Dear friends,

Greetings to you all. The past months have been so full of challenges and experiences I have been unable to get a newsletter out until now. Many thanks to you who have expressed your support and loving kindness as I have worked through some pretty trying times. I have chosen to use my challenges as a catalyst for inner growth and strive to share some of that learning below.

In this issue:

Yoga Philosophy: Satya (Honesty, Commitment to the Truth)

Applied Yoga: Establishing Your Highest Relationship with the World

Notices:

- My teaching schedule

- Life Coaching

- Recommended Reading

- Ranch Yoga 2008 cancelled

Yoga Philosophy: Satya (Honesty, Commitment to the Truth)

Satya, commitment to the truth, is one of the first principles of universal morality (Yamas), found in The Yoga Sutra, a yogic guide for living written by the ancient sage Patanjali. It is preceded by ahimsa, or do no harm to yourself or others. This commitment to the truth is a powerful precept which greatly supports the effort of doing no harm. Satya goes deeper than simply speaking the truth, it also refers to a cultivation of honesty in perception of what is showing up. When cultivated it keeps us from languishing in the desire for something other than what is, and as such, keeps our life real (free from delusion). Equally it is a call to accept responsibility for your life and your response to the conditions that are unfolding before you at every moment. The benefit of such vigilance in thought, word and deed is the cultivation of a wisdom that takes you closer to the absolute truth of your divine nature, the higher Self that is a reflection of Ultimate Reality.

The adherence to the practice of satya grounds you in unbiased and dispassionate truth while it diminishes the pain of self-delusion and ignorance of the nature of the universe. Without a commitment to truth you are destined to live in the illusions of maya, the concealing aspect of the divine. To understand this concept of living in clear perception of the truth it merits taking a closer look at its concealment as part of the divine plan of our path to liberation and ultimate freedom.

The Tantric model of existence which is comprised of thirty-six categories (tatvas) that map out the nature of ultimate Reality is a powerful tool passed down from the ancients to help us understand the construct of existence and why things are the way they are. The model holds that Reality has a hierarchical structure from the purest layer of absolute consciousness which knows no limitations in space, time – it is all-encompassing omnipotence and omnipresence – down to the basic elements of the material world (earth, fire, water, air and ether) that make up who we are as human beings. Between these high and low aspects of absolute Reality is the force of maya whose principle purpose is to conceal and separate the One from the individuated Many. The purpose of such a cloaking aspect to nature is that it creates the deeply imbedded impetus for the reunion with the Absolute, our awareness that we are intimately connected to all aspects of our world and each other. The Tantrics call this the dance of Shiva and Shakti: supreme consciousness pulsing with the expanding creative power that manifests the universe and knows itself as one absolute unified field. It is the drum beat that calls us into existence, sends us forth and invites us to return home through the process of awareness and spiritual transformation.

As stated above, the divine plan is to obscure and then reveal the web of maya for the purpose of Self realization. This makes for some interesting living here on Earth, to say the least. It means that everyone starts from the same place of ignorance and is hard-wired to find their way through the illusion of separation back to unity consciousness. We were given individual egos to bring a sense of identity to our separate selves while in this process of human existence. The unfortunate truth is that the illusion of separation is a very powerful force that all-too-often overpowers the innate longing for unity consciousness and causes an over-identification with the material world and separation consciousness. The truth is easily hidden and in order to be liberated from the illusion we must trace our way from the Many back to the One. In short, we must give up the ego-based notion of "me against the world" and embrace the concept that we do indeed create the reality we experience by the way we perceive ourselves in the totality of what is. We must discover for ourselves that the illusion is an illusion, and as such, come back to the truth of unity consciousness. This is the deeper meaning of satya: we are not isolated islands struggling alone in a sea of self-serving desperation. With this clarity of perception we can embrace both the material world and our spiritual nature knowing that it all is a glorious manifestation of Shiva/unified consciousness. This is the gift we were given at birth for us to utilize in the process of understanding our place in the universe. It is the source of our empowerment to take responsibility for the creation of the reality we choose to experience.

As stated, we must join the dance of consciousness and creation and look for the unbroken thread that unifies us, as opposed to separating us into ego-centric islands. This is a tall order to fill because it requires that we embrace the shadow as well as the light, pain as well as pleasure. It means that we face our life conditions as with eyes wide open and utilize them as tools for expressing our highest image of our greatest good.

Applied Yoga: Establishing Your Highest Relationship with the World

My path to learning has taught me the art of patience and the willingness to embrace what is showing up even without full knowledge of all its ramifications. In short, I have cultivated the perception that life unfolds as a constant opportunity for inner growth and Self revelation. I have learned that we don’t always get the clear picture or answers to our questions of why one thing or the other is the way it is; time and again hardships prove to be the fertile ground for deep personal growth. With the application of patience I have seen the mysteries of life unfold in a way that helps me to know that I am an integral part of the tapestry of life, even if I don’t see the full pattern. We each have our unique challenges and opportunities for personal transformation while we pursue the revelation of our life purpose. In the process of spiritual growth and the exploration of the truth of our higher nature we ultimately come to know the reason for our existence.

