Archive for the ‘Yoga Philosophy’ Category:
Several Upcoming Classes This Week
I am teaching many Yoga classes this week at CITY YOGA. Click the link for more info on where City Yoga is, rates, etc.
Upcoming Classes Are:
TONIGHT, Thursday June 17th: 7pm – 8:30pm Lakulish Yoga
Friday June 18th: 8:30am – 9:30am Gengle Yoga
10:00am – 11:30am Traditional Hatha Yoga
Sunday June 20th: 10:00am – 11:30am Lakulish Yoga
1:00pm – 3:30pm Chakra Workshop (must pre-register)
Monday June 21st: 10:00am – 11:30am Traditional Hatha Yoga
Hope to see you in class!!!!
Learning the Science of Spiritual Evolution
Jai Bhagwan.
A lot of people ask me … what is Lakulish Yoga? Who or what is Lakulish?
Lakulish is a Sanskrit name, and like most Sanskrit names and terms, Lakulish is a process. Lakulish is the very process by which Yoga happens. Lord Lakulish represents the very Energy into which all matter transforms through this amazing gift we call Yoga.
Yoga is very presicous and very sacred. It has been around since the beginning of time. Yoga is a lifetime commitment to certain eternal Truths.
We presently live in an age of darkness. The great texts of Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Law that is Yoga) call this the age of Kali (Kali Yuga). This is the age of ignorance, for we have forgotten who we are. We have separated from God. We are hurtful to our own selves, our own systems, our friends, companions, neighbors, and our environment. We lie. We cheat. We steal. We possess. We covet. We exist with sickness, disease, and with rajasic (passionate, greedy, power-seeking, materialistic) and tamasic (dark, heavy, lazy, dull) negative imprints in our minds.
It is this negative mindset that causes the separation. It is the mind that makes us sick and diseased. It is the mind that hurts, that lies, that cheats, steals, possesses, and covets. What we are on the inside, we will project into our outside environment. Our world is on the verge of destruction because we are destroying ourselves inside our very beings.
What is worse than this, is that in this age, Yoga, the very means by which we undo this individual and global sickness, has been reduced to a fad. “False prophets” abound, and it seems there are gurus on every corner professing to teach spiritual enlightenment or transfer some kind of spiritual energy that will instantly “awaken” anyone. But I caution you: be very keen and careful. If anyone is going to sell anything having to do with Yoga, they should sell God 100% of the time. I encourage you to pay attention to any spiritual teacher’s actions, not just his or her fancy, charming words, spiritual powers, or supposed energetic state.
Sadly, in this day and age, Yoga has become “en vogue” and a cliche. Everywhere I turn, I am faced with this reality (or should I say illusion). We are so far into ignorance, that we have even forgotten what Yoga is. We have forgotten that Yoga is about Union with the energy of God (Consciousness, Source, Energy, Chi, Kundalini, Creator, etc). Yoga is about removing the negative imprints of the mind so that our vital life energy (Prana) will grow and build and take over our bodies.
Right now, our most negative mental tendencies control us. And look what has happened to us and to our world. We like to think we are decent people. Civilized. But the truth is we are all very uncivilized, barbaric people attempting to show some degree of outward decency. But we do not like to think of ourselves this way. We like living with our delusions and hallucinations.
The truth is, when we separate from God and we think we (our minds) can control the body God created and run it effectively and efficiently … we fail. We all get old, sick, diseased, frail, our bodies rot, and we eventually slowly decompose and die. But the truth is we do not have to. We don’t. It all depends on who is in control.
When we step foot on the path of Yoga and we awaken our vital life energy (Prana) to the point where it becomes stronger than our mental energy, God decends into the body. The body becomes a Temple. We become Living beings infused with Light. The mind becomes a friend. It becomes clear and sharp and slices away the negative energies that once ruled us. The mind becomes clear as crystal, and we become reflections of that inner Light, and we reflect that Light to the world.
Change happens one individual at a time, one Soul at a time. Right now we are experiencing an Energy crisis. We have strayed so far from our Maker that we have forgotten who we are. But we are never lost.
There is a science, a very precious science, that has been passed down from a Soul who has walked the path of Yoga successfully to a Soul who deeply desires to do so. That science is the path of Yoga itself. That science is Lakulish.
