Happy Mahashivaratri 2020!

Om Namah Shivaya

Tonight many yogis will be fasting, keeping vigil, meditating and chanting all night long in celebration of Lord Shiva, the Adiyogi, or "first yogi".

If you're in the Edmonton area, you can join celebrations at the Bhartiya Cultural Society starting at 6 pm.

If you'd rather participate from home, you can join Krishna Das  live online at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, Bahamas' Facebook Page for the Mahashivaratri vigil starting at 8:45 pm tonight and continuing all night long!

Om Namah Shivaya!

Har Har Mahadev!

Jai Shiva Shambo!

My Sweet Lord, Krishna's Birthday

My Sweet Lord, with lyrics on YouTube

Its that time again!  Join the festivities for Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's Birthday on August 16/17, 2014 at the Bhartiya Cultural Society and the Radha Govinda/ISKCON Temple.

Nine Nights of Sacred Sound, July 12-20 2014

Summer is the time for music and celebration! 

Just in case you can't get away on a "yoga vacation" to the bigger retreat centres and festivals, here is your chance to steep yourself in sacred sound and satsang, without leaving your own home town!

Join me and Raja Yoga Summer Camp at various locations in the Edmonton area.  You can join us for some or all of the events. 

Please note that the first and last days are by invitation only.  If you would like to attend, and are not already on the Raja Yoga Summer Camp mailing list, please let me know at:  tarawoltjen@yahoo.ca


Also note that some days, there is more than one event!

Nine Nights of Sacred Sound Schedule:

Day 1)  Saturday July 12:  Guru Purnima Puja at Tara's 1-4 pm * By invitation only!

Day 2)  Sunday July 13:  Shiv Puran Katha 10-12 am at Bhartiya Cultural Society

Songha with Sparrow and Friends at Noorish 7-9 pm

Day 3)  Monday July 14:  Shiv Puran Katha 6-8 pm at Bhartiya Cultural Centre

Day 4)  Tuesday July 15:  Shiv Puran Katha 6-8 pm at Bhartiya Cultural Centre

Day 5)  Wednesday July 16:  Shiv Puran Katha 6-8 pm at Bhartiya Cultural Centre

Day 6)  Thursday July 17:  Shiv Puran Katha 6-8 pm at Bhartiya Cultural Centre

Day 7)  Friday July 18:  Eight Limbs of Yoga 7-9 pm at Yoga Within

Day 8)  Saturday July 19:  The Power of Sacred Sound 2-4 pm at Yoga Within

Shiv Puran Katha 6-8 pm at Bhartiya Cultural Centre

Day 9)  Sunday July 20:  Shiv Puran Katha 10-12 am

Potluck Dinner and Kirtan at Tara's 5-8 pm *By invitation only!

Shiv Puran Katha, Stories of Shiva, July 13-20 2014

Shiva riding on Nandi the Bull

July 13-20, 2014, for the very first time at Bhartiya Cultural Society in Edmonton: 

Shiv Puran Katha, or stories of Shiva, the Lord of the Yogis!

Feel free to join me on any of the weekday evenings from 6-8 pm (there is a dinner from 5-6:30 if you're free) and on the Sunday mornings from 10-noon.

You are welcome to bring fruit or flowers to offer if you like.

Please observe the temple etiquette of modest clothing that covers your shoulders and knees and be aware that you will be sitting on the floor in a crowded space, so try not to bring too many excess belongings.

Om Namah Shivaya!

Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in Yoga

For the past couple of weeks, and until June 7th, 2013, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are in alignment or Yoga.  (A "yoking" or coming together of astrological entities.)

Watch this Animation of 2013 Triple Planetary Alignment.

In my life things have been both brilliantly coordinated and jarringly discordant lately.  Maybe this has something to do with it. 

According to Vedic Astrology or Jyotish:



Brihaspati with Tara (Image Source)

Jupiter गुरू, बृहस्पती (Guru, Brihaspati) is the teacher of the gods.  He helps the gods in their ongoing wars against the demons, or lower, crueler aspects of human nature.

Guru also means "priest" so Brihaspati is the "lord of prayer or devotion." 

Brihaspati wears yellow garments and is generally worshipped on Thurdays.  Appeasing him is said to cure stomach ailments.

