Shri Hamilton-Hubbard

Full Moon and New Moon Practices

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Honoring sacred cycles brings us closer to the Source of all cycles.

New Moon Practices: Hot Yinyasa
Studio heated to 90 degrees to encourage maximum detox. Our practice is slower paced for greater mental challenge with emphasis on strengthening the upper body and core combined with long, yin holds in floor poses to create space and expansion.
Dates: Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 5:30 pm
Thursday, March 26, at 5:30 pm
Friday, April 24, at 5 pm

Full Moon Practices: Warm Yang and Yin with Tantric Yoga Nidra
Studio heated to a cozy 80 to 85 degrees. The Moon, who is Yin, is at her most Yang on Full Moon as she reflects the most light at this time from the Sun, who is Yang. We begin with flowing Vinyasa to gently balance the Yang energy and then move into slower paced, Yin floor work. We close with the Tantric practice of Yoga Nidra, a profoundly revitalizing conscious relaxation using powerful healing points of energy on the body, the Marma Points.
Dates: Tuesday, March 10, at 5:30 pm
Thursday, April 9, at 5:30 pm

Yang: Ha-Sun, Male, Warming, Activating, Positive Charge, Logical Brain, Active, Contracting, Sympathetic Nervous System
(asana practices generally more active and physically challenging)

Yin: Tha-Moon, Feminine, Cooling, Receptive, Negative Charge, Intuitive Brain, Relaxation, Expansive, Parasympathetic Nervous System
(asana practice generally more slower paced, relaxing and mentally challenging)

Bliss Yoga Events

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:08:00 +0000

New! Pranic Alchemy Chakra Workshop: Saturday, May 9, from 1-4 pm, (new date). This experiential workshop explores the spiritual anatomy through asana, pranayama, meditation and contemplative journaling. We will learn and practice a chakra balancing meditation using gem stones and each participant will take home a set of healing gem stones.
Tuition: $60

New! 25 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training: Monday thru Friday, June 22-26, 9 am to 3 pm each day. This 5 day preliminary or supplemental tt draws on Shri Devi’s 10 years of teaching experience and explores the Bliss Yoga methodology- what we do and why we do it. We will study: 7 Multilevel Asana Sequences that Shri loves, 5 Tantric Kriya Meditations, an Introduction to Tantra- science, practice and philosophy, Bija Mantra Meditation, Vedic Shanti Mantra Chanting (Peace Chants), Exploration of our Lineage, the principles of Energetic Aligmnment, the Principles of Vinyasa, a Daily Pranayama Practice and the Bliss Yoga Shala Mission Statement.
Tuition: $600

New! Restoration and Cellular Repair Yoga Workshop: Saturday, July 25, 1 pm to 4 pm. This Workshop focuses on stress management, physical and emotional healing and soothing and harmonizing the nervous system. When we experience illness, injury, emotional turmoil or stressful periods of life, our Yoga practice should be supportive and nurturing. Open to Yoga practitioners of all levels and teachers, we will learn and practice a series of restorative poses, healing breathing techniques, conscious relaxation and peaceful meditation.
Tuition: $95, includes a beautiful, luxurious body bolster that each participant will take home with them.

Bliss Yoga 200 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training: September, 2009 thru May, 2010, 2 Saturdays per months for 9 months. While no previous experience is necessary, be prepared to begin a regular practice of Yoga from the first day of your training, progressing to a 5 day a week practice of asana and a 7 day a week practice of meditation by the end of the 9 months. You will be expected to attend at least one class per week at the studio during your training to practice teaching, assisting and to observe. (We will work with out of towners.)

