Meditation by the sea

Going deeper ~ Yoga Tree TEACHER TRAINING

August 22, 2020...The BEGINNING,...The KNEW SCHOOL.

🌞

Yoga Tree 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training session began with a beautiful ceremony on the above date. The students were excited, open and inspiring. The seed 🌱was planted long ago to offer this training, but in recent months (or a year) ~ many wonderful people have contributed to the impulse that made this KNEW beginning a reality. For that, I am forever appreciative. 

     In the recent months (some of which will go down historically as a time when, in the world, 🌍el mundo, WE,.. the people, were "quarantined").   What came of this time, is unique to each person, based on their personal perceptions, habits and willingness to go or flow.  

    Practicing and teaching Yoga☮ for nearly 2 decades gives way to experience, but when embarking on an adventure, one consults the map and creates somewhat of an itinerary ( Anyone who knows me would chuckle reading this because my version of itinerary is a little different than most)... Nonetheless, when stepping forth on a new expedition, I do pull together teachings and look inside. In so doing, I have immersed myself in study to "wake up" information and knowledge from within, so that I could share, with a full heart, these amazing, practical, simple, deep, wisdom-rich stories and suggestions on living a whole and peaceful existence. What a time to be in Yogic study, I feel so fortunate to have started this personal walk so long ago, but I to still feel so passionate about the study and so infantile in my learning phase. The beauty is in the SELF STUDY ~ Svadhyaya,

The word itself is made up of Sva, meaning own, self, or the human soul, and Adhyaya, meaning lesson, lecture, or reading, and can imply the practice of studying scriptures, as well as a practice of studying the Self.  

‘self’ study and ‘Self’ study….

In many pieces of writing regarding the practice of yoga, when we see the word self written with a small ‘s’, it refers to ourselves in this physical form, our ego, and who we consider ourselves to be on a daily basis. When you read the word ‘Self’ with a capital ‘S’, this is likely to refer to the true self, Atman, or the divine within us.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra says: “Study thy self, discover the divine” II.44

It’s probably fair to say that the more we realise what we are not, the closer we come to realising who or what we truly are. By studying ‘the self’ and recognizing our habits and thought processes, we realise how much of what we do and think is far from who we really know we are.

When we listen to the ego, we often do things that don’t always align with our true beliefs or intuition. The ‘I’ or small ‘self’ is mostly concerned with survival, which usually entails getting what it wants in all situations, and proving it is indeed ‘the best’ despite what consequences that might have for us. The small self judges, criticises, fears, conditions, doubts and is essentially the cause of the chitta vrittis, or ‘fluctuations of the mind’.

By paying attention to, or ‘studying’ our ‘self’, we become more aware of the things we do that harm us, and also those which serve us and bring us closer to that process of ‘yoking’ or ‘uniting’ with the true Self.  

In the above paragraph, I mentioned that the "teachings" are SIMPLE,... I did not say, "easy"... Below is a copy of a drawing depicting the descript of Patanjali's  8 limbs,...  STEPS to enlightenment... Yamas (restraints ) and Niyamas (observations), Asana ( your seat), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal from the senses), Dharana (focus,concentration), Dhyana (meditation)

These are not SECRETS, hidden from us,.. but guidelines to live meaningful and purposeful life, per the guidance of Patanjali. 

Words like: discipline, liberation, support, community, non-attachment, non-violence, not stealing, not lying, contentment, purity, self-study, simplistic living, devotion, restraint.  These are aspects the Yogi cultivates.  At Yoga Tree for many years, the mantra has been:🌈🔥🌎🌎 Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu ~ May all beings be happy and free, may my thoughts, words and actions contribute to the well being of all.  For me, this is also folded into my personal practice of Ahimsa (non-harming), we practice this in my home by being kind to each other, speaking intentionally and with our eating, paying attention to and having kindness with what we choose to ingest into our bodies (through the eyes, ears, mouth and skin).  This blog is simply to share some of the foundation that will be the ground layer for our adventure inward, to awaken, pay attention and to pause.  Thank you for whatever you have done today to contribute to making this world, a kinder, more peaceful place.  namaste'💗

Go BIG!

Authenticity...BE authentic....Can you BE authentic,....BE you... be yourself... In all situations...? but, WHO ARE YOU? Do you know?...hmmmmm...

Do I? Who do I WANT to be? Who do people THINK I am?

AM I THAT person....and when other's are disappointed in you,.. ARE THEY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU,... or do they see you as a mirror and they are really, DISAPPOINTED IN THEMSELVES?

