Divine Day at the River

I begin this entry, at precisely 11:11 AM. For those into numerology, you know I begin it on an auspicious moment of perfection.

Every moment is perfect as it is. And every moment is auspicious. Each one comes bearing its own unique gifts, whether we have the eyes to see such things and the ears to hear them - or not...

I arose and went down to the river with Grace, my kayak, and a cup of coffee in tow. It has been such a long time since we've been able to go paddling because of my physical recovery from surgery, the constant rains of the last couple of weeks, and appointments that had been on my schedule for some time. But today, the universe conspired to assist me and grant me this wish! That, and the fact that an insightful dream last night very much indicated I must go in. And so I did, on this magnificent morning, where the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun joined together to enshroud me in its canopy of healing magic.

There is nothing like the exhilaration of those first few moments when you push away, and surrendering to the river and its currents, you allow yourself to glide effortlessly, wherever you are led. You cannot push the river. But if you let go, and merge with its rhythm, you find this wonderful groove, between effort and surrender that is both blissful and delicious. And so, I floated for a while, slowing down to the present moment, and listening to the river's gentle teachings and reminders to me:

"What is real, is illusion;
What seems illusion can be real.

Be present in this moment, fully.
Everything that is, is.
And everything is perfect, as it is.

Let go, and
Accept everything.

Practice compassion and gratitude
More deeply in the coming year."

Timely lessons, for the moment. For this day. Timely lessons for any moment. For any day. Timely lessons on the last day of one month, and the eve of a new one.Timely lessons for the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. Timely lessons for every year.

Today, may you hear the messages that most speak to you!

Shanah Tovah and Shubh Navratri

Today, my Jewish friends celebrate Rosh Hashanah, their New Year, by saying to each other, "Shanah Tovah," a beautiful greeting which means:

"May you be inscribed
in the book of life
for a good year."

According to Jewish tradition, God understands all languages, and the prayer that is conceived in one's heart always finds the way to God!

Today, my Hindu friends celebrate the Festival of the Nine Days of Navratri, commemorating the Divine in its Feminine Form, who dispels ignorance. It is a time when the Goddess can literally re-structure our thoughts and the patterns in our minds and grant us divine intelligence.

It is also a time, when good triumphs over evil, and true knowledge of the self is possible. And at this time, Hindus wish one another "Shubh Navratri," or Happy Navratri!

Today, is a good day. It is a day for celebrating life. Michael Berg, the Kabbalah Scholar beautifully explains the meaning of Rosh Hashanah, and it speaks to us all, in all places, and all times, and all religious traditions:

"Rosh Hashanah is an important time of the year; there are blessings available to every person during this time. It is the beginning of the lunar calendar year, and is therefore called the “head” (Rosh) or beginning of the Year (Hashanah). The Kabbalists also call this time the seed of the coming year. We know that the seed of a tree, even before it is planted, holds within it all the potential that the tree will become. It will take time even after the seed is planted for the tree to manifest its complete growth and potential. Nevertheless, the seed that was planted already determines much of what will grow and happen next. If you plant an apple seed, no matter what you do afterwards, you will not be able to grow an orange tree. This is what occurs on Rosh Hashanah; we are creating and planting the seeds for the coming year. We want to have a year filled with great blessings and happiness so we take the opportunity through our thoughts and actions now to draw all of the energy that we will manifest later. Everything that we do on the days of Rosh Hashanah (this Thursday and Friday) is meant to assist us in planting the right and best seeds for the blessings that we want and will need in the coming year.

Another beautiful teaching is that on this day everything is renewed. One of the greatest sources of unhappiness is that everything ages and becomes old. Usually we are more excited and in love in the beginning of a relationship than 10 years into the marriage. Many of the gifts that come into our lives are exciting and fulfilling in the beginning, but then they become old. Even if we still appreciate them, it is not usually with the same joy and vigor as in the beginning. But it does not have to be so. We can and are meant to renew ourselves, our relationships, our lives, and our blessings at least once a year. One of the gifts available to us on Rosh Hashanah is the ability to draw the energy of renewal to the important areas of our life. Think about the areas of your life that have become old, and blessings that you want to fulfill with the energy of renewal. Through this consciousness you draw the energy of newness into every area of your life.

There are many tools that we can use during the two days of Rosh Hashanah but there are two important connections that we can all make. The first is to take time during these two days and think about our past year, the good, the better, and the not so good. Then ask yourself, “What do I want to change from last year?”, “what do I want to make better?” Also, “what blessings do we want to draw for ourselves and our family in the next year?” The supernal gates open up during these two days and by opening ourselves up to the flow of light and energy from above we can receive endless blessings.

