Lizzie for Free : a yogi's blog
The Free State of LizArchive for jivamukti
Say Om While Dying (or Die to OM)
om ity ekaksharam Brahma / vyaharan mam anusmaran
yah prayati tyajan deham / sa yati paramam gatim (BG VIII.13)
If one can remember while dying to utter OM, he/she will go to the supreme goal.
I was always a bit baffled by this verse in the Bhagavad Gita. I thought that Krishna would have said, “utter my name,” but instead he suggests to “utter OM” while dying. I have often heard many of my friends who are Krishna devotees say, “OM is for yogis or Vedantists,” not for Krishna bhaktas, and I have noticed that many of the Krishna mantras do not start with OM as do many of the other deity mantras. But interestingly enough, in the very next chapter, in verse 17, Krishna says, “I am the sound OM.” The sound of the Divine in its essential manifestation, is found in OM, in other words by saying OM you are saying God’s name. I think this verse is giving instruction for how to consciously pull one’s soul out of their physical body at the time of death with the potency of OM.
Krishna is known as the supreme yogi, and the best way to understand his teachings is to immerse yourself in the practices He suggests, as insight is more likely to dawn through experience. My guru Shri Brahmananda taught me to chant the bija mantras in relationship to the chakras. Because of his guidance I practice shavasana as a practice to prepare me for my own death. While lying on my back, I recite the bija mantras out loud, moving through the first six chakras, from the root (muladhara) to the third eye (ajna): LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, OM. When I come to the sahasrara chakra I silently chant OM, and this silent chanting of OM acts as a profound launching of my awareness into an expanded reality. After that final OM there is a profound letting go of the physical body-all of the joints between the bones seem to unhinge, tension releases, and there is a feeling of great spaciousness -perhaps it is close to what I can only imagine and assume to be something like dying-my breath stops and along with it thought and sensation-I feel like I am floating bodiless-a freed spirit. This usually only lasts for a moment or so, but nonetheless it is quite extraordinary that the chanting of the bija mantras culminating in that final silent OM can facilitate an experience of kevalam kumbhaka-a spontaneous suspension of the breath and thought, classified in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika as a preliminary level of samadhi. For a short, almost timeless moment we can experience yoga-freed of all desire-feeling whole and complete, needing nothing. You don’t stop breathing in the normal sense, instead you become integrated with the breath to such an extent that there is no need to breathe, no need to grasp the breath and bring it “into you.” To be able to die with ease and a sense of direction is the definition of a good death.
Previous to that final silent OM, with each successive chanting of the bija mantras and focusing on the associated chakra and area of the body, I always feel like I am putting my life, via my body, in order. It is a “cleaning house” kind of feeling, where things that are no longer necessary are let go of and things that were out of place get put back and the “house” is more organized and spacious for it. It also prepares me for the silence of that final OM. I don’t think you can take the short cut ignoring the other chakras and mantras and just lie down and silently chant one OM and facilitate the same kind of experience. If you don’t believe me, just try it yourself. Lie down and inhale, then exhale with the sound of OM and see if the abbreviated experience is equal to the methodical process of moving up through the chakras, dropping each body part in successive order by means of the breath and mantra.
During the death process, each element leaves the body in an organized progression starting with the element of earth in the root chakra and moving upward into water, fire, air and then followed by more subtle forms of ether. The shavasana practice I describe above-the methodical process of successively moving upward consciously through means of the bija mantras-is a meditation on the dissolution of the elements that occurs naturally at the time of death to everyone, although it may occur more consciously to a yogi. This process is referred to in the previous verse in the Gita, where Krishna gives instruction by saying, “closing all the gates of the body and drawing the mind into the heart, then raise the prana into the head” (BG VIII.12). When the prana is in the higher chakras of the head, if we utter the sound of OM at that precise moment, we might be able to aim our soul’s flight out through the top of the head, the sahasrara or crown chakra, and reach our supreme goal-liberation. Shavasana, or corpse pose, can be a practice for that important moment, as the Mundaka Upanishad describes: “OM is the bow, the arrow is our own soul, Brahman is the target, the aim of the soul.”