The beginning of this blog post was from late June 2020, It is now Aug. 31, 2020, I decided to add a few thoughts....

My son came home from school today and we discussed a question that a teacher asked of his class ( 10th grade)..The inquiry was more or less this:

Are people more motivated by FEAR?  

 OR... Are people motivated by....HOPE?

It is truth, that most people are more motivated by fear...

How do we shift this habitual paradigm?  Well,...As human beings, it is my belief that we are constantly seeking outwardly for things like approval, questioning ourselves in comparison to others, and looking outside for obvious answers that are within.  So much of the Yoga practice is not about more but less.  The practice of Yoga is unraveling,...as we release past suffering and let go of the masks that we have worn, the TRUE YOU shines through!  It took time to create who we are TODAY,.. and therefore, it also takes time to unravel some of the "mysteries" that lead us to where we currently stand.  By this, I jest a bit, we have simply 'FORGOTTEN' who we are and our "work" is to soften those outer layers, dissolve the outer, protective layers, so that your 

                                                                                                                                    inner light... 

can once again shine.  

The journey inward is not easy but,... it is simple...Slowing down and "sitting" 

with yourself in meditation can be a lovely way to simply observe WHERE you are,... WHO you are?  Reach out for support, but look inward into your heart. 💓 

Go slowly and be kind with yourself,... take walks outside, surround yourself with beauty, and as you close your eyes, take a deep breath and consider that the walls created around you were built by an amazing being,  someone who, over time, needed protection in some way to feel safe.  But, now, the time is here for you to peak up over those walls, ... look around and then, take another deep breath and REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!  That amazing being who built those walls that hold you back,... can also break through or jump right over them for peace and freedom.

.

So,... LIVE,... WITHOUT FEAR! Be your best you!

 Take a chance on yourself!

May all beings be HAPPY AND free,... may YOUR thoughts, words and actions contribute to the well-being of all! 

and my own personal family motto:  GO BIG OR GO HOME!

In light,

Kerry 

TODAY is the day, oggi, hoy

Today,….hoy, oggi,…today! THIS DAY!

It is this day,…it must be THIS DAY, that I choose,… to be alive, to be awake, to make mistakes, to say, “I don’t know” ….Today is the day, that I let go, release and fly free.  What makes this day different than any other,…It is TODAY,…Maybe I will “fail” to LET GO… Maybe I will fail to BE FULLY awake!... but, then I will begin again….I will give my heart to this effort. 

 

I will let go of suffering and move forward…I remind myself and students:  You ARE your best teacher, the answers lie within…So,..JUMP, SOAR, FLY! AND…sit….THIS is the best teaching SIT…Not everyone who practices Yoga is aware that the word ASANA ( which is a part of most of the Sanskrit words that describe the POSTURES we take in the physical “practice” of Yoga,…Asana translates to ‘TAKING ONE’S SEAT’,… therefore, What we are ATTEMPTING to do,…is TAKE A SEAT, in the shapes that we make in a Yoga “class”…What does that EVEN mean?????

How can I ‘TAKE A SEAT’ in Warrior II 

while standing and extending my💓🙏 arms and activating my inner thighs and pulling into my 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd chakras,… How do I engage mulabhanda and SIT ,….

The answer is SIMPLE,… ( I didn’t say easy, I said,…simple)

The breath is smooth and even,…the posture allows for strength and flexibility to present themselves…and then, in the stillness, breathing, holding the space of the posture (shape, pose) there is a moment that exists,…DO YOU CREATE IT?... I actually think that it is ALWAYS there, always present but when we are quiet, we notice it,…we pay attention.

Your body has to cooperate to an extent to be able to be still and listen,… How do you do this?...PRACTICE these postures, eat well, sleep well, sit still A LOT,.. 

be compassionate

…take care of yourself, others and the earth. Continuity, consistency …stay the course,… sit when you are happy, sit when you are sad, sit when you are active, sit when you are mad, sit when the sun rises, sit when the time presents itself.  The opportunity to be with yourself is available many times each day, I know you say you are too busy, you say," it’s too hard",…..

Rewrite the story, today is a new day.  Today, you start again,… and then ONE DAY,….one day soon,… you will be in a shape, a yoga asana,… You will “sit” in the posture and breath, your body will be at ease and the great answers that you seek will become a beautiful song in your heart,.. you will hear the song like beautiful music, your heart will dance, your soul will shine and it will be TODAY!

take a walk

Take a walk with me.....

