Monday, Aug 27, 2018 Fun-raiser for Uganda
In addition to being a Param Yogi, Kerry Morris is enthusiastic about plants, birding, and mountain gorillas, which led her to visit Uganda in 2015 to experience them up close. While there, she made friends with some locals and discovered that one of their most pressing needs was school supplies for the children. In the years since, she has focused her energies on raising money to send school supplies to Uganda by gathering items on her travels to sell and holding fundraisers at Param Yoga. Many of you donated money and purchased items that Kerry sold at the studio to benefit the cause.
She returned to Uganda recently and wrote the following letter to describe her experience and thank the members of our community for their generosity:
Dear Marydale, Kirsten & Param Yoga community,
Thank you for the amazing support you have given to provide school supplies for children in Bwindi.
For my journey, I traveled to Uganda with two suitcases to check: one, extra large, filled with pencils, crayons, sharpeners, notepads, paper and 24 deflated soccer balls, 24 pumps and extra needles.
Our first mission was to track down some boys that I had photographed on the banks of Lake Victoria near the Mubamba Swamp in 2015. The boys were collecting water in huge plastic containers, then putting them on their bicycles and walking back to their homes. They paused for a bit of soccer with a ball made of rags and twine. At the time, that image burned into my memory bank, as I couldn’t believe these kids didn’t even have a soccer ball. Livingstone and I drove right to the spot and saw a young boy walking his bicycle up a hill. We showed him the photo of the boys and asked if he knew them. “Yes!” he said. He said two were brothers, and he described to us where the brothers lived in the nearby village. We drove there and found the house. The boys were in school, but we met their mother. We showed her the photo and she smiled. Yes, two of the boys are hers. We explained that we wanted to give them each a soccer ball, pump and extra needles and why. We also gave her several photos, including extras for the third boy that was a friend. We gave her a soccer ball, pump and extra needles for the friend, and also gave a bag with ball, pump and needles to the young boy we met near the lake, who directed us to the boys’ mother, because by this time he had joined us at the house. We chatted, took some photos, and left.
Driving North on day two, my dear friend Livingstone and I passed a school where children were playing soccer with balls made of rags tied with string. He turned to me and said, “Let’s turn around and go to that school and give some soccer balls!”
He quickly did a U-turn and we went back. We turned onto the school road and headed towards the main school buildings. Activity stopped as all eyes watched to see what we strangers were doing there. We quickly found some teachers and explained that we wanted to give some soccer balls to the school!!! In no time at all, the children surrounded us! We took some photos, shook hands, and then had to leave—the school bell rang and it was time for the kids to get to class! We didn’t get a chance to see them use the balls, but we left with the biggest smiles and our hearts full of love—it was the best feeling in the world! As we continued our drive north, we high-fived each other and the joy we felt was incredible.
1. This photo is from my first trip. It got me thinking about kids not having a soccer ball!
2. This is the mother of two of the boys we saw by the lake on my first trip. Standing next to her is the young man who ID’d them in our photo. Her kids were at school when we stopped by to deliver our gifts.
3. This is the first school we stopped at. As noted in my story, we drove by and saw the kids on the field playing with rag soccer “balls,” did a U-turn and gave them some balls. We left with the BIGGEST smiles on our faces! The experience was way better for us than the kids!
Each and every day brought lush scenery of varying types, lots of great bird watching and many, many animals. Oh, did I mention the people? Uganda is a beautiful country and the people living there are every bit as beautiful. Extreme poverty has not diminished their inquisitive, polite and giving nature. Daily life in Uganda is not easy, especially when you have no running water, no electricity and no vehicle. If you’re lucky, you have a bicycle. When villagers in Uganda need water, they or their children have to walk for miles, most often barefoot, to a well. Carrying the familiar, large, pale yellow, plastic containers of water—that must weigh at least 50 pounds—is hard work, especially in the intense Ugandan heat and monsoon-like downpours. Often, we met people who were kind and sometimes went out of their way to help us.
We traveled through vast African savannas dotted with elephant, giraffe, lion, hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, hyena, Ugandan kob, oribe, hartebeest, eland, impala, mongoose, jackal and African buffalo. At one park, we even saw a rainbow one evening!
Turning south, we stopped in a large town and, using funds raised through sales and donations at Param Yoga, we purchased boxes of school workbooks, paper and math kits to add to our stockpile.
