Contemplation

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering how a contemplative practice can support us in uncovering what is “really important in life."

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.  One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

If you are determined to stick to what is really important in life, then from day to day you will see that the unimportant pastimes, the distractions that lead you away from your purpose, will gradually weaken their hold.

On the list of priorities, first and foremost is meditation.  It will clear your eyes and bring the detachment and discrimination we all need to make wise choices. So right at the top of your list should be the resolution to practice meditation, and not to let anything come in the way.

Not even the greatest of worldly achievements will satisfy us completely. Nothing finite can ever satisfy us. Sooner or later, all the vitality that has gone into pursuing countless goals in the outer world must flow into one huge desire to discover the divine presence within. This supreme discovery is what matters most in life. We are all born to seek the supreme truth.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to consider how meditation or any contemplative practice can support you in uncovering what is “really important in life”.  See if having a contemplative practice has the effects of creating peace, clarity and vision?  The only way to answer this question is from your own experience, to practice.  Work to establish a contemplative practice.

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

Tapas (no, not Spanish appetizers!)

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering Tapas (no, not Spanish appetizers!). 

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.

                                                                        -Albert Einstein

The teachings of great spiritual figures such as the Buddha are practical, not theoretical. The Buddha will say beautifully, "I have no theories." It's one of his most disarming statements. He did not engage in intellectual discussion, and often he would meet questions with a noble silence.

The scriptures are meant for translation into our daily lives over a long period of years. And in order to practice the teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, or any other teacher, we need an immense tool like meditation by which we can work on our consciousness. In this, it is not of much help to have only an intellectual understanding.

The Buddha doesn't talk about theory. Like all great teachers, he says, "These are things that you can verify for yourself." He is a supreme scientist who will say, "Undertake this experiment and discover the results for yourself."

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to work on understanding your Tapas.  Tapas means to use burning effort under all circumstances to achieve ones goal in life.  In other words what is your work?  What should your experiment be on right now?  Yoga is 100% experiential and the results are unique to each person.  Discover what your results are!

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

Awareness and our habits

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering awareness and our habits. 

Manifest plainness,

Embrace simplicity,

Reduce selfishness,

Have few desires.

                                                                                    -Lao Tzu

Detachment from likes and dislikes, habits and opinions, is not a sign of weakness. It is an enormously strong and positive quality. Nor does freedom from likes and dislikes mean that life is insipid for us, but rather that we are not driven compulsively by rigid ways of thinking. Even if we don't get what we want - or if we do get what we don't want - we can still function cheerfully and efficiently.

Detachment from habits does not mean that we have no habits.  Good habits can be very useful to cultivate in life. But we should be able to change our habits gracefully, or drop them altogether when necessary, especially if we learn that they are harmful to us or are not exactly endearing us to those around us. If we are used to a cup of coffee every morning with our breakfast and one morning we discover that we are out of coffee, we don't say, "I can't function without my coffee," and go back to bed. We should be able to say cheerfully, "I'll have tea instead - or soy milk."

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to cultivate awareness and to evaluate your habits.  Part of our asana practice exposes our habits on the mat and asks us to face them, to explore them, and to possibly make some changes – at the least we generate more awareness of what we are doing.  Take this “awareness” off of the mat and explore your habits without judgment and try to make some subtle changes in your patterns to better support your practices.   

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

Ahimsa.......a practice to keep coming back to.

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering Ahimsa.......a practice to keep coming back to. 

All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.

-Leo Tolstoy

There is nothing easy about learning to love. The real romantic must be very practical: it takes a lot of hard, unromantic work to sustain any human relationship. Naturally there are going to be differences between you and your partner. Identical twins have differences of opinion, so why should two people from, say, New York City and Paris, Texas, expect life together to be smooth sailing?

Even on the honeymoon there may be difficulties. You open Pandora's box expecting a lot of doves and out come a couple of bats instead. You have to be ready to say, "The doves are there; they're simply lying low. Why don't we get to work and shoo away these bats?" Rather than dwelling on the negative, try to respect the potential in the other person and help him or her to realize that potential through your support. If you want a relationship to get deeper and deeper with the passage of time, you will go on strengthening it all your life.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to check in with your commitment to Ahimsa - non-harming or Love.  Consider it using the principle of ahimsa in your relationships.  B.K.S. Iyengar writes that "the yogini, grounded in the practice of ahimsa, acts from a place of love and respect for all beings, including herself. This begins a new cycle of love and respect instead of harm and pain."

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