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Will Doran Yoga Newsletter
- December, 2007 "The Yoga Coach" ~ Helping people find their place and direction in life. ________________ <<< ☼ >>> ________________ Dear friends, Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! This is both a special and challenging time of year. My newsletter was written to help you find a deeper connection to the love and lights. I have included some introspection on the subject as well as a list of books that can serve as a resource for your unique path to understanding your true self. Also, I have included selections from a very clear and inspiring ancient text offering meditations on how to tap into the spaciousness that is the gift of our life. Peace and light to you all! In this issue: Yoga Philosophy: The Presence of Love Applied Yoga: Training Your Sensitivity to Love Notices:
____________________________________ Yoga Philosophy: The Presence of Divine Love The first principle of Anusara Yoga is open to grace. To me this is a call to fine-tune my skills of perception so that I can feel the presence of divine love underlying and permeating all things, then act from that awareness. Love is the essence of which all things spring; the ancient yogis called it the absolute source, the One, Shiva. What springs from this pure love energy as the material world they named Shakti, the feminine force of creative energy. Somewhere along the line we have loosened our grip on the reality that the myriad of shapes and forms that exist are all constructions made from this one single origin. Coming back to this awareness of love, and how it is hard-wired into our being as the optimal path of behavior and perception, is our highest calling. Indeed, it is the only path that will heal our wounds, bring ultimate fulfillment, and instill peace on Earth. Christmas is the time of year in which all people, of all faiths and creeds, can come to honor the divine presence of love. It does not require that one proclaim allegiance to the Christian religion, but rather, it is a time to recognize the basic essence of who we are and what unites us. We are made of love, are steeped in love, and swim in an ocean of love. However, like a fish swimming in the sea we may be oblivious to the presence of water. When we stop to look around and feel the love it actually is everywhere. This level of perception often gets lost in the noise and confusion of our active, and all-too-frequently over-stimulated lives. Our culture is a bit confused in its priorities but I recognize that at the base of our humanity we know that love is the force that binds us together. Seeing the presence of love is frequently is aided by seeing the opposite. Ultimately we are moving towards love or away from it, and as such, feel the consequences of its presence or absence. In the West we use the term "Christ consciousness" to represent our awareness of the presence of divine love. Christ came to teach us that we have a choice of our way of being and perceiving; that choice can empower us to make a connection to each other and create unity with divine presence. "Love your neighbor" is a powerful message and a tall order to fill; "love yourself" may be even harder still. To live up to this possibility we must sensitize ourselves to the feeling of love; this is the "amazing grace" that helps us flow through life with the knowledge that we are all a part of the One. This level of love and perception is the knowledge that we are not alone and that as humans we share the same challenges and opportunities of finding peace amongst us and union with the all-encompassing presence of the divine. Christ consciousness is the spirit of love that unites us all with the higher order of things and brings fulfillment to the human experience. In a world that is presented to us through our controlled media as falling all-too-short-of-love I believe that it can be seen in a very different light. It takes training and discipline not to succumb to the negative impressions. They are shoved down our throats for a reason, most of them for some financial gain or effort to control us through fear. Never-the-less, we are surrounded by diverse and wonderful expressions of love. The very heart of our attraction to each other is fundamentally the desire to be intimate with "the other," a term the Sufi mystics often use to name the embodiment of divine love, the beloved. Our longing for companionship and intimacy brings us into relationships. It is an outpouring of our heart in search of understanding, warmth, connectivity, touch and physical pleasure, and ultimately, a sense that we are worthy to love and be loved. That we go to such lengths to find love, or on the other end of the spectrum, try to deny our need for it, is one of the most compelling qualities of our humanity. We risk it all to find its intimacy and expression, and some even crash and burn in denial of its essentiality. The pursuit and denial of love is the consummate human motivation behind our artistic expression and wildest courses of action. Opening to Christ consciousness this time of year is a natural. As the light of day diminishes our physical being longs for the rays of sunshine to create health and balance. Our hearts longs for comfort and joy. The path before us is to recognize this longing and be the source for its manifestation for others. Take the time to learn to feel the presence of love, both within and around you. Make the effort to reach out and share your light and it will grow exponentially. Your heart will rejoice in your effort and you just may well be the catalyst for some amazing transformations. ____________________________________ Applied Yoga: Training Your Sensitivity to Love Like the scriptures say, "God is love." If we are to find ultimate peace we must make the effort to feel the presence of absolute love. The universe