Baby Kundalini

A few years ago I read a book called Following Our Bliss by Don Lattin. He traced the lives of some of the children whose parents followed the bliss that was so popular in the 1960’s. The book was an interesting survey of some of the spiritual movements and what happened to some of the movements and some of the children that were born into these movements.

There was a chapter on Shamanistic practices that people would employ to find bliss through a Shaman or through other practices from Native American religions. Natural hallucinogens were often used, and people would find spiritual answers through the skillful direction of a Shaman during this type of ceremony. This fascinating chapter made me wonder just what are hallucinogens all about? How do they work? What is the big deal?

Well, it is a big deal. It seems that hallucinogens do their best work with the pineal gland, a small endocrine gland lodged in the center of the brain. Do you ever have weird dreams after taking Lunesta or Ambien? Chances are they are working with your pineal gland. I had a most bizarre experience with Rozarem that left me quite afraid to ever take anything else to help me sleep. Being tired all day was a wonderful experience after nightmaring all night on Rozarem. It seems that this synthetic melatonin’s affect on the pineal gland is largely unknown. Scary!!

Little is know about this gland in comparison to other parts of the endocrine system. Many people believe that ecstasies associated with religions may be linked to the pineal gland. In yoga the pineal gland is associated with the 7th Chakra. When kundalini, or life force, energy rises to the 7th Chakra, a person will reach samadhi, the Sanskrit word for bliss. To my knowledge I’ve never experienced a kundalini rising, but I've been to a Pentecostal worship service, and what I saw there is very similar to what I’ve read about kundalini rising to the 7th Chakra. Remember that yoga is a scientific way to achieve spiritual bliss. This is one area that often gets confused with religion, because it can seem very similar, and indeed can be caused by the same types of things that religious ecstasy can be caused from. Perhaps, from a stimulation of the pineal gland.

One of the coolest things I learned about the pineal gland is about its relationship to the fontanel, that soft spot in a baby’s head where the skull has not completely come together. It’s from the French word for fountain. It’s that place that has to smush a little to get the head through the birth canal. Well, that’s the biological definition.

I have another.

I learned that the open spot in the skull opens to the pineal gland. Seeing how the pineal gland is associated with religious ecstasy, finding bliss, experiencing spiritual heightening, could it be that this “fountain” is a direct one-on-one link with God? A constant flow between baby and God? As it closes the baby begins to lose that contact. It is supposed to happen. It’s natural. When you are with a new baby, he or she stares at nothing or, interestingly, at light. I think light is familiar to babies, or something like the light that our incandescent bulbs remind them of. It’s no wonder we have to teach a baby to smile, but he or she can cry with no problem as my son, a new dad, profoundly noticed. If you sensed a loss like what they may be losing, you’d cry, too.

As their biological eyes focus, the interest is pulled elsewhere. And as the fontanel closes within a couple of months of birth, this direct link is gone. Perhaps this is why humans search for “light” in the sense of something spiritual. People who have had near-death experiences sure seem to want to move toward that “light”. No one ever says, “I saw a light, and I ran as fast as I could in the other direction.” We all have an opaque memory of this light buried somewhere--the memory as we understood it from conception to birth until say, about six months of age.

I was reminded of my hypothesis recently when one of my dear yoga students lent me Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the third section of the book the author is living in Bali where she witnesses the ceremony the Balinese perform when a child reaches 6 months of age. Prior to that time a baby is NEVER allowed to touch the ground. Why? Because the child is still considered to be a heavenly being. Only at this ceremony does he or she become a child of the earth. As witnesses gather for the event, the child is lowered for the first time to touch the earth with the feet.

When I read this passage, I was amazed at how close I felt to the Bali tradition. What a cool way to welcome someone into the human family. Especially if you believe he or she has given up something so spectacular just to be here.

The Best Medicine

Learning about yoga introduced me to chakras and subsequently to the endocrine system and the major glands of this system. I’ve never been quite sure if chakra is pronounced with a soft “ch” or a hard “ch” so I try to pronounce chakra somewhere in between in the hopes that I sound like I know what I’m talking about. Same with savasana. Or is it shavasana? Shibboleth or sibboleth? Potāto, potäto.

