Reflecting with David
JunTue 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: The Joy of Living: A Meditation Training
Where: The Manhattan Center 311 W. 34th St., (between 8th and 9th Av.) Manhattan
When: Sunday, July 4th, 11 am - 5 pm
Monday, July 5th, 10 am & 7 pm
Tuesday, July 6th, 10 am & Devi Bhava at 7 pm
Phone: 212-219-2527
Many people come to Amma to receive her embrace, which she refers to as darshan. Amma has been giving darshan in this manner since her late teenage years. As to how this began, Amma says, "People used to come and tell [me] their troubles. They would cry and I would wipe their tears. When they fell weeping into my lap, I used to hug them. Then the next person too wanted it… And so the habit picked up." Amma's organization claims Amma has embraced more than 29 million people throughout the world.
Amma’s life is her message. In other words, Amma does not teach anything that she herself does not practice. Living from moment tomoment in a constant state of supreme happiness, Amma warmly embraces thousands of people day after day, wiping their tears, giving them her divine guidance and offering solace to all who come to her. Amma recommends the path of selfless service through the example of her own life.
Meditation and studying the scriptures are like two sides of a coin. The engraving on that coin is selfless service, and that is what gives it its real value. Our compassion and acts of selflessness take us to the deeper truths. Through selfless action we can eradicate the ego that conceals the Self. Detached, selfless action leads to liberation. Such action is not just work; it is karma yoga.”
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Reflecting with David
JunMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: The Joy of Living: A Meditation Training
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Saturday & Sunday, June 26 & 27, 10am-5:30 pm
Phone: 212-219-2527
This weekend Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche will reveal to us how meditation can help us create a peaceful mind and a joyful heart. This Tibetan meditation master possesses a rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, accessible, engaging manner, with a playful sense of humor that has endeared him to students around the world, but without losing any of the profundity of the teachings. In this retreat/workshop suitable for people of all faiths and both beginning and experienced meditators, we will discover how any experience, even a disturbing emotion or chronic pain, can be transformed into a source of inner peace. Come discover how to: rest in a state of spacious and alert presence; cultivate focused awareness using objects, sounds, tastes—all our senses—as supports for meditation; transmute physical pain, difficult emotions and destructive thought patterns; deal with distractions and obstacles in meditation; and start a daily meditation practice.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, born on the Tibet/Nepal border, became a lama at a very young age and founded a monastic college in north India. Besides his deep training in Tibetan Buddhist practice and thought, he has a lifelong interest in Western science and psychology and has collaborated with world-renowned scientists doing groundbreaking studies on the neuroscience of meditation. Mingyur Rinpoche teaches throughout the world, with centers on four continents, and is the author of the best-selling The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, as well as Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom.
Reflecting with David
JunMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Speaking the Soul: The Transformative Power of Inspirational Poetry
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Friday, June 18, 7–10pm
Phone: 212-219-2527
Kim Rosen’s gift of speaking poems has touched listeners worldwide with poetry’s power to awaken, inspire, and heal. The poems she delivers, interspersed with inspirational insight and group participation, dissolve the walls of culture, religion and generation to speak directly to the heart. Especially in these times of global and personal uncertainty, a poem can be a companion through difficulty, a wake-up call, and a source of passion, peace, and inspiration. This evening Kim will weave lecture, performance and experiential processes to invite each person to directly experience how poetry can cause shifts in feelings, thoughts and biochemistry that open consciousness, promote healing, and align us with what matters most.
"Saved by a Poem is, quite simply, transformational. A book that I now keep by my bedside. I have never before appreciated the power of poetry, having been talked out of it in school. Kim Rosen redeemed poetry for me. And a whole new world has opened up. I love this book (and the CD that goes with it).” — Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Kim Rosen, MFA, author of Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words, is the co-creator of four CDs of spoken poetry and music and has delivered poetry in many venues, from the crypt of Chartres Cathedral to the New Orleans Superdome. Combining her devotion to poetry with her background as a spiritual teacher and therapist, she offers talks, workshops, trainings, retreats and private sessions.
