Yogi Bus Driver - International Yoga Day

Yogi Bus Driver - International Yoga Day

Well, I didn't see this one coming, did you?

But, what a brilliant invention.

The 21st June, which is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, known as the Summer Solstice, marks the transition from Uttarayan to Dakshinayana. Uttarayan, which begins on the shortest day, the Winter Solstice, marks the turning of the sun back to the north and longer days; with Dakshinayana, the longest day, marking the turning of the sun towards the south, and shorter days. The Solstices are a part of the rhythm of the earth, from striving to flowering, from Dakshinayana, the time of doing, to Uttarayan, the time of reaping the natural harvest that comes from the doing.

The first full moon after Summer Solstice is known as Guru Poornima, and in the yogic lore, is the first transmission of yoga by Shiva, the first Guru. This day is also considered a time when there is natural support for those pursuing spiritual practices.

I am pleased to say that from this year on, it will also now be known as, ‘International Yoga Day’.

The idea was the inspiration of the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi. He asked the world leaders to adopt an International Yoga Day, saying that by changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Modi said, “Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day,” He noted that Yoga is “an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition”. He added, “It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”

“Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being,” he concluded. And very well said indeed, don’t you think?

This year, 190 countries around the world joined the celebrations, and demonstrated the practical benefits of Yoga in its many forms. Such a show of unity is both a wonder, and an inspiration.

Yoga has been around for at least 2000 years, and some say as much as 5000 years, but I'm not so sure about that. However, there is definitely great benefit in all its forms. Whether it is yoga asanas, which are body postures, pranayama, which is breathing technic, or meditation, which, in my opinion is the king of yoga, and addresses and empowers the very aspect of who we truly are, the Soul.

The Soul is the fundamental part of our essence, it is the pin-point of our consciousness, it is the basis of all our experiences and it is the foundation of life itself. Without the soul, the body becomes merely a carcass!

When we nurture this part of who we are, we a capable if amazing things.

We can transform our bad habits, actions and way of thinking.

We can reform our behaviour, our attitude and out intentions, which is the basis of self-transformation, and so transformation of the world in general.

Mr Modi spoke of yoga being able to help in controlling climate change, but that is actually just the tip if the iceberg. Yoga is the only way to bring lasting peace into the world. Yoga is ‘connection’; firstly to the self, and then to The Source, The Divine

This year, many yoga Centres from around the UK participated in the event on 21st June. The main event took place at the Alexandra Palace, an historic entertainment venue built in 1873, standing in 7.5 acres of parkland near Muswell Hill in North London. Proceedings began at 6am and continued till 8 pm, with activities such as, Salute to the Sun, Mindfulness, Cool Slim Yoga, Mantra Chanting, The Art of Graceful Transitions, Boxing Yoga and of course Meditation. 

The finale was conducted by the Brahma Kumaris, in the form of a deep experience of Easy Raja Yoga Meditation, an open-eyed contemplation of the real self, the shining star at the centre of the forehead, and your connection with the Supreme Soul.

Let us know if you were there, and how you enjoyed it…

Yogi Bus Driver - Retreat

Yogi Bus Driver - Retreat

Retreat – the act of moving back or withdrawing. The act or process of moving back or away, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant: made a retreat from hectic city life to the country.

This is the dictionary definition of the word, but it means something completely different to me, and indeed to millions of other people around the world.

Retreats are becoming very popular, and to go on 'a retreat' for a long weekend, a few days or even a week is the latest wave in the pursuit of wellbeing.

These ‘Retreats’ often take place in a country location, by the sea side, or high up in the mountains, where you can find positive eating, high nutrition, relaxation, spa and quality-lifestyle themes. Sometimes its exercises, stretching or yoga session; sometimes its lectures, workshops or a talk that makes up the format, or perhaps silence, cleansing or even fasting. The focus can be on breathing, walking, stillness, or mindfulness.

