CBC Does a Story on Meditation and Yoga at Balwin School

I was very excited recently when Andrea Hunkar from the CBC came to Balwin School for a feature story on our daily Yoga and Meditation practices. If you wish to see the story, the web edition is available at:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/balwin-school-an-oasis-for-refugee-and-immigrant-students-1.2863869

The story also ran several times throughout the day on both CBC radio and television, in addition to being picked up by the CBC's national desk.

While this story tends to focus quite a bit on myself - a spotlight with which I tend to shy away from, it must be stressed that none of the good things that transpired to create this story would have been possible without the absolute support, buy-in and efforts of the entire staff at Balwin. The story also fails to mention my colleague, Munira Wazir. Munira deserves as much credit - if not more - than anyone at our school for making our practice what it is today. Munira and I worked solidly as a team to create all of this, and it is a shame that she was never mentioned as she most certainly deserves to be recognised for her contributions and efforts!

In closing, there is no formula or script from which one can take what we have done at Balwin that can be simply transferred and implemented elsewhere. Rather, it should simply be a catalyst for other schools to see the needs of their particular demographic and to pursue a holistic approach to serving their students. Serendipity had it that I arrived at Balwin with my vast experience in Yoga and Meditation, and was able to apply this to my group of students; all of whom were refugees with degrees of PTSD. Fortune truly blossomed into its proverbial lotus when Munira joined my classroom, with a similar background. From there, our love for the students and passion for our work led us onward, as it still does today.





++++Here is the original story that I sent to the media, resulting in the CBC story. At the time of writing, I am also awaiting word on whether Britain's Yoga Magazine will run part of the story.

Balwin: A Memoir On Mindfulness Mediation and Yoga for Refugee Children and Education Excellence

By Ed Meers

My name is Ed Meers, and I am a teacher at Balwin School. I am also a certified Yoga instructor who has specialised largely in PTSD. I have been a Yoga and Meditation practitioner for over 20 years. I initially started teaching Yoga in schools approximately 7 years ago where I offered Yoga as an options class at Highlands Jr. High. Five years ago, I moved to Balwin School where I was teaching in the Transitions program. This program was for refugee students with little or no prior schooling (grades 3-6), and no English language skills. I am now the ELL coordinator at Balwin, and teach ELL to students grades 3-9.

In the northeast corner of Edmonton lies a small piece of the Global Village. Balwin is an inner city K-9 school, comprised largely of immigrants, refugees and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

When Balwin is showcased in the news, it is typically with a negative slant. For several years, Balwin was rated at the bottom provincially in terms of academic achievement, and was known for having murders committed along its immediate boundaries four years in a row, the last being a decapitated human head.

Perhaps more disturbing than having a human head found in the alley behind your classroom, was the students reaction – or lack of reaction – from such an event. Sadly, many of the students at Balwin have come from refugee camps and situations in countries such as Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq where they experienced unimaginable traumas. The evidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is prominent in our student population, ranging from the inability to self-regulate to physical violence against staff and other students. Between the affects of PTSD, coming to a new country, new culture, learning a new language in addition to curriculum, and, for many, learning to be in a school for the first time, it has presented an incredible challenge for all parties involved, and, perhaps, sheds a bit of light on why Balwin often scores low provincially when it comes to raw academic scores. Students straddle between the new world in which they find themselves, and their old world which was rife with violence and, often, religious fundamentalism.

Growing up is difficult in general. One of my students who, quite honestly, is more of a son to me than pupil, will tell me that “one day Allah is going to hit the world with a big stick and I am going to have to cut off your head”. When I ask why would he do this, does he not care about me, he replies “yes, but it’s not me doing it. It’s Allah guiding my hand”. The challenges these students face, and those who are desirous of assisting them to succeed academically, are immense.

One of my former students, now in grade 9, from Djibouti, came up to me not long ago and gave me a big hug, then told me that her aunt was murdered - shot in the head – the previous day, back in Djibouti. This student has been through so much in her young life. In Djibouti, she was raped, lived outside and witnessed such horrors as seeing her aunt try to set herself on fire because she could no longer tolerate being a woman in this country. The suicide attempt had failed, so they killed her by ramming a nail in her head. Upon coming to Canada, her father lost his leg and later died. When she first arrived, she was extremely volatile and violent. She would have anxiety attacks so drastic, the we had to call 911 a few times as we were unable to revive her. Now, as a teenager, she has one foot in her traditional Muslim culture, and, the other in Western culture. We have concerns about her joining gangs, drug use, etc.This story repeats itself over and over again in our school. These are the children we serve, and offers a bit of insight into the massive barriers that we encounter as Educators.

Ultimately, this is a story of success. I have been teaching at Balwin for half a decade. Originally, I was hired as a Transitions teacher. This program, for which funding was recently ended, focused on students who specifically were new to Canada, from refugee camps and had little or no previous formal schooling. While my class was small and I had a cultural broker to assist me sometimes, there was seldom a significant difference between the students in my class and those making up the majority of other classes. Overall, we were looking at approximately 50% of students being English as a Second Language (ESL) school-wide, a statistic that remains about the same today (though I would say these statistics reflect a lower percentage than what I perceive to be the case in terms of numbers). These ESL students are not those coming from peaceful places with a culture similar to our own here in Canada. Instead, the majority of our students are of Somali background, with others coming from troubled or impoverished parts of the Middle East and South America. The resources to support these learners are quite different and extensive than supporting a newcomer who is from a place like France or Germany. In my first year, 5 teachers went on stress leave, fights were a daily occurrence – sometimes using rocks and pencils as weapons. There was often chaos and little learning happening. We had to assess how we could affect change. Given the situation, staff were dealing with children who came from what I would call “alpha” cultures – large families, interned in camps; a place where only the strong survived and the loudest were fed. In Canada, we do our best to nurture all students with inclusion and differentiation, often perceiving those attempting to become “alpha’s” in a negative light due to their aggressiveness and difficulty being a team player. Understanding the “why”, we could now ascertain the “how” to affect positive change. As we identify the problem, we can begin working on developing solutions.

With my class being the least restrictive in terms of curricular mandates and of a smaller size, but also of perhaps the most concentrated of negative and violent behaviours, I introduced daily Yoga and meditation. A practicing Yogi myself for nearly 20 years and a certified Yoga instructor, and also as a person with PTSD, I understood the value and impact that such a daily practice could potentially have on students. The movement of Yoga, coupled with the calming affect meditation can have and the amygdala and sympathetic nervous system, were, in my opinion, important first steps in helping students to withdraw from their fight or flight mode and engage in learning. From here, I needed to establish a set of classroom rules – which I referred to as “Our Classroom Agreement” – as a way to keep behaviours in check, develop community, empathy and create an environment conducive for learning. These rules were compiled based largely on the Tribes program which I had trained in previously, in addition to other readings and personal experiences. The result was the following:

1.      No put-downs

2.      Always listen

3.      Respect

4.      No fighting

5.      We all belong

6.      Never give up

7.      You control you

Success did not come quickly, and my first year was difficult. In all honesty, every year has pushed me to my limits. Still, abiding by my own rule #6, I continued to persist. A large part of making these ideas work was to develop positive relationships with my students and their families. At the time, most of my students were strong Muslims from Somalia, and accepting that meditation and prayer were different things did not come easy.

