30.8.10

...signed in for another 3 months or 92 days on the mat....

...back to the routine in Absolute Yoga Studio, yesterday first Session... of "gentle flow", nice flow, stretching, bending, holding... 90 minutes where gone like a whiff of time, but still, why is it so different from home practice I wonder?

Guess one isn't confined to the goldfish bowl called "home"..."swimmin in a fishbowl, year after year.." feels like it is already part of liberation, just to be somewhere else, doing something even slightly different.






Sign by Danasoft - Get Your Free Sign

26.8.10

watching the mind fly by...



"Sympathy is what we need, my friend - cause there's not enough love to go around.... and half the world hates the other half.... and half the world has all the food..... and half the world lies down and quietly starves.... cause there's not enough love to go around...and sympathy is what do we need my friend.. an sympathy is what we need my friend... cause there is not enough love to go around...."

- words by Rare Bird 1969 -

23.8.10

“What happens next?”

“Nothing happens next. This is it!”

22.8.10

Since certain "New Age" Clubs promoting "new" concepts of "Yoga" (Hot Yoga, Agama, Yin, Pilates name it..) have surfaced those "new age" movements have got their fair share of fans and followers, some simply for the thrill of exotic touch, some for the thrill of mystical experiences or the wish to experience goose pimples of excitement, getting in touch with the occult, the supposed "unknown". Not realizing that they are entering potential minefields, others just for fitness purpose pick up physical exercise patterns the Asanas, the poses of Yoga, without this assumed "spiritual ballast" and some because they looking for 'something", some help, an aide to get out of a conceived misery, out of suffering, some because of injuries, disabilities, maybe through reading books, getting some sort of information, a glimpse that there is... something, well and they go to look, onto the "hunt" with the vague notion of liberating themselves from any existing or conceived disability and maybe besides opening a Yoga school, even an Ashram maybe, yes maybe becoming a teacher themselves and yes maybe become famous one day, who knows.

So far all is well with this, same claim there is no need to follow the "eastern tradition", some even shun the rather strict system of traditional Indian schools and teaching traditions which dominate the "spiritual movement" at its origin, India. Some claim that this rigidity blocks new movement, the exploration of "new shores", in a way this seems true, logical, in a way that orthodox way's, strict laws, unrevised and maybe over the time 'frozen' traditions, but still there is no shortcut from Yoga Studio and several "Total Immersion" sessions to Samadhi whatsoever, there is no way to tell hundreds, well thousands of years of observance, of discoveries, of thousands and thousands of students, teachers,and masters that they have simply been wrong and that all these laws are big, big BS, if so, it's one's very own, blown up Ego wich doesn't want to except, which is looking for a way to escape, for excuses, to dogde the damasking truth, just to keep it's dominance, so one must be very careful and observe first, before making judgments, specially one just started to do his/her first steps and yes, they will remain first steps for many years, remember NO shortcut!

Repulsion - is the 3rd of the five Kleshas - afflictions of mind!

"Aversion or repulsion to people, things, or ideas. Its counterpoise is obviously a state of Equipoise Neutrality. The true nature of the Spirit (Atman) is non-discriminating. Aghora (the Lord Shiva) means nothing is horrible in itself." (-wiki-)

Which, as a result of cause and effect, is closely followed by:

Attachment

"Possessiveness, ownership, liking, attraction. Attachment to people, things, and ideas. To join, connect, or associate ourselves with something. "This is ours," "This is mine." Attachment in its negative sense to things we cannot own or keep. Often the cause of quarrels, violent conflicts, and even war. Expressed also as race, nationality, my country, my money. Attachment can only have free play on lower mind levels.

Repulsion and attraction are two sides of a single coin. Their obstacle value can be impediments and overcome by: Contentment, Neutrality, Tranquility, and Knowledge." (-wiki-)


It's entirely up to the student to row the boat safely to distant shores, the Captain or Master/Teacher can only give advice, correct, the due course and it's the students duty to read the charts, the books, to study, to watch the course, to listen and observe himself, make decisions and take right action to get results, nobody in th entire universe can be made responsible, neither no one will or can take responsibility for some one else, compassion and willingness to support, to guide to help is a different matter, but no one can shoulder the other ones burden or solve the riddle for him/her!

