Every yoga class is teaching us to live in the moment. Many of us do but at the same time we live in anticipation of paying the next bill, or the weather coming up in the weekend or if our soul mate is finally going to arrive. It is very easy to be in the now during yoga class since the teacher is guiding us through the practice of postures and pranayama even during relaxation and meditation but the question is, can we practice yoga outside the mat?
Human being have been trained to plan for the future and I see nothing wrong with that but we are missing the very important part that as we do plan for the future we still need to enjoy now, right this moment is truly all we have and we are missing it because we plan for what could even be a total fantasy.
We are so preoccupied with tomorrow that we loose connection with our love ones, family and friends. Don’t you think that we need to change our lifestyle ? Why don’t we live like if this is our last day in this body?
Sometimes we become to fixated in completion of task like homework and then we realize how much joy have we missed all along. I strongly support good work ethics but that does not mean stop living for one task we have to do.
After everything is said and done the question remains, how do we balance play and work? Isn’t work supposed to be part of fun and enjoyment?
It comes back to moderation, balance. Working hard will run us down, playing hard and life passes us by.
The words that keeps coming back to me are balance, determination, moderation. Aren’t these words parts of the Yoga Principles?
We always have a choice to enjoy life, some of us sleep throughout and some of us are present in each day in each moment. What choice would you like to take?
Practicing Yoga with Samkalpa (determination), stay with the practice and begin to realize each moment.
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
Meditation is the most amazing technique to find peace in our lives. It leads the mind from a busy restless state to an higher state that is clear and steady. Science continues to do studies on meditators and they always come up with the same results which are: improve health, reduce high blood pressure and stress hormones. You must understand that meditation needs to be practiced on a regular basis. You must be persistent and repeat it over and over again.
Come and join us in Deepening your Meditation seminar coming up on March 06 and 07 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. You can check our website for more information and registration. www.sunshineyoga.ca
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
We tend to believe that being famous,rich, physically strong and professionally successful makes us powerful. We also believe that this kind of power will get us what we want.
This is not real power, the greatest power of all is to be happy and blissful in each moment. Being free from addictions, fear, dispair, discrimination, anger and ignorance.
This is the extraordinary power that has nothing to do with wealth, fame or
physical strength.
If in order to attain financial power we drain ourselves, loosing friendships
and connections even with our love ones then that kind of power is detrimental for you and others.
Living and extraordinary life with happiness and joy at the same time helping others, caring for our love ones that is the real POWER! this is the power that benefits you and all of society.
We need to transform ourselves. Moving from Fear to Love, that is success.
There is nothing wrong with wanting fame and wealth as long as we do not believe that happiness depends on it. If you are rich and unhappy, then what is wealth good for?
We must learn to cultivate the real power within ourselves, the power that brings freedom , security and happiness, right here, right now.
We must take care of ourselves first, so in order to bring happiness to others we must be happiness ourselves first.
We need to cultivate our spiritual and true power by training our minds to be here and now. That leads to transformation within ourselves and those around us.
Compassion is the best marketing strategy as it brings more profit and more success and as we combine profit with integrity we become even more successful.
We must conduct our professional life with compassion and kindness because without it we can’t be happy regardless of how big our profits are.
We must recognize that deep burning desire to help others, to alleviate the pain and suffering of others in this world.
Bringing joy to others is the biggest joy of all. Take happiness everywhere you go, take happiness to everybody!
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
What is the meaning of so much pain, suffering and devastation in Haiti? Have you asked yourself the question?
I believe that the lesson is for our own transformation. I guess that lots of us are still feeling their pain, their suffering. Doesn’t it call you attention as we may we begin to understand what one mind means?
How to reach out? How can we help? Not only to the people in Haiti but other human beings that live in poverty without having not even the minimal survival basic needs like food, water and shelter.
All of these calamities in the world are meant for us to transform ourselves as we become more caring for others, creating deeper connections and nurture a bigger sense of community. What is the wise thing to do to help other communities?
Are you prepared to help others? Are you prepared to support others?
We have unlimited resources within ourselves so we can reach out to others to those who need help. Do you know that you have those resources?
We need to open our eyes to the need of others we must open our hearts to the needs of others.
Which is the method of opening our hearts?
One form is to become more conscious of our own wisdom, also sharing what we have. In any case we need to prepare ourselves first so we can find out what is the difference that we can make in the world. How can we care more about others .
Our reach goes outward as we more and more open our heart center expanding more and more into distant connections, to people that we have never met before.
We do not need to go anywhere for this. Wherever we are now in this moment, whatever we do in each moment makes a big difference that difference that we make is for ever and ever in the Universe, have you heard of the Butterfly Effect?
When a butterfly flaps its wings it moves molecules and those molecules keep moving other molecules as they continue bumping into another and goes on around the world, this is the law of sensitive dependence upon initial conditions.
It is proven that monkeys begin to do something and then more monkeys do more of the same even though they are in different places in the world.
Every living being in the world is affected by any other living beings. So what we do, feel, think affects other human beings and that effect goes on forever and ever.
Be conscious of what you think, say and do because that affects others.
Reach out with compassion, love because that also goes on forever and ever. Remember the Butterfly effect.
Be aware of what you are creating in the world.
Anger, unhappiness also goes on forever and ever and it keeps vibrating over and over in the Universe. Put love, peace, thoughts of healing into the world, send love, peace and harmony to the people of Haiti and to everybody in the world specially those that are suffering. Send more abundance to those because also that vibration keeps going on forever and ever.
The higher vibration of our thoughts creates a more alkaline us, in consequence becoming healthier. So we put our awareness into a higher vibration, hope and peace for others, thoughts of health and abundance for others.
