Hi Folks,
I hope this email finds you all well. Happy Shravana Purnima, a day dedicated to learning, renewal of spiritual studies, and devotion to family! (More on this below...)
Based on feedback I've added some classes in the schedule for August:
1. The Kriyas, Bandhas, and Pranayama practice will continue to be three days per week, with Wednesday being a longer session. I am recording these now for people in different time zones, so if you register for the class you'll automatically receive the recording after the class finishes.
2. On Thursday we now have a 50-minute Ashtanga Yoga class for those who don't have time for a longer practice everyday. This will include a few primary and intermediate postures, and is open to all. This class is being recorded for all who register.
3. An extra Intermediate practice (up to eka pada) has been added on Friday. This could be extended up to Pincha Mayurasana if all goes well.
4. 1/2 Primary 1/2 Intermediate will continue once per week, on Mondays.
5. Yoga for the Nervous System meets two evenings per week, and Intro to Ashtanga will be Wednesday evenings (formerly on Saturday morning). This class is also being recorded, one day per week, for all who register.
Here is the full, weekly schedule. You can click on any of the links to register.
Thursday
50 Minute Ashtanga Yoga 7am
Yoga for the Nervous System 6pm Zoom
Friday
Morning Chanting 6am IG Live
Kriyas, Bandhas and Pranayama 6:40am Zoom
Led Primary 7am Zoom
Led Intermediate (until Eka Pada) 9am Zoom
Saturday
No Class
Sunday
Led Primary 8am Zoom
Led Intermediate 10am Zoom
On Thursday, August 5th at 3pm EST, I'll be having a conversation with Bob Doto on IG Live, discussing his new book, Sitting With Spirits, Exploring the Unseen Worlds in the Margins of Christianity. This is a beautifully written, clear, and important book on reclaiming
your root religion. Bob wrote it and published it during the lock-down. It is a deep and well-rounded the book on religion and spirituality. And in our discussion, we'll see how those two things may or may not be so different.
To think on today...
The full moon (purnima) on Monday, August 3rd, falls during the month of Shravana, which is an auspicious month filled with festivals in the Hindu calendar. Shravana is the star of learning, and this full moon amplifies human connectivity and spiritual community. Raksha bandhan, the ritual where sisters tie red, protective string on the wrist of their brothers, is
performed on this day, to symbolize the sacred tie of family and the mutual protection that brothers and sisters provide to each other.
The Goddess Gayatri also appeared on Shravana Purnima, so this day (and sometimes the day following) is also dedicated to Gayatri japa. It is also the appearance day of Lord Hayagriva, one of the incarnations of Vishnu. Hayagriva is the horse-headed Deity, who represents wisdom, intelligence, speed, and the power of
Prana as the creative force of the universe. Followers of the Yajur Veda and Rig Veda renew their sacred threads on this day, and initiate (and re-initiate) the study of the Vedas for the coming year. The Yogi Sri Krishnamacharya was a devotee of Hayagriva.
He wrote in his Yoganjalisaram:
"O! sluggish mind, praise the Lord Gopala and the Lord Hayagriva, after your prayers to the Guru! To what purpose are the ways of this age if the body be weakened and the blood made impure?
When the truth is known ignorance cannot be, when the mind is pure there is no disease, when the breath is mastered there is no death, therefore, surrender to Yoga.
In the practice of Yoga one can emphasize the body, the mind or the self and hence the effort can never be fruitless.
Master your breath, let the self be in bliss, contemplate on the sublime within you. Thus speaks Yogi Tirumala Krishna"
Mondays, which are auspicious to Shiva, are particularly auspicious during Shravana. Bathing a Shiva Linga in water or milk and repeating Om Namah Shivaya 108 times is a simple ritual that can be done on this full moon Monday.
So, if you feel moved, take advantage of the auspicious positioning of stars today to initiate (or reinitiate) a course of learning of a sacred text, recommit yourself to your spiritual practice, or simply do some extra mantras. Think on human and planetary connectivity, and the importance of family. All of these mental patterns and intentions are amplified on this
day.
With love,
Eddie
