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CLARIFICATION ABOUT YOGA’S TEN COMMANDMENTS

In response to a Yoga Journal post about the yamas and niyamas (classical yoga’s code of personal conduct, or “ten commandments”), I indicated that they are found in second half of Chapter 2 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – the chapter that stresses the importance of preparation when it comes to meditation.

In trying to make the point that they are critical to the preparation process, I indicated that the yamas and niyamas account for the bulk of the second half of Chapter 2 [specifically, they account for ~60% of Patanjali’s eight-limbed discipline; posture, breathing, concentration, and meditation each account for ~10%].

But in making the point, I gave short shrift to the first half of Chapter 2 by saying it focuses on the importance of the attitude we bring to our practice – indicating it’s hard to affect change in our behavior without motivation or intent.

The first half of Chapter 2 is arguably more important than the eight limbs themselves. [Clearly, Patanjali thought so!] It addresses the significance, causes and cure of our own self-inflicted distress; it’s 1.5x longer than the section on the yamas and niyamas; thus, 9x longer than the section on posture!

Chapter 2 begins with The Serenity Prayer. Patanjali prioritizes the importance of mental discipline, advising us to exercise a combination of acceptance, courage and wisdom to keep the five causes of our own self-inflicted distress at bay.

The primary source of self-inflicted distress, which gives rise to the other four, is failure to distinguish between our thoughts (evidence of our mind) and our awareness OF our thoughts (evidence of our consciousness). The latter NEVER changes.

Consciousness is the only “thing” known to man that isn’t affected by the vagaries of time and space. It’s literally immutable and eternal – yet without it, we wouldn’t realize we’re alive!

Our thoughts on the other hand, like our impermanent bodies, are literally CONSTANTLY changing.

Identifying with our impermanent body/mind (i.e., failing to realize that there’s a LOT more to us than we see in the mirror and hear in our head) gives rise to the other four natural causes of self-inflicted angst: ego, attachment, hatred, and fear.

Learn to distinguish between your permanent and temporary bits and I promise you’ll smile a lot more often!

God bless, Skip

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MEMORY (and Louis) LANE

A haunting memory

When I was 5, I saw episode #89 of Twilight Zone, “To Serve Man”, in which aliens came to earth promising a much better life on their planet. People queued up to make the intergalactic trip. As the ship full of human passengers took off, one woman discovered the truth: the aliens meant to serve us alright – as dinner!

That TV show from over 50 years ago has remained in my sub-conscious memory until recently. Such memories – and all their attendant emotions – can be triggered a lifetime later. Sometimes it’s hard to argue which is more powerful, our conscious “thinking” mind, or our sub-conscious “doing” mind [one thing it “does” is store our memories].

What I see

With the same clarity that I see the words I’m typing, I see life as Patanjali suggested we see it: from the inside out: as consciousness embodied, rather than as a body with consciousness. But for the life of me, I can’t help another living soul see it as I do.

As my guru says, therein lies my problem: I should be trying to see life as others do – and acting compassionately – rather than trying to “help” everyone else see their lives differently regardless of the profound benefits.

The frustration

Abandoning the desire to help others see what I see is difficult. I feel like the woman in the Twilight Zone episode who figured out the aliens’ plan – too late to save herself or her fellow passengers. Not a terrific analogy – but the hopelessness and irony are real.

Imagine a world in which what we looked, sounded or smelled like was of little concern: the exact opposite of our current state in which our essence, our consciousness, is of virtually no concern to anyone. If everyone saw life from the inside out, we’d all be more concerned about our collective wellbeing than appearances.

The benefits

Millennia ago Patanjali outlined the simple science of a) how our perpetually-functioning, dual-aspect mind works (i.e., our conscious mind is generally evidenced by our thoughts, and our sub-conscious mind is generally evidenced by our actions), and b) the life-altering benefits of realizing the distinction between our ever-changing body/mind and our unalterable, eternal consciousness.

