"the little gems of the citrus family"

So, Yoga philosophy is all about substitution. The idea is that if you have a bad habit, replace it with another good habit. Similiarly, if you have negative thoughts, replace them with positive thoughts. Or if you have an addiction, replace it with an addiction to yoga! The idea is simple and easy, yet very effective, and straight from the Yoga Sutras.

Now, one of my projects for this month is to get off coffee. This is extremely difficult since the caffeine boost sure comes in handy when its 11pm and I still have homework to get done! But I found a lifesaver..........and its a cute little orange fruit called a kumquat. What does this fruit, which has been commonly called "the little gem of the citrus family," have to do with my coffee addiction!? Well, its all about substitution, right?! So, every time I get to the Omega cafe and am tempted by the delicious smell of coffee, I reach instead for the deliciously tart yet sweetly satisfying kumquat. So, you may be wondering what the heck this is, right? I sure didn't know until I got here and was offered a free sample. One taste, though, and I was hooked.

So, the kumquat fruit looks like a miniature orange, and is only about 3-5 cm long. They originated in China and supposedly are noted in literature dating back to the 12th century. It has a think, sweet peel and a zesty, somewhat tart center. The kumquat is eated as you would eat grapes - with the peel and all. Yum!

Ahhhhh, Day off

I thoroughly enjoyed my day off and spent much needed time alone. Its lovely being immersed in the teachings and surrounded by such beautiful people, but for an introvert like me its nice to retreat and have some down time. The Omega campus is full of secret serene little places to retreat to, and I spent the day hopping from one sanctuary to another. Tomorrow starts another five days before our next day off. Speaking of, I made an appointment for a shiatsu massage (a whole HOUR) for my next day off, which will be Friday. Yay!

As it happens, yesterday was one of our longest and hardest days yet, so the day off today was much needed. Yesterday we spent all morning learning and doing adjustments on each other. It was quite a site - the whole hall transformed into a photo shoot as people scrambled to photograph the adjustments taught by Sharon and David. I have to admit I played into the furor and snapped a couple of my own......ok, maybe a bit more than a couple - I snapped 102. Here are some favorites:

In the afternoon, we spent hours going over standing poses. David started with Tadasana, which he broked down into pieces, explaining proper alignment from the toes up to the eyes. He emphasized how Tadasana should be found in almost every subsequent pose, so we can apply the same alignment rules to many of the other asanas. Throughout all the rest of the poses, David emphasized the importance of proper alignment in order to get the energy flowing. Without this proper placement, the energy gets stuck or escapes from the body, not going up the sushumna nadi as we want it to. This is where adjustments come in; David and Sharon really feel strongly about the importance of adjusting students to help them get into the proper alignment in each pose. They were taught this by one of their beloved gurus, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who always told them that, "Without touch, progress is very slow and may take many lifetimes. And in this age, there is no time for that!"

The expert hands-on assisting is definitely one of the trademarks of the Jivamukti Yoga Method. And practice makes perfect, so we will be doing a lot of adjusting on each other in the next weeks to come. I am excited and can't wait to apply these new skills to the Wednesday Jivamukti class at Flow Yoga Studio when I return!

Are you ready for a miracle?

"Some philosophies define a "miracle"as a change in perception."

This is how the documentary, The Witness, starts off. We watched this movie tonight for satsang and ten minutes into it, the tissues were already being passed around. What a tragic yet inspirational story. It begins with hardened Brooklynite Eddie Lama explaining how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart. Since, he has been inspired to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. This remarkable change in consciousness caused this construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood to become an impassioned animal advocate....I would certainly categorize this as a miracle!

In addition to his inspiring story, the documentary exposes us to the reality---so often hidden and behind the scenes---of how animals are tortured simply for our greedy benefit. But this is not about judging people, but about spreading the truth about what really is going on. As Sharon and David remind us all the time, humans are by nature GOOD and compassionate and loving, but have been conditioned by our culture towards aggression and violence. And so, what is needed is for people to be de-conditioned from this false message, or de-hypnotized as Sharon says. If people only knew the truth---and the reality behind the exploitation of animals is horridly ugly---they would be moved to compassion and choose the right thing to do. But seeing the truth is painful. To be honest, watching that movie was the most painful thing I have done for a long time. But that is what being on the journey towards enlightenment is all about - slowly exposing yourself to reality, which includes both great joy and intense sorrow. As David told us this morning, we can't run away from pain, but have to run INTO it. Only then can we overcome it.

