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Love,

paul

Progress in your Yoga Practices

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.      -Saint Francis de Sales

While we were living on the Blue Mountain in India, we noticed that our local bank had a very neighborly arrangement for collecting funds from the villagers. Poor villagers have very little to save, only a few copper pennies at most. To encourage them to deposit even these few pennies every day, the bank employed a boy with a bicycle to go into the village to their homes, collect their few coppers, and enter the total in their account.

In meditation it is the same: when the Self comes, we can say, "We are no great saint, but a few times today we have tried to be patient. A few times today we have tried to put our family first. A few times today we have resisted some little craving for personal satisfaction." This is how most of us are going to make progress for a long time: a few pennies here, a few pennies there, collected every day. But in these innumerable little acts of selflessness lies spiritual growth, which over a long period can transform every one of us into a loving person. To quote the bank advertisement, "It all adds up."

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

The homework is to reflect on what it takes to make progress in your Yoga practices and what progress means. Spiritual growth? Physical prowess? How would progressing slowly in your practices cross over into other areas of life? Consider which of the Eight Limbs of Yoga are most relevant in this discovery.

Yama – universal moral commandments,

Niyama – self- purification by discipline,

Asana – posture,

Pranayama – rhythmic control of the breath,

Pratyahara – refinement of the senses,

Dharana – concentration,

Dhyana – meditation,

Samadhi – a state of super-consciousness or absorption.

The five Yamas are as follows:

-Ahimsa, a commitment to non-violence.

-Satya, a commitment to being honest and truthful.

-Asteya, a commitment to non-stealing.

-Brahmacharya, a commitment to continence (responsibility), moderation and dedication to the understanding of Divinity.

-Aparigraha, a commitment to non-covetousness.

The five Niyamas are as follows:

-Saucha, a commitment to purity internally and externally.

-Santosa, a commitment to being content and reducing desires and becoming cheerful and creating balance of mind.

-Tapas, a commitment to being disciplined in the mind and body and directing the mind towards the self within.

-Svadhyaya,  a commitment to study the source of our actions, to continue to study and learn and to search for truth and self-realization.

-Isvara Pranidhana, a commitment to surrendering to the powers that be and abiding to the greater will.

References:

Light on Yoga, Light on the Yoga Sutras, and The Tree of Yoga all by BKS Iyengar

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

www.rushingwateryoga.com                           info@rushingwateryoga.com

Tapas

Thy desire is thy prayer; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. . . . The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.

 -Saint Augustine

I once had a physicist friend who would gladly discuss electric power; but harnessing the power of a passion or a craving - well, that was not dynamics; that was poetry. "Power," he told me sternly, "is the capacity to do work. Work is the energy required to move a definite mass a definite distance. No movement, no work. No work, no power."

Day or night I had never seen my friend far from his desk. Then late one evening I came out of a movie theater and saw him striding along like an athlete, several miles from his office. "What got you up from your desk?" I asked. "You're breaking the habits of a lifetime."

"Coffee," he muttered. "I ran out of coffee."

"Here," I said, "a very definite mass has been propelled at least three miles, simply by one little

desire for a cup of coffee." He got my point.

Every deep desire is a prayer. Every desire also contains a certain quantum of energy - energy to grasp the desired goal.

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

The homework is to explore the third Niyama - Tapas.  One definition of Tapas is to use burning effort under all circumstances to achieve one’s goal in life. Consider what Saint Augustine means by “desire” and apply Tapas to your discovery.

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

www.rushingwateryoga.com                           info@rushingwateryoga.com

Ahimsa

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering Ahimsa.

The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best of a good man's life.

 -William Wordsworth

Our lives affect others, whether directly, through the environment, or by the force of our example.

For instance, we could say that smoking shows a lack of love. First, our capacity for love is actually caught in the compulsion to smoke. But more than that, the example tells even casual passersby, "Don't worry about what your doctor says. Don't worry about the consequences. If it feels good, do it!"

