RabBoar Studio - Thoughts

We’ve been going along pretty smooth in the Blog for quite some time now…and all the sudden we’re talking about K-Yoga…Rising Kundalini’s….. Mantras…Kriyas….chanting….GONGS… and a miriad of other seemingly scary terms. I’m assuming by now …some of you are asking…what the Heck is up with this K-YOGA stuff?

Those of you who have attended one or more of Pam’s K-Yoga classes have found out that …its pretty COOL and unlike any other types of Yoga.

Kundalini is “the Yoga of Awareness” it helps us to become “Aware” of our Breath, our Physical Body, our Mental Conscientiousness, and our Spiritual Being. All Yoga does this in one way or another, but K-Yoga does it much faster(up to 16 times faster). It works  by utilizing Breath, Movement, and Sound. SOoo to dispel some of the myths about it I thought I would explain a little about a Kundalini Class Format.

The class normally begins with sitting quietly and beginning to consentrate on long slow breathing. Then ..Tuning in with our “Teacher Within”…..chanting the ADI Mantra, ONG NA MO GURU DEV NA MO.  This links us to the “Golden Chain” of spiritual masters who have preceded us. They are always there to serve us, and to Guide us as long as we are patient enough, and quiet enough to recieve their guidence. if we can cultivate this subtle awareness…it will be more valuable than we can possibly emagine.

Sit in “easy pose” (crossed legged,straight spine) lightly press the palms together at the center of the chest,thumbs against the sternum.(prayer pose) The slight pressure on the sternum stimulates the “Mind Nerve” that connects to the brain, pressing the palms together balances the two hemispheres of the brain,both help concentration and focus. Some teachings tell us to also pull our chin down and back…this helps to straighten the spine and opens the heart Center. this is called the “Neck Lock” or “Jalandhar Bandh”

The Meaning of “ONG NA MO GURU DEV NA MO”

ONG ..the active,creative aspect of the universe, NA MO… to call upon, GURU DEV …devine wisdom, NA MO …to call upon. The Mantra is normally chanted in one long deep breath,and repeated several times, it is OK to take a small sip of air through the mouth between the first NA MO and GURU DEV.

After “Tuning in” there will be a series of warm-ups followed by a Kriya(meaning action) it is the theme for the practice(like Heart opening or Spiritual Grounding) and will be different each class. THEN… (and I might say,my personal favorite)the “GONG MEDITATION”, this is a wonderful way of helping the mind “Let GO” to let the healing effects of the Viberations wash over the body, it is sometimes called “Emersion or Bathed” in the therapeutic waves.  Normally the “Gong Song” lasts for about 10 to 15 minutes,(although most people don’t want it to stop even then)  slowly you are brought back to the “Here and Now” by wiggleing fingers and toes, then wrists and anckles, rubbing hands and feet together, by now I promise….you will be feeling the Kundalini energy(Prana) through-out your whole being……I’ve heard it discribed through the spectrum from “Tinglies to Euphoria”    Then all our classes conclude with a “Prayer Song”, it expands our Sacred Space to everyone around us, from the ones in the same room with us, to the entire planet…it go’s….

“MAY THE LONG TIME SUN SHINE UPON YOU……. ALL LOVE SURROUND YOU…… AND THE PURE LIGHT WITH-IN YOU ….. GUIDE YOUR WAY ON….. GUIDE YOUR WAY ON,GUIDE YOUR WAY ON…….”

SOooooo if you haven’t experienced K-Yoga, I truly hope you come to “Kundalini Tuesdays” and I hope this entices you to, We have fun,…..get energized, become less Physical …..and more Spiritual.

  K-Yoga brings this energy to your awareness, and connects the mind, body,and spirit…so…Enjoy.

SEE……That wasn’t too scary……was it?  …not like “Zen of the Thigh-Master” ………… now THATS scary!

Sat Nam…

Larry.O. 

