Years ago I would have frozen and responded nervously.  Now I welcome these random questions that are completely beyond my scope of knowledge as a way to explore new yoga territory.  It’s these types of questions from my students that A) make me a yoga student forever, and B)  have literally opened my eyes to seeing and believing that yoga can be powerful medicine in helping to ease dis-EASE.  It’s not a “cure-all” but it can often be a positive step towards health and healing.

Our eyes are “on” almost 24/7, minus the time we sleep which for the average adult is only about 6 hours per night.   Swami Sivananda considered sight the most abused of the five senses.  Clearly this hasn’t changed.  We heavily rely on the eyes for simple things from driving, cooking and walking to the constant surfing of the internet or just dealing with ocean waves of life.

In my research to help my student, I came across some very simple eye exercises on Yoga Jounal’s site that require focus and concentration.  I also recalled yoga sutra 3.1 that defines dharana, which is Sanskrit for concentration.  Dharana is defined as the binding of the mind to one place, object or idea.  Another translation of sutra 3.1 states “Concentration (dharana) is holding the mind within a center of spiritual consciousness in the body, or fixing it on some divine form, either within the body or outside.”

In helping one practice dharana, some yogic text describe the practice of tradak which is often described as gazing at something without blinking.  Tradak is actually one of my daily morning practices my teacher Dharma Mittra gave me.  From experience, I can say it is harder than the instructions sound.  Just look at the object (a candle flame is what Dharma suggest) as long as you can without moving.  Try not to blink.  Try to become one with the object as you continue to steady your eyes on it.   After several minutes, close your eyes and mentally see the flame on the inside of your forehead.  It should be as if you took a picture of the flame and now you can see it clearly with your eyes closed.  Another practice of concentration is to close your eyes and visualize your heart beaming a ray of light.  Again, become one with this internal light that is shining straight from your heart.  See and feel it reaching out from within you to the universe around you.

Whatever object externally or internally you select, simply taking time to still the eyes can help still the mind.  The ancient yogis knew this (as written in The Yoga Sutras) thousands of years ago.  Clearly in today’s always “on” world, our blurry eyes are in dire need of some yoga too.  Who knew?  A special thanks to my student for guiding me to learn something new.

Staying with the commitment I stated in my last blog post, 2012 is my year for digging deeper into my yoga book studies starting with The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  Given I touched on yoga sutra 1.1 in the previous post, it seems logical to move to sutra 1.2 which is where Patanjali offers his answer to “what is yoga?”.  Patanjali states:  yogash chitta vritti nirodhah   Translations of Patanjali’s sutra 1.2 include:

• Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence (Alistair Shearer)
• The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga (Sri Swami Satchidananda)
• Yoga is union -union of body, mind & spirit (which I touched on here back in 2007)

Over the years, the first image that has always frequently come to my mind when reading this sutra is a silhouette of someone meditating in a serene setting —such as by an ocean, on a mountain top or in a empty/quiet room painted in calm colors.  On the outside it appears in my image one can easily “settle the mind into silence” by being outside in nature or an empty space clear of daily distractions, technology or life’s dramas.

The reality is it takes a lot of sitting to catch just a few brief moments of silence (i.e. settling the mind) and no matter how peaceful the external environment may appear, the internal environment is constantly challenged.  Random thinking (aka modifications/fluctuations of the mind, vritti, thought-waves) is usually happening about a past event or the mind is fretting over a future task.  This is true whether you practice yoga or not.  Yogis and non-yogis alike are challenged every moment by mind chatter.

So I’ve come to conclude that yoga isn’t the only way to silence the mind.   When one just feels 100% connected to the flow of life, moment by moment in a way that can only be experienced, and at the same time not fully explained, one is in a state of yoga.  For instance, we’ve all read about athletes being in the “zone” —those brief moments where every movement just fell effortlessly into place (the mind is silent and the body just follows).

Or consider my Dad…this past weekend while I was home in Delaware for my Niece’s 4th birthday “princess” theme party, my Dad described how focused he is when he dances (he’s retired now so he dances daily & teaches periodically for fun —go Dad!).  Even though he has never stepped on a yoga mat or sat on a meditation cushion (and probably never will), it sounded like he’s experienced yoga.  When he dances he is so fully in the moment that nothing else matters (not event the chatter of my dear Mother speaking to him).

