 |
|
Thought & Quote Archive July 2006: It
comes from within
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to run the Comrades
marathon. Lucky because there are many who do not have the time, resources or
health to contemplate this insanity.
In the history of the race, spanning back to the 1920's,
only 80 000 people have ever completed the race - a tiny percentage of the
populace. Many people will have a mental image of young, fit and slim people
doing it, but it's just not true - the event has a full spectrum of all sorts,
shapes and sizes. Almost anybody could run the 87 kilometre event, this I
promise you - all it takes is training and willpower.
This year's motto - "It comes from within" got me thinking
about why people are willing to submit themselves to such voluntary adversity,
and what we hope to achieve by this submission, because certainly only a few
have a realistic chance of winning the prize money.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our
deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness that most frightens us." - Marianne Williamson.
Running twice a standard marathon (which is already a
challenging physical feat) and then some, goes beyond running for health and
fitness - it can be paralleled to dealing with adversity in the realm of
hunger, poverty, famine, desperation, subjugation or even war. In the face of
difficulty, some are defeated and some rise above it. Any of the 11 000 runners
that started out on the morning of the 16th of June will tell you that they
reached a point, beyond which they truly felt they could not go on. One of the
leading contenders experienced this as he slowed to a walk barely 8 kilometres
from the finish with victory in site, but the body defeated. So what is the
"it" that comes from within - is it the indomitable human spirit, mental
fortitude, bloody mindedness or God, even. What makes all of these people
heroes (definition: a person noted for special achievement in a particular
field), and what does all of this have to do with yoga, you might say?
Well firstly, my belief is that with the right intention,
any physical activity constitutes yoga (union of mind and body) - particularly
where there is a focus on nostril breathing. Secondly, the tapas (to build heat
and practise austerities) is not limited to Asana but comes from inside the
body - one of the reasons that I am not convinced about heated room yoga.
Yoga is a set of tools and techniques (a small part of
which are physical exercises) designed to purify the body, maintain health,
enable the mind to be calm, allow energy to move and facilitate a meditation
practise. In the process we grow, learn about ourselves, work at the edge of
our capabilities (which is very often much further than we believe), and as a
by-product we may experience an increase in muscle fascia flexibility. To
obsess about flexibility seems a bit silly in that context. In Ashtanga yoga,
for example, there are a progression of 6 sequences that allow stronger and
more flexible people to continually be challenged and work at the edge of their
ability, but if someone only ever works on the Primary Series or modifies their
practise to their limitations, are they not doing yoga, progressing, learning?
- Of course! Some teachers won't even teach beyond second series because they
believe practitioners become egotistical if they can master challenging
postures. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras only has 3 of 195 verses that mention
postures, where he tells us that they should be comfortable and relaxed. He
also tells us that a "successful" practise is one that is done regularly over a
period of time and without attachment to the outcome. In many ways yoga has
become bastardised by a fixation on physical outcome.
Yoga was designed as a spiritual practise with a physical
element to it, but has become a physical practise with a spiritual element to
it. This grossly understates its potential. Genetics define capability -
everyone's edge is different and competition (like running for example) is
merely an exploration of relative genetics. For the majority, it's about our
own limits. Yoga is not about doing posture X - it's about trying to do it,
changing physiologically as you try, learning from it, making the impossible
possible (thanks Adidas) and defining a new limit.
Look, that's not to say that yoga is not a great exercise
regime but it offers a whole lot more to it. Maybe any exercise programme could
provide the same but not many have a lineage of over 5000 years of sages that
have contributed to its inventory of knowledge. The caveat though is that it's
not something you can understand intelectually - rather it is an experiential
practise which you feel by doing it. You are not reliant on teachers to take
the journey because it's your own, so always be yourself (thanks Puma). The
methodology of the tools and techniques must just be understood. In Ashtanga
this is the routine, progressive nature of breath focussed moving meditation,
the bhandas, the dristhis - a great deal more complexity than many realise but
ultimately it's about you, and you committing to doing a regular practise.
Unfortunately teachers can also limit you, especially when
they rely on 2nd hand information rather than 1st hand experience or else they
limit you by taking their experience and imposing it as lore. In my mind this
accounts for the recent abundance of new "styles" of yoga. Yoga simply offers
some (by no means all) tools that can be used in the pursuit of transcendence -
moving beyond ourselves.
Beware of fads, derivatives and unnecessary complications
and search instead for simplicity, authenticity and humility. The false
prophets and charlatans often shout the loudest, convinced that bluster
overwhelms logics because often it does. Today we are more likely to look for
enlightenment in a jar, transcendence in a pill but not many good things come
without hard work. Yeah, yoga can be hard - especially in these cold, wet
winter months but if it was easy why bother? We are all heroes in this practise
even if we are not part of the handful that can do the full 6 series or win
Comrades. So lets just do it (thanks Nike).
"The practise of yoga, like any other exercise, develops
physical strength. However, unlike other systems, yoga is like the boon giving
tree which, according to age and by means of arduous practise, offers longevity
of life, prevents disease, renders the body, flesh and mind with immortality
and grants the practitioner with the power to perceive the most minute
elements, and the wisdom to differentiate between that which is spirit and that
which is not." Krishnamacharya (inspiration of many modern styles of yoga such
as Ashtanga, Iyengar, Viniyoga).
June 2005: Incredible India
"Certainty is the enemy of freedom" - Tom
Robbins
Having recently returned from a month in India I can't help
feeling that our modern/western sensibilities have stifled the potential and
boundlessness of yoga by trying to frame it in a context of certainty, asana
(posture), alignment and physical perfection. In its homeland, the practice is
largely invisible but characterised by its all encompassing pursuit of truth,
freedom and divinity. India has so much to teach - in microcosm and macrocosm -
but most of all I found it to be a place of paradox and contradiction:
populous, with the fastest growing population in the world (one in six people
on the globe is Indian), a nuclear and economic superpower with 50% illiteracy,
a third of the world's poor (despite being home to some of the world's
wealthiest people and companies), and the world's oldest modern religion.
Overwhelming natural beauty and a high level of nature consciousness but
environmentally ravaged by pollution; mayhem on a very inadequate road system
but no road rage and a dearth of accidents; luxurious hotels, private jets and
opulence in amongst beggars, hawkers and some of the worst physical deformities
imaginable; a lack of clean water, no primary healthcare and some of the
friendliest people I have ever encountered…
Spiritual, yes -
although highly ritualistic with obvious inconsistencies e.g.: in the treatment
of animals; colourful and vibrant yet staid and conformist; friendly and
secretive; bustling and oppressive but contemplative and meditative; cheap, but
boy can you get ripped off; accepting yet judgmental, sexist and racist; and so
the list goes on…. India is not the world in microcosm - it is the world!
And with over a billion people in only 3 million square kilometers, it's
difficult to escape.
What a place, what an education, what a
completely different place from the other countries I have been fortunate to
visit. Whilst I hold firm to the belief that you don't have to go to the
Himalayas to find yourself, I now believe that it might be a great deal easier
if you can!
Of all the revelations, two stand out: Firstly, modern
society's concept of civilisation is an absolute farce - a worldview of
dogmatic belief, chemically induced and produced, war-mongering and dominative
behavior is so foreign to our inherent nature that we must surely rebel against
it at some time. If we don't - the planet will and is starting to. In rural
India we sometimes faced the prospect of defecating (poohing) in nature (when
you gotta go and there's no toilet) - something that doesn't come naturally to
our "civilised" mindset because we think it's unclean. Instead we produce
porcelain toilets, in a process of manufacturing which leads to extensive
pollution and toxic chemical production, we use rare and precious water to
transport the excrement (pooh) through a labyrinth of sewage pipes and systems
(all of which need to be manufactured), we add some more chemicals to clean the
water, manufacture toilet paper and a whole range of "essential" ancillary
products like sprays, detergents and bleaches - and this is more clean?? Now
I'm not advocating that everyone should just do it (pooh) in the bush but
surely it's obvious what folly this mindset is and what damage it does -
instead of allowing the nature to work its process?
The second, and
less ablutive (pooh related) revelation was about yoga - the yoga of India
didn't seem to me to be all about the physicality that we, outside of India,
have made it (aside from one, very influential, style and teacher). Alignment,
precision, structure, orginisation, rules, notions of wrong and right, were
existing precepts that were overlaid into the original practice with it's roots
in shamanic imitations of the gracefulness of other animals - a celebration of
nature spirits and a recognition of our co-existent place in this space we
occupy.
Yoga was a spiritual practice with a physical component that
has become a physical practice with a diluted spiritual component. The yoga of
India is a pursuit of awareness, detachment, meditation and divine linkage -
"it is not necessary for one to do the physical postures to be a practitioner
of the authentic yoga" (Swami Bharati). You wouldn't believe that by looking at
the ever-increasing range of books in the bookstores. When next you say "I do
yoga", be aware that what we should say is "I do postures, which is a small
component of Hatha (physical) Yoga which is part of Raja (royal) Yoga which is
part of the many techniques of Yoga." These ancient, scientific and externally
powerful techniques were developed over lifetimes of teachers for the purposes
of moving towards transcendence. Yes, some of us may choose to use the
techniques to get fit, lose weight or firm the buttocks, but the potential is
so much larger.
