Happiness and the Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman by Betsy Schott

The crazy winds today have me thinking of Hanuman, Son of the Wind God and Perfection of the "Monkey Mind".

And also of a wise "peace" of advice from my friend Marci: 

She says that when you feel blown around by life, when the mind is as turbulent as the wind, there are two sure ways to get happy: 

1. Hang out with uplifting people. 
2. Listen to the Hanuman Chalisa. 

There are lots of gorgeous versions of the Hanuman Chalisa out there, but this peaceful and mesmerizing tune by Krishna Das is the one stuck in my head today. 

And if you like that, 

here are a few more...

This one is just so cheerful you can't help but feel uplifted...

Another from Krishna Das that's great for chanting along with:

And another from Krishna Das with Roshi Bernie Glassman:

Have fun finding more, and let me know your favorites!

Sri Hanuman Ki - Jai!

Yoga for Today, Teacher Training Assignment

Practicing the

Yamas and Niyamas

It was great seeing you all this morning at Yoga for Today. 

Thank you for your warm enthusiasm on this snowy day!

Here's your assignment.  Please come to our next meeting with a copy of your summary to discuss.

And for those of you who asked, here is a link to my Navaratri post which gives a little more information about the marigolds.

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, please choose one of the Yamas:

1. Ahimsa (अहिंसा): non-violence.
2. Satya (सत्य): truth in word and thought, absence of falsehood or giving someone the wrong impression.
3. Asteya (अस्तेय): non-stealing.
4. Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य): celibacy in case of unmarried people and faithfulness in action, words and thoughts in the case of married people.
5. Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह): absence of avarice, not coveting or hoarding.

OR one of the Niyamas:

1. Shaucha: cleanliness of body and mind; purity.
2. Santosha: satisfaction with what one has; contentment.
3. Tapas: austerity.
4. Svādhyāya: study of the Vedic scriptures and the Self, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within.
5. Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to, or worship of Ishwara (God).

Spend 24 hours consciously practicing your chosen Yama or Niyama or some aspect of it. 
For example:

• Practice ahimsa by not eating meat for the day. 
• Practice santosha by not complaining about work, your husband, or the weather.
• Practice satya by not exaggerating. ("I'm starving!"  or "I hit a million red lights on the way here!")
• Practice asteya by not making personal calls, surfing the net or texting on business time.
• Practice tapas by going on a one day "media fast", turning off the tv, radio, and internet gossip.
• Practice saucha and aparigraha at the same time by finally cleaning out the basement or the back closet and donating the clothes you're not wearing to someone else who can!

Get it?  It's challenging, but really fun!

If you find it helpful, jot notes down during the day about how it's going.  Maybe make a note every few hours about whether or not you were able to keep your committment to yourself during that time. 

Don't get discouraged - keep going! 

At the end of the 24 hours write approximately 1/2 to 1 page summary of the experience. 

Please bring a copy to class with you and be prepared for a group discussion. 

Your best bet is to choose one and begin right now! 

Otherwise, the tendency is to "forget" indefinitely, or to make some small transgression of your committment and give up or start over with the illusion that getting it "right" and doing it "perfectly" is what will make your experiment and your Yoga "successful".

Please recall that this is a practice and each "mistake" helps us to grow in awareness.  In that sense, there is no such thing as a mistake.  Each lapse in awareness allows us to see ourselves more clearly.

Be warned:  Sometimes in the process of cleaning the mind we "kick up some dirt", but it's well worth the effort!

Have fun! 

Yoga Sutras: Free Online Resources

If you're into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, here are  two great online resources shared by our friend Perry in the Wednesday night Meditation and Yoga Philosophy class:

 1.  Raja Yoga, The Yoga Sutra's of Patanjali. by Shri Yogacharya Ajita.

2.  From the Arlington Centre, The Online Companion to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Thanks Perry!  Jai!

Yoga Within, Teacher Training Assignment

Practicing the
Yamas and Niyamas

It was wonderful to see you all on Saturday and voyage through the chakras together!

If you would like the words for the "Sun Salutation Prayer" my Mom and I wrote and shared, you can click here.

And you can find Mahatma Gandhi's "Namaste" by clicking here.

In our short time together, we explored the chakras in terms of location, associated elements, emotions, senses, bija mantras, and the colors of the rainbow. 

For the traditional colors and other details of each chakra, visit the Sanatan Society website.

You can also check out a great index of articles on prana, the nadis, and awakening kundalini on swamij.com.

When we meet again on November 25th we will complete our study of the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and discuss the Yamas and Niyamas homework assignment. 

Here is your assignment again:

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, please choose one of the Yamas:

1. Ahimsa (अहिंसा): non-violence.
2. Satya (सत्य): truth in word and thought, absence of falsehood or giving someone the wrong impression.
3. Asteya (अस्तेय): non-stealing.
4. Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य): celibacy in case of unmarried people and faithfulness in action, words and thoughts in the case of married people.
5. Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह): absence of avarice, not coveting or hoarding.

OR one of the Niyamas:

1. Shaucha: cleanliness of body and mind; purity.
2. Santosha: satisfaction with what one has; contentment.
3. Tapas: austerity.
4. Svādhyāya: study of the Vedic scriptures and the Self, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within.
5. Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to, or worship of Ishwara (God).

Spend 24 hours consciously practicing your chosen Yama or Niyama or some aspect of it. 

For example:

• Practice ahimsa by not eating meat for the day. 
• Practice santosha by not complaining about work, your husband, or the weather.
• Practice satya by not exaggerating. ("I'm starving!"  or "I hit a million red lights on the way here!")
• Practice asteya by not making personal calls, surfing the net or texting on business time.
• Practice tapas by going on a one day "media fast", turning off the tv, radio, and internet gossip.
• Practice saucha and aparigraha at the same time by finally cleaning out the basement or the back closet and donating the clothes you're not wearing to someone else who can!

Get it?  It's challenging, but really fun!

If you find it helpful, jot notes down during the day about how it's going.  Maybe make a note every few hours about whether or not you were able to keep your committment to yourself during that time. 

Don't get discouraged - keep going! 

At the end of the 24 hours write approximately 1/2 to 1 page summary of the experience.  Please bring a copy to class with you and be prepared for a group discussion. 

Your best bet is to choose one and begin right now! 

Otherwise, the tendency is to "forget" indefinitely, or to make some small transgression of your committment and give up or start over with the illusion that getting it "right" and doing it "perfectly" is what will make your experiment and your Yoga "successful".

Please recall that this is a practice and each "mistake" helps us to grow in awareness.  In that sense, there is no such thing as a mistake.  Each lapse in awareness allows us to see ourselves more clearly.

Be warned:  Sometimes in the process of cleaning the mind we "kick up some dirt", but it's so worth the effort!

Have fun! 

11.11.11.11.11

Hey - Did you know that this is the first time in something like 800 years that

if you add your birth year plus your age it will equal 111?  Cool!