yoga training

Congratulations to the Haipoo Yoga Trainees!

 Congratulations to the Haipoo Yoga Trainees!

I remember seeing an inspirational video tribute to my teacher Dharma a few years ago for the first time. Dharma says at some point, in the video that, “teaching yoga is the greatest job in the world.” I think everyone who has had the experience of teaching yoga and helping someone to grow and deepen their practice feels this same way. It’s incredible!

Karma Yoga - Yoga is Skill in Action!

Karma Yoga - Yoga is Skill in Action!

Yogis! It doesn't matter what your pose looks like. We are all subject to different conditions. You're driving around in a different car than me and I'm driving around in a different car than you. The asana is just a tool to be used to go beyond the mind and the ego.

One definition of yoga from the Bhagavad Gita is that, "yoga is skill in action". This refers to karma yoga. This is the yoga of action. What is karma yoga? Karma yoga is offering your actions to the Divine. Not focusing on the fruits of the actions or the results. How does this translate on our mat? Do your best. Your effort and the quality of your effort is far more important than the results you obtain, which are largely out of your control.

There are three types of karma:

Parabdha karma which is the karma that is playing out for us in this life. We don't have control over this right now. We did in the past. My actions in previous lives led to the manifestation of the Garth-body and my current life.

There's new karma that I'm creating in this life with every new action. This karma is called agami karma. I can control this karma. I can choose my actions. I can put forth my best effort and not worry about the results or focus on the goal, which is out of my control.

The third type of karma is called sanjita karma and this is the karma that is stored in my sub-conscious, waiting to play out in the future, later in this life or in a future birth.

The idea of replacing old patterns in yoga with new patterns and eventually replacing even positive samsaras (mental impressions) with samadhi is the journey of yoga and addresses the cause and effect principle found in the karma theory. If you do something positive there will be a positive effect. If you do something negative there will be a negative effect. What are you doing by offering your actions to the Universe? You're really practicing focusing on the Divine. You're creating a pattern of shifting your awareness to the pure consciousness part of yourself. You're moving beyond the ego and mind. Offering your practice is another tool to go beyond the ego and mind and reach a state of Samadhi.

Do your best. Put forth your best effort. The quality of your effort is the most important thing. Don't worry about the results. Judgment and criticism are products of the ego and the mind. Move beyond your ego. Make everything you do an offering. Let the Universe move through you. Trust your intuition. Move with "skill in action"!

Shiva Yoga

Shiva Yoga

We finished our second last weekend in my Shiva Yoga 200hr Teacher Training Program last night. I can't believe there's just one more weekend left. I'm so proud of all of the trainees. What a special group. Their level of understanding of yoga practice and yoga philosophy is getting pretty incredible and it's been so inspiring to watch them each grow so much this past year.