Have You Asked Your Doctor if the Drug Called Yoga® is Right For You?

*Note: this is a parody of those commercials advertising certain pills to men on T.V. Enough said...

What is Yoga®, and is it prescribed or can I get it "over-the-mat?"

Both. Yoga® is commonly used to treat not just bad attitudes, but heart disease, asthma, diabetes, chronic neck pain, stress and anxiety, migraine, depression, arthritis, lack of balance and flexibility, bipolar disorder, sleep problems. Yoga® also treats spiritual malaise.

Important information

If extreme calmness and “being present” persists, take occasional breaks from your Yoga® high long enough to share with others (don’t bogart that bliss, man). 

Contact your guru at the front of the room if a posture is painful or if your unhappiness lasts more than a few hours. Prolonged unhappiness can damage your life and is treatable with more and more Yoga® (and its supplement, Meditation®). 

Yoga® may be used for purposes not listed in the medication guide (written five thousand years ago), such as visible abs and better flexibility in any your physical endeavors. 

Before taking this medicine

Do not take Yoga® if you want to just lie on the couch for extended periods with a remote and a bag of Cheetos®.

You should also not take Yoga® if you are allergic to euphoria. 

How should I take Yoga®? 

Yoga® may be taken anywhere from once or twice a day to several times a week, and its effects are amplified when taken in supportive non-pretentious groups.

What happens if I overdose?

Bliss, man.

What should I avoid?

Eating too soon before, which could lead to distracting clenching. 

Yoga® side effects

You trip over your feet less, and become a better dancer. It just happens.

Where can I get Yoga®?

Free samples (classes) may be obtained by contacting your local Ashram or non-profit Yoga® center. Low cost packages may be obtained at most Yoga® studios near you. Namaste, man. 

Katmandu Photos, One Month After the First Earthquake

You won't see these photos in the press: they were taken by someone we know in Katmandu, one month after the first temblor.

 

Our Ashram has collected tens of thousands of dollars for Nepal relief. Every single dollar goes to our sister Ashram in Katmandu who are feeding 700 people a day (mostly rice and lentils).

We even found a company to transfer the money with no fees.

To donate, please go here: Nepal Relief Donations.

Q: Does Yoga Change You? A: Which You?

Am I a different person if I’m less anxious than I was six months ago because of yoga? Less worried about things that are out of my control, less inclined to indulge in behaviors that, in their absence, now offer more space and clarity in my life, leaving me more empowered?

Yes, that’s different. But did I change?

Yes, but in this way: my ego shrunk, and my higher self expanded.

What does that mean? And why does it matter?

We all know what our ego is: it's that thing that takes things personally, and gets upset at the smallest slights. It's that thing that worries needlessly, and prevents us from being vulnerable, fully expressed loving people for fear of getting hurt (because we got hurt being vulnerable and loving in the past). 

Ironically, the ego thinks it’s protecting us, but it’s just trying to keep us in an emotional, and even spiritual box.

What is our higher self? Does it mean we're "coming from our heart?" Is it referring to "our better angels?” God? The Divine? Our connection to the Oneness? Something we imagine? Something that fills us with great joy? 

I know which sounds better to me. 

Who knew the practice of yoga would shrink one and expand the other and make me so much happier?

Millions of you? Why didn't you tell me sooner?! 

Tragedy Brings Out the Best in Our Community

I experienced the power of community yesterday when I learned during the satsang that the granddaughter of devotees had died in a car accident. It is such a profound loss. With open hearts, we honored their granddaughter with a memorial and special prayers. To our fellow devotees - our family - we offered condolences and whatever we could, usually with very few words because words can be so inadequate. But we were all together, sharing what we could, and that’s what mattered. And they know we're there for them for whatever they need. 

The Baijis - A Life of Giving, a Life of Service

   

For a good example of living in humble service to others, I look no further than the baijis (nuns) at the Ashram.

They receive visitors at all hours of the day, every day of the week, even on Tuesday, which is supposed to be their day of rest, chores, paperwork, catching up. But there is always a need.

People come for blessings or to get counsel. The baijis gladly oblige, frequently serving tea and snacks, even cooking meals for out of town visitors.

In fact, if someone with a need is walking up their driveway as they are driving out, they will stop, turn around, and change their plans (unless it was a firm commitment where they are expected). They put everyone else's needs above their own at all times.

Devotees travel from around the country to see the baijis. I met a couple from Florida (where the baijis used to be based) who told me how extremely lucky we were to have them here in La Habra. I met another family from the Midwest who planned their family vacation around visiting the baijis. Some people come from as far as India.

In addition to visiting with and ministering to their devotees, they lead yoga classes throughout the week, as well as meditation sessions and other devotions, culminating in their Sunday satsang service (full of parables, singing and prayer) followed by a delicious vegetarian meal (anyone is welcome for any part of the evening).

People call for them at all hours with news of births and deaths and everything in between. There are also earthquake updates from their sister Ashram in Katmandu, along with emailed photos of the area you won't see in the press.

And if someone is very ill, they go to them. Few things give as much elation to a sick devotee than a visit from the baijis.

Fund raising events for Nepal are attended, whether it’s at a Punjabi festival, a Sikh church or temple, or any event that will have them. People have been very generous.

