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Photo: yoga students Jan and Gillian | |
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"Don't push the river. Don't get ahead of your soul. The goal isn't to get somewhere. The goal isn't about forcing something to happen. The goal is to be in harmony with the gifts that are already given. The goal is to fall in love with your life."
~ Paula D'Arcy from Sacred Thresholds | |
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Dear Friends,
During the winter session of yoga classes, we are focusing our attention on the Yamas and Niyamas as they apply to daily life. In the last newsletter, Ahimsa was the focus.
This newsletter features Santosha, the ability to tolerate mental disturbances, also know as contentment. One commentary on Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.42, from the Four Chapters on Freedom, says that "Unexcelled happiness comes from the practice of contentment."
This commentary goes on to say, "Contentment is one of the fixed rules for a spiritual aspirant who is very serious about the higher aspect of yoga and realization. It is impossible for one who is dissatisfied with oneself or with anything else in life to realize the higher consciousness...One must practice santosha (contentment). The happiness that comes from it is unparalleled. As a result one can go very deep in meditation."
So how do we practice contentment when every day is a challenge? Moment to moment awareness. There is very little that we can do about past events. Dwelling on past events can cause suffering on many levels. Longing and regret being two of them.
Future events are already in play just as seeds planted in the fall lie dormant until spring. Sometimes we can change the expression and quality of future events just as we can affect the expression of those seeds that will sprout in the spring - through what we nurture and attend to in our moment to moment thoughts, words and behaviors.
"If you want to know your past – look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future – look into your present actions." Being present, being aware in the present, is the key to contentment, Santosha, the ability to tolerate mental distubances.
Today is another snow day here in southern New England (and beyond!) Classes are canceled (again!) and my car (Subaru!) got stuck in my driveway so I am practicing contentment. In a pause from shoveling, I noticed the absolute quiet and stillness that snow covered ground offers. The garden Buddha is hidden under nearly 3 feet of snow. Even the birds seem to be hunkering down somewhere else.
There's something very freeing about not being able to get out and go places. The practice of santosha, the ability to tolerate mental disturbances, is very helpful because rather than fretting or complaining, santosha offers a positive and uplifting alternative.
I hope that you are enjoying your day too. In yoga, Karen
p.s. Check out the Ledyard.Patch.com article, "A Physical and Spiritual Workout" featuring the senior mat class at Ledyard Senior Center. | |
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Ask yourself, "what did I or will I do today to advance the evolution of my consciousness, to reconnect with my true nature which is spirit?" | |
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Patanjali Yoga Sutras 2.6
Interpretive Translation by Joseph Le Page
Asmita, egoism, is a distorted sense of individuality that mistakes the instruments of seeing, the body, mind and senses, to be the inner seer or true Self.
Commentary by Joseph Le Page – Center of the Universe
If you think you’re the center of the universe, take a closer look...
You float on life’s surface in a small boat called “me”,
unaware of the ocean that lies underneath,
And the world around you, the “reality” you see
is only a reflection of your colored beliefs
And your entire life story, written line by line
is not even a comma in the annals of time
And you daydream a fantasy of the life you desire
based on the dream-world of those you admire
And your whole world revolves around profit and loss,
while the price paid in stress is the actual cost,
And your precious planet, fountain of life
is littered with the leftovers of shopping and buying,
And the boat you call hope that carries your dreams
is adrift without the compass of life’s larger meaning,
And the fortress you build to keep life in control
is made of from the same stones that imprison your soul,
And you say you’re self made, that you did it all,
when you don’t even know what will be your next thought.
But when you finally wake and take the colored glasses off,
to see you’re not the center of life in the way you thought,
To discover that the sum of your desires will never equal peace,
and your dislikes are only a reflection of your own negativity,
And you open your heart, your true inner being
to discover your life’s purpose and deeper meaning,
To discern that death is just life’s natural next step,
and return home to the Self that you never really left...
You find that you are the center of the universe.
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Free Class, Students Needed |
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I have been asked to participate in the Greater CT Chapter of the NMSS photo essay project. The project, the brainchild of Mike Marques, a West Hartford photographer, will focus on individuals with MS from across Connecticut.
