Surya Namaskar : Salutations to the Sun

Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations, is a flowing series of movements done in coordination with the breathe.  There are twelve total positions, each alternately flexing the spine.  Sun Salutations warm up the body for deeper yoga practices.  They help to expand the capacity of the lungs and massge the internal organs.  Sun Salutations eliminate excess fat and give you sustained energy throughout the day.  The practice originated as a form of worshiop to the Sun.  Surya means Sun and Namaskar means to bow down to and make offerings.  Surya Namaskar is traditionally practiced facing the rising of the Sun.  Offerings of rice, flowers and water are made and different Mantras representing different names of the Sun are recited, either in synch with each posture or at the beginning of each new series of postures.

Here are the Mantras
Om Sri Savitra Surya Narayanaaya Namah
Om Mitraaye Namah

Om Ravaye Namah
Om Suryaya Namah
Om Bhaanave Namah
Om Khagaaya Namah
Om Pushne Namah
Om Hiranya Garbhaaya Namah
Om Mareechaye Namah
Om Aadityaaya Namah
Om Savitre Namah
Om Arkaaya Namah
Om Bhaaskaraya Namah

Journeying to see my Guru

The music of Snatam ("Sun-Autumn") has been a constant soundtrack to my life for the last 6 years. I have been to her concerts at Seaside Church, and other San Diego venues. Her concerts are always ecstatic events. Last year I visited the 3HO Summer Solstice Sadhana, a ten day festival of Kundalini Yoga in the high desert of New Mexico. Snatam was under close watch as she was several months pregnant with her first baby. I watched her from a far and enjoyed sharing space with her. I was going to attend the Solstice again this year, but then became informed of a week long intensive training of kirtan with Snatam ocurring a few weeks after the Solstice. I thought the smaller venue and focus on Kirtan with Snatam would be an amazing experience for me to develop my ability to chant and lead others in chanting. The concept of "Guru" is so powerful in Yoga. Your Guru is your teacher, but much more than that. Your Guru is like your direct connection with the divine here on Earth. First with the Sivananda Organization and next with the 3HO, I seem to arrive a few years after the Guru has died. I join the movement when everyone is grieving their loss, and I am left feeling at a loss for a Guru. Learning about these men from India second hand just doesn't make me feel a connection to them. But when I listen to Snatam sing, my heart is moved, I often cry from the joy bursting from inside of myself. I listen to her words "Let there be no space between you and God," and I feel it becoming reality in my own being. And she isn't so foreign to me. She is close to my age, grew up in California, we even went to neighboring colleges (and today I discovered we drive the same car!). I am ready to listen to her, love her, offer up prayers for the health and safety of Snatam and her family. And now I am blessed to spend a week in her home, learning from her and singing together. Thank you God for this enormous opportunity! May we all be blessed to live our dreams and connect with our Guru, on this night of the Guru Purina, the full moon where in India we honor our teachers.

Yoga Vacations

Meditating at the Durga Temple at the Yoga Farm

For about seven years now I have been going at least once a year on a yoga vacation.  These are solo trips where I immerse myself in yoga and often nature.  I have most often visited the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Grassvalley, California.  Several times I have been to Esalen in Big Sur.  And last Summer I headed to New Mexico to attend the 3HO Summer Solstice Sadhana.  These trips give me the opportunity to rest from my normal day-to-day roles.  It gives me a chance to challenge myself and increase my knowledge of yoga and the reality of maintaining a disciplined practice.

Satsang with Swami Sita at the Yoga Farm

Full class with Gurumukh at Summer Solstice

Lately I have been feeling the tug to run off and immerse myself in my yoga practice.  June is quickly approaching and I'd love to return to Ram Das Puri in New Mexico to spend time with the Sikhs.  At the Summer Solstice Sadhana you are awakened each morning at 3:30 by beautiful music inspiring you to "Rise Up!"  Bundled up against the high desert pre-dawn chill you gather with one to two thousand other seekers for morning Sadhana.  This lasts from 4-7 am and includes chanting, yoga exercises and breathing, and lots of music and singing.  It's amazing, but not for the weak!  Summer Solstice is different from the other yoga vacations I have taken in that it is an event, more of a festival.  Many people come from all over the world, and there is so much happening every day.  The Sikhs are musical people, and their early morning Sadhana gives them the energy to rock out all day!

Campsites with the dining tent in the background

My luxury suite at Summer Solstice

Later this year I am hoping to travel to India for my first yoga vacation to the homeland!  I would like to visit the Sivananda Ashram in the Himalayas for the two week Sadhana Intensive.  Now I know for most people the word vacation does not translate to be awoken well before sunrise to sit and meditate.  And I'm sure for many people the word vacation does not translate as refraining from all alcohol, coffee or meat.  But, I'm not most people!  I love the instant Karma of an orgaized system.  Tell me what to do, and I'll discover myself through the commitment to the system!