Reassess and Proceed!

Why is spiritually important to understand the impermanence of life?

I have been thinking a lot about the word impermanence lately. Not only because of all the changes I see around me but the experiences that those close to me have gone through.

A dear student recently lost her husband from one minute to the next. An apparently heart problem took a seemingly healthy and active man by surprised, leaving my student and her teenage son trying to make sense of his passing and moving on with their lives.

Although we are aware of Life and Death, we spend little time reflecting on the Impermanence of life. In spite of the fact that we watch the seasons and the moon phases passed it is often hard to realize that Life is change and no matter what we do, frequently we find ourselves adapting to change with some degree of resistance. In itself changes are not bad, they can be uncomfortable, challenging, and a bit distressing but they Can be a great opportunity to grow, adapt and become stronger.

For Buddhists and yogis, impermanence is a cornerstone to understand the plane of existence we live in and how much mindfulness can help to adapt to circumstances.

In her book "Living like dying" Freda Naylor, a doctor who courageously kept a diary as she died of cancer. wrote:
"I have had experiences which I never would have had, for which I have to thank the cancer. Humility, coming to terms with my own mortality, knowledge of my inner strength, which continually surprises me, and more things about myself which I have discovered because I have had to stop in my tracks, reassess and proceed."

When we understand that life is change and no matter how much we resist those changes they will happen. We come to terms with life and its changing nature and we open our spirit to manifest its strength, ability to adapt and regardless of the situation find time to be happy and even grateful for the experiences.

When we listen to the difficult situations someone close to us is going through, besides tending a helping hand, listen to their struggle we can also offer a prayer or meditation to them so they can heal in a harmonious way.
Those experiences give us a great opportunity of putting issues into perspective and gain strength and maturity when the challenging situations know to our door.

In his book "The Tibetan book of Living and Dying" Sogyal Rinpoche comments on impermanence: "So each time the losses and deceptions of life teach us about impermanence, they bring us closer to the truth. When you fall from great height, there is only one possible place to land: on the ground, the ground of truth. And if you have the understanding that comes from spiritual practice, then falling is in no way a disaster but the discovery of an inner refuge. Difficulties and obstacles, if properly understood and used, can often turn out to be an unexpected source of strength."

What is really behind the Ogre in your dream?

What about transforming him into a prince?
By Rocio Morales

It is always exciting to read about scientists and researchers that have been working for many years trying to understand human dreams.
Even more so is to read their recommendations on how to deal with nightmares and its relation to ancient yogic practices.

It seems that we will be talking a lot about dreams because of the release of the new movie "Inception" where a thief is able to steal secrets from the subconscious and even produce a nightmare on the subjects he is stealing from.

In a recent article by Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal, she mentions about dreams that "Once thought to represent repressed sexual urges, or simply neurons firing randomly, dreams are now believed to be mash-ups created by the unconscious mind as it processes, sorts and stores emotions from the day"

In many yoga traditions specially in Kriya Yoga we learn to pay attention to our dreams as a way to decipher the symbols that come from the subconscious mind. We do this not only because they will show the emotions we have been dealing with and the unresolved issues in our awake state but also because learning the meaning of those symbols can have an impact in the near future.

Nowadays a small group of psychologist and psychiatrist like Shelby Freedman Harris, director of the Behavioural Sleep Medicine Program at Montefiore Medical Center in N.Y. uses Image Rehearsal Therapy to help people who have frequent nightmares and those with post traumatic stress disorder. The therapy consists in recalling the nightmare in detail and write a new script that they envision several times during the day. This technique gives the patient control over the symbols making them less threatening.

If you are a lucid dreamer, you know that dreams can have different qualities, some of them can definitely relate to our emotions and activities from the day and others have an almost prophetical quality.
How to know the difference? It is recommendable to have a dream journal, it will help to write the memory of the dream and to relate to those symbols 72 h after the dream. This can be a very useful technique to gain control over the symbol and to neutralize the situations that might come around.

