A Secret

I am going to reveal a secret. Something known to all the great masters - all the seers, priests, swamis, sages, holy souls and yogis around the world.

I am breaking no vows by telling this secret, because if a being is not ready to hear the secret, then it will have little effect. Yet, once read, it will be 'planted' like a seed in their being, waiting to burst forth from the dross of life to shine in freedom and wonder.

Here is the secret:

Do not mourn the past. Do not worry about tomorrow or any other future. Do not anticipate or expect. Just BE.

Live NOW .. in the present moment. Not dwelling on what has gone or what may be, but live right here, right now .. wisely and earnestly.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valare Devi

What We Think

Many believe they are responsible for what they do but not for what they think. In truth, we must be responsible in our thoughts, for what we think is where all our choices come from.

Understand that what you do come from what you think. Which is why you get what you focus on. It is not enough to say what you want, you must think what you want .. and let this be your daily thought.

Every thought we have is based on an aspect of our life in the world, so that the world appears as we think it to be. This is why, in your thoughts, your perception of your life and circumstance, even the world around you, must change to something better, brighter, more promising, in order for true change to occur.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Be Still And Know

Be still and know that I am god.

-Psalms 46:10

This short verse says so much. All we need to do, even in our busy lives, is to be still. We dont have to be still all the time, but mere moments. Which makes it even better.

When we are still - for a few moments after we wake up in the morning, and again before we go to sleep at night - we become quiet and clear of expectations. So it is that in this stillness we are able to 'see', to actually discern, the beauty of life all about us.

Being still is important, especially since it is our restlessness that causes frustration and stress, depression and sadness.

Be still and know!

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Unconditional Love?

On an yahoo list I am on, someone defined 'unconditional love' as loving some one 'despite what they say or do, and letting God bring about the changes' that individual wanted to see.

As a Yogini, change begins within, within myself, first. When that happens, I know from experience that I also see change in others.

Which is why, for me, 'unconditional love' is impossible unless we begin with our self. Which is why I am more comfortable with Metta, or "loving kindness".

The idea of Metta is "loving kindness" without attachment, so that I do not expect or anticipate god to change anyone (to include myself). Again, for myself, change must come from within.

There are six steps to Metta, or the cultivation of loving kindness. First, we begin with loving kindness towards ourself, then a good friend (not a lover). Easy enough. Then we cultivate Metta for someone we dont have any particular feelings for, a 'neutral' person for example. Then we cultivate Metta for someone we find difficult, then we expand our Metta to treating everyone we meet as deserving of loving kindess. The last step is to include the entire world.

In the Cunda Sutra, the Buddha said:

May all beings be free from animosity,

free from oppression, free from trouble,

and may they look after themselves with ease!

This is Metta.

The Suttanipata tells us:

Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child,

so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.

This too is Metta.

And my favorite:

May all beings be free from enmity,

affliction and anxiety, and live happily.

When we embrace Metta, beginning with our self, then we take one step towards peace in our life, towards all our relations, within our community, and finally to the world. Therefore, Metta leads us towards World Peace.

May All Beings Be Happy!

Om Peace, Peace, Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Faith

Across our beautiful planet, every living being has faith in god, even if they are not aware of it.

Certainly, we all have faith in ourself, that we live and breath, work and pay taxes. So for every living being who does not question their own existence, at one point they must ask: Who Am I? Once done, that is faith in god, in an ineffable force, in an absolute reality, in a sum total of all that lives.

We may not be god, but we are of god - just as a drop of water is of the ocean. And none can doubt that the taste of their tears - of sadness or joy - is salty. So to do our lives reflect god.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Why Centering Prayer?

"For this reason, whenever you feel

yourself drawn to devote yourself

to this work, and whenever you feel by

grace that you have been called

to do it, lift up your heart toward God

with a meek stirring of love.

And understand by God the God

who made you and formed you

and who has graciously called you

to your present degree; and do

not accept in your mind any other

conception of God. And not even

all of this is necessary, but only

if you are so inclined, for a naked

intent direct to God is sufficient

without anything else."

-The Cloud of Unknowing

14th century contemplative text

A Friend

I just found out that someone I have known from the Internet has passed away.

I was contacted by a police officer looking for next-of-kin. This friend, who I had been communicationg with for three years, had me in his phonebook with a star next to my name. It was the only star in the book so the police contacted me first.

In all my exchanges with this person, they were always thoughtful and considerate, kind and gentle. And though we never met, I feel a sense of loss .. for indeed, the earth has lost a kind soul.