Body reflects mind reflects spirit but the caveat is
that it depends on your intention - i.e. why and how you practice. See it as a
fitness regime and it is that (a pretty good one too), see it as a breath
focused moving meditation and you begin to unlock the power of the practice.
This, in turn, allows the yoga to expand into all facets if your life -
breathing into stress, recognizing what's really important in your life,
getting back to nature and moving towards your God or non-God. Everything in
life is yoga and the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga stretch into all of it -
moral observances, personal practices, postures, breathe control, sensory
withdrawal, one pointed focus, meditation and bliss. These limbs are available
to all of us to use to bring contentment, fulfilment and meaning to our lives,
irrespective of religious orientation - seems kinda silly not to use them.
"Truth is one, interpretations many" ~ Bapuji
"Men
do not mirror themselves in running water - they mirror themselves in still
water." Chuang Tzu
The mind is like a lake rippled by thoughts -
only once we have stilled the ripples can we see ourselves for who we truly
are. Waves of Warning
Perhaps some of you have been
surprised at my lack of comment on one of the biggest natural calamities to
befall humanity in living memory. The silence is in part motivated by the
preponderance of media exposure and a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the
extent of the tragedy, but also an incurable cynicism that, if shared too
early, could seem shocking.
On a personal level I have been effected -
the island resort at which I first met Danny Paradise in Thailand has been
devastated, the prospect of a planned return visit later this month gone, but
more significantly 13 fatalities including 2 people I knew personally. The
owner of the resort (a friend) feels overrun by both the crisis as well as the
incredible positive response of his international friends to lend support to
the locals. Around the world, communities and countries have been united in
lending a hand to those in need - a heartening example of the recognition of
our global connectedness. Would that it not require a tragedy for us to see
it.
Now for the questions though - just over a year ago a large
earthquake in Bam, Iran left thousands dead and many more homeless. Over $1
Billion was committed in aid but incredibly, just $17 Million actually reached
the affected! One can only hope that a substantially higher percentage of the
$7 Billion+ committed to the tsunami victims actually arrives. Sometimes the
media hype around the donations, which normally correlates with the hype around
the disaster, runs far ahead of the actuality.
Which brings me to
another point - in a reality TV/media addicted, modern world - are we not in
danger of only reacting to the big news items (wherever they may be) and
ignoring the real life (but equally tragic) items just under our noses?
Charity, after all, begins at home! We live on a continent where millions go
hungry and thirsty every single day, where thousands die daily from curable
ailments and half the population of Sub-Saharan Africa lives in absolute
poverty - right here, right now - without any uninfluenceable natural event to
put them at risk. "Two particular tasks face the world's rich nations,
argues Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair: sorting out Africa, and dealing
with climate change" (The Economist, 29 December 2004). Whatever you think
of his politics, it's good to see a leader consider more than his own backyard,
especially as the UK takes chairpersonship of both the G8 and European Union
simultaneously.
Why does disaster move us and a street child not? In
many ways I believe that modern humanity has lost a capacity for empathy and
joined in an unholy alliance with frivolity. Anyone that disagrees with a TV or
movie celebrity attaining equal or greater status than someone like our own
Nelson Mandela must agree. It's almost as if the fact that it is a TV event
captures us more than the tragedy itself.
Talking about loosing
capacities - I'm not sure how many noticed the sidebar stories about the fact
that no animals died as a direct result of the tsunami. Domestic and wild
animals reacted not just to the oncoming waves but accounts state that at the
time of the actual earthquake, elephants were breaking their chains and heading
for high ground. So clearly animals have some kind of a "sixth" sense that
warned them - but we must have this - surely? We have lost our connection to
nature, and covered our innate abilities with layer upon layer of meaningless
superficialities - shutting ourselves from our roots, history and key to future
survival.
Most will know that this was the most powerful quake to
strike the earth in 40 years and many of the subsequent weather aberrations
have been attributed to the after effects. This line of thinking masks a
fundamental and no longer ignorable trend - i.e. that climate change is
happening and the consequences are not pleasant. "Across the world extreme
climatic conditions such as floods in Britain and the United States, heat waves
in Europe last year and an increase in the incidence and the strength of
hurricanes off the American coast, all show that global warming is finally
having the effect scientists warned about for years" (Cape Times, 15
January 2005).
Locally we are suffering from a 2 year drought with some
climatic experts predicting worse ahead: "climatologists predict that the
winter cold fronts that used to bring wave after wave of rain to the region
will sail harmlessly past the continent, hundreds of kilometres to the south.
They will be pushed offshore by a powerful high pressure belt caused by
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere" (Cape Times). No one can deny that we have
plundered this beautiful planet but what I'm wondering is whether the planet
does not have the capability to rebalance itself, and (without being alarmist)
whether the process has not begun. Yes, tsunamis happen but many indigenous
populations believed in lost civilisations that had been destroyed by natural
cataclysms and who is to say that we are not in the process of creating our
own?
Now, once again my intention is these newsletters is not to preach
but rather to provoke thought and encourage consideration outside of our
blinkered mainstream views on life. What if? Also there is little use in
pointing out a problem without offering a solution so let's start with
ourselves, let's start with our yoga practice, our meditation. Change our
patterns, unlearn our dogma, re-ignite our unity with nature and each other,
learn to be what we are and find the beauty and love that binds us. Remember
too that someone else's hunger, misery and tears are mine and yours too, and
that it's possible to take it on. I loved the religious group's idea of
skipping lunch for a day and donating the saved expenditure to tsunami victims
but let's go further - how about a one-day water only fast. What you would
spend on 3 meals, take and share with a local as well as international charity.
The money will be appreciated, but just as important will be the feeling of
being hungry - it will change forever the way you look at a beggar. Remember
that yoga, for those that choose, goes way beyond the physical practice (Hatha)
and an act of Karma yoga like this is part of the practice.
"Deep
down, you will find that the more selfish you are, the more you suffer in life.
The one who suffers the most in life is he who is selfish, because he has not
learned to let go; he has not learned to give. If you resist giving, then you
won't ever enjoy life. You only make others suffer, that tendency also leads
you to self-suffering. Being selfish is actually hurting yourself; you want to
deprive others of things and yet you want to be happy" ~ Swami Rama
20/02/05
On the plane again - time to collect, reflect and
share some thoughts for the last time this year. Hard on the heels of the Carte
Blanche feature about scientists exploring meditation comes a recent Newsweek
article feature on "The God Gene", the title of a recently published book by a
molecular biologist exploring whether faith is hardwired into our genes.
Funnily enough, the author (Dean Hamer) stumbled onto the topic whilst doing
research on smoking and addiction, and concludes in his book that: "our most
profound feelings of spirituality may be due to little more than an occasional
shot of intoxicating brain chemicals governed by our DNA."! This startling
theory begs Newsweek's following question: "Did humans create religion from
cues sent from above, or did evolution instill in us a sense of the divine so
that we would gather into communities essential to keep the species going?" Now
it would be (at best) arrogant of anyone to claim to know the answer to this
but I am hoping that many of you will share the fascination of considering an
alternate hypothesis to the generally accepted one, and play a little "What
if…?". By getting out of our comfort zone we stand a greater chance of
learning and growing.
Hamer's work focuses on brain chemicals called
monoamines which are manipulated by Prozac and anti-depressants (did anyone
notice the furor around these in the UK - with claims that over 70% of
anti-depressant prescriptions are inappropriate and could lead to addiction or
suicides?). Monoamines are also affected by substances like peyote, ayahuasca,
LSD and ecstasy - some of which have long been used in religious rituals, as we
have discussed before.
Now is it just that I notice it more or does
there seem to be a greater convergence or at least overlap between science,
philosophy and more esoteric concepts like spirituality and love? I am always
careful to distinguish spirituality from religion - in Hamer's words:
"Spirituality is intensely personal, religion is institutionalised".
Macquarie University's Paul Davies goes further: "Religions represent an
attempt to harness innate spirituality for organisational purposes - not always
good". In my mind religion is about dogma and rules which, as the Newsweek
article reveals, may be the very reason we need that genetic programming - to
create order. Spirituality, though, is experiential, is personal, is free and
cannot be categorized because it is different for different people.
What has this got to do with yoga, you ask. A lot I say. For most people
spirituality does not come easily - it requires hard work, discipline and
continuous effort. In today's world we are more accustomed to instant
gratification, though. Want a better body? - don't change your diet, take
responsibility or start an exercise regime - rather take three of these tablets
and go see a plastic surgeon…
In yoga, though, we learn that the
journey is where the learning happens. Just as misfortune and hardship make us
stronger as they weave a richer fabric into our personality, the hard work on
the yoga mat is what teaches us - not the person leading the class or the very
flexible people in the pretzel position.
