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Yoga 2009.05 Karma don't worry about it 2008.12 Standing on the shoulders of our teachers 2008.06 Yoga with richard freeman 2009.08 Best snacks for after your yoga practice 2009.11 Yoga, your body as your temple 2009.05 Guruji passed away, his tradition keeps living here in palo alto 2008.06 cadavers, meditation, anatomy and the body Food and Health 2009.08 Foods that will make you happy 2009.08 Best snacks after your yoga practice 2008.09 Eating organic for a better you and a better world 2009.08 How to eat healthy without spending a lot 2009.08 Tips for a good night sleep 2009.11 Yoga, your body as your temple Philosophy 2008.09 Eating organic for a better you and a better world 2008.06 Life before life and quantum physics 2008.12 Standing on the shoulders of our teachers 2009.05 Karma don't worry about it 2010.01 Ashtanga yoga - eight limbs to union Art Personal 2009.05 Guruji passed away, his tradition keeps living here in palo alto
Ashtanga Yoga - Eight Limbs to Union The great sage Patanjali wrote four chapters on how to find true freedom. A core of his teachings is presented in the eight limbs. A brief summery is presented here. • Yamas: restraints, or social conduct and universal moralities, serve as the basis for all ethical behavior. ·The Yamas indicate the attitude towards others and the surroundings, with one main message: Do no harm. 1. Ahimsa or non-violence. Living a life of peace. Caring for others so that we bring no harm onto them in thought, speech or action. Practicing kindness and compassion to all that surrounds us, from creatures to things. Extending this to our own body and self. 2. Satya or truthfulness. Living an honest life, from the way we think to our actions and speech. Being true with every action and thought without bending the truth to suit one’s needs. When we live in truth, there is no fear, and we are happy to be transparent with all we do and think. 3. Asteya or non-stealing. Acting with complete awareness as to what we take, ask for or demand. Respecting others and their belonging, whether physical, mental or emotional. The respect can extend to all levels, even other people’s time, the way we touch others, or ideas that were shared and were not meant to be shared on. 4. Bramacharya or right use of energy. Traditionally used to describe abstinence. A protection from misuse of powerful energy such as the sexual energy. It is not about complete avoidance of anything, but rather finding a life of moderation, balance and action out of love. Practicing self-control. Within sexual relationship we make sure our actions are not selfish, and we take care of the other as much as we take care of our self. 5. Aparigraha or non-possessiveness. Living a life free from greed and obsessive accumulation. Learning to live simply and taking only what is necessary. Not hording or clinging, to things, people or ideas. • Niyamas – personal observances, the positive attitude, action and way we treat ourselves. 1. Sauca or purity - cleanliness. Living a life of purity, both in and out. For outer cleanliness, we maintain a clean body, home and surrounding. Inner cleanliness includes our inner organs as well as a clear mind, pure thoughts and actions; purifying the mind of emotions such as hatred, anger, jealousy, greed, delusion and pride. 2. Santosha or contentment. Living with humility, modesty and acceptance. Finding contentment with what we have and who we are. It is not about stagnation or laziness, but rather an acceptance of what is today, even while we strive to improve. Living with gratitude towards all we have, and finding the beauty in the details. 3. Tapas or austerity. Disciplined use of our energy. Keeping the body fit and in good condition. Literally it means to create heat in the body, and thus burn out the bad and clean the body. Tapas is practiced through disciplining the body, speech and mind to engage in life in a clear, healthy and enthusiastic way. We practice good eating habits, maintaining good posture, awareness of breath, etc. 4. Svadhyaya or study of the sacred text and of one's self. As we see our self clearly, learn about our nature in this body and beyond, we practice self-awareness in all we do. Through self-inquiry we learn to understand who we are and accept all aspect of this self, our strengths and our limitations. As we go deeper to search the true self, we learn to discover the greater self, and the connection with a broader energy. 5. Isvarapranidhama or living with an awareness of the Divine. Practicing surrender, allowing the false sense of control to drop and find connection to a greater power, a larger force that flows through the entire universe. • Asanas: body postures, practicing the presence of mind within the poses. Through the practice of different Asana we learn to move with ease, to find a clear state of mind in motion. We prepare our body to have ease in sitting meditation, and keep it healthy so we can bring our ease our attention beyond it. • Pranayama: Control of life energy through the practice of breathing. We have a powerful source of energy living within us, we may be using some of it, but there is so much more we can tap into. Through breath work, we learn to bring our prana from its Kundalini seat up through the chakras into our system. We learn to find balance between our masculine and feminine through the practice of the breath. • Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses from external distractions. Our senses allow for external info to come to the mind. This info is part of reality and of what the world consists of. It is when the mind translates this info into words, and ads labels and emotions to it, that it becomes a hinder. When we attach to a form of sense, and either want more or less of it, which it leads to a distraction. We learn to operate without the control of the senses. We use them as needed, and withdraw from them when needed. • Dharana: Concentration on a single object (Ekagraha) to control the mind. As the mind tends to wonder, we seek to find a way to train it to be still. It is the first step in mastering our minds. The mind can use the simple mantra of the breath to focus on, as a tool to steadiness. As we go about our life, we can practice being fully present with our actions and keeping them limited. While rolling the mat, we simply keep the mind completely