Day 5 - The Benefits of Better Breathing

Daily Reflection
This week we will be talking about the breath. The breath or prana (life energy) plays an essential role in our lives. While we normally don't think much about our breathing and it happens automatically, in yoga, we learn to work with the breath in many ways. The practice of pranayama or controlling the breath (or life force) is vital because it helps us to live better and more harmoniously. It improves our healthy, our vitality, our creativity and our thinking. Although breathing is one of the simplest things we can do, we have often lost touch with our own breath so this week will be all about rediscovering our breath and the relationship we have to it.

Some of the benefits of better breathing are:

Reduced stress

Calm and quiet mind

Better connection to your inner self

Reduced anxiety

Improved focus

Reduced anger and irritability

More compassion

In your journal write down which of these benefits you feel you would like to work on right now in your life. What would be the most helpful to you?

Swami K

Day 4 - Let Your Body Breathe

Daily Reflection
This week we will be talking about the breath. The breath or prana (life energy) plays an essential role in our lives. While we normally don't think much about our breathing and it happens automatically, in yoga, we learn to work with the breath in many ways. The practice of pranayama or controlling the breath (or life force) is vital because it helps us to live better and more harmoniously. It improves our healthy, our vitality, our creativity and our thinking. Although breathing is one of the simplest things we can do, we have often lost touch with our own breath so this week will be all about rediscovering our breath and the relationship we have to it.

So by day 4, you should have at least a beginning understanding of the way the breath works in your body. You most likely have discovered some places that the breath gets stuck or you may have found you are a shallow breather. You may also have found that you tend to hold your breath sometimes.

The goal is to let your whole body breath - to feel the breath everywhere. We can use different pranayama techniques, like the one we tried yesterday to learn to gain greater control of the breath.

In your journal write down where you think you need to gain a greater control over the breath and why. How do you think this will help you?

Swami K

Try Something New

Daily Reflection
Have you ever read "The Myth of Sisyphus"? If you have not, you can find the story and commentary here: http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/hell/camus.html

The piece of the story I want to focus on today is the point about how Sisyphus does the same thing over and over and over. Our lives become like this as we fall into our own patterns. Each day we wake up, we go to work or clean our house, we speak with our friends and family; in short, we, like Sisyphus, do the same thing over and over and over. The problem is that when we do not make a space in our lives for new experiences, we risk repeating the same patterns, having the same thoughts, and keeping ourselves stuck in the same situation.

If we try something new, we grow, expand, learn, change our patterns, and change our thinking.

In your journal today make a list of 12 things you would like to try. Now, open your calendar and schedule one new thing for each month of the year. As you try and experience each new thing record this experience in your journal.

Swami K

The Order of Life

Daily Reflection
Everything that happens outside of me is happening within me. We often think our lives are chaotic and we have trouble understanding what will happen next in our lives. Life can look completely disorderly. However, this is only a misunderstanding of the patterns of our lives. What I mean here is that what we think, we do. This might be very obvious when we think, "I'm hungry" and then you go and get some food, but it is less obvious, when your spouse becomes angry with you out of the blue. What has happened is that the way you have been responding to your spouse (or best friend, or child, etc) has changed slightly and that person has become aware of the changes on a subtle level and is responding.

Our minds wax and wane as does the cycle of the moon but we are often unaware of these changes. Our job here is to keep this journal as a way to identify these patterns. If we know what is going on internally then we can control what happens externally. We can make some order out of the chaos.

In your journal I would like you to reflect on your life as it was yesterday. What kind of mood were you in? How did this affect the day you had? What were your responses to others as a result of that mood?

Swami K

How We Treat Others

Daily Reflection
Whether you are having a good day or bad day or something in between, today I want you to think about every encounter you have with others. Carry a small notebook with you and take a few brief notes each time you have an exchange even if it is just to smile at someone

In your journal record all of your encounters and your reactions. Were your thoughts positive, were they negative, were they kind or aggressive, did you show caring and compassion or frustration? Tomorrow make each encounter positive whether you want to or not and notice how much better your day goes.


Swami K

The Three Levels of Thinking

Announcements 
We will be kicking off our new year with a focus on service work. If you live in the area and wish to join us for service oriented projects throughout the year, please join http://www.meetup.com/Volunteer-South-Florida/ Our next event, helping out at Flamingo Festival, will take place on January 25th. For more events, please check out the events page.

Starting in February there will be a weekly audio meditation and teaching available for a $5 donation. A portion of the donation will go towards a different charity organization each week. Funds raised and donated will be tracked on our giving back page.