Yoga is not a religion. As a science, Yoga deals with the elements: fire, water, earth, air, and space/ether. It deals with physics and chemistry. It is the very science of learning how to convert matter into light. And this very science will bring you to the footsteps of God, should that be a place you wish to travel. If nothing else, Yoga will allow you to live a very happy, joyful, long and fulfilling life. God does not want us to be unhappy. God does not wish for us to live in a cave. God does not want us to suffer. God wants us to enjoy this life we have been given. Yoga enables us to enjoy life fully. When we live under the governance of our minds, we are not allowed to live fully and peacefully.
Yoga cannot be put into a box. It cannot be canned. It cannot be labeled. It most certainly is not exercise or mere postures and breath work and most certainly does not belong to anyone! While it may relieve stress and make a person feel peaceful, its purpose far exceeds these effects.
I am writing this to you because it is time. The way Yoga is depicted in this age is inaccurate and incomplete. The purpose of Lakulish Yoga is to bring change, individual change.
Yoga is a part of an Eight-Fold system:
1. Yamas
2. Niyamas
3. Asana
4. Pranyama
5. Pratyahara
6. Dharana
7. Dhyana
8. Samadhi
Yoga is meant to unfold systematically, in this exact sequence. If you practice Yoga, or think you are practicing Yoga, and you practice out of this order, you cannot practice and have what you are practicing still be called Yoga. Yet Yoga centers all around the globe do this every day.
This is a very important and key statement. The first two steps of Yoga are called “The Law”. It is the Dharma. It is the Code of Conduct, God’s Code of Conduct. The Law of building and maintaining Energy. A Niyama can only happen when a Yama has successfully happened. And an Asana can only happen when a Yama and a Niyama have successfully happened. Thus, the only way a Pranayama can occur is when the other 3 prerequesites have happened successfully (there is a Yama in Pranayama and a Yama in Niyama). All of these words may sound very foreign to you, and that is okay. The purpose of my classes is to help you understand and practice this Yoga system, to develop your own individual practice.
Meditation is 7th on the list. And we think we know what meditation is. Meditation happens to us. We cannot just sit down and meditate. Yet meditation has become a fad and is taught everywhere. We can practice and hope that one day meditation will happen to us. But that practice requires a lot of work.
Union is WORK. Yoga is WORK. It requires daily practice. It requires a constant, unwavering committment to certain Codes of Conduct, called the Yamas and Niyamas.
The Yamas and Niyamas are at the core of the Lakulish Yoga teachings because Yoga cannot even begin without them. They are not philosophies to be glanced over while we push ourselves through vinyasas and twist ourselves into pretzels in Yoga class. The very first phrase in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras begins with the word “atha”.
1.1 Atha Yoga Anusasanam
1.1 Now we begin Yoga
Atha implies that Yamas and Niyamas have successfully been implimented. Then Asana happens. Then Pranayama can happen. Then God appears in the body. Yoga postures are a gift to mankind. They are the very means by which the bodily energy channels and organs are cleansed of impurities in order for the body to become a Temple and for us to become Living beings of Light.
I teach Yamas and Niyamas in my Private Yoga classes. I also teach nutrition and diet, Yoga practices, scriptures, mantra, and postures. I tailor each class to my individual student’s needs. Each person is different. Each person is in a different place on his or her spiritual journey. I have been blessed with an amazing, out of this world teacher, Swami Sri Ashutosh Muniji (I call him “Bapuji”). He is the current lineage holder in the Muni Mundal Yoga line. Muni Mundal is an order has been around for a very long time. Lord Lakulish was a member of Muni Mundal. And so was Patanjali Muni.
Lakulish Yoga teachings thus rely heavily on teachings from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and from the Bhagavad Gita, as these texts are very dear to our Yoga Lineage.
If you are interested in learning Yoga as it was traditionally taught and should be taught, please contact me at (904) 392-6588 to set up a private session. If you have questions, I will be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss any concerns you may have.
I certainly do not have all the answers. And I do not profess to be a teacher nor a guru. God is the only Guru. I am a student, and like my Bapuji, I wish to remain a student. I want to walk this path of Yoga, and I aspire every day to do so. But it is time to pay it forward.
It is time for me to share what I have learned from my Bapuji. It is time for humanity to wake up. We have slumbered in ignorance far too long. It is time to reunite with that Energy from which we have strayed so far. It is our birth right. And it is our duty.
