Yoga with Melissa

Truth

This class is an excellent preview of the exclusive content coming for our members. A 10-class Shoulder Short series. People want shorter videos, they get it on the membership site. These are 10, 20-30 minute videos focusing on releasing your upper, back, neck and shoulders based on the classic Upper Back, neck and Shoulders 1 & 2 videos for when you have less time. We have been filming them all week. Almost 5 hours of new content divided into 10 bite sized pieces for when you only have a little time during your busy work week.

This week we will begin to focus on a new mantra, Asato Ma from the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (1500 BCE).

Om, Asato ma sad gamaya tamaso ma jyotir gamaya mrtyor ma amrtam gamayam

Lead me from untruth to Truth Lead me from darkness to Light Lead me from death to Immortality

Our focus for this week will be on the first line of the mantra,

Om asato ma sad gamaya: lead me from untruth to Truth. In this stanza of the mantra we are moving from untruth (asat)towards truth (sat).

Each one of us lives through a cycle of suffering whereupon we are ignorant of our True Nature, this mantra helps us to realize the everlasting source within us, which some call the atman.

Over the next few weeks are are going to explore the story from the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad which proposes that it is a mantra that can take us to our internal, self-effulgent essence.

In our creation story, the world is manifest in the cosmic ocean from purusa, the subtle underlying source present within all things. The manifestations that arise out of this cosmic ocean of purusa are known as parkrti, manifest reality.

On the night of Brahma, out of the ocean of consciousness, seeds ripen, atoms split, time and space are born. Eventually the earth and all the substances of the universe in all its diversity are created.

As prakrti continues to materialize, it becomes denser and denser, further and further removed from its original source. Eventually you can not even recognize its luminous vibration or purusa.

This is the veil of Truth to untruth known as maya. Soon, we too see only the veil, and not the Truth that is behind it.  Through our practice of yoga, we are able to see through the veil of maya (illusion) and recognize the effulgent source (purusa) at the heart of all things.

Resource: Alanna KaivalyaSacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan

Join our Membership Site: http://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-info/

Props Needed: Wall, Yoga Strap, Yoga Blocks, Meditation Cushion, Yoga Blanket or Chair

Yoga Asanas/Postures: Neck and Shoulder Release, Marjaryasana/Cat Pose, Dharmachakra = Mudra with Asatoma Mantra,  Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, Cow’s Face Arms/Gomukhasana Arms with a side bend, Revolved Chair Pose/Parivrtta Utkatasana, Shoulderstand, Fish Pose/Matsyasana, Cow’s Face Pose Twist/ Parivrtta Gomukhasana, Cow’s Face Pose/Gomukhasana, Savasana/Corpse Pose.

Namaste Yoga 238 Photos of Yoga Poses

 

Surrender

Today’s yoga class combines a series of yoga postures to lengthen and free up your hamstrings. Additionally standing postures that invite stability to your legs and freedom in your spine through gentle backbends will also be practiced. We will round out this practice with a supported inversion, backbend and reclined twist before we come up to seated for our mantra and mudra.

The philosophical focus for this class continues with the guru mantra and the final line of the mantra, tasmai sri gurave namaha: To the Guru I offer all that I AM. Throughout the class we will focus on how we can bring an attitude of trust faith and surrender to the teachings that are present in our life through all the forms of the guru.

Mantra for on the Screen:

gurur brahma gurur visnu

gurur devo mahesvara

guruh saksat parambrahma

tasmai sri gurave namah

Today we will focus on the final line of the Guru mantra, “To the Guru I offer, all that I AM.”

Alanna Kaivalya says we live our spiritual life in every moment and it becomes a practice with each choice that we make. In many ways the last line of the mantra, “To the Guru I offer, all that I AM,” is the most powerful line of the mantra, as it speaks to the intention of offering all that we are to the strength of the teachers who are present in every form all around us.

As we walk this path moment by moment, choice by choice, we offer all our efforts to this internal and eternal source of wisdom within us. Alanna Kaivalya suggests that as we see every moment as an opportunity to be taught and grow, we give ourselves over to the teacher that is always present in our lives.

