Sirona Sky Yoga

living an awakened life... - Yoga Journal Blog post

As you continue on your journey I hope these practices ignite new possibilities in you and strengthen you on your path.
I want to thank all of you for sharing in this amazing life changing journey with me.
Namaste

I'll Follow The Sun Sequence - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-07-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'll Follow The Sun Sequence - Yoga Journal Blog post

Savasana (poem)
by pilar Kimbrell
Posted by: vani

Savasana

Today I left my body,

more than once:

watching the full moon

rich in golden hue

slide under wispy clouds

in a long series of perfectly

timed winks:

slide,

shift,

shine,

hide.....

then linger long enough

to glow round

and cause my heart

to float

in the night air.

More than once:

standing witness

on the pale winter sands

wind tossing them

in long and heavy sighs

forming bars and clefts

and huge staccatos

but always returning

to the simple beat,

pounding

sand upon sand

in earnest and

constant::

like a dutiful drum line,

filling gaps

the tide has torn

in the white

translucent

winter-scape,

that if not for waves,

snow would be.

And then,

I stand agape,

eyes fixed toward the sky

and leave

again:

wings wide

sparkling

I

fly

toward a tapering line

of adamant geese

changing shape

over and over

like a feathered kaleidoscope,

white upon blue

upon gray

and finally only flat shapes

in the distance.

So close am I,

I can hear the wind

thump against their breasts

beating the currents

in unison

and smell the musk

of fresh water reeds

left far behind

in north country rivers.

And then again,

in a darkened room,

flat on the floor,

like a corpse -

Savasana,

sleep of the restless,

death before death

holy silence,

bodies all around

their collective breathing

weaving

a bright light

to the rhythm of OM...

I am

finally

weightless

mindless

and

infinite.

The Tree of Life - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-07-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Tree of Life - Yoga Journal Blog post

The Second Visit

2011-07-09T09:11:00.001-07:00

The Second Visit, originally uploaded by Terra Kate.

someday...

Pura Batu Bolong - Tanah Lot, Bali

2011-06-16T14:32:00.001-07:00

Pura Batu Bolong - Tanah Lot, Bali, originally uploaded by tropicaLiving.

Portfolio

2011-06-16T14:29:00.001-07:00

Portfolio, a set by Terra Kate on Flickr.

so beautiful...

Everything is everything... - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-06-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

Say I am You

I am dust particles in sunlight.
I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving.

I am morning mist,
and the breathing of evening.
I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark of stone, a flickering in metal.
Both candle and the moth crazy around it.
Rose, and the nightingale lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift, and the falling away.

What is, and what isn't.

You who know, Jelaluddin,
You the one in all, say who I am.
Say I am you.
(Rumi)
read more
Everything is everything... - Yoga Journal Blog post

Everything 1 - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-06-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

Breath

Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in.
Breathing out, I know
As the in-breath grows deep,
The out-breath grows slow.
Breathing in makes me calm.
Breathing out makes me ease.
With the in-breath, I smile.
With the out-breath, I release.
Breathing in, there is only the present moment.
Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Read more
Everything 1 - Yoga Journal Blog post

Yoga for Jetlag - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-06-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yoga for Jetlag - Yoga Journal Blog post

Sleeping Buddha Meditation - Yoga Journal Audio track

2011-05-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Buddha Meditation - Yoga Journal Audio track

Goddess Yoga

2011-05-11T08:48:00.002-07:00

Yoga for Menstruation ( To ease your cycle)

There seems to be lots of different advice on asana practice during your cycle. I think it is always best to listen to your own body and do what works best for you. That said the following sequence helps me to feel better during my cycle. I like to take a Yin approach here and hold each pose for about 3 to 5 minutes making sure to work on both sides. Then leaving extra time for the last five listed take as much time as you can to practice the Restorative , Pranayama and Meditation. Then Sweet Savasana. (Followed by some dark chocolate)

1	Balasana Child's Pose
2	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
3	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
4	Tadasana Mountain Pose
5	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
6	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
7	Plank Pose
8	Chaturanga Dandasana Four-Limbed Staff Pose
9	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
10	Sphinx Pose
11	Dhanurasana Bow Pose
12	Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Upward-Facing Dog
13	Dhanurasana Bow Pose
14	Ardha Bhekasana Half Frog Pose both sides
15	Bhujangasana Cobra Pose
16	Ustrasana Camel Pose
17	Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Bridge Pose
18	Matsyasana Fish Pose
19	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
20	Ananda Balasana Happy Baby Pose
21	Janu Sirsasana Head-to-Knee Forward Bend both sides
22	Paschimottanasana Seated Forward Bend
23	Baddha Konasana Bound Angle Pose
24	Balasana Child's Pose
25	Uttana Shishosana Extended Puppy Pose
26	Ardha Matsyendrasana Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
27	Marichyasana III Marichi's Pose
28	Bharadvajasana I Bharadvaja's Twist both sides
29	Agnistambhasana Fire Log Pose both sides
30	Gomukhasana Cow Face Pose both sides
31	Baddha Konasana Bound Angle Pose
32	Supta Padangusthasana Reclining Big Toe Pose
33	Supta Virasana Reclining Hero Pose
34	Supta Baddha Konasana Reclining Bound Angle Pose
35	Viparita Karani Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
36	Surya Bhedana Pranayama Single Nostril Breath
37	Dhyana Intuition Meditation
38	Savasana Corpse Pose
Yoga and Food Discuss the relationship between yoga and daily food choices. Exchange recipes, gardening tips, strategies for change, and anything else related to food. Your group leader is sironasky.

Yoga for Menstruation ( To ease your cycle) - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-05-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yoga for Menstruation ( To ease your cycle) - Yoga Journal Blog post

Relax... - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-05-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Relax... - Yoga Journal Blog post

Water

Everything on the earth bristled, the bramble
pricked and the green thread
nibbled away, the petal fell, falling
until the only flower was the falling itself.
Water is another matter,
has no direction but its own bright grace,
runs through all imaginable colors,
takes limpid lessons
from stone,
and in those functionings plays out
the unrealized ambitions of the foam.

Pablo Neruda

Sustainable Food for Thought - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-05-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Food for Thought - Yoga Journal Blog post

Abundance

2011-05-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Abundance

“Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”

Epicurus quotes (Greek philosopher, BC 341-270)

So many times I forget that life can be this simple. So I will let life flow and enjoy the abundance.

Namaste

Sound of Invisible Waters - Yoga Journal Audio track

2011-05-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sound of Invisible Waters - Yoga Journal Audio track

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-04-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

Coconut Cookies 5, originally uploaded by Iulia's Photos.

Gluten free, dairy free

Servings: one dozen

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

* 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 4 eggs or egg substitute
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup coconut flour
* 1/2 cup shredded coconut
* 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and salt together. Blend thoroughly. Add flour, coconut and chocolate chips; mix thoroughly.

Form into small cookies on a parchment lined pan and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

living an awakened life... - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-04-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

living an awakened life... - Yoga Journal Blog post

Just Breathe

2011-04-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

Sun Salutation, originally uploaded by NamWizard.

Yes I understand that every life must end, aw huh
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw huh
I’m a lucky man to count on both hands
The ones I love
Some folks just have one,
Others they got none, aw huh
Stay with me
Let’s just breathe.
Practiced are my sins,
Never gonna let me win, aw huh
Under everything, just another human being, aw huh
Yeh, I don’t wanna hurt, there’s so much in this world
To make me bleed.
Stay with me
You’re all I see.
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn’t now I’m a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
As I come clean
I wonder everyday
as I look upon your face, aw huh
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take, aw huh
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Did I say that I need you?
Oh, Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn’t now I’m a fool you see
No one know this more than me.
As I come clean
Nothing you would take everything you gave.
Hold me till I die
Meet you on the other side

All lyrics written by Eddie Vedder

Forgiveness

2011-04-19T12:47:00.001-07:00

Forgiveness, originally uploaded by yching626.

Ring the bells that can still ring,
Forget your perfect offering,
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

Enough

2011-04-19T12:38:00.001-07:00

Slow Down, originally uploaded by Artiii.

Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.
This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.
Until now

David Whyte, “Enough”

The Subject Tonight is Love

2011-04-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

Lovers, originally uploaded by Orioto.

The subject tonight is Love

And for tomorrow night as well,

As a matter of fact

I know of no better topic

For us to discuss

Until we all

Die!

“Of Death”

2011-04-19T11:37:00.001-07:00

Age..., originally uploaded by Dilip Muralidaran.

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its rest-
less tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink form the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.

Kahill Gibran, from “Of Death”, The Prophet

Love, Peace, Equanimity

2011-04-19T11:25:00.001-07:00

Love, Peace, Equanimity, originally uploaded by Ilana Nachoum.

I am not I.
I am this one
Walking beside me whom I do not see,
Whom at times I manage to visit,
And at other times I forget.
The one who remains silent when I talk,
The one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
The one who takes a walk when I am indoors,
The one who will remain standing when I die.

Juana Ramon Jimenez, “I AM NOT I”
translated by Robert Bly

Truth

2011-04-19T11:21:00.001-07:00

4.2, originally uploaded by vanessa.paxton.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language. Even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.

Rumi

Letting Go

2011-04-19T11:08:00.001-07:00

Letting Go, originally uploaded by Amiruddin Thaksin.

Even after all these years

the sun doesn't say

"You owe me".

Look what happens!

The whole world lights up.

Hafiz

Embrace

2011-04-19T11:05:00.001-07:00

Embrace, originally uploaded by The Green Album.

Like Passionate Lips

There are

So many positions of

Love:

Each curve on a branch,

the thousand different ways

Your eyes can embrace us,

The infinite shapes your

Mind can draw,

The spring

Orchestra of scents,

The currents of light combusting

Like passionate lips,

The revolution of Existence's skirt

Whose folds contain other worlds,

Your every sign that falls against

His inconceivable

Omnipresent

Body.

(Hafiz)

All the Hemispheres

2011-04-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

RUSSIA/, originally uploaded by Wilder Wein.

Leave the familiar for a while.

Let your senses and bodies stretch out

Like a welcomed season

Onto the meadow and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.

Make a new watermark on your excitement

And love.

Like a blooming night flower,

Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness

And giving

Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence

Lie beside an equator

In your heart.

Greet Yourself

In your thousand other forms

As you mount the hidden tide and travel

Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven

Are sitting around a fire

Chatting

While stitching themselves together

Into the Great Circle inside of

You.

compassion

2011-04-19T10:30:00.001-07:00

compassion, originally uploaded by sketchbookbuttons.

Be at peace with your own soul,
Then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.

Enter eagerly into the treasure
house that is within you,

And you will see the things that are in heaven;
For there is but one single entry to them both.

The ladder that leads to the Kingdom in hidden within your soul...

Dive into yourself and
in your soul you will discover
The stairs by which to ascend.

Saint Isaac of Nineveh

Vegan Chocolate Orange Mousse - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-04-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Vegan Chocolate Orange Mousse - Yoga Journal Blog post

Yoga Is Free - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-04-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yoga Is Free - Yoga Journal Blog post

Yoga Is Free

I practice Yoga... What does that mean? For me it means I try to be the best person I am. I try to be helpful and kind and harm none. I practice Asana , Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana ,I seek Samadhi. I have felt moments of it.

I don't spend much money on my practice. I still buy books and replace my mat every few years. But for the most part Yoga is free! I love that thought. YOGA IS FREE. I live Yoga in my cooking , shopping, teaching ,serving ,breathing... All life is Yoga. Each moment we breathe is Yoga. This is why I love teach free yoga classes on campus.I love to share Yoga with everyone I can.

From my Blog "What is Yoga to You"

I am sure many of you have heard people say that Yoga is not just Asana. In the USA we tend to focus mostly on this physical limb of yoga. But Yoga is all we do and all we are. There have been many great words written on the subject. Some times I feel we are just not getting it. What do you think?

Something to think about...

"We all know that classical Indian spiritual tradition speaks of four yogas—channelising our action potential through karma yoga for God-realisation, channelising our sentiment and emotion potential for realising God through bhakti yoga, channelising our mind’s power of concentration for attaining God-realisation through raja yoga, through meditation, and channelising our intellectual potential of analysis, logic, discrimination and reasoning to attain illumination through jnana yoga. But in the Gita we witness a strange phenomenon in that 18 yogas are mentioned, one for each chapter. It speaks only about yoga. What is this strange phenomenon? There are four classical yogas and here we have 18 yogas. Everything is yoga. He covers the whole of human life in His teaching.

What is that central teaching? The central teaching is that, in fact, all life is yoga. Life is to be lived as the great sadhana, the great yoga. All actions constitute yoga. Everything that you think is yoga. Everything that you speak is yoga. Everything that you do is yoga. That is why everything that you think should be thought of as yoga. That is why everything that you utter should be regarded as yoga. That is why everything that you do must be done as yoga.

There is nothing else in life except yoga and yoga alone. All of life is yoga. Life is the great sadhana. Life is the supreme yoga, every part of it. Life is to be lived as such. That is why it was given. Each and every one of our actions from morning till evening should have a Godward thrust; they are to be engaged in for attaining illumination. Everything in our life is and ought to be enlightenment oriented. Breathing, sitting, standing, running, resting, working, lying, waking, dreaming, sleeping, all constitute that one single process—yoga.

So there are not merely 18 yogas. There are innumerable yogas every moment. Everything is to be regarded as yoga; it is not just eighteen. The number of yogas is legion. This is to be grasped. This is the great truth about you, about each and every one of us.

May the grace of the Supreme and the benedictions of revered and beloved Holy Master Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji enable us to fully recognise this truth, fully assimilate this truth, fully live in the light of this truth, and thus become the Truth. May God bless us all!"

People often use the words 'Yoga poses' to indicate what are officially and traditionally called the Yoga Asanas. These asanas or poses are the third branch of the in total 8 branches of Raja, or Ashtanga Yoga. These branches are:

Yamas - (Diminishing unhelpful aspects of our behaviour/character)
Niyamas - (Cultivating helpful aspects of our behaviour/character)
Asanas - (The famous (Hatha) yoga positions/postures)
Pranayama - Breath/Prana control
Pratyahara - Sense Control and returning attention inwards, undisturbed
Dharana - The practice of concentration
Dhyana - The practice of meditation
Samadhi - The result of all yoga practices: Union, superconsciousness

Yoga poses are not Yoga, they are one aspect of it:
A common misassumption, especially in the west, is that Yoga equals the postures alone. But As you can see in the diagram above, 'Yoga' refers to a complete way of life and a wide range of practices. More specifically, it ultimately refers to the (re-)union with the highest consicousness. It does not refer to the asana positions and poses alone.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
Albert Camus

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
Kahlil Gibran

" The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge."
Bertrand Russell...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream."
-- Mark Twain

Innovation is premised on force-feeding people more junk; on fueling artificial needs for super-size meals, Hummers, and a new pair of sweatshop-produced fast-fashion jeans every weekend.
Sustainability, on the other hand, is premised on helping people finally step off that creaking treadmill of consumption.
Umair Haque : Gaia Explorer

Our life is frittered away by detail . . . simplify, simplify.
- Henry David Thoreau

"There are some people who always find what’s wrong in a person’s character. That’s because they’re always looking. They see the flaws — and miss the person.Today, see the soul in people. Look for the good — and keep looking until it emerges.It’s there — always.-"
Michele Kamenar

Email to Friends

Where the Sidewalk Ends - Triumph - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-04-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Where the Sidewalk Ends - Triumph - Yoga Journal Blog post

a slippery sidewalk

2011-04-11T12:53:00.001-07:00

a slippery sidewalk, originally uploaded by u n c o m m o n.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Centering Sequence

2011-04-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Centering Sequence 40 Days To Personal Revolution

This is a 75 minute practice. Try to practice 6 days a week.

