Fall Events Update

Just a quick note with all of the great yoga events coming up. Fall is a great time to re-connect with friends and get centered before the onslaught of the holiday season. And we're in the final 40 days before the Aquarian Age so it's an especially good time to pray, mediate and enjoy the miracles around you. Hope to see you at one of these special events:

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --

Guru Ram Das Birthday Sadhana

October 9th is Guru Ram Das's Birthday. A powerful day to gather together in comunity, pray,meditate and chant. I hope you'll be able to join us for a very special sadhana. We'll chant 2 1/2 hours of the Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru Mantra...this is a powerful and uplifting expereince. Don't worry if you've never done a meditation this long before...you can take breaks....and it might be easier than you think.

Sunday October 9th

5am-7:30am (you read that right, AM!)

at my parents house

1169 Veronica Lane Mendota Heights, MN 55105

This is a free Event

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Mantra Night

Back by popular demand! Join us for a night of chanting, yoga, eating, friend and fun!

Saturday October 22nd

5-6:30pm Kundalini Yoga and Meditation featuring the Humme Hum mantra

6:30-8pm Potluck and socializing (bring a small dish to share!)

Donations accepted for the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings.

1169 Veronica Lane Mendota Heights, MN 55118

About the Mantra

Humme hum braham hum means "We are we. We are God."

This mantra is incredibly healing for both the heart and throat chakras.

It connects us in a sweet, but powerful, way with the vast source

of life, energy and goodness in everyone and everything.

Including ourselves...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --

Thanksgiving Yoga

It wouldn't be Thsnkgiving without Kundalini Yoga and Meditation with my Mama!

We hope to see you for a fun, challenging (but totally do-able) yoga class on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving Day

9am-10:30am

Please bring a generous donation of non-perishable food or money for the Sharing Korner Foodshelf.

Yoga Soul Center

1121 Town Center Drive, Suite 100

Eagan, MN 55123

Aquarian Age...here we go!

We are moving from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. If this is a new idea for you I highly suggest this post by Santokh Singh, which covers the philosophy and basics of the transition. I’ve been hearing people talk about this transition since my first days of practicing Kundalini Yoga. At that time it was still 10 years away…and seemed (to me) to be in the very distant future…it was something I would think about later.

Well, now it’s time to think about it. I’ve been noticing changes in people all along this 10-year journey. People becoming more aware and interested in the practice of yoga and meditation. People beginning to accept that we are all connected in subtle, complicated, beautiful ways. People opening their minds and hearts to a new way of looking at the world.

I personally felt the hugeness of this shift in the last 8 months or so. All of the sudden it was SO clear to me that the way I had been approaching my life for the first 26 years just wasn’t going to work anymore. I knew, in my bones, that everything was going to change and I could bury my head in the sand and be crushed by the wave of change….or I could blow up my inner tube and enjoy the ride.

Part of that ride was to spend the summer in New Mexico. I was working on several different events and living in the Mother Ashram. And my real intention was to practice listening to my inner voice and connecting to others who want to ride this spiritual wave. It was an amazing journey and since I’ve been home people have asked me what I learned and what I experienced there. It’s difficult to encapsulate in words but I’ll try. I feel like the lessons I learned on my personal journey at this time are really applicable to the world’s journey into the Aquarian Age. So here we go…

Nirmal’s Lessons for Riding the Wave of Change:

One- Relax. Everything is going to change. Things may not be the way I think I want them to be. Things might feel uncomfortable for a while. And if I relax about it I can find the hidden jewels and nuggets of goodness and wonder in these times. If I just find a calmness within myself I can bring that with me wherever I go or whatever happens. And in the end when I look back I always realize the new reality is exactly where I always really wanted to be.

Two- A rising tide raises all ships. When I focus on allowing myself to feel happy and content I radiate that out to the people around me. When I learn tools to find that calmness I can share those tools. And then the people around me can be more relaxed and calm. Which makes me feel more relaxed and calm. Which…you get where this is going right? This works not only for calmness, joy, wonder, and peacefulness but also for sadness, negativity and fatalism…so be very mindful of your own state. Be diligent about your own happiness. Everyone will thank you for it.