Venus शुक्र (Shukra), also known as Shukracharya, is Brihaspati's arch-nemesis, the spiritual advisor of the demons or Asuras. 

He helps the demons in the wars against the gods and revives their wounded and dead with a secret mantra given to him by Lord Shiva. 


Shukra (Image Source)

Shukra means "clear, pure, brightness, or clearness."  He has a light complexion, wears all white and likes to be worshipped on Fridays.  His influence can relieve eye problems, even though he is half-blind:

"In one story, Lord Vishnu is born as the Brahmin dwarf-sage Vamana. Vamana comes to take the three worlds as alms from the asura king Bali. Lord Vishnu wanted to deceive the king Bali who was the grandson of the great king Prahlada, in order to help the Devas. The sage Shukracharya identifies him immediately and warns the King. The King is however a man of his word and offers the gift to Vamana. Shukracharya, annoyed with the pride of the king, shrinks himself with his powers and sits in the spout of the Kamandalu, from which water has to be poured to seal the promise to the deity in disguise. Lord Vishnu, in disguise of the dwarf, understands immediately, and picks a straw from the ground and directs it up the spout, poking out the left eye of Shukracharaya." Source: Wikipedia

Shukra presides in the areas of love, fertility, romance and sexuality, creativity, the physical body and material life, wealth, the opposite sex, pleasure and luxury, the sacred feminine, music, dance, painting and sculpture, appreciation of nature and harmonious relationships.

Both Jupiter (Brihaspati) and Venus (Shukra) represent brilliance, intelligence, memory and above all spiritual devotion... but for entirely different goals!


Mercury बुध (Budha) (not to be confused with Buddha, the enlightened sage) is the son of an illicit liason between Chandra, the god of the moon, and Tara, the wife of Brihaspati. 

(Hmmm... sense the potential for some astrological tension there?) 

Here's the story:

Budha (Image Source)

"Chandra was a student with Brihaspati, the Teacher of devas. Tara was the wife of Brihaspati. Tara fell in love with the beauty of Chandra and started living with him, deserting Brihaspati. When Brihaspati asked her to come back, she refused. Brihaspati became angry, and a war eventually started between Chandra and Brihaspati. Sukracharya, the teacher of the Asuras, joined Chandra in the battle, while The devas joined Brihaspati. As the battle was due to desire (kama) for Tara, it was known as Tarakaamayam. Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, feared the war might abolish the world. Hence, he came down and stopped the war. He convinced Tara, took her away from Chandra, and gave her back to Brihaspati. Budha, a beautiful child, was born to Tara. Both Brihaspati and Chandra claimed to be the father of Budha, but Tara kept silent. Budha himself got angry over this tussle and asked his mother to tell the truth. Tara said that Chandra was the father of Budha.^{"  Source: Wikipedia}

He is known for his good looks, his wisdom in the Vedas and the arts, his shining intelligence and his disdain of his father's immoral behavior!

Budha means "awakening, clever, intelligent, wise, learned man, wise man, or sage."  He represents communication, analysis, the senses (especially the skin), science, mathematics, business, education and research. The written word and journeys of all types fall under his domain. 

His favorite color is green, and he is generally worshipped on Wednesdays.

Well, I'm no Vedic astrologer... but it seems to me that with these three forces engaged and in close proximity with one another, we may experience some conflicting ideas about what is right or wise, and perhaps some poignant inner or outer turmoil about how these are expressed or put into practice.

Given my own recent ups and downs, I feel reassured by the reminder that we are all under the influence of many factors beyond our control, for worse... and for better.

Legends of Yoga: The First Guru

Shiva as Nataraja

Tradition says that Shiva is the Adi-Guru or first teacher of Hatha Yoga. 

Wanna hear the story of how yoga first came to human beings?

Shiva's first student was Parvati, the Mother of the World and his beloved consort.  She was saddened by the suffering of human beings.  Out of compassion, Shiva shared these teachings with her.

Some stories say they went to a small island or a remote riverbank or a deserted beach.  Others claim they had a beautiful bubble lair at the bottom of the ocean. 

(Lol!  This always makes me think of Maxwell Smart's "Cone of Silence".)

As Shiva spoke, a fish (Matsya in Sanskrit) overheard.  Shiva turned the fish into a Siddha, or realized being who became known as Matsyendranath or the Lord of the Fishes.