Yes and it will be "trial and error", as we started to learn how to walk, hold the Balance in our first upright movements, will learn how to stir through.....

Some may think because of their mind machines projections, supported by imagined smartness "this all isn't needed, so "I" will discard it!" Only sooner or later, even after many years of practice, to find out "hey I am getting nowhere"! Well as bitter as it may seem, "I" has no way to go anywhere, cause "I" is a projection resulting out of "Avidja", Non-Knowledge or Ignorance, which springs up of not knowing and therefore being unable to accept certain facts, which primarily obstruct any advance, no matter how hard one may try to be perfect, maybe even artistic in practicing Asana, it's only a fraction of the whole "business" of Ashtanga Yoga or "the eight limbs" which are the very foundations of the whole yoga business of which Asana and Pranayama are only two out of eight.

To discard parts of the cake or not paying attention to the whole - no UNION - Yoga, can ever be achieved!

If Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, Dharan, Dhyana are abandoned, not observed, discarded and only Asana, Pranayama is praticed the student is certain to go the way of an athletic artist, of highly skilled Aerobics Practitioner attending the "World Yoga Championships" and get an Olympic Goldmedal and with it comes, as a freebie, an even more blown up ego, but will certainly go nowhere else!


it's just as it is... no Shortcut, no way around and certainly not with the most skilled rethorics of a highly skilled mind!

Do it!

and have some apple pie!



Namastasje!

20.8.10

inspired by another blog..."The Downside to Down Dog" by Kelly Grey

I posted this as a comment, in this blog I added some more thoughts on life "as is":


Yes, after all it's still money, but money itself is not the problem, peoples attitude towards money, wealth, the imagined "security" supposed to come with it, fame, control all this is certainly big BS, it's the people, their intentions, control freaks, greed, hate and envy... the three powers which keep the engine of a certain "World", which many perceive as the "World", but this "World" exists only in News, in Magazines, in Movies and the vivid Imaginations of those who are wrapped up in this incredible, but very simply material Dream of their very own desires, wants and wishes, bare of clouds, trees, wind, water and the heavenly bodies, the Gunas, the modes of Nature or the primary qualities of Nature, keep this all going, it's the core software of everything in the universe and of the people roaming the planet.

Ego, Ego, Ego - Prakriti, the three gunas at work!

Those who haven't conquered this, who only talk about it and try to teach others about, will occur to the watchful and critical as hollow as a dry giant bamboo and maybe as the unavoidable result the whole illusion will come crashing down, sometimes in full force on ones very self.

After all it comes down to a very few very simple chores: be friendly, be good, hold hand, share your cookies, if necessary your pillow, your best dress with the one next to you, do your practice, Sadhana if you wish, (it does help, without the attachment) and keep smiling, detach!

Guess we all are far away form being "perfect" sure, what ever we will try, every bird can fly through the air, we have to use airplanes, every fish can remain in the water, we build subs, every frog can walk on the water - we need ships... and today we even have gone full length to replace the eye with a camera, the feet with wheels, mankind's wonderful abilities with zillions of tools and machines and mankind is just on the way to replace the brain and it's amazing capabilities with computerized gadget's of all kinds, why do so many people walk around "plugged in", I call them "plug-ins"... they are off and gone an iTunes.... Memorizing and Memory has been reduced to 2 GB of RAM in the Notebook.

The question arose one day: "Why not just take it all "as is" and why not just be thank full that it all is as is?

It's already perfect, who want's nay, who can perfect the perfect?

And who NEEDS it?

It is our inability to see, to perceive, without being attached, with out the many drawers of "this fit's here', that fit's there" it's our mind that jumps around like a bunch of monkeys around Monkey temple in Hampi...

It's us, our very own struggle, the hunt for the guru, the craving, the longing, what precious motives there ever are - it's still longing, desire driven, if this hasn't been realized, there is still a long, long path to be wandered in wonder and despair, adorned with the crown of thorns of ever reoccurring sorrow and misery, laced with the adornment of tears and grim thoughts.