Pele, the Brazilian soccer star, was in a position to command a king's ransom for endorsing commercial products. He never gave his endorsement to any cigarette, putting the reason in simple words: "I love kids." That is a perfect choice of words. He does love kids. He knows that in most of the world they will buy anything with his name on it. Therefore, though he came from a poor family, no amount of money can tempt him to do something that will mislead young people or injure their health.

To love is to be responsible like this in everything: the work we do, the things we buy, the food we eat, the people we look up to, the movies we see, the words we use, every choice we make from morning till night. That is the real measure of love; it is a wonderfully demanding responsibility.

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

The homework is to revisit the first Yama: Ahimsa. “The word ahimsa is made up of the particle ‘a’ meaning ‘not’ and the noun himsa meaning killing or violence.  It is more than a negative command not to kill, for it has a wider positive meaning, love.  This loves embraces all creation…….BKS Iyengar. "Ahimsa is an intelligent, harmonious relationship.  Harmony is the essence of nonviolence." V. Thakar. "The yogi, grounded in the practice of ahimsa, acts from a place of love and respect for all beings, including himself. This begins a new cycle of love and respect instead of harm and pain." BKS Iyengar. See how you can make Ahimsa come alive in your lives.

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

Selfless Action

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering selfless action.

Those whose consciousness is unified abandon all attachment to the results of action and attain supreme peace. But those whose desires are fragmented, who are selfishly attached to the results of their work, are bound in everything they do.

 -Bhagavad Gita

It is not so much work that tires us, but ego-driven work. When we are selfishly involved, we cannot help worrying, we cannot help getting overly concerned about our success or failure. The preoccupation with results makes us tense, and our anxiety exhausts us.

The Gita is essentially a call to action. But it is a call to selfless action, that is, action without any selfish attachments to the results. It asks us to do our best, yet never allow ourselves to become involved in whether things work out the way we want.

It takes practice to learn this skill, but once you have it, as Gandhi says, you will never lose your nerve. The sense of inadequacy goes, and the question "Am I equal to this job?" will not arise. It is enough that the job needs to be done and that you are doing your best to get it done.

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

The homework is to consider that through selfless action we can learn to not become attached to the action or to the fruits of the action. “Action done in selflessness is nourishing. You nourish yourself and you nourish the other person….Whatever you do, do it without self. Do it with selflessness.”¹

¹ Excerpts from Time to be Holy – Swami Sivananda Radha

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

Living a Life of Selfless Service

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering our legacy and living a life of selfless service.

I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me. I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.

 -Anne Frank

When you discover that everyone is contained in you and you are contained in everyone, you have realized the unity of life, which is the divine ground of existence. Then you are not just a person; you have become a beneficial force. Wherever you go, wherever you live, those around you will benefit from your life.

The life of such a person, such as Mahatma Gandhi in our own times, becomes a permanent, selfless force on this earth, because even after death his influence continues to bring people together, to make them aware of their trusteeship for the resources of the earth and for all creatures. Gandhi is still alive because he is still at work as a real force, advancing peace, good will, and unity.

Even one unassuming man or woman leading a selfless life, though he or she may live only a few years on earth, enriches all life for all time to come. Even if one person in a community is leading a selfless life, he will make his contribution, and she will slowly inspire others to make the same contribution, because human nature responds to such an example.

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

The homework is to consider what your legacy is, what your contribution is. Challenge yourself to lead a more selfless life – like Jesus, like Gandhi. Through your own experience explore how the many practices of Yoga support you in this endeavor.

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

Can't Have Enough of "Tapas" !

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering Tapas - to use burning effort under all circumstances to achieve ones goal in life.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

 -Mahatma Gandhi

What counts most in life is not IQ but WQ, "Will Quotient." No one can plead that he or she lacks will. There is will in every desire. Every desire carries with it the will to bring that desire to fruition. When it comes to something we like, we have all the will we need. Someone says, "Hey, come on, we're going skiing!" and that is enough. We will get out of bed at three in the morning, drive for hours, stand cheerfully in the snow waiting for the ski lift, and in general suffer all kinds of discomfort with a will of iron. Yet as small a challenge as a letter to Aunt Gertrude will find the will against us.