aware of this simple action, without wondering. We can practice this while drinking tea or driving. • Dhyana: Meditation. Once the mind has learned to stay still, it allows for deeper states of consciousness to arrive. It is through allowing, not forcing, through acceptance with joy and ease that the minds “melts” away. As with our legs, when we need to walk, they are moving, when we go to sleep they rest, so with the mind, when thinking is not needed, it finds rest and allows the consciousness to shift into a deeper state. A state beyond time and place, beyond the sense of self. • Samadhi: Bliss, total freedom. Freedom from all the hindrances and sufferings of this life. We find Liberation from all levels of identities, from worry, attachments and all that holds us back. We realize our life beyond the realms of space and time, beyond the limitation of the body or mind. Samadhi is the state of total absorption, of exquisite balance, of melting the self into the universe. Samadhi – perfect meditation Sama – complete Dhi (dhiyana) – meditation Eating Organic for a better you and a better world Eating organic simply means eating the way nature intended food to be. It is the way the world ate for centuries. The more recent style of production is referred to as "conventional," though organic production has been the convention for a much greater period of time. There was never a need to label food as organic until we stated producing toxic food. It would make more sense to label food as toxic, including a list of pesticides and other chemicals used to grow the food, rather than need to label normal food as "organic." Oranges Oranges A nice size, juicy, pretty color and fragrant, with just the right amount of sweet and tart, orange is the fruit of the season. Oranges originate from South East Asia, but are now available in many warmer climates, with the United States being the major producer of oranges in the world. Oranges were not named for their color. The word orange comes from the Sanskrit Naranga, which means "fragrant. Did you know it’s a berry? And… •A helpful treatment for those with hot, inflammatory diseases (cooling thermal nature). • Has medicinal properties for those with liver weakness; they help cleanse the blood and liver (regenerates body fluids). • Helps lower high fever. • Balances Vata and if sweet and eaten in moderation, are good for Pitta. • Aids in digestion with their aromatic peel. • Rich in Vitamin C content (along with bioflavonoid content, benefits the immune system, lens of the eye, adrenal glands, and reproductive organs and in the connective tissues of our body, such as the joints, gums, and ground substance; promotes overall good health) • One orange supplies nearly 100 percent of the recommended dietary intake of Vitamin C. • A very good source of dietary fiber in addition to a good source of B Vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, and B6, folic acid, and pantothenic acid). • Contains potassium and some calcium and a good source of pectin. The pectin helps in lowering cholesterol levels. • The interior white orange membrane (Concentration of hesperidin) is a superior source of bioflavonoids that enhance the absorption of iron from plant foods, defend against cancer, and have antioxidant properties. • -Inner white lining, placed directly on the eyelids, helps to dissolve eye cysts. • Easy to digest when eaten alone or with other tropical or subtropical fruits. It may challenge the digestive system when eaten with carbohydrates, sweets, or dried fruits. How to eat: • Eat it whole. For optimum health, choose eating an orange over orange juice. The mineral-rich pulp helps buffer the citric acid, and it also slows down absorption of the fruit's sugar into the bloodstream. A fully ripened orange contains as much as ten percent of fruit sugar. • Avoid oranges with dark brown spots, soft spots, or a puffy looking peel. Select those heavy for their size. Store loose in a dry and cool, but not cold, place. Do not wrap in plastic. • Tangerines make a good substitute for commercial oranges since they have many of the same properties but are sprayed less with chemicals. • Oranges are among the foods on which pesticide residue has been most frequently found so selecting organically grown oranges is highly recommended. Recipe ideas: Carrot Orange salad ½ pound or more carrots shredded Orange Juice from 3 oranges Zest from one orange (optional) Ginger-1 inch grated 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds 1 Cup pecans Toss all together and enjoy! Sweet Orange Miso Dressing 1 small seedless orange, juiced 1 TBSP miso 1small lemon, juiced 1 tsp raw honey 1 tsp orange zest 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced 2 stalks of celery Pinch of Sea Salt Water -to consistency In a strong blender like a Vitamix, blend it all and enjoy. Add water as needed. Fresh Arugula salad with orange fennel and Parmesan Over the arugula, place orange segments, fennel, and goat cheese. Consider adding walnuts, and toss with a citrus vinaigrette. Orange Granita Freeze orange juice in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen, gently blend in a food processor to create a frozen granita dessert.
Foods that will make you happy Who doesn’t love to be happy? A positive attitude is the first step, and seeing the half glass full. Here are some foods that can help as well: • Dark Chocolate or even better, raw cocoa nibs, is rich in magnesium, which helps you relax. • Sprouts are rich in folic acid and soluble fiber. They are so alive and waiting to burst out into full form that when you take in some of that crunch, you get the extra power of potential. • Dark leafy greens will boost your energy and immune system. Eat them as raw as possible. Consider Kale your new best friend (rich in folic acid and soluble fiber). • Mung beans, sunflower seeds, asparagus, pineapple, and bananas can lift your spirits, as they are rich with tryptophan, an amino acid converted by the body into the feel-good chemical serotonin. • Brown rice, rich in vitamin B, is warming, sweet and grounding. • Wild salmon and sardines (rich in omega 3 fats and vitamin D) should be regular staples in your diet. • Ground flaxseeds (rich soluble fiber, omega 3 fats, and folic acid) make an excellent, healthy snack. And remember. Nothing beats a smile a day. Try a big smile every few hours as you eat some yummy food.
