5th Law of Yoga: The law of Intention & Desire

When we truly choose to put our ATTENTION on our INTENTIONS, it is amazingly FUN to observe how we manifest our desires...so, today, what is your heart calling you to SEE? What do you truly want?  Claim it, in your heart and soul, on your meditation cushion, on your walks with the Maha Bhutas (the 5 Elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space), in your journal, with a loved one...
Make it come alive, and watch it grow, expand, and embrace you~ here, now...om shanti, om peace, om JUST DO IT!

The 5th Spiritual Law of Yoga: The Law of Intention and Desire

You can create the most powerful intentions by aligning your desires with the intention of the universe. When your intentions create true joy and fulfillment for you and everyone involved, the manifestation of your desires is swift and effortless.

"When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space." ~ Pema Chodron

When we ask ourselves, "What do I want? What do I really, truly want in my life? What is my heart yearning for?" the answer any of us hear is LOVE or one of its many close relatives: connection, acceptance, understanding, appreciation, intimacy, and warmth.

We may think that love is missing in our lives - or that we don't have enough of it - but in reality, love is our essential nature. It doesn't come from outside of us and therefore it can't be lost or taken away. When it feels like love is lacking, it's because we have forgotten who we really are.

You can begin to experience the love at the core of your being by being gentle and kind to yourself, noticing when your inner dialogue is harsh or critical and offering yourself patience and compassion. You may find it helpful to use affirmations such as 'I love and accept myself just as I am.'

Today, know that you are pure love and infinitely lovable.

When we put our attention on our intentions, it is truly amazing what we manifest! Believe!

I invite you to join me, today, as we set our bavana/bhavana/intentions...

om shanti, om peace, om love, Lee Ann

(taken from the Chopra Center's21 Days of Inspiration booklet)

The Law of Least Effort

In the midst of our Holiday Season, celebrations & stressors, consider the 4TH LAW OF YOGA:

The Law of least Effort (based on the Chopra Center's 21 Days of Inspiration) and the book by David Simon and Deepak Chopra:

At a deep level, everything is always unfolding perfectly. You don't have to struggle or force situations to go your way. Whe you become still & listen to the voice of your inner intellegence, fears, and insecurities will dissipate & you will flow with grace.

"Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface." ~ Confucious

Balance is our ability to be flexible in the face of constant change, it isn't about struggling to impose a sense of order in our life or getting organizied "once and for all", for that implies the pursuit of a static state that can actually lead to distress or illness.

Working hard to achieve balance is counterproductive because we all possess a natural impulse to row that automatically keeps us in balance. We can, however, hinder or block this impulse by making choices that create a lot of resistance or stress in our lives. If we live out of harmony long enough, we're likely to develop various illness or disorders.

Ayurveda teaches that the path to perfect health is learning to maintain balance, in the mind and soul as well as in the body. In our fast-paced world, it's easy to become severely out of balance if we don't pay attention to what we're feeling, and what we need. Fortunately, there are many wonderful tools for developing balance, including meditation, yoga, a nurturing diet, and a restful sleep routine.

Take a few minutes today to consider where you're out of balance and how you can restore your natural equilibrium.

Om shanti, om peace, om love, this holy season...Lee Ann

The Law of Karma (or Cause & Effect)

• The 3rd Spiritual Law of Yoga, based upon Deepak Chopra's and David Simon's book:

  The Law of Karma (or Cause & Effect)

  Our future is created from choices we make in every moment. The more we make choices from the level of conscious awareness, the more we will make spontaneous choices that are beneficial for ourselves and everyone around us.

  The legend of the magical phoenix is about a beautiful, mythical bird that rises from the ashes, purified and rejuvenated from the fire, ready to begin life with a fresh perspective.

  What does this mean to us? Perhaps that rejuvenation begins with a willingness to metaphorically step into the fire and shed the old - to purify routines that no longer serve our best interests and adopt the new.

  As creatures of habit, we may find change difficult. However, the rewards for jumping into the fire of purification are many. If we begin with small steps, we will find that we can build on each success as we add others.
  
  Begin by choosing just one practice, and then commit to incorporating it into daily living. If we don't meditate on a regular basis, we may want to choose meditation, for example. Or yoga....Slowly take other positive steps: pick a week to commit to a simplified cleansing diet, treat yourself to a monthly massage or a regular yoga practice.
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  As Ayurveda teaches, when we quiet our minds and listen to the wisdom of the body, it will tell us what we need to know. Tune into your innate knowing today and let it guide you.