However, over time and with more relationship building which included learning a bit of Somali myself (and, since: Serbian, Romanian, Farsi, on top of my smattering of Slovak, French, German and Spanish), and Balwin’s organization of monthly information nights for parents who were new to Canada went a long way in building bridges and making Balwin a community hub; as well as providing us with the rare opportunity to have translators and effectively communicate with parents. So, again, by never giving up, these strategies began to have a positive effect.

After witnessing these success stories, our Principal proposed that we do morning meditation with all the classes. So we did, with even further success. Then we decided to take things a step further and agreed, in the interests of truly building a positive school community, that we should gather all the students from K-9 in the gym every morning for meditation. I can honestly say, five years in, that the impacts have been profound. School violence and conflict has reduced significantly as students utilize meditation techniques to calm down and self-regulate, and academics have increased in positive results. In my opinion, there is a direct correlation to the settling and peace within our school, and increase in academic success, and our mindfulness practices. Research tends to support the benefits of adding a mindfulness meditation and Yoga practices to school curriculums. Given the affects such practices appear to be having at a school with needs like Balwin, one might assume that schools with more stability would also gain profoundly from implementing such practices.

Balwin: A Memoir On Mindfulness Mediation and Yoga for Refugee Children and Education Excellence

In the northeast corner of Edmonton lies a small piece of the Global Village. Balwin is an inner city K-9 school, comprised largely of immigrants, refugees and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

When Balwin is showcased in the news, it is typically with a negative slant. For several years, Balwin was rated at the bottom provincially in terms of academic achievement, and was known for having murders committed along its immediate boundaries four years in a row, the last being a decapitated human head.

Perhaps more disturbing than having a human head found in the alley behind your classroom, was the students reaction – or lack of reaction – from such an event. Sadly, many of the students at Balwin have come from refugee camps and situations in countries such as Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq where they experienced unimaginable traumas. The evidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is prominent in our student population, ranging from the inability to self-regulate to physical violence against staff and other students. Between the affects of PTSD, coming to a new country, new culture, learning a new language in addition to curriculum, and, for many, learning to be in a school for the first time, it has presented an incredible challenge for all parties involved, and, perhaps, sheds a bit of light on why Balwin often scores low provincially when it comes to raw academic scores. Students straddle between the new world in which they find themselves, and their old world which was rife with violence and, often, religious fundamentalism.

Growing up is difficult in general. One of my students who, quite honestly, is more of a son to me than pupil, will tell me that “one day Allah is going to hit the world with a big stick and I am going to have to cut off your head”. When I ask why would he do this, does he not care about me, he replies “yes, but it’s not me doing it. It’s Allah guiding my hand”. The challenges these students face, and those who are desirous of assisting them to succeed academically, are immense.

One of my former students, now in grade 9, from Djibouti, came up to me not long ago and gave me a big hug, then told me that her aunt was murdered - shot in the head – the previous day, back in Djibouti. This student has been through so much in her young life. In Djibouti, she was raped, lived outside and witnessed such horrors as seeing her aunt try to set herself on fire because she could no longer tolerate being a woman in this country. The suicide attempt had failed, so they killed her by ramming a nail in her head. Upon coming to Canada, her father lost his leg and later died. When she first arrived, she was extremely volatile and violent. She would have anxiety attacks so drastic, the we had to call 911 a few times as we were unable to revive her. Now, as a teenager, she has one foot in her traditional Muslim culture, and, the other in Western culture. We have concerns about her joining gangs, drug use, etc.This story repeats itself over and over again in our school. These are the children we serve, and offers a bit of insight into the massive barriers that we encounter as Educators.

Ultimately, this is a story of success. I have been teaching at Balwin for half a decade. Originally, I was hired as a Transitions teacher. This program, for which funding was recently ended, focused on students who specifically were new to Canada, from refugee camps and had little or no previous formal schooling. While my class was small and I had a cultural broker to assist me sometimes, there was seldom a significant difference between the students in my class and those making up the majority of other classes. Overall, we were looking at approximately 50% of students being English as a Second Language (ESL) school-wide, a statistic that remains about the same today (though I would say these statistics reflect a lower percentage than what I perceive to be the case in terms of numbers). These ESL students are not those coming from peaceful places with a culture similar to our own here in Canada. Instead, the majority of our students are of Somali background, with others coming from troubled or impoverished parts of the Middle East and South America. The resources to support these learners are quite different and extensive than supporting a newcomer who is from a place like France or Germany. In my first year, 5 teachers went on stress leave, fights were a daily occurrence – sometimes using rocks and pencils as weapons. There was often chaos and little learning happening. We had to assess how we could affect change. Given the situation, staff were dealing with children who came from what I would call “alpha” cultures – large families, interned in camps; a place where only the strong survived and the loudest were fed. In Canada, we do our best to nurture all students with inclusion and differentiation, often perceiving those attempting to become “alpha’s” in a negative light due to their aggressiveness and difficulty being a team player. Understanding the “why”, we could now ascertain the “how” to affect positive change. As we identify the problem, we can begin working on developing solutions.

With my class being the least restrictive in terms of curricular mandates and of a smaller size, but also of perhaps the most concentrated of negative and violent behaviours, I introduced daily Yoga and meditation. A practicing Yogi myself for nearly 20 years and a certified Yoga instructor, and also as a person with PTSD, I understood the value and impact that such a daily practice could potentially have on students. The movement of Yoga, coupled with the calming affect meditation can have and the amygdala and sympathetic nervous system, were, in my opinion, important first steps in helping students to withdraw from their fight or flight mode and engage in learning. From here, I needed to establish a set of classroom rules – which I referred to as “Our Classroom Agreement” – as a way to keep behaviours in check, develop community, empathy and create an environment conducive for learning. These rules were compiled based largely on the Tribes program which I had trained in previously, in addition to other readings and personal experiences. The result was the following:

1.      No put-downs

2.      Always listen

3.      Respect

4.      No fighting

5.      We all belong

6.      Never give up

7.      You control you

Success did not come quickly, and my first year was difficult. In all honesty, every year has pushed me to my limits. Still, abiding by my own rule #6, I continued to persist. A large part of making these ideas work was to develop positive relationships with my students and their families. At the time, most of my students were strong Muslims from Somalia, and accepting that meditation and prayer were different things did not come easy.

However, over time and with more relationship building which included learning a bit of Somali myself (and, since: Serbian, Romanian, Farsi, on top of my smattering of Slovak, French, German and Spanish), and Balwin’s organization of monthly information nights for parents who were new to Canada went a long way in building bridges and making Balwin a community hub; as well as providing us with the rare opportunity to have translators and effectively communicate with parents. So, again, by never giving up, these strategies began to have a positive effect.