For many practitioners of yoga, the time spent in shavasana is taken as a time to rest from the exertion of the asanas. But when the practitioner begins to investigate the significance of shavasana, he/she will realize that it provides a tangible opportunity to consciously practice dying and even to experience samadhi. When we practice dying, we can become liberated from the fear of dying, or abhinivesha, which is an obstacle to yoga, and move towards a good death and the ultimate attainment of the supreme goal, which is cosmic consciousness-maha samadhi, liberation from samsara-no need to take another birth.
-Sharon Gannon
Jivamukti Focus of the Month November
Brahmacharya and Veganism
brahmacharya-pratishthayam virya-labhah (PYS II.38)
When one does not misuse sexual energy, one obtains enduring vitality resulting in good health.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives us five recommendations, called yamas, for how we should treat others if we want to attain liberation. The fourth yama isbrahmacharya, which means “to respect the creative power of sex and not abuse it by manipulating others sexually.” Brahmacharya is a way to get to God-a way to arrive at the creative essence of the universe. It has sometimes been translated as “continence” or “chastity,” which has led to a lot of misunderstanding in regard to how to practice this yama. To practice brahmacharya is to understand the potential of sexual energy, which is the essence of all physical and psychological forces.
When sexual energy is directed wisely, it becomes a means to transcend separation, or otherness. When sexual energy is used to exploit, manipulate or humiliate another, however, it propels us into deeper separation and ignorance (avidya). Human beings routinely do this to the other species we confine on farms. The sexual abuse of animals is ingrained in our culture, and it expresses itself in the practice of breeding, genetic manipulation, castration, artificial insemination, forced pregnancy of female animals and abuse of their children, all of which fall under the category of “animal husbandry.”
Animals on factory farms are not allowed to develop normal sexual relationships with others of their own species. Most confined animals never even see a member of the opposite sex of their own kind. All of the animals born in factory farms come from mothers who were artificially inseminated. These mothers are forced to become pregnant over and over again until their fertility wanes, at which point they are slaughtered and eaten. Male animals chosen to be sperm donors are sexually abused repeatedly, live in constant frustration, and in the end are slaughtered as well. Such practices are violent, crass and degrading to animals, as well as dehumanizing for the farm workers paid to do this work. The way these animals are routinely sexually abused reveals just how disconnected we have become from the natural world and the beauty and miracle of life.
Meat eating can be seen as a feminist issue, for if we believe in women’s rights, we cannot condone and support the way female animals are exploited for milk, eggs and babies. If we feel that women should be treated fairly, then we must extend our desire for women’s liberation to all women regardless of race, religion, or species. Yoga teaches us that what we do to others we ultimately do to ourselves. If we do not respect the rights of females of other species, how can we expect to successfully liberate human females?
The consumption of meat and dairy products is a symptom of the disease of low self-esteem. Both activities result from the misguided notion that in order to feel sexier, younger, healthier or stronger, one must exploit and consume the gifts of nature in any form that man can dominate. In fact, the opposite is true. Long-term consumption of meat and dairy products can create any number of health problems, including heart disease, impotence, stroke and cancer. Patanjali tells us clearly that health and vitality will come to one who is established in brahmacharya-to one who treats sexuality with reverence.
To embrace the practice of brahmacharya is to challenge our culture’s foundation, which is dependent upon the domestication of animals. When we talk about veganism and brahmacharya, we are definitely talking about a radical sexual revolution.
-Sharon Gannon, adapted from Yoga and Vegetarianism
The Guru as Mirror
guru satyam guru jnanam guru anandam guru shantih
My teacher is the truth, my teacher is the wisdom, my teacher is the bliss,
my teacher is the peace.
