How does one tap into their intuition? How does one become more intuitive?
First, the seat of our intuition is the medulla oblongata, the uppermost portion of the spine, where it intersects with the skull. And Ajna, the Third Eye center, is the forward most center of one's intuition. (In Yoga, the Three Master Poses are important because of their emphasis in these areas.)
Anubhava is one's perception and understanding, one's experience and knowledge derived from personal observation. For example, when one really wants to reason something out, it may take a lot of time, but when one gets an intuitive flash, it's immediate. Then, if one wants to prove it, they can reason it out. What normally happens: One discovers that reason and intuition agree.
Anubhava is more direct than reason, which is why you should always use anubhava. Always go inward - trusting Self - to find answers, rather than scurrying around in the externalities of the mind.
Read this Note and apply it to yourself, making every metaphysical and philosophical area work within you. Do not carry this information about as 'knowledge' or 'Yoga wisdom' - which is the intellect, but as inner 'knowing'.
It takes time to remind the subconscious that one is a spiritual being whose existence does not begin and end with this life. Therefore, this inner teaching must begin to be applied as soon as it has begun to be understood. The superconscious mind - the 'god consciousness', or 'christ consciousness', or 'self consciousness' - is the most wonderful area of the mind there is, although .. awareness is not always in it. So that, one is not always aware of the superconscious mind, being too busy with the conscious mind - the everyday, waking, talking and working mind.
When one feels as if they are living in the moment .. in the now .. as if there is no past and there never has been any past or future, one is becoming subconsciously certain that they are in an intense, vibrating entity of the eternal now. That is the superconsciousness, and that is Real.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Samatha - 'Calm Abiding'
Samatha is the first faculty to appear in the awakening of the superconscious* region. Samatha - or Calm Abiding - is cultivated by abstinence from excessive talk. Talk dissipates the energies of the aura and of the vital body.
A mystic generally does not talk very much, for her intuition works through reason, but does not use the processes of reason. Any intuitive breakthrough will be quite reasonable, but it does not use the processes of reason.
Reason takes time. Superconsciousness acts in the now. All superconscious knowing comes in a flash out of the nowhere. Intuition is more direct than reason, and far more accurate. Therefore, the mystic does not ask many questions or enter into lengthy conversations.
Ponder over this and apply it to yourself. Take this into yourself and feel it is for you.
Begin to feel that Calm Abiding is one of your finest faculties, one that you most cherish. It is the first faculty of the awakening of your higher mind. Say to yourself, "I have Calm Abiding", this will help you to accept the fact that you already have this, residing within.
Some people on the spiritual path cannot wait to talk about their meditations even before they come out of them (which is not just when the eyes are open or the meditation is 'over'). This lessens the vital energies and shows to perceptive people that they have yet to arrive at a superconscious state.
AUM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!
*The superconscious is variously referred to as 'cosmic consciousness', 'god-consciousness', 'dharma consciousness', or 'christ consciousness'. It is the condition where one views the universe as a living superorganism, with which animals, plant and humans are all interconnected.
A mystic generally does not talk very much, for her intuition works through reason, but does not use the processes of reason. Any intuitive breakthrough will be quite reasonable, but it does not use the processes of reason.
Reason takes time. Superconsciousness acts in the now. All superconscious knowing comes in a flash out of the nowhere. Intuition is more direct than reason, and far more accurate. Therefore, the mystic does not ask many questions or enter into lengthy conversations.
Ponder over this and apply it to yourself. Take this into yourself and feel it is for you.
Begin to feel that Calm Abiding is one of your finest faculties, one that you most cherish. It is the first faculty of the awakening of your higher mind. Say to yourself, "I have Calm Abiding", this will help you to accept the fact that you already have this, residing within.
Some people on the spiritual path cannot wait to talk about their meditations even before they come out of them (which is not just when the eyes are open or the meditation is 'over'). This lessens the vital energies and shows to perceptive people that they have yet to arrive at a superconscious state.
AUM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!
*The superconscious is variously referred to as 'cosmic consciousness', 'god-consciousness', 'dharma consciousness', or 'christ consciousness'. It is the condition where one views the universe as a living superorganism, with which animals, plant and humans are all interconnected.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Beginner's Yoga
Beginner's Yoga Class
Tuesday, February 2, 7pm
Have you been considering taking a Yoga class but didn't know what to expect? Are you curious, but don't want to be the only new person in class? Maybe you have tried a Yoga video, but feel like you need something more.
