Category Archives: Yogic Teachings Potpourri

Brahma-vihāras: Qualities for Clarity of Mind

Yoga Sūtra 1.33 first lists four qualities to cultivate on the path of yoga: maitrī (friendliness or love), karuṇā (compassion), muditā (joy), and upekṣā (equanimity). These virtues are also heralded in Buddhism as the brahma-vihāras. The next part of this sūtra lists four types of people: sukha (happy), duḥkha (suffering), puṇya (virtuous) and apuṇya (nonvirtuous).

This sūtra suggests that cultivating (bhāvanātaś) the four qualities toward those four types of situations one might encounter, yields greater clarity of mind (citta prasādanam). Specifically, it suggests one should cultivate friendliness or love toward those who are happy, compassion toward those suffering, joy toward those with virtue, and equanimity toward nonvirtuous or evil people. So this sūtra gives a technique for creating clarity in consciousness by giving some tools to work with in relationships. As well, YS 1.33 can be thought of as describing qualities that naturally emerge given a more refined awareness.

YS 1.33 maitrī-karuṇā-muditā-upekṣāṇāṃ sukha-duḥkha-puṇyaapuṇya-viṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaś-citta-prasādanam
maitrī: friendliness
karuṇā: compassion
muditā: joy, gladness
upekṣā: equanimity
sukha: happiness
duḥkha: sorrow, suffering, pain
puṇya: virtue, meritorious
apuṇya: vice, demeritorious
viṣayāṇām: concerning or regarding object
bhāvanātaś: cultivating attitude citta: mind, awareness
prasādanam: purification, clarification
The mind becomes clarified by cultivating [or alternately: A clarified mind yields] an attitude of friendliness, compassion, joy, and equanimity toward happiness, pain, virtue, or vice.

As I have contemplated this sūtra, it seems that its list of qualities starts with what is easiest for us to do and moves to what is most difficult. The first two, maitrī/friendliness and karuṇā/compassion, are relatively easy because they often arise spontaneously. Most well-adjusted people find it easy to be friendly and loving when they encounter happy people. Likewise, compassion/karuṇā often naturally arises toward those who are suffering/duḥkha.

The third quality, muditā/joy, may naturally arise in the face of someone who is puṇya/virtuous. For example, when someone performs a beautiful dance or makes a piece of art, we are joyful about that. If someone excels at a sport or a child performs a difficult piano piece, we naturally applaud their accomplishment, joyfully celebrating their virtuosity. However, at times when faced with someone else’s success, instead of feeling joy, we might experience jealousy. So at times, that third pairing of extending muditā/joy toward someone else’s accomplishment can be a challenge.

The last listed quality is the one many people find quite difficult: upekṣā/equanimity toward the apuṇya/nonvirtuous person. Upekṣā is often translated as “equanimity,” which usually leads to the question: What does equanimity mean? Equi means what you might think: “equal or same.” And animus indicates “mind,” so equanimity can mean “even-mindedness.”

A good place to start cultivating these qualities is toward ourselves, as everyone has times when they’re happy, sad, virtuous, or nonvirtuous. When suffering/duḥkha, can we give ourselves some karuṇā/ compassion? When we’ve behaved badly/apuṇya, can we foster a bit of upekṣā/equanimity? Can such behavior be put in perspective? For example, it’s helpful to understand that making a mistake doesn’t make us a bad person.

To practice cultivating these virtues, we can begin by consciously noticing our reactions when meeting these different situations. For example, in the case of someone else’s success, what saṃskāric pattern habitually arises? We have the choice to continue to reinforce it or not, to the degree the ledge of freedom has been established. Though it is hard to stop a thought once it has arisen, we can choose to change the channel. It isn’t a matter of stuffing or ignoring that thought; it’s a matter of laying down a new pattern. When we make the choice and act, that pattern/saṃskāra is established. When repeated, that action becomes a habit. So it is important to ask: What do we want our habit patterns to be like?

