Exciting news!

Tomorrow morning finally you will be able to visit the Yoga Sanga website!

If you have started a business, you might remember all the time and energy that is behind this along with a passion to do something different.
Daring to step into the unknown is not easy, you walk in mud, sometimes it is hard to see clearly, falling quite frequently and some times not having a clear idea of the end result.

So why do you keep trying? because you believe is a good thing and there is always one or many caring hands that cheer you up. To them I express my profound gratitude.

Hope all of you will be able to visit the website www.yogasanga.net and send me your feedback. There might be a little glitch here and there but we are committed to work hard in order to offer a reliable, honest and inspiring magazine.

Share the journey!!!
Rocio

The Case for God

I would like to share with you today a beautiful ritual that Karen Armstrong described on an NPR interview on NPR (Fresh air)today. Miss Armstrong wrote "The case for God" a fascinating point of view on the role of religion and compassion in the XXI century.

She mentions that some centuries ago (X BCE) in India, Brahmans had an interesting contest.
Students will come together to participate on a retreat where the activities were pranayama (breath control exercises), fasting and preparing the mind for the challenge. It was simple, each of them needed to define Brahman (the ultimate reality). One at a time students would give their definition an the others had to listen carefully and challenge it by giving their own and move on.
What is fascinating is that the winner would be the one who would bring everyone to silence. It was said that in that silence, Brahman was present.

Miss Armstrong says "A theology should be like poetry that takes us to the end of words"

In any yoga school that is the end result, being able to quiet the mind so we can transcend it and for a moment see Reality as it is not as we usually see it full of veils.

Enjoy the night and the soon to come Fall Equinox tomorrow!
Rocio

For the full interview visit: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112968197

Retreat a breath of fresh air!

Every year a group of students and a wise soul come together to spend some time. It is an opportunity to be away of the routine and reflect on life's purpose at a subtle and deeper level.

It happens all around the globe, some cultures are more use to it than others. In my case I found the solace of a retreat here in the US. I remember my mother saying six years ago "will you live your kids alone with your husband for three days?; that is so unusual" I said yes and I have done that many times.

The group I am part of got together in Minneapolis this year. It is always nice to see again those we are close to but only see each other once a year and the new comers with the desire to learn and answer fascinating questions that are hard to ask in other settings.

To help those that can't come to this event, we record the teachings and this is where I come inn, I am usually the messenger that sends the recordings after designing a disk label and a cover for the case.

It is a challenging process as I have no particular artistic talent; but gives me the opportunity to listen to the teachings again and always find answers and clarifications to issues that can be overheard when I am taking notes or checking up the recording levels at the retreat.

We were an awkward group of people surrounded by wedding rehearsals and banquets. One night people couldn't sleep as the groom found out something that upset him and was yelling drunk outside our rooms. Not a peaceful yogic way to wake up or fall sleep as it was very early in the morning. Luckily enough yoga always helps to make you more acceptable and adaptable.

Today running with a cold found the opportunity to slow down and prepare the packages for my fellow yogis and yoginis having my teacher Swami Dasa in the background. Ah! that was the best way to allow the body to recover and get stronger for the week.

Have you been in a special retreat? Any stories that you would like to share?

Pushing hard and hoping to have the website by the end of the week.

Have a great week!

Rocio

Compassion in action

Can't believe a week has passed so fast!

I went to San Francisco to help my sister settling in. She just arrived to study her PhD wit a little 6 years old. To say the least it is and overwhelming time for her. I hope that with a little more time things will improve for her and her daughter.
Whether my husband and I were trying to choose some furniture for her minuscule and very expensive (for Texas) studio, or lifting the mattress through an endless staircase, a thought kept coming to mind that Sri Goswami Kriyananda always remarks, "clarity of purpose is key to a happy life."

Before coming back to Austin I told her -if you really want this, you will have to wake up every morning and remember why you are here and that every day the goal will get closer to you.

