"The devotee longs only to love more and more, to enjoy eternally the lover/beloved relationship. Those who follow the path of devotion become purified through the intensity of their longing for God in whatever form appeals to them most."

-Krishna Das

Happy Birthday BKS Iyengar!

Yogacharya BKS Iyengar turns 91 today

Doing what comes naturally

Arjuna

Krishna, what happens to the man who has faith but who lacks self-control and wanders from the path, not attaining success in yoga? If a man becomes deluded on the spiritual path, will he lose the suppport of both worlds, like a cloud scattered in the sky? Krishna, you can dispel all doubts; remove this doubt which binds me.

Sri Krishna

Arjuna, my son, such a person will not be destroyed. No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come. 
When such people die, they go to other realms where the righteous live. They dwell there for countless years and then are reborn into a home which is pure and prosperous. Or they may be born into a family where meditation is practiced; to be born into such a family is extemely rare. The wisdom they have aquired in previous lives will be reawakened, Arjuna, and they will strive even harder for self realization. Indeed, they will be driven on by the strength of their past disciplines. Even one who inquires after the practice of mediation rises above those who simply perform rituals. 
-Bhagavad Gita 6:37-44, (translation by Eknath Easwaran)

An interpretation of this section from the Bhagavad Gita favored by Patalbi Jois is: 
"one comes to yoga in his life only by having practiced it in a previous life, and is pulled towards its against one's will, as towards a magnet."
People find Yoga at all different stages in their lives: because of an injury, as a form of exercise, to de-stress, out of curiousity, in old age, in childhood, and the list goes on- and some people experience an entire lifetime without finding Yoga.  As a "reward" for having the consciousness to practice yoga in a past life, we find it again in our present life. The body and situations we are born into don't always allow for us to find the yogic path easily, these obsticals on our journey are called kleshas and we must overcome them to fully experience our true yogic state. For many of us, an obstacle is what leads us to yoga. Whatever the reason you came to yoga, the practice speaks for itself and through continual practice we find our natural state.


"You cannot do yoga.  Yoga is your natural state.  What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state."  -Sharon Gannon



The continual practice of Yoga helps keep you in your natural state. Samskaras are a subconscious impression left behind by past actions/experiences, the more you do something the more embedded within you it becomes.

Full Moon in Gemini 12/1-12/2

Each experience holds a different type of meaning based on our personal core beliefs and values. This full moon helps us to "think outside the box" as far as decisions go. What resonates with you at this very moment, and where is that going to take you? Gemini is a crown chakra sign, activating our higher consciousness. Bringing energy and awareness to our crown chakra will open up the mind to look at the bigger picture. Lots of emotion will be running around this moon, so let your actions be with purpose and integrity, take time for some self-study and reflection, and surrender to your highest power. As the year comes to an end, energy is heavy and we are getting ready to strip away layers from the past year and birth a fresh new part of ourselves.