Living in this way is bringing acceptance of the circumstances in our life. To me there is an element of trust, faith and surrender to something greater happening in our lives and being open to it.

Props Needed: yoga strap, yoga blocks, meditation cushion, blanket or chair for sitting

Yoga Asanas/Postures: Supta Padangustasana/Hand to Big Toe Pose, Pigeon Pose/Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Cat Pose/Marjaryasana, Guru Mantra with Bam Mudra, Parsvottanasana/Forward Folding Triangle Pose, Triangle Pose/Trikonasana, Reverse Triangle, Peaceful Warrior, Supported Shoulderstand/Salamba Sarvangasana, Matsyasana/Fish Pose, Supta Matsyendrasana/Reclined Spinal Twist, Savasana

 Namaste Yoga 237 Photos of Yoga Poses

 

Letting Go

In today’s class we will cultivate the courage to bring acceptance and grace to the change and transformation that inevitably arises in our lives when asked to let go. We will do this through yoga postures that invite letting go, but also through the warrior postures to plant the seeds of courage in our lives.

We are also continuing with the Guru Mantra and the Shiva aspect with a story of letting go. We will do this by chanting the Guru mantra with the Yamapasha Mudra.

This mantra is found in the Guru Gita.

gurur brahma gurur visnu

gurur devo mahesvara

guruh saksat parambrahma

tasmai sri gurave namah

The guru is Brahma, The guru is Vishnu

The Guru is Shiva (Devo Mahesvara)

The guru is nearby and the guru is everywhere

To the guru I offer, all that I AM.

Today we will focus on the Shiva aspect of the Guru mantra. Shiva is the God of death and dissolution. Shiva brings about every kind of ending from relationships and ideas to illness and our physical death. Through the God of dissolution and death we acquire the tools to deal with change, because we cannot be attached to anything which we know will inevitably die.

Many people are uncomfortable with Shiva’s fires of transformation. However, with complete compassion, Shiva clears the path in our lives so that new possibilities can form and he creates a clear path where the new can arise. Shiva can help us clear out our old belief systems and paradigms that are no longer serving us so that the deeper truths of our Self can arise. Shiva’s energy is destructive, but through the fires of transformation he creates the opportunity for new growth.

Today we are going to hear a story about an old woman. This old woman lived in the forest and every day she would pray to Shiva and make offerings to him on her altar. All day long she would sing, “Om Namah Shivaya.” This woman lived a meager existence and had very little, but she was happy with her simple life and her devotion to her beloved Shiva.

One day the old woman went to the market. She had to be very careful at the market because she had very little money and what she purchased at the market had to last her the whole week. The woman made her way through the market and purchased the food she needed for the week. On her way out she eyed the most beautiful mango, her favourite fruit. It was perfectly ripe and ready to eat that day.

The vendor noticed the old woman admiring the mango. “Here you go old woman,” he said, “You are the last person here today, and tomorrow this mango will be too ripe for me to sell, please take it and enjoy it.”

The old woman was overjoyed at his kindness and her luck. She walked home thinking about the delicious dessert she would enjoy that evening. When she got home she began to prepare her stew for the week. When the stew was cooked, she poured a small bowl for herself and ate it, the whole time thinking about how delicious the mango would be.

When she was done her stew she cut into the juicy mango and enjoyed each bite. She decided to eat only half since it was such a rare treat and save the rest for the next day. She said her nightly prayers to Shiva and went to bed.

In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door. At this time, and in this place, rules of hospitality were more important than sleep or safety, so she answered the door. She was greeted by an old hunchbacked man with a cane.

The old man told her he had been walking for a long time and needed to rest so he asked if he could come in. When he came into her small cottage he commented on how delicious her stew smelled and asked if he could have a bowl because he was so hungry. Well of course he gobbled up bowl after bowl until the poor old woman’s entire pot for the whole week was gone.

After he was finished eating all of her stew, the old man eyed her mango, “Oh my goodness he said, it has been so long since I’ve enjoyed a mango, I sure would love something sweet after that delicious meal I've jus...

