Downward Facing Blog

Hello again, sorry for the long absence… was in Europe teaching yoga for a month! I think I forgot how to write in the absence
In case you’re around, I am doing a meditation on Sundays at 1PM, material I have not taught previously.Since the Sunday afternoon mantra meditations are only thirty minutes, and […]

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Tonight and tomorrow your thoughts are magnified 1000X 
According to the hindu calendar, once a year on the new moon in the month of “Maagha” (similar sound to the name for Ma-ka-ra for the Thai name for this month of March) occurs “the night of Shiva” or what is called “MahaShivaratri”
The tradition is to fast from […]

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Why listening to yourself is really important for you and the world and how it connects to sound

Last night Shane and I were watching Joseph Campbell’s series “Power of Myth”. I’m a few years behind I know. My friends periodically ask me if I had seen it (yet) and would  reprimand me for not having […]

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Then you’ll want to know about Kashmir Shaivism.
 
(Lord Shiva, the representation of divine consciousness)
 
 
I had to get your attention. I mean, if I put Kashmir Shaivism or Sankhya as the headline it might not pull you in. The thing is, Anusara yoga uses Kashmir Shaivism as it’s philosophical basis, although tweaked a bit.
 
 
Kashmir Shaivism […]

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(Saraswati as the principle of divine sound and speech)
You chant mantras all day long, so why not make it useful?
First the basics:
Mantra comes from two words: man and tra. Man stems from the word for lower mind: manas. Tra means to protect. So a mantra is a “mind protector”.
The mind has a kind […]

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When you chant OM with the right understanding, it becomes a powerful yoga practice in it’s own right.
Chanting OM has it’s own effect, and can be a powerful meditation. While it is a general mantra that does not require initiation, it is useful to know WHY we chant OM when beginning the practice of […]

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Everything in your perception is made up of the five elements, either on a subtle level such as in the form of thoughts and dreams, or in a gross form such as in the way we interact with physical reality; like your body.
Those five elements are space, air, fire, water, and earth. Notice that it […]

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