tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17196250717642440442024-03-14T00:05:27.157-07:00Body Soul Bliss Yoga BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-84811983458205083112018-03-02T18:41:00.000-08:002018-03-02T18:44:34.979-08:00New Beginnings for GE <div style="background-color: white; display: inline !important;">
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I am not a financial adviser and am essentially ignorant of stocks. I am a professional "psychic" who reads Tarot cards in order to advise my clients, who include CEOs of some big companies, about their personal and business prospects. The stock market is a new experiment for me. I originally wrote this blog article for Seeking Alpha, who rejected it on the basis that it is "not relevant to finance and investing" and "not suitable for our audience."</div>
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About a year ago, at the recommendation of a friend, I began to explore the stock market using psychic predictions. Although I did not have specific percentages, at the end of the year my predictions were overall correct in terms of rise or fall of a few stocks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjMZ59eEyEuXXh738VaTNeSQceX5q8UubwJBivz0rCmnzXyxPJ5z_mZ_F2XJe170rA3mRO1f_h_9LkMZWMB_t3MTiqy40H6IOmJqgfbHh5-tIVuWe-_JGQetIBsdT2ELIdmszhneEZAQzuh_4SAhsRutn7j4t3rC2DA9bqTSvwSRAeB-Gx3MyqGCy9Dq3trFw=s0-d-e1-ft" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjMZ59eEyEuXXh738VaTNeSQceX5q8UubwJBivz0rCmnzXyxPJ5z_mZ_F2XJe170rA3mRO1f_h_9LkMZWMB_t3MTiqy40H6IOmJqgfbHh5-tIVuWe-_JGQetIBsdT2ELIdmszhneEZAQzuh_4SAhsRutn7j4t3rC2DA9bqTSvwSRAeB-Gx3MyqGCy9Dq3trFw=s0-d-e1-ft" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="200" /></a>Encouraged, I decided to pursue it further, although I felt uneasy because I normally use my empathic skills to tune in to my clients, and found it difficult to "connect" with a faceless corporation. I need a voice or a face.</div>
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My friend provided me with a photo of John Flannery, who became my first test subject for this new approach a month ago. Focusing on the photo, I pretended that Mr. Flannery was one of my psychic clients calling to ask me about the future of his business. I placed the Tarot cards and they said he is a smart man, motivated, knows what he is doing. The cards showed big personnel changes. They also showed technological advances which would be profitable. They showed short-term loss, with recovery by the end of the year.</div>
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I have done another Tarot reading today which reveals: First card, the High Priestess, which usually refers to spirituality and God hearing our prayers. I was puzzled as to what this could mean in a business context. Googled Mr. Flannery's religion and found nothing. However, further search indicated, "He says he is 'looking for the soul of the company again.'” Ah yes, that fits! And Flannery as Knight of Pentacles is in the beginning stages of accomplishing this. He has the sincerity, will, hard work, motivation and focus.</div>
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Conflict in the foundation, and a dark cloud hangs over the company. The previously shown personnel changes continue into the near future, with people being literally flung out the windows of corporate headquarters. The cards show the Empress, a powerful woman, joining the company by summer, maybe to replace Beth Comstock, or maybe another board member.</div>
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The cards refer to advances in marine technology as a key turnaround in profits. Auto technology is also featured, possibly related to breathalyzer equipment or enhanced safety using digital guidance and/or autonomous vehicles. Some new product is available by Christmas. The outcome of the reading is new beginnings and better teamwork, with significant recovery by the end of this year or early 2019. </div>
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As stated previously, I am ignorant of stocks, but the one thing I do know is: "Buy low, sell high." GE is pretty darn low right now, and under the guidance of Mr. Flannery and the mysterious Empress, I predict it will improve significantly by the end of the year, at least to $20 if not more.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-16703994526102238402018-02-03T01:34:00.000-08:002018-02-05T17:08:11.393-08:00Unencumbered<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I was invited to answer a question on Quora: "How is consumerism related to the lack of spirituality?" Good question! I replied thus:</div>
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You may have heard the expression, “There’s a God-shaped hole in our heart” or, as St. Augustine put it, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”</div>
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Blaise Pascal said, “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”<br />
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C.S. Lewis expressed it thus: "Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it -- made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.”</div>
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This concept is by no means limited to the Christian religion. Nearly all faith traditions have some variation thereof, the idea being that we exist for Divine Love and have a natural yearning to fill that void in our heart that nothing else can satisfy.</div>
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Consumerism reflects our attempts to obtain fulfillment by purchasing material goods. Advertisers exploit the emptiness by assuring us, “You will finally be happy once you own that car, big-screen t.v. or other electronic device, etc.,” and also by addressing our insecurities: “You’re not good enough the way you are. You need these fancy new clothes, shoes, jewelry, makeup, a makeover, plastic surgery…” But it’s never enough. Nothing is an adequate substitute for Love.</div>
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Fellow Quora participant <a href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Johnny-Dee-23" target="_blank">Johnny Dee</a> offered some very insightful commentary about incompleteness, wholeness, being, time and death, which brought to mind Heideggar's "Being and Time." The discussion (the entire thread of which can be found <a href="https://www.quora.com/How-is-consumerism-related-to-the-lack-of-spirituality/answer/Jamie-Brown-150#" target="_blank">here</a>) then took an interesting tangent, however, into the realm of gnostic dualism when he said: </div>
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<i>I still maintain, though, we are not complete until we die. If we were complete, or Whole, there would be no reason to learn, to grow, to realize even more of our potential here as physical beings. At death, we remain One with all creation, or Whole, only we’re no longer encumbered by flesh.</i></div>
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I'm glad Mr. Dee brought this up, because it is an important topic worthy of revisiting.</div>
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"<b>Encumbered</b> by flesh"?! Ah, once again that insidious old gnostic dualism, which has managed to infect nearly every spiritual tradition on earth, rears its ugly head. As I've discussed in previous posts, this is the philosophy that spirit is good, matter is bad; the flesh is a prison from which the soul yearns to escape; physicality was a mistake, or maybe the creation of a demonic being intended to trap and enslave us in the material world.</div>
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All yoga traditions teach that taking birth as a human is a blessing because it is our opportunity to know God and/or attain enlightenment. But paradoxically, many yogis regard the flesh as an obstacle to achieving that end despite being practitioners of a system which, especially in modern times, is centered around bodily physical activity (asana or poses). They may even view yogic manipulations of the body and breath, including tantric sex, as the means of escape from the body, desiring to <b>transcend</b> the flesh so as to become "more spiritual" or "enlightened."</div>
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We in the classical tantric tradition as represented by Heart of Yoga do not, however, share that view. In fact, just the opposite.</div>
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Many people, if they have heard of "tantric yoga" at all, are aware of it as "tantric sex," but that's only one aspect of this tradition. In the broader sense tantra, literally "weaving together," is about integration of the physical and spiritual.<br />
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There are several possible approaches to Yoga - Union - depending on personality, philosophy and religious background, if any. As a bhakti-tantrika and an Episcopalian, I'm really into devotion and therefore use the "God" language. If that doesn't work for you, you can substitute "the Universe," "Consciousness," "Oneness" or whatever.<br />
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From my perspective, the physical world is a manifestation of divine consciousness where God experiences everything in and through us. Therefore we present our body, breath, soul and all sensual pleasures - food, drink, beautiful fragrant flowers, the kiss of sunshine, the caress of the breeze, music, art, dance, sex, <b>everything</b>! - as an offering to the Divine.<br />
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Wiccans have a similar philosophy in which the Goddess says: "For behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you."<br />
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The Christian parallel to this is, "I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1-2)</div>
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As Krishna says in Chapter 9 of the Gita, "I am the oblation and the flame into which it is offered... For I am the only enjoyer and the only God of all sacrifices."</div>
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The Vaishnava bhakti tradition as represented by ISKCON, whose meetings I attended in college, "gets" this concept to an extent, in that they offer their delicious vegetarian food and devotional songs, as well as any kind of labor or charitable service performed, to Krishna. Tantrikas take it further.</div>
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Whereas ISKCON recognizes in theory the different relationships devotees can have with the Divine - as master, parent, best friend, child or lover - their doctrine teaches that we on earth are too impure to dare approach God, unworthy of real intimacy with Him. Instead, in the hope of improving our karma, we must follow a list of very strict rules having a good deal of overlap with fundy evangelical Christianity except for diet, which the latter religion lacks. We can only pine for Him from afar, hoping someday to become worthy of incarnation as gopis (his girlfriends) in Krishna Loka. This "longing" for the Lord is considered the highest possible spiritual experience for sinful earth-bound beings like us.<br />
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The Christian parallel to Krishna Loka is the heavenly Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the Bridegroom Christ. This awaits us after death, whether immediately or following a stay in purgatory, which serves much the same function as reincarnation in the eastern tradition. We need a clean wedding garment.</div>
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Bhakti-tantrikas are not content to yearn for God from afar and we don't want to wait for the wedding. Madly in love, God-intoxicated, we will sneak out to meet the Beloved in the forest at night if that's what it takes. We don't care if Swami Prabhupartypooper, the Fun Police or anybody else says it is forbidden and/or impossible, or if our reputation is ruined. We are not worried about unworthiness because we trust the Beloved and throw ourselves utterly on His mercy. Longing for the Lord is itself purifying, and in His embrace all dross is consumed in the holy fire of Divine Love. We exist for this Love. We do not believe that embodiment is an obstacle to Divine intimacy; rather it is the vehicle! </div>
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Far from being an "encumberment," the flesh is a mountaintop temple where earth meets sky and heaven unites with creation. In this holy place we consort with Divinity. Our spouse is literally God's Love for us in the flesh. That is why the tantra yoga that we practice, whether solo or with a partner, is called "whole body prayer." Through pranayama, asana and bandha, we offer ourselves body and soul to the Lord, the Enjoyer, who created us for Love and whose touch takes away all sin, pain and sorrow.<br />
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The God-shaped hole in our heart is not a design flaw; it <b>is</b> the design. And the material creation was not a mistake or a demonic trap; it was supposed to be a paradise. That paradise still exists untarnished in our heart, in the center of our being: heaven, eternal, outside of time, nearer than our own heartbeat.</div>
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We don't need to wait until some distant future incarnation when we will finally be "enlightened" or "pure" enough. As our teacher Mark Whitwell says, "It is not enlightenment that we need, but intimacy." It is possible right here and now, and forever after. We don't have to become a better person first; it's the other way around. The more quality time we spend in Divine Communion, we will be purified by it, transformed into a clear channel for Love, light, peace, grace and Holy Wisdom to flow through us into the world and bless all beings. And our communion while still here on earth prepares us to better appreciate whatever comes next.<br />
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In the event the atheists are correct that consciousness is just a function of the brain and death brings only oblivion, which cannot be ruled out empirically, all the more reason to make the most of the opportunity for Holy Communion here and now. Ideally at the moment of death, being so prepared, we will step into that timeless, eternal dimension which we first explored while still embodied. Love beckons. Why wait?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-80724495479886667432017-07-28T02:09:00.000-07:002017-07-28T19:49:48.052-07:00The Trap of Positive Thinking<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I finally decided to address this topic because it keeps coming up in conversations with friends and acquaintances on social media, as well as my counseling clients. It is a New Age idea which has managed to pervade nearly every spiritual tradition today and is variously called "positive thinking," "law of attraction," "manifesting," "word of faith" or "prosperity gospel." I've heard variations on the theme from Hindus, Christians, pagans and sometimes even Buddhists, who ought to know better. It's particularly popular among people who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious" and those who are fond of quantum physics and want to believe that the Copenhagen Interpretation works on a macroscopic level, i.e. that our thoughts control external events in the material world. Except it doesn't, and they don't. And that's actually a good thing, as I will explain later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, it is true that our thoughts and perceptions do "create reality" in a certain sense, namely our <b>subjective</b> experience of reality. We know from physics that the "material world" objectively is comprised of patterns of energy, and what we perceive as "solid objects" are mostly empty space. Our human nervous system interacts with those energy patterns and our brain interprets and organizes the data to create a coherent world, which we call the "consensus reality" that is shared by most non-psychotic people. Additionally, our thoughts and feelings do affect our subjective reality in so far as we label experiences as "good" or "bad" and then react to those experiences. We can choose how we will label and respond to the events in our lives and decide to be happy or sad. We can use affirmations to motivate ourselves like Al Franken in the delightful movie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114571/" target="_blank">"Stuart Saves His Family"</a> as he looks into the mirror and says: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But, that is </span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">not</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> what the proponents of Positive Thinking are talking about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rather, it is "</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">magical thinking," the belief that thinking, affirming or saying something can actually make it happen in the external world. Regardless of the tradition or name, it's the same basic idea: Positive thoughts attract good things into our life, while negative thoughts make bad things happen. When we think positively, say the right affirmations, or quote certain Bible verses, God or the universe will reward us accordingly with good health, prosperity, and whatever else we desire. The downside to this belief is that when we suffer from any kind of misfortune, we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we must have attracted it by our negative thinking. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Therefore, it is vitally important to "stay positive" at all times lest we invite disaster. Every passing negative thought evokes fear, which can only be overcome by obsessively micro-managing what in yoga we call "the Monkey Mind," the normal internal chatter that nearly everyone experiences, a task akin to whack-a-mole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Christian version of magical thinking, "the prosperity gospel" or "word of faith," treats the Bible as if it were a Magic Book containing spell-like verses, e.g.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Mark 11:22-24</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, which when recited with just the right kind and amount of faith, will get us whatever we want. "...T</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">herefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." One problem with this is, <a href="http://merecslewis.blogspot.com/2011/06/efficacy-of-prayer-part-3.html" target="_blank">as </a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://merecslewis.blogspot.com/2011/06/efficacy-of-prayer-part-3.html" target="_blank">C.S. Lewis has pointed out</a>, it doesn't actually work. At least, it didn't work for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, nor has it consistently worked for anybody else in the last 2000 years. So either He was lying, or something got translated wrong, or we are misunderstanding what He meant, or as the atheists say, it's all pure fantasy to begin with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other problem with "prosperity" theology is that</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/01/03/evangelicals-should-be-deeply-troubled-by-donald-trumps-attempt-to-mainstream-heresy/?utm_term=.25465c9dcb61" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">it is heresy</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. Now, I am by no means the Grand Inquisitor, this is not the Spanish Inquisition and I won't be torturing anybody by</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://people.csail.mit.edu/paulfitz/spanish/script.html" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">poking them with cushions in the comfy chair</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but let's call a spade a spade. The funny thing is, this heresy has become so popular that most Christians don't even question it. In fact, mainstream Christians often accuse me of being "unbiblical" or a "not a real Christian" whenever I point out that it is an incorrect doctrine.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Even the President of the United States has adopted this theology and surrounded himself with pastors who promote it. "God</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">wants</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you to have that Mercedes Benz! Amen! Name it and claim it!" Your ownership of the Benz is proof of your faith and being in a state of grace. Whereas, if you're poor, clearly you are not blessed and you'd better straighten up and get right with the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides having no basis whatsoever in reality, magical thinking of whatever variety is a bad idea for a number of reasons, including:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. It is the ultimate "blame the victim" theory. When things go wrong, people</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> bear the additional burden of beating themselves up for "not being positive enough."</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This is particularly unhelpful for people suffering from depression.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Obsessing over negative thoughts only gives them more power, creating anxiety and paranoia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. It reinforces ego attachment to being happy when we get what we want, and sad when we don't, which as Buddhists know, is counterproductive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. The constant internal battle to control one's thoughts requires a lot of energy that could be better spent <b>doing</b> something constructive, and besides, who is fighting with whom?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. It encourages almost narcissistic self-absorption in our own petty thoughts while the rest of the world is going to hell in a handbasket with wars, famine, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6. When positive thinking fails to manifest the desired outcome in the external world, we blame ourselves, resulting in a negative self-image; see #1 above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am sure at least one person will object, "But it does work! It works for me. I manifest what I want all the time" or, "God gives me whatever I pray for." Well, if in fact this is true and you're not merely delusional or in denial, all I can say is, "good for you!" However, for the vast majority of people, it's hit or miss. Were this not the case, their lives would certainly be very different. Everybody who manages to "stay positive" would have excellent health, the perfect mate and children, a job that they love and pays well, the car, the house and everything else they need or want. I don't see that happening in the real world even among the most "positive" people I know. And I used to be one of them, as discussed in a <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/dharma-desire-and-death-of-dream.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a>, until I received my degree from the School of Hard Knocks. It should also be pointed out that plenty of "negative," un-spiritual or even downright mean people are healthy, wealthy, and sleep like a baby on satin sheets laundered by their low-paid illegal immigrant servants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So no, your thoughts do not create external reality. What a relief! But, what if you suffer from depression or persistent negative thoughts? The first step is simply to stop beating yourself up. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I tell my counseling clients: "It is OK to feel whatever you are feeling at any given moment." Really?! Yes! Contrary to what you've been told by the Positivity Police, your emotions, happy, sad, and everything in between, are a valid and rich part of the human experience. As Khalil Gibran wrote, "</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain."</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Thoughts and feelings come and go; no need to cling to them, push them away or obsess over them. Are you sad now? Give yourself permission to fully experience it. Have a good cry if you want. This too shall pass and you will be happy again in the future. Are you happy now? Be thankful, and enjoy it while it lasts, because it's temporary. As the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ac34Khe-fc" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">George Harrison song "Crackerbox Palace"</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> says, "Some times are good, some times are bad, that's all a part of life."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The only lasting happiness is the deep inner Bliss that comes from a consistent spiritual practice, enabling us to connect with the Divine in the center of our being. This is like the quiet depth of the ocean which remains undisturbed despite the storms and waves on the surface. For the yogi or the mystic, this is always available regardless of what may be going on in the ups and downs of life's endless drama. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">People trapped in the Positive Thinking paradigm often ask me what to do about negative thoughts. Well, as stated above, it's usually not necessary to "do" anything because the Monkey Mind is easily distracted and will soon move on to the next shiny object that grabs its attention. But, if you are troubled by persistent or obsessive thoughts, it can be helpful to use a mantra, prayer or favorite scripture verse, just like we do during meditation. Instead of focusing on the negative thought, which will only give it more power, mentally say your mantra. E.g. for Hindus, "om namah Shivaya" or "Hare Krishna." "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRF7P_MC_B4" target="_blank">As Above, So Below</a>" is well known among pagans. A popular one for Christians is the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." A good Bible verse is, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> If you repeat the prayer with sincere devotion, it will eventually echo in your heart at all times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some Christians believe that the devil puts negative thoughts into their head, and are therefore particularly anxious whenever these arise. There is no consistent agreement among theologians in this regard, but if</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> there is a devil, this theory only gives him more power. It may even be one of his greatest tricks because on top of the original negative thought, your mind is now occupied worrying about the devil and what you fear he may be doing. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Personally I think people give the devil way too much credit. P</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sychology would suggest that human beings are more than capable of generating negative thoughts all on our own. In any case, you are engaging in a battle which has already been won by Christ. You could remind the devil of this, and tell him, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" However, again, you'd be wasting time arguing with the devil instead of talking to God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Letting go of the attachment to positive or negative thinking, or really to our thoughts and desires in general, is so very freeing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My own approach to all this is to stay focused on God and leave everything in His hands. When I wake up the first word on my lips is "Jesus." I pray, "Lord, I give to You this day and always, all of my thoughts, words, deeds and feelings. May You be glorified and may all beings be blessed." If I had nightmares, I give them to Him. If I have anxiety, I give it to Him. I repeat the Jesus Prayer as needed and it keeps going in the background, to bring to attention at any time during the day. