Thought for the Day

"Sankalpa can be seen from different perspectives. Let us say that life is like a river that has to be crossed. We cannot step straight across from where we are standing now because the river is wide, nor can we swim against the strong current. So we search the bank for stepping stones that we can take, one by one, to cross over safely.

Crossing the river is our aim, our life’s goal. Very few people know what this is. It may take years and years to discover. Nearly everyone who has come to yoga will recognize that they are trying to achieve something, but will not be clear as to exactly what that is. So the first step is to recognize where we are now, where we stand on our bank of the river, and then to recognize what change can be attempted to begin our way over, to take the first step.

For the success of the sankalpa, certain conditions must be met. The sankalpa is like a seed that will have tremendous power, but only if it is sown in fertile ground, looked after and tended daily, with the inner certainty that the seed will produce its fruit in its own time. After the sankalpa is made, the mind nurtures it at deeper levels as the roots of the seed go further down, the emotions express it as a positive feeling that has power and strength, the body resonates with it, and the intellect does not question it – ever. Faith is where all the dimensions of the personality are in harmony, undivided and moving in the same direction together. How can it not succeed?

Lastly, the sankalpa need not be influenced by words alone. It may also be visualized symbolically as an image, felt as a sensation; it may bring up certain feelings which have a recognizable force or are just quietly known. In the end the sankalpa is not just something nice you say three times twice in yoga nidra, but it is a motivating force that you are living and moving toward all the time, every day."

by Swami Anandakumar Saraswati

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Message from Karen

Dear Friends,

I know that some of you are celebrating this week.  School started and normal life resumes.  Summer vacation is not just the theme of books and movies, it offers us the respite we need from the busy-ness that often consumes the rest of the year. 

That said, my summer has been full of vacation and travel.  In fact, I may have been playing my own version of Where's Waldo?  Since I'm noted for long emails, I will spare you the details here.  However, scroll to the end of this newsletter if you want to read all about it!

This is the back to fall, back to school newsletter with lots of information about classes, workshops, and community events. 

Classes:

New yoga class sessions start the week of Monday, September 13th.  Register now to make sure that you get your spot.  Ledyard classes fill up fast. 

Workshops:

There are also workshops and events that may interest you. 

• Blissworks will be hosting an Anusara workshop with the renowned Deb Newbauer, and, a concert with Wah!  Register early.  You won't want to miss this event.
• The CenterSpace Wellness Studio at Meiklem Kiln Works is offering classes in yoga, art, pottery and more.  Be sure to check out the annual pottery and gift sale. 
• Joy Bennett, a gifted yoga teacher and LifeForce Yoga Practitioner, will be offering A Day of Yoga Therapy on October 23rd in East Providence.  This is a "full-day group program to offer relief from the struggles of depression and anxiety through yoga."  Register now.  This workshop is limited to 10 participants.

Coaching:

Whether you're ready for it or not, autumn is right around the corner.  Are you ready for a change in your life?  Do you recognize where you are now, where you stand on your bank of the river?  Do you  recognize what change can be attempted to begin your way over?  A consistent yoga practice can help you to change your life, to become more of what you are meant to be.  If you already practice yoga, then practice with your whole heart.  If you are thinking about beginning a yoga practice, begin now.  What are you waiting for?

Susanne Murtha may be able to help you sort that out.  Susanne is a certified wellness coach specializing in change, yoga teacher, yoga therapist and ayurveda consultant.  Sometimes you just need a jump start!  Susanne is offering my students/referrals a discount on the first consultation. "It's a fantastic process and merges so well with yoga and ayurveda."

World:

Speaking of change, my nephew Timothy, graduated from army boot camp in August.  In a few weeks, he'll join his brother in Germany (different bases.)  I pray for peace.

For an interesting perspective on Al-Qaeda, listen to Lawrence Wright on Fresh Air.  He has some interesting comments on the roles of gender apartheid and clinical depression, dispair and limited life in relation to suicide bombers.  I was especially interested in his comment that because of gender separation, boys and young men don't learn how to relate to women.  I think his words were, "boys haven't grown up learning how to please girls, which is a lot of what civilization is in my opinion."  I am left feeling how true this is.  It seems even more important now to support women.

Practice:

Patanjali gave a road map to spiritual liberation in the Yoga Sutras.  The following quotations come from The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman's guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras, by Nischala Joy Devi.  Chapter:

• 1.12 tells us that "Consciousness is elevated by Abhyasa (devoted practice) and Vairagya (remembering the Self).  They are two wings of the same bird. 
• 1.13 "Devoted practice, Abhyasa, cultivates the unfolding of consciousness. 
• 1.14 Abhyasa is nurtured by a sustained, steady rhythm and a dedicated heart. 

Nischala gives us some thoughts to ponder:  What is the rhythm of your practice?  Is it steady like a metronome?  Is the rhythm too fast or too slow?  Regular or irregular?  Is there anything you can add to enhance your heart's participation in the practice?

We practice so we can remember who we are.  When we remember who we are we see that we are all the same. 

Swami Kripalu said:

The spiritual path that I teach is called Sanatana Dharma, which means the way of eternal truth. Sanatana Dharma is not a sectarian creed or point of view. It is the performance of skillful actions that lead one to the direct realization of truth. Truth cannot belong to any one race, sect or nation. It does not recognize such narrow distinctions and makes itself available to the whole world.

It is worth remembering there is only one yoga. True, aspirants are of different natures and resort to various doctrines and practices to progress along the path. But one who completes the process of yoga understands its different paths and sees that the systematic practice of various disciplines leads to the same place. In the end, all yogas lead to one great Yoga.

Blessings for a wonderful day, om shanti, Karen

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