The second important connection is how we think and behave during Rosh Hashanah. If we desire to connect to the supernal energy that is revealed we should behave like the supernal light. We should act in only ways of sharing, forgiveness and care. No anger, no doubt, no jealousy, no sadness, at least for these two days. How we are during these two days will influence the next 363.

May we all be blessed with a wonderful new year and endless blessings for ourselves our families and the world. Shanah Tova."

May it be so! May you plant seeds for a new year. May you allow the Divine to shift your consciousness! May it be a year filled with wondrous dreams come true!

Purusha - Drawing in and Binding to Spirit

What do you bind yourself to?

What do you call upon - or draw upon in a moment of need? Today, one friend is grieving a loss, my nephew celebrates a birthday, someone I know buried her husband, and a dear friend's spouse may receive dire news in the form of a potentially deadly diagnosis. Some of these individuals, are persons of faith. Some of these, right now, are drawing in and connecting to Spirit.

In my classes this week, I continued to draw up the wonderful book, The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman.

The third concept or principle he discusses, is "purusa" often commonly written as "purusha." While this word is often translated as spirit, Bachman describes it as the pure inner light of awareness.

"Seated in our heart and pervading every cell of our body lies a conscious, intelligent awareness. Individual uniqueness is due to our temporary, ever-changing body, breath, and mind. These outer layers of ourselves surround an inner, divine light of awareness called the purusa, or atman, which illuminates the truth and expresses love and compassion."

One of my favorite quotes by Rumi powerfully reminds each one of us that:

"The whole universe is inside of you.
Ask all from yourself."

We are spirit at our essence. In fact, we are embodied spirits having a human experience. But our individual spirit, is one small aspect or expression of Spirit, which is changeless and eternal. In times of need, we draw in, and connect to Spirit. In the language of Anusara Yoga, this is referred to as Muscular Energy.

When we engage muscle energy, we tap into our inner resources - we connect with the Universal which resides inside of us. We have access to a power and a Source for whom all things are possible. Indeed, we open to possibilities and resources we never knew we had.

I am reminded of this quote by Emily Dickinson:

"Dwell in possibility."

Today, tap into your inner resources. Hug in. Connect with Spirit. When you do - you find strength. And balance. Just like in your practice. In your poses. In your meditation. In your life.

Autumn Arrival

I have so wanted to write all week - but this was my first full week back to my regular teaching schedule - and it was filled with wonders, and blessings, and unexpected sorrows and occurrences as well...

Twice, in this past week, I woke up to fog and with a cup of coffee in tow, headed very quickly before the start of my busy day to the river. On both occasions, the water spilled into the sky, and the heavens melted into the river - so seamlessly that no discernible or tangible boundaries or edges between the two was evident.

"And God said, Let there be a firmament
in the midst of the waters,
and it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament,
and divided the waters
which were under the firmament
from the waters which were
above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven.
And the evening and morning were
the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven
be gathered together unto one place,
and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth;
and the gathering together of the waters
called the Seas: and God saw that it was good."
~ Genesis 1:6 - 10

The blending of the skies, the river, and the land - reminded me - that everything and everyone is simply one - we are all made of the same substance, by the same One, in Whom we are all one. And yet, it is something we simply forget all of the time...

I was not able, on either one of these days to paddle in the river, though my heart so yearned to come into the river and bless myself in its sanctified waters, and my soul desired to lose itself in this breathtaking and endless sea of gray without borders or markers of any kind...

It was not to be. Instead, I plunged into the many activities and responsibilities awaiting me, on this first week of returning to work, culminating with the commencement of the autumn season.

It was a week filled with flats, and replacing tires on two sets of cars - of tragic news received from a dearly beloved friend, perhaps an ominous arrival of something predicted many years before - though hope prevails and may ultimately triumph - through the gift and healing of many prayers offered.

It was a week that witnessed the reunion of three mystical souls, marked by the auspiciousness of a rainy day, as we feasted our senses in a delightful art exhibition, followed by fellowship and lunch, where each one of us resonated with shared pain and sorrow. In the midst of spoken and unspoken prayers, we simply reclaimed another world.

It was a week filled with so much busyness converging on life and encroaching on stillness from every possible corner - and so filled with thoughtfulness and meaning, and gentle reminders, that now is the the only time there is to simply be present - to ourselves and to each other...

And so, I leave you with two quotes I read this morning, and two wonderful reminders of the gift of autumn. Though, I did not make it into the river this week,

"The voice of the river
that has emptied into the Ocean
now laughs and sings
just like God."
~ Hafiz

"May little blessings grow
into waves of grace."