To control our destiny, we need to harness our will, to do not what we like, but what is in our long-term best interest. If the will is strong enough, great things can be accomplished; if the will is weak, very little. In every endeavor, it is the man or woman with a firm will who excels.

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

The homework is to experiment with yourself to see if bringing more consistency and dedication (Tapas) to your Yoga practices increases your ability to harness your will. In harnessing your will, learn how to recognize what is in the best interest of the people around you and work towards realizing this “best interest.”

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

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering Tapas - to use burning effort under all circumstances to achieve ones goal in life.

If someone takes your coat, give him your cloak as well; if he makes you go a mile with him, go with him two.

    -The Gospel According to Saint Matthew

If you really want to land a blow at a compulsion, defy it. Do just the opposite of what it says. It is a daring approach which appeals to everyone with a sense of adventure. If somebody has been unkind to you, go out of your way to be kind to him. It can require a lot of endurance simply to be patient with such a person, but we're talking about more than endurance now; we're talking about daring.

Try it: there is an exhilaration in it, and a special delight in seeing the other person rub his eyes in disbelief, "I was just rude to him, and now he's being thoughtful. What's wrong with him?"

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

The homework is to learn how the discipline we bring to our Yoga practice - part of our Tapas can help us move through life as described above.  Tapas means to use burning effort under all circumstances to achieve ones goal in life.  Tapas needs to be applied in three areas: body, speech and mind.  Practicing non-violence towards your own body is one way to practice tapas of body.  Speaking kindly and truthfully can be one way to practice tapas of speech.  Developing an even mind that stays balanced in sorrow and joy and practicing self-discipline is tapas of mind. 

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

The Seventh Limb of Yoga, Dhyana (Meditation).

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering the seventh limb of Yoga, Dhyana (meditation).

A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or a bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.

 -Meister Eckhart

Below the relatively superficial levels of the mind - beneath the emotions we are ordinarily aware of – lie layer on layer of the unconscious mind. This is the "cloud of unknowing," where primordial instincts, fears, and urges cover our understanding. The deepest flaw in the mind is what Einstein called the "kind of optical delusion of consciousness" that makes us see ourselves as separate from the rest of life. Like a crack in glasses that we must wear every moment of

our lives, this division is built into the mind. "I" versus "not-I" runs through everything we see.

To see life as it is, the mind must be made pure: everything that distorts must be quieted or removed. When the mind is completely still, unstirred even in its depths, we see straight through to the ground of our being, which is divine.

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

The homework is to note that the first six limbs of Yoga prepare you for the next two limbs of Yoga: Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (a state of super-consciousness or absorption). If you do not have a meditation or contemplation practice consider what it takes to start one. See if through systematic effort in meditation you can succeed in breaking through the surface level of consciousness.  Below this is the unconscious where our habits of thinking and acting live and the obstacles we create through self-will: the fierce, driving compulsion to have our own way, get what we want, and stamp ourselves separate from the rest of life. Then learn for yourself how contemplation can lead us to transcend all duality and experience the unitive state, where nothing is separate.  This state is shanti, perfect peace. 

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

The Middle Path

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering how the practices of Yoga help us maintain the middle path.

He that can have patience, can have what he will.                  

 -Benjamin Franklin

Here is a tip for keeping the palate on the middle path. When it is craving candy or a hot fudge sundae, go for a walk repeating the mantram you have chosen, and bargain for time. Tell your mind, "In two hours, on our way home we can go to an ice cream parlor for a deluxe sundae." Interestingly enough, two hours later the mind has forgotten ice cream sundaes and is thinking about the movie it will enjoy tomorrow evening. All you need do is put just a little break of time between the palate and its desire, for you can count on the mind to change its desires.