Some of us will find the truth in the cultivation of moment-to-moment consciousness; some will cling with tenacity to the illusion of separation. Because of our innate nature compelling us to seek unity the more of us who dedicate ourselves to consciously living this truth the more apt we are to generate a critical mass that will transform our world. It starts small with our eyes open to who we are and how we relate to our world from a point of reference that seeks connection, rather than separation. Then the seeds of compassion and genuine caring for one another will germinate into a new and higher reality that recognizes how intimately we are woven together as One. However, these lofty concepts require enough in-the-moment consciousness that we can "walk the talk" in truthful ways. We must practice this philosophy 24/7 until it no longer is "practice," but rather, a way of being that is spontaneous and authentic self-expression. This is what the Tantric masters called sadhana, or spiritual discipline and practice. It is opening up to the world as it reveals itself to us in every turn and experience.

We are all handed ample opportunities to express the highest vision of who we desire to be. Within the "free will zone" of our reality we are constantly interacting with the karmic wheels of cause and effect generated by our thoughts, words and deeds. We live in a cosmic soup that brings us to interact with countless beings sharing our space and time on the planet. My recent life has given me three great antagonistic teachers that have brought me into a deeper connection with my higher Self awareness and the opportunity to reveal to myself who I choose to be. Each situation serves as an archetype for a distinct type of situations that I observe many of us face. From them I have learned to surrender to what is showing up and open to a deeper partnership with Divine presence. I venture to share my personal life experiences because I know that within what I am faced with there is something that may relate to your life, and as such, you may be able to glean some insight for your own understanding.

First of these antagonisms comes from my choice to be a parent. My desire to be a father included a life commitment to lovingly support my children through all their stages of growth and learning. Embracing this role has served to further open my heart and deepen my resolve to act with commitment to my values of unconditional love. However, with the pain I now feel for my son who has journeyed into the dark side of alcohol and drug addiction I have been trained to accept that unconditional love does not mean unconditional acceptance of destructive behavior. It is a painful experience to see your child suffer and see how their experience sends out shockwaves through your family and community. It is even more painful to see a broken system within our society that is sorely incapable of meeting the needs of an ever-expanding population of troubled youth.

My learning has been to remain centered and grounded in my desires for what I hold to be best for my son. This has meant being strong enough to act when I saw the situation get out of hand and then patiently hold the space for the healing process of recovery. It has not been easy, yet it has helped me to develop a new level of inner strength and understanding the depth of parental love. As the weeks roll on and my son is still in Juvenile Detention, his name on a long list of children waiting for one of the all-too-few beds to come available in a rehabilitation facility, I have learned to hold the energetic space for the greatest good and optimal future for my son. Holding the vision of healing and recovery while my son sits in incarceration has deepened my ability to remain steadfast under pressure and to look for the positive signs that this too has a purpose behind it. I optimistically hold on to his learning as he grows into the insight of his addiction and the ramifications of his actions. He has shared his thoughts with me in a way like he never has before and his openness holds the potential for a deeper relationship between us. While I would never consciously choose this path for his maturity to develop I see that great things can come from his path through the dark side. I am more optimistic than ever that a bright future awaits him and that his experience will help him to serve others. Equally, the support my wife and I have given each other has deepened our love for each other. Through our challenge of staying strong and steady for each other we have grown closer together in an unforeseen way. We accept this as a gift from the mysterious ways of the universe.

A second type of antagonism that I’ve experienced and have grown from is related to the effort to control a severe eye infection. In this situation I have willingly turned myself over to a team of doctors and nurses who have gone to great lengths to help me. In their efforts to save my vision I have had to endure some very extreme and painful procedures. It has been quite intense physically and emotionally and in the end I am experiencing blindness in my left eye with a strained hope that vision will one day return. Given my druthers I would never have consciously chosen this path, yet I have seen how it too has served as a catalyst for deep inner growth.

As I was faced with choosing a response to my caregiver’s treatment I chose to focus on them and their deep concern for my wellbeing. By honoring them for their commitment to serving me I helped myself rise to a higher place of gratitude and appreciation while acknowledging them for living their life purpose as healers. I saw that they too had great challenges to face for they knew how much pain their effort was causing me (I received three sets of injections directly into the eye and eventually had three emergency surgeries when the infection went rampant). Now that I am settling into my condition I am choosing to keep a lightness of being while holding to the possibility that healing will occur and one day I’ll regain my full sight.

The antagonism of an extreme health situation is proving to be quite the catalyst for tapping into my inner strength and capacity to see the beauty in the effort and support of others. I see that my ordeal and strength has been an inspiration for my students, family and friends. Again, I would never consciously choose this intense path but I have been privileged to see many people rising to levels of empowerment, performance, compassion and genuine deep-felt empathy. This too has opened my heart and softened my soul as I have really learned the lesson that my conscious choice of attitude creates the highest potential for the outcome I desire.