After witnessing these success stories, our Principal proposed that we do morning meditation with all the classes. So we did, with even further success. Then we decided to take things a step further and agreed, in the interests of truly building a positive school community, that we should gather all the students from K-9 in the gym every morning for meditation. I can honestly say, five years in, that the impacts have been profound. School violence and conflict has reduced significantly as students utilize meditation techniques to calm down and self-regulate, and academics have increased in positive results. In my opinion, there is a direct correlation to the settling and peace within our school, and increase in academic success, and our mindfulness practices. Research tends to support the benefits of adding a mindfulness meditation and Yoga practices to school curriculums. Given the affects such practices appear to be having at a school with needs like Balwin, one might assume that schools with more stability would also gain profoundly from implementing such practices.

Stretching Beyond Contemporary Yoga

I grow weary of the present Yoga fad. When I look at a Yoga magazine and see people in bodies blessed by air brushes and fortunate genetics, contorted in incredible positions, sporting bank breaking outfits, I want to cringe. What is happening in the modern popularisation of Yoga is particularly sad as many who participate on the bandwagon truly believe that they are practising Yoga. There was recently an Ashtanga Yoga competition here in town, making this incredible path of existence into a debauchery of judging as found in figure skating. The list of supplements people "must" take according to the many journals dedicated to Yoga offers false hopes and a fast buck for those selling the latest snake oil. My Facebook page is riddled with feel good and heart warming quotations which seldom see the light of day in reality. Perhaps, for a Yogi, I sound negative and should simply be grateful that Yoga is now so accessible and that people are getting off the couch and becoming active. I am grateful for this, but I also feel it necessary to state what I perceive to be the obvious, just as a friend should have the courage to step up and tell another the hard truth when they need to hear it.

So, before I turn my readers off with rancour, I will simply offer the following from William J.D. Doran. In his essay, Mr. Doran outlines the Eight Limbs of Yoga. What are the Eight Limbs of Yoga you ask? Precisely. You have been going to Yoga for over a year now and this is the first you are hearing of them for many of you. The simple fact is most Yoga classes you will take consist of only three of the eight limbs: asana (physical stretches), pranayama (breathing exercises) and touch of dhyana (meditation). After reading Doran's essay, perhaps then you will see the potential for Yoga to be an amazingly powerful life and world changer, provided that you adhere to them just as you adhere to the teachings of your Yoga teacher when in class. While a Yoga instructor can not possibly entertain all eight limbs in a class, I believe that they have a responsibility to guide their students toward reading more about Yoga philosophy. Whether the student decides to pursue this knowledge rests in that individuals decision to do so. Otherwise, both figuratively and metaphorically you will be nothing more than a poser (being unable to resists a pun), and you will not enjoy the full benefits of practise. 

The Eight Limbs , The Core of Yogaby William J.D. Doran

      
          The practice of yoga is an art and science dedicated to creating union between body, mind and spirit. Its objective is to assist the practitioner in using the breath and body to foster an awareness of ourselves as individualized beings intimately connected to the unified whole of creation. In short it is about making balance and creating equanimity so as to live in peace, good health and harmony with the greater whole. This art of right living was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago and the foundations of yoga philosophy were written down in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, approximately 200 AD. This sacred text describes the inner workings of the mind and provides an eight-step blueprint for controlling its restlessness so as to enjoying lasting peace.
         The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for yoga practice. Upon practicing all eight limbs of the path it becomes self-evident that no one element is elevated over another in a hierarchical order. Each is part of a holistic focus which eventually brings completeness to the individual as they find their connectivity to the divine. Because we are all uniquely individual a person can emphasize one branch and then move on to another as they round out their understanding.
       In brief the eight limbs, or steps to yoga, are as follows:

1. Yama :  Universal morality
2. Niyama :  Personal observances
3. Asanas :  Body postures
4. Pranayama :  Breathing exercises, and control of prana
5. Pratyahara :  Control of the senses
6. Dharana :  Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
7. Dhyana :  Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
8. Samadhi :  Union with the Divine

       The first two limbs that Patanjali describes are the fundamental ethical precepts called yamas, and the niyamas. These can also be looked at as universal morality and personal observances. Yamas and niyamas are the suggestions given on how we should deal with people around us and our attitude toward ourselves. The attitude we have toward things and people outside ourselves is yama, how we relate to ourselves inwardly is niyama. Both are mostly concerned with how we use our energy in relationship to others and to ourselves.

       The yamas are broken down into five "wise characteristics." Rather than a list of dos and don’ts, "they tell us that our fundamental nature is compassionate, generous, honest and peaceful." ⁱ They are as follows:

I. Yamas (Universal Morality)

1. Ahimsa – Compassion for all living thingsThe word ahimsa literally mean not to injure or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way whatsoever. Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence as adapted in yoga. It means kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things. It also has to do with our duties and responsibilities too. Ahimsa implies that in every situation we should adopt a considerate attitude and do no harm.
2. Satya – Commitment to Truthfulness 
Satya means "to speak the truth," yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth on all occasions, for it could harm someone unnecessarily. We have to consider what we say, how we say it, and in what way it could affect others. If speaking the truth has negative consequences for another, then it is better to say nothing. Satya should never come into conflict with our efforts to behave with ahimsa. This precept is based on the understanding that honest communication and action form the bedrock of any healthy relationship, community, or government, and that deliberate deception, exaggerations, and mistruths harm others. ⁱⁱ   
3. Asteya - Non-stealing 
Steya means "to steal"; asteya is the opposite-to take nothing that does not belong to us. This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take advantage of him or her. Non-stealing includes not only taking what belongs to another without permission, but also using something for a different purpose to that intended, or beyond the time permitted by its owner.ⁱⁱⁱ   The practice of asteya implies not taking anything that has not been freely given. This includes fostering a consciousness of how we ask for others’ time for inconsiderate behavior demanding another’s attention when not freely given is, in effect, stealing.
4. Brahmacharya - Sense control 
Brahmacharya is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity. Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths. Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth. Practicing brahmacharya means that we use our sexual energy to regenerate our connection to our spiritual self. It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way that might harm others.^iv
5. Aparigraha - Neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth 
Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy. We should only take what we have earned; if we take more, we are exploiting someone else. The yogi feels that the collection or hoarding of things implies a lack of faith in God and in himself to provide for his future.^v Aparigraha also implies letting go of our attachments to things and an understanding that impermanence and change are the only constants.

       The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviors outlined above become part of a person's daily life. Thus, the yamas are the moral virtues which, if attended to, purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society.