All of these thoughts remind me of my favorite line from my favorite spiritual poem. And it also pretty much encapsulates how I feel about this huge transition the world is passing through right now. So I’ll leave you with these words from Guru Nanak:

“Those who meditate In the core of their being/ Who earn themselves through their hard work/Nanak, Their faces are radiant and beautiful/ And So Very many who are connected with them/Are liberated, too.”Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak

Deep Thoughts on Turning 27

Lets take a vote. Is 27 the last year of your mid-twenties or the first year of your late twenties? In general I don’t think (or care) much about the exact age I am. In fact, usually when people ask me I have to take a few moments to think about it before answering. But every year around my birthday (yesterday!) is like an awakening of WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE 27!?!?!?!?

It’s silly. I know. It doesn’t MEAN anything to be 27. Just like it doesn’t MEAN anything to be 10 or 81 or 105. It’s just a chronological statement of how long I’ve been in this body, on this planet. But…still…there are these culturally indoctrinated (totally artificial) expectations for certain ages. Have I accomplished those things I am SUPPOSED to have done by age 27? Am I living up to my own (or our societies, or God’s) expectations of me?

For me the answer is, Yes. I am living my destiny. And while that may not look like our culturally projected life (husband, house, kids) …it is what’s right for this Soul’s journey. I’ve been reading a lot lately about the Saturn Return. This is a huge astrological event that happens when Saturn returns to the exact place of your birth. It officially happens around 29 but the effects start to be felt around (oh no!) 27. I’m no astrologer, but my understanding of this event is something like this.

The Saturn return is like a second adolescence a shedding of traits, characteristic or circumstances that do not truly fit the person you’re meant to be in this life. You’re Saturn Return brings you into alignment with the next phase of your life and your Authentic Destiny. And here’s the key if you fight it/try to hang on to what ‘used to be’ you’re gonna get crushed. If you relax into and embrace the new clearer more authentic version of yourself that’s trying to come through (while it may still be a challenging time) you’re going to be invigorated and enlivened by the transition.

So, here’s hoping I can enjoy the last year of my MID-twenties and ride the wave of the first year of my Saturn Return with Grace.

Down Time…Update and Musings

I’ve had more down time in the past 2 weeks than I’ve had in a long time. It has been fun and novel to make plans to do fun things, to have long lingering lunches, watch movies in the middle of the day and spend time hanging with friends.

I went to Pagosa Hot Spring, a resort town in Southern Colorado, for a few days with my dear friend Sat Jot Kaur. All we did for 3 days was soak in healing waters, hike to beautiful waterfalls and eat yummy food. After working hard, long hours and doing lots of organizing and coordinating for the past 6 weeks it was lovely to just be simple and relaxed for a few days.

Since then I’ve been trying to enjoy my down time and also really enjoy the things to enjoy in Northern New Mexico. I’ve taken naps, went to the Flea Market, spent a day at Ojo Caliente, watched the last Harry Potter movie at midnight (yes!), gone swing dancing, exchanged bodywork, spent a day shopping in Santa Fe…and lots of lounging.

I’ve been pondering the idea of companionship lately. I realize that while I am happy to spend the day solo enjoying a good book and yummy tea at a coffee shop…. And while I have amazing friends who are entertaining, insightful and loving…even with these things I still sometimes experience that nasty feeling of loneliness. I know that the infinite universe/God is with me, loving me and keeping me company in each moment. So, why does my human body/mind still feel the need for more? What is the Universal Longing to Belong really all about? In my intellectual mind I can understand the human desire to feel seen and connected to other human beings. I can understand the inner child still seeking the validation or recognition of its importance…but when that feeling creeps into your gut the harshness of it…the weight of it…still takes my breath away.

The interesting (dare I say, cool) thing now is that I can have this experience without identifying with it. I’m not sure how I can explain it other than it’s like I am both the actor having the experience and feeling those things AND the observer watching the experience without being attached to them or what they mean. And, I know that these “negative” emotions will pass….and “positive” emotions will come…and doubt will come…and joy will come…and sadness will come…and life will come. And life will keep going….and I can keep up…and enjoy the ride. When I remember that I am not the doer….God is the doer….I am the enjoyer.

