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| Hula - a Path of Ecstasy | |
| 6/13/2008 | Download File - right click to download | |
| What is Hula? Why is it taught and why is it past down. There is so little written... | |
| Hula - a Path of Ecstasy | |
| 6/13/2008 | Download File (32.00 MB) - right click to download | |
| What is Hula? Why is it taught and why is it past down. There is so little written about this tradition and art, and yet it is such an integral part of the Hawaiian People's tradition and lives.
So enjoy this wonderful podcast and come to Hawaii with HNY to learn the Art of Hula on our next retreat there.
Namaste
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| The Secret of Prana - Unleashing the power within | |
| 5/19/2008 | Download File - right click to download | |
| Prana, in the Yogic Science, is what gives life to all things. Prana is the force of life. In yoga... | |
| The Secret of Prana - Unleashing the power within | |
| 5/19/2008 | Download File (46.54 MB) - right click to download | |
|
Prana, in the Yogic Science, is what gives life to all things. Prana is the force of life. In yoga it is everything essential. Without its grace, transformation would literally be impossible. The science of Prana (Prana Vidya) is the knowledge of awakening the fullest potential of yoga and life.
These teachings and techniques - collected since time immemorial and detailed in the Vedas, Upanishads, Tantras and many other key texts – describe with incredible detail and nuance the hidden keys to happiness, power and success. In the hands of a capable practitioner or teacher they empower us at every level. They show us how to change the quality of the Pranic (subtle or etheric) body to affect everything from health, to state of mind, to a deepening of spiritual awareness.
The Five Vayus of Prana
Prana is the master form (also known as subtle form) of the Vata dosha. The five divisions or sub-doshas of Prana are known as the Prana Vayus which are as follows:
Prana Vayu - Pran is the vitalizing and internalizing force, located in the head and heart. It is what feeds you and gives you energy and stamina. If you feel sluggish and exhausted, you could be low in Pran. The yogi's describe Pran as a soaring eagle.
Nature Upward Flowing
Seat Head Marmas and Heart (to a lesser degree)
Physical Nerves
Aspect Solar, Masculine
Asana related postures: Backbends, Laterals
Apana Vayu - Responsible for the downward movements of prana, elimination of Malas-waste products from the body via the excretory systems, and the lungs. Controls menstruation. Governs Vatas site of accumulation in the large intestine.
Nature Downward Flowing
Seat Abdomen, Base of Spine, Legs and Feet
Physical Bones
Aspect Moon, Feminine
Asana related postures: Forward Bends, Twists, Extensions
Udana Vayu - Udana is located in the throat and is the ascending force. It is concerned with speech and the production of sound. Udana is also responsible for growth and enthusiasm. Growth of new cells and healing is also governed by Udana. A more subtle aspect of this type of prana is that it represents the conscious energy required to produce sound, the intention behind the words or noise.
Nature Upward Moving
Seat Marmas on Neck and Throat
Physical Muscles
Asana related postures: Backbends, Twists, Inversion
Samana Vayu - Responsible for inward movements of Prana such as digestion of food and cellular catabolism (break down and recycling of old cells) and thermo-regulation. A visible source of the Samana current is the Aura. By meditating on Samana Vayu yogis can produce a lively aura.
Nature Inward Movements
Seat Marmas of the Abdomen and Digestive Organs
Physical Adipose Tissue (Fat)
Asana related postures: Forward Bends, Backbends, Twists
Vyana Vayu - Responsible for outward movements of Prana, extending the muscles and the pumping action of the blood vessels in the arteries. Governs circulation and the skin. This vayu represents the current that Reiki practitioners and hands on healers of all types use for energy medicine.
Nature Outward Moving
Seat Chest, Arm and Hand Marmas
Physical Ligaments
Asana related postures: Backbends, Laterals, Extensions, Inversions
PRAYER TO THE FIVE PRANA VAYUS (this chant is towards the end of the podcast.
