Sahasraara

This past weekend, "Weekend #4," was a very excellent yoga weekend. It was timely, if not overdue.

Since I returned from the holiday I neglected my practice completely focusing all of my energies on readings and flash cards. This was a good thing and a bad thing; good because I did better on the exam Saturday January 9, 2010, than I did on the December 12, 2009, but bad because all the studying stirred up my anxiety. That stirring combined with a long practice has rendered me very sore in the back. Luckily when I spoke to Tom he confirmed my thoughts that it is just knots from stress, not any major injury like a pulled muscle. He encouraged me to do a slower practice, and pick poses that address the area of my back that is hurting specifically. That area is a line that goes from my left shoulder down along my spine to my lower back. I predict there will be lots of Threading the Needle and Rabbit poses in my future.

There were lots of amazing things that we learned this weekend. I really enjoy learning the mythology that lies beneath yoga. Tom showed us some really awesome images, and explained the imagery.

The story of Ganesha was the

first one Tom told us in our training. I am pretty sure it is probably also the first one I have ever heard, except for hearing second hand via "The Little Princess" the story of Rama. Ganesha rides a rat named Mushika. (bet he gets all the ladies)

The next three are goddesses associated with S'hiva. I am attracted to their power elements, i.e., tridents, swords, and fireballs. Alright, the first goddess is Paarvatee sitting with Shiva and Ganesha, her baby. Then comes Shakti, Shiva's goddess on the side and below her is Kaalee, she is quite angry.

Power and strength are such special words, that is

why I think these goddesses are so special. I find it almost impossible to talk about, or define power and strength without providing a context. Caution, do not think I am speaking of these two words together because I think they are interchangeable, no, that is not the case, but I do think that they share the characteristic of being hard to define.

Maria seems to support this thought in The Sound of Music when, at arguably the most pivotal moment of the film, during the song "I Have Confidence," she sings,

Strength doesn't lie in numbers

Strength doesn't lie in wealth
Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers
When you wake up -- Wake Up!

I am still not entirely sure of what in the hell this means with respect to defining strength, but like most things, when you can identify what it is not, you can begin to get an idea of what it is.

(This is Durgaa. Love at first sight. Girl rides a tiger, AWESOME!)

Power and strength are such special words, but hard to know. I find it almost impossible to talk about, or define power and strength without providing a context. Caution, do not think I am speaking of these two words together because I think they are interchangeable, no, that is not the case, but I do think that they share the characteristic of being hard to define.

While we are on the topic of Goddesses, Julie Andrews included, I wanted to include this picture of Lakshmee who is associated with Krshna, and a goddess that I look forward to learning more about.

And finally for an explanation of Sahasraara, it is the 7th Chakra, one I felt very deeply during yesterdays meditation. It was a big frightening. More to come on the Chakras.

P.S. Sorry this post looks a mess.

Yoga Stick Figures!

click on the image to see more!

I CAN COOK

I am failing at doing my flash cards.

I promise to take 15 minutes out of my work day to read through my flashcards instead of watch Hulu during my breaks. Now that Glee is off the air, this should not be a big of a challenge, as it was about two weeks ago.

On the other hand, I am taking my new diet to new heights. I can cook. Check out the "recipes" tag for the things I have discovered that I can make. Most of them are made up, I have helpful resources like the internet and my friend Charlotte to help me think about how to prepare lovely vegan dishes. Although vegetarian is currently my official title, as I cannot seem to extract pizza from my diet, vegan cooking is proving to be a SUPER hobby!

New Toys

I am going to buy an iPod! This could not come at a better time, considering I have a long road trip ahead of me; I am going home to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving!
This is the model I have my eyeballs on:

iPOD

I also found an interesting article about music and yoga. The best thing about yoga is that everything is always explicitly two ways. This blogger writes that music is good sometimes, but sometimes stillness and breath are all the rhythm you need.
I like when she states,

Sometimes it feels like the room (or maybe me) could use a bit of a musical lift and so I pull my iPod out. I also love live chanting so I weave that into the beginning and end of class as often as I can. I love going to yoga classes with music and without. So I guess I would say I am firmly planted somewhere... in the middle.

I could agree with that, on days like yesterday any sounds beyond that of air going in and out through my nose would have been completely overwhelming. Being overwhelmed without a way out amidst practice can completely ruin me. In any case this was an interesting post from the Yoga Journal. Also at the end it includes a link to some playlists, inspiration anyone?