week five asana practice

By SironaSky

1	Balasana Child's Pose
2	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
3	Padangusthasana Big Toe Pose
4	Uttanasana Standing Forward Bend
5	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
6	Tadasana Mountain Pose
7	Urdhva Hastasana Upward Salute
8	Uttanasana Standing Forward Bend
9	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
10	Plank Pose
11	Chaturanga Dandasana Four-Limbed Staff Pose
12	Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Upward-Facing Dog
13	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog
14	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
15	Urdhva Hastasana Upward Salute repeat #6 through #15 three times.
16	Utkatasana Chair Pose
17	Uttanasana Standing Forward Bend
18	Ardha Uttanasana Standing Half Forward Bend
19	Plank Pose
20	Chaturanga Dandasana Four-Limbed Staff Pose
21	Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Upward-Facing Dog
22	Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward-Facing Dog lift your right leg and open the hip to flip the dog. hold for five breaths and flip back continue thru the vinyasa and repeat with the left leg.
23	Virabhadrasana I Warrior I Pose repeat sun salutation b 2 more times.
24	Virabhadrasana II Warrior II Pose hold Virabhadrasana for 5 breaths then let the back arm reach down the back leg while the forward arm will reach up for reverse warrior.
25	Plank Pose continue through the vinyasa and repeat on the other side
26	Plank Pose
27	Vasisthasana Side Plank Pose move through to plank and repeat side plank on the other side
28	Plank Pose move thru the vinyasa till you are in down dog then bring the right leg forward between the hands and raise up into high lunge
29	High Lunge, Variation Hold for 5 breath then bring your hands to prayer pose and twist elbow to the outside of the knee and hold for 5 breaths and if you can bind the hands under the the bent leg and hold for 5 breaths. Move thru the vinyasa and repeat on the other side.
30	Utthita Parsvakonasana Extended Side Angle Pose move thru the vinyasa till you are in down dog bring the right leg forward hold for 5 breaths and repeat on the left side.
31	Utkatasana Chair Pose from chair bring your hands to prayer pose squat down lower and twist the right elbow to the outside of the left knee , hold for five breaths and move to the other side
32	Padangusthasana Big Toe Pose
33	Garudasana Eagle Pose 5 breaths both sides
34	Utthita Hasta Padangustasana Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose both sides
35	Natarajasana Lord of the Dance Pose 5 breaths both sides
36	Vrksasana Tree Pose 5 breaths both sides
37	Virabhadrasana III Warrior III Pose you can flow from tree to warrior three 5 breaths
38	Ardha Chandrasana Half Moon Pose both sides
39	Utthita Trikonasana Extended Triangle Pose both sides
40	Parivrtta Trikonasana Revolved Triangle Pose both sides
41	Prasarita Padottanasana Wide-Legged Forward Bend
42	Parsvottanasana Intense Side Stretch Pose both sides
43	Salambhasana Locust Pose 5 breaths
44	Dhanurasana Bow Pose 5 breaths
45	Ustrasana Camel Pose move thru the viyasa till you are in down dog then come to your knees to move into camel pose holding for 5 breaths move into childs pose and then repeat camel pose 2 more times
46	Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Bridge Pose come onto your back and lift your hips into bridge pose, squeeze your shoulder blades together and clasp your hands, hold for 5 breaths
47	Urdhva Dhanurasana Upward Bow or Wheel Pose try to practice wheel pose for 5 breaths then rest for 5 breaths
48	Supta Baddha Konasana Reclining Bound Angle Pose relax for 10 breaths
49	Paripurna Navasana Full Boat Pose try boat pose with bent legs here hold for 5 breaths
50	Tolasana Scale Pose roll over your legs and lift up for just one breath. repeat boat to scale 5 times. Then move into wide balancing boat pose. hold the toes and open the legs wide balance for five breaths
51	Eka Pada Rajakapotasana One-Legged King Pigeon Pose move thru the vinyasa untill you are in down dog then bring the right leg forward and under the torso hold for 5 breaths and repeat on the other side
52	Purvottanasana Upward Plank Pose try to hold for 5 breaths if this is to difficult try with bent knees
53	Ardha Matsyendrasana Half Lord of the Fishes Pose both sides
54	Agnistambhasana Fire Log Pose both sides
55	Salamba Sarvangasana Supported Shoulderstand use blankets to keep pressure off the neck
56	Salamba Sirsasana Supported Headstand practice at a wall unless you are experienced at headstand.
57	Halasana Plow Pose after 5 breaths in plow bend the legs into deaf mans pose with the knees over the ears. Hold for five breaths and slowly lower down to fish pose.
58	Matsyasana Fish Pose you want to create space and open the heart.
59	Anantasana Side-Reclining Leg Lift both sides on your back hold for 5 breaths then let the leg drop put to the side.
60	Ananda Balasana Happy Baby Pose move onto your back and gently rock in happy baby side to side. come to stillness and hold for 5 breaths
61	Bharadvajasana I Bharadvaja's Twist this will be a supine twist. lie on your back and either cross your right leg over you left with both legs bent or left leg straight. look over to your left as legs twist right then reverse to the other side hold each side for 5 breaths
62	Savasana Corpse Pose now rest in savasana. letting go of all holding in the body let yourself feel heavy sinking into the earth. stay for as long as you have.
63	Anjali Mudra Salutation Seal roll onto your right side for a few breaths then using your arms come to sitting bring your hand to you heart then to your forehead as you bow forward. Namaste
Yoga Journal Sequence Builder, Patent pending

Inspiration

2011-04-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Breath

Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in.
Breathing out, I know
As the in-breath grows deep,
The out-breath grows slow.
Breathing in makes me calm.
Breathing out makes me ease.
With the in-breath, I smile.
With the out-breath, I release.
Breathing in, there is only the present moment.
Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings.

- Rumi

Prayer

I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.

- A great thanks to Stephen Mitchell's translation of Lao Tzu's Tao te Ching

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.

- Upanishads

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginably You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

- e.e.cummings

God regards with merciful eyes not what you are nor what you have been but what you wish you to be.

- The Cloud of Unknowing

Letter to a Friend
I salute you. I am your friend and my love for you goes deep. There is nothing I can give you which you have not got; but there is much, very much, that while I cannot give it, you can take.

No Heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in today. Take Heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instance. Take Peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet with in our reach, is Joy. There is radiance and glory in the darkness ... could we but see and to see we have only to look. I beseech you to look.

Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging it's gifts by it's covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love, by wisdom, with power.

Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the Angel's hand that brings it to you. Everything we call a trail of a sorrow is there; the gift is there, and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Our joys too; be not content with them as joys. They too conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty ... beneath it's covering ... that you will find earth that cloaks heaven. Courage then to claim it, that is all! But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together, wending through unknown country, home.

And so at this Christmas time, I greet you. Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

- Fra Giovanni written in 1513 AD

A Buddhist Prayer Before Practicing
By the power and truth of this practice:
May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness
May all beings be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrow less
And may all live in equanimity with out too much attachment and too much aversion
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.

-The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace,
Where there is hatred let me Love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
And where there is sadness, joy.

Oh divine master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

As long as there is breath in the body, there is life.
When breath departs, so too does life.
Therefore, regulate the breath.

- Hatha Yoga Pradipika – Ch.2:S.3

May all beings give and receive compassion,
Live free from fear,
And dwell in peace.

- author unknown

First of all the twinkling stars vibrated,
but remained motionless in space,
then all the celestial globes were united into one series of movements.
… Firmament and planets both disappeared,
but the mighty breath which gives life to all things and in which all is bound up remained.

– Vincent Van Gogh

"I cannot dance, Lord, unless you lead me."
How God Answers the Soul
It is my nature that makes me love you often,
For I am love itself.

It is my longing that makes me love you intensely,
For I yearn to be loved from the heart.

It is my eternity that makes me love you long,
For I have no end.

- Mechthild of Magdeburg

The Earth Braces Itself
The earth braces itself for the feet
Of a lover of God about to
Dance.

The sky becomes very timid
When a great saint starts waving his arms
In joy,

For the sky knows its prized fixtures,
The sun, the moon, the planets
Could all wind up
Rolling so wild on the floor!

My dear, this world, its laws,
Our perception,
Are such a minute of existence.

Should not all our suffering and sadness be like this:

As just dropped from an infants palm
That is asleep against the breast
Of God?