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If your mind is occupied with God there's no room for anything else. And frankly, it's a helluva lot less work than the exhausting and ultimately futile struggle to micromanage every single thought that the Monkey Mind generates. And then I get up and "Do what needs to be done," mindful that God is the only doer.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-34393416007032508672016-06-09T01:27:00.000-07:002017-01-08T00:25:54.782-08:00The Wall: An Aging Yogini Reflects on Music, Meditation, Money and Mortality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexcKoKUzriB7xjjJ8sCUPl1x7mrG8EPGTZbk6O5pRz5LRXo8ZbcQJyO4FBygepIszC93tWsfJprwca6sR8OFOxaddxm15Pk436MfKkPBlr4oVqOxoqGZkp9zT0hQVlQXSegv2Z7z0IV80/s1600/thewall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexcKoKUzriB7xjjJ8sCUPl1x7mrG8EPGTZbk6O5pRz5LRXo8ZbcQJyO4FBygepIszC93tWsfJprwca6sR8OFOxaddxm15Pk436MfKkPBlr4oVqOxoqGZkp9zT0hQVlQXSegv2Z7z0IV80/s640/thewall.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I painted this picture in 1977, when I was 14 years old. It was based on one of my favorite songs, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBMsulQMqm8" target="_blank">The Wall" by Kansas</a>. The painting had been packed away in a cardboard tube for years, all but forgotten, until "coincidentally" it was rediscovered last September just 2 weeks before Kansas came to play here at the Marina Civic Center. We had finished renovations on the trailer and were in the process of moving when I found the box containing the tube. Somebody, either my husband or his teenage son, had removed the contents of the tube to look at them and left them lying out in the open box, resulting in damage to the brittle old painting which was falling apart. When I saw my damaged painting I burst into tears. Other keepsakes from the tube included a couple of psychedelic concert posters from Haight Ashbury and the Hildebrandt painting "At the Grey Havens" from a 1978 Tolkien calendar. All of these art pieces brought back poignant memories very relevant to the emotionally volatile perimenopausal state in which I find myself as I reflect back on my life. Where did the years go?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation, I was too young to attend the concerts featured on those posters, which I collected later because I identified with the values and art of my older brother and sister flower children. Gazing at the posters, I was suddenly struck by the passage of time and a deep sadness. What happened to our dreams? It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, we were going to change the world, end the wars, bring about a new era of peace, love and harmony. But the world did not want to change. Instead, 40 years later, the world is now going to hell in a handbasket thanks to fundie religion and despotism at home and abroad, endless wars and the erosion of civil rights. Here I am approaching menopause, while young women like my goddaughter and stepdaughter are in the midst of a battle that I thought we'd already won back when I was their age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Life in the "real world" did not at all turn out the way I'd imagined in my youth. I was spoiled by the charmed existence that was my childhood, had a life of luxury and lacked for nothing. I was really into music and thought I might become a rock star, or else possibly marry one. My parents were totally supportive of my dreams and creativity. They never discouraged my ambitions even though I was not in fact very talented. Believing that the arts were an important part of a person's education, they provided me with abundant art supplies and bought me guitars and lessons. At one time I could actually play a few of my favorite Kansas songs on the guitar, albeit poorly and mostly for accompaniment. I was better at singing than playing an instrument and later sang in choir after I joined the Episcopal Church and did play guitar at the folk mass. While I never became a rock star, in more recent years I've been a star at karaoke. I did sort of marry the ultimate Rock Star when I became a Third Order Sister and <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/yoga-brahmacharya-and-relationships.html" target="_blank">lived as a solitary for 14 years</a> until unexpectedly meeting my partner in 2005.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We bought the tickets to the Kansas concert even though we really couldn't afford it, because we were thrilled that they were actually coming right here to our little town. The guys were getting older and we didn't know whether or when that opportunity might happen again. The VIP seats up front, available through the fan club, included various merchandise which I didn't care about, but also backstage passes and would have cost us $200 each. I dearly wanted to see the guys again but it was absolutely out of our price range. The last time I'd seen them in concert in South Florida, the after-show backstage meet and greet was free. That seemed like just the other day but I realized it was actually 20 years ago! As it turned out, the lineup had changed and Steve Walsh was now retired. We couldn't help missing Steve even though the young man, Ronnie Platt, who took over for him did an excellent job and sounded exactly like him. Our cheaper seats, along with generous "adult sippy cups" of wine and bottles of water, ended up costing a total of $100, a lot of money for somebody facing bankrupcty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ironically, my inability to afford the concert was at least in part due to the fact that in my youth I had bought into the antimaterialist philosophy expressed by the song: "Gold and diamonds cast a spell/ It's not for me, I know it well/ The riches that I seek/ Are waiting on the other side/ There's more that I can measure/ In the treasure of the love that I can find" and others, like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WJwaWHHPFE" target="_blank">this one by Styx</a>, which I also used to be able to play on guitar: "Pieces of eight/ The search for the money tree/ Don't cash your freedoms in for gold/ Pieces of eight/ Can't buy you everything/ Don't let it turn your heart to stone." When I was young, I thought money was not important, and believed that by being a spiritual person, the universe would ensure that my material needs would be met, which turned out not to be true. While it is true that my poverty had other contributing factors including professional licensing changes, jobs being sent offshore, a faltering economy, and illness, <a href="http://metalnun.blogspot.com/2012/09/maybe-republicans-are-right-its-my-own.html" target="_blank">as I have discussed elsewhere</a>, it cannot be denied that I focused more on music and meditation than on career and money, and it is possible that my material situation would be better, had my priorities been different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From age 13 on, I spent lots and lots of time doing yoga and meditation and sought the company of kindred souls. One of my dreams was to establish a Music and Meditation Center, which I discussed with a famous musician friend who encouraged me, saying "I believe it will happen!" Although my friend was in a position to do so, he was not serious about helping to make it happen, so that dream was put on hold for years. My husband and I were on the verge of opening Lothlorien House as a yoga studio and retreat center a week or two before the Kansas concert. Renovations were complete and I was in the process of investigating obtaining a <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-fascists-have-taken-over-rock-roll.html" target="_blank">license from ASCAP </a>which (to my surprise!) was necessary in order to legally use music in our classes. I had attempted to get permission from each of the artists to use the particular songs that I wanted. My teacher Mark Whitwell granted permission to use all of his music, but I was turned down by everybody else except for George Harrison and Alanis Morissette's representatives, who kindly gave me their blessing. Even the Jimi Hendrix folks refused, so I would need to pay for the license. It turned out to be a moot point, however, because on the day of the Kansas concert, we discovered Black Mold in the trailer which necessitated moving back into Lothlorien House, and I burst into tears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Mold itself may have been partially responsible for my mood, along with hormones and existential malaise. I choked back tears while trying to find something to wear and make myself halfway presentable for the concert. I'd always been slim and fit and had put on a few pounds in the last year, all of which settled in my abs. I would normally have worn my Rocker Chick outfit to a concert, skinny low-cut jeans with little spaghetti strap belly shirt with ZOSO or some other cool design on it, but my now enormous belly ruled that out. I didn't have any nice, appropriate clothes that fit, and finally settled on a long tie-dyed t-shirt over top of Jeggings (jean leggings), with my Reef flip-flops. I had a couple of pairs of nice heels but could not walk in them for any distance, certainly not across the parking lot to the Civic Center and up and down stairs. My skin was awful due to immune deficiency aggravated by the Black Mold and required careful application of Bare Minerals just to hide the flaws. I did not even bother with eye liner, mascara, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When we arrived at the Civic Center I felt envy and despair as I saw what the other women were wearing. Some of the younger women looked great in their skinny jeans and rockin' halter tops like I always wore up until recently, while others sported elegant little black dresses that revealed their shapely and smoothly shaven legs. They sauntered along gracefully in high heels in which I would have walked like a cow. The women my own age were dressed more conservatively, in normal adult clothing that resembled nothing in my closet, their hair and makeup done appropriately. Thanks to a lifetime yoga practice I looked younger and more fit than my peers, but nonetheless felt like a frumpy aging hippy in teenager's clothing. The concert, which would probably be our last in the foreseeable future, was excellent. I sobbed all the way home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The melancholy improved after moving out of the moldy trailer and back into Lothlorien House, but some degree of existential malaise has persisted, in part due to the death of the dream. The Retreat Center had been so close to being realized, and now I don't even have a place to teach yoga. I did <b>finally</b> get a great job/contract in which I am being paid reasonably well for my services as a Spiritual Advisor, but it's too late to avert bankruptcy or fund my eventual retirement, because as an independent contractor, every penny I manage to put aside goes to taxes. I'm not getting any younger and have become weary of this world. The time is approaching when, like Galadriel, I must board the ship at the Grey Havens and sail beyond the western sea to Valinor, the Undying Land - if indeed it exists. And that is something of a crucial issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">For while my worldly dreams failed to materialize, yoga did. In 2011, after 35 years of spiritual practice, the Wall came down! At the time when I did the painting, the wall was still completely solid. The painting depicted me sitting in meditation when rays of sunshine would eventually knock loose a few of the bricks and let in some light. The picture was prophetic. As I continued my yoga practice over the years, I experienced more and more love, light, bliss and silent ecstasy, until finally the </span><a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-i-could-give-rats-ass-about_14.html" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">meditative state burst forth into my ordinary waking consciousness</a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> and since then I have experienced the presence of God on a continual basis. "And though it's always been with me/ I must tear down the wall and let it be/ All I am/ And all that I was ever meant to be/ In harmony/ Shining true and smiling back/ At all who wait to cross/ There is no loss."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is there no loss? Time is passing more and more quickly, and as I reach this point in my life where mortality is right around the corner, was it worth it? The Westminster Catechism states, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever," and Yogananda affirms, "Man has come on earth solely to learn to know God... He will acknowledge your love by fulfilling His promise to you throughout eternity," and likewise Sivananda, "The goal of life is God-realisation." The most famous Kansas song, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X_2IdybTV0" target="_blank">Carry on Wayward Son</a>" says, "Now your life's no longer empty/ surely heaven waits for you." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Except there is no "wait," because heaven is not just a literal place we go when we die, although it may be that as well. Heaven and hell can be right here, now. Many people are in hell on earth, the hell of loneliness, despair, poverty, starvation, illness, abuse. For me "heaven" is being in the presence of God, at Home in the Love and Bliss in the center of our being, the deep stillness impervious to the inevitable storms on the surface of life. No longer drowning, I can ride the waves fearlessly. Life's drama goes on but I'm just an actor playing my role, enjoying the laughter and tears with enthusiastic non-attachment. I expect that Love will only continue in greater fullness after the movie is over. I have no fear of "hell," which for me would be separation from God, because He promised "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTqtZpIeCls" target="_blank">I will never leave nor forsake you.</a>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It could be argued that if the yogic/christian model is accurate, then maybe I should have spent more time and energy on practical matters like career, being socially respectable, and/or trying to make the world a better place (whether it wants to or not), because I will have eternity to enjoy the presence of God. Perhaps it would have been enough to simply be on good terms with God, try to live a productive life and let heaven wait for later. I could have accomplished more from a worldly standpoint had I spent less time singing, playing guitar, dancing, writing songs and poetry, painting, praying, yoga and meditation, and God knows I could have made a hell of a lot more money to invest in research projects and/or given to charity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If, on the other hand, the materialists are correct and consciousness in all its aspects, including the subjective experience of God, is a product of the brain that will cease when we die, then what is the value of spirituality? Ironically, a finite existence makes our spiritual practice all the more urgent! Martin Heidegger said that our awareness of mortality enables authentic existence. If indeed this short life is our only opportunity to experience God/ Being/ Consciousness/ Bliss/ Love by means of our amazing monkey-brain, then I have lost nothing by so doing and teaching others, and expressing That through music, dance and art. If indeed all we are is ashes to ashes, "dust in the wind," I do not fear oblivion. When it's over, it's over. But while I am still here, I will be an embodiment of Love in this world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a character in C.S. Lewis' <a href="https://voyageofatimewanderer.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/classics-club-1-the-chronicles-of-narnia-by-c-s-lewis/" target="_blank">Chronicles of Narnia</a> says: "I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia." Then when it is time for me to board the ship at the Grey Havens, to cross the western sea or the river Styx, I will depart knowing that I have made the most of my limited time here on earth and be prepared to meet whatever awaits, whether that be Infinite Love or simply Nothingness. Meanwhile, before the final curtain falls, I intend to clean the dust off my Ibanez and resume working on that metalized version of "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" that I began many, many years ago. I want to get back on stage at karaoke and sing "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU44W5W9lqg" target="_blank">Dream On</a>" and dance ballet during the long intro. And teach yoga.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-5716772720499175472015-01-27T21:09:00.001-08:002015-02-27T01:56:58.806-08:00Our Doctrine<div class="MsoNormal">
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The Community of Francis and Clare, Lothlorien House is a place where people come together to transcend dogma and experience the heart of religious life through sacrament and spiritual practices.<br />
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The <a href="http://theoblogical.org/dlature/itseminary/creaspir/whatis1.html" target="_blank">creation-centered tradition</a> passed down to us from Saints Francis and Clare, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, and in modern times by Matthew Fox, emphasizing original blessing and the goodness of God's creation, is inherently sacramental in nature.<br />
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The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer defines sacrament as: "The outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace."<br />
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The sacraments, such as the bread and wine of Communion and the water of baptism, are more than mere symbols. Rather, these Divine gifts allow us to tangibly receive spiritual grace in and through the physical creation. When we participate in the sacraments, and lift our voices in thanks and praise, we become bodily vessels of grace in the world. Likewise, practices such as yoga, meditation, dance, chanting and contemplative prayer can be thought of as "sacramental" in that we use our body and breath as a vehicle for spiritual realization and expression.<br />
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Most churches talk about God. At CFC Lothlorien we <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice" target="_blank">practice the Presence</a> of "God-at-home-with-us," Immanuel.<br />
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Our non-denominational Liturgy encourages a shared experience of the Divine free from concerns about doctrinal divisions. We teach spiritual practices to enable everyone to connect with the sacred in their own heart and home as a part of daily life, in the context of their own personal religious tradition.<br />
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/about-community-of-francis-and-clare.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about The Community of Francis and Clare from our founder, Father Scott Baldwin of All Saints Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California.<br />
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Our particular mission here at Lothlorien House is to provide instruction in classical hatha yoga as whole-body prayer:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">"Hatha yoga is intimacy with all ordinary conditions, which spontaneously reveals and enables us to feel the source of all conditions. No matter what language of faith and devotion is used to express the beautiful ideals of “source" or “God” or “absolute reality” hatha yoga is the universal means of them all." </span><span style="color: blue;">- </span>Mark Whitwell, <a href="http://www.heartofyoga.com/" target="_blank">Heart of Yoga</a><br />
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You may ask, what is our doctrine? The simplest answer would be,
"We don't have one." Because our members come from many
different religious traditions, doctrinal opinions will vary
widely depending upon whom you ask. We do not require belief in certain
doctrines as a prerequisite for participation in our Liturgy, sacraments
and practices. Now, obviously a church would seem to presuppose, at
the very least, a belief in God. But Who or What is God?
And who is Jesus Christ?</div>
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If you ask Sister Jamie, as an Episcopalian and a yogini, she will tell
you, "God is Love, the Love that holds the universe together. Jesus
is the embodiment of that Love - and so are we." </div>
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That is the informal answer. If you want a more "technical"
answer she will direct you to the catechisms of the Church, or the
writings of the theologians, or the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It is
useful to study the classical writings of people who have addressed this
question at great length and in considerable detail throughout history.
But, ultimately it is a deeply personal question that everyone must answer
for him or her self.</div>
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You have probably heard the popular statement, "It's not about
religion, it's about relationship." We would agree with
that. Religion is a man-made construct. God is not limited by our
human understanding, but can be known through Love.</div>
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Moreover, we would suggest that direct experience trumps dogma. If you <b>know</b> God,
as opposed to merely knowing <b>about</b> God, there is no need to
cling to limiting doctrines. Although it can be intellectually
entertaining to argue about abstract theological concepts which by their very
nature can neither be proven nor disproven, such argumentation is not
essential or even desirable in our spiritual life. Rather, we are simply
called to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself.</div>
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As His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said: </div>
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<span style="color: blue;">"This is my simple religion. There is no need for
temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is
our temple; the philosophy is kindness... Whether one believes in a
religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone
who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion." </span></div>
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It is easier to describe what is <b>not</b> our
doctrine: </div>
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We do not believe that the Bible is a science text, or that it was literally
dictated word for word by God, or that scripture can be properly understood
outside of the historical and sociocultural context in which it was
written. </div>
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We do not believe that God created people for eternal torment, or sends people
to hell for believing the wrong doctrines, or belonging to the wrong
religion, or having the misfortune to be born in a time or place where they did
not hear about Jesus. </div>
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We do not believe that any particular religion, or
nation, or political party owns God.</div>
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We uphold the First Amendment: freedom of religion, freedom <b>from</b> religion,
and the separation of church and state.</div>
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*******</div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/about-community-of-francis-and-clare.html" target="_blank">Father Scott On Ecumenism and Creation-Centered
Spirituality</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/is-yoga-un-christian.html" target="_blank">Is Yoga Un-Christian?</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/did-vatican-say-yoga-is-satanic.html" target="_blank">Did The Vatican Say Yoga Is Satanic?</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-babe-and-bathwater.html" target="_blank">The Babe and The Bathwater</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/brother-sun-sister-moon-and-hatha-yoga.html" target="_blank">Brother Sun, Sister Moon and Hatha Yoga</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/yoga-for-christians-not-such-stretch.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/yoga-for-christians-not-such-stretch.html" target="_blank">Yoga for Christians - Not Such a Stretch</a></div>
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<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/06/another-look-at-religion.html" target="_blank">Another Look at Religion</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-26491912669752305712014-11-14T16:26:00.000-08:002014-11-14T16:26:40.573-08:00Letting God Out of the Box: Reflections on Frank Schaeffer's New Book, "Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God"<div class="MsoNormal">
I wanted to write a formal “review” of this book, but initially couldn’t think of anything to say other than, “Fabulous book! Everybody should read it.” On second thought, while I absolutely <b>love</b> the book, I predict that most atheists and Christians will probably hate it, and I’m not here to try to convince anybody. The book is not a theological treatise and presents neither an argument nor an apology. Rather, it is a personal, candid and heartfelt discussion of the author’s journey of faith, seeking to “give love, create beauty and find peace” in the face of limiting and dehumanizing dogmas. The intimate writing style, as if we were sitting and having a conversation with the author, invites honest reflection on our own journey, and in response to that invitation, the words came pouring out! So, I hope you will indulge me, before I return to reviewing the book. While I am no longer an atheist and God is not per se a “belief” for me, I can very much relate to what Mr. Schaeffer has written.</div>
