Monday, November 30, 2009

Surrounded


At class last week as I brought out the singing bowl I was surrounded by sweet souls - beginning their journey through life. I looked around and saw the expectant glow around the kids waiting to ring the bowl, waiting to have a chance at doing something fun...at being successful. All in a flash of seconds this ran through my head and I considered the idea that they are living
ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO.....

At the beginning of class we chant Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. The kids are hanging out - sitting in Mom's lap...doing whatever. So they hear and see us do this - week after week. One little girl (who came to class last week in full ballerina garb) told a relative "I say Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo when I don't feel good - and then I feel better". She is three years old. In class I let them know when we say those special words it is a way to feel better if we are sad or scared or frustrated. Ong Namo....is magic! Seriously!!

It is the key to the naad. (http://www.devsuroop.com/naad.html)

Kids are innately in tune with the Divine. Somewhere along the line it is us who lose our key and have to re-find it. Kids are right there. Once again - I am teaching the class but I am the student learning to live in the naad from my teachers - the little ones surrounding me waiting their turn to ring the bowl and say Ommmmmm.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Language of Yoga

A mantra is a syllable, word or phrase in one of the sacred languages (like Sanskrit and Ghurmukhi), and sometimes in English. Mantra is "The Yoga of the mind".

Sanskrit is a classical language of India. Major modern-day languages of India are derived from Sankrit, and many Sanskrit derivatives are found in other languages, including English. Punjabi is an Indian language which belongs to the outer-circle of the Indo-Aryan languages and is distantly related to English - being a member of the same Indo-European language family. It is a modern Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Punjab states of both India and Pakistan.

Remember this - Punjabi is language (what we speak). Gurmukhi is a script (how we write punjabi). I teach Mantra in ALL my classes. Now the 'meaning' of mantra is offered differently for children - to serve them at an age appropriate level. We sing a song (I am Happy - by Shakta Kaur Khalsa see Radiant Child.com) in my classes that includes English as well as Sanskrit. I let the kids know the Sanskrit comes from India and I let them know the 'meaning'.

So this morning one of the Moms sent me a message on Facebook which let me know the message behind the mantra made its way into Daniel's reality. As I have said before often times kids come to class and do not participate so it looks like they are not doing anything. Daniel has been coming to my class for years - not doing anything. But when the water hit the wheel Daniel looked within and relied on his own budding moral compass.

Here is the message from Miriam:

Thursday night Daniel found a bell from a cat toy and put in his mouth. I told him to take it out and he said he swallowed it. I called the doctor to find out if we should take him to the ER. While I waited for her return call I found the bell. Larry sat Daniel down for a conversation about lying to which Daniel replied, "and Wahay (sp?) Guru means I love the teacher inside of me." Larry looked a bit confused so Daniel told him, "Sat nam means I tell the truth and wahay guru means I love the teacher inside of me."


Sat Nam is a frequently-used mantra for meditation exercises and has become popularized by Kundalini yoga instructors. In Sanskrit, "sat" means "truth" and "nam" means "identity". There are many differing interpretations when you put the two together- some have given the following interpretation: “truth is my identity”. Other common interpretations include: "express the truth within you," "in name there is truth" and "the light shines in you"; light being a metaphor for truth. The words themselves have a soothing and centering quality due to their monosyllabic nature, similar to sounds made by babies.

Aum (or OM) is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined together, make the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. It is said to be the sound of the universe. What does that mean? Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us–that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Aum. We may not always be aware of this sound in our daily lives, but we can hear it in the rustling of the autumn leaves, the waves on the shore, the inside of a seashell.

Chanting Aum allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves–the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the beating of our hearts. As we chant Aum, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Who Am I?


I went to teach a class at Starbright Preschool (http://www.starbrightpreschool.com/) last week. I teach the little ones (18 months to 3 yrs) first. They are so precious! Quite often in classes with little kids they sit through the whole class - watching and absorbing what is done.
I have had kids in my classes for years and I have never seen them do yoga - but their Moms post pics of them doing the yoga at home! This always reminds me of the importance of being our radiant selves while in the presence of the kids. They form themselves from what they are exposed to in their worlds. I want to be grace-full and bright in their company...reflecting their essence back to them.

After the little ones, I teach the older kids (3-5 yr olds). As we shared our practice one little girl raised her hand and proceeded to tell me she has a REAL yoga teacher at home that wants to teach her yoga all the time. I responded with - that is great! I then offerred them a chance to look through their their 'wise-eyes' (gyan mudra around the eyes) to see what they could see.
We became dogs, bugs, snakes, and trees through our 'wise-eyes'.

Later as I drove away from the school I contemplated the opportunity to look through MY 'wise-eyes' to uncover what I could in the little girl's comment...I have a REAL yoga teacher at my house....
am I a REAL yoga teacher?
am I Real?
who am I?
Each question gave me a path deeper into myself. Over this week these questions have floated in and out of my consciousness, each time giving me the chance to know myself better.

And that is all yoga really is - a chance to know myself better.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Finding our way home


At the Crawler & Toddler class Friday (Yoga Yoga North Fridays 9:30) there were 13 adults and 13 kiddos - so there was a lot of kid action going on during class. Toward the end of class the adults did a meditation and the kids hung out with each other. As we settled into the practice (a meditation to develop patience) inhaling, exhaling..... one really cute social little girl stood in the center of the room saying 'BA' and then laughing at herself. It was ADORABLE. Soon another little girl toddled over ..... there they were in the center of the room ba-ing back and forth until a third little girl joined in. The laughter after the 'BA's was almost impossible to ignore.

I was sitting in front of the class encouraging the adults to keep the eyes 9/10 of the way closed focus on the tip of the nose & to let their attention come within themselves as much as possible. How was I supposed to compete with the live entertainment in the center of the room - those kids were funny and cute. Some of the Moms were chuckling after the laughter bubbled up in the middle of the room. We went about 5 minutes with the meditation; after which we all laughed and commented on the antics that had gone on during our practice.

So the joy of this is found in our ability to let our attention settle within ourselves. It isn't ALWAYS a negative or troubling event that draws our attention away from our inner Guru - sometimes it is an impossibly cute kid, a hilarious happening....whatever. And I am not suggesting ignoring your kids. What I am suggesting is you practice letting your attention live deeply within yourself, allowing your center to be within instead of outside of yourself. Parents sometimes find themselves so depleted they feel they cannot go on - they have allowed their center to leave their bodies so to speak (the 10 bodies are a Kundalini concept). Living outside of yourself leads to all kinds of problems - fatigue, anger, resentment. When we lose touch with the inner Guru (Guru Dev Namo) we are fortunate to have experiences such these to guide us home.

Yoga gives us the opportunity to find your way back to ourselves. When we are fed, strong, settled, living from that deep place of knowing (the inner Guru) we serve those around us from a foundation of grace.

'Ba' hehehe is the beginning to the path within - vibrate with your inner Guru. Find your peace.

Then let the laughter begin!