Lizzie for Free : a yogi's blog
The Free State of LizArchive for philosophy
Day 28, Lizzie’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge
For the forth time this week, I’ve been denied engaging actively with my body. The universe is nothing short of blatant in telling me to back off asana practice for now, as much as my preferentially attached mind wants to hit the mat and engage with the physical. Taking from Pema Chōdron’s analogy, I have had an itch (to practice asana), and my mindfulness practice has been becoming aware of that, acknowledging it, and staying with it without scratching. Instead, I’ve surrendered to letting this path unfold.
Today I attended Zhenja’s 4 hour workshop for teachers with the theme of Puja, assuming for there would be an aspect of asana practice as I heard the previous weekends’ workshops with Zhenja were quite asana intensive. Instead, it was a four hour exploration of the concept of puja and the Anusara method for creating puja in a class. It was quite interesting to gain insight into this style of yoga with such a structured framework and language of its own, and valuable as an exercise for creating focus, rationale and sequencing relevant to a class’ esoteric focus.
The best part of the workshop was Zhenja herself. Intelligent, down to earth, authentic and energetic, Zhenja was present throughout the entire workshop as an approachable, passionate, inquisitive yogi, ambassador to the Anusara method and disciple of Jon Friend. There was no posturing, just respect and palpable love. Even towards the end when energy began to drop, Zhenja made her way around to the smaller groups to help regain the focus.
Meanwhile, my experience of Anusara yoga continues to unfold. I’m challenged by the shiny, contemporary packaging of the ancient teachings and practicing reserving judgement…after all, these newer methods are devised in part to articulate the vastness of the history and teachings of yoga in a more approachable way. Watch this space….and tomorrow, the 29the Day of the Yoga Challenge, holds a wild card; let’s see where the practice and the challenge lead me…
Learnings from Week 2: Lizzie’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge
This week was dramatically different for me compared to the first week of the challenge. Taking some of my learnings from the first week into consideration, I chose classes that were generally longer in length (2, 2-hour classes, 2, 3-hour workshops), and had one day for self practice which was very meaningful from a more meditative and reflective standpoint. At the end of the second week I feel more fulfilled, more grounded and at the same time expansive. Thanks to all the great teachers who were so generous with their energy and teachings.
I have stuck with studios I know so far, which is partly due to the schedules and proximity and yoga methods I know and enjoy. I’m going to do my best to break out of that habit this week (Evolve is on the schedule for Thursday, and I’m slated to go to a pilates and dance class tomorrow at Tri Chelsea for something totally different!) I have questioned whether or not I should try a Bikram class or a Yotopia class in heat with weights, but I’m not sure what the point would be. I can’t imagine enjoying it, but maybe that’s one of the evolving themes of the challenge, to give new things, and things I have a misconception of, a chance. Stay tuned….
Day 13, Lizzie’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge
My practice schedule changed today as I was unable to attend Elinore Burke’s Astanga class at the Life Centre, Notting Hill. I did make it to Bridget Stacey Luff’s class at Indaba Yoga Studio where she has been covering Leila Sadahee’s 1:30-3pm class for several weeks.
A small, mixed-level class, Stacey introduced the theme of Saraswati, the goddess of Flow (and knowledge, arts, music, science and technology). She suggested we use the breath to keep flowing throughout the class, and offered us a lovely flowing asana sequence based on her theme.
To accomodate the range of student’s abilities, Stacey gave the class lots of variations and options to increase or decrease the class’ challenge, and we practiced a variety postures such as vrksasana, parsvabakasana, parivtti utkatasana and parivritta hasta padangusthasana.
During savasana Stacey chanted the Anusara invocation, and i was convinced there was an angel in the room. She has an A M A Z I N G voice.
Tomorrow I hope you can join join me for Claudia Dossena’s class at Indaba from 11:15-1:15pm. Happy Friday the Magic 13th!
Day 4, Lizzie’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge
This evening I practiced with 21 other yogis fresh into their new year at Phillippa’s 6:45 Astanga class at the Life Centre, Notting Hill. It has been nearly 5 years since I went to an Astanga class and was interested to see how it would feel.
