Facing Codependence

I'm reading a really great book right now called "Facing Codependence" by Pia Mellody. In it, she gives not only her professional view as a consultant at a treatment center for addictions, but also her personal views as a recovered co-dependent. It's insightful and very educational.

She recommends an exercise very similar to one that I teach during the Elemental Cleanse for honoring and releasing your past. My exercise is more general and encompassing of situations outside of co-depenedency. Her's is more focused for co-dependency. Honestly, though, I think everyone could benefit from her recommendation.

Pia asks that you sit down pen and paper and write about each year of your life from age 1 to 17. As you go through each year, you are to identify and focus your attention on what shaming acts were received and who participated in the shaming act. You are not to focus on whether the person who did the abuse intended to cause harm. You are simply to get your history down. You may hold your abusers accountable, but you are not to blame or judge. Just get your history down and acknowledge what really happened.

Do not compare your history to another persons history. This will make you feel that your story is not as valid and important. It is important and valid. Do not shift your attention to your own parenting of your own children. Do your own work first.

When writing your history, simply describe behaviors as dysfunction. There are five levels of abuse...physical, sexual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Label the dysfunction in one of these five areas.

The purpose of this exercise to to allow you to specifically see how the parenting you received affected you. To recover, you must release these feelings from your physical and subtle body. Finally, and most important, as a co-dependent adult, you tend to surround yourself with people who recreate the dysfunction. You need to be able to clearly see your life in the past to clearly see your life now.

I would recommend this as a book to buy if this issue is up for you. I've given here the short version of her exercise to get you going and thinking. See you in the studio! Pam

I'll show you, I'll get me

Last Week, during the Elemental Cleanse, I spoke about unconscious choice making, specifically co dependency. It’s one of the big “sleeping dragons” as I call them. Many others call unconscious choice makers shadows, your shadow self, the wounded healer and the wounded child.

Unconscious choice making happens because there are thoughts that naturally arise in your consciousness that you are unaware of. These thoughts stem from the mistreatment of a person as a child. Typically, the child is from an alcoholic or abusive family. The child uses the thoughts to survive trauma, lack of love, abandonment and abuse. In yoga, we call these patterns Vasana.

Vasanas are bits and pieces of experience stuck in your subtle body. These are habits and patterns that drive your life. They are very hard to discern. You don’t even know you do these things and you don’t know there is a better way. The vasanas are quiet subtle choice makers that are your thoughts. Your thoughts drive your desires and your desires drive your deeds. Your deeds become your life.

The issue of co-dependency is near and dear to my heart. Having grown up in a home of alcohol abuse and abandonment, my child mind certainly learned to protect itself. It’s been a lifelong battle to identify and begin the process of changing these thought patterns. The patterns in my mind have not allowed me to have successful and loving relationships. It’s recent experience for me to come to terms with co-dependency. It’s something I am actively working on myself.

Common behavior and patterns of thinking for a co-dependant include the following:

Feelings of Shame: You feel that you are not enough just the way you are so you pretend that everything is okay with you all the time. You will not ask for help because asking for help would make you appear weak and you need for everyone to believe that you are fine. You cannot handle criticism and yet you constantly criticize yourself. You have a need to be perfect, to outperform, to outshine and to outwork everyone else.

Feelings of Fear: You tend to analyze all situations intellectually. You do not listen to or trust your heart. You are always thinking and planning ahead to avoid what you believe to be your inevitable failure and demise. You self-destruct or destroy others to maintain control of situations. You are so frightened of loss that you create the loss so that you can simply get it over with.

Black and white thinking: You cannot see the grey in others. You assume that when any one person says any one thing, they must mean exactly what a past bad experience was and you assume the worst. You judge yourself very harshly. You believe there is a right and wrong and anything in the middle is not good enough.

Have to/Should: You have a never-ending list of things that you HAVE to do or SHOULD do. The list never gets shorter no matter how hard you work. You work all the time. You do not feel that you have permission to play and you do not know how to play. If you have down time, you create more work for yourself. You feel worthy when you produce and work, but otherwise you do not feel worthy.

Worry: You constantly worry that people are judging you…that people will leave you...that people are pretending to like you. You have no basis for this worry other than past experience. You assume that people are just pretending to like you, that they are not genuine and inside you don’t really believe that anyone really values you or wants to be with you.

