meditation

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Celebrating Freedom

Happy Independence Day

Aside from the the usual – bonfires, s’mores, roasting hotdogs, parades and fireworks – how will you celebrate 4th of July?  I will practice sun salutations on the beach and stand on my head and watch the waves move in and out.  I will also watch a parade and go to a bonfire.  But there is more to it than that.  I am called on this day to look deeper.  I am called to a moment of presence, an opportunity to set an intention and to honor the gift of freedom, given to me as a citizen of this fine country.

This American of American Holidays stands as a hallmark of our country’s commitment to freedom.  Freedom to be who you are, celebrate how you wish, pray as you believe and walk tall as an individual.  It also marks our country’s determination to choose our own alliances and set our own economic and political trails.  This is a heady list of choices to make at the personal and social level.

I can’t remember who said this, but “with choice/independence there  comes great responsibility.”  So it seems that on this day when were are celebrating our freedom, we should also be examining our own commitments and intentions.   So perhaps today is a day which can practice living  in the same way that we our start our yoga practice.  Today let us set our intentions for our practice of life.

Questions to consider

  • I am free to choose how I live – how do I want to live?
  • I am free to pray as I want – to what or whom do I want to dedicate my prayers?
  • I am free to associate with anyone – how shall I choose my friend and how can I support them?
  • I am free to vote and exercise my political will – what do I truly care about and how can I support that with my vote?
  • I am free to live each day as I wish – how can I live each moment of each day more fully?
  • I am free to celebrate as I wish – what is it I want to celebrate and bring light to?

Have a fantastic 4th. Enjoy the celebration of freedom.  Enjoy your freedom.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Routine as the Touchstone to Deepening your Practice

Home again from vacation.  The bags are unpacked, the laundry clean and put away, meals planned for the week, and all of us have returned to the routine of school and work.

Routine which may become monotonous, does provide a stable ground upon which to rest.  We know what is expected of us, and how best to manage our strength and energies within it.  Routine, which can sometimes lead to boredom, also provides an opportunity for renewal and deeper introspection.

Take for example the sun salutations.  We know the routine:

  • Tadasana
  • Utanasana
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana
  • Plank
  • Bhujhangasana/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
  • Utanasana
  • Tadasana

As we breath and move from asana to asana we gain strength and clarity.  Each asana is a meditation in and of itself.  And yet each asana leads to the next asana, deepening the meditation.  As the flow becomes more and more familiar, we begin to deepen our practice and our understanding of ourselves.

Sure, there is room for boredom.  All the room your are willing to allow yourself.  As soon as you mentally jump ship (so to speak) the asanas no longer provide the foundation for the meditation, and become no more than an aerobic exercise.   The true gift of the sun salutation lies in its ability to link our breath, movement and mind into a heart opening practice.  One in which we put aside all of our “to-do” lists, and allow ourselves to experience a greater sense of well-being and connectedness.

And there is great room for enhancement and variation.  All the other asanas can be incorporated into the sun salutations.  Routine becomes enhanced, and yet grounded in a deeper practice.

So, as we return again to the routine of daily living, I find myself embracing my sun salutation practice as a touchstone for renewal and re-entry.  May it be so for you as well.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana

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Rain, Rain, Rain

I know I shouldn’t let the rain get to me, I mean in live in the Pacific Northwest afterall.  So, When I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and heard the rain, and heard that inner voice saying “bummer, not another day of rain,” I  decided that meditating on the drops of rain would be my practice for the day.

Can I listen to the rain – really listen?  I can I detect an individual dropout of the many?  How does the sound of the rain change?

The rain makes me want to stay inside.  Curl up.  Read a book.  Drink hot tea.  And sometimes, that is just what we need to do.  Take a break from the hectic-ness that is modern life.  It’s hard to do, but sometimes you just gotta give yourself a break.  If you can’t take a whole day off, well, then just take time to really appreciate that cup of hot tea.  Sit back, hold the cup in your hand, feel its warmth, breath in its scent.  Close your eyes, and sigh.  Let the world slip away and just be present with your breath.
Now that your tea is finished, take another deep breath, smile, and precede with your day.  Don’t worry, the time you took to stop and breath and sip your tea, did not set you back.  You will still get it all done, you will just be calmer and more focused.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana

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Computers & Sutras

I have spent several hours now creating this blog.  I ride the waves of enthusiasm and frustration, and I am reminded of Pantajli’s sutra – stirum sukham asanam – roughly translated to “find the balance of effort and relaxation in the pose.”    When I move slowly and compassionately in this process it allows me to rides the waves of frustration.  Yes, I do believe I am living my yoga beyond the mat.