Have you wondered what is going on in the sky? An eclipse is coming your way!

by Rocio Morales

Some Sundays have a better appealing than the others. For many of us it is a time to relax, and enjoy family and friends. It is also time to start thinking on Monday and all that is around the beginning of the week.

Last Sunday I was excited. After what seemed like a long time, I was ready to connect with my group on a Telesanga. It is the opportunity to listen to my Spiritual guide (Guru) Enoch Dasa Giri, the thought of what he was going to say was in my mind all day.

His message was clear, and as a good Guide he talked about events that are coming our way and how to prepare to face those challenges.

As you may know, Yoga and Astrology are very connected in some traditions more than in others. The reason? for the yogi and astrologer, life is cyclical.
In the same way seasons come and go, events that happened to you when you were for instance, 7, 12, or 28 can determine to some extend what you can expect in the future.
Yogis in their core are "spiritual scientists"; we observe, reflect and hopefully learn form he past to prepare for the future.

When I read a chart for a friend ( I am still pretty much a student on this area), it is always interesting to sense what is the best way to deliver the message found in the natal chart, transits and progressions. Some people just want to hear what pleases the ego and others want to hear it all!
There are few that though they want to know everything, they also feel powerless in the face of the challenges delineated on the chart and don't want to hear about negative events coming their way.
In my humble opinion, they miss to recognize that knowing the future will give us tools to change it, to prepare and to learn how to respond to those events.

Well, the message was about aspects that slow moving planets are forming in the sky right now. The effect depends on how each of our natal chart is delineating and the experiences we are going through.

Here are some of those aspects and a brief explanation to each of them.

* Not too long ago (January 26, 2008) the symbol of transformation (Pluto) went into a new sign (Capricorn); in a nutshell all the structures in your life will change, what doesn't work any more will be hard to maintain, what is weak will crumble opening a space to rebuild. It is the symbol of the Phoenix that sours from its own ashes. To do that a lot of subconscious forces will emerge. For some astrologer the strength of this planet will be seen when Pluto goes into the first decanate (10 degrees or more in Capricorn).

* In June 26, 2010 there will be a Lunar Eclipse, in the words of Linda Sprague's "On June 26 the Lunar Eclipse brings the Moon in Capricorn into a tight conjunction with intense/powerful Pluto. This Full Moon eclipse is forming a Grand Square with the Sun and others planets. Think of a square box. The Sun and Mercury (in Cancer) are one point on the box. Saturn (retrograde in late Pisces) is another point. Jupiter and Uranus (conjunct in Aries) the third point. The Moon exactly conjunct Pluto is the fourth point. We are sitting inside a big heavenly box with tons of pressure and it feels like we can’t get out of it. Fortunately Jupiter and Uranus moved into energetic Aries a few weeks ago. We can get out of this enclosure. The trick is to be innovative and to think out of the box."
Click here to go to NASA's website on information about this event.

* In July 22, 2010 the disciplinarian, hard teacher, builder of structures (Saturn) will move into Libra and stay there for 2 years or so. This will bring conflict between our desire to keep living the way we have and the new energy that will move us to clean up and rebuild.

* To make things interesting, the symbol of sudden changes, rebellion and creativity (Uranus) moved into Aries on May 28, 2010, marking a time of tension and inner search. Last time Pluto and Uranus formed a square was 40 years ago, when the 60s where ending. It will offer challenges to authorities that will find a lot of opposition releasing tremendous energy.

* Jupiter also moved into Aries on June 7, 2010. Bringing good energy to start new enterprises, innovations and new ideas to improve life.

* The last aspect will be Neptune moving into Pisces on February 4, 2012. Neptune is related with mysterious conditions, secret affairs, and the ocean. It is also related to deception/ self-deception and over-indulgence. It gives the opportunity to attune to higher vibrations.

Neptune stays in every sign around 13 years.; Jupiter 1year, Uranus 7 years; Saturn 2.5 years; and Pluto 20 years.

Interestingly all the slower moving planets will have a play in the following years.

What did the master advice?

a) Take a moment to review your own chart and see where those planets are and the interaction with them. If you have your exact birth time, date and place you can get it in many websites.

b) Regardless of what life brings to you, keep performing an spiritual practice. If you don't have one, learn a couple until you find the one that is right to you.

c) Build merit. Recognize that we are here not to be served but to served not only our fellow man, but all the beings that are living around us and Nature in general. What can you do within your means to improve the life of those around you? do it and find joy serving!

