January initiated the Meditation and INSPIRATION group,and all month was filled with amazing and beautiful experiences. Join us for exploring The 5 Ethical Principles from yoga philosophy, starting this week and continuing for five weeks. Also, check out this month's article, by Heath Frost, about recognizing the ways that each of us matter in the world. You do make a difference, just by being here and sharing your uniqueness with the world.
MEDITATION & INSPIRATION!
A new drop-in group is forming in the next few months. Immerse yourself in a weekly experience of returning to your center. THURSDAYS, 10:45-11:45AM in Palo Alto, starting January 7th! With a spiritual message from the ancient wisdom traditions of the world, breathwork practices, chanting, sharing, and 15-20 minute semi-guided meditation, you'll leave feeling renewed and inspired.
BY HEARTFELT DONATION, at SUBUD Spiritual Center
The Yoga and Movement Center - YOGA TEACHER TRAINING & ADVANCED STUDIES PROGRAM
Begins March 2010
at the Yoga and Movement Center, Walnut Creek.
Connie Habash teaches the module on Sanskrit for this excellent training. Faculty is headed by Diane Valentine and Dennis Eagan, and joined by Judith Lasater and Elise Miller. For more information, see:
http://www.yoga-movement.com/Teacher_Training.html
This month, I've invited Heath Frost -- book artist, photographer,and right livelihood counselor -- to share with us an article excerpted from LifeWork: Celebrating 10 Years; a compilation of inspirational newsletters she wrote (and which touched my life) in the 1990s. The message of this one from 1997 (note the reference to Mother Teresa and Princess Di) is just as vital for us today as it was 13 years ago. You can reach Heath at hfrost@speakeasy.net
I think we are not good at seeing the real value of who we are and what we have created in our lives. Often I hear people saying how they have done it all wrong... made the wrong decisions, not had a clear vision, not achieved enough external success. When I ask to interview people, often they wonder why anyone would be interested in their life. They do not see the incredible things they have actually achieved, because they have only learned to value those things they can put a price tag on, those things which are external and visible, especially those things achieved at work. It's all outer focused.
We seem to be only beginning to learn that often the most important things are the invisible ones, those things which we can not see, but which make all the difference: how my spirit has touched others, how my courage has inspired others to step out, how my curiosity in new situations has opened new doors and new pathways. Even just my presence, as much as my actions, makes a difference.
How do we measure our real value? That is a question that lives in me today differently than ever before. One way to measure is to see ourselves as part of our family lineage, and see the ways we have been the 'the first' in our families; the one to stretch and grow in new ways that the ancestor spirits couldn't, the one to take risks that are new,the one to go where our hearts have led us instead of following convention.These can be more difficult things to measure. And with all these firsts, how have we touched people's lives in ways that we can never measure?
Whether we are first or last, who we are and what we stand for has a tremendous impact.When we risk being vulnerable, coming forward with a generosity of spirit,struggling with the hard decisions, we are noticed. We are equally noticed when we collapse into old victim roles, remain inflexible, and remain silent. We make an impact no matter what: by our absence as much as by our presence.
We don't even know all the people we touch. Princess Di's death has brought that home: she had a profound impact on a world of people who never met her, never spoke with her nor saw her except through the media. It was not the loss of a direct relationship with her that shattered us upon her death,but rather the loss of all that she stood for, all that she evoked in us.Mother Theresa's death also hit hard, even though, again, we never met her. It was her life of selfless devotion which imprinted into our souls; a tiny body with a huge spirit.
My mother is another who died recently. The tragedy of her death is that she never had any idea the impact she had: the impact was far reaching compared to what she had imagined. People have written to me about "her lovely ways,"her "get-up-and-go," her "wit," that "she welcomed us when we first moved to town" and that "my grief will lessen but the void she leaves really won't."While she was alive it was not that people didn't express their love and affection for her. It was that she was not able to let it in: something deep inside her was broken which she was never able to heal. As a result, she did not believe in her own worth, and external validation couldn't register. She didn't believe she mattered.
Since her death, I have taken an honest look at how I doubt my own impact and importance. There are days I feel solid, and others I don't. Much of my own healing has been centered around these very issues of worth and sufficiency.Surely they are universal human issues, but I have wrestled with them especially because I did not want to pass along my mother's legacy. I could not keep her from dying of a broken heart, but I did not want to be a carrier of this pattern into the future. Now that she is gone, I feel a sense of closure to that piece of her which has lived inside me.
