The Law of Intention and Desire

In the beginning there was desire, which was the first seed of mind

Hymn of Creation, The Rig Veda

Every yoga class I teach starts with setting of intention.  I invite my students to close the eyes and rest their awareness on the heart before asking themselves what is it that  they need from the practice.  As they are listening to their bodies for ques and messages, I close my eyes and set my intention for the class I am about to teach…

How powerful are our intentions?

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That’s the topic of our next class in Seven Spiritual Laws of Success series: The Law of Intention and Desire.

Lynne McTaggart,  the author of “Intention Experiment” talks about the science behind our thoughts and intentions.

The mantra for the Law of Intention and Desire is :

Om Ritam Namah

My Intentions and Desires are supported by the Universe

The Law of Intention and Desire is lively in your third chakra – Manipura – located at your solar plexus. This Law reminds us to be clear about our intentions – the process of manifesting our desires is first to bring them into our consciousness, expand our awareness through meditation and detach from the outcome.

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Please share your  thoughts or questions by using the comment box or on Satori Yoga Studio page on Facebook.

Talk to you soon!

The Law of Least Effort

An integral being knows without going, sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing.

Lao Tzu

Listen to The Law of Least Effort class:

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About a month ago I was reading Candace Pert’s book “Molecules of Emotions”.

In one of the chapters she talks about her discovery of Peptide T, a brilliant new drug to treat AIDS. At the time of discovery, the only treatment option available was a highly toxic chemotherapy cocktail, that targeted the symptoms but not the virus itself. Candice and her partners had become more and more frustrated, as the medical community refused to consider Peptide T as the viable option. Paradoxically, the harder Dr. Pert and her colleagues tried, the more rejection they’ve encountered.

By chance of luck Candace Pert was introduced to Dr.Chopra at one of the meetings. Here is what she writes about their conversation:

“Deepak, I don’t know what’s going on. I have a brilliant drug that can save people’s lives. I’ve been working on it for years, and I can’t get in out the gate. What am I doing wrong?”

He listened carefully and then, gazing calmly and deeply into my eyes, gave me a stunning answer: “You are trying too hard!” he said and then smiled.

I took this in for a moment and then responded.

“Trying too hard? But I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

In the world I lived in, there was no such thing as “trying too hard”.

Two years later, as  Dr. Pert at last has secured financing for the clinical trials, she wrote: “True to Deepak’s diagnosis of my problem, the solution had come only when I had stopped trying.”

Here are three ways to bring the Law of Least Effort into your life;

• Practice Acceptance: “Today I will accept people, situations and circumstances as they are, not as I want them to be”
• Take Responsibility – doesn’t mean blaming yourself or anybody for current situation. It simply an ability to respond creatively to whatever arises.
• Become Defenseless: ever had a conversation with somebody in which you were trying to convince that person of something? Have you noticed that the harder you tried to get your point across, the more resistance you’ve encountered? It is a tremendous loss of energy for everybody involved, the energy that could be used for something positive and productive.

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The mantra for The Law of Least Effort is:

Om Daksham Namah.

I achieve maximum benefit with minimal effort.

The Law of Karma

Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom…

Our thoughts, our words, and deeds are the threads of the net which we throw around ourselves.

Swami Vivekanda

Good Karma

Bad Karma

What we sow is what you reap…

I have always approached the concept of Karma with a fair bit of caution – the same way you hold a new-born or talk to a teenager. I felt somewhat puzzled by the fact that quite often I’ve received just the opposite of what I wanted.

So you can understand my great surprise when I learned that in Vedic Sciences karma means the ultimate freedom of choice. The word “karma” can be translated from Sanskrit as both action and the consequence of that action; it is cause and effect simultaneously.

How do our choices and actions, conscious or unconscious, form the software of our soul? Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute writes:

“Every action leaves an impression in our memory. Repeated actions reinforce these impressions, eventually turning them into strong habit patterns. As habits mature, they become an integral part of our vast unconscious mind. Strong habits become the building blocks of our personality. They define our being.”

We all have heard about conditioning. From the moment we are born and from the moment we open our eyes every morning, a ceaseless stream of messages tells us what is acceptable in our society. Our sensory experiences condition our nervous system; our parents, friends, peers and media condition how we think and act. After a while,  the usual, repetitious and predictable responses to people and circumstances take place, as we stop recognizing a choice behind our actions.

Is there a way out of the karmic circle? For as long as we see ourselves as the individuals, separate from one another and the world around, the wheel of karma will continue to revolve.

Start by witnessing your choices. The simple act of recognizing that there is a choice is the first step toward freeing yourself from the prison of conditioning.

As you make a choice, listen to feelings and sensations in your body. Our bodies and especially our hearts are intuitively and holistically connected to  the field of pure awareness – pure potentiality where every choice, even the one that seems irrational to your mind, is possible. If the feelings are of comfort and joy – go ahead, and make that choice!

What about the past karma, the seeds of memories, choices and actions that are creating your present moment?

