(Inspired by Angela)

I believe that opportunity will present itself if you really want it.
I believe the right thing will always happen at the right time.
I believe everything happens for a reason, we just can’t always see the reason clearly.
I believe that death is not the end.
I believe that true happiness can only be found in the present moment.
I believe that I need to keep working on that one!
I believe that there is no such thing as perfection and no such thing as a completed to-do list (again I have work to do on this one!).
I believe that a simple life with few possessions is the way forward but cannot imagine a life without books or music.
I believe that the earth will heal itself, eventually, but we need to stop meddling with it.
I believe in mass consciousness, that deep down we are all one.
I believe in smiling through adversity.
I believe that yoga is for everyone, even those who “don’t bend”!
I believe that freedom can be found in a cupcake, a cat’s purr, uncontrollable laughter and fresh ground coffee.
And most importantly, I believe that all you need is love.

Readers, what do you believe?

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation you know isn’t good for you, that you know is dragging you down, stealing your energy, smothering your Atman.  You find a way out but you can’t execute the escape for a few weeks.  Those few weeks can be unbearable.  But at the same time can be the biggest learning curve of your life.  The journey is always the lesson.

*  Listening to music I haven’t heard in years.

*  The final photos in Nikki’s Yoga Graffiti Contest.  Aren’t they awesome!

*  Two fantastic new opportunities that came completely out of the blue.  I can’t tell you anymore right now readers but all will be revealed in time.

*  Paul the Octopus.  I may be slightly obsessed with Paul the Octopus.

*  The internetz.  I know, I know there are a hundred things wrong with them, including timewasting, porn and YouTube comments, but without them the life of a yoga teacher would be very isolated.  Teaching yoga by its very nature can be a rather solitary pursuit so it’s great to be able to seek advice and solace from others in the same position all over the world.  True, nothing beats the 3-dimensional world but then again sometimes I get to meet you in real life, which rocks.  So hurrah for the internet, for yoga blogs, for blogs in general and for social networking.

Let’s connect on Facebook, Twitter or my website.  Say hello in the comments, even if you don’t usually, and have a thrilling, thriving Thursday

What have we here?

Ambrosia.  Food of the gods.  Otherwise known as Golden Syrup.  Most yummy thing ever.  And yes, I may have an overly sweet tooth.

Anyway, you may need this for flapjacks, two huge delicious tablespoons of it!

So let’s see.  Put your golden syrup in a pan, along with 50g (2oz) vegan margarine and 25g (1oz) demerara sugar over a low heat and let it melt.

Then add 175g (6oz) rolled oats to the mix.

Then flatten the mix into a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Then you need to bake it at 180*C/350*F/Gas Mark 4 for 2o minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Delicious.  I am eating one as I type.

Do you like flapjacks?  How do you make them?

For previous weeks click here.

When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place
– Bhagavad Gita

A long time ago Tara Fraser told me that meditation is like sleep. You can surround yourself with the right circumstances for it, but it won’t necessarily come.

So true. And unlike sleep I’m not sure if dhyana, or meditation, has ever truly come to me.

What is mediation?  Well I can tell you one thing that it’s not.  It’s not about being able to sit in lotus position!  You laugh, but realising that was a massive breakthrough for me.   It seems obvious now but there is no point sitting in lotus for mediation unless you are comfortable in lotus.  You are never going to find a place of meditation if you are using every muscle in your body to stay in position.  Conversely having a dodgy right hip and knowing that lotus will never come in this lifetime does not mean that you cannot meditate.  As long as the spine is straight and not slouched you can meditate.   Some people sit in a simple cross-legged pose with their back against the wall.  I sit on the edge of a chair with my feet firmly planted into the ground.

Meditation isn’t about what you look like on the outside, but what is going on inside.