Treat the mind gently, patiently, and compassionately. Since it has been allowed free license for so many years, it is not fair to expect it to come round in a day or two.

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

The homework is to discover for yourself how to “keep the palate on the middle path”. Consider what it means to “put just a little break of time between the palate and its desire”. Work to generalize this concept to other areas of life like your behavior or any time you go on automatic. Remember that the “goal” of Yoga is to still the fluctuations of the mind and that the practices of Yoga should move you in this direction.

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

The Fifth Yama Aparigraha - Non-Covetousness or Greedlessness

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering the fifth Yama Aparigraha - non-covetousness or greedlessness.

My life is an indivisible whole, and all my attitudes run into one another; and they all have their rise in my insatiable love for mankind.

                    -Mahatma Gandhi

We should be able to make all sorts of graceful concessions on things that do not matter in life and yet stand unshakable on essentials.

To do this, we have to be detached from our opinions. I'm not recommending that we be wishy-washy, or lack strength in our convictions, but that we cultivate the forbearance not to force our opinions on others. When we have strength of conviction we will not get rattled when people question or contradict us. Mahatma Gandhi, for example, was not in favor of tea or coffee, but he would make a cup of tea for his wife each morning just the way she liked it. This is bending gracefully on nonessentials.

When it came to essentials, however, Gandhi was unshakable. His dedication to nonviolence was so absolute that he would abruptly call off a successful nationwide program of noncooperation with the British if he heard any reports of violence committed by his countrymen, even those who did not acknowledge him as their leader.

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

The homework is to consider the fifth Yama, Aparigraha - non-covetousness or greedlessness.  Write down some of your opinions that you identify with.  Apply the practice of Aparigraha and pick one or two opinions and work to detach yourself from these opinions. Also consider what it means to be “unshakeable on essentials” and how your Yoga practices can help you understand what your “essentials” are and how these practices support your in remaining “unshakable”.

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

Myself and the Rest of the World

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering the original duality of “myself” and “the rest of the world”.

To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that.

                                    -Saint Teresa of Avila

For the majority of us, uncertainty is worse than disaster, because disaster comes to us only rarely; worry depletes us often. We never know whether we are going to get a brick or a bouquet. If we knew for certain a brick was on its way, there would be no anxiety. We would just say, "Throw it and be done with it."

We can learn how to handle both bricks and bouquets, praise and censure, success and defeat. When we can say, "Whatever comes, we will not be afraid because the divine Self is within us," then this resoluteness and faith will enable us to work free from tension, agitation, and fear of defeat. The person who works in this way is at peace, because he or she is not anxious about results.

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

The homework is to consider our habit of dividing the world into comparative pieces and our original division of life into the duality of “myself” and “the rest of the world.” Relate this pattern of self-prescribed dualities to Easwaran’s commentary especially in terms of certainty vs uncertainty. Would you be at peace if you were able to experientially transcend this duality? How do the practices of Yoga help move you in this general direction?

Reference: The Secret of the Yamas, A Spiritual Guide to Yoga - John McAfee. 

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

Simplicity, the Important Things in Life and Consistent Practice

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering simplicity, the important things in life and consistent practice.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

Little we see in Nature that is ours.

-William Wordsworth

Our modern way of life seems to be making us busier and busier about less and less. It is only after we begin to taste the joy of simple living that we realize how much all this frantic activity can stand between us and our fulfillment. The more we divide our interests, our allegiances, our activities, the less time we have for living.

Loving, loyal personal relationships take time. We cannot get to know someone intimately in a day or establish a lasting relationship during a weekend conference. If we spend eight hours a day at our job and the evening watching television, where is the time for cultivating close friendships? If we simplify our lives, we shall find the time and energy to be together with our family and friends, or to give our time to a worthy cause that needs our contribution. The simple life doesn't mean bearing with a drab routine; it means giving our time and attention to what is most important.