OM NAMO PRANAYA
PRANAYA NAMAH OM
OM PRANAYA SWAHA
OM NAMO APANAYA
APANAYA NAMAH OM
OM APANAYA SWAHA
OM NAMO VYANAYA
VYANAYA NAMAH OM
OM VYANAYA SWAHA
OM NAMO UDANAYA
UDANAYA NAMAH OM
OM UDANAYA SWAHA
OM NAMO SAMANAYA
SAMANAYA NAMAH OM
OM SAMANAYA SWAHA
OM SWAHA
HARI OM | |
| Chanting with Wade Morissette | |
| 4/26/2008 | Download File - right click to download | |
| This Podcast comes from Darren Mains Website - www.darrenmain.com - and his podcast is titled inquire within.
I have known Wade... | |
| Chanting with Wade Morissette | |
| 4/26/2008 | Download File (28.61 MB) - right click to download | |
| This Podcast comes from Darren Mains Website - www.darrenmain.com - and his podcast is titled inquire within.
I have known Wade for almost 15 years when he traveled around with his guitar in Vancouver, chanting for various yoga studios.
Wade Imre Morissette is a well known yoga teacher and musician from Canada and the twin brother of Alanis Morissette. He has studied both yoga and chanting in India and North America and he has several yoga DVDs available.
His first chanting CD, 'Sargam: Scales of Music', has become a cult classic among Kirtan fans. Now, his second CD has been released entitled 'Strong as Diamonds'.
about wade
Wade Imre Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, just minutes before his twin sister Alanis. The twins took to music at an early age; Wade studied piano as a child and took on guitar and djembe in his teens, but their paths diverged when Wade began to study yoga.
From the time he was a small child, Wade was in search of a practice that would help him connect to his spirit, trying everything from karate to tai chi. It wasn't until Wade's college roommate handed him a book by the name of The Mystic Path To Cosmic Powers that he decided to dedicate the next decade of his life to learning and teaching yoga, but his musical background would soon resurface.
During one of Wade's many visits to India, he began to travel on the path of Devotional Yoga and started chanting, a process that stills the mind, dissolves worries, and opens the heart. It's a natural way to tune into the frequency of love, says Wade.
He realized he could combine his two passions--yoga and music--to create his own original blend of indie rock/pop music with Sanskrit and English chants. My first concerts were in India, and people would come up to me and say that my music touched their hearts. I decided to take my music to different yoga studios across the world, Wade explains.
In 2004, Wade was asked to be an ambassador for Lululemon, the popular yoga-inspired athletic apparel company. At the same time, he had self-released his debut album, Sargam Scales of Music. Wade quickly developed an idea for a world tour to promote both his album and the clothing line; Lululemon immediately signed on as a sponsor. The Lululemon Yoga Pilgrimage kicked off in 2005 and took Wade to Tokyo, Hong Kong and 32 cities in North America and continued on through early 2006 with stops in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. At each stop, Wade spread his message of optimism, well-being, consciousness, and community through Vinyasa Flow workshops, chanting, kirtan (call-and-response singing), and bliss dance.
In the midst of Wade's world traveling, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride kept hearing Wade's music in yoga class in Vancouver, but couldn't find the album. The two connected in late 2006, and Wade signed on with Nettwerk Records to release his second album, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha. While Wade's debut release explores a sense of longing and self-discovery, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha is less introspective. This release is more about celebrating, gratitude and lifting one's spirit, says Wade. It has a lot more energy and it's sunnier, but it's still soulful.
Already making appearances at yoga conferences, retreats and studios around the world, Wade will tour North America this summer in support of the album. At each performance, he begins with bliss dance and ends with a kirtan. Wade, on guitar and harmonium, sings out a phrase; the audience responds until the musicians and audience mesh. He also performs several of his own songs for those who prefer to listen and observe.
