Shiva's Blog

Happy New Year 2012!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:04:00 GMT

Happy New Year! Feliz Nuevo Ano!

We emerged out of the ocean 2.7 billion years ago and to the sea we return.

On the first day of the New Year, millions of Brazilians go to the ocean to offer flowers and shells to the Mother Goddess Yemanja as a way to cleanse and renew oneself for the New Year and remember where we came from so we can better navigate where we are going.

Last night we crossed over into the New Year during our bonfire on the beach where we ignited lanterns of prayers into a Milky Way permeated sky with more stars than Jai says he has ever seen.

Today through the next two weeks (Jan. 1st through Jan. 14th) is a wonderful period to really embody the spirit of the New Year cycle. Makar Sankranti on Jan. 14th marks the beginning of the six-month cycle of increasing light till the Summer Solstice. Where will we be then, individually and collectively and then again when we swing around to the Winter Solstice of 2012?

How we begin the next cycle sets the pulse for the next to unfold. It seems that truly living from one moment to the next, one cycle to the next is more meaningful and practical than ever.

There is magic in the air today. As we head to the sea here in Costa Rica to make our offerings to Yemanja and the sea, I am thinking of you and everyone around the world who is opening to the next cycle.

Let us open to a year of thriving in change and evolving in love, individually and collectively,

Diving into the New,

All Love

Winter Solstice 2011

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:03:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Tonight begins the great festivals of light within darkness beginning with Hanukkah. The Winter Solstice is upon us marking the rebirth of the light, the Sun and the Son (as in new life, Christ, Mithras and many solar kings in ancient traditions) in the heart of darkness. Given that this year the Winter Solstice is so close to the New Moon, we have an energetic alignment with the darkness within the darkness as the moonless sky and the psychic pull towards completion.

If you are joining us for our Winter Solstice Meditation tomorrow night, please have your journal and two candles – one that has been lit already from the year for the beginning of the call and the unlit candle for during the meditation. Set-up your altar space as we open to the new alignment and Uttarayana (six months till the Summer Solstice) cycle of auspiciousness.

We are initiating a new 40 day sadhana cycle beginning on Dec. 30th to create a communal support for the new cycle ahead (see below) as well as new rhythm of intensive teachings at Exhale including upcoming Tantric Studies with Paul Muller-Ortega, Chris Tompkins and the Nagas (Boas) are back (Jan 22nd, New Moon)!

Honoring the light of consciousness in all creation….

May all be complete! May all possibilities in every dimension be renewed!

Happy Holidays!

Love All Ways

November Musings

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:59:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Friday is for the Goddess in India and reaffirming your life energy. It is also for Shabbat, restoring your life-energy and listening. It is the weekend for refilling your cup.

On my heart right now:
* Occupy movement and praying that they can learn from what the great predecessors of the people's movements - Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr - to inspire by the highest action of non-violence and truth.

* The vibration of the amazing East Coast community from Sonic NYC, Flow DC, All that Matters, RI and from all around at Kripalu. We had a gathering of about 300 people on Friday night for 11-11-11 and the same amount calling in for the live connect. I have been anchoring into the embodiment of that shift in consciousness of the One. We created a collective poem for our Kripalu retreat and share with you below the poem, the Poetry of Yoga launch that supports editor Hawah's amazing project One Common Unity that brings yoga directly to community. Check it out.

* Our next free Tending the Sacred Fire groups Heartfire Mandala Mediation and Mantra before Thanksgiving and our free Winter Solstice Meditation and Mantra online calls. These offerings are a thank you for all the amazing beings who were part of the Living Yoga Sadhana group that began last year for the Full Moon Winter Solstice. We will start our new group for the 2012 Tending the Heart Fire on Dec. 22 or Jan 12 until Feb. 21st. Look for more information in next week's Pulse.

* The unveiling of amazing new programs to come, but for now: Daniel Odier is coming back for Tandava Retreat in Malibu Solstice Canyon and Exhale. There is limited space so please email to retreats@yogadventures.com if you are interested.

* Our Solar retreat in Costa Rica is an amazing pranafication place with solar cabins and natural light, natural foods from the land, open air living, surfing or swimming in healing waters, horseback riding on the beach, sunrise-sunset meditation and bonfire global mantras and a star permeated sky. We will be having an amazing intensive for Kalarippayatu as a Flow Arts Teacher's Intensive with daily classes with Gurukaal Sathyanarayan and kalari vinyasa with Shiva and pranadandayoga with Demetri. We are taking over the entire retreat center built by Omega founder Stephan Rechtschaffen but there are only a few spaces left. We just wanted to make sure you new about it all as it is a place of great healing and rejuvenation with the elements.