I’ve been reading “Eat Pray and Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert.  My friend, Grace, had listen to the audio book months and months ago so I downloaded a version from Audible only to have it sit there … for months and months since the only time I listen to audio books is when my husband and I go on long driving trips and I have a queue of books ahead of this one to listen to.

So I kept meaning to get a copy from the library, but always forgot when I was there.  So another friend, CeCe, loaned me her printed copy. 

Thank YOU CeCe.  This is a great book.  The best autobiography I’ve read in a long time.  You can read what the book is about at any booksellers website, but I wanted to quote from the second section — the “Pray” section — which is about her stay at an ashram in India:

…”Yoga is not synonymous with Hinduism, not are all Hindus Yogis.  True Yoga neither competes with not precludes any other religion.  You may use your Yoga — you disciplined practices of sacred union — to get closer to Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha or Yahweh.  During my time at the Ashram, I met devotees who identified themselves as practicing Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and even Muslims.  I have met other who would rather not talk about their religious affiliations at all, for which, in this contentious world, you can hardly blame them.

The Yogic path is about disentangling the built-in glitches of the human condition, which I’m going to over-simply define here as the heartbreaking inability to sustain contentment.  Different schools of thought over the centuries have found different explanations for man’s apparently inherently flawed state.  Taoists call it imbalance, Buddhism calls it ignorance, Islam blames our misery on rebellion against God, and the Judeo-Christian tradition attributes all our suffering to original sin.  Freudians say that unhappiness is the inevitable result of the clash between our natural drives and civilization’s needs.  (As my [her] friend Deborah the psychologist explains it: “Desire is the design flaw.”)  The Yogis, however, say that human discontentment is a simple case of mistaken identity.  We’re miserable because we think that we are mere individuals, alone with our fears and flows and resentments and mortality.  We wrongly believe that our limited little egos constitute our whole entire nature.  We have failed to recognize our deeper divine character.  We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme Self who is eternally at peace.  That supreme Self is our true identity, universal and divine.  Before you realize this truth, say the Yogis, you will always be in despair, a notion nicely expressed in this exasperated line from the greek stoic philosopher Epictetus:  “You bear God within you, poor wretch, and knot it not.”

Yoga is the effort to experience one’s divinity personally and then to hold on to that experience forever.  Yoga is about self-mastery and the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise.”

And I could go on … actually I went further than I intended to go with quoting her.  But isn’t her description great?  If you can beg, borrow or buy this book, do so.  I guarantee you won’t regret it.

 It Always starts……. “I know I shouldn’t do it,  but if I only did it once…it would be O.K.”

Or…….”No-body get addicted the first time” 

The choices we make …… and the consequences there of …..shape and form ..our outlook, our demeanor, our personality, and our ability to perceive.

Most all of you who know me ….know I’m a pretty logical, and a happy-go-luck guy, not overly experimental.and know I have been openly against things like this………………… untill Now….

SOOOoooo………. the reason for this post……. I feel it would help me to talk about it to someone….. ask for advice…… seek guidence….. you get the idea.

I had been contiplating it for a couple of months now,mabe longer…….yes…no…..yes…no….. then …….in weakness……. I tried it,..no one was around…….

 I’m still not sure if I actually got addicted……. or……… even how its going to affect me “Long Term” but if anyone observes me acting “differently” please let me know….

Here it is…… I tried……… “Self Induced Sun-Salutations” or S.I.S.S. ………….There!……….I said it.

I have been against this sort of thing as it seems all my life……….. although, in later years, I took the … “if YOU want to do it” …..so be it…. its “Just not for ME”

It’s not easy to get hooked on S.I.S.S. but there is NO known cure.. .and……I now realize “the HIGH seemed to be short term”..

I’m fairly sure I wont become an S.I.S.S junkie ….although, I might  be a casual….”Self Induced Sun Saluter”

 You know ….only do it when others are do’in it kind’a thing.

