Comments (0) I really loved my note on my teebag this morning, something I have to remind me about frequently, what about you?
“Mental happiness is nothing but total relaxation”
I wish you a nice weekend with lots of stillness and relaxation…
All Saint’s day (Alla helgons dag) is not to mix up with All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween). We celebrate All Hallows’ Eve to get rid of bad spirits. It is a habit and has its source in Ireland and parts of Scotland, and on the way trough USA it became a tradition in Sweden around 1995. All Hallows’ Eve always celebrates on the 31 of October and children use to dress up in different evil spirits.
All Saint’s day is a Memory day to the dead and takes place between the 31th October and the 6th of November; the first Saturday in November. It is an old Christian tradition from mid eighteen century.
To memorize the dead I think it’s very important, and to analyze its simplicity. The dead people do not want us to feel pain and to sorrow. Some mean that spirits are like angels, angels who protect us and letting us feel safe. Like a guardian angel. For me it’s very beautiful to see the death as the infinite. Like the Buddhist people say “Always being, Always become”. Like life never ends.
Light a candle as a memory to the dead people; light a candle to life and to the eternity…
Diwali, popularly known as the “festival of lights,” is a festival celebrated between end of October and beginning of November. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. It is like our new year celebration in the west.
Happy Diwali to everyone! May you be blessed with the abundance of light and love…
Today is the day of autumnal equinox and night and day are the same lengths all over the world. Already after summer solstice the days becomes shorter on the north part of the world. After autumnal equinox the days, on the north part of the world, becomes shorter than nights. Autumnal equinox occurs around March in the south part and around September in the north.
According the Buddhist tradition, now is the day to plant you seed, your inner wish, and it will flower in spring. Feel your inner strength and make you wish.
Good Luck!
I have recovered from my first Zumba class yesterday. My first and only, well at least for a while… I know I never suppose to say never. I had heard so much about Zumba. With an open mind and no further expectations I took place in the Zumba class. I just wanted to have fun!
I use to love dancing and I know dancing releases energy and happiness. With a Zumba teacher with great competence, always with a smiling face and lots of energy I felt this couldn’t get wrong. Well, I the beginning it went all right but than the tempo became to speedy, and the music to loud…
Words from Swami Vishnudevananda, “Silence is music for the soul”
Maybe I’m little grouchy or just very in love with Yoga. I felt Zumba was to fast and to unbalancing for me. In Viryayoga I gain strength and flexibility, I get balance inside as well as outside. It is usual quiet, or just very calm music, and the silence helps me get to my inner. It realizes stress and gets me calm. And the most important I’m having fun, and my body smiles from the inside. Every day it is meaningful for me to have fun, to smile and feel happiness. It also supports my contact with other people, supports me to give happiness and joy to every human being. Everyone is worth a smile.
First time I got in touch with Viryayoga I remember my teachers telling about the Virya in Sanskrit, “it means enthusiasm, energy, or power. Viryayoga is about playfulness and having fun”. My teacher continued, “Viryayoga is like getting into a toy store with lots of things and you can not really pick what you want, because you rather want everything. Viryayoga is like having one foot in the east and one foot in the west, from the east you retain the truth and respect the tradition, without getting dogmatic, to keep the playfulness. From the west simply the biomechanics or healthy science about the body movements. Come as you are, let go and have fun”.
Simply – Viryayoga is for everyone!
I’m happy I tried Zumba, saw all this people smiling and moving, but I know I found Yoga and now Yoga has light on me, I really get everything from yoga – strength, flexibility, balance, consciousness, every class is a new class and I always learn something new from exploring with a playfulness mind – I promise you – it is overwhelming fun!
How can a biscuit taste that good? After a couple of days of silence, meditation, awareness and healthy food, my senses started to get very sensitive. After one of the dinner they served some biscuits, it became a pleasure, and I realized again we should be grateful and never feel desire or dislike.
Vipassana meditation; ten days in silence to clear the mind, trough consciousness and to reach the unconsciousness. Wow, for me it was like an explosion; a fantastic, painful, liberated and a powerful treat, hard to go trough but worth every second, I realized that every pain passes and march and all I need is equanimity, total equanimity, but as Iyengar use to say, ”It cannot be explained, it can only be experienced.”