And so, we cannot help the current sorrowful state of animal cruelty by running away from the reality. We can only hope to make any difference by running INTO it - by exposing ourselves fully to its reality so that it touches our hearts so deeply that we cannot help but share our message with others. And since our message will come from a place or love, not blame, it will be heard. Just like Eddie Lama's message is being heard.

"In my lifetime I have been both the oppressor and the oppressed, both the fomenter of discord and the advocate for peace, both the perpetrator and the victim. But most significantly, I have been both the silence and the voice. It is the human voice that is the primary tool for change."

—Eddie Lama

Patanjali's one-step method for attaining enlightenment

Yesterday, Sharon defined yoga as enlightenment. Referencing the Yoga Sutras, she showed us that yoga is achieved when the fluctuations of the mind cease,

Yogas Chitta Vrtti Nirodhah (Y.S. 1.2)

"When you stop identifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of mind, then there is Yoga, identity with Self, which is Samadhi, happiness, bliss and ecstasy." Wow what a concept! (Sharon's addition! :)

So if yoga = enlightenment, how do we get there? Well, today we learned that Patanjali told us about a secret short-cut method for attaining this enlightenment, this yoga, in his Yoga Sutras when he said,

Ishwara pranidhanad va (Y.S. 1.23)

"By giving your life and identity to God, you attain the Identity of God."

This advice refers to bhakti yoga, or the devotional practices of worshipping God with your heart. In other words, if our aim is to stop the fluctuations of the mind (thus achieving enlightenment or yoga), we can bypass this messy chaotic task of reining in the mind by skipping directly to the heart! And this makes sense, doesn't it, since love is the most powerful force that exists? Why shouldn't the power of love be able to bring some order to this unruly mind of ours?

It gets complicated, though, because the word "love" is so misunderstood and falsely defined. To get an accurate definition, we turn to the Yoga Sutras. According to this sutra, love refers to the practice of completely and utterly surrendering yourself to God, making a self-offering or self-gift to the Divine. However, in order to be able to do this, we must first be able to have a smidgeon (Sharon really likes this word and uses it a lot, really confusing the non-native English speakers....) of what God is. We can't just dedicate ourselves to some vague nothingness or void, even if we believe that all is one, because its impossible to relate to something like that. In order to form a relationship of love with God, you must first FIND Him, find how He (or She) reveals Himself to you. And this can be in any way.........which is what makes yoga NOT a religion, because it leaves the decision up to you. Some may find God in a religion, others in nature, and so on.

I really loved this teaching and it made complete sense to me. I have often wondered how I can be so dedicated to yoga, both its practice and philosophy, and yet stll be strongly Christian and devoted to Christ. Now I see that my particular personal form of God, or " ishwara", is Christ. And this is only an enhancement for my yoga practice and doesn't interfere in any way.

And so, part of reaching enlightenment is first finding that personal form of the Divine, and then committing to the practice of surrendering to Him/Her. Both are practices and do not happen overnight. As one searches for God, God reveals Himself more and more towards the devotee but all in time and according to God's time! And surrendering to God is definitely not something that happens overnight either. It is something to keep remembering moment after moment, after moment, after moment, until "eventually but inevitably" (as Sharon and David say) it becomes a part of you, and you merge with God.........and attain enlightenment. Attain yoga.

As Sharon would say, "wow, what a concept!"

Meditation & Altar

Altar
Back in the beginning of training, David explained to us the meaning of the altar in our Main Hall and significance behind an altar in general. As opposed to thinking this altar represents deities who we are worshipping, David said the altar represents our own brain. Our brain normally is filled with clutter and there is lots of old stuff just collecting dust. The altar symbolizes our mind and by consciously creating one, we act out the job of organizes the space within our minds. All the things that are not useful and are just collecting dust - we get rid of them. Instead, we invite new things, of true significance, inside. The offerings one gives to an altar represent nourishment of the mind, symbolically represented as food. On our Jivamukti altar, David and Sharon placed a bowl of water that symbolize the function of water to absorb things that are floating around that are un-useful. David advised us to feel free to offer up these things from our minds into the bowl of water, which they would change daily.

