Yet another lovely session of Mantra – Pranayama – yogAsana – Meditation at the hot yoga studio yogahaven Birmingham. The room was heated more for this workshop than the previous one that Tony and I taught in February this year. There were 19 of us including some returning students from before. Tony led off the session with a detailed practice on the OM chant, connecting us through sound to go inside and feel the reverberations in our being. Later he introduced us to the Bramari Breath, a constant humming that again amplifies the primordial sound of being. Worming on these different chants and variations thereof whilst we quietly sit in stillness as the perspiration soaks our skin allowing us to embrace the enhanced warmth in the hit yoga studio.
When we started to work through the yogAsana standing and balancing sequence of postures we were well lubricated and into the atmosphere of this hot practice. Intensely working on releasing the legs and twisting postures to free up the spinal column. The sequence was punctuated with short tests so as not to exhaust the body but to gradually work deeper into postures assisted with the heated atmosphere. Beads of sweat dripping from the tip of our noses onto the leading foot in alignment in the postures. After 1 1/2 hours of this posture work we again settled into the stillness of quiet meditation drawing our attention to the HEART CENTRE. The sweat flowing freely, the Mind liberated from worldly concerns at least for an instant in time.

Peace and Love, Namaste to All beings.

I’m on the coach now from London Victoria to Manchester, and recalling the events of the final week of our holiday. I could recollect the happenings that took place with us during that final week, about those regular but out of the ordinary encounters we all have memories of when in a foreign land, but what comes more vividly to mind is an interaction wilth a hidden culture washed over by the modern necessity of survival. Everything is not as it appears to be… As visitors to Jamaica we meet a people whose economy is very dependent on tourism, on revenue brought into the country by people like ourselves. This being so we are looked upon in a big way as potential customers and our concept of them as sales people and marketeers. This is only one aspect of how we meet and form our opinions of people. But in order to really understand folk it is important to go beyond what we are presented with and ask real questions about culture, beliefs and aspirations. Fortunately I was able to do this to some degree, and what I discovered was what I termed ‘Caribbean Wisdom’ that has it’s origins embedded in Africa and the heritage arising from that vast Continent. It was as if I could see these traits before but I couldn’t recognise them……

It wasn’t until on a very special day out into the countryside and way off the beaten track that some magic descended upon me. A magical moment when our driver, Brent, transformed into the legendary Yoda from Star Wars and imparted me with this ancient wisdom that I never knew existed but was at the heart of these Afro Caribbean people. If only it was possible to retain these moments of genius being revealed to me at this time but to be mentored in this way felt like an initiation a true learning and rite of passage. It is born from the Heart and from the compassionate bosom of creation, a spirit that has no foundation in a materialistic world but from the world of spirit. I am absorbing this wisdom and feel noble and proud. My fears are also present. Like other cultures that have similar origins, can they survive the onslaught of this modern technological age? Past civilizations have disappeared and been overtaken by natural disaster, or the greed of mankind. Technology has two faces. It can destroy us or give us the edge to survive. That asteroid from afar that will one day impact the earth and possibly wipe out a people can perhaps be averted by the advancement in technological knowledge. The scientists are working on this at this very moment. In this way it is important to increase our knowledge and understanding of this world. But this will not lead to healing the rift we experience of separation and differences. For me this dilemma was healed in one of my morning meditations on Emptiness.

In reality none of us are who we think we are and identify with. It’s all a big illusion, a trick of the mind. We have had many identities over the endless cycle of births and deaths we have undertaken. If we could recognise our true essence that is beyond birth and death then colour, and creed would not be a factor in our wanting to belong. Because our essence is free from all boundaries and can take any shape or form. The real problem is that we identify with this present form and see it as being different from other forms. We don’t know ourselves….

In order to free ourselves from this big delusion we meditate. And with our gradual understanding we come to recognise the Blessed Nature within each and every living Being…. Thank you Jamaica for your teachings and Blessings to all.