The baijis know there is much to be gained in giving, and they open up the Ashram – their home – to anyone who wants to participate and reap the same benefits. In addition to their good deeds, they serve as an excellent example of a good way to live, for which I'm grateful. 

What Does Namaste Mean?

I can't add much more to that, except...

Namaste.

And this:

After all, how can you "namaste" someone without loving them?

Strike a Pose, There's Nothing To It

Get rid of those aches and food cravings.

Get energy and vitality.

Strike a pose.

Book Title and Quote Have New Meaning After the Quake

Saw the quote
found the book
loved the subtitle
posted the link:  Bringing Progress to Paradise: What I Got from Giving to a Mountain Village in Nepal by Jeffrey Rasley

Punjabs Give to Nepal Relief

 

*Update below...

If there's an opportunity in Los Angeles or Orange County to raise money for Nepal, chances are we will go.

The Festival of India Association and the Punjabi Heritage & Cultural Society put on a very entertaining event this weekend with singers, dancers, booths and of course, good food.

People got to have fun and also give to a needy cause.

 

And if you can have fun (as we did) while doing good, that's a win-win.

*UPDATE - You may ask why I put my large self in the front and center of the photo above (several people have teased me about that).

The answer: it was I who handed my phone to a stranger to take the photo, and then I just took a few steps back. Trust me, I know my place is usually in the BACK of photos, unless I'm kneeling.

,

If I stood out that day for the same reasons, hopefully it helped us raise more money for Nepal and that I didn't scare people away. This guy seems to do okay:

There Are So Many Yoga Memes For a Reason

Guided Meditation

Someone at the Ashram heard me talking about a wonderful 10-minute guided meditation on Self-Compassion and was interested in it, so I thought I'd post the link here: Self-Compassion Guided Meditation

Get ready to love and accept yourself a whole lot more - in just 10 minutes!

We all know the benefits of silent meditation: besides greater mental and physical health, we experience higher levels of consciousness and achieve self-realization. One with God, one with Spirit, I AM.

Guided meditations can be a lot of fun. From Deepak Chopra: 

Meditation can remove stress and replace it with a dose of inner peace. It’s one of the best tools we have to balance our emotions, deal with physical and psychological distress, and promote the peace of the present moment. But it can be tough to meditate without a teacher or guide. Enter guided meditations. Meditating on your own requires some effort, while guided meditations literally walk you through a meditation and help you find a calm and peaceful state—one step at a time.

Here's the link to some of his meditations - enjoy. Deepak Chopra's Guided Meditations

Once There Was a Crow...

One of the baijis told this story recently: Once there was a crow who lived in the forest, foraging for food and living his life.

One day, he saw something remarkable: a beautiful white swan. He thought, “Surely this is the most beautiful bird I’ve ever seen.”

So when the crow expressed this, the swan replied, “There is a bird even more beautiful than me over there, who has two amazing colors – red and green. Surely this is the most beautiful bird in the world.” 

So the crow approached the parrot and expressed how beautiful it was, to which the parrot replied, “Over in the zoo is a much more beautiful bird with a multitude of colors. Surely the peacock is the most beautiful bird in the world.” 

The crow went to the zoo and found the peacock. 

Indeed, it was very, very beautiful. The crow declared as much, which only served to sadden the peacock.

“It’s true, I am the most beautiful of all the birds. But I am in a cage. People may not want to keep crows in the zoo to look at, but when I see you through the bars flying freely through the air, I think you are the luckiest of all.”  

Aside from the valuable moral that we all have something to be grateful for, I love this story because it's a bit unpredictable to American ears. We're more used to the Cinderella/The-Ugly-Duckling-is-really-a-beautiful-swan story, not one that says, "Yes, Virginia, some people look like movie stars and some people don't."

But it's okay, because I can fly.

It Must Be a Small World

People in other countries are checking out Finding Peace At Om - how cool is that?

If you'd like to share about your yoga and/or meditation practice abroad, I'd love to hear about it.

Let's Have Some Fun

My mother always says “There's all kinds of people in the world.”

Aside from those who physically cannot do yoga, there are those who wouldn't care for the benefits of yoga. This is for them:

You will not want to practice yoga if you like your muscles stiff and achy. 

You will not want to practice yoga if you want to gain weight, or if you prefer your mind to stay scattered. Focus can be so overrated.

You will want to avoid yoga if you prefer fitful sleep. You spent all that money on a good mattress, you should let it do its job, right?

Don't do yoga if you find a balanced metabolism boring.

Avoid yoga if you prefer sludgy circulation.

Please stay away from yoga if you prefer crooked posture. 

Don't do yoga if you prefer not to drain your lymphs and boost your immunity – no one wants to live forever, after all.

You won't want to practice yoga if you like obsessive, repetitive thoughts. (If it's worth thinking ten times, maybe it's worth thinking a hundred?)

Definitely don't do yoga if you don’t want to lower your heart rate – someone needs to support those struggling pharmaceutical companies.

If you  think anxiety and injuries are character building, don't do yoga.

And finally, DON'T do yoga if peace of mind just... sounds... boring.

     

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.