is an unbroken whole in which we are swirls of energy in a sea of love. It may not feel like it when you come into conflict or see manifestations of hate and violence. Never-the-less what you perceive is a gradation of recognition of the absolute. We strengthen our awareness of something through its absence. Our challenge is where to place our focus: on what is or on what is absent? Take steps to diminish your exposure to media that only emphasizes conflict, pain and suffering. Learn techniques that refine your ability to perceive the love and light. Make an effort to redress wrongs and avoid propagating negativity and you will amp up the love exponentially. Live in humility and patience and your tolerance of other’s shortcomings will strengthen your heart and will facilitate others in their efforts to come back into a loving balance. Own the opportunity and responsibility to become a co-creator of divine love and good will. Practicing the art of yoga is one technique for stilling the mind and finding your place in the presence of love. Yoga is more than moving through physical poses, it is an integrated art that incorporates many avenues to follow in the pursuit of inner peace and union with divine love. From a source of yogic insight I have included a list of simple-to-follow meditations that will help you come to the truth of your true nature. They are selections extracted from the ancient yogic text Vijnanabhairava Tantra.* The Tantric scholar Daniel Odier wrote about this text that the practitioner (tantrika), "rejects no facet of human experience but seeks only to use reality as a door that provides access to higher mystical states." He adds that, "the divine is at the very heart of the awareness of breath, sensations, emotions and thoughts. … The great originality of this tantra resides in the fact that it rehabilitates negative and disturbing emotions into great yogic paths." The good news here is that all of our life can be utilized as a tool for expanding consciousness and a sense of spatiality into love essence. I suggest you review the list and pick and choose the meditations that resonate with your heart. Then sit for a few minutes to practice them and see how spaciousness grows within. Paying attention to the results of your efforts will lead you further towards being fully awake as a human being and will ultimately bring you increased inner peace and freedom. Your practice will heighten your sensitivity to love and the presence of the divine all around you, as well as inside. (* This link leads to the entire 156 stanzas of text. A note to the reader: "Bhairava" and "Bhairavi" are synonymous terms for Shiva/Shakti, absolute consciousness and the creative flow of energy. Here they are presented as a teaching dialogue between the two.) 24 - 26. The supreme Shakti reveals herself when inbreath and outbreath are born and die at the two extreme points, top and bottom. Thus, between two breaths, experience infinite space. Between inbreath and outbreath, between stopping and going, when breath stands still at the two extreme points, inner heart and outer heart, two empty spaces will be revealed to you: Bhairava and Bhairavî. With a relaxed body when exhaling and inhaling, lose your mind and perceive your heart, the energy center where the absolute essence of Bhairava flows. 31. Focus your attention between your eyebrows, keep your mind free from any dualistic thought, let your form be filled with breath essence up to the top of your head and there, soak in radiant spatiality. 37. If you meditate in your heart, in the upper center or between your eyes, the spark which will dissolve discursive thought will ignite, like when brushing eyelids with fingers. You will then melt into supreme consciousness. 41. By being totally present to song, to music, enter spatiality with each sound which rises and dissolves into it. 48. Suppose your body to be pure radiant spatiality contained by your skin and reach the limitless. 52. Focus on a fire, fierier and fierier, which raises from your feet and burns you entirely. When there is nothing left but ashes scattered by the wind, know the tranquility of space which returns to space. 63. Contemplate over the undivided forms of your own body and those of the entire universe as being of an identical nature. Thus will your omnipresent being and your own form rest in unity and you will reach the very nature of consciousness. 64. In any activity, concentrate on the gap between in-breath and out-breath. Thus attain to bliss. 68-69. When you practice a sex ritual, let thought reside in the quivering of your senses like wind in the leaves, and reach the celestial bliss of ecstatic love. At the start of the union, be in the fire of the energy released by intimate sensual pleasure. Merge into the divine Shakti and keep burning in space, avoiding the ashes at the end. These delights are in truth those of the Self. 87. During a dark and moonless night, eyes open in the dark, let your whole being melt into this obscurity and attain to the form of Bhairava. 101. In a state of extreme desire, anger, greed, confusion, pride or envy, enter your own heart and discover the underlying peace. 117. Spirit is in you and all around you. When all is pure spatial consciousness, attain the essence of plenitude. ___________________________________ Notices: New Years Day Yoga Celebration- (Tuesday the 1st, 11 am – 1 pm) Still several openings left! You are invited to join me for yoga and friendship ushering in the first day of the year. We will begin our practice at 11:00 am in my home in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. This annual celebration will include a fire ritual for releasing the past and inviting in more of what brings us joy for the new year. A light breakfast is included after a 75 minute yoga class. Price is $30. Space is limited to eight so reserve your place soon.