Curriculum Includes:
Study and Practice of Asana, Pranayama and Meditation
Principles of Vinyasa Flow, Energetic Alignment, Physically Assisting and Modifications for all levels
Instruction on Intelligent, Multilevel and Multidimensional Sequencing
Practice Teaching in and out of the Studio
Waking up your Voice- Effective Verbalization
The History of Yoga- particularly our Lineage
The Philosophy of Yoga- the Yoga Sutras and an Introduction to Tantra
Anatomy and Physiology of the Physical body as it relates to asana as well as the energy body- the Chakra System
The Sheaths- the Map of a Being
How Yoga Works- The Map of the Mind
Working with the Sanskrit Language
Rasa Vinyasa- The Energetics of a class
Kundalini Rising
The Art of the Puja
The Guru/Disciple Relationship
The Business of Yoga
Kriyas, Mantras, Mudras, Bandhas, Ritual, Chanting and Much More!
Open to any student wanting a deeper understanding of the science of Yoga
Hours exceed Yoga Alliance RYT standards
Taught by instructors with a combined 40 years of Yoga practice and teaching!
2009 Dates: Sept. 5 and 12, Oct. 10 and 24, Nov. 7 and 14, Dec. 5 and 12 (8 am to 5 pm each day)
2010 Dates: Jan. 16 and 30, Feb. 13 and 27, March 13 and 27, April 10 and 24, May 8 and 22 (8 am to 5 pm each day)
Tuition: $2,000.00 includes unlimited Bliss membership for the duration of your training (does not include required books/ absolutely no refunds) Early bird registration: Pay in full by July 15 and pay only $1,800.00 !

Books Required for Training:
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (any translation)
Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff
Mula Bandha, the Master Key by Swami Buddhananda
Ashtanga Yoga, the Practice Manual by David Swenson
The Language of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman (audio cd set and book available from Sounds True at 800-333-9185 or www.soundstrue.com

7 Days of the Metta

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Because I love ritual and creating traditions, last year in the shala we started a tradition of a sustained practice of the Metta, beginning on Valentine's Day. The Metta is the Buddhist Loving Kindness Meditation and cultivates compassion and altruistic concern for all sentient beings.
It is traditional to state the blessings that come from the practice before beginning the technique.
According to the Dharmapada:
Your dreams become sweet, you fall asleep more easily and awaken contented, angels and devas will protect you, men and women will love you, your health will improve, your children will be happier, your thoughts will become pleasant, animals will not harm you, people will welcome you everywhere, if you lose things you will find them, your world will become more peaceful, even if you fall off a cliff, the trees will catch you.

The Metta opens the doors and windows to the heart and transforms us. It is the antidote to fear. The practice may be accomplished in countless ways. We will use this simple version. First we visualize ourselves in a protective bubble, surrounded by radiant light filled with all of the qualities we attribute to Divinity- Love, Forgiveness, Compassion, Wisdom, Generosity, Abundance and Healing Energy. Into this circle of light, we call in 5 beings and offer each this simple prayer- May You be Free from Suffering.

First Being: Ourselves- this can be quite hard for many, but learning to love ourselves is so beneficial.
Second Being: Someone we love- family, friends, lovers, even animals or Nature beings. The point is experience a tangible sensation of love for this being- most people feel it in the heart region- so pick the being that gives you the strongest sensation of love.
Third Being: Someone we do not like, either someone we have had conflict with or are currently having conflict with, maybe even a politician you are angry with.
Fourth Being: A stranger. Maybe someone from the studio that you often see across the room, but never speak to.
Fifth Being: We will use Mother Earth here and all of her beings- humans, stone people, plant people and animal people. Visualize the Earth as vibrant and pristine- clean and healthy with crystal clear waters and mountains abundant with majestic trees.The time spent offering blessings to each being is up to you. Our practice may be for a few short minutes or a full 5 minutes for each being.

Manju Jois Teacher Training and Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Manju will be back next year!

Troll Practice- the Dark Man of Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:02:00 +0000

The troll comes to me courtesy of Anna, Sharon Timpke's daughter. She gave specific instructions that we need to take good care of the troll so here is the troll enjoying our amazing, but crazy, winter weather. His skin is naturally dark so no need for sunscreen and his lack of genitalia discount the need for any cover up.

We began a new Tantric practice in the studio a week ago. It is the Dark Man of Sin Practice, affectionately nicknamed the Troll Practice. I am following the example of many great Yoga teachers who never completely put a practice out in written form. There is always something vital missing from the written instruction so that a teacher is needed to learn the actual practice.

Our work with the Dark Man of Sin is to expose that which is beneath the surface of the conscious mind to the level of conscious thought. We choose a negative habit or non positive aspect or quality of our personality that we wish to eliminate. Briefly, think about the pain this habit or quality has caused you and the problems it has created in your life. Whatever we are aware of on the conscious level of thought is merely the tip of the iceberg- know that the root of the problem lies deep in the subconscious.

