Obaitori

Softness

Practise the religion of the heart. Build on the edifice of love. Selfless service purifies the heart and opens it to the flow of Divine Light. Plunge into selfless service. Cheer up the man who is in distress. Encourage the man who is dispirited. Wipe the tears of the afflicted. Remove the sorrow by means of kind and loving words. Make a man smile when he is in despair.

Be a lamp to those who have lost their way. Be doctor and nurse to ailing patients. Be a boat and bridge to those who want to reach the other shore of fearlessness and immortality.

Do your duty to the best of your ability and leave the rest to God. Do all your actions in a detached manner with the spirit of dedication to the Divine. Then actions will not bind you. Your heart will be purified.

Spiritualise all your activities. Let your eyes look with kindness, your tongue speak with sweetness, your hand touch with softness. Be thou as compassionate as Buddha, as pure as Bhishma, as brave as Bhima, and as truthful as Harischandra.

Swami Sivananda Saraswati

 

A beautiful rabbit from our school falling asleep.

Sri Swami Sivananda was one of the most incredible saints. He did all the things he said everyone should. It came so naturally to him. He didn't have to think about. In one of the most loveliest books about him, "From Man to God Man" one anecdote says that he used to live to help people. Once there was a very large overweight man who was trying to put his shoes on, Sivananda saw him & rushed over to help him & tie his laces. I've always remembered this little anecdote as I want to live my life more in these generous, kind, giving gentle ways.

Julie's Song

A soothing remedy -

We were working ourselves into a corner this afternoon of bad behaivour, impatience & general yuckiness. To break the momentum I switched on this song of joy &; soon we were dancing, laughing & had forgotten about things like the bread taking so long to bake, terrorising each other, sharing... Those things that are tricky for a four year old to comprehend & impossible for a 2 year old's developmental understanding, I think are best to avoid explain between the 'witching hours'.

Whilst we were dancing, Indira said, "Mummy, is this Julie singing? Is this Julie's song?" I replied, "Yes, darling this is definitely Julie's song!"

It is happy, uplifting, fun & you can't help but smile - a whole lot like being with Julie.

This one goes out to you Jules! & all mother's who need or want a bit of joy today. Un Bacio A Mezzanotte & a camelia flower from our garden, xxx

Shiva Temple

 

Dazla has created a temple in our backyard. It is something that anyone can do & dedicate it to their God. Our temple is to the first Yogi - Shiva. There are many definitions of Shiva & one is free to make up one's own definition - what it means to you personally is the most important part, it is the most relevant thing - not someone else's definition, although this can guide you. To me, Shiva means God, divine power, goodness, kindness, compassion. Shiva & the symbols he represents remind me to be kind to myself & others, always.

Dazla has great knowledge & experience of temples & has pilgrimaged to ten of the 12 Mahashiva temples throughout India. I can say that this type of experience is in his blood, his bones, his past lives as a sadhu.

Our beautiful Daddy Dazla started early in the morning with his usual gusto vata nature. He sought a place in the garden to place the Shiva Lingham. Ideally it faces east & prayers & symbols are placed underneath.

Daz built the formwork, mixed the concrete & shaped this sweet little temple. He placed the Lingham in the wet concrete to create a mould - took it out & washed it - & formed the Yoni with his hands. The Lingham was one he bought back from India from the bottom of the Narmada River. The Narmada River is considered the mother and giver of peace.

 

The next day the sacred space was ready to consecrate. We did a puja. We placed coloured powder over the temple, sandalwood paste, honey, sacred water & milk. We then offered flowers - hundreds of little white petals. Then we performed a havan; a fire ceremony. We chanted the Mahamritunjaya Mantra 108 times to invoke health, well-being & Love into our hearts & home.

 

Havans create a harmonious atmosphere, they purify the environment & create a very special feeling around the home by uplifting the vibration. They can be easily performed at your own home by you - you do not need to be a Brahmin or initiated into any lineage. For a guide - & coming soon, a havan kit - go to Satyananda's shop.