We birded along the way, often just along the side of the road. We stopped at a school in a very poor village in the mountains. Although it was a holiday week and kids were enjoying their time off at home, we found the headmaster and a few teachers there. We explained that we had some supplies and soccer balls for the school. He didn’t need to tell us the supplies were sorely needed: we could tell when we entered the school grounds. Again, we drove away from that school with the biggest smiles!
We arrived in Buhoma, the village at the entrance to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Sweet memories flooded my heart and mind as we drove towards our lodge. I was so happy to be back—my eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t stop smiling. I remembered the rough road, the rustic shops, the homes and the village.
At the new Park Headquarters the next day, I saw my friend Omax, who is a gorilla guide in Bwindi. What a great reunion! He didn’t know the dates of my arrival and was thrilled when Livingstone told him, “Kerry is here!” I also saw other people at the Park Headquarters that I had met 3 years ago. That night, Omax, Livingstone and I happily organized our treasures and decided to visit two schools the next day and deliver the supplies.
1. This is the first school in Bwindi. The sign shows the school’s goals.
2. Omax, Livingston, and the school principal taking some school supplies and soccer balls from us.
3, 4, 5, and 6. Classroom, kitchen, and school bell at Bwindi Ebeneezer School.
Our first stop was Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School. The motto of the school is “Laying a Strong Foundation for a Better Education.” Nursery School is 3 years and Primary School is another 10. The school headmistress, Elizabeth, is very driven and goal-oriented. There are several buildings, with dirt floors and chalkboards in each one. There are benches to sit on. Some had colorful decorations made by the children hanging from string, but the rooms had no books, no papers, no pencils, and nothing on the walls as we see in U.S. schools. Almost 3 years ago when I sent boxes of supplies to my friend Omax to distribute in Bwindi, he came to this school and it was simply a brick building. It was amazing to see what’s been done in 3 years. This school has a lot of donors from church groups in Sweden. Elizabeth was thankful to receive our supplies and assured us the children would make good use of them!
The second stop was about 15 minutes from the main village of Buhoma. We drove up a small hill within view of the village and below the main mountains in Buhoma. This was Bwindi Ebenezer Nursery and Primary School. The headmaster told us that he opened this school so children wouldn’t have to walk four or five miles to get to school. This school also had a few buildings, but they were not at the same level as the previous school. These buildings looked like former stables for animals. They were not made of mud, but of wood, and had uneven dirt floors inside. There were no windows with glass. It was dark inside and no electricity. There was a chalkboard and some benches for sitting. Nothing else.
Words can’t properly explain the feeling of happiness in giving these items to those who need them so desperately. With encouragement and loving support from Marydale, Kirsten and all of you at Param Yoga, we made a huge positive impact on the lives of so many.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Kerry Morris
Saturday, Aug 18, 2018 Put Your Best Food Forward
Did you know that more than a million people in Los Angeles County are considered food insecure? Food Forward is a local nonprofit with opportunities throughout Los Angeles for volunteers to harvest and recover fresh fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. Food Forward’s backyard harvest and farmer’s market glean programs are volunteer-powered and have helped them recover more than 50 million pounds of produce, which is then distributed directly to hunger relief agencies in the area that serve a diverse clientele.
Karen, who is a dedicated Param Yogi, is seen at right taking a break during one of her gleaning sessions for Food Forward. She is passionate about the program and wants to share this information with our community for those who’d like to get involved. If you’re interested, visit Food Forward’s volunteer page to join one of more than 180 monthly events near you.
Wednesday, Aug 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – August 2018
Om
Salutations:
Seven days without yoga makes one weak!
All of us know that having a regular yoga practice maintains a life that gives you ease and grace in your body, mind, and Spirit. Sounds great, easy, and pretty straightforward. Then why is it so difficult for folks to make it onto their mat with regularity? Why do we humans have a tendency to withhold from ourselves that which is best for us?
These questions persist throughout time, reinforcing basic human nature that proves we are truly creatures of habit and, as such, changing and/or creating new habits can be difficult…if not nearly impossible! Thankfully, yogic science teaches us that everything begins and ends in one’s mind and that if we can change our mind, we can change our behavior, and if we can change our behavior for a long enough period of time, we will ultimately create new healthy patterns that indeed support a happy, healthy life. Let us be reminded that what separates truly happy people from the rest of humanity is living in sincere, authentic joy—day in and day out—no matter what life brings their way.