I’ve been describing this time of my life as a wave of transition…often saying that I don’t know exactly where the wave is bringing me but I know I’ve got to ride it. My job is just to trust that all will be taken care of. My job is just to take each step when it is shown to me and to trust and love along the way. So that what I’ll do.

And today that step is going to see some of the beautiful works of Georgia O’Keefe at her museum in Santa Fe!

Consciously Communicating Capers

Immediately after Summer Solstice I headed down the mountain to take up my role at the Course Coordinator for a 1-week Level 2 Teacher Training course. There were 77 yoga teachers, 5 trainers, 3 staff people and a partridge in a pear tree gathering together to study Conscious Communication.

This was my first year in this particular role…so to be nice to myself I’ll just say I learned a lot of lessons. My job was logistics….food, registration, paperwork, coordinating various elements of the course, making announcements etc. The course ran great (in no small part due to the wonderful trainers, the wise and gracious students and a welcoming sangat). While the perfectionist within me always knows that things could be better I feel grateful that the course overall ran well.

Oh right, except for one little, tiny thing…the largest wildfire in New Mexico history burning within several miles of our location. At the same time as the course I was running there were two other camps (International Women’s Camp and Khalsa Youth Camp), which were happening at Ram Das Puri (the Solstice Site). However, on the first night of the course I got a call at 11 PM that they were evacuating the site and the women and children would be sleeping in our classroom for the night. Yikes! (I should mention at this point they were evacuating due to the oppressive smoke).

We spent the next 2 days in flurry of trying to re-organize all of our activities (and kitchen use!) so that we could accommodate more than 100 women and children in the spaces available at the Ashram. By the grace of God (and the welcoming heart of the Espanola Sangat) it all worked out with only minimal bumps (not enough breakfast one morning!). We were never in immediate danger of the fire itself…but we certainly did smell (and feel the effects) of the smoke.

The scariest moment was when we heard the fire was within miles of Ram Das Puri (the solstice site). This was scary for me not because I ever feared for my personal safety…but because the land where we hold Summer Solstice every year is incredibly healing, powerful, sacred, special land. The thought of one of my favorite places in the world burning was deeply sad for me. However, the community sprung into action. We started doing the healing meditation every day before lunch (with all 3 camps!) and people all over the world….and (again by God’s grace) the fire never got any closer than a few miles from the Solstice Site. Wahe Guru! (Wow! The Infinite Universe is Amazing Beyond Words!)

Solstice and the Level 2 course had really taken a lot out of me. I had been working 8-12 hour days every day for about a month…and I was fried. Stay tuned for more on my rejuvenation at Pagosa Springs and the other shenanigans I’ve been getting into in New Mexico!

Land of Enchantment- Part 1

I told several people before I left Minnesota that I felt like I was at the beginning of a big wave of change in my life….but I wasn’t sure where that wave would take me. I now feel like I am in the midst of that wave…a full-scale reorganization of my psyche/life…and I still have no idea where that wave is headed. What I do know is that I am in exactly the right place for this moment of my life. I know that I made the right choice in trusting in God/The Universe and jumping headlong into this murky, wandering-wave world.

I’ve been in New Mexico for almost two months now….which is hard to believe. While it has been an extremely busy time…it has been equally rewarding. When I first arrived I was working for 2 different organizations. 3HO, which organizes the annual Summer Solstice Celebration and KRI which hosts the Level 2 Teacher Training course just after Solstice. (This may give you some idea as to why I haven’t been blogging yet….2 full time jobs sure does eat up your time).

Summer Solstice was a wonderful experience. It was challenging for me because I was working a lot during the event….which meant that I didn’t get to enjoy many yoga classes, social time etc. While I love being of service and holding the “behind the scenes” space at Solstice I did really miss a lot of the other elements of the event this year. Even so, Solstice is such a sweet time for me to be in the larger Sangat (spiritual community). I love being in Sadhana (early morning practice), taking a yoga class or sitting in Tantric lines with several hundred people. It is lovely to be reminded that there are many more wonderful people out there doing their best to walk on the path of consciousness.

I have more down time the next few weeks so I’m planning to blog a bit more….stay tuned for more about the Level 2 Course and the FIRE!