We are a vital part to the renewal of the world, life flows on new and renewed and we are part of that renewal. We are unique and essential to bring peace into the world. It is our responsibility to become present participate and contribute to the whole.
What do you feel in your heart, what you think say and do is of extreme value to the whole.
What vibration would you like to leave in this world when you are here no more so others will pick it up?
Our vibration today will continue to go on and on forever.
We must learn to choose to focus in the now, there is no such a thing as past or future, those are only the sum of each now, the constant now.
That is all we have NOW!
Focus in the heart center, the center of your chest, quiet your chatter, take a deep breath and bring yourselves to NOW.
Keep a quiet mind and move more and more into now. Unhappiness and fear control our lives. Come back to the center of your chest, the past and fears will melt away as you continue nurturing a quiet mind. Simply know that things always work out.
Expand your vibration by cultivating a quiet mind
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
The whole Sadhana or Spiritual practice depends upon the working, purity and concentration of the mind. This is truly a gift to men. Mind is the controller of our life through which all our organs of sense perception perform their functions.
Mind is our best friend and enemy at the same time.
Yogis find deep contentment grasping the source of their powers through the purification of mind and concentration .
By the practice of meditation and concentration the mind is freed up from conflict. Constant practice is required for this purpose.
When the Sadhaka (seeker) becomes one with the Sadhana (spiritual practice) his mind becomes one pointed. We must train the mind wisely and gently towards this practice, we do not even attempt to force the
mind, we do it only by applying the pure rules of Spiritual Practice.
The Seeker (sadhaka) must have a true interest in Spiritual Practice (Sadhana). The aspirant must develop Samkalpa (determination, discipline) everything is done without any forcing, only with the burning desire to learn who he is.
If the aspirant makes a resolve that he will never lie or perform immoral acts in accordance with his accumulated knowledge, he can be free of evil and become a virtuous man, this is possible by the practice of purification of the mind. The first goal of men is to develop himself as a humanitarian and should not allow violence to enter his heart, thought, speech or action.
Purity is gained even faster by refraining himself from falsehood and vicious activities. As purification advances, power increases, when power increases, wisdom shines and it is accompanied by bliss.
Join us in the practice of meditation and live an illuminated life.
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
To start the practice of meditation one must gather inner strength and the burning desire to learn who we are and develop ourselves as humanitarians. He must find perfect harmony in thought, speech and action. Saucha or purity must be develop through the practice of purification of the mind and from refraining from falsehood, vice and vicious activities.
Sadhana is required to free us from the above mentioned actions.
As the purification of mind advances, power increases and wisdom comes accompanied by bliss.
That which separates us from this goal is impurity and ignorance of the mind and the heart. The goal of Sadhana or Spiritual practice is to make the mind and the heart pure and enlightened. We wish you peaceful Meditations !
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
What is the aim of life? The objects of the world and our attachments to them prevent us from realizing the purpose of life. Have you ever thought that the objects of the world can be used for the purpose of spiritual development? Mostly due to ignorance this attitude is not even consider. We have deep attachment for all the objects of the world.
We forget that this world and our time in it are only our playground for our own growth, for spiritual advancement. The pleasures of life and the attachment to them are the cause of suffering as we become slaves of them. We use the objects for self gratification and this leads to suffering. Sadhana or Spiritual practice help us to sharpen the power of discrimination so all the pains and suffering are converted into joy.
You do not have to wait for the next lifetime you can achieve it right here and now.
The full practice of sadhana is the best life, a yogi truly enjoys life. the one attached to the pleasures of the world lives in constant pain and suffering . In order to enjoy the pleasures of life one has to become a yogi.
Live in the world but remain above, imagine the lotus flower , it is on the water , remaining above. Practice meditation and become a yogi and conquer life. Be the director of your life , be your master and walk the Spiritual Path on the light of Truth.
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
Between two end points, called birth and death is a spam that we call life, but the totality of life is hidden beyond the points that we call birth and death. Life is like an iceberg apparently floating on the surface of the ocean, it is a small portion visible to the eye., a far greater portion is hidden beneath the surface. The small portion is the manifested portion but by far the greatest portion of the iceberg is hidden in the depths of the unknown, it is the same between birth and death, an immense portion is hidden in the unknown and the unmanifested. Our real Self is not confined to the manifested alone. Knowing the unmanifested part of life will help us solve most of our problems.
We waste time in so many distractions , joys and sorrows so we remain in darkness and ignorance. Our problems are of our own making, pain and suffering are our own creation, we are our worst enemies but we can be our best friends too.
Liberation of the Self is only possible through the Soul itself. No scriptures, guru or yogi can give you salvation. The responsibility is ours, it lies on us alone. Let’s look at ourselves without any judgement, only with the purpose of knowing who we truly are.
Namaste
Sunshine Yoga Academy
What to do to regulate our emotional life so we can grow? How to expand our consciousness?
The less developed our consciousness is, the more we get caught up in unpleasant emotional states. The more we expand our awareness, our emotional life becomes more balanced so that anger, jealousy, depression and guilt begin to disappear. The energy we once used for those emotions becomes purified and transforms into peace, joy, love and compassion. Let’s transform ourselves.
Namaste,
Sunshine Yoga Academy
We all carry fears and we are afraid to examine them, we pretend that they do not exist but this creates insecurities in our daily life.When we take time to examine our life we come to realize that fears create big obstacles that interfere with our progress.
What is the method to clear them and be free?
We must face them and examine them, we will come to realize that most of our fears are not real. It is our responsibility to find our fears and not allow them to grow. The more fears we grow the more we generate disease. Find freedom from fears. Explore yourself and understand who you are.
Be free from fears