Many of the teachings we’ve considered through our svādhyāya/study can be useful in these situations. For example, understanding how the malas and other mechanisms of concealment work to occlude the heart allows for more karuṇā/compassion for ourselves and others and puts things in perspective/upekṣā. And all the practices work to remove the obscurations and clarify awareness/sattva buddhi. The contemplative practice, bhāvanā, can be particularly useful. When something like jealousy arises, bhāvanā could help uncover and eventually dissolve the source of this pattern. So it can be worked with through practice while acknowledging that at times we might need some additional help from a valued friend or a therapist.

The major point here is to act consciously and skillfully, from the highest place possible in the moment. In YS 1.33, Patañjali is suggesting to cultivate these virtues as a means to calm the surface agitation so one can move to a deeper level of awareness. When choosing to respond with positive qualities, we create more positive saṃskāras/habit patterns while at the same time a more sattvic buddhi/clarified awareness arises. So over time, this leads to a positive citta-vṛtti-karma-saṃskāra cycle, which will aid in surface life while at the same time refining the depths of awareness. We have to start connecting the dots of how the thoughts, feelings, and actions play out in our lives.

And remember, word order is important in these pithy sūtras, and the first word in YS 1.33 is maitrī/love. The practice of meditation aligns us with our very own Heart essence (hṛdaya). Exercise freedom/svātantrya to pause and connect, then choose to respond from that Sourceplace of love. When we can do this, it will shift our world.

Reflect and explore

  • Consider each of the virtues listed in YS 1.33, as well as the types of people listed.

~ Give a real-life example of each, preferably from your own life.

~ How do they manifest in your life?

~ What encourages or discourages their occurrence?

  • Practice and note your experience(s): Pick one of these qualities to consciously cultivate for some period of time (it could be a day, a week, a month) and note your experience(s). Repeat this with other qualities.
  • Practice and note your experience(s): For some period of time, cultivate these qualities toward yourself.
  • Do you always experience joy for another’s virtuosity, or does jealousy sometimes arise? How can you work with this?
  • How do you think about upekṣā/equanimity? What helps you find a greater perspective?

The Seed and the Tree

A beautiful teaching in this tradition and many others is that of the seed and how it holds the potential for a tree to sprout, grow, blossom, fruit, and create more seeds. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad has a story of a father who asks his son to bring him a fruit from a giant banyan tree. The father asks the son to break open the fruit and then to cut into one of the tiny seeds. He then asks his son what he sees inside the seed, and the boy, looking at the viscous material, says that he sees nothing. Then his father explains that this apparent nothingness holds the potential of a giant tree.

Think of a fig, whose seeds are very tiny. Yet somehow within each seed, there is potential for a giant tree. The seed can barely be seen—it is almost invisible—and looking inside, it looks like nothing. Yet when nurtured, the seed will ultimately sprout and yield fruit. The seed contains the potential for the tree.

This teaching applies to many aspects of the journey of yoga. For example, a yoga class I took in college planted a seed that laid dormant for several years. Then when my life was blown apart, somehow I intuited that yoga could be of use, and I began to nurture that seed.

We are constantly planting seeds, and reaping the harvest of seeds we previously planted. As we study the teachings of yoga, we are planting seeds into our awareness. Those seeds are nourished with the nutrients of sādhanā/assemblage of practices, including the study of the teachings, as they reverberate and grow in awareness, and as well by the input from teachers and conversations with fellow students.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

Contemplate the teaching of the seed and the tree.

How have you experienced it manifesting in your life?

Can you discern how “seeds” you planted later sprouted and bore fruit?

What are other interpretations of this teaching?

