We ARE Bliss.

Krishnamacharya:

an orthodox Vedantic Brahman who united the two very different Indian traditions of Tantra and Vedantic Brahmanism. The founder of modern day yoga that we practice (hatha yoga).

Mark Whitwell:

student of Krishnamacharya, author of Yoga of Heart: the healing power of intimate connection.

I received a message from a friend that attends my yoga classes. I am adamant about asking questions, and I encourage that my friends and students feel comfortable having an open line of communication with me. The other day I talked about "detachment" in class, and got a really fantastic inquiry last night in reference to the level of detachment that we should have in our lives. This exact topic has been weighing heavy on my mind for the past two years as I dive deeper and deeper into the true essence of yoga, and I've really struggled trying to understand. That was until I got Mark Whitwells' YOGA OF HEART book. It has shed some light on a controversial issue, long debated in the 'yoga' world. I'm going to break it down for you, in a way that I have taken from the teachings of the great Krishnamacharya and Mark Whitwell.

This is the letter that I received:

"...I've really liked your discussions on detatchment. It's something I've been working on for the past year or so and I've definitely felt it has helped me get through life's frustrating times. I have a question about it though. I've learned in yoga literature and from teachers that to achieve pure "bliss" (whatever that means) the unattachment has to apply to everything in life - the good times not just the bad times. I don't really like the idea of that. When I'm happy, I like to dive right in and experience is fully. I don't want to detach and recognize that the moment is only temporary. Observe without reacting - I can't do it. It's so much easier for me to detach from the bad times. How do you feel about it? Do you detach from the happy times and pleasurable things in addition to the tough times? I've always struggled with the concept for a while and your classes have only made me wonder about it more."

And this is my response (with a huge thanks to Krishnamacharya and Whitwell):

We already ARE bliss. It is not something unachievable that we must attain. Refraining from good times, or trying to detach from positive experience isn't going to help us get any further to Bliss, because Life IS Bliss. These good times are Bliss - the beauty of Life. It's important to observe and not react during the bad times, because they will pass. Reacting to them will only give them more power. So instead of reacting and turning your world upside down, just mindfully observe. Don't detach from the good times. Observe that yes, perhaps it is only temporary - but enjoy every bit of it. Soak it up. And when it is gone, don't want for it. Hold on to it in your heart, but reflect on it with a smile, not with longing. Don't let the good times of the past negatively affect your Now. Don't let a happy memory of the past take you away from Life. Life that is right now. Whitwell has said that the only thing that can be done is enabling people into EXPERIENCING. A moment. This moment. The miracle of Life happening in us as a breath... Jivamutki means "Life Liberation". The conventional interpretation is that yoga means union with the Self: the little self merging with the big self, leading to liberation FROM Life. But yoga is union WITH life - embracing life in all its wonder and incongruities, embracing ourselves and ALL of our Selves - leading to liberation from all things that take us away from life. Traditional Brahmans (an elite caste of Hindus) developed Vedanta yoga. It rejected women, sex and other pleasures in search for a "higher" pleasure and reality. How can intimacy between two people in love be a bad thing? Is sharing that love taking us further away from God? I think not. It's enjoying a night out with friends...enjoying a surf and some beers taking us further from God? No. It is us, enjoying our Lives as they were given, and THAT is yoga. The religious method of attempting to know "source of experience" by denying experience DOESN'T WORK. It is the ultimate unreality of reality - it's denying the wonder that is Life. This is Life - given to us by God. A Blissful Life. And as Whitwell reminds us, Yoga is the mere participation in the wonder of Life as it is already perfectly given. Yoga is not an attainment but a participation in the Given. It is devotion to the Given and not a search. This occurs naturally when there is no effort in the mind to know or achieve. God is not absent, therefore does not need to be found. The basic religious notion that truth needs to be found, that it is higher, deeper but not here in this ordinariness, has denied us our power which is Life.

SO...the next time that your ipod craps on you and you start to lose your shit - DETACH. Detach from this silly object that is causing you pain. And when you have an amazing day with your family, soak it up. ATTACH. Denying love and pleasure is an antique, out-dated way of thinking. And when the good times are over, don't let your longing for them ruin your Present. Life is a river, it will bend right and left and rage with water - and at times it'll run dry. So just go with the flow and enjoy the beautiful moments, and don't identify with the painful and sad moments. And remember, we ARE Bliss. No one and no thing can help us to attain something that already lives inside of us...

