day 8: psychic union pose

woke up under warm green blankets after a full 8 hours. the day was filled with ambient light, tree limbs, supergreen smoothies, opened books across desk & deep discussions.

noticed the moon has been showing herself in daylight, now nearly round. the patio has new life, rejuvenated with fresh soil, planters and herbs to be planted. hanging in my room, rosemary bundled with burlap strip effuses it's pungent breath. the kriya was ease as organs piled into cradle of legs, spine slowly stretched oozing face onto floor, inhales slow, long. i smiled when i heard "jaap so ajapaa jaapai" (until you are meditating without meditating). awareness rising of the purity of my motivations, that the spark of action must originate from the pureness of itself.

http://books.google.com/books?id=RtHs_LNH3d0C&pg=PT68&lpg=PT68&dq=first+house+north+node&source=bl&ots=YludulumvD&sig=gT6b0u-R163rYGz237p15y8TATs&hl=en&ei=NjPmTLXFFMX_lgeQwcTLCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=first%20house%20north%20node&f=false

day 7: Baddha Padmasana

today the pose was like not doing a pose at all; the specialness of it
shifted into an ordinariness. but this new perception did not dilute
it's effect or power. the day was spent with a friend enjoying superfood
smoothie made in my vintage Vitamix (which was named Tropical Ecstasy,
including mangosteen & coconut!) and a jaunt out to the country
doing farm work in Waller.

i found feathers from turkey & cornish hen, jabbing them in the half of my hair tied back. i loved spending time with the goats, the dogs, the cats, the fowl & Ma Nature. i cleared a plot of land with the tractor & weeded & milked a goat & was blessed with a fresh clear moon above my head and a container of the most exquisite goat feta at the end of the night. i came home right on time for dinner made with Jeff's superb pesto and enjoying time with my host mother. an easy & beautiful day, energized & strengthened by everything i came into contact with. grateful for the entire day ♥

http://blueherontexas.com/

day 6: bound lotus

empty stomach and memories all morning, longing for ease & togetherness. feeling caught in a place between Earth & elsewhere. the wind chimes sounded a song around my heart with sun and moon in the afternoon. a special message was given at the end of the pose: "today, you will write a beautiful poem. you will meet with the earth. you will feel loved again".

http://www.ehow.com/how_5020873_feel-love-again.html

day 5: psychic union pose

interrupted, twice. re-did kriya for the third time late night. mental chatter rising yet also present with the body, feeling the bind of limbs and deliberate breath imbibing the melody of the mantra. superfood smoothie in 3 glass jars delivered to my doorstep (thank you Jeffji!). there was a push of activity on a writing project. i went to the library and gathered the research book & inspiration material, soaking in words. one book i took, on a whim: The 100 Best Love Poems of All Time. the one that made me shiver with delight:

XVII (I do not love you...)
Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.


Translated by Stephen Tapscott

day 4: Baddha Padmasana

i had a dream where i was getting a tattoo on my left forearm/upper inner arm. it was the background & border of a holy art work - the light blue of the sky, lotuses, a golden ornate border. the deity & other details were to be added. i was so excited for it to be filled in, as i was looking down at my arm imagining what was to come. when i awoke, i distinctly knew that the dream was relating to my life, my practice, my future self. i was aware of the importance that my left arm was the arm with the tattoo.

today i did the pose with a friend; there was something added to the practice by having another share this with me. i felt so secure, so supported while doing bound lotus today. safe. held. i didn't want to come out of it. i felt as if i was pouring upon the floor, melted. i felt as in i was in a womb again, limbs twisted up with no room to move but completely at peace and feeling surrounded by only goodness, darkness, silence.

i pulled an angel card from Kimberly Marooney's deck and received Ongkanon (i laughed, because it sounds so much mike my name). it was relevant, as always. a process already happening, and perfecting itself: exploring feelings, going to the heart of resentments, being clear about the recent past and deciding what it is i want in the aftermath of my life leveled to ground zero and building back up again.

http://books.google.com/books?id=QVXrV8C2NToC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=Ongkanon&source=bl&ots=IpPLVhEbY9&sig=THiZcPrVG-KTpk_M0ZcEgFDYNe4&hl=en&ei=um3gTIS7GoSClAe3qa2mAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFEQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Ongkanon&f=false

day 3: bound lotus

i braided my limbs in the steam room, eucalyptus heavy in the air with no mantra. the chanting carries so much of the ease of this practice. i am still learning the words.

http://www.lyricsvip.com/Snatam-Kaur/Ray-Man-Shabad-Lyrics.html

day 2: psychic union pose

i felt the energy building, from the physical body outward.
i found deep comfort in the moment, completely locked into myself.
the mantra carried me easily to the end. unthreading my limbs,
i could feel how expanded i was. it feels as if i'm building a house,
rooting the structure of the foundation and building up from that place.
each second reveals a healing potential, an unlocking of mystery,
a movement towards fulfillment.

http://boundlotus.com/boundlotuskriya.html