Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts
Sunday, September 16, 2012
the heart, from where my true being expands
Sutra 4.21 Iyengar translation "If consciousness were manifold in one's being, each cognizing the other, the intelligence too would be manifold, so the projections of mind would be many, each having its own memory."
Iyengar uses his comment to describe how plurality would lead to madness and confusion. But then he describes how the experience we have of plurality arises from our scattered consciousness of pleasure seeking and pain avoidance. Our consciousness is one, like the trunk of a tree, and then it branches out. The branches of the tree we sometimes talk about as; vrittis and the klesas. The branches of the tree of consciousness is our head and the trunk of the tree is our spiritual heart.
You need to go get the book :-) I can in no way make justice to this great, short writing about these philosophical ideas.
Sometimes I've arrived at a place, in life, where I reached a bottom. I have no energy left to keep on trying to avoid or pursue a "branch" of my tree. For an example; I have tried to be in a relationship where I suddenly were just done. I could not keep on. I needed space and time to find myself and my quite inner seer.
This relates especially to the last paragraph of Iyengar:
"After experiencing a variety of pain and pleasure, the secondary consciousness changes it's modes, identifies its true nature, reconsiders and returns to rest on its source of mind. This return of consciousness from the seat of the head to the seat of the spiritual heart is purity of consciousness, divya citta. This is yoga."
For me, I sometime experience that when I stop trying to fix things, they just get aligned in a way that makes everything a bit more easy and.. still. This sutra inspires me to work with this journey and with silence. Silence not only as "no sound" but also silence as stillness, no motion, no thought, no agenda.
In every practice I, in some way, take the path from the head to the heart. It starts with bowing my head down after singing the invocation to Lord Patanjali. And it ends with the contact to the heart in the bow saluting the sacred heart, with gratitude in the end of class.
I believe all love sent to me, any day! is to remind me of the seat of the heart, from where my true being expands.
I have a clear personal vision for what my path from the head to the heart contains in these months.
Do you know yours?
Today I had planned a class with pranayama, and restorative yoga. But there were so many new students (most) so I changed my plan. Instead we did more active and introducing yoga-work. But, we still had this fine contact to silence - I enjoyed this a lot!
Namasté
Jenni Saunte
Saturday, October 22, 2011
rigorouse austerities
"Exceptional mental capabilities may be achieved through genetic inheritance, the use of herbs as prescribed in the sacred texts, recitation of incantations, rigorous austerities and through that state of mind which remains one with its object without distractions (samadhi)." 4.1 Desikachar translation
Iyengar translation of sutra 4.1: "Accomplishments may be attained through birth, the use of herbs, incantations, self-discipline or samhadi."
Iyengar specifies that this is about different means of spiritual accomplishment.
Well my well-being in the world is contingent on my spiritual growth. So this is an important sutra to me personally. I don't think I'm genetically more capable than anyone else to pursue a spiritual life. Then again this disease, I genetically inherited, made me reach a bottom in self-reliance pretty quick, so maybe thats a sort of genetic predisposition?! First good thing ever about this crappy disease. The use of herbs... just the thought scares me so much I move to the next part of the sentence. Recitations and rigorous austerities seems to be the way for me. Not, that I have any power in myself to "be" rigorouse, but since I've just showed up on the path, I seem to be given "rigorous austerities" in my everyday by my greater power. In no way, does it become a rigid path, but a frame of stability in my practice, that grant me so many gifts, working meditation, prayer, contemplation, yoga-asana-practice, inventory (yamas and niyamas) in my every morning, my every evening and precious contact to a loving fellow-journey-mates in between, just makes a jenni-variant of rigorous austerity happen in my life. Grateful for this.
This week I'm moved to adjust asana using breath - I seem to correct too much when I think "muscle power". As a teacher give room and place for working towards moving with conscious contact to the inner body. I've started to read mr. Iyengars book "light on life" and was inspired here. I love how my master starts us up in sitting pose, and when the body is seated, he says "now, wait for the inner body to settle" It makes so much sense and is a very concrete experience for me.
Namasté
Jenni
Iyengar translation of sutra 4.1: "Accomplishments may be attained through birth, the use of herbs, incantations, self-discipline or samhadi."
Iyengar specifies that this is about different means of spiritual accomplishment.
