Upcycled options may not be everywhere, but I support them wherever they are available. This pair of flip-flops is made of recycled motorcycle tires, inner tube tire flaps, and other biodegradeable materials. Why reduce consumption? Watch The Story of Stuff below.
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FREE viewing until Dec 21, 2012 Note: The opinions expressed here represent only my personal views and do not represent the opinion of Jivamukti Yoga School or any of the yoga studios in Manila where I hold classes.
The Bhakti part of yoga is perhaps the one component that I most struggle with. Born without a religion and living as an atheist, I had very little personal understanding of devotion towards a particular religion, deity, or personification of a God. Consequently, looking up to a teacher and seeing him as a spiritual guru way above my realm rather than equal to me is a fairly new concept. That said, my 300 hours of training in the Jivamukti Yoga method has allowed me to observe and explore these ideas of devotion and surrender. And although jñāna yoga (path of knowledge) through the maryada marg (effortful path, liberation through self-introspection, meditation, and looking for the Self within) is still what resonates with me, I have become a lot more tolerant and understanding of individuals who choose to pursue the pushti marg (the path of grace through chanting, bhakti/devotion, looking out to an external God through religion or otherwise). One such Bhakta (someone who pursues Bhakti yoga) is Bhagavan Das, famous for his chanting and notorious for his sexual pursuit of young women. The documentary Karmageddon, by exploring the complexity, or perhaps the in-your-face simplicity by which Bhagavan Das lives his life, poses many questions about the concept of gurus, the relationship between emotional stability and spiritual maturity, and the spiritual precepts that may at times seem difficult to comprehend (e.g. seeing the guru as perfect and complete). It appears that Bhagavan Das uses spiritual seduction to lure young women into having sexual relationships with him. The psychology at play is at once fascinating and alarming. I was once told that one seduction tactic is through a fast drive on the highway. The speed produces some kind of fear and uncertainty, which is the same kind of excitement associated with falling in love. The object of seduction is then unable to distinguish where this feeling is coming from, and starts to associate it with the seducer. The same concept applies here. The spiritual seeker is fascinated, but whether it is towards the teachings or towards the teacher is unclear to the spiritual seeker herself. Bhagavan Das, in this documentary, is very upfront and unapologetic about his advances. He goes as far as equating sexual favors with spiritual service. Which begs the question, can a guru who is obviously flawed lead others into their path to enlightenment? What is a guru anyway? If there is a teacher within all of us, what is Bhagavan Das teaching us? Is he teaching us by holding up a mirror and showing us our own judgments and criticisms of another's imperfection? Isn't he perpetuating the mistrust of those like me, who struggle with bhakti to begin with? Does he not have a responsibility to practice what he preaches? Would it be small of me as a yogi to conclude that Bhagavan Das belongs to a 12-Step Addiction Recovery Program? Addictions being something I am familiar with, I see its signs in the narrative of the documentary. Addiction is the dependency created by using something- whether drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, or even spirituality- to escape reality and responsibility. It is using the outside to escape the inside. It is creating so much drama in the external world to avoid confronting old and repressed wounds in the internal psyche. In the end, people become addicts not because they are bad people, but because they are unable to cope with the depth of their pain-- pain so deep-seated they usually start in childhood and are still unresolved. vastu-samye-chitta-bhedat tayor vibhaktah pantah (YS IV.15) Each individual person perceives the same object in a different way, according to their own state of mind and projections. Everything is empty from its own side and appears according to how you see it. Why does someone else's imperfection bother us so much? Do we elevate someone into guru status so we ourselves can escape the responsibility of working through our own ignorance? Do we put the flawed gurus down in order to lift ourselves up and feel better about ourselves? Why project this guru status anyway? Wah! expressed it so beautifully during the interview in this documentary. "I think it would be unwise to place any of the chanting artists in a guru or spiritual teacher position. All of us are embracing this particular teaching because we need it. We are immersing ourselves in this energy because we need it, not because there is some service that is to be done to humanity." Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all. Bhagavan Das, like us, is trapped in avidya (ignorance). We merely have different manifestations of this ignorance. My ignorance is not superior to his ignorance just because I can clearly see his and I am blind to my own. In Jivamukti Yoga, this mantra is the backbone of the practice. This mantra is a reminder to practice compassion towards all beings. All beings include all human beings and all animals. All beings include even those whose actions we disapprove of. All beings include even those whom the world holds in high-esteem and yet whose actions we cannot defend, whose tamasic tendencies are alive and well. All beings include Bhagavan Das with his sex addiction and the Dalai Lama who continues to eat veal and everyone else, whether they are prominent in their spiritual path or not. Compassion, however, does not mean enabling another person to continue to do what they do. It is true that it is not our job to change anyone. But it also a great disservice to ourselves and to the addict and to the individuals they hurt if we support what they do. In 12-step recovery programs dealing with addicted individuals, detaching and walking away from the addict are practices to stop enabling behaviors. Perhaps the best way we can practice compassion is to allow the addict to make his mistakes, allow him to fall flat on his face, allow him to hit rock bottom and give him the gift of desiring change for himself. Compassion is to allow him to confront the consequences of his actions. It is not fixing him. It is not shielding him. Compassion is letting him confront his truth. Compassion means that we see beyond his actions, that we instead acknowledge the pain that drives him to this addiction, and we dig deep within our own hearts and wish for his freedom and happiness nonetheless. For years going into baddha konasana, it was as though my forehead and the floor were star-crossed lovers who were never meant to be together.