Often when a student talks about their guru, they say things like, “It was like they saw right through me. There is nothing I can hide from them; I am transparent in their presence. They remind me of God; I feel more whole when I am with them. They seem to know everything about me, and yet they still love me, unconditionally.” How does this work? What kind of relationship is this? Gu means “ignorance; that which obscures Truth.” Ru means “that which removes.” The guru is the agent-the teacher-who removes ignorance so that the Truth can be revealed.
The relationship between student and teacher is a spiritual one-a relationship focused on identity. The quest for identity is the ultimate quest. To know oneself, to find out, to discover who you are, is the truth that everyone is looking for. The student seeks out a teacher because they want to know who they are. They are looking for help in understanding the confounding complexities and limitations of their own personality. You could say they are having an identity crisis. Usually the search starts with an experience of discontent and a feeling that they may be more than they thought they were, or that life may hold more potential beyond just eating, sleeping, money, sex, marriage, home, job and acquiring more stuff. This is why the spiritual path is not for normal people; it is for people who are looking for something more than success in the realms of the three basic power drives which fuel the three lower chakras: money, sex and fame. When these start to look less interesting, it is then that a person is at a critical point where they begin to realize that they are more than their body and mind, more than a skin encapsulated ego/personality. At this time, they begin to seriously ask: Is there more to life? Is compassion, generosity and kindness really worthwhile? What is Love, and does God exist?
We all need help to be able to see ourselves as we truly are. The job of a guru is to provide this assistance. A guru is someone who sees you as you really are-sees beyond your personality foibles, sees you as a holy being. It is through the medium of love that the guru is able to perceive this truth.
Love is that which connects us all-it is the ground of being, the medium through which all is created, sustained and renewed. Real love is slippery like mercury and cannot be grasped, while at the same time it is attractive, embracing, enveloping, nurturing and constant. Traditionally the guru serves as a love object for the student, allowing the student to love them. It is understood between student and teacher that the relationship will be based on love. The teacher by their presence becomes a focus for the student to pour their feelings into, but it is an unusual relationship because the normal aspects of relationship are missing; material gain, sexual gratification or ego enhancement is not involved. You could say it is a “pure” relationship in that sense; there is nothing else that the teacher gives the student: in the words of the old song, “I can’t give you anything but love.” There is nothing that the teacher needs or wants from the student other than the student’s happiness and ultimate enlightenment-Self realization-the realization of Love.
This realization is facilitated by the guru, who serves as a mirror for the student, reflecting the student’s outward as well as innermost desires, and thereby reveals to the student who they really are. The teacher reminds the student of God, which after all is who they really are. Before embarking on a teacher-student relationship, it is good to be sure that you want and are ready for what will come up, because it will all come up. But approached with humility, respect, appreciation and a sense of adventure, the guru can be a doorway, a magic mirror through which the student can walk into the realm of infinite possibilities.
-Sharon Gannon
Yoga in the park
Starting Saturday, May 14th, I will be teaching yoga every week on the lawn of Kensington Palace Gardens. There is nothing like practicing outside to reconnect with the earth and oneself, and practicing in a group to benefit the lives of others both extends the connection from the earth to all beings, and from the mat into daily life.
The class is a donation-based class with all proceeds going to a London- based organization called The Kids Company.
The Kids Company helps at risk kids from 0-23 years old in a variety of ways. They provide everything from in-school therapy to full live-in care for children to young adults, and a variety of programs in-between such as after school programs and mealtime programs, depending on the needs of the individual.
One of the philosophical aspects of yoga is that life in the body is suffering. We suffer because we have a mind that constantly judges and perceives, interpreting experiences as good and bad, forming opinions and expectations which lead us to live a reaction-based life (life on the rollercoaster of the mind).
One way out of this cycle of suffering (samsara) is by offering your life and your practice towards helping other beings who are also suffering.
The yoga of action, karma yoga, tells us that by uplifting the lives around you through effort, dedication and intention, your life will automatically be uplifted as well.
