October 2012 – Tapas: Heat /Discipline

It all began with a trip to the local bank, where there was a basket of chocolate candy sitting there. I was tempted. It’s only a bite of chocolate. Chocolate’s good for you.  And so began the holiday season of indulgence. Or over indulgence. Feeding ourselves. And over drinking. And parties, events, cooking and baking and making gifts or shopping. And wrapping. Where does it end?

It ends with us being stressed sick, lying in bed, waiting for it to be over.

Yes, I exaggerate, but only to make a point.

My theme this Fall has been balance, trying to find it and maintain it. As we move from the heat and activity of summer to the cold and inactivity, comparatively, of winter, we strive to keep ourselves afloat.

Everything constantly changes. The air temperature fluctuates and we are unsettled.

Yoga affords us the opportunity to re-find ourselves, to settle into our bodies and our minds. Fall is the time for balance, as we have one foot in summer and one foot in winter, we span the bridge. What a wonderful time to practice balancing yoga postures.

I am also reminded of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, including the 8 limbs of Yoga, his road map  for us to practice yoga and live our lives off the mat. Tapas, one of the observances from the 8 limbs of yoga, means heat or discipline, like the heat of the fire in my fireplace—it’s controlled and steady, unwavering. Unlike my discipline which is constantly shifting. I get my heart rate up and heat up my body at the gym. But it only works that way if I actually get out the door of my house-just putting the clothes and shoes on doesn’t mean I’m working out!

In discipline there is balance. It's a constant steady learning process, working at it a little at a time. Again, I am challenged with that-hence this blog which began in October ends in December!

I like the way Nischala Devi speaks of tapas in her book The Secret Power of Yoga. “Living life with zeal and sincerity, the purifying flame is ignited (tapas), revealing the inner light.” Just do it, whatever it is, just be true to yourself and do it with gusto and find your true self, your inner goodness! She defines tapas of body as “service, physical purity, living in virtue, moderation and reverence for all.” While practicing yoga and teaching it I intend to serve myself and others. I try to stay healthy, to eat well (over-doing is my downfall) and exercise, and get enough sleep. Moderation in all things is healthy. I like to make lists and include the “play” or non-work or errand items, like exercise and yoga and meditation, even writing, for every day. I need to see it to encourage myself to participate in even the healthy-for-me items! It’s difficult for me to have zeal and enthusiasm when my energy is low from lack of sleep.

Nischala Devi also speaks of tapas of the mind as “tranquil, gentle, kind, quiet, willpower and purity of thought”. When thoughts are negative they cannot be kind or gentle or pure. It takes the discipline again of taking care of my physical body in order for the mind to be pure and tranquil. Meditation certainly helps, as does being able to “sound off” to a friend’s listening ear.

The third aspect of tapas from the Bhagavad-Gita is tapas of speech, allowing our words to be an expression of the mind and heart and “be truthful, pleasant, serene, beneficial, prayer and japa” or repetition of a mantra. Even the simple thanks given before eating food is reflective of this aspect of tapas. I recently spoke to an animal communicator who told me some things to tell my cats. She said I needed to mean it, not just say the words. And that I think is tapas, for it to come from the heart.

I am reminded of my original thought, which was really about being disciplined and seeking balance during the holidays, which really began with Halloween. I am trying to be mindful of not over eating, staying with my regimen at the gym, practicing yoga and meditation, and finding space for creative outlets. I am trying to be conscious in my selection of what I do and where I go and who I am with. And I attempt to be totally present with zeal and enthusiasm. All that is a lot easier when the semester is over and I have a bit of free time in my life. And now final grades are in and my time is even more my own. And so I continue to work on tapas.

May you find tapas – zeal – enthusiasm – discipline - heat in your life, lighting the spark of your inner light.

10-25-12

Compassion is what Kriplau means. But what does it really mean? The Dali lama speaks of compassion as being the only thing that matters.

So I try to be compassionate. I’m not sure I’m doing it right.

Here are some examples. I get frustrated with people being in the “car” lane through Smith Park. They’ve got the whole other lane. I have no compassion there…only frustration.

