Making that Quantum Leap

'Leap of Faith' by Laurel Schwartz.

Have you ever had the experience, where, for no particular reason, you kept hearing a word or a particular phrase in your head and you didn’t really know why? and then when you were least expecting it, someone mentions it to you or you read it in a book or a magazine without having made a conscious effort to know its meaning or significance. Déjà vu anyone? You see, for a while now I’ve been hearing, ‘quantum leap’ in my head. My first strong memory/ association of it is from a passage in Susanne F.Fincher’s book, 'Creating Mandalas'.

“Early Buddhists established the belief that there are two planes of existence, two absolutely different worlds, between which there is no communication......one world is our familiar reality in which karma operates, and which is forever dying and being born again. The other world is nirvana, which is reached by a quantitative leap when karma, and the force which derives from it, is stopped or suppressed. This is accomplished when, through cognition and living experience, it is realized that the universe is “solely a becoming a flux” (Tucci, 1961:3). This arrests the momentum of the karmic process, and makes possible the leap into nirvana."
- Excerpt from ‘Creating Mandalas’ for insight, healing and self-expression by Susanne F.Fincher.

On reading this I had an aha! moment....I had never understood (on an intellectual level of course) how one could go from one's present mental state to that of total enlightenment (still a long...long way for me).

Nirvana or no nirvana, what has stayed embedded in my head is the phrase, ‘quantum leap', it has become my newest mantra (if I have'nt slipped into my old habbit-patterns....again!) towards reaching a goal however mundane or cherished! You can say I am able to trick my mind into doing things it would otherwise take ages to accomplish.

For example, if I say to myself during my saddhana/yoga practise, especially in a difficult pose, or one in which in which I'm trying to push my boundaries, that, I’m going to 'make that quantum leap', than I do! Which means there is hope for us mere mortals.........
by way of a quantum leap :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While surfing the internet for an inspiring image to go with this post I stumbled upon artist Laurel Schwartz ’s site. I love it that her paintings seem like personal mandalas as she does them intuitively, being guided by her higher self. These are my words but do read her artist statement :)

Love & light!
Om

Balance the Universe

Too loud and we are not heard.
Too bright and we are not seen.
Too fancy and we are hidden.
Too much and we are obscured.
Let speaking come from deep within, from the quiet place.
Let silence speak.
Listen for silence.
Hear the sound between words.
Be patient and attentive.
It is the surface that is apparent.
Give time for depth to find depth.
During each moment, balance the universe.


The Tao of Relationships
Ray Grigg


Love & Light !

Splashed! & Yoga Inspiration- Jai Sivananda!

I've been Splashed! by Zooms Her island life and way of thinking uplift and intigue me ^_^
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my blog had been splashed for being inspiring (^_^) Before I go on any further,
the Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you get to:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.

So I'm splashing my Yoga Teacher, Shameen Akhtar's blog Jai Sivananda (^_^)

Scorpion Pose!

My life has changed for the better after taking up her classes, she is from the Sivananda tradition and I thoroughly enjoy the challenges that come with it...ha ha...what am I talking about? I mean headstand for beginners! Kakasana (crow pose) and a no-nonsense attitude! I'm splashing my teachers blog for the daily inspiration she provides us. You can read more about her on her blog.
You can also find information about her classes and workshops in Bombay.

I like the vibrant positive energy embracing the Sivananda style yoga has brought into my life, I also adore my yoga buddies - I have a wonderful set of people to do my sadhana with (^_^).....

I have gone from not being able to do even six rounds of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) to doing a minimum of 12 on my own, and today, my head touched the ground in Mountain Pose! (during Surya Namaskar) yeah! I jumped for joy...sigh! the joys of yoga ^_^

Thank you Zoom, for splashing me.... Thank you Teacher for turning your life into a beacon of light (^_^)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pictures from our class at Bandra- Carter Road promenade...the venue has changed since.

The only person not in these pictures is Rakhi, because she was taking them!

That's our teacher, top left....and the brave class!

Nina in grey, doing headstand, she goes up so lightly in headstand, vow! I still need help from my teacher.....(... getting there...^_^)

Tammy in headstand, then - a new student, she can now do it on her own!

This is the usual mood of the class......we don't take ourselves so seriously....(^_^)

Nina executing Kakasana or Crow Pose, Simple at it seems, this is actually a 'difficult yet easy' pose, you see, it is all in the mind, you float up and shift your weight, such that, it rests entirely on your wrists...mmmm....(^_^)....your mind needs to be one-pointed, focused.

that's me!! ^_^ Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)..this pose comes quite naturally to me (one of the very few..ha ha)...so since I can do the basic pose, I would of course have to try the more advanced level, which is raising one leg! phew! it takes great muscular co-ordination and most of all letting go of the fear that you will fall. When I try raising one leg, it feels as if I'm glued to the ground!! ha ha.....but Im working on it.......