I have learned that a chakra is one of seven places in the general vicinity of the spine that corresponds with one of the endocrine glands in the general vicinity of the chakras. This is, anatomically speaking, true. Some studies I have read teach about bundles of nerves along the spine that branch out and correspond to the general areas where the chakras are located. If you are having pain in a certain part of the body, figure out which chakra that area is associated with, i.e. which bundles of nerves it originates from, then pain can be reduced working in poses that enhance that chakra. East medicine meets west medicine, so to speak.

But I wanted to keep this subject to the glands, specifically the thymus gland which corresponds to the heart chakra, number four on the chakra ladder. It’s also called the anahata chakra, meaning the “un-stuck” chakra. “Un-stuck” in the sense that when the energy rises from the root chakra, corresponding to the base of the spine, to the heart chakra, this energy moves from the physical to the spiritual. Sort of like the gateway from the physical to the spiritual. People tend to stay in the physical, and this "un-stuck-ness" is a powerful move to bring a person to realize the true self, as opposed to the ego, and rise to a higher level of being.

Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, it’s not permanent. You can go up and down on that chakra ladder for years before you become fully "un-stuck". Getting in touch with and staying in touch with that true self can be miles apart.

Except, of course, if you’re a kid.

Kids pretty much live and exist right from the heart. And, believe it or not, there’s an actual biological explanation for this. The thymus gland located behind the pericardium is most active between birth and puberty. Medical studies indicate it plays a major role in immune defenses of the body (and mind, as eastern medicine reminds us) as it grows larger during these early years of childhood. Hormones associated with puberty tend to diminish the activity of the thymus, and the thymus gland begins to shrink after puberty. As a kid reaches puberty, the heart becomes somewhat confused. The emboldened, sure heart of the child becomes the apprehensive, unsure heart of the teenager. Many times the heart of the adult will close completely, and posture can reveal this closing of the heart, a step on the way to kyphosis.

So the journey back to the heart becomes a theme throughout the adult life. Sidetracked by cultural expectations and conventional wisdom, a lot of people forget who they really are, and what we end up talking about is the child within like he or she is someone imprisoned or a long-ago friend, often fearful of shedding light on this testament to the true self. OK. Let’s face it—illuminating that child within can be difficult sometimes, but as difficult journeys go, usually worth it. Just like the physical illnesses the thymus gland protects children from, so it protects children from mental pain. Facing that can be the difficult but rewarding journey. Amazingly, correct posture can help begin the journey.

On a side note, I’ve wondered sometimes if in the Garden of Eden, the eating of the forbidden fruit actually poisoned the thymus gland. “Don’t eat that; it will poison your true self.”

The heart chakra is associated with the heart, obviously, but also the lungs as well as the thymus gland nearby. On the more subtle level the heart chakra is associated with touch, compassion, empathy and love. Places that adults have a hard time being “un-stuck”. Places where kids tend to roam freely.

There is a real sense to the phrase “opening the heart chakra” so many yoga teachers talk about, for opening that place in the body not only corrects posture and aids in correct alignment but “un-sticks” the way back to the true self. Try this: Roll up a blanket or yoga mat and place the rolled blanket or mat on the floor. Then lie down on the blanket, so that the spine and head are supported by that rolled blanket. The shoulders and the ribs relax back towards the floor, unsupported. Focus on allowing the shoulders to release backwards to the floor. Notice where the body fights the release. Notice tension releasing from the chest. This gives a real physical sense of opening the chest, the heart. Perhaps it gives you a subtle sense of empowerment.

Other positions of the body that are said to open the heart and enhance the immune system, concepts in yoga that are deeply connected, are cobra, bow pose, fish pose, wheel, singing and chanting, and as Reader’s Digest has always told us and modern medicine is just now catching up to, laughter.

Asana

A steady, comfortable pose. This is the translation of asana, the Sanskrit word we translate for pose or posture. Notice it says nothing at all about the perfect pose.

The earliest-known yoga traditions were taught one-on-one, master to student, and involved a lot more than the yoga asana--this steady, comfortable pose. Even private one-on-one yoga sessions are as dissimilar to the original yoga tradition as a yoga studio is to the “Y” yoga in a large exercise room. These dissimilarities, however, do not indicate a right or wrong, just different.

