Welcome to the Living
Practice – January 2003
▪ Past Issues of the Living
Practice
▪
Editor’s Letter with Megan McCarver
▪ Buddhist Prayer Before Practicing
Excerpt from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
▪ How to Lead a Spiritual Life or
How to be Spiritual – Jnanayoga (Article 5) – by Neel Kulkarni
▪
The Sanctuary of
Our Practice by Arun Deva
▪
Healthy Habits by Megan McCarver
▪
The Many Healing
Properties of Cumin by Venkat and Christine Machiraju
▪
Music Review by Megan McCarver
▪ A Note From YogaEverywhere
▪ Yoga Classified
Happy
New Year to all Supporters of the Living Practice!
This January to me has a remarkable feeling of relief and
assurance. After more than ten years of living in Santa Monica, the yoga paradise
in the west coast, my husband – Gary, my daughter
– Rose, and our
loving pup – Wanda and I, are witnessing
that “Wherever you go yoga is everywhere” by moving 70 miles south to beautiful
Dana Point, California.
In our short time in the local community, I’ve already
connected with a thriving Vini-Yoga community that gathers at Headlands Yoga in the
In any move there is tension, anxiety and sore muscles … it
great to know that when the boxes are unpacked and the altars are set up … your
practice can continue. New friends and new community abound … all you have to
do is go out and find it. Yogi Beara said “You never
know what you’ll find until you take the time to look”. I may have missed or
added a word but the sentiment is there. Look around. It’s a new year … you’ll
never know what you will find. My hope is that whatever it may be … it will
bring you joy, it will bring you peace, and most of all it will bring you
community.
Wherever this eNewsletter may find you, pause and witness
the authentic flow of nature that facilitates “organic energy release”... ie, relief! Pay
attention to the positive opportunities always spiraling around you. After all,
Yoga is every where!
Thank you for all your loving devotion and continued support
of the Living Practice eNewsletter,
megan and gary mccarver
PS. Be sure to visit Yoga Everywhere’s
growing collection of teaching quotes and inspirational thoughts!
A Buddhist
Prayer Before Practicing
By the power and truth of this practice:
May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness
May all beings be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which
is sorrow less
And may all live in equanimity with out too much attachment
and too much aversion
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.
-The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Spirituality Article 5 - How to Lead a Spiritual Life or How to
be Spiritual
– Jnanayoga by Neel Kulkarni
Salutations to Lord Ganesha.
In the 'Spirituality - Article 1' (posted in January's
Living Practice2002 , we saw what is meant by Spiritual Life or
Spirituality. Then, in the ‘Spirituality – Article 2’ (posted in April's
Living Practice2002, we started with ways of actually leading a
spiritual life and stated certain salient features of them. Then, in the
‘Spirituality – Article 3’ (posted in August's
Living Practice2002 ), we saw one one
specific way of Spirituality, called as ‘Rajayoga’. And, in the ‘Spirituality –
Article 4’ (posted in the Living
Practice Winter2002), we saw the specific way called as ‘Karmayoga’. In this article, we shall see another
specific way, called as ‘Jnanayoga’.
Once a person truly realizes existence of the Spirit and develops an intense
desire to realize it, he or she takes up one of the paths as a main path
depending on the person’s nature. A person of intellectual pursuit or one who
likes know something takes up Jnanayoga or the path
of knowledge.
The word ‘Jnana’ in the Sanskrit has three aspects; 1. ‘Jnata’
meaning the person who has desire of knowledge and who does the action of
obtaining it. 2. ‘Jneya’ meaning the subject of
knowledge. 3. ‘Jnana’ meaning the action of obtaining knowledge and the result
of obtaining it.
The nature of ‘Jnata’ varies as follows. Initially it
is ‘Buddhi’ meaning the intellect, then it is ‘Ahamkaar’ meaning the ego, and finally it is ‘Drashtu or Atma’, meaning the
individual soul. Similarly, the nature of ‘Jneya’
varies as follows. Initially it is ‘Bhautik’ meaning
the knowledge
of things obtained using five senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, and
taste). Then it is ‘Daivik’ meaning the
knowledge obtained using extrasensory perception. And, finally, it is ‘Atmik’ meaning the knowledge of Spirit, which is Spirit
itself. Again, the nature of ‘Jnana’ varies as
follows. Initially it is ‘Baudhik’ which is the
intellectual knowledge. Then it is ‘Vaidnanik’
meaning the experiential knowledge with experience of variety. And finally
it is ‘Spiritual’ that is experiential knowledge with experience of oneness of
all existence.
The nature of tool for path of knowledge varies as follows. Initially it is ‘Vichar’ meaning thinking. Then it is ‘Vivek’
meaning discrimination between good and bad. And finally, it is ‘Atmanaatmavivek’ meaning discrimination between the
permanent and the changeable. And, the nature of the action of obtaining the
knowledge is to discard what is found wrong.
This is called as ‘Neti Neti’
meaning ‘Not this way, Not this’ as mentioned in the Vedas.
The path of knowledge is always mixed with the path of action. Because, the action of obtaining the knowledge is always present as
the minimal action.
Neel
Kulkarni, born in
The Sanctuary
of Our Practice by Arun Deva
On that
hardwood floor as the morning breaks
The first
seated breath and the settling in
The weight
drops low, just an anchor now
And the
heart rises, taking its role as mind.
