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Cultivating Aspects of Prosperity

I was recently looking back on previous blog posts. I realized my blog posting on prosperity received the most views out of any of my blog posts. Moving along with the theme, I thought I'd touch base once again on my recent experiences of prosperity. In the past 9 months life changing events have beckoned me to embrace a deeper level of prosperity. I feel that I have been catapulted into a whole new container of prosperity in the past month or so. Like many of us on this courageous journey, I am being asked to shine my Light more than ever before. It's a tall order for anyone to do such a thing with grace despite the daily chaos and ongoing changes of our personal lives, community, and the world.

With that, it's taken some time since my last blog post to integrate these changes and find words to express what prosperity means to me. This is just the beginning.

Patience
Many have heard the saying that any good thing worth investing in takes patience. Yogi Bhajan said, "Patience pays. Wait. Let the hand of God work for you. The One who has created you, let Him create all the environments, circumstances, and facilities and faculties.” This has always been a difficult lesson for me. It's only now that I am embracing what this means for me. Being slow and steady in the race wasn't my forte in the past 10 years. Yet now I am noticing when I am patient and allow the Divine to work through me, it take a lot less effort. A dear teacher told me at Summer Solstice this year that all will come to me if I just sit, smile, be radiant, and welcome everything.

Recognize and resonate

On New Years Eve 2012 the Kundalini Yoga Community gathered at Hari Dass's home. It was there where we set intentions for our needs and values. Needs are the things in life that are essential for us to live out our soul's destiny, our life path. Values are the are things that we need to guide and support our needs. Values can change and fluctuate as long as they support the ultimate need of what we want in life. Over the past few months, I've had to reflect on what values and needs were being honored. If something wasn't being fulfilled in my life according to these principles then I needed to change my circumstances so they would be congruent with my life choices once again. With all that being said, there was no way I could call prosperity into my life until I knew what these values and needs were.

Once I was able to recognize my values and needs. I could then be able to resonate those intentions in my life. Something was holding me back, though. Through the help of a few very powerful teachers in my life, I was able to see the underlying beliefs that were preventing me from moving forward. A good analogy is paddling upstream with a hole in our kayak. No matter how hard we try, we just keep sinking deeper into the limiting belief until the hole is identified. When that happens then the hole can be filled in with a new belief that supports our higher Consciousness. Finally, we are then able to resonate and vibrate our Truth.

Opening

It's pretty self explanatory when we are open to receiving prosperity then it will come pouring in. However, I feel that the previous key points of recognizing your values and needs in addition to resonating your Truth is essential in order to cultivate this opening. That's why tools like Kundalini Yoga are great in facilitating this opening and balancing of the energy systems. The

Set for Opportunity and Green Energy   is  a great prosperity oriented kriya that opened many opportunities for me in a very short period of time. Just remember that everyone's process is different, though. (Kriya retrieved on 7/17/14 from http://www.bodymindgifts.com/greenenergy1.pdf)

Strength

It takes a lot of strength and courage to bring prosperity into our lives. So many people say that they want more prosperity yet are really too scared to accept it. It's a lot easier to stay in the confines of a familiar and comfortable life even those most people know they deserve better. Only the courageously strong people have the grit to walk gracefully through the tests presented on the journey of cultivating prosperity.

Practice

Repetition is the key. Having a daily sadhana (daily practice) is essential in life. When I first started on my journey through Kundalini Yoga, my sadhana consisted of a 3-7 minute meditation and nothing more. Slowly and gradually with practice, I was able to increase that time. Now my daily sadhana is an essential part of who I am in order for me to be my authentic self each day. Practicing every day has taught me what it means to commit to myself, my word, and therefore everything in life. Without a daily practice I couldn't imagine being able to understand, embrace, and accept what prosperity means for me. I often tell others that although Kundalini Yoga is quite effective and transforming, it doesn't have to be their practice. Especially in the beginning of any journey, it's important to commit to something, weather it is taking a 30 minute walk every day, eating healthier, or doing a hobby that you enjoy. Sadhana is practicing prosperity in real life. We may not want to do it every day, but we know the benefits of it are long lasting.

Energy Conservation

As prosperity continues to flow into our lives, it's important to know we always have a choice. For me, prosperity tends to comes in huge waves of transformation. Other times, it comes in little spurts, which is just as beautiful. Either way, it's important to know what opportunities to accept and what we can say 'no' to. My life's path is to be of service to others. However, many times I have to learn that being given opportunities to be of service doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my sanity or health. That's why energy conservation has been very important to me. It's important to have the clarity of what opportunities to accept and if it's the right timing to accept it. Many people, including myself, have had experiences that they took on too much responsibility only after already committing to the project. That's why it's important to be committed to ourselves first and having our needs met before adding more onto our plate.

Relax

This is something that we can all work on no matter how good we think we are at relaxing. It also coincides with patience. None of the things I mentioned above can happen if there isn't a sense of relaxing into the process as it unfolds in it's perfect timing.

I got a big dose of what this means while at Summer Solstice this year. Countless times I would be solely focusing on my process, often working through an intense blockage or emotion. Yet I smiled, relaxed, and sat through the uncomfortable moments knowing they would pass. When I allowed the process to be what it was, something profound would happen to me. Someone would come and start talking to me, having no idea what was going on with me internally. An unexpected experience in my surroundings would occur, like a unexpected rain storm in the middle of the desert, or an entire walkway of the bazaar clearing in my presence to name just a few. It was only in these moments of relaxing into patience and the uncomfortable feelings of transition where the deepest healing was able to occur. 