Reflecting with David Part 2
MayMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: The Healing Power of Drumming, Ritual and Chanting with Layne Redmond
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: A Two-Day Workshop. Fee $365
Saturday & Sunday, May 15 & 16 Saturday, 9:30am–5:30pm Sunday, 9:30am–5pm
Phone: 212-219-252
The frame drum is the world’s oldest drum and was played primarily by women for thousands of years as the primary trance-inducing technology for religious and ecstatic rituals. In ancient myth and legend, the frame drum is associated with the bee goddess, who is said to awaken a buzz of ascending consciousness and descending spiritual grace in those who practice these drumming rituals.
Layne Redmond, creator of an innovative healing form of rhythmic and drumming exercises, is the author of When The Drummers Were Women and Chakra Meditation. Her CDs include Chanting the Chakras, Chakra Breathing Meditations, Heart Chakra Meditations, Trance Union, The Wave of Bliss and Invoking the Muse.
Reflecting with David
MayMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Consciousness Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature of Consciousness
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Friday, May 14, 7–10pm
Phone: 212-219-252
According to Emanuel Swedenborg, “The simpler and purer a thing is, the more complex it is and the more it contains.” Awakening into “integral” consciousness (Ken Wilber’s term for what some call “enlightenment&rdquo
can seem the simplest of experiences, yet within it is nested a complexity that opens the world’s multifaceted splendor. Our awareness is the fruit of millennia of evolutionary growth and change. This evening one of integral theory's pioneers who has worked closely with Ken Wilber will trace the evolution of human consciousness and its future possibilities in an engaging trip through history as illustrated in works of art and in examples of contemporary integral thought. The evening will include time for an open discussion on the nature of consciousness and of integral thought today.
Allan Combs, on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a founding member of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute, and a leading figure in the integral movement, is the author of several award-winning books, including most recently Consciousness Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature of Consciousness.
Reflecting with David
AprMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Conscious Living: The Practice of Holistic in NYC
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Saturday, May 1st, 7:30-10:30pm
Phone: 212-219-252
Featuring cutting-edge organizations, brands and collectives from around New York City, this event will show you ways that you can get involved in both personal and community efforts, and how collectively, we can create a more holistic, sustainable future for New York City and beyond.
Miss New York USA, Davina Reeves, will be hosting the event as a special featured guest. Davina Reeves has been preparing for the Miss USA competition by developing her own holistic practice. She will be sharing her story and learning ways to improve her own efforts to give back to New York.
Confirmed Organizations Taking Booths:
- Bikram Yoga NYC
- Sun In Bloom Vegan Cafe
- Tumeric (Juices)
- Rolling Press Eco friendly printing company
- D6 Bamboo Clothing Line
Reflecting with David
AprTue 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Weekly Course: Mantra and Meditation
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Saturday and Sunday, April 24 - 25, 9:30-4:30
Phone: 212-219-2527
In India the use and knowledge of sacred sound has always been central to that culture’s highly advanced spirituality. This is evident in the power of Indian chant and music that is now so popular in the West. This workshop will explore how the use of sacred sounds can heal.
During the weekend students will be introduced to the broad scope of sound in the Indian tradition, with a special focus on understanding mantras (specially constructed sounds that function as “sonic pharmaceuticals&rdquo
; guidelines to mantra pronunciation (because the power of these sounds to affect our health and energy and that of others depends on precise tongue placement); and how musical intervals can produce changes in consciousness.
Reflecting with David
AprMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Weekly Course: Mantra and Meditation
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Starting April 13th • 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Cost: 5 sessions begins this Tuesdays, April 13–May 11. Members: $120 / Nonmembers: $130
Thomas Amelio
Many of us long to make deep and lasting change in our lives, but often try to do so from a viewpoint that is itself the problem. Meditation can help us make a lasting shift into a new consciousness altogether. Mantras are powerful and ancient sound-vibration formulas that de-clutter the mind and transform our bodies, minds and spirits in profound ways. In this class, we will learn and experience some of the meditation and mantra practices of the esoteric yoga tradition: basic awareness and breath meditation; self-inquiry (atma vichara); mantra japa meditation; bij (seed) mantras; shakti (power) mantras, and more. Meditation and mantra aim to purify our bodies and souls of kleshas (obstacles), so that our true nature as satchidananda (truth/consciousness/joy) can shine ever brighter.