It all changed when I got an adjustment during Jivamukti Teacher Training, and yes, all it took was an adjustment done within 5 breaths to wipe out years of thinking I cannot do the pose at that depth. Rima Rani Rabbath, Advanced Certified Jivamukti Teacher and Lead Mentor of Jivamukti Teacher Training at Omega Institute 2012, stood by me- well, above and over me to be more accurate, anchored me down, and coached me second-by-second into holding my mula bandha to go deeper into the pose. It wasn't easy, but there it was, for the first time in my life, the floor was no stranger to my forehead. Ever since that one adjustment, my baddha konasana changed. Forever. (Cue in dramatic background music.) I cannot overestimate the value of adjustments in yoga asana. Walk into any Jivamukti class and you are sure to get an adjustment. That is the way Jivamukti is generally taught in an Open class. You can listen to ten thousand instructions given by the teacher, or the teacher can just get in there and show you what your body is capable of. That is why I am ecstatic to see David Life, holy being yoga asana adjuster extraordinaire, come out with a series of videos that teaches that precisely: how to adjust. Invaluable for teachers and students alike, the videos comprise of 53 poses that you can purchase individually or by series. They are in digital download format so you can get them wherever in the world you are. One tip though, make sure your internet connection is up to download speed before you click the links sent via email. The links are for one-time use only. Some of the videos have not downloaded completely so I am writing the school to get a new batch of unexpired links. I am sure it will be fixed in time, but I want to watch everything now. At this moment. Atha! So avoid this issue if you can. Or go ahead and do what I did. It will give you an opportunity to practice delayed gratification. P.S. The few seconds of intro to the videos are quite funny, with David Life crawling out of the frame in hands and knees or making faces, kind of like how he is in person. Funny then serious, serious then funny. Many animals, particularly those who are confined in zoos or forced to perform in circuses, spend much of their lives in isolation, away from their own species. Imagine for a moment what it would feel like if we were in their position. What if we couldn't see another human being for twenty years-- or even our entire lives? What if we were confined in a small cage for a fee, for so-called superior beings to "learn" about us? What if the only value we were given was how much ticket sales we bring in? What if our happiness and freedom didn't matter? How would we feel?
The video above shows that elephants who were captured can have a second chance. They have one more shot at happiness and freedom. Shirley and Jenny are two crippled elephants who were once together at a circus. They were separated for more than 20 years, and found each other again at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Elephants never forget, they say. Despite years of suffering, they are strong enough to allow themselves to develop bonds once again. Mali, the sole elephant in Manila Zoo, deserves the same second chance. She was only 3 years old when she was ripped from her home in Sri Lanka and shipped to her small concrete space at the zoo. People's Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) is working to have Mali retire at a sanctuary, where she can have enough space to roam around freely and even see other elephants for the first time in decades. What if we were the ones who were captured? What if we were the ones isolated from our own species? Wouldn't we wish for others to do what they can to free us? Please do not support zoos, circuses, oceanariums and other businesses that rely on exploiting animals. Live vegan for the happiness and freedom of all beings. There's a Party in My Mouth- and It's Hosted by The Vegetarian Kitchen (Vegan Ham and Sylvanas)12/7/2012 What I love about The Vegetarian Kitchen is the variety. Since I started going to the restaurant, they have added variety, a lot of them, including my personal request for vegan sans rival/ sylvanas.
The baked ham with whole cranberries and herbed baby potatoes is amazing! The ham tastes incredibly like regular non-vegan ham, minus the cruelty of course! The carrot cake which I've had countless times is a reliable favorite. This time, the dairy-free butter sauce is topped with Christmas theme sprinkles. The sylvanas are a dream come true. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever have vegan sylvanas/ sans rival anymore. But here it is, right in front of me. This is the end of the line. There is absolutely nothing, NOTHING, from my meat/eggs/dairy-eating past that I want that I cannot have a vegan version of. Thank you, The Vegetarian Kitchen! The Vegetarian Kitchen is located at 62 B Mother Ignacia Street, Quezon City. The place is across St. Mary's College. I knew about this song only through a Kicksrtarter project that I support- Vegtoons. I love it and it sums up the joy I get from the little walk that Scrappy and I take every single day. When I say little walk, it means usually one hour, sometimes two. Dogs are the greatest! Adopt a furry companion to know what I mean!
Manorama taught the Sanskrit lessons at Jivamukti Teacher Training Omega Institute 2012. This video is a reminder for me not only to align my pose correctly during chaturanga, but also to pronounce the word correctly. A-a-i-i-u-u-ei-ai-ou-au-am-ah.r-lr.
The other side says: Be brave. Be confident. Be kind.
Got this from a weekend market the first time I was in NY that December of 2010. I didn't know then how relevant the message would be today. As a Jivamukti teacher and animal rights advocate, I need to remember just that- every time I leave the comfort of my own home. Be bold. Be yourself. Be calm. It's a mantra. "But vegan food is expensive". If I had every P10 for every time someone says this to me, I would have enough money to eat all the mythical expensive vegan food there is. Some vegan food would be expensive just as some non-vegan food are. This good old reliable taho with sago costs only P10 per cup.
Available wherever there are taho vendors along the streets and eskinitas anywhere in the Philippines. Day and night. |
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