II. Niyama (Personal Observances)

       Niyama means "rules" or "laws."  These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the yamas, the five niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves as we create a code for living soulfully

1. Sauca - Purity 
The first niyama is sauca, meaning purity and cleanliness. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy, free functioning of our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind. Practicing asanas or pranayama are essential means for attending to this inner sauca. Asanas tones the entire body and removes toxins while pranayama cleanses our lungs, oxygenates our blood and purifies our nerves. "But more important than the physical cleansing of the body is the cleansing of the mind of its disturbing emotions like hatred, passion, anger, lust, greed, delusion and pride." ^vi
2. Santosa - Contentment 
Another niyama is santosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. To be at peace within and content with one's lifestyle finding contentment even while experiencing life’s difficulties for life becomes a process of growth through all kinds of circumstances. We should accept that there is a purpose for everything - yoga calls it karma – and we cultivate contentment 'to accept what happens'. It means being happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don't have.
3. Tapas – Disciplined use of our energy 
Tapas refers to the activity of keeping the body fit or to confront and handle the inner urges without outer show. Literally it means to heat the body and, by so doing, to cleanse it. Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea we can direct our energy to enthusiastically engage life and achieve our ultimate goal of creating union with the Divine. Tapas helps us burn up all the desires that stand in our way of this goal.  Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat. Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, attention to breathing patterns - these are all tapas.
4. Svadhyaya – Self study 
The fourth niyama is svadhyaya. Sva means "self' adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.
5. Isvarapranidhana - Celebration of the Spiritual 
Isvarapranidhana means "to lay all your actions at the feet of God." It is the contemplation on God (Isvara) in order to become attuned to god and god's will. It is the recognition that the spiritual suffuses everything and through our attention and care we can attune ourselves with our role as part of the Creator. The practice requires that we set aside some time each day to recognize that there is some omnipresent force larger than ourselves that is guiding and directing the course of our lives. ^vii

III. Asanas (Body postures)

       Asana is the practice of physical postures. It is the most commonly known aspect of yoga for those unfamiliar with the other seven limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The practice of moving the body into postures has widespread benefits; of these the most underlying are improved health, strength, balance and flexibility. On a deeper level the practice of asana, which means "staying" or "abiding" in Sanskrit, is used as a tool to calm the mind and move into the inner essence of being. The challenge of poses offers the practitioner the opportunity to explore and control all aspects of their emotions, concentration, intent, faith, and unity between the physical and the ethereal body. Indeed, using asanas to challenge and open the physical body acts as a binding agent to bring one in harmony with all the unseen elements of their being, the forces that shape our lives through our responses to the physical world. Asana then becomes a way of exploring our mental attitudes and strengthening our will as we learn to release and move into the state of grace that comes from creating balance between our material world and spiritual experience.

        As one practices asana it fosters a quieting of the mind, thus it becomes both a preparation for meditation and a meditation sufficient in and of itself. Releasing to the flow and inner strength that one develops brings about a profound grounding spirituality in the body. The physicality of the yoga postures becomes a vehicle to expand the consciousness that pervades our every aspect of our body. The key to fostering this expansion of awareness and consciousness begins with the control of breath, the fourth limb – Pranayama. Patanjali suggests that the asana and the pranayama practices will bring about the desired state of health; the control of breath and bodily posture will harmonize the flow of energy in the organism, thus creating a fertile field for the evolution of the spirit. "This down-to-earth, flesh-and-bones practice is simply one of the most direct and expedient ways to meet yourself. … This limb of yoga practice reattaches us to our body. In reattaching ourselves to our bodies we reattach ourselves to the responsibility of living a life guided by the undeniable wisdom of our body."^viii To this B.K.S. Iyengar adds: "The needs of the body are the needs of the divine spirit which lives through the body. The yogi does not look heaven-ward to find God for he know that He is within."^ix 

IV. Pranayama (Breath Control)

       Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy (prana) within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. When the in-flowing breath is neutralized or joined with the out-flowing breath, then perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized. In yoga, we are concerned with balancing the flows of vital forces, then directing them inward to the chakra system and upward to the crown chakra.

        Pranayama, or breathing technique, is very important in yoga. It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose. In the Yoga Sutra, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively. The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification. It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become more calm.^x As the yogi follows the proper rhythmic patterns of slow deep breathing "the patterns strengthen the respiratory system, soothe the nervous system and reduce craving. As desires and cravings diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration."^xi 

V. Pratyahara (Control of the Senses)

       Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means "nourishment"; pratyahara translates as "to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses." In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. It can then be seen as the practice of non-attachment to sensorial distractions as we constantly return to the path of self realization and achievement of internal peace. It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.
       In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. When the senses are no longer tied to external sources, the result is restraint or pratyahara. Now that the vital forces are flowing back to the Source within, one can concentrate without being distracted by externals or the temptation to cognize externals.
       Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around.
       No longer functioning in their usual manner, the senses become extraordinarily sharp. Under normal circumstances the senses become our masters rather than being our servants. The senses entice us to develop cravings for all sorts of things. In pratyahara the opposite occurs: when we have to eat we eat, but not because we have a craving for food. In pratyahara we try to put the senses in their proper place, but not cut them out of our actions entirely.
       Much of our emotional imbalance are our own creation. A person who is influenced by outside events and sensations can never achieve the inner peace and tranquility. This is because he or she will waste much mental and physical energy in trying to suppress unwanted sensations and to heighten other sensations. This will eventually result in a physical or mental imbalance, and will, in most instances, result in illness.

       Patanjali says that the above process is at the root of human unhappiness and uneasiness. When people seek out yoga, hoping to find that inner peace which is so evasive, they find that it was theirs all along. In a sense, yoga is nothing more than a process which enables us to stop and look at the processes of our own minds; only in this way can we understand the nature of happiness and unhappiness, and thus transcend them both.^xii 

VI. Dharana (Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness)

       Dharana means "immovable concentration of the mind". The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction.  "When the body has been tempered by asanas, when the mind has been refined by the fire of pranayama and when the senses have been brought under control by pratyahara, the sadhaka (seeker) reaches the sixth stage, dharana. Here he is concentrated wholly on a single point or on a task in which he is completely engrossed. The mind has to be stilled in order to achieve this state of complete absorption."^xiii

       In dharana we create the conditions for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of going out in many different directions. Deep contemplation and reflection can create the right conditions, and the focus on this one point that we have chosen becomes more intense. We encourage one particular activity of the mind and, the more intense it becomes, the more the other activities of the mind fall away.

       The objective in dharana is to steady the mind by focusing its attention upon some stable entity. The particular object selected has nothing to do with the general purpose, which is to stop the mind from wandering -through memories, dreams, or reflective thought-by deliberately holding it single-mindedly upon some apparently static object. B.K.S. Iyengar states that the objective is to achieve the mental state where the mind, intellect, and ego are "all restrained and all these faculties are offered to the Lord for His use and in His service. Here there is no feeling of 'I' and 'mine'."^xiv

       When the mind has become purified by yoga practices, it becomes able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Now we can unleash the great potential for inner healing. 

VII. Dhyana (Devotion , Meditation on the Divine)

       Dhyana means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation. It is perfect contemplation. It involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. The concept holds that when one focuses their mind in concentration on an object the mind is transformed into the shape of the object. Hence, when one focuses on the divine they become more reflective of it and they know their true nature. "His body, breath, senses, mind, reason and ego are all integrated in the object of his contemplation – the Universal Spirit."^xv

       During dhyana, the consciousness is further unified by combining clear insights into distinctions between objects and between the subtle layers of perception. "We learn to differentiate between the mind of the perceiver, the means of perception, and the objects perceived, between words, their meanings, and ideas, and between all the levels of evolution of nature."^xvi

       As we fine-tune our concentration and become more aware of the nature of reality we perceive that the world is unreal. "The only reality is the universal self, or God, which is veiled by Maya (the illusory power). As the veils are lifted, the mind becomes clearer. Unhappiness and fear – even the fear of death – vanishes. This state of freedom, or Moksha, is the goal of Yoga. It can be reached by constant enquiry into the nature of things."^xvii Meditation becomes our tool to see things clearly and perceive reality beyond the illusions that cloud our mind.