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I became an atheist around age 11 or 12 as a result of having attended evangelical private schools which completely turned me off to Christ. From my perspective today, being totally in Love, it’s difficult to imagine how anyone could manage to make Jesus unappealing, but they did. In addition, I was a big fan of science from a very early age, thanks in large part to the t.v. show “Star Trek,” which I began watching with my father when I was just a toddler. I had already concluded that the religious world-view was at odds with a factual explanation of how the universe works. Now, I could have lived with that, if religion as it was presented had been attractive for any other reason, which it was not. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My childhood understanding of “Christianity” could essentially be summarized as: “Everything that is fun is bad,” and God was a mean old man on His throne up in the sky, ready to send us to hell for the slightest infraction, even though He had already allowed His own son to be tortured to death on our behalf to somehow appease His righteous wrath over the predictable sins of creatures whom He had endowed with free will. It seemed to me that, being omniscient, He should have known what would happen. Moreover, He would send starving people in Africa to hell merely for not believing in Jesus, Whom they had never heard of, and it was our parents’ fault for not giving more money to the church’s missionary projects, and by implication, our fault for not nagging them sufficiently to do so. I had other theological doubts, but the last straw was when they told us that rock music was from the devil, which I knew in my heart of hearts could not possibly be true. So, I threw out the Babe with the bathwater, but I felt like Something was missing. I began to study Zen and yoga.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My atheism continued until my first year of college in Florida, when I ate magic mushrooms which grew at cow farms near my school in the springtime. That experience of infinite Love, Being, Consciousness and Bliss demonstrated Something beyond a shadow of a doubt. As an atheist I was inclined to believe that It was a phenomenon created by my own brain, but it must have been a part of the brain that was previously inaccessible to me. It was Beauty and Perfection completely beyond anything that I could ever dream or imagine despite my best efforts. People commonly called this “seeing God,” but I was reluctant to call It “God” because It bore no resemblance to the angry old man in the sky. One of my companions, when asked if he had seen God, replied, “No, but I saw where He lives!” Thereafter, I was motivated to study yoga/ meditation more seriously and in greater depth, and my practice really began to bear fruit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While pursuing my degree in Philosophy, I studied theology and comparative religions and hung out with people of different faiths, including Buddhists, Sufis and Hindus. I began to realize that my childhood fundamentalist education had been quite limiting, and maybe God really wasn’t so bad after all. My Hare Krishna friends presented God as friendly, fun, beautiful and cool. Like Christianity, the Hindu religion also imposed a fairly strict moral code which, if violated, could send you to a bad reincarnation for many offenses including illicit sex (anything outside of marriage, and contraception within marriage!), drinking alcohol, or eating meat. Nevertheless, their positive input inspired me to again consider the possibility of a Personal God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Years later in southern California I rediscovered Jesus thanks to Jon, (ironically!) a rock musician, one of the coolest people I’d ever met. I was surprised to learn he was quietly a mystical Christian, and he also practiced meditation. Through Jon I met some loudly Christian metal musicians and began attending Calvary Chapel, mostly because a lot of my friends went there. The music was great and it seemed pretty hip, although I soon learned that in reality their doctrine was rather fundie. Among other things, apparently gay people were going to hell and while rock music was not, after all, satanic, yoga <b>was</b> and I needed to immediately stop doing it lest demons take over my body.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shortly after my conversion, I ran into an old childhood friend Pete who, it turns out, had been a Christian all along but I never suspected it, because he smoked pot and listened to Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. We were discussing my newfound faith and he asked, “So – do you believe the Bible is the literal Word of God?” “Yes!” I said, as per my indoctrination. Pete smiled, raised one eyebrow, and asked, “And you’ve actually <b>read</b> it?” “Yes.” I had, indeed, been forced to read it quite thoroughly and to memorize parts of it, as a child. “Ok,” he said, “then what do you do when scripture says something that you just know in your heart, cannot possibly be right? Do you blindly believe it, or do you use the mind that God gave you?” “Is this a trick question?!” I wondered, because as far as I knew, we really didn't have a choice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Encouraged again to trust my heart over propaganda, I kept doing kriya yoga and meditation, where with increasing consistency I encountered that Love, Bliss, Beauty and awesome unity that the humble fungi had revealed to me many years before. Having given it much prayer and after visiting a variety of churches, eventually I found myself quite at home in the Episcopal Church due to its Liturgy and sacraments, “all the pageantry, none of the guilt,” a strong tradition of spiritual practices, ecumenism and support of vocations, and so comfortable with paradox, ambiguity and diversity even to have a couple of atheist priests among its clergy. I enjoyed a beautiful, wonderful, ecstatic relationship with God for many years thereafter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I tried being an atheist again in 2010 when I was mad at God. He had allowed my mother, a saintly woman with pure childlike faith who never doubted, “Whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive,” to die a horribly painful, slow, agonizing death involving loss of limbs, sanity and dignity, which dragged out for years despite her own prayers and those of myself, my sisters in the convent, and all our faithful friends and family. When He didn’t heal Mom and her condition worsened, we prayed for a quick, merciful death, and that didn’t happen, either. So I decided, clearly this God thing was all a lie, a fantasy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I told myself that we were, after all, just clothed monkeys with guns, who threw verbal feces at each other; monkeys who made art and music for no purpose whatsoever, and bombs to blow each other to smithereens, breeding mindlessly and without restraint, to the point that we were depleting our finite resources, destroying our habitat and drowning in our own waste. We were really just walking, breathing bags of skin containing chemicals, like biological batteries which can recharge to a limited extent by taking in nutrients until entropy finally catches up, the bag starts to leak, the chemical reactions cease and we’re gone. Unlike batteries, these bags of chemicals were seemingly conscious and capable of reproduction, but to what end – to bring more bags of conscious chemicals into a universe with no God, no Love, no Beauty, no meaning, only eternal darkness and despair?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I tried, but it didn’t work. It was just too awkward, like when you’re mad at somebody and trying to ignore them, but you keep running into them at the grocery store. It was no longer a matter of “belief” for me, because I didn’t so much “believe” in God, as I <b>experienced</b> God. No matter what else might be happening in the external world, when I did my yoga, I experienced that incredible Love, Being, Consciousness, Bliss that had become more Real to me than anything. Now, when I was mad at Him about Mom, I just avoided doing my spiritual practice for a while, but that couldn’t last. It was like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Anyway, God would sneak in when I looked at the moon and stars, or listened to Om roaring in my ear as I surfed in the tube of a wave, or felt the kiss of the sun on my cheek. I don’t know why He let Mom suffer so, but in our Episcopal mythology of the Incarnation, He suffers with us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In my darker moods, especially now that I am perimenopausal, I do sometimes flirt with nihilism, but it’s become more difficult. The yoga I started in 1976 made big promises, and in 2011 it finally delivered. A few minutes after I began doing <a href="http://www.heartofyoga.com/" target="_blank">Heart of Yoga</a>, a seemingly minor refinement of the breathing technique that I had just learned from Mark Whitwell, my entire reality changed. The Love, unity and clarity that I had first glimpsed with the help of the fungi, and subsequently experienced with increasing consistency during my daily meditations over the years, suddenly burst forth and took over my everyday consciousness. This is what yoga is supposed to do, but I was nonetheless surprised when it happened. Since then I have experienced the Presence of God essentially all the time, closer than my own heartbeat, and Love pouring through me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe it is just “all in my head,” a new trick my brain learned from an improbable symbiosis between fungi, cows and humans, reinforced by years of practice. It makes no difference. Whether God is “real,” or whether we are just pitiful monkeys who, in between flinging feces at each other, make up stories to console ourselves in the face of a dark, empty and meaningless universe, either way, what else is left, but to <b>be</b> that Love in the world?! I teach people yoga to allow them to experience for themselves the gospel that God is Love, and I join my voice with others in the hope of making the world a better, more humane place before the darkness swallows us all up. And this brings us back to Frank Schaeffer’s delightful book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This book resonated with me on many levels, although I am no longer an atheist and I find the word “believe” problematic. It is probably a “niche” book, but perhaps a niche whose population is growing as more and more people begin to question their childhood faith and search for deeper meaning. If you love Jesus but hate religion; if you believe in a God Who is bigger than the Bible; if you are confused about the difference between science and religion and/or you’ve been told you must choose between them, this book is for you! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Be honest, my Christian friends: Do you ever feel embarrassed for the God of the Old Testament? What do you do with the “unpleasant” bits of scripture, like (just to mention a few), the several occasions where God tells his people to kill their neighbors, including pregnant women and little babies, but keep the virgin girls as booty? Or the incident when God sent bears to maul 42 children for making fun of the prophet Elisha’s bald head? Likewise, perhaps you find dubious the doctrine of hell, whereby God would condemn mortal beings to eternal torment even for merely having incorrect beliefs. On a recent episode of “The Simpsons,” Bart and Lisa use an iRunes app to open a portal into a school in hell, where they see a young man writing something over and over on the blackboard; Bart asks, “Hey, pal, what are you in here for?” “The heresy of Docetism, the belief that Jesus' body was just an illusion.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Frank poses the question, “Can you imagine me consigning Lucy [his granddaughter] to oblivion because she had wrong ideas about me? Can you imagine me burning her forever because she didn’t believe in me, forgot my name, called me the wrong name, thought I had six arms… or brought me fruit when I asked for a lamb?... I am not a good man and yet can you imagine <i>anything</i> that would cut [his grandchildren] off from my love?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Faced with such issues, we have a choice. We can do mental contortions in attempt to invent clever explanations and apologies for God, as Frank’s evangelist mother did in the previous book (<u>Sex, Mom and God</u>), but the results are unlikely to be satisfactory. Alternatively, we can let go of dogma and trust God to be God. Let God out of the box! As we are told in the <u>Chronicles of Narnia</u>, “He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion."<br />
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Some of my other progressive Christian friends try to modify the religion to be more in line with scientific and historical “reality,” which involves eliminating doctrines about miracles, the virgin birth, the Trinity, even throwing out the entire book of John (my favorite gospel!), and/or re-defining the “historical Jesus” as a mere man, which IMO is kind of like neutering the lion. Mr. Schaeffer takes a different approach. He is not very concerned about doctrines per se. Rather, he comes from the Orthodox apophatic tradition, which says that God is beyond doctrine and cannot be defined by the intellect, but only experienced.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The title of the book, “Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God” is, as my husband and many other people have pointed out, contradictory per the definition of “atheist.” From the apophatic standpoint, “believes” could perhaps better be replaced by “experiences,” but I am sure the author was very aware of the contradiction and purposely chose the ironic and thought-provoking title. Frank is an “atheist” in the sense that he believes in the scientific explanation of the material universe which, I think it is safe to say, most educated people do. As I have explained previously in <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/06/another-look-at-religion.html" target="_blank">my blog</a>, there is no contradiction once we understand that science and religion are two separate spheres or dimensions of human existence which serve completely different functions. This brings us to the central premise of the book, which is that we humans are multidimensional creatures who experience reality on different levels. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my very educated and intelligent friends told me, “Religion is silly! I choose science.” But, the question is, “Choose it for <b>what</b>?” The purpose of science is to objectively explain the nature and workings of the physical universe, which it does quite well, as far as it goes. Now, my friend would say, “Science fully describes reality, because the physical universe is all there is!” The problem with this assertion, of course, is that any such statements about Ultimate Reality are necessarily metaphysical in nature and therefore can neither be confirmed nor denied by physical science. It would be a circular argument akin to the fundie dogma, “The Bible is the only and complete word of God. How do we know? Because the Bible says so!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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In any case, the purely physical approach is inadequate to express the entirety of our human experience. For example, according to science, “love” is simply evolution using your hormones to trick you into breeding, passing on your DNA and caring for your offspring so that they, too, can pass on their DNA. The magical feeling you share with your spouse that makes you believe he or she is the most beautiful, wonderful person on earth can be objectively explained by chemicals in your brain; however, it can only be enjoyed subjectively. Love, like Beauty, belongs to another dimension of human existence: the subjective realm of art, music, poetry, mythology and religion, the purpose of which is not explanation, but inspiration. There are different kinds of “truth.” It’s not either-or. To choose science “instead of” religion is like choosing dinner instead of dessert when you could have both; you will certainly survive although you may become bored. Choosing religion instead of science may seem delicious, but it’s not a balanced diet in terms of your physical health.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When challenged by his atheist friends, “Frank, God’s only in your head!”, he answers, “Yeah, whatever. What isn’t?” This is very true because, as Frank points out, ultimately the “physical world” as such is a perceptual construct of the human mind and senses, whereas we know from physics that what we perceive as solid objects actually consist of mostly empty space. He says towards the end of the book, “My hope is that a trillionth of a second before the Big Bang the energy animating the mystery of matter being created out of nothing was love.” I believe that, and it’s the same Love that holds the universe together, which I experience in the center of my being.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, we are multidimensional creatures and in at least one of those dimensions, we can experience God. Religion is merely the sociocultural context which frames that personal experience. Being freed from dogma, what happens to our faith? It is a huge relief to realize that God does not need to be defined, defended or explained. We can enjoy religious mythology when we stop trying to pretend it is something that it isn’t. If there is a God, He cannot be confined to the man-made box that is religion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Frank makes the case that following Jesus is not about believing certain doctrines, but rather, how does our experience of the sacred affect our life? It should move us to express divine Love through our actions. He discusses at some length the humanism of Jesus, and even suggests that the Enlightenment was a Christian heresy, the results of which can be seen in “godless” countries like Denmark today where most of the population is atheist, and yet their social policies are more consistent with Jesus’ teachings than our own “Christian” nation. They take care of their widows and orphans, provide universal healthcare and education, and enforce laws preventing the powerful from preying on the weak. On a personal level, letting God out of the box has made our faith stronger, our joy deeper, enabling us to give love and create beauty, and in so doing, to find peace.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-67586569005812934842014-11-08T17:09:00.004-08:002014-11-08T17:09:58.582-08:00Reviews from Yoga StudentsMy yoga students have requested a venue where they can give reviews. So, here you go! Feel free to use the Comments section, below. Your feedback is appreciated. Namaste.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-36029093108773447292014-11-08T17:01:00.001-08:002014-11-08T17:01:37.537-08:00Reviews from Spiritual Direction, Counseling and Psychic ClientsSeveral clients have offered to give reviews on my services in Spiritual Direction, Ministerial Counseling and Psychic Readings. So, here is a venue where you can do that! Feel free to use the Comments section, below. Your feedback is appreciated.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-19536331208081978782014-06-13T23:00:00.000-07:002014-07-27T15:25:38.389-07:00Another Look at Religion<div class="MsoNormal">
Note: I shared this post on a popular blog site recently and to my surprise, was immediately accused of "attacking atheists." That certainly was not my intent. If anything, I thought I was "attacking fundies" and reassuring the atheists that despite what they may have heard, liberal/progressive Christians are on their side! I apologize that the point did not get across.<br />
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*******<br />
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Once again I have found myself involved in discussion around an issue that keeps coming up, the same thing back and forth endlessly, so that I think it is worth addressing in my blog for future
reference when and as needed. The issue
this time is religion. My atheist
friends and acquaintances often try to engage me in arguments about my alleged “Christian
beliefs” which they aggressively repudiate – not realizing that, in fact, I’m
on their side. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For example, they will point out that fossil evidence proves living creatures have been around a lot longer than 6000 years, and radiometric dating shows
the earth is 4.5 billion years old; that it would have been
physically impossible to fit 2 of every species of animal and all the supplies
needed for them on Noah’s ark; and that Jonah could not have survived in the
belly of a whale. They scoff at the story of the first woman, whom God had created from a rib of the man He made out of dirt, being deceived by a talking snake, resulting in the damnation of the entire human race, not to mention, as they were the only people, whom did their kids marry? Therefore, science proves that the Bible is not true! Umkay…
but I never said it was. Having
attended college, I do know the difference between science and mythology. Doesn’t everybody? Apparently not, based on the furious and
ongoing debate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s almost a “straw man” argument, except as I understand
it, that would imply conscious and purposeful misrepresentation of your
opponent’s position, whereas it appears the atheists sincerely believe that
this is what we (religious people) think.
And we can blame the fundies for that!
Because, as incredible as it may seem to any modern educated person, there
really <b>are</b> people who believe that the Bible is a magic book literally dictated
word for word by God, every word inerrant (never mind internal contradictions),
a complete and perfect guide to life, a moral handbook, and a science textbook. Even more disturbing is the fact that some of
the people who hold this belief are elected officials whose job is to govern
our nation! But, while the fundies claim
to represent all Christians, they most certainly do not; they just
happen to be the loudest and most obnoxious among us. Unfortunately, they have managed to convince
nearly everyone that their particular brand of “Christianity” is believed
by all of us.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Which, of course, it is not.
So when my atheist friends rant on and on about the profound stupidity of fundamentalist
dogma, all I can say is, you’re preaching to the choir. And if anything, it probably pisses off us liberal
and/or progressive Christians even more than it bothers you! They make the rest of us look bad, as
evidenced by the fact that you have bought into the fundie dogma and believe
that we are the same as them. So as a
yogini and an Episcopalian, I would like to share a fresh perspective, another way
of looking at religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Note, I consider myself a yogini first and a Christian
second. This may shock a lot of Christians and qualify me for burning at the
stake. Be that as it may, my rationale
is that yoga is one’s personal relationship with the Divine, whereas
Christianity is a religion. The former
is <a href="http://www.francisandclareyoga.org/Our_Doctrine.html" target="_blank">direct subjective experience of That</a>, whatever you want to call it, while
the latter is merely the sociocultural context which frames our experience, the religious
mythology which provides a colorful backdrop for the rituals we share as a
community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One might argue that “relationship
with the Divine” presupposes a belief in the existence of God, presumably the
God described in the Bible, but this presumption is incorrect. For me personally, and I think I can speak
for other yogis as well, it’s really not about “belief” at all. “Belief” is an intellectual construct. I don't so much "believe" in God, as I experience God. “God” for me is not a doctrine, but
rather a label I put on my inner mystical experience which, while completely
subjective, is at the same time shared by others in my community. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, some atheists have stated that mystical experience and/or any
kind of religious feeling constitutes mental illness, and that religion is a
form of mass psychosis which ought to be “cured” by forcible
medication. We will put aside for the
moment that this view is reminiscent of the treatment of religion in a totalitarian
regime such as the Soviet Union, with dubious political implications for its
enforcement in a free society. From a
purely psychobiological standpoint, though, it could equally be argued that
people who are incapable of religious feeling have a deficiency in the <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2006/dec/god-experiments/" target="_blank">part of the brain</a> where such experiences originate and which probably serves some
evolutionary purpose. What I call “God”
you might call “the part of the brain that lights up on MRI during meditation.” The latter description, while scientifically
accurate, is less poetic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that is what we are talking about here: Poetry, mythology, ritual, drama! The point that both atheists and fundies seem
to have missed is that religion is not supposed to be literally true in the
scientific sense. The atheist argument
against the factual veracity of the Bible strikes me as rather silly and
pointless, akin to stating that <u>Harry Potter</u> violates the laws of physics, or
that the history and geography of the earth depicted in the <u>Lord of The Rings</u>
is inaccurate. However, atheists understandably
feel compelled to make the argument because the fundies insist on imposing
their religious mythology as literal fact on everybody else via the political
process. It has also been argued that we
don’t need religion anymore because science can explain everything, but the purpose
of religion is not to “explain” the natural world. The argument would go away if only both sides
could simply understand that <b>religion is not science</b>, period. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So what is the purpose of religion, then? It is like art, literature, music, dance or
theater, intended to enrich the imagination and nourish the soul. It is supposed to provide a deeply personal,
yet at the same time, shared communal experience of the Sacred by means of
music, chanting, incense, candles and ritual – “bells and smells” as we
Episcopalians say. The sensory input and
mythological imagery stimulates the part of the brain which allows for what
Jungian psychology calls a “transpersonal” experience of the archetypes in the collective
unconscious. These figures populate all
religions and include such themes as The Mother of all life, and the Dying and
Reborn God who feeds us with His own flesh.
Whether or not these “archetypes” exist in a literal sense outside of human
consciousness is irrelevant to our enjoyment of the ritual.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I like to use the example of the Nutcracker ballet. Watching this ballet – in person, if possible!
– is a time-honored ritual of the winter holiday season. We become absorbed in the music, the magic,
the drama, the incredible athletic and artistic talent of the dancers. Especially those of us who have danced feel as if we, too, could put on pointe
shoes, to join the dancers leaping and spinning across the stage, or even take flight! We delight in the costumes and characters as
we watch the familiar plot unfold, although we already know quite well what is
going to happen. I have never heard
anybody complain of the ballet, “This is completely unrealistic! Toy soldiers do not come to life to battle
rats in your kitchen in the middle of the night!” Everybody understands, except perhaps very small children, that it is not supposed to be real. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The other issue which provokes non-argument on my part is “biblical morality.” Critics correctly point out that the Bible contains some really horrible morality, especially regarding the treatment of women and children, e.g., God advised the Israelites on several occasions to slay every last one of their enemies including little babies, except to keep the virgin girls as booty; you can sell your daughter as a slave; and a girl who is raped in the city should be put to death for adultery, as she didn’t scream loudly enough, whereas one who is raped in the country should be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to remain alive – and married to the rapist. The New Testament is also full of misogyny on the part of Jesus’ disciples, although he himself was shockingly feminist in that he publicly spoke to women and treated them like human beings where women had the same social status as cattle or broodmares. On more than one occasion I’ve been challenged, “How can you support a doctrine which oppresses women?!” I don't.</div>
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<o:p>We can enjoy the Nutcracker</o:p> without basing the laws of our society on the ballet, legislating that women ought to starve themselves and dress in tutus, or that men should don soldier uniforms and devote their lives to battling rats. Likewise, it is neither necessary nor desirable to adopt a 2000+
year-old Middle Eastern “moral code” in order to celebrate our Christian
ritual, and it is not appropriate to impose the barbaric customs of that time and
place on our modern society. When I
mentioned in a Facebook discussion the other day that contrary to popular
belief, not all Christians are misogynistic, somebody looking for an argument challenged
me, “What about, ‘<a href="http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/2-11.htm" target="_blank">A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.</a>’
Don’t Episcopalians follow the Bible?!”
