"It's a Truly Special Place" - Reasons People Come to the Ashram

Why do you come to Divine Art of Yoga Center ashram?

Scott: It’s a truly special place. There's always good energy, and you get a lot of warmth from the community of people there, who may be coming from different places but it's clear they're on a spiritual path, and that inspires me. Plus, I can do yoga for the fitness benefits as well as the spiritual element. I can practice breathing and meditation techniques that have numerous benefits, including calming the mind and going deeper inside myself. I get knowledge on the deeper parts of life, like the role of the ego, managing my energy/chakras and my overall health and well-being. I get spiritual guidance from the Mahatmas on any subject, like decreasing suffering in general and attaining enlightenment. And we truly experience the meaning of Namaste, “the divine within me honors the divine within you.” With all this, how could I stay away? 

Strike a Pose, There's Nothing To It

Get rid of those aches and food cravings.

Get energy and vitality.

Strike a pose.

The "Feeling Good" Plateau

 

First I came for the yoga. 

The postures were a little difficult at first, but once I realized I don’t have to compete with anyone else and just listen to my body, it got better quickly.

And I began to feel better on a daily basis. 

A lot better.

Then I heard about the Wednesday night breathing and meditation hour. It was some old school (thousands of years old!) breathing exercises (Pranayama) followed by a half hour of “om” that would give me the best sleep of my life, I was told.

They were right. I also felt extremely relaxed the whole next day.

Hmm… does this mean if I keep this up, I’ll keep feeling better and better with no end in sight?

Yes. 

And no. 

I began to feel great on a daily basis. I had more energy, more blood flow, more mental clarity, more flexibility. Less aches and therefore less complaints. Less need for caffeine, among other things. 

This was a very good thing (hint: it still is) because it made me happier. Happier and more peaceful. 

But... after doing yoga and meditation for a while, I hit a plateau. I started to get used to feeling that good. I started to take the increased happiness for granted. (Sigh, humans...)

I didn't know how quickly I would miss this plateau when I fell off of it...

Guess what happens next? Because life is never the same day after day, it throws you a curve now and then you really weren't expecting, and I let a few of those knock me off my schedule for a bit. I stopped practicing yoga and meditation as much and...

I started to feel NOT as flexible. LESS energetic and as buoyant as I was. My thinking got muddier. I started to stress more.

I quickly found myself yearning for that “feel good” plateau that I had taken for granted, that had made my life easier overall.

So I got back on schedule. And it didn’t take any time at all to get back to that sweet spot, thank God.  

The bonus for all this? I realized that because I was on the yoga-meditation-happy-peace plateau, I handled those curve balls so much easier.

So, it’s like an insurance policy. You're in good hands. Like a good neighbor, your "feeling good plateau" is there... if you don't deny yourself.

Investigating Oms

Like many Ashrams or yoga studios, we do some oms before and after yoga.

During meditation, we om quite a bit.

Why om at all?

First, it feels good. You are holding your breath for the length of the om. Then you take a deep breath and do it again, exhaling as you om. How relaxed are you going to be after half an hour of this? Very.

Also, “the primordial vibration om (or aum), is known as the most sacred sound in Hinduism and Buddhism. Thousands of years ago, the Vedic seers knew what modern science has only recently discovered: everything we see in the universe consists of energy vibrations – even those objects that appear solid,” says Deepak Chopra.

"The sound itself seems to calm the nervous system," says author Stephen Cope. "Like all chants, it gathers and focuses the mind, and in that state it's not vulnerable to the rising of the odd thought that will create grasping or aversion. It shifts us out of our ordinary discursive mind and into a more contemplative mode."

Peace is the byproduct, and I treasure it. Once you've experienced it, you won’t be able to see how war could exist in the world if everyone did this.

That’s how I came up with the name for this blog.