Thomas Amelio intensively studied yogic disciplines in India, where he edited Rajarshi Muni’s classic, Yoga—The Ultimate Spiritual Path, in 1994. He is a founding member of and has been a senior teacher at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for 20 years. www.thomasamelio.com
Reflecting with David
AprMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: A writing intensive course on the art of spiritual memoir
Where: The Open Center 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
When: Starting April 7th • 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Cost: $110 for memebers, $120 for non-members
A few months ago I wrote of an amazing learning center, The Open Center. Starting this week they will have a four-week writing intensive course designed to introduce students of all levels—from non-writers to professional wordsmiths—to the art of spiritual memoir. When we learn to tell the whole truth about experience, to discern our own soul’s odyssey, we come to understand the mythic dimension of our personal struggles, triumphs, confusions, longings, digressions and so-called mistakes. Through writing exercises, storytelling and group interaction, we investigate the mysterious connection between the person we believe ourselves to be and the internal witness who sees beyond the conscious mind into the secrets of our hearts. By putting our feelings down on paper and learning to shape life’s raw materials into art, we discover that our challenges are also our greatest sources of wisdom, and that even our darkest (or most unexpected) interludes carry within them the seeds of redemption.
The teacher of the course is Mark Matousek, author of two acclaimed memoirs, Sex Death Enlightenment: A True Story and The Boy He Left Behind: A Man’s Search for His Lost Father, as well as When You’re Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living. A 20-year student of Buddhism, he teaches memoir-writing workshops around the country.
Reflecting with David
MarMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Event: Full-Moon Chanting: A Powerful Time for Spiritual Practice
Where: Integral Yoga Institute 227 West 13th Street
(between 7th & 8th)
Time: Monday, March 29 • 7:45–8:45 p.m.
Cost: Free
Website: www.iyiny.org
Chanting is such a wonderful way to quiet the mind and lead it into a deeper state of awareness. It is especially beneficial for those who have a tough time stopping the mind's endless chatter. I find it is the musical sequence that initially holds the mind's attention, and thus, less effort of concentration is needed.
The ritual of meditating with a full moon has been with us for centuries and also enhances a focus for the mind. Both the full moon and new moon mark times where the strength of our intention is magnified. The full-moon chanting sessions at the Integral Yoga Institute can uplift the mind and focus it in a positive direction. During the full moon, the Gayatri and Maha Mitrunjaaye mantras are chanted; the sound of Om is chanted for the new moon.
Reflecting with David
MarMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Book: In Quest of God
Website: www.anandashram.org
His is a personal odyssey in which the ultimate Reality revealed itself within him through intense devotion. His many stories bring a lightness and joy that is inspirational, and they show how the miraculous can be revealed when one’s heart is fully devoted to the reality of the presence of God.
Some of the books I have enjoyed are, In Quest of God, and In the Vision of God, Volumes l and ll. His books are available at www.amazon.com. However, his complete works are also available from his ashram in Kerala, India for the sum of around US$50, including shipping.
Reflecting with David
MarMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Book: The Experience of No-Self
Website: www.spiritualteachers.org/bernadette_roberts
According to Roberts, this first milestone is often mistaken for the end of the spiritual journey. What the “no-self” event reveals is that union with God is not the end but the beginning of our life with God. The end of the journey comes many years after union. The years in between are marked above all by a way of life that is selfless. With years of selfless giving, the self is literally eroded away as God consumes more and more of the human being. Roberts is very careful to note that the self that is eroded away beyond union is not the fragile, egotistical self that was the center of existence before union. Rather the self that slowly vanishes is a self-centered in God: beautiful, holy, and strong. The no-self event is a surprise, and it reveals a second, and final milestone in the journey with God. The self ceases forever and with it all human experience. What remains now is the mystery of beingness.
Here is an interview with her in 1985: www.spiritualteachers.org/b_roberts_interview
Reflecting with David
MarMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Book: Emptiness Dancing
Website: www.adyashanti.org
Born as Steven Gray, Adyashanti studied Zen for 14 years under the guidance of his Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi.