Whether a being lives in forest that is being destroyed, lives on the streets without a roof overhead or fresh water to drink, or lives in London in an abusive family situation, there is always a being in need of physical and emotional nourishment. There is something you can do! Come to this class – thousands of kids may benefit from your Saturday morning practice!
Details: Saturday’s, 9:00am-10:30am
Kensington palace gardens, south or palace, west of broad walk ( opposite and south of pond)
Email Lizzie@freeliz.com for more information.
In the event of rain or cold and wet weather, class will be canceled.
Join the facebook group to keep informed
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Jivamukti Focus of the Month: The Sheltering Roof
There was a time in the not so distant past when during the winter months the old growth forests with trees, some of whom might be a thousand years old, would form a canopy with their upper branches and greenery, protecting the forest floor from snow fall. Of course when the sun shone in the morning and definitely in the spring time the snow that had been caught by the upper boughs of the trees would melt and the forest floor would receive this moisture in a gentle way.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for the animals then, who knew the forest as their home? For one thing, they were kept much more dry than they are today. The small animals, who do not hibernate during the winter, like bunnies, mice and squirrels, would find it not that difficult to wake in the morning and go forage for food for themselves and their families. Nowadays with deep snow it can be difficult to find enough food. More than 97% of the old growth forest in the United States has been cut down. Still more is being cut each day. Perhaps in a few years this country, once so abundant with ancient forests will have none left. Even in the tropical rainforest of Brazil with all the clear cutting and damage that is going on, the Amazon still retains 75% of its old growth forest; it is called jungle there. The United States has barely 3% left.
When we look out of our windows here in Woodstock, NY, we can see mountains. These Catskill mountains have no old tress left having lost them to tanners, loggers and farmers fifty to a hundred years ago or more. The mountainsides during winter look like a man who hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, fine hairs. It is so stark that you can see the floor of the forest, because the trees are so thin and thinned that they can’t hide much. Even so, I am grateful for those trees that are there, hemlocks, pine and oaks. It is wondrous to walk through the forest of these trees. But they are all very young trees and so when it snows or rains the forest floor gets covered, and when the winds are strong it lashes right through the corridors between trees and sometimes takes some trees with it. If the trees grew more densely they would be safer from the winds.
Having moved here from NYC several years ago I would see horses standing out in the cold, rain, wind and snow, with no barn or tree to stand under. I would wonder about that and feel bad for them. Local people would tell me, “they’re animals, and they’re used to it, look at the deer.” I would see the wild deer and know that they at least could go into the forest to get some shelter from the elements, but now I realize the forest isn’t what it used to be and doesn’t provide animals with the type of shelter it once did. It is likely that the deer suffer hardships in the winter and greatly appreciate charitable donations from human beings. It seems to me that we owe something to these indigenous people. We keep encroaching upon their homes more and more each year.
We built a house for the few deer who walk through our yard, made from fallen tree branches. It looks kind of like a gazebo with a thatched roof. They appear to like it in winter and in summer. We can see them outside our window sleeping in it. During the spring and summer some of the does feel safe enough to give birth to their babies under that roof, made by humans.
Of course deer are still not safe from hunters. The trees are so thinly spaced that it is easy for hunters to spot deer in these forests of the Catskills, I don’t think it was always so. We humans have taken the once lush forest homes from so many animals and forced them to survive as best they can. Some haven’t been able to make it. In the Pacific Northwest the spotted owl and the salmon are just about extinct. They needed those dense ancient forests to live in; they can’t survive in a young forest.
I realize that for many people who haven’t spent that much time in the country it looks like we have a lot of trees here, but compared to what it could have been like if the trees that were here, or at least some of them, were still here. I am told I live in the country, but knowing what it could have been like when I look out my window and see the Catskill forests, it looks almost suburban.