VIII. Samadhi (Union with the Divine)

       The final step in the eight-fold path of Yoga is the attainment of Samadhi. Samadhi means "to bring together, to merge." In the state of samadhi the body and senses are at rest, as if asleep, yet the faculty of mind and reason are alert, as if awake; one goes beyond consciousness. During samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious oblivion from which it first emerged.
       Thus, samadhi refers to union or true Yoga. There is an ending to the separation that is created by the "I" and "mine" of our illusory perceptions of reality. The mind does not distinguish between self and non-self, or between the object contemplated and the process of contemplation. The mind and the intellect have stopped and there is only the experience of consciousness, truth and unutterable joy.
       The achievement of samadhi is a difficult task. For this reason the Yoga Sutra suggests the practice of asanas and pranayama as preparation for dharana, because these influence mental activities and create space in the crowded schedule of the mind. Once dharana has occurred, dhyana and samadhi can follow.

       These eight steps of yoga indicate a logical pathway that leads to the attainment of physical, ethical, emotional, and psycho-spiritual health. Yoga does not seek to change the individual; rather, it allows the natural state of total health and integration in each of us to become a reality.^xviii

On Accepting

So much of what I read of the Buddha's teachings make sense. Difficulty lies in the acceptance of these teachings. How often do friends or family advise us on an issue, but we neglect the advice, even if it does seem to make sense? Every day we do things that we know may not be the healthiest or wisest of choices. This is part of being human, in my opinion. Our attachments do lead to suffering much of the time, and accepting things such as aging, ill-health and mortality still strike us harshly and oftentimes lead us to look for justifications. Using myself as an example, I have spent most of my life placing extreme physical demands upon my body, allowed stress to have a massive impact on my overall health and, when I do get sick it is usually really sick (I am presently overcoming a bout of pneumonia which hit me in early August) and, as a result, incredibly depressed. I need look no further than myself for that which transpires in aches and pains, illness, etc., and I am very aware that I need to make accommodations in my life to find a gentler balance if I intend to live to a ripe age... but still, my mind is set on living at a high intensity; driven like the addiction that it is. I must accept the nature of my being and accept that what I become is largely a part of the choices that I make. So much of what we see in the current Yoga and Eastern Philosophy is about stillness and "organic living" with a range of supplementation to replace the miracles of nature which have been washed from our foods - ideas that I embrace whole heartedly up to a point, wary always of the marketing and pretty labels. Stillness and mindfulness definitely lead one to being more in the moment and foster a sense of greater control - observing beauty that is often blurred as we rush about in the bustle of our lives. But, personally, my sense of being present has more or less resided in more masochistic undertakings - pressing up the side of a mountain, the rush of rambling over a technically challenging mountain bike route, clinging with fading finger grip on a rock ledge, pushing for the precipice. Ultimately, we all have our lifestyle choices. Mine might be read as being ego based, and, I won't deny that it feels pretty good when guys half my age struggle to keep up with my mid-life carcass. However, I do that which I do because I love it.

Hardest for me is the accepting that our lifestyle choices do not guarantee our perfect health and happiness. In the past two months, two women who are very dear to me, were diagnosed with breast cancer. These two individuals in their late 30's join another dear female friend of mine who had this disease in her late 20's, all of whom were/are active, healthy-lifesty oriented people (non-smokers, etc.). In my teen years, a friend of mine died of leukaemia, and, at present, a young mother across the street from us is in her second year of battling this horrible disease. My uncle, again, non-smoker and non-drinker, contracted liver and lung cancer, passing away at 65 years of age. Contrast this to my Aunt who smokes like a chimney, had bowel cancer in the late 1960's, breast cancer in the 1980's and is still going strong at the age of 80. My Mother, also a heavy smoker and not the healthiest of eaters, had breast cancer 5 years ago and has since made some positive lifestyle changes. My father-in-law, a spry man in his 70's and probably healthier than most, has never had a cancer, smokes a pipe constantly, loves his fatty, rich foods, wine and meats. I am not saying that all the science we have on the hazards of certain things is erroneous, but rather that, ultimately, life is what it is - no guarantees. 

So how are we to view and live our lives? At what point to we negate passion and pleasures for detachment with the goal of negating the sufferings they cause? What are we truly capable of accepting, being emotional creatures? In the end, it is a personal matter, and we can only find those answers within our selves.

Meditation In Schools

An Experience

Meditation and Yoga have found their way into our schools and appear to be growing in popularity as research expands on what potential positives can be gained through such practises. Based on my experiences, I am a strong-but-cautious supporter of seeing this happen. 

I've been practising Yoga and Meditation going on two decades and am beginning my 8th year of teaching in the classroom. The two have often intertwined. Up until last year, I had focused primarily on adult literacy and teaching inner city junior high school special needs students. I would often employ Yoga and breathing techniques throughout the year, and usually offered Yoga classes during our health week, but did not have a daily practise for my students. I don't know why, as the students tended to enjoy doing it, and the change in classroom energy was often positive. Then, last year, I took on a new assignment, teaching in a special elementary programme for new Canadians. While teaching my students English is a big part of the programme, it was is your typical ELL class. The students in my class are from refugee backgrounds, many of whom had never been to school, so my mandate is to acclimatise them to a Canadian school environment. This was a task that is both exhausting and rewarding. As you can imagine, my students have been subjected to significant trauma (this past year, all of my students had fled the conflict in Somalia via a couple of other countries), and the life skills needed to survive in a refugee camp are often quite different than those social skills needed in a Canadian school. There is often violence and, sometimes, the strains of PTSD, living in a foreign culture and the stress of living in the inner city are evident.

So, at the beginning of last year, I introduced Yoga, Meditation and chanting. I was surprised at how quickly I got the students to buy in. 

The Yoga I introduced utilised primarily compression techniques that, through learning about dealing with behaviour and special needs learners, allowed a controlled focus of energies that might otherwise manifest themselves in negative behaviours. This gradually expanded into balancing asanas to assist in focusing the mind and poses to allow for a sense of release.

Meditation was a little trickier to bring in. First of all, my students were all devote Muslims and I had to make it very clear that I was not trying to make them pray to another god or convert them. So meditation started off as "statues" where I attempted to establish good sitting posture, making a game of who could sit the stillest and the quietest the longest. Once this was working, breathing techniques were introduced and, by the middle of the year, the students understood the science behind the breathing as it pertains to stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, regulating the body's stress levels and interactions with anxiety.

Finally, I introduced kirtan style chanting. This was based on tones and rhythms - body vibrations - as opposed to focusing on the words (many of the chants were Hindu mantras). I used chants that were primarily non-secular, though Krishna, Shiva and Hanuman did get a fair amount of spin. These children love to sing, and they would put their whole hearts into their mantras. From what I experience while chanting, the vibrations do touch the body in a profound way, and the energy created is quite lovely. I love sounding off the "Om" or "Aum" at the end of a Yoga class.