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

The homework is to consider how the many practices of Yoga can support you in uncovering what is “really important in life”.  See if having a consistent practice has the effect of helping cultivate simplicity and if in this simplicity the things that are really important come to the surface?  The only way to answer this question is from your own experience, to 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

Letting Go

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering letting go.

The restriction of these fluctuations is achieved through practice and dispassion.

            -Yoga Sutra 1:12

One of the most frequently studied principles of yoga’s sacred texts is the concept of letting go - also called detachment or surrender.

Why is detachment so difficult to understand?  Perhaps the problem lies in confusing being detached with being uninterested.  Actually, they are opposites.  If you are uninterested, you withdraw, you turn your back on life, which, in a way, denies the difficulty of life.  To be detached is to stand in the middle of the marketplace, with all its confusion and noise, and to remain present to yourself and to all that is.

Detachment beckons you to cultivate the willingness to surrender as you go along, right here and now, but not because you despair or are uninterested.  On the contrary, detachment requires total engagement.  When you allow yourself to see things as they really are, then -  and only then – can you love yourself and others without hidden expectations.  Detachment is the greatest act of love.

The next time you feel yourself caught in the grip of attachment, such as wanting something to turn out a certain way, take time out – right then and there –to notice what is happening in your body.  How does your belly feel?  Has your breathing changed?  Is your jaw tight?  Your forehead drawn?  Notice your bodily sensations.  These are the manifestations of your attachment.

Practice Suggestions.

If you notice that you have a strong desire to be right, try not venturing an opinion the next time someone else expresses one.

If you are in a situation in which you notice your attachment to the outcome of a problem, offer your help and then step back; this will free others to do the same.

When the occasion arises, go along with what your partner or friend wants.  Let her pick the restaurant or movie.  Or, if you always rely on her lead, you pick.

Mantras for Daily Living.

-Detachment is the greatest act of love.

-I am willing to engage life.

-This moment is the perfect moment to let go.

Excerpts from “Living your Yoga, Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life”, by Judith Lasater.

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

How our Yoga Practices Prepare us to be Mindful in the Work we do in the World

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering how our Yoga practices prepare us to be mindful in the work we do in the world.

What we take in by contemplation, that we pour out in love.

-Meister Eckhart

The old dispute about the relative virtues of the active way to spiritual awareness versus the contemplative way is a spurious one. We require both. They are phases of a single rhythm like the pulsing of the heart, the in-drawing and letting go of breath, the ebb and flow of the tides. So we go deep, turn inwards in meditation to consolidate our vital energy, and then with greater love and wisdom we come out into the family, the community, the world. Without action, we lack opportunities for changing our old ways and we increase our self-will rather than lessen it; without contemplation, we lack the strength to change and are blown about by our conditioning.

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

The homework is to observe for yourself how attention (Dharana) and breath (Prana) prepares you for the movement (Karma, action) of your body in asana. Apply this same concept to your contemplation practices and the work you do in the world. One of the best ways to learn about this connection is to stop praying (or whatever your contemplation practice is) in the morning for a few days and see how your energy is throughout the day. Start up again and notice if your energy is more balanced.

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

First Steps on the Path

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering the first steps on the path of Yoga.

Beginnings are important, as they set the tone for what will follow.  Thus beginners on the yogic path would do well to understand correctly what Yoga is about and then to approach it accordingly.  There is a humorous saying in Yoga circles that Yoga has been reduced to the practice of postures, and that postures has been reduced to stretching, and that stretching has been reduced to lengthening the hamstrings.  Authentic Yoga is always a spiritual discipline.

Every single technique or practice of the highly diversified approach of Yoga has the same purpose: to set us free, to take us beyond the conditioning of our ego-personality, into the spacious realm of the Spirit, or higher self (called Atman or Purusha).