Or maybe you've been away from the practice for a while, and want to refamiliarize yourself. Or you just want to get back to the basics.
Beginner's Yoga is the place to start.
The first Beginner's Yoga class in 2010, starts Tuesday, February 2, at 7pm. This is ideal for people new to Yoga, interested in Yoga, or wanting to learn more about Yoga .. all in a supportive environment where you can ask questions, learn useful information, and find out the best way to make Yoga a part of your life.
Beginner's Yoga is by pre-registration, is four weeks long, and fills up quickly .. so sign-up today before your place is taken!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Yoga and Chocolate
Lisa Cohen, a Yoga teacher in Decatur, posted the link below to her wall. Reading it, I was prompted to offer my thoughts on Yoga and vegetarianism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/dining/27yoga.html?pagewanted=1
______
My thoughts on this subject:
I routinely offer a workshop called “Yoga for Lunch” .. where I prepare a rich and fragrant vegetarian meal. Otherwise, Yoga is one of six philosophies. No where does it advocate a purely vegetarian diet except for the spiritually pure, or those who strive towards a wholly spiritual life. Ayurveda – Yoga’s health system – suggests meat for every body type.
Meat eating was essential in the ‘youth’ of humanity – when life was rajasic, or “action, activity” – when survival called for building bulk, potency and verve to meet the demands of daily life. For those who seek a sattvic life – “equilibrium, self-responsible for health and contentment within body and mind, conscious and aware” – to live gently within themselves and upon the earth, a vegetarian diet is a first step, if not essential to realization.
In 1998 the sun passed close to the galactic center, and will do so again in 2012. There are those who feel this ‘window’ of time is indicative of humanity moving towards a place of consequence of its collective consciousness. Likewise, these same individuals feel that world events – human and geophysical / weather – is further evidence that time is accelerating towards a particular point of awakening and awareness. So it is that many at this time feel compelled to embrace these last few years with full sattvic consciousness, because we are all living within a moment of great rapidity – rushing towards a .. a pause, a stillness, a quiet centeredness. As such, how one deals with such information is paramount to how one will live through that moment in time. Therefore, for many, embracing a vegetarian diet is simply a way to raise their sattvic vibrational level to better match the increased energy of the greater galaxy around us.
Again, Yoga does not advocate a vegetarian diet for everyone. Those who practice Yoga with a sattvic aim, become vegetarians. Meat and cheese, according to Ayurveda, are considered sandra, “dense”, meaning they increase the compactness of the body, making one more grounded. So that if a Vata bodytype were to eat meat and cheese, they would feel stable. The firmness, density and strength of muscle is Kapha (another bodytype), so this will increase in those who eat meat or cheese.
Just as the body carries a genetic tendency, so does the mind carry khavaigunya, “space-defective, weakening”, or a tendency towards a weakness within the body that comes from the mind. Modern science has shown this to be true (reference my wall post and link on “epigenetics”). So that if one's family ate meat, then one is more prone to meat cravings, for example. In India, there are generations of families that have never ate meat, unlike here in America. So transitioning to a vegetarian diet can be challenging for the average individual if its not already part of their genetic make-up, or stemming from an innate spiritual inclination.
Certainly, Yoga has become something different from its ancient Indian ‘parent’, but, such is the nature of every child. Yoga in America is an exploratory journey, one that fully captures the American spirit of adventure and discovery. In India, for example, Yogins are spiritual souls, divinely inspired men and women who forsake the world to wander homeless. In the States, that’s called a ‘bum’. In India, it is commonplace to encounter Yogins and Swamis who are spiritual guides and wise counselors on every aspect of life and living. In the States, one pays hundreds of dollars to attend weekend ‘intensives’ with such souls. In India, one practices what one preaches, so being ‘more yoga than thou’ is a foreign concept. In the States, it seems that Yoga teachers and students compete with each other over who is better at meditation or a particular asana, or a vegetarian, or has a singular guru, or is wearing the latest Yoga fashion item. Yes .. Yoga in America is akin to a child, exploring the Yoga landscape, reaching an understanding of self through and in Yoga. A few more decades and I imagine our childhood will give way to maturity and such matters will no longer be topics, but relics of our youth.
AUM Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi
http://www.nytimes.com/201
______
My thoughts on this subject:
I routinely offer a workshop called “Yoga for Lunch” .. where I prepare a rich and fragrant vegetarian meal. Otherwise, Yoga is one of six philosophies. No where does it advocate a purely vegetarian diet except for the spiritually pure, or those who strive towards a wholly spiritual life. Ayurveda – Yoga’s health system – suggests meat for every body type.
