Aligning with Grace

"I am awake." Often, in a dream, I notice I am conscious in it. I know it is a dream. I will say to myself - "I am awake". Sometimes the dream is so vivid it seems more real than my waking state. When we have these kinds of dreams, they are called lucid. Sometimes we are fully present and conscious in life. We totally show up. In our relationships. In our work. In that which gives our lives meaning and in those things we are passionate about. Sometimes we are awake even when life throws us curve balls, or we have to face unspeakable challenges. It is possible to be awake, even then... One of my favorite lines from the movie "Thelma and Louise," occurs near the end when they are circling around the Grand Canyon - having left much tragedy and a host of  insurmountable circumstances in the dust. There really is no viable future left for them. It is then, that one of them says to the other, as they drive through the middle of the night, "I am aw...

This season, as in the previous two, I begin each morning in Advent , by meditating on the online devotional, "Follow the Star." I have been pondering some of Michelle Thomas Bush's reflections this week, but this one, in particular, struck a chord: "Keep awake! We are an over-caffeinated community with 6 hour energy drinks, who are in the practice of staying up late. The local coffee shop knows what we will order when we walk through the door. Facebook and Xbox Live can keep us up for hours on end. We know how to stay awake. Keep awake! It is a call to be alert to the presence of God. We may be wide awake, but have we fallen asleep in our spiritual life? We are in charge and waiting for the return of our Master. Our God is coming! This is a wake up call!" Yes - we do know how to stay awake on a physical level - perhaps willing ourselves so - but we do so without being fully present, attentive, or mindful. We know how to stay awake and multi-task. But, are we...

What weighs you down? What keeps you in bondage when you most yearn for freedom - and just want to soar? Nicolai Bachman , in his book, The Path of the Yoga Sutras , defines "vairagya" as nonattachment to sensory objects. Every major religious or spiritual tradition teaches the concept of nonattachment in form or another. Bachman begins this section in his book with this quote from the Buddha : "The secret of happiness lies in the mind's release from worldy ties." Catchy verse. It rhymes. And it is so true! The practice of vairagya enables us to cultivate a sense of letting go - not only of material things and possessions, but also of all that does not serve us as well. In my classes, it seemed fitting to link this concept to the Anusara Yoga principle of "Organic Energy" because when one has truly embodied this notion of nonattachment and letting go, while still drawing in to that which binds us, grounds us, and keeps us honest - we are free to soar...