While these hot, dog days of summer bear down upon us relentlessly, may we make the conscious decision, on this day, to consistently make right choices that support our best, happiest, most fulfilling life. Then press repeat – repeat – repeat, growing stronger, happier, and more content with each passing day!
You can do this—promise. I believe in you. Enjoy the ride!
Love, Love, Love,
“We do not realize it, but the mental action, the power of thought, is very strong. Consequently, if we cultivate good thoughts, inspiring thoughts, positive thoughts, it not only transforms our lives, but positive, inspiring, good thinking will create a powerful energy all around us. When we think a good thought, this positive thought can be transmitted in a moment’s time and generate a positive response effect on the person we are thinking of.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
All our Love to you Divine Guruji Baba on your Birthday! 8/10.
.
Sunday, Jul 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – July 2018
Namaste Namaste Namaste
Let this simple word be our mantra over the 4th of July holiday.
Namaste – “I bow to the God (Divinity/Spirit/Light) within you,” or “The Spirit within me salutes the Spirit in you” – a knowing that we are all made from the same One Divine Consciousness.”
Take a close look at the photograph on the right of this unusual, magnificent hibiscus. What you don’t see is that it is blooming from a veritable twig of a stem, on what appears to be an incomprehensibly frail plant with a leaf here and there that masks the plant’s actual identity. Then, right there at the very top of a long bare branch blooms this extraordinary flower that demands all who pass to stop and admire its splendor, its uniqueness, its profound beauty.
This tiny expression of life is planted across the walk from my home and I was fortunate to admire it basking in full glory for three days and then, to my chagrin, it closed up and was no more. An ever-so-brief moment in time to grace the earth with its presence and bring a real sense of joy to the world for blooming into its full expression of life.
Many human beings have similar circumstances to overcome as this flower tenaciously made its presence known to the world. If we forget, even for a moment, that the same exact stuff that created all things thrives within all living things, then how can we ever afford to question the innate magnificence within all?
Our forefathers had the vision to note that every man, woman and child has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let us remember that during this week and make it our practice to truly see the Light within all. Change is inevitable, but the basics of our Soul stuff never changes, ever. It continues to expand endlessly to and from Infinity, taking us along for the ride. While happiness was not guaranteed by our forefathers, it was a basic right that they reserved for us. Yogananada made it clear that happiness is not only your God-given right, it is your responsibility to develop happiness every single day as you remember – remember that you are God/Sprit/Light/Source (whatever resonates in your heart). You are Namaste.
Pay Namaste forward on this day and ALL days, for I know through this simple act – your life will be blessed. I bow to you.
Love, Love, Love,
“When we must live in this world, we are not alone. Thus, we must think of others and ourselves. We should use our skill, talent, and whatever we have in a constructive way, making positive contributions to family, friends, community, humanity, or ultimately to God’s creation. Thinking like this improves our quality of living, it improves our attitudes about how to live in the world, and it helps us to help others.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Tuesday, May 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – May 2018
Greetings to all of the mothers who rise each day to love, serve, and care for the children, grandchildren, stepchildren, adopted children, children-in-law, grown children, sick children, challenged children. I bow to you, for as women we have inherited the challenging, consuming role of birthing, training, and guiding the human race, one individual soul at a time. While some women are more adept at this lifelong responsibility, this arduous task, this gargantuan expression of energy, the constant selfless role of “Mother” is not easy for any of us.
The rewards of motherhood, on the other hand, are profound, including the unconditional love one feels for her child, accompanied by boundless joy for their individual accomplishments, no matter how small. In the end, motherhood makes all of us women somehow a part of an exclusive club with knowing expressions of understanding shared on a subtle, almost psychic, level.
As we approach May 13th, the day set aside to honor mothers this year, make it your responsibility to reach out and honor as many moms as you can with a kind word, a thank you for raising such awesome kids, a big hug, and a welcome smile for a job well done. Then consider honoring mothers around you each and every day. Be kind to them, considerate, patient, tolerant, encouraging, and as loving as you can be to support them as they care for the future of our world.
As yogis, let us lean into the knowing that the Divine Mother is ever-present in all of our lives, just waiting for us to approach her with heart in hand and ask for her loving support and continuous guidance. She is always waiting and available to assist you, whether you are a mother or not. Lean into her, climb on her lap, give her your troubles, and celebrate your joys with her. By doing so each and every day, your life will open through endless Grace.
