Awakening Ganesha

  February 1, 2005                       Monthly  Newsletter                                           Volume 3  

Namaste,

Here at 7 Centers Yoga Arts we are committed to an integrated spiritual life as householders that have families, jobs and responsibilities.  We exend what we ourselves are passionate about through offering ongoing yoga classes, personal programs combining yoga and ayurveda and creating a space for the community to provide wisdom teachings. Please feel free to drop in or join us for any of the offerings - we welcome you!

Many Blessings, Ruth

"When awareness is separate and distinct from the mind waves,

When waking, dream and sleep pass like clouds,

Yet awareness of the Atma (soul) remains,

This is the experience of relaxation." 

                           Swami Satyananda Saraswati                                                 

The Adventures of  Lionheart, Temple Cat

What Enneagram Number is your Pet?

Lionheart wandered into the teaching room in the Center one day and saw a man who looked like a Zen monk talking and laughing about something called "The Enneagram" - a geometrical map that describes 9 different kinds of "Mind".  Lawrence said that it described energetic movement in the Universe and could be laid over human beings, organizations and even pets. His ears perked up when he heard the last piece, as it related to him. As Lionheart sauntered into the middle of the circle, Lawrence used Lionheart as an example of the number 7 Personality (or Mind), expressed in a cat.   Fun, fun, fun as Lionheart saw the reflection of himself in the window, fanned his tail out like a brush and crab-walked pretending there was another cat who wanted to chase him. He fancied himself a ballet dancer as he twirled and leaped, encouraged by the laughter and attention he was getting from his audience.  A cat mind continually seeking entertainment, variety of experience, incorrigible when it came to following rules -like "who says I don't belong on the kitchen counter or the dining table during meals." "Why poop in a box when it is more interesting to poop in someone's shoes". "Too much structure, too much containment, boring litter mix". And what about riding in cars? So many cars come and visit the temple every day...cars with leather seats, big cars with 4-wheel drive, cars that smell like smoke and fast food wrappers, ...every car is a different experience and, besides, how else are you going to get to go new places, new homes, the Goodwill store.   And what about Gluttony - another characteristic of the 7 Mind...of course Lionheart likes chocolate covered donuts, spaghetti and peanut brittle...how would you like to be fed the same high quality, organic cat food every day...so what that his girth is getting bigger and his head is looking smaller and smaller - its winter time, and the food is giving him energy to withstand the cold, the rain, the hail, the sun...

Then Lawrence went back to the Enneagram and Human Beings.

How could these behaviours possibly cause suffering in a human being?  Or in those in relationship with the human being doing the number 7? Lionheart decided that it is great to be a 7. Doesn't everyone want to be a 7 like him?

Note: A few Enneagram tips:

Cats that sleep all day - Number 9; Cats that whine and cry about anything and nothing -Number 4; Cats that are finicky and need everything presented in the right way - Number 1; Cats that like to fight - Number 8; Scaredy cats - Number 6.

Upcoming 7 Day Chakra Intensive

March 4-10

After teaching Chakra Yoga for 12 years, Ruth Hartung, Director of 7 Centers, will be offering this intensive for the first time.  Rooted in the Kundalini yoga tradition, this intensive will explore one chakra each day through asanas, mantra, yantra (symbol) color, music and yoga nidra. Each day will include yantra painting, hikes to experience the elements of the chakra,  and an ayurvedic lunch. Chakra Yoga teaches the student a diagnostic tool for the physical, emotional, mental and behavioural symptoms that alert us to imbalance in our chakras and direct our attention to life lessons that need to be processed for optimum health and well being.

This course can be used towards a 500 hour certificate through the International Yoga College worth 50 credits.

Week Intensive: $750 (early registration before February 15th)

                       $800 after February 15th

For more information or to register call 203-4400 and speak to Sydney.

Ambaya's Corner

Healthy Ayurvedic Lifestyle Tips

1. Use freshly prepared natural foods, made with wholesome grains, organic herbs, vegetables and fruits. Make homemade vegetable broth and use it in our cooking instead of heavy oils or dairy products. For optimal digestion, reduce or eliminate the use of meats in your diet.
2. Include useful fats and oils in your diet that will benefit your body and work for you and not against you. I highly recommend the use of ghee, similar to clarified butter. According to Ayurveda, it is the best oil to use in your system.
3. Include all the six tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent in all your meals to help create natural and nutritional balance and decrease cravings in between meals.
4. Sit down and eat in a pleasant and peaceful environment, leaving your worries aside while you eat.  This will help you digest better and use the nutrients more effectively in your system.  Place your awareness on the benefits of eating well, the value of the foods you eat, and focus your attention on what helps you feel light and energized. Optimal health includes the help of the body, mind and spirit, all working together like a finely tuned machine.
5. Stimulate your system with movement. Take a brisk walk after eating; dance around your house or bike through the park. Whatever you can do to add some movement into your daily life, like yoga, will help. 
   
   If you would like assistance in beginning an Ayurvedic Lifestyle program call Ambaya for a consultation 282-1756.

  February 14th, Happy Valentines Day!

"Second Day of Parentalia in Rome, The Lupercal day of fertility dedicated to Juno-Lupa, the she-wolf.    Women's pleas for children are granted. Other Fertility/Birth Goddesses are Isis, Kwan Yin, Yemaya, Tonantzin, Mary, Cybele, Astarte "

The Goddess Book of Days, Diane Stein

International Peace College launches in Sedona

In recent years a new kind of Citizen has emerged: Citizens who can no longer wait for governments to solve the world's growing problems; Citizens who must speak, act and stand for what they believe in; Citizens with the courage to cross the borders of personal, political and ideological beliefs to embrace the oneness of all humanity.

Beginning the weekend of March 19-20 at 7Centers Yoga Arts, the International Peace College (IPC) will offer conflict resolution training that can be applied to all areas of life . This course teaches you as the individual how to resolve conflict and develop peace strategies that can be extended to your family as well as local, national and global communities.  Participation in the five weekends this year leads to a certificate in Citizen Diplomacy through Center for International Dialogue. The dates for the following weekends are: April 9-10, June 25-26, September 24-25, and October 22-23. Each weekend is $140 with early registration $125 or payment for all 5 at $575.

Rama Jyoti Vernon and Rev. Max Lafser formerly of the Unity Church in Sedona, have co-designed an extensive curriculum for Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies using East-West psychology. Rama Jyoti Vernon is the founder and President of the Center for
International Dialogue. As a citizen diplomat, Ms. Vernon traveled to the Soviet Union 47 times in seven years beginning in 1986 in the process of organizing over 200 Soviet-American conferences and counterpart exchanges. In 1992, Ms. Vernon began Regional Women’s Gatherings throughout major U.S. cities to give women a platform to express their vision for Peace in the Middle East and other areas of conflict.

For more information call Ginny Beal (888) 949-9642 or contact 7 Centers by phone or e-mail.

Sedona Community Bulletin Board

Room available in spiritual setting - short or long term. Call Ambaya 282-1756