Best snacks for after your yoga practice You walk out after a yoga class feeling that “after bliss.” Here’s how to retain that feeling and be ready for your next practice • Hydrate with fresh water. • Drink juice or a smoothie made of kale, bok choy, parsley, celery mixed with some apple juice, red grapes and frozen mangos or pineapple. Yum! Check out ”Good Morning Greens Smoothie” at Body Ecology, or many other raw smoothies at The Renegade Health Show. • Add Spirulina or Hemp powder to your smoothie for extra health and protein. • Snack on mung beans or sunflower or broccoli sprouts, which are loaded with energy. • Go nuts. Think raw and organic, like almonds and walnuts. Add seeds like sunflower and pumpkin. Soak them over night in water and enjoy. • A piece of fruit such as an apple or a banana (or both) can help give back nutrients to the body. Watermelon is wonderful in season, pineapple, an orange or any other juicy fruit. • Eat a few power foods like blueberries, Goji berries, raw cacao, maca or very dark chocolate. Endangered Species and Green & Black are two of my favorites chocolate brands. You want to replenish your body with liquid and nutrients while keeping light and vibrant. See how your body feels 30 minutes after your snack. You are the best judge of what makes you feel good. Fresh and Healthy: How to choose the freshest fruit and veggies? • Buy Local. The food did not need to be transported and so there is a better chance it was picked ripe, that it has less waxing and coatings, and less energy was wasted in bringing it to you. Check the sticker on the fruit to see where it’s from. • Buy organic, get it the real way, the way nature planned it. The sticker on the fruits and vegetables will have a number. If it starts with a 9, you’re good to go. 9 means organic. • Buy in season. Some of the health boosters now in season are blueberries, cherries, garlic, asparagus and watermelon. • Go to a farmers market to get the produce directly from the source. To find out where there is a farmers market near you check Local Harvest. • Check if it is ripe. Fruit that has been ripen on the tree tastes better and has more nutrients. Some ways to check ripeness: • Tap on your watermelon with your hand, a deep hollow sound gives an indication of ripeness and sweetness. • Take a look: greens should look vibrant and alive, if they have started to yellow or wilt, move on. • For other veggies, see that they are firm but not too hard, you want them to appear vibrant and appetizing. No signs of discoloration or mold. • With Garlic you can check the bottom to see if it looks clean or if some black mold has started to grow, Onions should have no smell. Bottom line: if it looks great, looks fresh and appetizing and is organic you’re good. (Some non-organic produce looks good because of chemicals or genetically modified genes, but tastes like nothing and has little nutrients). Keep it real!
How to eat healthy without spending a lot I keep hearing that eating healthy is for the rich. But, eating well allows us to stay healthy and clear minded, saving costs to the doctor and for medications. And it’s not impossible to go healthy on a budget. Here are a few tips on buying healthy for less: • Buy what’s in season. Some of the health boosters now in season are blueberries, cherries, broccoli, asparagus, beets and watermelon. Check out State Seasonal Produce Guides for info on what is growing in your state. • Buy local. Save on shipping cost and help preserve a healthy environment. For a list of local farmers markets check out Local Harvest. • Buy whole foods, like whole grains and vegetables. Raw ingredients can make great simple meals, while processed food is less healthy and can be more costly. • Use the whole food. Buy the whole fish instead of fillets. Use veggie stems in smoothies or for stocks. Eat all parts of the broccoli. You can shave the outer edge of the broccoli stem and then cut it into strips to use for dips or just as a snack. • Cook at home. Not only is it cheaper, cooking at home allows you to know what’s in your food. Plus, the love and care that you put into your own nourishment, and the appreciation to the effort to make it, add layers of enjoyment to your meal. • Eat only what you need. Serve yourself in a small plate. Go back for seconds if needed. Don’t be tempted to eat from the pan or the package. Kale Welcome to Ninja Green: KALE, one of my favorites for many good reasons! Kale is a green leafy vegetable of the wild cabbage family, big in the times of ancient Rome and widely used by peasants, brought to the US by English Settlers in the 1600s. Kale is hardy and tastes best after a frost, sweeter when fresh, more bitter as it ages… best in the winter, but available year round. Choose crisp vibrant looking Kale with no discoloration (yellowing), and make sure it is organic. Popular varieties are: • Curly Kale (Scotch Kale): Dark green leaves, a bit tough, defined stock and a nice peppery, pungent bitter deliciousness. • Dino Kale (known also as Lacinato Kale): very dark green with an embossed texture, slightly less stocky, a bit sweeter and more delicate than the Curly Kale. • Russian Kale (known also as Purple Kale): broader and deeply serrated leaves. More delicate and mellow flavored kale. Easy to eat raw, or very quick blanching or steaming. • Ornamental Kale: like a bouquet of flowers, ruffled edged violet and cream leaves. Mostly used as garnish. Health Benefits: • Kale is an excellent source of Carotenes, Vitamin C, B6, and manganese. • 1 cup of Kale supplies more than 70% of the RDA of vitamin C with only 20 calories! • It is a great source of fiber, minerals including copper, iron and calcium, and a good source of B1, B2 and E Vitamins. • Kale is warming, eases lung congestion, benefits the stomach, and is a specific healer for the liver and the immune system. Good for the eyes (contains Lutein). • Ayurveda: Kale reduces Pitta and Kapha Preparation tips: Start by washing the kale well. Then remove the leaves off the stem. If cooking Kale you can start by chopping the stems and cooking them first, adding the leaves later. The leaves are ready as soon as they turn bright green. If you cook them too long they turn not so pretty olive green and loose lots of their nutrients. Salt helps bring out the bright green, while acid might turn it army green. So if adding acid, like lemon, add it at the end before serving, and it will stay