Transform the habit or quality into an entity or dark man of sin or troll or gremlin, whatever you want to call it and let the troll embody the habit or aspect- if the habit is smoking then the troll is smoking, if the habit is gossiping then maybe see dark smoke coming from his mouth, if the quality is fear, then see the troll as very frightened, etc. In the mind's eye, place an image of the troll in the left side of your abdomen- a part of the body used for elimination.

In the practice, the troll will be systematically exposed to the elements, the tattvas, in order to destroy it.

Two main aspects of practice in Tantra are mantra and kriya. This practice is a kriya, a technique for purification. We will work with this very effective practice for 40 days. Please keep the same habit or quality for the duration of the practice, although it may change a bit as we progress- what in the beginning might be scarcity mentality might turn our to be fear or lack of faith. It is best to keep what you have chosen to release private- this is sacred work between you and the Divine. If you have a home meditation practice, the kriya meditations work best as a preliminary or supplemental meditation.

The journey to the self is not a group experience. It's solitary work.
Bery Bender Birch

Scheduling Updates for Special Events

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Schedule Updates for special events:

Because Wah! is chanting for us during savasana in Shri’s 5:30 pm class on Tuesday, January 13, Sherri’s 7:15 pm class that night is cancelled.

All morning classes cancelled the week of January 26 thru January 30 (both 8:30’s, both 9 am’s and both 12 noon classes) for the Manju Jois teacher training. On Saturday, Jan. 31, we will have an 8 am class ONLY and on Sunday, Feb. 1, we will have the 5 pm class ONLY. Regular schedule resumes on Monday, Feb. 2. Thank you for your patience during these schedule changes- we try to avoid them, but we also want to be able to offer amazing workshops.

Bliss Yoga News and Events

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Happy New Year! It is the year of the Ox in Chinese astrology and the ox is the symbol of material abundance and wealth. It is a great year to concentrate on building material wealth. (Very interesting, considering the world economy.) In Yoga, there is no shame in the pursuit of material wealth. Financial security is helpful in providing the foundation necessary to pursue spiritual wealth and growth......hard to meditate when the rent is due.

Shala News and Events:

There are still spaces available for the Manju Jois Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training and Weekend Workshop, Jan. 26- Feb. 1.

Sit Down Accoustic Chant with international recording star Wah! is sold out for Wednesday, January 14, BUT

Wah! will be chanting in savasana at our Full Moon Hot Vinyasa Practice on Tuesday, January 13, at 5:30 pm.

New Moon Yang and Yin practice is Monday, January 26, at 6 pm. We warm up the body first with fluid Vinyasa and then move into stillness with long holds in restorative floor poses. These classes close with longer practices of pranayama and meditation. Studio heated to a cozy 85 degrees.

New 6 am Warriors Flow practices every Tuesday and Thursday with Shri Devi beginning February 10!

Pranic Alchemy Chakra Workshop Saturday, May 23, 1-4 pm with Shri Devi. Explore the spiritual anatomy through lecture, asana practice, pranayama, meditation, chanting and contemplative journaling. This workshop includes instruction and practice of a chakra balancing meditation using healing stones and each participant will take home a set of stones for this purpose. Tuition: $60

200 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training is back by request and begins in September, 2009! For those who aspire to teach and for sincere students who want to learn more about the science- 2 saturdays per month for 9 months- full information coming soon.

Shri is writing a book that will include live audio cd recordings of Bliss Yoga Shala classes! We are hoping to complete this project by fall.

Hamilton-Hubbard Christmas Vacation 08

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:30:00 +0000

About 30 members of my family celebrated the holy days together in Virginia. Skiing, frisbee football, 4 wheelers, good food and laughter......as my sister says, we put the fun back in dysfunctional.

Kashi Ashram

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:17:00 +0000

These are photos of the beautiful grounds of Kashi Ashram in Sebastian, Florida. (about 3 hours away) This was the location for my Nada Yoga and Ayurveda workshop with Dr. Robert Svoboda and Pundit Mukesh Desai. The grounds are quite magical with little altars and temples around every bend in the charming, winding paths throughout the property. The building for the workshop was under a canopy of mature pine trees and the ground had a natural carpet of aromatic pine needles. There is a lake in the center of the ashram where the ashes of many devotees are scattered. The ashram performs vedic fire ceremonies for holidays (holy days). I am planning a group road trip down again for the fire ceremonies in the spring for Shiva Ratri, the celebration of Shiva, and in the fall for Nava Ratri, the 9 nights of the Goddess.

