An Alison Miller Blog

Siddhis - a term that is ubiquitous with spiritual power.  A power that ranges from psychic ability all the way to levitation.  There are a few schools of thought on the Siddhis. Some recommend the pursuit of Siddhis as the doorway into Godhead.  Others say this pursuit is simply a distraction. I play with telepathy, precognition and psychic knowing in daily life in little ways. Bringing the heightened sensitivity, that Yoga breeds, into my daily life adds great fun and adventure.  I love to have experiences that transcend “my” planning.  I love to experience synchronicity.  The feeling of direct connection to that which is larger than myself.  The ability to see, feel and experience the world beyond the five senses gives the first hand experience that something beyond the logical, linear mind is at play.

This morning I consciously followed my inner voice to arrive at the laundry-mat. A very unusual experience played out.  Think of an acrobat, a laundry-mat and a pilot.  What do the three of these have in common?  Upon the surface nothing.  Under the surface, in the home of Oneness, lives the connection of all things and people. A matrix that brings us together and apart to serve the greater whole.  A pilot visiting Maui attended yoga yesterday.  This morning while my clothes were being cleaned at the laundry-mat I ran into the pilot.  We took a walk.  Around the corner was an aerial acrobatic class open to the public.  While talking we walked into the class and received an invitation to participate. Aerial acrobatics is an old hobby of mine and the doorway to one of my greatest awakenings. Years ago I had a crushing fall.  I don’t know what hurt more.  The fall or the shattering of my dream.  Today without a plan. The dream that I dreamed years ago dreamed me.  I did not know as I left the house this morning what opportunities would present themselves. What I did know is that I felt compelled to go to the Haiku Center.  The Siddhis allows an inner voice to surface and guide our daily steps. Give yourself one hour, one afternoon, and build up to one day a week or more where you ask for guidance on where to go next.  You may be surprised where your inner voice guides you.  Let the Godhead dance you daily.

Aparigraha - non-grasping - release neediness and attachment, trust the flow of life, celebrate the success of others and offer compassion when others suffer.  Simply put.  Simple to practice?  Often, but often not.  Yoga, when practiced, on and off the mat, becomes a lifestyle.  I have been dreaming of a style of life where I am living with friends on a piece of land in Maui, working together, growing food, planting dreams, healing the earth, healing our hearts, healing the heart of the earth as our united dream.  As I step closer into this dream, the cradle of Aparigraha is the rocker to ease the nettles of personalities, ego fires and rigid expectations.  The Universe continues to provide with amazing benevolence all the while my mind plays it’s games.  So I remember - let go, celebrate the success of others and offer compassion when others suffer.

Can we remember when stepping towards and into our dreams to trust the flow of life?  To know that we are held is a divine gift. One that takes patience. Said well in the Tao Te Ching:  “Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  Can you remain unmoving til the right action arises by itself?”.  This is the heart of the eight fold yoga path and Aparigraha.  Next time a situation arises, that is unexpected and frustrating, put to practice your off the mat flow and let go. Have patience.  Let the proper action present itself to you.

The sun is rising. The sky is awake. Colors of crimson and orange paint the morning.  I breath in the tranquil Maui dawn sounds.  My eyes open. My heart is alive. I relish the hours before the bustle of daily life begins.  Yoga crawled into my bed and woke this lumbering body.  Whispering of sweet nectar to be shared.  A beautiful book named Yoga Gems leaped off the shelf as I enter my yoga room.  Authored by Georg Feuerstein.  A book of philosophical quotations illuminating yoga concepts. A particular quote struck me this morning.  A passage on devotion by, Shankara.  “Like a cloud drifting in the sky, devotion pours down showers of bliss. He whose mind gets filled like a reservoir reaps the entire fruit of his birth, none other.” Can you see the clouds in the sky and imagine your dedication spanning the heavens?  Can you move in you daily life, like the clouds of the sky, showering down what comprises your Self?  Does this mean that the body is filled with bliss and it is through our devotion we experience the the essence of what is true within us?

The evening is quiet and the Maui wind is gently blowing. A fragrant Hawaiian Pikake tree is in full bloom just steps from my window. As I write I deeply inhale receiving this decadent aroma.  Tonight, I am grateful for a wonderful yoga class at The Studio Maui in Haiku.  As a teacher one of the greatest gifts to receive is a heartfelt class taught by another.  From this calm space I connect with the outer wind blowing and am reminded of the inner winds in my body, for now running smooth and aligned.  As in Chinese medicine, yoga is based on a deep science of energy - commonly referred to as “the inner winds”.  The yoga practice is designed to create a physical and physiological alignment throughout the body so that energy can run smoothly and fluidly throughout the body.  When the inner winds are stagnate or erratically paced, the emotional body will be disturbed, as the mind will be unable to focus.  The physical practice and the breath practice of yoga will cause your inner winds to move so your body and mind are at there healthiest state. Notice in the weather patterns that surround you how high winds have an impact that is quite different than soft gentle breezes.  Now imagine the inner winds blowing in your body at these different strengths.  Can you see what a difference it makes to have your energy moving smoothly in your system?  Keep practicing.

