AWAKENING SELF NEWSLETTER — December 2005

1) Announcements
2) Yoga of the Seasons: Cold Hands (and Feet), Warm Heart
3) Class, Workshop, and Retreat Schedule
4) This month's article - "Drafting on Love" by Connie Habash
5) Spiritual Quotes

1) Announcements

CHANGES TO NEWSLETTER!!!
Starting in January, the newsletter will have a new look. My list is getting too big to manage myself, so I'm switching to an email marketing program. This means that you will need to "opt-in" in order to continue receiving the newsletter.
Look for an opt-in email shortly after receiving this one and follow the instructions. I look forward to sharing a new and improved Awakening Self with you!!!

108 SURYA NAMASKARS (Sun Salutes) returns for the Winter Solstice on Wednesday, December 21st, 7-9am. Come early or late, do 1 or 108, sit, chant, or meditate!
Arrive anytime in the 1st hour - by donation, with refreshments.

There will be NO class at YiY on FRIDAY, DEC. 30TH. All other classes are continuing for the month, focusing on peace and meditation.

NEW CLASS AT DEVI YOGA starting in JANUARY
WEDNESDAYS 11am - 12:15pm Level 1 - 2
Carla goes on maternity leave - I'm taking the class over indefinitely! Looking forward to seeing all of you there. There will be challenges for experiences students, and modifications for beginners.

LEVEL 1 SANSKRIT INTENSIVE: Whether a yoga teacher or a serious student, if you have been captivated by Sanskrit and long to learn more, I am teaching another Level 1 course on five Saturdays, beginning 1/28. Learn to correctly pronounce, read, and write in Devanagari, the Sanskrit script. This course focuses on building yoga-related vocabulary and also includes chanting and singing in the Divine language of Sanskrit! Save $20 if registered by 12/28. Details are HERE

WOMEN OF SPIRIT Psychotherapy Group! At long last, I have decided to return to doing group therapy in my counseling office in Menlo Park. The Women of Spirit Group is a supportive, nurturing environment for women to work through issues where your spiritual path is honored. Small and intimate, the group will be bi-weekly on Wednesdays 5 - 6:30pm starting sometime in January, as soon as there are enough members committed. Meet with me for an initial consultation appointment if you are interested. For more information, call me at (650) 996-2649, or look for details on my website HERE.

FOUNDATIONS: A series of workshops on the essentials of yoga practice at YiY in Mountain View!
"Standing Poses", the first in this series, will be SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2-4pm. We'll explore in detail the aspects of standing with steadiness and ease in the main standing poses: Tadasana/Samasthitih, Virabhadrasana (Warrior) I and II, Parsvakonasana, Parsvottanasana, and Trikonasana. These workshops will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of any style of yoga practice. More information and registration coming to my website soon!

2) Yoga of the Seasons: Cold Hands (and Feet), Warm Heart

     As we transition from Fall to Winter and the temperatures drop, we respond with warmer clothes. Cozy sweaters, wool, mufflers, socks, coats, and mittens may be some of the items we add in layers over our skin to keep the inner heat warm and the outer cold at bay.

      However, as those of us know who practice yoga, you can only layer up so much, and socks and mittens aren't practical or really possible for most yoga poses. The feet and hands can get quite cold at the beginning of your practice, not to mention while sitting at a keyboard or walking around the house - especially if you're like me and prefer to be barefoot when possible.

     Besides rubbing your palms together or propping your tootsies up by the fireplace to defrost, there are some yoga practices that can warm-up those extremities, whether you are heading out the door to work or going head-down into Downward Facing Dog pose. I find these techniques very helpful on those frigid mornings when I love to practice.

     According to Ayurveda, cold hands and feet may be caused by excess of the Vata dosha, which is cold and dry and is exacerbated by the Fall/early Winter season. Drinking hot or very warm water first thing in the morning can warm you up from the inside and help to reduce Vata. Adding in some chopped, fresh ginger and sipping on this throughout the day can help maintain the inner heat and keep the extremities warmer. Warm, cooked foods with moderate spices, such as soups, seasonal vegetables, legumes, and grains, are good meal choices.

     For stepping onto the yoga mat, here's a great foot warm-up: from all-fours, turn your toes under so that you feel a stretch on the bottoms of the toes and feet. Lower your buttocks back to sit on your heels. Sit as upright as possible (or modify by leaning weight forward onto your hands) and breathe into the intense sensations. Not only does this warm the feet up, but it's also very healing for foot conditions and tends to warm up the entire body. After several breaths, lean forward onto the hands and wiggle the toes, feeling the rush of heat and energy.

     For a general, overall warm-up that also awakens circulation in the hands, stand in Tadasana. Bend the knees and fold forward slightly as you take your hands and start patting them, slightly cupped, down the outsides of your legs, from the outer hips on
down, and then pat up the inner legs. Do this several times, bending down and rising up as your hands pat outer and inner legs. You'll feel energy awakening through the lower limbs and some warmth in the hands.