For more information about Kashi and the resident Guru there, Ma, go to

www.Kashi.org

Tara Rawson's Art Exibition and Reception

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:08:00 +0000

More Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Tara's show was a huge success! Thank you all for your support.

Graduation Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:20:00 +0000

Graduation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sun, 18 May 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Today was graduation day for our 2007-2008 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training class!

Worship is the effort on the part of the upasaka, he who does upasana, or worship, to reach the proximity or presence of God. Upasana literally means "sitting near" God.
Swami Sivananda

The new teachers performed a puja to formally close their 9 month training. Puja is ritual worship of one's chosen Ishta Devata, the personal form given to the formless energy of our Source. In Hindu philosophy (Advaita), there is no one God; there is only God.

God reveals Himself to His devotees in a variety of ways. He assumes the very form which the devotee has chosen for his worship. If you worship Him as Lord Hari with four hands, He will come to you as Hari. If you adore Him as Siva, He will give you darshan as Siva. If you worship Him as Christ or Allah, He will come to you as Christ or Allah.
Swami Sivananda

The puja is "God coming for a visit", much like an honored guest in one's home. The Ishta Devata is offered incense, food, water, flowers and prayers.
In the puja, the teachers offered up prayers of gratitude for the gift of the instruction they received and paid homage to the root gurus of our lineage. They asked for assistance and guidance in teaching Yoga. They received their new spiritual names and asked for support in integrating this new energy into their lives. Finally, they sent blessings to their dharma sisters and formally closed the ritual.
Our celebration moved to Treaty Park, home of one of the most amazing trees in all of Jacksonville. The Treaty Oak is massive and full of shakti. We took our class photo there- the tree was a beautiful reminder that the teachers will be anchored by the teachings of the root gurus and will, like the tree, continue to grow and flourish.
We broke our fasts together at 3 Layers, a new coffee shop in Springfield. The "Jeff Squares" rock!
Pranams to:
Erica Devi McLaughlin
Dawne Kumari Dowell
Sonja Tarini Reynolds
Stephanie Vimala Shieldhouse
Jayne Tara Parker
Natalie Prajna Lord
Mary Sivani Cobb
Bethany Uma Crawley
Rachel Suci Burney
Shannon Srila Kelly
Tru Vani Leverette

Reentry

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:26:00 +0000

The Lotus Shrine on a foggy morning and lit up at night

Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville, Virginia

I am so happy to be home!!!! This morning, I met Uma at Starbucks at 6:30 and we practiced with Bethany at 7. I have missed my friends so much! Seems as though i lost a bit of weight, my body felt light. My husband and i are still on luna de miel. :)

Omward Bound

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:35:00 +0000

On my last day at Yogaville, I meditated in Swami Satchidananda's tomb, Chidumbarum. It sits atop a hill with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge mountains. During the lectures on chakras, the instructor talked about how part of the process of healing the chakras involved balancing the feminine and masculine energies in each energetic center. Swamiji was a living example of this balancing of the natural polarities. He possessed many feminine qualities like the ability to be nurturing and accommodating and he possessed qualities associated with masculine energy like being an exceptional leader and being strong. One of the teachers who knew him for 30 years said that she had never seen him embarrassed. I found this particularly inspirational. How amazing to be so sure of oneself that we no longer care about what others think of us. Swamiji was the opening act at Woodstock, played at Carnegie Hall, met with several US presidents and many world leaders, yet considered himself to be a simple monk.
The morning Hatha practice was an international class! 8 teachers taught asanas in 8 different languages and 3 students sneezed during the practice and received bless yous in 3 different languages. Those 8 t/t's who are now t's completed the program with the added handicap of English being a second language. Part of the graduation ceremony at Yogaville is an interfaith ceremony. Prayers and chants from most of the world's religions are spoken and sung in a beautiful ritual aarti- light ceremony. It was actually my favorite part of the 2 weeks.
Retreat is always multifaceted....at times arduous, at times sweet with the nectar of clarity.....
Some things I will take home with me: During the lunch mealtime, a reading is read from Swami's vast writings and during this time, everyone is silent. There is always a table in the cafeteria where one may choose to eat that is silent. I sat there one meal by accident and liked it so much that I sat there many other times by choice. I find that I enjoy eating mindfully in silence. Also, when I received the name Shri Devi at my t/t I abbreviated it to Shri because I thought people might find it too strange and with my abbreviated last name- it is a mouthful, but after being called Shri Devi for 2 weeks, I find that I love the name and have embraced it. The Hindu holiday, Diwali, which is dedicated to the Goddess Shri Devi, was celebrated Saturday night at the ashram. It was a reminder of how auspicious the name is and what a gift it was to receive it. I also love the ashram practice of wearing whites when teaching Yoga and for satsang. White is the color of purity and it made teaching special. I think I will continue this habit on Full Moon practices.
Today, Sunday, my family celebrated my father's birthday in the usual festive Hamilton way, and tomorrow I begin my drive home.