Identifying with one’s immutable consciousness rather than one’s relatively weak, withering body/mind has very practical benefits: you no longer sweat the little stuff! Things that happen to our shell or ‘casing’ have zero affect on who and what we truly are. When we identify with the outside, every little ding and dent feels as though we’ve been injured. If we identify instead with the aspect of each of us without which we don’t even know we’re alive, life’s inevitable bumps and bruises, slings and arrows are a LOT easier to contend with.

Our consciousness is immutable: unchanging; unaffected by time, space, drought, hunger, disease, bullets, fears and desires – you name it.

“So what?” someone asked me recently.

 

Aside from the benefit of realizing that part of you is more powerful than Superman [he had to worry about kryptonite] you have within yourself evidence that part of you is immortal, essentially divine. That realization gives rise to faith, the most powerful, motivational force on earth.

Two other haunting alien memories

As long as I’m confessing to being afraid of aliens for most of my life, at about the same age (5), I was also scarred by watching the “Mole Men” episode of the “Adventures of Superman” in which the world’s deepest oil well penetrated the underground home of aliens who climbed to the surface!

About the same age, I had to change the channel five minutes into the initial episode of “My Favorite Martian” when his spaceship crash-landed on earth!

Change your perspective and change your life

Every moment of life is awesome and fascinating – but ever more so when seen from the inside out. Want to change how you view life? Pick up an interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and reach out with any questions. I’d be honored to help shed light on your path to discovering the secret to lasting peace of mind.

Blessings, Allan Dowds

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Trading Privilege for Faith

I used to have an insanely lucrative job – and I was miserable.

Three years later, at 61, I’m searching through online ads for yoga instructors, it’s far from obvious we’ll be able to keep the house, vacations are a distant memory, our cupboards and clothes reflect my long-term unemployed status – and I’m happy. [Though admittedly, my joy and bliss isn’t always shared by those I love.]

The greatest irony in all this is that I have something priceless – that for the life of me, I can’t give away let alone sell. No matter how hard I try, trying to get someone else to see through my eyes isn’t possible – says my TCM master. Wish he’d told me that three years ago!

It’s beyond frustrating. I literally see the same thing others do, but from an entirely different paradigm – through rose-colored glasses if you will – because I see the miracle behind what I’m looking at.

Aside from the fact that without consciousness we’d have no idea what our body and mind were doing (!), consider that literally everything that has ever happened since the beginning of time, had to happen EXACTLY as it did in order for this moment to manifest. Ask a statistician what those odds are!

Every dinosaur fart? Every musket shot? Every love letter? Every song? Every death? Yeah.

Life is miraculous. Appreciate the ride, because in your current form you only go around once. ❤️

What I have that can’t be gifted or sold is the realization of the world of difference between my thoughts (evidence of my mind), and my awareness OF those thoughts (evidence of my indomitable, divine consciousness – my awareness – my soul – my spirit – my essence). 🙏

Patanjali’s Raja Yoga is a path to faith….

….and FAITH engenders serenity, courage and wisdom to overcome our worst intangible desires and fears. 🕉

God bless, Allan❤️🙏🕉

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Show the Universe what Ya got!!

[Sorry Jack; it’s another bait-n-switch, a holdover from my days working for the man.]

My grandfather used to say a man only needs two pairs of pants. It’s probably how he saved enough money to put his great-grandchildren through college.

How did I hear it (over & over) as a kid?

“Real men don’t own more than two pairs of pants.”

 

Part of me will always believe it.

Pops spoke the same way Patanjali wrote: in mathematical extremes. While it’s literally impossible to be perfect, that was their mutual advice:

“BE YOUR BEST.”

 

The ultimate goal (they agreed) is to do so willingly & lovingly in service of something other than oneself. My first yoga teacher told me that about 15 years ago; it took 13 years more suffering to ‘click’ – and I was desperately trying to ‘get it’ the entire time! Yeah; it doesn’t come easy – and it can’t be gifted.