beautiful. I love my Kale raw. My favorite salad is inspired by Esalen’s famous Kale salad. Any type of kale would work. Kale Salad: Remove the leaves from the stem, and shred them (you can simply tear them by hand to bite size pieces. Save the kale stems for stock or throw them into your juice or smoothies, they are a great source of fiber. Dressing: • 1 part olive oil • 1 part lemon juice • 1 part NamaShoyo (or any other good quality organic soy sauce, including Braggs) NamaShoyo is unpasteurized, and raw, so better flavor and more health benefits. Whisk dressing well. Massage the dressing into the leaves till they are completely coated ( and look bright green). The longer the kale sits with the dressing on it, the softer it gets, so sometimes I make it a few hours ahead. It also means that it will still be great the next day . I love adding nuts and seeds, like pumpkin and sesame (I sprout them first, but not a must). You can also slice some daikon radish thinly into the mix. Play and enjoy! Make veggie juices and shakes: • 4 large leaves of Kale and stock rough chopped • 1-2 Cups apple juice (to get the blender turning) • Add veggies like daikon and radishes for a pungent taste • Add a small amount of beets for a sweeter juice • Add berries for a summer feast If using a strong blender like a vitamix, you can just use kale and some frozen fruit (mangos, pineapplae, berries, and blend. less water or apple juice needed to "make it move" • Play and enjoy, it’s hard to go wrong! More Ideas: • Lightly sauté kale leaves in olive oil with some fresh garlic. Add a bit of lemon juice or tamari (soy sauce) before serving. • Braise Kale. Remove from heat and add balsamic vinegar, apples, walnuts and goat cheese. • Use it as a Pizza topping. Yummy and looks great on red sauce or white cheese. • Add it to your favorite bean soup or stew (add stock first and leaves at the end) • Add it to your tomato pasta sauce or as a layer in your lasagna Tips for a good night sleep A good night sleep is the secret to a happy productive next day. It is the time our body takes to restore and rejuvenate. Our night depends on the day we had, and the next day depends on how well our previous night was. • Go to sleep when you feel sleepy. • If you do not fall asleep within 30 min, get up, do something that will induce sleep and then return to bed. • Create a routine: Go to bed and wake up at the same time. • Go to bed before 10:30 p.m. According to Ayurveda after 10pm we begin a new cycle of energy. This is an energetic cycle, where we sometimes feel that we get a second wind. • Exercising is healthy, and useful for a good night sleep, but timing is key. Finish your exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime. Mornings and early afternoons are best. • Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Keep it clean and inviting. Soft light, quiet and relaxing. • Use your bed for sleeping only. Read, work, watch TV and fold laundry elsewhere. This way your body will recognize that being in bed means sleep. Sex is the only exception. • Avoid Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol 5 hours before bedtime. • Drink during the day, so you do need to drink much at night, and do not need to get up for the toilet in your sleep time. • Take a hot bath an hour before bed. The drop in body temperature is what makes you feel sleepy. Read more about this. • Develop bedtime routines. Listen to quiet music, sit silently, read something calming, or massage your body with oil. • Eat dinner at least 2-3 hors before bed. If you are hungry later, have a light snack, unsweetened cereal with a bit of organic milk, or a bit of warm milk with a touch of honey. • Do not turn on lights during the night, even if you have to go to the bathroom. Light exposure during the night impairs melatonin production, which is crucial for good night sleep. • See the sun as soon as it’s up, to set your biological clock. Sleep well, wake up smiling. Have a blissful life!
Have a good nothing! “Have a good nothing” Debbie wished Gil, and I wished him the same. “Have a good nothing” he replied. “Now that my diet is so much better and that I exercise more, sleep is my next issue. I tend to wake up at night and just go into thoughts, planning or thinking of clients and their needs.” Gil was telling me. Meditation was the first option I offered. Meditation is simply training the mind. Sitting still, doing nothing, allowing the awareness to drop to the belly as we follow the breath, in and out, in and out… Like our legs; when we go to sleep we want them to be still and rest, no need for them to move. The same goes for our eyes or ears, but what about the mind? Why is it so hard to just switch off the mind? A good night sleep is a night of rest, a night where all functions of the body except for the autonomous (like the heart or breath) are resting. That includes our digestion system and our mind. Gil seemed to be ok with the idea of meditating and was willing to give it a try. “It will be hard to fit it in my schedule” was his first reply. Since his mind is a very strong one, and since he has the capability of taking decisions and following them through, he decided to convince his mind that there is no need for it to do anything during the night. It can all wait for the next day. Simply do nothing. Indeed, doing nothing is the hardest thing for most people in the west. Yet doing nothing is really the ultimate rest. “ This is your vacation time”, Gil told his mind before he went to bed, “ A time to have a good nothing”. Another option I offered a friend was to breath slowly and deeply, fully bringing the awareness to the breath. If needed, counting the breath, the slow rhythm and the calming effect of the breath work to allow surrender. Last night, as Debbie woke up at 3:00am and was about to use the restroom as she normally does, she was more aware of her pattern, and realized she did not really need to go, and staying in bed was already better, as she did not fully awake from getting up and using the toilet. She lay in bed and as thoughts were coming in, she told her mind sharply “Don’t think!” She had the habit of planning her day at that time, but by the time morning rolled in she was too tired to start the day. This time she managed to go back to sleep and wake up much happier. Sleeping, like Savasana in Yoga is a place to have a good nothing. A place to surrender and just allow deep relaxation. So