The First and Last Freedom

Perhaps, in coming to this point, we have used the conscious mind; we have followed the argument, we have opposed or accepted it, we have seen it clearly or dimly. To go further and experience more deeply requires a mind that is quiet and alert to find out, does it not? It is no longer pursuing ideas because, if you pursue an idea, there is the thinker following what is being said and so you immediately create duality. If you want to go further into this matter of fundamental change, is it not necessary for the active mind to be quiet? Surely it is only when the mind is quiet that it can understand the enormous difficulty, the complex implications of the thinker and the thought as two separate processes, the experiencer and the experienced, the observer and the observed. Revolution, this psychological, creative revolution in which the 'me' is not, comes only when the thinker and the thought are one, when there is no duality such as the thinker controlling thought; and I suggest it is this experience alone that releases the creative energy which in turn brings about a fundamental revolution, the breaking up of the psychological 'me'.
We know the way of power - power through domination, power through discipline, power through compulsion. Through political power we hope to change fundamentally; but such power only breeds further darkness, disintegration evil, the strengthening of the 'me'. We are familiar with the various forms of acquisition, both individually and as groups, but we have never tried the way of love, and we don't even know what it means. Love is not possible so long as there is the thinker, the centre of the 'me'.
(to be continued)
J. Krishnamurti

On Loving Fiercely

The day will come when, after harnessing the winds, the tides and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.

 Teilhard de Chardin

A cat in repose

Dignified, loyal, brave, graceful, peaceful, affectionate, intelligent, funny, entertaining – these are just some of the adjectives that cats possess.When you see a cat in repose, in what appears for all the world to be a state of meditation, there is a sense of wisdom there, a sense that he or she knows some kind of secret to life that only they are able to perceive and fully understand. There is a feeling of mystery in the feline existence, in the feline nature, which seems to be different from what you find in any other species or group of species. Possession of this knowledge seems to be the explanation for their unflappable, meditative nature, the one he/she shows when he/she is in the company of humans they know they can trust.

Your worst enemy

We are trained to fear, resist, and fixate upon external enemies and to see ourselves as our most faithful and loyal friend. This is an inversion—most people never experience an external enemy that even begins to match the power of the opponent within. Although you may not know it, one of the greatest blessings that you can experience is a single moment of your life in which you are not your own worst enemy. 

- Paul Richards

Eye of the Hurricane

We join spokes together in a wheel
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move

We shape clay into pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is inner space
that makes it livable

We work with being
but non-being is what we use

- Laozi in Tao Te Ching

Fall Fitness and Friends

As Summer transitions into Fall gracefully, it was time to make the most of warm afternoons filled with sunny warmth and gentle cooling breeze. I took my mat and headed outdoors for an afternoon of yoga. Recently, I had the good fortune of assisting my mentor and her class on the lawns of a beautiful winery near my house. The icing on the top being live music by a really talented musician, who does not believe in recording his music.
Being in nature really makes your yoga practice special. Like, in twisted chair, as I gazed skyward, I saw an eagle gliding and just like that, I wanted to do a bird pose and fly with that majestic creature.

Quick tips to remember while heading outdoors,
- Bring a thick mat especially while doing your practice on uneven surfaces
- Stay hydrated, apply sunscreen
- Dress in layers, have a jacket handy for savasana
- Be prepared to be stared at by curious onlookers
- Watch for bugs
- Bring along a friend and make it a really special practice

Forget Six-Pack Abs

Healthy abdominal muscles are strong - not hard.
Abdominal skin differs from much of the skin covering the rest of the body. It has a subcutaneous tissue that loves to hoard fat. It can store up to several inches. Those fat-free torsos you see in advertisements are possible for less than 10 percent of the population. You have to have really thin skin to show muscle and this takes more than diligent exercise; it takes the right genetics. 
Instead of obsessing about fat, we'd do better to focus deeper. Right under the skin, a sturdy wall of four paired muscles stretches over our internal organs. On the surface, the straplike rectus abdominus extends along the front, from pubic bone to sternum. On either side, a thin but powerful muscle, called the external oblique, courses diagonally from the ribs to the rectus, forming a "V" when viewed from the front. Running perpendicular to the external obliques, the internal obliques lie just below. These two pairs of muscles work in concert, rotating the trunk and flexing it diagonally. The innermost layer of abdominal muscle, the transversus, runs horizontally, wrapping the torso like a corset. You flex this muscle to pull in your belly. The sinewy, three-ply sheath formed by the transversus and the obliques provides a strong, expandable support; it protects the viscera and provides compression that aids elimination and a housing flexible enough for diaphragmatic breathing.

Cobra Pushup With Roll
Squeeze a foam roll between your thighs and lay flat on your belly, tucking your tailbone toward the mat. Place your hands under your shoulders, with elbows up, and push the tops of your feet into the floor. Next, inhale and push up into Cobra, opening your chest and pulling your rib cage forward. Be sure to keep your shoulders down. Exhale and release, lowering yourself slowly and carefully, one set of ribs at a time. Repeat three times.
Fire Breathing - AgniSara Breath 
(Agni is fire in Sanskrit, this pranayama technique stirs up internal heat in the body)

1. Stand erect with your legs fairly apart and hands hanging by the sides.
2. Bend your trunk forward and bend your knees slightly.
3. Place your palms on the corresponding knees.
4. Exhale completely.
5. As in Uddiyana Bandha, retain your breath.
6. Blow out your stomach without inhaling.
7. Keep this for about 2 seconds.
8. Pull in your stomach.
9. Pull in and blow out your stomach 4-6 times.
10. Inhale.
11. Repeat steps 4-10 four to five times.