A few months back on the IYTA forum (Integral Yoga Teachers Association) someone posted a question about all the different kinds of yoga being taught and her utter confusion as to which was the real or best yoga. Older members, in their infinite wisdom, said that all of them are real and best; that the paths to yoga are many and that just exposure to any form of the physical aspect (hatha) of yoga is better than no exposure at all. So whatever hatha yoga a person becomes comfortable with is his or her path to a deeper realization of body and breath awareness and a subsequent balancing of body and mind, plus a recognition of stress reactors and how to use the body and breath to maintain calm. Remembering, however, that more often than not, it takes quite some time to train the body and mind through yoga. How long has that stress been tied up in your muscles?

I’ve been very lucky to have had lots of wonderful teachers. When I think about the aspect of pure asana, though, I am blessedly reminded of Joe from Amrit Yoga. I attended his classes at Artist Hub of Ocala in lieu of teaching Heart Healthy Yoga at the same facility. Joe absolutely understands hatha yoga. He has a powerful voice in class and a gentle, shy nature outside of class. I lovingly called his classes Joe Yoga.

I remember vividly when moving into lunge in Sun Salutation, Joe would say something like this. “Just step back into lunge, and let that be your lunge. DON’T FIDGET! Just be there.” What Joe was trying to teach us perfectionists is that yoga is not about the perfect pose, but about accepting where the pose “landed” and becoming steady, comfortable and accepting of where the pose eventually blossomed. As you bring the awareness into the asana, notice the sensations of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments; pain or discomfort will tell you if something is wrong, not some preconceived idea of what the perfect asana should look like. He sounded frustrated sometimes, and I suppose he was. We Americans with our standards of physical perfection have trouble accepting what is, not to mention just observing that often imperfect “what is”.

Ultimately what Joe wanted us to take with us from class is that rather than fight with or try to correct "what is”, accept the circumstances. Take time to observe everything around the circumstances. Bring a sense of deep recognition to the circumstances. Once time is taken to fully observe the now of the moment, maybe it’s better to let the change unfold rather than forcing it along or trying to take control. And if you discover that change or control is necessary, by then you’re not doing it blindly or on impulse. It becomes purposeful, well-thought-out, reasonable.

In those one-on-one yoga master and student studies, the master may have the student move into, say, Warrior 2, and then go eat lunch. Know that lunch is usually the main meal and can last over an hour. No fidgeting? I can only imagine what sort of issues would bubble up not only in my body, but more scarily, in my mind.

Practicing Yoga

Dr. Dean Ornish, in his wonderful book, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, talks about a month of travel in India with Swami Satchidananda. Yoga was such a powerful healer for him, and as a doctor traveling in India, he wanted to learn other secrets the Indian medical traditions might hold. He tells of developing a case of dysentery on page 142.

"Partly as a result of my delirium, I decided that this was a wonderful opportunity to try some of the various local remedies to treat myself. So for the next two weeks, whenever we visited a clinic or traveled to a new village, I offered myself as a patient. I tried the Ayurvedic, naturopathic, homeopathic, and yogic remedies, and I just kept losing weight and getting more dehydrated.

"Finally, almost apologetically, I decided to take an antibiotic that I'd brought with me. Within twenty-four hours, I was much better, and within two days I was well."

Some people believe that yoga is a religion, but the truth of the matter is that it is a healing philosophy of living. Because it sets out a course to follow in life, I understand how people confuse yoga with religion. The biggest difference is there is no "preferred" deity to submit to.

In Classical Yoga it is important to set forth basic characteristics for beginning the practice of yoga. Most religions embrace these same characteristics to some degree. These are separated into two categories: Practices which include non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual purity and non-greed; Observances include clean thoughts, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study of spiritual material, and surrender to a deity, however that is defined for the individual. Most religions would accept these two checklists. Notice that the practices have to do with our dealings with others while the observances have to do with dealing with ourselves.

One of the things I really like about yoga philosophy is that it accepts the reality of the Supernatural and the faith in the Supernatural as a component to healthy living.

When both sets of these habits are embraced, it is much easier to begin the physical practice of hatha yoga. It has been my experience that without this moral grounding, students find it more difficult to practice hatha yoga. I can't give a reason why; I just have experienced this phenomenon.