At age 25 he began experiencing a series of transformative spiritual awakenings and eventually bodhi, better known as enlightenment in the west. His teachings and basic world view suggest non-dualism; thus, he teaches the liberation of beings from the illusion of separation, also known as maya (illusion). This is a classic eastern ideology common to both Buddhism and Hinduism.
The basic concept of this ideology is that humans tend to identify with a sense of self that is essentially not real, or sometimes called empty. The Buddha called this idea “no-self,” or anatta. Suffering is therefore said to be caused by the belief in a separate self. If people were to realize that they, as individually-isolated selves, were not real, but that there is only one being, known as “Buddha-nature” in Buddhism or “Brahman” in Advaita Vedanta, then they would be awakened to the true nature of their being, oneness. To have such an awakening is to realize that there is no me and no other--there is only one...one being, one universe, one everything. Suffering, however, does not necessarily end here. After an awakening it is suggested that there is often a long process of embodiment where the old beliefs of the body and mind, sometimes called samskaras, gradually yield to the new understanding of one’s true nature.
One of his beautifully written books I have enjoyed is called Emptiness Dancing, and his website, www.adyashanti.org contains more information about retreats and satsangs.
Reflecting with David
MarMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Book: A Thousand Names for Joy
Website: thework.com
Byron Katie is one such woman who awoke suddenly from normal egoist consciousness into a world of splendor and joy in 1986. She embodies the simplicity, ordinariness and power of the unschooled sage.
Her latest book, A Thousand Names for Joy, is a series of commentaries on the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese book of wisdom. Her insights express the practical aspects of the awakened mind in action by centering on enquiring into and disassembling the core beliefs that bring suffering. Her other books include Loving What Is, and, I Need Your Love- Is That true?.
Her website, www.thework.com, offers many ways to interact with her and her work.
Reflecting with David - Grace
FebMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
When we hear the word "grace," what is it that comes to mind? The word has many meanings, from simplicity of movement to a sense of
We have many expressions, including these varied forms: “Someone has fallen from grace” and “disgraceful,” to the higher valued “saving grace.”
We have in some of our religions the act of prayer by saying a morning "grace," and we even have songs,‘“Amazing Grace” that goes on "to save a wretch," again in personified form.
I like to see it as the grace of godliness and as its movement within my life; an unmerited divine assistance; a godly virtue here to help when needed or asked.
And now a story...READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Dan Millman
FebTue 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Books: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, The Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior
website: spiritualbookshop.com
Following last week's article, I thought I would continue with two more books I have read and loved. They are both by the same author, Dan Millman, and
they seem to be autobiographical. The protagonist's name is also Dan. However, once the story gets going, the mystical adventure is anything but fictional in nature.
The first is called, Way of the Peaceful Warrior. This is an intense and moving book for many reasons, but what primarily touched me was the absolutely real possibility of my own inner transformation; not only that, but also the necessity of it, the urgency of it. At the same time I felt no pressure or anxiety to become a “peaceful warrior.” On the contrary, I felt good reading the book, as if someone were really talking to me, talking about life as it is. Listening to “straight talk” is liberating and energizing. However, while that experience is powerful, it lasts only as long as the book. For the way of the warrior is action--the action of working inwardly and outwardly to transform oneself. Each person has to traverse his or her own road. Way of the Peaceful Warrior is not just a book; it is a door. When you read this book you open the door, and you are invited to walk through.
If you want to read something that leaves you thinking about life and is completely engrossing and enjoyable, I highly suggest these two books.
Reflecting with David - Richard Back
FebMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Books for Healing: Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull
website: spiritualbookshop.com
One of my favorite fictional/parable writers is Richard Bach. Two of his books spring to mind immediately as having a profound effect on my youth--well, my early 20’s seems young to me now.
The first book is Illusions. It is a wonderful story of an enlightened fellow who had a fear of crowds. Go figure. And being enlightened, crowds always seemed to gather around him. This reluctant messiah eventually faced his fear. The story is quite short and has beautiful and insightful moments. Leaves one thinking about many things to do with life and how we choose to see it.