Sabotage: You are out to get yourself. When someone else has bad behavior, you turn on yourself and begin the process of destroying yourself. You surround yourself with needy, critical, controlling and often times alcoholic and abusive people. For some reason, they make your child mind feel at home and you gravitate to them. They are all you know so that's where you go.

It’s sad really that we can’t see the beautiful person that we really are…that we don’t tangibly know unconditional love. Unconditional love is learned as a child and if you grew up with “conditional” love, then you are wired to believe that you are not perfect, not worthy and quite frankly, unlovable.

This is not true.

You are lovable.

If you want to begin the process of breaking free from these Vasanas, start with education. Read some books on co-dependency with an open mind and simply ask yourself if you are exhibiting those behaviors. If the answer is yes, go to mantra or affirmations as a tonic to your thoughts. Monitor your thoughts and notice when you are thinking those subtle thoughts. When you go off into negative fantasyland, use mantra to interrupt it.

This process is not easy. You are going to become supersensitive to this situation and probably drive yourself a little crazy at first. You may find that the Vasanas tighten their grip and your behavior becomes even more co-dependant as you try to destroy yourself and your relationships. I don’t know why it gets worse before getting better. Just be aware and stick with it.

Be gentle with yourself, the people around you and your life. This is a time when it is easy to drive everyone away. Be aware and allow yourself to gently unfold.

“I am light, I am love, and I am perfect in this moment”

Occupy Your Body, Mind & Spirit

Be where the problems arise.....


What do you do if you are a person who is doing everything "right" in their life and still suffering?

How do you answer the complicated questions and subtle challenges in your life when you are doing things right...or are things just slightly off?

How do you consistently choose the more "right" thing and what does that mean?

How do you transform problems in your life that relate to health, love and financial security?

Check out the November session of the Elemental Cleanse™. This seminar answers those pressing questions and so much more. It gives you a toolbox of transformation.

Beginning October 31st, this seminar delivers a comprehensive and immersive program to bring the passion, soulful connection and enduring self-love into your relationship with self and others. This happens as we peel back the layers though an amazing body, mind & spiritual Cleanse.

This Cleanse is like no other. It gives each person exactly what they need. If you need to lose weight, you will. If you need to gain weight, you will. If you need to transform your marriage, job, relationship with children, you will. If you need to establish a working relationship with Spirit, you will.

How does it do all that? it doesn't. YOU do. You will receive a program that holds you accountable for doing the hard work of life that you don't really want to do. You will establish a meditation practice, you will establish a movement practice, you will understand how your food choices are affecting your health, your weight and your emotions. You will learn to make better choices. You will become aware and once you are aware...there's no turning back.

A lot of people worry that this program is a lot of work. It is. It is FUN though. In fact, I can't think of a more fun way to shift than in a group environment full of love, compassion and loads of laughter.

Speaking of work...suffering is work. Learning to embrace joy and health...that's not work.


Best of all, if you sign up NOW we will extend your one month FREE unlimited yoga pass to TWO full months. LEARN MORE>>>

A yoga retaliation...

A friend of a friend sent me a link to an article about yoga in the New York Times. LINK>>> They wanted to know what I thought and this was my reply. I wrote is passionately and with much to learn, but I was surprised by my passion and my journey. Actually, I was surprised that my journey has taken me back to a very simple place.

George, all debate for yoga is good for me so it makes me very happy to see that people are curious.

Yoga is a technology when properly used will facilitate the attainment of happiness. The purpose of yoga is to create happy homes. Yoga encompasses the whole person when practice appropriately and with a proper teacher.

Ayurveda is the nutritional science of yoga. If you are only practicing yoga and meditation and not taking in the proper nutrition, you will not balance. It is conceivable that your metabolism would slow and you could gain weight. However, given the nature of yoga, a yogi organically begins to make better choices as the psychology behind the sugar, caffeine, food, alcohol and other abuse is revealed. Your choices become more "sattvic" or pure and you naturally begin to consume less meat, processed foods and other not so healthy items.

Hatha is the physical movement of yoga that also includes Tantra. Tantra is not the sexually abusive form of yoga that has been popularized in the West, it is the psychology of the mind. Through Hatha and Tantra you unite the opposites in body and mind. You embrace your duality and you learn to sit in your divinity. The search for something to make you happy is relinquished as you realize that "this is that, and that is that and that is all that there is". Your love and devotion to your family grows as you begin to accept them as they are and see their beauty. You learn to meet yourself in the mirror with your own limitations. You meet others with their limitations as well.......this is just life. It is all just life.