Others say that Matsyendranath was swallowed by a fish when he was just a boy.  The fish happened to be resting near the divine couple as they were discussing the secret wisdom of yoga.  From within the belly of the fish, Matsyendranath overheard.  He practiced what he learned with vigor and determination.  When he escaped from the fish belly twelve years later, became a fully realized master and a liberated soul.

Either way, Matsyendranath became the second teacher of yoga, the one who brought it to humanity.  He is revered by Hindus and Buddhists alike as a Guru in both paramparas, or lineages of yoga.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Image Source: Yoga Vidya)

As the first human guru was known for meditating in a particular asana, the position became known as Matsyendrasana, or the Seated Spinal Twist, one of the few postures described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Ardha Matsyendrasana, or the Half Spinal Twist is one of the twelve basic postures in a traditional Sivananda yoga class.  It has numerous benefits for the abdominal organs and the spine, and helps to rouse latent spiritual energy.

Some versions claim that Parvati fell asleep and missed the whole teaching.  Perhaps this is a metaphor for the human condition.  The yogis say we spend most of our lives unaware of our own potential and therefore unable to fulfill it. 

Or perhaps it is a reference to Kundalini Shakti, the spiritual force that lies dormant or "asleep" in the Muladhara chakra at the base of the spine waiting to be channeled upward.

However you interpret this mighty fish tale, it highlights the power of yoga to transform.

Sattvic Movie Saturday: The Story of India, Part 4

Some time ago I posted parts one and two in this series.  For some reason, Part Three is unavailable, so today we're moving straight to the "Golden Age" in Part Four of The Story of India.

"In this landmark six-part series for PBS and the BBC, Michael Wood embarked on a dazzling and exciting journey through today’s India, seeking in the present for clues to her past, and in the past for clues to her future." - Source:  Top Documentary Films, The Story of India

The Story of India, Part Four: 

Click here to watch: Ages of Gold. Episode Four is the story of India in the Middle Ages. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, and the European Dark Ages, India had a series of great flowerings of culture, both in the north and the south.

The Meaning of Om

Om Painting by Omkari

My Guru appears to me in the most unexpected places and moments! 

Yesterday I was given a pop quiz on Om by a gas station attendant. 

He looked at me intently as I paid, and then gesturing to his own throat and my necklace asked, "You are knowing the meaning of this?"

Yak bone Tibetan Om necklace from Nepal

"Yes", I said "It's an Om, a Tibetan Om."

"Ok..." he grinned with a slight Indian head wobble, "but you are knowing the meaning?"

I said the first thing that came to my mind.  "Well, it depends who you ask."

"It's very good for concentration."  he stated matter-of-factly as he took the next customer's payment.

"Yes, very sacred.  Thank you!", I replied and scurried out. 

The whole way home I pondered the meaning of Om and how to express it in a nutshell. 

• Om is the echoing hum of the universe.  Some astronomers refer to this as "interplanetary harmonics".
• Om is Pranava, the breath of the Divine.  Religious folks might call it the Name of God.
• Om is the Bija mantra, the seed of all creation.  Yogic cosmologists compare it to the Big bang theory.
• Om is the fullness of the range of human vocalization.  Linguists consider it a progression of enunciation.
• Om is the essence of the Vedas.  Vedantins believe chanting this mantra is as powerful as chanting all of the Vedas. 

Om represents the multitude of sacred trinities.  For example:

• past, present and future
• body, mind and spirit
• Brahma shakti (creation), Vishnu shakti (preservation) and Shiva shakti (transformation or dissolution)
• the three states of awareness; waking state, dreaming state and unconscious state

But how to best express what it means?

Om sticker from India

Ultimately the true meaning of Om cannot be expressed in words. 

At best, words can only point the yogini toward the direct experience like the teacher who points at the moon and admonishes the student for staring at his finger.

I heard a story in South India about the difficulty of expressing the meaning of Om: 

Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva approached Brahma, the Lord of Creation and asked him to explain Om.  Although Brahma claimed to understand and recited twelve thousand verses, Kartikeya found his explanation insufficient and was displeased. 

He approached his father, Lord Shiva who readily admitted to not fully understanding Om, and submitted himself humbly as a student to his son to receive the teachings on Om.