Wade has been practicing and teaching yoga for 13 years. He has completed Iyengar, Classical Ashtanga and Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga teacher training. He has studied Vinyasa, Viniyoga, Anusara, and Kriya yoga, as well as zazen, Vedic Chanting, and active movement and sound meditations with some of the best-known teachers in Canada, North America, and India. He is also a Reiki master, certified Phoenix Rising yoga therapist, and Viniyoga Therapist. He leads teacher trainings, workshops, retreats, and music-dance evenings internationally. He is currently working on his first book, Living Your Joy, and planning a series of motivational seminars.
With features in Yoga Journal and Macleans Magazine and appearances on Entertainment Tonight Canada, BCTV and Toronto's Yoga Series, CTV's E Talk Daily Canada, and CBC Radio in Canada, Wade has established himself as a sought-after yoga instructor and talented musician. He has also been covered by the Vancouver Courier, The Province, Globe and Mail, The Sun and Shared Vision in Vancouver, and his music is heard often on SacredSoundsRadio.com.
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| How to Pray? How to Thrive Spirituallly | |
| 3/28/2008 | Download File - right click to download | |
| The following podcast is a talk I gave in New Mexico on How to Pray? In it,... | |
| How to Pray? How to Thrive Spirituallly | |
| 3/28/2008 | Download File (29.80 MB) - right click to download | |
| The following podcast is a talk I gave in New Mexico on How to Pray? In it, you will find out how the sages teach us to pray and how to thrive spiritually in life.
May these teachings inspire us all.
Namaste
| |
| Into the Chakras with Hot Nude Yoga - Further Understanding Tantra | |
| 3/7/2008 | Download File - right click to download | |
| Please join Aaron and Hot Nude Yoga in their classes and retreats to learn more about these Tantric teachings. (http://www.hotnudeyoga.com/index.php?option=com_content... | |
| Darren Main and Nude Yoga Exposed | |
| 2/22/2008 | Download File (26.08 MB) - right click to download | |
|
Join Aaron Star and Darren Main in this very explicit Podcast as Aaron Interviews Darren on the inner dynamics of Nude Yoga, why we practice it, and much more.
Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1899171231?tag=darrenmain-20 camp=0 creative=0 linkCode=as1 creativeASIN=1899171231 adid=08D654M5R0M8KWPVYDDB ) and The Findhorn Book of Meditation (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1844090051?tag=darrenmain-20 camp=0 creative=0 linkCode=as1 creativeASIN=1844090051 adid=0XPW5GJPG705RZ57BBP1 ).
In addition to his writing, he facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad and is the director of the Yoga Tree Teacher Training Program. He currently lives in San Francisco.
Books by Darren Main Darren John Main is an internationally known yoga and meditation instructor and author. He facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad. He also runs the Nude Yoga Group in Sanfransisco. He is the author of Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road (Findhorn, 2000) and Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic (Findhorn, 2002). He lives in California. You can also search for his Podcasts on Itunes. Please search for Inquire Within and subscribe for free.
With gentle humor and obvious knowledge, Darren Main shares with us his practice and understanding of yoga. He does a beautiful job of interspersing his life experiences with the classical teachings in a way that makes them clear and alive. You will enjoy this book.
—Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D.
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| Understanding the Body - What is its role in the path to Enlightenment? | |
| 1/17/2008 | Download File (16.20 MB) - right click to download | |
| The world of yoga is huge. Many people often think that yoga stops at Yoga Asana, or rather, they stop at yoga asana. (Posture) If one were to look further, they would discover that the yoga they learned in the gyms, and even most yoga studios is only a drop of water in the vast ocean of knowledge that is offered in this science.
The sages and yogis dedicated themselves to not only unraveling these ancient mysteries, but how to make these ancient mysteries more accessible to everyone. One of the mysteries that has been revealed is the Koshas.
There are many benefits to learning and understanding the Koshas. Accessing them helps you to thrive at every level of your life. Once you access them also gives you many different views and experiences of the infinite, and the universe of infinite possibilities.
