We All Have a Responsibility to Look at Injustice

"There is violence in this world because there is violence in my mind." - Lama Thupten Phuntsok

It is a core teaching of Yoga and ancient philosophies worldwide that the outer world is a reflection of the inner.  We all have a responsibility to look within and see our role in being creators, sustainers and destroyers of violence and injustice.  

With eyes of compassion and understanding we must look at our anger, attachments, jealousy, fear, anxiety and all mental habits that create and perpetuate injustice.  We must look at our shadows.  Let them speak to us and let us listen like mothers consoling a crying child.  It's okay.  Let the shadows surface and embrace them.  Shadow comes from light. When you embrace the shadow, you touch the lesson, the reason, the source.  What you embrace shifts.  What you resist, persists.  Embrace the seeds of violence, separation and injustice that are within you and there will be space for a different way.

If you are interested in learning yoga, find a teacher that can guide you.  If you are a yoga teacher and are not sure how to guide your students in this way, find a training to help you.  If you run a yoga business and have a platform of followers, remember and remind your students that we do yoga to train our minds so that we can be useful in the world.  

As immense injustice and violence continues, we have a responsibility to look at the seeds of injustice that we carry within, bring them to the surface, speak about them in our communities and awareness will lead us to next steps.

Just as each person's practice is different, so is each person's way to serve. No judgement. No comparison. No set way.  I'm not saying that every yogi has to go march in protests. Serve in the way that your heart calls you to, always.  But, do the inner work.  The inner work will make the shift between your actions being effective or not. 

If you are interested in training with me, come to Ishta Yoga in New York City September 22-24, 2017.  Doing deep internal work with the support of a community makes all the difference.  

Namaste,

Reema

Five Powerful Benefits of Meditation

What is Meditation?

One-pointed concentration, directed attention, awareness

Five Powerful Benefits of Meditation:

1.              Direct Experience of your Primal Identity

Connect with a dimension within yourself that is beyond words but has been described as "The Christ within," "Buddha Nature," "the True Self," "Atman" and "the indwelling God." When you are in touch with this dimension within yourself, your actions and relationships reflect the oneness with all life.  A strong sense of compassion arises spontaneously.  

2.              Direct Experience of Ultimate Reality

As you get to know your true nature, you begin to understand how reality works and how your mind influences your experience of life. Through meditation, information and concepts turn into direct realization.

“Believe nothing until you experience it yourself.” – Rig Veda

3.         Health and Happiness

Current research has proven that meditation:

•      Reduces stress and the production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.

•      Decreases blood pressure 

•      Lowers cholesterol levels

•      Improves immune function

•      Moves oxygen more efficiently by the body

•      Decreases insomnia

•      Alleviates post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

•      Enhances concentration and memory

•      Helps create harmonious relationships

•      Improves creativity and problem solving skills

•      Induces compassion

•      Reduces sensitivity to pain

•      Increases production of the anti-aging hormone, DHEA

•      Triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Each of these naturally occurring brain chemicals has been linked to relaxation, focus, pleasure, calm, contentment and reduction in fear and anxiety.  Through meditation, all of these neurotransmitters release simultaneously. No single drug can do this. 

4.         Be More Effective

Research reveals that we are 40% less effective when multi-tasking.

5.         Shift Your Reality

Physicists today agree with the ancient yogis in saying that your reality depends on where you place your mind. As you become aware of limiting thought patterns and mental habits, you can work with them and change your experience of life. 

"What your mind dwells on, you experience"  - The Bhagavad Gita

Motherhood, Husbands, Homes

Namaste, Friends,

I had no idea what motherhood and yoga would look like.  I thought I would have a house and a husband but life had other plans.  I could resist life and grasp to what is not, or open with curiosity to what is.  

Two years ago, I did a lot of resisting, but, thankfully, there came a moment, when I decided to let go and open. YATRI was born.  It encompasses everything that brought me from darkness to light: Personal Responsibility, Wisdom, Tribe, Accountability, Motivation, Movement, Meditation, Communication, Art, Nutrition and Service.  Yatri is a holistic experience of yoga that dives deep into yoga's therapeutic roots for lasting peace and healing.  

Yatri is now on tour!  I write from Helsinki airport, on my way to Crete, then England, then Washington State and Kauai.  My daughter, Mila, will be with me for most trips except Crete, but next time she comes to Crete! 

When I left Portland, Oregon over two years ago, fresh into single motherhood and out of my home where my landlords decided to not renew my lease, I leapt back to the east coast.  I left my work in Portland, my friends, my daughter's pre-school, her friends, our community, everything that started to feel like home.  It was painful but something inside me knew it had to happen.

