imagination experiments of a stardust yogini
This morning and feeling everything It’s a cloudy winter morning. I am feeling all sorts of up and down. I’m grateful to be making art today – and every single piece (six, and possibly seven if I go back to work on a piece that has been nudging at me for two years) is at […]
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Mandala painting by Jill Sans.
sam·sa·ra
/səmˈsärə/
the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.
Breathe consciously and rhythmically; inhale to the count of three, exhale to the count of three. This will synchronize your brain waves and your heart rhythm.
Move calmly. Best is to regularly practice yoga postures or asanas which gently move the body, stretch the muscles and turn the mind inward to more awareness. Asanas performed consciously in the right sequence—with proper holding, concentration, breathing and relaxation—release blockages of energy and recharge you with new vitality.
Resist spending too much effort, no matter what you are doing. Effort needs to be balanced with relaxation.
Take time alone to find yourself. Constantly being in a network of relationships is very draining.
I’ve been thinking about my yoga roots lately, and came across this video of variations on the twelve basic asanas sequence through the Sivananda school of yoga.
I’m inspired!
Read MoreI remember the night before yoga teacher graduation. I was in a group hug with four of my classmates. We declared that our time on the ashram was “the eternity that never was”. That cosmic blip in the space of my life experience softened me (and still continues to soften me).
Read More1. When the mind is more focused, you are happier. When the mind is one-pointed, it doesn’t swing so much. If it doesn’t have many waves, then you are happy.
2. Objects appear to give you happiness because of the conditioning of your mind to like this and dislike that, but truly objects cannot bring you lasting happiness. All objects are external things, but happiness comes from within you; it is your true nature.
Read MoreFor the rest of my life, I will always remember Swami Swaroopananda starting out every lecture with his favorite phrase, “Let’s meditate.” By the end of teacher’s training, I could drop into deep meditation within moments.
Read More“Einstein is the immortal Self . . . You are the immortal Self . . . just different realities.”
Read MoreGratitude for my teacher, Swami Swaroopananda. His vibe seems softer in this video than I remember from yoga teacher’s training—though he does say, “[the] yoga teacher’s training course, as it goes on, sometimes feels like a stormy ocean.” Perhaps in some cases, to navigate a stormy ocean, the captain must be stern.
Read MoreRight before I went to Sivananda for my teacher’s training, I read Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe, by Michio Kaku. In that book, Dr. Kaku discusses the string theory of the universe—what it boils down to is that everything in the entire universe, is made of vibrations. He described it very much like strings on a guitar—they vibrate, something (sound and more vibrations) is created. As a musician, I was fascinated. What kinds of vibes do we put out there, and how do they shape the world—even if they are only tiny ripples?
Read More—Often Tamas and Rajas are working together intimately. Ignorance, fear and denial fuel the angers and frustrations and veil the solution to the problem, projecting them onto some outside reasons or perceived aggressors.
—Sattwa is Light, purity, revelation. One need not do anything to find a solution, but just cease denial and fear (tamas) and cease reaction, impatience or control (rajas) and calm down through Yoga, breathing, relaxation, proper diet and meditation practices. Yoga practices and lifestyle improve sattwa.
Read MoreYoga declares that we are three-dimensional beings: the physical, the astral (or mental), and the causal (or inner spirit). When we are stressed, we experience it on many levels. The most beautiful teaching of Yoga is the teaching about relaxation — relaxation of our body-mind-spirit to remain in our True Nature as already Perfect and Blissful beings.
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holly troy ~ sacred folly 