Yoga story 2: Triangle Pose and Trinity

The popular and familiar yoga pose, Triangle (Trikonasa in Sanskrit), is one of the most difficult, strong, and stable poses among all.

Its three triangle shapes that you form from-- first with our legs and the floor, second, underneath the side of the body with the arm and front leg, and the third, connecting the top hand and two feet—are also the most mythical symbols of the trinity in nature, in spirituality, and in religions.

Triangle pose represents many sacred trinities in our world as well, such as the trinity of body, mind and spirit; that of earth, space and heavens; that of birth, life and deaths; and the Christian trinity of God as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The Hindu trinity is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They are respectively the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe. The trinity represents the Divine in its three fold nature and function. Each aspect of the trinity contains and includes the other. According to Puranas;

“A powerful demon named Mahishasura had wreaking havoc upon the gods and goddesses in the heaven, threatening to overthrow them. He managed to distract them constantly from their duties, turning their attention instead toward worldly and unlasting pleasures. Mahishasura’s depravity was distressing Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu, the sacred trinity in charge. In an effort to overcome Mahishasura’s debauchery, the sacred trinity brought their energy together to create the great goddess, Mahamaya (means, great illusion).

A fierce warrior, Mahamaya and her trusty lion lunged at the evil demon. The wily Mahishasura transformed into different creatures to try to defeat them. Though his shape changed, his evil intensity stayed the same, and it became a formidable fight. Mahamaya’s lion swiped at Mahishasura’s chest, weakening him a bit. Mahamaya drew one of her endless supply of arrows and cry out and fall to the round. She promptly stood on top of him and used her scimitar to cut off his head, ending his evil reign. Having defeated the demon, Mahamaya restored light and grace to the heavens and to those who lived there.”

In this myth, the evil Mahishasura symbolizes the many distractions in our lives that pull us apart in many different directions. We are constantly running around, busy all the time, but unable to stay focus on one things or accomplish what is more important in life.

And the goddess Mahamaya symbolizes the triangle pose, the three gunas (Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva) or qualities that compose our bodies and minds.

Tamas guna, which arises from Shiva, is the quality of inertia or unconsciousness. It causes indifference and can have a destructive energy. Rajas guna, which comes from Brahma, is the quality of passion and creativity, which provides the creative energy we need for manifesting things. Sattva guna, from Vishnu, is the quality of lightness and consciousness, which is necessary to sustain harmonious living and maintain our enlightened awareness. These gunas come together to create maya, the world of illusion that we experience through our senses.

One of the aims of yoga practice is to invite as much clarity (sattva) in our lives as possible, while avoiding ignorance (tamas) and agitation (rajas). For that, we need the lion like fierceness and focus. The shape of a triangle is just that; groundedness, courage, precision and focus.

In my growing up years, I used to be quietly rebellious and feel sour with almost everything, anyone around me. A bit angular disposition in nature, you could say. But since doing Yoga, I got much softer over the years and rounder at the corners of my personality. Wiser, too! Now, I became more like a triangle; solid and stable at the foundation, while my views are always set to somewhere in the middle atop. I rarely lose my composure now, though still far away from full enlightenment.

The triangle pose also represent the Time. The past, future, and present moments are, like the Trikonasana, the trinity well rolled into one continuum. Whichever way you turn it around, they are of equal length. They can’t be separated because each depends on the others for existence and balance. And yet, we are so easy to over look this simple truth. We are constantly occupied with the past and future, while seldom lives in the present. So is it any wonder that we often feel as though we are missing out something important in life? That is why, I feel so liberating and yet grounded whenever I come into the triangle pose. I am at peace with the way I have lived thus far and where I am at for now, while looking forward to the years ahead, to more learning, growing and expanding experiences.

The practice of yoga aims to reach a state of pure goodness, in which all dualities are united in absolute harmony. All dualistic views about good and bad, pure and evil, right and wrong, etc, they are like the veils of goddess maya (illusion), preventing to see the truth behind, so that we can reside solely in our divine nature. In Triangle pose, we meditate on our solid foundation, reflecting what we need in order to live a more sattvic life so that we could leave the world of maya behind in times to come.

