One yama is ahimsa.  Ahimsa which is translated as non-harming, can be extended to kindness and compassion to oneself and others, not carrying grudges or hurting other, living free from our fears, not speaking through gossip or ill words.  It is living in a dynamic peacefulness that is prepared to meet all situations with a loving openness.  Not prejudging or criticizing before experiencing the experience.  But ahimsa means first of all, that we take care of ourselves.  We do no harm to our bodies. We choose not to indulge in self destructive behaviors.  We respect ourselves.

Violence is a part of nature…we see it in birth, survival of the fittest with the food chain, mother Earth.  Not one thing has a malevolent or evil essence. However, having free will, we are capable of errors, mistakes, and non-deliberate malevolence.  We can move out of alignment with the Divine in a way that creates suffering and harm.  We are not being punished for being bad – the Divine is trying to find balance.  Sometimes when we are out of balance it is such a push that allows us to come back into alignment.

When we respect ourselves we see more clearly, the beauty of our divine spirit which takes residency in this body.   Once we learn to take proper care of our self; we learn how to genuinely give to others.  We can’t be disappointed with ourselves if we make a mistake; but see the lesson in it.  We allow our spiritual heart to be more open, more forgiving, more understanding, and less protective.

When we begin to investigate our practice…our life…it is not the answer that enlightens us but the fact that we are searching for something more or we are inquiring about who we are.  In the Anusara philosophy when we search to better ourselves, or our environment, we are actually on a path of remembering not a path of enlightenment.  We are remembering that we are divine…that we are already enlightened…that there is something more than just going through the motions of life.  Naturally, as human beings, we long for a deeper connection to the world around us.  From that we remember that we are not alone…we find community, relationships, yoga classes.  When we investigate our lives and recognize our own power…we step away from habitual patterns and step into our own greatness…you start to trust what you hold in your heart.

In yoga and meditation, the heart can be visualized as a lotus flower unfolding at the center of the chest. With this time of season, we tend to shield our heart in winter and wait for it to defrost with the warmth of spring.  Like a lotus that contracts and opens according to the light, our spiritual heart can be awakened and opened through various yoga practices from asana practice to pranayama, chanting, and meditation.

“Bright but hidden, the Self dwells in the heart.  Everything that moves, breathes, opens, and closes lives in the Self-the source of love.” The Upanishads (Translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, 1987)

Meditation::
As you inhale, draw your awareness from the base of the pelvis to the center of the chest. As you exhale, concentrate on the sensations that you feel in your chest by just allowing the lower ribs to drop away. Each inhale, expand your whole rib cage, abdomen and clavical area. On the exhale, keep this internals space open and bright and exhale the energy that no longer serves you…that you hold onto.  Stay with those sensations and allow your awareness to deepen.  Awareness of your experience, awareness of the stillness of your mind.  You may feel heat, tingling, lightness, density, tightness. As you inhale, let all those labels slip away and breathe into your heart.  Begin to visualize a lotus flower inside your chest that is gently spreading its petals open with each inhalation. And as you exhale, just dwell inside the beauty of the lotus flower.

You may choose to stay with visualization of the lotus or you may focus on the sensation of an expanding heart. When feelings arise, allow them to pass through you like the changing light of the day, or imagine them resting on the flower like water on its petals. Dwell inside the lotus of your heart, feeling the qualities of unconditional love emerge.

Enjoy the nectar of your breath as you take a few moments to dwell in your own light and beauty.  Bask in your own power of your heart and let it expand beyond the frame of your body.  Let the energy of your heart radiate out to all sentient beings in the form of love, peace, equality, healing and gratitude.

When you are ready, bring your hands together in Anjali Mudra (prayer position) in front of your heart – thumbs resting against the center of your chest; and complete your meditation with a moment of gratitude, reflection, or prayer to integrate the energy of your meditation into your life. You can bring your awareness to your heart anytime throughout the day to come back to the seat of unconditional love.

Mantra: Om Mitraya (Mee-Try-Yah) Namaha – worship to the powers of the energy of the sun. When chanted or meditated on, you open up to the power of the sun, new relationships blossom and old ones flourish. The sun also represents our masculine side. Give thanks to all the gift the sun, friends and loved ones rain down on you.  Om Mitraya Namaha is the first prayer/blessing in the first posture of the sun salutation.  Chant this as you begin in Surya Namaskara (prayer position in Tadasana) and open your heart from the inside out. 

Outside in the universe – the Solstice is a sacred time where the Earth is starting to be pulled back closer to the sun – symbolic of us reconnecting to our source of power.  The last few months we have been surrounded by this energy of pulling away from the Sun and inviting us to retreat more inward with the welcoming of the winter.  Now with the celebration of the solstice, we are invited to allow our heart to be pulled back to the closest of the sun.  We are invited to move into the new year that is accompanied with the offer to make changes around us and support us through the transitions we need to walk through…especially with the spiritual symbolicness of the year 2012 (a healing year).

During this time of coming back to our source, internally to our spirit and physically towards the sun; the veil between the spirit and the physical world is thin.  It is the time of letting go of your wishes and your thanks for blessings of this past year; and let them rise up into the Ethers and make room for the coming of the New Year….so we are lighter – like dumping off sandbags off a hot air balloon to rise upwards.