Science affirms what yogis
knew (how? Well, they couldn't necessarily prove it but they knew). In the same
Newsweek article, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg explains how his research
found: "The deeper people descend into meditation, the more active the
frontal lobe and the limbic system become. The frontal lobe is the seat of
concentration and attention; and the limbic system is where powerful feelings
including rapture are processed. At the same time the parietal lobe at the back
of the brain goes dim. It is this lobe that orients the individual in time and
space. Take it off-line and the boundaries of the self fall away, creating a
feeling of being at one with the universe. Combine that with what's going on in
the other two lobes, and you can put together a profound religious
experience".
Here at Moksha we are cautious to steer away from
religious association - we don't see it as being our place, but what this
research says is that deep meditation is fundamentally spiritual. Ashtanga yoga
is little more than deep, breath-centred meditation. Yes, it requires hard work
and discipline and yes, sometimes it becomes monotonous (offering another
opportunity to learn something about how our mind's work) but with benefits
like these, who would be surprised that effort is required?
Hope you
all have a fantastic and restful festive season!
PS: As some celebrate
the birth of Christ, a newly published interpretation of the four Gospels of
the Bible by a Hindu guru has some startling assertions. Amongst others,
Paramahansa Yogananda claims that Jesus spent time in India during his "lost
years" between the age of 13 and 30, during which time he studied yoga
meditation with great sages. He goes further to say that the three wise men
hailed from India and named him "Isa, or Lord" in Sanskrit, which later became
Jesus in the Bible. "Christ has been much misinterpreted by the world,"
Yogananda wrote. "Even the most elementary principles of his teachings have
been desecrated, and their esoteric depths have been forgotten".
Fascinating reading - check the LA Times online for the full article.
"There is only one fundamental question: 'Who am I?' Without knowing
ourselves, nothing has any validity and our thoughts must breed illusion. The
inquiring into our real nature is the whole meaning of existence. All else is
preliminary or superfluous." ~ David Frawley
20/12/2004
"If we wish to die well, we must learn how to live well.
Hoping for a peaceful death, we must cultivate peace in our mind, and in our
way of life."~ The Dalai Lama.
A few weeks back I promised to give
some feedback from my trip to Brazil and although finding myself very busy in
the intervening period, my conclusion as to why I haven't delivered on that
promise is - as with many life altering experiences - it is extremely difficult
to integrate them into "normal" life. It could also be that a part of me wants
to forget those earth-shatteringly scary moments when a lifetime of values and
beliefs are taken away, to forget my face to face meeting with my dark side -
manifested as a prowling and growling beast howling at the moon - who I liked!,
to forget the poignancy of conversations with my long dead father, to forget
the moment that I realised that my search for some kind of God entity was in
vain because what I was looking for didn't exist, to forget the realisation
that what I thought I wanted to be wasn't, to forget that awful moment when I
realised that my ego and sense of self-worth dominated my view of the world,
and the dark loneliness of the nothingness that remained when deconstructed and
to forget the feeling of inevitability of a human-made, impending environmental
apocalypse. Aah I could go on regaling you with my happy memories of that trip
but as difficult, challenging, scary, painful and humbling as it was, I feel so
privileged to have done it.
The problem is, in that fierce, white-hot
moment of death, danger, stillness or clarity it's so easy to understand,
resolve a new plan and be confident of a "better" or different outcome. Take
away that edge-of-the-cliff feeling and the resolution waivers. In a way I envy
those that pursue a monastic way of life for the ongoing clarity I assume they
must have, but like many of you, I don't want that to be my life. Is it
possible then, to live in this hectic, stressful, materialistic, hedonistic,
short-term orientated and work-dominated society but still have a clear picture
of spirituality, own purpose and meaning?
Isn't it a bit like when you
go on holiday - for days you are exhausted as your body and mind (unshackled
from the daily mayhem) lets you realise how much you need some rest. Then for a
few days (if you manage to leave the laptop and cell phone at home) - you eat
well, have fun, catch up on exercise, smell the roses, rediscover the beauty
that surrounds you and feel renewed by the vigour and vitality that you so
rarely experience. Just as you start feeling human again and resolve not to
take it all so seriously, leave work early, walk on the beach, spend more time
with your kids and generally be a much nicer person - it's time to go back to
work . As your last Sunday evening of freedom drips away, you can hardly
concentrate on the movie - your stomach knots when you think about what you
missed, whether you were missed and whether you will have a new world record of
incoming e-mails waiting for you, together with a few major crises that are
sure to destroy those resolutions within 24hrs of your return to reality. Sound
familiar? By Monday evening, it's as if you never had a holiday and, if you
listen to your yoga teacher, and live in the present, you didn't have one,
because your present moment is filled with worry and stress.
Well,
maybe I'm just talking about a life I used to have or (as I sit on a plane from
Jo'burg writing this), a life I am scared of falling back into. Maybe I am
using this newsletter to remind myself that I do have a choice (if so, forgive
my indulgence but then, owning a yoga studio should have some fringe
benefits!). My choice is manifested by the renewal of an ayhuasca fuelled
realisation that few things give me as much pleasure as my morning walk on the
beach and meditation on "my" rock as the sea pounds around me - so I will
choose that tomorrow. My three days of backed-up work, demanding client and
outstanding issues will have to wait and by the time I get to deal with them I
will be ready and able to with a clear mind. Having just spent two days in
meetings that should have taken a few hours I am again slapped in the face with
how much time, energy and effort we waste on the inconsequential, leaving so
little for the love, beauty and freedom that surrounds us. Sure, there is a
financial reality because it was paid for but it is critical that we make a
cognitive choice, understanding the consequences thereof. In this instance, it
will take a balance of pushing back (the client gets less time but more value
and they should be happier), pursuing other options to cover the economic
shortfall (see the ad below), spending a little less time on the beach and
keeping the freedom to change my choice. A difficult balancing act that I
haven't yet got right but I owe it to myself to make those three weeks of
terror and insecurity in Brazil worthwhile.
The Buddha talked of the
middle way - and like a pendulum oscillating from side to side, stillness is
not found by one week of meditation followed by one week of manic materialism.
In Vrkasana (Tree Pose) balance comes from 1) rooting your standing leg (i.e.
being anchored to a solid foundation), 2) creating equal opposing forces by
pushing the sole of the right foot into the inside of the left thigh (i.e.
letting life's often contradictory forces create balance rather than
imbalance), 3) locking the pelvic floor by engaging the bhanda's (i.e. have a
strong internal moral centre), 4) fixing the gaze (knowing where you're going
and what the long-term plan is) and above all else 5) focussing on an even,
steady breath (i.e. being calm and not reacting to life's many
distractions).
Every day in every yoga class we stretch our muscles,
relax our minds and centre our focuses but above all we learn how to live, and
if there is indeed only one shot at this thing called life, that's quite a
powerful lesson. Our challenge, is to integrate the lessons back into life -
only a few will have an epiphany, chuck it all in and go backpacking to the
Himalayas to find themselves. On one hand I admire them for having such courage
of conviction but I am convinced that a mirror could achieve the same with far
less disruption. Wars will happen; injustice will prevail; hunger, poverty,
pain and helplessness will be with us forever but every single breath we
breathe offers a choice - not of circumstance or environment - but rather how
we respond to it.
"Remember, Yoga practice is like an obstacle race;
many obstructions are purposefully put on the way for us to pass through. They
are there to make us understand and express our own capacities. We all have
that strength, but we don't seem to know it. We seem to need to be challenged
and tested in order to understand our own capacities. In fact, that is the
natural law. If a river just flows easily, the water in the river does not
express its power. But once you put an obstacle to the flow by constructing a
dam, then you can see its strength in the form of tremendous electrical
power."~ Swami Satchidananda
23/10/04
Back to
reality?
Well, back after three weeks on the magnificent island of
Florianopolis off the east coast of Brazil, in amongst the 7% of the Atlantic
Rainforest that remains. Two of the three weeks were spent at a very intensive
and intense Ayhuasca seminar being fully deconstructed, having my beliefs and
values challenged in an idyllic paradise. Coming back has been tough (it's
amazing how much "stuff" can build up in three weeks - even in a yogic life)
but not nearly as tough as the journey was. We partook of the revered Native
American brew ("the vine of death") five times over twelve days, interspersed
with discussions, presentations, meditations, too little yoga, Tai Chi and
unbelievable food. For me the reconstruction process will be lengthy because
there was so much to deconstruct but I hope to share some of my learning's with
you over the course of the next few months as I digest, distil and work out the
meaning of what happened. At the outset, I must highly recommend this process,
the facilitator is doing another seminar in January together with a lucid dream
specialist and a holotropic breath practitioner, in the Amazon Rainforest, if
anybody is keen - I would love an excuse to organise it. We are also thinking
of hosting him here in South Africa.
There is so much to tell - from
becoming a wolf at full moon, to some scary moments when shamanic skills were
tested to the full but for now I would like to share a simple but powerful
analogy that came to me in one of the visions.