Well my well-being in the world is contingent on my spiritual growth. So this is an important sutra to me personally. I don't think I'm genetically more capable than anyone else to pursue a spiritual life. Then again this disease, I genetically inherited, made me reach a bottom in self-reliance pretty quick, so maybe thats a sort of genetic predisposition?! First good thing ever about this crappy disease. The use of herbs... just the thought scares me so much I move to the next part of the sentence. Recitations and rigorous austerities seems to be the way for me. Not, that I have any power in myself to "be" rigorouse, but since I've just showed up on the path, I seem to be given "rigorous austerities" in my everyday by my greater power. In no way, does it become a rigid path, but a frame of stability in my practice, that grant me so many gifts, working meditation, prayer, contemplation, yoga-asana-practice, inventory (yamas and niyamas) in my every morning, my every evening and precious contact to a loving fellow-journey-mates in between, just makes a jenni-variant of rigorous austerity happen in my life. Grateful for this.
This week I'm moved to adjust asana using breath - I seem to correct too much when I think "muscle power". As a teacher give room and place for working towards moving with conscious contact to the inner body. I've started to read mr. Iyengars book "light on life" and was inspired here. I love how my master starts us up in sitting pose, and when the body is seated, he says "now, wait for the inner body to settle" It makes so much sense and is a very concrete experience for me.
Namasté
Jenni
Sunday, December 12, 2010
trusting the process
Sutra 3.15 “By changing the order or sequence of change, characteristics that are of one pattern can be modified to a different pattern” (Desikachar translation)
“Change has a sequence” (Desikachar)
“this sequence can be altered” (Desikachar)
… like changing the flow of a river in a valley.
Iyengar tells me that consciousness partly exists beyond time but change of consciousness exists in time and therefore; can be altered.
I quote a lot this time, but well… that’s just it :-)
“There is a logic to the involuntary spiritual journey, just as there is in the growth of a plant from seed, to stem, to bud, to flower, to fruit. The original, pure consciousness which we trace through Patanjali’s method is the seed of transformation in oneself. Our own self is the maker of our own spiritual destiny.”(Iyengar)
This is why yoga teachers should be properly trained :-) and this is why a daily practice matters even more when it is lead by competent teachers and this is why it is so important to listen to the heart and the body while doing daily practice. It effects our spiritual path :-) or consciousness and our way of life. I’m bringing my inner teacher to my practice today!!
The second thing I relate to here is my experience with change – one little change a day; like starting my day in prayer or ending the day in gratitude may seem small, but it makes a bigger difference in the thought-sea. Brushing the teethes, with the left hand (standing on one foot) or walking a new way to work, can make a transformation in consciousness. I trust the effect of small changes. I fought with sukhasana (swastika asana) I cried and I tried :-) no progress what so ever. But I met up in the asana for three months in a row (yes the 90 days daily try-out) and suddenly this summer at the Glenn Ceresoli retreat in Orvieto, I bitched to my teacher (big giving up – I can make it on my own), the next day when he was going to check up what my problem was – it was gone –haha how stupid and happy I felt at the same time!
And the problem has been removed ever since. To me this means, I keep doing my daily practice, sometime the results come in small sudden experiences along the road, sometime the change comes big-time-suddenly. What I know is that this change had a huge impact on my consciousness. Mostly I felt it clearly as a relief of pain/problem and relief from some blockings in consciousness. But there was also a change in consciousness, from not giving up just because the effect is not immediate, but trusting the process.
Namasté
Jenni
“Change has a sequence” (Desikachar)
“this sequence can be altered” (Desikachar)
… like changing the flow of a river in a valley.
Iyengar tells me that consciousness partly exists beyond time but change of consciousness exists in time and therefore; can be altered.
I quote a lot this time, but well… that’s just it :-)
“There is a logic to the involuntary spiritual journey, just as there is in the growth of a plant from seed, to stem, to bud, to flower, to fruit. The original, pure consciousness which we trace through Patanjali’s method is the seed of transformation in oneself. Our own self is the maker of our own spiritual destiny.”(Iyengar)
This is why yoga teachers should be properly trained :-) and this is why a daily practice matters even more when it is lead by competent teachers and this is why it is so important to listen to the heart and the body while doing daily practice. It effects our spiritual path :-) or consciousness and our way of life. I’m bringing my inner teacher to my practice today!!
