meditation

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The best laid plans of mice and men

August 20, 2010 in Yoga, creativity, mantra, music, video, writing | 1 comment

Namaste. Thanks so much for all the well wishes and welcome backs!  

I've been on a relatively fast pace since returning from India, and really felt the need to sit in quiet reflection. I headed off to Ananda Ashram for a few days of Mauna, the practice of sacred silence.

Arriving at Ananda is like coming home. No matter where you've been, the ashram always takes you back, and it's like you never left. I always pause at the old iron gates to set an intention for my stay. When I looked inwards, what came back was 'quiet'

Classical indian singing lessons at ananda ashram

Sitting down for my first simple meal, I looked up and there was the radiant Shrimati Kankana Banerjee sitting across from me.

She smiled and said, more as a statement than a question: "You're coming to my class tomorrow?"  Before I could think about an answer, I felt my head nodding yes.

Turns out that Kankana is considered the best vocalist in india and she was at Ananda to teach a weeklong immersion in Classical Indian Singing.

          You can't always get what you want.

I was a bit resistant to this idea of not just singing, but singing all-day… I mean, I made my vow not to speak for 3 days, I was committed… or rather attached to my plan.

I surrendered to the new plan, the opposite of what I 'wanted.'  That next morning, I fixed myself a really huge mug of green tea and settled in for my first lesson.

           But if you try some time.

Kankana played an ancient harmonium, and led us in stringing many single syllables into beautiful – swimming melodies called Ragas.

           You just might find. 

Practicing the Raga scales is very meditative, There's a true sense of surrender to it  She leads, you follow, it's simple, beautiful, and beyond mind.  

My friend Kamaniya said "I didn't see you leave, but noticed you were gone for some time, and saw you come back into your body, different." 

            You get what you need…

At some point, hours into the practice, I merged with the seductive sounds, sliding into a peace I've never experienced before. Words don't describe this new threshold, so I'll not even try.

Three days of Mauna practice may have been good for me, but surrender to the new plan was even better.  

I grapple with decisions sometimes. When faced with several equally nice sounding options, my mind gets all attached, looking for the 'right' decision. Is one ever really more right than the other?    

I've got this great opportunity to study with my teachers this October. It will take some effort to travel to Ohio to be with them for a few days. Planes, travel details and expenses… but mostly, being away from the students I'm so blessed to have.  

As I churn this choice in my mind, and type this, it seems I still haven't fully grasped this lesson that surrender is best. That things tend to appear right when we need them, and often not in the tidy packages we are looking for.

To make room for them, we sometimes have to un-make our minds.  Have you found yourself changing plans midstream, how did it work out?

I'll leave you with this beautiful video of Kankana singing:

Next Saturday August 28th is our free Open Mic Music Night at Yoga and Nia for Life.  And note the Live Music Yoga class with special Guest Tom Lena – 9am Sunday September 5th.    Om Shanti,  I'll see you in class.

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Do it anyway

July 7, 2010 in Yoga, abundance, ahimsa | 4 comments

Written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

  Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you'll win some unfaithful friends and some true enemies.

  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.

  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.

  Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.

  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.

  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.

  Give your best anyway…

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Why 108?

May 28, 2010 in Uncategorized, Yoga, jnana | 6 comments

my odometer at the spring Yoga retreat in massachusetts

On the way to teach at our Spring Retreat I had run a few errands, and took a long-cut to visit a friend, and look at some harmoniums.  

When I pulled up at the retreat center and shut off the car, I looked down to see a perfect 108 on my odometer.  

I teach Japa Meditation to Yoga Students, where we use a Mala, a string of 108 beads to count the recitation of a chosen Mantra, or sacred word.

In the Yoga Asana communities you'll often see people practicing 108 sun salutations for a cause, or on the change of seasons.

Invariably the question:  "Why 108?" comes up.  There are many opinions about Why 108, but here I'll mention a few that people tend to agree upon.

108 comes from multiplying 9 times 12.  Two sacred numbers in many traditions.  

9 is the number of planets that are said to rule us (the grahas),  and 12 is the number of zodiacs in Hindu astrology.  This allows 108 combinations of planet – in – signs.

The ancients measured, quite accurately, that the distance between the earth and the sun as 108 times the sun's diameter.

The distance between the earth and the moon is just about 108 times the moon's diameter.  (some say it moved)

The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth.

Like the Beatles song from The White Album,  this number 9 just keeps coming back:

9 x 1 = 9
9 x 2 = 18, 1 + 8 = 9
9 x 3 = 27, 2 + 7 = 9
9 x 4 = 36, 3 + 6 = 9
9 x 5 = 45, 4 + 5 = 9
9 x 6 = 54, 5 + 4 = 9
9 x 7 = 63, 6 + 3 = 9
9 x 8 = 72, 7 + 2 = 9
9 x 9 = 81, 8 + 1 = 9
9 x 10=90, 9 + 0 = 9
9 x 11=99, 9 + 9 = 18, 1 + 8 = 9
9 x 12 = 108

and… 1 + 0 + 8 = 9 

A baseball has 108 stitches.  In Ayurveda and martial arts, there are 108 marma, or pressure points on the body.

Have you heard any others?  click on the comment link to share what you've heard.   Japa Mala can be a very powerful, and comforting  form of mediation.  in a future post I can go over the details, but it's best learned in person.  

