Shiva and Shakti are opposites yet they never exist in isolation from one another.  Parama-Shiva is the single-pointed, undifferentiated "pool" of existence that preceded the creation of the phenomenal universe.  At that point the Shakti energy existed in perfect union with Parama-Shiva.  The two are wrapped in a close, tight embrac; there is no understanding of where one ends and the other begins.  When consciousness is added to the "pool", Parama-Shiva becomes separated into two halves - Shiva and Shakti.  Shiva, the masculine half contains every possibility and potential in a state of still, unbroken consciousness. Shakti is the creative, female energy that causes movement and creates opposites.  Much like a mirror, the Shakti energy allows the still, all-encompassing Shiva energy to begin to see and understand its own inherent depth of possibility.  Shiva is the raw material for everything in the universe.  Shakti is the power that moulds that raw material into the sensual universe we know and love.  There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva.

Shiva of course also refers to the many armed god who is part of the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu.  Within the trinity Shiva is the destroyer (Brahma is the creator and Vishnu is the preserver) but to followers of Shiva represents all three - creation, preservation and destruction - represented by the three-pronged trident always by his side.  Many stories of Shiva tell of his solitary life of meditation, contemplation and utter absorption in the oneness of all things.  He is praised as the first and ultimate 'yogi' - master of yoga in all its facets.  But Shiva does not remain alone forever.  Eventually Parvati finds Shiva and through many trials and tribulations becomes both his student and his wife.  It is through the Shakti of his wife that Shiva transforms from a solitary, powerful (and sometimes wrathful) god to a more tolerant, compassionate and loving god-man.  She becomes his mirror so that he may know the full extent of himself and his power as a god.

Shiva and Shakti remind us not only of the obvious opposites in the universe - black and white, male and female, love and hate - but also of the fact that those opposites are only known (and able to exist) through the reflection of the other.  We can not know ourselves in solitude.  But through community with other like-minded seekers and communion with the divine we can at least begin down the path of deeper understanding and knowledge of our true, perfect, undivided Selves.

You are probably noticing what are called Mudras.  These hand positions (and even some body positions) are thought to help clear and enliven energy channels within the body.  Mudras are gestures or “seals” associated with Yoga as well as many traditions through out the world.

In Yoga, we are utilizing movement, breath, asana and mind practices that will communicate with our Central Nervous System to create a sense of peace and clarity.  We do this by interacting with the Nadis (subtle energy channels) of the body.  Mudras are one way in which we can work with these energetic channels.

The five fingers are associated with elements:  Thumb – fire, Index – air, Middle – Aakash, Ring – earth and the Little finger – water.  By the representation of the elements in our fingers we are able to move pranic energy through our hands and the channels of the nadis associated with these elements as well as the body parts associated with the elements.

For example, in meditation, when the mind wanders, it is said that either the element of Air is out of balance or that the Fire element is out of balance.  An example of Air out of balance would be having a million thoughts, one after the other.  Fire would be when we keep replaying a difficult conversation over and over in our head.  With either scenario, meditation is difficult.  We could place the index finger associated with the element of air in contact with the thumb (fire) and burn up those unwanted thoughts, or we could invite the grounding Earth element by placing the thumb and ring finger together (Placing our fire on the earth to give it support).  The use of either Mudra may calm the mind and allow us to remain in meditation.  We would have successfully moved the energy pattern in our mind and body allowing the mind to focus on the task at hand – meditation or stillness.

There are many books written about Mudras.  And many claims made about the use of Mudras.  I would encourage you to explore as many theories as possible to find your own comfort zone with Mudras.

I passed this question on to Mark Singleton.  Mark created our open studio time for us.  It is a very important part of Mark's practice and I felt he would be better at explaining the concept.  So, take it away....Mark!

Self Practice:

The open yoga studio is a place for people to develop a “sadhana”, or personal yoga practice. This is what yoga's all about, in my opinion.  Classes lay the foundation, and give you ideas, but it is in self practice that you really start to build a close relationship with your body and mind. Without this quality of reflective attention, yoga is not yoga.

 The teacher Jill Miller recently wrote, “Students must begin listening to their inner teacher and gain self-reliance and authority over their own somatic territory.” She thinks that too many people rely on the authority of the teacher when they already have all the tools for taking themselves deeper into yoga. I agree.

