Sadhana

 

I can’t exactly pinpoint when my journey along a spiritual path began, but I can recall that I had moments of awe and inspiration from a young age when in nature. I was lucky to have a middle-class family who would go camping on our two-week summer vacations. Both art and science were needed to pack our canvas Coleman tent, gear, and specifically designed “camp box” into the back of our Ford station wagon for six people. Dad custom-built the camp box, which housed everything needed for cooking, and angled it into the tailgate of the car in order to maximize space. Once the camp list had been agreed upon and all loaded, we would head off to one of the many State and National Parks in California and the western United States. I remember coming face-to-face with giant sequoias, windy seashores, and the Grand Canyon and felt the moments of wonder they inspired. I often felt small amidst the giants and would climb onto anything climbable for a better look, perhaps to gain perspective. Nature, as it turns out would be my kind of church…holy, sacred, and connecting me into an inner remembrance of my place in the Universe.

This week’s theme is about the creation of our own spiritual path, called Sadhana. Sadhana is a Sanskrit term used to refer to a daily spiritual practice from the root sadhu, meaning “go straight to a goal”. Routinely applying mind, body, and spirit in the pursuit of a spiritual intention is the most natural and efficient way to surrender the ego, to find relief from suffering, and to attain peace. As practitioners of yoga, the thing that drives our practice is the combination of Seva (selfless service), sadhana (our individual spiritual path), and Satsang (community). And although we talk about sadhana within the context of the other two, it is completely an individual journey.

If you’ve been to India, you most likely saw “sadhus”, or holy men who have renounced the world in pursuit of spiritual liberation. They have few, if any, possessions, often have particular austerities, and live off of alms. One sadhu has held his arm above his head (yes, non-stop) for the past 43 years as a sign of devotion to Lord Shiva. It’s a practice of devotion and transcending the physical body. I, however, prefer a different path, not renouncing the world but living as a householder which means I have other things in my life besides devotion: possessions, an occupation, and a significant other. So the practice for the one-armed sadhu is not the path for ordinary me…yet, we both have our own journey underway.

Sadhana doesn’t have a particular dogma connected to it and it may change as you go through your life. I grew up in a Christian household and realized fairly early on that it didn’t resonate with me. Over time, I found things that did, particularly studying philosophy as part of my undergraduate degree and various daily practices began to send roots into my inner soil with deepening self-study and exploration into yogic philosophy, in particular, the eight-limbs of yoga. The eight-faceted path gave structure to practices that I could do and configure to the dynamics of my life, building on what felt right deep within.

Later in my life, it feels like I know the path along which I tread. I don’t know where it’s going, or what may unfold in the process, but I have identified myself as a spiritual being yearning to tap into my true self. When we know what calls us forth, we are able to create the steps needed to keep us aligned with our intention. What I do know, is that I want my path to be one that includes compassion and ease, as well as growth and trusting the unknown. I know that my daily rituals have a certain pliability to them, morphing as I change not only physically but mentally as well. I recognize that what worked in the past served and taught me well yet may not be what’s right for me today

As I project into the future, I know what continues to propel me along my personal path is how I can be of service, not only to my own needs but the needs of others. Additionally, it’s important for me to have the backbone of a community in which guidance and accountability are present. I trust that what you need to know will show itself to you. I trust that if you have a sense of your own “north star” no matter what steps you take, they will be the right ones for your own journey. Travel well, my fellow seekers!

Seva & Solstice

 

Something deep within me loves this time of year…and no, it’s not because of the gift-giving (which I do very little of), or the parties (which I rarely attend), or the looping songs of holiday cheer. It’s more visceral than that. The longer nights, the cold and often crisp mornings, the winding down of a calendar year are each throwing out an invitation to slow down, hibernate, and turn inward. I hear the calling and seem to be enjoying a deeper dive into my daily meditation practice and look forward to the next couple of weeks being quieter.

Several years ago, my husband and I started to mark and celebrate the Winter Solstice. Neither of us were embracing the traditions we were raised with and I was beginning to feel a bit “bah-humbug’ish” and wanted to find a way to connect to the beauty of the season-community and light. We decided to invite friends over for a potluck, light candles, and sing Kirtan-a call and response group gathering based in Indian folk music. At first, it was just recorded music and, over time, it evolved into my band-Jayne & The Om Boys playing live at the Desert Yoga Therapy studio, not only for the Winter Solstice, but eventually the Summer Solstice and both Equinoxes. In addition to the live Kirtans, we asked that people donate money to a chosen local charity. Over the past few years, we’ve raised tens of thousands of dollars and each time, the experience is unique based on who gathers together. It has become quite a tradition, that is, until this year where the 2020 global pandemic diverted our traditions and best-laid plans.