Imperfect Perfection

The focus of this week’s class is on Vishnu’s incarnation as Krishna and his conversation with Arjuna that in taking a human form he could only be 15/16th perfect. We will reflect on our imperfect perfection as human beings and bring loving kindness, compassion and perfection to our imperfections.

This week we will continue with the Guru mantra which is found in the Guru Gita.

gurur brahma gurur visnu

gurur devo mahesvara

guruh saksat parambrahma

tasmai sri gurave namah

The guru is Brahma, The guru is Vishnu

The Guru is Shiva (Devo Mahesvara)

The guru is nearby and the guru is everywhere

To the guru I offer, all that I AM.

Our focus this week is on Vishnu, the preserving force of the universe. His is the energy that maintains every aspect of our lives. Anything that keeps us moving along is the spirit of Vishnu. Vishnu had at least 10 incarnations, however the one we are going to learn about today is his incarnation as Krishna.

Krishna’s job was to drive the great warrior Arjuna into battle. While driving the chariot, Vishnu helps his best friend Arjuna overcome his doubts which becomes the dialogue for the Bhagavad Gita.

Apparently according to Yogi Narayana Baba, Vishnu admitted to his best friend Arjuna that in taking a human form in his incarnation as Krishna, he could only be 15/16 perfect. Without that 1/16 imperfection, his divine stature would lose its human form.

Alanna Kaivalya suggests then that from a divine perspective, humanity is almost by definition imperfect. She goes on to say that coming to terms with our imperfection is our greatest challenge and our greatest gift. She suggests that by meeting this challenge we can accept our own imperfections in order to behold the deeper truth of our souls.

Can you relate to this story at all?

Do you try to hold yourself up to God-like standards?

Not even Vishnu could do that in his incarnation with Arjuna, if he did, he would have lost his human form! What would it be like to let yourself off the hook? What would it be like to stop striving for perfection and God-like standards?

What would it be like to meet your imperfections and shortcomings with loving kindness rather than judgment? Can we come to love ourselves not by finding perfection, but by learning to see our imperfections with compassion? Perhaps by being honest with ourselves that in maintaining our lives and moving along we are going to make mistakes. Then we can come to terms with the beauty of imperfection and see the deeper Truth of who we really are.

Props Needed: Yoga Blanket, Yoga Mat

Yoga Asanas/Postures: Guru Mantra with Anahata Mudra, Counter Rotation Series, Reclined Twist/Jathara Parivartanasana, Cat/Marjaryasana, V-Sit with Rotation, V-Sit with Cat/Cow, Palm Tree Pose/Ardha Chandrasana/Side Bend, Anuvittasana/Standing Backbend, Uttanasana - to flat back, Breath of Joy, Adho Mukha Svanasana/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog to Upward Facing Dog, Adrha Matsyendrasana/Half Lord of the Fishes Pose, Guru Mantra and Anahata Chakra Mudra

 

Namaste Yoga 235 Photos of Yoga Poses

Manifesting through Yoga

This week we will continue with the Guru Mantra.

gurur brahma gurur visnu

gurur devo mahesvara

guruh saksat parambrahma

tasmai sri gurave namah

The guru is Brahma, The guru is Vishnu

The Guru is Shiva (Devo Mahesvara)

The guru is nearby and the guru is everywhere

To the guru I offer, all that I AM.

Our focus this week is on guru Brahma, the God of creation. There are many creation stories involving Brahma, however we will focus in on just one. Brahma was born of a great golden cosmic egg, floating around in nothingness. He is almost self-generated and then he creates the rest of existence.

Brahma creates his ten sons from his mind to help him design and construct the universe. When he feels lonely he creates his daughter Saraswati by thinking the most pure thoughts possible. Brahma carries no weapons (which is highly unusual for a Hindu God) because for him there is nothing to destroy, only unlimited potential to create.

