 Sat Nam & Happy September Dear Yogis! Soul Growth. It explains a lot. It's why things are not always what they seem: bad things turn out good and good things can wind up taking us away from Spirit. Our life tells two stories. One is where we try to be happy, stay in our comfort zone, and get our needs met. Meanwhile, our soul has an entirely different agenda! Our soul story is our inroad to TRUE HAPPINESS but it takes us on a wild ride because it's all about getting OUT of our comfort zone. It means going beyond our limits, coming up against our fears, allowing intimacy, risking, looking silly, being vulnerable, and making things sacred in our life. Most people think of happiness as a holding pattern but what real happiness means is to experience everything on a soul level. More on this below! Star Struck
Astrologically speaking the heavy surf of the past few months is calming it's safe to go swimming again. September is a turning point towards a state of trust and flow. We're now under the influence of the Jupiter-Uranus trine. It's a time of breaking through self-imposed boundaries, granting freedom to ourselves and expanding outward to explore new realms of self-expression. We will all feel new optimism and life as a fresh start. Be careful not to get carried away by unrealistic euphoria. Stay grounded, be real, and prosper in life and in Spirit. Hope to See All of You Again Soon
Thanks to all of you who came to Sangha Yoga in Kalamazoo, MI. We loved meeting all of you! Special thanks to Sangha's lovely and multi-talented owner Karina Mirsky for hosting us and along with Kundalini Teacher Alycia Lee, for getting everyone powerfully primed and prepared for our workshop!
Springfield Teacher Training Begins Sept. 12!
 A brand spanking new 200/300 hr. Teacher Training in Springfield, MO begins Sept. 12th! We are happy to announce that we will be presenting a 200/300 hr. (concurrent) Teacher Training in lovely Springfield, MO. Springfield is home to a vibrant yoga scene and a fantastic group is coming together for this event. Springfield is equidistant from
everywhere in the US and many heavenly rays are focused on it. Plant yourself in this Spring-Field and BLOSSOM! Please note that we will be offering a class open to the public from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday 9/13.
Ravi once told me he had had an insight about a student who has now completed our 500 hour Training. This student is a sort of visionary. During the training he was always working on a new ground breaking project and bringing his special wisdom to the group. He consistently takes things in stride and a beaming calm emanates from him at all times. "He's three steps ahead of the curve..." Ravi said. I thought in my head "Well it takes one to know one..." because that's how I think of Ravi! It's still a mystery how he continually comes out with such inspired insights. All of you who have met Ravi know just what I mean! Anyway, that 500 hour student's name is Mark Beck and along with our talented 500 hr. Teachers Rod Buckner and Christine Rogers, he will be teaching a few hours over each weekend and mentoring students during our Springfield Teacher Training.
Re: all things Springfield: Cheryl Hemmert: 417-987-6415
cherylhemmert [at] me.com
Indigo Yoga - Pleasant Hill, CA
We've all been having a wonderful time at our Indigo Yoga Training. Now we are all set for our 5th Teacher Training Module, Maps of Consciousness at Indigo Yoga in Pleasant Hill, CA. September 26 - 28. There will be a public class on Sunday September 28th from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at their new Yoga Center: at 1512B Palos Verdes Mall in Walnut Creek, CA. Theme: A New Journey Through the Chakras. Info: ssagherian [at] gmail.com / 925.988.9642. Congratulations to owners Eric and Kelly for doing forty days of the Long Ek Ong Kar Meditation for 2.5 hrs. per day starting at 4 a.m.!
Delta Groove Yoga in Memphis is home to the first Raviana sponsored 200 hr. Teacher Training led by Olivia Lomax and other all-star graduates of our Memphis 300 hr. program. Participants will receive our 200 hr. Teacher Training manual. If you have hours to make up from any of our other Trainings you can attend these sessions. Module 6, Methods of the Masters is September 19-21 Info: deltagrooveyoga.com / 901.493.143 Join us for our first (since we've been living here) Los Angeles workshop: Life in the Vast Lane, at Gurus Gate Yoga, Saturday October 4th 12:30 - 2:30. 815 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA / www.gurusgateyoga.com / 310.376.0107 Download Flier Here |
|
 A Wild Ride!
