Absurdity

Okay, I'll admit it ...
the practice of yoga seems ridiculous.

I get onto a yoga mat and twist myself into a sweaty pretzel and somehow this makes me a better, more spiritual person.
Sitting to breathe in a particular way somehow makes the world seem brighter.
Chanting in a language I don't understand somehow calms my mind.

On the surface it appears absurd.
I've been wondering a lot recently about how and why yoga works.
Then I came to a realization ...
the how and why don't matter.

I have no clue how my car works, or my computer
or most of the other things in my life.

Then why do I need to know how yoga works?
I don't.

For me it's enough to know that it does work
and every time I roll out my mat,
or sit to meditate,
or chant,
absurd or not,
it works.
That's enough for me.

Hello again from the coast of Maine!! I have yet to make it to Yoga Vermont this summer and am always thinking of it, yet life seems to keep me away.

A new Ashtanga Yoga studio opened this summer in Portland, Maine (just up the road from me) and they are searching for highly qualified (experienced) Ashtanga yoga instructors, so I said I would do my best to help and get the word out. If my schedule allows I'll make it up there once a week this fall. If anyone is interested in teaching in this area (1 hr led Ashtanga, and Mysore style classes) check the studio out online, and drop them some info or ask a few questions!! Or...just come for a workshop or holiday!!

Be well...Fall is in the air, Celina McMichael

Sublime States

Treat those who are happy with friendliness
Treat those who are unhappy with compassion
Treat those who are virtuous with supreme joy
Treat those who are wicked with indifference

About a year ago, I was in class and Kathy mentioned these Buddhist "sublime attitudes". I wrote some of it down, then went home to Google it (completely missing the fact that they were in my Yoga Sutras!). I found nothing, punching in terms that were delivering other results. I decided to come back to it again later.

And, as life does, it came back to me at a time I needed it most. Dealing with frustration, trying hard to control and detach from emotion...it was hard to breathe! And there they were. Like a key to finding peace of mind. I read them over and over thinking, how can I remember these in the future? So, I thought I would share them with you all.

In Buddhism, this is the Brahmaviharas: the Four Immeasureables. It is discussed in Yoga Sutra 1.33: "In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil."(maitri karuna mudita upekshanam sukha duhka punya apunya vishayanam bhavanatah chitta prasadanam)

To break the sanskrit down, I found this direct translation:

• maitri = friendliness, pleasantness, lovingness
• karuna = compassion, mercy
• mudita = gladness, goodwill
• upekshanam = acceptance, equanimity, indifference, disregard, neutrality
• sukha = happy, comfortable, joyous
• duhka = pain, misery, suffering, sorrow
• punya = virtuous, meritorious, benevolent
• apunya = non-virtuous, vice, bad, wicked, evil, bad, demerit, non-meritorious,
• vishayanam = regarding those subjects, in relation to those objects
• bhavanatah = by cultivating habits, by constant reflection, developing attitude, cultivating, impressing on oneself
• chitta = mind field, consciousness
• prasadanam = purified, clear, serene, pleasant, pacified, undisturbed, peaceful, calm

Enjoy.

(jaycie)

http://www.liberatevt.com/

Aug. 20 -21

Happy Summer

Happy 4th of July

Partner Yoga with Penny and Angela

Partner Yoga with Penny and Angela

Partner Yoga with Penny and Angela

Live Music Meditation – Yoga of the Jam

This Practice has been inspired by my own yoga and meditation practice as well as many live music experiences over the years. For those of you who have your own yoga practice and love to experience live music there is a great opportunity to extend your practice to your concert experience as well as take something back to yoga. As my own practice grows over time there is no other band that allows me to go deeper than Phish. I recently attended the Phish weekend festivities at SPAC on 6/19 and 6/20 for two amazing shows where i both lost my self to the jam and found my self within it.

What is it about Phish that draws so many fans and also is a great opportunity for deepening your meditation practice ? 1) Tension and Release – the ability to build the energy of a song, slowly release that energy just to come right back and go even higher. It is a full body experience, the band, the intensity, the sound, the crowd, smiling faces, dancing! It is a constant flow of your own energy as it rises and falls with each song throughout the entire show. 2) Extended Jam – The ability for the entire band to improvise together taking any song as a base, turning it into something unexpected and then somehow bringing you back. Jams lasting anywhere from 1 min to 20 min , a complete journey with many ups and downs. (Many other band also utilize these qualities and they are in no way limited to Phish alone)

If your at a Phish show or enjoying any live music experience, here is a practice of live music meditation:

You have two options for posture and i would encourage that you alternate between them spontaneously.