This is a great time to unfold, ask questions and find your spiritual path and place in the Universe, good luck!!

Three practices to heal the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico

Watching the pictures coming from the Gulf of Mexico are really heart breaking. I don't think we are aware of the impact in the following months and years that it will have on the Ecology of this body of water, shores and live in general.

As you might know there are things you can do to help with money, time and resources.

At an internal level, this week I would like to offer you three spiritual practices to help stop the gushing of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Please take a moment and join us on on an effort to heal the Earth.

*The first one is from Colin Ryane. Colin is a Dallas, Tx resident and has been studying, practicing, Instructing QiGong with Master Chunyi Lin of Spring Forest and he is also a long time meditator.
-Master Lin We love the earth, Chunyi, what can we do to help the oil leaking in the Gulf?
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This huge oil gush in the Gulf is part of Mother Earth's body and could be compared to bleeding. Something we can all do together is to visualize the oil leak surrounded in green light with love and the message sent to Earth to stop the bleeding and be completely healed.
 There is power when many come together to send love and healing.

*The second practice was sent by Dr. Masaru Emoto in May on a letter written to the world after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Now let’s give energy of love and gratitude to all the living creatures in Mexico Gulf by praying like this:
I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons, corals, algae and all living creatures.....I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Click here to read Dr. Emoto's letter.

*The third practice is an ancient Yoga practice and shared in many spiritual traditions. It is penance. Stop doing something you like for three or four days or avoid doing a negative habit like gossiping or being jealous for this time. Every time you think on what you are refraining from think that your effort, coming from the bottom of your heart will help fix the oil spill and allow the Earth to heal faster.

Hope you will join this crusade to heal the Earth internally and remembering that we all are connected and what happens to our beautiful planet affect all of us.

Shanti,
Rocio Morales

52 days and counting... Do you think greed is responsible for the BP mess?

What can you accomplished in 52 days? By the end of the second month of a baby's life he will have more control over his neck, he will be able to keep his head up when you hold him in a sitting position. His hands also start to unfold. At this time the baby will pack on as much as half a pound a week.
In 52 days the 2010 Soccer World Cup that is starting on June 11th will be a dream and many will go back to their routine and the yelling and excitement to the TV will be all gone.

52 days of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the worst is not over. Time's magazine this week reported "by the end of May, according to the best estimates of the daily leakage rate, the well had poured at least 20 million gal of crude into the Gulf" On the same note The USA Today's headline on June 9th reads "Even the 'best' outcome won't be good."
On that newspaper they estimate that even with the cap in place over the leaking well, 10,000 barrels will still flow into the open water each day.

There is no doubt that this is an ecological catastrophe that no one knows for sure how much it will affect the Gulf ecosystem, from shoreline to deep sea. What the scientist forecast is disastrous.

The question remains, what really happened? was it avoidable if better technology and safety features might have been in place and working? what this the result of negligence?

If you are not a scientist, fishermen or even live in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, should you care about this problem? I hope you do.
I hope you can stop for a moment and reflect on your livelihood and its relationship to the oil spill. Most people want a big house, a big truck (we even have the Texas Edition), an air conditioning unit blasting under 70 degrees on hot days and rarely we stop to think on our impact to the environment we live in; and the resources needed to have all the commodities of the modern life at our fingertips. How much is greed at fault of this environmental disaster?

In yoga we practice Aparigraha, one of the Yamas or abstentions. It means non-greed. Some teachers believe that this is one of the most important yamas and the key to control prana (life-force).

When a yogi practices Aparigraha, he lives within his means and gives back a portion of what he has to a nobler cause.
Sri Goswami Kriyananda on Aparigraha mentions "craving for pleasures... intensifies and activates beyond normalcy the organs of the senses, causing a person to commit violence, in one way or another, against others, and against his own self" 1

Aparigraha allows the yogi to look at the mind and watch its cravings and desires, the mind will never be satisfied and that is the nature of the mind. The yogi reflecting on this starts getting away from the identification with the mind and start becoming happier living a balanced, comfortable and creating a livelihood within his means.

The consequences of the oils spill will affect all of us, take some time and see what can you do to live within your means, protecting the environment you are in and giving back to those less fortunate than you.

Make this oil spill be a lesson for all of us from the oil companies to our children so we can learn to venerate the environment we are in and look for ways to diminish our impact on it.