Jai Bhagwan. Jai means “victory” and Bhagwan is that Energy. Let us let the Energy of God prevail within our internal nation once more. Let us find our Freedom, our Liberty, and our Justice. Our Founding Fathers understood this Truth when our country was formed. May we too understand this Truth again.
In Love and Highest Light,
Jennifer Jacobsen (Urja)
$20 OFF Private Yoga Classes Through April 30th!
Have you wanted to try Yoga but do not know where to start?
Do you want to try something more one-on-one before moving to a group class?
Are you looking for more advanced, in-depth teachings?
Are you wanting to create a daily schedule and personal home practice for yourself?
Are you wanting to learn more about scriptures, meditation, pranayama or mantra?
IF SO, from now until the end of April, I am offering my PRIVATE YOGA CLASSES for $55!!
That’s a $20 savings!
SPRING INTO ACTION!
Call (904) 392-6588 for more information.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP: What Are Modifications Of Mind?
NEW WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT!
What Are Modifications Of Mind: Exploring The Vritti Cycle
w/ Jennifer Jacobsen of Lakulish Yoga
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010
1:00pm – 3:30pm
AT CITY YOGA
125-B King St., St. Augustine, FL 32084
Cost is $30 per person. Please register online.
This workshop will explore the vritti cycle as explained by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Students will learn:
* What “modifications of mind” are
* What the Sanskrit word vritti means
* Why the word vritti is THE key to Yoga
* What prana is and how to awaken it
* What the three gunas are and their significance
Please bring a comfertable cushion to sit on. You may also wish to bring a notebook and pen for taking notes. Food is not permitted in the workshop space. Bottled water only is allowed.
REGISTER ONLINE RIGHT NOW!
On Satya (Truth)…
By Angela Rust Jones, Owner of City Yoga in Saint Augustine, FL
Reprinted with permission.
Satya (Truth) is much more than simply being an honest person. Maintaining honesty is an expected behavior in society, we’ve all been taught not to lie (for the most part) and I believe for the most part humans do try to achieve honesty. Non-truths do not feel right, I can’t imagine one desires to live an unauthentic life. The above to me; however, is not the meaning of satya.
My perception of this yama is the belief that the real satya comes from a relinquished sense of fear and an exposure to all the layers of the self. Truth is equal to purity and the rawness of the person or object. Without the ability to seek out and accept ones personal truths, I do not see how it is possible to live in truth… meaning; if you don’t know who you are and accept everything about your own self, how can you emit honesty and truthfulness to the outside world? Your perception of truth until found would be skewed. In fact, your entire life could become a lie – a constant state of seeking and dissatisfaction. I believe many people in our world suffer from unawareness of their personal truths. Finding personal truth is a large component of self-realization.
Eliminating the fear of self is not easy. We may not always like the truths we find… this is usually only because of what we’ve been programmed to believe is good and bad, dark and light. We must begin to understand that all truths are beautiful no matter how devastating they may be or seem. When we begin to embrace our truths both light and dark, we begin to see that polarity is a part of existence and it is indeed a necessary component of our being. It is only when we begin to understand this, that we can understand the yama satya and begin to actually live in satya.
It is important to note that not living in satya is a large block on the path to both self and god realization; moreover, it becomes a substantial block in ones energy; thus, halting the ability for one to progress. Instead we are sent into the same repetitive cycle over and over until these truths are discovered.
If we want to obtain contentment and realization we must begin to work on peeling back our layers of pre-programmed non-truths and expectations which were never meant to be in our personal truth stories. These expectations and non-truths may have been imprinted into our brain by our parents, friends, relatives, media– anywhere, at any point in time. I believe we may also be carrying some remnants of past life karmic type non-truths as well– or even ancestral belief systems we aren’t aware of.
Most of us must do hard work to begin the process of discovering our raw, true authentic selves and remove any fears attached to our discoveries. When this process of discovering truth has begun… one begins to see how naturally satya evolves into everything. When truth becomes a part of who you are it begins to bring joy, wisdom and purpose. Once satya is incorporated into each second of ones life then this person can say and feel that they are genuinely authentic. This will become visible not only in ones progressive actions but also in ones physical presence. Ultimately, the hope is that finding and living in satya will become contagious to others.
