Main Line Sutras

compostie paintings, composite goddesses

2010-07-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I like these 'composite paintings' from 18th century india. It reminds me of a composite Durga that my friend Dave game me once. Durga was created from the power and the energy of all the Gods. All of the shakti combined made her powerful enough to destroy the evil buffalo demon, Mahiasura. It would be interesting to know if there is any relationship between the Hindu Myth, and these Mughal Paintings.
I found this painting, and many more, on "Journey Round My School"

Also, for your enjoyment, here is a traditional version of "The Mahiasura Mardini Stotram" a song the celebrates Durga as the Fierce Warrior who defeats the Buffalo Demon. Those of you who go to Amma's programs will probably recognize it, it is a favorite.

Fertility Awareness Method of birth control

2010-06-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

someone showed me this really interesting PDF about 'the fertility awareness method of birth control. i gave it a google, and this is what came back:

Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is a collection of practices that help a woman know which days of the month she is most likely to get pregnant. A woman can learn when ovulation is coming by observing her own body and and charting physical changes. She can then use this information to avoid or encourage pregnancy. The most effective way to discover YOUR fertile time is to practice all of the techniques described here.

Fertility Awareness increases a woman’s understanding of her body and her menstrual cycle.

from FABC

Here is ths Downloadable PDF, a really neat document.

Pralad Jani Passes the test!

2010-06-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

After 15 days of investigation, India’s Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences concluded its study of 82-year-old yogi Prahlad Jani on Thursday, May 6.

Jani, who claims to have lived without food or water since his childhood, was under the close watch of three video cameras 24 hours a day. Researchers conducted various medical tests on him. The research team, consisting of 35 scientists, could not find any evidence that Jani ate or drank anything during the 15 days.

From the Epoch Times

First Article is here

Lemon Pickles

2010-05-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last week was a crafty week, i decided to make both lemon pickle and saurkraut. Saurkraut I've made before and find totally delicious, but I haven't made lemon pickle before. Arsha Vidya makes a slammin version, but it never occured to me that I could make it myself. However,I found a recipe online and decided to try it out. Funny thing is, is that now that this recipe is on my mind, lemon pickle is popping up everywhere! I just found a second method, which looks great as well.

Although it certainly needs a little more time, i tasted it yesterday, and it is coming along really nicely. here are the two sites: (you'll love the website names)

Salt and Fat
Evil Mad Scientist

Karma, Shakti, Mantra

2010-05-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to learn this Ganesha Mantra from the Rig Veda for several years now, it has always struck me as being a chant that really conveys and connects with Ganesha Shakti. For some reason, it has always escaped me. I would try to learn it, and try as I might, it would slip through the cracks of my mind. I would put it on the back burner, and when I would later come back to it, I would experience the same frustration. For some reason, earlier this week, it clicked for me. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but I suppose that isn't for me to know. It might have been the time spent with the book 'Loving Ganesha' (link below), but I can't say for sure. I'm going to chalk it up to karma, and shakti. Like our Old Friend Krshna says in the Bhagavad Gita, 'No effort on the path is wasted'. So keep on practicing.

I hope you enjoy the above video, its not exactly the melody or tempo that I use, but it sure is pretty.

Gananam tva ganapating havamahe
[traditionally chanted ganapati gm]
kavinkavinam upamashravastamam,
jyeshtharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata
a nah shrinvan nutibhih sida sadanam

Mantra Text from the Himalayan Academy

Also, This book is a fabulous resource

Breatharian Sustained by The Goddess

2010-05-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Mr Jani, who claims to have left home aged seven and lived as a wandering sadhu or holy man in Rajasthan, is regarded as a 'breatharian' who can live on a 'spiritual life-force' alone. He believes he is sustained by a goddess who pours an 'elixir' through a hole in his palate. His claims have been supported by an Indian doctor who specializes in studies of people who claim supernatural abilities, but he has also been dismissed by others as a "village fraud."