Phillippa’s no-nonsense style of teaching meant that most of the hour and fifteen minutes were spent practicing asana, and for the first time this week I was able to practice three wheels, a headstand and shoulderstand. I felt energized and calm after the class, yet still wanting to have done a bit more. This leads me to ask whether there is an hour and fifteen minute class that feels well-rounded, un-rushed and is thought provoking? What are your experiences with hour and fifteen versus ninety minute classes?
Next up, Zephyr Wildman’s class at the Life centre, Notting Hill, Thursdays 2:30-3:45pm.
From Delusion to Resolution, Intention Setting 2012
As another 365 day-period draws to a close, resolutions are on many people’s minds as we prepare for a new year. What would we like to accomplish in the new year? What would we like to change, rectify, add to or delete from our lives? Resolutions are generally goal oriented, focused on a noticeable end result (losing weight, having a child, moving house, changing jobs, etc). The glitch is that resolutions often don’t stand up to the test of time, and somewhere into the second or third month of the new year, a good majority of the resolutions set have been long forgotten, taken over by old habit patterns. Why?
My guess is that resolutions slip to the back of mind for most of us because we spend the majority of our time living ‘unconsciously’; unaware of the thoughts we have and the motivations behind our actions. As humans, we have active minds that are deluded into believing we are omniscient; in reality we have no concept of how our thoughts impact our own behaviour and the world around us and are living in the dark, entrenched by lifetimes of mis-knowing (avidya).
Intention setting cuts through the illusiveness of pie-in-the-sky resolutions, focusing instead on the motivation behind the stated goal. In turn, the lens of perception is widened, enabling a deep look within to what lies underneath the desired outcome. The broadening extends outward as well, and in this way the practice of intention setting is just as much about the process of connecting inward and outward as it is about attaining an end result. A constant reflection between motivation and action keeps the intention an active addition to everyday life.
There is a word in Sanskrit that means determination, will or good intention, and this word is sankalpa. We can think of sankalpa as a unifying force that is at the most subtle level behind all of manifestation. Deepak Chopra describes it as the most essential building block for all of manifest destiny. “As is your desire so is your intention. As is your intention so is your will. As is your will so is your deed. As is your deed so is your destiny.”
How to set a Sankalpa
Go on a Journey: Think about some typical resolutions you have in mind and see how they make you feel. Then ask yourself how you would like to feel each day. See if you are able to travel beyond the goal-oriented resolution into the space that holds the motivation. Be honest but be compassionate with yourself. The process is not about judging or critiizing, but about reflection and acceptance.
Sing it: Reframe the resolution into a positive, short statement that you can use as a mantra or a chant. Use positive words and active, present-tense verbs to help keep the statement alive.
Let it go. There is little we actually fully understand and control int he world. Have faith that by offering your energy up to the Universe, all will be taken care of.
Setting a sankalpa requires letting go of the desired end result, committing to the process of positive and compassionate intention rather than clinging to the outcomes. When we move from living deluded and unconsciously to living consciously and illuminated by the universe, our “deed becomes our destiny”; resolutions of the past become intentions of today. Enjoy the process, that is the practice!
Gratitude and the gunas
One of the most challenging aspects of true gratitude is accepting all things in life as precious; without judgement, without control. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of perceiving things in our life as good and bad, extending appreciation only to those things we deem as beneficial to our small, ego-driven selves. When we begin to look at all of life’s manifestations as part of something bigger of which we are interconnected, something we only begin to skim the surface from the vantage point of the “I”, the ego, we develop an understanding for events happening according to a larger plan.
According to the ancient yoga philosophy, all of creation can be boiled down to consciousness and the life force. In the same way that the big bang theory thrust the material world into existence or a sperm and ovum create a new life by merging together, purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (life force) attract to each other and intertwine, spawning all of animate life.