5-6-7 Go to Heaven.

The grooves we've worn in our mind map are SOOO easy to get back into. The whole point of this 40 days is to be HAPPY about my sadhana. To get a little something done on my mat each day and enjoy that process rather than scolding myself and wishing it were better or more like someone elses...or like that...or whatever.

It's not like that. It's like this. It's my practice. And it's like this. It's usually not first thing in the morning. It's usually a struggle to get myself on the mat. It's just like this. It doesn't mean it's a bad practice or I'm a bad yogi. It's just like this now. I sometimes feel really blissful but often feel itchy and want to give up most of the time. It's ok. It's just like this now. And this is OK. This practice, this person I am and am becoming is like this. And this is OK.

So days 5-7 are done.

I had someone talking to me about writing a mission statement for his life the other day. Not his professional life...just his time on this planet...what is he doing here, what is his focus....I like this idea. I am in a period of transition in many areas of my life and I think a mission statement might help to make me feel more directed and grounded. I know my Saturn Return is coming up here very soon....and I think a mission statement might help to smooth any bumps or potholes that might bring up. So, I think I'll be writing a mission statement. It needs to be concise, applicable and specific. Any ideas?

Trying to Find the Flow. Day 4.

Today was another just-get-through-it kind of day. I got up this morning and thought it would be nice to have my breakfast and my coffee before doing my meditations. I had a pretty laid back morning so I had plenty of time. Somehow though I still managed to wait until the last possible moment to get myself to my mat. Oh, life.

Japji. 11 minutes of Wahe Wahe Wahe Guru. 11 minutes of house cleaning. Done.

I've been thinking about habits lately. I recently heard a story from a very smart lady about how she quit smoking. She was able to quit when she stopped shaming herself and telling herself all of the reasons she should stop smoking. She was able to quit when she started telling herself and others all of the reasons she wanted to smoke, all of the things smoking was doing for her.

We create our habits because those particular patterns of behavior were serving us in some way. When we are ready to change or drop a habit we must first choose to clearly see the old habit and identify exactly what need it was serving for us. When we do this we can actually LOVE those habits and the way they served us for a time...and we can recognize honestly, that we no longer need them to serve that particular need.

So, thats what's been on my mind today....what exact need has been served by my avoidance of a daily practice? How have I been nurturing, protecting or in some other way fulfilling myself by starting and stopping various sadhanas? How am I serving myself by sleeping in rather than meditating in the mornings? I don't yet have the answer....stay tuned. :)

Day 3. Growth from Steadiness.

Thursdays are great. My schedule is such that on Thursdays I can walk to my various work places...and today we have the added bonus that it is sunny and warm. Hooray!

So I've done about an hour of Breathwalk so far today. Breathwalk is a combination of walking with specific breath patterns and mantras. I always feel SO good doing breathwalk it creates that perfect combination of alert and relaxed yumminess. I also chanted Japji outside today. Sitting in the sunshine, repeating God's name....I mean, seriously, does it get any better?

Today I've been reflecting on and am grateful for the vast variety of techniques available to me as a Kundalini Yogi. Walking meditation, still meditation, moving meditation, quiet meditation, chanting meditation...and on and on. Sometimes the array of techniques can feel overwhelming (how will I ever get to it all???) but I remind myself that the true growth comes from steadiness, from making the commitment each day to examine my mind, to clean the windows of my soul and decide in THIS moment and with THIS breath to reach for the highest vibration of my destiny. Yes, there are many MANY ways to do this. And today I choose to continue on that journey.

Wahe Guru! (Indescribable is the ecstasy of emerging from the darkness into the light)

Ug...Day 2.

Wednesdays are tough days for me to get my practice in the morning...and when I don't do it in the morning it's tough to get motivated to do it later in the day. Yogi Bhajan used to called excuses Self Abuse. So, no excuses. I just barley snuck in my practice today at 10:30pm. Read Japji and did 11min of the Wahe Guru meditation.

Honestly, didn't feel that great during...or after. But this is part of committing to daily practice. Showing up, sitting down and diving in....no matter what it looks like. So, there ya go. Day 2 done.