The Article is Here

Really interesting ceremony at the border of India and Pakistan

2010-03-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently, one can't cross the border from India into Pakistan. The gate only opens for this ceremony.

The Accidental Private

2009-12-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am teaching a relatively new class at Yoga on Main, in Manayunk. Its Friday at noon. For the past several weeks, this calss has presented itself as private class. One student shows up, and we really have a delightful time working very deeply. Every week, I have been blessed with a very special student; an old friend, a fellow yoga teacher, a mother/daughter combo. It's been rewarding. So, I'd like to encourage you to stop by, and take your chances, perhaps it will just be us, and it can be all about you.

Alchemical Prayers

2009-12-07T11:09:00.001-08:00

As we know, the work of yoga is an alchemical work. We cultivate our Shakti in order to dissolve the gross substance of our mind and ego into the nectar of blissful consciousness. For the most part, I enjoy sticking close to the teachings of the eastern yogis, and meditate on their approach to this process, and contemplate their metaphors. Occasionally, I come a little closer to home, and explore what the western occultists, and Hermetic Alchemists have to say. Usually, I find some Jewels.
I would first like to introduce you to the term 'Hermetic', in case you are not familiar with it already. Hermetic refers to a school that traces its lineage to a great master, The Great Master, named Hermes Trismegistus. (Trismegistus = Thrice Blessed, or SHRI SHRI SHRI!) Hermes, as most of us know, was the Scribe of the Gods. He is considered to be the God of Language, Writing, Wisdom, and Alchemy. Many legends place him all over Greece, Egypt, and surrounding areas, and he is said to have instructed the Great Patriarch, Abraham. From then until now, countless practitioners have poured over his teachings and put them into practice in their lives. These mystics refer to themselves, and their lineage, as Hermetic.

Recently, it was my karma to come across a text, outlining the seven major hermetic principles. It is called "The Kybalion", and it is only 8 bucks, and if you like, you can order it here: The Kybalion. The first of these principles, is that there is a Universal 'ALL'. This all is considered to be Universal Living Mind. This All, of course, is in All, right? Universal Mind permeates all reality, and all the contents of reality, all the laws of reality, and every cell of our body. Here is a neat quote:

"While All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in All. To one who truly understands this has come great knowledge."-The Kybalion

Although, i wouldn't say that this is an exact parallel of the Vedic ideas of Brahman (universal soul) and Atman (Individual soul), it calls them to mind. It brings forth the memory of our connection to something great, and that indeed, universes reside within us. To sit and feel both; that I exist within a great universal consciousness, and that a great universal consciousness is available within me, this creates a great sense of peace, happiness, and clarity. I recommend it, highly.

Digging around the internet produced a beautiful treasure, "The Secret Song of Hermes Trimegistus". This song, illustrates this idea, and also empowers us to feel our own divine qualities (Atman) while praising these divine qualities in THE ALL(Brahman). I'll post a short quote from it, but perhaps read the entire thing: here The Secret Song sit with it for a time, and let it reveal itself to you.

"O all ye Powers that are in me, praise the One, and All.

Sing together with my Will, all you Powers that are in me.

O Holy knowledge, being enlightened by thee, I magnify the intelligible Light, and rejoice in the joy of the Mind."

Please Enjoy Responsibly.

A good weekend for music

2009-12-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

It was an excellent weekend for music, of all kinds.

on Saturday night I went to see my ole Baba, Bhagavan Das, and chant the night away at Yoga on Main

Baba's main message, which I really appreciate, is the preciousness of human life. How easy to lose and how difficult to obtain. The importance of making the most of it, when you have it.
It was powerful times, as energy swirled, and subtle channels opened, and knots untied, and karmic residue came to the surface to find acceptance and release. Of course, as the fates would have it, Sally ended up two cushions away, and although there wasn't any eye contact or communication, the proximity added an extra electric charge to jolt my system. Challenging, but healing.
The next day, I came back to YOM to do Baba's Nada Yoga Workshop. Really it was a 3.5 hour Bhutta Shuddhi practice, chanting and purifying the chakras with mantras and visualization. I experienced some wonderful insights, and energetic openings. I wished it went on all day, and has inspired me to practice Bhutta Shuddi more on my own.