All that is manifest is subject to the three gunas; qualities of the world we can see, feel and sense. These gunas are tamas, ragas and sattva. While each can be understood in a variety of ways, the basic nature of each can be understood as:
Tamas – the mode of destruction. Physical inertia with a tendency towards the past. Tamas is dark, heavy, and stubborn; cool in temperature, pungent in taste. Examples of tamas are expressed in a dead animal; someone who is manipulative, procrastinates or is stuck in the past; food that is starting to rot.
Ragas – the mode of creation. Physical activity tending towards thoughts about the future. Dim, needy and aggressive, ragas is hot in temperature and spicy in taste. Examples of ragas are a spicy curry; someone in need of constant affirmation, with excessive energy or frustrated by the world around them; an angry skin rash.
Sattva – the mode of preservation. Calm and alert, sattva exists in the present, bright and luminous. Sattva is pure and sweet in taste. Examples include a ripe fruit; a compassionate, karma yogi meditating in the present; a flower having just opened into it’s full foliage.
The gunas are woven together like a braid; intertwined into our physical reality, present in all things at all times. As a braid has one strand on top of the other two at any given time, one guna reigns over the others and the dominant guna is constantly changing.
Each guna has a natural lifecycle, not unlike the cyclical nature of seasons or a life that begins as a seed, developing into its full potential before it’s decay and ultimate death. Moment by moment, the evolution in the cycle of life transforms continuously.
As yogis, the paradox is that the sattvic state appears to be desirable, as a goal to attain. However, as soon as the mind attaches to its preferences seeking out one thing while trying to avoid another, we become ragasic with our expectations for the future and tamasic in our tendency towards manipulation. The true sattvic nature desires nothing, becoming sattvic through the process of staying present and detatching from our preferences and aversions, self-serving intentions, expectations and fears. Even the sattvic state morphs into something else as the peaceful body and mind inevitably seek new sources of stimulation.
We so often use these official times of year as superficial points to stop, reflect, and reset our expectations. It can be easy to forget that each day, each hour, each moment is a chance to begin anew. By practicing patience and cultivating awareness of whatever our present state of mind and body, we can begin to live more dynamically, as we listen and respond to our changing needs. Living becomes a practice acknowledging that all phenomena is subject to the gunas – to impermanence and constant change.
True gratitude lies within the knowledge (bhuti) that all of the sensual world is temporary. Rather than forcing ourselves to change at a pace that is self-controlled, we cultivate an appreciation for the knowledge that there is actually very little in life we have control over. The more we can accept all the aspects of our life as transformative, as gifts that we can choose to use as empowerment, the more the gunas can evolve fluidly and the more we can truly be present and grace-filled.
(caveat: of course, consuming products, services and media mindfully, including eating a vegetarian diet will naturally enhance the sattvic state, not that we are seeking that out;-))
Top ten gifts for the yogi (who needs no thing)
Well, well, it’s that timeout year for those of us living in the world going to homes where gifts are exchanged around the holidays. Not in need of anything, why not ask for something that could help to deepen your practice? Here are my top ten Nice to Have gifts for any practicing Yogi.
10. Mala beads from etsy.com
A shop within a shop, etsy makes it easy to find boutique, handmade items that are right for you. For mala beads, try sellers Lovepray Jewellry,or Sevgi (seen in the photo)
9. Yoga and Vegetarianism, Sharon Gannon
A succinct explanation of the ethical practices of yoga as they relate to a vegan diet.
8. The Warrior Within through the a Bhagavad Gita, Manorama
Manorama is inspiring, down to earth and living wisdom. Study the dormant energy within by listening to this CD time and time again, and become who You Are.
7. Light on Life, BKS Iyengar
A must read every year, connect your practice to your life and relish in Iyengar’s infinite wisdom.
6. Dharma Talks with Tias Little
An eloquent, exuberant teacher, dharma talks 1-4 are interesting, enriching and enlightening. Tias has the gift of weaving diverse traditions together into a seamless narrative.
5. Living without Stress or Fear, Thich Nhat Hanh
The sweetness of Thay’s message helps us to smile at our basic human instincts and embodies compassion. Any CD by this vietnamese Buddhist monk will have immediate calming effects and help transform negative energy into positive action.