Every morning, incense is offered, a bell is rung & prayers invoke & reaffirm our Love for God, ourselves, our family & friends & the greater world.

A few days later Dazla painted the Shiva Lingham. We now feel at home in our new place.

Delicious Banana Flowers

Recently I passed some banana trees & was delighted when I saw that they were in flower. I stopped to photograph their magnificent flowers. The colours are rich & bold & they hang like jewels from the tree. The flower is a deep maroon of tightly wrapped thick sepals hiding smaller yellow or white flowers. It is these smaller white or yellow flowers which develop into bananas.

The banana flower essence quality; Humility Rooted in Calmness

"Humility, that low sweet root, from which all heavenly virtues shoot"

~ Thomas Moore.

This is a wonderful Thai dish which combines the deliciously rich and creamy texture of the banana flower with crunchy cashew nuts, the heat of roasted chilli and all the other ingredients. Banana flowers are the buds of the banana plant, which are soaked and shredded for use in salads. They are also available preserved from Asian grocery shops - soak in cold water for 10 minutes and rinse before use.

Ingredients - 

1 litre (4 cups) cold water
100g raw king prawns, shelled and deveined
1 banana flower (about 200g)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
50g dried shrimps, finely chopped
1 tbsp sliced shallots
2 tbsp roasted cashew nuts, crushed
8 crispy-fried chillies
1 shallot, sliced and fried
Handful of coriander leaves
3 pieces of banana flower, to garnish (Asian grocery)

Dressing
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp roasted chilli paste
2 tsp dried, roasted chilli powder
3 tbsp coconut milk

Preparation -

Bring 500ml of the water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the prawns and continue simmering for 3 minutes, until cooked. Remove prawns and set aside. Discard water.

Remove all the hard outer leaves from the banana flower, then thinly slice the white inside part diagonally. Mix the lime juice with remaining cold water and soak the banana flower slices for 5 minutes to prevent discoloration.

To make the dressing; combine fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, chilli paste, chilli powder and coconut milk. Mix them together well until the palm sugar has completely dissolved. Gently squeeze water from the banana flower and combine with the dressing, prawns, dried shrimp, sliced shallots and cashew nuts. Mix well.

Serve sprinkled with the crispy-fried chillies and fried shallots and garnish with coriander leaves and banana flower pieces.

For a very quick film presentation of the recipe from the SBS kitchen, go here.

Another amazing Banana Flower Soup Recipe with prawns & coconut go to Suite101. And from Poh's Kitchen this amazing Rice Paper Rolls with Duck and Banana Flower.

Sulpha Crested Cockatoo

There is a flock of sulpha crested cockatoos who live around our area. They’re quite large birds, measuring 45 cm (18 in). Mostly white, with a dark grey (or black) beak, yellow crest feathers on their head (which they sometimes stand straight up if alarmed, scared or when landing) and some yellow under the wings.They live up to 65 years old & some in captivity have been known to live up to 80 years old.

Recently one of the elder members of the flock landed on one of the trees in our front yard. It looks like he has been around for awhile. It makes me wonder, what has he seen & felt in his life?

Here are two of the flock together -

The yellow under the wing -

Their bird song is extreme & has been described by some as, '... sheet metal being dragged across a bitumen road'. It is true & you could imagine the extremity of the sound when you hear an entire flock land in a tree close by & sit around chatting for awhile - at five o'clock in the morning.

& to a simile, "Indira please go & do your hair. You look like a cockatoo"

Thank you, x

This dear sweet child has had these hearts in her hair all week long.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"A wise old owl sat on an oak.

The more he saw the less he spoke.

The less he spoke the more he heard.

Why aren't we like that wise old bird?"

~ Edward Hersey Richards.

Publishing the Sutras

Many traditions use stories to teach great spiritual truths. Here, on Sundays, some of these stories will be re-told. They can be understood by adults & children. Where possible I will suggest a children's picture book that teaches the same or similar story.

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The Heart Sutra

Tetsugen, a devotee of Zen in Japan, decided to publish the sutras, which at that time were available only in Chinese. The books were to be printed with wood blocks in an edition of seven thousand copies, a tremendous undertaking.

