Green, Green Mountains

It's hard to believe it's been since Feb. that I posted something on the blog. This year has been busy, busy so far here at the hostel and now it's time to settle into the lushness and bounty of summer.

I'm nearly finished with the little kitchen garden off the back deck and have a new little companion that helps me do everything around the hostel. Her name is Clover and I rescued her May 10th from death row at the Seneca, SC shelter. She exhibits the admiral qualities of loyalty and undying devotion. In retrospect, I should have considered naming her Hanuman! Hanuman, the Hindu deity, is an ardent devotee of Rama. She's so appreciative of me for rescuing her and has so much to teach me about unconditional love. It's that depth of love she imbibes. All the guest who have met her adore her!

I've completed a wonderful semester of teaching in the veterinary technology and P.E. depts. at AB Tech Community College. My yoga classes at the college this semester have been some of the best yet. The quality of students that are attending the classes are incredible and they teach me as much as I teach them. It was a bitter sweet departure knowing many of them are moving forward in their lives and careers and I won't have the pleasure of seeing them in classes any longer. What an honor for them to have yoga to select from as a PE credit at a community college!

The hostel is kicking strong this summer with guest staying for the myriad of workshops in the Asheville area. I currently have space for Asheville Yoga Center's 23 day intensives in June and July. Email or call me for individual weekend workshops. Some weekends are at full capacity while others have one room available.

I look forward to meeting new friends and seeing former guest return.

Blessings for a healthful summer!

Donna

It's February. I know the Sun will reveal herself.

Not much has changed weather-wise since I last wrote in January. Old man winter is still parked over the SouthEast like never before. We've had more winter wonder this year than in all 22 years I've lived in NC. The cold continues to provide ample opportunity to improve my physical, mental and spiritual bodies.

I'm teaching in AB Tech's veterinary medical program this semester and continue to teach yoga classes in the PE department. Three weeks ago we had a camelid lab., (camelid's are the genus that camels, llamas, and alpaca's belong to). I was charged and run into by a 700# male llama. It was a battle of dominance between he and the llama I was leading, which would have been fine, but I ended up in the line of attack and walked away with a injured left shoulder. The force of the impact was tremendous and initially I thought I may have separated my shoulder, but now feel it is a soft tissue injury.

So why am I sharing this with you? Fortunately, I have many hours in yoga therapy to rely on, having studied with my teacher John Friend since 2001. Drawing from my knowledge I have nearly healed my shoulder through gentle and effective yoga therapeutic techniques, strength training and good body mechanic awareness.

It's empowering to have a strong base of knowledge that an excellent yogic system like Anusara Yoga provides. From this system I have the know-how of what to do when I experience an injury. Aside from topical treatments such as ice, heat, woodlock oil, dmso, all of which I've used, I knew exactly what poses would increase mobility without further damaging the tissue. A strong awareness of shoulder loop has proved essential in the healing process as well as physical therapy poses at the wall. The wall poses engage all the muscles of the shoulder girdle, both strengthening and stretching them and placing them in correct anatomical position.

For those of students who've not experienced therapeutic yoga workshops, I strongly encourage you to do so. Of course, I can't say enough about Anusara , as it's the system that I'm steeped in and feel it's exceptional for not only therapetics but as a stellar yogic system in general. We have many wonderful Anusara instructors in our region. Joe Taft and Deidre Smith Gilmer are Asheville's certified instructors. Our yoga kula continues to grow strong. Many exceptional Anusara instructors can be found throughout the Carolinas.

In closing, the sun is concealed behind the clouds today and unveils itself periodically, revealing the Truth that it's always there. Injuries can be avenues in which we uncover the essential nature of our True Self. Injuries teach us lessons such as patience, compassion, persistence as well as providing opportunity to examine the ego. In what ways may you look inward and allow the Truth within yourself to be unveiled? Spend some time in silence each day and the Light with burst forth in ways unimaginable.

