Obaitori

A few of my favourite things...

Today I would Love to share with you a few of my favourite things...

Music & books. The following photos are from the children's room. My cello sits in their room behind this adorable child sized rocking chair. It is from this chair that I read from everynight. Behind this is a small radio tuned to a classical station.  I Love to sit in their room & look forward to bedtime for many reasons... ; )

 

This book of children's prayers is currently in Bodhi's book basket - before hoping into bed, the children usually choose 3 or 4 books off the shelf to put in their basket, it saves lots of tooing & froing -  the illustrations from this very old prayer book make my heart sigh.

 

My other favourite things, in case you hadn't guessed already, spirituality & flowers. This peace lily flowered this week at Krishna's foot. There really are signs of peace, Love & joy everywhere.

 

My dressing table...

In the kitchen...

Lounge...

& here for you, a beautiful Psalm 113. Basically it says, God is great. Jesus was going into Egypt  & then on to Mount Olives. 113 is a psalm sung around this time of year. This music was composed by Antonio Vivaldi.

 

Hope you enjoyed a little tour of our home. I'm so grateful for the opportunity of caretaking our beautiful children, staying at home, getting out with my girlfriends, my fun-loving, crazily funny husband Dazla & so much more. Really the list could go on all day but for now, I'm out to enjoy the sunshine, butterfly like breeze & blue skies. Dear Reader, I hope for you Love, abundance, peace & joy.

Swami Niranjanananda's Recommended Sadhana & the City of Jewels

With the year turning circle again it is time to renew life patterns, correct habits & make changes which will advance opportunity. For my own practice I complete the following sadhana & add extra bits & pieces where I feel the need.

This is the sadhana (spiritual practice) given by Swami Niranjan Saraswati.

Morning -  

mantra; 11 Mahamrityunajaya's, 11 Gayatri, 3 Durga Path  

asana; 5 tadasana, 5 tiriyak tadasana, 5 kati chakrasana, 1 -2 mins an inversion, 2 surya namaskar, savasana  

pranayama; 10 mins nadi shodhana 5 mins bhramari  

Afternoon -  

10-30 min yoga nidra  

Evening -  

kaya stairayam ( look over your day; what did you do well, what could you improve on?)

antar mouna pre-meditation

Guru mantra  

The other bits I add, at the moment, include developing manipura chakra. I do this visually [visualising the blazing sun], with mantra [ram is the beeja mantra] & awareness on asanas that stimulate this area. Manipura chakra is all about feeling & being, lustrous, radiant & vital; physically, mentally & spiritually. Prana is stored in manipura chakra. This is an important chakra & the best way to develop a chakra is to focus on all the chakras. It is true to say that one can be focused upon but it is equally important to say that chakras should be equally stimulated.

 

 

 

 

The Beauty of Joy

This weekend was a calm & steady array of making cards, celebrating with friends & family & a very lazy Sunday afternoon. The third week of Advent is all about Joy. I feel it is important to celebrate joy by looking around inside for it. The beauty of joy is that it comes from inside. Sometimes it is not so obvious & you might have to dig around a little & make some effort. It was easy to find this morning when we woke to a beautiful clear day & a very cool breeze. Stunning weather. My thoughts went to those in the northern hemisphere who are perhaps not having so much joy with severe weather, blizzards & extremely low temperatures. Here is a Christmas Card for you 'up there' from our family. I hope it brings you a little smile & a very happy new year ahead, xxx

Searching for more joy, a bit harder this time - a whole lot of suprise & a bit of fake 'happy face' was mustered up when I was handed a bowl of cicada shells, mixed with water & strands of grass. & then I looked at the little face that handed me that concoction of nature. I stopped & a deep breath emerged, & I smiled a smile of true joy.

& as a quiet, simple, pre-meditation we made Mexican Crispas & used puff pastry. The scent of cinnamon, butter & sugar filled the kitchen. We sat together to light a candle & said a poem of Joy.

True inner joy is self - created.
It does not depend on outer circumstances.
A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy.
This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.