Thus, next time when you do the triangle pose, why don’t you press both feet (past and future) more firmly on the ground while relaxing your head to gaze upon your finger tips above (present)? Then you are entering into the realm of fullest possibility in your life’s manifesto. You will see, in instant, all limitation you have imposed upon yourself disappears, like the Mahishasura, in the brilliant lights of the goddess Mahamaya and rejoice the sweet victory …

Yoga Story 1: Ganesha, the elephant-headed god’s Story

There is a big, beautiful and elegant Ganesha’s picture hanging in the front wall as you enter our Yoga studio. Why the large elephant-headed god’s picture with his pot belly and pudgy figure is placed in a Yoga studio, instead of shining mirrors? Either being multi-culturally grown Malaysians, who got accustomed to diverse religious figures, or just plainly out of indifference, people rarely question me about it and I don’t elaborate it either when no one asks. But, certainly I didn’t put his picture there for no reason or just as a decoration pieces.

Ganesha, in Hinduism, is the guardian deity of Yoga, meditation and astrology, of the subjects I happened to study simultaneously over the past decades. When I began my soul searching, I found myself naturally drawn to all the three, one by one, because they seemed to be connected each other. So I studied them with particular interest ever since I started my journey in late 80’s. But as a Korean origin, I never knew or heard of him before, not until, my then-boy friend hubby gave me a present, a small and beautiful bronze Ganesha statue, that occupies the corner of our home alter till now. I learned of this lovely deity’s many crazy antics from Hindu mythology afterward. Since then, he occupied a special place in my heart and I thought it would be most appropriate to share some of his myths with my yoga students as an opening to the Yoga story series.

Ganesha is a master of Yoga despite of his round figure. He has very flexible body, and brilliant and expansive mind, who is a renowned Vedic scholar that wrote the great Indian epic Mahabharata. He is also the remover of obstacles, and no Hindu prayer or ritual, especially for planetary propitiation, may commence without a prayer to Ganesha. He is generous and easy to please who grants every wishes of his devotees when asked with sincere and genuine hearts. He gives progeny to the childless, he gives knowledge to the seeker, and prosperity to those who desire material gains. The sheer size and power of the elephant, who can remove any obstacle on his path, makes Ganesha the god who removes all obstacles from the paths of his devotees.

Ganesha is the first son of Shiva and Parvati, one of the most powerful gods in the Hindu Trinity pantheon and his equally almighty goddess wife. How then, Ganesha ended up with an elephant head, despite being a prince to the couple who had no match in the entire universe with their combined beauty, power, and strength? As the story goes;

“One day, as the goddess was going for her bath, she rubbed oil and dust from her body and created a young boy, into whom she infused life. Parvati told him that he was her son and asked him to keep watch while she went to bathe. Soon after, Shiva came to see his wife, but the boy would not let him in. He cut off the boy’s head in anger. Parvati, when she saw her headless son, was furious and threatened to destroy the heavens and earth, for she was also Shakti, the Ultimate Power. To pacify her, Shiva order his army of ganas (dwarfs) to bring the head of the first living being with his head to the north, which is the auspicious direction associated with wisdom. The first living being they met was an elephant sleeping with its head to the north. They brought back the animal’s head, which Shiva placed on the severed body. Parvati was overjoyed and named her son Ganesha or Ganapati, Lord of the Ganas.”

Ganesha is the most beloved of all the Hindu deities, for he combines in himself the elephant, a sacred and much-loved animal that is gentle and kind even as he is large and strong. There are amusing stories who loves with all things that are sweet, especially modaka, the sweet Indian desert, customarily offered by his devotees during Puja (Hindu prayer session).

