Aparigraha -"non-hoarding" or "non-attachment"

One of the laws of yoga is Aparigraha. Most people describe this as non-hoarding or being non-materialistic and they throw out all their stuff. But it is easy to lean on the superficial behavior of being possession-less ( you can even get your ego involved in this -- I have less stuff than you do... etc ) , it is the intention behind it that is important.

The point of the law is to be non attached to "stuff" -- relinquishing the idea that something outside of you will make you happy -- that car, that dress, that relationship. Which cant happen because things change, the car will rust, the dress will go out of fashion, the relationship will morph into something else.

So, nobody is saying you cant have nice stuff, it's just that you have to observe your attachment to it. Giving up the idea that you "own" something is another thing --- that if you can just hold onto something for long enough it is truly yours and you have it under control.

Now go beyond material things -- what else do you think you "own" (control) ? your relationship? your kids ? your job or status? your good looks? your time ? your beliefs?

Can you let go of these things ? Can they let go of you ?

Aparigraha or non-attachment can maybe be better defined as non-clinging. Loss is inevitable because nothing stays the same. It is resistance to change that causes pain. Clinging onto something sure doesnt help. Clinging onto that tattered, old pair of jeans, clinging onto old relationships.... I'm not saying this is easy. People dont like change -- especially if the change is perceived as a loss.

Spring Cleaning time is coming soon... start thinking about what old stuff you can clear out of your life and your closets.

I dont have so much to report today --- I really just wanted to post this photo of the ashram deer... they are sooooo satvic !

Photo kindly provided by the lovely Biljana again.

We are all back from our weekend yoga retreat at Ananda Ashram..... we had a wonderful time and I am soooo grateful to all our students who came and participated with us. Yoga is such an internal process that we are all lucky to have had the opportunity to practice together surrounded by the beauty and power of Mother Nature. During yoga class with Rikard and Kristina, I positioned myself by the window so I could watch the squirrels running around the branches of the big fir tree during our asanas ! (and Kristina thought I was listening to her)

I would love to hear from our students to hear how they felt after having spent the weekend with us. Send me an email !

As you can see from the photo, the lake at the ashram was quite frozen -- some people

were brave enough to go walking on the ice!! : 0 Not me !!!

A huge thank you to Biljana who was kind enough to send me lots of photos of the ashram !

Hari OM

I saw this article today on the internet MSN Health and Fitness :

"Yoga: Not Just an Exercise

Yoga can help you beat depression.
By PsychologyToday.com

In 1990, Jenny Smith was 41 years old. That year, her mental illness became so severe that she could barely walk or speak. After days of feeling wonderful one moment and hallucinating that spiders and bugs were crawling on her skin the next, she landed in the hospital for the second time that year.

Smith is a victim of bipolar disorder, a possibly hereditary illness characterized by oscillating feelings of elation and utter depression. And though she had tried 11 different medications for relief, some in combination, nothing seemed to work. Upon leaving the hospital, Smith was told that she could expect to be in and out of psychiatric hospitals for the rest of her life. Soon after her release, Smith decided to learn hatha yoga, which incorporates specific postures, meditation and pranayamas, deep abdominal breathing techniques that relax the body. As she practiced daily, Smith noticed that her panic attacks—a symptom of panic disorder, a disease that approximately 20% of bipolar disorder sufferers also contend with—were subsiding. She has since become a certified hatha yoga instructor, and with the help of only Paxil, an antidepressant that she'd taken before without effect, Smith's pattern of severe mood swings seems to have ended. She even taught her 11-year-old daughter—who had experienced panic attacks since age 7—the simple breathing technique of inhaling to the count of four and exhaling to the count of eight; as a result, her daughter's panic attacks subsided.

Key to reaping hatha yoga's mental benefits is reducing stress and anxiety. To that end, Jon Cabot-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts, developed the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program (SRRP), a system that emphasizes mindfulness, a meditation technique where practitioners observe their own mental process. SRRP has been the focus of several scientific studies in the last 20 years, and has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety and depression, and thus alleviate mental illness.

To date, the most persuasive evidence of the benefits of hatha yoga, and in particular pranayama, stems from research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in India. New studies have shown a high success rate—up to 73%—for treating depression with sudharshan kriya, a pranayama technique taught in the U.S. as "The Healing Breath Technique." It involves breathing naturally through the nose, mouth closed, in three distinct rhythms.

