(Pic- OLD pic from last year sometime...)

There is no way that I could recreate this in my own words so below is a cut and paste from my teacher, Shiva on the auspicious days ahead of us! I am teaching a very special Bhakti workshop this Friday night at Dharma Yoga from 7-10 pm where we will have a very pranifed and Shaktified loving practice then chant to Maha Lakshmi and Sing through Saraswati as celebration and devotion... Hope to see you there!
Peace,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com
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On the eve of the New Moon, Rosh Hashanah and one of the most important Hindu-Tantric ritual festivals, Navaratri, I wanted to honor this sacred cycle of deep alignment and ritual renewal that is available to us all during these times of intense change.

Navaratri Ritual Preparation.

Beginning today, September 30th, Tuesday until next Thursday, Shakti is celebrated for nine "nava",  ratris' or nights. For three days each, the form of the purifying force of Durga-Kali, the manifesting abundance of Maha Lakshmi and the creative wisdom of Saraswati are celebrated by hundreds of millions of Bhaktis all around the world. 

I have included an article from the Hindu perspective if you would like more information, (See link below). You can also google Navaratri,  you will find lots of images, video footage and information.  I have celebrated Navaratri for the past fifteen years and do not miss this amazing ritual process of connecting authentically to the power of Shakti. Here are some suggestions for entering this ritual cycle with universal awareness.

Begin by Creating Sacred Space:

Prepare your home and temple of your body by cleaning and caring for your spaces of embodiment. The first three days of Navaratri are the time of clearing out the energy of tamas (regressive, backward moving energy). You could also attend to the process of purification and creating sacred space during this time so that there is no pressure of tension. In particular, clean your altar space and if you are connected to the different aspects of the Divine Mother, Ma Shakti, then invoke her through images, colors, and symbolic offerings that will deepen your ritual reflection.

Living Practices In General:

Before or after your meditation, pray and journal upon the qualities of Shakti that you can call in from the macrocosmic process to have effect within the microcosm of your being. Allow the shakti forces of purification, nuturing, creation and manifestation to reveal to you how to align with your highest vision in action for collective evolution. Not only write, pray and meditate but live what you are ritually invoking in your thought, speech, actions imbued with the love of life and the mother

Specific:

Chanting of kirtan for the divine mother in the form of Durga-Kali, Sri Laxmi Ma, and Saraswati
Chanting and listening of the Lalita Sahasranama
Chanting with Japa Mala 18-27-54 or 108 rounds of the mantra Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche or mantras for the different aspects of the Goddess:
Om Dum Durgayai Namaha, Om Shrim Maha Lakshimaye Namaha, Om Aim Saraswataye Namaha while meditating within your heart upon
Fasting in a way that is appropriate from a complete fast on fruits to eating vegetarian food to giving up regressive foods for your system is also traditionally part of Navaratri.

Days 1-3 (Tuesday -Thursday) Purification of Inner and Outer Obstacles on the Spritual Path (Durga Shakti)
Days 4-6 (Friday - Sunday) Worshiping the Healing Beauty and Abundance of Maha Lakshmi
Days 7-9 (Monday-Wednesday) Awakening the Divine Wisdom and Creativity of Saraswati Ma
Day 10 Victory of Shakti

http://list.namasteinteractive.com/content/25168/2008_9/navaratri.pdf

It's been a long time coming. The few emails I've gotten from my teacher about Navaratri have played their role as a reminder; specifically about the first 3 days being one of working through the tamastic patterns of regressive behaviors in our living space and in our lives.  

A few weeks ago I was teaching from a Kali Ma point of view.... drawing the lines, knowing when to say NO and how to chant our YESes through movement of Yogic Arts and Budokon. That was my practice of searching my soul for courage and doing my damnedest to tap into that strength on reserve.  