Thank God, we do not. That is why
we have female priests, and why our church has been on the forefront of
promoting women’s reproductive rights and voting rights. </div>
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Like liberal and/or progressive Christians of various
denominations including Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist, we’ve read the
book thoroughly, critically, and gleaned the wheat from the chaff. The message that we choose to take away
is: God is Love, and we are to love our neighbor, which entails promoting human rights, social justice and taking care of the poor
among us, <b>not</b> using the ancient book to deny science, bludgeon women into submission or
prevent gays from marrying.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-63617571530894340512014-06-09T22:27:00.001-07:002014-06-10T12:32:34.307-07:00The View from HereIn the course of my work as a spiritual adviser and yoga teacher, I get asked a lot of questions. One is, "What is the benefit of doing yoga?" Naturally I am excited to start talking about Divine union, and realizing your spiritual ideals in a tangible way, but given the popular notion of what constitutes "yoga," most often the response is, "umkay... but will it help me lose weight??" There are, however, rare individuals, especially on the Advanced Yoga forum, who want to know, "If I practice yoga, will it lead to enlightenment?" <br />
<br />
Occasionally people ask the amusing question, "Are you enlightened?" or, conversely, they will assert, "You are <b>not</b> enlightened!" [<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-i-could-give-rats-ass-about_14.html" target="_blank">never said I was</a>]. LOL! It is "amusing" because obviously the question cannot be answered by "me," since one of the features of "enlightenment" is the understanding that this little self, the ego, is a mere mental construct, a sort of lens or filter through which Consciousness at large experiences life. The statement "I am enlightened" makes no sense, because who is speaking?! Sometimes, though, they will persist and demand to know, according to certain precise technical definitions, which state/s of samadhi, if any, I enjoy.<br />
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I don't particularly care about these nit-picky definitions, but some people are really into them. I was having a discussion with one such friend about whether or not thought still happens after nirvikalpa samadhi. My friend said no, of course not! but I had to wonder, how would the person then function in the world? Surely the brain must still operate in some manner, with or without ego awareness.<br />
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I did some research online and encountered the writings of an advaitan enlightened master who, when interviewed, declared, "there is no sensory input whatsoever, no thinking of any kind, the mind and senses are completely dead!" Um, if so, then how are you hearing what the interviewer is saying and how are you responding to the question? One of his students, likewise said to be a totally enlightened master having attained nirvikalpa samadhi, wrote a very beautiful and quite lengthy poem which discussed and analyzed in some detail how "my master destroyed my ego with a glance of his loving wisdom," "I was previously in darkness but now in the light," "my master did this, I responded thusly, this happened, that happened, and now I don't exist at all and my mind is completely dead!" - went on for pages about how his mind was completely dead and nonexistent. Apparently the poem basically wrote itself?!<br />
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The best one, though, was another enlightened master who, when someone asked about his cigarette smoking habit, replied, "I am not smoking. You only think I am smoking because of your belief in the illusion of separate persons inhabiting these bodies. I do not exist, therefore how can I be smoking? It is illusion on your part." So, I'm not going to discuss or dispute the various definitions of samadhi, other than to say that the idea can be taken to silly extremes and, as with "enlightenment," there may be an inherent linguistic problem in discussing it.<br />
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With regard to "enlightenment," my teacher Mark Whitwell, echoing U.G. Krishnamurti, says that the search itself is the problem. We are fine just as we are. There is nothing to be achieved. Mark has said, "It is <b>intimacy</b> we need, not enlightenment." Yoga is not a means for reaching some far-off goal, to become something that we are not. Rather, yoga is simply relaxing into what he calls our "Natural State." And what would that be like?<br />
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I don't know exactly what it will be like for you. Everybody is unique. There are several different schools of yoga which appeal to various personality types. E.g., there are those who favor jnana yoga, which I explored for a while in my youth, until I became bored with the mind chasing itself like a dog chasing his own tail; you know he's never going to catch it. Knowledge can be very freeing, but there's a big difference between knowing something intellectually and knowing it experientially. But if it works for you, great! Or maybe you are a karma yogi working tirelessly to make the world a better place, offering up all the fruits of your labors, knowing that God is the only Doer; you find your nirvana in digging wells and building houses for the poor. Good for you.<br />
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All I can really tell you is, how things look from here, from my perspective as a bhakti-tantrika practicing Heart of Yoga technique. It has given me (among other things) exactly what I had wanted all those years: Divine intimacy! The God Whom I had previously experienced only during meditation burst forth into my waking existence as an immediate, palpable and continual Presence. Oh, there were other perks, too, like the deep, vast inner silence; the quieting of the monkey-mind; the blessed relief of no longer carrying the heavy burden of the self, having been lifted from my shoulders; the end of fear and worry; feeling for the first time in my life, truly comfortable in my own skin. But most of all, the incredible, infinite Bliss and Love of God, right here, closer than my own heartbeat.<br />
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Now I'm not going to get into an argument about the Personal versus the Impersonal Divine which, depending on whom you ask, one is superior to the other. God delights in manifesting to His or Her devotees in Personal form, as we are persons. At the same time, God is beyond personal and impersonal. And while we're at it, God is the only Reality, <b>but </b>everything is a manifestation of the Divine! God wanted to manifest as us, these personalities, in these bodies, in this natural world, and as tantrikas we celebrate it. The creation was not a mistake. The body is not a prison from which we need to escape in order to "get closer to God" if that were even possible which, as Mark points out, it is not, because God is not absent. Rather, as long as we remain in this body, it is a vehicle for Sacrament. And our spouse, if we are fortunate enough to be blessed with one, is literally God's Love for us in the flesh.<br />
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This is a perfect arrangement for a bhakti-tantrika because all aspects of life become an offering: the kiss of the sun, the caress of the breeze, the smell of the warm earth, flowers and grass, the taste of food and wine, physical and mental labor, surfing, dance, asana and sex. All love songs on the radio are for Him. Every experience, each breath an offering to the Beloved! There is an increasing translucency to the self, which only exists to experience God and to please Him. As much or as little of the self may be preserved so that it can be given to God in the oneness of lovers, or a drop dissolving into the ocean. <br />
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It is a state of being more utterly, completely in Love than one would think possible. As Mark says in his book <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thepromiseoflovesexandintimacy/posts/648447408516989" target="_blank">The Promise</a>, "Your relationship with Source Reality is extremely private, deeply personal, and utterly passionate. I want you to be besotted with Source Reality, to love your life as passionately as you would a secret lover. And I’m promising you that you can."<br />
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With a consistent daily yoga practice, burdens are released, the heart is opened and Love begins to flow as we relax into our Natural State. Eventually that Love pours through every cell in the body. And there are absolutely no restrictions on how far you can take this relationship, no limitations on how deep you can go with Divine intimacy. If anybody tells you otherwise, they are either lying or misinformed. It just keeps getting better. Yogani at AYP has said of this state, "like falling into an endless abyss of ecstasy." At least, that has been my experience. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-39536244202559086212014-06-09T16:30:00.000-07:002014-06-09T16:30:19.159-07:00Rock & Roll Yoga MassAs discussed in my previous posts, I had happily reached an agreement with ASCAP that I could contact the artists (or their representatives) directly for permission to use the dozen classic rock songs on my Rockin' Yoga playlist for my classes here at Lothlorien House. However, I was quite surprised at the overall negative response that I received! While the George Harrison and Alanis Morissette representatives kindly gave their permission, everybody else, including the Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd folks, told me I had to pay the ASCAP license even after I explained to them that I could not afford it.<br />
<br />
I was going to just give up, but then while doing yoga the other day I was reminded of a legal loophole: Churches do <b>not</b> need a license to play any music - including "secular" songs - during worship service! And we can do that, because I am a minister, Lothlorien House is technically a church (a branch of a religious order, <a href="http://www.francisandclareyoga.org/" target="_blank">The Community of Francis and Clare</a>), and the type of yoga that we teach (Heart of Yoga) is, in fact, "whole-body prayer."<br />
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What do we mean by, "whole-body prayer"? Most commonly, people conceive of prayer as talk: to tell God all kinds of things that He/She already knows, like what we think ought to be done for various people in our lives, or complain, apologize, give thanks, praise, etc., or even chant the Names. But, there’s more. What if you could pray with your whole body? What if your movement and breath was a devotional offering, as well as a direct participation in the actual presence of God? That’s exactly what it is. Our breath is from the Spirit who breathes life into us, and our body is the temple of that Spirit. With a regular consistent yoga practice, this becomes no longer an abstraction or a belief, but a real experience. And then after doing our asana with pranayama technique, which is a form of moving meditation, we can go into seated meditation or “contemplative prayer” – where there is no need to talk or do anything, just Be in that wonderful loving Presence, resting in our oneness with Life.<br />
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So, if anybody here in Panama City is interested, we will be happy to host a rockin' yoga worship service on a Saturday or Sunday evening. It will be something along the lines of the "<a href="http://thecosmicmass.com/the-history/#sthash.CBZ54GqD.dpbs" target="_blank">Rave Mass</a>" that got Father Matthew Fox in trouble, except instead of dance, we will do asana. The service will consist of gentle asana, pranayama and meditation while listening to Zep "Stairway to Heaven," Hendrix "Power of Soul," and other great spiritually-themed classic rock songs. I promise to keep the sermon, if any, very brief. We will offer Communion (bread and wine) for those who are interested, before winding down with some Floyd "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and Beatles "Across the Universe" for meditation. I look forward to hearing from anybody who would like to join us for this event.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-31245593181807266612014-06-03T22:03:00.000-07:002014-06-09T14:17:07.737-07:00The Fascists Have Taken Over Rock & RollIn <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/update-on-rockin-yoga.html" target="_blank">previous posts</a> I have described my legal battle with ASCAP, namely they approached me last winter demanding that I purchase a license from them in the amount of $99 per year in order to be able to legally play music (that I already paid for) in my home yoga studio, which I am running at a loss to myself, netted $0 last year, and only have 2 students at the present time. It would also be necessary for me to buy a license from the other agencies, BMI and SESAC, as some of the songs are under their jurisdiction.<br />
<br />
Happily, after some discussion, the ASCAP representative agreed that I could just ask the individual artists for their permission to use the dozen songs on my proposed playlist for yoga. I was quite confident that this approach was the way to go, as I was acquainted with several of the artists, and in my work with some of their fan clubs have always found them to be very understanding and interested in such projects. <br />
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In fact, back in the 1980s I had discussed with Jon Anderson of "Yes" my dream of having a yoga/meditation center where I would play music including theirs in the classes, and he was all in favor of it and encouraged me, "I believe it will happen!" I figured all I would need to do was to contact him and the others, (or the representatives of the late musicians such as Jimi Hendrix), explain my situation and obtain their permission. As they have always been very kind and generous in responding to any reasonable fan requests, I did not anticipate any problem.<br />
<br />
The thing that I did not understand, and which frankly I am still trying to wrap my head around, is this: <b>The artists don't actually control the rights to their own songs!</b> Somewhere along the line, they sold those rights to the publisher and/or the record company. I learned this in the process of researching <a href="http://www.copyrightkids.org/permissioninformation.htm" target="_blank">how and where to apply</a> for permission. I also discovered that most of the smaller independent labels and publishers have been gobbled up in recent years by a handful of big corporations such as Warner, Universal and EMI.<br />
<br />
What this means, my friends, is that <b>the corporations now own rock & roll</b> and dictate by law who may listen to it, under what circumstances and at what cost, and the government backs them up with the power of police and courts. If you do not comply, you will be shut down, as has happened to a couple of businesses here locally who failed to pay the license fees. And the artists have no say in the matter.<br />
<br />
So if, for example, I was to contact Sharon Osbourne, who has always been extremely gracious and several years ago during the RIAA crackdown had announced on her t.v. show, "Hey kids, you go ahead and download as many of Ozzy's songs as you want!!", it would not do me any good. Even if Sharon were to tell me, in writing, "Yes, dear, of course you may play Ozzy's 'Back on Earth' in your yoga studio!", that would not in fact give me legal permission to do so and I would still be liable for licensing violations, because the Osbournes do not own the rights to Ozzy's song - Universal does.<br />
<br />
Likewise, I could approach Jon Anderson and say, "Hey Jon, remember our conversation back in the 1980s about using Yes songs for yoga and meditation? Well, I finally have my own studio, as you predicted I would, and now I need permission to use those songs." Whether or not Jon remembered the conversation, I'm sure he would support the idea with his usual enthusiasm for all things spiritual. However, even if he were to say, "Yeah, you should go for it, definitely!" and give me his written blessing, it would have no legal consequence.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, I sent letters to the respective publishers, still feeling quite optimistic that they would grant me permission for the very limited and more than likely non-profitable use of the few songs, for a couple of students, in the modest yoga studio in my own home.<br />
<br />
I was very encouraged when Wixen immediately gave me permission to use George Harrison's beautiful and uplifting song, "This Is Love." However, the Warner representative told me to purchase the ASCAP license if I wanted to use the Yes song "Love Will Find a Way." When I explained that I could not afford it, the history of my relationship with Yes, the circumstances under which the music would be played, etc., he replied essentially, "Oh well, too bad." <br />
<br />
Then yesterday I heard back from Experience Hendrix LLC, which being a small independent publisher would hopefully be more sympathetic, but no; they likewise said I had to buy the ASCAP license to play "Power of Soul [Power to Love]" and they did not care about my circumstances. That's when I really lost it and broke down sobbing, not just because they said "no," but because of the principle involved. I simply cannot imagine that our beloved free spirit Jimi Hendrix would tell me, "No, I'm sorry, if you're too poor to pay the license fee, then you can't play my song." <br />
<br />
A teenager in the 1970s, I grew up on rock & roll. In particular, the special songs I had chosen for the play list, like "Power of Soul" and "Stairway to Heaven" constituted the soundtrack of my life! For our generation, rock music was more than just "tunes." It represented freedom, equality, rebellion against The Establishment, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. The songs gave us inspiration, courage and solidarity. But The Establishment has won. The big corporations have co-opted rock & roll and even most of the smaller publishers have followed their lead. It's all about $$ now.<br />
<br />
Most of the other songs on my list are published by Universal, Warner and EMI, who have not yet responded to my inquiry, and at this point I am not at all optimistic.<br />
<br />
Several friends have suggested that I could invite independent artists to play music for my studio and indeed, I know of some very talented people who could do so, but that is not the point. I am <b>not</b> looking for "background music" and yoga does not require music. This was just a special playlist that I wanted to do in this particular manner. I don't want new songs. I picked the specific songs that I did for a reason, both lyrically and musically, and for the history and meaning that they have for me personally and for many of my students. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, if I want "music for yoga" per se, we already <b>have</b> that! My teacher Mark Whitwell's wonderful album "<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-pure-love-project/id523988986" target="_blank">The Pure Love Project</a>" was designed for yoga and he has given his students permission to play it for our classes. Or, so I was told, and I do note that it says "copyright 2013 Mark Whitwell." On the other hand, it is distributed by RED, which is a division of Sony Music. Therefore I question whether in fact Mark is in the same boat as all the other artists, in that Sony actually owns the rights and therefore it would be illegal for us to play this CD without a license as well?<br />
<br />
I could, of course, just go ahead and pay for the licenses using a credit card and deduct it as a business expense on my taxes. Given that I am at least $40,000 in debt already, a few hundred $$ is just a drop in the bucket, right? Yeah, I know it's bad to use credit cards, but I will certainly rack up more debt than that this year for necessary expenditures like maintenance on my vehicle, food for my animals, or any number of other things that I don't make enough $$ to pay for. It's the American way. The banks own us. But the yoga playlist is not a necessity, it is a luxury I can't afford, and an investment that makes no sense given the very limited/negative income from my tiny home studio, which will probably close soon. I can still use the special playlist myself - so long as nobody else is listening.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-30012994190782210142014-05-31T17:22:00.000-07:002014-06-09T14:16:34.477-07:00Update on Rockin' YogaI am very happy to announce that I have reached an agreement with ASCAP (see <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/music-is-for-rich-only.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>)! Because there are only about a dozen songs that I would want to use for my yoga playlist, the ASCAP representative agreed that it would make sense for me to just contact those artists directly to get their permission to use the songs. If I get their permission directly, I would not need the ASCAP license. I am currently in the process of contacting the artists (or their representatives), and as soon as I have obtained permission to use all of the songs, here is the playlist that we will be using for Rockin' Yoga at Body Soul Bliss:<br />
<br />
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin<br />
Power of Soul - Jimi Hendrix<br />
It's Love - King's X<br />
Baba - Alanis Morissette<br />
If I Die Tomorrow - Motley Crue<br />
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica<br />
Back on Earth - Ozzy Osbourne<br />
Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas<br />
Love Will Find A Way - Yes<br />
This is Love - George Harrison<br />
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd<br />
Across the Universe - The Beatles<br />
<br />
In addition, we already have permission to use our teacher Mark Whitwell's fabulous (albeit non-rocking) "Pure Love Project" CD.<br />
<br />
So, hopefully soon we will be playing music at Body Soul Bliss! Stay tuned.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-61374737206185979522014-05-30T21:24:00.000-07:002014-06-09T14:15:33.734-07:00Music is for The Rich OnlyMy previous post, <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/rockin-yoga.html" target="_blank">Rockin' Yoga</a>, was written in October of 2011, when I taught at City Arts Coop. At that time I had a handful of students who participated in the class. It was a beautiful venue, a lot of fun, and I <b>love</b> the people and the ambiance at City Arts! But, because there just weren't enough steady students, I could not afford that studio, and returned to teaching in my own home, an aging double-wide, where I could only accommodate three students max in the converted living room. <br />
<br />
In January 2013 I had two remaining students, one of whom occasionally enjoyed doing Rockin' Yoga. By March, defective plumbing had attracted an impressive rat infestation, resulting in a fire and a burst pipe which thankfully put out the fire but gave rise to Black Mold, rendering the double-wide partially uninhabitable and wholly unsuitable for teaching yoga. Meanwhile, I became very ill from the Black Mold and therefore was unable to teach, even after moving into Lothlorien House with the lovely new studio. I could barely keep up with my other jobs. <br />
<br />
In November I received a package from ASCAP addressed to "Artistic Director, Body Soul Bliss LLC" inviting me to purchase a copyright license for music. I had no idea what it was or why I would want it; I have not written or performed music in public for many years, with the exception of karaoke. So, like most of the numerous promotional materials for various goods and services which continually arrive in my mailbox, this one went into the trash. Shortly thereafter I received a followup letter stating,<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Dear Artistic Director:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">I recently sent you a package explaining copyright licensing for the music in your establishment. Included in that package was the ASCAP license agreement and invoice for fees... the ASCAP license gives you legal permission to perform any of the over eight million titles in our repertory... If you have not done so already, please sign the license agreement recently sent to you, and send it to us, along with fees specified on the invoice...</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Traci Lawrence</span><br />
<br />
"Legal permission"?? I replied by email, "We are not interested, but thanks anyway," because I suspected the letter was some kind of scam (which perhaps, indeed, it is) and more pertinently, because Body Soul Bliss was for all practical purposes out of business. <br />
<br />
When I began teaching again this month, May 2014, I went to the ASCAP website to find out whether or not I really <b>needed</b> said license, and if so, why, and what it would cost. According to the website, yes, all businesses including yoga and dance studios need a license to play music. This is the conversation that ensued. On May 5, I wrote:<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dear Traci, </div>
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<br /></div>
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I was going to
shut down Body Soul Bliss last year due to lack of business, but have decided to
stay open for the occasional private yoga lessons even though there's no $$ in
it. I would love to be
able to offer those few occasional students the option of listening to music
that I already have in my collection, those songs which I have paid for several
times over the years, first on vinyl, 8-track, cassette, not to mention
numerous expensive concert tickets, VHS, CD, DVD, and most recently, i-Tunes. A good portion of my lifetime income has gone to music in one form or another! But the fact is, I am currently living below
poverty level. My yoga studio nets
negative. I went to your website to get
some idea how much a license would cost and could not find any information
about it. Can you give me at
least a vague idea of how much a license would cost for somebody in my
situation? Thank you.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On Tuesday, May 6, she replied: </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Good Morning Jamie, </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">Thank you for the email! I am happy to answer any questions
you have, if I don't cover everything, please let me know. First off I will
start with the cost, the smallest category we have is 75 clients or less which
would put your 2014 license at $99.27. To touch on a couple other points that
you made, unless your studio is totally quiet, you would still need a license.
All CD's , DVD's , iTunes , etc is all copy written material, meaning that once
you purchase it you can play the music all the time for your personal use but
once its used in a business per Federal Copyright Law, you need authorization
and that authorization comes in the form of the license we offer. I hope this
makes sense. Please don't hesitate to call me if it's easier for you to answer
any further questions. Hope you have a great day! Regards,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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To which, I replied later that evening:</div>
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<br /></div>
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Dear Traci, </div>
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<br /></div>
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Thanks for your quick reply. My total gross receipts for teaching yoga in 2013 = $120, of
which $20 involved music. So far this year my gross receipts for teaching yoga = $40,
without music. I teach yoga because it is my vocation, but I cannot make a
living doing so. My primary income is from psychic readings, which do NOT
involve music. I teach yoga on the side, private lessons for a few rare
students, in my own home, where I have sacrificed my living room in order to
have a studio. I would teach for free if I could afford to do so, but since I
have to take time off my other job/s to teach, I must charge for my time.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traci, I am a huge supporter of music, I have many musician
friends, and I have worked for their fan clubs and over the years done many
promotions for them as a volunteer. I totally "get" that artists
should be compensated for their work and that people who make a profit off of
the music, should pay the artists a fair percentage of the profit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, under the circumstances, do you really think it is fair
and/or appropriate for me to pay $99 per year to play music in my class when
last year I only grossed $20 (before expenses!) on classes with music? Is it
really fair that I should pay the same fee as someone who has 75 clients and,
unlike myself, is actually making a profit?? Or, can only rich, successful
businesses legally play music?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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I'm very sorry, but that is just insane! I would be happy to
pay a reasonable percentage, even say 10% per class w/music, so if I made $20 I
would give you $2. I am sure that is a much higher percentage than a business
with 75 clients would be paying. I look forward to hearing from you and hope we
can find a reasonable and mutually agreeable solution here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Today, May 7, I received this response:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Jamie, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">I cancelled your account based on our original conversation
that you were not playing music, so currently you do not have an account with
us. I understand that you may not have 75 students but I am not at liberty to
change your license fee based on the Federal Copyright Law as well as ASCAP
being obligated to work under Federal Consent -decree which means we can't make
adjustments for specific businesses, We have the different class sizes by which
we have to follow:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">Under 75<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">Under 150<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">Under 300<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Over 301<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">As I mentioned before if you do not play any music you are
fine, if you play one song or play music 24 hours a day in your business, then
you need a license. The license is not governed by the income you make, is
based on how many student/clients you have and again, 75 is the smallest
category.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Hope this helps.</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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To which I replied:</div>
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<br /></div>
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Dear Traci,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So you really ARE saying that:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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1. I should pay a
license fee equal to 500%, i.e. $99 for a single one-hour class with $20 gross
receipts, or 82.5% of total gross receipts for all classes including those NOT
involving music (based on 2013).<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. A person teaching
2 yoga students out of their own home should pay the same license fee as a
successful studio with 75 students. <o:p></o:p></div>
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3. If I'm too poor to
pay the license fee and/or the fee is totally out of proportion to my income,
then I can't play music for those 2 students.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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4. You are rejecting
my generous offer to pay 10% (!) of gross proceeds per class involving music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Wow. What a racket. I
wonder how much of the money you collect actually goes to the musicians.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I have meanwhile been informed that I can legally play
Pandora or the radio, but I'm not interested in those. I have a very limited list of songs by a few
specific artists that I would want to use.