The second thing I relate to here is my experience with change – one little change a day; like starting my day in prayer or ending the day in gratitude may seem small, but it makes a bigger difference in the thought-sea. Brushing the teethes, with the left hand (standing on one foot) or walking a new way to work, can make a transformation in consciousness. I trust the effect of small changes. I fought with sukhasana (swastika asana) I cried and I tried :-) no progress what so ever. But I met up in the asana for three months in a row (yes the 90 days daily try-out) and suddenly this summer at the Glenn Ceresoli retreat in Orvieto, I bitched to my teacher (big giving up – I can make it on my own), the next day when he was going to check up what my problem was – it was gone –haha how stupid and happy I felt at the same time!
And the problem has been removed ever since. To me this means, I keep doing my daily practice, sometime the results come in small sudden experiences along the road, sometime the change comes big-time-suddenly. What I know is that this change had a huge impact on my consciousness. Mostly I felt it clearly as a relief of pain/problem and relief from some blockings in consciousness. But there was also a change in consciousness, from not giving up just because the effect is not immediate, but trusting the process.
Namasté
Jenni
Saturday, October 16, 2010
subtle, internal, intimate and subjective
Sutra 3.7 Desikachar translation “Compared to the first five components of yoga (sutra 2 – 29) The next three (sutra 3 – 1,2,3) are more intricate.” All my texts sees the first five aspects of yoga to be about; our attitude (action) to our environment (yama), our attitude towards us self (perception)(niyamas), practice of body exercise (asana), practice of breathing exercises (pranayama)and restraint of the senses (pratyahara). Iyengar writes about them all that they are cleansing and purifying practices, this is interesting to me. I’ve been given the guideline of uncover, discover, discard, with the promise that everything I truly am and everything that I need to be will still be there after discarding as good as I can :-) Or maybe in yoga-discourse, to be new, cleansed and purified…
Well they all write about how subtle and internal the last three aspects of yoga are.
Intricate, I need to look up, it means; “having many complexly interrelating parts or elements”. So I move on to Iyengars text, which gives me the words I can relate to: “dharana, dhyana and Samadhi are more subtle, internal, intimate and subjective practices.” It’s about the inner layers, the intelligence, the consciousness and the soul – all very close to the spiritual heart.
Yoga asana and pranayama can be a meditation and have these aspects. Have you tried to have a teacher that just strengthens you in your own rhythm, your own true path? Well I have, and this is what I relate to when I hear about these intimate, subjective and subtle aspects, when I’m with a good teacher who is not trying to control – then my experience of these subtle qualities comes fourth. Beautifully.
Love and light
Jenni
Well they all write about how subtle and internal the last three aspects of yoga are.
Intricate, I need to look up, it means; “having many complexly interrelating parts or elements”. So I move on to Iyengars text, which gives me the words I can relate to: “dharana, dhyana and Samadhi are more subtle, internal, intimate and subjective practices.” It’s about the inner layers, the intelligence, the consciousness and the soul – all very close to the spiritual heart.
Yoga asana and pranayama can be a meditation and have these aspects. Have you tried to have a teacher that just strengthens you in your own rhythm, your own true path? Well I have, and this is what I relate to when I hear about these intimate, subjective and subtle aspects, when I’m with a good teacher who is not trying to control – then my experience of these subtle qualities comes fourth. Beautifully.
Love and light
Jenni
Friday, June 11, 2010
spirit of serving
Sutra 2.45
"Actions done in spirit of service promote the ability to completely understand any object of choice." (Desikachar translation)
"Surrender to God brings perfection in samadhi." (Iyengar translation) Iyengar writes; "the power of samadhi (profound meditation or unity) comes to the practitioner who takes refuge in God."
Since in my understanding God is reality, and understanding any “object of choice” means to me that there is something real besides me (experiencing reality) – there is no difference in these two translations or two unfolding of sutra 2.45.
The essence, for me, is that when I’m in a position as a servant I see things clearer than from any other position.
When I do my yoga-practice in spirit “to serve” my body or my health, I get to be rich and giving.
In my work as a teacher, if I get to serve the student, I get to be so wealthy that I can keep on trying to give it a way and what I give a way is not even mine, so I cannot get in a lacking state.
In my library work place, I can be rich in knowledge and serve by answering, finding or helping the user, I can be a rich person giving back to the local community or a rich person giving back to the treasure of wisdom, knowledge or arts. Fantastic. All I have to do to live in this wealth is to serve. And by serving I give something away and that's the only way I ever can have something (truely- everything else is a story of owning). And it becomes clear I’m not the source (and the only source;-) and there is something real and objective besides me.