 

Intuition

As in everything in life, it takes accessing innate intuition to know clearly what prosperity looks like. It's unique for everyone and can reach far beyond the realms of financial prosperity. There's a lot I could say about intuition, but I'll save it for another time.

Thankfulness

Having an attitude of gratitude alone in itself can create plenty of transformation. When we are grateful for all the perceived good and bad experiences, we can remember it is all One. It's easy to be grateful for the good, but sometimes difficult to be grateful for the challenges. These polarities are essential for anything creative to occur.

Yes!

It's appropriate to end this post with reminding us all to say, “yes”, to prosperity. Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is say, “yes” to all the gifts that we are given. Saying yes can also be simple and easy. May you know it is your birthright to be happy, be bright, and be the healing Light we all need to cultivate prosperity within ourselves and for others.

The Place Between the Inhale and Exhale

This poem or string of words, has been percolating for some time. It was inspired by a class I recently took with Gurmukh Kaur, yoga therapy training in Los Angeles, recent life events, and wisdom I received from wise counsel. I also thought this was a good to share during this very interesting time in full moon and Mercury in retrograde.

Inhale..Pause...

Reconsider what is to come next

Dangling in this moment of simultaneous purgatory, confusion, and perfection.

Death and rebirth are the same.

The contentment in knowing the prayer has been sent and will be answered on it's own accord.

The pause that renders the audacity to receive gifts once thought not deserved.

The choice to act courageously towards a goal not yet known.

Putting aside the urgency so that we may listen for the silence through the influence of gratitude.

Look how far we have come to be standing in this here and now.

Exhale..Pause

To wait patiently in the pause,

the uncomfortable and unfortunate feelings of the unknown.

Seduction of darkness whispers for me to go deeper.

All must be balanced in the accumulation and the letting go.

This natural cycle is merely doing what it does best to keep all in harmony.

So why do we fight it relentlessly and sigh with disdain when it comes near?

Fear of being alone, of not having this, that, who, what in our life.

Surely it will all come back ten fold, often in a different mold than projected.

The mystery of prosperity hidden in the apana.

In the end a bigger hole to be filled by that which already resides within.

To see beyond the "you" and "I."

The merge into “we” dares not happen on the human's watch.

Only these brave souls are courageous enough to explore this pause,

the transformation from “we” to “all”.

The pause

the test

the block

the ultimate fork in the road.

How silly we are to be afraid of coming to these crossroads.

When this is the opportunity to eliminate polarity of self.

To find out what this experience is about.

To stop hiding from the Truth.

Afraid of seeing something we may not like.

Taking off the rose colored glasses.

For who will be judge but you.

Therefore nothing can be the wrong choice

and all is victorious.

The universe conspiring in our favor.

Let us challenge the elimination of the “you” and “I”.

The weapon of choice is self love

which cannot help but manifest and multiply in itself

only to be radiated in reflection of another.

If we are to be exhausted from this battle,

may we be thrown gracefully into the field of zero plus one.

May the polarities be neutralized.

May we have the courage to embrace the ultimate commitment to ourselves.

So all that is left is the place between the inhale and the exhale.

Pause.

The Link Between Yoga and the Feldenkrais Method®

The past few years I have been learning various movement approaches through the Feldenkrais Method® and Spacial Dynamics®. These two aspects of healing through movement have greatly impacted my work as a physical therapist assistant. As I continue to teach others about utilizing these concepts, I am consistently learning to master how they can be incorporated in my daily life. With that, I am also starting to incorporate aspects of  Kundalini Yoga into sessions with clients. Undoubtedly Kundalini Yoga, the Feldenkrais Method®, and Spacial Dynamics® have a common thread in supporting the balancing and reorganization of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. I found an intriguing article through the newsletter, "Sense Ability", which explains the link between yoga and the Feldenkrais Method® in a way that is engaging to one of any type of yoga practice.

You can read it here:

"The Joy of Discovery "

by Deedee Eisenburg P.h.D

Let's Get Moving!

Warrior Spirit Yoga  
with Bir Kaur

Weekly Kundalini Yoga Classes 

as taught by Yogi Bhajan

Every Thursday 

7pm - 8:30pm

Class Location: Hawthorne Wellness Center

3942 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Portland, OR 97214
(studio located in back of building)

$12 drop in

$50 for a 5 class pass

$100 for a 10 class pass 
$1 discount if you bike/use public transit

Kundalini Yoga is one of the oldest forms of yoga. It is also called the “Yoga of Awareness” or “Yoga of Experience”. It’s a practical tool and made to be accessible to everyone from any lifestyle.
This sacred science was designed to encourage the raising of the Kundalini Energy, which resides at the base of the spine. The energy systems of the body are aligned in the process by balancing the glandular and nervous systems. This is completed through a series of specific postures, breath, sound (mantra), and meditation depending on the focus for each class. Some benefits of Kundalini Yoga can be experienced in as little as 3 minutes.

Strengthen the Nervous System
Balance the Glandular System
Strengthen the Navel Center
Improve your energy
Reduce Muscle Tension
Fluidity

of movement
Strengthen Posture 
Develop clearer communication
Reduce Stress
Improve Focus
Ignite Creativity
Appropriate for any fitness level

Kundalini Yoga offers exactly what you need, whether you are looking for a physically demanding or relaxing practice, improved concentration, improved creativity, a clearer sense of purpose and clarity in life, or a general sense of balance in life.

                                           

About the Teacher: Bir Kaur (Susan Trancik) enjoys helping others realize that the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of themselves are not separate but dependent on one another. She is licensed physical therapist assistant with over 15 years of experience in the physical therapy field. Her dedicated Kundalini Yoga practice and exploration of other somatic movement techniques inspires her to help others learn new ways to move, think, and feel with curiosity.