Here again

Trying to update readers of this blog on life of the past six months in this unusual year will take much time and far too many adjectives to create any kind of enjoyment from reading my thoughts and actions. Thus, I shall highlight the themes and adventures of the first half of 2010 AD in a dense bit-size version of anything interesting that has occurred and holds the possibility of bringing a smile or chuckle to the reader's reality.

After sitting in an attentive but at times mentally delirious half lotus posture before Dr. Vasant Lad and the great teachers at the Ayurvedic Institute I have earned the right to call myself a graduate. New Mexico has a special relationship with the ether unlike any other place I've been, the quirky town of Albuquerque has more opportunities for spiritual expansion than may seem upon first glance. We sat in the Lakota sweat lodge as poured by Mr. Steven Bluehorse, drank ghee and castor oil, purified water with cow dung ash, attempted 1000 rounds of kapalabati on a daily basis, read jyotish charts, and attempted to understand the language of sanskrit all while maintaining the trademark Ayurvedic meal, Kitchari.

During the spring travels took me westward to Sedona and Flagstaff then to San Diego to Encinitas to Los Angeles back south to Carlsbad and returning to Albuquerque on I-10. All places unique in their own right and highly recommended with the exception of L.A if you haven't traveled to them already. After completion of my studies at the Institute I headed north to Santa Fe for a trip down the Rio Grande in a rubber raft with fellow students then continued another 65 miles north to Taos for a visit with Hanumanji at the Neem Karoli Baba Temple and a few days of camping in the Taos ski valley (once again, highly recommended, free and open to the public) before returning to the Querque. After accepting a seasonal job I have transplanted yet again and am calling Skagway, Alaska my temporary site of residence while joining my friend and colleague Jose Pomalles. We have settled in a cozy cabin six miles outside of town with no running water or modern plumbing but spectacular views (pictures possibly coming soon). The excursion into town is either a bike ride through the mountains or the classic hitchhike, which has proven to be the best way to meet the most kindest and interesting people in the area. The sun here never sets or rises and my Floridian bones are slowly adjusting to the chill weather as this is my first summer I've had to wear a jacket in July.

Please check back soon. I'll be posting upcoming workshops on Ayurveda and related subjects. More to come when the stars deem it appropriate. Till then......be well.

प्रण तेजस ओजस Prana Tejas Ojas

स्थिरासुखामासनाम

sthirasuhkamasanam

Asana is the perfect balanace between firmness and ease.

The depth of this sutra can be talked about and contemplated for years and still can change into new meanings over the course of its examination. Whether you're sitting in padmasana, savasana corpse pose or sitting in the drivers seat this sutra applies. Prana is the pure essence of vata dosha, the energetic life force, the electric current which is taken from our external environment and brought within our organism in order to continue the walk of life. Tejas is the essence of pitta dosha, the shinning light of our intellect, the pure aspect of inner transformation and the energy that converts all sensory input into knowledge. Ojas is not only the essence of kapha dosha but the essence of all bodily tissue, the substance that creates new life and protect life as our immune system.

Ojas follows prana and when the senses are directed outward our ojas leaves with it. This dilemma is a result of our conditioning and a disconnection from the great source of energy and immunity within. The fifth limb of Patanjali's ashtanga yoga system is pratyahara, sense withdrawal, the answer for proper cultivation of prana, tejas, and ojas and the door for the great journey inside the body, mind, soul trinity. Pranayama cultivates prana, meditation kindles tejas, and samadhi grows ojas. Now the sutra from above becomes vital to the health and natural development of a well functioning body, mind, spirit trinity. When your posture becomes cleansed and purified while upholding a firm foundation in strength and a spirit of ease fills the cells the body becomes inwardly driven. Prana looses its outward momentum and keeps ojas from leaking and oozing while the brilliance of tejas is kindled, all strengthening the vitality and vigour of the organism.