OUR STORIES

I've been THINKING about writing but,..about what? why, oh, whynot?

 just write.

I kept feeling the urge to write, but... about what? Which one of the swirling thoughts in the sea of my mind deserves to be heard.  Many times, a thought comes to me, then consumes me,.. pulls me deeply in and speaks to me,.. I can be taking a walk, in my neighborhood, on a beach, in my mind.  

Here I am, ... at a beach that is very familiar to me.  

The day is overcast, alot of rain earlier and gusts of wind. 

I've worked today, rearranging my relaxing oasis of an oceanview master bedroom into a zoom capable Yoga studio space.  I woke up at 2 am, 5 am and finally rose at 6:30 am.  Yoga teacher,...uhm,... OK, Stressed, anxious,...happy was not on the menu.  The sun is trying now to poke through the gray, hazy sky... The die hards are out there, running, jumping, riding waves,... beaching...I am on the deck, overlooking the beach,...willing the sunshine to come,..from inside of me, out.... I just finished another book, reminding me again,.. be strong, be you... be bold....I had an epiphany just yesterday,..."it's time!", and then,... somehow, the doubt, the pressure to do the "right"things,... these overwhelming thoughts consume me,... all the, "I need to..", "I can't...", "I'm committed to"...all the bullshit...The voices and stories of old...THAT'S IT... I told myself,..."JUST WRITE"... and it will come... so,..yup,... it did. 

I've been thinking for a while about this,... our STORIES... THE stories that we tell ourselves... OVER AND OVER AND OVER again... and for WHOM am I DOING things FOR?

OK,..moving forward...It's the only way to move..or it is not considered moving.

So, it's time to take a leap...Why am I waiting... 

Well,... in the meantime,..I'll write.

We have all that we need, within us... We have all the wisdom we seek, inside...

So, why, then are we always searching, seeking?... ok, maybe not everyone but ME.  I can only speak for me.  My son says that I am never satisfied,... always trying to improve, make things better...He says my expectations ( we aren't supposed to even HAVE these...) are unreachable. Does that mean, unless I change the story, that I'll always be chasing that which doesn't exist?  What is it that I'm looking for? .... hmmmmm well,..it's a good start... the writing I mean,... here's a good place to start.

Worthy of Imitation

Worthy of imitation... is a phrase that I learned while deepening my understanding of Waldorf Education.  I was trained as a Waldorf teacher and had the privilege of teaching 1st grade at a small waldorf inspired charter school in northern Arizona.

Yet, I was introduced to Anthroposophy and Rudolf Steiner's works long before I became a Waldorf teacher.  I studied whole food nutritional counseling and massage therapy at a healing arts school in San Diego, California in the 1990's.  I did not know it then, but the foundation was set to delve deeply into Waldorf education.   The relevance would be revealed more and more through my life but most significantly, in 2004, when I became pregnant with my son.  As Waldorf teachers, we are reminded the children will imitate.

As children, most of us are taught, "do I say, not as I do".  As Waldorf teachers, we are reminded our actions speak louder than words, any of you who are parents, can attest to this, I know I can.  Children are acutely aware of their environment, they are inherently observers.  I am not fond of the term, "sponge", but I understand the context in which people tend to use this word.

Children do absorb, we all do.  The interesting thing is that in meditation, for instance, we are re-learning the "art" of observation.  In my opinion, as we "adult", we become so overly sensitized, judgemental (of our selves), attached and at the same time disconnected,... that the "work" we do in meditation is to "unravel, deconstruct, or break-down" all the layers that we have created over the years. 

In our lifetime, we try on numerous hats, costumes, and in the midst of taking on archetypes, identities and thoughts of other people and "things", we ABSORB these thoughts and they permeate our being.... thus "creating" us....Therefore,... circling this back around to children, being AMAZING observers,...YES!,... it is of the utmost importance that the thoughts, words and actions of the influencers in a child's life, be, "worthy of imitation".

WHEW! That's alot to say,... think, and feel!...

