Category: Surprise Me

The Root Cause of Tension: Lesson 2.6

6/2/2020

About a week ago, I read the next chapter from the book I've re-explored since March, "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya." The topic's title was "The Root Cause of Tension," and the chapter offered readers an opportunity to relieve the body and mind of tension.

I can't think of a better time for this chapter to reenter my life and perhaps enter yours for the first time. As protests against injustice and racism occur worldwide in response to the death of George Floyd (and so many others), physical and emotional pain emanates from the hearts and faces of the people I view on the news. This most recent rise of global confusion, frustration, and understandable anger also seems exacerbated by the not-so-positive impacts of our global pandemic: fear, impatience, and anxiety. Not to mention the other worries that pile up as a result of global warming, climate change, and dirty politicians. It doesn't seem like such a surprise then that our world appears so tense, right? That so much in our world can result in tension in our bodies and minds?

What if I told you that by taking the time to read the 10 Codes for Mental Reprogramming as specified in our Kriya yoga book, your outlook on life would improve immediately? It's true. I promise! However, the choice is yours: you can take steps to make this world and your life a veritable heaven on earth, or you can remain as you are.

In this blog I’ve included the following gifts:

Lesson 2, Topic 6: The Root Cause of Tension (photos) -- If there was ever a lesson from this book that I feel could bring about an immediate and positive change in your life, it’s this lesson. I haven’t typed it up in its entirety, but I've included the photos of the lesson below for you to read at your leisure. I hope you read them.
Summary: And just in case you want to skip ahead for now and thus, not read the chapter in its entirety, I've written out the 10 Codes for Mental Reprogramming. However, the chapter itself explains why these codes are so important and how they work.
Voice Recording of the Chapter: And in case you prefer to have the chapter read to you, I've also included a voice recording of myself reading the chapter outloud. I like to give you all the options ;) Please, turn it on, sit back, close your eyes, and prepare to understand tension and how to relieve it in your life.
Video: And finally, for some heartwarming fun, I’ve included a video of myself demonstrating the entire Kriya Yoga Daily Practice Program that I have been doing from the book "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya." The video is sped up a bit, but you can see how the program looks in its entirety. And although Isabella and Jose accidentally make guest appearances as yogis, this video is essential to me because it demonstrates some of the benefits of a daily yoga practice. Connection. Peace. Adaptability. A lack of tension.

The Root Cause of Tension

The codes that Swami Satyananda Saraswati formulated are not intended to be moralistic. They are a means to an end. To reiterate, they are suggestions by which you can start to consciously alter your attitude towards life's situations. They are intended to relax you sufficiently, so that you can eventually delve into your mind through meditation practices and thereby root out the deeper negative aspects of your mental nature.

These codes are not supposed to change your lifestyle, and we don't advise you to force them on yourself at all times. Only remember them as you go about your daily routine and their presence will help you from within, from your subconsious 'attitude centres'. (61)

Codes for Mental Reprogramming

Code 1:
Make the effort to begin to accept other people fully. Try not to see them merely as objects to be used for your own gratification. Try to accept others as also acting in accordance with their mental conditioning. What you see in them is only an external manifestation of their mental program. In this way they are no different from you, except their program may be a little different. You are now aware of your dependence on your mental conditioning; perhaps they don’t realize it yet. If you can accept others more they in turn will start to accept you. Laugh at yourself, at your behavior and at your antics.

Code 2:
Accept yourself. Know that your actions are the result of your mental makeup. For this reason, don’t worry about your deficiencies and problems. Accept your limitations. But at the same time feel the need to clean the mind of its conflicts. It is our inability to accept ourselves that causes so much anguish in life.

Code 3:
Watch your habituated reactions to people around you and to your environment. Watch how your attachment to the external can result in so much discontentment. Try to reduce your need to find happiness in outside things. This does not mean that you should not follow external attractions for this would result in suppression, which causes more harm than good. It means that you should carry on your life as it is now, but if you don’t get what you want then accept it with a shrug of the shoulders, with a sense of detachment.

Code 4:
Find out your greatest needs, attachments, desires, etc. Be as critical as you can. A good method of discovering your attachments is to trace the cause of your present anger or your present unhappiness back to its source and there you will find the emotional and mental attitude that caused the disturbance. Particularly notice how you react with people whom you distinctively dislike or don’t get on with. These persons will help you to recognize and to eventually remove your emotional hang-ups. View the whole word and everyone in it as being your teacher.