According to Stephen Cope, MSW, LICSW, a psychotherapist and author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self (Bantam, 1999), hatha yoga's postures improve mood by moving energy through places in the body where feelings of grief or anger are stored. "Hatha yoga is an accessible form of learning self-soothing," he says. "These blocked feelings can be released very quickly, [creating a] regular, systemic experience of well-being." Yoga students may also benefit from their relationship with the yoga instructor, Cope said, which can provide a "container" or a safe place for investigating, expressing and resolving emotional issues. The instructor's encouraging and accepting words may also help students defeat self-limiting notions.
Not all mental health practitioners are convinced of yoga's healing powers, but many agree it can be helpful when combined with more traditional treatments. Zindel Segal, Ph.D., a University of Toronto psychiatry professor, recently studied SRRP when used in conjunction with cognitive therapy. He asked 145 people who were at risk for depression to undergo cognitive therapy either alone or with the SRRP. Segal found that after eight weeks of treatment, those participants who received both types of therapy were much less likely to relapse into depression. "This means that people can learn about their emotions not just by writing down their thoughts, which is what cognitive therapy is all about, but also by paying attention to the way their emotions are expressed in their bodies," he says. "Both approaches allow people to observe their experience without judgment, an important first step in stepping out of depression."

While yoga's therapeutic capabilities are still under scientific scrutiny, Smith isn't waiting for more proof. Having lost her grandmother to depression—she was one of many bipolar sufferers who take their own life due to the disease—Smith is determined not to let the disorder get the best of her. Since 1994, she has practiced and taught hatha yoga to depression sufferers—passing on what she believes has literally saved her life. "

I like knowing about people who come up with wonderful ideas of how to re-distribute wealth. It's not a matter of stealing from the rich to feed the poor, its a matter of re-channeling money and ideas to help set people up on their feet.

There is an article in FORTUNE magazine now about Mohammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, who is talking to major international companies about changing their traditional notions about performance and revenue -- what if a company could report on their financial statements how many lives were saved or improved by their product ? What if investors could make their decisions to buy stock based not just on yield and growth, but on the "social capital" of a company ? a social dividend for shareholders?

Danone is building a yoghurt factory in Bangladesh (at Mr. Yunus' suggestion). This provides local construction jobs, yoghurt making jobs, sales jobs, dairy cow sales, delivery service jobs.... etc etc... the idea is that it will eventually be a sustainable business run by the local people and that Danone will eventually see the return of its initial investment -- so it actually wont cost Danone anything in the end. This one small factory will provide income for 1600 people.

In addition, the yoghurt is fortified to fight malnutrition in children.

Well, we are back from our yoga weekend retreat (and we had a great time !!) and today, Valentine's Day has coincided with New York's first real snow fall this winter ! It's a snow-mixed-with-hail kind of precipitation, and quite painful when it hits you in the face. So we are all slushing around in our boots, trying to stay upright and navigating the puddles and the flower delivery guys.

I walked by a sidewalk florist I like on 8th Avenue and he has a multitude of dressy bouquets on display -- and all the flowers have a special sprinkling of sparkly snow on them. It looks soooo nice on a grey day!

Happy Valentine's Day !!!

Hey, feel free to leave comments -- I love hearing from you. Or if there is anything in particular you have a question about....

Tree Greetings

A new idea for gift buying ...

This is kind of like an e-card for birthdays etc.... you pay them $9 or $10 and a tree of your choice gets planted somewhere to support the ecosystem. Thinking Green here.

www.treegreetings.com

The Spiritual Cinema Circle

All you have to do is subscribe to this and they will send you DVDs of movies with a spiritual bent. They make it easy for you to find movies you might not have known about that open your heart.

www.spiritualcinemacircle.com


There is also another verison of the same idea but for books :

www.transformationalbookcircle.com

Yoga Retreat Feb 9-11

I am co-hosting a weekend yoga retreat with Kristina and Rikard (both Anusara Yoga teachers) at the beautiful Ananda Ashram in the Catskills. Beginner Yogis are welcome.

The ashram is easily accessible by Shortline bus (from Port Authority) from Manhattan -- just a 60 minute bus ride and then 10 minutes by taxi.

We start the weekend on Friday evening with introductions at 7pm, followed by the ashram's Open Talent Show.