Sometimes it feels good to be a work in progress and the little triumphs that come along the way propel you further towards your goal......FLOAT!!!!!!!!

Love, light & beauty! ^_^

Solitary Delights!

Have you ever felt completely at ease with yourself when alone at home? even though a part of you wished that everyone hadn’t gone out? Have you ever travelled alone at some time and felt refreshed with the new perspective that came with it?

The stretch of time alone can be a few moments, for example, stepping into the kitchen when you have many guests at home or it could be longer, such as a walk by yourself, or, an or even a month or more of travelling alone.

Is there a bit of a hermit in all of us? I suppose in varying degrees, yes. I’m certainly not anti-social but spending quiet time alone for me is like food and water....there are days when even though I’m having a relaxed day with my husband, by evening, I simply tie up my shoe-laces and say, “Alright, Im going out for a walk” ^_^ and I return refreshed, calmer and with new insight.

Increasingly, I’m enjoying my time apart from Rigzin (he is from Ladakh and is currently engaged in projects for the national television network there). I miss him especially on Sundays but gradually I see this theme changing, I feel happier as I am looking forward to fulfilling new art projects, even this blog has become an affirmation of positive living and sharing ! ^_^

A chat with my yoga teacher the other day helped me to realise and accept that I like being alone! at least for some part of the day...... for instance, after a long day at the gallery I like to have a coffee by myself, (at the Barista ,near Regal cinema ) ....I don’t usually read books in cafes, although a magazine or newspaper is more welcome. Then I like to walk to the station! yup! that’s a long walk! from Colaba (Radio club to Churchgate station) but it frees my mind...I look at the art-deco buildings, the sky, notice something I had’nt noticed before....mmmm...I think one can enjoy the company of people more if one can be alone and at ease with one’s self. Or better still when one when is alone, you will find, in between the thoughts which are constantly flowing, you stop and notice what is happening in(side) and around you. This "pausing", and for a while not giving all our “daily tasks” too much importance can only add more depth and meaning to our lives ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pictures from my wanderings ^_^

A pond inside Bhandavgarh National park (forest), Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. This was such a peaceful spot when we came upon it, and I remember we spotted a crested serpent eagle perched on a branch. The solitude of this serene place reaches out to you even through the picture...sigh!!!




Tea by myself. Imagine finding Hongkong style tea on the menu in Beijing and it is exactly like the stronlgy brewed black tea sweetened with milk and sugar (kadak chai, Bombay style!) that we drink in Bombay! ^_^ truly, a solitary delight! ^_^

One of the pleasures of travelling in trains in Bombay when there are hardly any people is you can put your feet up and relax as the breeze rushes in through the open windows...everyone does it...one of the many many interesting things about Bombay.... ^_^

Pink! Imagine my delight when I hopped into this pink rickshaw ^_^ .....one more solitary delight!

Evening tea with crackers.... ^_^

Saw this adorable Tom-cat outside a fancy light-fixtures store in Kalaoghoda, just besides the resaurant, Khyber Pass.

The pleasure of observing the evening sky turn gold and pink while walking across Oval maidan (maidan means an open area to play in/ have outdoor activities).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, Poems of Solitary Delights by Tachibana Akemi (Edo period, Japan), I love the poems' honesty, and simple wonder of the natural world. Although, it may seem it is about a person who was a poet and a painter of long ago, when I read it for the first time it had an wonderful effect on me, I laughed and smiled....so true , I said.... as I identified with some verses. ^_^ Read on and see which verse you identify with...ha ha.... ^ ^

Tachibana Akemi

Poems of solitary delights.

What a delight is

when on the bamboo matting

in my grass-thatched hut,

all on my own,

I make myself at ease.

What a delight it is

when, borrowing
rare writings from a friend,

I open out
the first sheet.

What a delight it is
when, after a hundered days

of racking my brains,

that verse that would’nt come

suddenly turns out well.

What a delight it is

when of a morning,

I get up and go out

to find in full bloom a flower

that yesterday was not there.

What a delight it is

when, skimming through the pages

of a book, I discover a man written of there

who is just like me.

What a delight it is

when everyone admits

its a difficult book,

and I understand it

with no trouble at all.

What a delight it is

when I blow away the ash,

to watch the crimson

of the glowing fire

and hear the water boil.

What a delight it is

when a guest you cannot stand,

arrives, then says to you

‘I’m afraid I can’t stay long,’

and soon goes home.

What a delight it is

when I find a good brush,

steep it hard in water,

lick it on my tongue

and give it its first try.

*

Love & light!