It goes without saying that karmic debts are always paid. The choice is up to you!

Most people choose to pay their  karmic debt unconsciously.

You can transmute your karma by using the knowledge you’ve gained from the experience to help other human beings.

This way, while still paying your karmic debt, you will also convert the adversity into an opportunity that benefits the community and brings you fulfillment.

“… when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.”

Deepak Chopra

The third way is to transcend your karma, or become independent of it. Every time you sit to meditate and contact the field of pure awareness, you transcend or purify the seeds of your karma, as if washing a dirty cloth in a clean stream of water.

Apply The Law of Karma or Cause and Effect to your life:

Witness the choices you make.

As you witness your choices, ask yourself  what would the consequences be and would they bring you and those around you happiness and fulfillment.

Listen to your heart for guidance.

Have you seen the movie “Precious” ? It is heart wrenching, raw, emotional, beautiful – a inspiring example of transcendence.

The mantra for The Law of Karma:

OM Kriyam Namah

My actions are aligned with cosmic law

The Law of Giving and Receiving

“The universe operates through dynamic exchange…giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe”

Deepak Chopra

What the bird with the human head knew:

by Anne Sexton

I went to the bird

with the human head.

and asked,

Please Sir,

where is God?

God is too busy

to be here on earth,

His angels are like one thousand geese assembled

and always flapping.

But I can tell you where the well of God is.

Is it on earth?

I asked.

He replied,

Yes. It was dragged down

from paradise by one of the geese.

I walked many days.

past witches that eat grandmothers knitting booties

as if they were collecting a debt.

Then, in the middle of the desert

I found the well

it bubbled up and down like a litter of cats

and there was water,

and I drank,

and there was water,

and I drank.

Then the well spoke to me.

It said:

Abundance is scooped form abundance,

yet abundance remains.

Then I knew.

How do you see your life? Is your glass half – empty or half – full?

Getting ready for this class turned out to be unexpectedly challenging. Inevitably, the Law of Giving and Receiving  touches on  the topics of wealth, abundance and money. Things were about to turn interesting.

First, the words wouldn’t come.  Finally when they appeared, I couldn’t string them together into a somewhat coherent sentences – like  a  torn string of pearls, the elusive bead-words rolled away in every direction. I went for a walk instead….

Of course, like the wise always say – in every challenge there’s a seed of opportunity and so I went on examining my own believes about giving, receiving and the abundance.

I grew up in the Soviet Russia. I am sure many people here in the west have heard a lot of different and scary things about our life behind the iron curtain. But truly, it wasn’t so bad. We got up in the morning, had breakfast, went to work or school, had supper once we came back home, watched TV or read books and then went to sleep. Sound familiar, doesn’t it?

And then there were parts of our lives that might seem completely wild, almost incomprehensible to you.  Shortages… – be it food, blue jeans or something else – there were shortages. We went through bouts of no sugar ( none at all in the stores!), eggs, butter, detergent, matches etc. some times for a few days, sometimes for a few months, and sometimes for years. I know it is hard to imagine – but remember, this once was an everyday norm for Russian people, nothing really unusual.

Of course, where there are shortages there are people with access to coveted goods.

And so it went – person’s value in the society wasn’t determined by anything else but his or hers ability to get those items. Everybody wanted to have this person as a friend, at the same time secretly resenting them for being “better”.

Fiddle – di – di, you would say, what does it matter? What does this have to do with my life?

Here is the scoop: getting up close and personal with the notions and believes I’ve formed as a child  feels like  holding a mirror up to some of my current behaviors and habits….Hmmm, didn’t see that coming!

Material model of the universe is bound to create and reinforce this poverty thinking – the idea that there’s not enough to go around – things, money, time,… staff. And on the flip side, if you possess that which is coveted – wealth, new car, vacation home – then you are better then your neighbor…Start digging deeper and your self-image, your Ego might get a little threatened. No wander I was a little flustered!

So what did we do in the class?  Unlike the Law of Pure Potentiality, this class turned completely experiential. We took time to feel  the Law of Giving and Receiving -  in our breath, in our hands, in some yoga postures. We talked about the importance of intention. When we give  more out of obligation or guilt, rather then  genuine desire to create happiness, we end up feeling resentful or exhausted ( just think back to Christmas)

Here are the ways to practice the Law of Giving and Receiving every day:

Whoever I encounter today I will offer a gift – a flower, a thought, a prayer.

Today, I will gratefully receive all the gifts offered to me – birds’ song, kind words or material gifts.

I will make a commitment to circulate most important gifts in my life – gifts of time, caring, love and attention.

This Law is alive in your Heart Chakra and the mantra for this law is:

Om Vardhanam Namah – I am the nourisher of the Universe and the Universe nourishes me.

Namaste!

The Law of Pure Potentiality & Group Meditation Class

The source of all creation is pure consciousness..pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanisfest to the manifest.

And when we realized that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe.