“How can I best serve my body, my mind or my practice – right now?” is my starting point for classes this week. How can I serve by challenging or by going softer, easier? A possibility to serve by expressing the most authentic and loving me in every asana.
Namasté
Yours servant
Jenni :-) Saunte
"Actions done in spirit of service promote the ability to completely understand any object of choice." (Desikachar translation)
"Surrender to God brings perfection in samadhi." (Iyengar translation) Iyengar writes; "the power of samadhi (profound meditation or unity) comes to the practitioner who takes refuge in God."
Since in my understanding God is reality, and understanding any “object of choice” means to me that there is something real besides me (experiencing reality) – there is no difference in these two translations or two unfolding of sutra 2.45.
The essence, for me, is that when I’m in a position as a servant I see things clearer than from any other position.
When I do my yoga-practice in spirit “to serve” my body or my health, I get to be rich and giving.
In my work as a teacher, if I get to serve the student, I get to be so wealthy that I can keep on trying to give it a way and what I give a way is not even mine, so I cannot get in a lacking state.
In my library work place, I can be rich in knowledge and serve by answering, finding or helping the user, I can be a rich person giving back to the local community or a rich person giving back to the treasure of wisdom, knowledge or arts. Fantastic. All I have to do to live in this wealth is to serve. And by serving I give something away and that's the only way I ever can have something (truely- everything else is a story of owning). And it becomes clear I’m not the source (and the only source;-) and there is something real and objective besides me.
“How can I best serve my body, my mind or my practice – right now?” is my starting point for classes this week. How can I serve by challenging or by going softer, easier? A possibility to serve by expressing the most authentic and loving me in every asana.
Namasté
Yours servant
Jenni :-) Saunte
Saturday, May 01, 2010
great river of life
Sutra 2.39 "One who is not greedy is secure. (S)He has time to think deeply. His (her) understanding of himself (herself) is complete." (Desikachar translation) In me, the sutra awakens the word; “what we own - owns us”. We spend time and energy getting it, keeping it and fearing the lost of it.
Iyengar translates it into: "Knowledge of past and future lives unfolds when one is free from greed for possessions." And he points out that holding on to ones thoughts, can be possessive. We are given the guideline to shun the holding on to thoughts and material possessions.
I relate to the aspect of past and future lives, it reminds me of letting go.
To me, the concrete action, to not gather possessions (material or thoughts/stories), symbolically represents my honouring of the spiritual truth; that I actually cannot own anything and that human life and material conditions will eventually die. This sutra makes me face my mortality.
Sometimes (ok- my darker moments) I wonder if everything I experience has the purpose of making me realize that life in this human body will end. Love stories end, people, situations, conditions I love disappears. “It” hurts, but I guess what hurts is my "attempt to hold on".
Other times (my lighter moments ;-) I see a big slow great river, the stream of life, and I courageously step into it and I lay down and let it carry me - wherever.
The dark and the light stories are the same; the stories just evoke different emotions in me.
This sutra makes me think of "panta rei" -everything flows, Heraklitus statement. I've loved it since I was a teenager and heard it the first time. I thought I could see this great flow in life in glimpses.
I want to let yoga be the big river of life and my role as a teacher is to invite my students to step into the water and let it carry them :-) flow, being carried and not greedy…
Namasté
Jenni Saunte
Iyengar translates it into: "Knowledge of past and future lives unfolds when one is free from greed for possessions." And he points out that holding on to ones thoughts, can be possessive. We are given the guideline to shun the holding on to thoughts and material possessions.
I relate to the aspect of past and future lives, it reminds me of letting go.
To me, the concrete action, to not gather possessions (material or thoughts/stories), symbolically represents my honouring of the spiritual truth; that I actually cannot own anything and that human life and material conditions will eventually die. This sutra makes me face my mortality.
Sometimes (ok- my darker moments) I wonder if everything I experience has the purpose of making me realize that life in this human body will end. Love stories end, people, situations, conditions I love disappears. “It” hurts, but I guess what hurts is my "attempt to hold on".
Other times (my lighter moments ;-) I see a big slow great river, the stream of life, and I courageously step into it and I lay down and let it carry me - wherever.
The dark and the light stories are the same; the stories just evoke different emotions in me.