Dear Mimi,

It has been very difficult this past week to tend to all that is asked of us for our training. I have reached for my phone to call you on two separate occasions. The first time I noticed I did not have your number and thought to myself that I should check through my e-mails for it, and if it was not there then just e-mail you for it. The second time, your number still was not there, that is because I did not check my e-mail or e-mail you to inquire about your number. Why did I think I had done that. Mimi, I need your phone number and I will e-mail you right now for it.

Otherwise, I was on a strong practice schedule until Wednesday. On Wednesday I went to Eyes to practice with my friend. We went to a fundamentals class, which was very helpful. I remember thinking during the class that I would really like to reflect on what I learned about teaching in that class, but alas by the time class was over there were suddenly millions of things to attend to. Sometimes I want to throw my phone out of my car window.

Mimi, if I did not have a phone would people's problems go away?
If I did not have a phone would people still want to see me?
If I did not have a phone would people be willing to come to my house, knock on my door and speak to my face?
Who knows? Thought I would ask anyway.

However, Thursday morning I was glad to have a phone because Tom called to see if I would babysit his dogs for the weekend. Not only did this mean I would be able to leave Providence for the weekend, but it also meant I could leave work early to go introduce myself to the dogs.

I had planned on Thursday being my day off this week because there were many things going on in the evening. (By the way, the evening, I have decided is the best time for my practice. I come home after work and just do it, it is the only way. Except of course for the days I do not go to work, I am still figuring that out.)

After Tom called on Thursday I said to my roommate:
"I love dog sitting," to that he replied, "have you ever done it before?"
I thought for a moment, "Well no, but I've cat sit and I like dogs better than cats."
My roommate laughed at that and then walked into the living room. I guess that logic was sound enough.

Thursday I had a night out with some of my wonderful derby friends, which pretty much wiped me out for Friday when I left for Tom's house and settled in for the weekend.
A bit of reading was accomplished on Friday, but I did no practice no reading, no nothing on Saturday. It makes me think that no matter what, Saturday should be my day off. I seem to always get immensely distracted on the first day away from work.

What did happen on Saturday though was very wonderful. I woke up with the dogs and drove them to Westerly to go to the beach. This was the result of trying to drive to a park Tom had specified and then driving too far south. I am glad it ended up that way, it is nice to see the ocean in a season other than summer.
Wonderment in picture form will post soon!

All of my complaining about not practicing, and my endless circling thoughts about why and how to do it better next time aside; today I was able to commit a substantial amount of time to reading and practice. For that I am happy.

Mimi, I hope you are happy. I hope today was a good yoga day for you, and that tomorrow is even better. I look forward to receiving your phone number.

Love Always,
Mary

Practice 6-8, Eyes of the World

I have wondered often if Tom lays out a plan of action for his classes. Or does he just walk in, feel the vibe and then let it guide him?
Last night he spoke referenced is life on the ashram, which is one of my favorite settings for his stories. He said that when he first started to live there he worked in the kitchen. He told us about a conversation between himself and one of his, I don't know how to describe them: fellow yogi, housemate, ashram-mate, BOH-mate, friend...I'll name him, Geek because it is the first word in the book I am reading (that makes sense right?)
Speaking in first person about a conversation you had with someone is easier than being the third party that retells it. Therefore, the following is how I imagine the conversation played out, based on the way Tom told about the conversation.

Tom: (washing dishes, shoulders rolled inwards, head down)

Geek: "Tom why is your posture telling me that you have something to complain about?"

Tom: "Well Geek, I am just getting down thinking about my relationship with my parents"

Geek: "Why, what is the nature of your relationship with your parents?"

Tom: "I harbor lots of resentment for them. Feelings of anger and sadness circle around my head whenever I think of them. My mother, she pushes my buttons"

Geek: "Tom, nobody pushes anyone's buttons. Your mother merely points to yours and you push them"

Tom: (Looking up from his dishes at the stainless steel wall that faces him. All the barriers of space and time break away sending shards of neon light in all directions.)