 In a class, you're being attentive to the words of the teacher, and you're guided through each and every posture. The process is different in self-practice, where you are responsible for everything you do. That means you have to internalize a sequence (like, say, Ashtanga or Sivananda) or develop a sensitivity to how to structure a practice. It also means listening carefully to what your body-mind wants from the practice on that particular day. Through this process, you start to become your own teacher. This inner awareness is the heart of yoga.

 There's a prevalent message out there that you should always go to a “qualified teacher” for yoga. There are indeed some great teachers out there, and it's a good idea to learn from them. However, I have been involved in training “qualified” teachers over the past fifteen years, and the one thing that always shocks me, especially recently, is the very low level of understanding that many new teachers have. They have learned a few techniques and a bit of philosophy, but what's missing is a deeply rooted sense of their own practice. Many (very many, apparently) simply don't have a self-practice, which means that they can never teach from a place of deep experiential knowledge. On the other hand, this is exactly what self-practice brings.

 You can become “qualified” as your own teacher by making a resolution to treat yourself and the practice with respect, kindness and intelligence. Never do things that will put you in danger of injury. Never go against the voice of instinct when it tells you to back off, or change direction. This won't make you into a yoga teacher, but it will give you space to develop a practice that is suited to your needs. It's not rocket science (as some teachers would have you believe), but it does take a commitment to nurturing your own practice. And there are always people around to ask questions of when you're confused about something.

 The set up here at the Yoga Center is that the doors open at 6.30am. You can come any time between then and 8.30am. Come in, lay out a mat, and practice for as long as you like. There's no limit on what you can do under the rubric of “yoga”. You might be doing an energetic asana practice, or you might choose to simply sit in meditation for an hour, or lie in savasana. You can come with a friend and work together, or ask others for help with a particular posture.

 The range of possibilities is endless. This self-practice doesn't “belong” to any one person: it's for the community, and relies on the people who come. Nobody is “better” than anyone else, and it doesn't matter whether you're doing advanced postures or lying on your back, as long as people are engaged in the spirit of compassionate inquiry.

 If you're very new to the idea of directing your own practice, one good way to start is to sit down the night before practice, and in a very relaxed way try to remember the things you already know about yoga.  Write or draw them (they don't have to have Sanskrit names!) and then ask yourself how you might go about putting them into a sequence. You might also look to books for inspiration about sequencing--there are hundreds of them out there. The internet is also a resource, if used cautiously.

 It's fine to bring a book or a “cheat sheet” to practice if you're learning a new sequence. Check in after every week of practice and see what changes you could make to take yourself deeper into yoga. This way you'll become your own teacher and your own student.

 Think about your intention. If the intention is to emerge from practice energized and ready for a long day, play with sequences that move you to that end. If you want to prepare for deeper meditation, or work with a particular injury of difficulty, you'll be working in a very different way. So you have to engineer the practice according to your needs.

 I hope people will give the experience of self-practice a good go. From what I can see, to really get a sense of what self-practice can do for you, you have to give it at least a month. If you're used to guided classes, practicing on your own can seem a bit daunting even off-putting at first. But if you stay with it, and start to develop tools of self-reflection and intelligent self-guidance, a whole new world willopen up that most people who depend on classes never experience. Classes are a beginning, but self-practice is the real journey.

This question came in to the Yogi Blog in September, but was not posted to the website at that time.

If we were in India, we would refer to them as the Holy Scriptures of India – perhaps more correctly the Holy Scriptures of Hindus.  They are a collection of writings (of lessons or Wisdom) learned by Sages (Rishis) while they were deep in meditation.  Some say they are lessons all of us knew at one time, but forgot.  The Rishis while in meditation remembered these lessons and taught them to us again.  Another name for the Vedas is Shruti.  It means, “that which is heard”.  In the beginning, the information of the Vedas was given orally, or sung – so it was heard by the people.

 They hold a vast amount of knowledge.  That of medicine, herbs, healing, history.  Much of what we know today as yoga came from the Vedas and the writings that followed the hearing of the Vedas.  It was a great period of history within the Indus Valley (the Vedic Period).  Only a fraction of the vast knowledge was written down.  What ever else they may have contained has been lost.  Many of the Sages felt the Shruti should never be written, they should always be heard and remembered.  These Sages felt that writing would diminish the people’s ability to learn and remember.  They may have been correct.