I call to catch up with somebody, either personal or business or making an appointment. I call, leave voice message, text, email, even Facebook message and it still takes a week for someone to get back with me, if then. I have no compassion for our present communication system.

Someone offered me compassion. The other night while I was driving home I missed the green left turn arrow, so I went to move into the next/ right lane to go straight ahead. A car speeded up from the right lane to that middle lane so I paused. Then someone came up and let me in. That was sooo kind!

Recently I was told I’m hard on myself. Really? And yet if I am being demanding and exacting of myself, and critical when I don’t meet the bar, then am I being critical of others as well??

I’ve been so busy trying to stay on top of running a business and being a teacher, that I neglect myself. I went to a meeting this week, and was totally ungrounded. I was that way all day. I didn’t take time for myself. So I’m back to the gym. I’m back to riding my bike on the greenway. I’m back to writing and being creative, even if I don’t really think I have the time.

Is that what compassion is? Being kinder to myself so I can be more kind to others? First I take care of me so I may serve others.

I am back. Rooted. Grounded again.

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to re-discover myself

The fog comes in

on little cat feet

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on. – Carl Sandburg

This poem came to me yesterday as October was ushered in by fog over the mountain. I’ve always loved this poem. It reminds me of growing up in suburban Chicago, not unlike Carl Sandburg. Lake Michigan and its many hues and humors. And of course I’ve always loved cats. And haiku. And this poem is like haiku-short, sweet and to the point.

And it speaks of our yoga journey, which may be elusive at times, or more often than not. We may be reaching for something in our yoga practice, such as attaining a certain pose or being able to hold it for a certain time period. And we reach and we struggle and we’re not clear about what is happening or not happening because we are so focused on that particular goal. We’re in the fog…that place of unknowing. And we have to just sit with it, as the fog “sits looking over harbor and city” until the fog moves on. And then the change we were seeking may come, without struggle.

I remember a friend once who complained severely when we went downtown to the market to walk around, or cruise the Sidewalk art show, or even go shopping. He would drive around the parking lot looking for a spot close to the building, no matter how long that took. One particularly difficult day I spoke to him about his disgruntled-ness. The response I got was that he was in pain—his back was hurting all that time! Out of the fog into clarity. Then I knew for sure what was happening, as did he as he could verbalize his sensations. We then had the necessary information to go about effecting change.

From Thomas Kempis: “You cannot let go of anything if you cannot notice that you are holding it. Admit your 'weaknesses' and watch them morph into your greatest strengths.” So my friend noticed he was holding on to his fear, his pain and even his breath. He began to acknowledge the pain and seek ways to let go of it. He quit drinking Diet Coke, started practicing yoga and breathing into his pain. And he became stronger and later started a healing practice on others.

Out of the fog comes truth and clarity. Today I couldn’t even see the mountain. The sky was one big cloud all day. It makes everything surreal. Trees and leaves were more in focus because of the fogginess, or lack of focus behind it. When that cloud lifts we will be “enlightened”. In the light of day we can tell where we are and what we’re about.

Walking, jogging actually, backwards with sunglasses on…a man was daring to be out in the fog and put additional obstruction in his path…while he played on a misty, rainy day. I saw him. I was impressed. He didn’t seem to mind not knowing where he was going.

In our Foundations classes I really stress (sorry, I mean emphasize!) simply being aware of yourself and what is going on within you and how that affects you. Then the change happens. So we come from this place of not knowing ourselves very well to the yoga mat where we explore sensation while moving and breathing (that’s called “yoga”!). And it pays off. Just this week a repeat beginner told me how she noticed how she stood on her feet, which part more than the rest of the foot, and so now she has shifted, and feels stronger in her back and her body! Another student explored her chronic pain in her back and played with shifting various parts of her posture.  It was wonderful to watch these changes occur as yogis came out of the fog to see clearly what is going on in their own bodies.

Here is a chant often used at the beginning or end of yoga practice. It’s a call for peace, and describes the path of yoga, moving from that place of ignorance to awareness and knowledge. And that brings us to a place of peace, just like my friend that realized he was grumpy because his back hurt.