Have a regenerative weekend with your loved ones.
I am teaching this Sunday in the morning and Demetri is teaching next week.

In the creative cave...

Keep breathing the One

11-11-11

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:58:00 GMT

Dear Friends on the Path,

11-11-11 Blessings

Today there are many meditations around the world for this once in our lifetime day of 11-11-11.
We are heading to Kripalu for our ONE Breath: Collective Flow retreat after an amazing week in NYC, D.C. and Rhode Island. Thank you to everyone from Sonic Yoga, Flow and All that Matters for bringing us all together.

We are linked through our bio-fields and rhythmic nature to a deeper pulse.

What I like about 1-1-1-1-1-1 is that you don't have to know about numerology, or astrology or have a belief system. You can contemplate ONE in the way that is most powerful for you. There are other significances. Todays Veterans Day was created to honor the fact that peace treaty that ended WW1 happened at 11:00 on Nov. 11th. We all know the synchronicity around the 11:11 time that happens spontaneously.

May today be a turning point for us all as we contemplate and bring into healing reality any shift from selfishness to greater love untying the knots within, in any relationships, in our vision forward as we head towards the Solstice.

I am offering these free meditations in freedom tonight, for Thanksgiving and for the Winter Solstice as our Tending the Sacred Fire group which has lived these cycles through the year now moves toward completion.

All for One. One for All.
Love All Ways

1-1-1-1-1

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:44:00 GMT

Dear Friends on the Path,

1-1-1-1-1

We are linked through our bio-fields and rhythmic nature to a deeper pulse.

What I like about 1-1-1-1-1 is that you don't have to know about numerology, or astrology or have a belief system. You can contemplate ONE in the way that is most powerful for you.

From an amazing group of teacher trainees from around the world here - Peru, Denmark, Finland, France, Canada, Germany, Turkey, and beyond - we have been working with our own bio-fields in Chakra Vinyasa for energetic balance and wisdom in action. The last two public classes begin tonight - thank you for the local community for a great week.

Next week - 11 days from now we will be in Kripalu for our 11-11-11 "All for One 11-11-11 Meditation with Shiva and special guests John de Kadt, KDZ, DJ Nagaraja, and Hawah".

From the last public class at Exhale Thursday to connecting with the East Coast community for the Temple of Tala Rasa in NYC with Sonic Yoga, D.C., Rhode Island and beyond. We will be joined in NYC by Earthrise Sound System and ex-stomp percussionist - David "Duke" Mushroom" and NYC's great drummers for an amazing Tuesday Temple of Tala Rasa. If you are in town, please stop in for this tala rasa magic and the Movers and Shakers Project.

prAna created a video for their Global Ambassadors such as Chris Sharma, John Friend and this one was edited by Rich Van Every and his amazing team who documented Burning Man and the TEDx event. The founder of prAna narrates it and it includes a photo from the school of funk in Oakland. Truthfully, I am a bit shy but it includes some moments of friends you may know. It is called Inner Rhythm and it is in essence about the power of rhythm to help us feel the best of ONE. Click here to view!

A bow to the ancestors - Samhain Blessings!

May the next fertile 6 weeks of darkness bring us to deep fulfillment and peace.

Love all ways

Diwali 2011

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:41:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Diwali is the celebration of Sri and the blessing of one's inner and outer space with the light of consciousness - a time of community feast and sharing.

We are initiating a 10-day cycle at Exhale celebrating Diwali, the great 5-day festival of lights beginning tonight with our fluidpower-chakravinyasa teacher training with amazing people from all over the world.
As a gift to you, we are having some wonderful kirtan artists for our public classes.

We are also offering for our yogadventurers a Diwali gift if you register during this auspicious season
between tomorrow's new moon, Oct. 26th and the full moon of 11-11-11. We are offering a special Blue Spirit Massage as this will be an amazing retreat that sold out last year. Flights start to get into the New Year prices so we want to encourage anyone who wants to join us for our pranafication retreat to make your deposit earlier.