The Role of Judgment

Something one hears quite often in the contemporary yoga scene is “Don’t be so judgmental.” This has some level of truth, but quite often it’s used inappropriately. In fact, the ability to make judgments is a not only a human tendency but a gift. We’re always making judgments, probably due to an evolutionary impulse to evaluate whether something in the environment is going to eat us or if it’s something we’d like to eat. We are always scanning our surroundings and making flash judgments about safety and threat. This expands to judgment of good and bad and the value of things; ultimately it aids us in making wise decisions.

From this perspective, judgment is useful for us. One needs it to effectively function in the world, and increased ability to do so enhances householder life. We need to judge whether the skillet is too hot to handle, the food is spoiled, or whether some particular course of action will be of benefit. And the broader concept of viveka, or discernment, is highly valued in the yoga tradition. The increased ability to be discerning and use good judgment is a hallmark of progress on the path of yoga.

Judgments are used to discern what is problematic, bad, or unacceptable in the world. At a societal or political level, for example, we use judgment to evaluate a person or policy and decide whether the associated words, actions, or likely results are uplifting, true, useful, and good—or whether they’re false or detrimental, and therefore problematic. In general, we need to use our judgement and then set boundaries around words and actions that are harmful, untruthful, and damaging.

This is by no means easy! It is a human tendency to quickly judge something as good and then attach to it. Likewise, when judging things as bad, there is a tendency to push them away. These are two of the kleśas/hindrances outlined by Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtra (YS 2.3). We must be aware of how judgment is operating in our lives, since thoughts are the result of innate human tendencies and saṃskāric patterning.

Judgment isn’t necessarily bad, just like the citta-vṛttis/fluctuations of the mind aren’t all bad. Judgments are simply thoughts that are more or less accurate and refined. One must learn to discern when thoughts are aligned with the Highest and when they are detrimental saṃskāric patterning. Meditation clears out the obstructions to the wisest Self so spontaneous judgments eventually become more accurate.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

Notice how often you use your capacity of judgment. Does it feel like a gift or a hindrance?

When is judgment a good thing, and when is it problematic?

Fear and Abhaya Mudra

I generally go with my intuition on what needs to be said at a particular time, and this week it is also what is up for me right now: FEAR. I’ve been facing a number of challenges from the physical (nothing life-threatening, no worries!), to the mental and emotional, in addition to the existential crises we are facing politically and environmentally, and several other situations where I’m seeing it in myself and others. It is a lot to hold, and I’m sure some of you are similarly challenged.

Unlike many of the teachings we consider, I don’t have a specific text to point to this time, but fearlessness is alluded to in the tradition through many of the images of the Gods and Goddesses, as well as the Buddha. They raise a hand with the palm facing out, in a gesture known as abhaya mudra. It literally means “no fear,” fearlessness, or have no fear.

When I experience fear, it is important first of all to see and acknowledge it. So many times we’re driven by fear unconsciously, and it gets projected inappropriately on to someone or something else. Next it is a matter of assessing whether it is appropriate, because sometimes it is and we need to protect ourselves.

Often the fear boils down to a fear of uncertainty, of not knowing what is next, or wanting to control the situation and not being able to, fear of not being capable, failure, imperfection, having to let go of something or someone, or simply having to deal with something unpleasant. Often we are filled with fear when we’re on the cusp of something, starting a new enterprise, dealing with a health challenge, or a breakthrough in our personal or spiritual development. As I assess my fear, I often turn toward analyzing and processing, with myself or another, and that can be important as well.

But ultimately I’ve found my practices have helped me the most. My yoga asana practice can be incredibly useful. I faced fear many times approaching particular poses and I know I can breathe through it. A greater awareness of my breath allows me to more readily notice fear arising and breathe deeply since I’ve established that pattern over many years of practice, which physically relaxes me. Often when I get on my mat, breathe and move the energy through me, the fear dissipates.

I’ve learned philosophically how so much of fear is due fundamentally to the human condition of manifesting into a limited individuality with the associated occlusions which can lead to a feeling of lack, of feeling less than, inadequate, incapable, and so on. Through my practices, I am slowly removing the occlusions to my heart so that sourceplace of courage is more accessible. I also find myself able to keep a larger perspective on things, to keep in mind my svadharma, my life’s purpose, and to not let the fear take over from pursuing what I must.

