Landmark Advanced Course- NYC

I arrived in the busy streets of New York City last week to undergo my second Landmark Education training. The first one ( Landmark Forum) was given to me as a gift from a company I was working for at the time (lululemon athletica---amazing company!). My intention for signing up for this Landmark session was to complete my wandering, assimilate back into the society, and create a future where I can thrive.
Here are some bullet points from my interpretation of the Advanced Course:

•  request powerfully and specifically what you want (usually we only ask for what we are willing to settle for, not what we really want)
• you are not your thoughts, filters or stories
• using the word "help", in reference to "helping" people is demeaning. It keeps you BIG and others SMALL
• "if you have come to help me, you are wasting your time.But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together." 
• your brilliance is dependent on others
• you have to be responsible to be powerful
• if you want to be extraordinary be unreasonable 
• participation gives vitality and power
• "as human beings our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world- that is the myth of the atomic age- as in being able to remake ourselves." Gandhi
• if your focus is on you being fulfilled, you're missing the game. shift from you, to others.
• you're the most lit up when you're making a difference for people
• thoughts, feelings, the past, logic--are not reliable tests for reality
• if you are everything- nothing can stop you
• inspired means to breathe life into an area that was once dead
• don't give up on people
• if you are living like somethings not possible, then it is not possible for humanity
• anytime you have a lack of power- there is a lie underneath it
• there is no suffering in reality 
• what is real is measurable, physical, relates in distance time and form, there is a beginning middle and end, and has finite edges 
• reality is a RIGHT NOW phenomenon 
• don't be stopped by "no's" in this life
• a "no" just means no right now. keep asking
• focus on others and you disapear
• life is a full length mirror
• take action- create results in life
• are you happy? if not, change your mind
• have a miracle happen to you
• transformation isn't happening unless you're sharing it with others
• so goes you, goes the planet
• a person can create space or kill it
• there's not a moment in life that you are not in a right now- except in your story
• the world does not speak- only we do- therefore we create by speaking what is real
• you are the space in which all things occur
• life is a conversation
• the future you're living into gives you your present moment 
• people occur in the clearing inside which you show up for them
• if who you are is possibility then that's all there is
• leave others touched, moved and inspired

"A person who is a master in the art of living makes little distinction between their work and their play. Their labor and leisure. Their mind and their body. Their education and their recreation. Their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which and simply pursue their vision of excellence and grace. Whatever they do. Leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing. To them they are always doing both."


Landmark Education is "transformational education". It is not about these notes or about "learning" anything. The experience actually changes you. So that after you are left with a new way of being and showing up in the world. Thank you to lululemon atheltica and Chip Wilson for taking a stand for my life. Thank you Landmark Education for changing the world. Thank you for everyone I have had the amazing opportunity to meet and create possibilities with in the Landmark Advanced Course and to Josselyn for being instrument of peace. And as always, thank you for the loving support of my family and friends.
www.landmarkeducation.com
www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Landmark-Education-Advanced-Course-September-2010
www.lululemon.com


If life is a game- I say, "GAME ON"

Friends and Yoga

Ashtanga Mela

A week of Ashtanga Yoga with David Williams, David Swenson, and Danny Paradise.
David Williams has over forty years of daily yoga practice. He taught David and Danny along with many other foundational yoga teachers. David brought Pattabhi Jois (Guruji, the father of Ashtanga Yoga) and his son Manju Jois to the states introducing yoga to America.
David Swenson started yoga at the age of 16 and is one the most widely known and respected yoga instructors of our day. His book, Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual and his DVD's are responsible for making Ashtanga Yoga accessible to the masses.
Danny Paradise found yoga when his love affair with music and traveling brought him to Hawaii. There he met and studied with David Williams. Danny uses his traveling experiences to fuse Shamanism and yoga. He brought Ashtanga Yoga to many celebrities such as Sting and Madonna making yoga a household word in the west.