Tom explained that Geek's comment is meant to express the fact that we are in control of our thoughts, what we want to think or not think. When we fail to be aware of our control over our thoughts we become the victim. I enjoyed that story, especially because there are quite a few people to point to my buttons, I must have a whole shoe box full. To this I respond, no react rather, by pressing my own buttons. With this dialogue in mind, I will promise to be more aware of this situation, as I am sure it will continue to happen for the rest of my life.

Class was really wonderful. We started with hip-openers from the floor and just worked that into standing poses for the rest of the class. By the end of the class I felt really inward, like all my bones were turning towards their respective places on the mid line. During shavaasana Tom straightened me out and I began to have this wonderful dream that I was counting the freckles on my friend's chest, simultaneously following his shoulder lines back and forth with my eyes. It feels amazing to remember the feelings that come from such arbitrary and irrational visions, but it is also a reminder of how fleeting the feeling of being satisfied in the moment is. Additionaly, it is a reminder of how precious it is to be here, now.

I wanted to share this page also because it is about Raga music, which we listened to last night.
http://www.ravishankar.org/indian_music.html

Yoga East, Provincetown

It is always good to step out of your comfort zone. Stepping into a yoga studio can be genuinely stressful; a new space, a new teacher and in most cases an unexpected series can be intimidating. However, those thoughts melt so fast once my feet hit my mat and my toes spread, standing in taadaasana (aka samasthiti, mountain posture).

This morning Charlotte and I tried a yoga class at Yoga East here in Cape Cod, MA. I feel pretty bad for forgetting my instructors name, especially after hearing what Tom has to say about how important names are for someone wanting to teach. What she said that I do remember, though, is that she is a teacher of Anusara Yoga. That being said, I will refer to her as Sara. Sara started the class by telling us about herself. She is a journalist and has relocated from Boulder, Colorado. Anusara Yoga is a branch of Ianygar Yoga, it foucuses on alignment, she told us.

The class went as follows (roughly, what I remember)
Seated Sequence:
Seated posture
Neck Stretch (forward, back & side to side)
Reach for Toes
Seated twist (right & left)
Table (wave breathing, cat/cow)

Standind Sequence:
Downward Facing Dog
Right leg up and back
Stack hips, Bend Knee
Flip over, one arm backbend
(other side)
Meet in downward facing dog
Shift forward into plank
Flow through a few vinyasas
Right leg up and back
Bend knee toward chest
Lay it down into pigeon (eka pada rajakapotasana)
Twist in pigeon, hold back foot
Untwist, reach forward
Shift back into downward facing dog
(other side)

Jump up to the top of the mat
Straight legs, flat back
Bring arms up, reach up
Swan dive forward
Utkatasaana (x2)

Stand, face the side
Triangle Pose to the right
Lunge, side warrior (?)
(otherside)
Yogi toe grip, head to floor

Face the front
Standing shoulder stretch (right & left)

Bridge pose (sarvangasana)
Wheel pose (urdhva dhanurasana)

Child pose
Headstand/handstand
Happy baby
Shavasaana

The class was lovely, the instructor was very friendly and very insightful. My only critique is that the movement from one sequence to another was a bit choppy. However, this made the class feel more like a workshop. I was able to ask a lot of questions about headstand/handstand that I had been curious about. Of cource I look forward to returning to Eyes of the World but I am pleased to have been able to try out a new studio.

Astronauts

"Buddhist tradition teaches its followers to regard all life as precious. The astronauts who leave the earth have also rediscovered this truth. One set of Russian cosmonauts described it in this way: 'We brought up small fish to the space station for certain investigations. We were to be there three months. After about three weeks the fish began to die. How sorry we felt for them! What we didn't do to try to save them! On earth we take great pleasure in fishing, but when you are alone and far away from anything terrestrial, any appearance of life is especially welcome. You see just how precious life is.' In this same spirit, one astronaut, when his capsule landed, opened the hatch to smell the moist air of earth. 'I actually got down and put it to my cheek. I got down and kissed the earth.'"

(Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart, pg.12)

Yoga Teacher Training

Six days ago I began a 25 week yoga teacher training program at Eyes of the World in Providence Rhode Island. Kid Ace has gone dormant in pursuit of a more complete, yet never complete, Mary Smith. Entries beyond this moment will be testaments from this endeavor.

While spiritual practice is a very personal experience, it is my tendency to have to share personal experiences of mine, and those experiences that others share with me. As a link, which is part of the infinite chain of lives, I am excited to share this 25 week experience in writing.

Namaste.