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A Real Boss
“You may be the boss at work, you may have control over others, but if you’re a slave to your senses, where’s the self-mastery?
“God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” —Sri Swami Satchidananda
(photo: Swami Satchidananda at Haleakala Crater, Maui, Hawaii, late 1970s)
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Are you getting ready for an epic moon event on Sunday night? During a special nocturnal hour, the full moon will become fully tinted with the red-orange color of sunset! The Jan. 20/21 total lunar eclipse will be the last one until May 2021. During an eclipse, the rays of the sun are obstructed from shining on the earth. During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the earth and sun, preventing the sun's rays from shining on the earth. And during a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the earth's shadow, so it cannot reflect the sun's rays back onto the earth. So, this is a time of greater darkness and less light. On the physical level, the atmosphere loses the benefit of certain beneficial, healing rays. There is more of a negative vibration in the atmosphere. That's why Swami Satchidananda gave a list of guidelines for activities, eating, and food storage during eclipses in order to keep the body and mind in a sattvic state. On the more subtle level, the moon outside corresponds to the mind of the individual, and what happens to the moon has an influence over the mind. When the moon is full, the mind, also, is in full swing—whatever tendencies or emotions are in the mind get enhanced. Any imbalance would be magnified. MORE
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Many Yoga teachers seek inspiration from the outside world to help students connect with their most true inner nature. Dr. Martin Luther King's courage, compassion, vision, and drive give us all much to consider and emulate on our quest for Yoga (unity and harmony.) I'm including a list of some of MLK's powerful and wise quotations. I am grateful for all of those individuals who are able to see the injustices in the world, and are able to shine a light on them in a way that, rather than spotlighting our misgivings for the sake of being critical, illuminates a path to higher consciousness and elevated living. (We're also including a rockin'-Yoga MLK music playlist from Jo Griffith, the office angel at Shine Yoga and a Gentle/Beginner's Yoga teacher.)
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. MORE
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News about plans for this year's 50th anniversary (August 16–18) of this legendary music and peace festival is starting to flow! There are two large events planned. One, near the original Bethel Woods site of 1969 festival and another in Watkins Glen, New York. Santana, just announced his participation at the Bethel Woods event, which is being organized by Live Nation in coordination with the "Woodstock Museum (officially, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts). This pan-generational cultural event will feature live music, TED-style talks, and special exhibits. Michael Lang, the 1969 festival co-founder explained that he's organizing the "official" anniversary event at Watkins Glen because there's more space to create the type of event he's envisioning. A recent article noted that: "Yoga maintained a strong presence at the 1969 Woodstock festival, thanks in part to Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga, who addressed the massive crowd. And Yoga will maintain a strong presence at Woodstock 50 thanks to Lovelight, which is programming the Yoga at the anniversary gathering." According to Rolling Stone: "Lang says that over 40 performers have been booked already across three stages, including some big-name headliners. 'It’ll be an eclectic bill,' Lang says. 'It’ll be hip-hop and rock and some pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival.'" So, stay tuned here for Integral Yoga's participation in these events!
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If you popped into any of my children's programs, you would hear me say, "Worry about yourself"—a lot. If I died today, an entire community of children would expect it to be written on my gravestone. I thought I practiced what I preached…until recently. My husband and I were in a car accident. This was the first time in my life that I sustained an extraordinary amount of physical trauma, and was deeply surprised by the amount of mental and emotional anguish it created. My daily rituals were replaced with physical therapy routines, trying to stay awake for more than four hours at a time, and getting creative with meals from the freezer and pantry without actually cooking. It took months to get back to any semblance of my “old” routine. Months later, I found myself taking my first post-accident Yoga class. I sat in a chair on top of a mat in a semi-circle surrounded by women 30 years my senior. The women already seated seemed like pros at this....Once class began, it was different than a traditional class. The instructor asked if we wanted to share what we wanted to work on and what, if any, pain we had. When people started sharing, I realized that nobody could see my physical pain. Nobody knew what I had been dealing with.... When the asana part of class began, I actually understood the mantra that I preached for the first time. MORE
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In this short video, produced by Uplift Fims, Thich Nhat Hanh explains the four qualities of love that can bring deep meaning to our lives. The video features beautiful visuals, including an amazing Yoga pose, with the Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop!