This sutra makes me think of "panta rei" -everything flows, Heraklitus statement. I've loved it since I was a teenager and heard it the first time. I thought I could see this great flow in life in glimpses.
I want to let yoga be the big river of life and my role as a teacher is to invite my students to step into the water and let it carry them :-) flow, being carried and not greedy…
Namasté
Jenni Saunte
Saturday, February 06, 2010
heart of heart
So, I’m introduced to the seven states of yoga, given to me by Iyengar. In Patanjalis words we have:
emerging consciousness - to me recognizing my human condition and limitations – an admitting process.
restraining consciousness - to me getting a daily regular, repetitative :-) practice (think I have addressed that in last sutra writing, but it have had many forms the last 8 years, only the very last 3 years have had the form it unfolds today)
individualized consciousness – my self-examination process and joining you and others (guides, sisters and brothers on the same path as me)
consciousness – to me; a blessing that i sometime referes to as serenity, peace, fellowship or ease
attentive consciousness – for me, living prayer and meditation in the broadest possible sense of these words
fissured consiousness – for me; to experience inclusion of what is, for example being able to feel sorrow and gratitudeor even joy at the same time, being upset and serene at the same time ego and spirit, unity through fissured experiences…
pure consciousness – freedom, emancipation, neutrality and ashes (everything and nothing)
This week I chose to focus on these seven states, for some time before I move on. Iyengar also gives me Vyasas words on the seven states and I am absolutely in love with them (the first five suggestions I relate to as above):
what is knowable is known
what has to be discarded is discarded
the attainable is attained
what must be done is done
the aim to be reached is reached
untainted intelligence (no qualities can taint the intelligence) to me- placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected, our thinking is cleared... we find that our thinking will.. be more and more on the plane of inspiration
self illuminated consciousness (the knower is self-illuminated and maintains her inner light while attending to her wordly duties) spiritual experience. my experience can be uniquely usefull, .. assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things my human limitedness makes unpossible.. to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others
At last Iyengar presents the seven states in yoga Vasistas words:
right desire – my commitment to my path comes first
right reflection – engage in the process (my object of attention rubs of on me – nice to collect evidence of what I love instead of what is wrong for example))
disappearance of the mind – a blessing that comes out of the above mentioned
self realization – to know my own true self, my heart of hearts, the unfolding of authenticity in my everyday.
non-attachment - gift of process (we ceased fighting anything or anyone)
non-perception of objects - placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected.. our thinking is cleared... we find that our thinking will be more and more on the plane of inspiration
experience of state beyond words - nearness with our creator/nature/truth
Well this is enough to rumble and wrestle with.
I wonder how it will influence my teaching, I guess we just go for pure consciousness :-) and see how far we get ;-) why not.. and the rest will come out of the process moving towards this goal…
Love and Namasté
Jenni Saunte
emerging consciousness - to me recognizing my human condition and limitations – an admitting process.
restraining consciousness - to me getting a daily regular, repetitative :-) practice (think I have addressed that in last sutra writing, but it have had many forms the last 8 years, only the very last 3 years have had the form it unfolds today)
individualized consciousness – my self-examination process and joining you and others (guides, sisters and brothers on the same path as me)
consciousness – to me; a blessing that i sometime referes to as serenity, peace, fellowship or ease
attentive consciousness – for me, living prayer and meditation in the broadest possible sense of these words
fissured consiousness – for me; to experience inclusion of what is, for example being able to feel sorrow and gratitudeor even joy at the same time, being upset and serene at the same time ego and spirit, unity through fissured experiences…
pure consciousness – freedom, emancipation, neutrality and ashes (everything and nothing)
This week I chose to focus on these seven states, for some time before I move on. Iyengar also gives me Vyasas words on the seven states and I am absolutely in love with them (the first five suggestions I relate to as above):
what is knowable is known
what has to be discarded is discarded
the attainable is attained
what must be done is done
the aim to be reached is reached
untainted intelligence (no qualities can taint the intelligence) to me- placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected, our thinking is cleared... we find that our thinking will.. be more and more on the plane of inspiration
self illuminated consciousness (the knower is self-illuminated and maintains her inner light while attending to her wordly duties) spiritual experience. my experience can be uniquely usefull, .. assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things my human limitedness makes unpossible.. to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others
At last Iyengar presents the seven states in yoga Vasistas words:
right desire – my commitment to my path comes first
right reflection – engage in the process (my object of attention rubs of on me – nice to collect evidence of what I love instead of what is wrong for example))
disappearance of the mind – a blessing that comes out of the above mentioned
self realization – to know my own true self, my heart of hearts, the unfolding of authenticity in my everyday.
non-attachment - gift of process (we ceased fighting anything or anyone)
non-perception of objects - placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected.. our thinking is cleared... we find that our thinking will be more and more on the plane of inspiration
experience of state beyond words - nearness with our creator/nature/truth
Well this is enough to rumble and wrestle with.