The more your melt-away this past year, the better you come more into alignment. Let the breath be a nurturing quality that releases you into contentment and balance.  Know that every experience in 2011 is prepared you to welcoming in 2012.  Let the inhale be as equal as the exhale – let it be balanced.  When you are balanced you are naturally align with your heart.  And when you are aligned with your heart, you will naturally follow your heart.

During this holiday time, reconnect to your divine essence, embrace your unique spirit, release the weights of the year past and make room for the power of transition, the power of change, the power to make room for something better in your life! The solstice – a time to begin again-  plant the seeds for the coming year – give it the glowing light of your heart to grow.

To the coming year, let us OMMMmmmm.

The most profound truths often emerge when you feel free and playful.  A playful approach not only builds self-awareness, but it also encourages you to accept your idiosyncrasies. When you let play lead the way, you recognize that every situation in life is an opportunity for greater heart energy.

To that, let us play more!

To approach this craft, one must become an artist…to have tremendous passion and love for one’s work. One must also have imagination and creativity to develop the art along this new and unknown path…to go where the movement takes the artist rather then the artist painting by numbers.  What is known today was unknown yesterday.  Every day there is new knowledge and the territory of the unknown, and it continues to be vast.  Our piece of canvas is enormous and each day is like putting a drop of paint onto the canvas.  I am a beginner every day.  I don’t bring yesterday’s poses into today’s sadhana – that would be like bringing my ego to my mat and saying I know everything there is.  This allows me to become a beginner over and over again.  To paint outside the lines and to explore the vast white canvas of life, the unknown, which is the area an artist must explore in order to refine their art.

Our lives are a pallet of colors.  All artistic expressions are born from internal experiences

Yamas are 

When you approach yoga practice this way (and life), it becomes a tool for observation. You can use it to reveal your limitations and boundaries, your strengths and weaknesses. Instead of practicing a mechanical series of poses, you’ll feel fresh and alive with a spirit of wonder and investigation.

When you feel the urge to force yourself into a pose or a situation in life, come back to being present with your own body and mind. Work with restraint and investigative intelligence. These qualities are more relevant to the practice of yoga than accomplishing any of the postures

Manifesting steadiness (sthira) requires connecting to the ground beneath us, which is our earth, our support. Whether our base is comprised of ten toes, one foot, or one or both hands, we must cultivate energy through that base. It is the foundation from which we can create, explore, and expand from. From there, we can navigate to a place of ease or sukha. Just as steadiness requires and develops alertness, comfort entails remaining light, unburdened, and interested in discovery. It can teach us to move away from commanding our bodies to perform poses, and instead breathe life into them from the inside.

Sthira is a form of connection to the ground, and then we move to sukha as a form of lighthearted exploration and expansion. In this way, we find our asana from the ground up.  With sthira and sukha as the points on our compass, we can enjoy exploring their places of limitation and liberation in every pose.

Once we have attended to steadiness, the other qualities of alertness and comfort become accessible. With that, I bring my hands into Angli Mudra or hands pressing together in front of the heart: left hand pressing into the right and the right hand into the left equally:: let their strength soften your heart. Namaste.

One yama is Brahmacharya or moderation.   As yogis, we choose to use our power to create, to fulfill, to find and joyously express our inner selves. The practice of brahmacharya reminds us that, if we use our energy wisely, we possess the resources to live a fulfilling life.

Sometimes we over extend ourselves to others and don’t focus our energy on ourself and we get run-down, our health suffers, our mood is heavier.  Or we think only of ourself and we don’t give enough back and we have more wants, more needs, more ego.  We bind energy through habit patterns that bring us out of alignment. By finding a place of balance to hang out in you can disperse your energy more evenly, with more clarity and awareness. So you don’t focus so much on buying the perfect gift or working long hours and not seeing your family.  You choose to have a more balanced life by diversifying your energy wisely.

With Brahmacharya, we make peace with cravings and avoid overindulgences; both mind, body, and speech. By adopting these ethics in to our daily life we find a sweet balance that comes from honoring all our responsibilities, relationships and passions.

Enlightenment is really just a deep, basic trust in yourself and your life.  The work that awaits us is stripping away the layers of delusion that we have accumulated through our karma, so that our natural state of peace and wholeness can be revealed.   We can have an enlightened experience in any moment–while we are immersed in a hobby or sport, walking in the wilderness, playing with a 2-year-old, or moving through poses on the mat. The way I define enlightenment, is the experience of being in my heart…it is my intention in every class, in every moment, to be enlightened. Being in your heart puts you in touch with your Supreme Consciousness and its attributes–divine bliss and love. Many times, our experience of enlightenment is momentary.

Enlightenment is everyone’s natural state, but it gets covered up. We forget, and there are these layers of mental and physical energies from this lifetime and maybe even others that disconnect us from our hearts.   Yes, there are certain difficulties with living in our complex world. We can easily be drawn away from experiencing the wonder and simplicity in the present moment, but it all depends on how you view things. While computer technology, for example, might be seen as a distraction and blamed for the revved up speed we live at, it is also an amazing tool, capable of putting us in touch with people all over the world who suffer the same fears and sorrows and savor the same joys.

Look for the enjoyment; look for the beauty, and to open to grace no matter how tedious it is like making dinner or cleaning your home.  See grace in all that you do.

As we start to do our poses, we start to feel the pleasure of being in the body. Those pleasures are part of the celebration of being on this path. You can get addicted to this physical practice and miss the larger context, but the physical pleasure of the practice can also be an expression of spirit in the body. Enjoy, look for the beauty, and to open to grace.”