As we set foot on the yogic path, we must right away acknowledge that we have work to do on ourselves.  This sense should stay with us until we are actually Self-realized, or liberated.

The best protection against going astray on the spiritual path is humility and integrity.  That is why the yogic path begins not with the postures or meditation, as so widely believed, but with moral disciplines: nonharming; truthfulness; nonstealing; continence and moderation; and greedlessness.

I know that no ecstatic state (Samadhi), however lofty, amounts to very much without firm grounding in the moral disciplines.  For the ultimate goal of liberation depends on our psychological and moral integrity.  The entire yogic process can be viewed as one of progressive self-realization.  There are no shortcuts to self-realization.  Our inner purity (or integrity) is the only doorway to freedom.

Yoga Gems: A Treasury of Practical and Spiritual Wisdom from Ancient and Modern Masters – Edited by Georg Feuerstein

The homework is to evaluate your reasons for practicing yoga.  Study and understand the “moral disciplines” and work to implement (or re-implement) this first step in the yogic process – practicing the Yamas. Then learn about the other seven limbs of Yoga and see how they can be applied to your life (see below).

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

Eight Limbs of Yoga

Described in the second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Eight Limbs of Yoga are set fourth as the means, or the path towards the “quest of the soul.”  The eight limbs are as follows:

Yama – commitment to universal moral commandments 

Niyama – self-purification through discipline 

Asana – posture

Pranayama – rhythmic control of the breath

Pratyahara – withdrawal and emancipation of the mind from the domination of the senses and exterior objects 

Dharana – concentration 

Dhyana – meditation

Samadhi – a state of super-consciousness

Yama and Niyama control the yogini’s passions and emotions and keep her in harmony with others.  Asanas keep the body healthy and strong and in harmony with nature.  Finally, the yogini becomes free of body consciousness.  She

conquers the body and renders it a fit vehicle for the soul.  These three limbs represent bahiranga sadhana, the outward quests.  These limbs are also considered the physical pursuits.

The next two stages, Pranayama and Pratyahara, teach the aspirant to regulate the breathing, and thereby control the mind.  This helps to free the senses from the thralldom of the objects of desire.  These two limbs represent the antaranga sadhana, the inner quests.  These limbs are also considered the mental pursuits.

Dharana , Dhyana, and Samadhi take the yogini into the innermost recesses of her soul.  The yogini does not look

heavenward to find God.  She knows that God is within, being known as the Antaratma, the Inner Self.  The last three stages keep the yogini in harmony with herself and her maker.  These three limbs are called antaratma sadhana, the quest of the soul.  These limbs are also considered the spiritual pursuits.

The five Yamas are as follows:

-Ahimsa, non-violence

-Satya, honesty and truthfulness

-Asteya, non-stealing

-Brahmacharya, continence (responsibility), moderation and dedication to the understanding of Divinity

-Aparigraha, non-covetousness

The five Niyamas are as follows:

-Saucha, purity internally and externally

-Santosa, contentment, reducing desires, becoming cheerful and creating balance of mind

-Tapas, discipline in the mind and body and directing the mind towards the self within

-Svadhyaya,  study the source of our actions, learn and search for truth and self-realization

-Isvara Pranidhana, dedication to humanity and surrendering to God and the powers that be and abiding to the greater will

References:  Light on Yoga, Light on the Yoga Sutras, and The Tree of Yoga all by BKS Iyengar (paraphrased)

Facing Difficult Situations

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering how to best face difficult situations.

You must learn an inner solitude, wherever or with whomsoever you may be. You must learn to penetrate things and find God there, to get a strong impression of God firmly fixed in your mind.

-Meister Eckhart

To give full attention to whatever we are doing isn't easy when we have a job we dislike, or must work with people who are difficult. Then our attention wanders like a child's - looking at this glass for a moment, then at this table, then out the window. If we could only attend a little more to the work, even when we dislike it, it would become quite interesting. When we can give it our full attention, anything becomes interesting. And anything, when we do not give it our full attention, becomes uninteresting.