Even if we are all human beings, every person is unique and perceives in different ways. I can only suggest; Please try it, it might be the best you have ever done or the worst, but it doesn’t matter as long as you have tried. Through experience you get insight. Insight gives you consciousness and a pure mind. Sometimes you need courage in your decisions, Vipassana will help you get rid of burdens and you will finally reach your inner core. To get relieve from miseries you will find the truth about happiness. You will be more focused and prepared to face the outer social world. Words about Vipassana; “It is an art of living that one can use to make positive contributions to society. Vipassana meditation aims at the highest spiritual goals of total liberation and full enlightenment.”
As you can train your physical body, you also can train your mental body. By getting control of you mind and get your mind fixed. This practice itself calls concentration. Yoga Sutra says it is like taming a monkey “the mind running, your bringing it back; it is running, your bringing it back. Once it tamed, it will just listen to you”. Training your mind to meditate requires discipline, lots of acceptance and obviously physical and mental health. You need self-perception and a controlled quite mind.
I have special thanks to Zoya Lu (a dear friend and yogateacher) who planted this seed almost two years ago. I am so grateful. Thanks also to my family and friends who supports me in my odd performances. I am also very thankful to my Yogateachers and all literature, and ofcourse everybody who is joining my yogaclasses and have supported and helped my dream come through. Yoga and Vipassana have helped me realize the quality of life. I have gained more knowledge about my consciousness, I have moved to more brightness in life, increased more peace and happiness. I feel pure and true love to all human beings. I am deeply grateful and very happy.
Now I will eat a biscuit (or two), smile and feel – The law of nature, liberation, Dhamma – My Jewel, everyones Jewel.
May you all be happy
Namaste
I am packing for my most mysterious journey. Wonderful, marvellous, amazing, horrible, terrible, different… are some of the words I have heard about the Vipassana mediation. But I am leaving with an open mind and open heart, no expectations. Ten days in silence and no connection with the outer world. Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. Vipassana – “the art of living”. I have been waiting and listening, and now I feel I am ready, I am ready to face the fully meditation – Samadhi. In Yoga Sutra it says “Samadhi is the same meditation when there is the shining of the object alone, as if devoid of form”. I will concentrate (Dharana), meditate (Dhyana) and get to my inner shining light. The foundation of the practice is Sila — moral conduct. Sila provides a basis for the development of Samadhi; and purification of the mind is achieved through Prajna — the wisdom of insight.
I believe everything has a point in life; we are here for some reason – You and I. And sometimes you have to listen to your heart when making decisions. I got this seed planted for around one and a half year ago, now I feel this is my aim.
I can feel the love, like is says in Eastern Body, Western Mind “Through love we are able to explore our instinctual core and evolve to the next step of expressing our truth. Through love we are able to embrace and heal the lager world around us”.
I am willing to explore my instinctual core, might finding the truth, my love will help me be connected with my inner self and of course all people and to the universe. The process of purification is the entire path — Dhamma.
See you in twelve days, when I am back from my inner silence.
Do not underestimate the silence; it might give some new treats.
Light & Happiness!
Did life bring you destiny or did the destiny bring you life? Believe and have faith. What does that mean to you? A beautiful well done movie “Water for Elephants”, will take your breath away and bring you fate. Everybody has a talent, find your gift in life. Human beings, animals, plants – to respect all life on earth and to perceive connection. And remember – The age does not matter as long as you are healthy. To watch “Water for Elephants” might bring you a feeling about your power to the ability to determine your own destiny.
Love…
Healthy ambition requires us not to push ourselves so hard that we are incapable of having a balanced life, but not to take it too easy, either. This seems like a fine line, and in fact, in yoga practice it’s often refers us to “the edge”. It’s the place where you’re working at the top of your body and at the same time the inner you. If you works any less, you’d be slacking off; any more, and you’d be risking injury. What yoga can do, experts say, is help point the way toward healthy, balanced ambition, both for people with lots of drive and for people who feel themselves lazy.
The key to balanced ambition is to focus on the process, not the outcome of your actions, try to be patient, listen to your inside and – remember, the most important – have FUN!
My aim for the next weeks (and life) is to have fun with healthy peaceful thoughts and a balanced mind. I´m going one a small trip – see you all week 19 again on the yogamat… Love /Anna