Our soul is not a passive bystand- er. It wants involvement, novelty, depth, and authenticity. It's also like an orchid. It needs exactly the right conditions to flourish. Our soul is our creative essence. It grows through experience. The purpose of our soul is not so that we can experience God, it's so that God can experience the world through our uniqueness.
The soul is our inner dancer who is all about finding the most beautiful and powerful ways to express and it experiences setbacks in entirely different ways than we do.
The other morning I (Ana) took a very beginner level ballet class. It worked best with my schedule but I also thought it would be perfect because I had all this exciting new placement information I wanted to work on. A basic level class would give me a chance to explore these new discoveries without getting into competitive mode and feeling that I had to look good as opposed to working well (this is a metaphor for each of our lives). During this class I knew exactly what individual muscles should be doing. What needed to push down, lengthen up, what to engage (everything), exactly where to extend, turn out, stabilize... but somehow I couldn't turn on the switch to coordinate it all! I felt like a confederation of loose parts rather then a united whole.
I left feeling frustrated not only with the basic level of the class but mostly unnerved by my lack of being able to realize through my body the information I knew in my head. When Ravi asked how my class was I told him exactly how I felt. He looked at me and said "It's better to work on the things you need rather than going through the motions. Some people's idea of a good class would be just going through the motions but you went up against it. If you had gone to a more advanced class you wouldn't have been able to work on the things you need to. Experiences like this will reward you in every class down the line."
We're here to grow our soul. Developing our soul means delving into things rather than glossing over them. Sometimes in our life we have to go back to the basics and learn how to work in a whole new way. We have to revamp how we relate to our minds, our emotions, our attitudes, our diets, our way of being, our basic assumptions, and how we go about things. Everyone has a soul, which you could say is our potential. It could also be said that discomfort, pain and struggle, if related to in the right way, are God's megaphone. When frustration sets in and things are less than perfect we have to go deeper.
Our soul is what we come here with and what we leave here with enhanced. Our purpose is to prosper in Spirit and leave a legacy of greatness and grace.
That sounds pretty straight forward, but soul growth is cyclical. Spiral in nature. Sometimes it seems as if we're going backwards materially and Spiritually when everything is about to move to another level. Sometimes when we're flying high a hard dose of reality bursts our bubble. But if we look back we can clearly see that we are continually being funneled towards the acceptance of some basic facts: We are here to learn and earn (merit) and burn brightly, and turn to the light of Source, like a flower to the sun.
But how do we tune in to our Soul? There is the voice of the media, there is the voice of people we are seeking approval from, the voice of our most cherished beliefs, but there is also a subtle inner voice that has the ultimate overview. Listen and practice fearless surrender. The advice it gives us is the very reason we are here. In order to be able to listen we have to be able to still our minds, balance our emotions and be fearless. You can guess what we will recommend to give you all that. Yup. Kundalini Yoga!
***
Here is Mataji Graham's Soul Story. Just as in all of our stories, beneath the basic facts there are beautiful dramas and agony and ecstasy, a dance between darkness and light. Mataji is a recent graduate of our Tulsa Teacher Training and she is now (again) Teaching regular classes in New Mexico.
"I feel as if I have come home...I was honored to have studied Kundalini with Yogi Bajhan for 8 years starting in 1971. My life's path took me away from Kundalini Yoga but the mantras and philosophy have always been with me. I have known that I wanted to get back to Kundalini and I was thrilled to find your DVD's on Amazon.
"2012 had been been a pivotal one for me. Both my mother and brother passed on. Then in January 2013 I was blessed to be able to fulfill a life long dream and travel to India. When I returned I knew it was the right time to start Kundalini again. I have been practicing everyday since and it has been amazing. When I received the Green Energy For the Heart DVD and heard "May the long time sunshine upon you," my heart totally opened. I had not heard it in over over 35 years! Later when we spread my mother's and brother's ashes, that beautiful little song came to me and I finished the ceremony with it... What a gift! So my life's path has led me back to Kundalini. Your DVDs are brilliant and practicing with you every morning has been life changing. My 61 year old physical self is becoming more lean, flexible and strong. My spiritual self is radiant, strong and growing.