Sanskrit:
Asato maa sad-gamaya.
Tamaso maa jyotir-gamaya.
Mṛityor-maa-mṛitan gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti

English Translation:
Lead us from Untruth to Truth, from Darkness to Light, from Death to Immortality.
Om peace, peace, peace

And here’s Ravi Shankar and George Harrison’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B52Cx4geas0

So recently I’ve struggled with a situation and could not for the life of me see it clearly. I was in the fog. Finally I was able to take myself out of the equation, drop my ego at the door and then could see the situation oh so clearly and not be in a muddle about it. From that place of awareness came truth and acceptance, even closure. Now I see it from the other person’s perspective and am at peace.

Namaste

 

 

 

It’s. Not. All about me

It’s all about me.

I’m an Aries. What can I say? We think we’re the first astrological sign for a reason-we’re of the utmost importance. We’re first. Period.

It’s kind of embarrassing really. My daughter bought into it by giving me a big ole’ button for Mother’s Day that says…it’s all about MEEE!!!

Reminders keep coming to me that this philosophy is not necessarily so. While I was working Chillage last month,  a friend asked me if I wanted anything from a local restaurant. I said sure, bring me some pizza. And I waited and waited and finally, it dawned on me that they were all going to eat dinner, and would bring back my food when they were finished with their meal. Ah! The light bulb flashed on as my co-worker at the front desk said: “So, it’s not all about you.” Do I wear that button on me without actually wearing it??

This is the very danger of yoga - that we believe it’s all about Me. We come to yoga because, on some level, we want to work on ourselves. We want to devote time to our bodies, our minds, for our own health and wellbeing. We gotta start there. We truly do. And yet we need to move on, to think and act beyond ourselves.

Our yoga practice is simply practice for life off the mat. We only have to make that transference.

On the mat, we aim to be present for ourselves. We invite in the physical sensations, the emotional releases, and the ever flowing river of thoughts.  We breathe into the uncomfortableness. My daughter has sciatica issues and went to acupuncture for treatment. She was told to practice pigeon pose for about 2 minutes to help open up the tight places. She said  she hated pigeon because it hurts to practice it, much less for that long. That’s the yoga. To dare to go into those places where it is not pleasant and not comfortable and breathe into and be present with what is going on.

It’s all about you.

I was reading Erich Schiffman, who declares  yoga is about love. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, gives a road map of how to treat ourselves and one another. No harm, no greed, honesty, not stealing—all ways we aspire to be - with ourselves and with others.

My best friend’s mother has been dying. The hardest lesson was letting go of my own day to day needs and listening, and ministering, to  her needs. Yes, my current  definition of love is  when I am thinking about someone else, not myself.

We need to be able to take care of ourselves and our own needs and then to move to that place of caring for someone else, even better. Then we are equipped to be there for others when it is not so comfortable, even painful.

I swallowed my pride (and stuffed the ego after  a bit) and stepped up to the plate with my friend, letting go of what I thought I heard and was  there for her. I had already done that with offering to do tasks, like dog walking, but I wasn’t present where needed.

It’s all about everyone

Finally, the goal of yoga is to reach enlightenment. I  taught a yoga class for students at Roanoke College who are studying enlightenment. For an entire semester they get to ponder what that is. Imagine that!  I’m thinking it’s all about all of us. Everyone. And enlightenment is that place when we don’t even think about ourselves as being distinguished from everyone else. We remember we are all the same. The ego disappears. And Oneness happens. Pure Love.

That’s all for now. Thanks for listening.

Love is the seed, surrender the bud, and service the fruit. When love itself is lacking, there cannot be any true surrender or service. Serve with a full heart. By making others happy, you make yourself happy.
—Swami Kripalu

 

Grounded. What does it mean to be grounded? Not spacy. Not scattered. Or as children say...not daydreaming. When did we stop daydreaming? Now we say our thoughts are racing, or our mind is not here. Daydreaming sounds like so much more fun!

So grounded is the opposite of all this. It is the place where we feel totally present. We are aware of the body and its sensations. We are aware of the breath. We are completely present. It is the opposite of being unfocused, and is in fact, yoga.