This takes discipline (tapas), non-violence in thought, word and action (ahimsa) and belief in something greater than yourself. It is done in a devotional daily practice called sadhana. The devotional practice and the path are as many as there are people walking the planet.

In essence the physical posturing of yoga is limited on its own independent of Ayurveda and Tantra. A yoga practice should be tailored to the unique individual. Most people over the age of 35 should not be practicing headstand. People with certain conditions like high blood pressure should not be practicing headstand. All poses of yoga are dangerous when done incorrectly and in an unprescribed manner.

The awakening of what we call Kundalini energy can bring psychosis if the psychology has not been worked through. Kundalini energy is the spiritual energy depicted as a serpent coiled at the base of your spine. As Kundalini begins to awaken, it arises through your spine and nervous system to mate with the Divine. Kundalini energy is feminine and represents the ego. It is depicted as a snake with 3 coils. Each coil represents a "guna" or a chain that is binding us to our reality...the illusion of separation. The gunas are purity, action and deadness. Deadness is obvious to be avoided. You need a little action to manifest desires. Purity binds you to your illusion with knowledge and happiness so that sounds pretty good. The lesson is to be non-egoic. That doesn't mean to lose yourself, it means to make choices that benefit you and others. It means to stop harming others with your own personal needs and desires.

As the gunas fall away, this Shakti energy begins to unite with the Shiva energy. Moon/Sun...Cool/Hot....Feminine/Masculine... It's your duality. Reality/Spirit. You begin to sense that you are one with all, yet apart. You begin to respect the 5 elements of air, fire, water, earth and space. You make better choices for all and the planet. You have a tangible working relationship with Spirit that is very rewarding. It's like having a best friend...no more, no less.

Some people become very sensitive and intuitive. Magical powers called Siddhis develop. I have experienced many of these that I have set aside as distractions because I am a very practical Ohio girl with two kids to raise and I like reality. People with Siddhis that are uncontrolled become psychotic as they cannot maintain their duality.

Yoga is sitting in the duality.
Yoga is loving your family and serving your family without exception.


So that's what I think! : ) Pamela.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Nadi Sodhana

Alternate Nostril breathing is a powerful way to balance the left and right sides of your brain. This pranayama will allow you to relax more quickly into your meditations, not to mention it helps you focus, think and sleep.

You probably don’t realize this, but you do not breathe equally through your left and right nostril. Depending on the time of the day and your activity level, you will favor one or the other. Your body automatically shifts from left to right every 80 minutes or so.

If you are breathing through the left side of your nose (Ida Nadi), the right side of your brain is activated. This is the side of your brain that doesn’t understand boundaries, time or individuality. It is your child-like and creative side. If you are breathing through the right side of your nose (Pingala Nadi), the left side of your brain is activated. The left side of your brain is the analytical planner that lives inside of you. It knows the past, the future and identifies with the “I am” part of ourselves that believes only in separation.

To practice Alternate Nostril breathing, simply gently close your left nostril with you’re pinky finger or thumb (depending on which hand you are using) and begin to breathe in through your right nostril. Exhale through the left and then breathe back in through the left, exhale through the right and breathe back in through the right. You are taking one full breathe out and in on each side. You can stretch your breath to a count of 4 or 6 seconds depending on your comfort level. Practice this breath with your eyes closed.

Another Awesome Breath

Another amazing breath to calm you and focus your mind is the Dirga breath, “3 part breath” or “Complete Breath”. This may be my favorite breath because it delivers exactly what you need regardless of the situation. If you are feeling anxious, stressed, worried or can’t sleep…if you have a headache or even if you need energy, this breath knows where to go.

To practice the complete breath, simply imagine that there is a balloon in your belly and fill the balloon all the way up with air, pull the air up into your lungs and let it out through your shoulders. Don't be afraid to really puff your belly out as you take in air. You can do this sitting, standing or lying down. Do it for a few minutes.

Our FREE Introduction to Ayurveda is Tuesday, September 6th in Lebanon at 6 pm and Monday, September 12th in Montgomery at 6:30. Take the quizzes!

