Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment.
By two wings we are lifted up from things earthly: by simplicity and purity.
-Thomas a Kempis
To soar to the heights, the soul needs two wings. One is purity, which enables us to keep our eyes on the one thing in life that matters: awareness of the divinity within every human being. The other is simplicity: of lifestyle, but also simplicity in our desires.
This raises a worry that many serious-minded people have today. Living in the workaday world, surrounded by all manner of influences we cannot control, can purity and simplicity ever be anything for us but beautiful abstractions? It is one thing to grasp intellectually how we want to live; it is quite another to put our ideals into practice.
Yet, it is possible to learn to tug our attention away from lesser things, and focus on what really matters. And, to our great surprise, we will actually hit on some remedies. One person may start with his teenaged son, discovering a way to give him support that hadn't occurred to him before. Another may mobilize help for children dying of hunger in Ethiopia or help the homeless in the inner city.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to consider what obstacles are on your path that inhibit your ability to move towards "what really matters." Use the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment as your guide. Work to find balance between your effort and letting go of getting anything out of your effort. Take whatever little steps or attempts you can make.
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
Monday, January 30, 2012
The two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment.
By two wings we are lifted up from things earthly: by simplicity and purity.
-Thomas a Kempis
To soar to the heights, the soul needs two wings. One is purity, which enables us to keep our eyes on the one thing in life that matters: awareness of the divinity within every human being. The other is simplicity: of lifestyle, but also simplicity in our desires.
This raises a worry that many serious-minded people have today. Living in the workaday world, surrounded by all manner of influences we cannot control, can purity and simplicity ever be anything for us but beautiful abstractions? It is one thing to grasp intellectually how we want to live; it is quite another to put our ideals into practice.
Yet, it is possible to learn to tug our attention away from lesser things, and focus on what really matters. And, to our great surprise, we will actually hit on some remedies. One person may start with his teenaged son, discovering a way to give him support that hadn't occurred to him before. Another may mobilize help for children dying of hunger in Ethiopia or help the homeless in the inner city.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to consider what obstacles are on your path that inhibit your ability to move towards "what really matters." Use the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment as your guide. Work to find balance between your effort and letting go of getting anything out of your effort. Take whatever little steps or attempts you can make.
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
This week in class we are considering the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment.
By two wings we are lifted up from things earthly: by simplicity and purity.
-Thomas a Kempis
To soar to the heights, the soul needs two wings. One is purity, which enables us to keep our eyes on the one thing in life that matters: awareness of the divinity within every human being. The other is simplicity: of lifestyle, but also simplicity in our desires.
This raises a worry that many serious-minded people have today. Living in the workaday world, surrounded by all manner of influences we cannot control, can purity and simplicity ever be anything for us but beautiful abstractions? It is one thing to grasp intellectually how we want to live; it is quite another to put our ideals into practice.
Yet, it is possible to learn to tug our attention away from lesser things, and focus on what really matters. And, to our great surprise, we will actually hit on some remedies. One person may start with his teenaged son, discovering a way to give him support that hadn't occurred to him before. Another may mobilize help for children dying of hunger in Ethiopia or help the homeless in the inner city.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to consider what obstacles are on your path that inhibit your ability to move towards "what really matters." Use the two wings of Yoga: Abhyasa or effort, willpower, and practice; and Vairagya or letting go, acceptance, and detachment as your guide. Work to find balance between your effort and letting go of getting anything out of your effort. Take whatever little steps or attempts you can make.
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, January 22, 2012
The Niyamas or the practices of self-purification through discipline and specifically Svadhyaya or Self Study
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering the Niyamas or the practices of self-purification through discipline and specifically Svadhyaya or Self Study.
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity; place your soul in the brightness of Her Glory.
-Saint Clare of Assisi
We are shaped by what gains our attention and occupies our thoughts. Today, amidst all of the conditioning to the contrary, we need constant reminders of our higher nature, and that is why spiritual reading can be very helpful. The media drown us in such a low image of the human being that it is essential to remind ourselves constantly of something higher.
All of the world's religions provide nourishment for the spirit distilled from centuries of spiritual exploration. It is a wise investment of time to take half an hour or so each day for reading from the scriptures and the writings of the great mystics of all religions. Just before bedtime is a particularly good time, because the thoughts you fall asleep in will be with you throughout the night.