Fall Song

Another year gone, leaving everywhere
its rich spiced residues: vines, leaves,

the uneaten fruits crumbling damply
in the shadows, unmattering back

from the particular island
of this summer, this NOW, that now is nowhere

except underfoot, moldering
in that black subterranean castle

of unobservable mysteries - roots and sealed seeds
and the wanderings of water. This

I try to remember when time's measure
painfully chafes, for instance when autumn

flares out at the last, boisterous and like us longing
to stay - how everything lives, shifting

from one bright vision to another, forever
in these momentary pastures.

~ Mary Oliver ~

Autumn

O Lord, it is time
The summer was so vast
Put your shadows on the sundials
And in the fields let the wind loose.

Order the last fruits to become ripe
Give them two more sunny days
Push them to fulfillment
And force the last sweetness
into the heavy wine.

He who has no house now will not build one
He who is alone will be so
for a long time to come
Will stay awake, read,
write long letters
And restlessly walk in the park
among the blown leaves.

~ Ranier Maria Rilke

Citta - Opening the Heart-Mind Field of Consciousness

Last week, I began my yoga classes with the first sutra from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Today, I began with a key word from the second sutra, or verse, which is commonly translated as something like:

"Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind."

Or, as one of my favorites renditions by Alistair Shearer:

"Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence."

The word "citta" is often translated as "mind," though in his new book, The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga, Nicolai Bachman, describes "citta" as "heart-mind field of consciousness," which I find absolutely delicious!

So, today in my classes, I continued working with the First Universal Principle of Alignment in Anusara Yoga - which is "Opening to Grace." I chose to work with the aspects of "Inner body bright and side body long," and began my centering by having my dear Monday morning students, envision the sun rising in their hearts. I asked them to imagine themselves becoming more luminous and expansive as the sun rose and shone brightly in their hearts - expanding their side bodies with this light.

I also noted, that when we open our minds and hearts - and our bodies in this way - we widen our perceptual lens - we shift the way we see and understand the world. We may even consider other perspectives that are much different than our own, and see the value in them as well.

Bachman begins the chapter on "chitta" with this wonderful quote from the Lakota:

"The power of the Universe will come to your assistance,
if your heart and mind are in Unity."

Bachman notes that "we are all conditioned by our experience." And, our "heart-mind sits between the ever-changing outside world and an inner light of awareness. This inner light never changes, and it represents a pure, unconditional love. A heart-mind sullied with mental-emotional baggage prevents the inner light from shining through."

When we practice, we let go of what does not serve, and allow that inner light to shine through. By "opening to grace," we become expansive - not only in our bodies - but in our hearts and minds. Our inner luminosity enables us to widen our perceptual lens, perhaps even more than we imagined or thought capable.

In the aftermath of surgery, as I have shared before, I have been able to shed fears, limitations, longings, and attachments, in a way I could not have envisioned. Truly, my perspective has been broadened, and in a very real sense, there is no script for my life as it is right now.

A practice that begins from a premise that not only invites us - but challenges us to "open to grace" is indeed transformational, in ways that are often unforeseen.

Today, open to grace. Connect with your inner luminosity as you open your hearts and your minds. In every task, deed and thought - become as expansive as you can. Let the sun rise in your heart!

Atha - Now is the Time for Yoga

I began teaching yoga again this week, after two months of resting and recuperating after surgery. I decided to use as my theme, the first sutra in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - "atha yoga nusasanam," or, "Now is the time for yoga."

Every fall we say goodbye to the summer, and we greet the nascent season, by saying yes to our practice once again. When we begin anything - a project, a degree, a school, a job - there is an initial hesitancy, and fear - and enthusiasm - as we embrace what will be - but what is also, not yet...

When we are ready, the universe conspires to assist us in undertaking whatever task or desire we have at hand...

The new book, The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga, by Nicolai Bachman, develops key concepts of the Yoga Sutras, in order to shed light on the these simple, pithy directives and assertions.

The word "atha" - implies readiness and commitment on our part. The first chapter of this book begins with the following quotation from Goethe:

"Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back. The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

The first two paragraphs in Bachman's book wisely observe:

"Beginnings, like endings, can be difficult or exciting. Starting something new implies change, a step toward an eventual goal. Atha is the very first word in the Yoga Sutras and is considered an auspicious way to begin. Whenever we make an important decision, often the universe will energetically support us.

Atha here means beginning the study of who we are, where we are, and how we can make incremental changes to our inner and outer self in order to be...more in tune with how we feel and how our actions affect those around us..."

The third paragraph continues by noting:

"Learning, practicing, and integrating the various aspects of yoga happens over a long period of time and requires patience and perseverance."

This is especially true for those of us with a "come and go" or "ebb and flow" relationship with yoga - which indeed, all of us experience at one point or another.

When we say yes - we "Open to Grace," the First Universal Principle of Alignment of Anusara Yoga. We cannot say yes without being open to what will come. We cannot say yes without embodying what is, and giving birth to what will be. We recognize that the time for yoga - for beginning anything - for saying yes - for embracing our readiness and embodying our commitment is in the NOW - in the sacredness of the present moment, which is the only moment there is.