The second is called Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which became a best seller in the early 70’s and was eventually made into a movie featuring Neil Diamond in the movie’s score. This story is of a seagull who decides he doesn’t want to live a life like that of his fellow birds. Just existing to marry and lay eggs seemed superficial, so he goes on a quest learning to fly higher and further, exploring more aspects of his surroundings and experiencing life away from the flock. "…it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form. 'Set aside,' came a voice from the multitude, 'even if it be the Law of the Flock?' 'The only true law is that which leads to freedom,' Jonathan said. 'There is no other.' ” The story is of his faith and finding unique meaning to his life. It is also about the difficulties he faces with his peers and family for not living his life like the rest of the flock do. You can see how it relates to experiences many of us go through. It is a beautiful tale of self-belief and trust, doubt, fear and redemption.
Reflecting with David - Qigong
FebMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
A Place of Healing: Qigong Center, 146 East 55th Street
website: www.yinyang-institute.com
Qigong is a health-oriented art involving both body and mind, one that can help prevent and cure illness and otherwise make life more pleasant. Its ease and convenience add to its popularity. It can be performed virtually anywhere at any time, requiring nothing more than a pair of willing hands. The exercises are mostly slow and gentle and are thus suitable for people of widely varying age and health. The old and the sick may find qigong particularly suitable for their needs.
Reflecting with David
JanSat 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
A Place of Healing: Chakrasambara Buddhist Center, 322 Eighth Ave, Suite 502, entrance on 26th Street between 7th and 8th Ave.
Contact: epc@meditationinnewyork.org
website: meditationinnewyork.org
Meditation is a mental discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It is a component of many religions and has been practiced since antiquity. It is also practiced outside religious traditions. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual or psychophysical practices that may emphasize different goals—from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind. Meditation is a simple yet profound method to improve the quality of our lives and develop inner peace. By following very simple, practical instructions we can learn to let go of the causes of our pain and dissatisfaction and gain the inner peace and clarity we seek.
Chakrasambara Buddhist Center is a Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Center in New York City. Located in Chelsea, the center provides meditation classes and teachings throughout NYC and the greater New York area, including Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, and Upper West and East sides of Manhattan. Taught by qualified Western teachers, the meditation classes are very easy to understand and apply to our daily lives. The classes are suitable for both beginners and more advanced meditation practitioners, and emphasize how to meditate and practice in our NY urban environment. They offer a wide range of classes, from basic introductions to Buddhist meditation, applying Buddha’s teachings to daily life issues such as anger and improving relationships, to comprehensive study programs of Buddhist view, meditation and action. They even have meditation classes for children. If you are interested in taking part in this Meditation for Kids program, please contact Karla, the Education Program Coordinator at CBC, by emailing: epc@meditationinnewyork.org
Reflecting with David - Feng Shui
JanMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
A Place of Healing: Fen Shui New York
Contact: zaihong@bigfoot.com (212) 219 - 1979
website: fengshuinewyork.com
Feng Shui is based on the premise that people, places and things have energy. The people, places and things that surround us profoundly affect us. Learning how to attract what is best for you and your goals and then move forward, you need to be very clear about what it is that you desire as well as what is not acceptable. At times it is challenging to be clear as to what we want. Feng Shui can assist you in becoming clear and moving forward... READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Books & Spirituality
JanMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
A Place of Healing: East West Book Store
Address: 78th Fifth Ave. @ 14th St., Chelsea
website: eastwestnyc.com
NYC has quite a few bookstores specializing in spirituality. However, my favorite is East West, located on 78 Fifth Avenue @ 14th St. The store has been around for over 30 years, and they recently changed their name from East West Books to East West Living, as they offer much more than just books.
There is a vegetarian café that serves lunch and dinner from 10am to 8pm daily. Often I sit there quietly reading the books I have just bought. This space is also used for informational seminars, book signings and workshops.
They have an array of spiritual merchandise and accessories, too, including yoga pillows, crystals, homeopathic therapies, essential oils and jewelry. There is a large selection of
The website www.eastwestnyc.com has a lot of information about upcoming events, workshops and even a list of book genres.
Enjoy!