Blessings,
Donna

Winter, New Year, Introspection

Greetings Yogini's!

Jack Frost has parked himself over WNC for the last month and has no plans to leave it seems. We received a healthy dose of snow just before Christmas and the freezing temperatures have yet to relinquish their icy grip on us since. I escaped to the warmth and sun of Mexico and Belize for a week during the Christmas Holiday and dream of returning sooner rather than later!

It's tempting to chime in to the complaints of those around me about the weather, but remind myself this is a time for introspection and renewal. The frosty weather has provided ample opportunity for me to delve deeply into my spiritual and physical body, resulting in lots of yoga and meditation time!

The hostel is still hopping despite the snow. I'm continually amazed by the incredible woman who grace the doorstep here at FlatCreek Yoga Hostel. Beautiful, strong women with such depth of heart and being. Each one is a gift to me and I cherish each encounter.

This coming week ends the three week break I've gotten from teaching my yoga classes at the community college. Monday, I will have fresh faces, eager bodies and minds before me for the next 16 weeks of the semester. It always surprises me how nervous I am in the beginning of the semester, yet once in the process of teaching, sharing and getting to know each student individually, how much I receive from each student and how my creativity flows as I teach. If I were to go with the hesitation I first feel, I would never have the opportunity to receive such gifts. That lesson within itself is a rare and precious gift.

I look forward to meeting new yogini's in the New Year and reconnecting with familiar faces as well.

Blessings of Shakti to you all!

Donna

John Friend yoga demo for Gurumayi - Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram in Ganeshpuri, India 11-11-89

John Friend yoga demo for Gurumayi - Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram in Ganeshpuri, India 11-11-89

Into the Fall

The change of seasons is rapidly upon us. Fall is a time of quiet introspection, of going deeply within to listen to the inner urges of spirit. There's a part of me that wants to cling to the summer, the warmth, the long days of sunlight, yet there is equally a part of me that looks forward to the relaxing and quiet aspects of winter. I find myself quite busy and sometimes scattered during the summer due to the length of days and the ample opportunities to ride my horses late into the evening.My internal clock is setting itself to go to bed with the close of the day.

I relish the earlier sunsets and the beautiful predawn starlight skies. Venus shines down upon me in the early morning as I do my yoga practice out on the deck.

The hostel has been busier than ever these last few weeks. I've had so many beautiful faces of love grace my life and doorstep in the guise of awesome guest. Each woman shares such a lovely story of life and spirit. I've made some wonderful friends this season and am so blessed to offer my home in this way. I look forward to meeting more new friends and sharing our stories.

Asheville has some of the best yoga workshops offered anywhere in the country! This upcoming weekend our Anusara kula is hosting Desiree Rumbaugh, a senior Anusara instructor. One NOT to be missed. Also this weekend at the Asheville Yoga Center Scott Blossom is doing a workshop on Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine. I hear many wonderful reviews about Scott and hope to study with him in the future.

The Path

My friend Jack asked me in an email how I came to be where I am spiritually. I thought this would make a nice post since I've never written it down in chronological order. Here goes......

"To answer your question about how I came to be where I am spiritually is a very roundabout path. Growing up Catholic the liturgy never resonated with me. I felt like God was unattainable in the Catholic church. It was "us" the little peon sinners, and him or "them" the big guy in the sky and his priest/nuns who spoke down to "us". When I was 13 I asked my parents if I could stop going to mass because I felt it wasn't for me and I felt it was a waste of my time. They reluctantly allowed me to stop attending.

Sundays usually found me exploring the woods on the back of my horse. My spirit knew it was a better God-connection for me. When I was 16, I got very involved in the "born again" movement and was going to a charismatic church. For the first time ever I felt a sense of warmth and love in church. I was completely immersed on that path for a few years but the raging independent one within me felt it was too confining and controlling. It was an excellent experience overall, especially being a rebellious teenager. I think it kept me out of a lot of potential trouble.