And what should be going on inside?  Well Kimberly Wilson says that there “…is no goal.  Really.  The point is to slow down, be still and focus within.  Some sessions will be blissful, while others will feel like absolute torture….  The key is to continually return to your meditation cushion, to develop a consistent practice.”*

Consistent practice is key, because the road to meditation is a long, slow one for most of us, peppered with potholes.

So far we have brought the senses inward (pratyahara) and begun to focus the mind (dhrana).  Now in dhyana we are begining to work through the layers of consciousness, past the subconscious and the unconscious minds into the place where we find our true selves, our Atman.  And our thoughts and egos accompany us on that journey, constantly trying to interrupt and judge.

In her CD “Meditations for Balance and Joy”, yoga teacher Cyndi Lee says to be aware of any time you notice these thoughts springing up, label them “thinking” and put them to one side.  It is important not to judge the thoughts.  It doesn’t matter if they are good or bad, positive or negative, they are still thoughts and need to just be labelled as such and forgotten about.  There will be a lot of “thinking” labels before the meditation session is out!

There are many many different meditation techniques from Buddhist to Christian, from meditating on the breath to meditating on an object or mandala.  They key is to find one that sits with you and practice, practice, practice.  Just ten minutes a day can seem like an age at first, and is probably all you need.  Follow Sogyal Rinpoche’s advice: “You just sit quietly, your body still, your speech silent, your mind at ease, and allow thoughts to come and go, without letting them play havoc on you”.

Ultimately for me, I’m not sure sitting still is working.  Not just yet.  I’m with Desikachar when it comes to this.  He’s not convinced us westerners can sit still.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, after all we all live quite sedentary lives.  I don’t know if you’ve ever tried meditation in the KHYF tradition, but it’s quite different from sitting still.  It involves a combination of slow movement, pranayama and chanting and it is only through this mindful moving that I am able to to truly be present and allow myself slowly to travel through the stages of consciousness.  I haven’t made it all the way yet, but maybe one day.

What different types of mediation have you tried?  What works for you?

~~~~

* Tranquilista (p. 8 )

Missed previous weeks?  Click here.

Sometimes we get exactly what we need exactly when we need it.   I’ve been tired, hot, under the weather and to beautifully coincide with this the Gaiam yoga club gave me a week of forward folding and restorative postures.

Forward folds, by their very nature are passive.  Gravity helps us to stretch the muscle groups in our legs and lower backs.  By letting go and handing the pose over to gravity and the breath we can go much deeper than we think we can and in the process let go of tension and pain.  These postures are lessons in patience though, they cannot be forced, they cannot be rushed.  We have to sit with them and release gently, slowly and with awareness.

Foward folds are also something that a lot of us find difficult, especially when we are new to yoga.  A lifetime in chairs or even of running, walking and cycling without adequate stretching can make our hamstrings tight.  Members of my beginners classes often cannot touch their toes at first.  Often it alarms them, but usually they make vast improvements in relatively short amounts of time, especially if they practice with patience.

According to the yoga teacher’s bible (Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha) forward bends “loosen up the back, maintaining good health and increasing vitality.  These practices move the spine into the position known as the primary curve, the shape it takes in the womb.  During a forward bending asana each of the vertebrae is separated, stimulating nerves, improving circulation around the spine and nourishing the spinal cord.”

What’s not to like right?

In forward folds and other restorative postures (Supta Baddha Konasana, supported Savasana) you will also become aware of the breath slowing down; becoming longer, softer, calmer.  And in turn the mind will begin to slow down and the awareness will begin to withdraw, preparing the body for meditation.

In our fast paced society even our yoga practices tend to be strong, sweaty, vigorous.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  But sometimes our bodies are calling out for some rest, some restoration, some yin.  I was lucky enough to get a wake up call via the power of the interwebz at exactly the time when I needed a week off from a strong practice.  I need to listen to my body more.

Readers, do you let your bodies restore?

The Gaiam Yoga Club is currently running two memberships – US$25 per month or US$65 per quarter (which saves you US$10).  Both packages include a 10 day free trial period.