Reflecting with David - Craniosacral Therapy
JanMon 2010 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Last week we talked about Reiki as a mode of energy healing. This week I want to share with you another modality, which is a little more physical. It works with a "pulse" that flows through the spinal fluid. This “pulse,” similar to though much more subtle than that of the cardiovascular system, allows the spine's nerves and the brain to be constantly bathed in a nourishing fluid.
The craniosacral system comprises the meninges (membranes) and cerebrospinal fluid, which surround and protect the brain and spinal cord as well as the attached bones, including the skull, face, mouth and the sacrum. This system plays the vital role of maintaining the environment in which the central nervous system functions...READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Reflexology
DecMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
One of my favorite massages is reflexology of the feet. I do have a soft spot for a foot massage, as undoubtedly most people do. What is better than someone rubbing your feet after a hard day's post-Xmas shopping?
Reflexology is the science that deals with the principle that there are reflexes in the hands and feet which correspond to all the organs, systems and glands of the body. These reflexes access and influence all parts of the body via a network of biomagnetic pathways, also known as meridians, that pass from the feet up through the body. All mammals use the constant but varying pressure of walking on uneven surfaces to power this mechanism, which regulates and stimulates healing in all parts of the body. Over 5,000 years ago in China it was discovered that the practice of wearing shoes prevented this mechanism from working, and our health naturally declined. It was then that reflexology was born.READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Reiki
DecMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Reiki
In the past few weeks I have spoken of a few modalities and one of the first practices I learnt was Reiki. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy".
Reiki is an ancient, gentle, hands-on Energy Balancing Therapy. The Japanese word Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) describes a system for tapping into the Universal Life Force, sometimes referred to as Chi or Qi (pronounced Chee) the energy that creates and sustains all life. Infinite and unlimited, chi is the essence that gives vitality to form.READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Bikram Yoga
DecMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
A Place of Healing: Bikram Yoga NYC
Address: 4 Locations around Manhattan
what they are offering: For new students - 30 days of classes for $30.
website: bickramyoganyc.com
Last week I gave a little information on a yoga studio in Chelsea, but this week I want to expand that information to another type of yoga class that is a little more specialized.
What makes Bikram yoga different? The room is intentionally heated to 100 degrees to warm your muscles and allow you to work deeper and safer. The heat also heals, helps prevent injuries and promotes sweating, which flushes toxins from your body. The practice is a series of 26 Hatha Yoga postures and two Pranayama breathing exercises designed to provide a challenging, invigorating, rejuvenating and effective yoga experience. During this 90-minute class you will work every muscle, tendon, ligament, joint and internal organ in your body, giving you an incredible sense of well-being.
READ MORE...
Reflecting with David
DecMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Address: 243 West 24th Street, Manhattan, NY
Phone: (212) 255-4560
website: http://www.sivananda.org
It is like the one-stop shop to get pointed towards one direction of truth, and remember it is only a direction. Truth is as infinite as your own nature. So where could truth possibly be that does not include everywhere? Makes you think, eh?...
READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Desires
NovMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Desires are infinite. Each desire becomes a leakage of your power. If you are empty, with no power, tired, wasted in your desires, no proof that God exists can help you. All these proofs are for impotent people. The real person needs no proof of God's existence. He comes to know God from the experience of inner power, from his inner glow.
The mind is repetitive, the mind always moves in circles. The mind is a mechanism: you feed it with knowledge, it repeats the same knowledge; it goes on chewing the same knowledge again and again. No-mind is clarity, purity, innocence. No-mind is the real way to live, the real way to know, the real way to be.
First examine what is constantly there in your mind, what is being repeated again and again. You don't have many thoughts. If you examine minutely, you will see that you have only a few thoughts repeated again and again -- maybe in new forms, new colors, new garments, new masks, but you have only a very few thoughts.
The witnessing soul is like the sky. Birds fly in the sky, but they don't leave any footprints. That's what Buddha says, that the man who is awakened lives in such a way that he leaves no footprints. He is without wounds and without scars; he never looks back -- there is no point. He has lived that moment so totally that there is no need to look back again and again. He never looks ahead; he never looks back; he lives in the moment.
