Patanjali: Do I Invoke or Do I Not Invoke?

A the beginning of most Iyengar Yoga classes, there is a chant that is done in a call and response fashion. What is the purpose of this? I will share with you my thoughts on this subject. 

When I was in India, and had the privilege of being in classes taught by BKS Iyengar, his daughter, Geeta, and his son Prashant. All the classes always began with this chant. At the time, I had no idea what the chant meant and what the purpose of it was. All I knew is that I was in India, being taught by the most knowledgeable authorities on  yoga, and I participated in the experience, even though for the most part I was inventing the words.

After a few days of chanting the invocation, it became an essential part of my focal direction. My mind knew it was time for yoga, and it was almost like the cells of my body received the announcement that it was time to be in yoga mode. My body and my mind became accustomed to the foreshadowing of what was to come. A message to my mind to focus, and for my body to be ready. Then the asana would follow.

 (I did go home and learned the chant, and even taught it to my girls. They would mock chant the last verse around the house and crack up.)

As an iyengar yoga addict, I decided that if I were to share this system with others, I (Rosa) would try to stay out of the way, and just share the teachings as they were given to me, and truthfully, as I experienced or understood them. I found the teachings so profound, that I did not want to pollute them with my "improvements". BKS Iyengar is a yoga master, and his teachings have touched the essence of my being with such depth, that I want and at least strive to pass them on just as they have been delivered to me, either directly from him, or through the torch of his senior teachers. I chant OM and the Invocation of Patanjali before the class, just as I experienced directly with him. 

The invocation still helps me to focus my often agitated mind in my own practice. 

We call the chant "the Invocation to Patanjali". So who is this Patanjali, who feels the need to be invoked? Patanjali was an ancient sage, who codified the path of yoga. He organized the teachings of yoga in a systematic and progressive way. His teachings have lived for 3-5,000 years, passed down verbally from generation to generation. Think about it. We get to study and practice something that has been around for thousands of years. And we don't even have to go in a cold cave up in the Himalayas in search of a guru. We get to practice in gyms, trendy yoga studios, and pay lots of money for private instruction. The cool thing about all this explosion of yoga, is that we get to decide how much or how little we take in from the ocean of yoga. Some are looking for exercise, some for enlightenment, some are there for fellowship. 

Just as one can choose how much to delve into this subject, as far as I see it, the invocation is optional. It may not speak to you. It may make you uncomfortable. This is when modern yoga can be adapted. The invocation can be an invitation for the ancient sage to bless us with the teachings of yoga. Or it can be a meaningless chant, or just a nice song. It depends on the intention you choose to put behind it. A very wise student of mine who practices Orthodox Judaism, asked me if Patanjali was a sage or a god, as she is not into idol worship. As a Catholic, neither am I. Patanjali was not a god, although there are theories of him being a semi divine being. He was a sage, who took the teachings of yoga and organized them for us. Believe it or not, there are yoga teachers out there who have never heard of him, lest alone think of invoking him... 

And what if I am not into invoking? There are some Iyengar Yoga teachers who do not use the chant. And they are still good people! Some only chant OM, and I have had some students who instead of chanting the invocation use this time to do their prayers. It has helped them to maintain a daily spiritual practice. Either way, the mind stuff is controlled and brought to a standstill to prepare for the practice of yoga. With or without Patanjali, the teachings can help us to understand our own Self. The dark cloud that creeps up in the mind, obscures our ability to have a direct view of the essence of who we are. That majestic essence which is a part of a greater collective consciousness. That unmanifested light that resides in all of us and makes us shine. Maybe we really all are semi divine beings of radiant light. Even if our name is not Patanjali.