In addition to this collective altar in the Main hall, we were encouraged to set up our own altars in our private rooms. A little challenging, I thought, given the sparse materials to work with, but I was fortunate to have received some help! In my room, I flipped over a small suitcase to use as a platform, and hung the beautiful Lord Shiva hanging above the altar. Below the hanging, I also hung my going-away cards filled with support and good wishes. On top of the altar itself, I placed the singing bowl I received as a going-away present, a candle, and a bowl (unfortunately the only thing I had to work with was a Tupperware bowl!) with water. In the middle, I placed a Franciscan cross that I had made during a retreat two years ago; it is very dear to me because it reminds me of Jesus's example of total surrender to God and self-gift to others. And for me right now, Jesus, St. Francis, and Lord Shiva represent the yogis I most identify with. I am hoping to add a female yogini and am praying for some inspiration......Let me know if you have any ideas!

Anyway, I expect to have this altar change throughout the month as things change significance for me. David explained it was very important to constantly change the altar according to our current interests and pullings of the heart. So the altar is definitely a "process" just like the road to enlightenment itself.

Meditation

Sharon taught us how to teach others meditation. Its really very simple; she explained there are only three steps:

1. Choose a seat

2. Be still

3. Focus your mind on your breath

These are simple - but they sure are NOT easy! Each day we have two sessions of meditation and learn how difficult it really is to do these three things. In the mornings, meditation is the first thing we do before starting. In the evening, we start off our satsang with meditation. We are doing 20 min meditations which will gradually extend to 30 minutes. After each meditation, we have entries in our workbooks to journal our experiences in order to track our progress throughout the month.

We open each meditation session together by praying a special prayer composed by Sharon and David, a prayer that I grown to especially love:

Make me an instrument for Thy will, not mine but Thine be done, free me from anger, jealousy, and fear, fill my heart with joy and compassion.

The first couple of days I found just sitting still to be challenging - and painful. We are told to commit to the seat we choose, meaning we then sit still and NOT move. This enforces discipline on us (tapas), allows us to bring that stillness within, teaches us how to detach from sensations of pain, and inspires our neighbors to sit still because of our example. It sounds great but is soooooo difficult to do! My hips were killing me and ached after 5 minutes of a 20 minute sitting. Sharon said these pains will naturally come out because they represent old karmas that we have suppressed deep in our bodies, and through these moments of stillness, they are allowed to emerge in order for us to heal them. It is really a war, though, that occurs inside my mind between one side that tempts me to move -- just a little; nobody will even notice! -- and the other side that dearly wants to resolve these old karmas. it's a lesson that we will learn repeatedly, says Sharon, that to resolve something we cannot run away from it but must delve deeper INTO it.

Ouch. J

Morning to Midnight

Another full day ahead of me, but I am excited and rearing to go. Just to give you a taste of our schedule, I stayed up til 12:30am last night finishing up homework and emails……and woke up today at 6am to prepare for the day. Our schedule is full from 7am until 10pm--literaly no free time at all. We do get a free day every fifth day of training. Otherwise, we move straight from one session to another, and sometimes they go over (and bleed into our meal times!). Needless to say, though, everyone LOVES it and feels it is such an incredible privilege to be learning these things from Sharonji and Davidji. I don't think people would complain where we to do even longer days! I sure wouldn't!

So, just to share a taste of what a day looks like, this is the schedule for today:


7-8am - breakfast

8-8:30 - meditation

8:30-9 - scripture and chanting

9-10:30 - Jivamukti asana class

10:30-12:00 - Shat Karma 1

12:30-1:30pm - Lunch

1:45-3:45 - Anatomy: Skeletal and Muscular Systems I

4-6pm - Anatomy: Skeletal and Muscular Systems II, Respiratory

6-7:15 - Dinner

8-11pm - Satsang: Meditation, Chanting, Karma Yoga Sadhana


Intense, no!? But what a treat…….ok, got to go prepare for the day. Will write more later!

Intro Day

Our first day--arrival day at Omega Institute--started with registration, dinner, and then the first evening satsang program. It was a long day; we got back to our rooms after midnight. But it was a magical evening that set the tone for what is certain to be a magical month.

My room looks exactly like in the pictures....just as small and sparse. My cabin is a ways away, up a hill. But its near a tranquil Japanese garden that more than makes up for the hill climb.