I’m look’in into seeing if there is a “Program” or something…… mabe there is some sort of watch-dog group…like Y.A.A.A. (Yogies Against Asana Abuse)   Heck I can probably wait till I’m Sixty-five and Medi-care might kick in.

I know there are others out there …that are thinking of experimenting with S.I.S.S. ….this is MY story…….I hope it helps You to make …”The RIGHT Decision” …… Remember…..it not only affects you… but your Family, your Friends, and even your Job, its a life changing “choice”…and its not for the “faint of Heart”………if you must try it seek out a trained professional, one adept in S.I.S.S like P.A.M(Professional Asana Master)    you won’t be sorry.

Darth,Larry.

Wow, How life changes…….  some, or rather MOST of those changes stem from the good or bad choices we make …..the others….well…….are just Serendipity, or what I would term as……….in many cases……..”Yoga Happends”.

A few short Years ago…For example ..I thought Yoga was just another way a person could exercize physically….like running,swimming,jumping up and down on the bed,or a jillion others. Now I understand that Yoga is definately physical exercize…..but much,much more than that,……to Me,it’s an exercize in Awareness.

I remember as I’m sure ALL do how awkward I felt doing my first class,   how silly and down-rite “Dorky” I must have looked (as I presumed) doing my first “Posture”.

Then later….the Awareness of how my body felt the following morning after my first “Sun Salute”class.(refer to my earlier post on “Sun Salutes”).

Then,…Later still… the Awareness of how good it felt to finally do a posture that  “I KNEW I would NEVER be able to do.”

Now …… after I have been introduced to it… My Awareness has now been captivated by the “GONG” and Kundalini Yoga, which has been refered to as”the Yoga of AWARENESS”

“You will be Healed,Strengthened,and Awakend”  it is said.

So..for me…….My journey, or at least my Yoga one, has been “Going ..Going…GONGED!”

My Awareness about Yoga has changed considerably since those days when … running,jumping,swimming and Yoga were pretty much the same thing(try play’n the GONG do’ing any of the other ones)

The GONG really “Rang My Bell” (sorry)… when I heard it at the Kundalini Workshop a few months ago.   …WHEW!!!! with the energy brought out by the Kundalini “Kriyas’ and the “vibes” the GONG produces ..I was energized for a week… forever Changed … I just cant wait till I find my next “Yoga stone” along my journey.   If you havn’t experienced the Gong played for meditation yet ….I hope you do………………You’ll be “Healed,…Strengthend………and Awake.

Thanks,PAM and DAVID … for bringing Kundalini Yoga (and the GONG)to N.W.Arkansas

SAT-NAM.

Larry O.

The sound of the Gong is the Spirit’s Song,

It’s the primal wisper of the Soul.

It’s sound is the echo of the original Word that created the Universe,

The Sound within all of us.

Listen with Inner and Outer ears,

Feel it’s pulsations and millions of vibrations,

…as they dance and flow through your senses.

You will become Fearless, Relaxed, and Awakened.

The Acients sought this experience on tops of Mountains,

at Sacred places.

The Voice of GOD would Thunder…in spectacular strokes of Lightning,

The Clap of Thunder..Bang! Shatter! Roll! Echo!

It stopped all Thought..Stripped away all pretense, Shook loose the deepest fears,

…and rejuvenated the Nervous System.

It created Strength, Peace, and Healing.

The GONG is that Sound….it is the flash of Inner Light.

The Mallet is the Will of the Infinite ……The GONG, the Creation,

….and the Sound is the Spirit’s Song…..

The Heartbeat of the SOUL.

                       Yogi Bhajin.

