Does your yoga practice expand your awareness of the Great Dance of Creation itself? – The Dance between desire and fulfillment. BUT WAIT! Which came first……the chicken or the egg? Or did they just “arise” at the same time? Does it matter? In one “map of the territory” it is suggested that Fulfillment came first. The Egg comes before the chicken. It is obvious. In fact, “Fulfillment is the Seed of Desire.” The Egg is the cause of the Chicken just as Fulfillment is the cause of Desire. The Chicken is the effect just as Desire is the Effect. Within the Effect is the Cause; within the chicken is the egg. This is a primary rule of the science of Cause and Effect:
The Cause always contains the Effect, and the Effect always contains the Cause.
“Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the [a]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except but by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
As your guide in our current inquiry I want to let you know we are firmly in the zero phase. The zero phase is the seed phase. What seeds will you choose? Where will you plant them? When? How? WHY? In the growth process this phase is called CONFUSION.In the game analogy it is called OBJECTIVE or OBJECT.In the “tree analogy” this is called SEED.In the business cycle this is called DESIRED GOAL.In the Kripalu Yoga Transformation Process this is called BREATHE.In the grief process this is called DENIAL.In the “Four Phases of Creation in Kabbalah” this is called KETER (CROWN)In my personal process of managing my diabetes it is called CONFRONT.
Many different ways from which to view this 5 phase/step process. What is the value of knowing about and inquiring into this process? I will attempt to answer that with context and texture over the next several weeks.In my opinion, knowing about and. doing inquiry into this process may be priceless in the upcoming days, weeks and months.
All of you on my current mailing list are invited to all sessions I hold over the next 2 months. I encourage you to invite guests who you think would receive value. I anticipate the next few weeks to be tumultuous for a number of reasons. I am planning a trip down to South Florida to see family. My intention is to make sure to be able to do Sunday’s class every week. So, for the next 2 months we will take it week by week.
I am not asking for compensation for the next two months. I fully realize many may be struggling and unable or unwilling to commit during this time. However, I will ask that you write me up an assessment or “client review” of the experience you have had with the service I have been providing through the zoom sessions, the emails and the posts on my website. I would further ask that you grant me permission to publish your review in my website under the category of client reviews. There are a few client reviews already posted for you to review if you would like. And while I am not requiring payment for the next two months I will accept donations to support the work that Nedra and I are doing.
We are in the third reading called Lech Lecha – Genesis 12:1 – 17:27. The reading starts with God talking to Abraham – “God said to Abram, “go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”
Last week’s reading, Noach, was about the flood and the tower of Babylon. …. ..The portion ends with God destroying the tower. During this time there was one language with all the people (unity). “God descended” to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. God said, ‘Come, let us descend and confuse their speech, so that one person will not understand another’s speech. God scattered them all over the face of the earth….”
Why did God flood the earth and why did He destroy the tower? Questions to be explored. Nevertheless, now Abram is told to move.
So, why do I include these Torah Portions in each week’s posts? I have been ‘following’ the Torah Portions over the past 10 or so years. Loosely at first and more intensely the last 3 years. Each week I research the portion and connect to the actual reading in the Bible. I also have a Zohar. The Zohar is a 23 volume work which interprets each Torah section. Each year I receive a new insight. Whether you identify as Jewish or Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic or some other religious, spiritual or mystical school follower,, The first 5 books of the Bible; The Torah is a significant scripture.
I could be wrong, but as your yoga guide, I am confident that there is value in applying some inquiry here. Just as I am confident there is value in looking at the teachings of Jesus, The Buddha and other teachers of wisdom like Ken Wilber or Goenka or Genpo Roshi or Bill Harris..
REMEMBER: In order to do this work you do not have to believe or have faith in anything. In fact, the instructions are to remove your belief or better said…..suspend your belief as well as your disbelief…just like when you reach the end of the exhale….extend the exhale; stay empty….Find your “still point.
For those of you checking in to the weekly Torah sections we are in the 2nd reading in Genesis 6:9 – 11:32. I found 2 interesting videos to begin to paint a perspective on this reading. The second video is from one of Nedra’s favorite Kabbalah teachers who she knows personally…
As it is an initial, one-time, class, I have designed the session to be an orientation type of approach. Yoga is such a big and comprehensive “map of the territory” so an orientation can be done from many different perspectives. Since, the charity is supporting a dis-ease with some similarity to the dis-ease I have been challenged with for over 44 years, I will probably emphasize the “wellness” aspect of yoga. Since it is a first class, I will also stick to the basics of “Right Alignment” and “Discovering One’s Edge.”
I completed my Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu Yoga Center in October of 2006. I engaged in this 200 hour – month long intensive training because I wanted to deepen my personal practice. It was not my intention to become a “yoga teacher” or own a yoga studio. I had been practicing Bikram Yoga since 1999 and was realizing tremendous benefits in managing my blood sugar levels and overall health as a Type 1 Diabetic since the age of 14. Both conditions involve the immune system.
One of the most referred to “maps’ to understand what yoga is all about is the Eight Limb Path. There is a beginning and there is an end. There is an apparent starting point and there is a destination. Yoga defined means “union.” Ultimately it is the union with self and Source; Samadhi; The Eighth Limb. Here is an image of the Eight Limbs:
In Kripalu Yoga there are 3 stages to the practice. First, Right Alignment. Second, Discovering and Exploring Your Personal Edge. And third, Authentic Free Expression. These three stages mirror the three levels of wisdom that The Buddha expressed. Level One-Becoming aware of a thing or idea by being told about it or reading a book about it. Level Two – Engaging in Intellectual Inquiry into the nature of the thing or idea. Level Three – Direct Personal Experience of the thing or idea.
There is a five step transformational process in Kripalu that we utilize to cultivate mindfulness and presence in the confronting of a “pose.” The acronym is BRFWA. I will introduce BRFWA and cycle through the process a few times. The 5 steps are:
Breathe – Relax – Feel – Watch – Allow.
At the end of the session I have agreed to engage in a question and answer session.
Over the last six months, since the lockdown, I have been guiding a group of about 15 people in weekly yoga, meditation and map questing sessions. We have been getting together four times a week and have journeyed through the 8 limbs. We have also inquired into several other “maps of the territory” with the objective of obtaining a more holistic and holographic picture of The Reality of Things; Dharma. The last 13 weeks of our work have been documented on this website under the Atwater Group Page. Feel free to browse through this page as well as the many blogs I have written over the past 13 years.
I look forward to guiding this session and connecting with the participants.