This then,
a sanctuary, as the world becomes small
Smaller
than the space in a room so quiet
Students
trickle in and the breath is multiplied
Energy
sheds its clothes and reveals: tranquility.
Some simple
words, the first revealing stretch
The breath
moves deeper and suddenly you know
Yes, Prana is so much more than a breath
It is
communication unraveled, from cell to cell.
This Prana moves from teacher to student
The room
infused, the practice takes shape
The breath
stays soft, stays deep, stays strong
The poses
interlink, pause and flow, all currents.
From
sitting to standing to backbends to sitting
All cycles
begin and end in each other, one life
All lives
are expressed and all matter shows its energy
All moments
in this moment, take this room with you.
This
sanctuary, make it your life,
This world,
make it your room
With the
hardwood floors
With the
settled breath communicating
Always peace, always peace.
Arun is an Ayurvedic Practioner and yoga therapist/ teacher
specializing in Ayur*yoga. Originally from
Healthy Habits by Megan McCarver
Hi there YogaEverywhere
viewers ... if you have not already incorporated this in to you life style, try
it for thirty days and may it become a healthy "habit" you’ll want to
keep!
Relax,
relax and relax… feel relief and then relax even more. In
Generally,
we tend to be an over tired & depleted population. It is not required to
quit your job and work at a retreat center. Perhaps you could squeeze in five
minutes every day for relaxation such as a mini-Sivasana.
If you cannot lie down to rest, maybe it is a poetry or meditation book at
lunch time. Perhaps it is just turning off your monitor, sitting back in your
chair, closing your eyes and “taking five”. Even reading the comics from the
local paper can be quite relaxing.
I highly recommend this CD for relaxation …Relaxmore is designed to help release blocked energy,
surrendering layers of deeply held stress and tension. When practiced
frequently, deep relaxation leads to improved health, increased energy, clarity
of thought, inner balance, restful sleep and more. www.cdbaby.com/cd/pransky
Megan is the founder and
creator of www.YogaEverywhere.com and editor of The Living Practice. She makes her home and practice in Dana
Point, California. She teaches yoga in your home and in corporate settings. Her
specialty is introducing people to the yoga community and working with the
spiritually matured seniors.
The Many
Healing Properties of Cumin by Venkat and Christine Machiraju
Cumin is a herb that is indigenous to most parts of
Cumin for
the Teeth and Mouth:
Roasted
cumin seeds can be eaten freshen the breath.
Chewing
roasted cumin seeds can also heal soars in the mouth and reduce excess saliva.
Cumin for
the Urinary System:
Boiling a
teaspoon of cumin in a glass of water to make a tea cures problems in the
urinary tract, cleans the bladder and kidneys.
Cumin and
fenugreek when combined together also help to keep the prostate healthy and
reduce problems in the male and female reproductive organs and urinary systems.
Cumin for
Fatigue and General Aches and Pains:
A teaspoon
of cumin boiled in water reduces pain in the body and acts as a natural sleep
aid for those who have difficulty falling asleep.
Cumin for
Women:
Cumin tea
is very useful for pregnant women during the last month of pregnancy as it
helps to ready the uterus for labor and makes for an easier delivery.
Cumin, fennel
and fenugreek help to support the female system during menstruation and
menopause.
Cumin for
the Common Cold:
Cumin tea
can be drunk to reduce the symptoms of common cold and sore throat.
Cumin helps
to remove excess phlegm and is thus good taken during allergy season or at the
onset of a cold.
Cumin for
the Digestive and Immune systems:
Cumin helps
to regulate bowel function and can help to stop diarrhea by eating it with a
bit of sugar candy. Cumin and fennel combined in equal parts and chewed or
boiled as a tea help to promote digestion. Combined with turmeric and
peppercorn it becomes a very good digestive aid and immune booster. Cumin can
be chewed after a meal to promote digestion and reduce stomachache.
Venkat
and Christine use the sciences of Ayurveda, Vedic
astrology and Yoga to help people enhance their lives. Venkat
and Christine also create herbal formulas to help people move toward natural
and holistic living. journeytothesoul@accesscomm.ca
http://users.accesscomm.ca/journeytothesoul/
Music Review
Appropriate music during your yoga practice should not
demand your attention nor should it distract you from your breath. Music to
enhance your practice should stabilize your attention and support your breath.
Here is this month’s pick for your yoga practice music collection.
Sky Kisses Earth is a timeless musical
journey blending rich Eastern melodies played on celestial instruments like
Sitar, Bamboo Flute, Harps and Keyboards. It is a CD I listen to over and over
and over and over yet again. The CD brings a soothing harmony rich with rhythm
and spiritual intention. I highly recommend it for listening, teaching and
practice!
Name of CD: Sky Kisses Earth
By: Prem Joshua
A Note From YogaEverywhere
Dear Life
Practice Contributor,
“One practice that many have talked
about and that I want to follow at this time is the practice of gratitude. My deepest thanks for your participation. Best wishes for
2003.” - Steve
Lawler
Please continue to share your emails, teachings, articles and insights with YogaEverywhere and her viewers. Currently YogaEverywhere.com does not pay for articles submitted, but know that The Living Practice touches many lives each month and you will be doing great service to yoga practioners everywhere. Please try to keep submissions under 300 words and include a short biography (3-4 sentences long).
Recommended
websites from Saurabh with regards for viewers interested in yoga and
http://www.geocities.com/saslekh/
- best books out of
http://www.geocities.com/webyatra/
- travel info to