All three have traveled and studied extensively in India with Pattabhi Jois and have so many amazing stories. I highly recommend attending anything you may see offered by these living legends.

Here are some standout points from the lips of these living yogis:

• here's a challenge: how much fun can you possibly have in one lifetime?
• continue being fascinated and curious about your practice
• daily practice is crucial 
• yoga is about aging gracefully and free of pain
• how can you make the posture feel the best it can
• what feels good is good, what hurts is hurting you
• you can't make something hurt less by hurting yourself
• you should feel energized after your practice
• energy will heal you
• stay in the "om zone"
• you have a choice of comfort or pain in each pose
• 1mm past pain is tearing- tearing creates scar tissue and uses all of your energy to heal that instead of spreading throughout the body and blocks flexibility
• feeling good is the ultimate high
• most flexible person has no advantage and the least flexible person has no disadvantage
• make the practice a moving meditation using breath and bandhas
• concentration is dualistic, meditation is non-dualistic
• yoga is fun, but walking is really fun- your yoga should not hurt you
• all the yoga teachers in India start the day with coffee- YES :)
• practice 5 days a week and take yoga holidays (full/new moon)
• at least do the daily minimum (3 sun A's, 3 sun B's, 3 finishing poses)
• yoga shows us our weak points and our strong points
• asana practice actually changes the structure of our body
• limited knowledge and great enthusiasm in teachers is dangerous *there are bad teachers out there, be careful
• every moment is an opportunity to make positive change
• yoga is the space between thoughts, no thinking during practice
• ashtanga is not for everyone, it's for anyone...who wants to do it
• be satisfied with your own practice and know it changes daily
• the only way to find out about a place is to go out there and experience it for yourself
• too much awareness in alignment causes injury, not enough awareness in alignment causes injury
• you're ready to teach when you have students
• an educated student is a threat to a bad teacher
• it's not about how many students you have, but about how many masters you create
• yoga is a community service and a lifestyle 
• questions are the quest, nothing rests in the answers 
• practice outside
• you're not scared to die when you know each day you're living your life's purpose
• if you chase it, it runs from you. increase yoga, increase magnetism 
• Shiva takes care of his own. you're the only one who really knows the truth and depth of your practice

"First series, very good. Second series, very very good. Third and fourth series,  ooooh just for demonstration."
"Practice yoga and all is coming" -Guruji

David Williams conversation when he would "interview" new students for his yoga classes in Hawaii:
(insert southern accent)
You're not ready for yoga. This yoga will change your life. Are you ready to give up your life as you know it? Your girlfriend? oooh boy, if she doesn't practice yoga, you may not want to stay with her. You ready for that? You'll end up quitting your job, you're whole life as you know it will change.

 OM
Vande Gurunam Caranaravinde
Sandarsita Svatmasukhava Bodhe
Nisreyase Jangalikayamane
Samsara Halahala Mohasantyai

Abahu Purusakram
Sankhacakrasi Dharinam
Sahasra Sirasam Svetam
Pranamami Patanjalim
OM


-I honor all the teachers that have come before me to pass on this sacred tradition-

Thank you David, David, Danny, Kripalu, and the whole Ashtanga community.
Now go out and have as much FUN as possible!
*~*cheers- namaste- aloha- mahalo*~*

JourneyDance Pearls

JourneyDance is an amazing journey inward through a dance led with visualizations and intentions. It is an opportunity to get out of your mind and into your body. JourneyDance is a grooving celebration that will have you loving your body and loving your life! Weaving simple, guided movement sequences and free exploration, JourneyDance reconnects you with your innate state of joyous well-being. Your mind becomes clear, free, and positive, and your body feels supple, energized, and powerful. Practiced to inspiring world music, your dance is an empowering journey to self-acceptance and transformation. Journeydance was created by Toni Bergins.  www.journeydance.com

Here are some "pearls of wisdom" I have taken from my JourneyDance Teacher Training immersion with Toni at Kripalu:

• try to make physical contact with someone while eating. this has a grounding affect that helps us connect to our bodies and helps us feel full
• touch is powerful. a person should have at least five significant touches a day (hugs, reach out, holding hands, etc.) reach out and touch someone
• speak what you need. ask for what you need. no one will ever know if you don't say something
• daydream. create. imagine. invent
• dance is prayer. we can make any action into a dedication or prayer. make something in your day sacred
• listen. really listen
• fire is empowering. let it be a tool to burn the what does not serve you. like a phoenix, let your wishes and dreams rise from it's ashes 
• when negative thoughts arise, write it down on a piece of paper. crumble it up. put it in a box labeled "I release ____ into the earth." immediately chose a positive thought. write it down. put it in a box labeled "wouldn't it be nice if." when the boxes are full, or when you are ready, make them burn
• humor is the best medicine
• sweat to put the fire out inside, and to purify the body of toxins
• try not to let any negative thoughts exist for more than five seconds
• everyone can sing
• everyone can dance
• we have to get over ourselves to really see others
• pretend you are an animal. slither like a snake. meow like a cat. fly like a bird. invite friends along for a guaranteed rowdy good time
• perspire, you won't expire! 
• try shaking medicine, the chi machine, and contact dancing
• hula hooping is the fountain of youth  
• give yourself a hug. be your own best friend. love yourself
• it's okay to build yourself a wall of protection when you need it
• sometimes you gotta get a little funky!
• music is transformational 
• focus on what your doing right and do more of that
• use "I" statements. own your emotions, actions, thoughts, and experiences
• try shape shifting
• give permission to be yourself
• move your body to heal it
• start to notice patterns in your life
• celebrate obstacles
• play. play. play 
• be a little weird. try something new
• the dance is perfect, because you're in it
• move your hips front and back, side to side. it's fun!
• hold your stomach. say hellooooo belly and I love you belly 
• give your inhale to your exhale and your exhale to your inhale
• oneness makes things flow
• radiate who you are. take up space. own it
• it's okay not to forgive everyone, we just move on in different ways
• use the process and it's okay to be processing the same thing over and over again
• use the mind and use tools to help control it
• navigate your emotional journey
• processing is necessary
• we chose where we put our money and our energy
• the universal consciousness is rising 
• tears are love
• close your eyes and listen to your heart 
• open your eyes and see someone. really see them. look. listen. feel. be with them
• burn up painful thoughts and dance in the fire
• open yourself. use imagery and movement
• educate. read. research. learn. grow
• tell someone they are amazing, funky, divine, wild, sensual, luscious, inspiring, or whatever else you can think of. and then tell yourself the same
• remember, we're all in this together 
• *twinkle*

I am reminded of this quote from A Course in Miracles:

"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 doesn't serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And 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."
 

thank you Toni, fellow JourneyDancers, and Kripalu  

jai! 

Buddha Mini Series

Decontaminating Yourself (Vajasattra)

AUM. Indestructible Being,

Purify my body, speech, and mind.

Energizing Yourself with the Life Force

(Green Tara)

AUM. Homage to Tara, swift heroine, whose mantra 

Tutare dispels all fear, and Ture, which fulfills all needs.

Invoking Healing Energy (Medicine Buddha)

This is how it is. AUM. Healing, healing,

Great Noble Healing within,

Permeate everywhere. So be it!

AUM. The Jewel is in the Lotus!

AUM Mani Padme Hung

Dedicating Your Activities (Karmapa)

Karmapa Chenno

Source of all awakened activities, remember me.

Surrendering to Beauty (Krishna)

Gopala Govinda Govinda Gopala

Devakinandana Gopala

Master of the Cows, Protector.

Joyful Shining God, Son of the Goddess.

Magnifying Self-Giving Love (Jai Shree Devi)

Jai Shree Devi Namo Namah

Hooray fo the Feminine Glory, the Goddess!