Deepak Chopra

The Law of Pure Potentiality comes from the understanding that at the level of the Spirit or Soul – in our essential state – we are pure consciousness, pure potentiality and infinite creativity.

So what are these Spiritual laws, where did they come from and how can we apply them to our reality?

We started our  class in Seven Spiritual Laws of Success series with the verse from Bhagavad Gita, a remarkable Hindu epic story of a great battle:

Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be never

Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams!

Birthless and  deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit for ever;

Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems!

It was so inspiring to trace the connection between this ancient text, written thousands of years ago to a scientific principle that has been boggling the minds of the brightest quantum physicists for the last century or so – the  Observer Effect.

Delving into the greatest paradox of quantum physics, we talked about the smallest identifiable units of matter, force or light called quanta. Quanta display a bizarre behavior commonly known in the scientific world as the Observer Effect: until they are measured, in their pristine state, they are everywhere in time and space. They exist in several states simultaneously, having the potential  to be a wave or a particle. Once the experiment to measure one of their characteristics is set, they chose! their real state – collapsing into being either a wave or a particle. The conversation expanded on to the social ability of quanta – once they’ve entangled ( introduced to each other), the connection remains alive even when they are a great distance apart – in fact, communication between the entangled particles happens to be 22,000 times faster then the speed of light.

Why bother exploring to such a depth? Simple – quanta are building blocks of our cells, tissues and organs;the unlimited potentiality is scientifically proven and possible – now, we only have to allow it into our reality.

From there we jumped centuries back to explore the Layers of Life philosophy created by yogic sage Adi Shankara around 806 AD. He describes a human being as a multiplicity of layers – physical, psychological and spiritual.We have learned to practice the Law of Pure Potentiality by shifting our reference point from Ego-referral , based on judgment, discrimination and protecting our social mask to Self, or Soul-referral which brings us to the source of internal happiness and non- judgment.

A group meditation was a welcome reprieve from such deep and  intense philosophical discussion.

“We meditate to discover our true own identity, our right place in the scheme of the universe. Through meditation, we acquire and eventually acknowledge our connection to an inner power source that has the ability to transform our outer world. In other words, meditation gives us not only the light of insight but also the power for expansive change.” writes Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist Way”-modern day guide for discovering our creative side.

Namaste!

What happens when you get hit?

In one of the Yoga Therapy classes we talked about how our bodies transfer any kind of impact through the tissues.
Watch this video to see what happens!

Yoga Therapy Intensive in Vancouver

A month ago I have attended a four day Yoga Therapy Intensive in Vancouver with Susi Hatley Aldous. It has been, like a lot of these trainings, a life – or more correctly – life perception altering experience. As the course ended, I really wanted to share what I’ve experienced with my teacher as well as my students. Funny thing, though – I couldn’t find time or words to express myself clearly. In fact, I couldn’t find any words at all that matched what I felt. A few days ago I woke up at 4 in the morning – that happens often when I am exploring an idea and I knew exactly what to say.

The experience in Vancouver has been enriching, profound and at the same time very grounding. I guess that makes sense – a lot of us had finally settled into Being in our bodies.

Something that was said during the workshop ” What is it that you are doing that is causing you pain or discomfort” had been the light that suddenly went on. First it completely changed my own practice and how I taught. As my body and my mind started to unraveled, this new learning had spilled into absolutely every aspect and every little corner of my life – what I eat, how I work – and importantly – how much I work, my relationships; no stone left unturned.

It had touched everything – bringing a lot of things, some unexpected and some unpleasant, to light. We talked about “the red flags” – body sensations that let us know – “hey, you are going to ache tomorrow! hey, you are going too far with this stretch!”  and how we have the potential, ability and the knowledge to stop before that point – at the “yellow flag”. And so now I keep watching “the yellow flags becoming the red flags”  and feel like I am finally getting to know some parts of me that are more connected, settled, steady and grounded  with and to who I am.

The workshop also brought me back to the though of how wonderfully miraculous our bodies are and how, if treated with kindness and respect, they have an absolute ability to heal. Here is the video of the inner life of the cell  more often then not I teary-eyed watching it. Life is so grand!

Yoga for vacation

Ahhh, traveling… Who doesn’t dream about strolling through the ancient streets of Rome, exploring Machu Picchu or flying off to an unforgettable trip to India. Even a weekend get-away is always anxiously awaited.

When I travel, often times I find myself feeling rather unsettled. It is not exactly something I can put my finger on – just that faint sensation of  “something is not right”. Feeling antsy is the best way I can describe it! Yoga and meditation are definitely a great help.

Lately, though, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to get myself settled.

I found that walking is a great tool for me.

Meditation is a great way to spend time when you’re waiting for a plane or during a long ( or even a short) flight.

Eating well makes a huge difference in how I feel.

Taking some time to be by myself seems to clear my head, too.

Once you start noticing what makes you feel out of balance, you will be able to find tools and activities that help you stay grounded – on vacation or not.

Here is a great yoga sequence to help you calm frazzled nerves and impart peace of mind.

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