Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Power of Seven

Question: "so how do i loose weight, can yoga help me loose this extra weight,…………………."

This morning brought these suggestion, follow using your own understanding...  IF you want to use Yoga as the trigger or motivator, then keep in your awareness these two contracts each of us has with the Universe:

  1. Non-harming, (this includes non-violence, non-judgement towards self and others)
  2. Truthfulness (using the guidelines of point number one)
Here is the power of 7:  Each week is from day one to six, on day 7, you continue to do what you choose.

Week 1:
Days 1 to 6 write everything you put in your mouth.  Before you go to sleep, pause and repeat three times "i love my mind, body and spirit".   Day 7 , don't write

Week 2:
Repeat Week 1 
Plus before you put anything in your mouth, pause take 5 deep breaths, close your eyes and say "nourish me".

Week 3:
Repeat Week 1 and 2, in addition double your awareness of taking the deep breaths, and half what you put in you mouth.  As an example, instead of one slice of bread make it half, or you may choose the number of meals, instead of three meals have one and a half meal, whatever you eat and drink make it half, you get the idea.

Week 4:
Repeat weeks 1, 2 and 3, plus begin daily walks of about half an hour.  You are bringing movement, so if walk is not possible, then find whatever movement works for you, put on some music and sway to the music.    Remember that you are still doing what you did in the first 3 weeks (including one day of doing or not not doing whatever you choose.   Daily review the two points of non-violence and truthfulness, to ensure that you are in union).  Once again by day 7, you have the choice to do or not to do anything.  

Weeks 5 and 6:
Repeat weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4.  In addition include in your writing your thoughts and feelings.  Choose your time, at the end of the day, early morning or midday, just sit and write your thoughts and feelings.  

Week 7:
Repeat weeks 1 to 6, from days 1 to 6.  Remember day 7 is your day to BE, whatever you choose to do or not do, including following any of the suggestions for the the Power of Seven.  

Repeat the above seven weeks for another seven week cycle.  In about 7 months you can choose to continue with the suggestions outlined above.  If you plan to continue then the only part which you will change is the week 3, you can see why, if we keep making the food intake half,  there is chance of starvation.  Instead replace week 3 suggestion by sharing whatever or how much you eat the same amount with another person.  It could  be in the form of food bank, or shelter, or anyone in your neighborhood.   Whatever groceries you do, give an equal amount to someone else.

The weight and life management happens with building the awareness in focused breathing, food and thought management, bringing movement and sharing into our life…hence yoga becomes a practice off the mat…finding time space and a teacher to guide the practise on the mat, is another choice we all make...

Monday, June 27, 2011

evening stroll in downtown toronto...

i walk and dance to a beat…the musical notes in my ears, move each cell…

the foot steps on the pavement…i look up, all exists as i exist, i am no longer an observer, its an energy moving in energy…
a sign post says "Believe, trust your instincts"….Wow….

i continue to walk to the beat, and it dawns that truth, has no sides, it has no boundaries, it requires no explainations…truth is the same in privacy of ones thoughts, and in the openness of its expression…truth takes up no energy, it requires no alibi, no mask, no guidelines, no regulations…living with truth is living with the lightness of Being…

there is one question i ask, when will we wake up to living with truth, a simple basic way of life, way of truth…

Sunday, June 26, 2011

a look, a word, a heart opening...

…i am inspired, by the honesty of an unmasked soul…

We do what we do, we know what we know, i am a sum of integers and decimals, a fraction of the whole…yes it is okay, I C, i feel, and i do what needs to be done in any moment, to make it whole…

The realization, that in the form of existence, could be the physical body, the form of thoughts, the form of feelings and emotion, in all forms there exists time, and where there is time there is change, and where there is change there is the search…all entwined into this tapestry of life and we live life, not because someone tells us to live but this is our purpose…when the purpose is over, the form ceases and becomes deceased…

We are all searching, always searching…the search is for that inner space, for a space where there is no conflict and no duality.  We seek this space, we taste this space in moments…moments shared with friends, family, loved ones... moment when we have met a challenge and satisfied a hunger, in that  moment when a stranger smiles at you because you give them a lighter, and say keep it…watching a sunset or a moonrise over water, where the wave meets the shore… as the wind rustles through a tree, in the stillness of the high sun, in the light of the full moon...holding hands...endless moments of silence, and a lifetime found when eyes lock, souls connect…

It dawns on me that i am the space, and the enjoyment of the moments becomes me…the reliance on external triggers becomes unreliable…

when i am the fountain, when i am the source of water, there is no thirst…the divine union of source and destiny has been consummated…
I C






Wednesday, June 22, 2011

June full moon…and the summer solstice

The full moon brings with it a surge of emotions…the pull on the gravity and the rising of the tides have an affect and impact on our feelings and thoughts… its time to contemplate, purge and release stuff we are holding on, to create space for the universe to guide and show us the life we seek…planting the seeds of desire at both the physical and spiritual level, we find our own ritual… fire is a great ritual to provide the energy for both the release and manifestation to happen.

