:. Before you see a DOLPHIN show, consider this...

Before you see a DOLPHIN show,
PLEASE consider >> this!



Pass it on...

:. Soothing 5 minute visual meditation...

Oregon Coast 2004, set to Vangelis' Oceanic - Memories Of Blue

:. Halves of the whole.... Wisdom from Rumi

"God instills the desire of every part for the other:
from their union, generation results.
And so night & day are in mutual embrace:
they appear to be opposites, even enemies,
but the truth they attend is one,
each desiring the other like kin,
for the perfection of their work.
Both serve one purpose, for without night,
human nature would receive no income:
what then could day expend?"
~ Rumi (1207-1273)
Translated by Camille & Kabir Helminski
from "Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"

:. Join me for KIRTAN with GIRISH

Saturday 10 November, 7:30-9:30pm

at Integral Yoga Institute, 227 W 13 St (bet 7/8 Avs) NYC
# 212.929.0586 | >> iyiny.org | $15 advance / $20 day of event



"...the music's mesmerizing trance-funk groove & trip-hop devotional dirges boldly goes where Sanskrit has never gone before..."

Featuring
GIRISH :: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonium
LUKE NOTARY :: drums, percussion
MOTO FUKUSHIMA :: bass guitar
KAMANIYA :: support vocals, harmonium

Hope you'll come sing with us, it's sure to be a bhakti groove-fest!


Kirtan with Girish is FUNKALICIOUS! I'm honored & excited to join him again for part of his North East tour. Girish's CDs are best sellers & his live kirtan is fantastic. He's a dynamic musician & an amazing vocalist, his original chants will grab you & won't let you go. Be sure to bring your dancing feet...

Visit Girish's >> website for his complete tour schedule. Be sure to play his videos, they're clips from his most excellent Yoga Vision DVD which he produced himself & projects as a stage background at his kirtan events.

:. Happy Diwali!

Friday November 9 is Diwali! (a.k.a. Deepavali)


"Diwali (also called Deepavali) is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. It is traditionally known as the "festival of lights", for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, gardens, verandas, on the walls built around the home and also on the roof tops. The celebration of the festival is customarily accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks. Diwali is an occasion for cheerfulness and togetherness. This is an occasion for young and the old, men and women, rich and poor - for everyone to celebrate. Irrespective of their religious and economic background, the festival is celebrated throughout the country to ward off the darkness and welcome light into life as light is always associated with hope for the future"

~ From "Rainbow Bridge"


From the very name of today's festival - Deepavali, it can be inferred that the Divine effulgence is manifest in it. Deepavali means "the array of lights." "Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya" (Lead me from darkness to light) is an Upanishadic prayer. This means that where there is darkness light is needed. What is this darkness? Sorrow is one form of darkness. Lack of peace is another. Disappointment is one form of darkness. Lack of enthusiasm is yet another. All these are different forms of darkness. To get rid of the darkness of sorrow, you have to light the lamp of happiness. To dispel the darkness of disease, you have to install the light of health. To get over the darkness of losses and failures, you have to usher in the light of prosperity.

~ Sai Baba

:. Join me with Kirtan Rabbi in NYC Fri Nov 9!

Friday 9 November, 8-10pm (doors close 8:30pm)
at Integral Yoga Institute, 227 W 13 St (bet 7/8 Avs) NYC
# 212.929.0586 | www.iyiny.org | $10 suggested donation


Featuring
Rabbi Andrew Hahn a.k.a. Kirtan Rabbi – lead vocals, harmonium
Shoshana Jedwab percussion | Angela Babin bass
Josh Wotman lead & support vocals, harmonium
Kamaniya lead & support vocals

Kirtan Rabbi & friends continue to mold a new form of devotional practice during their popular monthly evenings of simple but powerful call-&-response chant in the vibrational language of Hebrew. Kirtan Rabbi will also lead us in some Kabbalistic teachings as well as meditation techniques. No knowledge of Hebrew necessary. No need to be Jewish! In commemoration of Krystallnacht, the theme of this evening will be ‘From Fear to Love: The Sh'mantra’

This is my first time collaborating with Kirtan Rabbi. I know him to be a sweet, earnest & light-hearted bhakta whose love for the Divine Spirit is apparent in his chanting. Joining us also is my sweet friend Josh Wotman, an emerging kirtan singer & long time chanter, wait till you hear his rich, resonant voice!

Upcoming Integral Yoga Kirtan Rabbi Dates:
All evenings begin at 8pm, with doors closing at 8:30pm.
Fri, Dec 21 (The Hallelujah Special!) | Fri, Feb 15 | Sat, Mar 15 (Special Havdallah Kirtan) | Fri, Apr 18 | Fri, May 16

:. 50 Ways to be Water Smart

Friends, the water shortage issue is a tangible & urgent one. We can't keep pretending that it doesn't impact each & every one of us. Did you know that companies like Coca Cola are buying up water supplies? An investor friend of mine has started doing the same. What does this tell us? That water is well on it's way to becoming a scarce commodity in our affluent society. WE NEED TO WAKE UP!

At every moment, we have an opportunity to STOP, THINK & CREATE CHANGE in our daily habits. That's all we have to do, to look at our unconscious or uneducated habits & re-examine them, think how we could make adjustments so that we can sleep at night with a clean conscience, knowing that as individuals we're making a real effort to not abuse our divine Mother Earth's precious resources. Drop by drop, we're using it up, gallons at a time ... until....? It's an image I don't even want to consider. But the reality is that millions of people on this planet have to live with almost no access to water, while here in the west we abuse it on a daily basis, minute to minute.

Change begins with me as an individual I am making a personal pledge to start changing my water consumption habits TODAY. With all of the suffering & abuse that I read about it is so empowering to know that I can affect some change, using minimal effort. Please join me in my pledge & share your experiences with me!

>> Click here to see what YOU can do to conserve water in your daily life. Because EVERY drop really does count!

:. "I Love Momma."... !

. . . ' talking ' doggies!

Words of a kind Buddhist Lama: Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. During the war in Vietnam, he worked tirelessly for reconciliation between North & South Vietnam. His lifelong efforts to generate peace moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.

Thich Nhat Hanh wrote about Thich Quang Duc who self immolated as a protest to the Vietnam war. Before Ven Thich Quang Duc did so, he wrote a compassionate letter to many people explaining his actions. This action was done out of compassion, not out of anger or hate.

This is part of Thich Nhat Hanh's 14 precepts.

What is the cause of war (Pt 1)


>> Click here for the original posting.

:. 24 Brand-New Hours...

Peace is Every Step

"Every morning, when we wake up, we have 24 brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these 24 hours will bring peace, joy, & happiness to ourselves & others.

Peace is present right here & now, in ourselves & in everything we do & see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don't have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.

We can smile, breathe, walk, & eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, & we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, & so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, & serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment . . . . Of course, planning for the future is a part of life. But even planning can only take place in the present moment . . . . Peace & happiness are available in every moment. Peace is every step. We shall walk hand in hand. Bon voyage."

Chapter One of "Peace is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hanh