The earth braces itself for the feet of Hafiz,
The sky pulls a mirror from its pocket
And is practicing looking
Coy.

For the beloved has at last
Opened His arms
And is inviting to eternally
Dance!

The day candle (sun) has forgotten the hour:
The whole worlds has gone joyfully mad.

Look,
The sun’s sweet cheeks are blushing
In the middle of the night

Desiring the rampage of the feet
Of Gods lovers.

- Hafiz

Miracles By Walt Whitman
Why! who makes much of a miracle?
As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love--or sleep in the bed at night with
any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with my mother,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds--or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down--or of stars shining so quiet
and bright,
Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new moon in spring;
Or whether I go among those I like best, and that like me best--
mechanics, boatmen, farmers,
Or among the savans--or to the soiree--or to the opera,
Or stand a long while looking at the movements of machinery,
Or behold children at their sports,
Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or the perfect old
woman,
Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial,
Or my own eyes and figure in the glass;
These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring--yet each distinct, and in its place.

To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same;
Every spear of grass--the frames, limbs, organs, of men and women,
and all that concerns them,
All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.

To me the sea is a continual miracle;
The fishes that swim--the rocks--the motion of the waves--the ships,
with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

- Walter Whitman (1819 – 1892) was an urban American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist.

Peace

Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha,

Tat Savitur Varenyam,

Bhargo devasya Dhimahi,

D'Yo Yona Prachodhyat.

Earth, Mid-heaven, Heaven!

Let us meditate on that most

Excellent light of Divine sun,

That it may illuminate our minds.

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

- John Lennon (1940 -1980)

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles at me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Peace cannot be kept by force.
It can only be achieved by understanding.

- Albert Einstein

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field.

I'll meet you there.

- Rumi

You can search the whole universe

and not find a single being more worthy of love than yourself.

Since each and every person is so precious to themselves,

Let the self-respecting harm no other being.

- Buddha

I have learnt silence from the talkative,
toleration from the intolerant,
and kindness from the unkind;
yet strange,
I am ungrateful to these teachers.

- Kahlil Gibran

Thanksgiving
"Today, I make my Sacrament of Thanksgiving.
I begin with the simple things of the days:
Fresh air to breathe, Cool water to drink, The taste of food.
the protection of houses and clothes, the comforts of home.
For these, I make an act of Thanksgiving this day!

I bring to mind all the warmth of human kind that I have known:
My mother's arms, The strength of my father, the playmates of my childhood,
the wonderful stories brought to me from the lives of many who talked of days gone by when fairies and giants and all kinds of magic held sway:

The tears I have shed, the tears I have seen;
The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the eye with it's reminder that life is good.
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day."

- Howard Thurman

The goal is not to tie ourselves in knots ...

we're already tied in knots.
The aim is to untie the knots in our hearts.
The aim is to unite with the ultimate, loving, and peaceful power in the universe."

- Max Strom always inspires and impacts the lives of all yoga students. Max built and directed Sacred Movement, Center for Yoga and Healing in Los Angeles, and now travels extensively teaching and lecturing on yoga, spirituality, and personal transformation. For more information, visit, Maxstrom.com

Too Busy to Relax By Aaron Hoopes
Too busy to relax they say... complaints, excuses everyday
They sound so weak, so stressed, so tired... a mundane world in which they’re mired
No time to sit and just be quiet... their mind’s a rush of thoughts, a riot
No chance they have to hear the sound... of nature’s wonder all around
Of birds and trees and clouds and air... too much work, it’s just not fair
This really seems quite sad to me... so much to do, no time to be

Breathe I say and move a bit
Then after that we can just sit
And watch the world at its own pace
There is no rush, it’s not a race
And if it were, what is the goal?
Where are you going mind, body, soul?

Too busy to relax I hear... these words seem like they’re based in fear
Tired, weak and too much stress... how did our lives turn such a mess?
We don’t need to look above... to find a place that’s based in love
Turn instead and look within... find your self, it is no sin
Forgive, let go, open your heart... it is the only place to start
Think on that and you might find... throughout your life you have been blind

Breathe I say and move some more
Run, walk, jump, stretch on the floor
Move your body, get up and go
Feel the energy, let it flow
Don’t get caught in negative
Habits that won’t let you live

Too busy to relax? Not true! ... this hoax must end, it starts with you
If all you do is just the same... you never will escape this game
Do something new, do something Zen... begin right now, not ‘if’ or ‘when’
Do one thing different, or two, or five... change how you live, become alive
Do or do not, there is no try... step off the cliff and start to fly

Begin with this, you won’t go wrong... remember to breathe, deep and long.

- Aaron Hoopes, founder of Zen Yoga Breathe - Move – Relax www.artofzenyoga.com

When You Are Old By William Butler Yeats

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Nor dread nor hope attend
A dying animal;
A man awaits his end
Dreading and hoping all;
Many times he died,
Many times rose again.
A great man in his pride
Confronting murderous men
Casts derision upon
Supersession of breath;
He knows death to the bone
Man has created death.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) - Irish poet, dramatist and prose writer, one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century. He renounced the transcendentalism of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual existence, masks and cyclical theories of life. He is one of my family's favorite poets. Yeats received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Superman Died Today
Superman died today
How can that be
His cryptonite was cryptic
yet unmasked for all to see
Getting to the truth
by assisting where there's need
True heroes live forever
inside of you and me

-Cheri

Grief

A parent dies.
A pregnancy is terminated.
A soldier is killed.
Civilians are hurt.
A love is lost.
Leaves turn, and drift to the ground.

Sadness

Deep as a dark, dry, dusty well.
No light, no movement.
You're torn from life's joys.
Stretched between two worlds.
Lost in the mist.

Alone.

Then, you awaken.
Exhausted and relieved.
You think it's over.
But grief revisits.
Relentless.

You're distracted by family.
Friends, children, and sunshine soothes.
Still, grief seeps back again.

Slithers and surrounds,
as it creeps across the tender moments.

Time passes.
And finally, over time.
You're over your grief.
It passes.

- Megan McCarver

One leaf left on a branch and not a sound of sadness or despair.
One leaf left on a branch and no unhappiness.
One leaf left all by itself in the air and it does not speak of loneliness or death.
One leaf and it spends itself in swaying mildly in the breeze.

- David Ingot

The Spirit of the Warrior
Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing, life itself reveals again and again the opposite: that letting go is the path to real freedom.

Just as when the waves lash at the shore, the rocks suffer no damage but are sculpted and eroded into beautiful shapes, so our character can be molded and our rough edges worn smooth by changes. Through weathering changes we can learn how to develop a gentle but unshakable composure. Our confidence in ourselves grows, and becomes so much greater that goodness and compassion begin naturally to radiate out from us and bring joy to others. That goodness is what survives death, a fundamental goodness that is in every one of us. The whole of our life is a teaching of how to uncover that strong goodness, and a training towards realizing it.

- Excerpt from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying By Sogyal Rinpoche
Life

If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,
give everything up.

- Tao Te Ching

I do not know what I may appear to the world;
but to myself I seem to have been
only like a boy playing on the sea-shore,
and diverting myself in now
and then finding a smoother pebble
or a prettier shell than ordinary,
whilst the great ocean of truth
lay all undiscovered before me.

- Isaac Newton

When I examine myself and my methods of thought,

I come to the conclusion
that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me

than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.

- Albert Einstein

Smiling is infectious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

l started smiling too.

I passed around the corner,

and someone saw my grin,

When he smiled l realized,

l'd passed it on to him.

l thought about that smile,

then l realized it's worth.

A single smile, just like mine

could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected,

let's start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected!

- from a leaflet l picked up from Raja Yoga Philosophy

The life of one day is enough to rejoice.
Even though you live for just one day,
if you can be awakened,
that one day is vastly superior to one endless life of sleep….
If this day in the lifetime of a hundred years is lost,
will you ever touch it with your hands again?

- Zen Master Dogen

When You Are Old
When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced among the mountains overhead
And hid his face among a crowd of stars.

-W.B. Yeats

If we could read the secret history of our enemies,
we should find in each person’s life sorrow and suffering
enough to disarm all hostility.