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

The homework is to notice when you become distracted (Vrittis) when something is difficult (Duhkha). Take the time in that moment to sit with your difficulty and give it your full attention (Dharana). See if giving this difficult situation your full attention makes it interesting or at least helps you understand it more clearly and directs you to meaningful action (Karma).

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

Obstacles and What Really Matters

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering the obstacles that are on our path that inhibit our ability to move towards "what really matters."

We need people who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not. *

-George Bernard Shaw

In an Indian movie I saw recently, a villager leaves home for the first time to travel to the city of Bombay. When he returns, his family and friends crowd around him, asking what it was like in the big city. His laconic reply sums up our era: "Such tall buildings . . . and such small people."

If we were asked to give an accounting of our society's achievements, we could claim many great technological developments and scientific discoveries, plenty of skyscrapers, and the amassment of huge sums of money, but few truly secure, truly wise, truly great men and women. It is not for lack of ability or energy, though; it is because we lack a noble goal.

To grow to our full height, we need to be challenged with tasks that draw out our deeper resources, the talents and capacities we did not know we had. We need to be faced with obstacles that cannot be surmounted unless we summon up our daring and creativity. This kind of challenge is familiar to any great athlete or scientist or artist. No worthwhile accomplishment comes easily.

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.

*edited to make gender neutral

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

Pursuing Peace

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are considering which Yoga practices can help us pursue peace.

Pursuing Peace

by Eknath Easwaran

Mahatma Gandhi has said that to be well adjusted in a wrong situation is very bad; in a wrong situation we should keep on acting to set it right. But in order to reconcile individuals, communities, or countries, we have to have peace in our minds. If we pursue peace with anger and animosity, nothing can be stirred up but conflict.

Meditation and the allied disciplines enable you to take your convictions deeper and deeper into consciousness, so that they become a constant source of strength and security – even when you are severely challenged or threatened. When you practice meditation, you are working hard for the welfare of the world, for the regeneration of society, for the establishment of peace on earth and good will among all, which, as we know to our cost, cannot be done by governments or by corporations but only by millions of little people in little groups, working in all countries, through their personal example.

When I read newspaper accounts of individuals, factions, and governments unleashing provocative words and actions against each other at the same time they are trying to settle their differences, I am reminded of the wise statement attributed to Mahatma Gandhi that an eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.

These tragic confrontations are caused by utter forgetfulness of the deep unity that underlies all petty differences of religion, ethnicity, language, or national identity – a forgetfulness that leads to never ending violence, war, and destruction.  Speaking as a spiritual teacher, let me humbly submit that a true and lasting peace can only come about through the awakening of a deep sense of shared humanity.

How meditation helps

In the mystical tradition it is said that the human appeal and the divine response go together. If we deepen our desire for God’s help by memorizing and using in meditation sublime testimonies of the highest qualities a human being can attain, we can bring into our daily lives the deep faith and unshakable security of the great mystics of all religions. By training our attention on magnificent testimonies such as the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (“Where there is hatred, let me sow love”), or the Twin Verses of the Compassionate Buddha (“Hatred can never put an end to hatred, love alone can”), or the twelfth chapter of Gandhi’s beloved Bhagavad Gita (“That one I love who is incapable of ill will and returns love for hatred”), we can become what we meditate on.  Through this method of meditation we will begin to understand that a human being can become an immense spiritual force barely contained in a physical form.

It all depends on us

If each of us, through the example of our own lives, can inspire two more people every year to meditate and to live at peace with those around them, it will have an incalculably great effect in creating a climate of peace.

That is my ambition, and that is why I say I am a terribly ambitious man.  You and I make peace. You and I make war. It all depends on us.

Source - Special Message from the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, 6 February 2017

The homework is to discover for yourself what practices you can turn to that support you in pursuing peace. Yoga prepares us for contemplation be it prayer, meditation or other. See what works for you.

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