Bodhisattva: Do not fear

Bodhisattva: Do not fear. Granting wishes and blessings.

Meditation During Revolution: Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

The week grind on. Everyone that I know is stressed. Talk of revolution and politics cut into every conversation. As the rush of revolution adrenalin subsides, we are left sorting through a deluge of information.

Stories. Replay. Analysis. Videos. Tweets. Facebook. 
What to believe? Who to believe? Rumours run Rampant!

Years ago, long before Twitter and Facebook, I remember Yogi Bhajan telling us of the coming Age of Aquarius. He warned us that we would be overwhelmed with information. All secrets would be revealed. All lies exposed. Everyone would know everything about everyone. I sit here once again after another wave of millions of people came together outside my front doorstep. I not only hear my teacher's words, but experience his vision. 

The flood of "news" is overwhelming. Media hyped stories with points of view jabbed in from every angle: images challenge images; words reversed; words spewed.
Writers and commenters confuse us with propaganda, changing media strategies, and retelling of events ad nauseam. We take sides. We push. We pull. We argue. We agree. We judge. We stalemate.  

The cacophony holds us in confusion. Emotions get stuck in deadlock.
Maybe you find yourself in anxiety. Maybe you find yourself in hopelessness. Maybe you find yourself fear. Maybe you find yourself in euphoria.

Our inner conflicts block our ability to think and act clearly. We want to find the Truth, but we don't know how to navigate through the depths of information. 

I say, take a break.
Turn off your television. Log out of your internet. 
Take a seat. Pause. Take your breath. 

When you depend on your mind to discern what is true, it will lead you to duality. Our minds are not equipped to handle the flood of information coming at us. The mind is expert in volleying back and forth with arguments for and against. 

When your breath pattern changes it disturbs your prana, your life force. This disturbance puts us into an inner conflict. Our energy gets scattered. Rather than being centered, the energy moves distressed through our being. We are are unable to determine our own course of action. We are unable to discern our Truth. 

Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex 

This meditation resolves many conflicts and is an automatic reflex for survival. The effect is certain, gradual, and simple.

Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

POSTURE: Sit in an Easy Pose, with a light jalandhar bandh.

EYES: Close the eyes 9/10ths of the way.

MUDRA: Place the hands over the chest, with the palms on the torso at the level of the breasts. The fingers point toward each other across the chest.

BREATH: The key to this meditation is attention to the breath. Inhale deeply and completely for 5 seconds. Exhale completely for 5 seconds. Hold the breath out for15 seconds, by suspending the chest motion as you pull in the Navel Point and abdomen.

TIME: Begin with 11 minutes. Build up to 31 or 62 minutes.

TO END: Inhale deeply and stretch the arms up over the head. Relax the breath and shake the arms and hands for 15-30 seconds. Relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~

This breath pattern holds the breath out three times as long as it is held in. So, the body senses a lack of prana in vital areas of functioning and asks how it can quickly and optimally reorganize itself to respond to this survival threat. The fibers of the Pranic Body extend and re-channel the prana to form a new pattern filled with clarity and action potential. 

Your built-in computer can calculate your total resources and the level of challenge, then design a strategy to prepare and use the mind and body effectively.
Be honest with the breath timing, and the meditation will be honest with you.  

- Yogi Bhajan

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Day 1 Freedom : United Community of Egypt

@sierragoddess

Saturday, 12 February 2011: The first day of victory for Egypt. The atmosphere in Cairo is electrifying.

It's a new beginning for Egypt. And, as I have witnessed this movement of enlightenment across this country, I know Egypt is opening to a prosperous future.

As of yet, I haven't set a day or time to begin teaching yoga classes.

These last weeks, I've been supporting my friends in Tahrir Square, either by being with them when I could, or respecting their wishes for me to stay home. From peaceful protests, to heart-wrenching violence, to early curfews, we all moved through these last weeks moment-by-moment, on edge, in the present. At home, I did my best to sit quietly in my prayer space, but it was incredibly challenging.

We experienced communication without earthly communications (i.e. mobile phones and internet.) We formed community watch groups within hours as violence from thieves and thugs took to the streets. We went to the streets with brooms and bins to clean up our Cairo this morning, no less than 12 hours after victory to the principal demand of ousting President Mubarak. We didn't need committees, we simply moved through the link of oneness.

Every day, I was awestruck as the protestors held their ground and demonstrated phenomenal peaceful being. Young, old, Christian, Muslim, Secular, doctors, nurses, educators, students, unemployed, everyone as one.  At the same time, I listened to western media pundits use fear words in their broadcasts, baiting for confrontation and conflict. My friends translated the deception and propaganda being broadcast from state television and newspapers. Emotions swung from highs to lows, but never did we consider that we would leave. This is our home.

Peace to All - If you want to have peace, be peace. Peace is action from within, but you won't get there without practice. United we stand. Divided we fall. One. YOUR moment is now. ...now.... now...

### 30 ###

Safe

Thank you to everyone that contacted me during this last week to check in on me and my family here in Cairo. I can't tell you how much I appreciated your emails of love and overall support. It was overwhelming to suddenly be connected with people that I haven't communicated with for years and discover that time is irrelevant.

Love prevails. Peace prevails. Time is an illusion.

We (my family, my friends, my neighbors) are all fine. We all appreciate your love and prayers for us and everyone here in Egypt.

At this time, we are all focused on the well-being of our communities and friends. As soon as I return to teaching yoga classes, I will post the schedule.

When the breath is controlled and regulated, the person becomes divine. If the breath is not controlled, then the person is busy in worldly activities and forgets his spiritual nature. - Paramahamsa Hariharananda

Peace begins with you

Here is a small segment from an eNewletter that I received from The Peace Alliance:

Three Suggestions for Peacemaking in Your Own Life

If you have any internal judgements of anybody, politically or in your life, notice any judgments of “wrong or bad.” Then connect, “what are the deeper needs of mine behind those judgements?”

When you have disagreement with what others are saying (with politicians and media pundits, for example), see if you can empathize with the needs they are trying to meet, and see if there are ways you can relate to them.

If you are talking to someone who is expressing judgments -- that you either agree or disagree with -- try to reflect back and empathize with some of their needs.

These are paraphrased from Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

The Peace Alliance is an alliance of organizers and advocates throughout the United States taking the work of peacebuilding from the margins of society into the centers of national discourse and policy priorities.  Our network includes volunteer grassroots teams in hundreds of cities, towns, colleges and high school campuses.

** *** *** **

Happy Eid Adha

During this holiday week, I will not be teaching yoga classes. See you all next week.

*** Eid Moubarak we Kol Sana Wentom Tayyebin ***

It's New Years eve, Full Moon, and Blue Moon

The full moon at 6:20 pm as it rises above the Red Sea.
It's new year's eve! Today we all get to experience not only a full moon, but a rare blue moon. The blue moon means a second full moon within a month's time. The last time we had a blue moon on December 31st was in 1990, with the next coming about in 2028.

What an amazing time for us to celebrate, reflect, and center ourselves.

**