I wonder how it will influence my teaching, I guess we just go for pure consciousness :-) and see how far we get ;-) why not.. and the rest will come out of the process moving towards this goal…
Love and Namasté
Jenni Saunte
Saturday, November 07, 2009
blessings to a wild thoughtlife :-)
2.17
“The cause of actions that perceives painful effects is the inability to distinguish what is perceived from what perceives.” (Desikachar translation) He specifies that; what is perceived changes (the mind, body, senses and objects) but there is an entity in us, that perceives. My guess is that this is something … still… the island in the river?
Or with Bouanchauds words; pain comes from confusion between the spiritual principle and the material world. To me this sentence is easy to read. To try to get “everlasting”, “comfort”, “trust”, “always” out of another human being, or a relationship… Or money, or stimulants, or work or whatever material… is confusing the material with spiritual principles.
This week all my translations give me the same, so I can use whoever.
In my asana work, this sutra inspires me to connect to the observing entity in me, not my senses, my body or the situation. This is probably why it sometimes intensifies my asana to close my eyes; I connect more to the observing entity in me. And more connection to this entity means more oneness, more intensity, like the laser ray that gets so strong by centring instead of spreading out.
In my teaching, this is why working with a theme, works for me. It gathers my teaching rays :-) and it avoids me from trying to please different yogis or do something for them (control or manipulate). It’s a more honest position for me as a teacher and it works, it really does. I guess this sutra in my private life is in the words “it’s JUST a feeling” (they pass, don’t get too attached) or “it’s JUST a thought, it’s not personal” (I’m not my every thought, my every opinion). If you could see my thoughts you would know what a blessing this sutra really is :-)
Love Namasté
Jenni
“The cause of actions that perceives painful effects is the inability to distinguish what is perceived from what perceives.” (Desikachar translation) He specifies that; what is perceived changes (the mind, body, senses and objects) but there is an entity in us, that perceives. My guess is that this is something … still… the island in the river?
Or with Bouanchauds words; pain comes from confusion between the spiritual principle and the material world. To me this sentence is easy to read. To try to get “everlasting”, “comfort”, “trust”, “always” out of another human being, or a relationship… Or money, or stimulants, or work or whatever material… is confusing the material with spiritual principles.
This week all my translations give me the same, so I can use whoever.
In my asana work, this sutra inspires me to connect to the observing entity in me, not my senses, my body or the situation. This is probably why it sometimes intensifies my asana to close my eyes; I connect more to the observing entity in me. And more connection to this entity means more oneness, more intensity, like the laser ray that gets so strong by centring instead of spreading out.
In my teaching, this is why working with a theme, works for me. It gathers my teaching rays :-) and it avoids me from trying to please different yogis or do something for them (control or manipulate). It’s a more honest position for me as a teacher and it works, it really does. I guess this sutra in my private life is in the words “it’s JUST a feeling” (they pass, don’t get too attached) or “it’s JUST a thought, it’s not personal” (I’m not my every thought, my every opinion). If you could see my thoughts you would know what a blessing this sutra really is :-)
Love Namasté
Jenni
Sunday, December 21, 2008
expression, being loving entity, Sutra 1.27
“Its expression is the sacred syllable”.
It’s my experience, when I call something a problem, the best thing I can do is to let go of it and focus my attention into the “here and now” the loving actions that is life/reality/truth unfolding into my day. Often the problem just… vaporizes into thin air, by itself, just- by not getting fed by my attention :-) I guess this is one way the sutra guides me: focus on how to express love, wisdom or truth, in the actual action I’m in, and the problems vanish.
I’m so grateful that instead of using the non- genderised “he”, “him” the translation uses “it”. That is simpler and less connotations for me. Personally the word I choose for God is, most days, not important, as long as it takes me “there” to the summit.