Sunday night, I was invited to see a guy named Grayson Capps.

His wife is producing David's new CD, and I got a text asking me would I let him crash the night at my place. I hauled myself down to olde city, and climbed the stairs to the tin angel, was really, really happy to watch and listen to this guy. Gritty Country Blues always moved me deep in my soul, and mad me proud to be an American. Grayson, indeed, made me proud to be an American. His songs told the story of an America untouched by time, pure and true, stories that sound like they were left to age in an old mason jar that still has a little moonshine in the bottom. And so many songs of heartbreak and loss, songs that made me feel less alone in my own secret pain. "There are some scars that just never heal," he told me after the show, "not much you can do except have a sense of humor about it." And speaking of which, this one is hilarious. He makes a good case.

And just because good things come in threes, I was gifted this really nice Jazz CD in the local book store today. Philadelphia is home to Hip Cinema's Nadine Patterson. Nadine is working on a film featuring a local Jazz musican, Warren Oree. The soundtrack is really enjoyable, and here is a clip and the description of the film.

Ancestral echoes of the Middle Passage reverberate through the upright bass handed down through three generations of the Montgomery family. Each generation deals with conflicts between dreams deferred, and the unfinished business of the past. Grandmom Mozelle was a pioneer in an all women’s band in the 1940’s, but she gave up her musical passion to raise her family in a segregated America. Her son Casey became a revolutionary of the 60’s and 70’s and used music to voice the ideals of the Black Power Movement. Upon his passing his daughter Zera finds herself ill at ease, struggling with her own issues of family, career and music, but also being pulled by something else. Where does this music come from? What is this music really about? Whose cries do we hear across time and space? Do we dare to listen? Do we dare to be healed?

So, that's the week in music, Enjoy!

a short story

2009-11-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

I entered a writing contest this evening. 100 words. the theme "found in space"
enjoy!

“Why isn’t the kettle boiling yet?” he thought, cold, thirsty. Walking into the next room, he saw his error; shiny fire hissed from an uncovered burner, the teapot sat, tepid, behind it. He laughed, moved the pyrex over the heat, and watched that pot until it boiled. Tea made, he ambled over to his cushion, sat down in front of candles and incense, closed his eyes. As he breathed, the walls of his cranium dissolved. The space inside his mind flowed out , and the universe poured in. In the middle of all of creation, he found himself.

Happy Halloween - Zen Pumpkin

2009-10-30T08:11:00.001-07:00

Actually painted by a child, not a grizzled old zen master

from here

Tantra Reading : The Radiance Sutras

2009-10-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

When I was at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree last month, i met a man named Lorin Roche. He was a scholar and meditation teacher, and had spent several years working on a beautiful, poetic, practical, and accessible version of The Vijnana Bhairava tantra. The vbt is a delightful text that outlines powerful meditation techniques that can be used both on and off the mat, and allow one to see the sacred in all phenomenon. I really enjoyed meeting him, and taking his workshop, and I really enjoy the text. In fact, I used a reading from it in the wedding I performed just recently.

Be Wildly devoted to someone, or something.
Cherish every perception.
At the same time, forget about control.
Allow the Beloved to be itself and to change.

Passion and compassion, holding and letting go,
This ache in your heart is holy.
Accept it as the rise of intimacy
With life's secret ways.

Devotion is the Divine Streaming through you
From that place in you before time.
Love's energy flows through your body,
Towards a body, and into eternity again.
Surrender to this current of devotion
And become one with the Body of Love.

So check him out, he has alot of fantastic readings on his website, which i have been enjoying very much
http://www.lorin roche.com

Timothy Leary's Tao Te Ching

2009-10-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

I am reading a fantastic book.