Meat eating was essential in the ‘youth’ of humanity – when life was rajasic, or “action, activity” – when survival called for building bulk, potency and verve to meet the demands of daily life. For those who seek a sattvic life – “equilibrium, self-responsible for health and contentment within body and mind, conscious and aware” – to live gently within themselves and upon the earth, a vegetarian diet is a first step, if not essential to realization.
In 1998 the sun passed close to the galactic center, and will do so again in 2012. There are those who feel this ‘window’ of time is indicative of humanity moving towards a place of consequence of its collective consciousness. Likewise, these same individuals feel that world events – human and geophysical / weather – is further evidence that time is accelerating towards a particular point of awakening and awareness. So it is that many at this time feel compelled to embrace these last few years with full sattvic consciousness, because we are all living within a moment of great rapidity – rushing towards a .. a pause, a stillness, a quiet centeredness. As such, how one deals with such information is paramount to how one will live through that moment in time. Therefore, for many, embracing a vegetarian diet is simply a way to raise their sattvic vibrational level to better match the increased energy of the greater galaxy around us.
Again, Yoga does not advocate a vegetarian diet for everyone. Those who practice Yoga with a sattvic aim, become vegetarians. Meat and cheese, according to Ayurveda, are considered sandra, “dense”, meaning they increase the compactness of the body, making one more grounded. So that if a Vata bodytype were to eat meat and cheese, they would feel stable. The firmness, density and strength of muscle is Kapha (another bodytype), so this will increase in those who eat meat or cheese.
Just as the body carries a genetic tendency, so does the mind carry khavaigunya, “space-defective, weakening”, or a tendency towards a weakness within the body that comes from the mind. Modern science has shown this to be true (reference my wall post and link on “epigenetics”). So that if one's family ate meat, then one is more prone to meat cravings, for example. In India, there are generations of families that have never ate meat, unlike here in America. So transitioning to a vegetarian diet can be challenging for the average individual if its not already part of their genetic make-up, or stemming from an innate spiritual inclination.
Certainly, Yoga has become something different from its ancient Indian ‘parent’, but, such is the nature of every child. Yoga in America is an exploratory journey, one that fully captures the American spirit of adventure and discovery. In India, for example, Yogins are spiritual souls, divinely inspired men and women who forsake the world to wander homeless. In the States, that’s called a ‘bum’. In India, it is commonplace to encounter Yogins and Swamis who are spiritual guides and wise counselors on every aspect of life and living. In the States, one pays hundreds of dollars to attend weekend ‘intensives’ with such souls. In India, one practices what one preaches, so being ‘more yoga than thou’ is a foreign concept. In the States, it seems that Yoga teachers and students compete with each other over who is better at meditation or a particular asana, or a vegetarian, or has a singular guru, or is wearing the latest Yoga fashion item. Yes .. Yoga in America is akin to a child, exploring the Yoga landscape, reaching an understanding of self through and in Yoga. A few more decades and I imagine our childhood will give way to maturity and such matters will no longer be topics, but relics of our youth.
AUM Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Red Hot Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes in half, then into wedges. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss until evenly coated.
2. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over potatoes and toss to coat.
3. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are golden brown and fork tender.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes in half, then into wedges. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss until evenly coated.
2. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over potatoes and toss to coat.
3. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are golden brown and fork tender.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Real Men do Yoga
Six bad gym exercises and their Yoga alternatives.
1-The Seated Leg Extension
The myth: It's the safest way to work your quadriceps, or thigh muscles.
The truth: Physiologists at the Mayo Clinic determined that leg extensions place significantly more stress on your knees than squats. Why? Because the resistance is placed near your ankles, which leads to high amounts of torque being applied to your knee joint every time you lower the weight. What's more, Auburn University scientists found that people who squat long-term have tighter, stronger knee ligaments than those who don't squat at all.
Yoga alternative: Yoga squat and Yoga Monkey pose both work your quads and protect your knees.
2-Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull-Down
The myth: The best way to perform the lat pull-down is to pull the bar behind your head, down to your upper back
The truth: Unless you have very flexible shoulders, this exercise is difficult to do correctly, and can increase your risk for shoulder impingement syndrome -- a painful condition in which the muscles or tendons of your rotator cuff become entrapped in your shoulder joint.
Yoga alternative: Shoulderstand and Headstand create more overall strength with no risk for injury.
3-The Pec Deck
The myth: It's a super safe and very effective way to work your chest muscles.