Learning to recognize and manage when the forces or “doshas” in your body are going out of balance is very important for maintaining short-term and long-term health. If you are empowered to quickly respond to the initial onset of imbalance, you will always have good health.

The elemental forces or “doshas” are the tension created between the elements in your body. Just for a quick recap, the elements are Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Space and Air do not want to combine. Space constrains and Air expands. The elemental force of The Wind or Vata is created to keep the two playing nicely. Fire and Water do not want to combine. Fire wants to transform and Water wants to soothe. The elemental force of The Fire or Pitta is created to keep the two from annialating each other. Water and Earth do not want to combine. They always separate from each other. The elemental force of The Earth or Kapha is created to keep the two mixed nicely together.

On the day that you were born, your predominant element or “dosha” was determined. You can take a quick look back at your Element quiz (take the quiz>>>) to remind yourself of the predominant force in your mind and your body. This is your true nature or “first response”. As a reminder, you do have all the elements in your body as well as all the forces, its just that one or the other usually ends up predominant and it is your instinctive nature to behave with its properties. This is important because depending on your predominant element you are more likely to experience certain disorders. (See table below).

You are more likely to go out of balance more quickly as it relates to that predominant nature. Know who you are and know what diseases you need to watch out for depending on your predominant element.

Regardless of your predominant element, the forces behave in the following way: The Wind (Vata) is always the first to go out of balance. The Fire (Pitta) is always the next to become aggravated and finally The Earth (Kapha) goes out of balance. Everything follows The Wind (Vata). It leads.

Read the following carefully and twice…it’s profound:

10% of our healthcare dollars are spent on 90% of disease. 90% of disease is related to The Wind (Vata). Examples include the initial onset of cold, headaches, back aches, aches and pains in general, constipation and sleep disorders. These are easily treated with routine and nutrition. You don’t have to go to the doctor or pharmacy and spend money to remedy these conditions. Now think about the fact that The Wind always leads the other doshas. If you could stop the imbalance in the The Wind dead in its tracks, you wouldn’t have to worry about those other diseases. Simply knowing when your Wind is going out of balance and knowing how to soothe it would prevent denser diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and depression.

90% of our healthcare dollars are spent on 10% of disease. 10% of disease is related to The Earth (Kapha). Examples include diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and depression. When you experience these types of disorders, you must go to the doctor and the pharmacy. Typically you are in for a long journey through these diseases as well.

The good news is that the Elemental Cleanse™ will quickly pull you back to balance in 28 days. The Wind disorders will dramatically shift within the first two weeks. Any Fire disorders such as heartburn, indigestion and skin irritations will shift by the third week and through the fourth. If you are battling an Earth disorder, this will take time beyond the 28 days to shift. At the end of the Cleanse you will be in balance and feeling great, but you will have to continue to work on weight loss, high cholesterol and the other chronic conditions by eating for your Element or staying with the Cleanse eating plan.

Below are some interesting charts and facts. Don’t worry that you need to understand all of this. This is just for fun and for those who want to take their Ayurvedic education a little deeper.

Situations by Element or Dosha

The Wind (Vata)	The Fire (Pitta)	The Earth (Kapha)
Dry skin, nails & hair	Redness & Rashes	Sluggish digestion
Interrupted Sleep	Inflammation	Weight Gain
Insomnia	Ulcers	Obesity
Constipation	Heartburn	Sinus Congestion
Fatigue	Indigestion	Asthma
Headaches	Poor Vision	Allergies
Intolerance to ‘cold’	Intolerance to ‘heat’	Cysts
Malnourishment	Premature greying	Arthritis
Anxiety	Premature baldness	Heart disease
Worry	Aggression (road rage)	High Cholesterol
Racing thoughts	Irritability	Depression
Loss of Memory	Impatience	Inability to decide
Inability to Focus	Thinking you are right	Bloating
	Heart Attack

How Healthcare Dollars are Spent:

From: www.ahrq.gov (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) In 2004, the United States spent $1.9 trillion, or 16 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), on health care. This averages out to about $6,280 for each man, woman, and child. However, actual spending is distributed unevenly across individuals, different segments of the population, specific diseases, and payers. For example, analysis of health care spending shows that: · Five percent of the population accounts for almost half (49 percent) of total health care expenses. The 15 most expensive health conditions account for 44 percent of total health care expenses. Top 5 are heart disease, cancer, trauma, mental disorders and pulmonary disorders. Patients with multiple chronic conditions cost up to seven times as much as patients with only one chronic condition. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. community population were reported to have one or more of five major chronic conditions: Mood disorders. Diabetes. Heart disease. Asthma. Hypertension. Spending to treat these five conditions alone amounted to $62.3 billion in 1996.13 Moreover, people with chronic conditions tend to have other conditions and illnesses.