Schedule changes: Class cancelled at OAC on Monday December 24th, as well as Saturday December 29th at the Phinney Neighborhood center. I’ll be subbing two classes at OAC for Ricardo on Wednesday, January 9 and 23rd at 6:30 pm.
Private instruction: I also teach privately out of my home for students who want undivided instruction and guidance. These sessions are customized to each individual’s needs. Private classes are $35 for an hour when a commitment to ten classes is made, or $45 for a single session.
As a professionally trained Life Coach I work on a deep level with individuals to help them journey into the richness of their life and make the choices that bring peace, happiness and fulfillment. I can help you find your inner wisdom to do what needs to be done and take yourself into new realms of fulfillment and a sense of self-guided direction. If you would like my support and guidance please give me a call to discuss your wishes. I can be reached at (206) 789-2321, or you can go online to www.TheYogaCoach.com for more information.
Here is a baker’s dozen list of very influential books that have shaped my world view; they all have contributed deeply to my understanding of what it is to be human. Each has been a different view of the philosophies that guide us on the way to self awareness. Most links will lead you to Amazon.com. Sidhartha Herman Hesse
Kahlil Gibran As a young man Gibran’s sweet and heartfelt guidance would
simultaneously open my heart and bring me to tears. The
"Garden" is a little-known sequel to the international best
seller "The Prophet." It adds the perspective of how time and
life experiences shape, expand, and mature our understanding of the
universal truths. Grist for the Mill Ram Das A wonderfully insightful book from the perspective of a Western academia who went to the East and learned the ways of the ancient yogis. His down-to-earth examples and explanations are priceless.
James Redfield This book, written under the guise of an adventure story in the jungles of Peru, presents nine key insights into the way humans interact and makes a powerful prediction about the fate of humankind, as the world moves into a new era of increased awareness and spirituality. A very fast read with many compelling thoughts. Messengers of Light, The Angel’s Guide to
Spiritual Growth Heart of the Yogi, The Philosophical World of
Hatha Yoga Tao Te Ching, A New Version for All Seekers Bhagavad Gita, A New Translation The Gift, Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master A beautiful collection of mystic poetry that is guaranteed to open your heart. The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five This is one of those books I come back to every so many years. It speaks of the longing of the heart for peace and transcendence. It is a very insightful story of relationship set in a fictional world.
Inanna Returns Yoga Spandakarika, The Sacred Texts at the Origin of Tantra This book has contributed some of the most formative ideas and perspectives in my recent spiritual studies. It truly expresses the heart of Tantric philosophy. It also contains the full text of the Vijanabhairava Tantra mentioned above.
May your days be filled with peace, joy and light. Happy holidays! Namaste, Will PS. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends. ____________________________________________
If you wish to be removed from this list send a blank message with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line to wjddoran@comcast.net .
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