One of the teachings I recently shared was about silence, and it actually takes a lot of courage to be quiet. Many people fill their awareness with stimuli of various sorts precisely so they do not have to look inside. It takes courage to close your eyes and look deep inside to see what is hidden there. It can be scary to see how much of our experience is of our own creation, how repetitive our thoughts and actions can be, and it requires courage to confront these realities of our inner workings. But as well, having mustered the courage to go inside, we discover the luminosity of our innermost self, the light of our heart which can give us courage and guide us through fearful situations.

Courage is something we can consciously muster, but with continued meditation, it also arises more spontaneously as our awareness becomes more clarified, and as we’ve gone through the process of moving through these uncomfortable shifts that often occur over the course of years of sadhana. In fact, we may even invite in those issues we need to deal with in order to move further along the path.

As we sit in meditation we see the arising of habitual thought patterns of different types, including fear, and we work with them so we are no longer held captive by them. This eventually allows us to mindfully observe and do the same on a moment-by-moment basis as we move through our everyday life.

So my sense is that abhaya mudra acknowledges that fear is part of the process of transformation on all levels of our life, but particularly in the deepest layers of our being. The gesture reminds us that ultimately we are bigger than our fear, since we are in fact divine ourselves, and we can harness the greater energy of the heart to face whatever is manifesting in both or inner and outer worlds.

Adhikāra

Before a student can appropriately receive practices that will move them along the path of yoga, they must be willing and ready. This willingness and readiness is related to the adhikāra of the student. I first learned this word as “studentship,” as in the degree of aspiration one had, as well as the proclivities of the student. One could be tepid or lackadaisical, or somewhat motivated with moderate studentship, or a very intense and dedicated practitioner (for example, see YS 1.22). One could be more open and receptive to different perspectives, or more rigid in their thinking.

In the yoga tradition, adhikāra relates to who is entitled, eligible, or qualified to receive a practice. For example, it was customary during earlier eras like Upaniṣadic times, that most practices were restricted to Brahmin men. Others were not entitled and seen as ineligible. A different and much less restrictive perspective is that adhikāra relates to the degree to which a student is prepared, ready, and interested in receiving practices and teachings. In part, this has to do with the capacity of one’s awareness and receptivity. Adhikāra relates to how a student should take the first and subsequent steps on the path of yoga, given their current degree of evolution of consciousness, which is related to the degree of śaktipāta they’ve received.

It is useful to think about this in other domains of practice and study. For example, the system of yoga in which I started had a well-established sequence of yoga āsanas, and one did not progress to a more advanced level until they displayed competence in the previous level, and were, therefore, ready to move forward. This is true in many domains of study, like mathematics, wherein one must first become proficient in fundamental concepts before receiving more advanced concepts. In both cases there is a sequence that is useful to follow.

Likewise, in the domain of consciousness particular practices are more or less appropriate for particular individuals, depending on the progress of the practitioner along the path of yoga. Many may sincerely wish for more advanced practices, though they are not prepared and may not have the capacity to receive the benefits, given their current state of awareness. Some say that advanced practices given to someone who is not ready for them can be harmful. More likely the practices just won’t be effective, which can be discouraging to a student. Often it requires a previous practice of meditation to properly “prime” the practitioner for other ancillary practices to be most effective.

Adhikāra has a lot to do with the aspiration of the student. The student must first want to step into the journey of yoga and be receptive to seeking out a teacher. For example, throughout the Bhagavad Gītā, Arjuna seeks guidance from Kṛṣṇa by asking progressively more astute questions, signaling his readiness and capacity to receive more. Adhikāra is reflected in students’ prior cultivation of their practice and study, so that the ground of their awareness is properly prepared for the seeds of further practices and teachings to flourish.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

Write down your definition of adhikāra.

