As the moon moves closer to our planet (apparently the closest in the past 20 yrs) and as it becomes fuller the karmas and mysteries which may have been dormant will be brought to the surface of conscious reality. As confusion is a sign of undigested experience and as confusion seems to be more prevalent during lunar phenomenons the current times presents a ripe moment to simply be quiet and alone (as proposed by a sincere Dr. Vasant Lad). Solitude is a weird teacher and often represented by the influence of Saturn, who expresses a dissolving force within internal and external life. The Moon being mind and senses, memory and emotional understanding, feelings and perception becomes strongly influenced as it reaches fullness. Saturn being the disciplined renunciate and the slow motion inflicter causes life to become less of what one wants and more of what it actually is (not always a happy experience but a monumental experience).

As the Moon becomes full tomorrow (one could say a really up close and personal full luna) and Saturn being retrograde (the vata planet had vata dushti) this weekend may be well spent observing the emotional isolation within or the the intense mental/physical isolation of others, in particular those in Japan. Of course, anytime is a good time to meditate, it is the flavour of the current cosmic weather that may take the spirit deep into possible unexplored worlds of reality.

With the weekend approaching and possible moments of reflection open, then I suggest reading the following blog of a sweet friend: http://blog.jhaysonn.com/  The planets are always moving and the "this too shall pass" phrase rings in my ears more than not. Those with a heavier karmic load need our practice and patience. Time is important, let it be spent doing one's personal dharma and in the support, particularly the great soul known as Jhaysonn with strength and compassion.  

Albuquerque is a land of randomness as the "unusual" generally presents itself as the "ordinary." While hiking the paths close to my home a man runs past me barefoot (visualize snow and a tortured facial expression) followed 60 seconds later by man on a unicycle with full body armor (helmet, knee pads, chest guard, gloves, elbow pads) all beneath a hot air balloon floating near the horizon. Later in the week a woman (stranger) starts talking to me over coffee about her book on love in the 21st century followed by an hour conversation on dream analysis and her work as a therapist. This recent full moon seems to have brought unique moments of random occurrences and on a darker note poorly expressed emotions from the intoxicated traveling on Albuquerque's bus system.

Yet, to understand the human condition from an ayurvedic or yogic perspective is to understand the multiple layers within one's environment and not to be exclusive to a fraction of society. I find that traveling is one of the best educators in coming to reality with this social understanding, as leaving home and immersing one's self into the culture of another is the real teacher of differences within the human species. No great distance needs to be covered, just enough to hear a change in people's accent.
Living a mobile life for the past four years has lead to a great observance of the impact of environment on personality. From this, the most unique people I've met are ones who understand the environment on  profound levels on understanding. Much like the astrologer and the sky, the Alaskan and the forest, the Floridian and the beach, the Hindu and the temple. Many people dislike where they are living, (the US is too materialistic, India is too polluted, the weather sucks,) as I too have been one who has been critical of a location, where is spirit in this type of criticism? Where one is, is reality and constantly thinking of what is not is illusion.

Now...I have nothing more to say.

Continuing with the idea of connectivity, as mentioned in the last blog.....

A tea leaf can only grow through the absorption of sun rays, intake of water, and the nutrients provided by the earth in which it's rooted. The sun sits about ninety-three million miles from earth and takes approximately nine seconds for its light to reach our home. Through the miracle of photosynthesis, light energy from the sun enters the life of our beloved tea leaf and is transformed into the uniqueness of the plant. Water is pulled from the earth by the power of the sun and into the sky which eventually falls at the perfect location becoming the juice and sap of tea leaf essence. The earth provides food and structure that creates the physical manifestation that makes the tea leaf a singular expression of consciousness. Ultimately, the life of a tea leaf comes to the drinker's cup, which holds the universe within it and in turn becomes the new cells that form the expression of an individual.

The simplest things in life are quite profound and the work which is required to make its reality possible is phenomenal to say the least. The human body and mind is a result of similar phenomena to that of the creation of a cup of tea, which is a reaction of a million things occurring perfectly at the right time. Yet, dissatisfaction plagues many minds in this world who forget that their health is a fragile and temporary quality to have. Many individuals are striped of pursuing their dreams due to the forces of disease as the healthy unknowingly find complaint in the trivial, criticizing the things that deserve one's gratitude. Not to be confused with labeling all healthy people with this idea but to use this thought as a way to kindle one's inner fire to lessen one's suffering and the burdens of others. In a sense studying ayurveda or yoga or music or art or whatever is your inner calling is, is similar to the tea leaf receiving universal love from the cosmos and dissolving the criticism or whatever gets in the way of this yearning is one’s practice. For some the pursuit is just to heal, to defeat cancer, to walk again, to eliminate chronic pain and these people need the practice of the healthy to make their pursuit possible. 

till next time





   

The beginning of the year started with a fresh flow of ayurvedic messages and a new intention for study as proposed by Dr. Lad himself. He started our discourse with his question of "what are the twelve cranial nerves and their root value?" As this question vibrated within our small group his questions evolved into, "what are the marma points related to each cranial nerve? what are the neurological signs and symptoms of damage to each nerve? and what are the related rashis (zodiac signs) to each cranial nerve?" These questions have brought light to the interrelatedness of everything as all things are a result of all there is. This leads me to the essence of this article and to some extent the essence of ayurveda, which is deeply concerned with discovering the inner connectivity of life with those and the environment around you.