- Longfellow

Know What It Is To Be a Child
Know you what it is to be a child?
It is to be something very different from the man of today.
It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism,
It is to belief in loveliness, to believe in belief.
It is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear.
It is to turn pumpkins in to couches, and mice in to horses,
lowness in to loftiness and nothing in to everything.
For each child has his fairy godmother in his own soul.
It is to live in a nutshell and count yourself king of the intimate space;
it is to see a world in a grain of sand,
Heaven in a wild flower,
To hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

-Francis Thompson

An Old Musician
How
Should
Those who know of God
Meet and Part? The way An old musician
Greets his beloved
Instrument
And will take special care,
As a great artist always does,
To enhance the final note
Of each
Performance.

- Hafiz

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be

- Patanjal

Our Light
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you NOT to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not in just some of us; it is in everyone.

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

Every action has both good and evil results.
The best we can do is to intend the good.

-Wolfram, Midieval PoeT

Enlightenment is the "quiet acceptance of what is". I believe the truly enlightened beings are those who refuse to allow themselves to be distressed over things that simply are the way they are.

- Wayne Dyer

Tat Tvam Asi: "That thou art!"
It is the affirmation of God to Man.
Tat Tvam Asi: "That thou art!"
It is the recognition among Mankind of the Godhood in each of us.
Tat Tvam Asi: "That thou art!"
It is the acceptance of, and surrender to God by Man.
Tat Tvan Asi! "That thou art!"

- a primal Sanskrit teaching from the Upanishads

Garden Yoga: Healing Body and Soul

This article is dedicated to my dear friend, talented gardener, and student of yoga. This past summer, she celebrated her 70th birthday and a successful completion of five and a half months of aggressive Chemo Therapy.

As a traditional yoga instructor from San Juan Capistrano, California, my mission in her life is to meet her weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) in her home by Mission Viejo Lake—where all things grow, for a private yoga lesson. In her beautiful courtyard, original nature is captured. It is filled with vine-covered trellises, mixed shrub planting, and colorful floral combinations. This garden sanctuary became life’s metaphor during her arduous journey.

Even after teaching yoga for 14 years, I continue to be a student, learning from life itself, and more so from my students. Her recovery is an amazing inspiration, testifying to survival and witnessing nature at it’s best. During the five and a half months she suffered, her garden never lacked joyful color and a life force full of gratitude, love and enthusiasm. On days she had strength; she would prune and parade with delight. On days she felt depleted and depressed, she would sit with a view of her garden and listen to the hummers or rest to the morning dove’s lullaby. Her garden, the reflection of her heart, was a healing force for her body and soul.

When asked to write of yoga and gardening, my eyes swell with big tears of joy. Again, I witnessed another great yoga discipline: the view of her garden, the persistence and practice of a yogi letting go to become well, while treasuring the present moment each and every day.

BY Megan McCarver

The many great gardens of the world,

of literature and poetry,

of painting and music, of religion and architecture,

all make the point as clear as possible:

The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden.

If you don't want paradise, you are not human;

and if you are not human, you don't have a soul

- Thomas Moore

Nature

I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side; and though it is five or six years since I trod it, it is still quite distinct.

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined; he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.

- Great thanks to Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), another great American teacher of freedom and non-violent resistance, representing one of the most authentic and individualist voices in all American thought.

Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion.

It is the most valuable inheritance of the present.

It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.

- Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Think Different

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels.
The trouble-makers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules,
and they have no respect for the status-quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them,
glorify, or vilify them.
But the only thing
you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough
to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

- Apple

Security is mostly a superstition.
It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run,
than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

- Helen Keller

The Fall of the Year By Howard Thurman
For many of us the fall of the year is a time of sadness and the long memory. All around us there are the evidences of fading, of withdrawal, of things coming to an end. What was alive and growing a few short days or weeks ago seems now to have fulfilled itself and fallen back into the shadows. Vegetation withers but there is no agony of departure; there seems to be only death and stillness in the fall.

It is the time of the changing of the guard. It is the season of the retreat of energy. It is a time of letting go. It is the period of the first exhaustion. There is a chill in the air in the fall. It is not cold; it is chilly, as if the temperature cannot quite make up its mind. The chill is ominous, the forerunner of the vital coldness of winter.

But the fall of the year is more than that. It marks an important change in the cycle of the year. This change means that summer has past. One season ends by blending into another. Here is a change of pace accenting a rhythm in the passing of time. How important this is! The particular mood inspires recollection and reflection. There is something very steadying and secure in the awareness that there is an underlying dependability in life – that change is a part of the experience of living. It is a reminder of meaning of pause and plateau.

But fall provides something more. There is a harvest, a time of ingathering, of storing up in nature; there is a harvest, a time of ingathering, of storing up in the heart. There is the time when there must be a separation of that which has said its say and passes - that which ripens and finds its meaning in sustaining life in other forms. Nothing is lost, nothing disappears; all things belong, each in its way, to a harmony and an order which envelops all, which infuses all.

Fall accentuates the goodness of life and finds its truest meaning in the strength of winter and the breath of spring. Thank God for the Fall.

A Litany of Thanksgiving By Howard Thurman

In Your presence, O God, we make our Sacrament of Thanksgiving
We begin with the simple things of our days: Fresh air to breathe,
Cool water to drink,
The taste of food,
The protection of houses and clothes,
The comforts of home. For all these we make an act of Thanksgiving this day!

We bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that we have known:

Our mothers' arms,
The strength of our fathers,
The playmates of our childhood,
The wonderful stories brought to us from the lives of many who talked of days,
gone by when fairies and giants and diverse kinds of magic held sway;
The tears we have shed, the tears we have seen;
The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the eye with its reminder that life is good.

For all these we make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

Howard Thurman (1900 -1981) was an author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader.

When The Holy Thaws By St. Teresa of Avila
A woman's body, like the earth, has seasons;
when the mountain stream flows, when the holy thaws,

when I am most fragile and in need,
it was then, it seemed, God came closest.

God, like a medic on a field, is tending our souls.
Our horns get locked with desires,
but don't hold yourself too accountable;
for all desires are really innocent.
That is what the compassion in His eyes tell me.

Why this great war between the countries
-- the countries -- inside of us?

What are all these insane borders we protect?
What are all these different names for the same church of love
we kneel in together?
For it is true, together we live;
and only at that shrine where all are welcome will God sing
loud enough to be heard.

Our horns got locked with the earth and sky in some odd
marriage ritual; so what, don't worry.
We should be proud of ourselves for everything we helped create in this magic world.

And God is always there, if you feel wounded.
He kneels over this earth like a divine medic,
and His love thaws the holy in us.

(Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West
versions by Daniel Ladinsky. Saint Teresa of Avila was a most remarkable woman, author and an ascetic with great heart. She reformed the order of the Carmelites during the sixteen century leaving a tremendous mark on the Catholic Church even to this day. Her achievements led the Catholic Church to honor her as a Saint in 1622, and a Doctor in 1970.)

Please Call Me By My True Names

Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow

Because even today I still arrive.

Look deeply;

I arrive in every second to be a bud on a spring branch,

to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,

learning to sing in my new nest,

to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,

to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,

in order to fear and to hope,

the rhythm of my heart is the birth and the death

of all that are alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,

and I am the bird which, when spring comes,

arrives in time to eat the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily in the clear water of the pond,

and I am the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,

feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,

my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,

and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve year old girl, refugee on a small boat,

who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,

and I am the sea pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the Politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,

and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to my people,

dying slowly in a forced labor camp.

My joy is like spring so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.

My pain is like a river of tears, so full it fills all four oceans.

Please call me by my true names

so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,

so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can wake up and so the door of my heart can be left open,

the door of compassion.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Butterfly Yoga

Namaste to the butterflies that are parading through the beach cities of Southern California celebrating spring's arrival. They are one of the most impressive and certainly one of the most visible signs of time and transition. Yes, springing forward to longer and lighter days are inspiring. Yes, the brightly colored flowers painting the hillsides share an uplifting fragrances of beauty. And yes, the abundance of eggshells and baby animals are heartwarming to the wonder sounds of oohs and aahs.