“On one of his exploits, Ganesha actually consumed so many sweet cakes that his belly was full to bursting. He decided it was time to head home and relax his stuffed belly, so he hopped on his trusty “steed,” a tiny mouse. Because the mouse is such a small vehicle, Ganesha has to practice extraordinary balance to keep his hulking frame on the erratic creature (remember he is the master of yoga).

The pair was cruising smoothly along when a very long cobra slithered onto their path and frightened the mouse. The mouse darted one way and Ganesha fell the other. When he hit the ground, his overstuffed belly exploded and sweet cakes rained everywhere. This greatly perturbed Ganesha, who was upset not only by the cobra’s disruption of his ride, but at the loss of sweet fullness of his tummy. He walked around, collecting all the sweet cakes and stuffed them one by one, back into his belly. Then, he snatched up the cobra and tied it around his waist to cinch it shut. All the while, the moon, Chandra, was watching the extravaganza, and couldn’t help exploding into laughter at Ganesha’s crazy antics.

Ganesha got angry and broke off a piece of his tusk and threw it at the moon, cursing him to stop shining. So there was no more night and the sun shone incessantly night and day. With no night, no dawn, and no dusk, love was lost to the world. There was no place for romance, and men and gods alike became scorched and hopeless upon the hot earth. So the gods pleaded with Ganesha to take back his curse. Ganesha relented, but limited the moon’s shining to alternate fortnights, which is why the moon waxes and wanes. This, he decided, would be a permanent lesson for the moon so it would remember never to laugh at him again.”

Thus, we too, might be tempted to just laugh or smile after hearing of Ganesha’s episode with the moon, but, its myth is more than just a funny story that which carries profound symbols in it.

His corpulent body reminds us that outward appearance has nothing to do with inner beauty, with his huge belly representing his ability to swallow the sorrows of the universe. As the elephant is large yet, gentle, Ganesha represents the importance of right over might.

The head of the elephant is symbolic of his superior intelligence: wisdom and the strength of the mind, and the ability to remove obstacles. His large ears sift out the bad, so that only the truth can be heard. His broken tusk in his hand symbolizes knowledge, for he used it to write the Mahabharata.

The snake around his waist symbolizes cosmic energy (shushuma) that is dormant at the base of our spine, which can be awakened by balancing the sun (pingala nadi, or yang in Chinese) and the moon (ida nadi, yin) energies through yoga. The noose represents worldly attachments, which are like a noose around one’s neck. The modaka is reminiscent of the sweetness of one’s inner self, while Ganesha’s vehicle mouse, the tiny animal represents the equal importance of big and small people to God. Sometimes he holds rosary beads, a reminder of the importance of prayer.

Now, when you know what Ganesha is all about, how can you not love and adore him, even if you are not a Hindu? Thus, I pay my respect to him whenever I caught his eyes peeping while I conduct the yoga classes. Though I’m not a Hindu, but more of a student of Yoga from a different race, I don’t think it matters to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have blessed my life to thread solely along the paths of Yoga. I can’t imagine myself what would have become have I not entered in this path…I feel truly blessed to have known him, of whom I commute with the prayer I learned from my astrology teacher,

Vakratunda maha kaya, surya koti samaprabha, Nirvighnam Kurume deva sarva Karyeshu sarvada.

(You of the twisted trunk and massive body, With the dazzle and light of a million suns: Lead me on a path that has no obstacles or hindrances, Clearing the way in all that I do, ever, always.)

So next time when you come into the studio or engage yourself in the practice of yoga, meditation or spiritual study, it will be helpful to remember Ganesha’s story, to hold your balancing of body, mind and spirit in joyous, relaxed but delicate manner with focus. Or else, the mouse will topple you over sideways to become a laughing stock to the moon, and lose all sweetness and love in life… If any of you want to learn the melody of how to sing Ganesha’s prayer, let me know, I can easily teach you during the yoga class. I taught it to the yoga kids, and they just love it immediately…

Yoga Stories for Your Hearts and Souls

Welcome to Beth’s new yoga story series!