Code 5:
Try to live in the now. Don’t live in the past by worrying about what has already happened or by reliving pleasurable past experiences. Don’t anticipate the future. Plans can be made, but see the planning as being part of the now, not as really being for the future. Try to live each moment, each present moment as fully as possible by giving your attention to the now. In this way you will start to live life to the fullest. When you do anything, from taking a bath to eating food, or sweeping the floor to earning your living, try not to think of when it will be finished. Enjoy every action that you do at the time that you do it. Try to enjoy the fact that you exist and that an expression of your existence is in your every action.

Code 6:
Don’t identify yourself completely with your actions, your body or your mind. Though you are trying to change your mind, it is only part of you. It is not your consciousness – the witness that sees all events that occur in your life.

Code 7:
Try to be more opens towards other people. Express your true feelings as much as possible. When we try to be what we are not, when we try to impress people and when we hide our inner feelings from others, we immediately experience mental tension and alienation. This tends to intensify our feelings of ‘me against the world’.

Code 8:
Remember that everyone has the potential to attain higher levels of awareness. A mans present attitude toward his environment or toward you is caused by mental programming. His present mode of living is temporary and will change and become more harmonious if and when he starts to understand himself and his mind. All of us have unrealized potential just waiting to be tapped. Try to see this potential in all people, no matter how different it may be.

Code 9:
Don’t avoid difficult situations. Normally we shape our lives so that we interact with people we dislike as little as possible. We continually try to associate ourselves with people and situations that tune in with our motional programming. As such we continue to live in a way that reinforces and satisfies our individual prejudices. Treat difficult situations and enemies as the greatest teachers. It is they who can show us most clearly the way in which our mental program works. It is our enemies who bring to the surface our emotional conflicts and prejudices. Very few of us are aware of programming and conditioning. When we recognize it then we can start to deal with it.

Code 10:
Try to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Instead of blindly reacting in ways that you are programmed, try to see the other person’s point of view. Remember your reaction is purely automatic. Try to change your response so that the current situation doesn’t cause you emotional upsets.

Lesson 2.6: Pages from the Book

DOWNLOAD PAGES

The Root Cause of Tension
(Recording)

My Kriya Yoga Practice

Last week, I set up my camera so that I could try to record the entire Kriya Yoga practice that I’ve been doing from the book I have been sharing with you all, "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya", by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

Only…. While it was recording, my family decided they would use my yoga mat too, with me… at the same time (I didn’t mind). As a result, my daily Kriya Yoga practice became an impromptu play and practice situation slash acroyoga session. A "go with the flow" situation. I hope you enjoy viewing it.

Works Cited:
Saraswati, Satyananda. A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Yoga Publications Trust, 2013.

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“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Remember?”

5/13/2020

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SINGULARITY

SINGULARITY
by Marie Howe
          (after Stephen Hawking)
Do you sometimes want to wake up to the singularity
we once were?
so compact nobody
needed a bed, or food or money --
nobody hiding in the school bathroom
or home alone
pulling open the drawer
where the pills are kept.
For every atom belonging to me as good
Belongs to you.   Remember?
There was no   Nature.    No
them.   No tests
to determine if the elephant
grieves her calf    or if
the coral reef feels pain.    Trashed
oceans don’t speak English or Farsi or French;
would that we could wake up   to what we were
— when we were ocean    and before that
to when sky was earth, and animal was energy, and rock was
liquid and stars were space and space was not
at all — nothing
before we came to believe humans were so important
before this awful loneliness.
Can molecules recall it?
what once was?    before anything happened?
No I, no We, no one. No was
No verb      no noun
only a tiny tiny dot brimming with
is is is is is
All   everything   home

Complement with an ink-and-watercolor animation of Mojave American poet Natalie Diaz’s gorgeous poem of brokenness and belonging and an animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s feminist revision of the history of science.

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A Special Treat - A Yoga Class by Näthan Gangadean

4/20/2020

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When I first entered a public yoga class the year was 2005. I had been practicing on my own for a number of years, but I had never lived in a town before that had a yoga studio so close to my home. As a result of the convenient location and because of the amazing teachers I found I became an avid devotee of Devi Yoga in Sedona, Arizona.