This podcast gives you a glimpse into the first Kosha; the Body. Please click here to read the full article on the Koshas recently posted on the HNY website. (javascript:void(0);/*1200612917265*/)
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| Tales From France - A Documentary - Part Three | |
| 12/21/2007 | Download File (12.39 MB) - right click to download | |
| A retreat can teach you much more and in fact, not only will you relax, but you will release layers of cumulated stress, and come back from a retreat with some tools on how to stay more relaxed in your life.
In this Hot Nude Yoga Podcast series, I want to share with you some of what was revealed at the France Retreat, the sense of community that was build, and what the boys of Europe had to say.
This is Part Three.
Below is a wonderful article written on Answering the Call to Retreat. Many of us know that we should...the question is, why don't we? In answering a part of HNY's Mission Statement, we offer these Retreats to not only help cultivate Community, but to offer you a chance to restore and rejuvenate yourself.
Mark Barone, a HNY Teacher, once said in a Restorative Workshop that the meaning of restoration was to 'return to an original state'. If we begin to restore a house or a piece of furniture, we have an idea that we want to take it back to its original state. (We will be launching a pod cast soon and this piece will be on that podcast.) Please look over our Retreats.
Whether you come with us to Costa Rica, Hawaii, the Indian Himalayas or Goa, on our Memorial Day weekend Retreat, France, or Turkey, or go with another group, take time out of your life to Restore and return to that state of being which allows you to thrive in the world.
Shanti and Peace,
Aaron Star
Answering the Call by Sarah Powers
For thousands of years, Retreat has been a crucial part of yogic life. All over Asia, whether in mountain caves or lush forests, seekers striving to free their minds, recognized the importance of renouncing the worldly life, (temporarily or permanently), in order to concentrate more fully on meditative practices.
Today, although many lone ascetics and communities of monastics continue to flourish, most practitioners of Yoga and Buddhism choose to remain in the world. As lay practitioners, we are blending the insights and openings we garner from these paths with the numerous responsibilities of a life that includes business and family. We live in a fast-paced digital era but there is still no better way for devoted practitioners to encourage spiritual unfolding than to relinquish busy schedules and practical concerns and take time to Retreat.
Whether we go for four days or three months, these periods of uninterrupted practice and quiet reflection allow us to melt away the distraction of 'compulsive busyness'. On Retreat, we give ourselves (and everyone else) the gift of stripping away the mind's obsessions and revealing what Buddhist Sages call our undistracted and compassionate Buddha Nature. In both the Hindu and the Buddhist spiritual traditions, 99% of practitioners have a need for retreats. A gifted few, with an abundance of spiritual karma from past lives, realize enlightenment with a minimum of practice and exposure to the teachings, however most wise Teachers do not recommend simply wishing and waiting for this; instead, they advise seekers to repeatedly go on Retreat to strengthen their understanding and to rest in the spaciousness of uninterrupted practice.
The last teaching the great Yogi Milarepa gave his chief disciple was to turn and show his student his behind, deeply calloused from long years of sitting on the granite of the Himalayas. Milarepa's wordless message: You have to practice.
Embracing Silence
When I am about to leave on Retreat, inevitably someone says, Have a good time! This comment amuses me because I know that their idea of a good time is mostly not what I will be having. Simply put, when I want to let my mind roam and my body relax I go to a warm sea with my family and friends. That being said, I have gone on enough fun vacations to finally let go of the illusion that feeling content does not have a whole lot to do with what is going on outside me and that 'wherever I go, there I am'. When I really want to face and disempower the habits of discontent that continually resurface no matter where I am, I go on Retreat.
While it is not always easy or fun, I have found that going on Meditation Retreats and facing myself in silence allows me to see my fears and attachments more clearly, to embrace them with compassion, and to grow in intuition and trust of my true nature. Going on Retreat gives us the opportunity to pay attention to three essential aspects of spiritual practice.