from now on, I wish you all “ have a good nothing! Yoga, your Body as your Temple (The Practice, being sore and Injuries) Seems like most people I know suffer from some sort of injury one time or another. Here are a few tips, from Yoga practice to supplements and food. I am feeling sore, to practice or not to practice? Before I begin my practice I bring my awareness to my body. Feeling where it is today, awake, stiff, sore or energetic. Then I take a moment to feel gratitude towards it. I am here, alive, breathing in this body. As I connect with my breath I add a smile, and feel softness. ahhhh :) I am feeling sore, to practice or not to practice? Yes, keep practicing, but: First lets distinguish between pain and discomfort or being sore. Pain is not good, and one should stop as soon as pain is there. Discomfort, however, is a sign to yield, to take notice, and to breathe into the place of discomfort. This allows the body to open. Soreness should be treated like discomfort. There is no need to stop practicing—just practice with extra awareness, take it slow and gentle, and modify where needed. When sore, practice to the place of discomfort and not beyond. Practicing 80% of my normal is where I usually like to go. Remember: Practice is good, but know your edge – there is no benefit in pushing too hard. Treating your body with respect and honoring the signs it gives you is crucial. If we learn to listen to the body, and understand that every day, every moment is different, then we can practice in a sustainable manner. If yesterday, or 10 years ago, there were things that were very easy for me, it does not mean that they are easy today, and I do not expect to perform the same way everyday. Every moment is like a new beginning, and I trust what my body tells me at that particular moment. Helpful foods for maintaining a healthy body: • Pineapple and garlic both have anti-inflammatory properties and help the body heal from inflammation internally. • Fresh fruit helps absorb the body absorb the helpful mineral MSM (see below). • Dark Leafy greens, like kale, beet and mustard greens, arugula, baby salad mix, etc. • Sprouts • Raw vegetable juices or blends: I like to blend my veggies so I keep the fiber and have no waste. They become more like thick soups. I use whatever is around. You can play and use any of the ingredients below, no rule! • Dark, leafy greens • Celery (absolutely essential due to its high water content) • A quarter beet (the juice becomes bright red) • A small piece of daikon radish • A small carrot (not always as it is very sweet) • Herbs if around (parsley, cilantro) great for cleansing • A cube of ginger • Apple juice to get the blender going • A pinch of salt • A clove of garlic Supplements: 3 grams MSM with 500 mg Vitamin C and lots of water MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) MSM originates in the ocean but is extracted from the lignin of pine trees. Good quality MSM is indistinguishable from the MSM found in broccoli, peppers, Brussels sprouts, onions, asparagus, cabbage, and mother's milk. MSM acts as a powerful antioxidant and healing source of natural sulfur. Don’t I get enough from food? Yoga students tend to for put a great deal of stress on their muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments; and sulfur (MSM), is an essential mineral for promoting elasticity, strength, and the general health of our bodies' tissues. You can find MSM many times sold together in joint formulas, or as a therapy for hair, nails and skin. This is because MSM helps repair every cell of our body. You can read more on this site. http://www.all-natural.com/msm.html
Yoga as grace Practicing Yoga is a path to help us become more aware, to discover bliss at all times and realize. Realize who we really are. Embracing our selves now, for who we are with no expectations of achievement, we can practice a graceful and joyful Yoga; a union with our mind and body in a clam state and an even flow of breath and movement. Along the path we have many opportunities to practice and express our awareness. It starts with out behavior and attitude. “How was your practice?” the ultimate question after one leaves the shala in Mysore, India. Standing out side, sipping on a coconut I heard one yogini tell the other: “Every morning the girl next to me rolls over to my mat in Dhanurasana B and it really disrupts my flow. ” Sharing mat space, the class is surely over crowded, and extra awareness is needed, to be not only in ones own practice but also to see the surroundings. Of course a just argument can be held for each practitioner; “no room, what else to do?” Or “well I don’t know, but don’t put your sweat on my mat”. In any case, practicing for the sake of practice, for the sake of cultivating awareness and a sensation of bliss, one learns to cultivate compassion and receives great benefits and joy from seeing others be happy. As I sit and let the class get ready here at Esalen, I hear a loud sound of a mat hitting the floor. It is not uncommon to see one toss their mat down, or kick it to roll it open. Whatever method one chooses, it is of great practice to do it consciously and with respect. Finding respect and care to all things, from the mat to the clothes we wear, from the food to the toilet, all have an important roll in our life, help us and are at our service. Practicing gratitude to all things helps bring a state of bliss on a daily basis. We can practice this awareness as we do our Asana as well. Through our breath, our Dristi (yogic gaze) and the grace of our movement. Once our movement becomes too harsh, out of rhythm and either rapid or sluggish, we need to stop and refocus. While in a pose we can breathe and have a sense of joy even in difficult physical positions. Moving gracefully, like in a dance, steady, smooth movement without jerking, and a flow of energy that sips out of the lips as they stretch towards the ears. Our intention in Yoga, in creating a union for our bodies and mind, allowing a merge, surrender to what is, however it is, creates space, space where the splendid unknown can appear and bring with it bliss, the bliss of unity. When there is no two, when there is no one, there is grace, a flow, a completeness, nothing lacking. Yoga as grace is he ultimate practice of awareness and compassion, a surrender to the forces around us that are a part of the energy within us. May we practice with gratitude and delight. Living