Saturday, we begin with my Quiet Yoga Guided Meditation in the Lake House with beautiful view of the lake , breakfast, and then Yoga Yoga Yoga with Kristina and Rikard. After lunch, more deep yoga meditation and then yoga class. Come evening, we will participate with the ashram programs of Kirtan (chanting), Fire Ceremony and satsang -- it will be loads of FUN !

Sunday, more Anusara yoga and deep meditation - guiding you with your breath, energizing your chakras and opening you up to the beauty of your own life energy. After lunch, you are free to take a walk around the lake, take a leisurely hike through the woods or go shopping at the little gift shop.

The prices include your accommodation for Friday and Saturday nights, all your (vegetarian) meals, yoga classes, meditation classes, the Talent Show and all the regular ashram programs.

Semi Private room (2 beds) $325 per person
Dorm room (6 beds maximum) $300 per person

**Bring a friend and get $50 discount per person **

If you want to pay by credit card, go to Kristina's website and you can pay via PayPal.
www.yogafly.com. You can contact me via her website too -- or leave a comment here.

So, all you international yogis and yoginis from Milano, London, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Washington DC, Caracas etc etc who read my blog -- YOU are all invited to come too !! Get over here ! It's SO easy ! Come transform yourselves with us -- and bring a friend !

OM

Welcome to my blog !!

I am so thrilled that yogis from all over the world are reading my blog !! : )
It is so mind boggling what the internet can do. International yogis interested in what's happening in New York City.

Italy, Spain, France and the United Arab Emirates checked in today !!

-- not forgetting to mention Virginia, New York, California .... etc..

So please pass my blogsite info onto your friends -- I love having you all.

OM Shanti

I was wandering around Soho and the Bowery a couple of weekends ago. There are lots of new luxury condos going up . The neighborhood is definately cleaning up -- not so sure I like this homogenization of Manhattan.

Anyway, there are some interesting boutiques and bars popping up. One of them is The Bowery Poetry Club at 308 Bowery (2nd Street). You can go there and relax, have a sandwich / salad /coffee in the afternoon or go in the evening and have a glass of wine and listen to the new poets of New York. They have lots of events and an open mic night, so try it out ! Go pretend you are in the 1950's and you're hanging out with beatniks.

They also have some connection with a film editing space -- where you can take classes in film editing or rent space/equipment and edit your own film. Just thought it would be useful info for all you budding film makers out there.

Dharma Yoga Center

For new students at the Dharma Yoga Center (23rd and 3rd Ave)

5 yoga classes for $40 (that's $8 per class !)

www.dharmayogacenter.com
212 889 8160

I hope you all take advantage of these opportunities to sample yoga classes at different yoga studios. I truly believe that you should try all different kinds of yoga to find what really speaks to you. And the more kinds of yoga you are exposed to, the more you learn !!!

Namaste

"Those who receive love from others cannot be its recipients without giving a response, that, in itself, is the nature of Love.

True love is unconquerable and irresistible. It goes on gathering power and spreading itself until eventually it transforms everyone it touches. Humanity will attain a new mode of being and life through the free and unhampered interplay of pure love from the heart. "

Meher Baba

Integral Yoga Institute was started 40 years ago by Swami Satchitananda in NYC. He was a "hip" swami, well known as the Woodstock Guru, and friends with many artists and musicians of the 1960's.

As students, you may not realize it, but the school were you come to for yoga is actually an urban Ashram in the middle of NYC.

Shri Swami Satchitananda lived there (in "Heaven") until the end of his natural life. IYI still has swamis (monks) in permanent residence, as well as a handful of resident "ashramites" who help take care of the building and the school, making it a special place for you to come practice yoga.

So that is one of the reasons that IYI is so special -- it is not just another yoga studio, it is an ashram.

"Don't run after anything. The only place to 'run' is within. All the philosophies, all the religions, sages, the saints, prophets, all unanimously say 'Know yourself.' You are yourself happy; you are yourself peaceful. Find the peace within you. Don't try to get it from outside. If you do, it's just a borrowed peace, a borrowed happiness.

So, look within. That's why the English term for God is spelled G-O-D. What does the name 'GOD' say? It's short for 'GO' and what else?: 'D.' It's short for GO DEEP! Not 'go out.' In the Tamil language of South India, God's name is 'Kadavul.' It breaks down to mean: 'Kada,' get, and 'vul,' within. Get within.

God bless you. Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi."

