Amrita Shiva Guru

I recently had the great blessing of a couple days of study with Tantric philosophy scholar Paul Muller-Ortega. Of the many, many jewels of his teachings, here is one I loved:

Amrita Shiva Guru

Amrita means nectar. It is the emanational expression of your own consciousness. It is our essence, and includes the qualities of astonishment, sweetness and joy. Paul asked us, do you remember a time when you felt unreasonably happy? We taste this happiness, this "nectarian consciousness", throughout our lives. Something happens that pierces and opens our heart, and the amrita, the natural happiness and sweetness of our own consciousness awakens. Though it may seem that this sweetness comes from an outside experience- such as watching an exquisite sunset or dancing into a state of bliss- amrita does not come from the outside. We don't have to go anywhere to procure this nectar- it is who we are, not just within us, but our very own essence. This feeling happens naturally when we are able to instinctively touch the sacred.

For all of us though, there remains the reality that we do not live in this nectarian consciousness all- or even most- of the time (although my three year old daughter seems to drink from the nectar of her own consciousness most of the time. She usually experiences a near constant state of delight in life and wonder at everything! Except for the usual human meltdowns and tantrums, of course).

How do we live from this state of being more of the time? This is where yoga comes in. Through practice, we begin to remove the obstacles to this state of being. It takes Abhyasa Kramena. Abhyasa meaning practice, kramena meaning a particular sequence... by means of a particular combination of elements, we learn to refine our state of consciousness.

A- Mrita means not dead! You are not dead. Our choice is to align with the higher reality of our lives.

Shiva means auspicious.

Auspiciousness is often meant to refer to something well begun, that which bodes well. In Tantric philosophy, Shiva is the auspiciousness of your own nature- divine, whole, perfect.

Guru means "the sacred intensity of that guiding consciousness inside of you". Guru means the heavy, weighty- the most weighty, or valuable, experiences and energies. That which guides and teaches us, sometimes in the form of an external teacher, but always a guiding consciousness that emanates from the inside.

With all things in life, may the Amrita Shiva Guru - the sacred intensity of that divine, nectarian consciousness that compels us forward on our path be our guiding light.

Though doubts and fears will arise- this is all part of the divine's pulsating dance of limitation and freedom- may we take the highest path, the path of the heart.

Written by Sara Rose

The Nature of the Universe

As we begin the final month of summer, we find ourselves completely surrounded by the beauty and heat of the natural world. What a wonderful time to contemplate the Nature of the Universe. On those balmy summer nights as we gaze up into the beauty of the night sky, we become aware of how small we are in the midst of the awesomeness before us. We begin to sense the oneness. Looking beyond our mats we find the many teachings of Anusara yoga to explore and reflect upon.

From the tantric point of view everything in the Universe is Supreme Consciousness. The Universe is comprised of both absolute and relative worlds of existence. Levels of existence are referred to as tattvas. There are 5 tattvas of the absolute world, 6 tattvas of the physical world and 25 tattvas of the relative world.

One of my favorite tattvas of absolute reality is Ananda which means bliss in sanskrit. It is supreme creative power. Ananda is associated with Shakti, the personification of the female principle. On the other hand Shiva is the embodiment of the male principle. The figure of Shiva and Shakti entwined in the yub-yum (mother-father) position is the symbolic representation of Oneness, the realisation that both are an aspect of the Singularity, the Total Consciousness, The Absolute ONE without beginning or end.

In the remaining weeks of summer take a moment to invite Ananda in. Let the beauty of nature be your guide. Simply bathe in the Summer sun or moonlight and breathe in the bliss.

Written by Susan Elena Esquivel

Guru Purnima

Sunday, July 25th was Guru Purnima. We hope you had a chance to enjoy the splendor of the full moon on this special summer night. If you missed it and have some curiosity about the origin of this celebration here is a brief history.

It is said that thousands of years ago the tradition of Guru Purnima began. A Guru is the one who dispels the darkness, or the one who brings to light that which is hidden from awareness. In Tantra the root words that are in Guru are GU= remover and RU= darkness. In simple language Guru is frequently translated as teacher. Purnima means full and it refers in this case to the Full Moon of the Guru. In yogic symbolism the moon represents the mind and the sun represents the light of God or the Self. The Guru is the one whose mind is full with the light of God.

A great and most revered sage named Vyasa is said to have been responsible for editing the four Vedas, writing the eighteen Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. In honor of this tremendous gift to humanity a tradition began of honoring Vyasa on the full moon that falls in the mid summer months. This time was the beginning of the rainy season in India and spiritual aspirants would all gather together to spend the next four months in one location where they would intensively practice their discipline. To sanctify their pursuit they would first pay respectful oblations to Vyasa and their own spiritual preceptor, or Guru. [1]

This day is also of deep significance to the farmers, for it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains, as the advent of cool showers usher in fresh life in the fields. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual 'sadhana' (practice) from this day forward.

Guru Purnima is a wonderful time for all of us to bask in the warmth of the moonlight and give thanks to all of our teachers past, present and future.


[1] Hindu Fasts & Festivals, Swami Sivananda, p. 28-36

Co-creation: Become an Artist of Life

When I was a teenager I came across "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz and it changed my life. Ruiz was so clear, so simple, so honest in his articulation of the Truth, it helped me through a very difficult time, and I have carried his teachings with me ever since.