Over the past two decades, through counseling, teaching, sharing, traveling, parenting,etc.... I have had the opportunity to connect with a variety of people ( adults, children, etc.) in various stages of life, healing and growth.  I do not profess to be perfect or to have all the answers,... I explain occasionally to my teenage son.  I do not pretend to have all the answers, nor do I pretend I am flawless. What separates me from the norm, (if there is a distinguishment) is that each day, I wake up and try to make that day the day that I'll be the best version of me that I can.  Does it always work?,... uhm,... no,.. but it doesn't stop me from doing it ALL OVER AGAIN, the very next day,....In the past 20 years of sharing the practice of Yoga, I remind myself and anyone that I have the privilege of sharing with, that each time we come to our mats,...(if we come with openness and a loving, kind heart, and pure intention), we have the ability to observe ourselves.  If we can observe without judgement, disconnect from the emotional wounding of the past experiences, we have the ability to LEARN from our experiences and apply those teachings to RE-creating the KNEW (yes,... I meant to spell it that way,....Thanks to my dear friend Claire...reminding me that it is not "new" but the "knew" we KNOW it!...we are simply unlearning sometimes and thereby, what is revealed is what we already KNEW).  If that went over your head, read it one more time and if it is unclear, come to class! 

If we CHOOSE to come to the mat, take a seat, be still,...if we CHOOSE to do this, with the above mentioned mindset, I believe that the OPPORTUNITY is available... to shed that which has served it's purpose, and begin to rebuild the KNEW.  In holistic healing, we speak about alignment and synchronicity.  These are helpful aspects of contentment, but the foundation (or stage) must be set. 

 

Another aspect of "worthy of imitation" is the reverence and respect that we, as individuals have for others (on many levels), but even for "things"... The care and respect, the reverence that we show translates to how we will take care of ourselves, others and the "things" of others,...from a crayon, to a home, to mother earth.  We lead by example as creatures.  

I love a story that my grandmother told,...When my father was young, and had begun walking, my grandmother had a friend with a child that was a similar age but not yet walking (crawling as main mode of transportation).  My grandmother's friend decided that if my father ( the walking wee one) spent time with the master crawler... maybe the impulse to be upright would be conveyed and ultimately adopted by the crawling child.  And what happened?....the mother's let the children play for a bit and not long after, observed the young lads...BOTH crawling!... SO, you see IMITATION is interesting.  As a parent, we know that the influencers in your child's life WILL impact them in some way....We can not know exactly the patterns, behaviors and directions, just know that there WILL be influence.  

How can you be "worthy" of imitation? Be your best you.  You know, deep inside, what your BEST you is.  We make choices throughout EACH and EVERY day about who we will be.  Our thoughts eventually, thought over and over,... will take the form of words... words spoken repetitively, will transform into real life actions...these things ultimately are WHO WE ARE.  It goes all the way back to: what are you doing with your time.  What are you thinking,... what are you looking at, reading, listening to, eating.  What activities are you making a part of your daily routine.  We ARE creatures of habit.  We must realize that the daily patterns that we repeat, become a part of us.  

One last story,... As a waldorf teacher, we teach the students to revere and care for, not only themselves, their classmates and their teachers but also the materials and goods that they utilize to CREATE beautiful expressions of their thoughts.  In first grade, there is a transition in some classrooms that the child would,( instead of sharing all the crayons ) the child would  make their own individual crayon holder in handwork class, and be given the spectrum of colors by way of a specially made beeswax crayon to create with.  The teacher tells a story about the color of the crayon that the child will receive.  The story of yellow may be about how the bright shining sun provides warmth, healing, and growth,... the story would be TOLD not read and the children listen to the story intently. After the story, the teacher passes out individually this yellow crayon and hands it to the child to care for throughout the year.  The light in a child's eyes, while they have their hands cupped to receive this GIFT is beautiful, full of appreciation and reverence.  It parralel's how items in the classroom are cared for and continues to influence how the children care for one another.  This same reverence CAN be applied in the home.  People (not just children), observe how we do things, what we say, the manner in which we say them.  I share these things, not to overwhelm but to shed light and bring awareness to the fact that we constantly have opportunities to encourage and be WORTHY OF IMITATION.

It is a beautiful gift to be a part of a child's life, or a part of anyone's life really.  We should cherish these opportunities to share wisdom, experience, as well as openly share our own truth through teachings from previous bumps on our own path, etc.  I share these words because they have been significant in my own life.  I heard a quote not long ago, about looking back at the previous 24 hours of your life...Did you do, in the last 24 hours of your life, things that you are proud to be imitated?  What if you knew you only had 24 hours ahead of you?  Would your imprint be "worthy of imitation".  I do like the phrase, " food for thought" that's all these blogs are ....take a taste, digest it,... decide how or IF it is applicable in your life or the life of another...use what you need for energy and discard or share the rest.  

namaste'