Creating energy for the new years

  The year of 2013 is leaving and a new year is coming to us. Like a new book, still empty, we turn the pages with curiosity and our mind travels on the waves of expectations for the new chapter. The new plans for 2014. We hope with the new year new good stuff will come.
  The fact is we are just sleeping and waking up like any other day. Its so powerful how much mental energy we put into thoughts and desires during this period. We want to achieve something. At the same time its pathetic how we do not use the power of our mind to evolve this felling. With time the energy created will diminish little by little...until get in our subconscious part of the mind.There is a lack of believe. But wait!

  Believe in yourself! If you believe in yourself, you open a door in your mind to create positive energy towards your dream.  Enjoy the process with all your love and no expectations. We can not make our future, only the present moment. The future we offer to God, with no anxiety, no insecurities.
 Share the light in you! The Divine energy is everywhere. Share a sincere smile, a hug, a word with someone that is in need. Share your patience. What goes around comes around. If you truly believe we are all connected through God any little act of kindness is a gift to God! Just imagine in this perspective: you are smiling at God, God smile back at you... You hug someone, you get divine energy back, you feed someone with love and kindness you make God happy... Such a beautiful thing. We heal as we receive, we heal as we give.
  The more you share, more healing and happiness is experienced. More energy is put into the right path. The path for your enlightenment is created towards the Divine within yourself. We see God as our light reflects in the others.

Hope this new years is just the beginning of a endless flow of consciousnesses peace. Its a everyday practice in searching  and discovering, learning and sharing, love and being loved by God.
Namaste

The Process VS The Results

  Everyone wants results right? In our jobs, our bosses want to see results. As citizens we want to see and have results. Society want results. We expect results in our relationships. We want the things done in our time. Our mind is trained by generations to think and act like that. We are attached to results and we totally rush in the process.
  As yoga is my primary teacher I learned that the process is the most important phase to be lived. The results is just the consequence that we have to face without expectation. In the process we learn, we fail, our ego is little by little destroyed, because the process is a slow transformation that must be accept with patience and love.Our mind is direct to accomplish the results but not in the process. When we start to train our mind to live the present and in the process, we are living fully.
  In Ashtanga Yoga method is a very slow process of learning. There are different series of poses to learn in a formal sequence. We can not skip one to practice the other( even if we know the other ) because this method train the mind to accept the challenge of the process.  I have notice in myself and lots of students the necessity of perfecting an asana. Asana is just a vehicle to experience the inner self. While performing the asana the focus should be in the breath, gaze and Divine. Letting the ego go with the expectations for results. Experience the present moment even if brings pain, insecurity or fear. Being out of our comfort zone we start to see and feels things with equanimity. We start to train our mind to be in balance in the mat when we are felling good or not. Taking the lesson out of our mat into our everyday lives.
  One of the beauty of Ashtanga yoga methods is that you have no choice...It is what it is.... I can not choose what I like and practice. Every asana was knowledgeably put in a sequence by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois.
  You go to a yoga studio and the boom of the class is the crow pose, headstands and handstands :)" Yes I feel in power"....and when you can not do it you feeI bad...and sad, because you see everyone doing, you see that awesome handstand picture on instagram. The asana don't make you became a big yogi or yogini...The process of learning and accepting where you are is the yoga in a pure essence.
  In the physical aspects when you focus in the process you build more awareness and strength. You are preparing you body and mind in a slow process for the result that may or may not happen...But who cares? Live the experience of the present moment.
 This lessons I take out of the mat to my personal life slowly also. We all have dreams,goals and plans to accomplish. Nothing happen in the time we want. We do our part, living fully with love, respect and devotion and God take care of the rest. Giving the fruits of our actions to God, detaching of the results is live in yoga.

Facts about full moon

 When I first started to practice Ashtanga yoga I did not understand much why we can not practice during moon (New and Full moon) days. When is a full moon day, that means the practitioners will take a rest.

 The logic behind is very interesting and go back many many years back. Like the ocean and all things of watery nature we are affected by the phases of the moon( human beings are about 70% of water). Our energy changes as the cycles of the moon. The full moon is considered a holiday in the Ashtanga tradition. It is also a fact that during the full moon we have more energy and passion, resulting a more aggressive practice where we can go more " deeper " than we are suppose to and end up hurting ourselves and or having an injury. During the new moon days we rest to retain energy. It is the day of the month that is believed we have less energy in the body.

 Its is important to remember that is the rest of  ASANA practice only ( third limb of Ashtanga Yoga ). Yoga is not asana. Asana is just a piece of the Ashtanga system. The other limbs are to be planted in our beings to be practice and to be flourished every day, all the time. Specially the Yamas and Niyamas.

Curious facts of full moon days:

  

1-In a study of 1,000 tonsillectomy operations, 82 per cent of post-operative bleeding crises occurred nearer the full moon than the new moon, according to the Journal of the Florida Medical Association.

2-The Californian grunion only spawns on the three or four nights after the highest tide associated with each full moon. The fish come ashore to lay their eggs.

3-Siri Lankan government rule bans playing sport on a full moon. 

4-Wesak, the most important of the Buddhist festivals, is celebrated on the full moon in May. It celebrates the Buddha's birthday and, for some Buddhists, marks his birth and death.