Karma Yoga - Sea Turtles/ South Padre

We visited South Padre over winter break, with its beautiful beaches for yoga. There we met these little guys. My son Aidan will be adopting a hatching($11) and naming him/her!  http://www.seaturtleinc.org

"Our culture of excess is growing, infiltrating even our most basic activities. Overeating and obesity are epidemic in the United States. The size of servings has doubled in the past twenty years.  ...(In Japan) the portion is reasonable in size and appealing in its presentation, with the same dynamic of form and space seen in a Zen garden... My dharma grandfather Yasutani Roshi used to say, "You should always stop eating before you feel completely full."

  -John Daido Loori from The Zen of Creativity, page 157

- Quite a different concept than the all-you-can eat Chinese buffet I recently visited.
- Cleaning out what isn't needed, a good goal for the end of summer. Amazing how good it feels to drop off that last load at the Good Will.

Nada Yoga Introduction to Meditation

Tatha - Thus!

What makes this orchid so beautiful?
"Suchness is not something to be added from outside. It is being itself. It is in living life itself... the translation in Sanskrit is tatha... It is expressed in the calligraphy Thus! of Maezumi Roshi."
- The Zen of Creativity, by John Daido Loori

Our orchid is blooming after a long hibernation (of around 8 years). 

Summer is in the air.

Astaya - Non-stealing

Of course it would not be wise to steal someone's things.
But astaya also includes not stealing someone's joy. I think of this when something good happens to me and another person says, "I'm so jealous." or when someone tries to "one-up" another person.
Need vs. Want
Stealing someone's time, by always showing up late and claiming it as "your thing." 

Be true to youself, and not stealing someone's thoughts and claiming them as your own.
Have integrity and know that there will be times when we still mess up.

Satya- Truthfulness

Those who know don't talk. 

Those who talk don't know.

- Laozi

Satya is about creating healthy relationships.
At the end of the day am I at peace with myself?
As in Living Your Yoga, Judith Lasater notes,
"Patanjali discusses ahimsa, non-harming before satya... I suggest that before speaking or taking another action, you first ask these questions:
Is it necessary?
Is it true?
Is is non-harming?"
Simple words, but a difficult task.
-t.

Ahimsa - to do no harm

I am always doing that which I cannot do, 

in order that I may learn how to do it.
-Pablo Picasso

So often this is true with the physical, emotional and mental aspects of creating art / practicing yoga. You can be your own biggest critic, or supporter. Your choice.

A part of ahimsa is to be at peace with yourself.

 -t

Definition of Health- From Wheels of Light, Bruyere

...a healthy system implies much more than freedom from disease. Vitality, appropriate feelings, appropriate thought process, a willingness to embrace change in our lives, creative self-expression and responsibility, intuitive understanding...are all essential if we are to be "full of light" and full of life and well-being.