Unlike Brahma, we can’t create whatever our mind imagines. Right now the book club on our membership site is reading a couple of books about the chakras. One of the things that interested them was the manifesting current of the chakras, that is taking an idea and bringing it down through all the chakras into reality. Brahma can simply imagine things into being. We have a few more steps, and that is what our class is about today.

The manifesting current starts in the world of Brahma, the world of creation. If you could create anything, what would you create? Open your mind, free yourself from limitations, be open to possibilities, there are no restrictions here.

Starting with your seventh chakra, in the sea of infinite awareness, an idea arises in your consciousness. Next with your sixth chakra you imagine your dream or idea, you visualize it coming to fruition at some point in the future. With the fifth chakra you start talking about your idea receiving feedback and information in the form of communication. This starts to take the form of support in the fourth chakra where you find others to work with, serve and support you along the way.

With your third chakra you break your vision down into specific goals, tasks, and objectives, and when obstacles appear you have ways of working through them. Your second chakra allows your dream to be a passion and emotionally fulfilling. Finally with the completion of all these steps you reach your first chakra and you have a fully functioning business, relationship, community project, book, artistic project, new home - all because you followed the manifesting current through the chakras.

For more classes on the chakras:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdFcYtDajz214s79wJu-3ULJUJ22EPkk3

http://www.melissawest.com/namaste-yoga-175/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA737A0E6819BBC14

and on our membership site:

http://www.drwest.ca/forumdisplay.php?65-Daily-Chakra-Videos

http://www.drwest.ca/showthread.php?1119-Video-Yoga-for-Posture-(60-mins)

Resources:

Mudras of India by Cain Carroll and Rivital Carroll

Creating on Purpose by Anodea Judith

Sacred Sound by Alanna Kaivalya

 Namaste Yoga 234 Photos of Yoga Poses

The Guru Mantra

The second class in our yoga stories series is the guru mantra. This mantra also focuses on the Hindu God’s Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Today we will focus on how these gurus of creation, preservation and destruction show up in all areas of our lives. We will reflect back on our own experiences as see how each challenge in our life is an opportunity to learn.

Today’s yoga class will explore mantra and pranayama/breath practice as an opportunity to explore the gurus Braham, Vishnu and Shiva (creation, preservation and destruction). We will also explore these aspects through sun salutation/surya namaskar (creation), reclined hero pose/supta virasana (preservation) and poses for letting go (destruction).

This mantra is found in the Guru Gita.

gurur brahma gurur visnu

gurur devo mahesvara

guruh saksat parambrahma

tasmai sri gurave namah

 

The guru is Brahma, The guru is Vishnu

The Guru is Shiva (Devo Mahesvara)

The guru is nearby and the guru is everywhere

To the guru I offer, all that I AM.

So again this week we return to the triumvirate of the Hindu pantheon, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Gods of creation, preservation and destruction.

This mantra tells us that there is something that is beyond the beyond (parambrahma) - indescribable to which we are all intimately connected. Even though this thing that is indescribable and beyond our grasp, we can also find this force within everything that is near to us (saksat).

In reality the guru shows up in our lives in every form imaginable. Everything becomes an opportunity to learn. Every encounter and experience becomes a teacher. You may find one official teacher who leads you down your spiritual path, but in truth, if you are open and aware, you have a guru present at every moment of your life.

Every time you come up against a challenge in our life, you can be curious about what form of the guru is present and at work in your life. In every single moment there is an opportunity to learn and grow from the guru Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva.

Reflect back on your week, what stands out for you? Where were you at an edge this week, physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. spiritually? What guru was present and at work in your life? Brahma, the god of creation? Vishnu the god of preservation? Shiva the god of destruction? Knowing which guru was present in your life, does that provide any insight or wisdom to the challenge you were going through this week? Can you see the lessons that were at work in your life?

Resource: Sacred Sound by Alanna Kaivalya

http://alannak.com/musicians-mantras/mantra-library/index?showList=1&searchSortName=G

Namaste Yoga 233 Photos of Yoga Poses

Free Yoga Class on OM

The first class in the Yoga Stories 2 series begins with the sounds of OM. OM is made up of three sounds A, U and M which represent Brahma the God of beginnings, Vishnu the God of preservation and Shiva the God of endings. When you chant the sound of OM it is said to bring your whole being into harmony and balance.