4. When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron
An American Tibetan Monk, Pema is relatable, funny and modest. Also highly recommended, Getting Unstuck.
3. Sharon Gannon and David Life, The Spoken Word Series
Sharon Gannon and David Life’s unabashedly straightforward and honest approach to yoga, vegetarianism and animal rights makes no apologies for its honesty and deep insight. Amazing teachers who continue to inspire, inquire and evolve.
2. Wisdom and Practice, BKS Iyengar
A wonderful reference documenting the life of a living yogic master, his practice and his writings. Beautiful images and interwoven texts.
1. The Yoga Matrix, DVD set by Richard Freeman
A brilliant, comprehensive listen worth revisiting again and again, encompasses the Ashtanga system in depth from a master practitioner.
Jivamukti yoga focus of the month: December 2011: where does she go at night?
Up on the rooftop click click click, down through the chimney comes ole St Nick.
No one sees him come, no one sees him go,
But the gifts he leaves in the morning are evidence he does show.
There are three states of consciousness that a normal person goes through during every 24-hour cycle: waking, dreaming and deep sleep. There is also a fourth state that is only known to advanced yogis, called Turiya: it is the state of Samadhi or super consciousness. Each of us is conscious when we are awake, but when we go to sleep at night, it is said that we “lose” consciousness. When we awake, often we do remember dreams, but we never remember deep sleep, and yet if we are not able to enjoy a deep sleep we will not feel rested on awaking. Scientific sleep deprivation studies show that a person will become severely ill and could even die if they are not allowed to experience deep sleep. It is interesting that spending time every night in deep sleep, a state that we don’t even remember, could be that important to us.
The Sanskrit word kundalini means a coiled serpent. Kundalini is our consciousness or awareness, our ability to know, to understand, to perceive ourselves and others, to make sense of things and put things together. In a normal person, she is said to lie dormant in the lowest chakra for most of the time. That place becomes her whole world-the world of mundane survival-eating, sleeping, working, etc. But secretly, there is nothing that kundalini wants more than to be reunited with her beloved Shiva, who resides in the crown chakra at the top of the head. But that reunion is difficult because she has been long imprisoned by her jailer, known to all as the mighty ego. Kundalini is beautiful, intelligent and capable; she is satyam, shivam, sundaram-truth, bliss, beauty. But like many women, she often will cloak her true form, awareness and capabilities and appear dumb in order not to appear too intelligent, lest she alienate or challenge the all powerful ego.
Even though when put under the light of discrimination, ego’s attributes pale next to the serene beauty of the bliss-filled, immortal Maheshvara, for kundalini, ego does have one thing going for him that Shiva could never boast of: a thinking mind, a heart filled with almost infinite varieties of emotions and a firm commitment to time in the form of past, present and future possibilities. To be married to ego insures you of a mortal trip: the promise of the adventure is enough to seduce most souls to put aside immortality and climb on board the ship, the train, the bus or the shiny motorcycle, which is revved up and ready to go-it even has your name on the custom made helmet, as if that is going to really protect you on the dangerous roads of life.
Succumbing to ego and allowing ego to run your life is addictive. Most ego addicts stay enthralled with ego’s promises for millions, maybe billions of lifetimes. But thank God, there are moments of respite from the constant demands of ego and for sure, kundalini secretly looks forward to these breathers. Fortunately relief usually comes on a daily basis. Every night when ego goes to sleep, kundalini quietly uncoils from her resting place at the root of the tree and stealthily moves through the central channel to unite with her beloved in the rooftop. She may ascend and descend several times during the night. Characteristic of her gracious nature, as she moves up and down along the way to her destination, she may take the time to stop and whisper or sprinkle magical dust in the form of a dream to gently aid the unfulfilled yearnings she knows all too well that live in each lotus chakra. But as day breaks, she faithfully returns unnoticed to her abode in the first chakra, and ego never knows of her nighttime rendezvous with her lover.