The satsang program was held in the Main Hall, which is where we will spend most of our time--mostly because its one of the few rooms that can hold all 110 of us! Actually, there are more than that, because there are also David and Sharon, 5 mentors, and 2 alumni. So the total of us "Jivamuktis" is about 119!

And the group is from all over, including:

• Europe - Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, London, Kosovo, Italy
• Middle East - Turkey and UAE (Dubai), Israel
• Asia - Taiwan and Hong Kong
• Americas - Canada, Ecuador, Bahamas, Guatemala
• Australia
• US - all over the country, including as far away as Hawaii

And not only are we an international group, but there are people of all ages from early twenties to late sixties. Its really exciting to see how far Jivamukti is being distributed worldwide.

We all gathered, a sea of white, in front of a beautiful altar surrounded by flowers and candles. On a raised platform were Sharon and David, quietly and angelically sitting. At exactly 8pm, the room hushed and David and Sharon stood up…..They bowed to the altar and to the mentors, and then went down the rows bowing to EACH student, making sure to look each trainee in the eyes and acknowledge them. What a powerful opening! And it was all done in silence. But the silence "spoke" so much about their love and caring.

Our opening set the tone for the entire month and I am convinced it will be a magical experience. Actually, Sharon said something to that affect when she advised us to "just show up" even when things get hard -- as they surely will for each of us, sooner or later. But if we made a commitment to just show up--she made us promise her--then in return she promised us that magic and miracles are guaranteed.

So, for the next two and a half hours, each mentor and then each trainee stood up and introduced themselves. Sharon said it was our first test--not only having to introduce ourselves to the entire group but also to "see" everyone as a holy being. Actually, we all have nametags with our names prefaced by that term….for example, my name tag says, "Holy Being, Agatha Glowacki." Sharon explained that the ONLY job of a yoga teacher is to see their students as holy beings. What a concept!

Well, it wasn't hard to do so with this group. Every single person had an amazing background and history, and each shared straight from their heart what Jivamukti meant for them and why they were there. There was one who broke 3 addictions through yoga, another who used to be a Buddhist monk, some yoga teachers who wanted to go deeper, a law school dropout, an Omega staffer, and a world bank consultant turned yoga instructor. And many many more amazing people.

We closed the night with an ancient fire ceremony called Aarti. Sharon gave one last advice for the month ahead. She told us to be patient with the material as the days go by, especially when we feel overwhelmed or don't understand a particular teaching, because we already know all this stuff, but it will sometimes take some time to be remembered. And she also told us to have faith when things are confusing because in time---all will be revealed. J

Packing up and Gettin' Ready

So yes, it is really 3:43am and I am up.......trying to get so many things done before I leave. Like finish packing! I had no idea how hard it is to pack for an entire month. Jill was gracious enough to give me an "insider" packing list, so atleast I had her help but its getting to be a massive pile of stuck to lug. Here is the list Jill made for me:

• yoga clothes/casual clothes
  
• layers and a warm coat
  
• white outfits for satsang
  
• nice outfit for graduation
  
• warm blanket
  
• toilettries
  
• snacks
  
• to-go cup
  
• handtowels
  
• parking knife
  
• notebook with sections
  
• highlighers
  
• digital camera
  
• laptop
  
• linens
  
• towels
  
• extra hangers
  
• stuff for altar
  
• stuff to hang in my room and thumbtacks
  
• bathing suit
  
• small umbrella
  
• laundry detergent
  
• yoga mat
  
• yoga blanket
  
• yoga block
  
• yoga strap
  
• aspirin, advil, cold medicine
  
• ipod
  
• tape or digital recorder
  
• stamps
  
• cell phone/phone card

It's quite a list, no!?

I had some help with the list, though. On Wednesday during the Jivamukti class at Flow yoga studio, during which I apprenticed for the past 3 months, Jill and the class presented me with a sacred send-off complete with the perfect present - a gorgeous hanging of Shiva. Jill had this hung in her room during her Jivamukti teacher training, and was now letting me enjoy the blessing of Lord Shiva. And on Thursday, my sweet girlfriends threw me a goodbye dinner complete with delicious vegan food and a lovely present - a singing bowl! This is the perfect addition to the altar I intend to set up in my room. Both will go a long way towards making my room at Omega feel more welcoming. My housing is quite simple (which I appreciate!) and looks like this inside and outside:

Well, I better get pack to packing. Will touch base when I arrive at Omega!