Aparigraha

I'm trying NOT to play favorites...but I really really love my wednesday morning YIN classes. First of all, because I LOVE Yin! It's something that I feel super excited to share with others, and my small, but quality class of amazing yogis are equally as excited to learn more about this passive, but deep and satisfying form of yoga. I also enjoy the group, ranging from 5-8 people, because they are so open to learning about yoga theory...the essence of yoga.

SO: I ramble all the time...hence the term I often use to refer to myself, "Mad Rambler"....and this holds true even in my yoga classes. I ramble from start to finish. I particularly ramble alot when I'm in YIN, because its more of a static practice as opposed to constant moving and flowing. Well, todays ramble was about APARIGRAHA, which means NON-ATTACHMENT. It is one of the Yamas, which is one of the limbs of yoga. For any of you non-yogi's out there, yoga is not just an hour of stretching in a gym - it's more of an all encompassing lifestyle. Afterall, asanas (the body postures) are only ONE of the EIGHT limbs that embody yoga! B.K.S. Iyengar describes Aparigraha as non-coveting...free from hoarding or collecting. "By the observance of aparigraha, the yogi makes his life as simple as possible and trains his mind not to feel the loss or lack of anything. Then everything he really needs will come to him by itself at the proper time. The life of an ordinary man is filled with an unending series of disturbances and frustrations and with his reactions to them."

Now, my rambling may seem random, but that is never ever the case. Whatever I choose to discuss in class is always a reflection of something that's going on in my life, something that's been on my mind, etc. etc. Some might think its a touch narcissistic to discuss whats going on in my life, and having it influence my classes...but that's why it's able to be absorbed and understood by the people in my class. Because I'm not just reading from a book, I'm making it relevant and discussing it on a personal level. The personal event that struck up this meditation on detachment was my goddamn ipod. After doing a routine update, all of the content on my ipod was erased, along with my playlists - which I have spent hours and hours and hours constructing. I had a fucking meltdown. I had a FUCKING MELTDOWN. I'm talking tears, profanities, and the tantrum went so far that I even threw my ipod. Yep, it wasn't my finest moment, and I'm not proud of it - but we all have them so I might as well put it out into the open. I walked downstairs to take my Dad for bloodwork, and when he saw me crying he said "What the fuck are you so upset about, I'M the one DYING." Well, shit, that put things into perspective pretty quickly. And as soon as he said that I took a few deep ujjai breaths, tried to focus my thoughts on the importance of detachment, and just reminded myself that it's only music. In the past, an event like this would have ruined not just my day, but probably my whole week. With the aparigraha meditation and some deep breaths, the frustration only last a few minutes. Yes, I lost 5 years worth of music and hours of amazing yoga playlists - it's okay to be upset for a minute, but that's all. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that for every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness. Well, I lost about 300seconds of happiness over some music. Lesson in detachment: check. The only thing worth attaching our emotions to are our friends, our family, and our spiritual & physical well being....everything else, they are just objects. Detach.

So today in class we focused on detachment....from the emotions and sensations that were experienced during postures, because when held for more than 30 seconds (and we're holding for 5minutes!) you're mind begins to identify with anxiety and anger. Once again, it was an outstanding class. The energy in the room was really spectacular and again I was blown away by how fantastic my fellow yogi's are!

Megan McD and Bridget in supported headstands.

Rochelle in her first ever plow pose (or "Snail", as it's referred to in YIN yoga).

Ro, grabbing ahold of her toes!!

After class, Megan McD posted this on my facebook wall and said that it reminded her of me, and of this mornings class. I love it...and wanted to share it with all of you!

Leave the path of death, and follow the path of life. Leave attachment to things and places, and instead enjoy the liberty of detachment. Do not cling to foolish friends, instead rejoice in solitude. Break free from possessions and from desires - from whatever may darken the mind. Attachment to things and to places is spiritual bondage, and leads to darkness. Surrender all attachments, and enjoy the pure light of spiritual freedom. Even in this mortal life you can enjoy eternal nirvana. - Dhammapada