Just a small anecdote on this strand: at the end of the year I took my students on a marathon day trip to the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. The kids were getting excited as we were approaching our stop on the massive ice buses they have there, so I said "guys, relax and meditate". And they did. They all started chanting "Om Namah Shivaya". What made this particularly wonderful is that the bus was full of tourists from India who, upon hearing these small African children chanting in Sanskrit, were all smiles.

This practise is how each day was commenced in my classroom, and took us approximately 20 minutes first thing each morning. The impact was profound and positive and the change in classroom energy was incredible. Techniques from our morning practise extended through the day as "posture" and "breathing" were often employed as cues to calm down potentially negative events. I believe that it benefited the students and was a positive contributing factor to their successes. I also believe that it taught my students in particular, how to better respond when upset or agitated. This being said, it was not all roses and, ultimately, a practise - not perfection.

In my introduction, I mentioned caution in regards to seeing a wider application of Yoga and Meditation techniques in our schools. This caution lies in the fact that most teachers are not trained Yogis, and it is not a simple curriculum that can be read and implemented. A massive part in successful application resides in the teacher themselves having a regular practise and developing understanding of the techniques. Certainly we see this in the world of Yoga today which has become a fashion and is pumping out inexperienced teachers like Starbucks pumps out coffee. Ours is a society that often popularises and dilutes things as a way of capitalising on a prospective profit. School teachers are more often than not being asked to teach outside of their area of speciality. While many do a great job, others struggle and this trickles down to the students in the classroom. All I am saying is that teachers, if they are to bring Yoga and Meditation techniques into their classroom, need to have PD and support, but also need to be an active participant in the whole undertaking. If we do that, the results, in my opinion, will speak for themselves.

Purpose

Purpose

In my opinion, what sets human beings apart from other species is the part of us that seeks purpose or meaning in life. Perhaps purpose or meaning is merely a product of our imagination, but, that is neither here nor there as our perceptions become our reality. This sense of attempting to comprehend can certainly lead to arrogance and, as we have seen, give us the false sense that we are above and apart from all the things that make up our world. It is inevitable that we create our own order in order to gleam a sense of sanity. Oftentimes, however, I find this order causes us to wish that all things can establish themselves in the relative borders of black and white. We attempt to compartmentalise people and seek a justification for those things that come to pass: karma, god, natural consequence, bad luck, etc. This is not to deny cause and effect - I am not referring to the fact that if you hit your thumb with a hammer that pain will be the result. I am speaking more to the complexity of the individual; our expectations of our selves and others - the "why" of relationships. It often feels as though we wish people to be of a prescribed predictability, while, in our works of fiction set in novels, movies, etc., we seek a greater complexity of the characters. I must confess that I frequently look to fiction - perhaps more often than in my own life - for greater meanings and purpose, coming away with a mix of great satisfaction and savage disappointment. I'll read more about the heroics of others, feeling that my own pursuits pale in significance when held up to such dazzling lights and luminaries. This is a sad thing.

I am trying to live more mindfully and acknowledge the gremlin in our psyche that causes us to look to the grandeur of the sky at the expense of that which is at our feet. Accepting things as they are, as opposed to what they "should" be. Having the wisdom to discern between the imagination of fiction and the incredibleness of that which presently is. When you contrast a beautiful piece of music or well written novel to the infinity that is the universe, we can see the wonder of this one fragment, but must realise that it is a minuscule speck of the greater whole. Everything is magic. The nature of the universe is also chaos; indifferent and limitless. Such a beautiful thing, of which we are a part, and, in which, we may mould our own experiences; there is no failure. Perhaps, this would thus preclude that there is no purpose or meaning - a difficult and discouraging thought. But why dwell on definitions? On compartmentalising and seeking that order? Surely, we have seen as people try to define "god" that such definitions immediately limit that which would be limitless and attempts to comprehend that which is not possible to comprehend. We are what we are. That is all there is. Be happy, for that is all that truly makes sense and regulates our actions.

Karma


Karma is a word we hear bantered about in Western society today and is a somewhat misunderstood concept. Karma tends to be interpreted as either a punishment or reward from previous lives or a repercussion of something good or bad that we have done. These are not unreasonable interpretations of Karma, however, these ways of looking at Karma seem to hint toward some divine law of the universe casting judgements on our behaviour. I do not believe this to be so.

In my opinion, Karma is a state of mind. We create our own good or bad Karma through our way of viewing and perceiving our experiences. Good things seem to happen to positive thinking individuals because, even when faced with adversity, they try to see something good. The same holds true for those who always look at the negative in a situation. I must confess, I often find myself sliding the way of the negative thinker, but I am becoming more and more aware of this and trying to alter the way that I respond to situations. It is not a rapid transition, but it is a transformation of thought that has become a bigger player in the way that I think.

Edward De Bono, in his works on Lateral Thinking, described our minds to be like a mound of Jello, and our experiences to be like pouring hot water on this mound. Just as we see with rain as it falls upon the earth, the water forms channels and, over time, as water seeks the path of least resistance, these channels are etched deeper and deeper over time. So, what De Bono is saying is that if we continue to solve problems using the same ways of problem solving, those ways - whether or not effective - become entrenched deeper and cause us to think in the way that we do. If this is to be accepted - I personally find it to be quite a reasonable assessment and have, as I stated previously, attempted to do this myself - then we can lead ourselves toward having better Karma.

In the end, we generate our own realities. The most empowering part of all of this is that we also have a choice. While we are a product of our experiences, we can chose to be something other - to experience a metamorphoses. While many believe in destiny and fate, I would state that that is irrelevant as we can still choose how to see these things. Sometimes our greatest horrors can become our greatest gifts. I've been through a lot in my life - oftentimes it's been harsh. But I'm still here, I am who I am and I control my choices. This is good.

Keeping Regular


Life is so busy, it's often easier to neglect one's Yoga practice. We need to look at Yoga as a complete lifestyle, in my opinion, if one is to truly reap its many benefits. When I say this, I don't mean that we simply need to do asana every day or go to a class a few times every week. Often I state that Yoga is about all Eight Limbs, as prescribed by Pantanjali. Don't get me wrong, physical asana practiced daily is a good thing and a wonderful way to start. It is, however, easy to become consumed by the physical as it tends to be the most obvious and simple part of being a Yogi. However, like going to church, the synagog, temple or mosque once per week while not being mindful of the teachings presented there is not quite the same as living by the teachings of one's preferred path.

The path of Yoga is, by no means a simple one. I would recommend starting with one or two things to slowly transform one's self. Take, for example, ahimsa - practicing non-violence. On the surface, this appears to be telling us not to be physically violin or harmful towards others. One may believe, since I do not kick puppies, spank my children or get in fist fights to have mastered this concept. While this is a good beginning, it extends far deeper than this. Allowing aggressive thoughts towards others pass through our mind, forcibly pushing one further or deeper into a pose or consuming animals as food are all examples of not practicing ahimsa. Rather than throwing one's hands up in resignation, it is important to emphasize the word practice. This is what Yoga - and life - truly is all about. It's about the journey, not necessarily about the destination. We often react in a violent manner, whether it is toward the person who cuts us off in traffic or at another who truly aggravates us. Breathe - we are all human. The main thing is to be aware that we are acting as such and endeavour to "catch our selves" and decrease the frequency as to how we might react this way. Over time, like thinking about things being half full as opposed to half empty, or seeing the positives in adversity, we gradually become more mindful and adapt our selves accordingly.

