Shiva

Om Namah Shivaya

Who is Shiva?  I asked a fellow yogi, one who is more versed in philosophy or culture than I am.  He said Shiva is the destroyer.  “Of what?” I asked.  “Of ignorance,” he answered.  Then he told me there are three deities, Bhrama (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer).  To me it sounds like Jesus Christ (the creator), Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost (testifier of truth or…destroyer of ignorance).

Shiva is parallel to the Holy Ghost.  When I teach I rely on the Holy Ghost to help me know or sense what my students need and how to best serve them.  And so when I sing, “Om Namah Shivaya,”  or honor to the Holy Ghost I really mean it.  The Holy Ghost is what makes me a yoga teacher.

Namaste

 

Which side to cast the net?

I have been part of the production, “Savior of the World”  since before Christmas.  One of the stories depicted is of when the disciples were fishing after the resurrection.  They had been fishing for awhile and had come up with empty nets.  The Savior stood on the shore and asked if they had caught anything.  When they answered that they had not the Savior instructed them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. The did so and brought in a net full of fish while realizing that it was the Savior speaking to them.

This story came to mind this morning as I was waking up.  It came to me that I often pour my energies into fishing on the wrong side of the net.  For example at one studio I teach at the student attendance is low except for a handful of classes a week.  It isn’t just my class it is most classes that have less than five students on a regular basis.  I agonize over this trying to figure out what I need to do to bring a steady stream of students.

At another studio attendance is growing.  My music is welcome there.  I sing regularly for my Saturday 8am class.  We have adjusted time slots until they work.  On this side of the boat must I cast my net. 

The Savior can tell us which side of the boat to cast the net. 

Stake Conference

What a great Stake Conference today in the Anaheim East Stake, California area of Zion.  We have a new Stake Presidency…Pres Flake, Barney and Robinson.  We express our love and gratitude to Pres Francis, Wallace and Ham.

As President Flake stood up to speak I felt warmth envelope me and his personage settled into the place of Stake President in my being.  This is a great comfort to me.  This new presidency will be who I go to for my temple recommend renewal interview coming up this March.  I look forward to feeling of their love and stewardship over me, my family and my fellow brothers and sisters.

This is what sets us apart from any other body of religious conviction, the priesthood and the order and organization of government.  This is how Heavenly Father cares over His people.  He sets shepherds out to care for us and gives them His authority to carry out that stewardship. In this way is the welfare of God’s people made sure.  For if any man seek to do his own will contrary to God’s he will be removed by the same power that placed him there.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church restored in our time.  This is my testimony, sealed today in the name of the Savior whom I love.  Amen.

Permission to be creative

How I have wrestled with my creative side most of my life.  I’ve wanted to act, sing, write, dance, paint…creation in all its earthly forms.  For awhile I was having children and satisfied myself with that as a creative activity of eternal consequence.  I’m still creating because the children are still growing and parenting is a creative process.  Yes, it certainly is.  To nurture a soul takes a phletora of skills and to make it as effective as possible, not to mention fun and joyful, creativity is a great asset. That’s what I think, anyway.

“Creative work is not as selfish act of a bid for attention on the part of the actor.  It is a gift to the world and every being in it.  Don’t cheat us of your contribution.  Give us what you’ve got.”  Steven Pressfield at a recent conference

And my answer to that is…”Ok”. 

I gave up acting because of children.  I didn’t go on auditions because of my husband.  I even stopped singing while doing the dishes because husband would complain I was too loud.  If I think about it too much it could make me upset.  So, I am leaving all the missed opportunities in the past and I am starting now.  I have permission to be creative.  I begin now to follow my stars.  I refuse to believe my time has passed.  I am going to start right now, from this very second to unleash what I’ve got into the world, near and far, wherever it may go. 

I am not going to hold back anymore.  The time for temperance has past and now is the time for the tempest of creativity bottled up to be released.  Now is the time.

Mormon Yogis

I have several mormon yogi friends.  They can’t do handstands or vinyasas,  only one of them actually practices asanas.  But they are yogis…

Sis. Edwards grows food, eats organically and recycles.  (Incidentally she does restorative yoga).

Sis. Youngberg is the queen of compassion.  She brings my mom books to read and for all of us, homemade rosemary bread just because.  She lives ahimsa, non-harm to the max, except I think she does kill bugs.

Sis. Chang is multi-cultural.  She understands other peoples and is able to assimilate in other cultures.  She is able to decipher how people feel, highly intuitive.  And she has that forgetfulness quality to her.

Sis. Mecham is able to maintain composure through any storm.  Even when people speak critically to her she remains calm.  She does not let others disturb her peace.

…these are just a few.  These are dear ones who I am beginning to see with new eyes.  I used to think I had to be around other asana practitioners in order to grow in my own practice but now I see that I have been around these yogis all along.  How wonderful

Renewal

I was sitting in church today listening to the speakers.  The couple who spoke had been raised Catholic.  They had some anger and rebelliousness.  I have met other survivors of Catholicisms and Catholic school who were angry.  What do those priests and nuns do to people I would like to know.  Even my mom has issues with priests and nuns.  She went to a Catholic nursing school.  Thank goodness Mother Teresa outshines them all with her one life. 

As I listened to their struggles I thought of how easy it is for me to simply feel joyful.  It doesn’t take much, sunshine can do it.  I wondered if that was the yogi in me or just me and I happened to find yoga which supports who I already am.  I can feel God’s love in the sunshine.  It doesn’t have to get complicated like doctrine of philosophy.  Everything is already here before me. 

I felt renewed and grateful.  Lately life has been challenging but it always is on some level.  Listening to the speakers actually made me happy to be who I am.  What seems so easy for me seems hard for them.  We all have our crosses to bear, certainly.  But I am glad I have the ones I have because I know I can handle them. 

I want to just be happy.  It is an ability I will not take for granted again.  And I will not waist anymore time being otherwise.

On the question of Dinosaurs

I heard from a family member that another family member, who married into the family, does not believe in dinosaurs.  His reasoning is that it discounts the story of Adam and Eve.  I could not believe my ears.  What about the fossils?  They’re hard to ignore.  I mean they’re huge!  What cosmopolitan town natural history museum doesn’t have one? What does one who doesn’t believe in dinosaurs do faced with a large skeletal reconstruction of a T-Rex while taking the family out to the museum.  Besides what about Jurassic Park and Night at the Museum.  I mean those are truly great and memorable movies.  How can one not believe in dinosaurs?

On a more serious note let’s consider fossil fuels?  How could we be powering our cars all these years without fossil fuels which came from dinosaurs?  Here’s a thought!  What if dinosaurs are a part of the plan?  What if they existed, huge and magnanimous as they were, for all those years BEFORE humans, or Adam and Eve, came so that eventually they would provide us with fuel?  I mean, it would take one intelligent being to think of something like that, to plan ahead and provide for the eventual human race.  What if that were the case?  Wouldn’t that be crazy smart?  Could the Creator think ahead like that?  Of course!

Why can’t Dinosaurs, Adam and Eve, and since we’re on the subject, Evolution exist together and get along?  If our faith can’t handle that then we’ve got some work to do on that faith.  Personally, I think God is much much smarter than we are.  It isn’t that we have to disbelieve in Dinosaurs and Evolution in order to believe in God.  We have to believe in God enough to consider that we just don’t get it all.  But He does.