But it is not easy as life usually isn't, dealing with so many details for her and her daughter has been a daunting task. On the brighter side she has found a wonderful group of people that has helped them unselfishly. They don't have much, most of them students as well that understand the challenge of studying having to provide and take care of a kid. They represent the true compassion in action, you give not what you have to spare, you give from your own time and resources because it is the right thing to do.

No doubt there are heroes everywhere, be grateful if you have found one of them and feel good about yourself if you are one of those special kind souls that lift our hearts and give us hope that regardless of the challenges, things settle down.

If you have a story about someone helping you at a hard time, share it with us.

Shanti,
Rocio

The things we value

There is no doubt that male and female brain in general value and appreciate different things.

For instance, I would never spend $500.00 or more for a Dallas Football game (though I know some women may) or thousands of dollars in an expensive car as a result of a midlife crisis.

Ah! but give me a romantic movie or spending a weekend doing Yoga and listening to an inspired soul and I am there.

If you haven't read Joel Stein's column on how he describes her wife's process of eating placenta, you haven't see how different and funny this experience can be for a couple Afterbirth: It\'s What\'s For Dinner
Reading this article made me confirm in a hilarious way how foreign some of the yoga practices can be for a new student.

Picture this, my husband had a stuffy nose and I suggested using the Neti Pot. He wanted to know what that was and as I am explaining the technique, his faced changed from surprised to horror and rejection before running away and saying "you yogis are crazy, I can't do that to my body!"

I have heard many students going to a class because they can practice without that "chanting and weird stuff some teachers do at the beginning of class", and some others might be looking for something beyond the poses. All that might be the reason why there are so many yoga styles. The goal of Yoga Sanga, is to offer points of view on different traditions so prospect students will find their match.

The website will be ready by the end of the week, I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Shanti,
Rocio

Patience is a virtue

I remember being a kid and waiting for what it seemed an eternity to ride my new bike on Christmas break.
I had a very different upbringing for a child born in Mexico, in my case it was clear who bought all the presents. There was no mystery and we weren't allowed to tell other kids.
The great thing about this system is that we could go to the store and buy whatever wanted (assuming there was enough for seven kids). The down side was the time we had to wait to use them!!

My best present ever was my first bike, it had a shock in the frame and I thought it was an advance piece of engineering and special design. When time came I was elated to taste freedom. I remember waking up early many Saturdays and bike for a couple of hours around neighborhoods, feeling the cool breeze and enjoying my little independence.

In a way that is how I feel today, I cannot wait to share Yoga Sanga with you but ah! the pain; it is not ready yet. Programmer has promised it will be done by the end of the week (at this point I am not sure to trust that).

Bear with me and I will let you know as soon as it is out.
I cannot wait to share wonderful articles to the Texas Yoga Community!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Rocio

Ignorance and greed

I hope I am not alone on this but I have noticed that my brain has a delay when I am in an inverted pose and my lovely teacher Peggy comes and says, "lift the shoulders, tailbone in, internal rotation of the legs..." I usually go blank and feel less than bright for not having that yogic control over my body.

Well I just felt like that after talking with my sister. Today two women stole not only jewelry, money and credit cards from my mother, they stole her dignity and confidence for people.

We still cannot understand how two women were able to fool my mother with a bizarre story; to the point that she drove them around!
Everyday you hear about people abusing the elderly and how much they are target of scams. It is hard to believe how people can abuse a benevolent heart.

My Guru's teacher, Sri Goswami Kriyananda tells a conversation he had with his Guru Shelliji in terms of ignorance and greed. I am paraphrasing it.

Kriyananda recalls talking to his Guru and asking him -why do people do actions that will bring them negative karma.?
Shelliji answered -they do it because they have forgotten the laws of life. If you pollute the lake sooner or later all the fishes will be dead and you will starve. Most of us don't think too far ahead, therefore we are usually moved by greed and laziness.
Then the solution is easy, people need to understand the laws of life thus they can release themselves from ignorance -Kriyananda replied.
-That is an important part of the solution but not all as each person needs to have the desire to learn. Shelliji commented

As for my mother and the rest of the family today, we had a harsh awakening.