The journey to
enlightenment/expanded consciousness can be likened to travelling from Cape
Town to a destination - the first decision being deciding where to go to and
what direction to set out in. Thereafter, you have a large choice as to the
modes of transport e.g.: walk, run, bicycle, car, bus, jet, etc. At the outset
it is important to realise that no mode of transport is 'better' than the
other, each has its pro's and con's. Some will make you physically fit in the
process (walking, running, cycling), some will allow you to observe the
countryside and appreciate the journey (bus), whilst some might give you the
ability to change your route and explore side roads and interesting sights
(car). Taking Ayhuasca in a controlled, intention-orientated manner with proper
facilitation in a safe environment is a bit like chartering a Lear jet - yes
it's quick but it's very difficult to understand what you have done or to
appreciate the distance you have travelled and there is also a real danger that
you will become hooked on flying and speed rather than the journey or
destination.
In my life I have searched for God, spirituality, meaning,
fulfilment and enlightenment with an impatience that did not allow me to
realise that the answers lie within ourselves. Each of us will choose and
experience a different journey and come to different realisations at different
times, we may not be heading for the same destination - perhaps cycling around
the beauty of Cape Town might be your choice!
A good teacher will free
you to explore your own body and mind and to come to the conclusions that are
correct for you at that time. This is the reason I am not a big believer in
gurus that prescribe not only the process but also the conclusion and how you
will feel along the way. How can they possibly know what's good for you when
their only measure is their own experience? Yoga, meditation, religion, sweat
lodges, dance, trance, prayer, etc are all instruments that allow you to
connect with yourself to discover the beauty, love and contentment that resides
within us all - no trips to the Amazon or Himalayas are mandatory! In Ashtanga
yoga, the breath is everything - that is what detoxifies the system, relaxes
and calms the mind and through the meditative focus allows you to explore the
spaces between the thoughts which is where a bigger world awaits us.
For sure this experience has shattered my world but it has also given me a
glimpse of a place that I can now access in my daily meditation or yoga
practice. My challenge is to not forget, and integrate it into a meaningful
life that achieves the objectives I wish to satisfy. Life is really so simple
in it's complexity - it's all about the choices we make and the consequences
thereof - we can't have everything but we can learn to be happy with what we
get - that is my wish for you!!
Final thought: How can there be a right
way to get 'there' if there is no 'there'?
"Growing is the most
important and essential endeavour that a human being can undertake. You can
make and lose money; you can be promoted and demoted in the world. Never, at
any stage, is there certainty about what will happen to you in this life.
However, there is one thing that nobody can take away from you - the growth you
attain through you own search for Self-knowledge. Furthermore, this growth and
understanding become the foundation that sustains you through any and all
worldly difficulties, and that allows you - whatever the form of your physical
experience - to find in life a continuously unbroken flow of total well-being."
~Swami Chetanananda
30/08/04
Where have the women
gone?
A key tenet of the practice of yoga and the ability to get
deeper into postures is that of relaxed oppositional forces. The opposition
allows the muscles and joints to expand, creating space in the body and
clearing blockages - many of which have been generated in the mind. Remember
how supple we were as kids - we believed we could do anything and in truth we
could (a recent survey showed that almost 100% of 4 year olds fall in the
genius category). As we grow older - through education/miseducation, experience
(our own and those of others) and the shutting down of possibilities, we become
increasingly blinkered and this in turn manifests in our bodies - by age 20 the
percentage in the genius category drops to 10%. The key to reversing this
process through yoga lies in relaxing (the harder we try the less we do) and
the duality of opposition. In Trikonasana for example on the right, the right
hand reaches down to the floor or pulls up against the right big toe whilst the
left hand reaches up to the ceiling, creating space in the shoulder girdle
between the shoulder blades.
This duality - hard/soft; yin/yang;
hot/cold; push/pull is reflective of life itself - the Winter of Cape Town
discontent creates the beauty of the Summer (or visa versa for some). Without
fear we can't have love and if we didn't die we would never appreciate life.
For this reason many of us refuse to believe the right versus wrong model - how
can the rain be 'wrong' if it allows us to appreciate the sunshine?
Oppositional duality is likely to bring us to a point of balance - imagine a
pendulum between two magnets pulling in opposite directions - it will swing
from side to side before coming to rest in the centre. In my view, today's
world display's a global lack of balance in the corridors of power - in
governments, religions, business and society - where are the women? Does the
present hierarchal, patriarchal leadership explain the state of ruin that the
planet lies in? Has greed, obsessive materialism, war and military defence,
environmental destruction, violation of human rights, poverty and global
imbalance been created by a lack of duality? Has the masculine dominance of the
feminine brought us here or, as some believe it is, just that men think they
rule the world but true power is exercised behind the scenes by the ladies? In
that case, they have a lot to answer for! Personally, I think the guys have
blown it.
Now, what exactly would qualify a
getting-close-to-middle-aged-man to give opinion on matters feminine?
Especially one who attended a boys-only school, came from a very traditional
upbringing (my Mom never even learned to drive in her 79 years on Earth!),
worked for much of his career at one of the most sexist companies in the world,
still hasn't found a woman who will put up with him for any length of time and
runs a yoga studio where a majority of the students are female but most of the
teachers male…? Maybe the fact that I shouldn't have an opinion is
sufficient validation for the one I have…
In times past, many
civilisations operated under matriarchal rule with the shamans and holy people
being predominantly female, organisational structure co-ordinated by women as
men made themselves useful as hunter-gatherers, and the Goddesses were the
omnipotent rulers of the spirit world. Menstrual cycles as well as planetary
cycles were used to mark significant events. There is a theory too that yoga
was developed those thousands of years ago by female siddihs (spiritual
wanderers said to possess supernormal powers available to all of us but only
accessed by a few) who lived in the forests of the Indus River Valley. Who
knows if we will ever 'know' the truth and whether things were 'better' or
'worse' under female dominance but yoga has affirmed in me a belief on an
intellectual level that balance is more likely to come about through strong
opposing forces. What are the other options really - 2 weak forces or one
dominant and who is to say which is better?
Dillbert says, "Insanity
is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different
result". This is particularly pertinent for the practice of Ashtanga
Vinyasa Yoga - where we practice the same sequence of postures in a series, day
in and day out. Since most of us who do this are not insane (I can't speak for
myself), we obviously are seeking a different result. We can only truly
appreciate these almost imperceptible, tiny shifts and movements if we do the
same thing over and over again, changing ourselves and therefore the world, one
millimetre at a time. Every practice brings a progression or regression, and as
we develop the heightened awareness through the single-minded breath focused
moving meditation that is Ashtanga, we learn to shift ourselves towards a point
of balance. Within myself I have battled the party-hard, reckless and crazy
side against the monastic, trying-to-be-virtuous side. Yoga has helped me work
towards a balance (although the pendulum is still swinging). Balance, achieved
in those pesky standing postures, in our lives and in greater society by giving
greater voice and power to the other 50% of the human race, will allow us to be
more peaceful and fulfilled.
"Balance = a weight, force, or
influence counteracting the effect of another"~ Webster Dictionary
"At the still point of the turning world.
Neither flesh nor
fleshless
Neither from nor towards,
at the still point,
there the
dance is.
Where past and future are gathered.
Neither movement from nor
towards,
neither ascent nor decline.
Except for the point, the still
point."
27/7/04
www.godeverywhere.com
There
are over 5 billion web pages on the internet, excluding a huge number which
have been archived. For the sake of my argument let's overstate the total to be
over 6 billion - roughly equivalent to the total number of human beings
currently inhabiting the Earth. All together these individual pages constitute
the totality that we call the World Wide Web. Individually they represent a
tiny part of a whole but collectively they represent a snapshot of our society
today: how many pages are there on Porn or how to make a bomb, what percentage
educate and inform, which are motivated by good or bad intent, what truths or
lies are being spread and who is communicating with whom and about what?
Changing one of the pages immediately but almost imperceptibly alters the
entire constitution of the www.
Likewise, we humans have the same
conundrum - change of the totality requires shifts on an individual basis which
brings enormous responsibility upon us all. Think of the thousands of years
that indigenous people lived on this planet without overpopulating, threatening
and endangering species, and destroying the environment. They took only what
they needed and lived in harmony with the environment because nature strongly
influenced their spirituality. They lived in harmony because they inherently
understood that if they didn't, the Earth would react or fight back: "The
Hopi tribe (Native American Indian) has a prophecy depicted on rock carvings
that describe two paths open to humanity. The first path is one of materialism,
separate from nature and spiritual laws, and leads to confusion and chaos. The
other path is characterised by the original instructions of prayer in harmony
with natural law. A line that bridges the paths represents a choice between
destruction or living in harmony with creation through honest labour and
spiritual understanding."
The choice is ours to make, for ourselves
and the unborn generations - whilst we consider ourselves superior, more
civilized, advanced and intelligent than those before us, our actions reveal
the opposite. A clue to why this might be the case lies in the differences
between organised religion and indigenous beliefs in regard to how we conduct
ourselves. "For many of indigenous belief, there was an actual fear of going
into the spirit world with the guilt of having done harmful acts to others, to
society or to the animals that provided for you. There was no erasure of deeds
done, good or bad. If they occurred, the result and the memory would be taken
into the spirit world. What happened, happened, and it could not be
obliterated. This was an effective restraint towards harmful conduct while they
walked upon this planet."