‘We see people’ and that is how it should be…….

After a 45 minute delay at Gatwick Airport and some parting words to my nearest and dearest, we eventually headed skywards towards the tropics of Jamaica. Having never visited this island, I feel curious about what I will see and meet once having landed.

We are 9 hours into the flight and are now entering landing mode. Fasten seat belts and be prepared to meet with destiny.

Having collected our bags and met up with our driver, who will take us to the Yoga Centre, we are on the road for a 1 1/2 hour road journey. We ride through a very contrasting environment. Through little villages and towns that make me sit up with amazement at how some of the people live in very poor housing conditions some of which resemble wooden sheds covered with galvanised metal sheeting. Contrasting with properties owned by the high earnerns withthere walked gardens and cultivated vegetable areas. I feel not exited but thoughtful as scenes rush my mind of hardship and struggle, this island of varying appearances unfolding in this very moment.

As we enter the more prosperous end of town, as we enter into the town of Negril there is a definite change in the buildings and people. The Yoga Centre is opposite some very plush hotels and set just off the road in lush vegetation. We have arrived.

My room is above the yoga space with a double bed, small fridge and lovely ambience. This will be my home for the next two weeks. We eat dinner over at the hotel but the vegetarian options are not that brilliant and quite expensive. But we are here in Jamaica, so let’s see what’s going down.

I rise at 04:00, and this is my plan for the remainder of the holiday. Surprisingly I am not sleepy or feeling any affects of the long journey to reach here. After cleansing my body, my practice starts with Uddiyana and Nauli. In my room, I prepare my place for seated meditation and my Sadhana practice. From experience I usually sit on a pillow on the bed. This keeps me away from any crawlies that might be arround. But surprisingly we are pretty free of such which is great for us all. After 2 hours my morning Sadhana is finished and I meet my guests for meditation and yoga.

Being Easter time there is allot of activity and music, music, music. It goes on through the daytime and through to the very late hours of the morning. Jamaica certainly honours it’s most famous son, Bob Marley, and I think he was responsible for founding the island, endorsing all it’s produce, and forging its history. Were there any other famous Jamaican people who came from this island?? Oh yes, the fastest man on the planet, the sprinter, Usain Bolt…….

Hey Guys this is Non Alcoholic Malta Drink. Yogis must keep a clear head……..

Just as light illuminates it’s surroundings in a gentle way, so our awareness keeps us conscious in a watchful and functioning way. In order for that light to generate enough power to burn paper, cut through steel and melt rock, it needs to be concentrated as in a laser beam. In order for our mind to cut through the cloak of illusion, it also needs to be concentrated. It is with this steady concentration of the mind that we uncover the greatest illusion ever, the illusion and miss-identification of SELF,  and penetrate to the heart of true understanding.

At first we observe the mind in a fluctuating manner, sometimes aware of it’s object of concentration and sometimes aware of other sense perceptions that are not the chosen object of concentration. If our object of concentration is the touching sensation of the breath at the very tip of the nostrils, it is in this very noticing that the mind is distracted, and returning it to it’s chosen object of concentration, that we develop an acute attention that can penetrate into understanding. By holding the mind steady, we build a force, and this force overrides other sense awarenesses. We are lifted to an elevated state of consciousness that becomes self sustaining and blissful, and because of these qualities we become more able to maintain our periods of sustained attention over longer and longer expanses of time.

We begin to ‘Wake up’ and the periods and lapses of clarity become less frequent and of less duration in time. Of course this is a maturing process that may take awhile, but with regular application we start to prefer this, and feel more happy and more content in our lives and feel less the need to suffocate ourselves in distracting activities. For example anything that takes us away from our present moment and life situation. We cannot wake up in the future, we can only wake up at this very moment.

Just like a warrior in the midst of battle, remain steadfast and cut down your enemies one by one as they come before you…… The enemy of your Delusions……

Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah. The cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.