RANDOM POINTS TO PONDER….Breathe, Listen, Clean, Get a Groovy Name

My brain is flitting about like the hummer at the window feeder this morning.   Random thoughts:

1.  When our teacher, Karen, says "hold for three more breaths" or "hold for six more breaths", does it also seem to you that the harder the asana pose the longer those three or six breaths seem to last?   Or is my counting off?  (I guess a panting breath in plank is faster than a slow deep breath in Hero's Pose, but still…. all together now… one, two, three!)

2.  This one confused me, but I took it in stride since I'm married to a health care provider and strange body topics are sort of normal at my house:  Folded into Child's Pose I heard Karen say, "Listen to your bowel sounds."  Well, OK, weird, but I'll listen since my ears are now very close to that area of my body.  Then she went on to say, "ooohhh, aaaahhhh, eeeee" and I got it!  VOWEL sounds!  HAHAHA!

3.  I've been on a clutter-busting and organizing binge at my house.  It feels good but I have trouble motivating myself to keep up with regular cleaning.   Yet, when I think of it in terms of one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, housework becomes a part of my Yoga practice and I feel all spiritual about it!  Yay! Rolf Gates discusses the Niyamas in his Meditations from the Mat book explaining the Niyama Sauca, which speaks to the experience of purity and cleansing.  This is both an internal and external practice.  Just as we let go of thoughts and practices that no longer serve our well-being, we must also ensure that we create and maintain a healthy physical environment that is conducive to peace and growth as well.  Look around; how are your surroundings affecting you?   For me clutter is visual noise -- distracting, overwhelming, oppressive.  I'm trying to attend to my Niyama practice in this area.   Anything to get the vacuuming done so my floor isn't so crunchy.

4.  I'm sometimes jealous of people with cool spiritual names.  How do they come by those, I wonder? I see these northern European descent, rather pedestrian-looking folks who have really Enlightened- sounding names.  Does Penelope just decide one day to be "Devi" or does John become "Anastu" with a snap of the fingers?  I assumed these cool names are bestowed by a guru, so then I became sort of jealous of people who had actual Indian gurus.  Where could I get one of those who would then give me a cool name?  Donna is so….1950's; so…..Midwest; so…..not exotic.  

One problem is my skepticism about gurus.  I think there are wise people around, but often the trick is how to tell the difference between the real deal and a pretender who has been elevated in status by our  longing for a saint to deliver us from our own confusion.

One guy I have met and hung out with a bit is Jai Uttal, well-known Kirtan artist.  His name, Jai, was actually given to him by a real, genuine guru, Neem Karoli Baba at his ashram in Vrindravan, India back in the late '60's.  This is the ashram and the guru who also found devotees in Ram Das (of Be Here Now fame) and Krishna Das, probably the best known Kirtan artist in the world.

So, I asked Jai how to get a groovy name like all the cool kids have.  He just laughed and said, "I'll give you one…Donna Nirvana!"  We both laughed; so silly!  But, actually, I secretly like it and secretly believe this little confection of a spiritual name may have just as much relevance and import as some others I've heard.  So there! ©

Namaste....donna-nirvana-jurene

Photo credit: louliabolchakova@123RF