On a third front I have been dealing with siblings issues. It seems that a number of them are choosing to live in conflict with each other in a way that both baffles me and breaks my heart. They have cultivated a very antagonist pattern of interacting between themselves and keep coming back to the same old childhood issues that keep producing the same painful results. My challenge is how to help foster peaceful relationships between individuals who seem to revel in conflict? Because they are family I find that it is not so easy to detach myself and just walk away; there is something unique in family relationships that makes this so much harder to do. I genuinely care for my siblings, even when they are frustrating me to no end. I recognize that my brothers have their own free will and all my good intentions may not divert them from the confrontational path they are laying before themselves. So I am working on bearing witness to destructive behavior between ones I love while feeling there is little to be done to improve the situation. I know that their action is about them, not me, yet I feel the strain down to my roots.

In the face of these on-going challenge I recognize my choice to remain centered, to maintain my beliefs and values, and to hold the energetic space/vision for healing and the highest good to surface. This is steadfastness, the ability to stay connected to my heart even while others are breaking it by their shortsighted actions. It is me being the highest expression of who I want to be in the world. I have learned over the years that the illusion of control is an ego-based desire that separates me from being still and present in the truth of what is showing. My ability to remain steadfast improves when I consciously practice the art of detachment from my ego’s desire for one result or the other. At times I feel that my role simply is to bear witness to others and watch my own responses without getting entangled.

I don’t believe that there are any of us who do not have some antagonist or other that challenges us to really define who we want to be and how we want to interact with the world. I choose to see this not as a flaw in humanity but rather as the divine plan for our spiritual growth. I prefer the all-encompassing acceptance of the human being, of the body, of the sensations, of emotions and thoughts as being part of the perfect plan that transforms us from the Many back to the One. As Daniel Odier states in Desire, The Tantric Path to Awakening, "at the heart of every person is an absolute and faultless realm that cannot be sullied or damaged by any action. All aggression takes place at the edge of this immaculate jewel."

I choose to see the beauty and establish my highest relationship with the world through my thoughts, words and actions. This is how I foster my empowerment, for my perception is the key to my reality. In this light, Yoga Journal contributing writer and yoga teacher Sally Kempton adds, "If you take responsibility for your own experience and try to give attention to your own part in the process consciousness has an amazing way of freeing your capacity for creative response." Ultimately, our life is experience and response. How we choose to deal with what shows up is the defining aspect of the quality of our life.

Life is a never-ending relationship

Between inner and outer.

And relationships are a mirror.

In the mirror of your relationships

Arise the reflections of your subconscious emotions.

Even a word or a gesture

Can bring to the surface what was once hidden deep within.

When you watch yourself

In the mirror of relationships,

Your mind is seeing itself.

And there is nothing the mind resists more

Than looking at itself!

The mind likes to look at the sunset, the flower,

Or better yet, the other woman or man.

Develop the knack of looking at yourself

Through the mirror of the world.

This mirror never tells a lie.

Use the mirror of relationship to discover

What lies behind its reflection.

Relationships are the school for self inquiry

Into the nature of yourself.

Excerpt from the poem "Reflections in a Mirror"

By Vasant Lad

Monday: 12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard

Thursday 7:30 to 9:00 pm 7-week pre-registered series in my home.

Friday: 12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club

Saturday: 10:00 – 11:15 am at Phinney Center on <<Phinney>> and 65^th

Sunday: 11:15 – 12:30 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard

Subbing: This June I’ll be teaching two extra Wednesday noon yoga classes at OAC

subbing for Dani. They will be 6/11 and 6/18, 12 noon to 1:15 PM. The following

classes will be cancelled for the Independence Day week: Thursday 7/3, Friday 7/4, and

Saturday 7/5. I will have a sub for Sunday 7/6.

Private Yoga 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) 789-1058 or on my cell at (206) 861-2775. More information online at www.TheYogaCoach.com.

Recommended Reading

Desire, The Tantric Path to Awakening, by Daniel Odier. This is a very readable insight into the philosophy and teaching of Tantra.

Tantra, The Path of Ecstasy, by Georg Feuerstein. This book, like the one listed above, covers the diverse teachings that are at the base of what we Westerners call "Yoga." It is an invaluable resource for the student looking to learn from the masters that have condensed their insights into the human condition into a very personal and life affirming spiritual practice.

Strands of Eternity, by Vasant Lad. This book of poems by Ayurvedic physician and spiritual teacher Vasant Lad is full of beautiful insight and teachings for the creation of balance and inner peace.

Ranch Yoga 2008 cancelled

We are hoping that next year will hold more favorable circumstances for holding this delightful annual yoga retreat. Apologies to those of you who expressed interest in attending this year.

May your days be filled with peace, joy and light.

Namaste,

Will

PS. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends.

____________________________________________

Contact Information
     Will Doran
9537 1st Avenue NW, Seattle, WA  98117-2006
     E-mail: wjddoran@comcast.net 
Home Phone: (206) 789-1058 
                Cell: (206) 861-2775