If we accept this responsibility then
perhaps we can view God as reflected in all creations and all functions. By
observing nature we can get lessons on how to act harmoniously, learning to
forgive and love and to change the world - "If you pick up a pebble on the
beach you have changed the universe." Our acts, thoughts and feelings are not
isolated events. "These beliefs tie in with metaphysical doctrine. It has
also been referred to as New Age. However, these beliefs have been practiced
for thousands of years and encompass many spiritual traditions. The premise is
that the spirit of God is within everyone and God is that collective
spirit."
A movement towards forgiveness (an action) and love (the
only emotion - fear, the counter, being the absence of love) is also good for
us physically. Scientific research has shown that negative thoughts and
emotions create toxic energy in our bodies which lead to health problems.
"At a recent Mind/ Body seminar, physicians stated that hostility is a major
factor in the development of cancer and heart disease." As we march toward
an imminent cataclysm, the trends are scary (see previous newsletters): - the
Mayan's predicted the end of this civilisation in 2012 - species extinction has
reached unprecedented levels - global warming and climate change are rated as
more of a threat to humanity than terrorism by 2 recent reports (one of which
was commissioned by the Pentagon!) - a Scandinavian research report anticipates
the depletion of all oil reserves by 2012 - Native American prophecies predict
a 'Purification' of the Earth from which only 'the pure of heart' will survive.
- the dawning of a new age Aquarius in 2012 apparently heralds a move to
greater individual autonomy - etc, etc, etc.
Yoga, which originally
derives from holy men seeking to emulate animals and was practiced in forests
by these shamans, teaches us to become aware and mindful of our actions.
Perhaps we start to open to love and explore what spirituality means but most
of all: "There is an old native saying that every step we take upon the
Earth Mother should be as a prayer. Now, a prayer is just a way of becoming
really conscious, really tuning in to all the relationships of everything in
existence. To make every step a prayer is simply to be totally conscious in
every act we do. Most of us spend our waking hours half asleep, only dimly
aware of our feelings, to say nothing of what is going on in the world and of
the connections between things.
Whatever we do has a meaning and an affect.
We can ask ourselves, if I am really conscious, what affect will this action
have upon creation? How will it affect me, affect my family and my community?
How will it affect the planet? How will it affect the future and the
generations yet to come?"
The process of developing this
consciousness is yoga and the individual breath - focussed meditative movement
of the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga.
Using the mindfulness we acquire through
the regular practice of yoga enables us to change ourselves and the world
around us, one tiny step at a time - it is my belief that this is an
obligation, not a choice, and that the criticality of change is paramount
because time is fast running out.
"Obligations of Natural Way
Followers:
To bring back the natural harmony that humans once enjoyed.
To save the planet from present practices of destruction.
To find and
reemploy real truth.
To promote true balance between both genders.
To
share and be less materialistic.
To become rid of prejudice.
To learn
to be related.
To be kind to animals and take no more than needed.
To
play with one's children and love each equally and fairly.
To be brave and
courageous, enough so, to take a stand or make a commitment.
To understand
what Generations Unborn really means.
To accept mystery in order to end
foolish argument over religion."
All quotes in this newsletter are from
'Native Wisdom' by Eagle Man.
25/06/04
The spirit gland
and the headstand
Recently I have developed a fascination with the
link between physiology and spirituality - more particularly the complicated
interconnectedness of the brain, mind, hormones, emotions and soul. This search
is helped and perpetuated by a fair amount of new scientific research and
commentary (admittedly some in very odd publications - from The Economist's
article on the physiology of love to the latest Big Issue's one on the brain).
Of particular personal interest has been a book on DMT (The Spirit Molecule) by
Dr Rick Strassman - a researcher who was Clinical Associate Professor of
Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. DMT (Di-Methyl-Tryptamine) is a
naturally occurring hallucinogenic produced by the pineal gland in the brain
and elevated states of it are associated with birth (both for mother and
newborn if it is vaginal), near death experiences, death and mystical states.
Dr Strassman hypothesises that religious experiences, mystical states and
advanced meditation practices share a great deal of similarity with exogenous
use of DMT: "All spiritual disciplines describe quite psychedelic accounts
of the transformative experiences. Blinding white light, encounters with
demonic and angelic entities, ecstatic moments, timelessness, heavenly sounds,
feelings of having died and being reborn, contacting a powerful and loving
presence underlying all of reality…" He goes further to point out that
in many Eastern and Western mystical traditions, the location of the pineal
gland (the crown of the head) is considered the highest level - in Judaism the
"Keter", in Hinduism the crown chakra, in Christianity the centre of the halo.
The seventeenth-century French philosopher, Rene Descartes (he of "I think
therefore I am" fame) considered the pineal gland to be the 'seat of the
soul' - the link between spiritual and physical, life and death.
Another interesting observation (or further "proof") is the correlation between
the Tibetan Buddhist belief that the soul takes 49 days after death to collect
itself, assess the lessons of its past life and chose another. This time period
matches exactly with two landmark events in the development of the foetus from
conception: "Forty-Nine is when the foetus differentiates into male and
female gender. It also takes forty-nine days from conception for the first
signs of the human pineal to appear." This synchronicity, when stripped of
its dogma, starts to indicate that science and religion may not be as
irreconcilable as many believe.
How do we define this spirit/soul?:
"There is something that 'enlivens' us when joined with our body. When
present in matter, it shows itself by way of movement and heat. When it is
gone, the light is extinguished and the engine stops."
So, if
indeed the pineal gland is the home of the soul, what does this mean for us in
our practise of yoga and the internal production of DMT: "How might
meditation evoke the pineal DMT response? Several meditative disciplines bring
about an intense fine-tuning of attention and awareness; for example,
one-pointed focus on the breath. Many studies have reported that experienced
meditators produce brain wave patterns that are slower and better organised
than those found in everyday awareness. The 'deeper' the meditation, the slower
and stronger the waves."
Recently I had first-hand experience of
this when I tested an electroencephalogram (brain wave measuring device) - the
difference between 'normal' activity and when I did some meditation or
pranayama was unbelievable. Frontal lobe coherence also increased hugely with
focussed attention. So what happens to the waves: "The pineal begins to
vibrate at frequencies that weaken its multiple barriers to DMT formation: the
pineal cellular shield, enzyme levels, and quantities of anti-DMT. The end
result is a psychedelic surge of the pineal spirit molecule, resulting in
subjective states of mystical consciousness."
In the book Strassman
explains that some of his Buddhist monk friends had their first experiences of
this altered consciousness whilst taking psychedelics like DMT, mescaline,
ibogaine or psilocybin but later found that through meditation they could delve
even deeper - without 'help'. My own experience of DMT was in the form of a
Native South American Indian tea called ayuahusca (made from the 'vine of
death') and used by shamans to heal, transform and initiate. The experience
defies description (it certainly was not recreational) but it is something I
will do again. In Brazil there are three churches that use ayuahusca as part of
their ceremonies and scientific research is being furthered. In the USA, use of
ayuahusca is being considered in the treatment (both remedial and
compassionate) of cancer patients and in Peru and Columbia it is used to treat
alcohol and drug addiction patients in the mainstream as well as still being
used by shamans throughout Central and South America. I might also add that
Strassman's research was the first US-government-approved-and-funded clinical
research with psychedelic drugs in over 20 years (the study took place between
1990 and 1995). Strassman even postulates that DMT production 'spikes' in the
pineal gland may account for alien abduction accounts since the person would
not be aware of the visions they see and experience.
In my personal
experience this research and the book starts to synthesise many elements into a
logical and consistent framework. Ashtanga Yoga is meditation in motion with
single-minded focus on the breath (not the postures) and through this
meditation we are able to access deeper realms of our brain (and possibly
spirit) on an experiential level - in an individualistic realm - not tied by
religious dogma or someone else's experience. Right down to the headstand in
the finishing postures (placing pressure on and stimulating the pineal gland) -
it's all starting to make sense. There is a reason that practices like yoga
have survived thousands of years (who says it's a fad?) and that reason simply
has to go beyond the fitness and physical benefits…
"It's now
dear that, whatever their dogmatic claims, people of all religious persuasions
experience the same thing when they worship. As far as activity in the brain
goes, no religion can be 'true' or 'false' and religious exclusivism is
revealed as a self-delusive sham." ~ From May's Big Issue.
Kinda
makes you wonder why we spend so much time persecuting and killing each other
because of religious differences.
"Love is the law, love under
will." ~Aleister Crowley
23/05/04
Why I didn't
vote
I have a confession to make - I am a closet anarchist. There, now
it is out in the open. The problem with being an anarchist though, is that you
are forced into taking up a position in said closet because the minute you
begin to argue, convince, agitate and organise for your cause - you lose the
first key tenet of anarchy i.e. that there should be no structure. So, here in
this piece I am going to try to inform rather than convince you (hence writing
this post-election rather than pre). The main reason I had to tell you of my
cupboard activities is to help explain why I took a conscious decision not to
register or vote in our 10 year's-into-democracy election. Let me also clarify
that this is not the first time I have exercised my right not to vote - pre
1994 I did the same, but for wholly different reasons. In 1994 and 1999 I duly
cast my ballot. So where to start? Well, as I often do, let me borrow words
from a crazy man that I hold in very high esteem, one Tom Robbins: "What is
politics, afterall, but the compulsion to preside over property and make other
people's decisions for them? Liberty, the very opposite of ownership and
control, cannot, then, result from political action, either at the polls or the
barricades, but rather evolves out of attitude." (from Skinny legs and
All).