Perhaps it has something to do with the Ayurvedic principal of koshas, ethereal sheaths that permeate the body moving from without to within. Indeed, the practices extend out to others; the observances extend to ourselves. I see these as fertilizing the soul. Hatha yoga is movement of the body like tilling the soil of the soul, preparing the body for mental seeding. Pranayama, or breathing practices, is like the rain, nourishing the body with oxygen. From this point the practice of Classical Yoga becomes more internalized, and I believe this is where the seeds of understanding take root and bloom from within through controlling the senses, concentration, and meditation. What blooms or what is discovered is who you truly are or what you can truly become. Possibilities. Truth. That glimpse of pure honesty only reinforces the desire to continue the practice. Of course, this is only gained over time with regular practice.

However, sometimes that honesty can be painful, but the journey through it is rewarding. Yoga practice aids the journey. It is a fully developed philosophy that embraces the questions of life but also gives the tools to discover the answers. It is an incredible discipline that can bring light to confusion. It helps the mind to stabilize, moving it to more objectivity. As a philosophical practice, yoga is quite thorough, lending itself to all spiritual paths.

To the people who have a difficult time practicing hatha yoga, I would recommend studying the practices and observances first. Even if one never practices hatha, these ten directives give a solid foundation for wholesome living.

Dr. Ornish continues.

"So I came back with a healthier respect for Western medical approaches. But I have also seen the limitations of conventional Western medicine and the power of these ancient yoga techniques. Both are useful; both are important.

"Western techniques, such as drugs and surgery, can be very helpful in a crisis, but they are limited. The stress management techniques derived from yoga address the more fundamental issues that predispose us to illness."

Published in 1990, I recommend his book to everyone, because, in true yogic style, Dr. Ornish does not limit heart disease to a physical ailment.

Paths

My son, David, was the Religion Feature Writer for The Vacaville Reporter before the plunge into Graduate School and Stay-at-Home Dadhood. He had the pleasure of interviewing clergy from all sorts of religious backgrounds, and I must say that talking to him about his articles was often the highlight of my week. When he interviewed a Hindu Swami and learned about the yogic idea of the different paths to God, I was very excited to be able to have a discussion on the subject.

When I say different paths to God, I don’t mean different religious paths to God, although Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Yogaville where I attend yoga school, would argue that there is “one Truth, many paths.” That is not what I am talking about.

Remembering that yoga is a scientific blueprint to a spiritual attainment regardless of your religious affiliation, these paths are merely different avenues one can take--the one best suited to his or her personality to have union (yoga) with the Supreme Source, which for most of us is God.

Karma Yoga is one of those paths. This path means to devote oneself to unselfish duty and to do that duty for the glory of God alone. That word, unselfish, is most often understood as unremunerated. But if you’ve ever been in a volunteer situation, and it has done more for you than anyone else, you’ve experienced Karma Yoga. If, on the other hand, you can’t understand why you are underappreciated when people do not notice all that you have done, unselfishly, then Karma Yoga is not for you. The nice thing about this is that it’s OK. Volunteering is not for everyone, because there is another path which you would be better suited for.

Perhaps your forte is in knowledge of scriptures. Perhaps you cannot read enough spiritual literature. Then your path is Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge. If, on the other hand, the scriptures bore you to death, Jnana Yoga is not for you. It’s OK.

Maybe, like me, you are a physical person, and you like the physical purification of Hatha Yoga. After a couple of miles running and a fairly strenuous round of Hatha Yoga, maybe then you can settle in for a time of meditation and prayer. This works for me.

Or maybe your path is loving devotion to God, which is Bhakti Yoga. Maybe you love to write about God or make music about God, write poetry or simply see God’s presence in everything around you. Your path is Bhakti Yoga. On the other hand, if you think “seeing God’s presence in everything is foolishness", which, I swear this is true, a Pastor once said this to me in Bible class, then your path to God would probably not steer you into the ministry.

Some people will add Japa Yoga into this list, and I think it is entirely appropriate to do so. As people who practice Centering Prayer will tell you, repeating a Sacred Word, or a Mantra will lead the practitioner into meditation, and even into spiritual bliss. Japa Yoga is simply repetitive prayer. The one I think I've used is the most is, "Please fix things," but I've met other people who are incredible Japa Yogis. They can sit in meditation or complete a difficult task all the while repeating their Sacred Word or Mantra. It keeps the mind where it should be. Not an easy task.