Reflecting with David - Truth
NovMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
Searching for truth and meaning takes great courage. Unless there is that deep inner pull and the consequent commitment, most people stay lost in their immediate desires of status, power and prestige. They need to acquire “things” to give their life meaning.
Some look for meaning in love; others in one religion.The truth of who I am comes from a yearning, and that yearning gives sustenance to a tiny seed buried deep in my heart. Slowly it will grow in search of who and why it exists. It may be only a seed of truth, but one oak seed, given enough time, will not just become a massive oak tree but will go on to become a whole forest and green a whole planet. Such is the truth of yourself...READ MORE...
Reflecting with David - Acceptance
NovMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
There’s an old saying about driving that goes something like, “You only notice red lights when you are in a rush.”
I take it to mean that your attachment to an outcome will create how you perceive it. Now apply that to life.
Think about it. Having anxiety about being late and sitting with this feeling in your car while the lights are red seems ludicrous. You will arrive at the same time whether you are relaxed or not. In fact, you may in a relaxed state think of a shortcut, which you may have otherwise not remembered.
The same goes for waiting for the subway. Who can just relax and accept that the train hasn’t arrived and you may be a bit late? That is the reality. Why do we find it easier to create anxiety over something about which we are powerless.
Acceptance can bring peace. Letting go of our attachment can bring peace, and yet that doesn’t mean giving up what one wants to achieve; it just means that you are allowing the truth of the moment and accepting your powerlessness and still getting on with it.
Life is like that, too. How easy is it to relax and allow life to carry you, and how hard is it to trust it? After all, do we really have any choice about life?
Reflecting with David
OctMon 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
How many times have we strolled into unknown streets to discover something new, a little apprehensive at first, and then delight as we settle in our new, raw organic café for a treat. My early twenties were like this. I discovered new lands and cultures as my stroll through life took me to different and unknown territories. It could be said that maybe I did stop a liitle too long to smell the flowers of some special place, and yet that happens on strolls quite often. Who hasn’t spent time in thrift shops? As I look ahead I wonder what new and wonderful places I will find, whom I will meet and what new understandings I may come to realize.
In the meantime I'm just going to stroll…
Reflecting with David
OctSun 2009 Filed in: Reflecting With David
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The Open Center
Where: 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
Website: opencenter.org
A few years go I did a volunteer program at the Open Center. I was in charge of the modalities, which
meant I booked all the appointments for the therapists. These are not your ordinary lay-on-the-couch
and talk-yourself-silly therapists--these folks get down with the hands-on bodywork that most New
Yorkers need to help relieve the stress of living the NY dream.
At the the Open Center (at 22 East 30th St., Manhattan), you will find information on every kind of healing imaginable, like Reiki, Kundalini Meditation and the Alexander Technique, and a directory of practitioners of these services. The Open Center also offers educational courses ranging from “An Evening with Deepak Chopra” to “Ayurvedic Nutritional Theory and Practice.”
If you are looking for deeper meaning in your life or just want to take an hour out of your hectic life to relax and gather your center, there is nowhere else that can give you all the information you ever need to explore the quiet that we sometimes forget from living as NYers. Check out their website (opencenter.org).
The Open Center
Where: 22 East 30th St., Manhattan
Website: opencenter.org
A few years go I did a volunteer program at the Open Center. I was in charge of the modalities, which
meant I booked all the appointments for the therapists. These are not your ordinary lay-on-the-couch
and talk-yourself-silly therapists--these folks get down with the hands-on bodywork that most New
Yorkers need to help relieve the stress of living the NY dream.
At the the Open Center (at 22 East 30th St., Manhattan), you will find information on every kind of healing imaginable, like Reiki, Kundalini Meditation and the Alexander Technique, and a directory of practitioners of these services. The Open Center also offers educational courses ranging from “An Evening with Deepak Chopra” to “Ayurvedic Nutritional Theory and Practice.”
If you are looking for deeper meaning in your life or just want to take an hour out of your hectic life to relax and gather your center, there is nowhere else that can give you all the information you ever need to explore the quiet that we sometimes forget from living as NYers. Check out their website (opencenter.org).
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