Devi Yoga was the yoga studio for Ashtanga Inspired Yoga in Sedona and was owned by a powerful, powerful, powerful yoga teacher named Soni Gangadean. Her brother, Näthan Gangadean was also a yoga teacher at her studio and was very popular for his heartfelt classes full of breath, love, and energy. Näthan was also the yoga teacher to say whilst I was in downward facing dog (for what felt like a million hours), that downward dog was a "resting pose" and that we should try to find peace in that pose. Mmm hmm.

Soooo, as you can imagine, as a semi-new yogi to the powerful practice that is Ashtanga Yoga, I was in downward dog with shaking arms and tired legs, sweat was literally pouring off of my face, and my breath was shaky and shallow... So, naturally, in response to his "downward facing dog is a resting pose, find peace in this beautiful pose"... I thought to myself "WT serious fork are you talking about? This is not resting!"

So, you know... that happened.

But Näthan was sooooo right. And with practice and a different mindset, a more open mindset, downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) became a resting pose for me.

Näthan is magical. I don't really know how to say it any differently. His classes are always magical, always sincere, always beautiful. And so here you go, my gift to you, beginner or otherwise... An introduction to one of my favorite yoga teachers of all time, Näthan Gangadean. ~ Ashley

LISTEN TO YOGA CLASS

EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF

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Part Two: The World in a Raisin - A Mindfulness Meditation on Interconnectedness

4/7/2020

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Yesterday, we came to know our world through our senses -- seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, tasting -- and through the knowing faculty of the mind. We did so by eating one raisin mindfully.

As I mentioned in the last blog post and in the first edition of our mindfulness meditation practice, there's another important aspect of this meditation: becoming aware of interconnectedness. It can be helpful to think of mindful awareness as a lens. Sometimes we use it in a very focused way, as we just did with the raisin, using all our senses to observe every detail of our experience. And sometimes we widen the lens of mindfulness so that our awareness expands to take in the bigger picture. We nurture both of these aspects of awareness as we practice.

In this wider, more spacious view, we become aware of the larger context of being, in which we can see how everything is interconnected. Sometimes called, "looking deeply," this aspect of practice helps us become aware of the multitude of causes and conditions that are a very real part of our experience in this very moment. If you would like to experience this more expansive view, I invite you to follow along with a second set of Raisin Meditation instructions.

So, as promised, here is the second mindfulness meditation practice from one of the books we have been working with: Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond, by Nancy Bardacke.

For this practice, you will need the following:

A raisin - or something similar that you can eat. Perhaps a grape, or a different type of dried fruit, anything that you can eat mindfully without making a mess
Someplace quiet to sit, comfortably and without disruption
A way to listen to this meditation

LISTEN TO MEDITATION

Reflections on the Raisin Meditation

Was this really a special raisin, or was it the quality of attention we brought to the experience, the face that we were really there for the eating of it, that made the taste so vivid?

Eating can be one of life's great joys. How many such moments of sheer delight are you missing every day because you're not really there for a bite of an apple or the taste of a peach? And how many other moments are you not fully experiencing, like the smell of the morning air as you step outside or the delicate shape of the flower in your neighbor's garden that bloomed overnight? And how many joyful moments of your pregnancy (or this moment of social isolation/solitude) are you missing because you are so busy rushing from one thing to the next?

Regardless of the physical discomforts of pregnancy -- the nausea, the backaches, the shortness of breath -- and all the uncertainties and worries you may be carrying about the future (even if you aren't pregnant), if you take a moment to really see, you will find that in this very moment you are a living, breathing miracle, with a new human being growing inside of you! And if you are missing this miracle, how many more such moments will you miss during the process of childbirth and parenting?

Perhaps taking a moment to stop and ask, "Where does the joy of living exist anyway?," you may find that it exists in the sweet taste of an orange, the sudden smile that lights up your baby's face, the warmth of a hug from your partner or a friend, or the sweet smell of your baby's skin. When we practice mindfulness we become more awake and alive in the present moment, for ourselves and for our children.

In many ways, the heart of parenting is about being fully present with our children. One way we can learn how to do this is by learning how to be fully present for and connected to ourselves in our own lives right now.

Coming Up...

Q&A: A Direct Experience of the Mind-Body Connection
Q & A: Encountering Resistance - Beginner's Mind to the Rescue
Recipe Time - We've been eating so many raisins mindfully lately, let's prepare something tasty and enjoy it mindfully, too!
A Story of Mindfulness in Action
The Breath: A Friend for Life
Guided Yogic Breathing Pranayama Meditation (Kriya Yoga Program)
Awareness of Breathing Meditation

Works Cited:
Bardacke, Nancy. Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond. HarperOne, 2012.

