The Yoga Path

Instructions before visiting Earth

James McCrae A poem for the soul's journey "In the event that you wake upand find your soul separated from sourceand manifest into material form, don’t panic.Your condition is only temporary. You have been selected for the opportunityof human incarnation. This 3D simulation is designedto break up the monotony of eternityby giving you a fully immersive experience…...

Instructions before visiting Earth James McCrae A poem for the soul’s journey “In the event that you wake upand find your soul separated from sourceand manifest into material form, don’t panic.Your condition is only temp…

Valentine's Day classes at the Yoga Path: Join Mark 9:30-11am for Level I or Kim 5:15-6:15pm for Hot-ish Vinyasa (all levels). Drop-ins welcome or sign up through the website.

“For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet” by Joy Harjo

Put down that bag of potato chips, that white bread, that bottle of pop.

Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control.

Open the door, then close it behind you.

Take a breath offered by friendly winds. They travel the earth gathering essences of plants to clean.

Give it back with gratitude.

If you sing it will give your spirit lift to fly to the stars’ ears and back.

Acknowledge this earth who has cared for you since you were a dream planting itself precisely within your parents’ desire.

Let your moccasin feet take you to the encampment of the guardians who have known you before time, who will be there after time. They sit before the fire that has been there without time.

Let the earth stabilize your postcolonial insecure jitters.

Be respectful of the small insects, birds and animal people who accompany you.

Ask their forgiveness for the harm we humans have brought down upon them.

Don’t worry.

The heart knows the way though there may be high-rises, interstates, checkpoints, armed soldiers, massacres, wars, and those who will despise you because they despise themselves.

The journey might take you a few hours, a day, a year, a few years, a hundred, a thousand or even more.

Watch your mind. Without training it might run away and leave your heart for the immense human feast set by the thieves of time.

Do not hold regrets.

When you find your way to the circle, to the fire kept burning by the keepers of your soul, you will be welcomed.

You must clean yourself with cedar, sage, or other healing plant.

Cut the ties you have to failure and shame.

Let go the pain you are holding in your mind, your shoulders, your heart, all the way to your feet. Let go the pain of your ancestors to make way for those who are heading in our direction.

Ask for forgiveness.

Call upon the help of those who love you. These helpers take many forms: animal, element, bird, angel, saint, stone, or ancestor.

Call your spirit back. It may be caught in corners and creases of shame, judgment, and human abuse.

You must call in a way that your spirit will want to return.

Speak to it as you would to a beloved child.

Welcome your spirit back from its wandering. It may return in pieces, in tatters. Gather them together. They will be happy to be found after being lost for so long.

Your spirit will need to sleep awhile after it is bathed and given clean clothes.

Now you can have a party. Invite everyone you know who loves and supports you. Keep room for those who have no place else to go.

Make a giveaway, and remember, keep the speeches short.

Then, you must do this: help the next person find their way through the dark.

- from “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings” by Joy Harjo (2015)

Week 20 Poses (Sanskrit) Poses (English) 1 Samasthiti/Tadanasa Mountain pose 2 Gomukhasana Cow-face pose standing 3 Paschima Baddha Hastasana Back Bound Hands To Forearms pose 4 Vrksasana Tree pose 5 Utkatasana Fierce or chair pose 6 Utthita Trikonasana Triangle pose 7 Virabhadrasana I Warrior 1 pose 8 Ardha Chandrasana...

Preliminary Iyengar Course -Week 20 Week 20Poses (Sanskrit)Poses (English)1Samasthiti/TadanasaMountain pose2GomukhasanaCow-face pose standing3Paschima Baddha HastasanaBack Bound Hands To Forearms pose4VrksasanaTree pose5UtkatasanaFie…

As part of our practice of "Cultivating the Spiritual Dimension" in our life, please take the time to listen to this Podcast. I comes from a program called To the Best Of Our Knowledge. This particular program is entitled: The Secret Language Of Trees. Here is the link to that Podcast

Fall 1 Assignment As part of our practice of “Cultivating the Spiritual Dimension” in our life, please take the time to listen to this Podcast. I comes from a program called To the Best Of Our Knowledge.…

A story was once shared by Michael Ciborski, one of the dharma teachers in the Plum village tradition. Michael was a monk at Plum Village for nine years and was one of the first Americans to join this Buddhist monastics at the French monastery. Thich Nhat Hanh, Michael retells, was very accessible in those early days and so he, Michael had a good rapport with the venerated Zen teacher. [ 412 more words ]

One Step at a Time A story was once shared by Michael Ciborski, one of the dharma teachers in the Plum village tradition. Michael was a monk at Plum Village for nine years and was one of the first Americans to join t…

This pose, which many students do when first coming into class, has so many benefits. Viparīta Karani, legs up the wall, improves circulation in the legs and pelvis, stretches and releases the lower back, boosts the workings of the lymph-system thus diminishing stress and tension in the body. It can be held anyway from 5 to 20 minutes. Try the variations offered in this video, but above all, do it -- often. Variations of legs up the wall/Viparīta Karani

Legs Up the Wall This pose, which many students do when first coming into class, has so many benefits. Viparīta Karani, legs up the wall, improves circulation in the legs and pelvis, stretches and releases the lowe…

The practice of Metta/Loving-Kindness meditation can be practiced as follows. There are a number of variations that you can search for on you own. The script below is my own adaption. It is simple and easy to remember (an important factor for me.) I've also rearranged the phrasing, because it seems more logical and in-line with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, safety/health/ease/happiness. [ 416 more words ]

Practicing Metta The practice of Metta/Loving-Kindness meditation can be practiced as follows. There are a number of variations that you can search for on you own. The script below is my own adaption. It is simple …

Probably many of you have heard of metta meditation. The meditation on loving kindness. There also a story about how the Buddha first introduced this practice with a sutra teaching. In many ways this teaching seems appropriate to making friends with our current situation of distancing and social isolation. So often the pat answer is to say: "just be with the strong feelings as they arise." But emotions like anger, fear, sadness, envelop us in the the energy that then sweeps us into them. [ 863 more words ]

Tools of Practice: Metta Probably many of you have heard of metta meditation. The meditation on loving kindness. There also a story about how the Buddha first introduced this practice with a sutra teaching. In many ways th…

Many of us are out walking or running these days. It's nice to get outside in the spring air. Some of us walk with our dogs, some for exercise, some for both. We might even be doing this more than once a day, going faster or vigorously for the cardiovascular, aerobic benefits; even breaking out into a run. [ 518 more words ]

Stiffness Many of us are out walking or running these days. It’s nice to get outside in the spring air. Some of us walk with our dogs, some for exercise, some for both. We might even be doing this more…

So how many times in the course of the day do you think you wash your hands? While doing so do you ever notice your hands. Maybe you are aware of how chaffed or dried they may be, but do you ever just notice yours hands? These useful instruments come with four digits and an opposable thumb. We eat with them, talk with them, pick up things, cook and write with them. [ 415 more words ]

Hands So how many times in the course of the day do you think you wash your hands? While doing so do you ever notice your hands. Maybe you are aware of how chaffed or dried they may be, but do you ever j…