Just to stir the pot a little more, I believe that the stunting
of individual freedom through organisation extends to all areas -
community/societal, religious, business and sports. In all of these areas I
think it applies from big to small because the application of structure goes
hand in hand with dogma and rules which leads to misinterpretation and takes us
further away from the original essence of whatever it was that we decided to
organise. There was a time when Christianity would have been considered a
fringe or new age practise but now, 2000 years later, we have hundreds of
manifestations, derivatives and organisations, many of which (in their approach
and action) bear little resemblance to the original teachings of
Christ.
Ooh - I have the sense that I have strayed into dangerous
ground now but, because South Africa has a modern constitution (through a
democratic process) - which guarantees my freedom of thought and speech, I feel
comfortable - so, back to politics. Perhaps the previous sentence could be read
to undermine my own logic, which would make me silly to leave it in - it
doesn't, because critical to my support of anarchy are two beliefs which I will
now share: I believe that we are all connected - "We appear on Earth as
separate beings with diverse destinies; but as each separate raindrop is a part
of the sea, so we are all a part of the Ocean of Awareness, the Body of God"
(Dan Millman) and secondly I believe that karma (cause and effect) takes
care of justice over time - in a way that humans could never manage/imagine
with their political parties, laws, systems and courts. The first belief
questions how we can possibly pretend to organise a way to control others when
we are a collective and the second questions why we would bother when
accountability is built in.
If, for a second, you accepted my reality
as expressed by Carl Jung in the following passage: "That I feed the hungry,
forgive an insult, and love my enemy - these are great virtues. But what if I
should discover that the poorest of beggars and the most impudent of offenders
are all within me, and that I stand in need of the alms of my own kindness;
that I myself am the enemy that must be loved - what then?", how would that
change your approach to 'wrong and right'?
I don't believe we are ever
in a position to cast judgement over other's actions (although we invariably
do) because we have no understanding what their circumstances are, their
upbringing, their (learned) moral code, their view of the future, mental state,
physical state, etc, etc. Also very often people act no differently to how we
would in the same situation but because we are not, we judge and this is our
understanding of morality?
The choices we make today shape our reality
tomorrow and all of these choices (conscious or otherwise) have consequences.
Having chosen not to vote - I forsake not only my right to participate in the
democratic process but also the opportunity to let my voice be heard, to chose
a party as closely aligned with my thinking (fat chance) or to register a
protest by spoiling my vote - I should also not criticise the outcome, the
ramifications and the next four years of rule and opposition.
Perhaps,
given that we only have e.g. 100 units of energy in a given period, my effort
would be better utilised in a winnable or at least influensable area - but I
cannot accept that any person or persons have the right to determine laws for
me, nor do I think that there is a "Right or Wrong" (there is no single
reality, only different perceptions) and finally, I am comfortable that
whatever I do will have causes and consequences that are fair and just
according to my motives and intent, so too for all of us.
We need to
accept who we are - fallible creatures with strengths and weaknesses, and act
with integrity to our own truth, not what someone else says our truth should
be. Integrity means to be integrated - so that our actions are authentic and
consistent - fuelled by our highest intentions. As Martin Luther said: "Love
God and do as you please." (I suspect he might have been a closet
anarchist.)
In yoga as we passage through physical awareness into
mental awareness and possibly begin to encounter and question matters
spiritual, I encourage you to look no further than within, to begin to discover
the Gospel according to you. Perhaps you acknowledge or even agree with my
view, or maybe it irritates or angers you - that's fine - the purpose of
provocation is to elicit a response. As we do in the practice of asana and
pranayama we challenge the body and mind to see how it will react, inevitably
learning in every interaction.
20/04/04
Surrender to
Life
Last week was a bitter-sweet one for me - on Saturday I celebrated
my birthday - being spoilt by friends and loved ones - the celebration tempered
by the fact that my mother had passed away the previous evening and whilst we
had been expecting it by virtue of recent illness, the finality of death can
never really be fully planned for. Our family mourns our loss but I wanted to
explore causes for celebration in her passing. Death is, after all, a
consequence of life and cannot be avoided, so it's odd that we spend so much
time avoiding talking about it.I could think of three reasons to celebrate:
Firstly my mother has been liberated from the physical suffering that she
endured for the last decade in her body. Although she always recovered (like a
street fighter getting off the floor after a seemingly terminal beating), she
spent a lot of time in pain and illness. Secondly, like the Irish do when they
have a wake, we celebrate a honourable life as matriarch of a clan that has 5
children, 9 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren as its legacy. Despite
battling many barriers and hardships, she instilled a deep sense of wrong and
right in all of us, making many sacrifices to give us the opportunities that
she had never had. I am proud to have counted her amongst my friends as well as
my mother. Many of us will aspire to live a life as rich in texture, sheen and
resplendent in its final glory for observers to reflect on. And finally, we
have cause for celebration at the reuniting of my parents - for 10 years my
mother missed my father and longed to be with him again to continue a journey
that began 60 years ago. When I reflect or meditate on her passing, the
clearest image I have is of them together and happy - it brings a tear-chasing
smile to my heart. In the context of yoga at the end of every class we have an
opportunity to confront death as we lie in savasana (corpse posture). Often
described as the most challenging of postures, we are called upon to surrender
our physical body to inactivity in the same way that we do at death. The body
is absolutely still - the only movement being that of the breath and in this
posture we do not react - to thoughts, itches, muscular twitches, noises,
insects or any other distractions. The challenge is to observe the body almost
as an external observer would - like the soul might look down on the body as it
departs. I encourage you to take each and every one of these opportunities to
reflect upon the many things you have to be grateful for in your life - let us
first surrender to life such that we are no longer afraid of death. Yoga offers
that opportunity and we should be very grateful for it, because it is in itself
a celebration of life and love. When death comes, love remains.
"Life
doesn't come to you, you go to life." ~ Denise Loker
20/03/04
"In highly civilised communities like ours, the individual
is constantly being attacked by conflicting interests and necessities; his
individuality is constantly being assailed by the impact of other people; and
in a very large large number of cases he is unable to stand up to the strain.
'Schizophrenia', which is a lovely word is an exceedingly common complaint. At
the best when a man says 'I' he refers only to a transitory phenomenon. His 'I'
changes as he utters the word. But - philosophy apart - it is rarer and rarer
to find a man with a mind of his own and a will of his own." Sri
Paramahansa Shivaji - Aleister Crowley
How many people do you know or
know of, that have minds and wills of their own? People that don't alter and
moderate their opinions based on the audience and what they might like to hear.
People that are consistent - both with themselves and in interaction with those
around them. People whose opinions are shaped by their own experience and not
coloured, influenced or dictated by those who "know". People who don't try and
impose dogma - in the same way that it cannot be imposed on them. Surely these
are the people that should and will shape the world in? Seek them out,
associate with them and work hard to be as them in a world where individuality
is being stripped away from us - layer-by-layer, day-by-day. Find the
consistent centre that is you and be true to it and when the difficulties arise
(which they will!) then remember this (true) quote:
"It is through the
perversity of human nature that the most acute agony seems to occur when you
are within a fingers' breadth of full success." ~ Sri Paramahansa Shivaji -
Aleister Crowley
27/02/04
“Seek and you will be
troubled. Be troubled and you will be astonished. Be astonished and you will
rule over all things.” ~ Gnostic Bible of Thomas
Some say the
world is divided into seekers and those who are unhappy. I’m not sure
which group to put myself in, other than hope that what I am experiencing is
being troubled. Looking back though, I can distinguish this feeling from the
meaninglessness of my “old life”. It wasn’t what I did, or who I
hung out with, the material things or even the parties – it was the
distinct feeling that there should be more to life than this - that was sooo
uncomfortable. I don’t think I have it figured out but I am pretty sure
that the more people that try (seek), the more that we share our experience and
our thoughts - the better this place will be, so lets all dedicate this week to
introspective exploring of the meaning of life!! Good luck out there.
“The kingdom of God isn't something that one waits for; it has no
yesterday and no tomorrow, it doesn't come in a thousand years - it is an
experience that takes place inside the heart; it is everywhere, it is
nowhere.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
25/01/04
"Love
of man, love of woman, love of things, love of thy neighbour, love of thy
country, love of animals, love of humanity are all the love of God reflected in
these things."~ Sri Aurobindo
At this time of blatant commercial
exploitation of love, I thought it might be useful to consider the role and
influence of love in yoga. Every time you pull your shoulder blades together,
engage your abdominal lock - breathing into your chest and open your heart, you
make yourself more receptive to the giving and receiving of love. So, not only
are you improving circulation, strengthening the heart, cleansing the nervous
system, improving the mobility of the spine and correcting postural alignment,
you are also opening a veritable Pandora's box of riches - no wonder yoga keeps
you young! Every ujayi breath powers the lungs which deliver oxygen to the
heart which then distributes, via the blood stream, the life force to every
cell in your body. The breath, which is the link between the mind and body,
also delivers the physical opening of the heart back to the mind.