How have you seen your adhikāra play out on your path of yoga?

Have you ever had a teacher dissuade you in some way from moving into a more advanced practice? What do you think about that?

Consider these attributes of adhikāra: receptivity, fluidity, curiosity, groundedness, regularity, dedication, stamina, commitment, aspiration, degree of knowledge or awareness. What other attributes of adhikāra do you think are important?

Specifically consider your own adhikāra regarding any of the above listed (or other) attributes:

– which best describes you?

– which you tend toward?

– which you feel you need to cultivate more?

The Role of the Guru

The whole process of yoga, including study as well as guidance in all the practices, is supported by teachers. Spiritual teachers are among the most venerated professionals in the world, and rightly so. A human teacher is a necessary component because having walked the path already, they can guide us in the right direction, help us avoid pitfalls, and generally make our journey more efficient and effective.

That said, gurus and teachers who abuse their power and engage in exploitation have been unveiled and widely denounced by the yoga community and elsewhere. In response, some people are inclined to entirely reject gurus and the notion of needing a teacher at all, relying solely on inner guidance.

Before going any further with this topic, take some time to consider your current beliefs about gurus and teachers. Take a moment to pause, contemplate, and write down answers to any of the following:
– When you hear the word guru, what comes to mind?
– What role have teachers played in your life?
– Who or what have been your greatest teachers, and why?

——————————————————————————–

What is a guru really? What is their role on the path of yoga? An often-given definition of guru is whatever takes one from the dark to the light. The guru is that which takes you from ignorance to knowledge, concealment to revelation. The guru is whoever or whatever guides you in the journey of yoga.

SS 2.6 gururupāyaḥ
Guru: guru
Upāya: method or means
The guru is the means

We know the value of a teacher, in any field of knowledge, as someone who takes a student from a place of not understanding to a place of knowledge. This applies to everything from cooking to car repair to art and, of course, any academic field. We rely on experts to educate us. As Śiva Sūtra 2.6 clearly states, teachers are a primary means to knowledge. We can certainly teach ourselves to some degree—and there are rare cases of spontaneous knowledge, such as child prodigies—but it’s generally more effective and efficient to learn from a teacher.

The one primal guru that is Consciousness itself appears in many forms. Human teachers who can access this Consciousness act as conduits for the highest knowledge. The tradition differentiates between different types of gurus, which are forms of the sadguru or sat–guru, referring to the “true teacher.” The guru can be an enlightened spiritual master, but another way to think of the sadguru is as the underlying higher Consciousness that can guide us, if and when we choose to listen to it. This is where we get the idea that guru is within—because ultimately it is.

But let’s be clear: Who are you consulting when you turn within? We can’t delude ourselves into thinking that our everyday neurotic self is the best counsel to seek because this has the potential of reiterating all of our old patterns and ways of being. It is not moving us from the dark to the light and could simply reinforce our ignorance. So before relying solelyu on insight, we must first clarify our individuality to create access to the wisest self. And usually, the means to do so (such as practices like meditation) come through a teacher.

Eventually, as we move farther along the path of yoga—and especially as we meditate more—our access to, and clarity of, the inner Self becomes greater and is, therefore, a more reliable guide. In the meantime, we must be careful not to delude ourselves. This is why it’s suggested that in addition to consulting the inner guru, to verify insights with both the texts and teachers.

A consistent message I’ve received from my teachers is that the time of the mega-guru is over. Instead, what is now emerging is a larger number of teachers, each working with smaller groups, quietly creating shifts in consciousness that eventually will reach a critical mass. For this to be successful, of course, the community members have to be actively practicing and studying, not just being passive recipients of the teachings. Each must make the effort required to understand and apply the teachings, so that what they offer each other has authenticity.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

– How have you learned about yoga and meditation? Consider what has influenced you, including particular teachers, lineages, other people, books, etc.