Lately, I was searching for different story materials for my yoga kids so that I can make the kids’ yoga class more fun and exciting, at the same time, inspirational and uplifting for their tender hearts and spirits. Well, then, it dawned on me that, why don’t I share the stories with my grown-up yoga students as well??? Hey, they need fun, excitement also, as well as heart- warming stories for their tired and exhausted souls…!

Yes, in fact, we adults might need much stronger doses of soul food than children. While the young kids’ are easy to laugh and be joyous in spontaneity, many grown-ups lost the ability to feel passionate with life or be enthusiastic in anything at all. Instead they are easy to frown and complain, while so quick to rise to anger and frustrations, even with little, little irritations. Life has become too solemn and serious business for many of us as though the whole world is going to collapse if we don’t keep up with the Jones.

Life needs not be struggle if we know how to put it down in the Now like kids. Everybody adores babies and loves to play with children. Why? Because, they are fully present in the moment, in the Now. Their innocent minds are yet to know what is past or future. Their hearts are pure and free from any worries or fear. Thus they are naturally the masters of Yoga, the science of body, mind and spirit, but, not we, adults. We hold way too much tension in our body and noises in the mind for our innate spirit gets the chance to shine forward. If we can only allow our spirit to reveal its brilliance in natural fashion, then, our life will become so much more vibrant and authentic. We could reclaim our birthright for unconditional happiness and bliss.

In the upcoming Yoga story series, that which I will weave from various sources of tales, teachings, myths as well as my own personal experiences, my sole aim is, to help you ignite the sparks in your hearts, so that, you may rediscover your lost passion and motivations for life, to strive for greater happiness, perfect health and soulful success in whatever you do, wherever you are.

Yoga is from ancient India originated thousands years ago since their Vedic culture. The asana and pranayam practices, as largely known to be synonymous with Yoga, is, Hatha Yoga, one of the most potent forms of practicing yoga in balancing and harmonizing our energy, so that it becomes fit to attain enlightenment.

However, it is just one tiny aspects of yoga in the vastitude of Vedic literatures.
Less well known but not any less important aspects of yoga is, Upanishad and Puranas, that are the collections of inspiring stories and teachings of devas (gods), saints and gurus, told in timeless language in the backdrops of ancient India. In those stories, various encounters, deeds and adventures of gods and goddess are told to improve the quality of our lives and also to help our human souls’ emancipation. They stretch our imagination and ordinary comprehension beyond measure by defying any limitations about time, space, sequence and logics. Their points of tell-tales are not to make sense, but, to remind us time and again, the divine nature we are endowed with, but forgotten along the way of samsara (the endless wheels of births and deaths).

In this fast moving technological and material society we are in, there are less and less chances for actual human contacts in our daily lives. Everything can be done mechanically, automatically, through computer, through internet, through mobiles with just one click on the finger tips. When we hear the ancient stories of Upainishad or Purana, we might have to scratch our head in trying to make sense out of them. But, when, gods were looking down on us, with what we are doing in facebooks, YouTubes, mobiles…they will shake their heads and have really no idea what the he** we all are up to. It is us that who are not making sense, not they.

When I see our kids or people, anywhere, everywhere, sitting, standing, or walking…constantly hooked up with those wires or busy with fingers and eyes and ears… I get worry. Because, the more and more, I see distance and disconnection among us with what is more important in life. With our busy modern life, many people are becoming more like a dead-man-walking. They are well alive, but not breathing nor aware of with what is going on around them. Many are so caught up in their mind, in their virtual world, that, each are like an island unto themselves, isolated and disconnected, with the rest of world, even with close family members who are under the same roof. It seems, the busier we get, the lonelier our lives become. Nothing really matters as much like happy and contented smiles in our heart, because, that is what we are going to take with us when we leave this life.

