THE YOGA CONNECTION
Your Opportunity to Give
By Diane Swander & Atmarupa
In September, Yoga Connection introduced you to the North American Gurukul, Inc. [NAG], a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the growth of SATYANANDA YOGA® across North America. The Board of Directors of NAG is moving forward with the execution of a 5-year strategic plan that will enhance the opportunity to connect with the Satyananda community, discover the benefits of Satyananda Yoga and serve the communities we live in. The NAG strategic plan includes conferences, newsletters, a new website, and other opportunities for connection and communication with others in the community.
You might ask, “What does this have to do with me?” As a non-profit organization, NAG depends on people like you to help underwrite the cost of its programs. NAG is a 501[c][3] organization and every contribution to NAG is fully tax-deductible. By making a contribution to NAG, you will enable the organization to spread Satyananda Yoga beyond the Atma Center.
It is easy to support NAG and express your support for the growth of Satyananda Yoga. Send a check payable to “North American Gurukul” c/o Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118. You will receive a letter recognizing your donation and confirming your tax deduction.
All of the volunteers who are devoting their time to the mission of NAG are grateful for your consideration of NAG in your philanthropic endeavors. We also welcome your volunteer participation and recognize that one of the greatest gifts is to give of your time and skills. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Atmarupa.
In support of NAG, the Atma Center is donating ten 6 class pass gift certificates (each a $75 value) to be given to the first ten donors of $100 or more to the North American Gurukul. There will also be a “Facilitate Change Through Giving” workshop on Saturday, November 17 from 2-4 PM. Learn why giving can be a healing force in life. Your investment of $20 for the workshop will be donated to NAG.
Yoga and Pregnancy: My Experience
by Lynda Robinson
While pregnant, I learned that the body responds to stress in a way that can be more detrimental than before pregnancy. According to the literature, high levels of stress can harm the pregnancy in various ways by contributing to headaches, miscarriage, morning sickness, premature labor (in extreme cases), and sleep problems, generally making a high-risk pregnancy riskier (Murkoff et. al., What to Expect When You’re Expecting 2002). Stress is a normal component in everyday life, but when expecting, just thinking about stress and its contributions is stressful and carries a lot more weight.
Yoga and Yogic Studies at the Atma Center have influenced my pregnancy, as well as my labor, by providing me with tools and techniques to reduce my stress. Having completed the entire series of Yogic Studies courses, taking 2b during my pregnancy, I learned various yogic philosophies that helped put things in perspective: the Yamas and Niyamas, for example. “The yamas are meant to harmonize one’s social and external interactions, whereas the niyamas create a sense of discipline in one’s inner life." (Swami Niranjanananda, Yoga Darshan: Vision of the Yoga Upanishads 2002) My favorite Yama to contemplate during pregnancy was Aparigraha, or non-possessiveness, which leads to non-attachment. By reflecting on this social code, I felt less inclined to obsess over my body image or the perfection of my future child’s nursery. Non-attachment is essentially rising above ego-driven material needs, as well as developing a sense of nurturing that is selfless.
In Yogic Studies 2b, I learned more advanced yoga techniques involving bandhas and meditation. Bandha means to hold, tighten or lock (Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, 2002). I benefited most from moola bandha, which is the practice of perineal contraction, during the pushing stage of delivery. This practice increased my awareness of the perineum and the muscles of this region, so much so that I had to push only 20 minutes for my first pregnancy.
The meditation practice of trataka, or candle gazing, when practiced before bed, helped settle my mind for sleep. Although I was challenged by the advanced meditation practice of ajapa japa, the constant repetition of a mantra, I felt it best connected me to the growing life inside me. Through this connection, I felt that I held a sense of acceptance and peace with the changes in my body, mind, and heart.
The above practices provided the tools to reduce stress throughout my pregnancy, possibly resulting in a shorter labor – just 7 hours. Practicing yoga is much more than giving the body a workout. I feel that these meditation practices and yogic philosophies have helped me in the transition to becoming a mother.
Lynda Robinson is the proud mom of newborn Isaac Marshal. Lynda is also an Atma Center teacher, having received her provisional certification as a teacher in the style of SATYANANDA YOGA® upon completing Teacher Training I at the Atma Center.
What is Meditation ?
by Atmadarshan
Most people think of meditation as sitting still with closed eyes, but this is only one way to practice. There are also walking meditations, eating meditations, meditations you can do lying down, even ones you are supposed to do while asleep!
One key point to understanding meditation is to realize that it is not just a practice, but a state of being. Like good health, the actual state of meditation cannot be taught, although you can learn specific techniques that bring you closer to that state.
Meditation has several distinct stages. Each leads to the other in a very natural way. The first is called dharana. Dharana means “concentration with effort.” In dharana practices, the mind is given something to concentrate on. The object of concentration varies from technique to technique, and each has a particular effect on the mind. In the state of dharana, our mind will focus on something for awhile, then wander off (to lunch, to Hawaii, to an event in the past). We must continually bring the mind back to our object of concentration.
With enough training, however, our mind eventually will stay where we put it. This stage is called dhyana, effortless concentration. This leads to amazing efficiency, as our mind is focused on the task at hand and all our faculties work together. People who attain this state have penetrating insights and feel a great connection to life, since they are able to be completely in the moment.
The final stage of meditation is called samadhi. In dharana & dhyana, there is an object of concentration, but in samadhi, no object is necessary. Dhyana becomes such a habit that one feels total unity and connection with everything, one understands his or her place in existence. Samadhi goes beyond even this blissful state. It is said that one brush with samadhi forever changes a person’s outlook on life. It is also said that the experience of samadhi is so profound that it defies all words and description, so it is difficult to write much more here!
However you look at it, meditation is an invaluable tool for harnessing and directing our minds. If our hand would not open when we wanted it to, or hold onto anything, or move where we tried to move it, we would certainly go to a specialist to find out what’s wrong. Yet our minds habitually wander all over. We feel no control – we can’t even shut off our thoughts when we need to sleep or want to relax! There is no peace in life without peace of mind, and a meditation practice gives us the ability to take that first step toward peace.
WHAT IF 400 STUDENTS TAKE YOGA AT THE ATMA CENTER ALL THROUGH 2008?
There would be - -
- More calm people in the world
- More sense of community
- More class options
- No rate increases in 2008
- A long awaited pay increase for your teachers
Atma Center Calendar of Coming Events
| October 31 | Six-Week Class Session begins! Featuring the return of Stressbuster Yoga. |
| November 3 | Yogic Studies Open House Meet the teachers, see the course materials, ask questions about any Yogic Studies program, 1:30-3:30 pm |
| November 17 | Facilitate Change Through Giving workshop. Learn how giving can be a healing force in your life, 2-4 pm. Workshop fee of $20 will be donated to non-profit group North American Gurukul, Inc. |
| December 3 | 2007 Journey to the Mystic Land of India. An amazing trip including stops at the Taj Mahal, Sarnath (where the Buddha gave his first sermon), Varanasi, and the final session of a twelve-year tantric celebration of giving, the Raj Suya Yajna. This trip is sold out. |
This newsletter is provided to you by the Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. [216-371-9760 www.atmacenter.com] The Atma Center is one of three places authorized worldwide to offer advanced training in Satyananda Yoga through Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.