Here is a link to the WWF where you will find information and how to help with the clean up and recovery of the Gulf of Mexico.



1 Sri Goswami Kriyananda (1976) The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga. Published by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. p16-19

Do you Satya?

The practice of Truthfulness
By Rocio Morales

If you are new to yoga, soon you will realize that Yoga is more than the poses you practice. It is a way of living and has 8 limbs to guide you to Enlightenment. Practicing those eight limbs will help the yoga practitioner to gain knowledge from the living experience and with time a deep understanding of the Reality.

The eight limbs of yoga are: Yama (abstentions), Niyama (Observances), Asan (postures), Pranayama (life-force control), Pratyahara (Sense-withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) and Samadhi(Contemplation). As you can see these eight limbs cover not only the physical but also the mental and spiritual layers of who you are.

This week I would like to explore Satya (truthfulness). Satya is one the five Yamas (abstentions).
In almost any religion we find that telling the truth is positive not only at a moral but also at a psychological level. If someone lies, he needs to put so much energy to keep the lie going to the point that it becomes a big burden.

There is no doubt that we all know the value for being truthful, tough practicing it might be a challenge .
I recently received a call of a distress yogi who was fired from a studio who according to him has non-truthful practices. Allegedly the studio owner encourages teachers to post fake comments on the website and other places using fake names to promote the studio. At the same time if a teacher develops something (training manuals, videos, etc) for that studio, the name of that teacher won't appear credited by the studio.

Without taking any responsibility to the studio owner untruthful way of doing business I wonder, how come those issues became a problem after this yogi was fired.? At what extent a person is responsible for following untruthful actions.? I understand there is not an easy answer to this; the social pressure and the need for a job can be a big challenge.

Following the eight limbs in a society that is going in the opposite direction is not easy and I think that is the reason why the wise souls who came before us and practiced yoga said that yoga is a practice, it takes time and great awareness to live by them in this society but is doable. It all depends on our goals and the way of living that we are looking for. Yoga at the end is a set of techniques that should be done and practice consciously at all times.


At some point everyone should stand up for what we think is right and truthful and act in consequence, other times life give us the opportunity to calibrate and follow our principles. As for this yogi, I am happy to say he is finding other great ways to share his experience of yoga and support his family.
Want to practice Satya? Follow the recommendation of Sri Goswami Kriyananda as he writes his book "The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga, "you should examine all your words before speaking, and utter them only if they are useful and good. Complications arise when virtuous words lead to hurt"

Georg Feurstein in The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, mentions that in the Yoga -Bhashya, "Vyasa states that if one speaks at all, it should be for the communication of one's knowledge and as a service to others, and hence the communication should not be deceitful, erroneous, or barren."

Are you a fixer and a doer?

By Rocio Morales

I think in the modern world, most of us are. We live an a society where it is expected to come up with solutions or ways to fix things.
If a kid comes to you with a bruise, you will look for a way to clean the affected area and then put a band-aid to where the bruise is. If a friend tells another friend about her problem, you would hear the listener suggesting ways to solve the issue almost automatically.

We are use to do and fix, and when life challenges in some situations where regardless of the impulse to act, the effect is minimal; such experience becomes an an interesting one and a wonderful opportunity to grow.

Some years ago my grandmother passed away, she was without a doubt the link between all the family, her presence and kindness hold the family together. When she passed, all that connection changed and hasn't been the same since then. A result of her passing, my mother went into a severe depression and no matter what we tried to do or say she was going downfall. Watching her in this state made me realize the little control we have over those we love.
After trying different approaches (and spending time and resources trying to "fix her") my siblings, and myself realized that she needed time to break the cycle of depression and came out of it at her own time and terms. I am happy to report that she did.

There is an old Zen proverb that applies to this experience: "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself"

Yoga allows you to experience this type of situations not only at a physical but also at a mental level and even spiritually. For instance if your hamstrings are tight, no matter what you do, they will take time to lengthen. Forcing those muscles to lengthen, will injure them and the healing process can be long. On the other hand if you have a good disposition, meaning you will allow your body to open and feel OK when some people can bend and touch the floor and you can't even pass you knees, the body little by little will open. At a physical level Yoga helps to remove the old habits and open an space in your body for those muscles to relax and lengthen.