Mysore style 3:30am, my eyes open after six and a half hours of sleep. I still have an hour till my alarm will go, but I get up. I want to type a few words while I have my neighbor’s power cord. Mine smoked yesterday as I plugged it to the socket at the Internet café. Electricity here fluctuates… Normally getting up at 4:00 or 4:30 I have an hour to get ready, meditate and walk over to the shala for morning Mysore practice. The shala holds around 60-70 students practicing with Sharat and Saraswati, the grandson and the daughter of Pattabhi Jois. The students here seem to be mostly teachers when not here. The level of practice here is very high, at least from the Asana (posture) perspective. Some pretty amazing things happening in that large room, twisting and bending, that involves also strength and concentration. The room is filled with strong energies. As I finish my practice and walk out of the shala, which is on the first floor of their house, the street is quiet and the sound of student talking about their Kapotasana (a crazy backbend) while sipping on coconut water fills the morning air. It is already 7:30 and the sun is out. Like going to the movies but reversed. You enter in the dark and leave when light is out. I sip my first coconut and ask for the second with ganji, meaning coconut meat. He cracks the green nut open and hands it to me with fresh white coconut flesh sitting on a spoon made from a chopped piece of my coconut. Off to my room to refresh and then breakfast, either at home with some curd, banana and muesli or at one of the nice places around. We are surely spoiled here. I love Tina’s place with steamed spinach and sesame seeds, her fenugreek leaf (fresh leaves) rotis (flat bread, like a thin pita), that are served with splendid tomato chutney, along with boiled eggs and a papaya mint juice. At any one of the few “westernized” breakfast places you can find many other yogis, talking about their lives or the meaning of life. Discussing a book or making plans for the day. (Swimmingpool anyone?) I hop on my motorcycle and head downtown. Driving through India madness I reach the home where Narasimha teaches philosophy, the yoga sutras and much more. Narasimha has vast knowledge, from science to philosophy, form the sutras to the Vedas. Narasimha is a medium sized man with white hair jumping around, a white cloth around his waist and a white undershirt to cover his chest and belly. A red line is drawn on his forehead from the hair towards his third eye. He sits on a small bed crossed legged, as we cover the straw mats placed on the floor in the small room. All around us are books. It can almost remind one of the little study rooms that the orthodox Jews in Jerusalem study in, maybe even more simple and basic. He is surely a manifestation of his teachings. It’s beautiful to see someone who lives his own dogma. Returning home To Gokulam the neighborhood of the shala, I give Lisa and Stephanie a ride. Motorcycles here and even scooters have amazing capabilities. Small engines, tiny bikes, yet a whole family of 5 can easily fit on. Sometimes it can be many sacks of potatoes; so much as you can’t really see the scooter or driver. A huge part of a banana tree a passenger holding a TV box or anything else that might need to be shipped. Well, it was my last threesome on a bike as we did get stopped. After bargaining with the police, we agreed on 300 rupees fine (about $7). They asked for 700rp, and the real fine is probably around 40rp. "Civediamo a green leaf?" Asks me Elena, and I set to meet her for lunch at the huge restaurant where mostly you find Indians eating a classic tali; a large stainless steel plate with many little bowls that contain heavily cooked veggies, dhal, curd and sauces, a bowl of rice, some bread like a chapatti or roti and if its fancy, even a small desert. Elena orders noodles (she is Italian after all), and paneer 555, a fantastic Indian cheese fried in a way that I would rather not know to transform it to become Chinese, but has some what of a tikka flavor, a yummy satisfying dish that is not swimming in a curry like most other Indian dishes. Recognizing your veggies as separate pieces, or having them not so cooked and with no sauce is rare. Raw salads are not common either. Lunch and dinner many times merge into one meal, as we tend to go to sleep pretty early. Dinner is usually light, maybe a rav idly (a nice light cutlet made of fermented rice/dhal flour with hint of veggies), a dosa (large, thin paper like dough rolled with a potato curry in its center), or if I’m at the internet cafe, then maybe one of Anu’s famous’ smoothie, a bowl of frozen banana yogurt with optional dates and nuts, real yummy. A stop at the coconut stand for another fresh heavenly sip, chopped open with a machete right there, while saying hello to beautiful yogis from at least 6 different nations. Canadians and Brazilians win this round… Evenings I try to keep quiet, read, and meditate, take a walk in the park in front of my house and maybe some body cleaning (with a bucket and cup, very economical and ecological too). I am working on a photography show I’ll open next month here in Mysore at India song house. It will include two outdoor large screen projections, and some prints hanging like laundry in the main gallery space. For those that never saw my work, some can be viewed at www.doronhanoch.com The opening shall be at the night of the new moon, candlelight and images floating through space. Say hello if you’re in the area… Life before Life and quantum physics This Wednesday’s eve program at Esalen was talking about life after death with Michael Murphy and friends. What I remember from it is more about life before life. Researches have interviewed young children that had memories of previous lives. These description (very accurate at times) lead to a search to find if the description matches a specific being that has died. It was truly amazing to hear about the details that match, including scars that had “passed” on. It seemed though that most memories were related to a person that had died young or not a natural death.This could lead to either thought; that reincarnation does not happen always, or that these certain instances are more likely to stay vivid in the child remembering. There are around 2600 case studies done, and now Esalen is supporting further research. I can understand existence beyond our brain, beyond this body, a