Maybe I will just contact those artists directly to get their
permission. My teacher has given us
permission to use his CD in the past, and I have a feeling Sharon Osbourne may
likewise be sympathetic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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Thank you very much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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- Jamie Brown<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cc: Better Business
Bureau, Nashville<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sharon Osbourne<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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***********</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, there you have it. As Ms. Lawrence stated, the law is quite clear: You must pay for a license even if you only have one student and only play ONE song, even if the cost of the license is five times the gross income from that one class and even if your business is, in fact, not making a profit. And you must purchase the same license as a successful studio having 75 students. No negotiations or compromises will be made, period. If you are too poor to afford the license, then you simply can't play music. After all, music is only for the rich - right?! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Musicians would, no doubt, find this quite ironic, since many of them started out poor. They know what it is like to survive on Ramen noodles in order to pay your electric bill so that you can power an amp that goes to 11. They understand the looming threat of homelessness when you don't make enough money from your gigs to keep a roof over your head. I don't believe that most of them wrote their music only for the enjoyment of rich people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Upon doing some research, I did learn that there is a loophole in the law, namely, churches are not required to have a license to play music during worship services! Lothlorien House is a church and I am a minister. Yoga is literally whole-body prayer. Therefore, all I would have to do is offer yoga sessions for free and call it "worship," which technically it <b>is</b>, and we could play whatever music we want. That would be the ideal solution, if only I could afford to take time off my other jobs to teach for free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Meanwhile, Mark Whitwell has already given us permission to play his absolutely beautiful, albeit non-rocking, "Pure Love Project" music during our classes. I am still waiting to hear from Mrs. Osbourne. Rock on, friends! But only if you can afford to pay the required license fee.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-91344593926432525842014-05-27T23:49:00.000-07:002014-06-09T14:17:36.096-07:00Spanking the Monkey-Mind: Autoeroticism and Religious Guilt Tripping[Disclaimer: This post contains adult subject matter, so if you are under 18 please do not read it without your parents' permission.]<br />
<br />
To my surprise and delight, I have somehow become the "Dear Abby of Tantric Sex." People from all over the world, including a large fan following in India (a country I have always loved, the birthplace of yoga!) contact me with their questions about yoga, spirituality and especially, sex. I am honored and humbled that these strangers trust me with their most intimate personal concerns, and I take all such questions seriously. Being a bhakti-tantrika, I regard sex as sacred and to be treated with reverence, but at the same time, it's ok to laugh, and my regular readers are already well aware of my tendency to sarcastic humor. To my new readers, I apologize in advance.<br />
<br />
This blog post is in response to questions that continually come up about masturbation. I have had so many inquiries on the topic that I decided to go ahead and write this, rather than having to constantly repeat myself. Many young men have shared with me their concerns about this matter. In addition, based on the messages, others have taken liberties with my Facebook photos. I choose to regard it as a compliment and sincerely thank God that my photos can still be so "inspiring," given my advanced age and increasing decrepitude. At the same time, however, it also demonstrates how very desperate they are, to be using photos of a 51-year-old, especially since my "raciest" ones involve a bikini or relatively conservative Vulcan underwear. Apparently young men in those countries do not have access to any decent porn, such as Playboy, and must settle for seeing an aging yogini on FB, much as in the olden days when boys in the U.S. had only the Sears catalog underwear ads.<br />
<br />
Their desperation also, of course, speaks of the societal dysfunction which has led to these questions, with or without the associated behavior related to my photos. There is a great deal of loneliness and frustration in the world, compounded by repressive socio-cultural traditions which give a person no way out of their dilemma. Many young men have difficulty finding a suitable partner, especially in societies where women are expected to wait until marriage and "good girls" don't have premarital sex for fear of damaging their reputation. Meanwhile people are waiting longer to get married, until they have finished their education and are established in their career. This is actually a good thing in terms of economics, because marrying and having babies before completing education is a significant cause of poverty among women and children worldwide. However, the situation leaves young people with no sexual recourse at a time in their life when hormones are raging.<br />
<br />
Fortunately here in the West we had a "sexual revolution" in the 1960s and 70s, thanks in part to <a href="http://www.notable-quotes.com/h/hefner_hugh.html#DbH8XVvoOHHjXYMv.99" target="_blank">Hugh Hefner</a>'s promotion of the Playboy philosophy, "<span style="background-color: white;">Nice girls like sex too -- it's a natural part of life. Don't be ashamed of it," hence the wholesome "girl next door" look of his models. Now, one could argue that the Bunny costume was silly and/or degrading, but be that as it may, Hef's philosophy was a breath of fresh air in our formerly stuffy, repressed society. As a result, my American and European friends struggle less with their sexuality, and I </span><span style="background-color: white;">don't get as many of these questions from them. The women ask me about sex and relationships, but not about masturbation per se, either because they aren't doing it, or they are doing it and it's working out fine and not a problem. It seems to be more of an urgent, pressing concern for men, which perhaps is understandable; certainly if I had one of those remarkable organs I would want to play with it, too!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">My younger brothers in India and the Middle East write to me in great distress with their concerns about masturbation. One sincere young man, a member of a fundamentalist Christian church, contacted me quite worried about the impending Rapture/Tribulation, which is the doctrine that Jesus will come back and whisk His followers away to heaven before the world basically goes through 7 years of hell under the Antichrist. I assured him not to worry, because according to that doctrine, <b>if</b> one believes such things, Christians will be taken away before the bad stuff happens. This nice young man then confessed to me that he feared Jesus would leave him behind because he had masturbated! And he is not alone. Many other young men have likewise told me they actually believe that God will send them to hell, or perhaps a bad reincarnation, for this grievous sin. And BTW,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> contrary to popular belief, Christianity has no monopoly on sexual repression! It is common to the fundamentalist branches of all religious traditions including Hinduism and Islam.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Now of course, my atheist friends will say, "Well, that's what happens when you believe this kind of bullsh*t in the first place! Get rid of religion and everybody will be fine." Indeed, many people have lost their faith specifically because of the sexual repression enforced by fundie religions. My worried young friends will be relieved to know that according to modern science, masturbation is perfectly normal and healthy, perhaps several times a day for most young men, the frequency decreasing with age, depending on opportunity and circumstances.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">But, it is not necessary to throw out the Babe with the bathwater, and as a minister of reconciliation, I am here to help religious people embrace their sexuality as the sacred gift that it is and be thankful, rather than fearful of damnation. In all of our religious mythologies, God made matter, including our body and sexuality, and called it Good. Moreover, in Christianity and Hinduism, God saw fit to incarnate as a man in a human body at least once, or perhaps many times. Somewhere along the line, the insidious gnostic dualism "Spirit is good, matter is bad" contaminated our religions, leading to the doctrine that sex and physical pleasure is a sin. And the specific Christian prohibition of masturbation is actually based on a <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2205/what-exactly-was-the-sin-of-onan" target="_blank">misinterpretation of scripture</a>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Now, what parent among you would give your child the most wonderful, excellent toy and then forbid him or her to play with it, or even to touch it?! </span><span style="background-color: white;">God would have to be either stupid or cruel to have created us with this powerful, pleasurable sex drive and then forbid us to enjoy it, even privately with our own bodies!</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">As an Episcopalian, I believe that God is neither stupid nor cruel. But, as a yogini it's really not a question of "belief" at all; I speak rather from experience. God is <b>way</b> more Fun than He/She is given credit for, more Fun, in fact, than literally <b>anything</b>. You can trust me on this, but you don't have to take my word for it. Other yogis like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/steve.ross.12935?fref=ts" target="_blank">Steve Ross</a>, <a href="http://www.aypsite.org/T2.html" target="_blank">Yogani and Ramakrishna</a> have said so, too. That is why, when your yoga practice reaches a certain point, you don't have all these concerns anymore, and how I was able to be happily celibate for 14 years until I met my husband 9 years ago.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The yogic philosophy is that sexual energy is also spiritual energy, and sex serves two basic functions: The biological purpose of sex is procreation and stress relief, while the spiritual purpose is Love and Ecstasy. For many people, orgasm is the closest they will ever come (pun intended!) to meditation. In tantric yoga we have techniques to send that energy up the spine and prolong the orgasmic state for hours, or indefinitely. Needless to say, this is incredibly satisfying. </span><span style="background-color: white;">However, unfortunately, the same fundie religions which forbid premarital sex and masturbation nearly always forbid yoga as well, and I would not recommend celibacy to anyone who does not have a serious yoga practice.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Here's the thing: At the base of the spine is incredible sexual/ spiritual energy coiled up waiting to be expressed, the powerful creative energy of Life itself. If you try to repress it, it's eventually going to come out one way or another, and maybe not in a polite manner. If you are a yogi, you can channel that energy and offer it up in ecstatic prayer. I can teach you how to do that, but it requires a lot of discipline and practice. Otherwise, you are left with very few options according to the fundie religious dogma with which you have been brainwashed. You can attempt to be celibate using "sublimation," which is where you try like hell <b>not</b> to think about sex, while basically exhausting yourself doing other things such as sports, intense physical exercise, housecleaning, digging ditches, building houses for the poor, etc. In all likelihood you will still end up having wet dreams, which is your body's way of releasing sexual tension and some believe, is also a reason to feel guilty. Or you can get married too young, for the wrong reasons. Or you can just suffer and moan about it to Dear Tantric Abby.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I would recommend, my young friends, that you make peace with your body and God who created it. Ideally, I would like to see you find a good sympathetic friend with whom you have mutual respect and trust, in order to practice <b>safe</b> sex (please, use birth control!) until you are ready to settle down and start a family. If that is not possible then you will inevitably take matters into your own hands - which is perfectly normal! Do not allow the religious dogma of repressed, bitter old men to ruin your spiritual life. Are they wiser than the Creator? There is no need to feel guilty about a natural biological function. Stop beating yourself up over beating off.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-17182840686541209222014-05-23T18:07:00.000-07:002015-04-23T19:36:35.126-07:00My Counseling ServicesIn addition to teaching yoga, I also offer spiritual counseling. Since 1992 I have worked as a professional "psychic" for several famous services including Psychic Friends Network, and currently am with a Very Famous Service Seen on TV Which Cannot Be Named for Contractual Reasons, as well as <a href="http://lothlorienyoga.com/Spiritual_Advice.html" target="_blank">my own independent site</a>, where I also offer spiritual direction. What are the differences, you may ask, between these services and why would somebody choose one over the other? In particular, what does "psychic" mean and isn't it demonic? <br />
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The latter question comes up sometimes because here in the Bible Belt, which is dominated by fundamentalist churches with extremely limiting doctrines, people have been taught that "psychic" = "fortune teller" = "occult" or "demonic." It is assumed that <b>if</b> indeed psychics have access to hidden information, or predictions about the future, we must be obtaining that information from demons. Many, many years ago when a dear friend gave me my first Tarot deck for my 14th birthday, my own mother, who was raised somewhat fundie, was horrified and told me the cards were "from the devil." Actually, the Tarot was the original card game from which modern playing cards evolved, and today you can even get Christian Tarot cards such as "The Jesus Deck," which has Bible verses and themes from scripture. <br />
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Now, while there may be "psychics" out there somewhere who consult with demons, I don't, nor have I met any other psychics who do. It simply wouldn't make sense, because demons are notoriously unreliable and delight in telling lies to trip people up and to cause as much grief as possible. They find this extremely amusing. Even if a demon had access to real information, they could never be relied upon to deliver it accurately. So dealing with them is a waste of time, at best. I personally only interact with demons when requested in the course of my work as a minister if they are bothering someone and I am asked to expunge them. <br />
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So, if not "demonic," where then do our "psychic powers" come from?? Well first of all, that question implies that "psychic powers" and "demons" are real, which of course many modern educated people, especially atheists, would deny. They would say there are natural explanations for these phenomena, i.e., the psychic pumps the client for information and picks up on subtle verbal cues. Certainly there is some truth to that, and as a psychic, I endeavor to obtain as much information as possible from my clients in order to provide them with the most accurate and in-depth "reading." I do, however, seem to have an ability to "tune in" to people on an empathic level and help uncover information of which they were not fully conscious. If indeed this is a "psychic power" then I am sure it is a natural gift from God, which most psychics will acknowledge. <br />
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I use the Tarot as a tool in this process of uncovering information. Now, fundies will object, "God forbids divination!" This, obviously, is untrue since the Hebrew priests had their own divinatory tool, the "Urim and Thummim," which was sanctioned by God. In any event, I don't use the cards for "fortune telling" as such. Rather, with my background in Jungian psychology, I use them as sort of a complex Rorschach. The cards contain archetypal images from what Jung called, "the collective unconscious," the level on which yoga says we are all One. They "work" because the archetypes are themes common to the human experience which we all share and nearly everyone can relate to. The images on the cards provoke discussion about the client's situation and feelings. <br />
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Now, it is true that in the course of my work as a "psychic" I sometimes make predictions about the future, simply because clients expect it. That's just part of the job, and I can do it with a reasonable degree of accuracy by carefully examining all the data at my disposal, including my knowledge of human nature. If this makes me a "sorceress," then likewise meteorologists, stock brokers and investment bankers must also be "sorcerors." <br />
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The reason I am working as a "psychic" is because State licensing restrictions forbid me to practice my profession as an M.A. Psychologist in the United States. When I got my Master's degree in California I was able to legally practice as a Ministerial Counselor, but the law has since changed so that ministers may not practice counseling, at least here in Florida, and all U.S. based online counseling services require their staff to have the respective licensing in the State where they live. This is unfortunate for the public, because back when ministers could legally counsel, it was possible to obtain therapy for as little as a $20-40 donation, whereas now people can only consult State licensed therapists who charge $125 or more. <br />
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But, thanks to the internet and globalization - one of the few <b>positive</b> examples of globalization that I can think of! - people now have access to therapists around the world. <a href="https://www.proventherapy.com/" target="_blank">ProvenTherapy.com</a> is leading the way in this new trend of online therapy available internationally. Not being limited by U.S. licensing restrictions, ProvenTherapy is able to hire counselors based on their own unique qualifications and experience, and to offer their services to the clients for significantly less than the cost of therapy here in the U.S. <br />
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Now, as a client, why should you choose a "psychic" or a "therapist"? Some people call a psychic line for advice and feedback in helping them work through their difficulties because of the social stigma of "needing therapy," i.e. the implication of "mental illness," and the psychic advertisements <b>do</b> specifically state, "for entertainment purposes only!" Others, however, may turn to a psychic simply because they do not have insurance coverage for mental health and therefore assume that they cannot afford to see a therapist. Well thanks to <a href="https://www.proventherapy.com/" target="_blank">ProvenTherapy.com</a>, that is no longer the case! Nearly all of the therapists on staff charge less than $100 and many as little as $50 an hour, or $45 per week by email, which is quite affordable.<br />
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The third category, "spiritual direction," is pastoral counseling specifically aimed at answering questions of a religious or spiritual nature, which is my specialty! As a spiritual director it is my privilege to help people explore and deepen their relationship with God, to move beyond dogma and experience divine intimacy.<br />
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So, now people have more options. If you appreciate the mythology of the Tarot and want to approach your counseling session from more of an artistic or "entertainment" perspective, you would probably enjoy calling a psychic. If, on the other hand, you are dealing with serious issues and you want direct, straightforward psychological help, and/or you are wary of the religious stigma associated with "psychics," then I would refer you to ProvenTherapy. Although I am no longer on staff there since going full-time with the Famous Psychic Line, I can recommend several caring and professional therapists. Finally, if you want to deepen your spiritual life and improve your relationship with God, you would call a spiritual director. Either way, I would be happy to help! Call me. We'll talk. No big whoop. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-12066776365300125262014-05-22T22:37:00.000-07:002014-05-22T22:37:25.386-07:00Our New ProjectNote: This was written in November, 2012. Clean & Green by Design closed in September 2013 due to lack of business. As of the present time, May 2014, Hawk and I have yet to find a way to make a decent living. He continues with his low-paying, part-time subcontract at the beach, spending a fortune on gas for the commute. I have retired from medical transcription due to severe deterioration of my typing skills, and continue to work as a "psychic," in lieu of having the appropriate State license to practice psychology in the U.S., although I am doing so at a <a href="https://www.proventherapy.com/Sister_Jamie-584.html">counseling service</a> (online) based in India. Meanwhile, our plan to turn Lothlorien House into a nonprofit yoga studio/retreat center was derailed when the County revoked our homestead exemption and raised our property taxes by 48%, requiring us to move back into the House in order to reclaim the homestead. We have had a couple of students here, but Hawk and I have decided we do not feel totally comfortable teaching in our home, so at least for now, I will be teaching only via Skype. <p>
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In a previous blog post back in August I had described the economic circumstances affecting our yoga studio. I refer the interested reader to that post, <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/body-soul-bliss-may-be-closing.html">Body Soul Bliss May Be Closing</a> – but in short, due to our living in an impoverished hick town known as “The Redneck Riviera” and specifically, our location 45 minutes away from the “happening” area on the beach, we have been unable to make a living teaching yoga. Hence our new project: Clean & Green by Design. <p>
Coincidentally, as I was in the midst of working on this blog post, one of my fellow HOY teachers, Jason Brown (no relation), posted in his excellent blog <a href="http://www.jbrownyoga.com/blog/2012/11/on-merits-of-not-for-profit-yoga">On The Merits of Not-For-Profit Yoga</a>: “There is no greater obstacle to becoming a highly skilled yoga teacher then having to work at an unrelated job to pay rent and eat.” He raises some very good points about the economics of teaching yoga. As I would put it: “There is no greater obstacle to working as a highly skilled yoga teacher, than trying to make a living.” I have had the privilege of learning from some great masters in my 36 years of yoga study and practice, and I have taught (often for free) since the early 1980s. But gainful employment using the skills acquired over that lifetime eludes me. <p>
The going rate for yoga classes in Panama City has dropped by about half since we opened in 2009. Several new studios now offer classes for $5-7 and some for free. What I have gradually come to realize is that the only people in town who can afford to pay $10 for my classes (or $20 for private instruction), plus the cost of a couple of gallons of gas, are those who have more than one job, put in lots of overtime or work on-call, and therefore often miss their class due to work. And those who have time for yoga and the 1.5-hour commute, do not have the money. Some of my students have argued, “You are a great teacher and if people are serious about learning Real Yoga, they will make the drive!” If I were Mark Whitwell or Steve Ross, students might find the trip worthwhile. Being only myself, teaching in our humble home studio, a [full disclosure] rat-infested double-wide trailer a 45-minute drive out into the boondocks where you pass signs that say "Jesus Saves" and "Deer/Hog Slaughtering" and might imagine you can hear the theme song from "Deliverance," it is understandable that people will take advantage of the inexpensive classes offered in nice fancy buildings on the more civilized beach, where we had hoped to relocate. <p>
When we were unable to sell the farm and/or find a good home for our beloved horses, Hawk and I decided to offer “<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/our-equestrian-program-at-lothlorien.html">Equine Assisted Learning</a>,” or “Yoga with Horses,” a trendy new activity in more affluent areas. I had wanted to call it, “Equine Therapy” but learned that it is <b>illegal</b> to use the word “Therapy” since I am not a licensed Therapist (Psychologist) in Florida. I don’t know how people offering “Yoga Therapy” can get away with it, but I am fairly sure Florida will soon regulate the hell out of that profession as well. Unfortunately, my [very expensive] equine liability insurance specifically prohibits allowing handicapped persons near the horses, thereby ruling out my plan to work with "special needs" kids. <p>
Still, I thought somebody would be interested, but despite extensive advertising, only <b>one</b> person has inquired about our program, a lady who told me that her daughter "needs horse therapy.” I explained that while we can’t call it “therapy,” there is no doubt that horses are, indeed, therapeutic! You can bury your face in a horse’s sweet-smelling mane and have a good cry, and the horse will nuzzle you with its velvety nose as if to say, “There, there, dear, everything will be ok.” I assured her that riding the horses would be good for her daughter and she was eager to make an appointment. However, when told it would cost $25, she quickly hung up and I never heard from her again, which is odd because ordinary non-therapeutic riding lessons around here cost $25 and <b>any</b> form of "therapy" costs upwards of $125. Now some of my hard-core PETA friends might object, “But isn’t that cruelty/ exploitation of the horses?!” No, it is not, but that is a subject for another blog post. In any case it is a moot point because we have no customers, but at least I can write off the horses’ living expenses on my taxes, a neat trick which I learned from the Romneys. <p>