April Fool's Joke Turned Social Experiment

PRESS RELEASE April 1, 2013 For Immediate Release Contact: Yogarosa (954) 456-6077

Want to own a Yoga Studio?      Yogarosa is for Sale! Hallandale Beach, FL Since 2002, Founder and Director of Yogarosa, Inc, Rosa Santana has been planting the seeds of Iyengar Yoga. It has grown into an amazing community of yogis and yoginis. After so many years of dedicating herself into this endeavor, Rosa has decided to relocate and spend some time writing, reflecting, practicing, studying, and pursuing other complementary modalities.    Before sharing the news with others, Rosa has decided to give her students first choice in carrying on her legacy. Please contact us at yogarosa@msn.com for details of this wonderful opportunity to own an established Iyengar Yoga Studio with a very positive international and of course, local reputation.   This was the email I sent out on April Fool's Day. It was an innocent prank to draw some laughs on April Fool's. I had no idea the lessons that would follow. The email was sent at around 7pm. After I finished my class and went to check my phone, around 830pm, I found that I had 30 emails, and 15 missed calls. The following 12 hours were followed by almost 500 emails, 30 phone calls, and 40 text messages. This experience taught me a lot about how people's minds work, and I decided to share the results, which continue to unfold as of today.  Like everything in life, each experience is designed to help us learn something. As the 500 emails arrived, there were basically three categories of people's reactions, with a small fourth category.  There were those who responded, "Ha Ha!! April Fool's!!!" (less than one third) Those who wished me well on my new adventure. (one third) Those who were stunned, saddened, very upset, or even pissed off. (one third) Those who wanted information on buying the studio. (13 people) I figured that most people would realize it was an April Fool's prank, since I did date it April 1st right on top, and it was sent out as a Press Release. The reactions were very intense, and interesting. The third of students who caught on, got the laughs, and wrote to me, "We know your sense of humor by now Rosa, and we know you wouldn't do anything so impulsive. LOL."  " Haha April Fool's!!"  My favorite response was this one... "Is this an April Fool's Joke?, if so, it's freakin' awesome!.... If not, it's freakin awesome!!" This is a person who has really understood the essence of non attachment. There was no judgement, no pain, only joy. Whichever the answer, it made no difference. It did not change this person's state of mind, and did not create any suffering.  The 2 thirds who thought it was real were divided. Half of these students were congratulatory, and wished me blessings and luck on my new adventure. Many reminded me of my own teachings, about being open and flowing with change.  " What a surprise! Congratulations, because one has to have the strength to make a change. Thank you for being an example to me of being fearless and to feel the need to fly higher or in a different direction. You continue to inspire me to challenge myself."   In this group, some emails had a feeling of remorse, such as, "I wish I had taken more classes with you, and now I will not be able to, but I am so proud and happy for you ."  "I haven't been to the studio in two years, and this whole time I could have been studying with you!!"  There were those who were so sad, that they cried, as their families tried to comfort them. They felt abandoned. Some felt betrayed. Some were in shock, and didn't really know what they were feeling. Many asked if there would be classes that week, and the tone was one of the end of Yogarosa. The snowbirds wanted to know where they would go for classes. A few asked if the teachers would take over the school. One teacher was upset to hear that she was being sold. With what right? And why wasn't she consulted? Another said I wasn't practicing ahimsa (Non violence.) But everyone had something in common. They all wanted to know. Why? What's going on? and why didn't I know about this?  In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Sage Patanjali defines yoga as " Yogah Citta Vritti Nirodah"  which translates to Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the consciousness. At Yogarosa we teach yoga. Through the use of the body, we are training the mind to be in a state of yoga, or a silencing of the mind stuff. Patanjali tells us that when we are in a state of yoga, or our mind stuff is quiet, we can then be in touch with our own Self. Otherwise, the mind chatter disturbs us and can create pain. He even describes the different kinds of mind stuff. They are correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, delusion, memory, and sleep. Patanjali speaks of consciousness, which he also defines as having three parts. Mind, Intellect, and Ego. So someone read the April Fool's Email, and something like this may have taken place within seconds in their consciousness... The mind read the email (correct knowledge at the time) The intellect processed the information either as real or not real, and created a story around it, usually based upon past experience. The ego reacted with a flood of emotions and felt emotions such as abandonment, fear, attachment, happiness, sadness, betrayal, anger, etc.... All of these emotions that ensued after the email were then settled the next day upon receiving another email stating that the whole story was fictitious. And this is the story of our lives. We see something, or experience something, and we create soap operas in our own mind. Nothing is really real. We all register what we see according to our own state of mind.  When we can truly be in a state of freedom, or kaivalya, is when the experiences and world around us don't affect us anymore. The email was an illusion, and after one day of pain, the next day there was relief again. Relief that the email was not true. Relief that Yogarosa, many people's second home was not going anywhere. That Rosa was not leaving.  Many didn't consider the fact that selling a business takes time. That Yogarosa is a community, and not just one person. Yogarosa would not exist if it were not for its wonderful team of teachers and staff. It would be non existent if it were not for the students. The biggest lesson was the one I learned. That lesson was that some of us are still learning. That no matter how much we study yoga, and we think we get it, we realize we don't. We are all here as a community called Yogarosa to learn from each other. I realized how much this sacred space means to so many. I also realized that it isn't fair to joke about that. I learned that not everyone has my sense of humor. Some read the email and were crushed. It was never my intention to hurt them. I also realized how much people love to talk. Only 13 people contacted me directly to find out details about the sale. There were many more calling my teachers, the students, to find out details. Details that were all an illusion. Details that people made up in their heads. Details that grew more complicated as they were created by minds full of imagination. The seekers of the truth went to the source. The seekers of gossip went elsewhere. In the end, the joke was not a joke, but a lesson to us all. A lesson in respect for each others minds, as we all have different ones, full of different things. A lesson about the tricks our own minds play on us about being attached. Even if I sold the studio, the yoga would not go away. The teachers would continue to teach. The community would continue to evolve.  When my teacher, Mary Dunn passed away, I did not stop practicing yoga. On the contrary, I continue to harvest the seeds that she implanted in me. I practice with her voice guiding me. I am starting to see the buds starting to blossom that she left at Yogarosa, as I mentor new teachers and pass along the gifts she gave me. I hope to follow her ability to spread the teachings of Iyengar Yoga as she did. The best suggestion I received from one of my students was "Contact all those potential buyers, and open more locations."  We"ll see....