We will also be honoring the Samhain-Halloween cycle with a semiprivate "movers and shakers - come as your tribal-self early halloween party" that we are not putting out to the public just our PULSE list and Exhale
students as we only have 25 spaces. See below if you would like to join our moving meditation and Amir Magal will be joining us for tribal body art from 7:30-8:00.

Love your inner and outer house - clearing and cleaning.
Light your inner and outer lamps to invoke the auspicious current in your space.
Pray for all to generate meaningful prosperity, long-life and creative power for all.
Om Param Jyotyai Namaha!
We honor Sri as the great radiance!

Diwali Blessings

Yom Kippur

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:40:00 GMT

Dear Beloveds,

As we complete the Navaratri cycle with the Vijaya Dashami today and then open to the sacred Sabbath of Yom Kippur at sundown tomorrow, we feel held in the great compassion, wisdom, love and truth of the Great Mother and the inward turning of AtOneMent that bring us close to the One during the holi-day of Yom Kippur.

This is a natural time to join the Jewish community in an Energy Sabbath, lighting candles, fasting in a way that is good for your health, clearing our hearts and blessing each other and our families as we light candles tomorrow at sundown and begin to honor this sacred time.

From my heart, I hope you will forgive me for not always being as available as I want to be as the creative rhythms pull me inward for family life, yoga and a writing project.

I am on writing retreat but am coming out for the full moon in Colorado, public classes at Exhale next week through Nov 1st. and then the 11-11-11- full moon week on the East Coast.

Sending blessings to you on every level and all that is culminating in these last weeks of the harvest season. I would also love to honor Debbie Kaminsky for your amazing Global Mala celebration (photo below!)

See you in the flow of life,

Love All Ways

Shanah Tovah - Navaratri Blessings!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:37:00 GMT

Shanah Tovah - Navaratri Blessings!

Dear Friends on the Path,

Right now all over the planet, there are at least 1.5 billion people engaged in internal prayers during the largest holi-days of the fall, Rosh Hashanah and Navaratri. Whether you are at home or at temple, in India, Israel or the USA, if you are in the northern hemisphere, the entire earth is changing with the peak of creation meeting the force of dissolution. The fertile darkness of this dissolution process to come (in the form of late fall-winter) serves as a powerful catalyst for our own integrative shadow work that began with the Fall Equinox through the peak of darkness in the Winter Solstice. It is beautiful to feel the global swelling of this prayer cycle - meditations, mantras and rituals that give renewed strength to all beings at this time.

This Saturday we will be “Awakening the Inner Danda” as our core essence as part of global Navaratri time. In my Kalari in Thiruvanathapuram, the greatest rituals of the year are happening at this time as the space and the weapons for training are blessed and the beginning of new cycles of study are initiated.

For the first time, we are offering the first of a three-part series beginning this Saturday as an introduction to Kalari in the CVN tradition as well PranaDandaYoga with Demetri. Come to one session or all and feel the centering and awakening of vital energy connected with these practices.

We are thrilled about the other programs connected with the coming full moons in October and November that will bring us into greater synch with the once-in-a-lifetime occurrence of 11-11-11, for which we are gathering a Kripalu retreat. Look for some special PULSE 108 yoga trance dances in La Jolla and at Exhale as part of month the October Intensive period.

Finally, our love and blessings go out to Twee and Jason and their new precious and beautiful daughter born on the eve of Navaratri. Let us celebrate renewed life and inspiration for the path.

See you in the sacred flow

Honoring our Ancestors

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:35:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Today is a huge day in India to honor your ancestors (pitra paksha). Tears of rememberance streamed down my face honoring my Grandma and Mama on my ancestor altar. Bring them to your heart or altar today. Offer light and little nourishment (literally food) on your altar or give your memory from your heart as an offering. They will come alive in you. What they gave us with love - the light and the shadow - is a precious gift. Let us remember and offer back our life, our actions, our tenderness and love.

Tomorrow is the new moon and the beginning of Navaratri, New Moon and on Wednesday Rosh Hashanah. Please join us at Exhale for a special Tuesday night new moon candlelit class. We will begin with one of the oldest mediations in the world revived in this moment as a "movers and shakers meditation" and then deep Prana Flow® practice to enter this auspicious cycle.