I want to work with this, partly by giving room for the aum in my class. I love that syllable. That mantra. Just love that it has no meaning to me, just a fantastic soft vibration, in me.
One of my yoga masters told me, that it doesn’t matter; I could say coca cola – if that was nice for me. I appreciate his advice a lot. The sutra also reminds me how including yoga is, that we can practice yoga even though we come from different cultures and have different world-views. This is for me, in the teaching situation, including all of our different personalities.
First we sought the inner wisdom, than we sought the wisdom carried in the asana, now I think, I want us to explore our expression. Maybe work some asanas in, that creates contact to the sahasrara chakra. I want to work with the attitude: “how can I make this asana the most loving expression of me right now?”
Desikachar writes on this sutra, first his own question: “How should we refer to God?” and lets the translated sutra answer: “In the way most appropriate to the qualities of God”.
So for me, the interesting thing is still: How do I express reality, wisdom, love- in the most appropriate way, in my being (and in the asana).
The word is not important at all for me. The being is however. I think the English language has a beautiful word: LOVE it’s so nice phonetically. The singing of Sanskrit hymns, it’s a bit bogus for me, but the vibration of the sound and the surrendering, to something I don’t get is… fine, good practice.
I don’t see yoga as a religion, more a spiritual path. In my understanding spirituality is universal. A very recognized professor in “science of religions” Mircea Eliade, has written a book about Patanjalis yoga sutras and Theresa of Avilias spirituality and found that it is the same path :-) I’m a sucker for unity, so I just love that theory.
Tonight I’m giving a workshop in “being part of”, entity and being whole, complete. I love that – what a fantastic job I have.
I’m getting ready for Christmas- wich I will enjoy at home. But I’m leaving Copenhagen and all the festivities around new years, tired of fireworks-the sound of them…to go as far north as possible in Denmark, Skagen. It’s a beautiful place, nature is wild, to seas are meeting and I can watch it happen. Better than firework.
Kærlighed og julefred Love and Christmas peace to you all and your families.
Jenni Saunte
It’s my experience, when I call something a problem, the best thing I can do is to let go of it and focus my attention into the “here and now” the loving actions that is life/reality/truth unfolding into my day. Often the problem just… vaporizes into thin air, by itself, just- by not getting fed by my attention :-) I guess this is one way the sutra guides me: focus on how to express love, wisdom or truth, in the actual action I’m in, and the problems vanish.
I’m so grateful that instead of using the non- genderised “he”, “him” the translation uses “it”. That is simpler and less connotations for me. Personally the word I choose for God is, most days, not important, as long as it takes me “there” to the summit.
I want to work with this, partly by giving room for the aum in my class. I love that syllable. That mantra. Just love that it has no meaning to me, just a fantastic soft vibration, in me.
One of my yoga masters told me, that it doesn’t matter; I could say coca cola – if that was nice for me. I appreciate his advice a lot. The sutra also reminds me how including yoga is, that we can practice yoga even though we come from different cultures and have different world-views. This is for me, in the teaching situation, including all of our different personalities.
First we sought the inner wisdom, than we sought the wisdom carried in the asana, now I think, I want us to explore our expression. Maybe work some asanas in, that creates contact to the sahasrara chakra. I want to work with the attitude: “how can I make this asana the most loving expression of me right now?”
Desikachar writes on this sutra, first his own question: “How should we refer to God?” and lets the translated sutra answer: “In the way most appropriate to the qualities of God”.
So for me, the interesting thing is still: How do I express reality, wisdom, love- in the most appropriate way, in my being (and in the asana).
The word is not important at all for me. The being is however. I think the English language has a beautiful word: LOVE it’s so nice phonetically. The singing of Sanskrit hymns, it’s a bit bogus for me, but the vibration of the sound and the surrendering, to something I don’t get is… fine, good practice.
I don’t see yoga as a religion, more a spiritual path. In my understanding spirituality is universal. A very recognized professor in “science of religions” Mircea Eliade, has written a book about Patanjalis yoga sutras and Theresa of Avilias spirituality and found that it is the same path :-) I’m a sucker for unity, so I just love that theory.
Tonight I’m giving a workshop in “being part of”, entity and being whole, complete. I love that – what a fantastic job I have.
I’m getting ready for Christmas- wich I will enjoy at home. But I’m leaving Copenhagen and all the festivities around new years, tired of fireworks-the sound of them…to go as far north as possible in Denmark, Skagen. It’s a beautiful place, nature is wild, to seas are meeting and I can watch it happen. Better than firework.