Sandy Hook: The End of the World

On Friday, Dec. 14th, the day began with celebrations for the 94th birthday of BKS Iyengar. By lunchtime, celebrations were unimagineable as news of yet another senseless slaughter of innocent people. 6 and 7 year olds, and the teachers who protected them. We don't need to wait until Dec. 21st, 2012 to witness the end of the world. The world ended for the parents of those children. It ended for their siblings, their aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and grandfathers. It ended for the families of the heroes who shielded them. The world has ended when a parent goes to pick up a child at school, and finds out there is only a body. That the hugs will never be again. The only thing left is a memory. Pictures. Thoughts of what could have been. Perhaps the yearning to have uttered the words "I love you" more often, or at least one more time.

As a community comes together in shock, to understand the madness, let us come together as a human race to support those grieving families. They are our family. Forests are made up of many different kinds of trees, and their roots grow deep into the ground. The deeper we go, we realize that somewhere, deep in the core of the earth, those roots are all connected. So it is for us. We are all different, living in different places. Living different lives. Until we heard the news. Then we are came together. Sandy Hook families and community: You are not alone. We are all outraged. And we mourn with you. And lets hope this is the end of the world. The end of the world as we know it. The end of the madness. The end of the inexplicable. The end of the pain we are all feeling. Our broken hearts are still healing from Aurora. From Sept. 11th. From Columbine. From the stupidity of it all. Our hearts are all exposed. We cannot take anymore violence against human life. Let's end it. Not on Dec. 21st, but today. Now. Ahimsa. (Non-Violence)