Our consciousness takes on the color of what we think about. By reading the words of a favorite saint or mystic, we imbue our mind with thoughts that are beautiful, true, and full of light.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to review the second path of Yoga - the Niyamas or the practices of self-purification through discipline and specifically Svadhyaya or Self Study. For one week commit to devoting time each day to reciting, studying, and meditating, on an inspired text.
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
This week in class we are considering the Niyamas or the practices of self-purification through discipline and specifically Svadhyaya or Self Study.
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity; place your soul in the brightness of Her Glory.
-Saint Clare of Assisi
We are shaped by what gains our attention and occupies our thoughts. Today, amidst all of the conditioning to the contrary, we need constant reminders of our higher nature, and that is why spiritual reading can be very helpful. The media drown us in such a low image of the human being that it is essential to remind ourselves constantly of something higher.
All of the world's religions provide nourishment for the spirit distilled from centuries of spiritual exploration. It is a wise investment of time to take half an hour or so each day for reading from the scriptures and the writings of the great mystics of all religions. Just before bedtime is a particularly good time, because the thoughts you fall asleep in will be with you throughout the night.
Our consciousness takes on the color of what we think about. By reading the words of a favorite saint or mystic, we imbue our mind with thoughts that are beautiful, true, and full of light.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to review the second path of Yoga - the Niyamas or the practices of self-purification through discipline and specifically Svadhyaya or Self Study. For one week commit to devoting time each day to reciting, studying, and meditating, on an inspired text.
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
Monday, January 16, 2012
Building our Practices on What Endures and From a Balanced and Firm Foundation
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering building our practices on what endures and from a balanced and firm foundation.
Beauty is all very well at first sight; but who ever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?
-George Bernard Shaw
Often we try to build relationships on what is pleasing to us, particularly on physical attraction. But if there is anything sure about physical attraction, it is that it has to change. We cannot build on it; its very nature is to come and go.
Physical attraction is a sensation - here one minute and gone the next. Love is a relationship. It is pleasant to be with someone who is physically attractive, but how long can you enjoy an aquiline nose? How long can you thrill to the timbre of a voice when it doesn't say what you like? It's very much like eating: no matter how much you are attracted to chocolate pie, there is a limit to how much of it you can enjoy. Beyond that limit, if somebody merely mentions chocolate, your stomach stages a revolt.
If you want to build a relationship, build it on what endures. To build on a firm foundation, we have to stop asking, "What do I like?" and ask only, "What can I give?" Then there is joy in everything, because there is joy in the relationship itself - in ups and downs, through the pleasant and the unpleasant, in sickness and in health.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to practice some of the postures that you are least fond of. Sandwich them in between postures you are fond of. Challenge yourself to build your practice on what endures and from a balanced and firm foundation. Discover for yourself if this work translates into your relationships off of the mat.
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
This week in class we are considering building our practices on what endures and from a balanced and firm foundation.
Beauty is all very well at first sight; but who ever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?
-George Bernard Shaw
Often we try to build relationships on what is pleasing to us, particularly on physical attraction. But if there is anything sure about physical attraction, it is that it has to change. We cannot build on it; its very nature is to come and go.
Physical attraction is a sensation - here one minute and gone the next. Love is a relationship. It is pleasant to be with someone who is physically attractive, but how long can you enjoy an aquiline nose? How long can you thrill to the timbre of a voice when it doesn't say what you like? It's very much like eating: no matter how much you are attracted to chocolate pie, there is a limit to how much of it you can enjoy. Beyond that limit, if somebody merely mentions chocolate, your stomach stages a revolt.
If you want to build a relationship, build it on what endures. To build on a firm foundation, we have to stop asking, "What do I like?" and ask only, "What can I give?" Then there is joy in everything, because there is joy in the relationship itself - in ups and downs, through the pleasant and the unpleasant, in sickness and in health.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to practice some of the postures that you are least fond of. Sandwich them in between postures you are fond of. Challenge yourself to build your practice on what endures and from a balanced and firm foundation. Discover for yourself if this work translates into your relationships off of the mat.
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
Monday, January 9, 2012
Our Perceived Sense of Separateness
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering our perceived sense of separateness.
The wine of life is oozing drop by drop,
The leaves of life are falling one by one.