Especially remarkable are the butterflies as miraculous messengers. They remind us that there is a "master plan" beyond our power as dependable as the seasons and as fleeting as time itself. Practice a walking asana and observe the gentle transitions of nature … small miracles abound everywhere. OM SHANTI.

- Megan, Gary and Rose McCarver

"Walk slowly! Talk a little! Love breath! Be thrifty with affairs! Think clearly!
The body will consequently be light and the hundreds of arteries
will flow and irrigate. The four limbs communicate pleasantly.
The Yellow Court Canon, therefore states,
”The thousand calamities disappear and the hundred illnesses are healed.
One does not fear being injured by the cruel tiger or the wolf.
In addition, one gets rid of old and extends life forever.”

- Sung-Shan T'ai Wu Hsien-Sheng Ch'i Ching: "A Book on Breath by the Master Great Nothing of Sung-Shan:"

The Song of Wandering Aengus
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream,
And caught a little silver trout.

When I laid it on the floor
I went to blow a fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl,
With apple blossom in her hair.
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering,
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

- W.B. Yeats

To understand truth one must have a very sharp, precise, clear mind;
not a cunning mind, but a mind that is capable of looking without
any distortion, a mind innocent and vulnerable.
Only such a mind can see what truth is.
Nor can a mind that is filled with knowledge perceive what truth is;
only a mind that is completely capable of learning can do that.
Learning is not the accumulation of knowledge.
Learning is movement from movement to movement.

- J. Krishnamurti

There is vitality,
a life force that is translated through you into action.
And because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique,
and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.
It is not your business to determine how good it is,
or how valuable it is,
or how it compares with others expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours,
to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe
in yourself
or your works.
You have to keep an open mind
and be aware directly to the urges that motivate you.

- Great thanks from The Life and Work of Martha Graham (1894 - 1991), born in Pennsylvania and lived in California, Dancer, Choreographer and devoted Teacher, a true pioneer to modern dance and liberator of life.
The Excellence of Love
      1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
      4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
      8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

<< 1 Corinthians 13 >>

As he came

from his mother's womb,
so shall he return as he came.
He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor
that he cannot carry in his hand.
So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?

- Ecclesiates 5: 15,16

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (New International Version, ©2011)

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens: ² a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.
⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Light (for Marion) By Duane Tucker of Ontario Canada

i.
Because it is older than time yet never grows up;
Seesawing leaves, Goosing grasses, it gets off on any weather.

Because it rushes with the crush of water, and never hurries.
It puckers on ripples like the tip of your tongue when you're teased.

It is the nimble feet of the alto sax, boots of brass and even
When it writhes it is still Praying.

ii.
Because it drinks all day and, except when it carouses
With vagabond winds,

Is rarely drunk. Even when it’s parched; it splashes as we walk.

It adores shadows and chuckles
In lonely puddles.
Dawn’s open wound, dusk’s shrug.

Because it is in the veins of your veins, and rings in your eyes
Like your loose-screw laughter.

Because it shivers in steam, sunbathes on frost;
Lolls on surfaces,
But deepens whenever it touches.

Because it refuses to be crushed and blossoms
Even when you bang your head
On the cabinet I’ve left open and laugh it off.

Because it’s always guilty of concealing the Radiance
Its arms like yours
Are always open.

Only as a spiritual warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.

- Don Juan

Recognize the power of mind, respect the power of mind.
And also recognize the Power behind the power,
the ocean holding the wave.
Recognize yourself as the ocean,
with your stories, your feelings, as waves.
Waves can be beautiful or terrifying,
but always they return to the ocean.
Every wave always is made up of the ocean.
No wave can ever be separate from the ocean.
Waves of thoughts, waves of emotions, waves of sensations,
waves of events, are all made up of consciousness.
And all return to consciousness,
while never being separate from consciousness.
And if this becomes another story, let this go, and see what is true.

- Gangaji, who is of the lineage of the beautiful Ramana Maharshi and a direct disciple of Poonjaji (Papaji).

Learn from nature: See how everything gets accomplished

and how the miracle of life unfolds without dissatisfaction or unhappiness.

That's why Jesus said:

"Look at the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin.

- Eckhart Tolle

I Have A Dream
Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

August 28, 1963

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Eight Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)

Mother Earth

2011-04-06T08:39:00.001-07:00

Mother Earth, originally uploaded by o . live . ia.

Earth teach me stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering
as the old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring
as the mother who succors her young.
Earth teach me courage
as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me generation
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.

UTE Prayer

re-charge

2011-03-30T13:28:00.001-07:00

re-charge, originally uploaded by hkvam.

Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?
When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life--
What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

William Stafford, “You Reading This, Be Ready”

Serenity & Equanimity - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Serenity & Equanimity - Yoga Journal Blog post

Serenity Prayer

2011-03-23T20:45:00.001-07:00

Alfons Mucha Art Nouveau stained glass window, Saint Vitus's Cathedral / Katedrála svatého Víta, originally uploaded by one-thirteen.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

We Have not Come to Take Prisoners (Week Two Vitality) - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-03-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

We Have not Come to Take Prisoners (Week Two Vitality) - Yoga Journal Blog post

Bow

2011-03-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

Bow, originally uploaded by sironasky.

We Have not Come to Take Prisoners

We have not come here to take prisoners
But to surrender ever more deeply
to freedom and joy.

We have not come into this exquisite world
to hold ourselves hostage from love. Run, my dear,
from anything that may not strengthen
your precious budding wings,

Run like hell, my dear,
from anyone likely to put a sharp knife
into the sacred, tender vision
of your beautiful heart.

We have a duty to befriend
those aspects of obedience
that stand outside of our house
and shout to our reason
"oh please, oh please
come out and play."

For we have not come here to take prisoners,
or to confine our wondrous spirits,
But to experience ever and ever more deeply
our divine courage, freedom,
and Light!

Hafiz, "The Gift"

Lotus Flower - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-03-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Lotus Flower - Yoga Journal Blog post

Yoga and Chocolate - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-03-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Yoga and Chocolate - Yoga Journal Blog post

Now is the time (40 Days to Personal Revolution) - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-03-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

Now is the time (40 Days to Personal Revolution) - Yoga Journal Blog post

40 Days To Personal Revolution

2011-03-09T06:59:00.001-08:00

Side Angle, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Now is the time

Now is the time to know

That all that you do is sacred.

Now, why not consider

A lasting truce with yourself and God?

Now is the time to understand

That all your ideas of right and wrong

Were just a child's training wheels

To be laid aside

When you can finally live

with veracity

And love.

Now is the time for the world to know

That every thought and action is sacred.

That this is the time

For you to compute the impossibility

That there is anything

But Grace.

Now is the season to know

That everything you do

Is Sacred

-Hafiz

Temple

2011-03-05T14:08:00.001-08:00

Temple, originally uploaded by Terra Kate.

“Smile with the flower and the green grass. Play with the butterflies, birds, and deer. Shake hands with the shrubs, ferns, and twigs of trees. Talk to the rainbow, wind, stars, and the sun. Converse with the running brooks and the waves of the sea. Speak with the walking-stick. Develop friendship with all your neighbors, dogs, cats, cows, human beings, trees, flowers, etc. Then you will have a wide, perfect, rich, full life. You will realize oneness or unity of life. This can be hardly described in words. You will have to feel this yourself.”

—Swami Sivananda

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2011-03-03T14:48:00.001-08:00

Flourless chocolate cake, originally uploaded by Smaku.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

* 4 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate
* 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Serve as it is or with Berry Passion Puree and Chocolate Ganache
Berry
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 tablespoon icing sugar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Boil 2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Put in blender on puree for two minutes. Add vanilla and mix. Pour into strainer and strain into measuring cup. Pour into squeeze bottle. Refrigerate.
Passionfruit
1 cup fresh passion fruit ( about 5 passionfruit cut in half, pulp and juice scooped out)
1 cup sugar
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the passion fruit pulp/juice and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3. Strain if you prefer smooth texture and without seeds (not recommended), set aside to cool.
4. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

(Recipe adapted from Epicurious)

Bakasana

2011-02-23T07:22:00.001-08:00

Bakasana, originally uploaded by sironasky.