The Final Countdown to Exiting Yogaville

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:53:00 +0000

I have nicknamed Yogaville the place of perpetual carpet. Though I have tried with passion and perseverance, I cannot find a private spot here with some even surface where I might practice Ashtanga. Therefore I am practicing without the vinyasa method and I am missing the metronome effect and the sense of play I feel with each jumpthrough. My meditation practice is 30 minutes longer here each day so in that realm I am very happy.
When I last blogged it was right before our Halloween celebration. At first it felt like I had lots of free time, but the schedule is quite full and when I have breaks I do not feel like writing. Sorry. Halloween here was so cute! The houses are very far apart so they do tailgating trick or treating. All the cars park in a large parking lot and all the kids go from car to car collecting treats.
Thursdays here are optional fasting days. The master cleanse recipe of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper is available all day. Last week, I found I was a bit cold so I will try some warm broth this time.
Last Friday was Kriya Cafe. Right after the 6 am meditation , the t/t's practiced some of the traditional purification techniques if they wanted to. Dressed in silly costumes to add to the festive mood, they drank salt water until they vomited and/or used a netti pot to clean the sinuses. A good time was had by all! The purification techniques are therapeutic and can make one feel exhilarated.
Yoga legend Lilias Folan was here over the weekend with a group of senior Yogis. She led the ashram in some beautiful songs at satsang on Saturday evening. There was a Sanskrit professor and author here that night as well. His name is Graham Schweig and he has written a beautiful translation of the Gita. I really loved his talk- he was very funny and very profound. He talked about looking at the world with the eye of love- Prema Netra. I love this as a lifelong practice. My day off was Sunday and I went to see my parents who live about 30 minutes away. One the way , I stopped to get gas and the owner of the convenience store was an Indian man with his young son behind the counter. It was Sunday morning and everyone in line except me was buying beer. When I came to the counter, I saw the man notice my Ganesh necklace and a look of understanding passed between us. I knew intuitively he felt there was common ground and that we were on similar paths. I looked at him with Prema Netra.
Yesterday, the t/ts had a class on Bhakti Yoga with swami Mataji. She spoke of Bhakti Yoga as the Yoga of love, faith and devotion which inspires us to commit to something fully. As we dedicate ourselves to some auspicious goal, love grows. She taught us the art of the puja- a ritual act of devotion. We watched her perform a puja and had the opportunity to place flower petals of the altar and to receive holy water and prasad- food infused with the energy of the puja. The t/t's received their new spiritual names at this puja and it was lovely to be a part of the ceremony. Tears of joy were abundantly flowing.
Photos of masters from many different traditions are everywher here. I love that- seems like one is on their best behavior when perfected eyes are watching.
I am missing Stan, our dogs and the Bliss Yoga sangha! I begin my drive back on Monday am after spending Sunday with my sweet twin sister. I am very excited to be back to teaching at Bliss On Tuesday night.
Peace , Love and Om!
Shri Devi

