Thank You From Scott Feinberg of Karma Krew

Karma Kastles 2008  -  Tequesta Rec Yoga Sculpture

Dear Friends,

 

I'm not sure about you but I'm still lingering in the residue of the amazing experiences of last week (Karma Kastles). It is a testament to the power of community that we could pull off both events with such ease, delight, and success. It awes me that in the midst of so much economic uncertainty that in truth, it is our internal circumstance that dictates our external circumstance and not the other way around. Because of your help, Karma Krew was able to raise $53,000! What a shining example of how what lies inside of each of us is paramount to what lies outside of us and that when those intentions are aligned together and mobilized there is nothing we can't do.

 

These funds will serve to sustain our shelter program and ensure that even more children who have been abused will now have the opportunity to experience the healing benefits of Yoga. It will also ensure a healthy and vibrant Community Karma Krew program with new krews popping up all over the country. Thank you so much for your support.

 

It was nothing other than a deep deep joy to be able to manifest this vision with each of you. We each did our part and it equalled something so much greater than we ever could have expected. I offer you my deepest gratitude for your generous contributions of sweat, heart, committment, vision, patience, moral support, and for simply the honor of doing this sacred work together.

 

With Much Love,

 

Scott

Bryan Kest Back In Tequesta November 2008

A heartfelt 'thank you' goes out to Bryan Kest and all who participated in our 4th annual Master Class this November in Tequesta.   Bryan led another amazing class filled with his unique style of sharing yoga in a present-day approach.  He gave us plenty to think about as he imparted solid teachings on the relevance of yoga in our daily lives through the first third of the class.  Then, he kept us smiling (and sometimes laughing) through a challenging asana practice for the balance of the workshop.  I believe we all left the session a little wiser, a little happier and a lot sweatier.  Needless to say, we're looking forward to his return next year.

A Path to Enlightenment

Yoga teaches us to go within for fulfillment and to recall, to mind and heart, the union of our individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness. The path to enlightenment will take many different routes for each of us though there are aspects that will be realized by every soul as we progress. Doubtless conviction that there is one source of creation and belief in reincarnation are paramount in this quest.  Though various religions and spiritual teachings will call the source of creation by many different names, the message at the heart of most religions is consistent.  It is to love one another and to love thyself.

We are all gradually approaching our inevitable enlightenment. A belief in reincarnation is essential as it may take thousands and thousands of lifetimes of progressive assent toward that goal.  There are many qualities that we will develop to the fullest as we drawn in the direction of enlightenment.  Some are love, patience, compassion, forgiveness and kindness.  Each lifetime presents self-chosen opportunities to cultivate these qualities to their perfected states.  Life experiences show us what we chose to work on in the present incarnation.  We must accept our life experiences as our teachers empowering us and never feel a victim of life’s lessons.

Meditation is a very helpful way of focusing the being and not wasting time and energy in distraction.  And service, in any form is an equally instrumental way of unfolding spirituality.  Intention, effort and the power of persistence are of prime importance.  “The mind which thinks of the all-pervading divinity which it worships, is ultimately, through long-continued devotion, transformed into the likeness of that divinity.”  We are our thoughts.  We become what we dwell on.

Careful reading of spiritual texts, studying under the tutorage of wise teachers, quiet reflection, and practical application of the sensed truth and the intuited ideas, will gradually bring enlightenment.  A steady, regular, persistent endeavor will carry us along that voyage.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

On Monday, May 26th I had the privilege to be a part of the Grand Opening of the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Institute in Islamorada, Florida.  Guruji has been teaching the same method of yoga, ashtanga, that he learned from his Guru, Krishnamacharya in 1927.  It was an indescribable honor to be in the presence of someone who has walked the path of yoga for the past 80 some year of his life.  I'm grateful to Guruji and all the others who have kept this course open for those of us who wish to tread it.  And I am equally honored to be in the company of those of you who are taking this passage with me.

Namaste.

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all."

"One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which one wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

You Are Your Own Guru

Have faith in your inner guidance system.  No one can teach us what we already know.  We are born with the seed of spiritual wisdom planted within each of us.  Our divinity is woven into the fabric of our souls.  Yet at times we need a pathfinder to shed light on what lies in the darkness of our temporarily un-awakened selves.  But know without a doubt that we are wise, loving and peaceful by design and let that actuality serve as our most firmly rooted truth as we progress in our spiritual learning.

Those, like me, who attempt to share spiritual wisdom are merely heralding philosophy we found that moved our hearts and felt true to our souls, and we want others to join in that rhapsody.  We’ve run our lessons through the filter of our experiences, upheld what rang true for us and abandoned what did not, just as everyone needs to do for themselves.

I am not implying that time spent with a spiritual teacher, religious leader or guru is wasted. True guides awaken us to and remind us of the truth, but do not take on the responsibility of our progress.  A real teacher illuminates the darkened pathway so that we may find our way along it. It is up to each of us to find for ourselves what is authentic and advance along the passageway.