All that grounding is, is what yoga is. Every time we come to the mat we become aware of the body, the mind is watching it and we breathe. We are attempting to find our connection with the floor and the earth below it. We are seeking our place in the world.

In all of yoga we are focused on being present. As I write this I think, when will I get to bed? My tummy is really full from that blueberry pie. Oops! I crossed my legs again!. It is very challenging to be present and totally focused. There are so many distractions. The sounds... The crickets chirping. The night train sitting on the tracks. The flow of traffic on the highway. The thoughts - see above. Our constant craving for everything to be done and perfect.

And with yoga, it is all happening at the same time. It's simply a matter of what you choose to pay attention to. Isn't that easy?

Meditation is a way of grounding, bringing ourselves back to the present moment. We get lost in our thoughts. Daydreaming. And then we come back. Time after time after time.

Being grounded means feeling stable and rooted, like a tree. Standing postures are good tools to help us feel grounded. We reach down through the feet and feel like we know where we are. Balancing postures help us find our feet, our stability, our balance and our place in the room.

Drinking water might help you feel present. Eating meat, protein or simply eating may bring you back to your earthly body.

Sitting on your sitz bones in a seated twist, you find yourself awake and aware of twisting spine.

Lying on your belly for back bends: cobra and half locust and you are there. You are dropped down through the pelvis and feeling heavy toward the earth.

One last time for grounding..lying on your back. Nothing to do. Savasana. The final relaxation brings you back to the ground. Back to your roots. Back to your self. Letting go of all external "stuff" and remembering who you are.

Today started out as one of "those days". You know, where everything you touch falls apart, or you cannot get the bag or jar, or paint can, open. Or the screw breaks off. Your big blue garbage can spills into the street before the nice men come to pick it up. And I got so frustrated. I found myself yelling to the cats: "I can't deal with this!" And I had to back off, and take a deep breath and say, none of that mattered.

What was precious and what mattered was that my girls looked at me with wide eyes, watching my every move like it was the most exciting thing they'd ever seen! And that was feeling grounded, being with my cats, who allow me to talk to them and yell around them. They let me move their world to wash the towel or shake out the throw rug, or vacuum behind them. And through it all, they are present. They are watchful. They are awake. And enjoying every moment. OK, well, maybe not so much the yelling or vacuuming.

Being grounded for me means knowing I am present and I can do whatever I need to do at the moment. So I guess it's off to bed for some sleep.

Thanks for listening.

Blog. A journal. I always have things to say in class and then I go blank at the thought of writing down my thoughts.

So, go back. Remember el derecho? Power lines were down. Trees were down. Roads were blocked. Meanwhile, it was 100 degrees. People lost power and water,  and then food. Many  had to stay somewhere else and take their pets with them. There were break-ins. Al l around our usual patterns were disrupted.

And in the chaos there was connection. Even as the electrical wires were not connecting, even as fewer people could be on the Internet or Facebook, there as connection. How? Some invited neighbors over to stay with them. One side of the street had power while the other did not, so long extension cords allowed the power to connect another household. A friend told me she quickly developed a new routine: she walked to Cups where she got coffee which she took back to her front porch where she sat and read the paper while drinking her coffee with her neighbor. Lights were out and people re-connected in ways they had not for a long time. People went to stay with friends or family members. Separate households became one...for awhile.

Another report was a neighbor who cooked all meat from the freezer on the grill and shared it with the neighborhood.

Everyone coped. It  wasn’t fun or what was expected or desired. The power returned in a couple days or was off for far longer than that. There were losses. At The Yoga Center we had power and kept the doors open for students to come practice yoga.

We stay in our houses. We lounge in the air conditioned spaces. We do not connect with our neighbors other than a brief wave as both back out of the driveway in the morning or take out the garbage bins. 

And in the warm darkness of no electricity and no electronics to divert us, maybe we reconnected within ourselves. I had electricity. I have no AC so there was no change there. The ceiling and floor fans were blowing the air around. I was still hot, but I did manage to re-assess. I noticed that I was having trouble hearing what people said or understanding the full impact. I had trouble communicating and being understood. I wasn’t certain if I was being heard for what I said and what I wanted.