‘Getting it’ takes a combination of:

A.) a lot of beatings (mostly to the ego in my case; it’s taken me awhile just to see myself as the human equivalent of a rooster according to Traditional Chinese Medicine: a strutting, fancy-boy chicken with a big mouth! The EXACT opposite of what I want to be!! DAMN! I SOOOO want to be a hero: a dragon, maybe a black panther…

….and/or…..

B.) a leap of faith that no one can entice you into making – the odds are ludicrous. You make the bet because you HAVE to believe there’s something more – having no clue as to the reality of some mystical post-apocalyptic payoff.

Here’s the bet:

If you ALWAYS act as if you were setting the bar… to literally be the best, toughest, smartest – at whatever you do given whatever uniqueness God blessed you with – in honor of something other than yourself….

….at the end of the day you’ll be rewarded in a way you can’t currently comprehend.

 

Wanna roll the dice?

Be the person you were born to be: it’s the essence of who YOU are – uniquely, EVER. There will never be another you!!

Show the universe what ya got!!

 

Me, for one thing, I’m apparently a friggin’ rooster, so I crow a lot!

Shine a light for others – act in accordance with your own truth. Close your eyes. The answers are closer than you think.

Here’s today’s tip:

Remain aware of your three aspects:

  • the physical part the rest of the world literally sees (your chassis/hardware – pick your analogy);
  • the invisible, incredibly twisted, creative and clever part [or however yours functions] that ONLY you ‘see’ from the inside [which the rest of the world sees reflected in your words and actions](your engine/software); and
  • the energetic system that sustains and animates them (the gasoline/jet fuel/electricity).

And then there’s the Source of all this craziness:

YOU!

Want to meet yourself?

Close your eyes and contemplate the concept of infinity. Every day. Like your life depends on it.

God bless you, Skip

 

Happy to be of help if I may. Yoga & QiGong lessons. 😉

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CALLING FRIENDS OF THE BIBLE

Is meditation consistent with your understanding of God?

Judge for yourself:

Here’s how I “meditated” this glorious Sunday morning, I:

  • …sat in my favorite spot with purpose and humility [aside: my personal intent is to better understand and serve God]; I smiled and relaxed

  • …bowed my eyes (not closed) and allowed my outer body (arms/legs) to settle

  • …allowed my breathing settle into a soft, subtle rhythm, calming my internal bodily systems

  • …recited the Lord’s Prayer – mindfully – a dozen times, without “thinking”; rather, I simply “observed” the sensations and mental images that arose [ideally, the only words you want to hear in your mind are those of the prayer]. [fyi – this is a “concentration” exercise; at this point, I’ve left my physical body behind]❤️😊🕉

Up to this point, I’d been settling my physical body and conscious “busy” mind, preparing to witness to my unique and otherwise sub-conscious sensations, images, and insights – cultivating my intuition, and a deep sense of “connectedness” or “union”.

  • …let go and simply listened/observed (like fishing: patiently waiting) to what my otherwise sub-conscious mind wanted to bring up [fyi – this is a “meditation” exercise; at this point, I’ve left my “busy” conscious mind behind]❤️😊🕉

 

So what great insights arose? It strikes me that the Lord’s Prayer is comprised of three parts:

Invoking:

our Father,

Which art in heaven

hallowed be Thy name,

Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven

[“Establishing the day by reaffirming that God is all-powerful, loving and caring.” – my most yogic friend ❤️]

Beseeching:

give us this day

our daily bread

and forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors

and lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

[“Re-establishing our relationship to God and what we can rely on God for.” – my most yogic friend ❤️]

Venerating:

for Thine is the kingdom

and the power

and the glory

forever

[“Knowing this is true, not just for ourselves, but for all who seek to know God.” – my most yogic friend ❤️]

Take prayer to another level. Meditate!

 

God bless, Skip

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MEMO TO MY GUN-LOVING FRIENDS

Think of your conscious mind (evidenced by your thoughts; specifically, words in your head) as a semi-automatic machine gun hooked up to the same energy source that pumps your heart and lungs. This is your “thinking” mind; it’s noisy.