At a mental level Yoga gives you the opportunity to watch your mind and all the stuff that is in there when you go into a pose, are you too competitive that every pose is a challenge to be master forcefully? or do you acknowledge the restrictions in your body and keep working with them without feeling embarrassed.?

Next time before jumping to fixing and doing, resist the impulse and listen more, be open to possibilities and let go of the desire to control or to make everything perfect. To me that is one of the biggest gifts I have received from my yoga practice. Not everything is about doing and fixing, many times is better to let go, decide not to become a victim and open a space to heal and grow with the resources we have at hand at this moment, the present where we have more control over our life.

Sitting doing nothing Spring will come...

Ayurveda and Yoga itips for the Summer

In Texas we have been enjoying a fresh and wet Spring for the most part. Nevertheless some days you can feel the Summer coming closer and closer with temperatures above 90 degrees.
For that reason I decided to take an interesting workshop with Mandy Eubanks and Kerry Meath called "How to beat the Summer Heat with Ayurveda and Yoga".

Ayurveda is the sister system of Yoga and means the Science of life. Kerry mentioned "Interestingly the Caraka Samhita, the oldest Ayurvedic book ever found describes many of the ailments that we suffer today."
In Ayurveda everyone has a unique body type made of the interaction of five elements: Ether, Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

Kerry explained that in the Summer there is more heat, humidity and sunlight therefore the predominant elements are fire and water. The fire element is associated with the PittaDosha (Ayurveda mind and body type).
Some characteristics of the Pitta type are that people tend to have skin problems, quick temper and headaches. They are smart, curious and have drive. Too much heat produces allergic reactions, rashes, heavy sweating, heart burn, etc. Kerry recommends to cool down the body to avoid inflammation and liver problems.
Here are some tips:
Avoid hot, spicy or oily foods; avoid coffee and alcohol, sun exposure and rigorous exercise.
As for your yoga practice, Mandy and Kerry recommend:

a) Keep a relaxed hold
b) Instead of lifting your eyes in your practice, keep your gaze forward and soften it.
c) Use twits to help the body to eliminate better and release toxins.
d) Use Sitali breath to cool the body down as pranayama

During the Summer, try to sleep and wake up earlier.

In other words, refresh yourself frequently, specially if you have a pitta constitution to avoid overheating and inflammation.

I felt great after a gentle practice and with great ideas to abate my fiery disposition. Summer bring it on, I will be better prepared!

Kerry and Mandy have schedule classes like this one to go over every season. Check the Castle Hill Events calendar for more information at http://www.castlehillyoga.com/
To contact Kerry Meath go to http://www.timelesshealthsolutions.com/

Yoga Sanga May issue is out!

Hello everyone,

The Yoga Sanga team is pleased to present our May issue!

Please take time to visit our website and read the great and interesting articles we have prepared for you.

This issue we are giving a special recognition is to Rita Karydas a talented teacher who lives in San Marcos http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7538 and to The Art of Living Foundation specially the volunteers in the Austin chapter) for being the recipients of the Yoga Sanga Karma Yoga Recognition Award, take time to listen to the interview with Arvind Raghunatan to learn more about this organization and the visit of a Swami and healer from India to Texas in May. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7601

Can you guess what would be the yogic quality that would help you grow spiritually? Check your answer here http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7511

How did Ganesh loose his head? http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7595

Here you will find an article on the work force commission and its plan to regulate yoga teacher’s training programs as vocational schools. There is plenty of information to have an informed opinion. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7529

Have your heard of Spiritual Phytoessenceing? Find it here how aromatherapy has gone one step forward to bring your spirit in harmony. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7507

People associate Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with movement and exertion, we ask a long time practitioner, author and yoga teacher, Gregor Maehle about this yoga style http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7514

If you would like to deepen not only your practice but understanding of yoga, we have a list of committed teachers and programs in Texas (and some correspondence / online ones for those who need more flexibility) http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7541

May is a good month to appreciate mom, what about start showing appreciation more frequently for those closest to us? Read why here http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7534

If you couldn't make it to the Texas Yoga Conference in February in Houston, here is an overview of the conference. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7525

Can Homeopathy help those allergy sufferers during spring and summer? We ask a Homeopath and here are her answers. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7497

As for yoga events in May, check our calendar at http://www.yogasanga.net/?page_id=10

I would love to hear your suggestions for articles, karma yoga recognition or just to say hello; just send a message to yogasangatx@gmail.com

Share the journey and live your yoga in and outside the mat!

Namaste,

Rocio Morales