  (Info gathered from the Chopra Center's 21 Days of Inspiration)

  om shanti, om peace, om healing journey,

  Lee Ann

  
  

THE LAW OF GIVING AND RECEIVING

THE 2ND SPIRITUAL LAW OF YOGA, based upon the book by Deepak Chopra and David Simon & the Chopra Center 21 Days of Inspiration:

THE LAW OF GIVING AND RECEIVING~ such perfect balance, giving & receiving, breathing in oxygen from our plant kingdom and breathing out carbon dioxide to/for our plant kingdom~ such a beautiful example of GIVING & RECEIVING in LIFE!

"When you can give fully of yourself, while being detached from an outcome or expectation of being given to in return, you open yourself to the full abundance and love of the universe."

"I find that the more willing I am to be grateful for the small things in life, the bigger stuff just seems to show up from unexpected sources, and I am constantly looking forward to each day with all the surprises that keep coming my way." ~ Louise Hay

"Since ancient times, philosophers and sages from every spiritual tradition have taught that the key to experiencing deeper levels of happiness, fulfillment, and well being is cultivating gratitude. One of the earliest advocates of a daily gratitude practice was Dutch philosopher Rabbi Baruch Spinoza. In the seventeenth century, he suggested that each day for a month, we ask ourselves the following three questions:

1. Who or what inspired me today?

2. What brought me happiness today?

3. What brought me comfort and deep peace today?

This practice, wrote Spinoza, would help us find more meaning and joy in our lives and would lead to profound inner transformation. When our attention is focused on appreciation, the ego moves out of the way.

Throughout the day, notice the many things for which you are grateful...nurturing relationships, material comforts, the body that allows you to experience the world, the mind that allows you to really understand yourself, and your essential spiritual nature. Breathe, pause, and be grateful for the air that is filling your lungs and making your life possible."

For whom, for what, are you grateful, today?

om shanti, om gratitude,

Love,

Lee Ann

The Law of Pure Potentiality

Based upon the book: 7 SPIRITUAL LAWS OF YOGA, and the CHOPRA CENTER'S 21 Days of Inspiration:

Let us begin with our 1ST SPIRITUAL LAW OF YOGA: The Law of Pure Potentiality~ Our essential nature is pure consciousness, unlimited by space or time. We each possess all of the qualities inherent in this realm, including infinite creativity, unbounded love, pure silence, overflowing bliss, and deep peace. At our core, we are pure potentiality.

In California some of the world's most ancient trees live~ the giant sequoias. The oldest known sequoia, estimated to be about 3,500 yrs. old, was only a seedling when the Vedic wisdom texts were being composed, and became a mature tree long before the Buddha was born, the Bhagavad Gita was written, and Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

What is the secret of the sequoias' incredible longevity? The elemental power of agni, the Sanskrit word for fire. Periodic forest fires clear away everything that threatens the trees' survival while ensuring their growth and regeneration. Without the fire's heat, the sequoia cones couldn't open and release their seeds. Without the clearing force of fire, sequoia seedlings would be overcrowded by competing shade trees and not have enough sunlight to grow.

Today let's celebrate the transformational fire in our body and life. Agni burns away physical, mental, and emotional debris, making room for something new to be born in our life.

What small step can you take today to release what's no longer serving you, opening the space for more light, energy, and joy? ...For your pure potential?

om shanti, om agni,

Lee Ann

THE EIGHTH & FINAL LIMB OF YOGA

• "ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IS TO LOVE, TO LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED, AS BUDDHA LOVED." ~ Isadora Duncan
• Samadhi, the eighth and final limb, as Rolf Gates states, is the experience of ecstatic oneness.  

  
  

  In and of itself it is, for most of us, simply a pleasant reality, like a good blueberry muffin. The lesson of SAMADHI, however, is that it can be reached only through self-forgetting, and that lesson can be applied in all things.  

  
  

  As I type these words, my life is taken up with helping my aging parents, my own family of 3 grown children, a husband I dearly love, and my black lab, teaching yoga classes, preparing for my Paddleboard yoga class, Meditation, Reiki, RYT200 workshops, striving to keep our home and yard and yoga studio clean & inviting....sometimes I feel overwhelmed with my 'LIST OF THINGS TO DO'...and I forget that "I am a spiritual being having a human experience", as I run about as a 'HUMAN DOing'...

  
  

  When I surrender to God, my angels/guides, when I remember to BREATHE INTO EACH MOMENT, EACH TASK, I remember to LET GO, to TRUST, to look at each person in my classes, in my home, in my work & my play and truly SEE the eyes of Christ...each moment I am (and YOU ARE) invited to love as Christ loved, as Buddha loved...it's a choice, isn't it?  

  
  

  Again, and again....we get to CHOOSE SAMADHI...or, not...
  

  om shanti, om peace, om love, om laughter, om SAMADHI,
  Lee Ann