– Do you favor learning from teachers, the traditional texts, or from listening to yourself? How has that worked?

The Equinox and Finding Balance

The equinox time has me considering the idea of balance, and what in my life is in balance, and what needs refining. The time of the equinox is the rare time when the light and dark are of equal duration, and it reminds me that finding balance, more often than not, does not mean 50/50.

It brings to mind a core concept of yoga. The word itself provides a hint, as many say the word yoga comes from the verbal root “yuj,” which means “to join.” In yoga we bring together, we join complementary or even seemingly opposite actions. I really get this in my physical body and I see it in teaching. For example, we have to find the balance between our tailbone and pubic bone. We likely already have a propensity toward one action, so to bring balance, we may need to emphasize another, at least for some time.

As the days shorten, we may find more time for reflection, and I invite you to consider where your life is out of balance, or perhaps domains in your life where you know you need to pay attention to stay in balance. I made a list for myself of spheres of my life that I need to attend to in order to stay in balance. I share it here because maybe you’ll relate, or it will make you think of something else you need to consider in your life.

May I find balance between:
– effort and surrender
– work and play
– critical or analytic thinking and intuition
– giving and receiving
– leading and following
– speaking and listening
– staying informed and staying centered
– being with others and being by myself
– eating well and enjoying food I love
– trust and distrust
– preparation or planning and going with the flow
– judgment and nonjudgement
– being a teacher and being a student
– inhale and exhale
– strength and vulnerability
– clarity and confusion
– inner journey and outer journey.

Please feel free to share what you find important to balance in your life.

AWAKENING

(this is an excerpt from my book-in-progress)

Stepping onto the path of yoga generally starts with some type of awakening, whether conscious or unconscious. If you look back at your journey, you may identify turning points that have motivated a quickening of movement on the path. A time of awakening for me involved a romantic breakup and its emotional residue. In the depths of my despair, as I hit bottom, something inside reminded me of yoga, which I had dabbled in as an undergraduate. The breakup was a wake-up call, which led me to examine what I was doing with my life in a variety of ways.

This is so often the case, some devastating event in our life wakes us up, jolts us into our hearts and helps us to remember there is more to being alive than the mundane life we’ve been enacting. So I sought out a teacher, and that teacher led me further down the path, and then to another teacher and so on. It was a gradual process with successive levels of awakening and awareness.

But reflecting deeper on my life as a whole, I see a pattern of seeking something more. I repeatedly experienced a feeling that something was lacking in my life, something spiritual in nature. Initially I turned to Christianity since that was what I’d been exposed to. Then I sought out various substances and experiences as so many of us do, seeking to fill this sense of lacking on the material plane, through experiences or stuff.

And some of us get a taste of it from yoga asana, which was definitely my experience. After certain poses, I would experience a “bliss hit” as energy surged through my body, and I wanted more. And often after practice, I experienced some serenity and equanimity which would persist for some time.

Ultimately, all of these openings or awakenings are due to grace/anugraha. Life provides circumstances to which we can respond in many different ways. It is by grace that we choose to use these openings as an impetus on our path of yoga.

One form of grace you may have heard about is shakti-pat. Like so many concepts, the notion of shakti-pat has many layers of meaning and interpretation. “Shakti” means “power,” and” pat” is “falling,” so shakti-pat is the descent of power, or grace. It is a way that the individual experiences grace in their being.

Most of us have had an experience of spontaneous awakening, a hit of shakti-pat, to some degree, perhaps lying on a beach or in the mountains, sitting on a park bench, holding your newborn baby, experiencing art or intimacy. Somehow we just drop into the reality of the present moment, with a spontaneous realization of the Highest reality. Or it may come through some type of practice.

The experience can feel like a sense of Oneness, a recognition of the connectedness of everything and yourself as the center of it, or engulfing it all. Such experiences can be a flash, or a wave, and can last a moment or days or weeks. Yet for most of us, the experience eventually fades and we return to our mundane awareness.