Shri Swami Satchitananda
Founder of Integral Yoga Institute NYC

Participate with the abundance of the Universe

Did you know that you can use the internet to sign up for virtual stock market trading games ? You get to practice buying and selling stocks with fantasy money for the purpose of learning how the market works !! Actual stock market prices are used for a realistic experience and you can even compete against other "traders" if you like ! Is this not the best thing ever ?

People think that it is hard to get money. Well, money is actually pretty common stuff. Government mints are printing tons of it right now as you read this. Stock brokers are moving the stuff around the world by the truckload even as you sleep at night. There is plenty of money flying around everywhere --- the trick is figuring out how to make some of it land in your bank account (legally, of course!).

So here are some links to get you started on finding the game that suits you. You can find more if you do a google search. Have fun with it !

http://www.howthemarketworks.com/

http://www.simustock.com/

http://www.youngmoney.com/



Hey, if you like my blog, feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing from my students.

Vegan Vs. Vegetarian

There is a happy article today in the NY Times about Ms. Moskowitz, a punk rocker woman who lives in Brooklyn, is a vegan chef, and produces her own vegan cooking TV show “The Post Punk Kitchen” and has written several cookbooks. She fell in love with Julia Child and Martha Stewart and uses her inspiration to make delicious vegan goodies.

Vegetarianism is the philosophy of eating without harming any living thing. This means vegetarians don’t eat anything you have to kill – fish, animals, birds.

VEGANS will not eat or use anything from another living creature --- no milk, eggs, cheese, honey, silk, leather, wool ….. The reason being that chicken eggs are potentially a new life, and the laying chickens are mistreated, kept in cages with no regard for their comfort or safety. The same goes for dairy cows and goats, who suffer miserable lives, never see a blade of grass or sunshine.

Silk and honey are made by insects…. And in the harvesting of the silk or honey, many of the bees or worms are killed. And obviously, wool comes from a sheep and why would a sheep volunteer to have its wool shorn off by some farm hand ?

Here are links to the NYT article and Ms. Moskowitz’s web site (includes show schedule and recipes ) :

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/dining/24vega.html?8dpc

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/

The wonder of the internet is that I have this blog and sometimes I feel like I am just sitting here talking to myself -- but in reality, people are reading this all over the world !

People in France, Poland, Canada, India, Germany, Australia, California and Staten Island (and other places !) are logging onto to my site ! It is quite mind boggling sometimes.

Anyway, I want to welcome you all.

Leave a comment if you can. I love to hear from you!!

and do send a link to my blog to your friends --- let's see if we can build a yoga community in every country in the world.

Namaste.

Belly Dancing Class !!

Wednesdays at 8pm with Zahava at the Chopra Center on Broadway/54th Street
$15.00

Awesome stuff here and Zahava is extraordinarily talented. Really worth checking her out . She is a professionally trained ballet dancer, a yoga teacher and all round super talented (and tiny) !

Belly dancing makes you use your body in a whole different way -- you learn to isolate specific muscles, get a workout, loosen up the spine and hips and have loads of FUN !

Deepak Chopra's spa is beautiful. If you like, you can get an ayurvedic massage or a facial while you are there !


Chopra Center & Spa
1710 Broadway / 54th Street NYC
212 246-7600

"When you change the way you look at things, things change"

Well, Kristina and I were chatting on our way up to the ashram over the weekend and our conversation drifted over to how easy/difficult it is to change your head and how you perceive something is so important.

So I told her this story about how many years ago I was traveling through Oklahoma or somewhere and I had a tan and long hair. I stopped off at a small place because I wanted to buy a sandwich. I walked up to the counter and ordered, but from behind me I heard a man say "We dont serve squaws in here". I had never seen or met a "real Indian" so I was thrilled !

I turned around to see the squaw -- I was sure she was beautiful and had long hair and that she was going to be wearing all this great turquoise jewelry (ok, I guess I was expecting Cher) and I was hoping maybe she would invite me to check out her teepee..... but there was nobody there. I was a little confused. Where is this squaw?

Finally, it dawned on me that the man was referring to ME !! So here we are --- in this guy's head, I'm a squaw and undesireable. In my head, I'm looking for the beautiful Indian woman and excited to meet her. All of that negative energy and positive energy flying around over the same thing --- our perceptions were completely opposite to one another.

And none of it was true. There was no squaw there. But it was a clear demonstration of how the way you look at things makes so much of a difference.