Do you have a song in your heart? What will make your heart sing? Goodness, virtue, humility, sincerity, selfless devotion…those timeless qualities of divinity make my heart to skip its beat when I hear of them. My heart leaps into joy and ecstasy whenever I see the same divine sparks from ordinary to extra ordinary stories of people who dedicated their life, time, efforts in commitment to the love song in their hearts to give it to life, thus making it larger than life. We are no different than other animals in its physiological and safety needs, except the natural inclination towards the noblest, purest and highest, once our basic needs are met. When we dedicate our life to the calls for divinity, then, we can rise above what holds us back, to the timeless beauty and transcendental mythic land, to sing and dance, and rejoicing together with gods and goddesses.

Thus, I would like to invite you to the Yoga mythic journey to meet the heroes and heroines of whom we could aspire, emulate to become better of ourselves and lives…

Announcement:

Beth’s Yoga: the Healing Sounds Meditation Course
Free Introduction: 5-6pm, 16th October, 2010
Dear Friends,

Greetings to you and your loved ones! Another year end is fast approaching in couple of months. I hope you have enjoyed much happiness, good health, peace of mind and harmonious living to look forward yet another very fulfilling year. If not, maybe, you might consider doing something very different, so that you could greet New Year with fresh resolution, enthusiasm and passion.

Learn How to Meditate in wherever you are, whatever you are doing it—seating, lying down, walking, or even driving!

Despite what impression, misunderstandings, trial experiences you might have had in the past, actually, Meditation is as easy and natural as eating, sleeping or brushing teeth but the effects and benefits are beyond what this short mail can describe. That is, if you know it how to do in the right way.

It is our inborn birthrights to be happy and enjoy maximum physical/mental health, while firmly rooted in our spiritual identity at the same time. According to the modern science and time-tested testimonials by countless self-actualized souls, regular Meditation delivers the following benefits and effects: 1) Calm the mind, release stress and learn to relax. 2) Improve health and increase longevity. 3) Increase clarity of mind, focus and improve creativity. 4) Refine characters for excellence and facilitate self-actualization. 5) Enhance spiritual progress regardless of one’s belief system.

Last month, I have read a very touching interview with Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore. Contrast to his usual iron willed image, the 87-year Senior Minister was reflecting very candidly about his life in not-so-much as a highly revered and successful politician, but as a humble human being in his twilight years. He seemed deeply threaten by “what awaits” each night no matter how busy days were, especially with his bed-ridden-dear wife’s impeding death including his own limited time in life. (She passed away last week, after one month he gave the interview.)

What touched me, though, was his statement that he envied of people with faith who find strength and solace from it. Thus, he learned meditation lately and calms himself with 20 minutes of meditation at night, which helps him to soothe and certain tranquility settles over him. “The day’s pressures and worries are pushed out. Then there’s less problem sleeping” he said.

Please come to the Free Introduction on the Effects and Benefits of Meditation in 16th October 2010, Saturday, 5-6pm in Beth’s Yoga to learn more about it. Beth will share her lifelong passion of Meditation in the simplest, non-denominational term through this 45 minute Power Point presentation.

So, see you all there!
Beth Lim

The Now—the Pause between Breaths

I have long refused to read the famous best seller “the Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle until March this year. The main reason was from my aversion toward any “hoo-hoo-ha-ha” of public hype as I am naturally cautious for anything if they are too noisy. He was featured big few times by Oprah Winfrey. She is a big fan of his and the once-anonymous-man owes huge debt to her for his now-world-famous celebrity status. Thus, I have been flipping his books in the bookstores every now and then, but, was never really inclined to read through it. Then, Bhante Kovida is one of his avid fans and strongly recommended me to read it. Okay…

It didn’t take me long to finish reading once I sat with it. Yes, very far out book, definitely…but I am not yet so convinced by it. Not because I couldn’t grasp or understand what he is talking about, but because of the levels of abstraction in his language for the description of the “Now.” Because, the Now is so easy to grasp it as soon as you can turn back to your breathing—breathing in, breathing, and pause. The Now is simply in the pause. The more spacious and steady the pauses become, the Now is just right there for you to start living it. It’s extremely sweet, loving and full, just like Indian mangos. If you tasted local mangos only, and think you know the taste of good Indian mangos, then, you are very wrong. So is the taste of the true Now, that lies in between our breaths. Breath by breath, they are so honest and direct path to our freedom and well-being in all levels of our being, the body, mind and spirit.