Making the time for practice is part of being reflective, introspective and truly being in the moment instead of wishing away the daily grind for special occasions and more notable parts of one's life. If we are not present in our daily lives - in the moment - then where are we?

One must also be patient. Yoga offers no quick fixes and can oftentimes lead us into turbulence. This is the nature of our being as all states are temporary: happiness, depression, loneliness, ecstasy and so forth. Confucius stated that "everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it". Just as the sculpture sees the masterpiece through the rough stone or the paints on their pallet, by cultivating a greater awareness will lead us onwards. We have spent much of our lives getting to the conditioned state that we experience at present, and we may expect a lifetime for transformation. As we continue to cultivate our ways in the spirit of the Eight Limbs - being honest, not hoarding, not stealing, using our energy wisely, dedicating one's self to self-study, demonstrating discipline, devotion and practicing pranayama (breathing) asana and meditation - we may eventually break the cycle of duhka (hardship) and embrace the meaninglessness of conditioned existence known as samsara. We live from our memories, a condition that is not always conducive toward a happy life. It matters not where we come from, but rather where we are now. The past is the past and the future lies ahead of us. To be content and accept the present will make for a better life. As Krishnamurti states: "A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man."We all love to be loved and to feel the tranquility and safety peace offers us. Despite our difficult lives, this remain attainable if we are willing to work in that direction. To live a life apathetically and as a non-entity is to not live at all. So take the time life offers you - it is all there is. Life is breath - it sustains both the body and mind. Take the time to breathe deeply.

Do I Believe In A Divine Deity?

 I've been fascinated by religion and philosophy for ages. Despite feeling that I am largely an existentialist and have no a belief in a god or gods per say, I have been finding a spiritual path of sorts, largely through my practice of Yoga (and I completely admit to being a Yoga zealot), and readings in the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Pagan and Sikh traditions. These traditions have left me feeling that I am free to explore my spiritual nature and I have taken aspects from each, as well as the western cannon of Philosophy and Psychology, to form the present day working document of my beliefs.

Certainly, I have given thought to the teachings of Christianity and Islam as well, however, I found their rigidity, vagueness, demands of obedience and leaps of faith to be too much for what I can accept from where I stand. There are wonderful teachings of peace and ideas of how to lead a spiritual life in Islam and Christianity, but the dogmatic nature of these faiths simply are not for me. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” This is how I see life - a subjective journey where change remains the only constant and, ultimately, all the elements for inner peace and internal chaos co-exist. It is how these elements arrange and manifest in the moment, and how we handle their manifestation that creates our reality and state of being. Nietzsche also wrote: “I teach you the Superman. Man is something that should be overcome.” While not intending to be elitist, I do believe in making life a journey of transformation, but understand that this may not look the same in the mind's of others. And so I try to live by the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So, yes, all faiths allow one to seek a spiritual path through a belief system, senses of morality and sense of the divine; some with more guidance and restrictions than others.

Bringing us to the ultimate part of all this - moving from the thought and action to the existence of things like a supreme conscious universal being- (G)god(s) and souls/spirits. There is energy that runs through all things on the planet - Science shows us this: electrical synapses and currents in the brain cause us to experience everything that we experience. Movement is energy and, in order to posses energy to move, we eat, draw from the sun, etc., and we exert that energy back into other things which our exertions, music, sexual intercourse and pregnancy, body heat, etc. Energy is stimulated when we sing or chant "Om" - resinating vibrations throughout our system, knocking the gunk out of our internal structure and forcing vibrations strong enough to shatter glass and ripple water. Rocks, water - all things possess energy and conduct it. Energy runs through all things. In the Yogic traditions, they have called this prana or kundalini, and Yogis seek to manipulate the control of these things through the body (you may have heard of the Seven Chakras or Five Koshas) and to link them back out into the universe. There's something to be said about energy and how it may be manipulated to a noticeable effect. Certainly after doing a few moments of deep pranayama (big belly breaths) breathing with my Elementary and Middle-school students in the past, even they could pick up on the noticeable drop in the classroom's energy levels from stressed and hyper to serene. During Yoga and meditation, even a first time practitioner can notice a significant change in their bodies on an energy and, oftentimes, emotional level, and this can become the pursuit of one's life's meaning. Again, the co-existence of internal bliss and chaos are elements seeded within us all and of the nature of being fleeting. Thus, we may work to master our energy, however impermanence is the nature of all in life - we may experience orgasms beyond dreams and suffering that presses us to the brink of suicide - but both sensations, which are massive energetic manifestations, will not last forever. Our mind is a chemical soup mixed with organic solids that, through the synapse, create all that we experience. The five senses, the cue for your heart to beat, all of those things are electrical signals. What alludes me in my sense of the divinity of this force lies in this energy's intelligence or potential consciousness beyond the self. We shed and gain new energy all of the time. Ultimately, there is a unification of thought and self maintained throughout all of this in life in our consciousness.

The question is, when the brain dies with the body, does this prana, kundalini, life force, holy spirit or whetever you chose to lable it, disperse or remain largely intact, either moving into the cells of something newly created or mixing with other universal elements (god?) and continue an eternity of manifestation and altering form?

Then there is breath. Breath, of course, sustains life. Pranayama, Kapalabhati and Ujjayi are just three types of Yoga breathing in Yoga that, when practiced, have immediate affects on the body. Likewise there is mindfulness meditation through Buddhism and prayer in general in other faiths.The breath connects us to our selves and to one another. We all breathe the same air, and, odds are, the air that is in your lungs now, keeping you alive, consists of the breath of billions of others, past and present. Perhaps you have a few respiratory drops of Gandhi, Lady Gaga, Charlie Sheen, Hitler or Mother Theresa in you right now. I worked for years in a maximum security prison and shudder to think of the negativity I must have ingested, but I've also been in proximity to many incredible people, so I'm hoping it all balances out karmic-ally. When we breath in, that O2 enters our blood stream and circulates around our entire body, nurturing each cell, cleaning out cellular byproducts and then releases them with an exhalation out into the universe.