total connectedness, a primal energy force, yet to realize that a separate consciousness can keep its cycle of life after life for whatever reason that maybe, is indeed of great curiosity to me. Does it even matter? What can we learn from this? Is there such a thing as an old soul? Does a soul really free itself, or is it just a realization of a different state of consciousness? Last weekend, I was participating in a workshop titled “Do we need spirituality in the age of science?” Atoms are constructed of two elementary particles known today, the electrons and the quarks. But what lies behind this? Mani Bhaumik, the person who invented eye laser surgery, was sharing with us scientific research leading towards the idea that the 4 main energies known today (including gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and the week force) connect at extreme high temperatures. This idea leads to the concept of a quantum field; an energy field that is connected to all, this field exists beyond time and space. Quantum physics describes the subatomic world as one that cannot be depicted in diagrams -- particles are not dots in space, but are more like "dancing points of energy." Can you understand? My Zen master would ask. To truly understand, I feel that it is necessary to go beyond the mind, to actually experience this and own it. Time to sit on the meditation cushion… Guruji passed away, his tradition keeps living here in Palo Alto Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, known to his students as Guruji, passed away yesterday, May 18th at the age of 94. Guruji was a student of Krishnamacharya in Mysore India, where many students including myself went to study and experience life in a different culture. Guruji was a person of dedicated practice, of joy and love for sharing. He was still helping students in backbends at the age of 90! As Guruji would say: “Practice and all is coming". I celebrate all that he has offered us, and I am grateful for all that he shares with us beyond his body. Guruji's teachings shall live on and keep inspiring more students on the path of yoga, of union, of teacher and student practicing. I am grateful for the tradition we inherited, and the seeds that have been planted. We can see the flowers booming in many new traditions of yoga from power to Jivamukti through most Vinyasa flow classes out there. Since March I have had the privilege to teach in Guruji’s tradition here in Palo Alto. Early morning Ashtanga Mysore classes 6 days a week and even some afternoon classes. I am blessed with dedicated students and a body that allows me to be of service to others. The classes are filled with the sound of breathing, of bodies moving on the mat pose after pose, like waves, flowing one after the other in a calm rhythm finding the connection to the great ocean of life. As I write I look over my screen to see a beautiful vegetable and flower garden. It was such a treat to see how hard earth can be tilled and worked, and how with the aid of water and sun small plants grow to become flowers and lettuce. It is a miracle to watch. Very much like the miracle of students practicing finding growth in their body, mind and spirit. It is a gift to have the time to garden and feel the earth cover my hands, a gift to be able to cook my own food and eat it in a clam and beautiful setting of this garden with a fig tree bearing signs of fruit over my head. As a city boy I find so much pleasure in this small-contained farm setting. I balance it by going to a superb 5 rhythms dance class on Monday nights, a class of mostly free form dance, of allowing the body to flow in its own rhythm, connecting with beat and other dancing souls on the wooden basketball floor. Dance is liberation for me, a compliment to my Yoga practice, from form to no form; breath is always present filling my lungs and heart with oxygen, fuelling my energy. Today I wish to thank all my teachers along the way, for my life as it is today, and my teachings are a long necklace containing their pearls of wisdom.
Yoga with Richard Freeman June 8th, Sunday morning, my birthday, sitting at the Yoga Workshop, Richards’s shala (practice room). The simple room, one large space is full of new faces sitting on Yoga mats awaiting the beginning of this month long teacher intensive. Mary, Richard’s wife, gives a briefing on this coming month and before we know it Richard walks in. The room fills with a feeling of something great that just happened. Richard enters, great and simple, starts without too much talking. Our mornings, which consist of some Asana (poses) practice, learning about alignment, adjustments, breathe and gaze, are followed by chanting and philosophy. In the afternoons I take a Mysore style class, optional to the program. The group is very international. Students from Greater China, Japan, Europe, NY, CA, Mexico, Canada and locals from boulder all unified with a set sequence of poses practiced daily around the globe. (The Ashtanga sequence) Richard, calmly sits on his cushion, with clear eyes, guides us through the Sanskrit pronunciation. Richard seems to have child like qualities, of love and excitement toward the little details. Yesterday afternoon we walked over to the Shamabhala center to practice meditation. I manage to walk everywhere here, such a wonderful feeling. Just take Pearl Street down one direction, and you hit a beautiful promenade, of downtown Boulder. The other direction will take you to a big shopping area including Whole Foods and the Mac store. Walking along perfect sidewalks with green patches, brooks follow aside or cross under, and the Flat Irons, the famous Boulder Mountains rise up with pride, and together with the dramatic sky, frame the small population of Boulder (100,000 or so). A population that seems healthy and active for the most part. It has a very outdoorsy feeling, a college town, a town of yoga, massage, Rolfing, meditation and centers and Universities of alternative lifestyles. I continue my tradition of constant summer that has been flowing through my life for over a year now. Here, the sun shines most of the time. Occasional winds or some threat of rain appear, but in general, it’s dry and beautiful, and my tan is still chocolaty or olive skin (is it really olive? Where does that come from?). Happy to be here, to keep on studying and living life to it’s fullest. New ideas for workshops arise, and I hope to present them soon.