As for the 20 million+ Americans that practice yoga asana, I think the best (and most often) true by definition yogic experience according to sutra 1.2 that happens for many is in savasana (aka final relaxation or corpse pose).  It’s in this pose that one can sometimes catch a glimpse of being at complete ease in the body, still in the mind and connected to a deep sense peace.  I’ve often said if I could bottle this feeling, I’d be rich!

What I love about The Yoga Sutras is they are completely open to interpretation based on personal experience.  Given there are numerous translations available (my yoga library alone has 6-7), I think you’ll agree.  With that said, what is your definition of yoga?

When people hear the word yoga most immediately think of either physically challenging postures (asana) to tone & strengthen the body or the complete opposite – relaxing, stretchy poses to create a zen mind.  Neither of these are wrong but they are just a glimpse into what yoga really offers.

To me, yoga is a celebration of “what is” in life particularly within our individual selves.  Yoga is about accepting our bodies (and others) as they are, being with our emotions as they arise vs. reacting/running and understanding that we are more than just our bodies, minds and emotions.   When we are able to catch glimpses of any of this, life becomes a celebration every moment.

Beyond asana, one way to really start to understand yoga and the celebration it offers is to go inward with one of the three main sacred yoga text:  The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras or The Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Still need a 2012 resolution?  Commit to reading all three.

I should let you know though that reading through these books like you might read The Help or The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo won’t really increase your understanding of yoga.  What will is putting svadhyaya (Sanskrit for self-study) into practice.  Pick up one of these books, read a small section and meditate upon it.  Contemplate and reflect on its meaning.  Then put it into your life practice.  The deepest part of yoga is inward (Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi —all Sanskrit words found in The Yoga Sutras and eventually explained here in my 2012 blog sutra writings) and that is exactly what the sacred text I’ve mentioned offer —a chance to venture inward and experience life as “it is”.  This is yoga.  This is where party starts.

So to keep me honest and force me to practice what I preach (and not just by casually mentioning a sutra in a yoga class I teach), I’m starting right now with yoga sutra 1.1 listed above.  Not yesterday, not sooner or later but right now yoga begins.  Many in the yoga world (including my teacher Sri Dharma Mittra) are calling 2012 the year of self-realization (click here for Dharma’s New Year Message).  Keeping in line with this, 2012 will be my year of digging deeper into my yoga studies starting with The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Each week I will select (not in any particular order) and study in depth one of the almost 200 sutras, reading from the various translations I have.  I will meditate on it.  I will observe it in my life.  I will celebrate it.  And then I will share my experience with you.  NOW let the party start.

I admit it’s a lot to take in.  My suggestion:  Read it here, then print it to have on hand so you can reread it several times, contemplate upon it and decide what it means for you.  Enjoy!

A Message from Dharma:

All suffering and pain experienced on the material plane is for the purpose of purification – the gradual cleaning of the mind, heart and intellect so that one day, in this incarnation or one of the next, we may at last have a complete vision of Supreme Reality.

All yoga teachers and students, prepare yourselves! The year ahead will be a year of challenge. It will be a year that will provide many opportunities to really be of service to others. It will also provide us with the chance to discover how strong and faithful we truly are.

According to present and past conditions including predictions and even some direct evidence, sometime during and especially in late 2012, the Earth may pass through some severe weather conditions and maybe even some unusual phenomena. Those with lots of attachment to things and comforts may endure lots of pain and suffering, and those without good health and spiritual knowledge and who are attached to comfort surely will suffer more.

In our study of yoga, we learn about the Kleshas, the mental impurities, the root causes of all pain and suffering. All five are rooted in the first, Avidya or ignorance of your own True Self, but attachment or Raga, another one of the Kleshas, will cause many great problems during this period of transition and change. We can combat this as Yogis by re-dedicating ourselves to Sadhana (spiritual practice), and, the more we learn, the more we’ll have to then share with others to help them through the dark days potentially ahead. Commit every bit of knowledge you can to memory and strengthen the physical body so you can help others who are weaker. Many Yogis become flexible and strong through their dedication to the Asana or posture practice, but you mustn’t sacrifice cardiovascular fitness, since the ability to run if there is danger is of great value both to save yourself and to then help save others. Do something for at least five minutes every day to strengthen and tone the cardiovascular system, even Jumping Jacks. Pursue Self-knowledge every day with great intensity.