So, you can see, that even Science shows that we are connected on a very deep level - penetrated down to the life of every cell in our body.The same principles, of course, include that which we eat and drink as well. So, between the breath, and synaptic/electric charge that unites all things, the question remains as to the intellectual nature of this universal life force. This world/universe is an incredibly complex creation which, in my opinion, will never truly be explained in terms to how things came into being. I shy away from the notions of intelligent design, thinking more in the area of pure miraculous evolution and adaptations; but , again, this is based upon my infancy of knowledge. Ultimately, all religions, in my mind, fall short in that they attempt to define God and claim to have captured his worlds. To give it a name, yes, I will say there is a God but one beyond the parameters of our comprehension. God is in all things (and I make this claim based on my life force theory) and, when we attempt to depict this, we have lost as we are incapable of seeing or knowing ALL things as they exist in their pure or absolute states, and these are things which we are not of a capacity to see; we can only perceive and relate to our previous knowledge and experiences. Quantum Theory will substantiate this statement. I see our human selves to be creature capable of limitless potential and think a large part of that promise can be found through Yoga and working with Prana and Kundalini (enter, Feddy's "Superman"). This is a difficult sell as many do not understand Yoga, holding limited interpretations based on modern Yoga trends and magazines which seem to be more about work-outs, fashion and the odd feel good phrase (hey - I stated clearly that I'm a Yoga Zealot!), and, you are right: simply stretching ain't gonna bring the light. Yoga, for those interested in following this point up for their own interest, is truly a way of life (but not necessarily the way for all) and, is not just about a 1 hour class of stretching and breathing on a Yoga mat, followed by a Caramel Macchiato at the local Starbucks while cloaked in the latest of the Lululemon line. That can all be great and lead to happiness. It's just not what Yoga is about - nor is Yoga about Moksha Hot Yoga Inc., Birkram trying to copyright asanas and treating Yogi's like Gurmukh as a celebrity (went to two seesions this week with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, and, while I'm very interested in pursuing Kundilini Yoga much further, I was sickened by the whole rock-star billing of the night. Not to insult Gurmukh's teachings as she has given much to Yoga and I'm certain she has her merits, but I thought her presentation was well below the standards I would expect from a seasoned guru of her stature. Again though, loved the practice)... and I personally love Starbucks - tall Americano...MMMMmmm!

In the end, can have a religious belief or a spiritual path. My choice is a personal one, as this should be for everyone. I am by no means claiming that I know the way or have a perspective any more enlightened that any of you. I do believe, for me, that Yoga is the ultimate means in which to remain in contact with the the beliefs I hold and that bigger spiritual relationship to the universe. Many see Yoga as bing simply physical or stretching, with a bit of breathing thrown in. It is not. It is a code to live harmoniously within and without and, like all personal journeys, is animated by both highs and lows as we come to grip with our truer being. To explain this, here is a piece on the 8 Limbs of Yoga as described by Pantanjali in the sacred Yoga text, "The Yoga Sutras":

Yoga consists of Eight limbs
written by Mara Carrico

 In Patanjali's "Yog Surta" , the eightfold path is calledashtanga, which literally means "eight limbs" (ashta=eight,anga=limb). These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one's health; and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature. Yamas The first limb, yama, deals with one's ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The five yamas are: Ahimsa: nonviolence Satya: truthfulness Asteya: nonstealing Brahmacharya: continence Aparigraha: noncovetousness Niyamas Niyama, the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Regularly attending temple or church services, saying grace before meals, developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice. The five niyamas are: Saucha: cleanliness Samtosa: contentment Tapas: heat; spiritual austerities Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures and of one's self Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God
(Credit: http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/158?page=2)

Asana

Asanas, the postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation.

Pranayama 

Generally translated as breath control, this fourth stage consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and the emotions. As implied by the literal translation of pranayama, "life force extension," yogis believe that it not only rejuvenates the body but actually extends life itself. You can practice pranayam as an isolated technique (i.e., simply sitting and performing a number of breathing exercises), or integrate it into your daily Hatha Yoga routine. These first four stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga concentrate on refining our personalities, gaining mastery over the body, and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, all of which prepares us for the second half of this journey, which deals with the senses, the mind, and attaining a higher state of consciousness.

Pratyahara

 Pratyahara, the fifth limb, means withdrawal or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, we direct our attention internally. The practice of pratyahara provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe our cravings: habits that are perhaps detrimental to our health and which likely interfere with our inner growth.


Dharana

 As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting fordharana, or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. No easy task! In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: a specific energetic center in the body, an image of a deity, or the silent repetition of a sound. We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In asana and pranayama, although we pay attention to our actions, our attention travels. Our focus constantly shifts as we fine-tune the many nuances of any particular posture or breathing technique. In pratyahara we become self-observant; now, in dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. Extended periods of concentration naturally lead to meditation.

Dhyana

 Meditation or contemplation, the seventh stage of ashtanga, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. The strength and stamina it takes to reach this state of stillness is quite impressive. But don't give up. While this may seem a difficult if not impossible task, remember that yoga is a process. Even though we may not attain the "picture perfect" pose, or the ideal state of consciousness, we benefit at every stage of our progress.

Samadhi

Patanjali describes this eighth and final stage of ashtanga as a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus and transcends the Self altogether. The meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine, an interconnectedness with all living things. With this realization comes the "peace that passeth all understanding"; the experience of bliss and being at one with the Universe. On the surface, this may seem to be a rather lofty, "holier than thou" kind of goal. However, if we pause to examine what we really want to get out of life, would not joy, fulfillment, and freedom somehow find their way onto our list of hopes, wishes, and desires? What Pantanjali has described as the completion of the yogic path is what, deep down, all human beings aspire to: peace. We also might give some thought to the fact that this ultimate stage of yoga—enlightenment—can neither be bought nor possessed. It can only be experienced, the price of which is the continual devotion of the aspirant.
(credit: http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/158?page=2 )

The Sikh Guru Nanak stated: "Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self." In the end, as Pascal's Wager states: "It does not matter whether or not I believe God exists" He, She or It is either real or not - believing God to be real makes him real only in our conscious mind - the same mind that oftentimes leads us to delusion and error. We see a rope, believe we saw a snake and that is what, in our conscious self we find to be truth.This rings true as what I think and feel is prone to change and the impacts of my thoughts simply lend themselves to the impermanence of all things - speaking from my Existentialist mind. Quantum Theory, as referenced earlier, is another factor one must weigh in too to see the magnitude of how little we know.Again, I echo what Nietzsche wrote: “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” In the end, I endeavour to nurture that connection within myself, to those around me and with the greater universe as a whole in a positive manner. No matter our path, it is our intent that truly defines us As we look inside we may see several different things. The important thing is that we find a way to make this looking viable and fruitful. In closing, to support Guru Nanak's thoughts, here are the first few lines from Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras - the bases of the sutures that sew and stitch together that sense of self and universal discovery, while liberating one's self from our thoughts, connecting to the divine self in the Yogic tradition. In yoga it is the direct experience from practice, which educates our beliefs. Our beliefs must conform to experiential "reality", not the other way around. When our extrinsic view of the world corresponds to how it truly is-as-it-is (swarupa-sunyam), then the view and reality are synched in a profound mutuality acting as mutual synergists. Something clicks, a palpable shift occurs, and one experiences harmony, true happiness, and peace. Through body/mind integration, love, beauty, and wisdom manifests through the yogi in action . 1.1 Now, instruction in Union. 1.2. Union is restraining the thought-streams natural to the mind. 1.3. Then the seer dwells in his own nature. 1.4. Otherwise he is of the same form as the thought-streams. 1.5. The thought-streams are five-fold, painful and not painful. Om Shanti