This week I have been opening classes sharing an experience that I had at the holistic dentist's office on Monday. While sitting in the waiting room for my appointment,  I sent out my petition to the Universe to show me or help me to follow through with what my inner knower was trying to teach me. Someone walked in the door which caught my attention and I looked up across the room at the DENTIST'S OFFICE to see none other than a small statue of Ganesha- the Hindu Deity who purifies for the removal of obstacles which encourages the invocation of Auspicious new beginnings.  

So the shape at hand for classes this week to go along with that story was centered around (but certainly not limited to...) Garudasin; the serene Eagle, who in MY mind, stands in steadiness in the storm. The opposition of this shape says it all. The rising energy in upward, pranic motion yet we remain in our roots grounded into the Earth which supports our every need. One leg underneath the other, opposite arm on top of the other, energies drawing in opposite directions which is only possible when we tap into our center first and foremost willing and unafraid to sit into our strength even when we are fearful of the fall. All of this we do while connecting to our Adi Shakti, the original Shakti, divine feminine rising up first THROUGH, then above it all.  

So I write tonight with a little opposition within myself at the moment. Part of me is sad and heavy from opposition of my knowing heart (truth, trust, all knowing) vs the thinking mind (illusion, ego, fear). The other part is a little lighter with pride in that I called on courage and strength when it wasn't easy and quite honestly, when I didn't want to in many ways but needed to. I do believe one of my original goals posted when I started this blog was to develop extreme trust in the process... that's the process of trusting that the Universe unfolds as it's meant to indeed and that if I feel it in my heart and in the chambers of my soul- then it exists and it's my dharma to receive it.  

That's the thing about yoga; its there for us in whatever form we decide to meet it. So how to move forth? I'd have to say that's a personal question we must ask of ourselves. If I'm being honest in knowing myself, right now, the only choice I have to survive this experience is to dive into a deep space of presence being the keeper of my own thoughts... being responsible for them. Nobody else has that kind of power over what I chose to put my mental energy into. Knowing myself, I find that whatever I put mental energy into, the heart follows so then it becomes emotional and when it's emotional, then I'm shit out of luck and I move back into toxic patterns of thought which govern and suppress the flow of liberation and expansion in all areas of my existance. I'm a Pisces, very intuitive, creative, a natural caregiver, and am guided (for better or for worse), by my pulsating heart.

To ME, even at its worst, that's a beautiful quality.  

Petitioning Peaceful, Pink, Fuzzy, Unconditional, Full Body Hugging thoughts,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

Last night was such a nice evening!

It wasn't PACKED, close to 2 dozen so it was a healthy sized group. I'm just now starting to bring more bhakti, musically, to my yoga world in longer durations (rather than just a song or 2 at the end of class) and while I dedicated the last hour to this in particular last night, I quickly realized that I have a lot more material (time wise) to make it a much longer experience. I actually found myself resisting the desire to let each offering last much longer than they did and even still, there were 4 or 5 that I planned on yet didn't have enough time for...including some favorites! In my seat, one never knows how anyone will react or respond. The good news is that they show up so that has to mean *something*... part of why I like to let each offering run on is because repetition is what takes me there as a facilitator being the musical vessel and I think that's true for everyone in the experience. I feel it in my body, my voice even changes in sensation and sound because it's at this point when I spiritually get out of my own way and let whatever is there, more through me. I feel like it was a very spiritually rich group and while many or even *most* were new to this kind of yogic experience, I so look forward to much more of the same as we all sail on together in the sea of divine love and devotion.

On my way home, I, quite literally, felt intoxicated- drunk off of the vibration of mantra and harmonium, drowning of the Shruti box, and the extension of my fingers that turned into the belly and neck of my guitar. Mix the entire experience from start to finish with a dab of some of my *other* music (still very much so devotion as I have never written or sung anything that wasn't part of my actual experience).... there's no place like home.

