Home
After an epic trek up Arangieskop (lil Facebook slideshow summary of the magnificence) with an awesome group of women, I was reunited with my loves for a soak in the Montagu hot springs.
For me the difficulty lies not in the summiting of mighty mountains but always in the returning home.
Facing up to all the many facets of self that coming home to oneself entails.
I was reminded of the subtitle of this very blog founded way back when, when I was younger and possibly less wise than I am now, but clearly still onto something ;)
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end to all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
~ T.S. Eliot
So this week Flow has been about Home
And I have been so moved by the work that my next Saturday Workshop on November 4th will be inspired by this...
Dance – “You Belong to Me” Bob Dylan & “Anchor” by Bjork
Tap & Hum
Long Swings
Lie down
Pranayama: Full yogic breath – hand on heart “this is where
I live...my heart is my home...I reside in my heart". Breathe white light directly into the heart using the mantra "Yam."
Make:
Automatic drawing - Blind map of your life
Inspired by the Hero’s Journey from Joseph Campbell’s
Monomyth
You have received a call to adventure,
you set out from your home,
along your way you receive supernatural aid – an angel or
mythical creature helps you on your way,
you conquer a guardian and cross a threshold into the
unknown
along the path of challenges and temptations there are
mentors & helpers
but
you will enter an abyss that may in fact be death
through this you are transformed
there is atonement – a gift, the elixir,
you may now return home
Chant:
Om Namo Narayanaya
One of my favourite memories of my stay at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala is of a room where they kept this chant going 24/7. What a pure and beautiful intention.
Om is the cosmic sacred syllable, which encompasses all of
the universe, energy and consciousness.
Namo means “to bow” or “to bow to.”
Narayanaya has more complex roots and interpretations. Some
take its root from the Sanskrit word for “water”, naara, while anaya means
“resting place” or “shelter.”
Thus, the word is another name for the Hindu god, Vishnu,
whose resting place is water and is often depicted on an ocean in Hindu art.
Alternatively, naara can also mean the “living entities,” so
narayanaya can also mean the “resting place of all living entities.”
Finally, and perhaps the most commonly cited explanation is
that naara means “human” while anaya is the “direction” or “goal.” As such,
narayanaya is the “direction of a human” or that which helps humans toward
their goal of Self-realization. Or it can be taken that narayanaya is “the
shelter of all human beings.”
This humanitarian connection explains why it is said that
the om namo narayanaya mantra should be chanted with the intention of sending
positive effects to all the people of the world.
It can be used as a chant for
peace, health and happiness for all.
Have you felt small, limited, bound by circumstances lately?
Are you feeling trapped or stuck?
Just rest.
You are the ocean.
All actions & thoughts are just waves moving on the face
of the ocean.
Rest in the expansion.
Yoga nidra:
Progressive relaxation
Breathe – visualize alternate nostril breathing
Visualise:
Continue to breathe while you darken the visual space of
your imagination. Shut your internal eyes and imagine that all around you is
nothing but darkness. Everything around you is black. Nothing can be seen.
Now, using only your imagination, open your eyes and notice
that you are looking at the ground at your feet. Notice if you are barefoot or
wearing shoes. What shoes are you wearing? Notice their color and material.
And now take note of the ground beneath you. What is its
material and texture? Is it paved? Is it even or uneven? Made of dirt, sand,
cement, wood, tile, concrete? Now take a few steps and notice how it feels
against the soles of your shoes. What sound does it make?
Keeping your eyes to the ground and without looking up,
start to take in your surroundings. Let your environment begin to paint itself
for you, brush stroke by brush stroke with all your senses alive.
What do you hear? Is it voices? If so, who? Is it birds,
traffic, machinery, the wind? What do you smell in this place? What does the
air feel like? Is it hot or cold? Dry or moist? Static or moving? Can you tell
yet where you are?
Now, slowly raise your head and look from side to side. What
do you see? Where are you? Take in as many details of your environment as you
can. The objects around you, big and small. The people, animals or creatures.
Look up to the sky or ceiling and notice its colour and shape. How does being
here make you feel? Relaxed, restless, happy, sad? Let yourself be in that
emotion for a few moments and accept it just for what it is. No judging it,
trying to change it or force it. Just allow yourself to be in this space.
Move your focus to what is directly in front of you. What do
you see? Continue to allow your environment to paint itself. Is there a clearly
marked road or path, or must you make your own? Is the path straight or does it
wind around a curve up ahead? Is it at an incline, decline or neither? Are
their obstacles in front of you that you must move around, or is your path
clear?
Begin to walk with a steady, normal gate. Just walk and
continue to take in what surrounds you. Continue to notice what it feels like
to be here.
Now we will begin to return to this world. So when you are
ready, stop walking.
Call off the search.
Be here, in this moment.
You ARE home.
Relax.
Sit around the hearth that is your own warm heart.
Homework:
Hero’s Journey journaling:
1.
What was a blunder in my life that can be seen
as a “call to adventure”?
2.
Where was/is my “stuck place”? How did I come
unstuck?
3.
When have I received supernatural aid? Look for
it NOW!
4.
When did I conquer a threshold guardian?
5.
Who have been my mentors and helpers?
6.
When was I in the belly of the whale? The cave?
Abyss?
7.
How has this transformed me?
Come PLAY!
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 8:30-10am,
Tuesdays 9-10:30am,
Saturday 4th November 10-12
More info on Facebook
& my pretty website
Classes are dirt cheap (R100/R50 for students/R350 per month) and totally relaxing.
Trust me, you need this!
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