I'd be glad to teach you the basics to get you started, shoot me an email.  You can see some nice malas on the link to the left.

Om Shanti,   -j

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The Journey and the Destination

February 18, 2010 in Yoga | Add Your Comment

Yoga doesn't care about where we are from.  Yoga cares about where we are going.

And how we get there matters…

Yoga is a journey and a destination

The teachings are clear, and very simple.  We tend to become what we do all the time.  Whether that is good news or bad, depends on how we practice. How much of life are we really present for?

Skim the surface, and the benefits of class are fading before we even reach the parking lot.  Dig a bit deeper. and we experience lasting benefits, benefits that we can share with others… That's the Yoga that counts.

The recipe is simple.  Set a clear intention, then follow through with a steady and focused effort.  Don't succumb to the tyranny of  a superficial practice.  

No, you don't have to become a sadhu, Just focus. One thing at a time.  It's that easy, and that difficult.  Therein lies the practice, the returning to – right now.  Slow down, live deep. Practice.

Change that old saying.  Say no to the either-or.  We can have both, The Journey, and the Destination.  

You're closer than you think, Keep going.  

I'll see you in class,  we'll keep it simple, we'll focus, and we'll keep it real.

Om Shanti.

-John

P.S.   A great post on Snow Shoveling Backache Yoga from Diane at the Everything Yoga Blog.  Great job Diane, thanks!

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Making Time for Practice

June 4, 2009 in Yoga | 2 comments

Namaste!

Just when I had thought I’d heard all the reasons not to practice, A regular and committed student told me: "My Dog ate my mala."  Didn’t we all try that in grade school with our homework?

For those new to Yoga, a Mala is a string of beads we use to keep track in our mantra, or Japa Mala practice.  The beads help focus our mind, and keep our commitment to the practice.

There are countless distractions to our regular practice, and without a firm commitment, our practice can become peripheral, or slip away completely. 

 There’s a great story from my teacher’s teacher Sri Brahmananda Saraswati.  A student asked how to make time for his meditation practice, and he replied, "No problem, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening."  The student replied, "But I don’t have 10 minutes."  "Oh, Then you need an hour" was the teachers response.  

With regular practice, lasting benefits come, 10 minutes a day in between the days you take a class really help your practice to stay fresh, your mind, and body to stay supple. Where can we slow down, and make space for stillness, and a concentrated practice?  

What works best for me is getting some early morning practice in, then finding opportunities throughout the day to practice Asana and Mantra;  I plant and tend a garden at a friends house, and the walk there is a beautiful opportunity for spontaneous meditation practice.  

Sometimes it’s Japa Mala, a song, or silent appreciation is what’s needed.  What serves me best is getting out of my own way, and letting my practice out.   Slow down. Breathe. A glass of iced tea can be a meditation.  Weave practice into your day and your day will become practice.  

As the ‘nice’ weather rewards us for the Tapas of New England Winter, it’s been traditional over the years for the studios to empty out.  Not so these last few years, especially at Yoga and Nia For Life.  (Sometimes we take refuge in turning on the air conditioning)  

A bunch of us are meeting up for the special 108 minute Summer Solstice class on Sunday June 21, 12:30.   Hope you can join us!

For the record, L. and M’s dog really did eat their Mala.  I made sure to get them another, and they are practicing regularly.  If you’d like to learn Japa meditation, (it’s great beach-walking practice) let me know, we often practice this in our workshops and focus classes.  

Please share where you fit in practice, click on the ‘add your comment’ link in the upper left hand corner.  We can all learn from each other.

Om Shanti, I’ll see you in class.

-john

P.S.  Our Fall retreat is fully booked up, I’m forming a short wait-list, and if there’s enough people interested in coming we can explore adding a second weekend.  There’s also been many requests for a Spring retreat.  Let me know if that interests you, and I’ll see if we can set something up.  

 

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Reintegration

October 12, 2008 in Uncategorized, Yoga, events | Add Your Comment

Namaste!  Everyone wants to know how the retreat went!  Thanks for all the encouraging notes.

From the amazing feedback, I would say that our Fall retreat at SpiritFire was a great success. 

Buddha at SpiritFire

The weather was perfect, each day the foliage turned more vibrant.  Meals were astounding, and the rooms very comfortable.  I really like how every detail was watched over and cared for by the staff.  This allowed us to really focus on the depth of our practice.  Having our morning Yoga practice and meals in total silence (Mauna) added a richness and texture to our presence at SpiritFire.  The hikes were breathtaking, our Mantra practice cathedral-like, and our celebratory fire circle warmed us inside and out.  

The act of spiritual retreat is ancient, and even more applicable in our times, To retreat is to step back and gain perspective, a clearer view of how we’ve been living.  Through practices of awareness we measure that against how we’d like to be living, and resolve to create the appropriate changes.  Leaving behind the old, we reintegrate back into our lives, holding  space for practice, for presence, and to bring the essence of our retreat back home.

We’re already planning next years retreat, same place, same weekend!  And we’re looking at a Spring Retreat to Ananda Ashram, Where I’ve been retreating in mostly silence for the last week.  That will be a treat!   If you’d like advance notice on the retreat plans let me know and I’ll keep you up to date as the details unfold. 

Om Shanti,  I’ll see you in class this week.  

John

 P.S.  Just posted the fall Yoga Workshop

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