Firstly, we learn or revisit the tools of awareness taught within a particular tradition. These are the specifics of Asana, Pranayama and Meditation appropriate for our level of understanding and application. While on Retreat, we also have the opportunity to hear the philosophical teachings that lay beneath these practices because in a traditional class or workshop setting, there just is very little time to fully delve into these areas.
Secondly, Retreat give us a sublime opportunity to reflect on these ideas and practices. This contemplation often sparks an uncompromising and unsentimental yet more truly compassionate view of ourselves and our lives, which is often a necessary precursor to change.
Finally, Retreat strengthens our practice. On Retreat, in the absence of the tasks and distractions of our everyday lives, we are encouraged to not only practice more, accelerating our understanding and unfolding, but also to sustain the lens of mindfulness throughout each day. Once we have spent time on Retreat, living with awareness day after day, we are more likely to catch ourselves and interrupt the habits of distraction when we return home. For example, instead of feeling irritated and restless when we get stuck waiting in a long line, we often find it easier to turn inward with meditative awareness, appreciating the unhurried moments. By going on Retreat, we get to practice living in a way that engenders clarity and compassion, 'the inner abodes of the awakened'.
Unveiling Wisdom
Retreats offer a theate | |
| Tales From France - A Documentary - Part Two | |
| 11/30/2007 | Download File (10.22 MB) - right click to download | |
| A retreat can teach you much more and in fact, not only will you relax, but you will release layers of cumulated stress, and come back from a retreat with some tools on how to stay more relaxed in your life.
In this Hot Nude Yoga Podcast series, I want to share with you some of what was revealed at the France Retreat, the sense of community that was build, and what the boys of Europe had to say.
This is Part Two.
Below is a wonderful article written on Answering the Call to Retreat. Many of us know that we should...the question is, why don't we? In answering a part of HNY's Mission Statement, we offer these Retreats to not only help cultivate Community, but to offer you a chance to restore and rejuvenate yourself.
Mark Barone, a HNY Teacher, once said in a Restorative Workshop that the meaning of restoration was to 'return to an original state'. If we begin to restore a house or a piece of furniture, we have an idea that we want to take it back to its original state. (We will be launching a pod cast soon and this piece will be on that podcast.) Please look over our Retreats.
Whether you come with us to Costa Rica, Hawaii, the Indian Himalayas or Goa, on our Memorial Day weekend Retreat, France, or Turkey, or go with another group, take time out of your life to Restore and return to that state of being which allows you to thrive in the world.
Shanti and Peace,
Aaron Star
Answering the Call by Sarah Powers
For thousands of years, Retreat has been a crucial part of yogic life. All over Asia, whether in mountain caves or lush forests, seekers striving to free their minds, recognized the importance of renouncing the worldly life, (temporarily or permanently), in order to concentrate more fully on meditative practices.
Today, although many lone ascetics and communities of monastics continue to flourish, most practitioners of Yoga and Buddhism choose to remain in the world. As lay practitioners, we are blending the insights and openings we garner from these paths with the numerous responsibilities of a life that includes business and family. We live in a fast-paced digital era but there is still no better way for devoted practitioners to encourage spiritual unfolding than to relinquish busy schedules and practical concerns and take time to Retreat.
Whether we go for four days or three months, these periods of uninterrupted practice and quiet reflection allow us to melt away the distraction of 'compulsive busyness'. On Retreat, we give ourselves (and everyone else) the gift of stripping away the mind's obsessions and revealing what Buddhist Sages call our undistracted and compassionate Buddha Nature. In both the Hindu and the Buddhist spiritual traditions, 99% of practitioners have a need for retreats. A gifted few, with an abundance of spiritual karma from past lives, realize enlightenment with a minimum of practice and exposure to the teachings, however most wise Teachers do not recommend simply wishing and waiting for this; instead, they advise seekers to repeatedly go on Retreat to strengthen their understanding and to rest in the spaciousness of uninterrupted practice.
The last teaching the great Yogi Milarepa gave his chief disciple was to turn and show his student his behind, deeply calloused from long years of sitting on the granite of the Himalayas. Milarepa's wordless message: You have to practice.