In the Northern hemisphere, we are approaching the darkest days and as we cross the Solstice in the next short while, the days will begin to lengthen and we will start to welcome the return of the light. Is there a more perfect metaphor for 2020 than moving from the darkness, challenges, and grief of 2020 to a more hopeful time with coming vaccinations and a return to opening up schools, businesses, and our ability to once again move around the globe? Moving from darkness to light?

Yet in some ways, it’s important to not oversimplify the darkness to light metaphor. In the Southern hemisphere, they’re approaching the Solstice and the opposite will be happening. Their long days of summer will begin moving toward the darkness, yet do they not feel a similar hopefulness that we do in the north? Take into consideration the yin/yang symbol, the two tadpole shapes, spooning into each other. One is white and the other black, yet within the white is a black circle and within the black a white circle. It tells us that even in the light, darkness is present and within the darkness, light is also present. The opposing energies co-exist at all moments no matter where we’re at in the cycle of the calendar.

As it relates to this past year, it hasn’t all been darkness and grief. I’ve had people express gratitude at being able to undertake their yoga practice in a way they never had previously. I’ve grown in my own ability to create content, share it, and teach in a way I never imagined. I have been dancing with my husband every night since March, bringing a new ritual of daily joy we never had previously. I have had deeper and often marathon conversations over Zoom with friends, even though I couldn’t be with them in person. And I’ve been able to undertake Seva, self-less service, throughout the pandemic, donating to our local food bank, and offering free weekly sessions to my yoga community.

During this time I am reminded of three things that help to bolster our yoga practice: Seva-service to others; Sadhana-walking our individual spiritual path; and Satsang-community of like-minds. I’ll be discussing Sadhana and Satsang in the next two weeks for a deeper understanding. No matter how challenging these dark times seem, we are still able to continue what’s important to us for connection, soul-evolution, and the betterment of humanity. It looks different to how it has in the past, but that’s the beauty of it…it didn’t go away, it simply changed form.

Seva asks the questions: How can I serve? How can I be of help? What do I need to serve myself in order to support others from a heart-centric place? I am reminded during these darker days of stepping into winter, to step into my practice and check-in. The quiet and stillness is a ripe time to ask the questions above and listen for what arises. I hear the call…do you?

Limited Resources

 

 

Water on the moon? Yes…they say they’ve found water on the moon…and a person from NASA was heard to ask the question, “Can we source the water on the moon?”

Two different conversations prompted my thought of the week about resources, both in the world and within ourselves. The first was on the Tapestry podcast where Robin Wall Kimmerer the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, was interviewed. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, her name will sound familiar as her writing has created a massive internal shift in my thinking and inspired many of the themes over the past couple of months. The second was in a conversation with three other friends and the idea of using our own inner resources arose. I initially had a glimmer of a connection between these two conversations and, as so often happens, it has evolved over the past few days into a much deeper thought process.

Kimmerer, from the Potawatomi tribe and a Ph.D. researcher in Botany has had to make sense of two seemingly divergent paths of thought. The Potawatomi see the totality and connection to the earth and its offerings, where trees, plants, and non-human animals are all seen as beings rather than objects or defined as “it”. Her science background delineates things into the non-mystical and empirical, with theories posited and either supported or not. Melding the two has created a dialogue of a greater appreciation of the living world. Kimmerer also describes her dislike of the words “natural resources” and instead prefers the term “the earth’s gifts”. She talks about the notion of “the honorable harvest” where you don’t take the first plant and you only take what you need. We all know that the earth, as a being, sustains our individual lives. Yet, so many of us have become unconscious as to the sources of our sustenance and take without thinking, often more than we need, and in a way that shows non-reverence from where it came.

If we apply the honorable harvest idea to our own inner resources, perhaps we begin to see the connection that we too, have limits. From a physical perspective, our body can only store a certain amount of energy within our cells in the form of glycogen, blood glucose, and fat stores. If we didn’t refuel the physical tank, we would “poop” out and be unable to continue our existence. We have limited emotional capacities and experiences with being able to experience only one emotion at a time (but perhaps different ones in rapid succession) and realize the fluid nature of emotions. Mentally, we have a limited tolerance, particularly as it relates to managing levels of stress that make their way into our daily lives. We all have a breaking point…not some endless reserve squirreled away within the deep recesses of our being.

