Happy Independence Day!

Spider-Ganesha

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june theme of the month, 14 hugs

14 Hugs Every Day!

This month's theme is simple and pure! More Hugging!
In four parts:

1) When we were at our retreat in the Poconos, in April, there was a lovely Ayurvedic Phychologist, teaching another group of students. One of the teachings she was offering, was that 14 hugs per day was the recommended amount for best mental and emotional health. (I tried googling this to find a source, but to no avail!)

2) Amma is now in America, hugging up all of the Americans! Amma (pictured above) pours love into all who come to her, wrapping her arms around folks, and filling them up with kindness and understanding. This is something that we can all practice. Easy!

3) In "Peace is Every Step" Thich Naht Hahn says

"Hugging is a beautiful Western custom, and we from the East would like to contribute the practice of conscious breathing to it. When you hold a child in your arms, or hug your mother, or your husband, or your friend, if you breathe in and out three times, your happiness will be multiplied at least tenfold." (source)

4) Feel free to start by practicing with me!



picture courtesy gothamayurveda.com

Happy Birthday John Friend!

I have been following John Friend on twitter (@anusarafriend). He's an interesting enough guy, has a sucessful yoga brand, (Anusara Yoga), and enjoys tantric teachings. I found out, on twitter, from @dailyd, that today is his 50th birthday. So, Happy Birthday, John Friend! I haven't studied with him, nor have I been particularly drawn to Anusara, but I totally love that he teaches yoga in an authentic way that really speaks to lots, and lots of people. I am happy to live in a world with him in it. I wish him a very long life.
Also, I discovered on twitter, that there is a slideshow honoring him. This is a sweet thing to do for someone on their birthday. It was put together by Bill Tipper, who is an extremely talented photographer, whose work I have only been introduced to today. His pictures are so lovely and evocative. His pictures of John are so sweet and intimate, that all of a sudden, I feel drawn to study with him.
This is why I like twitter. All in one quick swoop, I get introduced to so much greatness, truth, and beauty. You can follow me, btw, @sitaramdas.

You are brilliant. The earth is hiring

julie forwarded this to me.

It is a commencement speech by a guy named Paul Hawken. He is a brilliant Enviornmentalist and Educator, as well as a Green Entrepreneur. I found it pretty inspiring. I really appreciate inspiration. If I don't do my yoga practice, or if I surround myself with the wrong sort of media and entertainment, I can start to get depressed. This is a powerful call to action, and it is uplifting as well. Here is a pretty good excerpt. If you'd like to read the rest of it, its here.

This planet came with a set of operating instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, and don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food - but all that is changing.
There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING. The earth couldn’t afford to send any recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.

If you'd like to read the rest of it, its here

Toxic Soy?

I received this from my friend Kate!
One of my pet peeves is toxic natural foods...

it reads---
Do you drink soy milk or eat tofu? You might be drinking toxic chemicals found in soybeans sourced from China (but called "natural" or "organic").

NaturalNews was a contributing source to the Cornucopia Institute's new soy product scorecard that reveals the astonishing lack of integrity by some of the most famous soy product companies in the world. At the same time, this report also tells you which soy companies have integrity! Read it yourself to learn about the winners and losers in the soy industry:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026294.html

More on Soy and Hexane contamination:
To explain this issue in more detail, I've released a new YouTube video on Hexane contamination. Watch it here:

Britian's Got Mantram

Here's a dance troupe from "Britian's Got Talent" that opens their act with "Asatoma Sat Gamaya".
Of course, this is traditionally a closing mantra, but, bygones...
We like when Vedic Culture shows up on 'the tele'.

Dr. Kailash's and his Amazing Ektar

Recieved this video from Kailash today. Its a nice montage, with a couple of different devotional chants, and lots of pictures. He says, "The increasing length of my locks serves as an index of the passage of time. :)"
Kailash may be coming to chant at Main Line Yoga sometime in the future. We tried to find a date that worked this spring, but it didn't quite work. Be on the lookout for him in the future.



Visit Kailash's Website

Kali Ma's Dharma Talks

I like to listen to dharma talks as I drive to my morning yoga class. I have a ravenous appetite for downloadable dharma talks. I like my dharma talks high in quality, quantity, variety, and frequency. I find them nourishing, on a soul level, and interesting and centering for my mind.

I recently found some talks by a woman named Kali Ma. Great name. I think Andy Warhol was right when he said that Everyone is Kali Ma for fifteen minutes.

I found her website a bit confusing to navigate, but from what I could gather, she is a sincere tantric practitioner, with a grounded education in traditional Buddhist Tantric Yogas. I am always happy to see someone striving towards the authentic.

Her Dharma Talks are very nice, too. I have listened to "success and failure" and part of "the tyranny of specialness". She has a nice way of drawing the listener in, and uses excellent historical examples to illustrate her point. There are some occasional moments when her personality gets in the way of the true teaching, and slows down the flow of the wisom, but this is minor, and forgiveable. I can imagine that she will become quite a formidable teacher as she continues down her path.

You can download them here!

Annapurna's Art

Several of the images on the Main Line Yoga Website have been lovingly painted by the sweetest devotee, named Annapurna. I first met her at Joel's Bikram Studio on Walnut Street. She was feeding us all the most delicious milk sweets, and telling us lovely things about Lord Krishna. I discovered that she had painted the works than hung on the walls of the school. When it was time for me to put together a website for Main Line Yoga, it was only natural that I went to her to help me decorate it. I am so glad that I did.

She has been featured in the Online Multimedia Art Journal "Public Republic". It is delightful, and inspires much devotion. The article features the painting above, and many others. ENJOY IT HERE!