Raja yoga, the eight-limbed yoga or ashtanga (little a) yoga is what Patanjali’s Sutras are all about. Hatha yoga is one of the steps to Raja Yoga, but is also a path in its own right. For now, I’ve stopped right at Hatha yoga, and I’m perfectly happy here. Swami Karunananda, my Raja Yoga teacher, says Raja Yoga is royal yoga. She doesn’t ever have to say it outright, but she believes Raja Yoga is top of the line, and Raja Yoga is better than all the rest. That's probably true, because it is the name for Patanjali's Classical Yoga that was given in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (a much later work on yoga).

I think that each person has a “bent” toward a specific path but dabbles in all the paths. My life is Hatha Yoga, but I’ve gone through stages where I cannot read enough spiritual literature. I still get all glossy-eyed when I talk about the Bhagavad Gita. Did you know that Thoreau was very familiar with this ancient work? And I’ve had great fun volunteering. Most of the time I’ve gotten more out of it than I have deserved. And sometimes I have seen beyond this temporal reality into something inexplicable. That can be magnificently disturbing. But these are phases in my life where Hatha Yoga is constant.

As I’ve looked back on my life I understand how I’d always leaned toward the Hatha Yogi’s path. It’s undeniable. I was one of the few, very few high school girls who liked PE. Loved hurdles, volleyball and was way too competitive in kickball in elementary school. Loved skating. In college I studied and taught ballet and loved the sheer athleticism of the Vaganova technique. Then got plenty of exercise keeping up with two active boys as they grew to teens. When my older son started climbing, I got climbing shoes and a climbing belt. Even entered a competition. And when my younger son started running cross country and track, I started running too, and I’ve never stopped, though my son has. I’ll still climb a tree if the opportunity presents itself. Interestingly, I’ve never been much for football, basketball, and baseball—the big three. Too many rules, exceptions and room for error. Too much Jnana Yoga for me. That's OK.

The physical fulfills who I am, makes me marvel at God’s work in this wonderful contraption we call the body. The body and mind have the ability to do amazing things.

Looking back to discover the truth of the present can make the future much less uncertain. So my suggestion is this: If you haven’t already looked into how God has fascinated you for most of your life, figure that out. A pattern usually emerges. You could very well find which path meshes with your life. And suddenly the Divine in all its manifestations becomes so real.

Guest Blogger: An Important Message

The people of Iran sing from their rooftops at night.

During the day, I have heard, they march millions in silence, the tapping of footsteps passing by. They smile despite the murder of their brothers and sisters who walked alongside them yesterday. They smile because now they walk together; now they walk empowered; now they walk with hope in their hearts.

I have been caught in the cyber-webs for days now, like my uncle Willie Brown with his metal detector in a junkyard, I go searching for anything that can tell me anything about anything that is happening in Iran today... and there is so much to sift through. I look for the faces of my cousins, my aunts, my uncles in the crowds. With fear in my heart I search every page for anything that can get me closer.

It is 9:30pm; I have been at it since morning. Despite the clamp-down on internet and cellphone connections so much gets through, a testament to international solidarities... all those invisible faces behind screens doing what they can to set up connections to Iran so that these voices can be heard.

In one Twitter feed I read comment on one of these silent marches:

A man holds his mobile phone up to me: footage of a man with his head blown off last Monday. A man, 28, whispers: "The government will use more violence, but some of us have to make the sacrifice." Another whisper: "Where are you from?" When I say the United States, he says: "Please give our regards to freedom."

He does not say: teach us freedom. He does not say: take us to freedom. He is freedom bowing to freedom.

There is much here to be inspired by. For better or for worse and for so long the U.S. has stood for something so much larger than itself. It has been the light that those freedom-fighters the world over have turned to in the darkest of nights. It has been the inspiration that hope drinks from when rivers run dry.

...and despite the rhetoric and policies of years past that helped to lead Iran into the mess it lives today, the people do not forget. They remind us of what we stand for. They whisper stories into the night of heroes before them, send messages in bottles that float the cyber-seas, reach out to the world... all so that we'll awake one morning and remember our dreams. They are a mirror of the possible. They are freedom bowing to freedom.

The U.S. has done the remarkable in electing an African-American to the Presidency; this is the scent of August Lilies in bloom; a testament to the will of a people and a struggle to rise and rise again; a moment where all the words we have used might actually mean something should we give them the force of our hearts. Here in the United States, let us salute the Iranian people for their bravery and spirit. Let us bow to our knees and thank them for the example they have set.

