I have a tiny dog that is getting up there in age. He's been exhibiting some peculiar behavior as of late. This evening is a prime example. He took a drink of water and then went to rub his face on the carpet (an icky habit, but he is a dog, after all). He was busy rubbing his face when he completely surprised me by rolling onto the top of his head and doing a forward flip. Unbelievable! Then he walked around in a couple of circles, began to rub his face on the carpet again...and then another forward flip! After which he walked away as if this was the most normal thing that had ever occurred. I stood there perplexed. Never have I ever seen this behavior in another animal. What could it mean? I reasoned that due to his advancing years not only is he losing control of his body, but he is also becoming confused. And then it hit me. I had made a big mistake earlier this evening because I had become confused about the time. My little dog's unusual display, and the practice of observing objects in the environment as symbols, served to "jostle" my awareness.

Everyday we are surrounded by symbols. We can "see" absolutely nothing in our own environment that we are not relative to. When you have an observation or judgement about another person, place or thing, ask yourself, "How does that apply to me?" I can guarantee you that it does.

Symbol awareness is part of the practice of yoga. That's because yogic techniques are largely psychological in nature. It's about understanding and retraining the mind. In addition to becoming aware of our projections concerning others, it is a helpful practice to consciously add symbols to the environment that serve as positive reminders for the subconscious mind. For example, if you want to have more joy, create a joyful environment. Which form of the divine do you attune to? If you are a Buddhist, you may want to hang a painting of the Buddha in a location where you will be reminded of your practice. If you attune to nature, perhaps a bonsai tree where you will be sure to see it. If you want to be more loving, select objects that symbolize love for your consciousness.

A powerful symbol for many yogis is Lord Shiva. I found an interesting webpage that goes into great detail about what this symbol represents. I thought this might be a good example to illustrate symbols. At the very bottom of the page is a video about Samadhi, the 8th limb of yoga.

http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/shiva.htm#.Vbbg-0XfiVq

I hope you enjoy reading about Shiva and will consider taking the time to learn more about the symbols all around us.

Namaste,
  S.

Are you a list maker? Many of us are. Making lists helps us organize our everyday life and feel a sense of accomplishment when we check an item off the list.

Laundry? Check!
Homework? Check!
Groceries? Check!
Meditation? Check!

Whoa! Wait a minute. Slow down a bit. Meditation is sometimes viewed as another task on our to-do list. There are several problems with this. One of them being that when we sit down to meditate we bring with us the unconscious message that when we are finish we can move on to something else. So, when we end our formal practice we might stand up and leave the meditation behind right away. This is not the purpose of our meditation practice. Meditation is not part of a competition. It is a way of quieting the mind and becoming acquainted with the peace that dwells within. It is a tool we can turn to in order to bring peace and equanimity into our lives...everyday, all day. We want to hold the feeling of the meditative state as long as possible. Perhaps even having mini meditation (informal) sessions when we notice the feeling slipping away. However, when we relegate meditation to a task or accomplishment, the benefits of our meditation are quickly forgotten. Or, perhaps, we can not settle down to meditate @ all because we are already planning the next thing "to-do."

Meditation is a state of consciousness. It is not a task. And, for most of us, it takes time, practice and patience to truly begin to have deep meditative experiences. Try to make your formal meditation practice part of your daily routine like waking up in the morning or taking a shower. You don't add those to your to-do list because they are completely integrated into your life. The difference would be that we sometimes begin to do those things unconsciously. Meditation is there to raise our conscious awareness. Eventually, with regular practice, we find ourselves maintaining that intuitive feeling state indefinitely. And that is worth taking time for.

Namaste,
  S.

What is the Truth? There's a story I've heard a couple of times that goes something like this...

Five blind men were lead to an elephant and asked to describe it. The man standing near the elephant's trunk touched it and said, "The elephant is long and flexible." The man standing near one of the elephant's legs felt it and said, "The elephant is round and strong like the trunk of the tree." And, as you might imagine, the men that felt the tusks, ears and tail each had very different impressions.

So, let me ask you, were the blind men telling the truth? How can five people say completely different things about the same animal and still be telling the truth? Is one of them wrong? Misguided? In error? Is one of them right and the others wrong? After all, there is only one elephant.

We each live in physical bodies and most of us view the world through the lens of our own experience which is filtered through the senses. And, it therefore stands to reason, that we each experience "the truth" through a certain perspective which has its limitations. Let me illustrate this a different way...

A long time ago, a Jewish man explained to me that "the Torah does not contain facts, it tells the Truth". I get what he meant. I believe that there is a difference between facts and the Truth. Babaji, Krishna, the Buddha, Christ. It's a way of describing a state of consciousness.

What is the difference between the truth and THE Truth? The Truth is a higher state of consciousness. And what is your truth? I can assure you that I have absolutely no idea. I am working with my own set of filters. Only you know what your truth is. You and no one else. And how do we move from our truth to reach the Truth? We meditate. Meditation allows us to experience Life without the filters.

Shanti,
  S.

Dear Yoga Meditators,

This evening's blog is going to be short and sweet:

Today was the very first day I taught Yoga Meditation for Beginners in our new space. I could not be happier.

Thank you all for hanging in there while we moved from location to location. And most of all, thank you for allowing me to share the teachings. There truly is no greater joy.

One of the best things about having a space with unlimited access is the ability to add more classes to better serve our community @ every level. As always, I am open to your feedback.

I'll close by posting a photo of the Houston skyline shot today from the window of our new home. What a beautiful day.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Namaste,
  S.