Living close to the harbour my first choice for meditation was the water, and the day before the full moon, I found a bench…with closed eyes and in my silence, a question was asked…the silence was broken by the sound of voices, I open  my eyes to see that a boat had docked right in front of me, the name of the boat was "New Beginnings"….mesmerised I sat for a long time, just absorbing what had just been shown to me….

The next day, the bright warmth of the sun enticed me to find a secluded spot by the water…i enjoyed the space and did some yoga asanas before sitting to meditate... around the time that the moon was full, 4:13 pm local time I had a powerful vision in which I see the earth, with the map of the world, and the globe clearly… and then slowly the map begins to dissolve….somewhere in my awareness I was awed with what I was seeing…the round globe of the earth was there, but there was a blank space, no map of the countries and continents…with close eyes I watched the slow appearance of what looked like sparkles, which turned into the shape of a map, a new world, with new lines showing a new earth…

What is the message, seemed to be coming from the moon, to our feelings…somehow I believe it has a good omen to it…as the night before the full moon I had seen the face of the man on the moon, and it was smiling…

Yesterday was the summer solstice, did the combination of the full moon and the summer solstice have an impact?  noticing my energy and feelings, and in conversation and emails I received, I would answer yes.  If I may add that taking time to meditate, contemplate or journalling of ones feelings and emotions guides and helps us during such energy shifts of the celestial bodies.

as the sun stood still to admire the beauty of the full moon, the earth bowed to the union

Sunday, June 19, 2011

why wait to celebrate

Our conditioning and our "understanding" of life guides us in all we do.  i put the word understanding in quotes, because, I am wary of the connotation of this word.  It is possible when I say "understand", i am understanding from a premise which is colored by my experiences, what about yours? and maybe the moment has changed and so has my understanding...

to be silent, to understand with your eyes, is really the doorway to the soul... maybe hold a space of non-judgement...give hugs, party favors, laugh with the swaying trees, run like the waves, embrace like the shore (which releases as soon as it receives) and there is no holding on, no grasping.

iCelebrate

life and its moments

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Moments in yoga...

I was searching for a song to accompany the slide show of my yoga pictures, and selected a song by Rahet Fatheh.   Jafer was reviewing the video and recommended this song, and Wow, its exactly what I wanted, song by Eddie Vedder and Nusrat Fateh Ali:

"And I wished for so long, cannot stay...
All the precious moments, cannot stay...
It's not like wings have fallen, cannot stay...
But I feel something's missing, cannot say... 

Holding hands are daughters and sons
And their faiths just falling down, down, down, down...
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today

We all walk the long road. Cannot stay...
There's no need to say goodbye... 
All the friends and family
All the memories going round, round, round, round
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today

And the wind keeps roaring
And the sky keeps turning gray
And the sun is set
The sun will rise another day...

We all walk the long road. Cannot stay...
There's no need to say goodbye... 
All the friends and family
All the memories going round, round, round, round
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today 
How I've wished for so long
How I wish for you today"

hur lemha aik kahani, hur kahani mein zindagani(when each moment is the story, the story of a lifetime)…and it is all in just a moment…be in yoga, be in life

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rancho Margot - Yoga Teacher Training(YTT)

Yoga Teacher Training @ Rancho Margot, Costa Rica

"I learned so much during my 4 weeks at Rancho Margot.  I learned about asana, breath, my complicated relationship to meditation, sutras, yamas, niyamas, I learned about all of you and I learned so, so much about myself.  I thought I had myself all figured out - but no one ever does.  