This will be my only public class until Oct 11th (on writing retreat) but Demetri and I are finally offering a sacred training series with PranaDandaFlow™ and Kalari for three weeks beginning this Saturday. We will flow from there to the Opening Ceremonies of the World Festival of Sacred Music created by one of the most amazing beings in the world, my teacher and mentor from the Department of World Arts and Cultures, Judy Mitoma. It is an amazing festival (see below) and the Honoring the Sea began a long time ago and brings together cultures to honor the mother in direct ritual. My beloved Candomble dance teacher, Vida Vierra, with whom we began the Honoring the Sea ritual, will be there. Not to be missed if you are a local.

Also, a quantum namaste to anyone I may have see in the last few weeks - the encounters and sessions from this Summer beginning in Stonehenge, London, Santorini, Kripalu, Wanderlust, Lotus Feed, Burning Man, Bhakti Fest, Yoga Journal, and Earthdance really moved my heart.

We will be diving deep in the Living Yoga Sadhana™ group and Navaratri group (last chance to join is today) for the holidays which begin tomorrow.

Wherever you may be, light the inner fire.

May we all stay connected

Autumn Equinox - United Nations Peace Day

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:35:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Today, United Nations Peace Day, always is on the Autumn Equinox - the time of equal balance and the gateway into the "dark half of the year" until the Spring Equinox when the seeds that are planted for the New Year emerge and give life again. Today is one of the great fire festivals of the Druid-Celtic tradition, the beginning of the Eleusian Mysteries in Ancient Greece when Persephone goes into the underworld and the time before the new moon which begins the great sadhana periods of Navaratri and the Jewish High holidays.
Originally, Thanksgiving was on October 3rd until Abraham Lincoln and then FDR moved the holiday back to stimulate the economy!

Let us give thanks for the harvest of life and all that has sustained your body, home, family, community, your heart, inspiration and passion.

I give thanks for you all and the fire I see in your spirit, heart and eyes, your support for yoga energy activism (our last public outreach week) and the Global Mala Project and for the breath we have shared together. This is the time of wisdom and gathering your energy and affirming the power of community. If you're interested in learning more about Global Mala and hosting your own event, please visit www.globalmala.org.

May the power of your intentions and fire-keeping throughout the year continue to thrive.
Bring on the persimmons and squash, gold, red and orange leaves, crisp air and warm heart.
Let the season begin!

May there be peace in the North, South, East and West, above, below and in the center of our hearts.

Love all ways

Join YEA 2011

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:33:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

I'm back in Venice this week, starting the fall flow, returning from Burning and the magnificent Bhakti Festivals. These are the last two weeks of Yoga Energy Activism outreach for the week of September 18th - 25th.

We're dedicating our next two weeks to spreading the word of YEA - please extend an invitation to your communities to participate taking an energy fast-Sabbath for a day. Our main goals are to reduce consumption, reduce waste, and increase awareness in our homes and in our communities. These YEA regeneration days are days to take a technology fast, create meals that produce no waste, use alternative energy sources, and celebrate the abundance of natural energy and resources all around us with our friends and family.

Please sign up on Facebook - GROUP Name: Yoga Energy Activism - Help spread the word!

Love all ways

Headed to the Playa

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:31:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Heading to the Burning Man and radiating out to you everyday starting today around 4-6 pst from rituals on the playa. I am blown away again and again by the irrepressible creative human spirit. I have spent the week preparing for a Burning Man gathering this Thursday on the Playa researching the origins of rhythm from the ancient firekeepers to the little dancers to those who are banned from dancing. We have an incredible spirit living inside each cell.

So many amazing festivals coming up from Burning Man, Bhakti Fest, Yoga Journal, EarthDance, Global Mala Project and YEA Energy Sabbath - join us!

Keep tending your sacred fire! Jai Ganesh!

Love all ways

Lotus Feed

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:29:00 GMT

Dear Friends on the Path,

Please join us for the Lotus Feed - an amazing energy regeneration day with the Full Moon in natural light, with amazing food straight from Jenay's farm with the one and only Greek southern Grand dame of culinary arts - Cat Cora. She is a yogini and is coming for the day of fun from morning till night in Sonoma, CA. Jenay has made a clay pizza oven and many sacred places on the land for an epic evening for our Northern California friends or anyone who is in the area for a truly magical full moon. I think there are only a few spaces left but we wanted to highlight the amazing work Jenay has done.