The truth: This apparatus, also called the chest fly machine, can overstretch the front of your shoulder and cause the muscles around the rear of your shoulder to stiffen. The result: Doing this movement frequently can lead to shoulder impingement syndrome.
Yoga alternative: Bow pose, Camel, Cobra pose, Warrior and Triangle poses are some of the best ways to build your chest overall.
4-The Seated Hip Abductor Machine
The myth: This machine is the best way to work your out thighs, including your glutes.
The truth: Because you're seated, it trains a movement that has no functional use. And if done with excessive weight and jerky technique, it can put undue pressure on your spine.
Yoga alternative: Pigeon pose, Wide-Angle Standing Forward Bend, Triangle and Downward Facing Dog, all target the abductors and are great for warm-up stretches for sports.
5-The Seated Rotation Machine
The myth: Twisting on this machine helps melt your love handles.
The truth: It works the muscles under your love handles, but will do little to reduce the fat that covers them. What's more, because your pelvis doesn't move as you rotate your upper body, this exercise can put excessive twisting forces on the spine.
Yoga alternative: Spinal Twist, Twisting Squat, Revolving Triangle, Star pose, all brace your abs - protecting the spine - while toning the sides of the abs (love handles).
6-The Smith Machine
The myth: This machine -- which looks like a squat rack with a built-in bar that runs on guides-gives you all the benefits of squats, but none of the risk that comes from holding a heavy barbell across your back. That's because the bar can easily be secured at any point during the movement.
The truth: Because the bar runs on guides, you can only move straight up and down as you squat-instead of down and back, as you would in a free-weight squat. The result: An unnatural movement that puts extra stress on your knees and lower back. Need another reason to skip the Smith? Canadian researchers found that traditional squats produced almost 50 percent more muscle activity in the quadriceps than squats done on a Smith machine.
Yoga alternative: Yoga Squat, Lightening Bolt, Eagle and Horse can all be done without a spotter, further allowing the free range of motion and strength of the squat.
1-The Seated Leg Extension
The myth: It's the safest way to work your quadriceps, or thigh muscles.
The truth: Physiologists at the Mayo Clinic determined that leg extensions place significantly more stress on your knees than squats. Why? Because the resistance is placed near your ankles, which leads to high amounts of torque being applied to your knee joint every time you lower the weight. What's more, Auburn University scientists found that people who squat long-term have tighter, stronger knee ligaments than those who don't squat at all.
Yoga alternative: Yoga squat and Yoga Monkey pose both work your quads and protect your knees.
2-Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull-Down
The myth: The best way to perform the lat pull-down is to pull the bar behind your head, down to your upper back
The truth: Unless you have very flexible shoulders, this exercise is difficult to do correctly, and can increase your risk for shoulder impingement syndrome -- a painful condition in which the muscles or tendons of your rotator cuff become entrapped in your shoulder joint.
Yoga alternative: Shoulderstand and Headstand create more overall strength with no risk for injury.
3-The Pec Deck
The myth: It's a super safe and very effective way to work your chest muscles.
The truth: This apparatus, also called the chest fly machine, can overstretch the front of your shoulder and cause the muscles around the rear of your shoulder to stiffen. The result: Doing this movement frequently can lead to shoulder impingement syndrome.
Yoga alternative: Bow pose, Camel, Cobra pose, Warrior and Triangle poses are some of the best ways to build your chest overall.
4-The Seated Hip Abductor Machine
The myth: This machine is the best way to work your out thighs, including your glutes.
The truth: Because you're seated, it trains a movement that has no functional use. And if done with excessive weight and jerky technique, it can put undue pressure on your spine.
Yoga alternative: Pigeon pose, Wide-Angle Standing Forward Bend, Triangle and Downward Facing Dog, all target the abductors and are great for warm-up stretches for sports.
5-The Seated Rotation Machine
The myth: Twisting on this machine helps melt your love handles.
The truth: It works the muscles under your love handles, but will do little to reduce the fat that covers them. What's more, because your pelvis doesn't move as you rotate your upper body, this exercise can put excessive twisting forces on the spine.
Yoga alternative: Spinal Twist, Twisting Squat, Revolving Triangle, Star pose, all brace your abs - protecting the spine - while toning the sides of the abs (love handles).
6-The Smith Machine
The myth: This machine -- which looks like a squat rack with a built-in bar that runs on guides-gives you all the benefits of squats, but none of the risk that comes from holding a heavy barbell across your back. That's because the bar can easily be secured at any point during the movement.