The idea that as sure of ourselves as we are we can only root down so far because we need to be able to bend - not break - when the wind changes.  I had known myself so well as an unshakeable, strong, independent woman and then I opened myself up to being seen and loved.  Then I found myself crippled and sad and helpless.  I think my old self would have hated that version of me - if I ever even let myself get to that place.  But I don't.  I'm trying to hold these feelings with compassion.  Knowing that I can and will feel like this again and it's okay.  I will eventually come to know some other version of myself that is completely seen and unconditionally loved by someone else and I will love all of the versions of myself I meet along the way on that journey." Danielle, December 2012

Ivannia and her yoga teacher training reminded me that the universe has its own timing to deliver our dreams….she had wanted to do her teacher training a year ago, and events unfolded such that she decided an important aspect of her life needed her time,  this was the weekend the training was due to start…
I was impressed with her "deep dive" into her soul and for the following five months, she read all the recommended readings for the training…

and so the story continued, the next teacher training was with me, and and sure enough her commitments needed her attention, and once again she surrendered that this was not the right time…

Mario, ivannia and irum
Then one day just like that, first Mario asked me to be his teacher, and the same afternoon I mentioned to Ivannia, if this is time for her as well; she had already said to me one day "Irum, I know that I want you to be my teacher"…and it happened…

Ivannia and Mario came into the YTT, centered and ready to flow…for three weeks we laughed, and did yoga and more yoga, we were all sore in our bodies but there was no stopping us…I learned and I shared, and the light shone on all.  Revelations, and sharing continued… then the day when they taught their first session, my faith was sealed.

"The YTT in Rancho Margot allowed me to be fully immersed not only into the wildness of the rain forest but also into the deepness of myself. Starting the day with a silent meditation guided me to the real meaning of Yoga. This awareness made me realize that yoga sessions can be the opportunity to share and guide souls, minds and bodies to join and find the path for their purpose in life through surrender and awareness.
The Yoga Philosophy sessions were so pleasant that it was like having “tea time” with your best friends sharing about your journey. It was during one of these sessions that I had my “click moment” when I recalled when Santiago in the book“The Alchemist” found his treasure, the one that he had very close to him but he wasn’t able to see. Fifteen years later, I found mine. It had always been there.
I will always be thankful to Irum for introducing me the wonderful practice of meditation and for sharing her Light and knowledge with me.
Rancho Margot will always be the blessed land that allowed me to find my treasure.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti"…Ivannia Esquivel    


Ivannia, Brianna, Mario and irum
"Looking back on my teacher training at Rancho Margot with Irum, I will always remember the wealth of knowledge, intellectual and experiential that I took from those 5 weeks. The environment, the energy, the food, the people, the understandings I grasped from that journey will stay with me for a lifetime. I see that Yoga Teacher Training as a base for living with awareness. I can now take what I learnt, and intergrate it into my daily life, and live a yogic path. I can share my practice with others as well. Being able to volunteer and teach at the Ranch was a very worthwile experience as well, which gave me confidence to know that I too, can share my practice and provide a great yogic experience to others.  
Moving inwards and working with the Chakras an awakening experience that brought me into a new magical world inwards that changed my preceptions and the events that occured outwards.
I am thankful for the patience Irum had with me and grateful for her abundent generosity
." Brianna Fitzpatrick



Jennifer and irum
irum, Jennifer, Paula and Sandy
Fran, Rosalie, irum, Sharon, Mary, Debbie and Katherine

Pond Deck at Rancho Margot





Dr. Karambu Ringera

Dr. Karambu Ringera

Monday, June 13, 2011

Down the rabbit hole...

I just finished watching the 12th part of this series called "what the bleep do we know", the question they ask us to ponder on is :"how far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go"…

I was about to paste the link on this blog post when the computer "bleeped", so I checked the inbox….here is an excerpt from an email that came in:


Silence...........pause.......

I continue to work on my question......what happens when your teacher leaves
you?
Answers.........1.  Continue to feel her blessings.....
    2.  Remember the Eagle knows in her innate wisdom...when to give
...the push.."Until they learned how to soar, they would fail to understand
the privilege it was to have been born an eagle."

What the Bleep Do We Know

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Thoughts by the Wailing wall - Jerusalem Nov 5, 2010

"the stones spoke" and my heart answered, with a prayer for all beings: to surrender to the oneness of existence...to find the healing, for all souls...to the forms of past present and future.  To forgive, to love, to live with compassion, joy and union...to share with abundance and love.  To say to the other (of one) "you eat today, please share my bread, and if you are more hungry then please eat my share"...


The words of a song came to awareness "even when the chips are low, there is always some for giving"...
and the prayer in my heart continued: live with joy and gratitude, live with the heart...this physical space is the heart of the world, please heal and love.