In today’s class we will focus on the balancing posture half moon balancing or ardha chandrasana to find harmony and balance. Our intention will be to focus on the beginning, middle and ending of each and every posture and experience throughout our practice.

Nada Yoga, is the yoga of sacred sound. Mantras work on our minds, attitudes and energetic body. We can harmonize our mind and body through mantra, a fully embodied experience.

Mantras are meant to help you bypass the chatter of your mind to reach higher states of awareness and self-realization.

Alanna Kaiv alya says, “Mythology is the language of the unconscious. It gives shape, meaning and context, to the collective unconscious, and allows us in turn, to give shape, meaning and context to the stories that play out within our lives. Mythology is an essential part of our human psyche. And it is critical to cultivate a meaningful mythology within our own private lives. This is particularly important in our modern world, when so few traditions, religious and otherwise, provide this.”

What is myth? Myth is metaphor and through it we are better able to understand our outside world. Myths bring meaning to our lives and help us navigate the more challenging parts of our path. From a yogic perspective, mythology allows us to navigate our journey inward. Mythology helps us in our relationship with others and our relationship between our ego and higher Self.

The yogic tradition is rich with mythology. The 300 million Gods of the Vedic pantheon can be somewhat culturally startling to Westerners who were raised within a monotheistic viewpoint. However, all manifestations of yogic mythology are simply reflections of one source and provide endless avenues through which we can discover the source within ourselves.

Om is said to exist before time began since om was the catalyst that shaped the universe. Om is thought to have been present at the beginning of the universe. Om is said to have the source vibrations of all the sanskrit language. By chanting om we bring ourselves back into harmony within all things. Om brings us into harmony and balance.

Om is said to be made of up four sounds. A, U, M, and silence. O comes out of the sound A and U in sanskrit. Brahma, the God of creation presides over the sound of A. Vishnu, the God of preservation presides over the sound of U. and Shiva the God of destruction presides over the sound of M. Together they make up the cosmic cycle. The silence represents resolution of transcendence of that cycle into oneness or unity.

In today’s class we will explore the creation, sustain, preservation, dissolution and effect of our yoga poses as we move into, hold and come out of yoga postures. This way we are with the creation, preservation, destruction and silence after each of our practices. There is a tendency I think in our lives to be only in the creation stage of our lives and there is value in preservation, endings and reflection as well. Today we will bring awareness to all stages of the cycle of our practice.

Resource: Alanna Kaivalya’s Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan

http://alannak.com/musicians-mantras/mantra-library

Special thank you to Stephen and Carla Austen for filming with us today.

You can visit Stephen's website at www.stephenausten.com

Namaste Yoga 232 Photos of Yoga Poses

Yoga Bliss

The final class in the eight limbs of yoga series will begin by releasing your shoulders and hips to prepare you for three seated meditations to bring you as close to an experience of samadhi (bliss) as possible.

Samadhi is a merging with your Divine Consciousness and True Self and so we will begin with a meditation to call on spirit, move through a meditation to connect with your beauty, bounty and bliss and finish with a meditation for your radiant body. Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita says describe samadhi as a profound state of meditation when your breathing becomes slow, steady and even (pranayama) and the windows of the senses close all outward senses (pratyahara). With samadhi your mind is quiet, free from its usual activity, emotions, desire, fear and anger. Eknath Easwaran says when all these sensory and emotional tides have ceased to flow, your spirit is free, mukta. Samadhi comes and goes, but generally one arrives at samadhi enters samadhi in a long period of meditation and after many years of practice.

Samadhi can be described as an equal and balanced way of thinking. Your mind is clear pure and untainted by judgments and you see things as they really are. This blissful stated is usually achieved through meditation.

Nischala Joy Devi describes samadhi as merging with Divine Consciousness. Can you think of a time in your life when you have had an experience of merging with Divine Consciousness? Maybe it has been sometime in nature? Maybe a sense of timelessness or union when expressing yourself creatively. Perhaps it was and experience of connection with another living being. It could have been a time of emptiness or connection during meditation or yoga practice.