 The wisdom of the vedas came to the people over 5,000 years ago.  The roots of formal written language is as yet unclear, historians used to say they knew when the alphabet and writing occurred in history; that is not so clear now.  What is clear is that the human ability to hear and remember what they heard was much more advanced millennia ago.  Reading, just as computers and texting utilized today has diminished our ability to take information in, hold it and repeat it correctly. 

 What we have recovered of the written texts is quite amazing.  There are texts that tell of surgical technique used 5,000 years ago that are astounding – cataract surgery - used just as it is today to return sight to individuals afflicted with “clouds” of the eyes.  There are many online versions that can be studied.  Or better yet, find a vedic scholar and listen to the wisdom that was remembered.

This question is from the September Yogi Blog that did not get posted to our site.

Raja Yoga is the “royal path” of yoga.  It comes to us from the traditions of India.  The other paths of yoga are:  Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Jnana Yoga (study of sacred texts), Japa Yoga (mantra repetition), Karma Yoga (self-less service), Hatha Yoga (asana), Kriya Yoga (cleanses). 

Raja yoga is divided into 8 limbs of yoga: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.  Rather than studying them separately, or one exclusively, all 8 are undertaken in order to reach a state of balance in life.  It is felt that if a state of balance can be achieved, peace would follow.

 In the United States, many people think of yoga classes as simply a series of postures that a teacher leads us through, and that’s it.  Some do it to get fit.  Many Christian Summer Camps in the 1950’s taught it as a way to get fit.  But the practice of yoga is much more than that. 

 Raja Yoga was introduced to the United States in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions Conference in Chicago, Ill.  He was there from India representing Hinduism.  He gave a beautiful recitation on the Royal Path of Yoga as a viable path to world peace.  The crowds were so taken by him and his gentle demeanor that he was invited back several times to the United States to speak of this thing called Raja Yoga.  He eventually opened a school of yoga in New York, but focused primarily on the philosophy of yoga.  Other schools of yoga began to open without referring to themselves as providers of Raja Yoga.  The teachers from India would introduce all of the 8 limbs of yoga (Raja Yoga) to their students but focused on Asana.  Over time many of the other limbs were used only as side bar issues to bring up in class.  Soon yoga only focused on Asana driven classes and by the 1980’s yoga became the “in thing to do” the idea of being a viable path to peace was forgotten.

 There are still some studios that provide all 8 limbs of yoga to their students and openly teach the 8 limbs, but they are few and far between.  Some teach from these principles, but do not openly teach all 8 limbs.  That’s a shame, there are many jewels in the 8 limbs.  Skills we could use right now in the world that would help us cope with the world around us, and maybe return us to a path toward peace.

This question is from the September Yogi Blog that did not get posted to the site:

Let’s start with a working definition of allergies, then we will look at what we are able to do from a Yoga perspective for those allergies that are considered to be simple.

 An allergy is an abnormal response by the body to a naturally occurring substance in the environment, a synthetic substance made to mimic a naturally occurring substance, or a naturally occurring substance grown under unnatural conditions.  The body sees this substance as foreign, it responds by creating inflammation in order to get rid of the substance. 

 There are allergic responses that are life threatening for some individuals such as to a bee sting, peanuts, or a medicine (like penicillin).  Not all people will have a life threatening response to these allergens.  But some do.  Although these substances are naturally occurring in our environment, someone over time may have developed such an intolerance to the substance that the body’s response to these allergens can be deadly within minutes of exposure.  Most of the time, people know if they are allergic to one of these substances; they do what they can to avoid the substance, and / or carry an “Epi. Pen” to be used immediately upon exposure along with getting to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible. 

 Once in a while, someone is exposed to something that throws them immediately into a life threatening situation without knowing they are allergic to the substance, or even what that substance is.  The symptoms that are life threatening are:  closing down of the throat, swelling of the tongue, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, full body swelling or redness, and an inability to think, move or respond to those around us. 

If we see this in a friend, or notice it beginning in ourselves – get thee to an emergency room STAT!