"Last month I completed my RaviAna Kundalini Teachers Training, (between Tulsa and Pleasant Hill), and now have my certificate and I am Yoga Alliance Certified! This month I will begin teaching again. It is my path to teach Kundalini Yoga. It is an honor and huge responsibility. I want to bring the technology to all people - to heal, uplift and inspire them. I am dedicated to keeping teachings pure and that is why I am a RaviAna Kundalini Yoga teacher. Thank you for your grace and energy. God bless you and Sat Nam, Mataji"
|
|
Remember when school didn't resume until after Labor Day? Well for a yogi school is always in session! The poet Delmore Schwartz said, "Time is the school in which we learn. Time is the fire in which we burn." He meant that our lives hang in the balance between karma (time and space imposing lessons) or Dharma (living on purpose on a pure Path). For many of your kids going back to school means that it's time to go back to your practice!
 
|
 Why Are Certain Sets Hard to Do?
I would like to understand more of why certain sets that are hard to do, or I avoid doing them are the ones you most need, it's an interesting phenomenon to me. Is there any Ana Brett that you find hard to do?Everyone has certain poses or sets towards which they feel resistance. It's important that we don't fall prey to the "Ted Williams syndrome." He was one of the greatest hitters that baseball has ever seen and a mediocre fielder. He was in the habit of practicing hitting all the time because that's where he excelled, but never practiced fielding. We want to be well rounded yogis. When we go into what we feel most resistance to, we accrue the most merit and make the most progress. I (Ana) am by nature a movement person so the meditative aspect of Kundalini Yoga was challenging for me. But I now know that Meditation is a crucial adjunct to my physical practice (and life!). Meditation helps keep motivation and enthusiasm for my physical practice strong and also gives me the awareness to take my practice deeper which means to a new level every day. Meditation has become, for me, just as important as the rest of my practice.
Erasing the Imprinting of Past Abuse
I just wonder if there is a good way to get rid of imprints of sexual abuse and early negative sexual experiences. This has a major negative effect on the self esteem and the self worth......
The best way to get rid of painful imprinting is through the various Meditations in Kundalini Yoga, especially So Darshan Chakra Kriya. That's the miracle of these techniques. They can help us create a clean slate for ourselves and turn past pain into infinitie gain. These are not just words or yoga rhetoric. It's a miracle, because in the normal course of things traumas can be worked around or buried but not cleared, but the amazing technology ofKundalini Yoga will do what nothing else can. To resolve painful imprinting we also recommend our Kundalini Yoga Transformer DVD.
Body Temperature Rise in So Darshan Chakra Kriya?
What is happening to the physical body, and what is happening energetically? When I do So Darshan Chakra Kriya, my body temperature rises. I sweat. Sometimes I feel the heat rise early, within the first 10 minutes. I stop sweating as soon as I finish the meditation. Often my body temperature is back to normal before I finish one minute of Sat Nam at the end of the meditation. Thank you.This is a sign that your glandular system is readjusting itself and that your liver is being cleansed as well.
Exercises Best for Maintaining W-eight?
We suggest our Yoga Cleanse DVD for its work on the liver and Fat Free Yoga and Happy Hormones for their work on the thyroid.The same approach can be used if a person needs to gain or lose. Kundalini Yoga prompts our glands to bring us back to balance. To maintain or gain w-eight, Yogi Bhajan recommended mangoes. Don't worry, you can still eat mangoes if you don't need to gain w-eight.
Kundalini and Negative Emotions
I have heard some people are concerned about any negative emotions from releasing all of that kundalini energy and is there any danger in the release of kundalini energy. it might be nice if you address those type of concerns and kind of do a myth busting type of approach to this.