The end of book one of the Yoga Sutras describes the progressive withdrawal of individual consciousness (chitta) into the ocean of Universal consciousness (chitt). Nischala Joy Devi translates chapter one verse 41 of the yoga sutras like this, “As a naturally pure crystal appears to take the color of everything around it yet remains unchanged, the yogi’s heart remains pure and unaffected by its surroundings while attaining a stated of oneness with all. This is Samadhi.”

With Samadhi, we remember our Divine Selves and see only the Divine Selves in others. The turning of our minds and emotions are temporary distractions, and the truth brings us back to our Self. Even though we temporarily take on other personalities and character traits, when we remember our True Self, we can come back to our pure and unchanging Divine nature.

Can you think back to a time this week when a circumstance has disrupted you from your center and you did not act from your True Nature? Now with loving kindness, notice how you did come back to your Divine Self, your True Self. This momentary change of character or personality was not the truth of who you are, but a temporary distraction that might have lasted minutes, hours, days or weeks, but an invitation for us to return to our center.

Through ahimsa, loving kindness, dharana (gentle awareness) and dhyana (continuous awareness) we can come back to our Divine Self. We can remember that this is a practice and do it again and again. Nischala Joy Devi tells us that when we steady our minds and our heart samadhi, bliss or infinite love, will become more frequent.

Namaste Yoga 231 Photos of Yoga Poses

Continuous Meditation

The seventh class in the eight limbs of yoga series is about dhyana or meditation. Dhyana arises naturally out of the sixth limb, dharana, a gentle awareness. The difference between the two is that dhyana is continuous.

In this class we will use eagle pose to generate a continuous focus and as a result create some mobility in our joints in order to be able to come into this pose with ease. We will also practice a kundalini meditation as taught by Yogi Bhajan to develop a meditative mind.

Chapter three verse two of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali say that dhyana is the continuous flow of your gentle attention towards your object of attention. Reverand Jaganath Carrerra says that when dharana becomes continuous, it automatically becomes dyana, a state of proper meditation.

In that state of proper meditation, your mind is free of thoughts, the activity of your mind ceases. It is an interesting paradox that while it takes dedication of practice to come into a state of dhyana (tapas) when you are in a state of dhyana there is no longer any struggle. Your mind is easy, peaceful, clear and one-pointed.

Peaceful means your mind is experiencing a serene mental landscape. Reverand Jaganath Carrera points out that with dhyana, your mind will be simultaneously clear, single pointed and peaceful.

Nischala Joy Devi translates Chapter three verse two of the yoga sutras slightly differently saying that the continuous inward flow of consciousness is dhyana (meditation). She says that with continued inward awareness (dharana or gentle awareness) we are transported into meditation. She describes dhyana as giving us more time to nestle more comfortable into a meditative state.

The distinction between dharana and dhyana here is definitely on continuous. Here your awareness is settling for a longer time. Nischala = Joy Devi says even when your formal meditation is complete, part of your awareness stays rooted within. This is part of what we talk about all the time, taking your yoga off your mat. Taking your awareness with you.

Today in the yoga class I took, my teacher talked about how our yoga practice is a personal practice, however the effects of our practice spill over to all those we relate to in our day to day lives. The meditative qualities we cultivate on our mat are translated to the people we come into contact with once we leave our mats.

 

Props Needed: Wall, Blanket, Strap

Yoga Asanas/Yoga Postures: Viparita Karani/Sleeping Eagle with legs up the wall, Keyhole/Figure 4 Stretch, Joint Stretches, Garudasana/Eagle Pose, Prasarita Padottanasana/Wide Legged Forward Fold with Fingers Interlaced, Sethubandasana/Bridge Pose with Sleeping Eagles Arms, Jathara Parivartanasana/Reclined Twist, Upavistha Konasana/Wide legged Seated Forward Fold, Meditation to Develop a Meditative Mind

Namaste Yoga 230 Photos of Yoga Poses