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Rev. Jaganath, Integral Yoga Minister and Raja Yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in Patanjali’s words within the Yoga Sutras. Our series continues with the 18th and 19th sutras of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali now discusses asamprajnata samadhi. Rev. Jaganath breaks down the meaning of some key terms in these two sutras, including abhyasa, samskara, and prakriti—recurring terms in Yoga philosophy.
Attaining asamprajnata samadhi takes time and practice. Since it is beyond the highest samprajnata insight, asmita (ego sense), it includes even going beyond the ego-based desire to still the mind. That means that the asamprajnata state is beyond effort. The mind is effortlessly still and clear and nonattachment has reached higher levels. No thought, word, or action disappears completely. The mental modifications associated with them sink to the bottom of our mental lake (the subconscious), where they become like sandbars that cause ripples on the lake’s surface (the conscious mind). Most of what we call mind is on the subconscious level. That is why we find ourselves sometimes compelled to act in ways we know are not beneficial. Yet, we feel driven to continue with our bad habits. These “invisible” activators to action are samskaras, subconscious impressions. Acts that produce strong impressions or evoke strong emotions, or acts that are repeated, create most of the samskaras that affect our conscious mindset and choices. MORE
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In the documentary The Emperor of All Maladies, Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee says, “There is no archetypical response to cancer. It is his or her own. As family members, as physicians, we might be able to witness it, but it’s not ours—trying to explain, to struggle with, to make peace with what’s happening in their own bodies.” A few moments later, a man with cancer speaks and says, “…how are you going to find peace in the midst of rage that’s happening inside your body and your own heart?” I have been teaching Yoga for People with Cancer for over fourteen years.... Many of us began to practice Yoga, teach, and to work with people with cancer because of our own experience with cancer or as a caregiver. My personal experience was that of a caregiver for several family members with cancer. I wanted to know what else I could do to support them as I witnessed so many different challenges each person encountered. Once I began to study the possibilities through mind-body practices, specifically Yoga, it quickly became my passion. I often say, “Wherever you are, Yoga is there for you.” MORE
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The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a mission is to change schools, the workplace, families, and society through kindness. They work toward that goal by creating free content that promotes kindness toward others and teaches important kindness skills to kids. Each year, the foundation chooses a "Random Acts of Kindness Challenge" winner. The first-graders in the Kind Kids Club at a school in Fresno, California were the winners and, in this video, they share their inspiring random acts of kindness!
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If you haven't yet read Melanie C. Klein's inspiring book, Yoga Rising, you might want to check it out. A beautiful compilation of personal essays by "Yoga renagades," as she calls them, who are, as Dianne Bondy describes in her foreword, those who "resist and, more importantly, we persist in challenging and changing the limited narrative of who does Yoga and #whatayogilookslike as represented in the dominant culture—and far beyond the practice, culture and business of Yoga into the culture at large. I believe there is a Yoga renegade in all of us…” Part One: Yoga, Body Image, and Self-Worth, features Rev. Jivana Heyman's (Integral Yoga teacher/Accessible Yoga Founder) "Living Yoga" essay. It's so personal, profound, and raw in the description of his journey as a young gay man and AIDS activist in San Francisco, the path that led to his eventual marriage and fatherhood, and how Yoga became the doorway that led to a self-acceptance he would have never imagined.
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Following the New Year's Silent Retreat, the annual Staff Silent Retreat was held. It's a 5-day immersion into silence, the Integral Yoga practices, classes, and some time for creative projects. Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville programs and activities go on hiatus during this time so that as many staff as possible can participate. (Photo: Yogaville staff gather for a group photo at the close of the retreat.)
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The retreat was uplifting and transformative. An example of what some did during free time is this magnificent yantra sand painting pictured here. The retreatants wished to share this message: "Thanks to Yogaville for giving us the time and support to go deep into our practice of meditation, study, poses, chanting, and relaxation. And art projects for our free time!" (photos by Bill Geoghegan)
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Inspiring Meme of the Week
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