The yogi is one who dissolves the me(ness) of every action and experiences the fluctuating modes of life as one piece of the all there is, the collective consciousness. This yogi sees his suffering not as a personal problem but as an affliction that is occurring within this universe, which is apart of grand total of all drifting emotions. Similarly, one with knowledge of ayurveda looks into the heart of the diseased not as a foreign problem but as one portion of all the problems that creation is connected to. Many turn their head when the sick are seen in public and in a sense say, "that is not me." Living in such a "me" driving society (even in spiritual circles) has caused a great disconnect from the serious problems at hand. A unique time has arrived in this current state that is proposing a self-less plunge forward into the compassion of healing or a continuation with the sluggishness of self infatuation. The idea is to let go of the need for self improvement, which limits one to just the self and bring full awareness to all the sick as a totality.

Thus said, I urge you to read the following:
  http://www.jhaysonnscure.com/JhaysonnStory.pdf


Much love from a cold New Mexico and thanks for reading.

If all disease starts at the cellular or sub-cellular level then the thought arises that the most essential aspect of what we do and consume holds the potential to bestow us with either health or imbalance. Ayurveda states that the three doshas of vata, pitta, and kapha support and maintain the body when properly nourished yet when certain forces negatively influence the organism problems arise. The essence of the three doshas are prana (vata), tejas (pitta), and ojas (kapha) which relate to cellular communication, cellular intelligence, and cellular immunity. When these three forces are working harmoniously within the body, clarity and health manifest but due to destructive lifestyle and diet, cellular life becomes stressed and ultimately shortened. Considering people want to live the right span of life, being neither too old or too young, the proper maintenance of cellular health influences longevity and resilience in the body and mind. Thus, adapting the rule of like increases like and opposites balance, consuming fresh organic foods, drinking filtered water and breathing unpolluted healthy amounts of oxygen the cellular make-up has no choice other than to be fresh and full of life. Cells form tissue that create organs which make systems ultimately making one's organism and in order to have a strong and healthy body its building blocks must be strong. As an old teacher of mine used to say, "take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves."     

I recently read an ad for a yoga teacher training stating that yoga instructors make an average $53,000 a year. Other than this being sadly misleading and a horribly false statement it should in no way be a factor when deciding to initiate studies with a teacher or if aspiring to teach classes. Consider this an omen to be wary of any teacher who advertises their yogic instruction with promises of material success. Ironically, you don't need teacher training to become a yoga instructor as yoga is currently unregulated and certification is only a formal expression that states you took a course. I feel that practice itself is the best teacher and most authentic source for self learning. A real teacher is one who can intensify the desire to go deeper within yoga as well as inspire one to stay consistent. Teacher training is important as it intensifies practice, pushing one to study worlds untouched and methods unknown. Teacher training will help reveal a profound peace that yoga will create as well as unveil an inner harmony that brings freshness to life. Yet, I'm disgruntled with attempts to mix yoga instruction into career move advertisements, which I feel waters down the process. Still the choice is up to the student and a choice is a powerful karma that can either earn big money or stress the credit card.

I say enroll in teacher training but with the motives to learn, not to gain certification. Enroll in studies with a teacher that you feel happy to be around yet inspired to learn with. Sign up for TT with the intention to share what you gain not for $53,000 an year. It is not my desire to attack but to raise awareness and to inspire the search for great teachers.   

My time here in Northeast Florida is closing and as the year slowly fades away I can't help but look into the past twelve months and think, what has been left unsaid.

Much love and happy searching.

A list of teachers and schools whom I recommend from personal experience.

http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com/

http://www.drclaudiawelch.com/

http://kpjayi.org/

http://ayurveda.com/

http://www.drsvoboda.com/

http://blissyogashala.com/

          

I was recently reminded of an all time favorite novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig. A must read if you have yet to consume his work. Though the majority of the book is an enjoyable ride, exciting passages do come with a far amount of dry philosophy, which I lovingly devour. One statement Pirsig makes stands beyond the rest, personally speaking and has remaind glued in my memory.

"The Past cannot remember the past. The future cannot generate the future. The cutting edge of this instant right here and now is always nothing less then the totality of everything there is."

Current moments, at times, have a tendency to be experienced as bland or boring, despite everything that may be going on. Such a pity. Thus, fear becomes a great motivator, as well as the great mental conditioner, for fear of boredom and and anything mundane is an emotional response that may be happening more than one realizes . Fear is a beast of a problem and with it's subtle nature he's hard to fish out. Yoga and ayurveda both look to fear as a perpetrator for many problems, as mental imbalances often lead to physical ailments. Fear has to be digested and roasted, just as much as food has to be metabolized, otherwise the seeds of the fear tree continue to breed their forest of fear. To roast these seeds takes a bit of effort but it should never be thought of as an impossible task that will require lifetimes of ascetic practice. Many teachers who I have observed from a distance in personal experience, create an image of practice (the fear dispeller) as a near impossible quest that requires the intensity of a celibate monk. (it is not my intenion to judge.....but I'm just sayin). As Dr. Vasant Lad says, the renunciates are just as confused as everyone else. I like what Mr. Pirsig says, it's applicable to all moments of life, as everything that's happening is truly a result of everything that has already happened. And it's simple. Yes, karma is happening. Be friends with your fear and roast the seed of affliction with light of awareness and presence with the totality of all that makes the moment. But less poetically and more simply, make an attempt to stay calm as much as possible. Good Luck.

With love...