Kærlighed og julefred Love and Christmas peace to you all and your families.
Jenni Saunte
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Rainy day remembrance
I get heavy and something in me object, against the weather :-)
So here and now I’m letting go of the idea that it’s not ok to be heavy and tired.
We have been working with motivation, the reason for doing yoga today. Sutra 21 tells me that “The more intense faith and effort, the closer the goal.” This reminds me of a spiritual writer that says something like; “if you go to the ocean with a cup of water – all you get is a cup of water”, to me this means; there is as much to get as I am open to receive. Therefore we explored this, by acknowledging our motives and hearts longing for the class – and how these motives and longings get met. It makes sense to me. Every prayer I can come up, with has already been met – it is a great game, to find out what form it has been given in my life. If I want yoga to be a good stretch – it will be. If I want yoga to be my inspiration, the unfolding of meaning or life the love of life – well here we go… it is. It just is. It already is. SOO HAM I am it.
Namasté and grounded heaviness
Jenni Saunte
So here and now I’m letting go of the idea that it’s not ok to be heavy and tired.
We have been working with motivation, the reason for doing yoga today. Sutra 21 tells me that “The more intense faith and effort, the closer the goal.” This reminds me of a spiritual writer that says something like; “if you go to the ocean with a cup of water – all you get is a cup of water”, to me this means; there is as much to get as I am open to receive. Therefore we explored this, by acknowledging our motives and hearts longing for the class – and how these motives and longings get met. It makes sense to me. Every prayer I can come up, with has already been met – it is a great game, to find out what form it has been given in my life. If I want yoga to be a good stretch – it will be. If I want yoga to be my inspiration, the unfolding of meaning or life the love of life – well here we go… it is. It just is. It already is. SOO HAM I am it.
Namasté and grounded heaviness
Jenni Saunte
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Heart and the 1.2 sutra
The second yoga sutra defines yoga as an ability to direct and focus mental activity. This sutra has for a long time had a consequence for my classes, since I’m more inspired to teach if I use a focus for the class. When I was newly borne teacher my focus often was a physical feature, like the hips or the shoulders or a movement principal like forward bends or inversions. But the more I worked and grew spiritually, these physical themes got more connected to spiritual principals (for me) like “letting go” (detachment), non violence (ahimsa) or being here and now. The second sutra tells me why these themes work so well. It’s like the stream of thoughts and opinions pointing in all directions, gets quiet and wakeful by focusing on an object. Even when this object is a principal or an experience in the body.
Yesterday I cut tomatoes and my thoughts were on my friend’s situation and my mind produced a load of opinions. I had just prepared my meditation on the second sutra and I started to pray “I’m cutting tomatoes” again and again. It works!!! I get centered and into being, just by focusing on what already is - in the now.
This weekend my focusing point will be the heart, connecting and unfolding and letting it lead.
It’s not better or worse than any other focusing point, as far as I’m concerned. But this is what comes to me in meditation and in listening to people in my everyday.
Serenity and love
Jenniananda
Yesterday I cut tomatoes and my thoughts were on my friend’s situation and my mind produced a load of opinions. I had just prepared my meditation on the second sutra and I started to pray “I’m cutting tomatoes” again and again. It works!!! I get centered and into being, just by focusing on what already is - in the now.
This weekend my focusing point will be the heart, connecting and unfolding and letting it lead.
It’s not better or worse than any other focusing point, as far as I’m concerned. But this is what comes to me in meditation and in listening to people in my everyday.
Serenity and love
Jenniananda
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Being part of
This weekend my classes will explore the spiritual discipline of being whole, complete, an entity. A wholeness of limbs and a wholeness of body, mind and spirit. And in this way being a part of (not part from,,) something greater than “I” for me a spiritual sense of “we”.
I work with this partly by integrating the “body ends” fingers, toes and top of the head. Being breath, spine and heart in every asana. But also by unfolding the individual tempo, to respect integrity. I find that when I respect my limitations, my tempo, it becomes easier to be part of … so many human interactions.
I work with this partly by integrating the “body ends” fingers, toes and top of the head. Being breath, spine and heart in every asana. But also by unfolding the individual tempo, to respect integrity. I find that when I respect my limitations, my tempo, it becomes easier to be part of … so many human interactions.
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