A Different Thanksgiving

As I sit here and ponder the meaning of gratitude, I go through the list of those that I love. The people that add meaning to my life, and for whom I would do anything. My loved ones who have shared many happy moments, and history with me. Then I start to think about all that has enriched my life, and has brought me to being the person I am today, right now. And it dawns on me that I wouldn't be who I am without the hard lessons, the suffering and the tears as well. The joyful experiences have made life worthwhile, but it's the hard knocks of life that help me to appreciate the happy times. I have grown the most in the most hurtful situations, and the difficult moments have forced me to evolve. To evolve into a person who can see the joys and sorrows of life, the successes and failures, and continue on with resilience, dignity, and some sort of grace. I am grateful for each experience, each person, that has marked my life, whether at the time I "labeled" the experience as good or bad. My ego defined it as a happy or sad experience. One that brought me joy or sorrow. Looking back, I realize each experience was just that. An experience. My mind judged and decided if it brought me pleasure or displeasure. Of course I look forward to experiencing more joyful situations, but now I am grateful for the lesson that I need. Whether my mind may perceive it as liking or not liking it. I will live my life fully, in deep gratitude to each person and experience that helps me practice each moment. Thank you to all of you who have brought me joy. But most of all, Thank you to all of you who have made me suffer. I know it is temporary, and joy is just around the corner. But I will not be attached to my minds definitions. I will simply be grateful for the gift of a new experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aurora

A senseless killing. We are all witnesses. But what are we willing to do? Blame someone? What if we looked at the Aurora killings, and all the other horrific killings we have witnessed and ask ourselves, how did I contribute to that? And what can we do to prevent another gut wrenching massacre like this one? Or can we? As difficult as this has been to watch, and to read, we need to look at ourselves. Inside. Deep inside. Most of us harbor anger, at some point in our lives. It is healthy to express and feel it fully. It is not ok to take it out on innocent people. But right now we are all angry. Angry at ourselves. For tolerating and witnessing one more death. In front of our faces. We have all participated in this. By allowing ourselves the belief that we are safe if we bear arms. Thinking that we will be able to defend ourselves if someone points at us first. But that's just the delusion. We don't hear of anyone bearing their arms to defend themselves. Except maybe at war. But now there's a new war. The wars in our own backyards. The wars in our own homes. With our own families. It is a sad day, and we should all come together in mourning of the loss of those who will not celebrate next birthdays. For the mothers who will be unable to live content from now on. For the siblings who will not have anyone ro play with. For the heroes who shielded their girlfriends, and gave up their last breath for love. As painful as it is to watch, we must look at ourselves, and see where we can begin to let go of our anger. The anger that makes even a genius stupid. Anger makes us all stupid. Let's look at ourselves and find peace with our own being. Ask for a friend when lonely. Give our time to help others, so that we may realize our loneliness can be softened by sharing our time. That our anger can dissolve if we work through it. Let this horrible loss of lives not be in vain. Those that survived may feel a sense of guilt, but their lives were spared for a reason. This affects all of us for a reason. So we may see what anger looks like and the damage it can do. Let's all look into our hearts, forgive, release, and make peace with ourselves. Then we can start with our families. Then our neighbors, and from one look inside, we can begin spreading peace to each other. We are all connected. We suffer together, but we can heal together. Let's come together and not leave anyone out. Start today. You may just save a life. Or 12.