Yoga

I wrote the following for the online Cleansing program...yes I'm still dumping data...and quite liked it. I thought I'd share.

The following discussion will be a nice read for your bedtime practice of reading something Spiritual instead of watching television. It is very deep in Yoga and you may find that you simply are not interested in Sanskrit and in learning all of the “deep” stuff just now. The most wonderful thing about the Eight Limbs of Yoga is that you are receiving all of the information in an easy to understand and organic way through the Cleanse. During the Cleanse, you are learning to practice all of the below. Perhaps when the Cleanse is over, you will re-read this and have an “ah-ha” moment of understanding.

Enjoy or skip!

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

There are Eight "limbs", "branches" or "chapters" of yoga. It is not just the physical posturing that is yoga. That, in fact, is just one branch of the tree. The limbs, when practiced together and daily, become part of you and part of your life. They help you to live a good life and to find your life's purpose. They guide you to better choice making, better habits, and a better life. They are only understood through the tangible experience of yoga. They cannot be intellectually understood. You must practice yoga for the understanding to unfold. Intellectually you may not understand when reading this. After the Cleanse, you will re-read and simply think…”wow…I get it”.

Maharishi Pantanjali is best known for the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The purpose of embracing the Eight Limbs of Yoga is to connect you to the real you. You are layered and cloaked in veils that hide your inner spirit. These practices part the veils that hide you.

All of the limbs of yoga come to pass naturally as you grow spiritually.

First Branch of Yoga

YAMA - rules of social behavior

The Yamas are rules of social conduct that engage you with others. They are important because we must have “understood” rules of conduct in each society. Depending on where you live and your culture, your yamas will differ. Pantanjali broke the Yamas down as follows:

The First Yama - Ahimsa

Ahimsa or Non-violence is really the foundation for all that we do in yoga. It’s the most important rule and if you only learn this one rule, the rest will follow. Ahimsa is the practice of not harming yourself, others or your planet through violent thought, word or deed. It is a caution to monitor your thoughts and always choose the more nourishing thought. Your thoughts become your words, your words become your deeds, and your deeds become your whole life. Begin with peaceful thoughts and the rest will follow.

The Second Yama - Satya

Satya means truthfulness. It is having integrity of thought word and deed. To be truthful, you must know your truth. Challenge yourself to ask what you believe? When speaking the truth, always begin with Ahimsa. Ask yourself the following questions before you speak:

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Is it kind?

The Third Yama - Brachmacharya

Brachmacharya has been very misunderstood in yoga because religion somehow made it’s way into Pantanjali’s interpretation. Brachmacharya has been defined as celibacy. It is my opinion that celibacy goes against our nature and is a religious construct. We are of nature, which is an expression of divinity, and therefore a healthy expression of sex is part of our experience.

Brachmacharya has been loosely redefined as “appropriate” use of one’s energies. By that, it is meant that sexuality should be enjoined in a healthy and loving way. I personally believe that sex enjoyed in partnership with love is the most nourishing choice.

You can also think of Brachmacharya as how you spend your energy. Spending energy in unfulfilling situations such as bad relationships, bad friendships, bad jobs or gossiping can be very draining and unhealthy.

You can make this very simple by always asking yourself what is the most nourishing experience?

· A loud metal rock concert or classical music playing in the background of life?

· Walking by a trash dumpster or walking in the middle of a field?

· Sex with someone you hardly know or sex with a partner who knows your body, your mind and your heart?




The Fourth Yama - Asteya

Asteya is translated as honesty, but isn’t honesty the same as truth (Satya)? Honesty is relinquishing the idea that things outside yourself will provide you happiness and security

During the Cleanse we work on manifesting our hearts desires. We then learn to simply release all of this as we begin to realize that we have all that we could ever desire in this moment. It’s way too esoteric to be intellectually absorbed. It is a tangible understanding that you will obtain through the experience and practice of yoga.


The Fifth Yama - Aparigraha

Generosity or shifting from ego responses to Soul responses.