-Omar Khayyam
Like leaves, we come into this life, are here for a few days, and then are gone. Nobody remembers us, and nobody misses us.
As long as we believe that we are separate, we inevitably have to die. Our immortality is in the whole, which never dies. In living just for personal profit and pleasure, no matter under what philosophical name we may call it, our real personality withers away. It cannot be otherwise.
When you become aware that you are not a leaf but the tree, something amazing happens in your life: you are able to act spontaneously, almost effortlessly, for the good of all.
This is the proof of your awareness that you are the tree: everywhere it will motivate you, everywhere you will see what contribution you can make. You won't have to deliberate the pros and cons. You won't need a computer to provide you with a plan of action. You will know instinctively, intuitively, the needs of those around you. What's more, it will seem natural to change even long-established habits, to drop something that before would have given you pleasure, if it means the tree may flourish.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to reflect on how your Yoga practices can help you cultivate awareness of the needs of those around you and your community. And consider the concept that the consistent, dedicated and long-term practice of Yoga can help us eliminate the perceived sense of separateness.
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
This week in class we are considering our perceived sense of separateness.
The wine of life is oozing drop by drop,
The leaves of life are falling one by one.
-Omar Khayyam
Like leaves, we come into this life, are here for a few days, and then are gone. Nobody remembers us, and nobody misses us.
As long as we believe that we are separate, we inevitably have to die. Our immortality is in the whole, which never dies. In living just for personal profit and pleasure, no matter under what philosophical name we may call it, our real personality withers away. It cannot be otherwise.
When you become aware that you are not a leaf but the tree, something amazing happens in your life: you are able to act spontaneously, almost effortlessly, for the good of all.
This is the proof of your awareness that you are the tree: everywhere it will motivate you, everywhere you will see what contribution you can make. You won't have to deliberate the pros and cons. You won't need a computer to provide you with a plan of action. You will know instinctively, intuitively, the needs of those around you. What's more, it will seem natural to change even long-established habits, to drop something that before would have given you pleasure, if it means the tree may flourish.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to reflect on how your Yoga practices can help you cultivate awareness of the needs of those around you and your community. And consider the concept that the consistent, dedicated and long-term practice of Yoga can help us eliminate the perceived sense of separateness.
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, January 1, 2012
What does it mean to move from selfishness to selflessness?
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering what it mean to move from selfishness to selflessness.
Those who are selfless rejoice here and rejoice there; they rejoice wherever they go. They rejoice and delight in the good they have done.
-The Buddha
When we live for others, we'll find we are less oppressed by the natural changeability of life. Instead of wanting, even demanding, that everything go our way, we'll feel at peace when everything is going everybody else's way. In other words, we will be less likely to get discouraged or depressed by the normal ups and downs of life.
And when we are able to function freely in all the varied relationships and vicissitudes of life, we will gradually find an inner certitude that we are equal to every challenge. Then, just because somebody is agitated, we won't be afraid. Just because someone is unfavorably disposed towards us, we will not get diffident or annoyed. The Buddha says these outward changes of fortune can never affect our joy, which is permanent.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to witness the process you go through getting your own way. Then experiment with witnessing the process of letting go of getting your own way. Ask yourself where the balance is in-between the two. What does it mean to move from selfishness to selflessness?
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
This week in class we are considering what it mean to move from selfishness to selflessness.
Those who are selfless rejoice here and rejoice there; they rejoice wherever they go. They rejoice and delight in the good they have done.
-The Buddha
When we live for others, we'll find we are less oppressed by the natural changeability of life. Instead of wanting, even demanding, that everything go our way, we'll feel at peace when everything is going everybody else's way. In other words, we will be less likely to get discouraged or depressed by the normal ups and downs of life.
And when we are able to function freely in all the varied relationships and vicissitudes of life, we will gradually find an inner certitude that we are equal to every challenge. Then, just because somebody is agitated, we won't be afraid. Just because someone is unfavorably disposed towards us, we will not get diffident or annoyed. The Buddha says these outward changes of fortune can never affect our joy, which is permanent.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to witness the process you go through getting your own way. Then experiment with witnessing the process of letting go of getting your own way. Ask yourself where the balance is in-between the two. What does it mean to move from selfishness to selflessness?
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
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