Karma Yoga at Lotus Shrine and Darshan at Ananda Kutir

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:26:00 +0000

Yesterday the morning wake up at 5:30 am was some wonderful live violin music by one of the swami's here. Our morning meditation was followed by a great Hatha practice. It was quite challenging and the teacher who is a swami in her 60's demonstrated a beautiful peacock pose. There are carpets on the floors here and I am having a bit of trouble adapting- my wrists are a bit sore. After, we all performed some selfless service (karma Yoga) at the Lotus Shrine. Photos are coming when I return but think of the Taj Mahal nestled in fertile mountains. My job was vacuuming the stairs and cleaning the windows. I pay someone to clean my own house, but this was a fun group project. I met a drummer here, Robert, who happens to play with Baghavan Das! He will be coming to Jax with Babba in Jan.- small planet! I also met someone from New York who knows one of our students, Margaret Bruner.
Today I was very excited because we went to Swami Satichidananda's house, Ananda Kutir, for darshan. Swamiji has achieved maha samadhi and left the physical form, but his presence is still vibrantly felt at Ananda Kutir and the darshan room even has his clothes and shoes draped over a chair with his photo inside. I saw the same set up for Swami Sivananda in India and I find it very sweet. Our group sat in meditation and I found my own meditation to be extremely peaceful. As our cars pulled into the driveway for the house, 5 deer greeted us as they playfully ran through the yard. I considered it an auspicious omen and a personal greeting from Swami Satchidananda. There is a beautiful Shiva statue here on the top of a hill called Kailash and someone saw a bear there today!
The weather continues to be amazing with warm, sunny days and cool evenings and mornings. I have lots of free time to do a second asana practice so that I don't forget Ashtanga and to read and hike on the property. I heard about a cave today that i will look for tomorrow.
Tonight we celebrate Halloween, Samhain, All Saints and All Souls day with an ashram party including costumes. Tomorrow our group will be fasting all day and Kriya Cafe will be Friday. Will explain in my next post.
Peace, Love and Om,
shri

Ashram Life

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:30:00 +0000

So, I begin my stay at Satichidananda Ashram in Yogaville (really!) Virginia. I am staffing the fall 200 hour yoga teacher training. There are 30 participants in the training, from all over the world. There are 3 daily meditations- at 6 am, 12 noon, and 6 pm, and a Hatha practice after the morning meditation.
The drive in was so beautiful! The leaves are already changing and they had their first frost of the season last night. I walked to the Lotus Shrine today for the noon meditation in the chilly air and bright sun. This land is incredibly beautiful and nourishing. I forget how much I love the mountains which surround us here. Much of our time is spent in silence here, where the only noises are from nature. A deep sense of peace permeates the air.
The food is delicious with many veggies from their own organic garden. I ate too much for dinner and had an uncomfortable 2nd asana practice around 7:30 pm. Tomorrow I think I will go back to my usual 2 meals per day and skip dinner.
I am coming in at the last half of this training so I have lots of catching up to do socially with the group.
It is time for bed- 9:30 pm - I miss you all! Lots of love, Shri

With His Holiness In Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 05:10:00 +0000

I arrived in Atlanta yesterday for an all day panel discussion today at Emory University on meditation and the treatment of depression. The Dalai Lama has accepted a professorship with this prestigious school and together they are proving in laboratories what meditators have know for years.
I am writing from my hotel overwhelmed with all the data I downloaded today. Depression affects 30 million people in North America alone and the average age of onset has changed from 55 to 24! While there is evidence of genetic disposition in developing depression there is so much good news in this newest data- namely that the practice of meditation can alter gene expression and prevent depression from developing!!! Also, this new data shows evidence of brain changes in only 2 weeks of meditation, where much of the previous data only used long time meditators.
This was my first time seeing the D.L. and I found him to be captivatingly charming and funny and humble. The person next to me experienced giggles at first in his presence and then 15 seconds later was sobbing uncontrollably. My own physical experience was a state of heightened awareness and overwhelming well being.
I was headed back to my hotel after the panel discussion for an early dinner when I was asked to volunteer at the monks' performance. I was whisked away in the monk van to set up the retail center at the performance. Some of you may remember some of the monks from their last 3 visits to Jax and I saw some of our old friends and worked with them selling books, t-shirts and sacred items. As always, spending time with the monks is a good time. Mundane tasks like running credit cards become fun when working with them. They seem to be perennially in great spirits and it is absolutely infectious. Later, I watched their performance and remembered how amazing the multiphonic chanting is. The monks chant 3 notes at once as they manipulate their voice box into a human amplifier. Every cell in my body seemed to vibrate with the chanting.
Tomorrow morning is an early morning teaching to the Buddhist community. I am hoping it will be a more intimate gathering, but I understand Atlanta has a very large Buddhist community and people have come from all over so it will probably be another very large group. Security is very tight. I could not even bring in my purse today. The D.L. is surrounded continuously by a large detail of secret service men who form a wall of human flesh to protect him. I was hoping this meant that the US now recognized the D.L. as a formal head of state, but asked and was told that he is recognized as the head of state of a nonrecognized state. Semantics, but apparently important in the political world.
Tomorrow, I head back to Jax and will be teaching at Bliss on Monday night. We will be practicing 30 days of the Metta soon in honor of His Holiness.