Whew.

Day 1

It's amazing to me how much resistance shows up sometimes. Today I planned to wake up a bit early to get my sadhana done...not super early...not 3am....just 6:30am. Even so, when my alarm went off it was suddenly like I hadn't actually slept all night and I needed just a few more minutes...and maybe a few more....and...

But, eventually, I did get up and get myself on my mat. Reading Japji is like coming home and catching up with an old friend. There is something SO comfortable and familiar in the sound current...but somehow it is still new, exciting and inspiring. Then I was on to the Camel-Rock-Baby set. This is a 3 pose yoga set that many people I know practice and swear it has totally transformed their life/energy. Since I've been having some energy imbalances it felt like a good kriya for today. For those of you non-yogis Camel pose is basically a back bend from a kneeling position where you reach back and grab your heels. I only practiced 3 minutes in each postion....but still, the amount of energy released and the clarity after 3 minutes of camel pose was awesome. Then sitting in Rock Pose for 3 minutes I could feel that huge expansiveness settling into my body. Finally Baby Pose (with the forehead on the ground) created a sense of bowing and honoring that was cozy and peaceful.

Time for another true confession: I am not a super-neat housekeeper. I hate washing dishes and tend to be in and out of my house so quickly that clutter and stuff just sort of piles up. So, I've decided that sometimes cleaning can be a part of my sadhana. Because I do really feel much better when my home in neat and clean...I think it makes my mind clearer and allows me to be more relaxed. (I'm sure you Feng Shui people would back me up on this). So the 3rd element of my sadhana today was 11 minutes of dish washing. I chanted Sa Ta Na Ma while I washed and tried to approach it as a moving meditation....I'm still working on it.

Finally I ended with 11 minutes of the Wahe Guru Meditation for unattached involvement. This is a big one for me. In the past when I've worked to develop my neutral mind sometimes I let the pendulum swing past unattached/neutral and all the way to detached/indifferent. While at first indifferent seems more desirable than angry, sad or reactive....in reality it is an equally painful place to reside. Because when we are indifferent our existence in this world seems meaningless and trite. I know in my heart that I can live fully in this world, create meaningful relationships and experiences and at the same time not be attached or defined by those things. I am in the process of surrendering to that knowledge and developing the confidence in God to live in that place.

Day 1 down...and looking forward to the next 39....and beyond....

Happiness Sadhana

One of the cornerstones of the practice of Kundalini Yoga is daily sadhana. Sadhana has been translated in many ways....but for me it means committing to myself and deciding each (and every) day to show up and honor myself and this awesome Universe.

However, daily sadhana has always been a challenge for me. I sometimes have some guilt or shame around admitting that fact. After all I have been teaching and practicing Kundalini Yoga for a decade. I "should" have beaten this challnege already. But should is such a icky word...I've decided to stop the shame cycle and start approaching my daily practice with excitement and wonder.

I often get on a sadhana kick...praciticing every day for awhile (even sometimes practicing 2.5 hours a day for 40 days). But the longer term daily commitment seems to fade after time. I think there is a part of me that feel like I've done SO much work on myself already (and I have) that I just can't face anymore right now. But the truth is I've never experience this breath, this moment, this opportunity to heal myself at this level, on this day and in this way before.....So, I am here to recommit.

For the next 40 days I commit to practice yoga every day. The basis of my practice will be the recitation of Japji (one of my favorite prayers/chants from the Sikh faith) and 11 minutes of a Wahe Guru meditation given to me by Gurucharan Singh. The rest of the practice may shift day to day. There are so many things I want to do, such as: Pituitary Gland Series, Breathwalk, Camel-Rock-Baby etc....And I will blog about it each day. Even if the blog is just "I did it today."

In 4o days I will be packing up my life into my car and heading to Espanola, NM (the Mother Ashram) to work and serve for the summer. I feel like this time period will be a profound and clarifying for me and my Soul's journey. And I am excited to approach it with a childlike sense of wonder and joy. So, the most important part of my sadhana for the next 40 days will be cultivating that attitude of non-attachment but full involvement in the beauty of sitting on my mat each day and the blessing of allowing God/The Universe to be the doer in my life.