To fully arm yourself, spend more time in contemplation and realize what you really are today! We are all a portion of the Almighty One; immortal, omniscient and formless. It is only by this knowledge that you will truly remain unaffected by the possible external state of turmoil. Stay healthy and share as much as possible spiritual knowledge with others so that their pain can be reduced. Acting in this way is the highest type of charity. Remember, belief is not enough!

How unwise it is to sleep! (To float through life unaware of anything and without learning anything.) How foolish it is to remain unguarded and full of doubts! Constantly breaking the law and taking chances and stupid risks that will always result in disappointment, embarrassment, pain and suffering. The wise man is always awake and fully prepared. He follows the rules and guards his knowledge. Compassionate to all, he lives happily and is immune to delusion. The wise man is ever ready to face any amount of pain that may be inflicted upon him at any time.

But even the holy man’s body and mind are still subject to extremes of discomfort, since no one is immune to the forces of nature. Those who are still without Self-knowledge and who abide in a state of ignorance as regards Supreme Reality doubtless will suffer more in the year to come. Due to the present condition of everything, including the mental and spiritual, everything is moving, acting and changing perfectly according to and is affected by these constantly shifting patterns, resulting in a specific new condition. Everything is controlled by the Divine Laws of Nature, and everything is connected to everything else. Whatever happens to anything in any distinct area has an effect on everything else to some degree. Einstein saw this through the lens of Physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In Karmic terms, perhaps this is better expressed as: “For every action, there is an equal required action.” Or, “Everything we are passing through at present is a result of our deeds from the past.” If we were able to look back at every action taken in previous lifetimes, we would come to understand with clarity everything we are now experiencing from moment to moment.

Those devoid of Self-knowledge are fully under the sway of their external environment and its given state from moment to moment. But the wise men and women, endowed with right knowledge, can control the effect these external changes have to affect the internal environment and, most crucially, the mind. Of course, no one can escape their fate entirely, but, since the enlightened one is not identified with the body and mind anymore, he or she is truly untouched by the effect of the outside world upon them.

Only a lit candle can light the unlit wick of another. Some who lose everything will feel that the world really has ended. If you have a little knowledge and a little self-control, you will be able to serve and help anyone and everyone you come into contact with both now and after everything begins to possibly shift and change.

May Brahman bestow upon you the treasure of understanding this Divine knowledge! Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

Lots of Love,  Dharma Mittra

Remember! The goal is Self-realization!

By now in my new age journey, (since 1994 at least) I should be able to quote who first stated “suffering is optional”.  My guess is the Buddha gets first dibs on it though the point is the same regardless of who stated it or how.  All I know is through a strong yoga practice, I’ve personally realized suffering is optional.

At every moment in our lives we have a choice:  be happy or suffer.  Of course, sometimes its not that black and white.  Yet I believe (and I’ve experienced) even in the grey moments/situations we have the authority within to decide to either be “p*ssed off” about it or “let it go”.  It’s not always this easy in every situation but its nice to know in advance we have options.

The point is just as I was about to tape the statement Suffering is Optional on my 2012 vision board I realized “I already live this; I just need to breathe and remind myself every now and again”.

A main component of my yoga teacher training with Sri Dharma Mittra is Karma Yoga.  So beyond just performing my hours of karmic duty to fulfill my training requirements, I’ve been really thinking a lot about how so many small and daily actions can be considered Karma Yoga.

Karma Yoga is defined as selfless service.  When selfless service becomes a natural extension of our everyday life, we are really starting to practice and experience yoga in its fullest sense.  Selfless service can be as simple as holding the door for a stranger at your local Starbucks, or lending a hand to a neighbor in need.  Though the most often talked about type of Karma Yoga seems to be around organized volunteer or giving opportunities (i.e. donating food to a local food drive or giving money to charity).  These are all great acts of service but with the later (donating) there is little human connection and often a low level of frequency.

To me Karma Yoga is most effective when we do it often and it flows naturally within our normal daily activities.  In this way, Karma Yoga becomes a path that constantly carries us to a deeper connection with others and ultimately a deeper connection within ourselves.

Touch the heart of others with a simple gesture and you’ll not only shine from your heart but you’ll shine light to help others realize the importance of giving each and every day.  Thank you.

Instructions:  Read, contemplate and put them into action.  Result = joy!

Control the mouth –what goes in & what goes out.  “If you can control the mouth, you can control the mind.”

“Don’t be attached” —to the practice, bliss, perfection or imperfection.