As normal people, we hide from our own true Self, pretending that we are ignorant, mortal and unenlightened. Identifying with ego, we spend our lives insisting that this is all there is to life. The spiritual aspirant, however, is not normal; the spiritual aspirant wants to wake up. Yoga practices stimulate that awakening. Yoga practices stimulate the awakening of kundalini. Meditation has been described as sleeping while awake. Instead of losing connection with consciousness, which is what happens when we fall asleep, in meditation the yogi sits and stays awake, trying to catch kundalini as she rises from her coiled resting place and ascends to the rooftop-Shiva’s abode of joy in the highest chakra. Much like children who attempt to stay awake on Christmas Eve to catch a glimpse of Santa, yogis attempt through rigorous sadhana to be able to see and unite with God. Some may view this as the extinguishing of ego, but to the yogi, when kundalini unfolds her wings and flies to her final destination it is also freedom for the ego as well. Samadhi is yoga through meditation; the yogi yokes their ego to kundalini and is able to ride the snake to the ultimate wish-fulfilling, immortal, blissful, stillness of the sahasrara chakra-the ultimate movement into stillness, turiya. Liberation is accomplished-all are freed from avidya. Kundalini is no longer held in prison by a time-bound, mortal ego. Ego dissolves into the radiance of a fully conscious kundalini, who is now known as her true Self: atman, cosmic consciousness. This final transformation is into prema-true and eternal cosmic love.
-Sharon Gannon
Focus of the Month Teaching Tips
Where Does She Go At Night? (December 2011)
1. Some background about the term Kundalini:
All yoga is Kundalini Yoga, because all types of yoga involve practices designed to raise kundalini to her highest potential-bliss. Kundalini is a way to describe consciousness. A yoga practitioner wants to expand their consciousness, raise their level of knowing into higher and higher realms of reality-raise their kundalini. A yogi does not want their consciousness to be stuck in the lower chakras–chained to ambitions motivated by money, sex and power. A yogi is someone who has lost interest in those objectives and goals; a yogi is not normal; a yogi wants liberation.
2. Allegory
The FOM essay gives teachings about the movement of consciousness into higher realms of bliss in the form of an allegory. Personifying the forces of kundalini, ego and shiva as characters in a story-as relatable persons-is very tantric. The Tantric tradition has a penchant for putting a face on the other. It helps to create connection and understanding of the cosmic forces at work in our lives.
The other story line at work in the essay is the birth of Christ, or more aptly: the Christ consciousness, which is another way of describing yogic awakening or enlightenment. I present the Christmas story as a psycho/physical occurrence, referring to ole St. Nick up on the rooftop-Santa Claus as kundalini in disguise.
3. Moving into stillness is the practice of yoga.
She is movement and he is stillness.
She (shakti) is movement and he (shiva) is stillness.
She (kundalini) is movement and he (cosmic consciousness) is stillness.
She (vibrancy) is movement and he (stasis) is stillness.
She (jiva) is movement and he (atman) is stillness.
She (prakriti) is movement and he (purusa) is stillness.
She (variety) is movement and he (unity) is stillness.
She (potential) is movement and he (reality) is stillness.
She (mortality) is movement and he (immortally) is stillness.
She (time-bound) is movement and he (timeless) is stillness.
4. To give students an experience of the dynamic essence of this essay-Moving into Stillness-you could teach a vigorous asana class following the chakras from lowest to highest (moving), followed by a long meditation and a long shavasana (stillness).
5. For chanting, you could use satyam, shivam, sundaram, or any mantra that invokes Shakti or Shiva. Or chant the bija mantras Lam, Vam, Ram, Yam, Ham, OM, OM
The Origins of the Chakra System Part 2: Hatha Yoga and the Nadis
In Part 1 of this post, the ancient story of the Churning of Milk was paraphrased as a mythological explanation from where physical form and movement stem. The chakras exist because of, and give rise to movement, and in doing so embody the elemental forms in the physical anatomical/skeletal structure. To give context and structure to the chakra system, it is helpful to have an understanding of Hatha yoga and the subtle energy channels, or Nadis.