~ Sri Chinmoy ~

& a little more divinity from Chinmoy;

"We are all seekers, and our goal is the same: to achieve inner peace, light, and joy, to become inseparably one with our Source, and to lead lives full of true satisfaction.

To live in joy is to live the inner life. This is the life that leads to self-realisation. Self-realisation is God-realisation, for God is nothing other than the Divinity that is deep inside each one of us, waiting to be discovered and revealed. We may also refer to God as the Inner Pilot or the Supreme. But no matter which term we use, we mean the Highest within us, that which is the ultimate goal of our spiritual quest.

A spiritual person should be a normal person, a sound person. In order to reach God, a spiritual person has to be divinely practical in his day-to-day activities. In divine practicality, we share our inner wealth. We feel the divine motivation behind each action and share the result with others. Spirituality does not negate the outer life. The outer life should be the manifestation of the divine life within us."

~ The Wings of Joy ~

 

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama. In her words...

 

A Friday ritual. A single set of photos this week - 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.

Yoga ~ Personality Development

Yoga is the science of the mind. It is an ancient practice, 10,000 years old - possibly older - developed in South America & preserved in India. It covers every aspect of conception, birth & death & around again.

Today, in preparation for the upcoming season, part of advent & the approach of the new year, I am revisiting my SWAN sadhana.

SWAN Sadhana is a yogic practice developed by Swami Niranjan to develop the whole personality. 

"When we think of yoga, we mean development of the human personality in every aspect. When we practice yoga we practice it for attaining balance, harmony & equilibrium in all aspects or our personality & expression. We do not believe that by inducing certain states of consciousness or by making moral changes, we can improve the quality of our life. We believe that by experiencing life as it is & by discovering & knowing out limitations, we can evolve mentally, intellectually & psychically." Yoga Darshan by Swami Niranjanananda p. 461

Swami Yogaratna has written a very beautifully article on this sadhana with clear guidelines on how to develop your own personal SWAN theory. It is here for you, x

 

Sri Sri Yogiji

The Yogi is greater than the ascetic; he is thought to be greater than even the wise; the Yogi is greater than the men of action; therefore O Arjuna, become a Yogi.

~Bhagavadgita chap 6 verse 46~

I love how children & cats seem to take on so many different names - or rather how caretakers give them so many. What goes for our children goes for our cat, Yogi who recently turned five a month ago today, has plenty of names.

Yogi was named after Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian saint we are both extremely fond of. During Dazla's last trip through India he had spent some time at the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. The headquarters of Yogananda's ashram in Dakshineswar (on the Ganges near Kolkatta). Dazla named Yogi.

His full name is; Sri Sri Paramahansa Yoganandaji.

& before I forget, here are the subsequent pet names for our beloved;

Yogi bolo, Hare Rama, Sri Sri, Roleshwananda, Roli, Roli Bolo & less yogic names in the form of a song - His name is Roli, his rolling over, his name is Roli, Roli Door Door. He's Chunky,  he's Glossy, he's Baggy & Mysterious...

Okay, so now after typing that out I feel a little bit silly but that is good I like feeling a little bit silly.

I know what you are thinking - he does look a bit Chunky! & the opposite of a Yogi is a Bogi but we try to stay positive. I think he totally aspires to becoming a Yogi & a little of Jabbah the Hut.

You can see more about us Loving Yogi, here, here & here.

 

The Shopping List

Sunset ...

We created a shopping list after dinner. Dazla asked Indira what she would like on the list this week. She replied from the Lounge Room.

" ~ bubble-bath

~ henna - from the Indian shop

~ ice-cream

~ a butterfly

~ a ball to eat - a soccer ball

~ henna

~ chocolate

~ a Barbie prince

~ a mermaid to play with

~ oh, & yes, more henna please."

I really, really like her list. What would be on your list?

Our Own Spiritual Birth

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.

*** *** ***

Traditionally on the second advent this story is not told. But this season I want our focus at home, to be pretty much, all about Mary, ourselves. She brought Christ into the world through her body, she is the Mother to all...

