Looking for the Truth and Dolphin Watching

Every two years we take a special trip to a favorite vacation spot that we've shared with great friends for many years now. Siesta Key boasts a white sand beach, clear and calm water, and spectacular sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. I've been there many times and easily settle into the natural rhythm of the place. Every morning I wake up early with the birds and savor my beachfront yoga. On the first morning of our latest trip, I kept wondering if I was seeing dolphins playing off the shore. I wasn't sure because it was hard to distinguish dolphin fins from the little waves that cast dark shadows resembling dolphin fins and tales. On the second day, I found myself looking for those dolphins but still wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. On Wednesday morning, I reached high to the sky in mountain pose, brought my hands together in front of my heart and at the exact moment I opened my eyes and looked forward, a dolphin leaped out of the water and her glittering body showed me that she was quite present with me.

Even though I had that one moment of clarity, I still had a hard time determining between illusion and the true presence of the dolphins.... until Friday. On Friday the water was incredibly calm. I looked out on a flat ocean surface and saw at least 15 - 20 dolphins playing in the water. There was no doubt that those porpoises had a large presence during my morning yoga practice all week long but it had been hard to see the truth when the water was choppy.

In the moment that I realized the dolphins had been with me all week, I thought of one of the most popular yoga quotations used today.... "yogah cittavritti nirodhah." This is a "sentence" from a longer paragraph written by the ancient scholar Patanjali. His Yoga Sutra's begin....

Atha yoganusasanam
Yogah cittavritti nirodhah

The great yoga teacher BKS Iyengar translates the sanskrit phrase in this way....

With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.
Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.

The idea is that physical life can be very tumultuous. Every day we experience all kinds of things that make waves in our lives. Our feelings get hurt, our bodies experience break down and disease, our minds get scattered, and our nervous energy can wreak havoc on every part of our being. Yoga is a practice designed to help us feel more calm and clear so that seeing the truth in our experience of life and spirit is easy and joyful.

Although most people in the US associate yoga with physical postures, that is only a part of the practice. Patanjali laid out 8 limbs of yoga that include:

1. Yama :  Moral code
2. Niyama :  Personal observances
3. Asana :  Body postures
4. Pranayama :  Breathing exercises, and control of prana (life force energy)
5. Pratyahara :  Control of the senses
6. Dharana :  Concentration and cultivating self awareness
7. Dhyana :  Meditation on the Divine
8. Samadhi :  Union with the Divine

I think one of the easiest ways to help cultivate personal clarity is to practice being present in the moment, breathing steadily, and working to cultivate balance and harmony in the many aspects of your being. As always, I wish you well and Namaste!

The Venus Transit

Last evening the planet Venus passed between the Sun and the Earth. This event is one of those circumstances that from a short perspective seems completely random but with focus on the bigger picture it is clear that there is an amazing and intricate order to the universe. As I was looking for more inspiration for my yoga classes based on the Venus transit I came across quite a few really good articles. Just do a google search on the Venus transit and you'll come across all kinds of really cool science bits and soulful symbolic insights. I found Cathy Pagono's article on astrology.com to have the perfect blend of science and insight that always holds my attention.

Because the planes of Earth, Venus and the Sun are aligned, we get to see this rare transit of Venus, which happens only four times every 243 years. The spacing between these planetary meetings is very uneven: first it takes 121½ years to happen, then 8 years, then 105½ years, then 8 years again. The last transit occurred in June 2004 and after this June's planetary dance, there won't be another meeting for 105 ½ years, in December 2117. Venus naturally has an eight year cycle, forming a pentagram during its cycle. This is the planet that ancient astronomers used to measure our cosmos. So Venus is the measure of our solar system.

So scientifically the Venus transit across the sun sparked the question and provided the information needed to measure our solar system and like most natural events, people have added great symbology to it. Venus is the symbol for pure love and the feminine aspect of the divine. In Cathy Pagono's article she states clearly Venus' gift to us is Love. As Venus passes in front of the Sun she is "activated" by the potency of the sun's heat and light. This is recognized as a time of the feminine aspect of nature coming more to the forefront in order to bring a better balance to the patriarchal society that has dominated for so long.

If we think about this concept we can clearly see that the patriarchal system is crumbling apart all over the world! I've felt this in my personal life as well. As things have begun to settle I realize that the crumbling apart can also be viewed as the ground giving way to allow new growth. We can work to hold on to whatever it is that we've already created or we can surrender and allow the new growth to place naturally and gracefully.

In our individual beings we might hold on to patterns of movement or thought. We might hold on to old habits, ideals, or expectations that once served a purpose but are no longer functioning. I can't help but hold the famous quote by Joseph Campbell in my mind.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Check out the rest of Cathy's article here. I thought the last two paragraphs were very powerful and we'll be using them as food for thought in tonight's class.

If we lived in a society that looked to the heavens for meaning, June 5th’s second transit of Venus across the face of the Sun would rock the world as a sign of hope for the future. And there would be hope if enough people accept responsibility for letting Love lead the way. Imagine a world where Love was the basis for life’s decisions! Not an unconscious love, but Love as the awareness of our connection with everyone and everything, coming through our imagination and intuition. Love as a foundation for life’s choices and decisions based on a belief that what I do to another I do to myself. Love places us back in the cycle of Life, where we are one and whole.

 That belief is the polar opposite of patriarchal thinking, which configures us as separate and imperfect. Every man for himself! Even though patriarchy has tried to suppress the more feminine right brain holistic view of life, women are often quite adept at operating out of both brains, basing their decisions on right brain connective love and using the left brain to make it so. It actually works quite well! This transit is attuned to our right brains, so ask your analytical left brain to stand down, open to your imagination and see what you discover.

Leaving with Grace ~ My Anusara Resignation Letter

Dear John (or whom it may concern?),

It is with a full heart that I resign from Anusara-(circle-r).  I held out as long as I could in good conscience. I was hopeful that Anusara could move forward with integrity. As so much of the inner business workings have been revealed, I realize that my current of grace is clearly flowing in a different direction and so I must go.

I stayed as long as I did out of respect for the method that DID bring so much goodness, light, health, and happiness into my life. I stayed out of respect for you too. You brought Anusara to life. In doing that you helped so many people in so many ways. I will be forever grateful for the experience that was Anusara at it’s best. I experienced a positive transformation in my own life and was inspired to teach so that I could help others also experience greater joy in their own being.

I am most saddend by the fact that it appears that you were perpetuating the very things that so many people were trying to heal from. Behind closed doors you were dividing rather than uniting. I don’t believe you were alone in creating “the debacle.” I’m not here to blame or judge but I do believe you had many opportunities to stand up, take responsibility in a more public way, apologize, and do something real to make amends. Without you even asking, I forgive you. I can do this because through Anusara you helped me plug into my heart. I just wish you hadn’t lost the connection to yours.

With gratitude, forgiveness, and hope for healing,

Kathleen Noble