Daily Reflections
In philosophy and also in yoga, there are three levels of thinking. Experience, Interpretation, and Analysis. The first level is experience and it is here that we just describe the event or emotion that we are experiencing. The second level is interpretation and this happens when we begin to try to understand what we have just experienced. The third level is analysis. Analysis asks us to look beyond ourselves to the bigger picture. In yoga, particularly in this blog, we are analyzing ourselves. We are going beyond our own experience of something and we are questioning ourselves and our assumptions. In analysis, we have the opportunity to look beyond our own worldview and examine other worldviews. Analysis is essential if you want to grow along the spiritual path. Today, I want you to take a recent experience that you have had and write it down. Then, I want you to begin to interpret it. Try to make sense of the experience. Finally, you should analyze it. Think about how other people have experienced the same thing. Try to critically analyze your own view of the experience.

Swami K

What is Happiness?

Announcements 
We will be kicking off our new year with a focus on service work. If you live in the area and wish to join us for service oriented projects throughout the year, please join http://www.meetup.com/Volunteer-South-Florida/ Our next event, helping out at Flamingo Festival, will take place on January 25th. For more events, please check out the events page.

Starting in February there will be a weekly audio meditation and teaching available for a $5 donation. A portion of the donation will go towards a different charity organization each week. Funds raised and donated will be tracked on our giving back page.

Daily Reflections
Many philosophers, theologians, psychologists, scientists, politicians, journalists, and self-help gurus have tried to answer the question what is happiness? Gandhi thought that happiness occurs when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. Abraham Lincoln believed that people who made up their minds to be happy were happy. What makes you happy? Is it a relationship, tasty food, money, service, etc? Are you doing what makes you happy? If not, why?

Swami K

Day 1 - Yoga Sutra 1 - Reflections on Practice

Shanti and welcome

Perhaps one of the most important parts of a strong yoga practice is the practice of tarka or reflective journaling. Reflection upon your inner and outer life is essential if you wish to progress along the path. These reflections on your life can help you see your mind more clearly. Your relationship to yourself, the world, and others is revealed in each journal entry. We can sometimes be blinded by our own beliefs or trapped in a cycle of thinking that is unhealthy for us. Tarka can help us to illumine the way before us, discard old beliefs, and change our attitudes and ways of thinking.

This blog is designed to help you reflect upon your life and examine your mind so that you may travel the path of enlightenment with greater ease and harmony.


Today's Tarka Practice
For today’s reflection, I have chosen Satchidananda’s translation of Patanjali’s first teaching in Book 1 of the Yoga Sutras.

“Now the exposition of Yoga is being made”

Here, Satchidananda’s emphasis is on the “practice”. He tells us that yoga is not something you just think about but something you do. He is not talking about only the physical practice (asan) but the entire practice of yoga (all 8 limbs – yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi).

He believes that one will not reach the goal by philosophy and words only; instead, if we wish to reach the goal of yoga, we must practice.

For today’s tarka in your journal consider the way you practice each of the eight limbs of yoga. If you are not practicing all 8 limbs, think about how you could incorporate this practice into your daily life.

Day 2 - Yoga Sutra 1 - Reflections on the Present Moment

Today's Tarka Practice
For today’s reflection, I have chosen Kriyananda’s translation of Patanjali’s first teaching in Book 1 of the Yoga Sutras.

“Now, at an auspicious moment, begins the traditional instruction in yoga”

Here, one of the main ideas of Kriyananda’s translation is his focus on “this moment”. He wants us to consider the important concept of auspiciousness. He wants us to ask “why now”? Why has yoga come into our lives right now, at this particular time?

For today’s tarka see if you can reflect on the importance of yoga in your life right now. For a deeper understanding, you may want to think about how long you have been practicing yoga, why you were called to it in the first place, and what it means to you on this particular day.

Day 3 - The Simple Life

Today's Tarka Practice
In the nineteenth century, Henry David Thoreau said that as our lives become more complex, we hunger for simplicity.

One might argue that today, in the 21^st century, our lives are much more complex than they were during Thoreau’s time. In our yoga practice, we should be working towards simplifying our lives.

When our lives are simpler, our minds are quieter. When our minds are quieter, we feel more peaceful and at ease.

For today’s journal entry, reflect on the following questions: Is this true for you? Do you feel your life is very complex and would you like it to be simpler? If so, what could you do today that would bring your life into greater simplicity?