Tetsugen began by traveling and collecting donations for this purpose. A few sympathizers would give him a hundred pieces of gold, but most of the time he received only small coins. He thanked each donor with equal gratitude. After ten years Tetsugen had enough money to begin his task.

It happened that at that time the Uji Rive overflowed. Famine followed. Tetsugen took the funds he had collected for the books and spent them to save others from starvation. Then he began again his work of collecting.

Several years afterwards an epidemic spread over the country. Tetsugen again gave away what he had collected, to help his people. For a third time he started his work, and after twenty years his wish was fulfilled. The printing blocks which produced the first edition of sutras can be seen today in the Obaku monastery in Kyoto.

The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen made three sets of sutras, and that the first two invisible sets, surpass even the last.

Trataka - One Pointed Concentration

Trataka is a shatkarma - the sixth one, it is a cleansing practice which teaches & promotes one pointed concentration, focus, will-power & determination.

A great way to develop these qualities in your children is to give them mandalas to 'play' with. If the children are over twelve years of age they can be meditated upon like the described process. Or more informally with younger children, with the benefits still to be gained by being coloured-in, transfered, made into stain-glass...

 

Trataka is a deceptively simple but powerful practice. Trataka means 'to gaze steadily at a fixed point' and there are two forms of the practice. One is 'bahiranga' or external trataka and the other is 'antaranga' or internal trataka. Bahiranga is easier to practise because one simply has to gaze at an object or symbol. However, antaranga trataka involves clear and stable inner visualisation of an object.

In the practice of trataka an object is gazed at until its subtle form manifests in front of the closed eyes. The point of concentration is usually a symbol or object which activates the inner potential and can absorb the mind. The symbol most commonly used is a candle flame, because even after the eyes are closed, the impression remains naturally for some time, and then antaranga trataka can easily be performed. The purpose of focusing the eyes on an external object is to arouse the internal vision and make it absolutely steady by stopping the eye movements.

Technique from Satyananda Yoga Magazine -  Bahiranga Trataka

Practise in a dark room which is free from drafts and insects - you can use a flower, a picture; mandala, saint, guru, something uplifting or place a candle at arms length in front of you with the flame at eye level - it is important that the flame does not flicker in the least - sit in a comfortable meditative pose, preferably siddhasana/siddha yoni asana and place the hands on the knees in either gyana or chin mudra - relax your whole body, close your eyes and prepare yourself as for any meditative practice -make yourself still and quiet and be prepared to keep your body perfectly still throughout the entire practice -practise kaya sthairyam for a few minutes - open your eyes and gaze at the middle portion of the flame (ideally one should focus on the red tip of the wick as it does not move due to draft) - gaze for as long as possible without blinking and without strain until the eyes begin to water or tire - you will be able to increase the time gradually with practice to ten minutes - remain the silent witness (sakshi) throughout, observing all thoughts and feeling which may arise - when you close your eyes keep them fixed an the impression in chidakasha - if the afterimage moves, bring it back to the centre and continue gazing until the impression disappears - once you can stabilise the after image, study it and look intently at its colour.

Yogic science gives as much importance to certain cleansing processes as it does to asana or pranayama. Without regular cleansing of the system one cannot gain maximum benefit from yoga practices. Without purification of the body one will not be ready for the higher practices of yoga.

Body cleansing is brought about by the practice of the shatkarmas or six purificatory techniques which are very important from the point of view of physical and mental health. These simple techniques are also highly valuable in healing internal disorders. There are six main groups of shatkarmas or yogic cleansers as follows:

1. Neti: nasal cleaning, including jala neti and sutra neti.

2. Dhauti: cleansing of the digestive tract.

3. Nauli: abdominal massage.

4. Basti: colon cleaning.

5. Kapalbhati: purification and vitalisation of the frontal lobes.

6. Trataka: blinkless gazing.

Each of these groups contains more than one practice, such as jala neti, vaman dhauti (or kunjal kriya), moola shodhana etc. They are all excellent practices designed to purify the whole body and bring about excellent health. They also bring clarity and harmony to the mind.