In many traditions, shakti-pat is defined as something bestowed upon a student from a teacher. You may know of gurus who distribute such blessings via a touch or glance, or in other subtler ways. Some people report feeling an energetic transmission, when others say they’ve felt nothing. The student can receive or experience it in a number of ways. Some report a feeling of receiving a sensation small or large of the shakti, though for some, shakti-pat can occur without consciously registering an initial impression. In these traditions, this is the vehicle of awakening and movement toward greater awareness. From another perspective, reliance on a guru could leave a student relying on these “hits,” creating a dependency rather than self-sufficiency.

One way to think of grace or shakti-pat is that it is always available, it is always being offered, we just need to cultivate our awareness and experience of it, to open to it. We can receive it from many sources, be they friends, teachers, acquaintances or circumstances. I often sense a deeper presence and peace in certain people, including some of my yoga teachers. The absolutely free shakti can move through us in any number of ways.

The variety of experiences regarding the wake-up call, including the receptivity to a guru’s shakti pat, or a sensitivity to someone’s energy, points to a deeper understanding of shakti-pat. There must be some receptivity, readiness, or openness in the student to receive. This is related to the concept of adhikara, in the sense of a student’s receptivity and/or qualifications to receive the teachings.

Shakti-pat is the initial, and subsequent, awakening(s) which propels us on the path of yoga. It involves some descent of grace into the individual, which leads them to seek a teacher, practices, and teachings. It is often said, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear, and that is precisely because of adhikara, the readiness of the student to receive. This has certainly been my experience, as one teacher has lead me to what I needed next. At times I had wished I had met certain teachers sooner, but looking back, I wonder whether I would have been ready and receptive at an earlier time.

The importance of a teacher cannot be overemphasized. Sometimes the awakening experience can be very disorienting. They can happen spontaneously and unexpectedly and can be quite intense and/or confusing without context or understanding. They can also happen at any point on the path as your practice progresses, can take you by surprise, and be perplexing. An experienced teacher can help you move through these awakenings, providing you with the necessary knowledge and support.

The moment of initially waking-up, involving some shakti-pat, leads us to become a seeker. On some level, this impulse of the shakti has guided us toward the highest. I was lucky, as are you, since right now you are seeking deeper teachings of yoga, turning toward yoga for deeper fulfillment. However, the initial experiences of awakening are not enough to sustain us. As one of my teachers says, we need to move from being a seeker to being a finder. And the bridge for most of is some technique, some type of practice. Meditation is an excellent method for finding your deeper self and stabilizing the experiences of awakening into our everyday reality.

IS JUDGMENT A BAD THING?

Something I hear quite often from yogis in various contexts is: don’t be so judgmental. This is something that has some level of truth, but is used inappropriately most times. Our ability to make judgments is a human gift. We are always making judgments, probably due to an evolutionary impulse to evaluate whether something in your environment is going to eat you, or it is something you’d like to eat. If you look closely, we are always scanning the environment and making flash judgments about safety and threat. This expands to judgement of good and bad, the value of things, and ultimately aids us in making decisions.

So from this perspective, judgment is useful for us, we need it to function in our world. We need to judge whether the skillet is too hot to handle, some food is spoiled, or a workshop will be of benefit. And broadening the concept, viveka, or discernment, is highly valued in the yoga tradition. Our increased ability to be discerning is one hallmark of our progress on the path of yoga.

We use our judgment to discern what is problematic, bad, or unacceptable in our surface world. Often I’m told I shouldn’t judge other people, but shouldn’t we use our judgment to evaluate whether their words or actions are uplifting, true, useful and good, or false or detrimental, and therefore bad? In general, we need to set boundaries around words and actions that are harmful, untruthful, and mostly damaging.