Ahhhhhhhh.... so I awoke this morning feeling so refreshed partly from a LOT of clearnig and cleansing (see previous blogs) and the first thought to came to my mind about today was "I have CHOICES!" which still makes me smile! Sometimes it's the more simple things, yes?! I was basking in the beauty of the day before ever having stepped foot outside our even off of my bed for that matter, just thinking about practicing and bowing to the alter of my yoga mat. After another intoxicating asana experience (really, the first 30 minutes in particular had my ENTIRE body at ease so much so that my eyes were honestly completely half-gazed and most serene like the Buddha... compliments of the Shakti running through Keith who was teaching :), I became somewhat of a tourist travelling down the drag admiring Austin, eventually making my way downtown. It's been SO long since I have not taught on Saturdays and ever since I let go of those formal classes (formal in terms of "regular schedule" as I will start teaching 1x a month at a dance location in North Austin soon), I've been slammed with obligations early in the day... until today :))

So I'm definitely in a space of complete bliss at the moment. After having breakfast downtown, I went to the lovely Central Market (to get the most fabulous smelling lotion EVER!) to get a few things and enjoy the weather :) I love nature...

Now all I need is to connect with and ride a horse for a while! I have a "Diaper Shower" to attend later so that will have to make due for now :)

Blissfully Yours,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

I am sitting here working very hard to complete and get my November newsletter sent out with some happenings in the way of workshops, benefits, coupons and MORE... are you signed up to receive the message?! :)

If not, email me at sanieh@saniehyoga.com with "Newsletter" in the subject line... or go to www.saniehyoga.com , then to the "contacts" page and send me mail :)

Below: compliment sof Lexie and her studies in Vedic Astrology :)
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Reasons for uplifting Mercury over other planets:

Mercury is retrograde until October 15th, and can bring up issues around communication, as we know.  We have already seen that the Mercury Retrograde energy in September created some uncertainty around whether or not there would even be a presidential debate.  Being the planet of communication and merchants, it has caused much talk and concern as to whether or not a bailout would happen.  A main argument that has been presented is that the bailout will aid small businesses (the merchants).  The financial crisis is due to many factors astrologically, but has culminated at a time when the planets have come into a "kala sapra yoga" - a time connected with great suffering and release from lifetime-old patterns.
 
For the month of October until November 5th, Mercury is in a degree of Virgo and Libra called "Chitra" which is indicative of capital cities.  It is considered to be the "shining jewel" of the sky, connected to riches and valuable things, and its deity is Tvashtri, the celestial architect.  It certainly seems that these things are all very present these days: the reconfiguration and reconstruction of Washington, DC and specifically of the economy.  Chitra is clearly hard at work these days.
 
Retrograde Mercury can bring things "from the past" (people, issues) back into our lives.  Sometimes that isn't welcome, but many times, it's our opportunity to "get right" with these things if needed, and complete our karma in this area.  Add to this the very powerful planetary event of the Nodes of the Moon returning to the degrees they were in during the February eclipse... major things that began then are coming out of the woodwork now.  Truths are being revealed.  It wouldn't be surprising if other "secrets" reveal themselves throughout the rest of the month (personally, publicly, politically).  This is a time to come out with whatever has been in the dark since then, and to let whatever projects and hopes that were established then to come to fruition.
 
 
Rahu, Ketu and the Kala Sarpa Yoga:
The overriding energy that is expressing this month and over the next few months is connected to the "kala sarpa yoga" in the sky.  Translated as the "curse of the cobra," this celestial configuration forms when all planets fall between Rahu and Ketu, the North and South Nodes of the Moon.  Karmically, it is said to occur when a person has literally "killed a cobra" in a previous life, a creature that is revered as powerful and healing and is connected to Shiva.  On a spiritual level, this yoga (or union of planets) occurs when a person has energetically "killed his/her own cobra" in the form of disregarding or disrespecting the kundalini, the primordial power resting at the root of the spine, symbolized as a coiled serpent that hopes to eventually travel up the spine to the crown of the head in full awakening. 
 