     To further warm up the feet, following your toe stretch you can energize and strengthen the ankles and calves with this practice. First, while seated with the legs stretched out in front of you at about hip-distance, flex and point the toes, and follow that with circling the toes in both directions, several times for each position. Then, stand in Tadasana (mountain or palm tree pose) with the feet close together. As you inhale, lift
the heels and rise high onto the balls of the feet, hugging the ankles towards each other, as you raise your arms overhead. Hold for 1-5 breaths, then slowly lower the heels and arms down as you exhale. Repeat 1-3 times.

     Wrist rotations can similarly open and warm up the hands, and one of my favorite hand/finger/wrist openers (as well as shoulders) is "heart circles", similar to what my dear friend Julianne Rice once taught me. From Tadasana, interlace your fingers at the heart and inhale, feeling your warmth from the heart space. As you exhale, press the palms out in front of you as you straighten the arms. On the inhalation, raise the arms up overhead, opening fingers, wrists, and armpits. Exhaling, release the hands and bring the arms around behind you, interlacing the fingers again. As you inhale, lift the arms behind you, strengthening the triceps and opening the shoulders. Exhale, release the arms down. Inhale as you sweep the arms around to the front, palms together; exhale, the hands return to the heart in Anjali mudra, or prayer position, reconnecting to the heart space. Repeat a few times.

     I also enjoy practicing visualization with the breath to warm the body. Sitting in a comfortable and upright position, begin ujjayi breath (making a sound like waves on the ocean) while you imagine breathing in heat, feeling the warmth going in and out through the nostrils. You can envision breathing into the fire within your heart and your belly and distributing it outthrough the whole body to your fingers and toes as you exhale. I find this simple practice surprisingly warming.

     Finally, be sure to cover the hands and feet - especially the feet - during Savasana, the resting pose at the end of your practice. If the extremities get cold, even a little bit, the body cannot relax and the mind tends to become agitated. So keep warm during those final minutes of resting and you'll not only retain more of the heat you built during your practice, but you'll leave your mat with your mind more at peace.

Copyright © 2005 by Constance L. Habash

RETREATS:

There are no scheduled retreats for 2006

WORKSHOPS and EVENTS:

108 Surya Namaskars (sun salutes) Wednesday, December 21st, 7-9am
YiY in Mountain View

LEVEL 1 SANSKRIT INTENSIVE
Five Saturdays: 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25
12:30-3:30pm in Menlo Park
$255, including materials ($20 discount if you register by 12/28!)

FOUNDATIONS: A series of workshops on the essential elements of yoga at YIY in Mountain View
"Standing Poses" Saturday, February 4th, 2-4pm
"Twists" Saturday, April 1st, 2-4pm
"Relaxation" Saturday, June 3rd, 2-4pm
$30 pre-registered, or $35 at the door

TUESDAYS
9:30 - 11AM Iyengar & Vinyasa, Beginning
YIY, Mountain View

FRIDAYS
9:30 - 11AM Iyengar & Vinyasa, All LevelsYIY, Mountain View

Starting January 4th:
WEDNESDAYS
11AM - 12:15PM Vinaysa & Iyengar, Level 1-2
Devi Yoga, Menlo Park

4) This month's article: "Drafting on Love" by Connie Habash

    December 1st came, and once again I woke to the joy of my daughter rolling over and saying "hi" to me with a bright, smiling face. I could feel the love wash through me like an electric current rushing up my body to my heart, where it seemed to burst into a thousand rays of hugs and kisses.

    Has it really been 14 months of feeling this joy? And 14 months of spotty sleep? The last time I experienced 8 hours of sleep was somewhere mid-pregnancy. It has been even longer since I haven't been woken up several times a night, either by the bladder or my little darling calling out for milk.

     I have often wondered how I'm doing it. Before my pregnancy, I had trouble with anything less than 8 hours, or 7 at the very least. Something kept me going, even on those days in which I didn't get a nap, and wee one was kicking and screaming with gas at 2am. Often, I just woke up to make sure I heard that soft breath and to gaze at the sweetness of my baby's face.

     The one thing that has sustained me is the love I have for my baby. That welling up of intense emotion in the heart center, making me feel like embracing the whole of creation, has carried me through what previously would have led to exhaustion and probably illness. I've been drafting on love.

     Drafting happens in nature, and it's common in sports. We most frequently see it in the Fall, when geese migrate South for the Winter. The geese fly together in a V formation so that the birds to the side and behind "draft" on the ones ahead - there's
less wind resistance, so they sustain energy to fly for longer. The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska says that"the lead goose is breaking trail for his flock mates, much like a front-running bicycle racer allows teammates to decrease wind resistance by drafting directly behind. When the lead goose gets pooped, he supposedly gives a honk and another takes his place at the tip of the V."

     A flock of 25 birds in this formation, according to Science Magazine, can fly 70 percent farther than a single bird using the same amount of energy! That's a huge boost. And that's what we experience when we're in the presence of love and joy.

    My husband calls it his "cutie boost". He comes home exhausted and grumpy from a long day at work, and after a few moments with his gleeful and grinning daughter, he's renewed. I've had the benefit of riding on the natural exuberance that radiates from my daughter - and from within my heart - since the day she was born.

