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Dear Yogis,
We trust you are having a peaceful and mindful holiday. Whatever
your faith or world-view, winter is a time for looking inward
and finding the solace that only comes from within. What a treat
that circumstance should conspire to illustrate this situation
so clearly by creating such a hectic flow around us! Please remember
to breathe and give and think selflessly this season; it is far
to easy to do otherwise.
We would like to take this opportunity to let you know that our
evolution towards a full accredited post-secondary institution
is continuing nicely, not the least without your help. The meeting
we held in December went very well and we were truly taken by
the sincere and heartfelt emails of support we received from you
at this time.
We are looking forward to expanding into the new year and here’s
a peak of things to come:
Pranayama Classes return to the January schedule
with a fresh-face. Robyn Ellingson will be bringing her insight
and clarity to this morning practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 7:30am to 8:30am. She will lead Zen on these days from 8:45
to 9:15. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Zen sittings will continue
from 9:00am to 9:30am.
Patanjali Course with Rakesh
Starting Jan 21st and running for 4 Saturdays from 12-2pm we
will be holding a course studying the teachings of Patanjali.
Patanjali Yog Darshan is an ancient scripture and is one of the
most respected and studied works in India. Knowledge of this scripture
is considered to be fundamental for scholars of Indian philosophy,
as well as for Indian pundits and gurus. In recent years, it has
come to the attention of western scholars and students of Indian
philosophy. The reason for its renown is that it defines and categorizes
the various forms of practice, as well as stages and levels of
consciousness. For more information on this course or Rakesh,
its intriguing teacher please visit http://www.pranayoga.com/patanjali-yoga.htm
Prana Student Special $80 (cash-only) in advance.
May Yoga Teacher Training (May 15 – June 11)
This May brings us a beautiful retreat centre near Nanaimo, B.C.
Just what forces keep bringing these beautiful places into our
practice we do not know but remain ever thankful. If you or someone
you know is thinking about taking yoga teacher training then have
a look at some of the amazing photo graphs on our web site. Even
if you aren’t planning to attend we recommend teasing yourself
a little with what you will be missing…who knows what the
future may bring?
With shakti away until March we wanted to bring you some of her
words of wisdom and a little bit of the spice that we all love
and miss:
The Circus of Yoga by shakti
Throughout my years of practicing yoga, when people found out
about my practice, their first question usually was if “I
can put my foot around my neck”.
One easily can get the idea by looking at the yoga magazines,
studio brochures, the endless yoga-themed commercials or through
surfing the web, that the ultimate aim of yoga is in fact to bring
your leg around your neck. It’s about getting the rubber
body.
In the old days the most prominent feature of a yogi who immersed
himself in the higher practice of yoga was his powerful eyes;
looking through you, drawing your attention to existence which
may be experienced beyond the form of the body.
Today you meet endless images of lovely yogis and yoginis from
all ages, cultures and styles, with their legs rapped around their
neck as their smiling eyes seem to say “I reached the Everest
of yoga”. In many ways it is a process very similar to that
of getting to the top of the Everest.
You go through long practice and training which starts with the
ambitions of the ego.
As you climb the mountain of Yoga towards the goal of achieving
the most obscure body postures you face a high risk of getting
injured. Knees, hips, sciatica, compressed spine etc and ending
with over loose joints. There is always a risk of never achieving
the goal (because of skeletal structure, scar tissue etc) what
may lead to a great disappointment and a feeling of being a failure.
The question is “When finally we fulfill the desire of
the mind, and our foot is hanging around our neck….. then
what?” Has the leg around the neck freed us from suffering?
Is it helping us to master our mind? Are we acting with no reacting?
Is the wrapping of the leg around the neck engaging us with our
higher self to become the ultimate observer who knows that we
are not this body? Is the heel close enough to our brain free
us from the fear of death?
What are the reasons for the western yoga teachers identifying
their abilities with the performance of the body?
Is it because we have nothing wise to say from our an authentic
experience? So instead, we show off our physical form as we often
do outside the yoga studio setting.
Is it because we are so programmed to identify with our body
as who we are, that we apply it to our spiritual practice instead
of applying the wisdom of the spiritual path to our life?
Or maybe after we started our yoga practice, our ego got so mesmerized
by the body performance, that we forgot why we started the practice
from the beginning.
The practice of the yoga asanas (posters) is for the purpose
of maintenance our body so it is in a good health, is free of
toxins and blockages so prana energy can flow through and widen
our perception towards life and existence. The body is a great
vehicle for us to use through the spiritual journey.
When people buy a car to take them to different destinations,
they take care of the car so it is stays in a good shape and it
is safe to travel in.
Some people get obsessed with their car, blurring the definition
between the object and themselves. Fully identified with the car’s
look and performance, they start buying gadgets for it, investing
time into it, while the car becomes a source of their pride, worries,
attachments and suffering.
The body is the vehicle for the self do not confuse it with the
self.
In closing think about it, “If an extremely flexible body
is in fact the aim of the ancient yoga then we should all be worshipping
the teenage contortionists in Cirque de Soleil.
Best wishes to you in your practice,
Prana Yoga College
1083 Cambie Street, Yaletown
Vancouver, BC, V6B 5L7
tel 604.682.2121
www.pranayoga.com
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