So much philosophy for such a terse and simple sutra. The beginning is observation and the observation is posture. The posture is the balance of being grounded and free. The balance brings the movement to the inner phenomenon. The inner world is where your prana, tejas, and ojas gives you the essence needed to do your dharma, your purpose on this planet.

Mental Ama

View of the Sandia Mountains from my neighborhood here in Alburquerque.


इर्षा क्रोध भय शोक मनास्यामा प्रवर्तते




When ama is in the mind there will be fear, anger, and grief





According to Ayurveda ama is a raw, undigested, morbid, toxic substance that is a result from a previously disturbed dosha or the inability to completly digest food and experience. This substance further leads the body into lethargy, confusion, and the preliminary stages of disease. Having a sluggish digestive system is in many ways the root cause of the numerous problems our body comes into contact with, which can be avoided by a balancing diet and lifestyle. On a more subtle level, slow mental digestion is the root cause of many unresolved emotions and psychological disorders. In the sutra above, the unresolved emotions or sensory experiences will breed fear for the vata individual, anger for the pitta individual, and grief for the kapha all accumulating in their relative organs. A thought needs to be digested and processed just as food needs to be metabolized and utilized for energy and nourishment. When this fails to happen the undigested experience manifest as ama in areas of the body where the immune system is weak, which is known as a khavaigunya. How is this problem approached and how is it resolved? Awareness. Pain, sadness, heartbreak, anger, fear, grief as well as happiness, pleasure, excitement are to be experienced in the light of awareness. To watch emotions rise and fall, to be fully present within your suffering and sorrow is the challenge but healing grace of ayurveda. Be the silent watcher of emotions, not reacting with attachment to a feeling but to fully experience it for what it is and let it leave on its own accord. The exhalation needs to be fully utilized, just as one wouldn't urinate half the amount of urine one should let all digested experience leave with the out breath. By this awareness a new reality dawns and the anger, fear, and grief of emotion looses its grip and can just be seen as the passing clouds within the clarity of the sky.

Karma

Our bodies are truly a unique expression of the universal consciousness which is known as Purusha and our existence as a person is the highest expression of this Divine reality. Thus our past actions and desires become the reason we're all here in this present moment and the understanding of karma will expand our consciousness to better navigate within this current situation.

The are three main types of karma that should be realized and understood which are Sanchita, Prarabdha, and Kriyamana. Sanchita karma is the accumulation of all past actions within this life and all lives previous that are stored in our causal body, asthi dahtu, or our skeleton. These karmas are both known and unknown and are in essence fated to be experienced, which may be painful or non-painful. Prarabdha are the karmas which are ripe and ready to be expressed in this lifetime. Just as Newton's law of physics states that every action has an equal and positive reaction Prarabdha karma is the result or reaction according to our past action(s). Kriyamana are the karma(s) presently being created. The illustration of the rice harvest brought to the storehouse is Sanchita Karma and the portion of that rice which is used to cook and eat is Prarabdha while Kriyamana is that which is being planted for a future harvest.

People that come into our lives for what ever reason(s) is the fructification of Prarabdha karma. We ask ourselves, "why do I feel like I've know this person my whole life" when in reality they have just entered your current life for the first time? Our karmic relationship to our surrounding is a reaction to something that occurred previous to this life. A relationship may ease the intensity of your current state of suffering or unfortunately add to it but in essence when paths cross with other people it was meant and needed to happen. The crossing of paths at times last longer than other relationships and when an encounter with an individual comes to its inevitable end notice any attachment to that situation and let the river of reality take it away. The yogi doesn't try to change the present expression of karma but flows with the current of reality. Our karmas need to be experienced in one way or another and by letting them run their course in our life without fighting is a closer step towards greater freedom. Being aware of our actions, understanding our environment, and staying calm within the storm of our karma is the practice of yoga. Embrace your suffering, know it as karma and let true awareness become the teacher.