So the horses continue their life of leisure, while Hawk continues to work on his dangerous and low-paying construction contract. I have had 2 other jobs, both of which are night shift: medical transcription and Psychic. The former has been petering out for years and extremely fickle; I would go days or weeks with hardly any work, and then suddenly be flooded with hours and hours of transcription, typically on nights when the Psychic line was ringing off the hook and I had a yoga class scheduled for early the next day, and I would be typing until dawn, mostly oncology, which is extremely depressing. As for the Psychic job, it is very enjoyable but pays only about $5-10/hour, versus $100/hour I would be making if I could legally work as a Psychologist doing essentially the same thing, except in psychology we normally use Rorschach rather than Tarot cards. <p>
So on the days when I had a yoga student scheduled, I would drag my tired ass out of bed, do my own abbreviated yoga practice (usually around 15 minutes, rather than the hour I would prefer) and frantically attempt to get my home clean enough to welcome the student, who may or may not show up, depending on their work schedule and/or any other considerations which might arise. This process takes me about an hour, plus half an hour to make myself presentable. Now some of my students have kindly said, “Oh, you don’t have to clean house on my account!” Well, yes, I <b>do</b>. Really. I live here in this trailer with my 2 feral cats and my feral man. His word, not mine; in fact, when we were with Mark Whitwell at Omega last year, Hawk said to him, “You and I are not like other men. We are feral.” Mark did not dispute that observation. <p>
I won’t go into all the gory details, but e.g., the bathroom which my students use belongs to my beautiful feral [and straight] man, whose beautiful hair which reaches nearly to his waist tends to get washed down the sink no matter how often I nag him not to do that, resulting in a perpetually clogged drain. And my feral cats love to roll around in the sand outside and then come into the house and clean themselves vigorously, licking and scratching and depositing large amounts of fur, sand, pine needles, and various other debris on the floor. Naturally their favorite place to do this is in the yoga studio, where they enjoy soaking up the good vibes left behind by my students. Sometimes they also bring prey into the studio, play with it and eat it there, leaving entrails. So yes, it really is necessary for me to clean the studio before you arrive. And let’s hope you are not a vegan, because we may have had eggs for breakfast which our chickens kindly gave us and the smell of which would gag you. We do live here, after all. <p>
As time goes on I am less comfortable with having students in my trailer home. I really feel that I need a studio separate from our living quarters. But, Krishnamacharya taught in his home – am I better than him, that I need another studio?! I don’t know what the conditions or the social expectations were in India at that time, however, he did have a wife and presumably she kept the home in order. Maybe that’s what I need – a wife! Meanwhile here I am charging $10 for a “semi-private” class (3 students or less), which people say is too much, and which becomes around $8 after taxes, for spending an hour in preparation and an hour in class time if the student shows up. I had offered semi-private classes thinking that I could do a group class for the students who could not afford private lessons; however, I discovered that it is quite difficult to reliably schedule even one student, much less get 2 or 3 of them together at the same time. As a result, the more casual students were getting private lessons for $10 while the serious students were paying $20 for that privilege, which is not fair and obviously also not sustainable. <p>
I was mulling over this situation, sobbing while I scrubbed my bathroom. When I am depressed and my life feels out of control, I find cleaning quite therapeutic, as it visibly makes the world a better place and obtains at least a temporary victory over entropy. Earlier I shoveled a couple hundred pounds of manure and the horses had comforted me as best they could. I had found my true vocation as a yoga teacher but could not make a living. The late-night medical transcription was literally killing me and didn’t pay nearly enough to be worth the torment. The Psychic work was wonderful but didn’t pay the bills. One of my fellow yoga teachers in town makes her living as a waitress. I am too much of a klutz to be a waitress. Another teacher works at Publix, and I did consider getting a job there but learned that the only openings were at a store a 2-hour drive away. And if I were able to find any kind of a regular 8-5 job I would not be able to teach anymore, nor do my Psychic work, and no jobs around here pay enough on their own. What on earth could I do?! As my tears fell into the sink I thought of my first job at age 17, when I worked as a maid. <p>
A maid! <b>I can do this</b>. It was only a summer job for a girl on her way to college, and I never dreamed it would become my career at 50; I was going to be an astronaut, a writer, a psychologist or medical transcriptionist, but God knows, I would far rather scrub toilets than transcribe one more report of a cancer patient being burned and tortured. Having just recently lost my step-mom to the ravages of chemo, I wanted nothing more to do with it. The next day I discussed it with my former yoga student Amy, whose horses also live here and who no longer has time or $ for yoga due to having 2 children and 2 horses. Amy informed me that she had been thinking of starting a cleaning service using natural nontoxic products. It turns out we are both good at painting, too, and share an interest in design. Hawk and I designed and built our beautiful house (which is currently rented) and would enjoy doing more of that. So Amy, Hawk and I have created a new company, Clean & Green by Design, which hopefully will allow us to pay our respective bills. Unlike yoga, there is apparently a big demand for house cleaning in this town. <p>
I had said I would give the yoga studio until summer but, the mortgage needs to be paid now. Therefore, I have put a temporary hold on classes here at Body Soul Bliss in Lothlorien. My serious students can continue to come here, and if anyone else shows up I will not turn them away, but I have stopped actively advertising and only offer private lessons. When my tenant moves out the end of May, we will convert that house into our new yoga studio. We can fit 10 students in the great room, and the house also has 2 lovely guest suites. Among other things, Hawk and I plan to offer tantric retreats for couples where we will share, with due reverence, our knowledge of philosophy and technique, and then leave the students to their private “homework.” The house would be a great retreat for anyone wanting to get away for a few days of peace and quiet out here in the country, walking in the woods or communing with the horses. It is a beautiful, tranquil building and hopefully students might find it worth the long drive. If the cleaning & design business generates enough income, we might even go non-profit and teach yoga for free, not because we want to, but because it may be the only way that we will be able to get students and thereby fulfill our vocation of teaching Real Yoga.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-14679323955760337032014-05-22T22:03:00.000-07:002014-05-22T23:43:40.593-07:00Dharma, Desire and the Death of a Dream(09/05/2013) <p>
A little over a year ago in August 2012 I had blogged about the economic circumstances here at Lothlorien (<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/body-soul-bliss-may-be-closing.html">Body Soul Bliss May Be Closing</a>). At that time I even briefly questioned whether or not it was really my destiny, my dharma, to teach yoga. It was certainly my dream, and all my life I've been told "If you can dream it, you can be it," "Follow your Bliss," "You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it," etc. Admittedly, after decades of education in the School of Hard Knocks I have become rather skeptical about New Age optimism. But this was not some fanciful "pie in the sky" sort of dream. It actually was quite reasonable, because yoga is what I know best. I've been practicing since 1976 and teaching off and on, primarily one-on-one and mostly for free, since the early 1980s. Yoga has been my life. I was studying with gurus and meditating in a monastery while other people my age were establishing serious careers, buying homes, marrying and having children, when the current crop of 500-hour RYT teachers were still in diapers. <p>
Since yoga at that time was not generally regarded as a practical career choice, I had eventually settled on medical transcription to make a living, although over the years I have become extremely disillusioned with mainstream medicine, especially oncology. When the work began to peter out in 2009 I decided it was time to do something that I love, something I am good at, a service which would benefit people and help them improve their health and hopefully avoid becoming victims of the medical industry. I had every expectation of success. <p>
The success of my yoga teaching and holistic wellness counseling, however, faced 2 major obstacles: <p>
1. Our location out here in a double-wide trailer in the boondocks, a 45-minute drive from civilization. I was getting lots of calls from potential students at the [relatively] more progressive and affluent beach area who were excited to come to Lothlorien for yoga until they learned that the Arnold Road where we are located is NOT the Arnold Road at the beach, but rather, out in the country north of Panama City. At that time there was only 1 studio at the beach, although there were several in town. <p>
2. The economy. Everybody in town was broke and couldn't afford to pay $10 for a yoga class and the gas to drive here, although some of those people could afford to go out drinking and partying on the weekends and buying expensive shoes. I meanwhile was falling deeper into debt and having trouble paying the mortgage. I had taken on a third job, reading Tarot cards on psychic lines, which was enjoyable and somewhat relevant to my Jungian psychology training, but paid very little. My husband Hawk was spending hundreds of $$ on gas commuting to his job at the beach. <p>
After giving the situation some careful thought, analysis and prayer, I decided it would make sense to sell the farm and move to the beach, where I would open my new studio to meet the needs of all the potential students there. <p>
Just to make sure that this project had my full commitment and no hesitation, I went back and studied "manifesting"/ "The Law of Attraction" again. I had believed and practiced this wholeheartedly in my youth but never got any real-world results, and eventually discovered that life went more smoothly using the "go with the Flow and be ok with whatever happens" approach. However, given the grave financial circumstances and the enormity of the project, I figured it might be worth investigating again. Since my entire reality had shifted in 2011, silencing the monkey-mind and dissolving all my doubts and fears, it did not seem unreasonable to suppose that the LOA might work now. <p>
I put aside my skepticism and took the "<a href="http://www.abundantyogi.com/">Abundant Yogi</a>" course from Kris Ward, the person through whom I had met my teacher Mark Whitwell. Her life-coaching course helped me specifically design and visualize, from both a practical and spiritual standpoint, the manner in which I would actualize my goals. I had total clarity and absolute confidence. I saw it as already having happened: the studio on the beach, the students coming in the door. I felt the breeze on my face and smelled the ocean as the door opened. I had already found the building that I intended to buy and renovate and it was very affordable and in a perfect location. I saw the cute perky blonde teacher there, who was quite popular but did not yet have her own studio, and hopefully would work with me. It was all perfect. <p>
However, despite having my property on the market for over a year, I got zero offers even when I dropped the price well below what it was worth. My tenant wanted to buy the beautiful house that Hawk and I had built, but she could not get a loan despite having a great job as a firefighter/paramedic and being a military veteran. The County decided to revoke my homestead and raised the property taxes by 43%. As a result, I could no longer afford to rent out the home because the rental income was not enough to cover the mortgage, income tax, property tax and insurance, and without the homestead, on the verge of bankruptcy, we would be left with only the aging trailer. <p>
The trailer, meanwhile, due to a series of events including roof and plumbing leaks, rats, fire, flood and black mold, became unsuitable for yoga students after January 2013. It was awkward enough inviting strangers over to our humble mobile home prior to this. I felt ok with the few regular students who were close friends, but I really wanted a larger studio that was separate from our living quarters. Spacious, airy and peaceful, with rainbows dancing from the skylights, Lothlorien House would be an ideal yoga studio and retreat center! Although still located out in the boondocks, at least it wasn't a trailer and might be worth the drive. <p>
With regard to the depressed local economy and my past ambivalence about charging money for a spiritual practice, I discussed this at some length with friends and fellow teachers, especially Justin Kaye, and ultimately decided to teach yoga on a non-profit donation basis at Lothlorien House, to share the gift of Yoga with everyone regardless of their ability to pay. I felt really good about this decision. <p>
Of course, then the problem remained as to how I would pay the mortgage. When my step-mom died as a result of her chemotherapy "treatments" at the end of October 2012, I decided that I could no longer in good conscience continue to participate in the oncology industry and I quit my medical job. I continued to offer a comprehensive holistic wellness/personal training program including yoga, pilates, nutrition and lifestyle modification for a fee, but I only had a couple of clients. It soon became apparent that the people who most needed my holistic counseling service could least afford it. They were often unemployed and struggling with medical bills while seeking to recover from the toxic side effects of mainstream medicine. <p>
We tried various other business ventures, such as putting the horses to work with <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/our-equestrian-program-at-lothlorien.html">Our Equestrian Program at Lothlorien</a>, and <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/our-new-project.html">Clean & Green by Design</a>, which was a fabulous idea - cleaning toilets for a living so I could teach yoga for free! but unfortunately got no business despite extensive advertising. I put in more and more hours on the psychic line but could only make about $20 a day at best. <p>
In the spring of 2013 I became very ill as a result of exposure to the black mold in the trailer, a powerful immunosuppressant, and I had a relapse of CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome), a diagnosis which mainstream doctors had assured me was "incurable" back in 1994 in California. They said, "You will never work again" and put me on Disability, but my SSDI was turned down when I moved to Florida. At that time I embarked on a serious study of holistic medicine which put my disease into remission, much to the surprise of the doctors, and I had believed it was totally "cured" until the relapse. It was humbling to be struck down like that. <p>
The renovations proceeded very slowly and the Grand Opening, originally planned for the Solstice, was delayed several times. When I was able I cleaned, painted and decorated lovingly, chanting japa and picturing my student's happy faces as they would enjoy Lothlorien House in the future. At some point I re-injured my "wonky" shoulder and had to take a break for a couple of weeks. I did get a few calls for the cleaning & design business when I was too sick to work and/or in the midst of renovations here. I had just begun to regain my strength by July, when I caught strep throat from a child who was an [allegedly "noncontagious"] asymptomatic carrier, an indication of the fragile status of my immune system and a reminder that my employment options were quite limited. <p>
Some days I was too tired to even do asana and didn't have the verbal skills or presence of mind to be able to read the Tarot on the psychic lines. I was using credit cards to pay the mortgage, property taxes and groceries, falling ever deeper into debt. Nevertheless, as I lay in my waterbed, my body wracked with pain, weak as a kitten, I was in a blissful meditative state, embraced by Divine Love, with total confidence that everything was unfolding as it should. I was not upset. I was not worried. I knew that my body would heal, as it had in the past, and I would soon be teaching yoga at Lothlorien House. Everything would be ok. The cleaning and design business would pick up, or the psychic line would become busier. <p>
By the end of July I had managed to finish the renovations on the studio, although the guest suite still was not done. A potential student had called the previous week and I decided to go ahead and open up for students. I called to tell her we were now open and she did not respond. I posted photos of the beautiful new studio and engaged in vigorous promotion, with zero results. Even the people who had seemed the most excited about yoga at Lothlorien House had lost interest by the time we opened. This was not at all what I had expected. I also emailed all my previous students and, to my surprise, nobody was interested. Apparently they had all moved on, every last freaking one of them. But, they don't need me - I'd already taught them the basic technology of the yoga practice that they can do at home, which was after all the whole point. <p>
I continued to feel that everything was fine and that God would send the students who were supposed to come here. I also applied for a position with an online counseling agency from India which did not require U.S. licensing, and was thrilled when they accepted me! Finally I had a job in my field as a Master's level psychologist. This was an answered prayer. Surely now things were looking up. However, my new counseling job failed to generate any income in the first few weeks, and I realized that I would not be able to pay the mortgage in September. <p>
So, then I did what I swore I would never do: I went crawling back to beg for my old medical job which was dharmically and emotionally inappropriate for me, as well as financially inadequate - but I had completely run out of other options. As it so happened, my former boss was thrilled to hear from me, and in fact had been trying to find my email address earlier that day to get in touch because she needed my help! I was simultaneously relieved to have a job, any job, and heartbroken that it had to be this one. I couldn't believe that I was once again working for the oncology industry that I despised. I rationalized that I wasn't personally lying to the patients and their families, giving them false hope, burning them and injecting poison into their bodies while bankrupting them; I was only doing the paperwork, but... I cried all night. <p>
One of my fellow Heart of Yoga teachers had posted on Facebook, "If you take care of the Dharma, the Dharma will take care of you." I argued with the Lord. "Really?!" I said. "I have done my part. I have followed my dharma to the best of my ability. I have given 110% when I had nothing left to give, with absolute faith. Now I must compromise my integrity by taking this job and it won't even pay the bills! How is the Dharma taking care of me?!" <p>
I was quite upset but still, at that point, I continued to believe that everything would work out. I told myself that I could endure working in oncology, as well as my other jobs - the psychic line, the counseling service and whatever cleaning work I could get - if it would pay the mortgage so that I could keep Lothlorien House open for yoga students. Which, of course, there were none as of yet, but surely they would come. Everyone including Hawk assured me, "If you build it, they will come." <p>
The first day back on my medical job I was still kind of in shock or denial, and extremely tired. I had not yet realized the full implications of what was happening. At the end of the next workday it suddenly dawned on me: Wait - how am I going to teach yoga when I am trying to juggle 4 other jobs?! The reality of the situation and my new work schedule hit me like a ton of bricks. I became angry. I had given my full trust and felt utterly betrayed! I was perfectly willing to do anything. I would have been happy to clean toilets for a living, in order to fulfill my dharma of teaching yoga. What more did the universe expect from me?! <p>
Then I second-guessed myself. Maybe I hadn't visualized it clearly enough, or my intent wasn't sufficiently pure? Maybe I was too negative or my faith wasn't strong enough? Should I have kept the house on the market longer, lowered the price even more, or gone with a different realtor? If only I had stayed in California. If only I hadn't moved to Panama City, Florida. etc. <p>
The next wave of emotion was a deep aching sorrow to the core of my being that my one remaining desire in this life - to teach yoga, the thing I know and love best, the thing that I most want to share with the world, the gift I have to offer to people - was not going to happen. Instead I was being forced to take a job that went against my dharma and made me feel dirty and which, adding insult to injury, wouldn't even pay enough to keep a roof over my head. <p>
But, then I had to ask myself: Is this one desire worth coming back here? Assuming reincarnation is true (and who knows, really, because there is no empirical way to determine what actually happens after we die) - would I allow this seed of unfulfilled desire to bring me back into the rat race when I have already tasted Freedom? As a Christian I've been taught that I have a one-way paid ticket Home and the Gita also hints at that, salvation by Divine Grace. But what if it's wrong? What if, in fact, an earthly desire - however noble - can generate karma to keep the whole damn thing going? <p>
Even more importantly, though, this unfulfilled desire was causing resentment which was damaging to my relationship with the Lord here and now - the relationship which is the whole point of my yoga practice, indeed my life! I had to let it all go. Ishvarapranidhana. "I lay it all at Your feet. I give up. Please, don't let this or anything else come between us!" I proceeded to do my evening practice. <p>
As I inhaled, coming up from a deep forward bend, I felt something break loose from muladhara and heard a familiar roar like being in the tube of a wave, along with bell-like ringing, the Music of the Spheres, that I had not experienced in ages. All of my kundalini "phenomena" had happened many years ago, in my 20s. In recent years there had been mostly just deep silence, Love and ecstatic bliss. I felt the powerful vibration surge up my spine and out the top of my head and when it was over I realized with absolute clarity: The "manifesting" had, in fact, worked! It had worked really well. <p>
In the first few months after I had stated my intention to sell the property and open the new studio on the beach to take care of all the students who were calling, 3 new studios had opened up there, one of which belonged to the perky blonde teacher, just a few doors down from the building I had wanted to buy. As of today there are 7 yoga studios on Panama City beach, and 10 on this part of the coast. There was no deficiency of focus, impurity of intent, unclarity of vision or lack of qualification on my part. I simply lacked the monetary capital which the project required and which other people were able to invest. The "manifestation" was never about me, it was about the students. Their need has been met. The students now have plenty of yoga teachers at the beach. <p>
Granted, it is not Heart of Yoga - Real Yoga from the Source, the seamless blend of asana, pranayama, bandha and meditation, hatha, tantra, bhakti, even advaita, everything all woven together in one deceptively simple yet extremely powerful system; asana as moving meditation, whole-body prayer. Nobody else is teaching this. Hawk and I are the only Heart of Yoga teachers in Florida now that Justin has moved back up north. But maybe the students don't want HOY. Maybe they just want a good workout for $5 at a studio in a nice, convenient location that has childcare. Maybe they want to be taught by a younger teacher who can look pretty with her foot behind her head, a teacher who will push them to do more difficult poses resulting in a sense of accomplishment and pride, who will assure them, "You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it!" <p>
"If you can dream it, you can be it." Well yes, I can be it; I AM it. And if I can dream it, I can also die to it. <p>
I'm not confused about my dharma. I'm not waiting for some guru or angel or voice from the sky to tell me what the hell I am supposed to be doing in this life. I know that I did not incarnate to type oncology reports. I have absolutely no doubt that it is in fact my dharma to teach yoga as whole-body prayer. But, I now realize that doesn't mean the economy will support me in doing it. <p>
People here in this little redneck town in the Bible Belt probably question whether "body" and "prayer" even belong in the same sentence, because the flesh is evil, after all. In any case they aren't willing to drive 45 minutes out into the boondocks to learn more about it. Although I have a big following of students from India, apparently nobody here in Panama City is interested. And that's ok. The dream has died. It is not my burden to carry anymore. I'm free again. I will enjoy my private practice, and everybody else can piss off. <p>
Lothlorien House is our peaceful sanctuary. It is a romantic tantric retreat for Hawk and me. And yoga is our refuge in the midst of chaos, our ecstatic relationship with each other and with the Divine, which as long as we can breathe, will still be ours even if we become homeless. As we continue our real-world efforts to prevent that from happening, if anybody seriously wants to learn Heart of Yoga we will do our best to make time for them. But I'm not holding my breath.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-11252902741128394122014-05-22T21:55:00.000-07:002014-05-22T21:55:14.958-07:00Yoga for Christians - Not Such a Stretch(07/31/2013) <p>