And that realization made me go inside, go inside myself to see if I was truly listening to myself. If others had a hard time listening maybe that started within me. I found that I wasn’t treating myself well. I was frustrated with communication challenges and then would do something not healthy. For me it’s usually eating late at night, or staying up late. Or not meditating or doing my yoga practice. So I decided to re-group and start listening. One night, craving ice cream after yoga I found the ice cream place closed. Saved by their closure! I got up in the morning and returned to the yoga mat and my meditation cushion, for however briefly. I biked on the Greenway.

I worked on my 5^th chakra, the throat chakra. I tried opening my ears to hearing better, taking my time to try to understand better. I later learned that some of my feeling not heard was, of course, due to phone messages and emails not getting to the intended due to the power outages.

The black-out reminded me that we need to go within in order to be without. Ya know? We need to regroup and re-connect with ourselves before we can connect with others. As an introvert I really have to guard my alone time in order to regain energy spent on being with others. And yet I have chosen a livelihood with the intention of helping others. I can only do that if I help myself.

May we all take care of ourselves. May we practice healthy habits. May we share our good fortune with others. May we all know peace no matter what.

My World View

Everything depends on our world view. If we see the world as a dark, even an evil place, that's what it will be for us. If we view what is outside us as pleasing and inviting, then that is what it will be.

What is my world view? What do I say to myself a lot? "People are _____." (fill in the blank with your favorite derogatory word) is something Ii say when I'm having road rage, or I'm frustrated with trying to get a point across to college students I think aren't paying attention.

Negative words. Heaviness follows. I get sunk down into a depression, into a hole I can't find my way out of. Sometimes I feel like someone or some thing is keeping me down in there! Could it be my thoughts?

On the sunny days, the days when I am greeted by my world of flowers and colors and I see them, my world view is different. My mantra is different: "People are kind and loving." "My world is beautiful." "I am grateful for all I am, all I have and all I give."

This past week I helped celebrate a birthday. I love all the spring babies! They love to enjoy the earth! And this particular April baby spoke of her dreams and desires and how she was achieving them! When I shared that story with a yoga student he shared his "bucket list". And I thought, do I even have a bucket list? Do I have any desires? Am I just going through the hole to the end, or am I reaching for something in particular? I guess my bucket list has had going to the Galapagos Islands on it. I want to see the turtles. And there's the Mississippi River. I want to float down it like Mark Twain. And do the donkey ride in the Grand Canyon. But will I? Will Ii actually seek to make that happen?

An insight this week was this: I am an observer of life. I do not experience life. I allow life to be experienced around me. My direct observation is not equal with my full participation. I am the reporter, sharing what I observe, writing about experiences outside my realm. Hmmm...Is that because of my world view? Is it pure laziness? I always was an under-achiever.

Do I simply go through my days...doing the "work" and going to bed? Or do I en-joy my days, my life? Am I experiencing my world? Many people are planners. I am not. I plan a class and then shoot from the hip. I travel with other people who are wonderful researchers, and therefore planners, and I just show up a and have a good time. My daughter will tell you she wants me to have a retirement plan. Am I missing something by not making a plan?

From Nischala Joy Devi's book: The Secret Power of Yoga she writes: "Consciousness expands outward from the heart as we become part of the physical world." Stop. Conscious expands outward? You mean it's not all about me? I knew it! As our consciousness leaves the heart it manifests as thought or emotion. And what we believe is what we project. We turn toward pleasure, or the belief that life is beautiful, or we turn toward pain, deeming life painful. We have the choice of how we view the world and how we respond to it. Some of us think we can only grow and change if we experience difficulty. Others think we can get what we want without so much hardship.

On the yoga mat, our own little microcosm of the world, we approach our bodies, mind and yes, even the yoga poses, and the breath all with attitude--our world view attitude. People are all about the pain or are too easy on themselves. My German background says "work, work hard". My slacker attitude says, "be gentle with yourself". And somewhere in-between lies the balance, that place where we discover our own world view and our own path to wherever it is we're going.

And hopefully, smelling the flowers along the way.

Namaste

Debbie