The first five practices are to be only to be performed when they have been taught by an expert. You need to go to an ashram where these practices are taught in a formal way by an experienced practioner. For the next course on these Hatha Yoga cleansing practices go to Satyananda Yoga here for your nearest ashram.

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama. In her words...

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

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Gradually & Gently Changing

With the Aries full moon rising this evening in the Libran sun sky, I wish you & all your Loved ones a very happy vernal equinox. If you are in the northern hemisphere, a very happy autumnal equinox.

Our garden is ablaze with colour. Here are pear blossoms & below, lemon flowers.

When we start living with awareness we become more in tune with ourselves & the world around us. This takes courage. We start to see small changes, we become more accepting of ourselves & therefore others & we develop compassion.

As you know, the seasons don’t begin on one day and finish on another. That's because our orbit around the Sun is continuous. It actually takes quite some time for the Earth to heat up or cool down, and that’s why the seasons change gradually. In the same way it takes time for us to change too.

A few words for all those fellow Aries out there today feeling a little strange, from Mystic Medusa;

The four hours before the Full Moon is exact today are particularly weird & volatile, as the Moon goes Void on Uranus. It's a brilliant idea to not bite at any bait, remain above & beyond the reach of f-wits and combat any lower tendencies of your own. Even an apparently good impulse may be - upon later reflection - a little bit coarse and aggressive. Yes to assertion but honor the Libran Vibe by remaining polite.

Full Moon in Aries is Exact:
L.A. - Thursday 2.18
New York - Thursday 5.18
London - Thursday 10.18
Sydney - Thursday 19.18

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra - a string of vibrations

The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is for health and well-being. It may seem a little scary to you or you might be fascinated by it. I say it eleven times a day. In short through vibration, it realigns the physical body to maintain & restore health through the cells.

aum tryambakam yajaamahe

sugandhim pushtivardhanam

urvaarukamiva bandhanaat

mrityormukshiiya maamritaat

From Swami Niranjanananda ~

Satyananda recommended the Mahamrityunjaya mantra and the Gayatri mantra to everyone. Paramahamsaji said that those who wish for health and healing must chant the Mahamrityunjaya mantra at least twenty-four times every day. He said, “I am giving you a guarantee that if you do it with intensity of focus, willpower, purity of heart and feeling, then there is no question that health and healing will be provided, whether for oneself or for others.”

If you ask about the meaning of the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, most people will say it is a mantra dedicated to Lord Shiva and give a definition according to the literal meaning of each word. But more important is the vibration you create. The combination of sounds in any mantra creates a specific vibration in the body. Our body also has a vibratory dimension. All the cells and atoms are vibrating in harmony with each other. The moment this harmony is broken at the vibratory level, destruction of the body takes place and we start to die. In death the pulsations of the body stop, the animation of the cells ceases and the life force leaves the body. The vibrations are the manifest symptoms of the life force.

Symbolically, these vibrations are represented in the various chakras or psychic centres. So when we use a combination of mantras or sound syllables, we are activating and bringing forth the potential of these vibrations that are inherent in the body. Some vibrations, like Om, are used to go into a deep meditative state. The effect of Om internalizes the awareness. From a scientific viewpoint, Om increases the alpha waves and decreases the beta waves. Subjectively, internalization of awareness takes place; we become more focused, tranquil and peaceful. When we use a string of vibrations, as in the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, these vibrations realign the disturbances in the vibratory system. Disease and illness can be managed effectively with this mantra.

In our ashrams around the world, we practise the Mahamrityunjaya mantra every Saturday night with a sankalpa, a feeling, to let the healing powers of this mantra heal our body and the bodies of those who are suffering or in pain. If we want to incorporate the practice of mantra into our routine in order to help others, we should also make the effort to chant the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. Every Saturday do at least one mala; it only takes about thirty-five minutes. This is for your personal well-being and for the well-being of everyone around you.

For other commonly used mantras at Satyananda Ashrams please visit here.