Let go, there is nothing to be achieved, cause there is nothing really to be gained, nothing wrong with yoga, old scripts and temples, statues and stuff, they just are, it's us, our very own mind, wrapping us in new illusions faster then the blink of an eye and holding us, our soul at random for ransom!

There is nothing wrong with Ashtanga Vinyasa, the eight limbs... it's certainly NOT about perfection of xyxyxyasana, as I call it 9999 ways of self torture, how to break your own bones, the ZEN of making ones limbs into a perfect knot.


Just for the sake of this "I", this "me", this "I am" "one day I will become" a great yoga master, I attained: ^^$^$%&%#@ .... this is exactly what will hinder the journey into the "temple"!

And it's the way, not the destination!

Like this exercise of "knocking out the mind" talking absolute gibberish and then relax, just to find an "empty" mind... I remember being a kid, doing these really outrageous things, like screaming the H_ll out of it and then when everyone was upset seeing all these stunned faces - I laughed my but off! On our conditioning of becoming an "adult" we stop doing these crazy things, society calls this "mature" - I call it a brain dead and affirmative robot in a human package - look around, all these unhappy people tied up in what they call "their" lives - they created their very own perfect material grave, including the coffin, all, the walking dead, bound and restricted under the heap of their very own wishes and grand illusions!

The other day it occurred that some people asked about my life savings and about security in my "old age"... hmmmm at 57 now feeling wonderful (thanks to practice!) and then it flashed across the screen - "Ahhh' these people worked all their life's from their childhood on, going to school, college, getting a job, a career, getting married, accumulated some wealth, those beloved "securities" which sometimes burn down in a bushfire, or swept away by floods, or blown off by a little nasty hurricane or tropical cyclone, a little "worldwide financial crisis", depreciation of a currency, anythng can happen, anytime, just like this, "gone in 60 Seconds", but gone forever - all this in exchange for a "Lifetime"?

All these many, many - maybe more then 50 years spend in despair to accumulate, to be "secure" when "old", being afraid that something, usually the fifth Klesha hits, "Abhinivesha", the fear of loss, their own fears may hit them, they have given their life for the deal, a deal which may bring security, support for another 15 to 20 years... I prefer to stay fit NOW, instead of an expensive "insurance policy" which will not protect you before any sudden change, any impact on your health, most have the tendency, then because of these "insurances" to live an unhealthy, uncontrolled lifestyle... well I on my behalf prefer to chop wood and carry water until I drop.... nothing wrong with it, then to wait in white linen on life support and taken "care of" by nurses in their starched caps and their often inhuman attitude, they do just the same for their life's , till my will to live fades away, because my life has become so "comfortable" and the "comfort" so priceless and expensive, but my bones so brittle and my energy so little that I don't want to go on and live this life anymore as it has become useless, senseless!

When death comes on swift and silent wings, where will this "me" this "I" all these accumulated possessions, titles, all the fame, the lovely garden, the house, the pool, the limousine, the collection of gems and rare coins, antiques and art go?

If one manages to go there now, he/she will have arrived, NOW!



...have some cherry cheesecake, a masala chai, cheer up and get a life!


Namastasje!

19.8.10

on Sadhana - Practice...

" ... religious sādhanā, which both prevents an excess of worldliness and molds the mind and disposition (bhāva) into a form which develops the knowledge of dispassion and non-attachment. Sādhanā is a means whereby bondage becomes liberation."

- N. Batthacharya-


"Sādhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Abhyāsa is repeated practice performed with observation and reflection. Kriyā, or action, also implies perfect execution with study and investigation. Therefore, sādhana, abhyāsa, and kriyā all mean one and the same thing. A sādhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies...mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal."

- Iyengar -



Namastasje...

18.8.10

inspiring food for thought

The being who has conquered the mind, transcending the dualities of cold, heat, happiness, distress, honor and dishonor is firmly established with the ultimate Consciousness within.

- Gita Chapter: 6/7 -

13.8.10

bit's 'n pieces of the whole..

Time is what we read on a watch and measure with calendars, but if I look at the date of the last entry I feel guilty, but then hey it's all about fun and some information.

It has been raining a lot so the extended beach walks have become rare, but instead I have been on the mat for extended time and yeah very much entangled in the here and now.

woooooooooosh.... time flies by on silent, invisible wings...