Yes, it is hard to know what to do. On one hand, President Obama's gesture of non-intervention is a bold move in support of the Iranian people and a statement of confidence in the movement and ability of the Islamic Republic to respond responsibly. On the other hand, if U.S. non-intervention helps to embolden the Islamic Republic in ways that lead to further violent crackdowns on protesters, then we will have failed our Iranian brothers and sisters. I do believe a stronger statement of condemnation for the murder of protesters and the restrictions on free speech and communication with the outside world should be made by our president and I am heartened by the House vote today, 405-1, to condemn Tehran's crackdown on demonstrators and the government's interference with Internet and cell phone communications. However I am saddened by the opportunism of those who choose to take such an incredible moment of inspiration to further political agendas, in the name of Iranian freedom, that serve to do nothing but further muddy the waters.

I have heard that on Wednesday President Obama asked Twitter to delay its planned site upgrade so that Tehran's service would not be interrupted and the people on the ground can continue to voice their concerns and perspectives. This from a President elected through networks of citizen volunteers moblizing across the country through an unprecedented use of social networking technology. This is not insignificant in a country, the U.S., where 6 major corporations own our major media outlets. Nor is it insignificant in a country, The Islamic Republic, where freedoms of expression are closely monitored and surveilled. In both cases what we bear witness to is a people fighting back. Alternative media and newscasts on the web, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are all examples of this dream that will not die.

We should be careful about what positions we take and who we support. There is a crack in the Islamic power structure and internal politics are at play right now that opportunists in Iran proper will try to capitalize on. We should follow the lead of the Iranian people, listen to their demands and do the best we can to show our support graciously and in a true spirit of comraderie, one that is not about power games and political maneuvering but instead taps into that place in our hearts desperate for that thing we call freedom. We should condemn the attacks on protesters and their imprisonment. There have been calls for UN monitoring in Iran from human rights workers on the ground and this is an idea I support with great caution as the UN is so easily seen by many countries, and the Islamic Republic in particular, as a U.S. puppet. I would be much more in support of a gesture from the U.S. of making a commitment to address Human Rights concerns of its own. This not only appeals to the spirit of integrity and honor that is so important to the Iranian people, but it is also a gesture of leadership by example -something that the U.S. has stood for in the past and that the Iranian people today are proving is a powerful force that continues to inspire. Let us now be inspired by them.

As I write this, a new day begins in Iran. I have finally heard from my cousin, who informs me they are awaiting today's Guardian Council meeting. I have been warned that today, Saturday, will likely be the bloodiest day yet. Let us keep them in our thoughts and in our hearts. Let us be freedom bowing to freedom.


See below for a summary of objections to the last week's election as well as Shirin Ebadi's statement of demands (she is an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize human rights defender).

Objections:

1. At most voting locations, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi's representatives were not allowed to be present.

2. It is claimed that many of the ballot boxes have been tampered with.

3. It is asserted that nearly 40 million paper ballots were counted in just an impossible few hours.

4. Ahmadinejad obtained 14 million votes in the previous elections. This time, however, they made the unprecedented announcement that he had 24 million votes. Mehdi Karroubi announced that his votes were less than the number of his election headquarters' members and the members of the "Etemad Melli" party, which he heads. When millions of people in Tehran and other cities came out on the streets to protest the elections results, it was clear that Ahmadinejad's 24 million votes could not have been accurate.

5. Mir Hussein Mousavi did poorly in his home district in demographics he was expected to do well in.

6. Other candidates had the right to contest the elections results, and no one should have been congratulated until their objections had been heard and definitive results been determined. This premature act of congratulating angered the Iranian population.


Demands:

1. The unconditional release of every individual arrested and imprisoned for having objected to the results of the elections.

2. Ordering the cessation of Basij and police violence toward protestors.

3. Declaring the election void.

4. Ordering new elections under the auspices of international organizations.

5. Paying compensation to the injured and to the families of those who have been killed.

************

One of my dear friends who just happens to be Iranian sent this message from her daughter, Sahar, who works tirelessly helping women around the world find their true selves and freedom. Please pass it on.

Stress

When I was in yoga school studying Cardiac Yoga©, Dr. Mala Cunningham explained the five responses to stress. They are fight, flight, freeze, getting sick and coping with the stress. My typical reaction to stress is flight. One of my favorite lines in Monty Python’s Holy Grail is when the Commander shouts, “Run away, run away!” when the killer bunny attacks the army. I can so identify with that running away response.