I bow to you again and again.

Invoking the Formless Supreme (Shiva)

Aum Namah Shivaya

AUM. I bow down to Shiva (the Auspicious One).

Kailash, Kurt A. Bruder. Following Sound into Silence. Hay House Inc. 2008.

Kripalu Share Circle

When I walk over to the boards to check what's happen around the Krip today, I am sucked in by the Share Circle. This is what the description reads:

Practice this classic Kripalu methodology that employs the principle "the key to my
heart rests in the heart of another." Through this meditative listening and conscious
speaking technique, savor the concept of safe and sacred space. Relax, access, and
witness the power of your moment and others.

Today I am feeling overwhelmed by the influx of bubbly guests coming all over the world looking to turn into liquid with Shiva Rea or break boards with Goddess to the Core. Sometimes I find myself thinking, who do these people think they are? Where do they come from? Why are they in my space? What could have possibly happened to them to make them think that it's okay to act like that? Why didn't someone teach them they don't have to talk all the time? Why can't they look where they're going? What could possibly make her cry so hard? I have to get out of here...I have to escape...

Today, I stayed. I decided I needed a good ol' fashioned Kripalu Share Circle to try to connect back to the guests. To try to connect to myself again. To be fully present. To really listen to someone. And, maybe even to inspire. To change.

At 11am we came in and sat down on black cushions all alined for us in a circular formation. There are about fifteen of us. I look around the circle as we introduce ourselves, just a brief name and where we're from. There is a couple that oozes happiness and I can smell the sweetness of new love radiating from their every pore. There is a blond woman that had a halo surrounding her, but she gazes down at the floor and speaks every so softly. There is a big, strong man with piercing black eyes sitting directly across from me. He folds his hands in his lap, sits crossed legged and closes his eyes. There is a skinny, hyped-up woman with a crazed look in her eyes. The leader today is a confident, gentle soul. She sits at the front of the room and makes surface conversation with guests as they slowly trickle in. And, lastly I sit in my half lotus on the edge of my black cushion (krip-pillow as we jokingly refer to them) that was recently stuffed and feels too thick for comfort, I am wearing my red strapless flowing shirt, just trying to root myself into the ground. I close my eyes and just feel the energy in the room. I feel the people I am with. Deep breath in, sigh breath out.

The leader begins with a meditation on gratitude and an OM to open. We go around the circle one by one and say what we are grateful for today. I say I am grateful for waking up. How revolutionary. Ha.

There are a few basic guidelines the leader now goes over with us: What happens in the Share Circle, stays in the share circle. This is not a conversation, do not reply to anyone's share, the practice is in simply holding space. No one needs to be fixed. And, let out a breath together as each person finishes their share. This is just a safe place to be heard. Say whatever you want.
*NOTE no names will be used in this to respect the privacy of the individuals.

WE BEGIN.
The woman with the crazy eyes starts her share. She has worked for a company for thirty years. She was promised a pension after her thirty years and dreamed of returning to Nursing School. The company has gone back on their promise, no pension. Her husband's business has just failed. Does she still follow her dreams to return to school?

breath in. sigh out

I share next. I share that the guests make me nervous sometimes. I tell them that I want to be present, but my pattern is to run away. I am scared of what's next. I'm overwhelmed. And I am ever grateful for this place.
I close my eyes again.

breath in. sigh out

The man sitting directly across from me opens his eyes and his lips. He tells his story. Drugs, alcohol, lost his job/family/life. Rock bottom. He is building his life again. Grateful for all he has, but fearful it will be taken just as fast as it came. Great ups are always accompanied by great loss.
He closes his eyes.

breath in. sigh out

The woman with the halo meekly raises her hand to speak. My body automatically tenses and I don't even know why, yet. She says she is here for healing. She is here to let go. To be herself in whatever way she shows up. She starts sobbing. Her five year old son has died of the H1N1 virus. Five years old. She says she has cried, she has grieved. She is grateful of the time she got to spend with him. I am convinced she is an Angel.
We all close our eyes, praying I suppose, and I visualize light surrounding and comforting her.