Yoga is a scientific system that approaches life uniquely and powerfully. We
can see the principles of the yoga practice demonstrated in nature. Imagine
yourself walking through a lush Maui bamboo forest while observing the
trees, waterfalls and flowers. Now imagine you can see beyond the surface of
these natural wonders. Imagine seeing the root system of the symphonic
bamboos, seeing the smell of the fragrant ginger flower petals or imagine
the feeling of being immersed below the bed of the waterfall streams. All of
these imagined experiences draw your consciousness into a union with that
which exists beyond the human eye, yet can be felt through the senses. Yoga,
like nature, has many parts, when observed, reveal a world that can be
experienced deeply yet is not initially seen at first glance. It is a
practice that requires time, dedication and consistency. The fruits of the
practice are in the devotion. A forest grows in a steady slow nature, as
does a yoga practice. A flower blooms to give the gift of fragrance. Yoga
asana births a fragrance of light that shines through the human skin.
Waterfalls flow giving movement to pools of water and giving us the gift of healing and pleasure. Practicing yoga one experiences a flow that feeds our soul and gives our soul a land in which to swim.

The Heart of Sun Salutations

Did you know that the sun salutation series is designed to awaken the power of the heart. The ancient yogis believe that, in the heart, lives a higher seat of wisdom than the mind. While we are accustomed to making decisions (which defined in Latin means “to cut off, to fall dead”) by using the mind, which slices and picks apart our life, we can create great tension and potential confusion as to what the best choices are for feeling fulfillment in life. Where the mind can leave us racked with indecision, the heart is steady and accounts for the whole of our life situations rather than just a section of it. Imagine being in a situation where you are blindfolded. Now imagine hearing the sound of rushing water. Without the sense of sight you are left to determine the origin of the water rushing. Is it a leaky faucet, a bathtub overflowing, a water hose in the backyard, a rainstorm? If you are familiar with the area, perhaps you will be able to determine the origin of the sound. However, you are left blind to the full reality of the situation; because, you cannot confirm with your sight, a sense we typically reply upon for confirmation. When we use the mind alone to determine the course of our lives we, in a sense, are walking blind. More to come about activating the heart!!!

Aloha friends,
It has been months since the kiss of these keystrokes traveled to the world of blogging. Ahhh…. this technological world - a blessing and a curse simultaneously. The previous months have been filled with growth, travel, trials, tribulations, and great joy. In a nutshell, falling in love with the wisdom of insecurity has been the pillar this modern yogi has been leaning on to navigate our changing times. I’ve been focusing on the economy of self and letting the roots of being exist in the unmanifested. I understand there is a power in living from the Self rather than the self, delineated from the capital to small S. The Self to which I am referring is the aspect of the soul/spirit that incarnates into our human form and can, if given the chance, weave this life with magic. However, this is very unsettling for the rigidity and tenuous relationship the mind has with the world and the way it wants things. For example, in the month of March, I traveled to Cabo San Lucas to teach yoga to a vacation group. On my trip home, the airline, on which I was booked, went bankrupt. I was stranded! For days on end other airlines allowed passengers to attempt to fly standby to return back to Hawaii. The airline reservationist asked me if I would like to be stranded in California or Arizona. Inherent in her question, I could see that it was not offering any solution that my mind would like. So, I let go of my mind, took some deep breaths, and chose California. Upon arriving in California, I found out one of my good friends, a traveling musician, would be in town, for one night only, playing a concert in a town not too far from the airport. Hah, said the Self! It is the Universe who will guide you. Do not rely on airlines. Rely on your spirit and the Universe to guide you to the right place and time. The next day (after attending the concert) I found a “reasonably” priced flight back to Hawaii. So, plans change…often. When we can let go and trust, the Universe is always out for our greater good. Magic can happen.

The inhale is the part of the breath that symbolizes the ability to take in life - the ability to create, draw in new opportunities, new relationships, new challenges and goals. The inhale, naturally followed by the exhale, can be rythmically timed to create a healing response.

In the yoga practice, it is said, that the practice on the mat is a symbol of how we live our lives off the mat. If we are frustrated and judgemental with ourselves in our postures then it is likely we are judgemental and frustrated with ourselves off the mat. If we hold our breath on the mat it is a clue to that we may also hold on to things in our life. If we hold or grasp on the exhale it is likely we have difficulty letting life flow, allowing new things to come into our life and allowing the old to flow out. The breath is a very symbolic limb of the yoga practice. Imagine the inhale as being symbolic of your ability to take in new life, ideas, relationships, thinking patterns, and the unexpected. Now imagine the exhale as being a symbol of your ability to let go, to release, to destroy - negative thinking, old thought-forms that don’t serve your highest good, relationships -personal and professional - tensions and toxicities. For today, see if you can practice extending your exhale longer than your inhale in your breathing patterns. Consciously count the length of your inhale and your exhale. Now lengthen the exhale to allow the breath to exit two to three counts longer than the inhale. See if you can practice this exercise for 5 minutes every hour and then choose to lengthen this practice, up to 15 minutes or more, on days when you are needed extra helping letting go. Notice how easy it begins to be to let go and let if flow! As they say in Maui - relax and let go!

Yoga is a an amazing diagnostic tool. A regular practice of yoga can give you immediate feedback to the strengths, weaknesses, and muscular imbalances that are currently existing in your body. For instance, if you are asked to practice a shoulder bind (both shoulders pulled behind the back with hands clasping eachother), and you are unable to wrap both arms behind the shoulders, this gives you immediate feedback that the musculature in your shoulder girdle and/or rotator cuff are inhibited. This information is important for three main reasons. 1. Shoulders are designed to have range of motion where the shoulderblade can easily lift up and away from the back body giving the arms the freedom to move behind the back. 2. With regular awareness, into this area, you can begin to actively target a yoga sequence to release the shoulders BEFORE injury occurs. 3. To receive, on a regular basis, feedback about your body’s flexibility is empowering! When you understand where the body is limited you can change it!