A Sutra a Day: IV-4 – All Together on 31 December

A Sutra a Day: IV-4 – All Together on 31 December

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
source: flicker.com via Gwen on Pinterest
December 31st is an occasion to which many people assign great meaning. It’s not really inherently significant – it’s just another day.  But we seem to agree that the last day of the year signifies an ending and, because we have the opportunity to complete something, that makes it meaningful.
I live in a small community consisting of three couples and for many years we’ve sat down together on New Year’s Eve and shared the accomplishments and sometimes even failures of the previous year. […]

A Sutra a Day: IV-3 – The Way Through

A Sutra a Day: IV-3 – The Way Through

My husband, Daniel, is a problem solver. He looks out for things that don’t work and fixes them. His clients over the years have been fortunate to have him find bugs in their software and create features to make stuff work better.
Now we’re lucky to have him around our home sniffing out ways to have our household work better.
The lower third of our acreage was prone to flooding during the big rains we had in the last few years, making a bog that never quite drained. […]

A Sutra a Day: IV-2 – A Theory of Yoga Evolution

A Sutra a Day: IV-2 – A Theory of Yoga Evolution

 

Since we hit our antipodean warm weather in early December, our vegetable garden has gone berserk.
First there were the zucchinis, hidden from view under their giant leaves, which, unattended, ballooned into green torpedo-shapes. Then came the cherry tomatoes. Well, they are still coming, and coming, and our freezer is totally packed out with them. Lately, the cucumbers have been vying with the zukes for quantity and size. […]

A Sutra a Day: IV-1 – The Accomplished Yogi

Source: Uploaded by user via Neysa on Pinterest

 
We’re still in holiday frame of mind here on Mitchells Island, so in that light-hearted spirit, I’ll tell you a little story.
Two mendicant ascetics had been at their spiritual practices on a high, barren tableland for many years. One was a cobweb-covered meditator who sat sternly in lotus pose. The other was a whirling dervish, spinning endlessly, ecstatically.
Unexpectedly, God appeared to the both of them, possibly as a vision. […]

A Sutra a Day: IV-0 – Freedom is a Balancing Act

Source: tetonyoga.com via Maiya on Pinterest

 
 
The bracket of dates that goes from Christmas Eve till a week or two after New Year’s is traditionally break time in Australia. It’s such a sensible and compassionate approach and one of the things I love about this country.
If you are fortunate enough to enjoy time off work in this period, you will have probably found yourself looking forward to it well in advance of the holidays. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-55 – Freedom to Choose Family

A Sutra a Day: III-55 – Freedom to Choose Family

Source: riflepaperco.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

 
Who doesn’t want to be free?
I, for one, want to be at liberty to go where I want, live in the manner I desire, do work I enjoy (or not work!), and associate with those of my choosing. But, as you know, this sort of freedom is more often than not predicated on fortunate circumstances.
Perhaps at this time of year more than others, rather than feeling free, we fall into behaving in a duty-bound way. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-54 – Cultivating Transparency

A Sutra a Day: III-54 – Cultivating Transparency

I learned a little science lesson while visiting New Zealand’s South Island glaciers. While the region’s scenery is often undeniably beautiful, I found the turquoise mountain lakes and streams to be altogether breathtaking. It’s difficult to drive from Point A to Point B without frequently stopping for photos and filming.
Interestingly, it’s not the clarity of a lake’s water that creates the special colour, but rather finely ground rock from the glaciers that’s suspended in it. The substance is called glacial rock flour, and it’s the scattering of light through the water that creates the turquoise colour. […]

South Island, N.Z., Here We Come

South Island, N.Z., Here We Come

It might seem like piking out.
I’ve been diligently presenting Patanjali’s Sutra in these posts for many months. And, I still have more to go – three Sutra from Chapter III and all of Chapter IV to offer you.
But neighbouring New Zealand beckons to us for a well-deserved holiday, and so I’ll put a bookmark in my six or seven Patanjali commentaries. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-53 – What’s Happening Right Now

A Sutra a Day: III-53 – What’s Happening Right Now

Source: fuckyeahyoga.tumblr.com via Heidi on Pinterest

 
When I was first learning  Iyengar yoga, the classes I attended were two hours long. I found the intensity of them overwhelming at times and would take myself off to the toilet a couple of times during the session, just to have a break.
The teacher, Martyn Jackson, had a booming voice and would exhort his students to do more, even though sometimes we were at our limits. Poses were held for long timings and repeated. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-54 – Cultivating Transparency

A Sutra a Day: III-51 – More Than Enough

 

I like to be the centre of attraction. Over the years, because I didn’t feel accomplished enough myself, I attached myself to several charismatic men so that I would get their reflected glory.
This vicarious way of living was never really satisfying and I never felt authentic, but I met some interesting people, had some fascinating adventures and collected some good stories.
I think it’s still the case that women are often attracted to strong, confident male yoga teachers, as I was. Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-50 – There’s Freedom in Letting Go

Source: lovelavieboheme.tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

 
We had a little party today chez Scotts Road, Mitchells Island. It was a celebration of Rick’s and my birthdays and Mike and Judy’s homecoming, all rolled into one.
I looked around at all the attendees and felt an overwhelming sense of love and affection for the people we’ve gathered around us in the 3 years of living in the country. […]

A Sutra a Day: III-54 – Cultivating Transparency

A Sutra a Day: III-49 – Equilibrium

A friend of ours has been a carer for her ex-husband for most of this last year. He passed away last week from terminal cancer and now she is putting herself back together. I have much admiration for her in being there for him, no matter what, even though the bonds of marriage between them had been severed for many years.
I think it’s one of the greatest challenges life throws up for us – to sit calmly with someone who’s health is slowly ebbing away.
I’ve done this twice. […]