For most of us, we experience allergies as a runny nose, itchy watery eyes, a scratchy irritated throat, hives, gastrointestinal upset, headache, joint pain, etc., etc., etc….  The symptoms are many and varied depending on the allergen.  The symptoms are a bother, but not life threatening.  They may be related to a food, a season and the pollens associated with that season, or dander from certain animals.  We as well for the most part know what we are allergic to and know just how miserable we are going to be when the Juniper begins spitting out pollen, the Ragweed is in bloom, or we visit our best friend and her beloved cat. 

These symptoms are how your body is trying to get rid of what is bothering it, and in a way getting you to avoid exposure to the allergens.  Ayurveda would say you are having a very Kapha experience (taking your response and making it “bigger, badder, and better”) to the allergen.  It works to a certain extent, but after that, the mucous (thick or runny) becomes the problem.  There are several things you can do Ayurvedically to see if you can lessen the allergic responses to some common allergens.  This does not pertain to those individuals who have the overwhelming response to bee stings, peanuts, penicillin, strawberries, and the like.  For those individuals it is best for them to continue the practices they know will help.  For the rest of us, the following may work.

 Begin to slowly clean up your diet.  Be easy on yourself, do things one at a time and do it slowly, so that if you have a good response to the reduction of a particular food and you know it is good for you to not use this food, it will be easier for you to stay away from it once it is out of your normal stream of nutrition.  Reduce the amount of simple sugar in your diet, reduce the amount of caffeine you take in, reduce the amount of bovine dairy you ingest on a regular basis.   If you are not vegetarian, reduce your consumption of red meat, chicken and fish until you can be assured that these dense proteins come from animals that are clean, healthy, and well cared for.  Sometimes it is what the farm animals are fed or given that we are reacting to rather than the animal protein itself.

 If possible, eat a cleansing monotonous diet of organic basmati rice and organic vegetables for a week or two.  For protein utilize legumes that are organic and not genetically modified.  Think of spices that are used to balance the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in these recipes like Cumin, Coriander and Fennel.  Incorporate fresh vegetable juices into you diet for their added cleansing effects, but again go slowly.  If you get into a situation of creating diarrhea you have aggravated the Pitta part of your self and that is not what we want to do.  The idea of a simple monotonous diet is to gently cleanse the digestive tract with high fiber food so that it can work at peak efficiency.  The more efficient our digestion is, the more efficient all systems within the body are and that will help us handle the world around us without being so allergic to it.

When your particular allergy season is about to begin be more diligent about having an active yoga practice – perhaps each day.  Wash well each day.  Wash your clothes on a more regular basis.  Clean your home and office area more regularly.  Utilize your neti pot each day if you can.  Oil the nasal passages with sesame oil (coconut oil if you know that your Pitta dosha is high).  The oil will be a barrier between your nasal passages and the allergen particles.  The neti pot will help to clear particles from passages and sinuses.  Practice Pranayama each day in order to actively remove particles from the lungs and nasal passages.  It will also warm up digestion so that ingested particles are more completely digested.  Make sure that the food you eat is clean and high in fiber so that the digested particles can be eliminated from the body by the large intestine and not caught alone the walls of the intestine to form an irritation of the gut.  Combining all of these practices should help to ease your body’s reaction to those pesky allergens that appear to be a natural part of where we live. 

You are not alone.  Many people for a variety of reasons are not able to do head stand (Sirsasana).  Good thing this is not required! 

 There are many ways to experience being inverted in a yoga class.  Standing forward bend in all of its manifestations can be seen and used as invertions.  Shoulder stand supported or not can be experienced as an invertion.  Being in dolphin pose is an inversion, so is downward facing dog.

 There are health benefits to being inverted for short periods of time.  Yet there are health reasons for not being inverted.  Being inverted increases blood pressure, if your blood pressure is high already, Sirsasana is not for you.  If you have difficulty with pressure inside the eyes, Sirsasana is not for you.  If you experience vertigo, have osteoporosis of the spine, or a neck injury, head stand is not for you. 