Cadavers, Meditation, Anatomy and the Body Sitting still, following the breath, the grass grows by itself. The stream outside flows softly, fish swimming with no direction. Art ideas flow to my mind, scrolls, bodies, and life stories, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Buddha, my breath. In and out it goes, softening the mind, softening the gaze, eyes open looking at nothing, gravity below, my sense of perception fades away, no eye or ear, no cushion no back no knee. Some time later the bell rings, and people get up to walk. I am back to my senses, filled with energy, clear, I find myself still sitting, another hour goes by timelessly, another bell rings, instructions for another type of meditation, I can’t hear, just watch softly, like a quiet, slow silent movie, I drop again, feeling myself dissolve, where do I go? Last weekend was an intensive meditation weekend at Marpas house, a beautiful residential Shambala center. This followed some meditation classes we had at the huge and well-kept Shambala center in Boulder. Is there a soul to this body? Are we just flesh and bones? As we arrived to studio 50 in a commercial area outside Boulder, the smell of formaldehyde was in the air. The room, or big warehouse space rather, was very clean, high ceilings, and some black boards. In the far end I could spot two large metal tables with a top that looked like a shiny silver coffin. Tod, the anatomy specialist gives us a long intro in preparation for the experience. We then put on white coats and gloves, almost like we were a bunch of doctors about to enter the surgery room. We roll over the metal tables and some other tables that have blue or yellow plastic bags to the center of the room. These could easily be identified as containing bodies. We start with Frank, then we look at William, the bodies have names, after death names. The bodies are real, but lying lifeless, somewhat dissected, there is something less human about them. The “life”, the energy is missing. Someone said the soul is missing. This body, 80 years old when it stopped functioning on its own, before it donated itself to science, was alive, moving, digesting, seeing, thinking, where is the thinker now? What happened to the memories? Are the stored in the non-functioning hard drive called brain? Where the feelings a matter of the sense organs only? What was the force that kept it going, and where is that force now? Muscles, tendons, and bones, each cadaver is dissected to different layers. Digestive system comes out, I hold the pancreas, stretch the small (but long) intestine, hold a brain split in two, move the jaw as I look at the gold sitting on the teeth, touch the ribs and observe the pelvis. The first moment at the cadaver lab, reminds me of identifying my dad at the morgue in the hospital in Be’er Sheva Israel, but there he was still in one piece. Back then I still had memories to tag to the freshly dead body. Sounds and touch I could still feel through my mind. Then I let this memory go. The bodies in front of me, with all their history, are now just bodies. History behind they can almost seem like animal parts that I recognized at a hustling kitchen or a whole foods store. Richard Freeman, our Yoga Guru (teacher) bends the bones of the leg to place them in Padmasana, the lotus sitting position, and a crack sounds, the meniscus was torn. Ouch, good thing there is no one to feel the pain anymore. It’s another reminder that this body is not really ours. I remember walking into the super sanitized room where Eran, my dear friend was laying, Cancer swimming in his blood, tubes in his veins, and a look in his eyes so different than a few months earlier when we were traveling in the north east of the US. Eran’s body was so different, was it still him? A week later Eran’s body stopped functioning. Where did Eran go? Did he stop functioning? Was there an essence, a “Purusha”, an ever-prevailing energy that slipped out of the tired body and kept going, formless? This body of ours, changes so easily all the time. So many of its functions happen without consulting with us. The breath flows in and out, the heart beats and we don’t need to think of it. At times our body weakens, and we feel sick. If this is our body, how can it be doing things we don’t want it to? If we loose an organ or an arm, is it still our body? We can take another organ away, and another, at what point does it cease to be our body? We sure are the caretakers of this body, this functioning machine that hosts our sense organs, our brain and all the tools to function in this material world, but is this all we are? Looking at my fingers as they type away, I smile with gratitude. Bodies Doron Hanoch writes about the work with bodies and his view of the inspiring work of Doron Polak, an artist, curator, collaborator and amazing human being. Born into a body, we bring our essence into a physical moving form; form that changes and transforms with age, emotion and demands of our mind. The body with all its machines, from the smallest cell forming a blood drop, to the skin, our largest organ, is in constant change. The body is a beautiful tool of exploration to all that happens within us. With the help of the body we can explore simple movement, relationship to different materials, observe the body as it’s functioning reflects our inner state. We might find stiffness of muscles as we touch a cold object, an association or projection from the past as the body is wrapped with thread or mud, a release of semen as physical contact with a non sexual material occurs, a release beyond the layer of attraction. Soap to the body might feel like a certain material, yet with the aid of the mind, this bar of soap might translate into a much deeper meaning. Cleansing, holocaust, army? This meaning will come to manifest in the movement of the body, the expression of the face, the strength of the grip. The body is an outer manifestation of the mind. Peeling layers of our mind, allowing the full levels of life to be experienced fully, we allow the body to take on a journey. Peeling outer layer of clothes, symbols of society, exposing conditioning remained from childhood, revealing deep desires, surrendering into the vomit of emotions as they appear. At times the work with the body is like a deep meditation, a practice of yoga, of no separation. When naked, flowing with whatever environment, objects or materials are present; we drop the sense of observer, of the feeler or the one touching. We discover the experience of the object or environment by complete surrender. Allowing the mind to drop away, dissolve into the vibrant experience of living energy, the separation between the knower and the known slips away, and molecules of energy flow into each other creating a unified field of force, not a good or bad force, but just one whole energy field. Polak has found his way into the full and honest exploration of his body and mind. Starting with little steps, with working with others, Polak eventually realizes that he needs to dive in himself to experience the full potential of the work. The work is of solitude in a social setting. There is the element of the camera, of the other person present in the work, the one documenting. At times the work is of both, of complete surrender on both sides, and at times it is of Polak with his body, demanding no limits, no hiding, that releases all that is hidden behind the layers of masks we may wear in our day to day life. Polak has taken on the task of peeling it all away, willing to surrender into what ever the outcome may be. The result is a work that is most tender, vulnerable and sincere. It is almost an addiction to expose truth, the truth that is beyond words and social standards, that of honest inner exploration arriving from the heart, the spiritual heart.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. © 2009 Doron Hanoch |
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Photo: Doron Hanoch “You will know the Force when you are calm and at peace. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous Beings are we, not this crude matter.” - Yoda
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