For a while now I have realized that believing in ourselves is a bottom line issue; if we really believed in ourselves, we would not be in jobs and lives we hated,but we would be able to trust that there was a special place for us, needing our contribution. Too often, we reside in our fears and wounding, allowing them to overshadow our courage and willingness to stand behind our unique and original gifts. It is the 'fighting the good fight' against our wounds that is a way of building our belief in our value and the value of our dreams. It is away of saying 'I matter' and 'I'm willing to show up and be counted.'
In my own story, it was the pain of not being seen, and not feeling that I mattered or had value, that motivated me to continue the search for my voice and my place. This wounding has in turn allowed me to be able to see and validate the uniqueness in others. Because I stayed steadfast to my quest, I have a sense of my own purpose, and I know that I do count. On the days I feel shaky-legged, I try to step back and look at the big picture instead of allowing the small details to keep me from remembering:I matter, I have a place, and my unique contribution is needed.
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, women and men have experienced 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.
Finally, when you hold someone's space, you know that they're going to show up. It's reserved. This is expectancy -- an inner knowing that Spirit will reveal itself when you have the intention, openness, and create the space for it. This is different than having expectations. Expectations assume a particular outcome, and often lead to disappointment. Expectancy, however, is the ability to wait with confidence and trust that what arrives is good,whatever it is, even beyond your imagination! Have confidence that you will begin to experience the Divine in new and meaningful ways when you hold a space for it in your life. And get ready! When you expect a guest to arrive, you set the table, clean up the house, and have everything in place. What would you like to do to prepare yourself for this transformation of awareness? What inner or outer changes would support you in receiving more inspiration, more love, and more peace? Prepare for your guest, because when you hold the space for the Divine you can be assured of a special occasion.
The easiest and perhaps most effective way of inviting in the Sacred is to practice it in your daily life. Have the intention to deepen your connection to the Universe. Become receptive whenever and wherever you are. If the Divine is everywhere present, infinite, then it will be in any place you wish,at any given moment, if you are willing to perceive it. Then, know in your heart that it will show up and be willing to recognize it: in the little ant carrying a crumb, in the ink flowing from the pen, in the release of your hamstrings, in the smile of a stranger. Behold, the Divine is here,and the very chair you sit on right now is sacred space.
Heath Frost, MA, has been an early pioneer in "right livelihood" and has inspired many to find meaning in their life and lifework/occupation. She also captures the spirit of nature and the sacred in her photography,calendars, and artistic books. You can find out more about her at http://www.heathfrost.com
FOOD DRIVE AT YiY Yoga is Youthfulness is continuing a food drive this month through Second Harvest Food Bank. There is an increased need this winter, so if you can help, please bring canned goods or dry goods (rice, pasta, etc.) to YiY in Mountain View anytime during the class schedule. Together, we can make a difference in our community.
MEDITATION & INSPIRATION - EVERY THURSDAY 10:45-11:45AM in PALO ALTO! January began a special group to support your spiritual growth.! Join me for weekly renewal through meditation, breathwork, chanting, an inspirational message, and community sharing. Location: SUBUD spiritual center, 330 Melville Ave (near the corner of Waverly), PALO ALTO, just off Embarcadero. By Heartfelt Donation. Topic for the next five weeks: "The 5 Ethical Principles."http://www.subudpaloalto.org/
Yoga Teacher Training in WALNUT CREEK at the Yoga and Movement Center begins in March 2010. Headed by director Diane Valentine and Dennis Egan, faculty includes Connie Habash, Judith Hanson Lasater, and Elise Miller. See the YMC website, http://www.yoga-movement.com/ Teacher_Training.html or contact the Yoga and Movement Center at (925) 938-YOGA.
Also, you can download any of the 5-week Yama series from last year's exploration at YogiChocolate, below:
-- There's so many DOWNLOADABLE YOGA CLASSES on Yogi Chocolate, I can't list them all here! Not just yoga classes, either - I have lectures on Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy, too! Check them out here: http://www.yogichocolate.com/teachers-bio.php?u=1149
-- FREE MEDITATION CLASS on my website... Check out the 30-minute meditation class ("Meditation Class #1") from Awakening Self! You don't have to download it - just click, play, and listen on my CD page HERE.
WOULD YOU LIKE CDS OF MY CLASSES, INSTEAD OF DOWNLOADS? Email me and let me know... I may have them available for the Chakra series soon! Connie@AwakeningSelf.com
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The Seasons
of Yoga:
Awaken the Warrior (Virabhadrasana I)
It may still be cold, but we've been still long enough. Something is itching to move, to express, to break out of the frozen tundra (or front lawn) and open into green sprouts and bright flowers.