1. Bending the knees slightly, bring your palms flat on the floor about shoulder distance apart.

2. Place the knees on the back of the upper arms.

3. Start to come forward, lifting the head as you go.

4. Take feet off the floor, one at a time, so you come to balance with both feet up.

Beginners: Try lifting one foot up at a time to get a feel for how far forward you need to bring yourself. Do not let your head drop. This will cause you to tip forward and lose balance. Put a blanket in front of you so you won't be afraid of hitting your head if you fall. Everyone falls when learning this pose.

Lotus Fish/Padma-matsyasana

2011-02-19T09:06:00.001-08:00

Lotus Fish, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Padma-matsyasana – (Lotus Fish Pose): Start out sitting in the Lotus position (Padmasana). If this position is not comfortable, you should avoid this variation.

1. Leaning slightly backwards, rolling the body side to side, put the forearms on the floor.
2. Bend the head backwards so you can see the floor behind you. In this position, your chest is lifted high and the crown of the head is making contact with the floor.
3. Slide the hands away from the head. You can either keep the arms alongside the body or, if comfortable, you may grasp the big toes with the hands.
4. In the final pose, try to maintain the maximum arch of the spine without causing any strain to the neck or the legs.
5. Breathe slowly and deeply and maintain the final position for about 8-10 breaths or as long as comfortable
6. To come out of the pose, release the Lotus Pose and stretch the legs straight, come back up on the elbows and lower the chin toward your chest. Then very slowly, one vertebra at a time, lower the back to the floor. Finally rest in Savasana.

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

2011-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Lotus

2011-02-18T05:58:00.001-08:00

Lotus, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Change your thoughts if you wish to change your circumstances.
Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts,
only you can change them.
You want to change them when you realize
that each thought creates according to its own nature...

Step by Step

Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front. Bend your right knee and bring the lower leg up into a cradle: The outer edge of the foot is notched into the crook of the left elbow, the knee is wedged into the crook of the right elbow, and the hands are clasped (if possible) outside the shin. Lift the front torso toward the inner right leg so the spine lengthens (and the lower back does not round). Rock your leg back and forth a few times, exploring the full range of movement of the hip joint.

Bend the left knee and turn the leg out. Rock your right leg far out to the right, then lock the knee tight by pressing the back of the thigh to the calf. Next swing the leg across in front of your torso, swiveling from the hip and not the knee, and nestle the outside edge of the foot into the inner left groin. Be sure to bring the right knee as close to the left as possible, and press the right heel into the left lower belly. Ideally the sole of the foot is perpendicular to the floor, not parallel.

Now lean back slightly, pick the right leg up off the floor, and lift the left leg in front of the right. To do this hold the underside of the left shin in your hands. Carefully slide the left leg over the right, snuggling the edge of the left foot deep into the right groin. Again swivel into position from the hip joint, pressing the heel against the lower belly, and arrange the sole perpendicular to the floor. Draw the knees as close together as possible. Use the edges of the feet to press the groins toward the floor and lift through the top of the sternum. If you wish, you can place the hands palms up in jnana mudra, with the thumbs and first fingers touching.

Padmasana is the sitting asana par excellence, but it's not for everybody. Experienced students can use it as a seat for their daily pranayama or meditation, but beginners may need to use other suitable positions. In the beginning, only hold the pose for a few seconds and quickly release. Remember that Padmasana is a "two-sided pose," so be sure to work with both leg crosses each time you practice. Gradually add a few seconds each week to your pose until you can sit comfortably for a minute or so. Ideally you should work with a teacher to monitor your progress.

Sequence for Triumph - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T04:01:00.000-08:00

Sequence for Triumph - Yoga Journal Blog post

These Arms of Mine - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:57:00.000-08:00

These Arms of Mine - Yoga Journal Blog post

Fly Like an Eagle - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:49:00.000-08:00

Fly Like an Eagle - Yoga Journal Blog post

Take it Easy - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:48:00.000-08:00

Take it Easy - Yoga Journal Blog post

Turn Your World Upside Down - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:46:00.000-08:00

Turn Your World Upside Down - Yoga Journal Blog post

Twist and Shout Sequence - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

Twist and Shout Sequence - Yoga Journal Blog post

What is Yin Yoga? - Yoga Journal Blog post

2011-02-18T03:44:00.000-08:00

What is Yin Yoga? - Yoga Journal Blog post

Handstand

2011-01-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

Handstand, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Yoga is the fountain of youth. You're only as young as your spine is flexible. ~Bob Harper

Plank

2011-01-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

Plank, originally uploaded by sironasky.

" Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without. "

Ymber Delecto

Warrior Three

2011-01-06T07:04:00.001-08:00

Warrior Three, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) in Reverse Namaste

2010-12-17T16:14:00.001-08:00

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) in Reverse Namaste, originally uploaded by the silent k.

If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,
give everything up.

- Tao Te Ching

Vegan Crème Brûlée

2010-11-23T14:21:00.001-08:00

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Pumpkin Banana Crème Brûlée

Ingredients:

1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoons corn starch
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons agave syrup
3 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons raw cane sugar

Directions:

Put all ingredients except the raw cane sugar in a blender and mix thoroughly. Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour mixture from blender into the 3 crème brûlée bowls. Put the bowls in a pan of water and put the pan in the oven for about an hour, or until the top looks nice a brown. Some cracking may occur. Remove from water and put the pure cane sugar evenly on the top. Put the 3 bowls directly under the broiler tray until the sugar melts, then take out and let cool. You could also use a food torch and melt the sugar that way.

yoga saves me!

2010-11-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

yoga saves me!, originally uploaded by amma_maw.

Yoga maintains youth long. It keeps the body full of vitality, immune to diseases, even at old, old age. The Yogi never becomes old. -Bishnu Ghosh

Adventure

2010-11-11T14:53:00.001-08:00

Toe pose, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Security is mostly a superstition.
It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run,
than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

- Helen Keller

Lotus

2010-11-08T11:59:00.001-08:00

Lotus, originally uploaded by sironasky.

~ Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without. ~
Ymber Delecto

秋桜、秋風に揺られて

2010-10-07T07:38:00.001-07:00

秋桜、秋風に揺られて, originally uploaded by yokko...

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles at me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Lava Sky

2010-09-21T19:55:00.001-07:00

Lava Sky, originally uploaded by CONOR LEDWITH AKA THE FINCH.

Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother standing by
With my brother standing by
I said brother, you know you know
It's a long road we've been walking on
Brother you know it is, you know it is
Such a long road we've been walking on

And I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my sister standing by
With my sister standing by
I said sister, here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love

But sister you know I'm so weary
And you know sister
My hearts been broken
Sometimes, sometimes
My mind is too strong to carry on
Too strong to carry on

When I am alone
When I've thrown off the weight of this crazy stone
When I've lost all care for the things I own
That's when I miss you, that's when I miss you, that's when I miss you
You who are my home
You who are my home
And here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love

Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother and my sister standing by
With my brother and my sister standing by
With my brother and my sister standing by

autumn leaves

2010-09-21T17:12:00.001-07:00

autumn leaves, originally uploaded by .bella..

And For No Reason

And

For no reason

I start skipping like a child.

And

For no reason

I turn into a leaf

That is carried so high

I kiss the Sun's mouth

And dissolve.

And

For no reason

A thousand birds

Choose my head for a conference table,

Start passing their

Cups of wine

And their wild songbooks all around.

And

For every reason in existence

I begin to eternally,

To eternally laugh and love!

When I turn into a leaf

And start dancing,

I run to kiss our beautiful Friend

And I dissolve in the Truth

That I Am.

Falling Leaves

2010-09-21T17:07:00.001-07:00

Falling Leaves, originally uploaded by nomm de photo.

Upward Bow

2010-09-21T16:24:00.001-07:00

Upward Bow, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Yoga is the fountain of youth. You're only as young as your spine is flexible. ~Bob Harper

Forgotten Language

2010-07-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

Hope, originally uploaded by Fabio Sabatini.

