Zeni Flow Yoga

Sharing via Christopher Wallis.

ON THE CORRECT USAGE OF 'NAMASTE' In the Sanskrit language, 'namaste' simply means "reverence (namas) to you (te)". You can use the word on any occasion when a) you want to say "reverence to you" and b) the context renders it meaningful. A non-Indian saying 'namaste' (assuming it's not in a mocking tone or anything) is *not* cultural appropriation any more than a non-Latinx person saying "Hola, amigo!" is cultural appropriation. But also it would be weird to say "Hola, amigo..." to anyone who doesn't know the meaning of those two words. Likewise with taking 'namaste' out of context. Now, it *is* technically incorrect in Sanskrit to say 'namaste' to a group because 'te' is a singular you (English speakers don't get this easily because English doesn't have singular vs. plural you, unlike say Spanish). But you can get away with it because Hindi doesn't make such a distinction, and in Hindi 'namaste' just means "greetings". Not as special or as spiritual as "reverence to you" but still, it's legit. Lastly, new age yoga people say that 'namaste' means "the divine in me honors the divine in you" because that verbal meme stems from the conflation of two true facts from the tradition: 1) 'namas' is constantly used to praise deities/ divinities, and 2) the Tantrik tradition teaches that only God can worship God, so in order to truly and accurately praise the divine, you must realize your identity with That, at least theoretically if not actually. (Note that *only* the Tantrik tradition teaches this, so the verbal meme is implicitly Tantrik.) So namaste doesn't literally mean "the divine in me honors the divine in you", but it's not a crazy-wrong rendering of the term or anything. Cheesy, but not crazy. -via Christopher Wallis, TYN

Such a treat to sit with, or hear any teachings from this man. If you’re a little curious, or ready to shift your yoga practice into something rooted and real this may be for you. And it’s FREE!!!

Such a treat to sit with, or hear any teachings from this man. If you’re a little curious, or ready to shift your yoga practice into something rooted and real this may be for you. And it’s FREE!!!

"...there exists the possibility for joy (nanda) in any and every experience, though some yield up that potential more easily than others. By joy (nanda) I d...o not mean 'extreme happiness,' but rather a kind of loving awareness of any given present-moment reality. The Heart has an innate capacity to grant a deep affirmation of whatever is going on in this moment, to envelop the whole of each experience in loving awareness (even experiences that the mind might dislike). When the Heart exercises that natural capacity, it is called nanda." ~ from Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Wallis

I’ve been seeing a lot of uncomfortable feelings and emotions surface amongst my clientele. This short podcast is a good reminder that while not pleasant, they aren’t necessarily negative. Includes a great tip on dealing with these unwanted feelings that parallels a classical Yoga practice. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lxE0CuAo1GeM96KHe45Uu #leanintoit ... #TYN #yoga365 See more

"After sitting in a posture of either cakra, padma or Swastika as he pleases..." ~ Lakshmi Tantra 28:40-44. "Drawing as mentioned before a four-doored square di...agram in the eastern direction,(the adept) should draw an eight petalled lotus in white and red. He should then draw four svastikas in white at the four corners (of the square)." ~ Lakshmi Tantra 6:2-3. "The superb image of the earth is square and possesses a thunder mark on it. (The image) of water is considered to be half moon shape, white and possesses a lotus mark. (That) of fire is said to be triangular, marked with the Swastika and red in colour." ~ Lakshmi Tantra 54:17-18. "Namaste'stu brahman svasti me'stu (Salutations Brahmana, may good happen to me by this)." ~ Yama to Nachiketa in the Katha Upanishad (1.9). "Aumity evam dhyayatha atmanam svasti vah paraya tamasah parastat." (Meditate upon Aum with your mind fixed in your Self. May you fare well in crossing over to the other shore beyond darkness). ~ Mundaka Upanishad (2.2.6). "Svasti na indro vrddha-sravah, Svasti nah písha visva-vedah, Svasti nas tarkshayo arishtanemih, Svasti no brhaspatir dadhatu. Aum santih santih santih." (An invocation to god) ~ Mandukya Upanishad Another translation of Swastika could be a combination of ‘su’ (meaning ‘good’) and ‘asti’ (meaning ‘to exist’). Also read: Whose Swastika is it anyway? liveencounters.net//08-august-/whose-swastika-is-it-anway/ Or: How Nazis twisted the swastika, a symbol of the Buddha, into an emblem of hate. qz.com//how-nazis-twisted-the-swastika-a-symbol-of-buddhi/ Or: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Swastika www.hafsite.org//10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-swa/