The Way of the Bodhisattva

Last night was the first in a series of eight weekly classes at the Austin Zen Center. The instructor is named Flint Sparks (that can't be his given name, can it?) I have taken two other classes from him in the past few months, one at The Crossings and one at the Texas Yoga Retreat. He is a fiftysomething bald Buddhist who emanates peace, humility and contentment. I am very excited about learning all that I can from him. We will be studying an ancient text by Shantideva, a monk who lived in the 8th century. Written in verse form, it's called The Way of the Boddhisattva. I picked up the commentary by The Dalai Lama at Half-Price Books, entitled A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night.

I will have to miss next week's class, as I've been invited to a potluck party with my favorite yoga teacher of all time, David Moreno (see www.moryoga.com). I studied with him during teachers' training at Yoga Yoga in 2001-02, and then he moved to Berkeley. When I was living in Palo Alto, I would often make the hourlong trek to the east bay just to attend his Tuesday evening hatha flow class. Well worth the trip. He is hilarious and amazingly adept at asana and meditation. He's another fiftysomething, bald man. He is gay and seriously studies tantric yoga (which is much more than just fancy sex positions popularized by Kim Cattrell et al.) I am attending two of David's workshops at Castle Hill Fitness this weekend. I feel so honored to be invited to his party next week. I think my friend Angel, an artist and tai chi instructor, will accompany me.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.

The time is always right to do what is right.

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

We must constantly build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Yoga Freedom. Health. Abundance. Freedom. (c) 2006. All rights reserved worldwide.

Spinning Your Wheels: Introduction to the Chakras

Does the word "chakra" conjure up images of hippies in silky robes chanting around a cauldron of steaming herbs? Though it has been brought into the popular American vernacular via movies and TV commercials, most people do not know what or where the chakras are.

"Chakra" is Sanskrit for wheel. There are seven main chakras at points along the spine. When the chakras are in alignment and their energies are flowing and balanced, a person is in good health. When one or more chakras are malfunctioning due to mental, emotional or spiritual disease, we feel the effects as a physical ailment.
The 1st Chakra (located at the base of the spine) is related to our survival instincts and to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane.

The 2nd Chakra (located in the lower abdominal) is related to emotions and sexuality. Ideally this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment and the ability to accept change.

The 3rd Chakra (located in the solar plexus, the area in the hollow of your rib cage) rules our personal power, will and autonomy, as well as our metabolism.

The 4th Chakra (located in the heart center) when healthy allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness

The 5th Chakra (located in the throat) is related to communication and creativity. Blockages in this area can lead to problems with the throat and sinuses.

The 6th Chakra (located at the third eye point, between the eyebrows) governs the act of seeing, both physically and intuitively.

The 7th Chakra (located at the crown of the head) when developed brings us knowledge, wisdom, understanding, spiritual connection and bliss.