The truth: Because the bar runs on guides, you can only move straight up and down as you squat-instead of down and back, as you would in a free-weight squat. The result: An unnatural movement that puts extra stress on your knees and lower back. Need another reason to skip the Smith? Canadian researchers found that traditional squats produced almost 50 percent more muscle activity in the quadriceps than squats done on a Smith machine.
Yoga alternative: Yoga Squat, Lightening Bolt, Eagle and Horse can all be done without a spotter, further allowing the free range of motion and strength of the squat.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Be Still and Know
Our mind has a natural ability to be quiet. When it becomes quiet, we are in touch with our genius.
Albert Einstein related that his ideas - which led him to the theory of relativity - came during moments of quiet reflection. Mozart told friends that he heard sonatas and symphonies resonating through the silent reaches of his mind, so all he had to do was write them down. Isaac Newton recorded in his journals that the idea for the laws of motion and gravity, came while in quiet reflection beneath an apple tree. From these examples it is safe to assume that being quiet, being still, will yield a treasure of knowledge.
The silent mind has great creativity, and much more, for the silent mind is also at peace, blissful and healthy. It adiates these qualities outwards through our eyes, our smile, the way we carry our shoulders or walk across a room, so infuses our surroundings with loving kindness.
Those who know how to cultivate a quiet mind are not only in touch with their inner creativity, but they also radiate a youthfulness and optimism that effects everyone around them. They have "good vibrations."
:)
Our essential nature, the root of our consciousness, is blissful silence. It is the force behind the mind, for it is what we experience when the mind becomes still. It is an infinite treasure chest of happy, healthy and wholesome qualities, always right here .. within ourself. In the Bible, one of the Psalms reminds us of this, "Be still and know that I am God." To access the divine, all we have to do is know how to be still.
Meditation is not complicated, but our natural state of being. It is the desire for the mind to be still for specific periods of time each day. When we do this daily, for weeks, months and years, calm abundance becomes more evident in everything we do.
Awaken your silent inner seed of who we are.
Yoga is a practice that shows us how to utilize the gifts we already have. When you come to Yoga class, you decide what part of the practice you choose to take home, to apply, to work on, to keep up. Yoga is the first step the being still and knowing who you are.
To begin a daily practice, find a quiet, comfortable place where you can sit, preferably with
back support. Choose a time when you can be alone, undisturbed, for at least 5 minutes.
Breathe deep and slow and softly say ..
.. I Am ..
Breathe deep and slow, and repeat ..
.. I Am ..
Yes .. it really is that simple!
;)
Aum Peace!
Albert Einstein related that his ideas - which led him to the theory of relativity - came during moments of quiet reflection. Mozart told friends that he heard sonatas and symphonies resonating through the silent reaches of his mind, so all he had to do was write them down. Isaac Newton recorded in his journals that the idea for the laws of motion and gravity, came while in quiet reflection beneath an apple tree. From these examples it is safe to assume that being quiet, being still, will yield a treasure of knowledge.
The silent mind has great creativity, and much more, for the silent mind is also at peace, blissful and healthy. It adiates these qualities outwards through our eyes, our smile, the way we carry our shoulders or walk across a room, so infuses our surroundings with loving kindness.
Those who know how to cultivate a quiet mind are not only in touch with their inner creativity, but they also radiate a youthfulness and optimism that effects everyone around them. They have "good vibrations."
:)
Our essential nature, the root of our consciousness, is blissful silence. It is the force behind the mind, for it is what we experience when the mind becomes still. It is an infinite treasure chest of happy, healthy and wholesome qualities, always right here .. within ourself. In the Bible, one of the Psalms reminds us of this, "Be still and know that I am God." To access the divine, all we have to do is know how to be still.
Meditation is not complicated, but our natural state of being. It is the desire for the mind to be still for specific periods of time each day. When we do this daily, for weeks, months and years, calm abundance becomes more evident in everything we do.
Awaken your silent inner seed of who we are.
Yoga is a practice that shows us how to utilize the gifts we already have. When you come to Yoga class, you decide what part of the practice you choose to take home, to apply, to work on, to keep up. Yoga is the first step the being still and knowing who you are.
To begin a daily practice, find a quiet, comfortable place where you can sit, preferably with
back support. Choose a time when you can be alone, undisturbed, for at least 5 minutes.
Breathe deep and slow and softly say ..
.. I Am ..
Breathe deep and slow, and repeat ..
.. I Am ..
Yes .. it really is that simple!
;)
Aum Peace!
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