Coming to the realization that many things we think to be infinite are actually finite begins to shift our relationship to them. All of us are finite in this human form. Everyone we know, including ourselves, will die. Yet, how often do we make choices as though the opposite is true? When we choose to mine the earth, continue the search for and drilling of fossil fuels or over-consume are we simply unconscious that these gifts from the earth are limited?

The moment I made the connection to why I get triggered in hearing about the potential of old-growth forests being cut down, or drilling into the Arctic wilderness, or tapping the water on the moon is that I realize that I am a microcosm of Mother Earth. What exists in her, exists in me, because of her! As I more deeply realize and embody the connection something within it becomes sacred. I begin to hold a deeper reverence for how the gifts of the earth not only sustain me but all beings upon it. If I can understand the honorable harvest within myself, knowing of my own sacred reserves, perhaps my outward actions will also shift.

The idea that what is here is for the taking is an outdated colonialist and capitalist way of thinking. I have been inspired to turn toward the ancient wisdoms and indigenous teachings in order to remember the sacredness of not only my own life but that of others. I’m hoping these insights inform my actions, and that my actions, in turn, honor rather than destroy the mother. And for that, I am humbled.

What Inspires You?

Just like the ebb and flow of the tide, my levels of inspiration are always in flux. Just prior to my summer eight-week hiatus I knew my energy was spent. And once on the break, I found I couldn’t bring myself to think about my yoga business for about six weeks…I was lacking inspiration. I thought that following a familiar pattern, I would step away from working for a bit and a rush of ideas would come flooding but they didn’t. A part of me wondered if I was entering a drought, the barren landscape of no fresh ideas. Yet, I also placed my trust in a process that has revealed itself to me time and time again…patience and faith. I have been fortunate to experience countless moments of inspiration and what I realized over the summer was that I had emptied my tank so completely that the first order of reigniting inspiration needed to begin by refilling my energetic well.

 

What this looked like was a complete release from having to be creative or make decisions, to truly step out of a business that can be all-consuming. Next, I needed to do things that connected me to the earth’s energy. The ocean, sand, the moon cycles, and many sunsets, as well as walking through redwood groves and along ocean cliffs, was the medicine my heart and soul had been craving. I found I was called to undertake subjects I’d been curious about studying so I enrolled in online courses on meditation, anatomical dissection, and back stabilization. I looked after my weary body and aching back by consulting with specialists and created a movement routine and adapted it to my daily practice. And, I allowed myself to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day…something I typically avoid when I’m working.

 

The result of this six-week reset was I began to see the percolation of ideas…they began to rise up and I had more clarity than I did six weeks prior. The spark returned and continued to grow as I created a new online workshop that has exceeded my expectations and sparked what was beginning to feel like an unfamiliar joy. At the beginning of one of the workshop classes, I posed the question “What inspires you? Where do you find inspiration?” and this week’s theme has been inspired by posing that simple question. As people shared their answers, common threads began to appear: nature, friends, music, art, and certain people.

 

My thought this week is more than what inspires us, but it’s the knowing of how to set up your environment to foster and cultivate the spark of creativity on a regular basis. Just as we do in Restorative Yoga, we set up the conditions to foster deep relaxation and can follow a similar model for fueling inspiration and generating new ideas.

 

When you know how to set up conditions, you begin to optimize more and more moments of inspiration. As you can see from above- rest, nature, and silence are what work for me. I’ve now written over 550 blogs and have been doing so since 2009. If I think about it, it’s quite astonishing that I can come up with something new or reinvented every week that I’m teaching. I never would have thought in 2009 that I would be more inspired now than I was back then, or that I would have been able to continue the process. But that’s exactly what it’s become…a method of creativity due to establishing a pattern of discipline about how to tap into the open and infinite space of possibility.

 

Eckhart Tolle says that creativity and inspiration arise during silence and I trust that to be true, so having a dedicated daily practice is one way in which conditions are set up to encourage revelations. I so believe that inspiration needs a channel of expression.  Otherwise, what’s the use of having great ideas but locking them away within ourselves? Creativity is a personal expression of who you are and a vehicle by which we share our purpose. It’s the voice we use to manifest the soul’s calling and share who we are in the world. And I know that each of us has something unique to express and offer to the rest of the world.

 

I have been inspired countless times by the conversations I have with people, particularly students to whom I have the honor to teach and interact with. For that I am thankful and I am excited to see what pops up next!