Dreams pass.  “Let everything be like a dream.”

“When you know what is non-self, the Self appears.”

Reflect constantly.  “Go to sleep and reflect on the universe.”

Bonus thought:  “Wherever you go, go with all of your heart.”  These were not spoken by Dharma but rather found in my Yogi Tea bag on day #2 of the week.

I have a huge responsibility ahead of me.  The very last thing Dharma said to us on Sunday night 11/20 at the closing/certification ceremony is “you are now part of the greatest army on the planet.  and our mission is to save souls.”  At first I thought, that’s a cool way to look at it.  Within a few hours it hit me:  I need to spread the power of yoga -specifically Dharma’s yoga of love and service (aka karma yoga).

I woke up the next morning (Monday) feeling different.  Fede, my good friend and Dharma sadhaka, and I enjoyed a long walk with coffee in her Brooklyn neighborhood.  The air was fresh, the sky open, the city calm and I was at complete peace.  My entire skin felt as if it was radiating peace.  I felt lighter on the inside and a strong sense I was beaming with Dharma’s compassionate energy.

It’s now Tuesday (just 48 hours since the “saving souls” statement) and I realize I can’t just “hoard” this experience of feeling his compassionate energy (remember:  practice aparigraha/non-hoarding at all times).  I need to live and share it.  I need to be a better version of Melody and allow compassion to shine forth in every single thing I do, say and think.  Trickier than it is to write, but it is possible.  And I know by doing so I will inspire others to find their light, live their best and be a shining example to all those they in turn encounter.

I am on a mission to help a mini-army of souls that will in turn eventually radiate the same level of passion I currently have for spreading love and service.  Honestly, I didn’t think this training would shift me much -some, but not this much!  My guess is this is just the first of many shifts to come as a result of spending so much time in the presence of Sri Dharma Mittra.  A wave of responsibility has filled me and all I can say is “look out world here I come.”  In loving service of Sri Dharma Mittra, Melody

Our current actions define our current story as well as how future stories will be shaped.  Some parts of our stories are creative and inspiring.  Others are unpleasant and maybe a bit painful in parts.

Don’t like your current story?  Change your story starting now by scribing with a different tool.  Why use the same pen day after day?  It’s usually out of habit that we do.  Habit is also the main culprit behind a lot of our daily actions.

Take charge.  Change your pen color.  Use a paint brush.  Or maybe write it on eco-friendly elephant dung paper.  Inspire your story and be the inspiration for others to take charge of their stories too.

I believe this concept so much that I talked about riding change and its challenges on Monday morning during the yoga class I taught to the City of Alexandria Fire Department recruits.  Then it hit me on my drive home from class that morning…just mere hours the night before I totally was NOT practicing what I had just preached.

Life is all about change.  And it’s good…until you find out your favorite lip tinted balm has been discontinued!  On Sunday night while tackling my weekly grocery list at MOM’s, I decided to grab a couple sticks of Burt’s Bees Toffee Lip Shimmer (just in case).  They had a fresh, well-stocked display of all the colors -except my favorite shade.  There wasn’t even a slot for the toffee.

When I visited my online supplier (drugstore.com) later that night, I discovered they were also “out of stock”.  Google searches led me to various online beauty shops around the country but they were all out of stock of the little $5 stick I desired.  Looking back to Sunday night, I think I went into panic mode.  This would never have happened to me a few years ago.  I use to always have a huge stash of my favorite lip staples – just in case.  Yet in the last couple of years, I’ve been doing my best to practice the yogic principle Aparigraha.  Aparigraha is translated as non-attachment (letting go) or not hoarding.  Through this practice we learn that by letting go we begin to trust the flow of life.  Trust that the universe will take care of us, right?

Well, the universe took care of me!  After an exhaustive (panicky) search online, I found a feed & grain store in Alaska that still had the Burt’s Bees Toffee Lip Shimmer in stock.  I ordered 10 sticks, disregarding the crazy fact that the shipping cost is the same price as the product (I cross my fingers my husband isn’t reading this post).

I admit I won’t be totally relieved until my stash is replenished when those 10 sticks arrive.  And when they do, I will cherish each application knowing that we only have few precious moments left (maybe about a year in truth).  This will enable me to handle the change, gradually, at my own speed.   Yes I know not all change can or should be handled in this manner.  Though I’ve decided when it comes to lip stick/balm (my only beauty product), change is good with a little notice