On a global level, this Kala Sapra Yoga energy can bring about challenges, suffering, and great liberation.  The current configuration is from Ketu to Rahu, which brings about a rise in spiritual awareness.  The opposite, from Rahu to Ketu, is connected to work in the material world.  Interestingly, the financial crisis and bailout take place in the material realm, but one of the main issues it has brought up is one of faith in the institutions around us.  Ketu in Sanskrit means "doubt" and so this Ketu to Rahu Kala Sapra Yoga seems to actually be rooted in faith and doubt. 
 
As the great Jyotishi Sri B.V. Raman said: "Suffering due to developments in life strengthens the mind and mellows one's outlook. This is a blessing of Kala-sarpa Yoga."  This is the challenge and the lesson for all of us as we experience this configuration which began in late July 2008 and will continue until December 30, 2008.
 
 
Remedies to uplift Mercury for October 2008
 
*Chant Mercury's mantra: Aum Bum Budaya Namaha
*Invoke Saraswati: Aum Shri Saraswati Namaha
*Wear Mercury's colors: all shades of green
*Eat Mercury foods (but don't eat fast!): green dal, leafy greens, zucchini, summer squash, almonds, cashews
*Wear Mercury's gems: emerald, peridot, jade, aquamarine
*Do gentle pranayama (breathing exercises) to calm the mind and nervous system, like alternate nostril breathing or So Hum breath.
*Be mindful of thoughts and communication.
*Doing these things on Wednesday is especially helpful as it is Mercury's day.  Doing these things (on any day) with the intention that the energy is to support Mercury is also important.
 
 
Chanting the Prayer to the 9 Planets in the morning is
an excellent way to align with all the planets:
Sun:  Aum Sum Suryaya Namaha
Moon:  Aum Som Somaya Namaha
Mars:  Aum Kum Kujaya Namaha
Mercury:  Aum Bum Budaya Namaha
Jupiter:  Aum Gum Guravay Namaha
Venus:  Aum Shum Shukraya Namaha
Saturn:  Aum Sham Shanaya Namaha
Rahu:  Aum Ram Rahuvay Namaha
Ketu:  Aum Kem Ketuvay Namaha
 
 
Key Words for October 2008: 
* reflect * rebuild * reveal the truth!*
*now is the time for change!
 
 
be well, Namaste'

lovelovelove,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

When: Saturday November 1st

Time: 10 am-12 noon (Please keep in mind that I have rented the space which allows us to arrive just 15 minutes early giving us time to get situated with just enough cushion-doors open into our hall AT 9:45 am)

Where: 183 and Spicewood Springs RD at Shirley MCPhail School of Dance (note that there is another dance studio at the opposite end of shopping strip so make sure you see the name of the school which is located on the Spicewood Springs Rd side of the complex)
 
Info to the studio: Hwy 183 & Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, Texas 78759
512-258-3793
 
Investment :
(cash/check/money order)

* Early bird discount: $25.00 by Friday, October 24th
 
*After Friday October 24th, $30.00
 
What you will need-In Addition to your mat, of course! : 

1 block (if you have a set, it couldn't hurt to share if need be :)

Contact me at sanieh@saniehyoga.com if you have any questions!

You can read the details by going to :

http://saniehyoga.com/classes.htm

Shantih,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

When I lived in Hawaii, a series of events led me to being diagnosed with a rare pediatric (although I was 26 when I was diagnosed) disease.

So rare that at the time, took up all of just a few pages in medical residency books. Without getting into detail of that specifically, at it's worst, with the type that I have, one can completely lose their hearing. 

If you know me at all, you understand where I'm coming from with that fearful notion.  

Recently I came across this link (after the discovery of Matt Nathanson) below and I was so incredibly touched by the beauty of this young womans' light and courage.

I share in the hopes that you find inspiration within yourself as well.  

(pardon the commercial up front)  

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5665944

lovelovelove
sanieh

I am always inspired by this time of year when the weather begins to shift, and like bears in hibernation, we begin to shift our awareness within.  

This past weekend I was blessed to be a part of a benefit at Dharma Yoga supporting Green Dharma, a program for incarcerated youth. It was nice to be able to throw down mats next to my teacher friends for a change and to be in a room full of a thread that was Seva; selfless service.  