Day 5 - Letting Go

Today's Tarka Practice
Being able to let go of things is an important part of your yoga practice. People hold very tightly to things that have happened in their past and often ask me, "how do I let go"? Letting go of something from our past is a very gradual practice that cannot be done overnight; however, there are things we can do to encourage ourselves to let go. Today, I have a practice that you can use to help you let go:

During your meditation practice, bathe yourself in light. Picture light washing over your entire being like a waterfall. Picture this light cleansing you. Every time you think about that thing which you are trying to let go, picture this light washing over you. It doesn't matter if you are standing in line for groceries or at a party; you can always take a few seconds to release your feelings by using light.

In your journal, reflect on something that you need to let go of and freewrite about it. Freewriting involves writing for 10 minutes about the experience without thinking or organizing your writing. Just write about that experience without stopping yourself for 10 minutes. Next, find a quiet place to meditate and try to let go of that experience using the light cleansing technique discussed above.

Day 6 - Wherever you go, there you are

Today's Tarka Practice

Wherever you go, there you are. You are stuck with yourself and so you might as well practice the art of loving yourself. In order to grow along this path, you need to forgive yourself, stop criticizing yourself, and be gentle with yourself. We usually tend to be very hard on ourselves and fairly over critical. We get angry at ourselves easily and then we stew in this anger. These negative thoughts can harm you and your practice. Instead, you need to step outside of this habit and be more kind to yourself.

In your journal, reflect on a time in which you were angry with yourself. It could be for something you did or the way you treated someone else. It could be for something you wanted to accomplish but didn't because you were too afraid to try it. It could be something you regreted not doing in your life.

Remember this time and record it in your journal. Think about why it made you angry. Think about what hot buttons it pressed for you. Think about how this anger hindered rather than helped you. Now, every time you think of this event in your life, replace it with something you like about yourself, something more positive. Be compassionate towards yourself like you are to others in need of compassion.

Day 8 - Reflections on Your Meditation Practice

Today's Tarka Practice

Today, I want you to think about your relationship to your meditation practice. Do you find joy in your practice? How long have you been practicing? What do you wish you could improve on in your practice? What do you struggle with the most in your practice? What comes easy to you? Reflect on your answers to these questions. What insights did you gain my answering these questions? What new discoveries did you make?

Day 11 - The Way We Experience Love

Today's Tarka Practice
To begin today's reflections I have another story to share. This story comes from my own personal journal and talks about my meditation experience in the Zen tradition. This was before I became a student of Kriya yoga and the writing is from about eight years ago. After re-reading this story in my own journal, it struck me how many great lessons are still present. This was a writing about love.
And the story begins...

The faint scent of cedar wood filled the room. Eyes closed, I carefully observed the proper form of the Soto Zen meditation tradition. As my breath eased in and out of my body, I used breath control and intention to push the air deliberately towards my feet. I was focused and felt calm and peaceful until my cat, Egypt, started rubbing her head lovingly against my hand, begging for attention. I did not reach out to pet her; instead, I tried to maintain my locus of control. In order to train my mind, my will, it was essential to maintain proper form. Her rubbing became more insistent, and I felt the hives begin to grow and itch on the back of my hand. They itched like mad, but I refused to move and break form. Again, I used my breath to try to forget the itching sensation that was now cascading up my wrist and forearm. She would not leave me alone, and I was getting very irritated. I did not set out to make irritation the central focus of this meditation. Yet, I sat there still, irritated and itchy. She was not trying to irritate me; she was only seeking love. This love came to me without warning and was not what I expected it to be. I thought to myself, love is often like this. We have expectations about the form it will take and who it will be with. We make judgments about the way we wish it to be, and when it does not meet our expectations, we become irritated. This irritation actually blocks us from being able to receive love. We often want love to come to us on our terms and only when we decide we want it; we want to control it instead of just opening ourselves up and letting it happen. When others demand love from us during inconvenient times, such as during meditation, or while we are busy working on a project, or watching our favorite TV show, we don't notice it; we actually push love away, get angry and then wonder why our partners are irritated, hurt, or angry. Love can be very demanding. When those who seek only to be in our presence approach us, what we need to do is to stop, to listen, to awaken, to pay attention, become fully present in the moment and ask ourselves what is going on here? When others are "begging" for our attention, it is because we have not been giving it. If we tend our relationships as if they were a flower garden, if we nurture them with care and water them regularly, the petals will slowly open and grow towards the light. Instead of acting and reacting, we can just sit openly, listen silently, and awaken to what is being offered here. It is caring, compassion - it is generosity. My cat gave up for a bit, moved away, and sat next to me quietly purring. We rested comfortably in each other’s presence. Neither of us had to do anything. No action needed to be taken. Both of us were able to offer each other love and both of us were open to receive it. Love does not need to be demanding if we are awake. Love moves through us as freely as our breath.