Om plate from India

So the real answer to the gas station attendant's question is in the heart of each individual to be revealed through practice over time.

Ramakrishna said that people immersed in the world cannot know the full meaning of Om, in fact, cannot even hear it.

As it says in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras 1.27-1.29:  (Please forgive my liberal translating!) 

The sacred word representing the Source of All is Om, or Pranava. (1.27)

Repeat this sound with deep reflection on its meaning. (1.28)
From this (repetition with reflection) comes Self-awareness and the removal of the obstacles to bliss. (1.29)

So, repeat Om.  Concentrate with reverence on all of the auspicious aspects of its significance and we will discover its true meaning for our Selves. 

Thank you, Gas Station Guru!  Your observation was a gentle and timely prompt!
 

Namaste!

Sattvic Movie Saturday - Sita Sings the Blues

My second offering for Sattvic Movie Saturday is one of my very very very favorite movies of all time!

Annette Hanshaw

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley features the music of 1920's jazz/blues singer Annette Hanshaw.

Nina Paley's storytelling and animation are each marvels in themselves. 

Together, they are a masterpiece of spectacular beauty and humor; an uplifting and intelligent commentary on life, The Ramayana and the timeless affairs of the heart. 

Perhaps most amazing is Nina's free distribution of this film, insisting that copyrights are actually an impediment to artists.

She cites the case of Annette Hanshaw, whose stardom has faded into relative obscurity thanks to the companies who own the rights to distribute her songs, but feel no obligation to.

I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.  Click here! Ya gotta watch it full screen!!! 

And share it with others - lots of them!  Nina wants you to.

I also highly recommend this presentation at the University of Baltimore by Nina Paley on her work, her inspiration, and copyrights. Click here to watch it full screen on YouTube.

"That's all!"  ;-D

Light in the Lotus

Radha and Krishna Standing on a Lotus

The Sacred Lotus or Padma is one of the most prominent symbols in yoga, representing purity and enlightenment.

"One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by harmful action, as the lotus is untouched by water."

—Bhagavad Gita 5.10:

With its roots in the mud, and its fragrant, pure beauty rising up, the lotus is also a metaphor for our human experience. 

We have roots in the muck and mire, and yet we rise above the waters of life to fulfill our aspirations and blossom into the light.

Many spiritual teachers use the image of the lotus to encourage us in times of difficulty to show our highest Self to the world no matter how murky our circumstances.

In other words, they advise us to allow insult and injury to roll like "water off a lotus leaf", or as we say in the west, (like) water off a duck's back. 

It is also said that in the lotus of the heart, or the Anahata Chakra, there is a divine light.




Lakshmi (left) and Saraswati (right) seated on Lotus flowers
beside an altar at the Sivananda Ashram. 
Note the Lotus rising from Vishnu's navel. 
Seated in the Lotus, is Brahma, the God of Creation.

Chapter One, Verse 36 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali says:  "Vishoka va jyotishmati"

Meaning roughly, "Concentration on the inner light brings stability and tranquility."

Take a look at the following commentary from Swamij.com:

Concentration on painless inner luminosity:

The easiest way to practice this is to place your attention in the space between the breasts, the heart center. Simply imagine that there is a glowing luminosity there, about the size of the palm of your hand.

Whether or not you literally see with your inner eye is not important; the practice works either way. Maintain an inner attitude that it does not matter what other thoughts, images, impressions or memories might arise in the mind field; you will hold that stance that these will not disturb or distract you. Stay only with that glowing inner luminosity in the heart.


And here is an excerpt from The Himalayan Academy, Merging with Siva, Chapter 9, The Lotus of the Heart:

"A beautiful practice is to try to sit quietly, visualizing within the lotus within the heart a light, a strong light emanating clearly, a light that is always there. This light is radiating at a higher vibration than any form with which you are familiar.

Let us say, if you were to have this light in your hand and were able to use it in the external world, each form you turned it upon would disappear under the vibration of the light itself. That is as powerful as the effulgent light emanating from the Self, the Sivaness, which you will see within the lotus of the heart."

Lotus Candle Holder Photo Courtesy of one love origami

If you would like to create an outer reminder of this inner light, I invite you to fold an Origami Lotus Candle Holder.