In that scenario, your sub-conscious mind is 1,000 fully automatic machineguns all firing simultaneously – silently. Those are some kick-ass silencers!! This is your “doing” mind; it runs the ship so you don’t have to think in order to walk, talk, chew, smell, mate, eat and poop – all the fun stuf!!

The aspect of YOU that’s under your sub-conscious mind, your awareness itself, without it you wouldn’t realize you were holding your gun and firing – and what would be the point of being at all?

See yourself inside out. It’ll blow your mind. Meditate.

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Your Brain On Alzheimers

Source: Alzheimer’s Society [link below]

This blew me away. Thousands of years ago (pre-recorded history!) Patanjali outlined the science and practice of Raja Yoga (mind control or meditation) distinguishing between the conscious “thinking”, and sub-conscious “acting/memory” aspects of our mind.

Modern science has identified specific areas of our brain responsible for each: the Hippocampus (logic) and Amygdala (memories). Mic drop – almost:

The bookshelf model is as brilliant as it is sad: our more complex, “energetically denser” conscious mind (the aspect we’re generally aware of) is the first to go. The last things to go are the most subtle “physical” aspects of each of us: our oldest memories.

The aspect of each of us that doesn’t leave until our body/mind dies is our awareness.

 

Learn how your mind works before it’s too late! Just kidding – but wouldn’t it be useful to quiet the voice in your head when you want and need to? Say – to get to sleep at night?

Here’s the original [huge props to whomever came up with the analogy]: “The bookshelf model of memory storage”

Need help sleeping at night? Focusing during the day? Stressed? Anxious?

Meditate. Look deep inside yourself. You already have all the answers.

God bless, Skip

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In All My Glory

A rather insightful elderly friend said to me the other day “You like the ladies.”

It wasn’t a question.  😂😂😂

Guilty, but today there are only four women capable of pressing my buttons:

  • My wife,
  • Our daughter,
  • My guru, and
  • My martial arts instructor.

But Mom is always in the mix. I’m still seeking my deceased mother’s approval. Pathetic? IDK. True self-awareness is a prerequisite for lasting peace.

I write. It’s what I do. For me it’s simultaneously evocative and cathartic. Someone once said, “I write because I can’t not write.” Feel ya Pal.

The other day as I was writing the following, I had to use every ounce of strength I had to ride out [rather than stuff!!] a ten-minute torrent of grief:

“Maybe before I die I’ll feel like the kid my mom would have respected.”

 

Not even loved.

Thank God my guru introduced me to scream therapy and thankfully our neighbors didn’t call the cops! 💔😭

The experience was tremendously cathartic. I released some seriously deep-seated anger.

Until we know and love ourselves we can’t know true peace.

Meditate.

Find answers, faith and peace!

It’s simple – not easy.

God bless, Skip

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Sunday Reflection 05-20-18

Multiple choice – you may have one or the other:

  1. an unlimited source of income, or
  2. an unwavering belief in the existence of God

Which would be more valuable? Right. It’ll get you through the most painful times of your life when literally nothing else will.

Raja Yoga is PROOF that your consciousness is essentially divine!

 

Unfortunately, that truth must be experienced to be believed.

Raja Yoga is a personal discipline in self-awareness and control which leads the student to ultimately experience the truth of the underlying hypothesis:

An aspect of us is COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED BY TIME & SPACE (let alone spilled milk)!

 

It’ll freak you out when you realize the truly intangible, immutable, permanent nature of your own consciousness.

It begs questions like “WTF?! Where does THAT come from?!” It’ll either jump-start or turbo-charge your religious beliefs!!

 

Find absolute faith – not just in the EXISTENCE of God – but that God is ALWAYS WITH YOU(!) – and not JUST “with” you – but literally witnessing life THROUGH YOUR EYES!

Yeah – it’ll scramble the ‘ol gray matter at first, but when THAT new life paradigm “clicks” you’ll

Say goodbye to fear, anger, inaction, worry and sorrow!

 

Practice Raja Yoga, the science of mind control, and see if you don’t smile more often in the process of coming to the same conclusion!!

God Bless,

Skip, tour guide to peace of mind