I celebrate you and thank you!
May great blessings be yours, now and always,
“Divine Mother, may Thy love shine forever on the sanctuary of my devotion, and may I be able to awaken Thy love in all hearts.”
— Paramahamsa Yogananda
“A real pilgrimage is to experience inner peace and love. Through the cultivation of virtues such as compassion and love, as well as the practice of meditation, a seeker will ultimately attain realization.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Sunday, Apr 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – April 2018
Greetings!
Happy Springtime and Happy Holy Days to you and yours. In the lineage of Kriya Yoga, we honor, respect, and include all religions as an intricate part of our Spiritual family. Of Christ, the great Yogi Mahatma Gandhi has written, “I am sure that if He were living here now among men, He would bless the lives of many who perhaps have never heard His name…just as is written: ‘Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which art in heaven will enter.’ (Matthew 7:21) In the lesson of His life, Jesus gave humanity the magnificent purpose and the single objective toward which we all ought to aspire. I believe that He belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world, to all lands and races.”
Throughout time, Avatars have visited the earth plane to uplift humans into remembering their true identity as Divine Souls in human form. Yet, as history has proven, few among us are able to remember and to live a life of wisdom and Grace orchestrated through endless love. Perhaps it is our sense of individuality, which cries for specialness, that keeps us from our very identity, or a hungry ego that wants recognition above others to prove we are in some way superior that keeps us from our greatest knowing. Alas, there has always been a deep yearning within us to know Truth. Oddly, in our modern times when the world has gone quite mad and out of control, many of us turn to holidays like Passover, Easter, and the like to reclaim some sort of sanity within the fray.
Be cautioned, however, that it is easy to miss the entire focus of religious holidays by ignoring the true meaning behind them, to be caught up in the clever, materialistic trappings of the days filled with festivities, food, and drink. The day Christ was born, there was no Santa Claus nor was the Easter Bunny lurking behind the rock as it rolled away from the tomb where Christ rose from the dead. I’m confident that there was no hiding and finding matzah on any night of Passover. Please, go back into the scriptures of your religious or Spiritual tradition and reacquaint yourself with the essence of what these ancient stories have survived to teach us. Go to the Source. Get down on your knees and ask for clarity, for understanding, for inspiration, for your Truth. Christ taught to: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” This invitation is as fresh and new today as the very day He uttered these simple, yet profound, words from his Holy mouth 2000+ years ago.
So reboot yourself, Dear One, by moving into the middle of the heart of that which created you, and know that you are being breathed endlessly by the Divine with Love. It is through this constant knowing that your ultimate peace will take wing.
May great Blessings be yours.
Love, Love, Love,
“Love is a state of experience that is obtained through sincere effort and the grace of God, and should last through all the stages of life.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Thursday, Mar 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – March 2018
Greetings!
Tuesday, March 20th, is the first day of spring and the vernal equinox (Latin meaning “equal night”). On the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays about equally. Equinoxes are the only two times per year that the sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth.
On the vernal equinox, day and night are each approximately 12 hours long. As the sun crosses the celestial equator going northward, it rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west.
The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, even if our clock times reflect a different time zone. Birds are migrating northward and the increased light triggers birds to sing more. With the arrival of March comes the wonderful opportunity to sow seeds in your garden for the weeks and months ahead.
There is a very interesting correlation with the human form and its direct experiences that are energetically affected by the Universe and its intricate, scientific, and predictable ways. The science of yoga teaches us that each human body is a mini universe with its own magnetic field. As the light becomes more prevalent upon the earth with the vernal equinox, energy is pushed up the body from the bottom (south) toward the fontanel (north) at the top of one’s head and beyond. Our constant goal as yogis is to keep our focus on the upper energy centers located in the neck and head where the energy is naturally more conscious of our true nature (Atma, Spirit, Divinity), as opposed to one’s physical (body) nature. With this strong physical push from the magnetic pull of Earth and Universe comes a greater ability to sustain energy in the upper chakras, and our conscious awareness of this assistance enhances our yogic practice and our evolution.
