namaste

After class recently, a student asked me the meaning of namaste and why I say it at the end of each class. Simply, namaste is loosely translated to "the light in me honors the light in you". It is a sign of respect between student and teacher.

Namaste is performed with the hands in Anjali Mudra, in prayer manner in front of the heart center. Each hand represents something different. One hand represents the Self, or spiritual aspect. The other hand represents the self, or worldly being. By placing the hands together, you are connecting yourself with the other person and showing respect and love. The gesture has the same meaning without actually saying Namaste and is a common greeting.

नमस्ते

certainly

Certainly.  Used indiscriminately by some speakers, much as others use very, in an attempt to intensify any and every statement.  A mannerism of this kind, bad in speech, is even worse in writing.

--Elements of Style: Strunk, White, Kalman

om namah shivaya

This is a wonderful mantra for meditation. Loosely translated, it means "I bow to my inner self". I use this mantra in my meditation practice. I use this mantra when I am cooking. I use this mantra in my yoga practice. I use this mantra when things feel like they are getting out of control.

Mantras are traditionally passed down from teacher to student. This mantra came to me from my teacher Bhavani. It came to her from her Guru, and to him from his Guru and so on. Om Namah Shivaya has been handed down from teacher to student for thousands of years, thus it is referred to as a living mantra.

In the Hindu pantheon, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. In the end Shiva will destroy the universe, yet, Shiva represents the Self, the One of which we are all a part, that we all will return to in the end.

If you choose to use this mantra, repeat its sacred syllables with respect and feel the vibrations deep in your heart, in your inner self. Conscious repetition of this mantra will connect you with the Self. And, the Self is where we are all one.

 When you use the mantra during meditation, you should focus on the mantra itself and try to perceive the place where it arises; try to see where it is vibrating, and listen to it.  Repeat the mantra as if it were your own name, making no distinction between the syllables of the mantra, the object of the mantra, and your own Self.  In this way your mind will automatically turn inside and become focused on the Self.

-Swami Muktananda

For meditation, say Om Namah Shivaya on the inhale and Om Namah Shivaya on the exhale. If the mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to the breath and the mantra without judgement.

Namah Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondages of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect. Namah Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.

-Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Like my teacher, Bhavani, told me.  Just try it.  If you don't believe in it, so what?  Just try it.  Eventually you will feel the vibrations.  Eventually you will experience the connection with all living things.  Eventually you will feel purified.  Eventually you will feel the divine.

less

Less.  Should not be misused for fewer.  Less refers to quantity, fewer to number.  "His troubles are less than mine" means "His troubles are not so great as mine."  "His troubles are fewer than mine" means "His troubles are not so numerous as mine."

--The Elements of Style, Strunk, White, Kalman

birth of a yogini

Teaching yoga is very rewarding.  Every so often a student will tell you what a difference the practice is making in her life.  Her back may feel better.  She feels stronger.  But, what really touches my heart and makes me incredibly excited, is to see that a student has purchased her own mat.  Because, not only does that mean she is enjoying my class, but, now she is invested in the practice.

it takes heart

The heart is the hub of all holy places. Go there and roam in it. --Bhagavan Nityananda

ranching

"They had the drawn, brittle look that comes from a lifetime of doing work you don't love, then finding out you're a million dollars in debt to boot."

The Solace of Open Spaces, Gretel Ehrlich