Re: "negative emotions from releasing all of that kundalini energy and is there any danger in the release of kundalini energy." These statements are based on some false assumptions. The only tie-in between "kundalini energy," and negative emotions is that negative emotions block our creative and life energies from flowing optimally. What's needed is more Kundalini Yoga so we can turn negative emotions into their positive polarities and gather energy to do great things! Most people are prisoners of their past. Kundalini Yoga and Meditation offer us our freedom. We were born to live in the flow of Spirit which is what it means to raise your Kundalini. Raising one's Kundalini is not like an inner 4th of July. It's a graceful unfolding and a new world view informed by energy and expanded Awareness.
Tips for Scoliosis
I have an S curve. I modify many poses to work for me, such as symmetrical poses I make asymmetrical, especially forward bends. So, I'm not looking for modifications, just energetic tips for straightening as much as I can? Certain meditations for the spine perhaps?
Scoliosis occurs when the muscles and connective tissue on either side of the spine pull it out of alignment. We suggest this exercise: Legs extended on floor, knees slightly bent. Arms straight up, fingers wide. Lengthen your spine form the base. Do this with Long Deep Breathing for 3 min. then meditate for 3 min. Then repeat for 5 min. Do this for 40 days. Not only will it begin to correct your scoliosis, it will also help your thyroid, adrenals, kidneys, and nervous system.
Kundalini Sequencing
Is it okay to do poses out of order or do they have to be done in order as they are presented on each DVD?
Any of the exercises in Kundalini Yoga can be taken out of the context of a set to be used therapeutically. Overall it's important that the sets in Kundalini Yoga (called kriyas) are kept as is, unless you are using an individual exercise as part of a warm-up sequence to be followed by a kriya.
108
I have to ask you the silliest question. You're gonna think I'm losing my mind, and I've been wanting to ask you this for over a year, but here goes: have you ever heard of a card game online called spider solitaire? Well, I've played it a lot over the years, and I almost ALWAYS get a score of 108. All the games are different, and obviously I get some different scores, but I get 108 all the time. does it mean anything? Or am i just noticing the 108 more cuz i'm a kundalini yogini? I get 108 a LOT. Love ya both ~
There does seem to be a pattern afoot! A cosmic cluster effect. Check out Carl Jung's writings on synchronicity. We have heard different takes about people who continually encounter 11:11 etc. Some say it's a sign from the Universe that a person is on the right track. Another is that one needs to step it up (Spiritually). 108 is a sacred number in many traditions so that's significant. We'll leave the interpretation up to you!
|
Meditation for Strong Nerves & Inner Stability
Sit in easy pose with a straight spine. Have your eyes 10th open looking down and in towards the tip of your nose. Raise your left arm as if taking an oath. Your left thumb
and ring finger tips are meeting. Your right hand is in your lap with your thumb and little finger tips meeting. MEN REVERSE THIS POSITION: right hand in an oath, left in your lap.
Maintain this position for 11 min. Your breath is long and deep but not forceful. When Yogi Bhajan taught this he mentioned that the fingertips are meeting, but not the fingernails.
To end: inhale raise your arms up, fingers wide, stretch. Relax the breath and sit in silence for 1 min. before resuming normal activity.
Comments: This Meditation turns stress into blessings and helps our nervous system to be more resilient in the face of stress. It protects us from irrationality and flightiness. Both of these emanate from a tendency to try to preserve a projected reality and avoid dealing with the hand we're dealt. This meditative posture is an archetype for mastery of our mind and emotions. This is the perfect practice to prepare ourselves for the coming years when old models, personally and collectively, will create some last ditch chaos as they are supplanted. As you do this practice imagine that you are sitting on a lotus petal and that the gods and goddesses (energies of the Universe) have come to witness the amazing drama of a human staying steady relative to the fluctuations of mind to commune with their Divine. Be a statue of stillness. Let the Universe move on your behalf. Generate blessings for yourself and all beings.
|
|
|
|
Ana on Twitter - Tweet! Tweet! Be the recipient of Ana's sky blue tweets!
Our Website- Check out our tour schedule, A - Z Health Archive, More!
|
We wish you an exhilarating, fun, and joyful September!
Sat Nam & Blessings!
Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
Disclaimer: The advice we give is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutritional protocol
|
|
|
|
|
|