Like
any organ or muscle, the heart is susceptible to injury and neglect - most of
us have had the fortune of finding and then maybe losing love (better to have
loved and lost than to never have loved at all, they say). Like any injury -
heartbreak requires some careful nurturing (with no activity for a while
sometimes helping) and then slow and regular remedial work before going back to
a full-strength programme. The beauty is that, like a muscle, and if treated
carefully, the heart comes out of the process stronger that it was before!
There is always a silver lining…
A new branch of medicine,
psychoneuroimmunology looks at the connection between mind and disease, an
important concept in stress - which has both physical and psychological
components. The ability to cope, the sense of being in charge of our lives,
releases a hormone into our systems creating optimism, euphoria and a sense of
well being. In such cases not only does challenge (or heartache) produce no
adverse effects on our health - it can actually make us feel more vital, more
fully alive.
In a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy, perceiving
ourselves as victims actually makes us so. In love or falling out of it or in
the absence of it, people who perceive negative events as having external
causes, limited consequences and temporary timing, solve their problems and
move on in life. Understand that the choices you made had consequences but
don't blame yourself or others. If you don't like the consequences, make new
choices.
Also, be honest with your feelings (especially the guys) and
express them. Lastly, focus your attention on the good things in life - 95% of
the world around you is good and beautiful - as the poet Colette once said:
"What a wonderful life I've had. I only wish I had realised it sooner." These
types of people are also less susceptible to disease - having much stronger
immune systems. Like yoga, a positive attitude can even slow down the aging
process - according to a 35year Harvard Medical study.
Forgive me if I
sound melancholy at this time of Valentine but I think that too often we forget
the real importance and significance of love in our lives and for that reason
we think it's great to have a day that celebrates it - forcing us to remember
how sweet and rare it is to have.
So… practise your yoga with an open
heart at this time (and always) and be attentive and aware of the emotional
aspect of the practice. Remember to dance as if no-one was watching, make love
as if everyone was watching and love as though you have never been hurt (with
apologies to the original author).
"A second's indiscretion or
inattentiveness may bring about the ruin of treasures that have taken a
lifetime to acquire. Unfailing watchfulness is the essence of yoga life." Sri
Ananda Acharya
13/2/04
“Pious dogma, if allowed to
flourish, will always drive magic away.” ~ Tom Robbins
The
problem with control, particularly that exercised over individuals, is that it
tends to strip away the creativity, the flair, the “magic” that can
only arise when people are allowed to explore the boundaries. Society,
politics, religion and authority seeks control through conformity and rules,
rules that alter according to the discretion of those in leadership positions.
What gives any of us the authority to determine what is right or wrong for
others? Before you answer, think of the barbarity perpetuated in the names of
peaceful souls such as Jesus, Mohammed, God, Gandhi, Mandela and the likes of,
think too of the things that were absolutely “right” which were
subsequently proven wrong – people lost their lives for suggesting that
the earth was anything other than flat… Liberation lies deep in each one
of us but it is only ourselves that can find that place, don’t let dogma
– of any kind – divert you from that magic.
“(A)s long
as there are willing followers, there will be exploitative leaders. (The) great
mission in life (is) a personal quest to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit,
and light up the brain” Tom Robbins again – what a brilliant
man!!
18/12/03
“Progress is the victory of laughter
over dogma”~ Tom Robbins
In our oh-so-tightly wound and
structured, civilised society that progresses on so many fronts - we seem to
have lost the ability to laugh. Adults laugh a fraction of the amount that kids
do, losing our inherent playful nature as we "grow up", get serious and realise
that life is no laughing matter (says who? – teachers, politicians,
religions, parents and pretty much anyone in authority). How ironic that so
much of the progress we celebrate with serious faces are in fact ancient truths
known thousands of years ago. An example of this is a recent Time magazine
feature on the scientific measurement of the benefits of meditation (a practice
that has been around for probably as long as wise men and women have existed).
Is there really a lot more to it than having fun, laughing, loving and
celebrating life? I don't think so, but I keep forgetting. So, for me, progress
is remembering to laugh not just in happy moments but especially in difficult,
sad and depressing times - some people think I am nuts of course, but then
again maybe they're right...? Which means you should ask yourself what you're
doing reading this - funny, huh?
24/10/03
“An attack
is a cry for help” ~ ND Walsch
Consider for a minute how often
we attack, in some way those who are “different” to us. The fact is
that all of us are unique but because of our own insecurity, we associate with
groupings based on similarities either physical or organizational. In our
groupings we attack those who are somehow not the same as us, based on learned
prejudice and beliefs without stopping to think that these are purely
circumstantial – learned patterns based on where and to whom we were born,
our education, religion, upbringing and environment. The ability to rise above
this prejudice is not common and as a result we (correctly) deify those that do
– take our very own Nelson Mandela – everything that happened to him
should by rights have led him to hate, not embrace his aggressors. In some
small way we have the ability to transcend these failings and in so doing be
true to our true self. For the next week lets all try to be aware of any attack
we are about to make in word, deed or action and think about what it tells us
about our own deficiencies. To attack another is not only an affront to the
other but also an affront to our own sensibilities and intelligence. Tolerance
can only come from being at peace with oneself and surely that’s worth
striving for?
“We tend to refer to our most barbaric and
crapulous behaviour as ‘inhuman,’ whereas, in point of fact, it is
exactly human, definitively and quintessentially human, since no other creature
habitually indulges in comparable atrocities. This negates neither our
occasional virtues nor our aesthetic triumphs, but if a being at least a little
bit more than human is not waiting around the bend of time, then evolution has
suffered a premature ejaculation.” ~ Tom Robbins
20/08/03
Last week whilst in Johannesburg I went to a new studio
offering a different style of yoga and as the teacher was talking, offering
very different interpretations on the poses and philosophies than I am familiar
with, I got to thinking about all the inconsistencies inherent in yoga.
“What is yoga?” I thought, “and why is it so widespread and
diverse in interpretation?” Having practiced yoga in tons of studios, many
countries, different styles and diverse teachers, I have been privileged to
receive many inputs to this question. This input is supplemented with extensive
reading of books, magazines and the web. All of this definitely doesn’t
make me an expert and I still feel like I am at the infancy of learning about
this fantastic science, art, exercise regime and life practice. Perhaps after a
few more decades I might feel comfortable to try and answer the question but
for now I offer only some opinions and views, which can be taken or
left.
The diversity of opinion within yoga is probably caused by what
is its beauty – openness. Yoga encapsulates all that is life - that’s
a broad topic - and from its source (its name) has been interpreted and adapted
over thousands of years. Even its origins are under some dispute or question
with some saying that it predates and supercedes its commonly believed origin
in India. Some claim that its practices stem from ancient shamanistic
traditions and rites that developed around the world in South America, Africa,
Siberia, India and other places. Personally I like this interpretation because
it broadens the understanding of yoga beyond a set of postures and even beyond
Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga. It broadens it to a space which
encompasses any mind/body activity, and possibly even mind/body/spirit
activity. Pray, Fire/Rain dancing, Ayurvedic rituals, shamanistic healing,
sangomas, chanting, drumming, etc etc all sit comfortably in this understanding
of yoking mind and body (which is the most common definition).
That
doesn’t mean that Moksha intends offering all of these things but we are
certainly receptive to all of these different disciplines and encourage
exploration to find what works best for you. Personally I love the physical
conditioning of Ashtanga yoga, how the breathing calms, opens and expands the
mind (breath is the thread that links the body and mind) and takes me to a
meditative state which affords me benefits on a multi-faceted level. My entry
and journey into yoga has been driven by physicality, health and fitness but I
feel the benefits in diet, mental clarity and spiritual ease. Now I’ve
tried many things in my life but not many have delivered that sort of array of
benefits and that’s what encouraged me to start a yoga business – I
was sure others would want this and it’s got to be more fulfilling than
what I was doing in financial services I thought.
Of late I have been
doing some financial services consulting and loving it – being in such a
different place to where I was before - and although it has negatively affected
my physical practice, my mental state is enormously effective and I work
instead on other areas of my yoga – meditation, breathing, maintaining
control over my emotions and working on my bhandas during meetings.
All
of this brought me to a significant realisation which I wanted to share –
yoga is not about dogma or a “right” way, it’s not about style,
a diet, a teacher, a religion, a studio, a sequence, a posture, etc, it’s
about you. Yoga is about optimization of oneself; it’s about being the
best possible person that you are capable of being. This immediately introduces
the concept of relativity into the equation, which explains why the pursuit is
so open. What do I mean – well because it’s about you, there are
about 6 billion different possible manifestations of its benefits – for
some they might get strong or flexible and do some really tricky postures
whilst quickly progressing to the 6th series – for others they may just
get a little stronger or a bit more flexible, live life more comfortably,
reduce their stress or increase their lung capacity. Some may change diets
radically, becoming strict vegetarians, giving up smoking, refusing intoxicants
and living piously whilst others may just develop a little more body awareness
and an effective hangover cure. Some may give up their jobs, sell everything
and go on a pilgrimage to a far away place to find themselves and others might
look in the mirror at home and recognize themselves.
