Saturday, April 25, 2009

Nutritional Yoga

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “Nutritional Yoga.”

Instead of eating carelessly and hurriedly, in the midst of noise, agitation and arguments and then going off to do Yoga exercises, wouldn’t it be much better to understand that meals give you the perfect opportunity every day, two or three times a day, to practice meditation, concentration and the harmonization of all of the cells in your body.

- Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

The homework is to consider meal time to be your Yoga practice. This is all part of taking your Yoga off of the mat and applying it to all areas of your life. Work to deepen your experience of the smells, textures and tastes of the food. Consider chewing your food more and taking more time in-between bites. Bring more presence, concentration and awareness to your meal time.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Food For Thought

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “Food For Thought.”

All food is prepared for the Supreme, never for oneself.
Be aware of the sacred nature of all food and maintain an attitude of reverence in the same way as the gardener.
Dedicate work to the Supreme.
Make the place of work as clean and as pleasant as you can.
Keep all the utensils in good order.
Try to choose a diet that builds harmony.
Maintain a flow of loving thought during the preparation of food, in whatever way you can.
However you think during the preparation will in essence be consumed.
Realize that the food you serve, both yourself and others, will contain your love in subtle form.

- Jack Santa Maria

The homework is to commit to preparing as much of your own food as you can for a week. Work to have loving energy as you prepare your food and imagine the nourishment that your cooking will provide. As you consume what you have made welcome the loving energy you instilled in the food and the nourishment it will provide.
Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Eating With Awareness

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “Eating With Awareness.”

Remember that food is the most basic link with the source of life. Be thankful for it, pray over it, honor it. We are not just filling our belly; we are nurturing our mind and spirit as well. Eating with full awareness puts us in harmony with nature – not only with the external world, but also our own inner nature.

- Carrie Angus

The reflection from the quote is to explore what it means to you to eat with full awareness. Consider making a commitment for a while to eat in silence and without reading, TV, internet or other electronic distraction. See how slow you can eat.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Money Worship

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “Money Worship.”

The great banks are cathedrals to money; the stock exchange is a temple. When friends once took me to a brokerage house, the lofty ceilings, the hushed tones, and air of reverence made me feel as if I were intruding on a sanctuary. Market quotations flickered across the wall like a continuous prayer, invoking bulls to protect against the bears. When the Dow went up, it lifted worshippers into an exalted state of mind; when it fell, they slipped into depression. In ancient times, devotees inhaled the smoke of burning laurel leaves or drank soma leaves to alter states of consciousness; today we need only a digital display.

- Eknath Easwaran

The reflection from the quote is to become more aware of the things that bring you to an “exalted state of mind” and to less exalted states. Evaluate these experiences and determine if the things that lead to ups and downs are at all relevant to how you want to lead your life. In light of your evaluation ask yourself what value you place on the “things” in life and learn for yourself what is really important.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003