Reflection

The death of a year is here again and the birth of 2010 is starting to become whatever it may be. Reflecting on the past 365 days reminds me that 2009 was a tidal wave of year and it carried many fruitful events that seem to have become life changing. From the beautiful medicines ceremonies in the quiet land of Homestead,Fl to the exploration of Ayurveda in New Mexico I conclude this year by realizing that this mysterious year had a mind of its own. By spending the majority of the past 12 months in Miami I was fortunate to have met people that opened my mind into worlds I've never considered exploring before. I feel that important lessons tend to be hidden in a mixture of murky ideas or in a shattering process of preconceived thoughts about how to progress in a spiritual practice. 2009 brought people into my reality who have a unique light to shine, which led to the exploration of new and uncharted territory. Without these interactions I would still be blind to the beauty that was once hidden. The past three months were shared in the lovely wisdom and light of Dr. Claudia Welch. Her knowledge of Ayurveda comes from authentic experience, not the regurgitation of books. We explored the simple but profound concept of Sankhya philosophy, dosa to dhatu, prakrti to vikrti, and when our vrttis overwhelmed the room we chanted. Her light is bright and I can't wait for when we'll have the oppurtunity to hang out again. Her influence will led many of us into the new year with positive vibrations and into new ways of looking at this strange place called earth.

I'm curious as to what direction this year will decide to flow, who I'll cross paths with, what will change. Challenges are are forming for their future date, when and where is always a mystery but hopefully I'll be a little more prepared for my karmic reality. For now I'll just say good luck 2010 and please be kind.

Now is the time

Atha yoganusasanum 1:1
now at this auspicious moment in time, the teachings of yoga.

Many moments here in Albuquerque seem the be auspicious, from the people I've been meeting to the events that are slowly unfolding all seem to have been waiting for the right time. The stage is set for new teachings and the adventure into Ayurveda, the mother science of India has begun. Ayurveda, the art of daily living, the study of life in all its forms from the gross to the subtle, the pursuit of understanding yourself on the deepest and most personal levels. What could be more practical than understanding the shifts of the mind, body, spirit phenomenon on a moment to moment basis?

Patanjali begins the Samadhi Pada of the Yoga Sutras with the word atha meaning now or a good omen and yoganusasanam which is advice or instructions on use and means of yoga, the joining and union of an individual to the totality of all there is. His intention for this first sutra I feel is not a casual one but a statement for a potential moment in time that could lead to the total personal transformation that eventually leads to pure bliss. The moment when the this sutra is read or chanted, for the first time or the hundred-thousandth time the opportunity arises to understand the present moment at a true and authentic depth. Since arriving here in New Mexico I've felt a unique energy that seems both welcoming and demanding. The time is ripe for new teachings and I can feel the power of "atha" with all the challenges it entails.

Teachers

My teacher Stan took me to the ocean one morning a few years ago with the idea of teaching me how to surf. Walking towards the water he told me that the ocean doesn't care who you are, where you come from, if you're rich or poor, it treats everyone that enters the same. With that statement being his only spoken instruction I quickly discovered how ruthless the ocean can be and how little it really cared about who I was. For the next two hours I watched Stan glide on wave after wave while my every attempt to ride was unsuccessful and rather painful. It wasn't until we decided to leave that Stan stood by my board and gave a certain push that allowed me to ride the only wave I've caught to date.

What Stan said early that morning left an impression and the importance of finding a teacher dawned on me. It wasn't until I had the help of a master that I could experience the feeling of riding a wave. We live in a time where there are plenty of teachers that can help when the ocean starts to dominate, some better than others and some that seem to have been destined to cross our path. The teacher or in some cases the Guru may help us through this mystery of life but ultimately it is our responsibility to learn the ocean and become masters in our own right. Through direct perception we learn, through the spoken words and actions of masters we move forward in our endeavour and as time moves on we transform into something new and great. This is the essence of practice, the essence of who we are, and the fight to understand peace no matter what our life situation may be. With the right push we can all move towards peace and learn to better understand the difficulties of the ocean itself.