During the Cleanse you will learn to resonate with the Sattvic or Pure qualities of your Soul. You will embrace and accept your ego because it is beautiful and giving you your personality and your experience here in this realm as yourself. You will learn to respond instead of react. You will bring the pure qualities of your Soul into your responses, thereby diminishing the drama of life that ego responses can create.

Second Branch of Yoga - NIYAMA - rules of personal behavior

How do you live when no one is watching? If you are living a balanced life, these characteristics develop on their own.

The First Niyama - Shoucha

Purity - make choices that are nourishing to your body, mind, and soul

Always choose the more nourishing thing for yourself including food choices, exercise choices, who to hang out with, what to listen to and what to watch. Choose what to believe and what to let go.

The Second Niyama - 
Santosa

Present moment awareness, acceptance without resignation. relinquish your attachment to the need for control, power, and approval.

Practice present moment awareness. Accept things as they are. Know that right now everything is perfect. (This is a PRACTICE)


The Third Niyama - Tapas

Tapas are the disciplined practice of yoga on and off your mat. During the Cleanse you will learn a routine to live by the rhythms of nature. Once you tap into those rhythms, tapas becomes easy.

The Fourth Niyama - 
SVADHYANA

Look inside. Your value comes from a deep connection with spirit. During the Cleanse you will experience many Spiritual exercises to take you deep into your psyche. Why do you think what you think? Why do you believe what you believe? Why are you having thoughts?

The Fifth Niyama - 
ISHWARA-PRANIDHANA

Embrace uncertainty and let go of the past. You life is about to change in the most dramatic way. It’s literally going to unfold in from of you. This niyama is about surrendering to Spirit. It is a tangible experience that cannot be intellectually understood.

The Sixth Niyama – What do you stand for?

I’ve added this Niyama. I think Pantanjali would be okay with it. This Niyama is a challenge for you to develop your own personal rule. What do you live for? What do you value? What defines you? Mother Teresa’s personal Niyama was to treat every person as she would Jesus coming off the cross. This allowed her to serve lepers and untouchables with loving kindness. Martin Luther King’s personal Niyama was to teach tolerance and the meaning of freedom to the world. Gandhi’s personal Niyama was peaceful resistance. Those are some pretty big names and some pretty big challenges. Perhaps your personal Niyama can to simply be to serve your family. Spend some time thinking about it.

Third Branch of Yoga - Asana - position

This is the disciplined practice of yoga. This is the posturing that most people are familiar with.

Fourth Branch of Yoga - Pranayama - prana, life force, breathing

This is the disciplined practice of breathing. It’s super easy. Breathe in. Breath out. Be aware that you are breathing.

Fifth Branch of Yoga - Pratyahara - tuning into your subtle sensory experience.

Pratyahara is the practice of becoming acutely aware of your senses to the point that you are able to withdrawal your senses from the world. To practice, you focus on your senses and ultimately you are able to turn them off. This practice aids in meditation and in mindfulness.

Pay attention to five senses and how your body reacts.

Spend time in silence and alone

Sixth Branch of Yoga - Dharana - mastery of attention and intention.

Dharana, Dhyana and Samdhi all have to due with Meditation. They are practiced concurrently. Together, they make Samyama or Control.

Dharana is the point in which the mind needs an instrument to play in order to keep it from wandering. This instrument may be a mantra, japa mala or even attention to breath. During the Cleanse, we use the mantra “so hum”. Note that even the most experienced meditator has days where the mind wants to wander and goes back to an instrument. That is why Dharana, Dhyana and Samdhi are practiced together and not consecutively.

Be aware of your intentions, pay attention to clues. Synchronicity.

Seventh Branch of Yoga - Dhyana - development of witnessing awareness.

You are in this world, but not of this world. Everything is always changing, but not your soul.

Be aware of the silent presence that resides within you. As you experience the drama of living, remove yourself from it and watch it. Notice your thoughts and emotions as if you are watching a movie unfold.

Eighth Branch of Yoga - Samadhi - the state of being settled in pure, unbounded awareness.

Know yourself as a spiritual being disguised as a human. Samadhi is not easily defined or described. It is a state of being known as bliss. This experience is unique to the practitioner. You will know when you have entered Samadhi without any definition or description coming from outside yourself.

Samadhi is experienced at and in death so we will all have this experience.

Enjoy the Journey!