• Mountain Pose – Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Feel your feet root into the ground. Thighs reach back as tailbone scoops engaging Mula Bundha. Reaching out of your hips as your spine grows tall. Side body long, inner body bright. Shoulders reach back and apart then relax.
• Mindful Dancing – This is a dynamic pose that will be unique for every person. How ever you feel moved and what ever the music is asking of your body, Dance ! Begin to flow with the music. Follow its energy and rhythm, when the music is slow and soft move slow and soft, when the music is fast and raging move fast and raging. Allow there to be no judgment or comments on your movement, allow your self to dance as if no one were watching and you could care less even if they were. Be aware of every movement your body makes, staying present with your body not lost in your mind.

Normally while experiencing live music you would send your energy outward; screaming , clapping , throwing your hands in the air, singing, dancing (in a subtly different way than used in this practice), taking in the energy from the music and releasing it into the crowd. You also may come in and out of moments with mindfulness; one moment enjoying the full experience of the music, one moment internally judging if you are having a good time or not, one moment recalling an event from the past or daydreaming about the future. These moments happen very fast jumping from one thing to the next melding together creating your entire perceived experience.

In this practice you will take this energy and send it inward stabilizing it with mindfulness.

Begin in Mountain Pose. Bring your awareness to your physical body feeling a sense of relaxation comfort and ease. Let you body and breath settle in its natural state. Now bring your awareness to the sound of the music, let your eyes close and be completely engulfed in the sound. Open your eyes adapt to your surroundings , there may be hundreds of other people around you, stay calm and focused. Allow the external sound to merge with your physical body becoming aware of the music and the sensations that the music produces in your body. Naturally feel the music build on your inhale and fall on your exhale. Allow your breath to ride on the rhythm of the song. This experience will be the object of your meditation, the combination of the external sound and the internal physical sensations. Apply mindfulness to this object, as your mind begins to wander and comment or judge your experience notice that this is happening and bring your attention back. Allowing your thoughts to be in the background without grasping or aversion deepen your concentration on sound and sensation. As the energy begins to rise and fall notice what this does to your body with out actively “doing” anything. In the music let there just be the music. Where you normally would send your energy outward with a yell or motion notice this urge and contain the energy inward as you subtly begin to build inside. While the band is jamming follow the jam note by note staying mindful of every sound and every sensation that sound produces in your body. As the tension builds around you feel the stillness within as your energy also rises. When you reach a point where you spontaneously need to move break out of stillness into mindful dance.

As you finally begin to release some of your energy make sure that you stay mindful of your actions. Notice how easy it is to allow your body to dance but allow your mind to be bouncing from thought to thought. Once you are comfortable dancing and have your “home moves” which require no effort from your body to remember how to do, it is easy to be lost in thought. Notice when you are no longer mindful of your movement and bring your attention back to your physical body. Be aware of the position of your hands and feet in space. Break out of your pre-programmed “home moves” and allow your body to have a unique movement with every note that is played. Pick a instrument that is improvising in the jam, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, etc …. Focus your attention on that one instrument and allow your body to follow its every movement. Begin to improvise the dance its self as if you were just another instrument adding to the jam. Let the intensity of your movements flow with the intensity of the song. When you feel your energy reaching a low mindfully transition back to mountain pose recharging for the next jam. When the song is over as every one is clapping and screaming stand strong in mountain pose and soak in the experience and energy of the crowd.

Experiment with the flow from mountain to dance and back. Notice what it is like to fully experience the music with out losing focus, no judgment no comments. Bare sound and sensation facilitated by the band and the crowd. This is not so different from a yoga practice. Allowing your body to move and flow staying mindful of your actions and the quality of your thoughts. As with the dance practice, it is very easy to learn a yoga pose so well your body requires very little effort to maintain it. This is where your mind can begin to wander even though you are fully in the pose. When this happens become mindful, bring your attention back to the physical sensations of your body. Be aware of the position of your hands and feet in space. Send you energy inward, go deeper, one pointed awareness.

To learn more please join me at Liberate Music and Yoga Festival Aug 20 & 21 Live Music Meditation at Liberate

Feel the groove flow inwards and outwards and truly be free,

Danny