The Search for the Inner Child

My students teach me more than I teach them. And during my classes, I acquire knowledge. As my students learn, so do I. So it was last Tuesday. As I taught the 7pm class, I had a revelation. As children, we sing, dance and play continuously. Especially during the ages of three and four, children are in a magical world. Their world is beautiful, and the possibilities are endless. They can become anything, or anyone. They can go anywhere. The world is full of adventure, and they live in a world full of love. I remember hearing my three year old daughter, (now 20) singing a song from the show Barney, a purple dinosaur who had a heart of gold. The lyrics were "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too." (sing to the tune of this old man.) Children are naturally full of love, and that love is displayed in the way they move, singing happily, dancing with abandon, and living each moment fully. Each caterpillar is fascinating. A butterfly is captivating. A dog is to be cuddled. The body can move in so many cool ways, that children don't stop moving. Until we start telling them to stop. "Stay still." "Be quiet." "Behave." And little by little, we stop dancing. We stop singing. We start behaving. We start behaving how others think we should behave. We forget how to dance to the rhythm of our own music. We start obscuring our true essence. That which no one can take away. But which can be hidden a little bit at a time. With each spanking. With each raised command. Even Whenevr we are reprimanded by life. Some of us found a socially acceptable way of returning to our inner child consciousness. We discovered yoga. Here we get to move our bodies in a dance like no other. We get to chant, and feel our revived singing cells. We get to play. We get to put our bodies in strange positions. We get to explore our own boundaries. We challenge our sense of limitations. And those of us that stick with it, find out that there are no limits. That life is fun. That no matter how difficult the pose, it is not permanent. We discover places in our body that return to that space of joy. That essence of who we are without judgements. We can pretend to be a triangle, a camel, or a boat. We discover own own inner caterpillar. Fuzzy, moving slowly, and searching for a quiet space to begin the transformation. Because ultimately, we all want to become butterflies and be free.

The Ropes Story

Once Upon a Time, there was a yoga studio called Boca Yoga. This studio offered all kind of workshops, which I very often attended. The owner, Marti Parker, grew to become my friend, as well as Fairy Godmother. She suggested the workshops that I needed to improve my practice, and shared with me much of her vast knowledge of the world of yoga. She encouraged me and gave me advice on opening my own studio.

One sad day, she closed her studio, but not without sharing with me many props and equipment for yoga. My dream was her wall ropes. My constant visualization of her wall ropes hanging in my studio came true one day, after I took up a collection from our community. Her walls were transferred to my walls, and our community of yogis quickly learned to hang upside-down and to defy gravity in many unusual ways. During this time, the studio was growing, and I began to think about taking on a business partner, which I did. 

I moved my students, my props, my wall ropes and my soul to the new location, which after one week I realized was not the right choice. But my commitment kept me there for 6 months. When I realized my ethics and values were being compromised, I decided to leave. When I left, the wall ropes unfortunately were kidnapped, and I decided to move on. I was devastated, because the wall ropes were not even mine. They belonged to the Yogarosa students. I felt annihilated by the situation, and was legally advised not to fight for them. So I didn't. I had to let them go.

My students took up a collection, led by Izabel Carsalade, one of our teachers, and with donations ranging from $3 to $400, we were able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the ropes.  This included funds donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Florida for this purpose, since the students with MS were the most affected by the loss of the ropes. Including the MS Society in our efforts delayed our process many months, but it all paid off in the end. The ropes were selflessly installed by Ron Yoesting, husband of Madeline Yoesting, one of our Yogarosa pioneers. Enrique Cayeiro, and Lori Nadle, two of our teachers, as well as Madeline herself helped to actually put the walls together. I send them many blessings for their selfless service.

I also want to acknowledge Bobbi Goldin, of the Yoga Institute of Miami, Karen Gavrilov of Red Pearl Yoga, and Orli Rudolph, who also contributed to the New Rope Wall at Yogarosa. I also would like to thank Debbie Dhara Naim and Ricardo Triana, who painted a lovely Banyan tree and made our walls beautiful while they were bare.  Brian from the Great Yoga wall gave us an amazing price so that we could actually finance the much needed project. And don’t worry, now that the walls are up, the tree is still there. It might be obscured a little, but it is still there. (Also, don’t worry, Marti will return in January!)

Our old ropes have been replaced with a deluxe system that is infused with love, caring, and unity. The lesson here is that no matter how much something means to you, and you lose it, there may be something waiting in the horizon which will serve you in ways you never dreamed of.  The universe never takes anything away without replacing it with something better. My gratitude goes out to all the Yogarosa students who came together in this community effort. We can all enjoy this brand new yoga rope wall, knowing that it was a beautiful blessing for all of us.

Yogarosa Students, you are amazing!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

To celebrate, join us next Monday, Dec. 19th, 2011 at 7:30pm and learn to use the ropes!!! Come hang with us. Literally….