Lately I've been contemplating what Ruiz calls "the victim & the judge". The victim and the judge are like two characters that the ego likes to identify itself with, two archetypes, if you will, that often unconsciously dominate our experience. The "victim" perceives life as happening to her, rather than with her, she feels small, stuck, trapped on the hamster wheel of samsara (the wheel of suffering). The "judge"is exactly what it sounds like: harsh, critical, rigid, perfectionistic, perpetually trying to control the world by judging it; no matter what happens, it's insufficient & unworthy to the judge, no one and nothing are ever good enough. Sound familiar? Clearly, this tendency of the ego to misidentify itself does not serve to enhance our life, rather it increases the feeling of limitation and powerlessness. So how do we get out of this victim/judge cycle?

We do yoga. And we learn how to become artists of life, using every experience as an opportunity to unfold our self and create the life that we want for ourselves, the planet and all of its creatures.

Yoga is the place of the middle, between the victim and the judge, between the helpless and the overbearing. Yoga literally means "to engage yourself", to engage your body, to engage your mind & heart, and as a result, to engage your life as the empowered co-creator of reality. We are neither the victim of our experience, nor so arrogant as to believe that we are in complete control of it. Instead we are actively receptive, empowered to receive whatever life is offering us (even when we don't like it) and empowered to use that experience to create the life that we want. Co-creation inherently means that we don't get to choose everything that happens to us in our life, but we do get to choose how we engage with whatever life is offering, in this way we become artists instead of judges. Furthermore, we do get to choose what it is that we want for our life, for ourselves, for the planet, and future generations. By knowing what we want, we become deeply empowered and deeply responsible, no longer the victim.

A beautiful practice that you can use on or off the mat is asking yourself the 3 questions of Yoga:

What do you want?
Why do you want it?
What are you going to do about it?

As soon as you engage these 3 questions, you are no longer the victim or the judge, but the empowered artist skillfully weaving the desires of your heart into the fabric of the universe.

Written by Amy Reed

Bhakti Brothers Kirtan - Sunday, July 11

Yoga Sanctuary is pleased to host these fine musicians once again. Last year they stopped in during their Roots & Wings Tour - it was a beautful evening and this one is not to be missed!

Join this sacred world music experience for an inspired, uplifting, rockin', and unique evening of kirtan, music, chanting, and mystic poetry. The Bhakti Brothers create a soulful and ecstatic celebration of Naada yoga (the yoga of sacred sound and vibration) and Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of love and devotion in complete surrender) with an array of unique ethnic instruments from around the globe.

Together Kirtan singer and musician Gaura Vani, multi-instrumentalist and singer Benjy Wertheimer, world percussionist and spoken word artist John de Kadt, and other consummate musicians (including Jahnavi Harrison, Warrick Moses and Purusartha das) will assemble for a powerful, mesmerizing musical community event of chanting, world rhythm, and mystic poetry.

Come and sing with an open mouth and dance with a widening heart!! Sunday, Jully 11 from 7:00 - 8:45pm. Tickets are $15 at the door. Visit www.johndekadt.com for more information.

July Workshops with Desirée Rumbaugh & Andrew Rivin

The Summer continues to shine bright at Yoga Sanctuary with exciting one day workshops during the month of July. Come bask in the warmth of the YS kula!

Join us for a day of deepening your practice on Saturday, July 3rd. Desirée has a well-earned reputation for deepening even the most advanced practices. She does it with a sense of humor balanced with a quest for authenticity. What is most surprising is her ability to tap into a soft heart and vulnerable spaces to access these wonderful poses. Her unique ability to draw out that bright and shining light from within every student, no matter what level of yoga experience, is her gift to the world.
Fees: $50 for both sessions; Eye of Kitten - $25; Eye of the Tiger - $35.

Eye of the Kitten
Sat 7/3/2010 from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Take your practice to the next level without the advanced poses! Come and learn how much fun it is to play hard without doing headstands, handstands and arm balances. Be prepared to get a good workout and laugh a lot. Open to all students, even those with mild injuries or chronic pain.

Eye of the Tiger
Sat 7/3/2010 from 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Come prepared to meet the challenges you crave and see how far you can go with yoga-- in this body-- in this lifetime. We will each play up to our own personal edges within the safety of the Universal Principles of Alignment. Guaranteed fun for all who can kick up to Handstand at the wall and push up to Urdhva Danurasana with straight arms, unassisted.

Skill in Action Workshop with Andrew Rivin
on Saturday, July 31.

Join Andrew Rivin, one of Yoga Sanctuary's favorite guest teachers for a day of focused practice. Andrew brings his energetic
and playful style to YS for a day long workshop. Take one part or stay for the whole afternoon!

Skill in Action - Session I with Andrew Rivin
Sat 7/31/2010 from 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Intermediate level backbends. Must be able to kick up into handstand at the wall unassisted and press up
into a full wheel with straight arms.


Skill in Action - Session II with Andrew Rivin
Sat 7/31/2010 from 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Intermediate level forward bends, hip-openers, arm-balances.

Price $30.For both classes: $50

Sign up Online at www.yoga-sanctuary.com!

Amy Ippoliti June 2010 Workshop

Certified Anusara teacher Amy Ippoliti shared her wonderful teachings during her Lift the Veils and Set your Sails Workshop the beginning of June. We welcomed many yogis and yoginis from the New England and New York area. The weekend was rich and everyone was uplifted. We look forward to welcoming Amy back soon and if you missed this one, be sure to catch her next visit. You will be rewarded with breakthroughs in your practice and priceless inspiration.