Hatha yoga comes from the words Ha, meaning sun, and Tha, meaning moon, and concerns two important and vital aspects of the physical body – the solar and lunar forces. In sanskrit these are known as ida and pingala; ida representing the moon, and pingala, the sun. Also referred to as Shakti and Shiva, these opposing forces interact with each other, guiding and directing our actions and knowledge base. It is in accordance with these forces that we live, move, think and know.
Ida and pingala are a part of an intricate network of energy channels in the body called Nadis which are not unlike our nervous system. One difference between these two systems is that the nervous system exists in the physical body and can be seen to the naked eye, while the Nadis exist in the subtle body, unseen to the naked eye and based on energy currents, vibration and psychic energy.
It is said there are 72,000 Nadis in the body, but for the purposes of better understanding the chakras, three are of primary importance: the ida, the pingala and the sushumna, the central channel.
Ida is associated with the left side of the body, and linked to the mind, cold, passivity, femininity and the moon. Pingala is on the right side, associated with prana, heat, activity, masculinity and the sun. The sushumna is poised in the middle between ida and pingala. The sushumna plays an important role in the final stages of purification on the path to enlightenment because by purifying the Nadis, mental and pranic forces are able to move up through sushumna aided by the chakras. This may ultimately result in enlightenment.
It is thought that there is a dormant potential energy in all humans referred to as Kundalini, the sleeping serpent coiled up at the base of the spine. Through meditation and other yogic practices, kundalini is awakened, and rises up through the sushumna to the crown chakra, where it resides in utero. In childbirth it is pushed down the sushumna to the muladhara chakra, or root chakra. Through various yoga practices including meditation, chanting, pranayama and asana, various levels of awakening are attained, until the kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara chakra, producing an extremely profound awakening that is referred to by terms such as enlightenment, samadhi and nirvana.
Chakra means wheel and implies movement. Like a wheel spins to bring motion to a vehicle, the chakras are responsible for moving energy through the body to maintain vitality and aid in the purification process. Chakras manifest at the intersections of two or more nadis. Because there are so many nadis, there are literally uncounted numbers of chakras in the subtle body; however, there are seven primary chakras which exist based on the number of times ida and pingala criss-cross at sushumna. Impurities in the nadis, or energy flow, cause blockages of the prana leading to disease in the physical body; a free-flowing body of energy is synonymous with wellbeing, freedom and liberation.
The Hatha yoga practice is focused on balancing the solar and lunar channels in the body to facilite this state arising, and the chakras play an integral role in maintaining the balance of forces due to their wheel-like structure and ability to move energy through the nadis.
What is Chakra Balancing?
Sanskrit word “chakra” means “wheel”. A wheel rolls, turns and, by means of circular movement takes one on a journey. You may find it interesting, as I do, that the word also refers to cyclical phenomenae, such as:
-a circular flight pattern of birds
-a cycle of years
-a winding of a river
-an astronomical circle
This circular, cyclical movement is happening throughout the body and at different speeds; however, we can think of the chakras divided into seven primary energetic centres. These centres are analogous with many things, including: the anatomy of the body; the elements of the earth; emotions; colours; animals; and sound.
When these energy centres are open and wellness flows throughout the body, we are at ease – physically, emotionally and in our relationships. However, when they are blocked through injury, illness or disconnection with others, we are prevented from being our best selves. The chakra system is in place from an early age, so the imbalance can begin within the earliest years of development when our earliest needs for food, shelter and warmth are not met. Imbalances can be formed at anytime and within any of the chakras when energy becomes static and inert.
The goal for a yogi is to keep the energy fluid and balanced, which can be done most directly through diet, energetic movement (such as vinyasa and deeply held asanas), pranayama, sound vibration and meditation.
Sourced from ancient teachings, chakra yoga is perhaps more relevant today than ever, at a time when so many feel disconnected from themselves and the community. By rebalancing the energetic channels in the body your heart will be more open to experiencing joy.
I will be teaching a Jivamukti Chakra Balancing Workshop at Indaba Yoga Studio in Marylebone, London on December 4, 2011. Suitable for all levels except complete beginners.
