Dristi Death Death: Teachings vs Reality Nityananda Rama Das Pot Pot was showing signs of pain, she became less active and no longer had an appetite. We took her to our veterinarian and her test results were not good. I knew this day would come since the first time she snuggled up on my chest purring and resting her paw on my chin, she always reached out to touch people. She was a rescue cat, along with her two siblings. We offered her a life of love and affection, and given the chance I would do it all over again. The vet gave us her options - to prolong her life with surgery and medication, or accept that she lived a full life. According to my upbringing as a yogi I should have never become involved in the first place, yet the act of kindness many years ago felt right. In Gurukula I was taught to detach from worldly life intellectual philosophy had no weight next to the heart forms to avoid becoming karmicly entangled and thus limit or even halt spiritual progress. It seems the teachings I learned were mostly to avoid suffering through detachment or simply by avoiding involvement all together to prepare for transcending the material plain of existence. Yet, building and maintaining awareness of the divinity within all is our main goal. Thus involvement, connection, love and affection to all is the recommended conduct of a yogi, and what feels right in the heart. The vet gave me some time to be with Pot Pot as she passed away. I prayed for her, offered Mantras and blessings only to realize none were needed. What comes to be is what’s meant to be. The intensity of the emotions did not mix with the teaching of scriptures and knowledge of the Spirit Self, Higher Self as well as the Afterlife did not matter. The intellectual philosophy and cold detachment had no weight next to the heart and my sadness in witnessing the departure of a loved one, or gratitude for all we shared. According to Krsna within the Bhagavad Gita “ the Self or Spirit Soul is consciousness, bliss and truth, unchanging, eternal, present everywhere, immovable and can not be harmed in any way, it is not bound to the material world”. Karma being action-reaction, is limited to the material world and is impartial. So according to these teachings the Eternal Self is not of this world, whereas karma is the guiding principle of this material world. Since karma and the experience of pleasure and pain do not change the Self, karma is not important in the context of the Self. So perhaps we could allow the mind and body to live out its biological purpose, fulfilling our family and cultural evolution by fully embracing each aspect of this existence, instead of hiding behind detached spiritual-afterlife concepts as a method of avoiding the unpleasant times. Embracing the fullness of the emotions and experience, honoring and cherishing in my heart, feels right. Being conscious of the divinity within all, in truth, in life and death I allowed the fullness of emotions to wash over me and the tears of sadness mixed with joy flowed freely. Nitai is a second generation Vaishnava and Yoga Teacher. He grew up following the Vedic teachings and later found the balance of Veda and Tantra. Now as a family man he draws his inspiration from loved ones and life’s lessons. Nitai teaches at Pure Yoga. richard@pure-yoga.com Teacher’s Voice Ardash Williams WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING ASANA AND WHY? The asanas that have given me the most challenge have to be balancing postures, especially 16 Sirsasana (headstand). Sirsasana took two years for me to become proficient in (i.e. not fall over) and was the source of so much frustration as a yoga beginner. Unlike some postures, headstand does not require a huge amount of flexibility but it does require a successful organization of the various body parts - especially an awareness of the center (dan tian). My challenge was in finding my center and “putting in all together.” WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THIS? The process of learning headstand taught me many of the yoga lessons I remind myself of everyday; themes like patience and perseverance, concentration and the balancing of opposing forces. The biggest thing related to asana is the idea of mastering small things. For example, moving into headstand requires many of the same techniques found in Tadasana (mountain pose). The trick is to put it all together while upside down. WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR PRACTICE? The most challenging part of my practice is finding time to get it all in. I really enjoy practicing yoga and want my session to go on forever! However, I always have to finish on time, even if that means cutting it short. So, I wake up very early every morning to get everything in - asana, pranayama, meditation - then I need to finish up and begin teaching early Mysore class. On top of that, my two small children keep me on my toes, so life is always busy. Adarsh is a faculty teacher at Samahita Yoga Thailand, Space Yoga Taipei and director of the Monterey Yoga Shala in California. www.smartstretch.com
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