The Goddess of The Lotus

Lakshmi

Lakshmi, one of the most popular Hindu goddesses, is associated with fertility and growth, prosperity, well being in physical health, royal power, love and devotion, beauty, illustriousness and abundance in general. Invoking Lakshmi brings bountiful abundance. She is the great Mother of Fulfilling Desires and is associated with the heart chakra.

Her outward appearance is described by Hindu Goddesses author, David Kinsley as: “Glorious as gold, illustrious as the moon, shines like the sun and lustrous like fire”. She is also described as moist with a perceptible sweet odor. She is depicted with as many as 18 arms but typically seen with just four. One hand displays the mudra for granting prayers/requests and another displaying the mudra for dispelling fear. Another hand holds lotus flowers and a fourth dispenses gold coins. Elephants are always pictured with her and are sometimes showering her in the fertilizing sap of existence. She is gold in color and is seen seated or standing upon a lotus.

Lotus flowers represent life’s unfoldment. The lotus flower is rooted and rises from the muddy darkness and blooms above the water, completely uncontaminated by the filth. Like the soul coming forth from the earth of the physical body. The lotus symbolizes spiritual perfection, a growing/expanding world permeated with fertile power and the blossoming of organic life.

Lakshmi was created during the churning of the “Ocean of Milk” by a tortoise with a serpent wrapped around its neck in effort to obtain valuable essences. Just as the churning of milk yields a richer substance – butter. Among that which appeared during the great churn was Lakshmi. Lakshmi aquires her strength from the primordial waters and floats freely in an environment of spirituality. Her authority embodies the potent power of growth, a refinement beyond the material world.

Indian tradition says that in a formless state, the watery world is chaotic and overwhelming. Creation only takes place when our world is agitated in such a way that form and growth can then take place. In other words, RASA is always there, even in a formless state, only when the potency is released can creation occurs. Lakshmi represents the transformation of the formless into organic life. Lakshmi is the rasa which gives our desires their distinct flavor and beauty.

She causes us to create/manifest our wants in the outer world. She nourishes and supports whatever we truly aspire to do. She aids in our projects by promoting their fulfillment and offers shower after shower of grace in varying intensity. Be careful what you seek, eventually it will be given to you.

Perhaps the most beautiful search in out lives is for Divine presence everywhere, in everyone. My teacher once said, “If we seek anything, we should seek everything. Ask for nothing less than perfect existence, consciousness and bliss.” The quality of our consciousnesses is our greatest wealth, not our possessions. We can’t hold on to them anyway. Honoring Lakshmi is to unfold the full powers of perception, to see extraordinary beauty in simplicity. She is abundance in all forms.

Give reverence to Lakshmi by recognizing the manifestation of beauty in the natural world. Keep your “home” clean. Not just the dwelling of your physical body but the dwelling of your soul. Work hard and avoid neurotic “wants”. Place an image of Lakshmi on your altar. Offer her beautiful flowers, sweet incense and light while recognizing the reflection of these powers reside within you.

Churning the milk with love,

Shani

Drenched in Healing

Soaking It All in!

Over the 18 months, I have tremendous life changes and transitions occurring. With work alone, I have been teaching a lot more which has me seeing massage clients much later in the day. As much as I love teaching, it has turned up the busyness dial which, in turn, has created another layer of stress on my body and mind. I am heading toward a recovery phase, and healing the effects of having stress run the show. My true self has been suffocated under a great burden that I created.

CS Lewis said, “You do not have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” To me, when I’m living from my soul – my true self – I am living with balance and am flowing in love, creativity and joy without any effort. Living with my stressful self is opposite. I feel confused, indecisive, and negative. I even feel hopeless at times and think I will never be able to get out of this hole. My breath becomes very shallow.

Then I got injured, which of course was a thoughtful teacher in disguise. The cartilage connecting my sternum and ribs was so inflamed at one point that I could hardly move. Any coincidence this is related to the heart chakra – I think not! I believe that everything is happening deliberately to us, or “for us” to grow and learn through our soul. And what I needed to learn (remember) was to simplify: eat good food, sleep, and drink water. Be HERE, right now. And breathe!

I started daily Abhyanga again. The healing effects of drenching my body with oil created a calming and nurturing result. I had a couple of intense crying sessions which eased some of the inflammation and pain I was feeling in my ribs, my mind and my heart.

Because of my injury, it was a great challenge to do a lot of physical movement. Typically, this is my way of releasing emotions and stress from my body. So I scaled my yoga practice way back and spent a lot of time in Savasana :). That was super helpful. Deep relaxation helped me move stagnant energy out and create new clearer energy. I now feel like I have MORE energy to give others.

I started getting outside (even in the cold!) and turning my face to the sun. Just a few minutes of bathing my face in sunlight was enough to revive my sense of wonder again. I started witnessing the trees and flowers coming to life again. I sat still in my backyard and listened to what my true self was saying. And what I heard was, in part, this.…

I worry too much. I can live - I AM LIVING the life I want to live right now. There is no reason that we can’t all be overflowing with creativity, that we can’t all be loved and happy. The source of these qualities is never ending!

I must let go of my attachments of what and how my greatest desires will manifest. I must start asking what is the final outcome and emotion of these great desires and focus on being/living that - now! I am grateful and thankful for everyone and everything I have right now. I feel reconnected to the creative source of love. I am hopeful and have faith again.

Reaching the End

Almost there....

For almost 3 years I have been chipping away at obtaining 300 contact hour of training with my Master Teacher, Shiva Rea. I will never forget her words in the beginning of this process, "I'm not interested in churning out a large quantity of certified teachers, just quality ones". Indeed, this teacher certification is not for those looking for a quick process. Collecting the 300 hours of contact time with Shiva is actually the easy part!
I also have had to remain connected with one of her senior teachers, Maria who has served as my mentor through this process. I was required to do a "30 Day Sadhana" which is a consistent dedicated yoga practice for 30 days, and check in with Maria through-out the month. I had to read 8 books and write about 16 papers. I had to submit 6 class sequences, asana photographs, a video, and complete a "Dharma Project". This weekend I am finishing my Dharma Project and on Monday the video will be complete. I will submit all of this and then I will have to take an exam. AND THEN, I will be a officially be a Shiva Rea, Prana Flow Intstructor.
I will then be able to submit my application to The Yoga Alliance for my RYI 500 and then be able to train others to be teachers. I've been trying to balance my scales on this idea. Initially I was not interested at all in training teachers, but so many people has expressed support of me doing this that I am reconsidering. It will take some time to create a program and my first priority is to open a studio...so please be patient :)
This is the beginning of the end of a very long journey which had transformed my life in ways that I never imagined when I first began. I am so very ready for this process to reach its end and very excited to start the next adventure!