In a quote by SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA in his book KUNDALINI YOGA               “Essence of Kundalini Yoga” he writes…

The word YOGA comes from the root Yuj which means “to join” and in its spiritual sense,it is that process by which the human spirit is brought into near and conscious communion with,or is merged in,the Devine Spirit,according as the nature of the human spirit is held to be separate from the Devine Spirit.”. “Yoga is that process by which the identity of the two Jivatman(individual) and Paramatman(Supreme) -which identity always exists,infact-is realized by the Yogin” “Yoga in the sense of final union is inapplicable,for the union implies a dualism of the Devine and the Human Spirit.in such a case it denotes the process rather than the result”

“Yoga is the Devine Science which disentangles the Jiva(individual soul)from the world of sense-objects and links him with the Anata Anada.  (infinite Bliss),Parama Shanti (Supreme Peace), and Joy”.

I think its amazing the similarities in this and some of the New-Age thinking that is coming to light even now.

I hope everyone can experience Kundalini Yoga first hand ..now that Guru Pam is having a weekly class,and an occasional Saturday Workshop.

  Kundalini power is easily aroused and the effects can last for days..

…..as you can tell I’m Excited about this,,,,  it’s going to be “Sukha”(Happiness)!

Sat-Nam.

Larry O.

Methab and Guru Karam Benton were awesome teachers, and awesome people.  Very knowledgeable, very friendly, and although we worked “hard” (in a Kundalini Yoga sort of way) we had fun too.  And you’ve never lived if you haven’t been “gonged”.  What an amazing experience — the gong meditations are like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

Methab suggested I start teaching a regular Kundalini Yoga class, so we will be starting on the first Tuesday in August, and every Tuesday thereafter.  We will even have a little gong to use during some of our meditations.

Thank you, Methab and Guru Karam for a life-changing, and life-enhancing experience.

Sat Nam

Recently friend of mine mentioned something called A Course In Miracles, so I was asking, “what’s it about — what are some of the lessons it talks about?”  David F. answered that one lesson he remembered was “you are not angry for the reasons you think you are.”  And he said the lesson continued with you thinking about a time you were angry, and analyzing it further. 

This sounded interesting to me so I borrowed the set of books from another friend to read a little more.  After just the first few pages, I went on-line and found a used copy of the 3 books all in one (Text, Lessons, and Teachers Guide) and ordered it. 

The more I read CIM the more I find similarities with Yogic philosophy.  Then Steve pointed out to me an article in the March 2007 Yoga Journal  based on an interview with T.K.V. Desikachar.  Those of you who come regularly to classes at the studio know that Desikachar is the son of Krishnamacharya, teacher of Iyengar (Iyengar Style Yoga) and Jois (Ashtanga Styles Yoga) and, of course, Desikachar (Viniyoga).

Desikachar is discussing mainly meditation in the article, and here is one paragraph from the article:

Meditation holds four major benefits, says Desikachar.  The first is arta, or lessening of suffering.  “We meditate so pain is reduced,” he says, noting that “pain is not necessarily physical but can be emotional.”  Next is jnanam, transcendent knowledge. “you may get a flash, a moment of clarity or wisdom,” he says.  “it’s like lightening.  For one second everything is bright; then it goes away.” Although this momentary illumination fades, memory of the insight — and its impact — lingers.  Meditation can also result in extraordinary powers, called artharta.  (Here is the similarity to “Miracles“)  For example, Krishnamacharya, who died in 1989 at the age of 100, was apparently able to stop his heartbeat and breath for several minutes with no adverse affects.  Meditation’s final benefit is bhakta — realization of the highest truth.  Through meditation, Desikachar says, you can discover your true nature.

From what I remember of Yogic teachings, the artharta is incindental — not important per se — but only an indication that you are progressing.  However, many Yoga teachers and practitioners think they’ve reached the “goal” when a “miracle” occurs.

From what I can tell in the little bit I’ve read so far in Course in Miracles, the miracles don’t matter either — they are just steps, just indicators of advancement.

We are going to be starting a study group of Course in Miracles.  It will be very interested to see what else is in common with Yogic philosophy.

If you are interested in joining us, please email pamela@rabboar.com