Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Full moon...

I love going to bed later, not all the time but when I know the next day is a full or new moon and that I do not have to wake up. Obviously I've awakened early for many, many years so its in my body to do so, but at least there is no alarm involved and lying there in bed longer can happen. I still do my morning pooja of chanting and a bit of pranayama, but no asanas.

Also normally the Kali temple I go to is only open Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, Tuesday and Friday being the traditional goddess worship days here in India, in most parts of the country anyway. But it's also open on full moons, so I drove by and saw that it was open having forgotten this and then went to buy a mala of marigolds for her then came back and it was empty so I was able to just sit in there and be able to absorb the energy in the temple, which was nice, especially for a day with no asanas practiced, so immediately my body and mind felt better, more clear, open and peaceful and ready to move into the day. But also not ready to be in the world around a lot of people, so I've been home most of the morning, being contemplative, reading Ramakrishna's biography, reading about the divine feminine in this new book I've got and just being.

Now I'm listening to a podcast where Taylor Hunt is having a conversation with Harmony Slater. Both are friends and people I look up to, but being a goddess worshipper Harmony holds a special place in my heart. She is one of the strongest women I've ever met and super great with her approach to yoga. She also can completely adjust my SI joint in a great way that opens up my body and really since she assisted me in backhanding two seasons ago, almost a year and a half, my back has been really great and more open.

In this podcast she's discussing a lot about India and how magical it is, her experiences with Guruji(Pattabhi) and Sharath and how their energy has helped and changed her life. These are things I've been contemplating now for a few days, really for the last few months that I've been here in Mysore, but more so this week since the moon often brings up my inner ideas for contemplation. So it's nice to feel and hear these things from someone else, especially a strong and powerful woman who makes me think of my chosen God, Kali. Yes Harmony if you read this, I mean it, but thank you for being you!

In thinking of my experiences here in Mysore I have to say oddly there is a magic here that can't exist anywhere else, and maybe its because they have consistently believed in magic for so many thousands of years that the magic is in the soil, is in the air, in the water. Just it's here and hasn't gone anywhere for some time. Do to their belief in a guru/shishya relationship for learning yoga, for learning everything really, including music and Ayurveda and most others things, that magic also can come into your learning if you find a real teacher, a real guru. Not one of the fake ones that seem to be all around the world these days.

I'm lucky to have found this system that is so steeped in this ancient tradition, from Pattabhi to Sharath. Having seen and experienced Pattabhi and his energy in person only a few weeks of time, not months or years as many of my piers had, was special and I'm glad to be able to say I had this as a part of my life. But with Sharath I've received much hands on input, with hands and with his words even more so. His energy is not quite as big as his grandfathers was, but it is heading in that direction. When you're in the room with him and he's looking at you, his eyes just pierce through the back of your skull, or they seem to be burning holes into your very being. Not many people have this and I am grateful for it, and grateful that karmically I've been given this chance to be with him in person, to be living right up the street from him and able to have casual conversations seemingly randomly with him as he's walking and just for him being a part of my life for the past 17 years...

I've talked a lot about this stuff in other blog entries so I don't need to get deep into it. I really on this day of the full moon wanted to express my gratitude for this life, for this practice as it helps me unfold and manifest in my life more fully, for those I've met in Mysore and around the globe and the input they have had even if it was just their presence. Not everyone gets to feel these things but I have, and hope to continue to move deeper into this as my lifestyle and experience more and more, but not just for me, for my students. As I move into this and can bring more to the plate when I'm teaching, wherever that is as this year continues to unfold. I'm excited, and I'm happy.

Thanks, namaste...

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