I jumped. The net appeared.  It didn't appear from thin air.  It appeared from intention, trust, faith, focus, hard work, a willingness to lean on my east coast community of family and friends, and a fierce determination to honor my svadharma, the Sanskrit word for an individual's unique life purpose.  

Yatri is my svadharma.  Spreading Yatri is like riding the wave of life that brings me home wherever I go.  It's not the form of the home that matters, just the riding of the wave.  

Upcoming YATRI offerings:

• May 13-20 Crete, GR: Retreat
• May 26-28 Oxford, UK: Weekend Workshop
• June 2-4 Bainbridge Island, WA: Teacher Training
• June 23-24 Kauai, HI: Workshop
• July 28-30 Memphis, TN: Teacher Training
• Sept 22-24 New York, NY: Specialty Training

For details, see www.yatriyoga.com

Yatri is the Sanskrit word for "traveler," one who journeys inwards for a direct experience of truth and lasting peace.  Antidotes for anxiety, attachment, anger, depression and fear are taught through practices based in Indian and Tibetan Yoga, Psychotherapies and Shamanism.

Yatri is not affiliated with a specific religion or faith. We combine ancient practices with contemporary science to experience primordial truths that have been recognized by wisdom keepers worldwide.  

Look forward to seeing you at one of our events.  

Please forward this to anyone who you feel will benefit.

Thank you.

Namaste,

Reema

Lineage. Transitions. The Deathless Spirit.

"Spirituality and Service go hand in hand. Yoga makes you personally perfect and socially useful." 

"Be human. Forget these labels of Indian, Pakistani, American, Hindu, Muslim, Christian.  Identify yourself as human.  Universal brotherhood and sisterhood are the foundations of love." 

- Narendra Kumar (my Grandfather) February 8, 1920 - December 2, 2016                                                                         

Dear Friends, 

My Grandfather, Narendra Kumar, who I call "Bapuji," has passed on. He is my hero. A living example of a Yogi. 

When Bapuji was ten years old, he left his home in a small town in Central India with a few rupees in his pocket. He was determined to go to school as opposed to working at his father's store. He put himself through school, learned yoga, was a freedom fighter for Gandhiji.  He became principal of high schools in central India, traveled through Africa teaching Vedic philosophy, brought educational radio and t.v. to India, got married, had four daughters, did his masters in Education in London.  In the late 1960s, a group of American educators who were visiting New Delhi met Bapuji and invited him to work for the Washington County Board of Education in the U.S. Bapuji moved to the U.S. in 1968. He brought my mom to the U.S. when she was 20 years old and she did her masters in Pennsylvania.  He is the reason my family lives in the U.S. 

Bapuji eventually started working for the United Nations, and took my mom to live in Jordan for one year. He lived in several different countries. He lived a rich life.  Whatever was going on in his work, travels, life, Bapuji practiced yoga each morning. He took care of his health, cultivated energy each morning to spend the rest of his day in service.  

When Bapuji was fighting for India's Independence in the 1940s, he heard Gandhiji speak.  Gandhiji said to my young Grandfather, "When you are older, go to the villages of India and help from the ground up."  When my Grandfather was 65, he moved to Khaknar, a tribal village in central India, bought land, built two schools, a hospital, a community center and wells. He held workshops in literacy, farming, sanitation and women's participation in village governments.  Everyone in the village called him "Dadaji," which means Grandfather.

I saw Bapuji last February when I visited him in Khaknar.  Some of my favorite memories are sitting with him outside of his home under starlit skies talking about the Gita, philosophy, world leaders, life.  When I saw him last, I asked him what message he has for his Grandchildren.  "Be human," he said. "Forget these labels of Indian, Pakistani, American, Hindu, Muslim, Christian.  Identify yourself as human.  Universal brotherhood and sisterhood are the foundations of love."

Bapuji lived to be 96 years old. May his soul be in peace. Thank you for your prayers during this time of transition. Thank you for your presence in our lives. Thank you, Bapuji, for being.  May your deathless spirit experience infinite freedom and bliss.  

Namaste,

Reema

Sacred Site

As sacred land is violated in North Dakota, I wonder how often we violate the sacred land that is our bodies.  Just like Mother Earth desperately needs to be honored, I feel a call to honor our bodies as well.  May we remember how sacred the land of our bodies is, how precious and sacred intimacy is and to make sure the people we let in respect our sacred land.    

Remember: Your body is a temple.  You are a sacred site.  Honor yourself.  Be with those that honor you.

The body is often starved for nourishment, respect and honor.  Touch is precious.  Your body is sacred.  As we demand respect for Mother Earth, remember you are inseparable from Her.  Make sure you and the people close to you respect your body too.  

If we honor our bodies and hold ourselves in high integrity, others will do the same.  If we can do this with each other, it will affect how we treat and touch Mother Earth.