They recently republished Timothy Leary's version of the Tao Te Ching, "Psychedelic Prayers". (Psychedelic Prayers: And Other Meditations (Leary, Timothy)
) I had an old version once, but I gave it to Paulie Zink. I was without one for a while, because I didn't feel like spending $50 on a old tattered printing from the 60's. But It's back again, and I found one on ebay for 8 bucks. it has some extra stuff in the back that is wonderful too.
Tim wrote his version while in india, studying with a Buddhist Lama and a Vaishnava Monk. He had nine different english translations, and carefully crafted his version based on his readings and 'meditations' (wink, wink). He writes it as a guidebook for a psychedelic experience, and gives it a clear beginning, middle, and end. The result is an elegant and transformational text, one suitable for any voyager of consciousness. any one who "floats through the universe of the body, without getting lost". It works really well as a guide through yoga or meditation practice as well.

Here is a verse, it focuses on impermanence. I've been really into impermanence lately. Its a good thing to get a handle on. nothing fancy, its simplicity holds it beauty.

I - 5

All Things Pass

All things pass

A sunrise does not last all morning

All things pass

A cloudburst does not last all day

All things pass

Nor a sunset all night

All things pass

What always changes?

Earth...Sky...thunder...
Mountain...water...
wind...fire lake...

These change

And if these do not last

Do man's vision's last?
Do man's illusions?

During the session
Take things as they come

All things pass

****

and this one has been my favorite for a very, very long time.

VI - 17

Walk Carefully When You Are Among

"holy men" and
"righteous" deeds
Distract from the internal

"Learned men"
Distract from
Natural wisdom

Professional know-how
Addicts people to the contrived
And the external

Be respectful and compassionate
But walk carefully when you are among-
learned men
holy men
doctors
government officials
reporters
publishers
professors
religious leaders
psychologists
rich men
social scientists
women with beautiful faces
artists and writers
men who
charge fees
city men
movie makers
men who want to help you
men who want you to help them
Christians and Jews

For such as these
However well meaning
Place you on their chessboard
Addict you to their externals
Distract you from the
TAO within

The lesson of the TAO is more likely to be found among-
gardeners
hermits
mountain men
smiling eccentrics
men who build their own homes
children
parents who learn from their children
loafers
amateur musicians
serene Psychotics
animals
men who look at sunsets
men who walk in the woods
beautiful women
cooks
men who sit by the fire
wanderers
men who make bread
couples who have been in love for years
unemployed men
smiling men with bad reputations

Psychedelic Prayers: And Other Meditations (Leary, Timothy)

turn off your mind, relax and float down stream.....

Love....

daniel

360 degree sarvangasana

2009-10-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

How cool is this shot of the sunset, a 360 degree Panorama from Yoga in Daily Life seminar in Umag, Croatia with Swami Maheshwarananda.

Umag Asanas At Sunset in Istria

more images here

Google Image Search

2009-09-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

sometimes when you search for "chakras" with google images, sometimes you get this.

from this website

Iyengar Yoga Joke

2009-09-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Q. How many Iyengar yogis does it take to replace a light bulb?
A. Only one !

BUT, they will need:
a sticky mat
a backless chair
two blocks
five blankets
a bolster
six ropes
two belts
six assorted benches
a bandage
a slant board
two quarter rounds
three weights
one wooden horse
a certificate

Adorned By Moonlight: Prayer of the Great Bliss Queen

2009-09-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

subdue the vagaries of mind. excellent.

Question and Answer

2009-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Question (from c):
Just wondering from other peoples experiences.... is it good/bad to use yoga as a vice?
I think its what I might have been doing last month (though there was also a 30 day challenge going on at the studio) and things were great! I was feeling so good.
but I'm taking some time away from the studio this month with work/school/moving and my life seems to be falling apart.

Short answer:
We call it a daily practice. It is no more a vice than brushing your teeth. Try not brushing your teeth for a month, and see what happens.

