Sunday, November 24, 2019

the practice pack


eat
rest
rove in between
render loyalty
love the children
cavil in the moonlight
tune your ears
attend to the bones
make love
howl often
    - general wolf rules for life
        clarissa pinkola estés

i actually feel those who practice 
yoga together are a pack..
a wolf pack..a coyote pack..
the dictionary defines pack thusly -
a group of wild animals, 
especially wolves, 
living and hunting together
don't you think that sounds like us..?
living..the wise art of yoga
hunting.. the luminosity of momentary bliss
living..the yamas and the niyamas
hunting.. truth in the pathless land..
living... a joyous poetic life ..
hunting...bounty with the snare of gratitude *
yep! that's us, alright..
                                  *rumi

afterthought
such a precious human body,
difficult to rediscover;
such precious pain,
not difficult to discover;
such an old story
is by now a familiar joke.
you and i know the facts and the case history;
we have a mutual understanding of each other
which has never been sold or bought by anyone.
our mutual understanding keeps the thread of sanity.
sometimes the thread is electrified,
sometimes it is smeared with honey and butter;
nevertheless, we have no regrets.
since i am here,
seemingly you are here too.
let us practice!
sitting is a jewel that ornaments our precious life.
                ~ chögyam trungpa

...because you experience joy and celebration in your practice,
it does not feel like a burden to you.
therefore, you aspire further and further.
you would like to attain enlightenment.
you would like to be free from neurosis.
you would also like to serve all "mother sentient beings"
throughout all times, all situations, at any moment.
you are willing to become a rock or a bridge or a highway.
you are willing to serve any worthy cause 
that will help the rest of the world.
this is the same basic kind of aspiration 
as in taking the bodhisattva vow.
it is also general instruction of becoming a pliable person, 
so that the world can use you as a working basis for
their enjoyment of sanity.
                     ~ chögyam trungpa


Saturday, November 2, 2019

thanks giving..


wanderer, your footsteps are the road, 
and nothing more; 
wanderer, there is no road, 
the road is made by walking. 
by walking one makes the road, 
and upon glancing behind one sees the path 
that never will be trod again. 
wanderer, there is no road ~ 
only wakes upon the sea.
                    ~ antonio machado

mother india grasps you firmly by the hand
leading you with such fierce tenderness
to an abyss of the unknown..
a nudge tumbles you off the edge -
as your whirl and twirl
reeling
down
down,
you see her arms open wide ~
she gathers you up up in a beneficent embrace
 ~ known and unknown are one ~
( i penned this on my very first sojourn to india
over 45 years ago...)

it has been 7 plus years since i last kissed the hem of mother india ~
though it may have seemed that i would not a' journey there again
after such misadventures of fever and hospitalization ..
one always returns to the mother ..
be it our precious birth mother
(or adopted mama)
a beloved mother country,
our wholly precious mother earth...

thanksgiving day practice -
thursday the 28th
9:30 AM
Crescent Moon Yoga
606 Morris Street
La Conner WA 98257

every moment of your life is infinitely creative
and the universe is endlessly bountiful.
just put forth a clear enough request
and everything your heart desires
must come to you.
                      ~  m.k. gandhi

while in the past we have donated the thanksgiving basket
to an honorable non-profit organization,
may i request this year's proceeds from practice
go toward fortifying a long awaited india homecoming?
please and thank you ~
( gift certificates for private sessions 
and practice series are available too!)

i'll take my leave after our practice on thanksgiving day
to drive south with mila rubie -
red prius extraordinaire - loaded to the max..
- after tucking her safely in..
on december 3rd ~
with a gladsome heart
on my way ~
INDIA!

every time you leave home, 
another road takes you
into a world you were never in.
                           ~ john o'donahue

it is astonishing to me ~ and delightful ~
the enduring enthusiasm i have in sharing
the practice of yoga and the deep dharma...
which i love so very much...
i am eternally grateful and bowled over
by the sustenance and sweet kindness
the yoga tribe extends in my direction ~ thank you ~
( have i told you lately that i love you? )

in the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying 
to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. 
in the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender 
before the miraculous scope of human generosity 
and just keep saying thank you,  forever and sincerely,  
for as long as we have voices.
                                                ~ elizabeth gilbert 

2 FREE COMMUNITY PRACTICES IN NOVEMBER ~
SUNDAY the 10th and  SUNDAY the 24th
5:30 - 6:30 PM
please join in for a sweet and easy practice ~
OM!

 blessed joy-filled thanks-giving for all and every!