You're probably feeling it in your own body. February marks mid-winter, and it also marks a shift in energies. From the cold, dry, aggitated-but-longing-to-be-calm depths of winter to the cool, wet, heavy but ready-to-make mud-pies end of winter! Yes, we need to move, dance, and shake off the stagnant energy that may have accumulated in a little more girth and a feeling of being sluggish and weighed down.
This is the transition, in Ayurvedic theory, from Vata dosha, which is cold and dry, to Kapha dosha - also cool, but decidedly wet (evident here in CA by the rainy season). Muddy. Heavy. Dense. Slow. When Kapha dominates, not only does the body feel slower, but the mind can become a bit foggy. While we were cautious not to overdo during the more volatile and delicate Vata time, we've entered the most stable and durable time of the year when Kapha's dominant earth and water elements, from approximately February through May, lend us more stamina and strength while also the likelihood that we have put on a few extra pounds. To balance out excess Kapha energy, we need to bring in more heat (fire), more movement (air), and expansion (ether/space) into our yoga and our lives.
So it's time to rev up your practice and invigorate your body and mind! Now begins the optimal season for vigorous, powerful practice. Continue to be sensible in how you warm up, especially with the joints, but now the heat can be increased as well as the pace. Surya Namaskar, salutation to the sun, can be practiced with rigor and enthusiasm!
One of the best poses for invigorating body and mind during Kapha time is Virabhadrasana I, the first Warrior pose. Certainly, all the warrior poses are excellent for increasing heat, energy, and building strength, but Virabhadrasana I is particularly good for Kapha because of its arm position. With arms upraised, it opens the chest muscles, heart, and lungs - and the lungs are the primary seat of Kapha where, if too sedentary, the heavy earth and water elements can settle in with phlegm. Poses that invigorate and expand the chest area are excellent for keeping Kapha in balance.
If you're feeling a little weighed down and sluggish, then explore Virabhadrasana I. From a lunge position, inhale and rise up to vertical with your chest. Turn your back heel in slightly and bring it down to the floor, so that the toes point well forward. Line up your front heel with the arch of your back foot; or, if that is difficult, feel free to move the back foot to its outer side slightly. Keep the front knee bent, perhaps as deeply as a right angle (increasing the heat by engaging the quad muscles more strongly), but be sure that the knee joint remains over the ankle joint. Let the weight fall into the heel of that front foot, and then root from the top of the back leg all the way down into the outer edge of the back foot.
Once the feet are positioned, invite the hips to turn to face more forward. Keep the back knee firmly straight as you rotate the hip of the back leg forward while the hip of the front bent knee draws back, inviting the pelvis to become parallel with the front of the mat. Draw the belly in and the navel slightly downward to engage a slight Uddiyana Bandha, which supports the back and lightens the pose.
Then, integrate the actions of the upper body. Rise up in the heart and continue that lift with the arms, reaching them toward the sky. Feel the energy moving up, away from heavy density to vibrant lightness! Reach from the waist all the way through the arms, with the hands either shoulder distance or with palms together. The head can either look forward or up, but in either case, look out into expansiveness (ether/space). Feel yourself victorious over the long, heavy winter, and coming alive again! This is a pose of courage, strength, vitality, and awareness. Hold for several breaths, then repeat on the other side, preferably linked through a flowing vinyasa sequence. To add extra energy and movement to the practice (air element), rise into the pose on a long inhalation, then lower back down to the lunge on an exhalation. Rise and release down like this for several breaths before lingering in a long hold.
Wake up the vital energy in your body and soul by incorporating more vigorous and heating asanas, like Virabhadrasana I, into your yoga practice for the next 4 months. Like the newly opening foliage, you'll feel your body and spirit renew and unfold.
Each month, I'll recommend some things
I find inspiring, healing, or helpful, and some local
services, too! For more of my recommendations, check
out my website:
for yoga and inspirational books, CDs, and tools: check my store HERE.
For local practitioners and services, as well as websites, check my Resources
page HERE
Needing some new inspiration? I suggest some special prayers to connect you more deeply not only to Spirit, but to the earth as well. One of my favorite resources that I turn to again and again for special quotes is Earth Prayers:365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth. You can find this book and other sources of inspiration and inspiration in the Awakening Self store! http://www.awakeningself.com/store.html
Spiritual
Quotes
Wherever you are is home
And the earth is paradise
Wherever you set your feet is holy land...
You don't live off it like a parasite.
You live in it, and it in you,
Or you don't survive.
And that is the only worship of God there is. ~ Wilfred Pelletier and Ted Poole
Watching gardeners label their plants
I vow with all beings
to practice the old horticulture
and let the plants identify me. ~ Robert Aitken