Another thing I learned is that stress is not always associated with the negative. The physical manifestations are things like dry mouth, tense muscles, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, sweating, among others. Sometimes these physical manifestations occur when something really good happens like finding a job after pounding the pavement for months. What’s really bad is constantly being bombarded by either kind of stress to the point that the stress reaction becomes the normal way of existing.

The thing about some stressful events is that they become locked into the muscles after the stressful situation is over. A very simple example of this is carrying 16 metal chairs—four by four—up an incline and for Chair Yoga class. My biceps hurt for two days, and I had a bruise on my knee. The soreness lingered for a couple of days after the stressful event was over.

A more complicated example is when a parent belittles a child. The silence a child maintains may look like compliant behavior, but underneath the skin, the muscles are reacting to a negative stress experience. Because there is no outlet for the stress to be relieved, the emotion is stored in the muscles. Sometimes for years. Sometimes for generations. Perhaps this is the seed that will grow into suspicion of authority.

I remember my first inclination that Mom and Dad might not be right about everything when it came to what I wanted. Miss Grace’s classroom’s windows along the outside wall had a spectacular fall view of the woods. I distinctly remember looking out that window one day and thinking, “Why don’t I have the choice to be out there? Why do I have to stay in this stuffy room?” Of course, as a second grader, I was not quite that articulate, but that was the gist of my thoughts. Thus began my secret, lifelong loathing of public school and perhaps, the seed of my suspicion of institutionalized education. When I taught Sunday school, we had our fair share of classes outside.

The next experience I remember my questioning of the accepted norm was when our neighbors bought a fantastic new device called a tape recorder. It was a huge machine with two reels that were connected by the tape. Of course, the dad and his girls were having the grandest of times with it. They were recording themselves doing advertisements, but they were making fun of typical products you’d see on TV. Like, “You’ll be Crest...........fallen when you discover over-priced Crest toothpaste is just like all the other cheaper toothpastes.” We’d play the tape back, and all of us would die laughing. (I guess you had to be there.) They got their script from a little publication called Mad Magazine. My introduction to irony and the pun. I loved it, and when I tried to explain it to my own family, they were indifferent. I felt smarter than them.

Soon after that I learned that sometimes you don’t have to make fun of things, because the truth will leave you laughing uncontrollably. A few months ago I read in the paper that FBI wiretappings had been cancelled by the phone company because, of all things, they didn’t pay their phone bills. God bless the bottom line.

I discovered quite by accident that a stressful job could be handled by running. I worked in a public high school in the late 1990’s, and I have never worked with more immature people than these. Funny thing about it is that the students were well aware of the power-struggling shenanigans going on between the administration, teachers, and “support” personnel. The students were smarter than all of them. It occurred to me that all my emotional and mental stress could be balanced by physical stress, so I ran every single morning, and I handled the work situation much more successfully. I ran away the stress. Eventually, I resigned and really ran away. Monty Python.

Many times, however, people don’t find an outlet for emotional or mental stress, and the reaction stores itself in the muscles. After years of holding on to this tension and stress, the original reason fades away, and all you are left with is the tensed-up muscles. So in the process of progressive relaxation, (the method I use to guide students during deep relaxation) tension will ease from muscles that have been holding onto a stress for years and years. And as that tension eases, sometimes the original emotion will also release causing tears, laughter, an uneasy feeling, a cold sweat, and a myriad of other physical reactions. More than likely the student is puzzled at this physical reaction, maybe even a little scared by it, especially if the original stressful event is long forgotten or even worse, a horrible event is actually remembered. I've never had anyone in class to remember anything horrible, but crying for no apparent reason is pretty commonplace.

Interestingly though, after the reaction from the release, this complete letting-go, the student feels lighter, more energetic, maybe happier, maybe even a satisfying sense of fatigue. At this time a student can move into a more accepting state of self-realization—a consciousness of one’s true identity.

This is how it happened for me. I had spent my life being peacemaker, not rocking the boat. I did these things, because the stress of a hostile environment was so frightening to me as a child. I’m still basically a peacemaker but will rock the boat on occasion. A hostile environment? Doesn’t bother me anymore. Yoga has taught me to disregard anything wicked. But it’s also taught me to look beyond the hostility and recognize the hurt, the stress, and the tension that is imprisoned in that hostility.