Forgotten Language

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

Shel Silverstein

Bindi Masala

2010-07-25T19:12:00.001-07:00

Bindi Masala, originally uploaded by SkylineGTR.

Bhindi Masala

* 1 pound (1/2 kg) okra (small)
* 2 onions, thinly sliced
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1/4 cup oil
* 3/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon amchoor powder (or substitute fresh lemon juice)
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon garam masala
* 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves for garnish

1. Wash okra under running water and slice off the ends.
Cut each in half. Set aside.
Prepare onions and tomatoes. Set aside.

2. In a wok or heavy skillet heat the oil and sauté onions until translucent.

3. Add all spices except the garam masala and stir-fry 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and bhoona * 1 minute. Add the okra and stir-fry 2 minutes.
Cover and steam over medium heat until tender, about 12-15 minutes.

4. Spoon the okra onto a warm serving plate and sprinkle with the garam masala.
Garnish with the coriander and serve while hot.

* Bhoona is a technique that is essential to Indian cooking.
The bhoona technique means that the mixture is cooked over medium-high heat, with constant stirring to avoid scorching, until all liquids are reduced and the spices coat the okra like a paste.
About 1/2 cup of water can then be added, the dish covered, and a gravy created as the dish becomes liquified again.
Serves 4-6 people.

Sweet White Soy Chai

2010-07-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Soy Chai Latte 54:365, originally uploaded by mjkimmel.

Our Sweet White Chai stands out from all the others. This energizing blend has a white tea base and is bursting with spicy chai flavor dotted with pink peppercorn pizzazz. Coconut and pineapple sweeten and soften the punch.

Recommendations: Use 1 heaping soup spoon (2 gr.) per 6 oz. cup; heat fresh water until it is steaming (180ºF); let steep for 2 min.
Sweeten with honey and steamed soy milk.

Ingredients: White tea, cinnamon, lemongrass, coconut chips (coconut, coconut fat, sugar), candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), ginger bits, cardamom, cloves, pink pepper, bruised pepper, flavor

Health Benefits: Studies show that white tea is loaded with antioxidants; it can protect against cancer, heart disease and stroke, as well as numerous other conditions. White tea is also said to strengthen the circulatory and immune systems as well as bones and teeth, and is believed to promote healthy, young- looking skin.

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream

2010-07-08T05:18:00.001-07:00

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream, originally uploaded by sapaho.

Lavender Lemonade

INGREDIENTS:
Lots of ice cubes
1/4 cup dried lavender
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup organic raw sugar
8 organic lemons
5 cups cold water, or as needed
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a tea pot , and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
2. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and add lemon slices and more sugar if desired.

Smile

2010-06-24T07:17:00.001-07:00

Girls, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain

Vegan Blackberry Cobbler Muffins

2010-06-16T11:07:00.001-07:00

Vegan and Gluten Free Blackberry Cobbler Muffins, originally uploaded by manifestvegan.

SERVES 12
Topping
* 1/4 cup earth balance margarine
* 1/4 cup rolled oats
* 1/4 cup raw sugar
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Batter
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup raw sugar
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup soymilk
Filling
* 2 cups fresh blackberries
* 1/4 cup raw sugar or maple syrup
* 1/4 cup apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

( Make filling)

1. In a small sauce pan gently cook the blackberries with the juice and sweetener till they burst then remove from heat to cool.

( Make topping)

1. Mix all ingredients by hand to make a crumb topping

( Make Batter)

1. Have your filling and topping ready to add at the end
2. Line muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
3. Mix all batter ingredients together until moistened.
4. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Each should be filled to 1/4 then add a tbsp of berry filling and top with more batter then 2 tbsp of crumb topping. ( leave some space for muffins to expand while baking)
5. Bake 35 minutes or until the tops are firm.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

Discuss the relationship between yoga and daily food choices. Exchange recipes, gardening tips, strategies for change, and anything else related to food. Your group leader is sironasky.

Peace sign + UWGB Environmental Sciences Building now/then

2010-05-29T10:04:00.001-07:00

Peace sign + UWGB Environmental Sciences Building now/then, originally uploaded by uwgb admissions.

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

- John Lennon (1940 -1980)

Badda Konasana

2010-05-29T08:27:00.001-07:00

Badda Konasana, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Single Soul

2010-05-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

Single Soul, originally uploaded by RuCus.

" Silence is not silent. Silence speaks. It speaks most eloquently. Silence is not still. Silence leads. It leads most perfectly. "

Sri Chinmoy

Chocolate Orange Mousse

2010-04-25T18:45:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Orange Mousse, originally uploaded by sironasky.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

1 box of Tofu, silken extra firm
1 Dark Chocolate Bar sweetened (3.5 ounces or 100g) or about 3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup - use more or less depending on how you would like it
2 Tbsp Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or other orange liquor
1/4 tsp. vanilla and a dash of nutmeg
optional 1 tsp fresh grated orange rind
Break up chocolate in a double boiler on low heat.
Put all other ingredients in the food mixer and blend until creamy. You will need to stop and scrape the bowl a few times. This will insure that it will be smooth.
Once the chocolate is melted, add to the food mixer and blend some more.
Put in a big bowl or individual serving bowls. Refrigerate for at lest 1 hour .
Serve with orange rind and fresh mint

Banana Hempseed Bread

2010-04-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

Banana Bread, originally uploaded by Linzinator!.

Banana Hempseed Bread
Cream together:

3/4 cup ground hempseed

2tbsp. virgin or extra-virgin olive oil

2 eggs or Ener- G Egg Replacer

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey
Add and beat thoroughly:

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp. vanilla
Stir in:

1 cup white all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda
Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into greased and floured bread pan and bake for 1 hour.

Forgotten Language

2010-04-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by ...marta.

Toe Pose

2010-04-12T07:41:00.001-07:00

Toe pose, originally uploaded by sironasky.

What Is Yoga?

According to the American Yoga Association, yoga unites physical activity, meditation, and controlled breathing. The word "yoga" comes from an ancient phrase meaning "to join," which refers to the mind and body coming together. The first written instructions regarding yoga poses date back to more than 2,000 years ago, but yoga is thought to have been practiced centuries before then.

The type of yoga practiced most often in the United States is Hatha yoga, which emphasizes particular poses while paying careful attention to breathing techniques. There are more than 100 other different schools of yoga, which originated in Indian philosophy. These various schools incorporate some or all of the eight foundations, or limbs, of yoga practice.

Vegan Potato Salad with Dill

2010-04-07T11:55:00.001-07:00

Potato salad with smoked trout and dill, originally uploaded by blazinghotwok.

Ingredients:
10 pounds potatoes ( I like red skin potatoes)
1 cup water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup raw sugar

2 sweet onions, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 cups egg free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of fresh dill
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Slice cooled potatoes and layer in a large bowl or dish.
3. In a saucepan combine water, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and pour over potatoes. Cover and chill overnight.
4. Drain excess marinade and add onions, salt, pepper, celery seed and mayonnaise. Mix well and serve chilled. Top with fresh dill.

Aubergine Lasagna

2010-03-30T09:09:00.001-07:00

Lasagna, originally uploaded by cotarr.

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
5 tomatoes
1 pint ricotta cheese
9 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup pesto

2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
fresh pasta sheets
1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
4. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Hummus

2010-03-02T12:39:00.001-08:00

creamy hummus, originally uploaded by olgucz.

Ingredients:
2 cups canned organic garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini ( I like toasted tahini )
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

3 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Hummus Veggie Dip

2010-03-02T12:30:00.001-08:00

Hummus Veggie Dip, originally uploaded by Keep Your Diet Real.

Ingredients:
2 cups canned organic garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini ( I like toasted tahini)
1/4 cup organic lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

3 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

serve with fresh veggies and pitta

Quinoa Tabbouleh

2010-02-25T14:31:00.001-08:00

Angled Quinoa Tabouleh, originally uploaded by Delairen.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

"Quinoa, once a staple grain of ancient Incas, is tossed with lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, green onions and parsley. Serve with pita bread, if desired."

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 bunches green onions, diced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.