Embracing Silence
When I am about to leave on Retreat, inevitably someone says, Have a good time! This comment amuses me because I know that their idea of a good time is mostly not what I will be having. Simply put, when I want to let my mind roam and my body relax I go to a warm sea with my family and friends. That being said, I have gone on enough fun vacations to finally let go of the illusion that feeling content does not have a whole lot to do with what is going on outside me and that 'wherever I go, there I am'. When I really want to face and disempower the habits of discontent that continually resurface no matter where I am, I go on Retreat.
While it is not always easy or fun, I have found that going on Meditation Retreats and facing myself in silence allows me to see my fears and attachments more clearly, to embrace them with compassion, and to grow in intuition and trust of my true nature. Going on Retreat gives us the opportunity to pay attention to three essential aspects of spiritual practice.
Firstly, we learn or revisit the tools of awareness taught within a particular tradition. These are the specifics of Asana, Pranayama and Meditation appropriate for our level of understanding and application. While on Retreat, we also have the opportunity to hear the philosophical teachings that lay beneath these practices because in a traditional class or workshop setting, there just is very little time to fully delve into these areas.
Secondly, Retreat give us a sublime opportunity to reflect on these ideas and practices. This contemplation often sparks an uncompromising and unsentimental yet more truly compassionate view of ourselves and our lives, which is often a necessary precursor to change.
Finally, Retreat strengthens our practice. On Retreat, in the absence of the tasks and distractions of our everyday lives, we are encouraged to not only practice more, accelerating our understanding and unfolding, but also to sustain the lens of mindfulness throughout each day. Once we have spent time on Retreat, living with awareness day after day, we are more likely to catch ourselves and interrupt the habits of distraction when we return home. For example, instead of feeling irritated and restless when we get stuck waiting in a long line, we often find it easier to turn inward with meditative awareness, appreciating the unhurried moments. By going on Retreat, we get to practice living in a way that engenders clarity and compassion, 'the inner abodes of the awakened'.
Unveiling Wisdom
Retreats offer a theater i | |
| Tales From France - A Documentary - Part One | |
| 11/9/2007 | Download File (13.92 MB) - right click to download | |
| A retreat can teach you much more and in fact, not only will you relax, but you will release layers of cumulated stress, and come back from a retreat with some tools on how to stay more relaxed in your life.
In this Hot Nude Yoga Podcast series, I want to share with you some of what was revealed at the France Retreat, the sense of community that was build, and what the boys of Europe had to say.
This is Part One.
Below is a wonderful article written on Answering the Call to Retreat. Many of us know that we should...the question is, why don't we? In answering a part of HNY's Mission Statement, we offer these Retreats to not only help cultivate Community, but to offer you a chance to restore and rejuvenate yourself.
Mark Barone, a HNY Teacher, once said in a Restorative Workshop that the meaning of restoration was to 'return to an original state'. If we begin to restore a house or a piece of furniture, we have an idea that we want to take it back to its original state. (We will be launching a pod cast soon and this piece will be on that podcast.) Please look over our Retreats.
Whether you come with us to Costa Rica, Hawaii, the Indian Himalayas or Goa, on our Memorial Day weekend Retreat, France, or Turkey, or go with another group, take time out of your life to Restore and return to that state of being which allows you to thrive in the world.
Shanti and Peace,
Aaron Star
Answering the Call by Sarah Powers
For thousands of years, Retreat has been a crucial part of yogic life. All over Asia, whether in mountain caves or lush forests, seekers striving to free their minds, recognized the importance of renouncing the worldly life, (temporarily or permanently), in order to concentrate more fully on meditative practices.
Today, although many lone ascetics and communities of monastics continue to flourish, most practitioners of Yoga and Buddhism choose to remain in the world. As lay practitioners, we are blending the insights and openings we garner from these paths with the numerous responsibilities of a life that includes business and family. We live in a fast-paced digital era but there is still no better way for devoted practitioners to encourage spiritual unfolding than to relinquish busy schedules and practical concerns and take time to Retreat.