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Pranayama: Breathing - Lesson 1

4/2/2020

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It is written in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the ancient text on yoga:

"Life is the period between one breath and the next; a person who only half breathes, only half lives. He who breathes correctly, acquires control of the whole being." ~ Swami Satyananda Saraswati

In yoga it is said that each person has a fixed number of breaths allocated to him. If one breathes slowly then one will live longer, for the number of breaths is allocated for the lifetime; if one breathes rapidly the given number of breaths are used up more quickly resulting in a shorter life span. Whether you accept this idea or not, there is nevertheless a great deal of truth in it. A fast breathing rate is associated with tension, fear, worry, etc. which tends to lead to bad health, unhappiness, and of course a short life. A person who breathes slowly is relaxed, calm and happy, which is conducive to longevity.

Breathing is a process that we rarely give any thought to. It occurs automatically without our awareness, yet at the same time it is often something that most people do incorrectly. If breathing is a spontaneous function of the body, how is it possible to do it incorrectly? The answer lies with our respiratory muscles which become lazy over time and cease to give optimum inhalation and exhalation (23).

How can we change the way we breathe in order to feel more relaxed, calm and happy in our day-to-day lives?

Let's continue with our journey into Kriya Yoga

To update our new readers (Hi Hannah!), over the last many blogs, we have been reading and working through two books. "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya" by Satyananda Saraswati and another book titled, “Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond" by Nancy Bardacke. In the last couple posts, we have mostly focused on building a healthy pre-meditation routine via the first yoga asana program found within the Kriya book. One (time) option for the program looks like this:

So far, I have also provided a presentation that includes photos of each individual asana/pose listed above (except for Naukasana - I'll explain that pose soon). Then I followed those items up with a brief demonstration of the poses as well as a quick Q&A regarding it. (Jala Neti information can be found here).

Let's review the breathing/pranayama portion of our Kriya Yoga program before we move on to the second lesson! :) I'm amazed at the progress I've made so far with this book. I literally feel like I am participating in my own yoga training. How do you feel about it? Feel free to comment and let me know :)

Below, you will find either a link (for email subscribers) or an audio tool (for web viewers). The audio includes our first pranayama practice! In the first half (1:00-18:00) of the recording, I take a moment to read the portion of the chapter that discusses the following important pieces of information:

A review on breathing capacities
Why slow breathing?
The mechanics of breathing
Different methods of breathing
Preparations necessary for Yogic Breathing

Then lastly, I lead an exploration into what it means to really breathe. We break down what it means to experience abdominal breathing, middle breathing, upper breathing and finally, yogic breathing. Please feel free to skip the first half if you like, but once you get to the descriptions of the different methods of breathing, I suggest a careful listen. Sometimes these lectures have so much wonderful information and context, so if you do happen to skip the first part but are left wondering if you missed something, then perhaps give it a full listen.

PRANAYAMA LECTURE & EXERCISE

Summary

A few minutes of yogic breathing daily can work wonders. It will make you much less susceptible to illness, and you will acquire more power, vitality and calmness in your daily activities. Your thinking and clarity of thought will improve.

The deep systematic yogic breathing will tend to retrain breathing nerve reflexes that may have ceased to be active by lack of use. In other words, at present you might be breathing only from the chest, hardly using the abdomen at all. Yogic breathing will start to make you breathe abdominally, intercostally and clavicularly during the day, and therefore, allow you to inhale the full amount of air that your body requires for nourishment and good health.

To develop the yogic breathing as an automatic and normal function of the body, try to develop the habit of consciously breathing yogically for a few seconds or minutes. If you feel tired or angry, sit down, or if possible lie down, and practice yogic breathing. If you can breathe slowly then your mind will become calm and revitalized.

Please, let me know if you practiced the recommended five Yogic breaths to start and how it made you feel. And don't forget, tomorrow, add two more breaths and so on. ~ Ashley

What Are We Going to Do Next?

The World in a Raisin: A Mindfulness Meditation

Works Cited:
Saraswati, Satyananda. A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Yoga Publications Trust, 2013.

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Kriya Yoga Program: Pre-Meditation Exercises

3/23/2020

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Recently, we began to reread two amazing books, "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya" by Satyananda Saraswati and another book titled, “Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond" by Nancy Bardacke.