We will be initiating the Movers and Shakers Project there (see below) as a way to encourage people to step up to the Green Energy plate. It is fun, wonderful, double reverse activism - do nothing to do something - unplug, tune in and recharge. We will be going for zero waste and living in natural light on Jenay's farm for the full moon. Please join us wherever you are and sign up for Yoga Energy Activism support in your studio for Sept. 21st and Dec. 21st.

Summer Blessings

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:28:00 GMT

Namaskaram and Summer Blessings!

We had an amazing full moon here with the Teacher Trainees on top of the mountain as the red-orange full moon rose just after sunset. This was part of the Guru Purnima celebrations which included Darshan with H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati on Inner Freedom. Everyone was so grateful for Pujya Swami and Sadhvi Bhagavati's presence and teachings. Inner freedom is found in our response to life which is not rocked by empty or full, ups or downs, in beauty or addressing eco-waste such as Pujya Swami's project to keep Ma Ganga clean or our upcoming Yoga Energy Activism campaign for Sept. 21st.

I am grateful to the extraordinary teachers in my life in all forms and for the many wonderful teachers-students-artists-musicians that come together during festivals. Bhakti fest is an amazing place for all Bhaktas to gather together from every different lineage including the Bhakti yoga tradition of Chaitanya through Radhanath Swami. I will be announcing more about Bhakti Fest and 2012 festivals and special programs.

See you all at Wanderlust, the Lotus Feed (Jenay Martin's Sonoma Farm Retreat), Bhaktifest and Yoga Journal Estes Park or in our special Embodying the Flow public classes this week.

Keep offering the fruits of summer to your beloveds.

Summer Solstice Blessings

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:26:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

As you look at the sun these days around the Summer Solstice, imagine a point exactly on the other side of sun – that is where you will be six months from now at the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21st. These two points of vision one at the point of greatest darkness and the other at the zenith of light are markers in our extraordinary journey of the year and are central to the guiding the flow of creation, manifestation in many cultures including the roots of yoga in India. The Summer Solstice marks the beginning of the Dakshinaya period where for 6 months the earth moves in the southern or “dakshina” orbit towards the Winter Solstice. In the next few days, there is a potent opportunity to the align yourself with this astronomical shift that as so huge for our ancestors that they built temples such as Callinish in Scotland, Konarak in Egypt, Multan Sun Temple in Pakistan, Mayan Sun Temples, Dakshinaarka Temple in Bihar, Suryanarayana Temple at Arasavilli, Surya Pahar Temple in Assam, and the great Solstice site – Stonehenge.

We reserved a private access for Stonehenge a year ago on the last day before it closes for the over 35,000 people who go there as a collective celebration. It was the full moon and lunar eclipse – which despite the typical English clouds – created a palpable charge – I mean literally. In all my life I have never had such an experience with a sacred space and reconnection with my ancestors. By a series of mysterious connections, we were able to have a beekeeping, earthen hut-living local Druid from the Avebury area, Chris Park, join us.
We entered the stone circle through the West gate as Chris blessed each one of us with the shaking of his rattle passed down through another Druid. The rattle is in the shape of bull balls – and was never to be photographed nor was our inner circle ceremony.

As I close my eyes, I can still see and feel, the depth radiance of power that surrounded our circle with such an extraordinary living presence of an unbroken continuity of energetic awakening. The center point where the light shines through a crack from the east to the west and west to east is visualized as passing through our own hearts. This grounding and activation, depth time of all the accumulated ceremony and the charge that is now circulating inside us as a new energy initiated for the coming cycles is something that we can all attune ourselves too at the zenith of the Solstice.

My prayers for us all as we now make the journey from the fruits of the summer into the harvest and point of greatest darkness is that we will once again be renewed at the turning point of the Winter Solstice.
May we listen at the core level, remember our ancestors and connect to the solar fire in the center within and without. Find a sacred place to take in that light today. Place some water outside to catch the sunlight if you can to drink in that power. Offer your prayers, intentions, solar bijas, mantras, gayatri with the setting and rising sun this week to bring in the next cycle.

Yoga Mala Solstice Ritual ~
Create a Yoga Mala for yourself with Surya Namaskar and the Bija mantras for the sun. You may also choose to offer a mala of the Gayatri mantra. For a mala, you can choose any variation of 9-18-27-54-108 rounds.

Sacred 108:
The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun. The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.
The average number of breaths per day at 21,600, of which 10,800 are solar energy, and 10,800 are lunar energy.

Blessings in all directions as we continue our journey around the Solar light that purifies and nourishes us all!