Most human beings live in cities. Many wild animals, like squirrels, foxes, pigeons and other birds, as well as feral cats, live in cities now also and struggle to find shelter and food in the midst of busy human beings. It is easy for us to ignore them and to assume that they are wild animals and know how to survive. But especially in the cold of the winter months those fellow beings do find it very difficult to survive and would greatly appreciate some charitable donations from us. There are many simple, easy ways to help. For instance: always leaving your apartment or house with some seeds and nuts in your pocket for the birds and squirrels you may meet on your way to work. Or taking care of a feral community of cats by trapping the cats and taking them to a vet for medical care and/or to be spayed or neutered and then returning them to their feral communities; then maintaining those communities by providing nourishing food as well as shelter, in the form of boxes insulated with straw. When we can extend our kindness to include the needs of others, including other animals, we insure our own prosperity, as our actions will eventually but inevitably come back to us.
-Sharon Gannon
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Providing for others: Integrating the Practice into Life off the Mat
The Sheltering Roof (February, 2011)
The most in need homeless people that you will most likely encounter will be the animals who have migrated into cities from the country because of human encroachment and animals who are trying their best to live in a rural situation which is rapidly being paved over for roads, shopping malls and or housing developments.
By feeding others and providing shelter, you assure that in your own future, you will never be hungry or homeless– karma works that way. It is important that you do your best to treat others as you would like to be treated, but also paying attention to the needs of the particular species you are trying to help. For instance don’t try forcing feral cats to eat bird seed (they most likely would rather eat a bird).
How this might play out is that you make a concerted effort to provide the best, most nourishing food possible for the animals that you are going to feed.
It is a sad thing for us to feed junk food to wild creatures who are hungry. We should instead feed them the best quality organic food.
Often people will take their kids to the park with a bag of white Wonder bread and watch the poor hungry birds enthusiastically eating. What are they thinking? Probably they are thinking that those animals really don’t matter–they’re just animals. If they didn’t give them something they wouldn’t have anything anyway–so the birds should be glad that they are receiving this charity–not feeling obliged or responsible to give them anything.
So here are some tips: Organic raw seeds and nuts are best for birds and squirrels Peanuts are not the best option for squirrels as they are usually loaded with toxins, because often industrial farms plant peanuts as a crops to clean the soil–so the peanuts themselves can contain high levels of toxic herbicides and pesticides. Raw walnuts and hazelnuts are good, as are sunflower seeds–in the shells are best, as then the squirrels can choose to bury the nuts for eating at another time.
For birds: you can buy bags of “wild bird seed mix” just make sure that if those mixes contain corn that the corn is non-GMO corn; when in doubt buy the bag that doesn?t contain corn. Often times I run out of Bird Seed Mix and instead, I just pour some uncooked grains (millet, rice, oats, etc.) from my kitchen cabinet into a bag to take with me as I leave my apartment in the morning. Oatmeal is an excellent food for pigeons and other birds. Of course if you have left over bread or other food in the fridge it might also be good for birds; rather than throwing it into the garbage, you could put it on a window-sill.
If you live in a rural setting, you may want to set up a feeding station in your yard and keep a store of sunflower seeds, cracked corn, steel cut oats, and other varieties of seeds and nuts on hand and regularly provide meals for the wild vegetarian animals.
As for feeding feral cats, I would suggest stocking up on organic canned cat-food, as it is easier to distribute.
Many Animal Rights organizations have programs for helping animals in need. You may want to check out www.PETA.org for some ideas and ways you can help. I know that PETA has developed a very successful program of going around to places (especially in the cold winter months) to look for dogs who may be chained up in a yard somewhere with no shelter. They provide dog-houses and straw to keep warm as well as food for those dogs. You may want to send a monetary contribute to help support their efforts.
You can do something. It is the simple, thoughtful acts of kindness that will be so much appreciated. You don’t have to get all complicated and start building dog- houses and trapping stray cats and creating clinics to care for them etc. Start with simple doable things that you can do now: like carrying a few seeds in your pocket and sharing them with a bird you might meet on the street.