The Visitation is the 2nd Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. This is when Mary, pregnant with baby Jesus travels the hillsides to visit her cousin Elizabeth who just happens to be pregnant with John the Baptist. The moment Elizabeth saw Mary coming, the baby in her womb leapt with joy for he knew that the baby Mary was carrying was Jesus. Elizabeth was the first to proclaim Mary as the Mother of God.

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

                                                                                                    (Luke 1:39-45)

Photo - The Hill Country of Judah

This statement written by Saint Luke is about hope. It is the hope that we all have in us, regardless of tradition, that we can all be ultimately happy, people, animals, plants, earth. Some call it enlightenment, some call it Buddhahood, some call it being in heaven. It is a state of mind, a sense of peace that we are able to carry throughout the day, in times of up & down. In yoga it is the control of the mind, samadhi.

Mary & Elizabeth's teaching is that peace of mind is possible. Especially possible around this time of year with the planetary alignments, we can develop special qualities in ourself, like those of Mary & we can emanate them to benefit our family & community.

Each year, Christ's birth is a symbol or a reminder about our own spiritual birth. It is a time now to really focus on & reflect what this promise of hope means to you & how you wish to implement in your life. 

If you wish, write down a verse, phrase, poem or a hope based on your reflection to refer to during this season of Christmas. Put this piece of paper somewhere special, maybe your spiritual diary, within your advent wreath or right on the fridge where you will see & manifest it.

 

& for Advent I find it really helpful to make an Advent wreath.  Collect four candles together on a large plate, secure the candles with blu-tac & place around some greenery. Today the Second Sunday in Advent – light the first purple candle which is the candle of hope ~ it is sometimes blue ~ and light the second purple candle which is the candle of peace. The third Advent candle, is traditionally pink & is called the candle of Joy. The fourth is purple, the Angels' candle of Love.

Today, it is  appropriate to pray & reflect what it means to you, the Magnificat in honour of the meeting of two magnificent holy women, Elizabeth & Mary.

Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord when she proclaims the Magnificat:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen

Self-worth

At Christmas time we take the children to more Christian church services, carol singing nights & we learn about Mary, Joseph & Jesus. I try to teach the children the basis of all religions, 'kindness to others' through example. Kindness to the baker, the postman, each other,  the elderly, friends, family, strangers, everyone we come into contact with. Loving kindness is simple & subtle. It might be a smile, a thoughtful response, stopping to listen to the answer of 'How are you?' I feel that treating others with kindness is one of the best gifts we can give our children at Christ-mass time.

I came across a paragraph from Montessori From The Start by Polk-Lillard. I got into the chapter titled, Language & Intelligience. What I read next really made me sit up & think...

"As parents & grandparents, we can think that we are showing children that we love them by giving them things. In fact such practice, in & of itself, may send the wrong message. Children may conclude that if people give you things, they love you. If receiving things tells you that you are loved, the next logical step is to measure self-worth by what you have, not by what you are. The reality is that very young children can only truly love one doll, one stuffed animal & a few toys at a time. This experiences provides a basis for adult life where one must learn to cherish one spouse, one family, one life, instead of fantasizing that it is possible to 'have it all.' "

We have always limited what we give to the children & are always recycling & re-gifting - to second-hand stores - the 'stuff' we have & still, I feel they have too much. Each Christmas & at birthdays we try to make tactful suggestions as to what the children need rather than what they want or what people want to give them. Eggshells I know! This doesn't always work but we do our best. After the tactful suggestions, Polk-Lillard says "If all else fails, bring out the 'grandparents ' superfluous presents when they come to visit, explaining that you save them for special occasions. When they leave, you can put them away again for the next visit. As one parent wisely said to us, " 'When in Rome do as the Romans do,' & when the 'Romans' come to visit, you also 'do as the Romans do'!"

Creating a heart that is generous, strong, Loving & pure is one of the most important lessons for myself & my family. There are a multitude of ways to do this, as already mentioned concerning Loving-kindness. Within yoga & other traditions, I am always tweaking their methods specifically for children to foster the development of the heart space, anahata chakra. Loving kindness & other spiritual practices may not always be seen so through material items we value & Love what we already have, we make do & mend, we share. This teaching method starts the children off visually, on a way that has form.

 

{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.