I have said my prayers for Clifton already, and will continue to do so throughout this holiday season. What I thought about was all of you, and so many others that I know only from the Internet .. all dear souls that I call 'friend', yet have never met.

Consider these people or pray for them, but also include yourself, for we never know the impact we make on someones life. So it is, that even a friend not met is a friend indeed.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Alignment

"Centering Prayer is all about finding the Center. And it is a Center that we should be able to move freely from and back to. Beyond practice, when we live our Center, we recognize what is important in life, and so discard those things that are not connected to the Center. Centering Prayer sets our course on the heart's compass, so that alignment becomes more important than enlightenment."
-Yogini Valarie Devi

Yoga certification (news article)

The truth about yoga certification

I periodically get asked by students (rather shyly, as if they are not worthy) about how to become a yoga instructor. Usually, I can sense who would become a future teacher, and am not surprised by the request, and try to reassure him or her that it's not a question that should cause them self-doubt, but one in which they should be applauded for even entertaining.

Often, I hear people (and sometimes fellow teachers) saying, "Well, in order to become a teacher, you need to be registered with XYZ organization, certified through ABC and then after yada yada yada, then you are qualified to teach."

Wait...Hold the phone...Rewind.

Yoga is not a licensed practice like massage or physical therapy. The entire premise of yoga centers around non-judgment and acceptance, so how can it now put a label upon what it means to be qualified or not qualified?

While I would not recommend it (for ethical reasons), technically, a student could take a single yoga class and decide they want to teach their own brand of yoga tomorrow. Will they be insured? No. Can they teach legally? Yes.

Another sentence I hear all the time is, "Well, I went through an intensive teacher training with Swami such-and-such for a year in [insert remote locale], while most teachers only go through a weekend certification." Here is my question to that person: "Did you study yoga prior to your intensive training, and are you certain that 'most teacher's' weekend certification involved training at all? Or, did they first study yoga for years, and then simply go in for a 48-hour test?" One person may have had no prior yoga experience, and sign up for a year (like one might enroll in college), studying philosophy, practice, contraindications, physiology, etc., prior to a final exam. Another may have walked into a certification after years of training, well-prepared, only to take that final exam. It is difficult to say if one is better then another, without taking the entire background of the student into consideration, as well as that of the instructor offering the training.

So, if there is no licensing, and if there is no defined lines regarding certification, what do you do? It would seem to be that there needs to be some standard to differentiate between qualifications and levels of experience, particularly with new students who may not know enough yoga to be able to tell a good teacher from a bad.

It is very subjective, though I like to believe that in practicing Ahimsa (non-injury and kind action) to others, a teacher-to-be will take into consideration the needs of the student, and prepare him or herself appropriately.

Do I think yoga should be standardized? No, that goes against the very nature of yoga.

Here is what I would offer - as a general guideline - however:
1) I would recommend that a future teacher study yoga for a minimum of two years prior to being trained to teach, or have the equivalent (i.e. a year of yoga and a year or two of a related discipline like martial arts, dance or physical therapy training). In that time, I would also suggest exploring different branches of yoga under that umbrella of "Hatha" (i.e. Kripalu, Ashtanga, Kundalini, etc.) to make sure he or she has a foundation into the family of yoga most appropriate for him or her (and - of course - add from there).

2) I would suggest certification vs. simply training with a guru, even though certifications are very different, because it will not only help establish credibility and some reference within the community, but it is necessary for liability insurance (which most studios require). The length varies depending upon prior training. Ideally, I would suggest a minimum of two years of study followed by a minimum week-long intensive teacher training and certification.

3) Supplement that certification with annual refreshers involving teacher exchanges (where teachers meet to teach each other), classes, study and workshops.

Again, I'm not suggesting there is one way to prepare oneself for becoming a teacher (until that time when yoga is a licensed practice), nor am I taking training lightly. I am letting future instructors understand what is and what is not "law", so that he or she can make appropriate decisions about how to proceed, and what they might take into consideration when exploring the path from student to teacher.

Attachment

"Time after time
I came to your gate with raised hands,
Asking for more and yet more.

You gave and gave, now in slow measure, now
In sudden excess.
I took some, and some things I let drop; some
Lay heavy on my hands;
Some I made into playthings and broke them
When tired;
Till the wrecks and hoards of your gifts grew
Immense, hiding you, and the ceaseless
Expectations wore my heart out.

Take, oh take - has now become my cry.
Shatter all from this beggar's bowl:
Put out the lamp of the importunate
Watcher.
Hold my hands, raise me from the
Still-gathering heap of your gifts
Into the bare infinity of your uncrowded
Presence."

-Rabindranath Tagore