Personally my
internalization is just that – “mine” – and I am eternally
grateful for the changes that yoga has brought to my life but I still do
“bad” things and don’t ever see myself as conforming to some
idea of a formulaic yogi (because I don’t think there is one and anyone
who does any yoga is by my definition a yogi) figure because there isn’t
one. Instead of trying to explain what you should be doing or what benefits or
changes you will experience, I encourage you to stop listening/looking for
gurus and rather have fun, listen to yourself and witness your own unique
journey. Don’t be too hard on yourself when you fail and celebrate the
successes when they happen, remembering that to fail is human but not to learn
is inexcusable.
29/07/03
The biggest problem facing the
world today is not people dying in the streets of Calcutta, and not inflation,
but spiritual deprivation... this feeling of emptiness associated with feeling
seperate from God, and from our sisters and brothers on planet Earth.
Loneliness is like the leprosy of the West." ~ Mother Theressa
Wow,
what a comment - particularly from someone who spent much of her life living
with and helping the people dying in the streets of Calcutta. With all of our
advancement and materiality we have achieved much but also we seem to have
succeeded in cocooning and isolating ourselves from each other - in many cases
creating the lonliness Mother Theressa talked of. Whatever your concept or
belief of God is, the lonliness of lack of contact from our brother and sisters
is something that you can do something about. Even if you don't feel the
loneliness yourself, make an effort for the next few weeks to reach out and
connect with those around you. Connect with the beggar you usually ignore (that
doesn't mean giving money - have a chat, engage), strike up a conversation with
a store salesman, talk with your colleagues about themselves, call up someone
you haven't spoken to in ages... Reach out and fill the emptiness.
27/05/03
"Listen to your feelings. Listen to your Highest thoughts.
Listen to your experience. Whenever any one of these differ from what you've
been told by your teachers, or read in your books, forget the words. Words are
the least reliable purveyor of Truth."~ N.D. Walsch
Religious dogma is built around words and the interpretation thereof. How many
scholars pore over translations in order to develop a rulebook or dictates for
the congregations to live by and follow. Spirituality comes from inside, from
our inner knowledge and through experience and feelings - showing us how to act
and what is the right thing to do for us at that time. No other human can tell
us this, let alone when it is a misinterpretation of a translated parable
written for a different time. This week trust yourself and experience the
truth.
22/04/03
"A hermit lived on the edge of a forest
close to a small village. The villagers all thought he was a fool, for he spoke
in paradoxes. His name was Jed. One day, Jed took in a stranger who was sick
and nursed him back to health. In gratitude the stranger gave him a horse. When
the villagers heard what had happened, they congratulated Jed.
“Jed, what good luck! What great fortune!”
“Who knows if
it’s good luck?” Jed responded. “Maybe it’s bad
luck.”
“Bad luck?” They laughed. “How can it
possibly be that? You had no horse; now you have one. This is good luck! What a
fool,” they thought,”he cannot even recognise good luck when it
happens to him.”
Jed took his meagre savings and bought a saddle.
Then one day, the horse escaped and ran away.
"Oh what bad luck,”
the villagers said when learning what had happened. “You now have a saddle
and no horse”
“Who knows if it’s bad luck? Maybe
it’s good luck.” Jed responded cheerfully.
“Good
luck?” They laughed. “There’s no way this is good luck. This is
a tragedy for you.”
“Who knows?” Jed responded.
Several days later the horse mysteriously returned and brought with him a
couple of wild horses.Jed quickly led them into a corral, and word spread that
he now had three horses. The villagers rushed to see for themselves.
“What good luck!” They said to Jed. “You now have three horses.
You can sell two and Keep one for yourself.”
“Who knows if
it’s good luck” Jed said. “Maybe it’s bad luck that this
has happened.”
“Bad luck?” they laughed, unable to hide
their pity for such a simple-minded fool.
One day while attempting to
ride one of the wild horses Jed was thrown and broke his leg.
“What bad luck.” the villagers said when they learned of the
mishap.
“Who knows.” said Jed “Maybe it’s good luck
that I broke my leg.”
A week later an invading army stormed
through the village and forcibly conscripted all the men who were in good
health, but they did not take Jed because he had a broken leg...."~ John
Kehoe
Well, what can I add to this other than my
agreement!?
25/03/03
"If there is some aspect of creation
you find you do not enjoy, bless it and simply change it. Choose again. Call
forth a new reality. Think a new thought. Say a new word. Do a new thing. Do
this magnificently and the rest of the world will follow you. Ask it to." ~
Conversations with God by N.D.Walsch
Thoughts, arrived at at the
behest of spirit, give rise to words articulated by the mind and eventually
actions manifested by the physical body. At this time of world turmoil and
potential strife, do enough of us realise how much power we hold within us to
create a new reality, for ourselves and so too for others. The responsibility
of being creators, one and all, is that collectively we are responsible for the
present. In that recognition we unlock the power to positively change the
reality - what are we waiting for?
21/02/03
"Life doesn't
come to you, you go to life." ~ My Mom
Simple quote today -
in line with the fervour of resolutions that normally surrounds a new year.
There are 100's of quotes on the subject but only one reality: if you're not
busy living, you're busy dying. So lets resolve to do those things this week
that we have been wishing or dreaming of - whats there to wait for!?
20/01/03
"A true leader is not the one with the most followers but
one who creates most leaders." ~ Conversations With God by Neale D.
Walsch
The concept of the leader as servant has developed a body
of intellectual and theoretical support but it is very difficult and unusual to
find it in the workplace - at least I don't come across it very often. This
quote goes a step further and encourages the measurement of leadership success
to be success in the process of getting those who are dependant on you to
become independent. We are all leaders at some level so let's try and teach
those we lead to get along without us.
17/12/02
"It should
be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful
of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes in a
state constitution. The innovator makes enemies of those who prospered under
the old order, and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would
prosper under the new."~ Niccolo Muchiavelli
Free thought
has very often banged heads with the prevailing institutional mindset (whether
in religions, countries, societies or companies) - and whilst it might appear
as if the institution normally wins, the truth is that major changes are
invariably made by individuals. One degree of separation over decades will take
a grouping to a very different place. Be the change you want - in some area
that you truly believe in, why don't you rally against the popular, accepted
and institutionalised mindset - in so doing changing your world and mine.
27/10/02
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the
end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we have started
And
know the place for the first time"~ TS Elliot
How
frustrating but yet so true - the answers to all of our questions lie within us
and indeed so too does divinity but the struggle and the search is to find that
truth. Many of us spend our whole lives without recognising that
"place".
"The irony is that most people think they have to leave where
they are to get to where they want to be. And so they leave heaven in order to
get to heaven and go through hell." - Neale D. Walsch
5/10/02
"What is your religion telling you? How to be a Jew? A Catholic? Or how to
be a human being?" ~ Joseph Campbell
I love this quote because it
is a universal failing of so many of us to lose sight of the bigger picture.
Around the world and all through time wars have been waged in the name of
religion by institutions that belabour the differences rather than the
similarities between the numerous dogmas and religious paths - thus ensuring
that those in positions of power remain so. The dogma also gives the tools to
exercise influence and control over their congregants. We in turn as society
cling to the surety, discipline and solid foundation offered by the rules and
regulations that in large part are man-made or interpreted and very often
forget the essence of what is shared by most religions - the pursuit of
Godliness. Perhaps if we just tried for a week to put as much energy into being
kind, friendly and sharing with those around us as we do into obeying the
rules.
"If men thought of God as much as they think of the world,
who would not obtain liberation?" ~ Maitri Upanishad
13/09/02
"Washing the dishes to wash the dishes. At first glance that might
seem a little silly: why put so much stress on asimple thing? But that's
precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there washing the bowls is a
wonderous reality. I am completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my
presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Isn't it funny how, particularly in the so-called developed or
modern world, we try and avoid the menial, the repetitive and the supposedly
mundane, pursuing rather the excitement of discovery and the new. In so doing
we lose the many opportunities to learn more about oneself by optimising on
these situations - very often, when presented with these opportunities - we see
it as drudgery - something to completed as quickly and painlessly as possible.
And yet we don't have to be Buddhist monks to extract this value - try it the
next time you have to wash the dishes, mow the lawn, drive to work (be a bit
careful with this one though), do filing, cook, clean the house or weed the
garden - concentrate on a steady, rhythmic breathing and try to shut out
everything else in your mind other than the breath and what you are doing -
when your mind wanders (it will) bring it gently back to what you are doing.
Seek not refuge but rather self by doing whatever it is meditatively and I'm
sure you will agree that these tasks will become times that you eagerly
anticipate...
|