Want to have lucidity in your dreams? Do what Yogis and Buddhists have known for centuries:

a) Go to sleep with the intention to remember your dreams
b) Prepare yourself to sleep, turn off the TV, the lights and any other noise around you in other words, slow down.
c) Have a dream journal at hand where you can write the dream symbols as soon as you wake up. On one side (usually the right, write the most important events in your day and on the left the dream symbols)
d) Check some days after the dream and analyze if any of the symbols can relate to that event.
e) If you have a nightmare, as soon as you wake up, go back to the dream (visualize it in your mind) and recreate another ending, make the Ogre a prince and the tarantula a bird.
f) Give your dreams a name
g) Watch for recurrent symbols and its relation to actual events in your life.
h) Most importantly have a sense of wonder and playfulness.

You might be surprised by the frequency and the lucidity of the dreams in a short period of time.

Above all, remember that symbols in your dreams are the language of your subconscious mind. Also it is normal to have periods in your life where you can't remember your dreams.Give yourself time and prepare to fly in your magic carpet!

Fun week of testosterone, soccer and more!

What an interesting week i has been! Besides having my home full of testosterone and soccer as we are hosting three teenagers visiting from Chicago plus my son and husband; I have met wonderful yogis and yoginis.

Having a full house when it is usually very quiet has been a joyful and noisy experience. All the kids are filming a short movie and I like the sound effects and how they direct each other, needless to say the creativity and fun are very high when the budget is very limited!

I went to a luncheon of yoga teachers from Round Rock, Sun City and Georgetown! The ladies work hard to teach yoga. Some of them teach yoga to pregnant ladies, others teach to seniors in closed communities, some teach at dance studios, gyms and park districts. Click on the pictures to meet other lovely yoga teachers in these cities!

I also attended an Astrology meeting from ASA (Astrological Society of Austin). The group meets every month and this week we had a well known yogi, Methab. He gave a presentation on Jotish (Vedic Astrology) and the chakras. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to go deeper into this interesting subject. Nevertheless Mehtab was great at giving us a reminder of the chakras, the difference among traditions and time and how each chakra is related to planetary forces.
His humor and great knowledge made a very interesting time. He is such a caring, approachable man!

As for today, Ruth Jansa invited me to one of her classes. We are working together to make a proposal for Yoga for MS. Her students are so welcoming and enjoy yoga very much, some of them are recovering from different ailments and it was amazing to see them doing traditional poses using support. The average age in that class was 60 years old but the spirit was remarkable jovial!. I learned so much from them today.


This week I invite you to listen to our latest interview with Sant Dharamananda, the preceptor of the Himalayan Education Center, this center hosts disadvantaged students. In this center residents practice hatha yoga, meditation, eat vegetarian food and attend the University of Stout in Wisconsin. Click here to go to page in our website to listen to the interview.

Yoga Sanga July issue is out!

Our July issue is out!!

Please take some time to visit the Yoga Sanga website and read what our writers have prepared for you.

We are pleased to offer an interview with Dr. Karen Mustian where she talks about her research with Yoga and Cancer survivors. Go to the article section to listen to the results from this study.
On this issue you will find: the best way to practice Vinyasa to avoid injuries by Kim Schwartz; an interesting look at Bramacharya by Aileen Hansen; if you are a yoga teacher, Cheryl Alexander wrote a very complete and clear article on health insurance for you; Meet Keith Kachtick, the founder of Dharma Yoga in our teacher's profile section; don't miss Liz Belile interview on how yoga can support fertility treatments.

We are giving the Yoga Sanga Karma Yoga award, to the Himalayan Education Center, a unique place for students to live in an Ashram like environment and attend college in Wisconsin; Kerry Meath will help you understand what Ayurveda is about and much more!

Looking for an event? check our calendar and you can also find a teacher in our directory.

Join our e-mail list and you will earn yoga stuff!


Enjoy the Summer and try something new as Leila Kalmbach suggests in her article for this issue!

Shanti,
Rocio Morales

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