I have discussed in previous posts (1) some of the objections raised against the practice of yoga by Christians. Specifically, I pointed out that Dr. Albert Mohler's argument against yoga on the basis that (he says) it uses sexual energy, while the body/sexuality is unspiritual, clearly has its roots in ascetic gnosticism rather than orthodox Christian theology, and denies the goodness of God's creation and the fundamental premise of the Incarnation, not to mention the sacraments. My readers responded that they really weren't at all concerned about the Southern Baptist's opinion of yoga or of sexuality, nor were they particularly interested in nit-picky theological distinctions about the Incarnation. <p>
Later I addressed comments by a retired priest who, it turns out, was not in fact speaking as a representative of the Vatican when he said at a film festival that yoga is Satanic, in that it allegedly leads to Hinduism (i.e. demon worship) and a belief in reincarnation. Upon further investigation, I was relieved to learn that according to the official Vatican documents which actually discuss yoga, among other spiritual practices, there is nothing satanic about it per se, so long as caution is exercised and the focus is kept on God rather than the ego. My readers, however - including the Catholics - yawned and informed me that nobody gives a damn what the Vatican says anyway. <p>
I have also discussed the idea that God is both immanent and transcendent (panentheism - God is the omnipresent Source and everything is in God) and its implications for experiencing the presence of God in meditative practices. As Paul said, "He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:27-28). This concept, which was embraced by Vatican II and subsequently rejected as heresy by "traditionalist" Catholics as well as fundamentalist evangelicals, who insist that God is not, in fact, within us, failed to generate much enthusiasm either way among my readers. <p>
I suppose I should have learned from these previous endeavors that such discussions are a moot point, since essentially nobody cares about the opinions of fundamentalist Christians with regard to yoga. But, as a Christian minister and a yoga teacher, I care. Or rather, I am concerned about the potential negative impact on Christians who might otherwise benefit from doing yoga but may hesitate based on these erroneous claims. <p>
Today I will address Pastor Mark Driscoll's assertion that <a href="http://pastormark.tv/2011/11/02/christian-yoga-its-a-stretch">yoga is demonic</a>, "a spiritual act to a being other than the God of the Bible." <p>
Like Dr. Mohler, Pastor Driscoll deserves credit for correctly pointing out that yoga is actually more than mere physical exercise. He quotes Elliot Miller of The Christian Research Journal as stating the root word is "yoke" and that "union is desired with nothing less than God or the Absolute, and yoga is the system that Hindus have developed to achieve that end." So far, so good. Driscoll then goes on to say, "The history of yoga is overwhelmingly spiritual in practice and the postures of yoga are only one aspect of yoga, and they are part of a broader system aimed at union with God and attaining enlightenment." Again, this is true. <p>
However, according to Driscoll this is a <b>bad</b> thing, because he believes that yoga is a purely Hindu practice which can only lead to union with Hindu gods. He supports this position by pointing out that some Hindus have formed a movement to "take back yoga" as part of their religious heritage which has been stolen and secularized by the West. He states that yoga cannot be separated from its Hindu roots. He alleges that for some reason yoga won't "work" in relation to the Christian God, and instead will open up practitioners to possession by Hindu gods, i.e. demons. <p>
And this, I believe, is the source of the confusion. Only the fundamentalists - whether Christian or Hindu - treat yoga as a "religion" devoted to certain specific gods. In fact, the whole premise of there being "different gods" running around competing for our worship, like politicians campaigning for our vote, is alien to yoga. Yogis understand that God is One, there is only God, and that religious mythologies are simply the sociocultural context in which we relate to the various aspects or manifestations of Divinity. On a side note, I cannot help but find it slightly ironic that a Christian pastor who is worried about "other gods" has named his church (Mars Hill) after the temple of a Roman deity, the god of war. <p>
Be that as it may, Driscoll quotes Romans 12:1, "“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” But, that is exactly what we are doing when we practice yoga as whole-body prayer! <p>
Yoga is a system of techniques which can be used by a person of any religion, directed to whatever God they worship in the context of their own cultural tradition and beliefs. Doing the asanas (postures) does not invite "other gods" to take over your body. Nor is it necessary to use Hindu mantras such as "om shrim shriyai namaha" (an invocation to God as the Divine Feminine). Christians can use mantras such as "om Jesus Lord namaha" ("Eternal Word, Jesus, I bow to You.") "Om," by the way, refers to the primordial sound or original vibration of creation, which for Christians is synonymous with Christ as the Eternal Word, "through Whom all things were made." If, however, one wishes to avoid Sanskrit language entirely, "amen Jesus Christ the Lord," "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me," or other biblical or liturgical phrases may be used instead. <p>
Driscoll's other arguments against yoga are based on a shallow understanding, or misunderstanding, of Vedic theology, perhaps confusing it with New Age thinking. He interprets "union with God" as the ego identifying with God. Yogis, however, know that technically the only reality is God, to Whom the ego must surrender, much as St. Paul says in Galations 2, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Driscoll also states that Hindusim, and therefore yoga, is an "autosoteric" system (salvation based on self-effort) which denies the grace of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. While Hindus would agree with James that "faith without works is dead," a central premise of Vedic scripture is that God is ultimately the only doer, and that only by God's grace are we saved. "The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart and is directing the wanderings of all living entities. Surrender unto Him utterly and by His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode." (Bhagavad Gita Ch. 18:61-61) <p>
Driscoll further argues against Hindu theology on the basis of its being "oneism," monism or panentheism, which he says is incompatible with the Christian understanding of God, although as we have seen, not all Christians would agree with him. He then goes off on a tangent regarding the use of spirits, demons, magic, spells and rituals in order to manipulate reality, which of course has nothing to do with yoga at all, nor with mainstream Hinduism. Regardless, the practice of yoga - asana, pranayama and meditation - does not require a belief in any specific doctrine whatsoever. <p>
In fact, the aim of yoga, or as it would be called in the Christian context, "practicing the Presence," is to transcend dogma, quiet the mind, and simply "be still and know that I am God" - to rest in God's peace and His Love. When we are in that state we are not concerned about theological arguments or doctrinal disputes. We simply enjoy the presence of God, Who is beyond religion and cannot be contained in a man-made box constructed by fundamentalist preachers. <p>
Not that anyone was probably worried anyway - but just in case you were, well, here it is. Enjoy your yoga practice! <p>
(1)<p>
<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/is-yoga-un-christian.html">Is Yoga Un-Christian?</a> <p>
<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/did-vatican-say-yoga-is-satanic.html">Did The Vatican Say Yoga Is Satanic?</a> <p>
<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/stairway-to-heaven-rockin-yoga-part-2.html">Stairway to Heaven - Rockin' Yoga Part 2</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-43025114743441870622014-05-22T21:38:00.000-07:002014-05-22T21:38:13.538-07:00She Kicked Her Butt(05/06/2013) <p>
The other day I heard "through the grapevine" - well actually, from my husband who had heard it from a fellow yoga teacher's husband - that another teacher in town had attended his wife's class and "She kicked her butt!" I asked, "What do you mean, 'kicked her butt'??" My husband replied, "Well, this guy's wife is very buff, she's even more ripped than you, and the other girl just couldn't keep up with her, I mean she wore her out!" <p>
Apparently there is a fairly common practice, at least in our little town, of yoga teachers attending the classes of others, often incognito, for the purpose of assessing their "competition." My studio has been relatively immune from this phenomenon, presumably because nobody considers me "competition." Only one yoga teacher, Su Lin, has come to my class. She attended 3 times, was extremely friendly, focused and seemed sincerely interested in learning. She was clearly too advanced for the basic class I was teaching. She told me that she had taught yoga in Japan and shared one of her textbooks with me, which unfortunately I couldn't read. I offered to go over the more advanced stuff privately with her, but due to a significant language barrier we never got very far. On her last visit she graciously gave me a lovely pair of beautiful silky pants from Japan which were labeled "Extra Large" and she said she believed they were my size, which could have been an insult although I suppose a size 6 would be "XL" in Japan, and anyway they are quite comfortable. I subsequently learned she has opened her own studio in town which in addition to yoga offers massage and other holistic therapies; all the best to you, Su Lin! <p>
The only other local teacher who has expressed interest in studying with me is Trace Moeck-Martin, who shares my understanding of "yoga as a devotional practice," and I would like to have her teach at Lothlorien if we can ever find a mutually agreeable time in our busy schedules. <p>
So anyway, while I know the practice exists, I found my husband's story troubling for a couple of reasons. For one thing, from the ego standpoint of pure vanity, I was quite surprised to hear him describe the other teacher as "more ripped" than me. Certainly I am not the <b>most</b> buff person in the world. However, in this very small southern redneck town where diet and lifestyle are generally not optimal, "ripped" women are uncommon and I personally have never met any female here who is as buff as myself, with the possible exception of my farrier, Keely, who lifts horses all day. I am more ripped than some men my own size. In fact, on more than one occasion due to my upper body musculature combined with my unusually androgenous figure - broad shoulders, hardly any waist and very narrow hips - people in bars have asked me if I am a man or "used to be a man." I take this as a compliment. The only other woman I know who actually is more ripped than me is Trace. You might not see it in her photos, as she is model-thin (bordering on anorexic, IMO, as we often see with vegans), but the fact is, the woman does 100+ pushups a day, whereas I would be lucky to do 20. <p>
Now my husband described the "butt-kicking" yoga teacher as being smaller than me but more muscled, "built like a 13-year-old gymnast." Umkay. But it is unclear what that has to do with <b>yoga</b>. I have never met "the gymnast," and all I know of her background is that she had a "very important guru in Europe" and when my husband offered her a brochure about Mark Whitwell, she rolled her eyes and sniffed condescendingly. The lady who attended her class, whom I also have not met in person and who, like me, is a dancer, appears in her photos a pretty, petite, cheerful, slender blonde who reminds me of a young Madonna. She now has her own studio on the beach, which apparently is quite popular and has the lowest prices in town. The butt-kicking teacher's husband told my husband that his wife was justified in charging more for classes than the blonde based on the fact that she had "kicked her butt" and "really worked her out." <p>
But again, what does this have to do with <b>yoga</b>? Not a damn thing, IMO. <p>
When Lothlorien House opens in June, which will offer yoga classes on a donation basis, I invite any and all serious students to come and study with us. Teachers, non-teachers, beginners, advanced, everyone is welcome. But don't waste my time if you are just looking for a "workout" or "competition." Yes, we do have various exercise/ weight equipment and I offer personal training on the side for a fee. But we are primarily about yoga here - Real Yoga, the classical variety as handed down from T. Krishnamacharya through our teacher, Mark Whitwell, with the emphasis on the breath. You can do this yoga if you are totally ripped, or if you are in a wheelchair. It's not about how the pose looks on the outside, or keeping up with somebody else doing a difficult or extended pose. The fitness aspect, if any, is secondary. The purpose of yoga is how it makes you feel inside, experiencing your oneness with the Source. It is a devotional practice, whole-body prayer. We're not here to kick your butt. You can go to any gym for that. <p>
Personally, I am quite glad that our style of yoga does not require fitness, because at 50 my strength is not what it used to be, and I intend to keep practicing yoga when I am very old, in devotion and as preparation for a happy death. Someday we will all leave this body regardless of how fit we may be.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-24749196633636392192014-05-22T21:11:00.001-07:002014-05-22T21:11:17.000-07:00Body Soul Bliss May Be Closing(08/23/2012) <p>
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you, my students and friends, that unless things significantly improve by then, Body Soul Bliss at Lothlorien will close its doors next summer. That is when our liability insurance expires and I cannot justify renewing it when I will in all likelihood have to get a “regular job” of some kind, maybe at Publix or Home Depot. I really hope this will not happen, but honestly I am not optimistic. <p>
In retrospect I wish I had gotten into the yoga business sooner. Although I’ve been practicing yoga since 1976 and teaching since 1980, until a few years ago I never entertained the idea of teaching yoga for a living. I didn’t think it was practical, and I also felt a bit uneasy about accepting money for doing this “spiritual” activity. I had taught for free until the late 1980s when I spent many lunch breaks from my real job hanging out doing yoga and meditation on the back porch of a New Age store down the street in Berkeley. The owner asked me if I would be willing to teach, and I agreed. To my surprise they offered to pay me $20 per student per hour and nobody seemed to think this was expensive. So I taught there “on the side” while continuing with my regular job as Operations Manager (i.e. glorified secretary). I moved to Southern California and had various other secretarial jobs and eventually went into medical transcription, which was quite lucrative for a few years until our jobs started going overseas during the Bush administration. I moved to Florida to be near family and continued my private yoga practice but paid little attention to what was happening with yoga in the world outside my little farm north of Panama City. <p>
Only when the medical transcription work petered out in 2009 and I needed to find another way to make a living, did I consider yoga – and only by process of elimination. You see, I’m really not qualified to do much of anything else. My philosophy and psychology degrees are useless and jobs here are scarce. When I read in a mainstream medical journal, “Yoga demonstrated to have health benefits” and it was being promoted by doctors, I thought, “Hey, this is actually a service that I can provide!” We turned our double-wide “manufactured home” into a yoga studio/retreat house and Yoga at Lothlorien opened for business. This little redneck hick town in the Bible Belt (yoga is satanic, you know!) was already FULL of yoga studios, far in excess of the demand, and the going rate was just about $10-12/hour. Nevertheless I was quite optimistic, as I had finally found my calling in life. How obvious it now seemed, that this is what I should have been doing all along! If only I had realized it years ago and gotten established prior to the Yoga Alliance takeover and the recent boom in studios. <p>
Since opening in 2009 I’ve had some students here at Lothlorien and a couple of gigs teaching at other places, but unfortunately nothing has been steady. I keep losing students. In my more paranoid moments I think it is because I am a bad teacher. However, I have never gotten a single complaint about my teaching. Rather, the consistent theme has been: $$, or lack thereof. Everybody is broke. They say $10 is too much. For $10 a student can buy a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread to feed her family. Yoga is a luxury. Besides, the cost of gas – Lothlorien is out in the boondocks. I get calls from potential students at the beach all the time who are very interested, until they learn our Arnold Road is NOT the Arnold Road on the beach. I can’t blame them. Why should they drive 45 minutes to pay $10 for a class in a trailer, especially given their options at the beach?! <p>
Back in December I decided to sell the house that Hawk and I built in order to buy a studio on the beach, to answer the demand there for yoga. I didn’t want to sell the house, but it was the only way to get out of debt as well as to fulfill my dharma. In the 9 months since I made that decision, not only have I had ZERO offers on the house, but also, 3 new yoga studios have opened on the beach! One is very luxurious. Another has all kinds of classes – some type of “yoga” and zumba, pilates, ballet, etc. for just $7, or $6 if you pay in advance. Plus they have childcare! Other teachers in town now offer classes for $5 or sometimes for free. We simply cannot compete with that. <p>
Yes, it’s true that we are the only Heart of Yoga studio in town, in fact one of just 2 in Florida. This is REAL yoga from the source, and there’s nothing like it! But people are mostly just looking for “a workout.” We can do that here, of course. I can work your ass out, to be sure! We have weights and everything, but you can get it much cheaper at a gym. And Lothlorien is the only studio around here to offer Equine Assisted Learning – “yoga with horses” and riding lessons. But nobody is able and/or willing to pay for it. <p>
Meanwhile, I am weary of teaching in my home studio, in this trailer where we now live, Hawk and myself and 2 cats, and can only fit 3 students at a time in our converted living room. I really need a yoga studio separate from our home. The beautiful house we built (which is currently being rented out) would be PERFECT for a yoga studio/retreat! However, upon doing the math, we can’t afford it. The studio would need to generate a minimum of $1000 per month in order to pay the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities. And that’s just not happening. <p>
So, if it’s still not happening by summer of 2013, we will close. It breaks my heart because I do believe at age 49 that this is why I am here on earth – to teach yoga – but I could be mistaken. Maybe teaching yoga belongs to the young, beautiful, skinny and rich. Maybe it’s really my destiny to have a job stocking shelves at Publix (I don’t even know how to use a cash register), or helping people find tools at Home Depot, or even an office desk job, which I detest, and hope that it will pay the bills. But, whatever is God’s will. If He wants to strike me down dead with lightning and thereby end the whole “how in the hell am I supposed to make a living?” drama, that’s ok too. Ishvarapranidhana. Or as my mother used to sing to me when I was a little girl, “Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be…”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-48905047859744136192014-05-22T21:08:00.002-07:002014-05-22T21:08:38.772-07:00Mark Whitwell's New Book, The Promise(07/31/2012) <p>
Here is my review of Mark's wonderful new book on Amazon.com: <p>
The Promise Delivers <p>
The Promise is a deceptively simple, yet extremely powerful, spiritual practice. This technique has been called "advanced yoga for perfect beginners" because it is equally beneficial for experienced yogis and for complete beginners. Don't let the simplicity fool you. Yoga adepts can incorporate this technique into whatever system they are already doing and take it to the next level. After 35 years of a serious yoga practice, a few minutes into doing the Promise <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-i-could-give-rats-ass-about.html">my entire reality changed</a>. This is how yoga was supposed to be all along! <p>
Mark purposely avoids using the word "yoga" or any other Sanskrit terminology in this book, except in the "Afterward" where he explains why. His intent was to distill down the essence of the ancient hatha/tantra tradition and present it in religiously neutral modern language, so as to make the practice accessible to EVERYONE and indeed, it is. Unlike the modern notion of "yoga" as acrobatic contortions attainable only by athletic skinny people and/or celibate monks in a Himalayan cave, if you can breathe, you can do the Promise! I have taught it to beginners, "special needs" kids and wheelchair-bound persons and it works great for them. <p>
In addition to providing step-by-step instructions on the basic technique, this book also does a wonderful job of explaining very simply and directly the nondual philosophy of tantrism, a much-needed antidote to the insidious influence of gnostic dualism, "spirit is good, flesh is evil" which has unfortunately pervaded the religious traditions of both East and West. This divorce of body and soul has resulted in estrangement from ourselves, from God and each other. The Promise offers healing, and can be used by people of any religion and all walks of life to re-connect with their faith and realize their spiritual ideals in a tangible manner.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-2389396703612912472014-05-22T21:03:00.002-07:002014-05-22T21:03:51.545-07:00Beyond My Wildest Expectations(03/31/2012) <p>
As a long-time yoga practitioner and teacher, I am amused by modern social constructs telling us what yoga is and how we ought to perceive it. My own understanding is based on the old-fashioned definition of yoga as “union” – most often described as “union with the Divine,” or the essence of religion, “re-linking.” For those who dismiss the whole idea of the Divine, yoga could also be interpreted as “union of body and soul,” or simply “unity with all that is.” <p>
When I began practicing hatha yoga at age 13 I didn’t know it was supposed to be union with anything; I thought it was just postures. I did practice Zen meditation with the intent of reaching enlightenment. At that time I was an atheist, and it was only years later in college thanks to the Hare Krishnas that union with the Divine became an all-attractive goal, one which might, perhaps, be realized many lifetimes later if I obeyed all the religious rules. Meanwhile I was only permitted to worship Him at a distance and long for Him. This, they said, was the “highest spiritual experience” – pining for the absent Lord. I was not convinced. I would rather have had Him. Meanwhile I was practicing Kriya yoga with SRF and this was supposed to lead to “enlightenment” although it also seemed unlikely to occur in this lifetime. <p>
Some of my fellow teachers and yogis reject the concept of yoga as union with the Divine, for a couple of different reasons. For one, there is simply the modern denial of the Divine per se. Religion is perceived as something archaic and limiting that would best be abandoned entirely, or which might have been useful for monastic yogis but is, in any case, irrelevant to the needs of modern householders. Personally, as a former monastic, I find union with the Divine even more useful, indeed necessary, now that I am a householder. There is, however, another more fundamental reason for rejection of that definition: namely, it implies a search for attainment of a union which already exists. The Divine is not absent and thus there is nothing to be attained! <p>
The latter objection can be extended to yoga as a practice to attain spiritual enlightenment, psychological integration, or any type of “self improvement” whatsoever, on the basis that we are perfectly fine exactly as we are and nothing can or need be done! U.G. Krishnamurti went so far as to say that spiritual practices such as yoga/meditation are not only useless, they actually make our human condition WORSE by the implication that we are not ok and that there is a better life to be achieved. This view has become popular in some intellectual circles and it certainly appeals to the modern ego. However, let's be honest, it simply does not jive with our actual experience as human beings. If we’re totally fine the way we are, why do we so often feel miserable? Why this existential malaise? <p>
U.G. would say we are miserable only because we’ve been conditioned by religion and society to expect something better, and we need only let go of our expectations. But, we can’t even do that because in reality there is nobody to let anything go. There is no subject or object, experience is all one and there’s nothing to be done and nobody to do it. That’s all well and good, and it may be strictly true from an ontological standpoint, and intellectually tasty, clever, and gratifying to the monkey-mind. It is also completely unhelpful and provides absolutely no hope or comfort to people struggling with the pain of their existence. But to be fair, U.G. explicitly stated that he had no interest in providing hope or help of any kind, as such was impossible. <p>
Some teachers flirt with a modified form of this viewpoint. They will affirm that we are fine just the way we are, and yet at the same time they will recommend that we do our yoga practice, while insisting that the practice be done “without expectation." Krishna Das says, “One of the biggest impediments to our practice is our own expectation.” This is a deliciously ironic sentence because “impediments” implies a goal to be achieved, i.e., our practice is expected to attain something, which our expectation is impeding us from achieving! <p>
Now, it is true that expectation can result in disappointment and thereby contribute to our existential misery. So by not expecting anything, we can conveniently avoid disappointment in life. However, then we are living from a place of avoidance - the desire to avoid disappointment, which is itself just another trap. <p>
