6.14.2010

Color Therapy

Sit on a pillow grounded to the earth. Let the stillness of the room envelope you and hold you tight.

Inhale. Bring awareness to your body. Focus on the breath. With your eyes closed, look into the deep black space.

Exhale.

Inhale. Breath into red at the base of your spine. Let the vertebrae become a conduit for earth energy to rise and return. The root chakra grounds you. Come to center in the stillness of the present moment.

Exhale.

Inhale. An ocean of orange energy fills the gorgeous form of the crescent. Let passion fall around you in gratitude for the love of others.

Exhale.

Inhale. Warmth continues to rise from red to orange to the radiant yellow of the city of jewels. Primal rhythms subside, the fire is under control. Feel the joy of connection.

Exhale.

Inhale. Deeply. Air opens the heart as yellow transforms to green. Halfway between earth and heaven. Each breath reaches further giving away soothing love.

Exhale.

Inhale. A cool blue brightness reveals the color of the pure chakra. Chanels open, your dreams turn outward. A deep wide river reflecting a sky of infinite shades carries away revelation and solutions become clear.

Exhale.

Inhale. Let your breath energy continue to ascend further up to indigo. Transcending thought and vision, joining body with soul.

Exhale.

Inhale. Spiraling energy waxes up your spine and rushes to the top, the crown, the violet light illuminates all that is divine.

Exhale.

All colors come together in a vortex of white. You are wide open. Awash with colors and energy, you are refreshed.

Inhale. Open your eyes to a brighter room and float off your pillow.
Exhale.

3.25.2010

yoga sutras

The way I understand the breakdown of Yoga Sutra 1.2.
Yoga is the observation and control of thoughts streaming through the mind.
I use the words observation and control instead of restraint because I believe you have to be aware of your thoughts before you can control them. The word restraint is too one sided, meaning not to allow, but the word control denotes the choice of weather to allow or not to allow the thoughts to flow.

Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodhah (1.2)
YOGAS (taken in context to mean the yogic experience - not the normal translation of Union)
Yoga is the experience gained by control over streaming thoughts.

CITTA (chitta - the mind)
ahamkara: the ego, buddhi: intellect or discriminative faculty, manas: desire - atttraction to outside things via the senses

VRTTI (vritti - thoughts)(1.6)
Five types of vrittis: pramana: right knowledge (1.7), viparyaya: misconception or wrong knowlege (1.8), vikalpa: verbal delusions (1.9), nidra: sleep (1.10), smritayah: memory (1.11)
Sources of Right Knowledge (1.7); pratyaksha: direct perception, anumana: inference, agama: tradition
Misconception (1.8) when knowledge of something is not based on its true form.(visual)
Verbal Delusion (1.9) an image that arises on hearing words without any reality as its basis. (auditory)
Sleep (1.10) a state of mind supported by cognition of nothingness.(one thought of emptiness in the mind)
Memory (1.11) when thoughts of something previously experienced comes back to consciousness (dreams or daydreams)

NIRODHAH (nirodhah - control)(1.12) Observation is gained through non-attachment and control of the thoughts is gained through practice.