 Having said all that, if being in head stand is something you have a burning desire to experience, attend a class where step by step instructions are being given.  Where the instructor can be right next to you, guiding you, and supporting you (perhaps literally with their body) in getting up into head stand.  Know that the brunt of your weight needs to be on your forearms, your interlocked hands and fingers.  Almost no weight at all should be on the top of your head.  You want to be on the parietal portions of your skull, not your forehead.  You do not want to just throw up your legs.  Raise your sit bones up toward the ceiling once you have your forearms in place and your head close to your interlocked fingers.  Walk your feet (you may be on your toes by now) slowly toward your head.  You will feel the balance point when the vertebrae of your trunk are lined up and pulling gently back, away from your legs.  It will feel effortless to take the weight off your toes.  You may now either bend your knees, bringing your legs close to your trunk, pause then lengthen your legs toward the ceiling, or slowly raise your extended legs gracefully toward the ceiling.  Slow is the key here.  Nothing is jerked into place.    

 If the traditional head stand using your forearms as the base does not work for you, you may be part of the percentage of individuals whose humerous (bone of your upper arm) is not long enough to clear the top of your head when the elbow is bent.  If this is you, use your hands to create a tripod with your head and come up into Sirsasana that way.  Even in this tripod head stand, almost no weight should be on the top of your head, the weight should be in your arms, hands and the core muscles of your body. 

 If you are able to do all the prep steps, yet never get your feet off the ground – revel in that final stage of preparation for head stand – use it as your inverted pose.  If you get your knees up on your elbows in tripod head stand and that is as far as you are able to go – celebrate that!

 Being able to do Sirsasana is not the focus of any yoga practice.  If you never do head stand yet have a practice you are dedicated to – you are practicing yoga.  You might be surprised to know that most of the more spectacular yoga poses came along much later in the evolution of yoga and have nothing to do with the original practice created 5,000 years ago.  Some humans simply enjoy doing competitive, spectacular poses with their bodies – it does not mean anyone else has to do them.

 No matter how you decide to be inverted – remember to breathe!  I cannot stress this enough.  Breathe in any difficult pose.  It is your breath that will give you the ability to sustain poses and keep you calm in difficult ones.

   No.  There are no initiations to become a sannyasin that are required in order for you to practice yoga.  There are many styles of yoga to practice.  A class entitled Hatha Yoga does not aline itself with any particular lineage of any Yogic Master.  Yet, even if you see a class called Kripalu Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, or Integral Yoga you are not required to learn the teachings of the Yogic Master for which that style is known.

   So, if this is all that is holding you back, come on down, our door is open.

   Hmmm, strong is a word with interpretations.  If you believe you must be well muscled in order to take a yoga class, I would say this is not true.  If you mean strong in the sense that you have the drive to learn and practice - I would say Yes!

   When we see a person lift a heavy weight, we are impressed by the act and perhaps we might declare the person to be strong.  Yet let even one tiny section of one tiny nerve fiber get damaged and suddenly this same very strong person with very large muscles, is not very strong.

   Strength is not always about muscles or lifting heavy objects.  Strength as far as yoga is concerned has more to do with with the way we use our mind to make decisions, our determination to make positive change in our life and to find a pathway in which change is possible.  It may be our willingness to learn a discipline and practice that discipline in order to bring about the change we seek.

   Try to find a studio with classes that are open for beginners.  Try a few classes and see what you think. 

   I would like to begin by sharing what yoga is not, at least in my experience.  Yoga is not a set of exercises to do in order to become physically fit.  Although that can be a side benefit.  It is not a group of stretches going forward and backward to do to become physically flexible.  Although that too may become a side benefit.  It is not an obsessive compulsive practice of ringing bells, staring at candles or dots on a wall.

   For me, yoga is a life long study of self.  It is a study of the physical, mental, emotional, and energetic, bodies; of how these work together.  This study may include physical movement, breath practices, but also includes study of ancient texts, and includes  information regarding health of the body.  To utilize the popular interpretation of "union", I would have to say it is the union of the self with the self.

   It is a discipline, a way of working with the mind, body and spirit that allows for focus, calm, and health to occcur as an autonomic response to the world around us.  If we come into union with the self, in a blanaced focused way, we handle the chaos around us without getting chaotic ourselves.  Yoga may become part of a spiritual practice, but it need not be that for everyone.  A yogic practice may include asana, but asana are not required.

   In a previous post to the Yogi Blog, I answered a question about Raja Yoga.  Along this path, asana is an integral part of the path.  But I also mentioned other forms of yoga one can do and still be considered as someone who has a yoga practice.  If you want one sentence as a working definition then:  Yoga is a discipline that may lead to living a healthy life, if we continue the discipline as we age, it may allow for a healthy death.