Bhagavad Gita on My Mind

I took a walk today in the lovely midwest fall.  The crisp breeze was blowing through the few leaves left in the trees.  I was quite happy to walk by the lake and silently repeat my mantra.

When I stopped to rest, I thought of this sutra from the Bhagavad Gita, 

Chapter 6 v.30

yo mam pasyati sarvatra

sarvam ca mayi pasyati

tasya ham na pranasyami

sa ca me na pranasyati

Those who see Me in all things,

and all things in Me,

are never lost to Me,

nor am I ever lost to them.

I picked a nice quiet park bench and crossed my legs underneath me, tucking in my toes to keep them warm.  I listened to the breeze through the trees, watched the waves across the lake, and smiled at the women walking past with their dog.  For a split second I had that wonderful feeling that we have all had at some point in our lives, that there is a profound unity that underlies everything.  I closed my eyes and sat a bit longer, feeling the passing of life all around me....and just swimming in the joy of it all.

Jay Shiv Shakti


Jay Shri Rajarajeshvari

Monday Blues and Hope from the Bhagavad Gita

Some days I still feel fragile in my practice and the smallest thing can rock my entire world.  I'm left feeling set back from where I was or where I thought I was going to be.

Something as small as an image can change my whole emotional state, and this turbulence makes me very aware how I am still attached to the objects of my senses.  I know I am so far from the equanimity the Gita speaks of, and as my heart ached today I felt hopeless for a moment.  Then I remembered the line that I always come back to.  Again and again the Gita gives me hope, and again I have to extend my Love to my Guruji for sharing this with me. Chapter 2 v. 40

Ne ha bhikramanaso sti

Pratyavayo na vidyate

svalpam apy asya dharmasya

trayare mahato bhayat

No effort on the Yoga path is ever lost, nor can any obstacle hold one back forever.  Just a little progress on this path can protect one from the greatest fear.

So it's back to the meditation coushion for another round with faith and resolve.

Jay Gurudev

Jay Shiv Shakti

Gita Goodness and Yoga at the Farm House

It was a long drive out through the country last night, with miles in between each stop sign on the lonely road.  I went to teach a class at a beautiful farm house that was tucked between vegetable gardens, the yellow and red trees of fall, and a still pond.

It was so quiet I could hear the wind blowing through the grass and the footsteps of the dog as it walked softly on the porch.  The full moon shinned down through the skylights and cast a soft glow on the practice floor as we finished our Pranayamas and recalled our Sankalpha for the last time.

They were are an amazingly beautiful group of women; friendly, light hearted, and a joy to share sadhana with.

When ever I experience beauty that stops in me in my tracks, that makes me catch my breath and thank God for this moment I think of a line from the Bhagavad Gita.  In chapter 10 v.41 Bhagvan Krishnaji says:

yad-yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tad-tad eva vagaccha tvam
mama tejomsasambhavam

Know that all beautiful, glorious and might creations spring from but a spark of My splendor

It's these moments that drive my practice.  I wonder, if I can find this much beauty and glory in my common day, what glory and splendor will I find in God?

Jay Shiv Shakti

Gita Quote of Goodness

"I really want to be more flexible."

I hear this so often when I teach a Hatha Yoga class. It's nice to have the body be a comfortable place to be, but when our practice is only based on the physical it's just short sited. My student Michelle in Petaluma came up with a great saying about Yoga, "Yoga is not about getting your leg behind your head, but it's about getting your head out of your ass." Very true, and it makes me laugh and smile, so it's very yogic. Nothing changed when I got both of my legs behind my head, I just found myself throwing my gunas out of whack to achieve flexibility.

So, what type of Yogi should we be? Again, back to the goodness of Bhagavad Gita, chapter 6 v.47. Shribhagavan Krishnaji says,

yoginam api sarvesam
madgatena ntaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah

And of all the yogins, he who is filled with faith, his entire being given over to Me, is the most intimately united with Me and is the best of all.

Triguna

It's been awhile since I put up any Ayurveda info! Here's a response I wrote to a forum I am a member of.....

Triguna, or the three gunas, are the primary expression of all nature. They are Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. Guna literally means “what binds.” In the Sankhya philosophy of Kapila, the five great elements, Panch Mahabuta, arise from the gunas. They contain all the limitless possibilities and potentials for people, thoughts, actions, objects, and in fact everything in the manifest universe.

In both Ayurveda and Vedic sciences the gunas stand as one of the fundamental concepts that should be learned and applied to life. Every object in the world has a different mixture of these three qualities. If we were to look at the creation scheme of Sankhya; Triguna give rise to the Tanmantras, which give rise to Pancha Mahabutas, and the Pancha Mahabutas give rise to all gross effects.

The root word of Sattwa is “sat”, which is employed in the sense of reality and goodness. It is viewed as a balance between Rajas and Tamas. Sattwa is the source of intelligence and the desire to awaken our spiritual potential. It promotes clarity and awareness. In the Bhagvad Gita Chp. 14 v.6:

Of these, Sattwa being pure causes illumination and health. It binds, by attachment to happiness and by attachment to Knowledge.

Rajas has the qualities of movement, activity, and energy. It is the force of motivated action, and has an inherent outward movement that causes selfishness. Rajas creates suffering and pain as described by Bhagavan Krishnaji in Bhagavad Gita Chp. 14 v.7:

Rajas, know thou, is of the nature of attraction, springing from craving and attachment. It binds fast, Son of Kunti, the embodied one by attachment to action.

Tamas is said to be heavy and cause delusion. It is darkness and the ignorance that comes with it. It obstructs us from seeing the true nature of who we are. Again, from the Bhagavad Gita Chp 14 v. 8

Tamas, know thou, is born of ignorance and deludes all embodied beings. It binds, by (developing the qualities of) negligence, indolence, and sleep.

The Bhagavd Gita sums up the experience of the trigunas in Chp 14. v.17:

From Sattwa arises knowledge and from Rajas greed, negligence and error arise from Tamas, as well as ignorance.

All of the gunas bind us to nature, which is their job! To rise above this is to become trigunatita, beyond the modes of the gunas. S. Radhakrishnan in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita says, “Sattwa is subliminated into the light of consciousness (jyoti), Rajas into austerity (tapas), Tammas into tranquility (shanti).”

Quote of the Week, Bhagavad Gita

He who draws away the senses from the objects of sense on every side as a tortoise draws in his limbs (into his shell), his intelligence is firmly set (in wisdom).
(Bhagavad Gita, Chp. 2 v.58)

Starting back to school recently; I found the constant onslaught of people, information, noise, and movement to be very entertaining. I watch the crowds of people in between classes, and listen to the wild things I hear. Then I began to see how my senses would roam from one sensory object to the next. Always craving for something else that was beautiful to see, or enjoyable to hear, or that made me laugh. The world is a beautiful expression of Maa Shakti, and should be appreciated, but I found I also needed the time to withdraw and experience my inner reality. Now, everyday in between class I go to the library, cross my legs in a small quiet corner, and sit for 30 minutes. I calm the body and try to draw back into the self. The feeling of contentment, during and after, surpasses what the senses cling to for a brief moment. With Vata down, and Sattwa predominating, it leaves me ready to grasp Physics equations with equanimity. For me, approaching Physics with equanimity is more of a Yogic practice than pulling both legs behind the head!