Longer Answer:

This is where the buddhists really seem to have some insight that isn't felt as fully in the yoga community.
For the buddhists, the purpose of practice is the relieve the individual, and all beings everywhere of the suffering caused by the neurotic, conditioned mind. That is pretty much the whole deal. there is no promise of a 'yoga butt', no promise of a stronger back, or more flexible hips. It focuses on the fact that we are tortured by our minds, all of us, and the only way out is through consistent practice. The mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you don't take serious time to train it, it will probably be the latter.

Patanjali says something similar too, in Yoga Sutra 1.14

When yoga practice is done for a long time, without a break, and with sincere devotion, then the practice becomes a firmly rooted, stable and solid foundation.
(sah tu dirgha kala nairantaira satkara asevitah dridha bhumih)

If you can't go to class, i suggest taking 10 minutes and doing just a little bit on your own. nothing extreme, just a warm up, a sun salutation or two, just to keep it loose.

music video with scorpion pose!

2009-07-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

this truly bizarre music video by "The Avalances" features a girl doing scorpion pose. in the background, you can also see her in Urvha Dhanurasana. Enjoy!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Spider-Ganesha

2009-06-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

link

june theme of the month, 14 hugs

2009-06-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

14 Hugs Every Day!

This month's theme is simple and pure! More Hugging!
In four parts:

1) When we were at our retreat in the Poconos, in April, there was a lovely Ayurvedic Phychologist, teaching another group of students. One of the teachings she was offering, was that 14 hugs per day was the recommended amount for best mental and emotional health. (I tried googling this to find a source, but to no avail!)

2) Amma is now in America, hugging up all of the Americans! Amma (pictured above) pours love into all who come to her, wrapping her arms around folks, and filling them up with kindness and understanding. This is something that we can all practice. Easy!

3) In "Peace is Every Step" Thich Naht Hahn says

"Hugging is a beautiful Western custom, and we from the East would like to contribute the practice of conscious breathing to it. When you hold a child in your arms, or hug your mother, or your husband, or your friend, if you breathe in and out three times, your happiness will be multiplied at least tenfold." (source)

4) Feel free to start by practicing with me!

picture courtesy gothamayurveda.com

Happy Birthday John Friend!

2009-05-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have been following John Friend on twitter (@anusarafriend). He's an interesting enough guy, has a sucessful yoga brand, (Anusara Yoga), and enjoys tantric teachings. I found out, on twitter, from @dailyd, that today is his 50th birthday. So, Happy Birthday, John Friend! I haven't studied with him, nor have I been particularly drawn to Anusara, but I totally love that he teaches yoga in an authentic way that really speaks to lots, and lots of people. I am happy to live in a world with him in it. I wish him a very long life.
Also, I discovered on twitter, that there is a slideshow honoring him. This is a sweet thing to do for someone on their birthday. It was put together by Bill Tipper, who is an extremely talented photographer, whose work I have only been introduced to today. His pictures are so lovely and evocative. His pictures of John are so sweet and intimate, that all of a sudden, I feel drawn to study with him.
This is why I like twitter. All in one quick swoop, I get introduced to so much greatness, truth, and beauty. You can follow me, btw, @sitaramdas.

You are brilliant. The earth is hiring

2009-05-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

julie forwarded this to me.

It is a commencement speech by a guy named Paul Hawken. He is a brilliant Enviornmentalist and Educator, as well as a Green Entrepreneur. I found it pretty inspiring. I really appreciate inspiration. If I don't do my yoga practice, or if I surround myself with the wrong sort of media and entertainment, I can start to get depressed. This is a powerful call to action, and it is uplifting as well. Here is a pretty good excerpt. If you'd like to read the rest of it, its here.

This planet came with a set of operating instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, and don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food - but all that is changing.
There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING. The earth couldn’t afford to send any recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.

If you'd like to read the rest of it, its here