Category: Dharma

I. Am. Enough.

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Dharma, Mantra, Yoga, Yoga Sutra

Samtosad anuttamah sukha labhah
–Yoga Sutra 2.42

Contentment brings supreme happiness–so translates Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2.42.  This contentment (santosha) is the result of being just as we are, without going to outside things for our happiness.  Things come, and we let them come.  If they do not, it does not matter.  Letting go of attachments allows us to rest in the here and now, content, not living in the past and not anticipating the future.  In this way, it could be said, we walk the middle way.

When we review those occasions when we have been truly happy, “…we shall almost certainly find that they had one characteristic in common.  There were times when, for this or that reason, we temporarily ceased to feel anxious; when we lived–as we so seldom do–in the depths of the present moment without regretting the past or worrying about the future.”  [Christopher Isherwood]

Practicing santosha actively in our lives requires a certain amount of willingness to enjoy exactly what each moment brings, no matter how it arrives or what it contains.  Peace of mind can never be dependent on external circumstances, which are always changing in ways beyond our control.  It is easy to practice santosha when things are going well.   But, if we are able to be content when things are difficult, then we are truly free.

We practice santosha in small ways on our mats, by accepting what our practice looks and feels like, just as it is, on any given day.  Daily, hourly, even moment to moment, we continuously practice letting go of the past.  As my teacher puts it, “Hold close the yogic premise that whatever we have in the present moment is enough.”

A mantra practice to try anywhere, anytime:  Breathe in, “I am.”  Breathe out, “Enough.”

See you on the mat!

How does your garden grow?

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Dharma, Meditation, Yoga

Sunrise prayers and blessings to be offered on the Ganges.  Varanasi, India.

 

Namaste my fellow yogi/yoginis!

It has been a little over a week since I returned from India.   And, what a week it has been!  Jet lag, a head full of thoughts at 3:00am in the morning, and deep and tender silences that linger in my heart.  India has a very certain way of challenging body, mind, and soul.

The number one question I have received since returning home–“So, how was your trip?”  My responses each time I have been asked have all been some succinct variation of “good.”   “Good” does not even begin to cover it!  If forced to sum it up in one word, intense is what comes to mind.   There exists within me, at the moment, a certain amount of cradling as if I am in a state of processing before ripening.  And so, I look forward to slowly sharing some of my experiences with you–as they unfold–during the coming weeks and months.

In just the short time I have been home, I have begun considering retiring from something that I have been doing for 30+ years!  Almost a scary thought, but it also carries a sense of relief.  Change is inevitable, and my interests have been evolving and shifting.  By letting something old and tired go, I make space for possibility!

The seeds of change have been sown.  Now is the time to water them, and watch them ripen.  This month we will touch on and contemplate our relationship with money, being in service to others, and our purpose in life. How would we describe right-livelihood?  Who are we giving our time, money, or love to; and are we doing it appropriately? Why do we make the choices we do?

One way to do such contemplating on your own is with daily meditation, taking walks in nature, journaling, prayer, or simply resting quietly, even if only for five minutes.  This precious and dedicated time, unplugged from distractions, helps settle the mind and is extremely helpful when considering the important questions in our lives.  How much time, daily or weekly, can you commit to watering the seeds of change?

See you on the mat!

Metta For These Times

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Compassion, Dharma

I close each of my yoga classes with an offering to all beings everywhere, that they may have happiness and be free from suffering.   These two wishes are part of The Four Immeasurables, as described by Lord Buddha, which consist of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.  We work with these four qualities so that we may cultivate wholesome attitudes towards all sentient beings.

Loving-kindness, the first immeasurable, is the wish that everyone, without exception, have happiness.   Loving-kindness feels much the same as the sincere good wishes a mother feels toward her new-born infant–that he or she will enjoy good health, be intelligent and successful, and make good friends.  This immeasurable counters ill-will.

Compassion, the second of the immeasurables, is the wish that everyone be free from suffering.  When we witness suffering by those close to us, family, friends, even a pet, we experience the ordinary quality of compassion.  To reach the sublime level of compassion, is to extend it out to all sentient beings in all realms of existence.  This immeasurable counters cruelty.

My wish, as we navigate our post-election world, is that we remind ourselves on a daily basis to connect with loving-kindness and compassion.

See you on the mat!

THE FOUR IMMEASURABLES

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May all beings live in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.

 

Dying To Our Perceptions

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Dharma, Yoga

“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.”
–Pema Chödrön

The leaves are beginning to turn, a final blaze of color to close out another year of growth.  Fall is a time for letting go of old clothes, old habits, old ways of being.  Echoing Pema’s quote, each and every time we turn to face our fears is an opportunity to shed them.  To also quote my teacher, Jennifer Prugh, we continue to “die to our perceptions, over and over” until we reach the eternal, indestructible Truth.

This month we will explore the themes of letting go and riding the waves of change.  What does your world look like when experienced upside down? Do you resist flipping your perspective?  Why is that, and is it True?

See you on the mat!

Buddhism & Paradigm Shifts

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Dharma, Yoga

I am deeply immersed in Buddhism at the moment, working on a writing project.  I find the concepts and philosophy of Buddhism to be both very calming, and frustrating, at times.  One moment I am gratified with some understanding, and at another moment completely frustrated by my seeming inability to understand.  At times, it feels as if there is an ebb and a flow to “getting it” or not.  This will then amuse me as I ponder it all.

Enlightenment, in any form whether tiny or mind-blowing, is either as close as flipping a switch, or as far away as trying to fill a sieve with water.   It is said you cannot think your way to enlightenment, you have to experience it.  One moment it will simply happen.  But, only after you have let go of every concept you have ever had of your self, or your perception of the way things are.

What I am thinking or feeling about most things is always changing in some way or another, particularly as I learn more.  What I know about anything is simply a pattern, a paradigm.  And, patterns can always be shifted.  The Four Noble Truths are considered the central concepts of Buddhism, and teach us that shifting from suffering to peace is possible.  Every day, every experience, every moment is an opportunity for us to “flip the switch” and experience peace.

I have found the following description of the Four Noble Truths by Sylvia Boorstein to be useful:

  1. Life is continually challenging because circumstances keep changing.
  2. Suffering is the inability of the mind to accommodate these changing circumstances.
  3. Peace is possible.
  4. It is possible to systematically cultivate, through lifestyle practices and mental training exercises, a mind that accommodates changing circumstances wisely, avoids confusion, and does not suffer.