But, he and his questioners go round and round, as though chasing after its own tails, to understand the “Now.” Very much like the J. Krishnamurti. The legendary theosophy philosopher spent his entire life to explain about meditative states instead of teaching meditation until he died of 90 plus years of age. He talked forever about how beautiful is the silence of mind in reflecting nature and life, but he could never convey his exalted experiences to his world-wide followers. Because people were asking the same type of questions again and again decades after decades instead of they themselves meditate to grasp those experiences. I was told that he died as a very disappointed man… It seems to me that Mr. Tolle is also taking Mr. Krishnamurti’s footsteps…

It is just amazing to realize how much people love to talk about love rather than being lovers. Same goes with mindfulness, goodness and wisdom. Rather than living mindful, good and wise, they analyze about mindfulness, goodness and wisdom. Embracing the Power of Now? Rather than living Now, they talk about how to live Now while constantly moving back and forward to the past and future. It is truly absurd and frustrating to repeat the same talk about certain issues again and again, while it all falls onto deaf ears because not many are truly listening. As much as we are paranoid about talking than listening that can only happen in Now, we are forever going to miss the trains to our destinations.

Truth, happiness, peace and harmony…they elude us like mirage. Our inborn nature, the longing for highest truth in us, always look up for something loftier than mundane. That is why there are so many quacks that use the name of religion and spirituality to cheat and abuse people. The naives are those ignorants who believe others’ talks in the face value. We just have to know how to distinguish the truths for our own good if we were not to get dragged around by the nose in the market place of spirituality.

Whatever I have seen some-twenty years ago in my US days, now, coming to the shore of Malaysia… Lately a lot of spiritual products in the New Age era are rushing over here. Outdated over there, arriving here now, each claiming to offer salvation, love, bliss and spiritual freedom to our famished material souls. I am not saying they are wrong. It is just that I am reminding you to take all of that with a pinch of salts. Too sweet consumption, you might get diabetes. It is all matter of balancing the trinity in us—body, mind and spirit. Don’t swing to one side only. Come back to the other side as well as the pause in between. Don’t get into too much mood making. Don’t do too much thinking and talking and planning for the future. Learn to rest in Now.

The Now is the Pause in between, in our breaths. When you can live more of your breathing awareness, then, you can also understand what Mr. Tolle is talking about, what Mr. Krishnamurti is talking about. Mindfulness meditation, Loving-Kindness meditation…they all have roots in the Breaths. You can truly experience and actually live all those wonderful things they talk about when you can discover the pause in between the breaths. Until then, what sounds sweet to ears will remain just one step out of your reach. They can’t be yours.

Your life is depended on your breaths. So is the Now, so is your health, happiness, love and material/spiritual emancipations. The Now is in the Pause in between our breaths, so easy to forget, but so easy to get in touch, as soon as you can remember.

Breathe in, breathe out, and pause; breathe in, breathe out, and pause…there lies the eternal humdrum of our godly nature. One step forward, breathe in, one step forward breathe out, one step forward, pause your breath…we walk side by side with our Holy Spirit or Buddha nature. How can you be not mindful, loving, kind or blissful when you become just That. Don’t waste time and energy talking about, thinking about, discussing over it. Don’t fret over it for ages trying. Just do. Just breathe in, out and pause but, you have to put your whole awareness to it instead of running on auto-pilot mode. It is much easier than you think. Even your toddlers can do. Why not you? Now, let's do breathing together. Breathing in, breathing out and pause…search for where the breathing is happening? Tummy, chest? It doesn’t really matter as long as you continue be mindful of your breaths; your body will know what to do, your mind will calm down in no time, and your spirit will shine forward brightly… Trust me.