Whether we go for four days or three months, these periods of uninterrupted practice and quiet reflection allow us to melt away the distraction of 'compulsive busyness'. On Retreat, we give ourselves (and everyone else) the gift of stripping away the mind's obsessions and revealing what Buddhist Sages call our undistracted and compassionate Buddha Nature. In both the Hindu and the Buddhist spiritual traditions, 99% of practitioners have a need for retreats. A gifted few, with an abundance of spiritual karma from past lives, realize enlightenment with a minimum of practice and exposure to the teachings, however most wise Teachers do not recommend simply wishing and waiting for this; instead, they advise seekers to repeatedly go on Retreat to strengthen their understanding and to rest in the spaciousness of uninterrupted practice.
The last teaching the great Yogi Milarepa gave his chief disciple was to turn and show his student his behind, deeply calloused from long years of sitting on the granite of the Himalayas. Milarepa's wordless message: You have to practice.
Embracing Silence
When I am about to leave on Retreat, inevitably someone says, Have a good time! This comment amuses me because I know that their idea of a good time is mostly not what I will be having. Simply put, when I want to let my mind roam and my body relax I go to a warm sea with my family and friends. That being said, I have gone on enough fun vacations to finally let go of the illusion that feeling content does not have a whole lot to do with what is going on outside me and that 'wherever I go, there I am'. When I really want to face and disempower the habits of discontent that continually resurface no matter where I am, I go on Retreat.
While it is not always easy or fun, I have found that going on Meditation Retreats and facing myself in silence allows me to see my fears and attachments more clearly, to embrace them with compassion, and to grow in intuition and trust of my true nature. Going on Retreat gives us the opportunity to pay attention to three essential aspects of spiritual practice.
Firstly, we learn or revisit the tools of awareness taught within a particular tradition. These are the specifics of Asana, Pranayama and Meditation appropriate for our level of understanding and application. While on Retreat, we also have the opportunity to hear the philosophical teachings that lay beneath these practices because in a traditional class or workshop setting, there just is very little time to fully delve into these areas.
Secondly, Retreat give us a sublime opportunity to reflect on these ideas and practices. This contemplation often sparks an uncompromising and unsentimental yet more truly compassionate view of ourselves and our lives, which is often a necessary precursor to change.
Finally, Retreat strengthens our practice. On Retreat, in the absence of the tasks and distractions of our everyday lives, we are encouraged to not only practice more, accelerating our understanding and unfolding, but also to sustain the lens of mindfulness throughout each day. Once we have spent time on Retreat, living with awareness day after day, we are more likely to catch ourselves and interrupt the habits of distraction when we return home. For example, instead of feeling irritated and restless when we get stuck waiting in a long line, we often find it easier to turn inward with meditative awareness, appreciating the unhurried moments. By going on Retreat, we get to practice living in a way that engenders clarity and compassion, 'the inner abodes of the awakened'.
Unveiling Wisdom
Retreats offer a theater i | |
| I Was Cuba - from the Community | |
| 10/20/2007 | Download File (26.53 MB) - right click to download | |
| I had the rare pleasure of interviewing , a Cuban Native, who has been part of the HNY Community for the past five years. He was born in Havana to a family involved in the pharmaceutical industry. He left Cuba in 1960, settling first in Palm Beach County and then in New York, where he was a photography editor at Time Inc. for 25 years. He was involved in the launches of Entertainment Weekly and People en Español magazines, and worked at Sports Illustrated and People. As a witness to the revolution in his youth, Fernandez’s consuming passion has been to build a photography collection that can serve as a testament to the Cuba he remembers. He began collecting photographs in 1981, and today the collection numbers over 3,000 works.
We discussed his life at people, his experiences in India, and more, his accomplishment in creating this incredible montage of Cuba, but together in a fabulous book titled, I Was Cuba.