    Love sustains, inspires, and motivates us to do and be more than we could have imagined. When we are in the presence of someone who radiates this pure love, we are carried along and find that we are able to give more selflessly of ourselves. We draft on the inspiration of a great leader, a saint, or a spiritual teacher, and find ourselves also experiencing, and perhaps doing, the miraculous.

     Recently, while watching the movie "Fierce Grace", about the life of Ram Dass, I was touched by the comment of one of his friends regarding their guru, Neem Karoli Baba. "Maharaji", as they call him, was a simple man in some ways, yet he emitted a palpable and powerful love that touched one's very soul. This devotee said that what he found amazing about Maharaji was "not that He could love everyone, but that in His presence I, too, could love everyone".

     It is this unconditional love that has inspired the world's spiritual traditions, usually coming from one being who exemplified it. Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Baha'u'llah, to name a few, became the source of inspiration for love and compassion that evolved into some of the great religions of the world. Saints from the modern day and the past, such as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi, have motivated many to serve others with the kindness and caring they demonstrated. Throughout many cultures, men and women have learned motherly love for all creation through symbols of the Divine Mother such as Yemaya, Demeter, Devi, and the Mother Mary. And we have seen the power of leaders who exemplified kindness and non-violence in the throngs who drafted on the inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, marching for peace and harmony in our world.

    I have been blessed to experience the extraordinary presence of a present-day master of Divine Love, Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi). Known as the "hugging saint", Amma (which simply means "mother" in her native tongue) embraces each and every person who comes to see her. She has been known to continue this for hours at a time, sometimes 24 full hours, without stopping or showing signs of fatigue, hugging tens of thousands of people in a day. Going against all tradition in Hinduism - it is usually forbidden to touch a guru, let alone to touch a woman in Hindu culture - Amma persisted in her determination to share her love for all beings through embracing them, and is now known and inspired by millions around the world.

      How is it that Amma is able to do that - and why? Quoting from "Sacred Journey", by Swamini Krishnamrita Prana:

When asked once by a reporter why She embraces people, Amma replied: "Human beings are born to experience pure love, but they never get it. They are searching to experience it from birth until death. Amma's main purpose of interacting with people and embracing them is to awaken the pure love in them... The only way we can feel free is by feeling the love
within. When Amma embraces people, She is also transmitting a part of Her spiritual energy to them, so that they can awaken to this pure love."

     And indeed they do - so much so that Amma has inspired countless charitable works around the world, from soup kitchens to entire hospitals, homes for the elderly, hospices, orphanages, as well as highly respected universities.

     The people who contribute their energy and resources to these people in need are flying on the love of their spiritual teacher. They are able to contribute so much more to the betterment of others because they are inspired by Amma's example. Isn't this also the source of many of the other charitable causes of the world? Christian churches have missions in needy countries to help build proper sanitary facilities through the example of the love of Jesus for all, whether rich or poor. Volunteers teach children to plant trees in deforested areas, respect and preserve animals, and care for their environment inspired by the selfless and tireless work of Jane Goodall. Thousands across the United States were so moved by the love of one woman - Julia Butterfly Hill - for an old redwood tree - "Luna" - that they formed an organization called Circle of Life to teach young and old alike how to live in more harmony with the planet and each other.

     This is the time of year when many of us seek inspiration. No matter your religion or spiritual beliefs, you can find someone or something that evokes that feeling of love within. There is some example of selflessness, whether in a great spiritual leader or in the compassion of a nurse volunteering to care for the still-homeless from the Katrina disaster, that can inspire each of us to give of ourselves. Find someone to lead you and slip in place behind them, drafting on their love for all of life. When you find yourself tired or despairing, ride on their inspiration and know that as you love others, you feel that pure love within yourself. That's the true message of the holiday season.

     Find out more:
http://www.Amma.org     Amma

http://www.NeemKaroliBaba.com     Neem Karoli Baba

http://www.JaneGoodall.org     Jane Goodall

http://www.CircleOfLife.org      Julia Butterfly Hill

http://san-francesco.org/index_eng.html      Saint Francis

http://Krishna.avatara.org      Krishna

http://www.MotherTeresa.org/layout.html     Mother Teresa

http://www.Bahai.org     Baha'u'llah

http://www.AboutBuddha.org/english/index.htm      Buddha

http://www.gandhiinstitute.org      Mahatma Gandhi

http://www.TheKingCenter.org      Martin Luther King, Jr.

http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/devis.html      Devi

http://www.thaliatook.com/yemaya.html      Yemaya

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/Mary.asp      Mother Mary

Copyright ©2005 by Constance L. Habash

5) Spiritual Quotes

"Sadhana [spiritual practice] shouldn't be done for one's own liberation, but for the sake of becoming loving, compassionate, and understanding enough to remove the suffering of the world. We have to become so large-hearted that we experience the suffering of others as our own, and work to alleviate their suffering"
~ Amma

"I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people first."
~ Mother Teresa

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."
~ The Buddha

"He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than he will he do."
~ Jesus (John 14:12)

Blessings,
Connie

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