In your journal today, I want you to open yourself to love. As you move through your day, think about your own encounters with love and the effects love has on your state of mind.

How many times did you feel love enter your life today? How did you approach it (did you receive it easily, get irritated, close yourself off, etc.)

Just notice all of your feelings and thoughts surrounding love.

Day 12 - The River of Life

Today’s Tarka Practice
I have one more story to share with you this week. This story is taken from Goswami Kriyananda's Beginner's Guide to Meditation.

"Once upon a yogi time there was a man who owned a little donkey. For many years, the donkey carried huge baskets of salt that weighed him down and made him tired. One day, by accident, the donkey slipped at the edge of the river and fell in. When he emerged, he realized that his burden was greatly lightened because most of the salt dissolved in the river. The man was angry but accepted the loss of the salt as an accident. The next day the donkey passed the same river and remembered how light his burden had been made the previous day. So he threw himself into the water and came back out, his load greatly lightened. This went on for a few days until the man realized what his donkey was doing. But he said nothing. Some days later, the man stacked huge piles of cotton on the donkey and together they started their trek. Coming to the river, the donkey thought himself very clever and again fell in. But this time the light cotton quickly soaked up the water, and when the little donkey emerged from the stream his legs buckled under him, and he understood the ways of the river of life."

While there are many different levels to this story and many things to reflect upon, today we will focus on only one of those themes.

For today's journal, think about your misconceptions about life. It is easy to think that once we take care of the problem, life will run smoothly. However, this is not the way of life. Life can be easy sometimes and challenging sometimes. We can solve one problem, have a break, only for another new set of problems to begin. Write down your expectations about life. What you expect to happen and what actually happens may be completely different things, so it is good to be aware of the nature of life, particularly, the nature of your life.
Shanti

Day 14 - The Power of Mantra

Today’s Tarka Practice
This week we will be discussing and practicing several mantras.

Mantras are used during meditation because they can help us change our thoughts. Whatever we think, we say and whatever we say, we act and whatever we act, we become. If we constantly think and tell ourselves that we are afraid, we will be afraid. If we constantly think and tell ourselves we are happy, we are happy. If you tell yourself you are a teacher then that is what you will become.
Because our thoughts control who we become, we want to be careful about what we think. The practice of using mantras can help us to focus on living in a love filled, positive environment in which we are in harmony with ourselves.

In a practical way, we can use mantra to change our thinking patterns. We can use mantra to replace bad habits of thinking and/or negative thinking into thinking patterns that are much more useful to us. Because it can change our thinking, it can change our actions. When we think more peacefully about ourselves and the world around us, we act more peacefully. Instead of acting from a place of anger, we can act from a place of contentment. In other words, you can think of it in this way. When you are angry, this manifests itself in an irritation with others. When you are feeling good and having a good day, your interactions with others are more positive.

For today's journal entry, please reflect on some of the thoughts you think that are not helpful to you. Write them down. Pick one that stands out to you and see if you can evaluate how this thought manifests itself negatively in your mind and in your actions.
Shanti

Day 15 - The Om Mantra

Today’s Tarka Practice

This week we will be discussing and practicing several mantras.

Om is the symbol of the absolute and the sound of the absolute. It is used at the beginning of almost every mantra because it symbolizes the Brahman. Because it is impossible for us to know the absolute completely when we are manifested beings, this symbol can help us realize the unknowable on many levels. It represents both the manifest and the unmanifest. All that exists – past, present and future – is a part of this symbol, so it represents not only this lifetime but all lifetimes.

When we practice this mantra, we often just repeat the sound over and over and listen to it as it resonates within both our internal and external sacred space. It penetrates our soul and brings us great joy and peace.

On a practical level, this mantra can be repeated silently during any time you are feeling uneasy. It will help remind you that you are a part of this sacred life. It can relax you and bring you an extreme calm. The sound that is produced when you recite this mantra creates a cosmic vibration that helps you to see the big picture. The silence that comes after the sound lets you rest with peace and tranquility because there is no thought. This mantra helps the mind go still, helps quell the thoughts, and leaves us feeling refreshed.

For today’s journal entry, record how you are feeling right now. Are you feeling irritated, joyful, sad, happy, fearful, content? Now, find a quiet space and meditate using the Om mantra in your practice. After your meditation, write down how you are feeling now. Have those feelings changed? What is different? Record those changes in your journal.