I went off to college and through my Anthropology studies became interested in Native American spirituality, which resonated with me so much more because I've always been a nature girl and connect best with my spirit in nature. Since it isn't my culture I still found myself searching.

In 1998, a friend kept telling me I should do yoga because I was having a lot of knee pain from years of unknowingly hyper-extending my knees. I had a friend who had just done a yoga teacher training and she wanted to put a "guinea pig" group together to help her get more comfortable teaching publicly. Three friends and I helped her out and boom, that was totally it for me. I was so intrigued I started taking as many yoga classes that I could afford on a weekly basis. A year later I decided to do a training myself to go deeper into the philosophy and practice. I had no interest or intention to teach yoga, just a desire to know more. I completed Asheville Yoga Centers teacher training the spring of 2000.

In 2001, I met my main yoga teacher, John Friend, and it was a life altering experience. Total connection. It was Valentine's weekend and of course being Anusara and V-Day, the theme was heart opening! I was in a very vulnerable place in my life and going through a lot of emotional turmoil. The workshop moved so much energy in my heart center that I spent the first night in the hotel bathtub sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't even know why I was crying but it was as if a vast river of emotion was being released.

John and I had a strong connection and developed our friendship through emails back and forth. I was growing so rapidly and needed someone to help me understand the changes. He explained everything so patiently. He suggested I might read some of the works by Swami Childvilasananda, the head of the Siddha Yoga lineage. John is a student of the Siddha Yoga tradition. I bought a book of hers called Courage and Contentment, and from intense study of it over several months I received shaktipat, (awakening of the kundalini energy). It was literally as if the veil of delusion (maya) was lifted from my sight. I can say life hasn't been the same since. My perspective is vastly different now.

This spring I met a wonderful friend whom I call my spiritual "sounding board", Scott Marmorstein. Scott grew up in the Siddha Yoga tradition. His family lived in both the NY and India ashrams. He's a healer and often travels with John Friend. I was gifted a healing session with him this past April. I had been having a chronic back/rib issue and was going to the chiropractor twice weekly with little relief. My intention for our session was to deal with the back pain. Scott simply laid his hands on the problem area, did a little adjusting and it was resolved. Five months of chronic pain totally gone in a matter of seconds. The rest of our session was energetic balancing. It was one of the most profound interactions I've ever had. Words can't be wrapped around it. Life definitely hasn't been the same since!

I continue to work with Scott when he's in the area (he lives in Houston, Tx). Each session I have with him takes me deeper into my higher Self. Scott studies the work of Dr. David Hawkins, and turned me onto his work which has radically shifted my perception as well. It pairs well with my Siddha Yoga studies. I've also committed to a daily meditation practice. I feel little progress can be attained on the spiritual path without some sort of daily meditation. It's so easy to digress and forget my intention and spirit. Through my daily practice I am more mindful that all I do, I do to serve a Higher Source. A tiny shift in attitude makes a world of difference when working in my very stressful, frenetic job (veterinary technician in a really busy 4 doctor hospital). It can be so alluring to get caught up in the drama and take on a negative attitude. When I remind myself that all I do, I do with the attitude that I literally am serving the Divine, it helps me to stay clear and less attached to the works of the ego. That's the short version of my path."

The 'way' of spiritual advancement through consciousness is actually uncomplicated and simple.
The primary quality is really one of attitude in that one looks at life not as a place to acquire gain but as an opportunity for learning, which abounds even in the smallest of life's details. A spiritual attitude leads one to be friendly, kind, and well meaning to all life. We find ourselves walking over an ant carefully rather than squashing it, not as a compulsive must or a religious rule, but out of a greater awareness of the value of all life. All animals will be discovered to actually be individuals who respond to respect and attention. Even plants are aware of it when you love and admire them.

- From David Hawkins, The Eye of the I, from which nothing is hidden. GREAT READ!!