Springtime has always ushered in the idea of new life bursting forth from the chill and dormancy of winter. Use this time wisely
as you tune yourself with the ever-present support of unseen forces moving you ever onward to excellent health, vitality, clarity, courage, and Grace. Redouble your daily practice and commit to a yogic lifestyle that assists you to be awake, aware, and anchored in constant calmness in the center of your heart with compassionate detachment to all things.
May great blessings be yours, now and always.
Love, Love, Love
“Read a little, meditate more
and remember God all the time.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Celebrating the Mahasamadhi of
Paramahamsa Yogananda
on March 7, 1952
and the Mahasamadhi of his Master
Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
on March 9, 1936
Thursday, Feb 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – February 2018
Yoga has something for every body and we are on a mission to offer you more opportunities to practice with us! Read on…
When we come to our mat regularly to practice, our bodies learn how to become more subtle, open, and balanced. Going beyond the body and incorporating all parts of yoga as a lifestyle eventually leads us to surrender into the flow of grace that moves us through our highest potential. All of us are constantly growing, stretching, and changing, for this is the natural progression of life. Nothing is static, nor does anything remain the same.
Here at Param Yoga, we are fortunate to be growing in ways that support our community to be better able to sustain individual daily practices, making each part of the whole stronger. We will now be open Monday through Saturday, offering four brand new classes to the mix, starting the evening classes a bit later to make it easier on commuters to attend, and bringing classes focused on stress and pain relief to improve quality of life for all interested students.
We are blessed to welcome two excellent, highly experienced yoga teacher/therapists to our staff: Sue Raglan (aka Anasuya) and Julie Segovia, who will be joining Stephanie Winnard and me with regularly scheduled classes.
At this time, it my sincere joy to introduce two of my longtime Reiki apprentices and Reiki Master Teachers in their own right, Sabrina Paine and Khanh Le, who will be teaching all Reiki Intros & Demos, Reiki Shares, and Reiki Level I & II Workshops for The Reiki Center of Los Angeles. Reiki Master Teachers Adan Rosales and Rosa Figueroa will continue to lead all of these same Reiki events here at Param Yoga in Spanish, which they have been executing beautifully for the past two years.
With the new schedule in place, our weekly Yoga Sutra and Kriya Meditation classes led by Yogacharya Richard Peterson from Kriya Los Angeles will now take place from 7:30 – 8:45 pm on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, respectively.
It remains my personal commitment to serve God and Gurus by offering yoga classes and lifestyle to the Chatsworth community, because I know that yoga works! After a debilitating back injury decades ago, I discovered the wonder of a regular yoga practice, which brought significant pain relief, recovery, strength, and ease of movement. Doctors remain mystified by the freedom in which my body moves considering the degree of scoliosis coupled with disc degeneration. I always tell them one word: “YOGA!”
One could almost say that it is just plain magic. However, the truth is that yoga is your very best health insurance policy. If you are willing to be disciplined and incorporate a regular yoga practice into your life, you too can find relief from all that ails you and avoid many other issues that come upon us through the aging process.
It is said that timing is everything in life. Whether you want to start a practice, enhance your practice, or add new techniques to your precious toolbox to support a happy, healthy life, we are here for you.
Love, Love, Love
“Look at the world, including your body and your mind. Observe carefully how everything changes continuously. See the transitory nature of things. See how there is a spell of misery due to lack of understanding. Be calm. See your real nature. Feel it. Experience it. Practice prayer. Be in knowledge. This is the door to self-realization.” — Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Monday, Jan 01, 2018 A Message from Marydale – January 2018
Blessed and Divine Souls:
Mighty is the one who has learned through constant trials and tribulations the value of integrity with one’s Soul nature.
Being thrashed against the rocks of conflict seems to have been a theme of 2017, leaving many wondering how our world quickly evolved into a very different temperament than it had just twelve months ago. Obviously, much of what has become visible was always there, just not visible to the naked eye, either by choice or wishful thinking.
When asked to explain our current state of chaos here in the United States, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda responded in this way (and I paraphrase):
“You Americans write the words In God We Trust on all of your currency, yet do you really trust in God? If you did, would you question the current state of the world as being anything but as it should be? If you look at Mother Nature, she goes through periods of violent destruction in order to rebuild her strength. She doesn’t ask permission. So we are in a period of fertilization. Be happy and focus on your own practice. Turn off the Internet, the radio, and the television. Throw away the newspapers. All of this feeds your insecurity and takes away your peace. Trust in God.”