And if you would like some music to accompany your peace-crafting, click here to listen to a beautiful track from The Beatles, called The Inner Light.  It was recorded in India, inspired by a letter from Sanskrit scholar Juan Mascaro.

Om Namah Sivaya Gurave

Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer

I'm excited to be teaching a session called Basic Sanskrit and More this morning at Yoga for Today as part of the Continuing Education Certification for Yoga Teachers.

This session offers an introduction to the Devanagari script, transliteration, linguistic diacritic marks, pronunciation tips, and basic Sanskrit vocabulary through a beautiful mantra from the Niralamba Upanishad dedicated to the Lord of Yoga, Lord Shiva.

It is a beautiful teaching on the Guru, both internal and external.  Well known by yogis, it is chanted in many different melodies (including the one on my cd!!)

To whet your appetite, here is a lovely version by Manorama.  See you there!

Can't make it today?  Not a yoga "teacher"?  Want to attend this workshop or offer it at your studio?  Email me at:  tarawoltjen@yahoo.ca

Yogi Amandeep - Dance of Shiva

Mahasivaratri Bahamas 2012

My Teachers and friends in the Sivananda Ashram, Bahamas!

I love you and miss you dearly!  May Lord Shiva bless you!!!

Congratulations Level Two Graduates!

Shiva and Ganesha

Thanks and praises to last night's graduates of Meditation and Yoga Philosophy, Level Two at Yoga for Today!

I feel so blessed to have spent so many wonderful Wednesday evenings with you! 

I am in awe of the joyful effort and dedication with which you have pursued these beautiful but challenging teachings in Sanskrit, and in particular, on Kriya Yoga as explained by Patanjali Maharishi in the first few sutras of the Sadhana Pada.

May your learning be fruitful, may your enthusiasm never wane, may you reach enlightenment in this lifetime!

Jai!!!

Om Trayambakam

All the rain this year may have limited our chances to tan but it has certainly been a blessing for gardeners!  Bountiful crops are coming to harvest and we are enjoying the sweet and juicy fruits of our efforts and of the cycle of nature in abundance! 

A delicious gift of garden tomatos and a fresh cucumber from a generous student got me thinking about one of my favorite fresh summer salads (Israeli Salad Recipe on the Prasad Page) and a summer several years ago, when I worked at a U-pick cucumber farm to deepen my understanding of one of the most famous mantras in Yoga, the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra.  This is the mantra of great liberation, also known as the Om Trayambakam.

Lord Shiva, Lord of the Yogis, destroying the demon of ignorance.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, whose eye of intuition (or third eye) opens to bring about the dance of destruction, this mantra is often chanted at the beginning of important endeavors and voyages and at occassions which mark time like birthdays, and passings.  Traditionally it is chanted as an amulet to protect the chanter or others from calamities like scorpion stings, rampaging elephants and other equally nasty disasters! 

Nowadays, at the ashram and at home, we chant it whenever we get into a vehicle, praying for the safety of the driver, the passengers and everyone on the road or in the air or on the ocean as the case may be.  We love to "Om Trayambakam" our friends when they depart, wishing them a safe journey and a speedy return.

This mantra evokes the image of a cucumber being severed from the vine, and reminds us that we too are released from the bondage of our own mortal limitations, not one itsy-bitsy moment too early or too late.

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

We Meditate on the Three-eyed reality
Which permeates and nourishes all like a fragrance.
May we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality,
Even as the cucumber is severed from bondage to the creeper.

This mantra, handwritten in Devanagari or the written form of Sanskrit, as well as the transliteration and translation above can be found at:  swamij.com

You can chant this mantra 3 times, 9 times, or 108 times to bless and remind your Self that all things happen according to cycle of nature and divine timing! 

As I plucked the ripe cucumbers that summer, I chanted this mantra over and over and over again and re-learned a basic truth in gardening and in life.  Everything has a season.  There is a time to sow the seeds, and a time to reap the harvest of what we've planted. 

If the cucumbers are tugged before they are ready to release from the plant, the vine itself is damaged.  If they are left too long, they sag into the soil and rot.  The art in cucumber picking, and maybe life, is not to struggle against either. 

Be diligent in maintaining your garden and your practice and you won't lose or limit your harvest.  Be gentle and patient and at just the right moment, the sweet reward will drop willingly into your hands!

Om Trayambakam!