I will be teaching a yoga class. Students may be in the photos but the main focus will be on me. It would be really good for the project if some of the students also have MS so if you are out there and want to participate, please contact me at 860.204.0797 860.204.0797 or email karen@yogahealsus.com
When: Wednesday, February, 9 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: St. James Church, 95 Route 2A, Preston, CT 06365
This class will be oriented toward students who are ambulatory and can get onto the floor and back up unassisted. You do not have to have MS to participate. I am looking for 10 - 12 volunteers. You will have a complete yoga class experience. The class will be 75 - 90 minutes long.
“The idea for this essay crossed my mind after seeing a book published by the National MS Society,” said Marques. “The book featured the photographs and stories of many people with MS, but not one from someone living in Connecticut. People should know that this illness is close to home."
Approximately 40 to 50 people from across the state are expected to be highlighted in the photo essay project. It could take up to a year or longer to complete the project. Long-term plans for the project include a gallery showing, a book and more.
Yoga Heals Us is now listed on the chapter website. Check it out! | |
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Use this code at registration and save $50
YHU219 | |
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As a yoga therapist and Ayurvedic consultant, Susanne Murtha offers suggestions that work when people make changes in their diet and lifestyle. Her experience as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist complements her coaching. She is dedicated to supporting others in a non-judgemental way. As a coach, she knows that the inspiration has to come from the person who’s making the changes.
In December, I had my first coaching session with Susanne. In one short hour, she walked me through a process of discovery where I had an "ah ha" moment. That "ah ha" has given me an understanding of what I value and what underlies many of my decisions in a way that I had never thought of before.
If you are in transition (and who isn't, really), pondering changes to your current lifestyle, career, etc. please consider a session or more with Susanne. Find out what's really holding you back or pushing you forward. It may not be what you think it is!
She lives in the Adirondacks and I live near the shore in CT. We meet by phone and it really works.
Contact Susanne at 518.251.3015 or Susanne@LivingWellCoaching.com
Living Well Coaching website | |
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I love to make soup during the fall and winter. At the moment, my two favorites are creamy (without the cream) roasted squash and hearty kale with cannelli beans. What I love about these soups (besides the taste and nutrition), is that you can approximate the amounts.
Squash Soup:
1 small to medium Butternut squash
1 small to medium Buttercup squash
1 - 2 onions, peeled and diced
2 - 4 garlic gloves, minced
1 - 2 T olive oil
4 cups of veggie stock
1+ tsp sea salt
1/4 - 1/2+ tsp pepper
1 tsp+ dill weed or rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Cut in half and seed both squash. Peel the neck of the butternut and dice the neck part into small chunks. Place the buttercup halves and the bulbous part of the butternut squash skin side up on a cookie sheet and roast at 350 in the oven until a fork passes easily through (~30 minutes.) Roast the small chunks of butternut in a baking dish with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary if you are using it.
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
Scoop the flesh from the skin into the pot with the onion and garlic. Add the broth. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Using an immersion (stick) blender to puree until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg and dill weed if you are using instead of rosemary.
Yum!
Kale and White Bean Soup:
1 bunch of curly kale, washed, remove stems, ribbon cut the leaves
1 - 2 onions
4+ garlic cloves
1 - 2 T olive oil (EVOO)
4 cups of veggie broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (mash half of them)
1 - 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
Sea salt
Pepper
In a large pt, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add kale and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add broth, beans and canned sweet potato. Simmer until sweet potatoes are soft (not mush.) Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
This soup is even better the second day. This is a great way to use calcium rich kale. Try different veggies too. I often use what I have - including turnip, carrots, red pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes. | |
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The Post Punk Kitchen Blog |
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I heard Isa Chandra talk on NPR about eating vegan in America. I've been to her website several times since and even made one of the recipes, Vegetable Korma, which the whole family enjoyed. Check out her remake of an American Thanksgiving standard (not my fave but you'll get the idea the eating vegan doesn't have to be hard.) | |
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