breath in. sigh out

The next woman responds. This apparently triggered something within her. She says she is happy someone else has cried. I think, why are we so afraid of tears? Her daughter has just lost her legs in a car accident. She has been taking care of her grandchildren. She is sad. It is hard for her.

breath in. sigh out

There is a silence that comes across the room. The leader looks to the happy couple to share. The man just celebrates his woman sitting beside him. He is so excited. He can't contain it.

breath in. sigh out

We all discuss how yoga has helped lift us from the darkness. Maybe not lift, but more so find a sense of comfort within the darkness. A greater sense of self and spirit.

The leader shares this story:
It was back in the days when Kripalu was an ashram. There was silent breakfast... emphasis on silent. She was overweight. A child walked up to her as she was eating her breakfast and loudly asked, "Why are you so fat?". The whole dining hall gasped in awe. She replied, "God gave us all something to work on, and this is what I got." The dining hall gasped again, this time in relief.

We are all in this together. We are all "working on something". We are all going through something. I hope these stories can inspire at least a pause for reflection before passing judgement on another. Maybe an opportunity to practice patience. I know I would appreciate that for myself.

Jai Bhagwan

(Victory to Spirit)

Karma

Karma
By Nikki Jaya Prock

In classical yoga Karma literally translates as action or deed. Karma is also referred to as the law of cause and affect. Hindu scriptures divide Karma into three types: sanchita, prarabha, and kriyamana. Karma in Western culture is usually set in the context of how our present actions will affect the outcome of the future, as opposed to yogic belief that karma accumulates over lifetimes and will continue until all the past karmas are exhausted. The concept that threads these two views together is that every action will have a reaction, whether that exists in the past, present, or future. Karma can be good or bad. We have the freedom of choice in our actions and those choices will directly affect our current and future situation.

Karma is produced by our thoughts, words, the actions we perform, and the actions others do under our instruction. Newton’s third law of motion states; that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In essence, everything we put out into the world creates a ripple effect on everything around us. Even thinking something creates energy for that thought and sends it out into the word. There is a saying that says every prayer lasts forever. Karma confirms that everything we think, do, say or have others do for us is eternal and everlasting in the universe.
There is karma produced in the past called sanchita, karma that appears in the present called prarabha, and karma that is produced in our present life that manifests in the future called kriyamana. Sanchita is the accumulation of karma from past lifetimes. There is so much built up karma from all of our past lives that only a portion of it shows up in our present life. Prarabha is all of our current problems and life circumstances we are facing. The things we have done in the past bring us to the reality of what we are now experiences. Moving forward from what now exists for us, we have the choice of what action to take next. This karma we are building is the kriyamana.

For the jiva, or soul, to attain moksha, or enlightenment, all karma must be exhausted. The Autobiography of a Yogi speaks to this by describing sadguru, or
acting on god’s behalf. Sadguru can work out some karma of the disciple and help them move closer to enlightenment. Taking away karma strips the layers of identities, stories, and illusions. The true nature can shine through, without the clouds hanging over the jiva, it can be set free and awaken to its union with all that is.

No matter what we have done in the past to get us where we are at today, we still have the freedom to create our future. Each thought, word, and action has a consequence, and will directly affect what happens next. This idea of karma is another reiteration of how important it is that we our mindful and compassionate with our fragile lives. Another translation of karma is the enjoyment of the fruits of one’s labors. Go into the world with an open and joyful heart and it will surely circulate throughout this realm of existence.


Gates, Rolf and Katrina Kenison, Meditations from the Mat, Anchor Books, 2002
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda , The hidden power in humans, Ibera Verlag
Swami Nikahilananda, The Bhagavad Gita, New York, 1979
Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi, Chapter 2