Day 16 - The Isha Mantra

Today’s Tarka Practice

This week we will be discussing and practicing several mantras.

The Isha Mantra
Om Purnam Adaha Purnam Idam
Purnat Purnam Udacyate
Purnasya Purnam Adaya
Purnam Eva-vasi-syate

This mantra is an expression of the ideas set forth in the Isha Upanishad. It speaks to the relationship between the Atman (Self) and the Brahman (Absolute Reality). The message here is that the Brahman is perfect, whole and complete and because we come from the Brahman or the absolute, unmanifested reality, that we are also perfect, whole and complete.

We can use this mantra in our own lives to help us understand that the Atman and the Brahman are the same. We are a part of the absolute. We have come out of the absolute. We are a part of the manifested reality that comes out of the unmanifested reality.

This mantra is used to harmonize ourselves with the universe or to yoke together our earth life and spiritual life. It is one of the most important mantras because of this yoking. It is this yoking that is the goal of yoga – complete Self-realization.

On a practical level, one could use this mantra when one is feeling confused about life and one’s purpose in it. One could use this mantra if one is feeling disconnected from one’s spiritual nature and/or spiritual life. There are really an infinite number of uses for this mantra. It is, perhaps, one of the most powerful mantras to use in our daily practice.

For today's journal entry, think about the times that you feel most disconnected from your own life's purpose. If you are struggling to find your life's purpose, write down those thoughts as well. Repeat this mantra over and over for 5 minutes. Write about your experience.

Day 17 - The Sarveshaam Shanti Mantra

Today’s Tarka Practice
Today we will discuss the Sarveshaam Shanti Mantra. In my tradition, we only practice the first part of the mantra, which is...

Om sarveshaam svastir bhavatu, sarveshaam shaantir bhavatu
sarveshaam poornam bhavatu, sarveshaam mangalam bhavatu

The Sarvasham mantra is a blessing mantra or prayer for all people and can be interpreted in the following way:
Sarveshaam – means all people
Svastir – means well being
Shaantir – means peace
Poornam – means completeness
Mangalam – means auspiciousness
Bhavatu – let it be ordained

Hence, this mantra means…let it be ordained that all people experience well-being, peace, completeness and auspiciousness.

This mantra can be used in your practice in many ways. It can be said daily as a part of your meditation practice. It can be used when you are having trouble with forgiveness. It can be used in a temple at the beginning or end of a service.

For today, let’s talk about using it when you are having trouble with forgiveness. Sometimes we are not ready to forgive someone and we need some help moving into that place. In order to help us move towards forgiveness, we can say this mantra daily in our meditation practice as we picture the person we wish to forgive. Saying this mantra will allow us to send good wishes towards the person we are feeling angry about (without actually forgiving them yet), which will eventually help us to feel more positive and less angry. As we begin to feel more positive and less angry, this moves our thoughts gradually, slowly towards forgiveness. Eventually, our thoughts will become softer and we will be ready to forgive and let go of the feelings we once held.

In your journal, think of someone you wish to forgive (this could also be yourself). Write down the story of what happened between you and the person. Write down what made you upset, sad, angry, jealous, etc. Get the whole story down on paper. After you have written everything down, set some time aside for meditation and practice this mantra. See what happens and write down what you experience.
Shanti

Day 18 - The Om Namah Shivaya Mantra

Today’s Tarka Practice

Today we will discuss the Om Namah Shivaya mantra.

This mantra is known as a 5 syllable mantra and means “I bow to Shiva or I bow to my Self”. Shiva is one of the Hindu Gods that is part of the creation story and is associated with the destruction of all creation. Shiva is known as the destroyer but can also be interpreted in a way that means things can be dissolved or we can let go of them. Shiva can also symbolize the Self (with a capital S) or spirit / soul – that part of us that remains after everything else is destroyed - our true Self rather than just our physical self.

This mantra is repeated during meditation. As you repeat this mantra you feel a sense of being released from those things that are troubling you. Your troubles are being dissolved and you are being freed. Most often, what you are really freeing yourself from are your thoughts, attitudes, patterns of self-destruction, etc. Repeating this mantra brings forth clarity and wisdom as you begin to see those things which have been holding you back or those patterns in which you are stuck. This mantra will lead you to your own self-realization and you will see yourself and reality as they really are. For this reason, it is a very powerful mantra.

For today’s journal entry, you should write down something that has been an obstacle for you or something you wish to let go of. Set aside some time for meditation and repeat this mantra in your meditation. Write about your experience of this mantra after your meditation.
Shanti