I believe that it's time for us to delve a little deeper now into the actual yoga asanas (poses) found within these sacred pages. Especially since the first program concerns pre-meditation exercises and our other book is all about mindfulness meditation (& birthing). Lucky us :) So, here is how our first asana program begins:

"Most people today are physically very stiff. You can test this for yourself: from a standing position, keep your legs straight and bending forwards try to touch your toes with your hands. If you can't (please do not force or strain), then this shows that your body is stiff. Because of this stiffness most people cannot sit in one position for a very long time, as is necessary in higher yogic practices, without feeling the urge to move their limbs in response to discomfort. The following simple exercises are designed to generally loosen up your body and prepare you for eventual mastery of meditation asanas. There are many possible loosening up exercises, far too many for daily practice. The following exercises are selected ones which we feel give optimum results, especially when performed systematically in the order that we have described them" (19).

Alright. Noted. Let's begin then shall we? Below you will find a presentation which includes:

Me, reading portions of the chapter that I feel are the most noteworthy
The Pre-Meditation Exercises
3 program options and time allotments to guide you
Photos of the poses (asanas)
My voice, walking you through the entire program

Preparations

1. Practice in a well ventilated, unobstructed room. Do not practice in outdoors and in poor weather conditions.
2. Use a folded blanket or rug placed on the floor.
3. Wear comfortable clothing which doesn't obstruct free movement. Use common sense in this respect.
4. Please do not use unnecessary strain or force in any of the exercises. Though you may find that your muscles are a little stiff to begin with, they will begin to stretch even after a dew days of regular practice. (I'll write about this in more detail in a later post)
5. If you haven't already, consider reviewingJala Neti and Your Reasons for Wanting to Practice Yoga

VIEW PRESENTATION

If you are subscribed to my blog and if the presentation doesn't automatically load in your email box, it's because MailChimp (my blog distributor) isn't compatible with this file type. Please feel free to click the link "View Presentation" found above or simply visit my blog and read it from there. This includes the survey below, which most likely won't load properly in email. Sorry about that and thank you!

Perhaps Next Time...

Maybe I'll try to put together a video for you of myself leading a yoga class which includes these poses? What do you think? Would you like that? Let me know ;)

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THE KRIYA YOGA BLOG

The Root Cause of Tension: Lesson 2.6

The Root Cause of Tension

Codes for Mental Reprogramming

Lesson 2.6: Pages from the Book

The Root Cause of Tension
(Recording)

My Kriya Yoga Practice

“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Remember?”

A Special Treat - A Yoga Class by Näthan Gangadean

EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF

Part Two: The World in a Raisin - A Mindfulness Meditation on Interconnectedness

Reflections on the Raisin Meditation

Coming Up...

Pranayama: Breathing - Lesson 1

Let's continue with our journey into Kriya Yoga

Summary

What Are We Going to Do Next?

Kriya Yoga Program: Pre-Meditation Exercises

Preparations

Perhaps Next Time...

Let's Keep This Ball Rolling...

My Message

Categories

Archives

Ashley's Holistic Bookshelf

My Students

❤ Ashley Cruz YOGA IS SOCIAL ❤

Subscribe To THE KRIYA YOGA Blog

THE KRIYA YOGA BLOG

The Root Cause of Tension: Lesson 2.6

The Root Cause of Tension

Codes for Mental Reprogramming

Lesson 2.6: Pages from the Book

The Root Cause of Tension ​(Recording)

My Kriya Yoga Practice

“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Remember?”

A Special Treat - A Yoga Class by Näthan Gangadean

EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF

Part Two: The World in a Raisin - A Mindfulness Meditation on Interconnectedness

Reflections on the Raisin Meditation

Coming Up...

Pranayama: Breathing - Lesson 1

Let's continue with our journey into Kriya Yoga

Summary

What Are We Going to Do Next?

Kriya Yoga Program: Pre-Meditation Exercises

Preparations

Perhaps Next Time...

Let's Keep This Ball Rolling...

My Message

Categories

Archives

Ashley's Holistic Bookshelf

My Students

❤​ Ashley Cruz YOGA IS SOCIAL ❤​​

Subscribe To THE KRIYA YOGA Blog​

The Root Cause of Tension
(Recording)

❤ Ashley Cruz YOGA IS SOCIAL ❤

Subscribe To THE KRIYA YOGA Blog