We search outside of ourselves at times for guidance to set us on our course.  Different teachers may show many routes, but it is ultimately up to each of us to choose the right one.  Though we may look outward for direction, it is our inward gaze through meditation and heart and soul searching where we will find true wisdom.  Our hearts and intuition tell us what is true.

We know more than we may have thought and we will discover that fact when we listen to our “gut reactions”.  Spend time with the wise, ask questions and listen, but always check in with yourself to find if what is being shared with you is your truth.

Namaste.

Your Primary Responsibility by Alan Cohen

A friend confided in me that he was struggling to understand his responsibility in a world obsessed with war. I told him the answer is simple: choose peace.

While you cannot control the attitudes or actions of politicians or others, you have total control over the thoughts, feelings, and energy you are exuding. If you are steeped in fear, anger, a sense of victimization, or separateness, you are contributing to the darkness.

If you hold a sense of peace, wholeness, compassion, kindness, and the presence of love, you are contributing to healing. As Kipling nobly penned, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their's…”

Mother Teresa was once asked to speak at an anti-war rally, and she refused. “If it were a pro-peace rally, I would attend,” she explained. “But fighting against war, like fighting against anything, is just another form of war.”

Ram Dass recounted that on his altar he has pictures of Christ, Buddha, and many other spiritual masters. He has recently added a photo of George W. Bush. Why? As Ram Dass explains, “Until I can find the same divinity in George W. Bush as I find in other holy beings, I am stuck. When I can see and honor his soul, then I am in a position to protest. Until then, I am ineffective.”

The power of prayer and intention goes a long, long way. At any given moment the world situation is a precise expression of the consciousness of all the people who live here. As you shift your consciousness in the direction of peace, wholeness, and faith, you tip the balance in that direction. You literally become the tipping point for the world you would like to create.

Be less concerned with what you are doing and more concerned with how you are doing it. Actions that spring from fear or hatred, no matter how nobly clothed, create only more of the same. Actions that issue from faith and love, no matter how humble clothed, create only more of the same.

A visionary thrives under all circumstances, for he or she sees beyond the obvious. At this time the world needs good visionaries. If you would save the world, begin with your own consciousness.

The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

Samadhi, The Eighth Limb of Yoga

The final stage of yoga, samadhi, or spiritual illumination, is the goal of the yogi’s quest. At the peak of meditation, the aspirant passes into the state of samadhi, where the thought of duality no longer exists, consciousness becomes one with the experienced object, and the mind becomes still and one-pointed. The yogi’s body and senses are at rest as if he is asleep. His faculties of mind and reason are alert as if he is awake, yet he has gone beyond consciousness into bliss. The person in samadhi has no sense of ‘I’ as if being separate from the Eternal. When in the state of samadhi, the yogi has attained true Yoga where there is only the experience of consciousness, the truth and indescribable joy.

Pantanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, states that it is no of use to attempt meditation without mastering concentration. Without these first two, it is impossible to progress to samadhi, a state of liberation from reality into a subtle and highly spiritual experience.

It is important to note that Patanjali’s system for reaching enlightenment is in itself an acknowledgement that even if enlightenment has been achieved, once the work is abandoned, enlightenment will slip away. This is our guidance to practice all eight limbs of yoga with devotional regularity.

Namaste.

Dhyana, The Seventh Limb of Yoga

In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar likens the analogy of water taking the shape of its container to the mind being transformed into the shape of the object it is contemplating. This elicits an important truth: that which we dwell on in our minds becomes how and who we are.

Dhyana is absolute concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. Therefore, dhyana is meditation or perfect contemplation.

Just as dharana (complete concentration) is tethered to pratyahara (sense control) in that the aforementioned cannot take place without the latter being acquired, we must realize the correlation between dharna and dhyana (meditation). Dharana must precede dhyana so as to teach the mind to focus and contact the object of concentration. In the stage of dhyana, the meditator becomes one with the object of meditation.

In yoga, meditation is devotion to and worship of the Divine. Keeping in mind that we become our thoughts, we should thus strive to keep our meditations focused on the Supreme, the Light, the Universal Spirit…PURE LOVE.

Namaste.

Dharana, The Sixth Limb of Yoga

Dharana is concentration without any disturbances, creating conditions for the mind to focus all its attention in one direction. It is practiced with the intention of spiritual renewal and recalling our oneness with The Infinite.

Usually our minds are paying attention to many different things at once. As soon as our senses become stimulated they pull our attention in many directions. As our minds wander from one stimulus to another we become reactive emotionally, hormonally and energetically.

The first thing to do in order to achieve meditation is learn pratyahara, control of the senses. The mind must be mastered and senses withdrawn in order to truly meditate. This is not an easy thing as the senses and mind have been our masters for so long.

Next, we work toward being able to concentrate and keep the mind from roaming for some length of time. It is best to be situated in an area with as little distraction as possible. Begin focusing the mind on one object. Our attention will get diverted over and over again. As disturbances arise it is best to just notice and then kindly dismiss them. As with most practices, the more we do it, the more skilled we become.

The purpose of dharana is to steady and gain control of the mind. When we reach the point of maintaining complete focus uninterrupted, we are engaged in dharana.

Namaste.