Wise words that changed me instantly. Like a dog handler pulling on a choke chain with one swift jerk, my guru’s words changed everything for me and I knew – this too shall pass. How many times do we have to be reminded that change is a constant? That everything is moving, nothing is ever “static.” We are energy, living in an energetic, constantly oscillating, space-time continuum that waits for no one.
With that said, take a moment to sit quietly and take inventory of how you behaved during these last twelve months of 2017. Did you indeed stay in your highest possible good? Were you transparent, loving, kind, disciplined, and determined to stay constantly in the flow while anchored in a calm heart with compassionate detachment to all things? Or were you tossed about like a cork on the rapidly moving Ganga during monsoon season?
Perhaps you, like most of us, visited both of these pendulum swings and, hopefully, because you are on the yogic path, you managed to anchor yourself most of the time in your sattvic (calm) nature.
Life is always, always what we make it. You are the great equalizer in every equation. With a clean canvas ahead being offered as a New Year, may you redouble your efforts to create the life you love and yearn for everywhere you go and in every breath you take. After all, life is simply a series of breaths, one after another, and in each breath you take, you have a choice – how am I going to behave, think, react, talk, take action (or no action)? How fortunate we are to have within us the power to create exactly as the energy that created us. We are that, have always been and will always be…a creator.
I am greatly blessed to have traveled through this time with you and have found in you the Grace and love I seek in every moment of this remarkable journey. I bow to you.
May 2018 bring you into our community of love to share, to grow, to stabilize, and to realize your highest good.
May great love be yours!
“Let us begin this new year with a new light of love and compassion, with a new understanding of seeing good and doing good. Let this new year be a turning point in our lives. Let us all use our precious time to make ourselves divine and ultimately make this beautiful world a real paradise. Wishing you all a prosperous and spiritual New Year.”
With Love, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
Some Special Moments from 2017
Friday, Dec 01, 2017 A Message from Marydale – December 2017
As the days turn into weeks, the weeks into years, and the years into decades, life continues to expand with or without our permission. We are constantly being challenged to stay in integrity with our truth, to be transparent, to live in love, to do the best we can each and every day in spite of circumstance, and to love ceaselessly – one and all. A very tall order for most, if not all, of us. Yet there is nothing within these criteria that is out of the ordinary for one who embraces life as a yogi.
A case in point has been the extraordinary year of 2017, with the countless unforeseen changes that it has brought. It seems we are all being stretched with ups and downs, confusion, chaos, growth, rude awakenings, honesty, dishonesty, assault, degradation, glimpses of our “new normal,” and the call to be tenacious in our commitment to create the life we love in spite of all the outside turmoil of a world gone mad.
Alas, this is the most opportune time for us to rise above the fray and determine, breath by breath, to stay awake and aware of the majesty and Grace that abounds constantly throughout this exquisite world of ours. To remind ourselves often that our perspective is our perspective and we have, within our birthright, the ability to choose happiness, joy, and love, in spite of circumstance and overwhelming odds indicating demise.
So, as 2017 winds down, be reminded that at its very root is the number one (2+0+1+7=10 and 1+0=1), which is the first number that births all others. Fundamentally, it symbolizes the Om – the first breath of the Universe, I AM, the very name of God.
Therefore, 2017 has been a new beginning that has brought with it tremendous change to support new life, a better, stronger, healthier, world, a separation of the wheat from the chaff. Don’t be fooled by the surface of all that has come to pass, but rather be determined to know that, like the earth burning out a forest to create new, healthier, stronger life, so we, too, shall be brought to a brighter world once the ash settles.
Please know that through it all we have shared months of expansion and growth upon our mats. We have come together to gain confidence, clarity, hope, and determination. Our ongoing persistence to our yoga practice has made each of us better equipped to rise above all the fray and, indeed, love our way into a brighter day.
I honor you and have been deeply blessed to share the path with you throughout this year. May your life continue to be blessed with the presence of the Divine in all you do and may you continue to move into your highest possible good day after day after day. Thank you for being you.
Happy, healthy, and loving holidays to you and yours!
Love, Love, Love,
“Human birth is a great privilege. Use every moment as an opportunity to advance in your spiritual journey. Live your life intelligently and use your mind skillfully. Observe the play of the mind indifferently. Whatever happens, remain detached. By practicing discipline in our lives, we can easily achieve success.”
— Paramahamsa Prajnanananda