Synchronicity and Yoga with Michael Franti!

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:20:00 +0000

C.G. Jung's classic, "Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle", defines synchronicity as "a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of chance is involved." Joseph Jaworski calls these coincidences "predictable miracles."

I believe synchronicity to be one of the organizing principles of the Universe- the framework of chaos theory. I also live my life expecting synchronicity to happen and more importantly, using these subtle messages from the Source as a life compass. Life is so much easier when we go with the flow and move with the Universal current. Rather than being amazed when synchronicity happens, one should worry when these predictable miracles are not happening. The absence of synchronicity lets us know we have strayed too far from the optimal path.

So recently I had planned a beautiful trip to VA to Satchidananda Ashram to live and teach for two weeks at the ashram's fall 200 hour teacher training. My first Yoga teacher training 9 years ago was with this ashram in Mexico so I am so happy to be at a point in my life where I can be of service to this institution. As soon as I firmed up my dates for teaching, 3 unexpected events popped up for me here in Jax. Most of the time I am very much in control of my schedule, but these three events were out of my control. Years ago, I would have struggled against Universal rhythms, but now this is just how I live my life. I contacted the ashram and apologized for the extra work they would have to do to change my schedule and arranged to teach the final two weeks of the program rather than the first two weeks. The Yogis at the ashram could not have been nicer about the last minute change- it seems as though finding peace with change is part of maturing process of the soul. "I dwell in Possibility..." Emily Dickinson said.

So, one of the unexpected events was the opportunity to teach a private Yoga class to musical artist, peace activist and humanitarian Michael Franti! I am a fan of his music and his life choices. Sometimes activists can be quite angry, but I was very pleasantly surprised by Michael's gentle, kind demeanor. He is a dedicated daily practitioner of Yoga which is an amazing feat considering his busy schedule and I feel so grateful that our paths crossed if only briefly. Michael Franti is a warrior who shows up and speaks up. There will be a public showing of his documentary "I know I am not Alone" this Wednesday night at 7:30 at MOCA downtown.

Event #2 will be this weekend in Atlanta as I travel to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama! Saturday at Emory University, the D.L. and others scholars will participate in an all day symposium on the effects of meditation in healing depression, one of the D.L.'s pet projects. And Sunday will be private teachings to the Buddhist community. I am not a Buddhist, but I do have some monk contacts. :)

Event #3 will be the grand opening of the Lululemon Yoga apparel store in St. John's Town Center on Saturday, October 27. I am an ambassador for this globally conscious company and Bliss Yoga will be doing a Yoga demonstration there from 12:30 to 1:30.

All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this, and one of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out he has the necessary speed, the prowess, to pick it up.

The Nagual Carlos Castaneda

La Pura Vida

noreply@blogger.com (Shri Hamilton-Hubbard) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:38:00 +0000

We just returned from a holiday in Costa Rica. The land is lush, the beaches idyllic and the surf is great! The Ticos have a beautiful saying- La Pura Vida- The Pure Life. Many other cultures have similar phrases- La Dolce Vita in Italian- The Sweet Life, Carpe Diem- Seize the Day in Latin and the Aloha Spirit in Hawaii. I love this imperative to live life fully and completely, to suck the nectar out of every moment. When you are happy, you cast a vote in the Universal ballot box for more happiness.

FYI: Ticos have a longer life expectancy than Americans! Third World- Smird World.