The Upanisads, one of the oldest known yoga scriptures, states, "If you think the Deity is one and you another, you do not know. You are that."  You are the God, the Goddess, the Mother, the Earth.  You are precious and divine.  Every moment you share with another is a gift. You are worthy of praise, honor and of being treated as sacred. 

Do you honor your body as sacred land? Do the people close to you do the same? Your healing is dependent on the people you surround yourself with. Your healing is in your hands.  Act.  Be with those that hold you in the highest light.  Hold yourself in light.  

Om. Aho. Sat Nam.

Flag Day

Published by Yoga International, August 2016

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/a-yogic-perspective

Spirit does not recognize color, gender, class, or nationality. Spirit sees only the heart and the energy that each individual radiates to the Whole—which includes the individual self, along with all else of life (plants, animals, other people, and the rest of nature).

A couple of months ago, I was in India and asked my grandfather, a 95-year-old yogi, the following question: If he had to give one piece of advice to the next generation, what would it be? My grandfather replied, “Forget these labels of Indian, Pakistani, American, and relate to each other as human.”

“Yes,” my soul responded, with relief, hope, and knowing.

Last week, my four-year-old daughter celebrated flag day at her American small town pre-school. As I watched her march with her Indian flag, my emotions were mixed. I love India, and I am happy to be of Indian descent. It is nice to connect with a community or a country and feel a sense of belonging—but not at the expense of separating myself from those of different ethnicities.

That night, I came home and “randomly” chose words from the Indian philosopher, Krishnamurti. This is what I read:

“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.

A man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”

Of course, reading these words was likely not random. There’s a good chance the universe was answering my inquiry. Spirit is constantly with us, responding to our every thought, but we need to be receptive, present, and available for the communication. A daily practice of steady, rhythmic movement, coupled with meditation, cultivates qualities of relaxation in body and mind that allow spirit to commune with Spirit.

The practice of yoga is not, of course, owned by India and Tibet. Indigenous cultures around the world have cultivated practices of meditative movement, special diet, and open communication to heal the individual so that he/she can live in harmony with the Whole.

Seek to relax all the ways in which you label and identify yourself. This will help you to strengthen your own unique and personal connection with the invisible world. You will likely see that Spirit is and always has been answering your every call.

Yoga and Immortality

A few weeks ago, I was visiting my ninety-five year old Grandfather in the tribal village, Khaknar, in Central India.  One day, I went to a school that he had built and did a session of yoga with the children.  There are three hundred kids who attend the school, from ages 7 to 16.  

While doing yoga with about forty of them, I had the fortune to see their bright, beaming faces and I could see that each of their faces carries the spirit of my Grandfather.  This brought relief and joy to my heart.   

No matter how many more years my Grandfather lives, I realize that the spirit indeed is deathless, as the yogis have always said.  It is our choice how much we give in this life to shine even after the body passes.

Today is the birthday of my Grandmother, Usha, who passed in 2003.  While my Grandfather was deeply involved in his work, bringing educational radio and t.v. to India, traveling to South Africa as a teacher of the Vedas, working for the United Nations in the Middle East, my Grandmother brought up their four daughters on her own in New Delhi.

Like many women, she is an unsung hero and to me the greatest of all yogis.  Growing up spending time with her, the peace that she carried amidst all types of adversity has had a lasting impression on me.  I remember her going in for major surgery and smiling, totally relaxed, a deep sense of surrender and trust, allowing life to happen as it does.  She was always like that, no matter the situation.  

My Grandmother inspired me to start the Usha Yoga Foundation in 2005.  Through this foundation, we have brought yoga to survivors of human trafficking in India, women who are healing from trauma in Rwanda, Korean-American women who have survived violence in Chicago, students who are overcoming anxiety and depression in England, amongst many others.  My Grandmother's spirit lives on in each of these people as well as her daughters, grand-children and the many people she touched while living.  

We are immortal.  The spirit is deathless. We are the ones with one thousand arms, like the images of heroes in many world mythologies.  The arms of the people my Grandparents touch are no separate from their arms.  We each are capable no matter what our circumstance.   How will your spirit live on?

Namaste,

Reema

To read more about the Usha Yoga Foundation, visit here. 

The picture above is my Mom, Grandfather and me after a gentle evening yoga session in Khaknar, India.

Lineage

People often ask me about my lineage.  My lineage goes back to the rishis, the earliest yogis who were "seers."  In silence, they connected to the earth, water, fire, wind and the cosmic order.  Their exploration was how to live in harmony with the cosmos in order to ensure the health of their family, clan, tribe and humanity at large.  Archaic yoga was less individualistic and more concerned with the Whole.  