Later on that day I found myself at the Texas-Missouri game here in Austin. As I looked around at the sea of burnt orange around me, I was witness to, and even a part of, the collective chanting in call and response and the excitement and support of this group of kids on the field who would be supported by over 98,000 people.... I started to understand, on a grand scale, what being a part of something feels like.  

I didn't go to college (well, I went to specialty college- I'm a licensed Aesthetician but not hardly the same in terms of "being a part" of something in the same way!) so I do not know that experience. I was 17 when my mother was killed which separated most of my siblings and family, even to this day, as death often does, so even *that* connection of family is absent in a huge way in my life. I don't share this as a "woe is me" expression; more so as one stating that we all have our own shit and this is mine (in part of course ;)... the beauty however, is that every day is yet another opportunity to practice; to explore the yoga that is weaved through the threads of our lives; another opportunity to experience ourselves in the present, as part of the macrocosmic whole, as Universal ONE-ness.  

At the risk sounding silly, it's true that when I teach and I'm standing in front of a full room, It is then that I feel a part of something ... When I'm standing in front of those classes, in my heart, they are my family; they are what gives me a sense of being a part of something larger than myself.   

Somewhere along the way, I started to isolate though, which began to contribute to feeling "separate". While I believe the words of Carl Jung "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become", it is true that we ARE a product of our experiences and profound experiences they are. I should also be honest in giving props to myself in that my entire life is truly one of self-study. I am constantly asking myself the deeper questions; why I do the things I do, considering how I might have worded or communicated something more effectively, and what my contribution and ownership is to any conflict in my life both internally and externally on and off the mat as well as identifying with what my ownership is with adding to the quality of the lives around me and the world alike-or if not, then why not. While I'm not certain when or even where in my life I began to isolate, I am consciously aware that my work now is to bring myself out into the world in ways that are not always comfortable, because self study (Sva-yaya) has taught me that it's a state of mind; an aspect of ego perhaps; and one that eats away at the soul...feeling separate.  

When I speak of isolation, it's more so personally. While I am so content with enjoying an afternoon in silence and in the company of myself, sometimes one has to ask the tough questions.  

*If I died tomorrow, did I bring joy to the lives around me?

*If I were on my death bed next week, who would share my company and be witness to my last breath in this body?

*If I had to write my own obituary, what would it say? (that's in another blog to come later...)  

For me, sometimes it's about simple things in life. Getting out and listening to the live music that awakens the Spanda Shakti of my creative juices which has a tendency to keep me charged and inspired for DAYS! Speaking of...I went to hear some fabulous live music spontaneously the other night as a matter of fact and have been riding that wave musically creatively speaking ever since. While I sort of had to "talk myself into it", I was so thankful for doing so. As a student of the musical flow myself, for ME, this is one way that I connect with the sutra that is light within us all.    

My teacher once asked me to identify what liberates my prana. In my own words; what in my life makes me feel alive, connected, and with blood running through my veins in a complete state of expansion? I know those answers (a few of them anyway, and oh so powerful they are...) hence the music- and now my work is to bring myself into very close proximity of those very things...so much so that I become those aspects of my life; that which gives me depth in spirit and completes that calling of my soul.  

"Orbit the Sun and eventually You become the Sun".- Rumi  

May we all learn to inhale with fullness.  
Namah Shivaya,
Sanieh
http://www.saniehyoga.com/  

I've been experiencing some insomnia lately. A lot on some nights... like being up until 3 am which is incredibly late for me. Last night, I was in bed early because it was the night before that had me up that late, (only to be up early on Saturday for a very FULL day of UT football goodness and that excitement alone can exhaust the best of them)... I laid there and while I had some thoughts visit the conscious mind, it wasn't anything terribly "buzzing"... still, I found myself up and not only cleaning through some random piles I've had lying around, I found myself creating in more details my living room alter (I have a temporary set up while a super sweet one is being custom made for me :) and going through some old random photos I've had sitting around here. I started making a small collage of pics from many different times in my life that make me smile so now every time I sit down to work on my computer, I am reminded. I am reminded of the beauty all around me through the experiences and people who have loved me in my life (some who I haven't seen or spoken to in years) and those who have welcomed my love into their lives and into their stories. We all have them, and their depth and value go far beyond anything we can ever see by looking at someone from across the room.  