Today - say yes. Embrace and embody the Now. Say it! Now is the time! Now is the time to do this or that. Now is the time for yoga!

Looking for the Good

We have just concluded a week of non-stop rains, remnants of a residual storm, arriving on the heels of an earthquake and hurricane. I've heard many exasperated people throw up their hands and ask, "What next, the plague?"

While the rains were much needed in this area, it seemed somehow unfair we could not share our bounty with the poor folks in Texas. They have undergone record heat, and uncontrolled fires from extreme dry weather.

I know it is much easier to be pessimistic, but I try to look for the good when I can.

I thoroughly delighted in the rains, and walking in it, getting soaked to the bone. After so much dry weather, it was a welcome respite. I imagined myself in deep cleansing - making out with the old, and in with the new - following on the purging and cleansing just transpiring in my own house, and now mostly concluded. After giving my home a simple make over, that included some small decorating touches and new blinds and a new garage door, I immediately sensed a different flow in the energy within my house that not only affected my mood, and my husband's as well (though he would never admit it) but which also had an impact on my meditations.

We can allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by what we cannot control and what we do not want - or we can accept and love what is - and see the good in it.

As an Anusara yoga teacher, I have been trained to look for the good. And as I prepare to start a new season of teaching and a much busier fall season than I experienced this summer - and while I may also be nostalgic of the past weeks of very slow, soulful living - I choose to look for the good - knowing all that delicious time was merely a preparation for what is to come.

There is something good in every experience and challenge, if we are willing to see it that way. Today, and everyday, take a moment, to look for the good.

Everything that Begins, Ends

Everything that begins, ends - like a delightful book. And everything that ends, gives rise to a new beginning...

I curl up with a good book until I finish it, in the gentle afternoon rain, on this Labor Day, grateful that I had two months to myself, to heal from surgery, and step away from responsibilities.

I reflect on the experiences and insights I have had, the time for quiet, and putting my house in order, tackling jobs I had set aside for months and even years...

I finish a season, and conclude a portion or phase of my life, characterized by slow and mindful living, soon to plunge deeply into weeks and months of increased busyness, classes, and other responsibilities, and yet, there is a part of me that is already missing what was, and yet is also truly understanding we must always love and accept what is...

I leave behind what was, and what gave birth to a new way of living and being, which now spills over into what is - re-structuring, re-ordering, and re-designing the parameters of my well ordered life - that I will navigate like a different river, explored for the first time...

Now is the time to move forward. Now is the time for growth...

And while it may appear that things will once more be as they were, they truly cannot be, for I am not the same. Those wonderful weeks of healing and recuperating allowed me to plumb depths within that had not been explored or visited in a long time. Slow interior growth, sprung forth in valleys that had lain fallow for such a long time...

I do not know what comes next. But, I know it is another chapter. I can sense it. I can feel it. Nothing ever, truly remains the same.

And so, I end one more book in the series a dear friend gifted me with earlier this summer. I have one more volume left, and one more week, somewhat to myself. In a matter of days, the volumes will have been finished, and the books put aside. The cleaning and purging of my house, will also be be finished for the time being. The memory of summer will linger on, though the season itself will be part of the past.

Everything that begins, ends. To everything in life, there is a season. The days are already markedly shorter, and the mornings much darker. It is time to set aside what was, and step more fully into the nascent fall season, and what is. It is time to open to grace once more, and receive the gifts of a new season, a new life, new students, and new opportunities...

New Beginnings and a New Guitar

Emptying has a way of creating space...

Spaciousness often gives rise to new songs that spontaneously germinate within, and so I felt "compelled" once again, to get myself another guitar, this time, a Cordoba studio "Flamenco" nylon/electric, which sings so very sweetly and deeply! And, I got it at a substantial discount! I hearkened back to my classical roots, by making a new friend from that world...

I spent about 45 minutes playing "her," in a quiet little room of Spanish acoustic guitars, going back and forth between two, but the Cordoba won out.

While I was in the store, I ran into Gene, the guy who sold me the Little Martin, a little over a month ago. He remembered what I had bought and we chatted. I bonded with another woman, also buying a guitar, and she came over to tenderly admire my new friend. We talked about how important it is to energetically connect with a guitar.

And so, Saraswati Cecilia, came home with me. Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, wisdom and the arts. She is often portrayed with a stringed instrument sitting across her thighs. My new guitar will be called "Saraswati," Just as my Little Martin is "Cecilia."

In a life now made more spacious, I will enjoy dancing and singing my way into this fall, as I look forward to it unfolding its many gifts!

I am now off, to teach my first yoga class in two months! And, I am a little nervous!