to is regularity; following a certain order. Discipline is important in practicing the many aspects of yoga. In fact it is the key in mastering yoga.

I remember many years ago, when I first stayed at an ashram for a couple of weeks. An ashram is an abode of spiritual teacher; a place for disciplined community living. There was a certain time to get up, to do spiritual practices- like meditation, chanting, seva (selfless service), eating and going to bed. It was very new to me. Learning to sit in a crossed leg posture with lots of other people, eating in a huge dining room, taking turns using the restrooms. It was surprising with so many people living together that everything could go so smoothly. Everyone followed the schedule.

When I finally came home, I noticed that I missed the schedule, the regularity that I had become accustomed to for those two weeks. That was surprising to me. It made me realize that yama, discipline could actually be a positive thing. It was through the discipline that things actually became easier. Previously I felt that I did not like discipline and thought that doing things when I wanted to was freedom. But ironically in being undisciplined things are actually harder and erratic.

Through the years of practicing yoga, whether it be the asanas (physical postures), the meditation, the contemplation of life, I have come to see the value in yama and how it applies to everyday life. Looking at nature like the sunrise and sunset; the waxing and waning of the moon; the change of seasons it becomes obvious that there is a certain discipline on a grander scale. And it is that discipline, that yama that allows us to always be om, to be at peace and present in our live.

Distractions and Dharana

There are so many distractions today in our lives. Cell phones, ipods, the television, the internet, loud sounds from the airplanes, buses and trains. Especially living in the city. If you happen to live in the surburbs and the country, it might be a little quieter outside, but there still all the gadgets we have to keep us distracted. Distractions can be defined as inattentiveness, misdirection, confusedness.

Many people are stressed out due to the many distractions on a daily basis. This is why we do not experience constantly being present or at peace with ourselves. It becomes too much when there is no mindfulness. So this is where a tool comes into play here. In order to survive the many distractions we need dharana. Dharana is a sanskrit word, which basically means concentration or focus in one direction. Dharana is the sixth limb of yoga as defined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali I will delve into this work periodically in future posts.

So getting back to the tools we have, concentration on specific tasks and or object can help us with the many distractions in our modern life. And the best way to deal with distractions is to begin to practice meditation or dhyana. Dhyana is an essential part of practicing asanas (yogic postures). Dhyana is essential to every day life.

To be continued...

Practice as a Tool YS I - 1, YS I - 2

Practice is a tool we all utilize it to some degree everyday of our lives. We might not readily acknowledge or view the word practice as tool .

Some definitions of practice are : 'Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise.' Another definition is 'Practice (learning method), a method of learning by repetition'. Other examples of our 'habitual performance' or practice used everyday are brushing our teeth, walking, breathing, thinking, disagreeing, being fearful, arguing, being lazy, being a workaholic, cooking, drawing, playing an instrument etc.

The word practice can pertain to positive and negative habits in our life, or as two sides of the same coin. So in this post I am focusing on practice as a tool of yoga. So now I will refer to the word sutra : (Sanskrit) "Thread." An aphoristic verse; the literary style consisting of such maxims. From 500 bce, this style was widely adopted by Indian philosophical systems and eventually employed in works on law, grammar, medicine, poetry, crafts, etc. Each sutra is often accompanied by a commentary called bhashya and sometimes subcommentary called tika, vyakhyana or tippani.

In the Yoga Sutras (YS) of Pantanjali- YS I-1 is ATHA YOGAANUSAASANAM

It means " Now the exposition of Yoga is being made" as translated and commented on by Swami Satchidananda . In his commentary, he says we cannot reach the goal (yoga) by mere words alone. Without practice, nothing can be achieved.

The second YS I-2. YOGAS CITTA VRTTI NIRODHAH

The meaning here is "The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga". Basically what is being said here is if the restraint of the mental chatter is achieved, or if the mind becomes quiet, the goal of yoga would be obtained. In a nutshell, it goes back to the word practice.

So when we are having a "bad "day, when things are not going the way we want, instead of letting it sap our energy, or making us unhappy, we need to practice being present. We can start paying attention to our breath. We can stretch our bodies consciously. We can practice mindfulness. We can get in the habit of using this tool day by day, until it becomes automatic and natural. And it is a tool that is accessible all the time.

Yoga As a Tool

I wrote in my journal this morning that I am grateful for my love of yoga. I am grateful for the practice of the asanas (physical postures) as a tool. It is in the practice of the asanas that the laziness, stiffness and the feeling or thought of not wanting to do things fall away. Practicing backbends, headstands, handstands, arm balances are invigorating! Just doing the Surya Namaskar (Salutations to the Sun) wakes you up and gives me enthusiasm! It is so simple to rejuevenate oneself through the physical postures of yoga.

It is also in the practice of teaching yoga that I learn alot as well. Like the other day while I was teaching a yoga class and instructing them to breath fully and fill their lungs like balloons, I was struck with a profound thought. To be aware of their breathing helps to keep them in the present moment. And as we use balloons to celebrate, in the same way by expanding our lungs (as balloons) we too celebrate the present which is the biggest party there is - life!

Again yoga to me is a great tool in everyday life and helps me to always be om! Start practicing yoga today and see for your self.

Until next time

Gratitude

Yesterday I spoke about the idea of tools we have inside of us. Gratitude can be viewed as another great tool we have within us. I am so grateful to the Divine Creator. I have found that being grateful connects me to 'Always Be Om'. With gratitude my heart opens up. Gratitude is like a magnet that draws even more positive things into your life.

I was moved by the beauty of the trees as I drove along the Bronx River Parkway. It was so amazing to see the glorious colors and the light the leaves emanate. When I look at the trees in the fall I veiw it as an analogy of how we should be, or can be. That as we grow, mature, like the trees that become resplendent in color, the leaves fall away and become bare, the tree continues to live. And in the same way the different phases of our lives are like the changing leaves, like the waxing and waning of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tides. We should be like that (the trees, or nature) knowing that we are still alive and not get attached the leaves in wanting them to stay in full bloom forever.

Later on in the day with a friend, I had the opportunity to do some yoga postures in the park. It felt so good to be among the beautiful, colorful trees. I could literally feel the light from the leaves of the trees. It again brought up that feeling of gratitude for the divine beauty. If you don't believe me , try it for yourself.

Until next time, start to cultivate gratitude as a useful tool inside of you to keep you always being present. Always be Om.

Tools that Keep Us Centered

Yesterday I spoke about chanting as a tool that keeps me centered. One of the definitions for the word tool is a thing made to help people do work. Another definition is a device that is used to facilitate or perform manual or mechanical work. The latter definition is more suited for this post on tools.
I find I (we) need a tool to stay centered. That centering I call an anchor - a source of security or stability- in life. If there is no anchor one just drifts. We are like ships on the sea and if there is no course of action, no plan, we just wonder here and there with no real purpose or destination. Just like one needs the sun, or light to see, one must have a plan, a goal or one will go nowhere.

Just as there are many tools that one can carry on a tool belt or a tool box, there are many tools that we possess inside of us. For me practicing yoga helps one to access those tools that we don't easily know about as our attention is always directed outside ourselves on material objects. In that myriad of objects bombarding us, we need to access those inner tools to anchor and guide us.

Stay tuned. You can go to http://www.bometernally.com/ and read up on yoga