We can have reasonable expectations in life. Our lifestyle choices have predictable results. For example, if I eat a healthy meal I can expect to feel satisfied. If I overeat I will feel bloated. If I stay up late drinking too much I can reasonably expect to feel like sh*t the next day. If I sit on my ass watching t.v. and eating junk food I can expect my ass to get bigger, whereas if I work out and eat a healthy diet my body will respond accordingly. If we practice yoga daily it will have a beneficial effect on our body and mind. There is nothing mysterious here, it's how we are hard-wired. <p>
Needless to say, I would feel silly telling my prospective yoga students, "Do your yoga but don't expect it to have any effect on your life." Modern people are very busy and as a general rule, we won't spend our precious time doing something if we don't expect it to benefit us. Of course the whole concept of "benefit" presupposes that it is possible to improve our condition, which U.G. denies. <p>
My own dear teacher Mark Whitwell, a fan of U.G., has been known to advocate a similar point of view, which I find quite amusing in light of the title of his new book: The Promise of Love, Sex and Intimacy. How a Simple Breathing Practice Will Enrich Your Life Forever. Why should we “enrich” our life if it’s already perfect? Why do yoga or breathing practices? Why do anything? It’s all good, right?! Except, again, from an experiential standpoint it really ISN’T, which as T.K. Desikachar points out, is why people are motivated by pain and unhappiness to turn to yoga in the hope of improving their lives. And there IS hope! <p>
If yoga is to be done “without expectations” then clearly no “promise” can be made because there can be no expectation of its fulfilment. In fact, however, despite the intellectual assertions or mind games suggesting otherwise, the promise of yoga is genuine: There is an appropriate yoga for each person, and if it is actually practiced daily, it will change your life. I can attest to this from my own personal experience. <p>
Last May, after practicing yoga for 35 years, my life utterly changed 3 minutes into doing Mark’s breathing technique. I assumed it was due to that technique, although perhaps it was mere coincidence; I can't help wondering whether it might have happened much sooner, had I been practicing the Heart of Yoga technique all along. In any case, at that moment, the promise of yoga was fulfilled for me and it has exceeded my wildest expectations. I don’t call it “enlightenment.” (1) I don’t feel particularly “enlightened.” I don’t know anything that I didn’t know before. It feels like “liberation.” In the past I had imagined “enlightenment” as a sort of detached, impassive state without preference or feelings. Instead, in this state that yoga has given me, all human feelings remain and indeed, perhaps more vivid than before, as there is no resistance. The weight of existence has been lifted from my shoulders. There is still pain but nobody is really suffering because this “self” such as it is, has become transparent, merely a function of Life enjoying this particular experience as “me.” The veil has been lifted. Union with the Divine – which was the case all along because, duh, the Lord never actually went anywhere! – is finally realized as an actuality, not an abstract concept. <p>
But, apparently I’m not supposed to say that. You see, there are those who (contrary to U.G.) recommend yoga practices as a means to reach a goal which they call variously “enlightenment” or “liberation” or “divine union.” They assert that yoga is designed to produce this result. But at the same time, they imply that it won’t really work – not for you or me, not in this lifetime, anyway. Maybe for monks in Tibet or Rishikesh, but not for ordinary human beings – especially women. If and when the yoga practice which they recommend actually does work for you, you’re not allowed to SAY that it worked. It’s kind of like an exclusive secret club and the boys in charge are very particular about membership, and silly little rock & roll surfer girls are not allowed. But, never mind me. I actually know several other people for whom this has happened and many others who are obtaining real benefit, although maybe not to that extent (yet). Yoga has been practiced by millions of people over the last several thousand years and it does, in fact, “work.” It is a tried and true system which allows us to experience our natural state, here and now, to feel and celebrate the Divine union which already exists. <p>
So here’s what you can expect, yes, EXPECT: First, if you attend my “Rockin’ Yoga” class (2) at Body Soul Bliss you can expect to have the hell rocked out of you by Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix, Alanis, Motley Crue, Ozzy and friends. If you prefer mellow music you may hear Mark Whitwell’s “Pure Love Project” or some Indian tantric music. Or we can practice in silence. Either way, we will do asanas according to your ability, the movement always contained within and guided by the breath. We can do challenging asanas if you want, but ultimately it’s all about the breath. You will be solo or with a couple of other students. The class ends with a brief “meditation” which is to say, we will do pranayama, maybe chanting, and then sit silently and by grace you may experience meditation. I can’t promise that you will experience Divine union, especially if the Divine is not real to you. But I do promise that you will experience Something. You may experience bliss or ecstasy. At the very least, you will leave here feeling better than you did when you arrived. <p>
If you faithfully continue the yoga practice, as my teacher calls it, this "discipline of pleasure," at home on a daily basis (which is the whole point, after all), over time your life will change. The meditative or unitive state that you experience while doing yoga will begin to spill over into the rest of your daily life. Your relationship with yourself, God/the universe, your spouse/lover, and other people will improve. Problems won’t magically vanish, there will still be pain, but life will flow and you will be able to handle it. You will experience the joy in simple things. You will enjoy your life. Sex will be even more profoundly pleasurable. You may also get more toned and physically look better, but that is a fringe benefit. Don’t take my word for it. Just do it. <p>
(1) (see my previous blog post, “<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-i-could-give-rats-ass-about.html">Why I Could Give a Rat’s Ass About Enlightenment</a>”) <p>
(2) Unfortunately we are <a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-fascists-have-taken-over-rock-roll.html">not allowed to play music</a> anymore because we cannot afford the licenses from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-60967972457638243172014-05-22T20:55:00.000-07:002014-05-22T20:55:06.320-07:00The Dangers of Yoga Revisited(11/11/2013)<p>
I hurt myself getting out of bed today. It was a freak accident. I wasn’t fully awake yet and rolled over to step onto the floor, but miscalculated and instead stubbed the toes of my left foot on the wooden frame of my waterbed, causing extreme pain and fairly profuse bleeding. I had previously broken two of those same toes while playing soccer on the beach. I felt foolish for managing to injure myself while getting out of bed – what a klutz! <p>
And it wasn’t the first time I've been injured in bed, but not for the fun reason you are probably thinking. I have a “wonky” right shoulder which I have hurt severely enough to require narcotics, merely by “sleeping wrong,” either on my side or with the arm over my head. I don’t know how the shoulder was originally hurt; it first came to my attention when I sent the requested photograph for enrollment in Self Realization Fellowship yoga program at age 17, and they commented that my right shoulder was lower than my left. Maybe I was born that way, or maybe the shoulder was originally injured during one of my many high-speed buck- or bail-offs from a galloping horse during childhood. In any case, now that I am 50 all I need to do is “sleep wrong” to aggravate it severely. <p>
But as it turns out, bed injuries are far more common than I had imagined and in fact, <a href="http://derekrose.com/wp/?p=1977" target="_blank">beds are a major source of injury</a> in America! “There were an estimated 218,619 bed or bedframe-related emergency-room visits from people aged 17 to 70 in 2010 alone, according to NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System).” <p>
I ran across this surprising fact while doing research subsequent to an argument with one of my friends and fellow yoga teachers after reading yet another alarmist NY Times article by William Broad, whose now-famous article from 2012, “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html">How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body</a>” has since been analyzed by many yogis and doctors and has been found, to put it politely, “lacking from a factual standpoint.” <b>**</b> I have previously responded to that article in my blog post, “<a href="http://bodysoulblissyoga.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-fear-can-wreck-your-fun.html">How Fear Can Wreck Your Fun</a>.” <p>
Broad’s latest article addresses specifically the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/sunday-review/womens-flexibility-is-a-liability-in-yoga.html?hp&_r=2">dangers of yoga for flexible women</a> who allegedly, because of yoga, ended up needing hip replacements. The factual content of this article, too, has already come into question because, for one thing, the women referenced had a <a href="http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2013/11/friday-q-is-womens-flexibility.html?m=1">preexisting hip abnormality</a>. <p>
I said, “Oh, here goes the NY Times with more fear-mongering about yoga!” My friend took offense at my words, but as I explained, the level of alarm being raised is way out of proportion to the actual amount of danger involved. Statistically yoga is one of the least dangerous activities. Danger, after all, is relative; if you tell me something is “dangerous,” the next logical question is, “Compared to what?” <p>
My friend responded, “First of all, yoga is not a ‘physical activity.’ And you can’t say it is less dangerous than other activities. Statistics can be manipulated. We have no way of knowing because nobody is keeping track of it.” My friend is convinced that “literally millions” of people have been hurt by “yoga.” <p>
With regard to the first objection, you’ll get no argument from me, as I have discussed at some length in my blog and my website. Real Yoga as taught by the traditional schools like Heart of Yoga and Advanced Yoga Practices is a spiritual discipline of which asana is just one branch which, when practiced correctly, involves pranayama, bandha and mindfulness and leads to meditation. We are in perfect agreement that the activity in question which is being called “yoga” is not Real Yoga. The activity labeled “yoga” by NEISS as the source of the injuries is asana as physical exercise, practiced out of context and often incorrectly. The “yoga” statistics don’t include straining your brain while contemplating nonduality, or damage to your self-esteem from being taught that you’re not ok just the way you are, or a swollen ego from successfully doing a difficult pose. We are only talking about the physical activity and consequences of asana here. And yes, I actually can say with some confidence that it is a “relatively safe activity” (even when done incorrectly) because in fact somebody <b>is</b> keeping track of it! <p>
Every time you go to the doctor, alphanumerical codes are assigned to your medical record. There are basically three different codes corresponding to: the nature of your illness or injury, the treatment given, and if an injury, how it happened. These codes are entered on a computer and they are analyzed on a yearly basis. The medical code for “yoga” (i.e. asana) as a cause of injury is E005.1. The number of injuries documented with this code in 2010 was 7948, while the total number of people practicing “yoga” was around 22,000,000. Therefore, while we certainly are not happy that 7948 people were injured, it is a very tiny percentage compared to the number of people doing the activity (less than 0.04%), ranking well below golf. And as far as “literally millions” being injured, even if we assume the statistics are “off” by 100 times, that’s still fewer than one million. And, what happened to all their medical records? <p>
NEISS may not be a perfect system but it’s the best we have, and it is good enough for the insurance companies. Now, knowing how cynical I am, you may well ask, why would I take their word for it? Greed. We can trust the insurance companies to act in their own best interest. They exist to make a profit, and the only way to do that is by making sure the premiums charged are more than the claims paid out. They look at the NEISS report and calculate their rates according to the per capita number of injuries for any given activity. This is why, for example, my liability insurance for teaching horseback riding was $100/month, whereas my yoga teacher liability insurance is about $10/month – because horseback riding actually <b>is</b> dangerous compared to a lot of other activities, as the injury statistics clearly demonstrate. <p>
I was worried that my yoga liability premium would go up after the NY Times published all those alarming articles, but it didn’t. Not one cent. This is because the insurance companies don’t base their rates on fear-mongering articles or sensationalist books; they use the 2012 NEISS data which did not support the Times’ allegations of increased dangers from yoga. <p>
Which again, as my dear friend correctly points out, is <b>not</b> Real Yoga anyway. The Yoga that we teach, from Krishnamacharya, is all about the breath, which contains and guides the movement; the asana exists for the breath, and the asana is adapted to the needs of the individual – not the other way around, as it is too often taught in many “yoga” studios. But this only makes my case stronger, because despite the fact that “yoga” or “asana” is being taught incorrectly, without the proper safeguards, the number of injuries resulting from even this Faux- or Pseudo-yoga remains quite low relative to other activities! <p>
My friend said that if yoga were taught according to the principles of Krishnamacharya there would be <b>no</b> injuries. I don’t believe that, based on my own experience. I managed to re-injure my wonky shoulder while attending a teacher training intensive by Mark Whitwell, IMO the best yoga teacher alive today. The old injury had been exacerbated a few weeks previously by carrying too many bags of groceries at once, and then I “slept wrong” on it and awoke in horrible pain, unable to even lift my arm above shoulder level. It had begun to heal when we attended the training, where I was trying to hold Down Dog for 4 breaths. Turns out 4 was too many; 2 would have been fine; partway through the third breath my shoulder suddenly collapsed. Mark was quite alarmed but it wasn’t his fault; I told him it was just an old injury and it would be ok. And eventually it was, until the next time I carried something too heavy and then “slept wrong.” <p>
Stuff happens. We live in a perfectly imperfect world and as I’ve pointed out before, existence is inherently unsafe. Being born is dangerous and it only goes downhill from there. And some of us are born klutzes. So yes, caution is recommended in all our activities, including sleeping, getting out of bed and doing asana. But let’s keep things in perspective. <p>
<b>**</b> <br>
<a href="http://www.yogaanatomy.org/2012/my-2-cents/">My 2 Cents about “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body</a> by Leslie Kaminoff <p>
<a href="http://www.togetheryoga.net/2/post/2012/01/putting-yoga-related-injury-risks-in-context-or-yes-i-saw-the-article-in-the-new-york-times.html">PUTTING YOGA-RELATED INJURY RISKS IN CONTEXT OR YES, I SAW THE ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES</a> by Jason Amis <p>
<a href="http://www.drmccall.com/uploads/2/2/6/5/22658464/doesyogakill.pdf">Yoga, Truthiness and the New York Times</a> by Dr. Timothy McCall <p>
<a href="http://www.pranamaya.com/blog/regular-posts/yoga-injuries-and-william-j-broads-trainwreck/">Yoga, Injuries, and William J. Broad’s Trainwreck</a>
by Karen MacklinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926190160643713538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1719625071764244044.post-91786449121067647652014-05-22T20:20:00.002-07:002014-06-04T16:33:05.557-07:00How Fear Can Wreck Your Fun(January 2012)
The NY Times recently published an article, “<a href="www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=all">How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body</a>,” which has resulted in a great deal of discussion and controversy. Is yoga dangerous? Well, all activity is potentially dangerous. Life is inherently unsafe. People used to understand that. Forgive me for being skeptical about the modern obsession with safety, which I suspect has more to do with protecting revenue than protecting the public. <p>
As a teacher I do endeavor to make yoga as safe as possible for my students. I practice and teach according to the principles of Krishnamacharya, that the postures exist for the breath and the breath guides the movement. Yoga is adapted to the individual. Each person must listen to their own body and breath. I tell my students that yoga done correctly feels GOOD; if a posture hurts, don’t do it. A big part of my job is teaching them how to listen to their body, both to experience ecstasy and also to avoid injury. <p>
This is NOT what is taught in gymnastics-oriented “yoga” classes where students are encouraged to push their physical limits and forced into inappropriate postures. It could be argued that such a practice is not, in fact, yoga. Historically yoga is a spiritual discipline of which asana is just one part. And for me personally, yoga is a devotional practice. But I am reluctant to impose my own definition on everybody else, considering that approximately 20 million Americans are doing “yoga” just for exercise. <p>
I started doing yoga at age 13 and I am now 48, and yes, in my youth I did go for the more difficult poses like handstand and dropping back into backbend, which were very doable at age 15 but which now I only attempt at the beach or on very soft grass. Has 35 years of serious yoga practice – including headstand and shoulder stand, in that order, as part of my daily routine – wrecked my body? On the contrary, my body is in awesome shape! Thanks mostly to yoga I am flexible and strong, ripped, even, and weigh the same as I did in high school, and I have not incurred any injuries. <p>
I do have a “wonky” knee which can no longer slip easily into full lotus; I have to be careful with it to avoid pain. I don’t know whether this was caused by the many hours spent sitting in lotus over the years. My father also has bad knees, had one replaced recently, and has never done yoga at all, so it might be genetic. I can tell you, though, if this minor occasional knee pain was in fact caused by sitting in lotus all those years, it was well worth it, as I will explain later. <p>
Now as to the question of “danger,” if I seem blasé, it is because compared to all the dangerous activities in my life, yoga is the least of these. I rode my first pony at about age 3. In adolescence my friends and I would gallop our horses across dunes and down the beach, jumping over anything in our path – lawn chairs, driftwood – in our bikinis, the sun on our brown bodies (without sunscreen), laughing, the wind in our hair; we didn’t wear helmets. At times the horses would decide they’d had enough, and bolt for home. Then, you could either hold on for dear life or, depending on how much bucking was involved, pick a relatively soft spot to bail off before being bucked off at high speeds. No big deal; you learn how to fall. In the course of my equine activities I have been bitten, kicked, stepped on, bucked off and even had my horse fall on top of me and knock me out cold, none of which ever resulted in an ER visit and only made me realize how amazingly sturdy our bodies really are. <p>
My other dangerous childhood activities included ballet, which as we know is harmful to the feet and ankles, but we do it for the sheer joy of dance, and gymnastics, with uneven bars and balance beam. If you think postures are dangerous on the floor, try doing them on a 4-inch wide beam several feet off the ground. As a child I also spent plenty of time roller-skating on cement, and ice-skating, and had my share of falls. My parents taught me to swim in the ocean at 18 months and I’ve been swimming and surfing, sometimes in big waves or sharky waters, ever since. As a teenager I had a dirt bike that I consistently crashed. Also in my teens on more than one occasion I hiked off-trail across a mountainside on loose shale in my flip-flops with a thousand-foot drop below. In hindsight that probably was not safe. Nor was racing my horse against cars. But anyway, the point is, yoga pales in comparison with the other dangerous stuff I have been doing. <p>
But, just how dangerous IS yoga, in its popular form? According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eva-norlyk-smith-phd/yoga-health_b_1191479.html">number of yoga injuries</a> treated in ER or doctor’s offices was about 5500 in 2007, at which time there were an estimated 15.8 million practitioners, or 0.035 percent of participants. By contrast, weight training injuries were at 0.12-0.15 percent, and golf injuries were 0.39 percent. Note, these are all well below 1% of participants. No doubt the numbers are much higher for activities such as football, soccer, skateboarding, skiing, etc. Running or even walking can result in injuries. Like I said, activity is inherently dangerous. <p>
On the other hand, sitting on your ass is dangerous! I say this humorously but the fact is, there is an epidemic of obesity in the U.S., with about 33% of adults and 17% of children being obese. In association, the incidence of type 2 diabetes is now double what it was 25 years ago and is now striking younger people, as is cardiovascular disease. This is largely due to a lack of physical activity, and therefore it could well be argued that statistically, NOT doing yoga is actually more dangerous than doing yoga, even the poorly taught variety. <p>
But what if, in fact, the classical yoga that I have been doing since childhood really WAS that dangerous - if I had it to do over, would I? Hell yeah, and no regrets. Yoga made big promises and it more than delivered. Being ripped and having great abs and sometimes being carded buying booze at 48 is just a fringe benefit of the practice. All those years doing asana and pranayama and sitting in lotus allowed for meditation, something that is difficult to put into words because of the dualistic nature of language, but which my teacher calls our “natural state.” At first it was only for a moment, brief glimpses of peace and bliss, a fleeting sense of oneness. As the years went by the moments became hours, sitting completely immersed in Bliss, divine Love and Oneness, free from attachment and fear, the chattering of the monkey-mind silenced. Then one day the meditative state suddenly overflowed and became my entire reality, which is way better than anything I could have imagined. Had I been injured in the process it would have been totally worth it. <p>
Of course, this is NOT the type of “yoga” that is resulting in the 0.035 percent of students being injured. Or, is it? I do, after all, include headstand and shoulder stand in my daily practice, which apparently can cause stroke from “arterial dissection,” an extremely rare condition which if a person is predisposed, can also happen from whiplash, head-banging, vigorous coughing or sneezing, orgasm, or even tilting one’s head back for a shampoo at the beauty parlor. I figure if doing headstand was going to kill me, it probably would have by now. It doesn’t feel like my neck is being compressed; it feels like the universe is dangling me by the feet and my head just happens to be touching the ground. It feels good, comfortable, peaceful. <p>
As for my students, I’m not that concerned about yoga wrecking their bodies because most of them have done a bang-up job of it already, thanks to activities like horseback riding, ballet and running, and/or a poor diet, and often with the help of doctors, especially bad drugs and botched surgeries. They come to me to fix the existing wreckage. We rarely do anything that is very exciting or scary. I do have two young, strong, athletic students who practice headstand and backbend, but for the most part we just stretch and move gently, all the while listening to our body and breathing in the Bliss. <p>
So, what is all this fear-mongering about? As we have seen, the incidence of injury from yoga (even badly taught) is statistically quite low, compared to other activities. But if even a few people are injured, then clearly something must be done! More regulation, more stringent certification is needed because, after all, it’s really about protecting the public, isn’t it?! <p>
No, it is not. It is about protecting the income of those who are promoting the regulations. There is indeed an over-abundance of yoga teachers from an economic standpoint. I know this because students used to cheerfully pay me $20 an hour in Berkeley in the 1980s, and now they are telling me $10 is too much and I really ought to charge $7 because it’s cheaper at the gym. The public awareness of yoga injuries (however rare) has suddenly become a big deal because it provides the perfect excuse to enforce new regulations that may or may not make anyone safer but will certainly eliminate a lot of teachers from the field and thereby make others richer. <p>
Those who become certified under the new regulations will not be teachers like myself and my friends, or Glenn Black, those of us who have decades of experience, who specialize in teaching one-on-one, but lack the existing Alliance certification. It will be the people who are already Alliance-certified and/or who can afford to go back to school to get the new certification, who will then be able to charge more due to decreased competition. The government will make money off the licensing fees. And the liability insurance companies will raise their premiums to reflect the newly discovered dangers of yoga, thereby increasing their profits. Everybody wins! Except, of course, for the teachers who will be out of work, and the students who will have to pay more while being subjected to an impersonal, one-size-fits-all approach to yoga under the new rules. Regulation by its very nature seeks to enforce the same standards on everyone, which is exactly the opposite of the individualized approach which is so needed in yoga. <p>
You probably think I am just being cynical, but wait and see.
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