However, we can still hold equanimity and non-judgment toward the essence of a person. This is one of the great paradoxes of yoga: to be able to clearly discern and draw boundaries around bad behavior, yet continue to remain even-minded toward the person. The teachings around upeksha/equanimity remind us to keep a bigger view, a larger perspective.

This is by no means easy! It is our human tendency to quickly judge something as good, and attach to it, as well as judge things as bad and push them away. These are in fact two of the kleshas/hinderances outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. Working with the subtleties of this paradox requires practice. And as we move along the path of yoga, our ability to be discerning is increased as we connect and align with the highest and refine our awareness.

HONORING MY TEACHERS

I have been blessed to have some of the greatest living teachers lead me on the path of yoga, and without them I would not be who I am today. As I describe them, you will see how they each contributed to my journey. In their own way, each initiated me into some aspect of yoga, educated me, and supported me personally and professionally. I have so much gratitude for them and strive to honor them in my own behavior and teaching. They are listed in chronological order

Richard Freeman taught me the art and science of body as mudra: to listen and move with the pulsation of breath, to channel energy with bandha, the focus of drishti, and dedicated practice. He supported me as I became a new teacher, allowing me to teach classes at his studio. He also whetted my thirst for yoga philosophy and again supported my first attempts at teaching that. I am so grateful for these gifts and many others Richard bestowed.

John Friend gave me back my yoga asana practice which was threatened by physical injury. He showed me how to align my body to be pain free, introduced me to the profound practice of opening to grace and the tantric philosophy that everything is a manifestation of the divine. He consistently challenged me physically, emotionally, and spiritually to soften, connect with source, and become a vehicle for divine light. John taught me how to be an excellent yoga teacher and bolstered a well-rounded studentship, and these two gifts serve me well to this day and have allowed me to build a career doing what I truly love.

Douglas Brooks ignited in me a profound love of the deep teachings of yoga through its stories, culture, and philosophy. His particular interpretation of yoga philosophy turned my world upside down in a way that taught me a radical affirmation for and appreciation of the many gifts the divine is offering me in this life. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of something I’ve learned from Douglas, his teachings have had a profound effect on me, my life, and my own teaching and I am forever grateful our paths came together.

My studies with Paul Muller-Orgega fulfilled a call of my heart which was clearly clamoring for something more, and produced a more expansive shift in my being than I thought possible. In a word the greatest gift he has given me: sadhana. He taught me effective techniques, the value of a regular meditation practice, and self-sufficiency, the result of which has been a profound realignment in the core of my being with the supreme pulsations of the highest. This guides me daily and allows me to serve as a teacher in a more effective way than I ever thought possible. Paul fed my appetite for a systematic understanding of yoga philosophy, particularly the Tantras, but as well honoring Patanjali’s teachings about meditation. And Paul bestowed upon me the gift of becoming a meditation teacher, allowing me to serve in an even greater capacity. The work I am doing with Paul feels like the crowning jewel of 35+ years of yoga study and practice, and I look forward to much more.

I must acknowledge Christopher Wallis, whose brilliant book “Tantra Illuminated” helped clarify many philosophical concepts. In addition, his translations of the traditional texts have been incredibly useful to me personally, and they are upleveling the availability of the teachings of Tantra into a world that desperately needs them.

From these teachers I repeatedly heard an honoring of their own teachers, a remembrance of those who helped them on their own paths. So, finally, I would like to honor with a deep bow, the great lineage of teachers, all those who have held the teachings, kept the practices alive, and passed them on for the benefit of all beings.

I applaud the many scholars coming forth to provide translations of texts that have been languishing in homes and libraries. Each is a gift, and I am so grateful for the translations that are coming forth, including from those I mentioned above.

From my teachers and the teachings, I’ve heard a deep respect for the manifest and unmanifest divine and have received the call to attune, again and again, to That which is the ultimate teacher, That which flows through all teachers in service of the greatest Truth. With the help of our teachers, may we all find and align with the highest which serves to empower and support us.