I Was Cuba showcases rare images from the nineteenth century through the revolutionary period, exploring the everyday and the eccentric. Assembled over the past three decades, this never-before-seen collection spanning the 19th century to the post-revolution era is unique for its focus on the unusual and the vernacular. This book features over 300 of the collection’s most compelling images, exploring a long hidden Cuba and examining the paradoxes of this fascinating island.
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| Why Do We Chant - Part Three | |
| 10/9/2007 | Download File (17.14 MB) - right click to download | |
| This is a FREE download from HNY.
Part Three of a three part documentary series titled, Why Do We Chant?
In producing this series, my hope is that you can experience my own passion with chanting and song, and be able to experience the energy with the men who share their voices in song.
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| Why Do We Chant - Part Two | |
| 9/21/2007 | Download File (12.20 MB) - right click to download | |
| This is a FREE download from HNY.
Part Two of a three part documentary series titled, Why Do We Chant?
In producing this series, my hope is that you can experience my own passion with chanting and song, and be able to experience the energy with the men who share their voices in song.
| |
| Why Do We Chant - Part One | |
| 9/7/2007 | Download File (11.98 MB) - right click to download | |
| This is a FREE download from HNY.
Part One of a three part documentary series titled, Why Do We Chant?
In producing this series, my hope is that you can experience my own passion with chanting and song, and be able to experience the energy with the men who share their voices in song.
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| The Causes of Suffering | |
| 8/24/2007 | Download File (21.15 MB) - right click to download | |
| What are the Causes of Suffering?
I gave a talk recently on the causes of suffering, according to Yogic Philosophy. There are four big ones that stem from our Ignorance. Ignorance in this sense simply means the lack of knowledge of who we really are. What enhances or furthers this ignorance are our: Likes/dislikes, ego, fear, and attachments.
For further reading, please scroll down to read more on the subject. The following came from the Sedona Spirit Feb 07 Newsletter.
We all fall prey to the ups and downs of the human condition and face the same “problems.” In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali addresses the causes of human suffering. When I lead workshops on this topic, I ask participants to jot down the things that cause them suffering. You might take a moment to think about or even write down what you suffer over before reading further. Do you suffer over your job, your kids, your finances, your relationships, your looks or your bad habits? Patanjali tells us that there are five problems all humans face. He calls them the five afflictions or “kleshas” in Sanskrit. What do you think these five challenges are?
In Book II, sutra #3, (BKS Iyengar’s translation) Patanjali says—“The five afflictions which disturb the equilibrium of consciousness are: ignorance or lack of wisdom, ego, pride of the ego or the sense of “I,” attachment to pleasure, aversion to pain, fear of death and clinging to life.
By ignorance, he does not mean lack of factual knowledge, but the absence of an understanding of the spiritual flow of the universe. This spiritual ignorance called “avidya” or “without-seeing” is the greatest blindness of all and the root of the other four sources of suffering.
The ego and its ME-MY-MINE syndrome is a great source of suffering that causes us to feel separate, make comparisons, and perceive injustices. The little, “lower” ego-self blows little things out of proportion into big traumas and dramas. How easy it is to become jealous or feel slighted. We forget that each one of us is the same bundle of Divine Awareness plagued with a host of human foibles.
We have our attachments to the way we want things to be, pleasurable experiences to be pursued, and our aversion to things we don’t want, so many hurts to be avoided. Either way, we are not being in the present moment. We are attached to how it was in the past, or dreading what will happen in the future. Wanting things to be other than they are causes suffering. Change can only occur when we accept things exactly as they are and move on.
Fear of death and clinging to bodily life cause us to add suffering to any pain or dis-ease our bodies might encounter. Some pain in life is inevitable, but suffering is the emotional drama that we add to any condition. What do you do that causes your own suffering?
While three of the yoga sutras are about poses, the other 192 sutras address how to live life without suffering. Part of practicing yoga is learning that suffering is a choice. Learn what the sutras say about transcending suffering in our next issue. | |
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