Many spiritual traditions and indigenous cultures share this connection to nature, exploration of the cosmos, and rituals and practices to keep their community aligned with the Whole.  Perhaps my lineage is not so different from yours. 

Let Go and Let God

I just landed in Zurich after spending one month in India.  Being in India after several years was an exceptionally beautiful, rich and healing experience.

The months prior to this trip were some of the toughest of my life; a time of major transitions.  As I tried to figure out next steps, I came to a point where I wanted to give up.  I was too confused and exhausted.  

I finally decided to "Let Go and Let God."  Surrender.  I made a resolve to become receptive to what the universe has in store for me rather than try to figure it out.  I prayed, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." 

A friend traveling to South India had been inviting me to join him.  My Aunt in Jaipur invited me to stay with her.  Family members were encouraging me to see my Grandparents in central India. 

I had a lot of doubt and fear about going to India.  Will I be safe? Is it okay to leave my four year old daughter for over a month? Am I a terrible mother?  Yet, the feeling was too strong to let go of my fears and let myself open to the opportunities.

Since I made that decision to Let Go and Let God, only good things have happened.  An incredible trip to India, new friends and opportunities, deepened connections with my family, my daughter spending quality time with her Dad and Grandparents, and spaciousness within to perceive more possibilities. God is doing a much better job than my little mind!!   

A couple of weeks ago, while I was staying in Maharishi's ashram in South India, this message to let go was reinforced.  "The deeper experiences of yoga only happen in a state of complete effortlessness," my teacher there emphasised.  

I find that we humans have become really good at effort.  I imagine that many of us could use more surrender and trust in our lives.  With trust, comes relaxation, freedom from stress, more peace, less attachment, an ability to stay in the present moment and be receptive to all that is available to us now.  

From Darkness To Light

This past year was the most challenging one so far for me.  Slowly, over the past few weeks, I have come to the other side of painful times.  From darkness, truly comes light. When the heart is grateful, perhaps for nothing but to be alive – which is a lot – that foundation of gratitude keeps all in perspective.

I bow down to the darkness I have felt this year.  I bow down to the pain and the thoughts laced with anger, sadness, anxiety and fear – for I may label them as “negative,” but what they are is a gift…if I let them be.  If I can look them all straight in the eye, embrace them fully and say “thank you, I hear you, I see you, I will feel you and let the life cycle of your arising, abiding and dissolving happen,” then I can experience what is next.  For me, what is next – what is here – is freedom from expecting anything from the outside and a focus on living true to my potential.

Just a week ago, when I thought about 2015, the word that came to mind was “grief.”  There was the loss of my family unit, the death of a family friend, and the grief that I imagine we all share regarding the violence in our world.  Life indeed is precious and rare.  Is your life an expression of the treasures that lie within as this is the best way to honor the living and the dead.

Neuroscience indicates that we remember the last event of a series more than what came before (for example, the bad times at the end of a relationship rather than years of good times before).  Anger, fear and sadness may arise more commonly when we think of the past rather than enjoyment.  Our minds are so powerful we can change our experience of the past simply by attending to it in a different way.  For example, I can remember the beautiful moments spent when my family was together.  I can open myself to new experiences rather than dwell on what was not meant to be.  I can rejoice in the amazing memories of those passed.  I can find purpose and inspiration and awaken a reservoir of energy within to work harder for peace.  Instead of letting the pain bring me down, I rise.

The mind is an instrument that as we get to know, we can work with.  2016, I invite joy. May we handle our minds with such skill that we rewrite our past in the most constructive ways, live our present with deep understanding, and create a future where the definition of Self expands to include more and more beings. May we come closer to the truth of our union. May we together find the energy and vision to create peace and lasting happiness.

My contribution to the above goals:

1. See everyone, every event, every emotion as a gift, as wisdom itself.  Meet all with compassion and keep moving forward.
2. Drop expectation of others and focus on living true to my potential.
3. Judge no one while being concerned with my own actions, thoughts and expressions.
4. Be present to be radiantly alive, lucidly awake, and most useful to the world.
5. Allow moments of quiet every day to directly experience my breath and the treasures and truths this leads me to.
6. Express myself more.
7. Return to a daily personal yoga/meditation practice.
8. Play with my family more.
9. Be more kind and compassionate in my thoughts.
10. Make time to organize teachings that most benefit others.
11. See myself in everyone and in this way deepen my compassion for others and my experience of the universal truth that we are one.
12. Remember that everyone is a messenger of God, an angel, bringing me exactly what I need whether it is in a form of discomfort or ease.  We are already angels.  We are already God.  We are here for each other.  Practice gratitude at least once a day.

Thank you all for being in my life. Happy New Year.  Om. Amen. Aho.