For years, I have "started" over and over again writing a book about my life and those unspoken stories and experiences. In many ways I am happy that it did not come to it's initial fruition because it was, at that time, one that would have defined me by loss. As I grew, healed, experienced newness in love, loss, living, and life, the angle has changed a hundred times over. I certainly intend to pursue this idea but What I have decided however is that it would require partnering with someone who has a lot of time and interest to re-live those moments in my life that make up the story I have to tell of triumph...possibly in a forum that would have to be spent over many late night conversations with hot tea and a very good dictator and listener! Oh the thought is just therapy in and of itself! ;)   

What I am doing currently is keeping a running list of notable events in my life via timeline. It's something like a musician or writer keeping a notepad by their bed. It's 2008 and I carry a blackberry so I have a file of "my life" on my pda and as it happens, I will be on the way to or from a class and remember "oh yes, 'first place breaker' award in 3rd grade!" and so it gets noted. For me, getting it out, all of it out will be such a healing and purifying experience. The ability to say "F-IT!", here I am. Love me for all of it or not at all.  

This whole "spiritual being having a human experience" thing is an incredible passage at times, some more so than others. When is it in one's life when we start giving a shit what people think about us so much so that we pull in and cover who we are, to any degree? Everyone has a their bag of bones hidden in a box somewhere but why do we protect those bones when its often those experiences that make us our best selves today?  

I have been working on a new song this past week that started out from the inspiration of Carl Jung's words: "I am not what has happened to me, I am who I choose to become." I've been spending a lot of time the last few days pondering why it is that sometimes we (*I*) don't feel like we or what we are doing (in our lives, our work, our life work, etc) is enough.

What I've come up with is this...  

Not until we are with Joy, truly joyful within ourselves in full acceptance, appreciation and liberation collectively, "it"/"we" (nothing, no one etc) will never be/feel enough. Ever. I once saw a therapist for a short period of time when I lived in Hawaii who happened to be THE person who introduced me to Buddhist way of thought who said to me "there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness comes with conditions. 'I'll be happy if...' or 'If this happens, I won't be happy'..." He went on to share that JOY is complete and without condition. I never forgot those words and when I'm in my *best* space, I ask myself if my current state is one based on such conditions. Often, I know my answer before I ever even finish asking the question. 

My immediate work is to explore the unexplored means that will be the discovery of what it is that I "really really want" (words from another world renowned therapist I know who I have not "sat" with, but one whose retreats and books based on this single and so profound question I am familiar with) and collectively discovering that place within myself that will allow me complete liberation to BE all that I am without apology and to let the experiences of my life that have brought me to this independent place where I stand, breathe and be set free rather than in a space that is behind a protected locked door in a room full of needless fears of judgments and ridicule.  

To put it simply, Seal and Guru Singh sang "I am who I am and that is that."  

I believe that not until this place is deeply explored and dusted with blinds and windows wide open, will anything ever be "enough".  

I see this racing through my thoughts on so many different levels it's not even funny. Personally, professionally, romantically... even beyond that in my search to connect with a cause far larger than anything I can conjure up on my own. What I am finding is that I am looking to connect, to stay connected on a scale that echos louder than my own voice ever could. Putting myself out there, licking my finger and sticking it up in the wind for direction and going inward underneath it all that inevitably builds up in our lives to look the source in the eye. For now, this is my spiritual path.

 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080722.html
I never ever get tired of seeing this as it gives off the bhavana of my entire spiritual exploration... Thanks John; and thank you for the context in which it was sent.

LoveLoveLove,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com