I myself am a big fan of retreats, and have been attending them for nearly two decades, as well as hosting and facilitating them for over eight years. For me, they are a times of peace and tranquillity, of space to reflect and reconnect with myself, away from the normal routine of things. A chance to practice extra yoga or meditation that is not normally possible in the busy lives that we lead in urban city centres, surrounded by responsibilities and expectations, and others vying for our constant attention.

I have recently returned from a trip to France, where I attend a retreat three times a year. These retreats are normally for 5 days or so, and take place on the edge of a small village 50km south of Paris. These particular retreats are very much meditation based; with a short class in the morning followed by a healthy breakfast, and a walk in the surrounding countryside and fields. The rest of the day is made up of introversion, reflection and meditation.

The meditation is the ‘open-eyed’ version called Raja Yoga, and lasts for a full 12 hours each day. It is, quite frankly, mind-blowingly powerful! Although the expectation is not to stay sitting in meditation constantly for the entire period of time, the 'fire' of yoga remains ‘alight’ as it were, and acts as a cleansing energy that eliminates the inner self of negativity. Whenever I am present in the 'bhatti' or 'furnace', there is a real feeling of purification of the soul, and a subtle harmonisation with others who are participating in the group. This creates a sense of unity which becomes the foundation for great things.

The energy created within the bhatti is amazingly powerful and energising. It is like plugging into the Supreme Source of power and positive energy that is constantly radiating light onto the Earth.

In fact it was so strong during this last retreat that I was only able to sleep 2-3 hours per day. There was simply too much energy in my body to sleep any more than that! I actually had to allow this energy to flow out of me into the world, and indeed into the elements, as well as other souls. In this way the bhatti worked like a power receiver/transmitter that was energising the planet with Divine light.

My personal experience was that of euphoria, bliss and lightness. There was, at one point, a peak-experience of 'perfection', whereby, everything was in its highest state of potential; everything was harmonic, completely clear and beautiful. I was suddenly overwhelmed by both joy and understand.  I realised that the experience just could not get any better! Then, just as that thought came, after a 4 and a half hour session of almost no thoughts, a warm wind blew through the open windows and caressed my skin, and my entire body was cradled in a perfect embrace with nature and the elements. It was as though the entire Earth was co-operating with me in those timeless moments. It was a gift, a wonder...

In those moments, I realised that the ‘true’ retreat is a state of awareness, and in that spilt second, I could see with clarity that it is not a location, building or a place. It is the reconnection with the spiritual self, and its relationship with the Source, nature, and others. It is the dance of life itself.

So, when is your next retreat...?

Yogi Bus Driver – ‘Distance Communication’

'Communication lets me down', a big ‘fave’ of mine from the 80's you know.

Tony Hadley, of Spandau Ballet, if I'm not very much mistaken? Yes, I know, I'm really showing my age now, but it's what came into my mind when I started thinking about this blog.

Well it does, doesn't it? Let us down I mean.

Communication breakdown is the cause of conflict between individuals, couples, families, groups, countries, and continents. It is the single biggest problem on the planet. It’s misunderstandings that fuel wars. Solving them would be the solution to world peace, for sure J.

So, what are we doing about it?

How are we approaching it?

Communication over long distances has shrunk the world.

Firstly this took place through letters, (or smoke signals maybe?)  being delivered by horseman or stagecoach or even in person. (The pigeon was another method of delivery, but this was to convey rather short messages.)

Imagine the revolution the invention of the telephone made; it began to change people's lives, and their horizons. That was as recently as 1876!

"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" (Tracy Chapman 1988), and there really was a revolution in the year this song was released, because mobile phones showed up, and began to catch on very quickly (well maybe a little earlier than this).

Come to think about it, Captain James T. Kirk of the Star ship ‘Enterprise’ had one way back in the sixties. Do you remember those first Star Trek TV shows? They had 'intercoms', yes, this was the first the world saw of 'flip-top' mobile phones.

How did they know?? Very forward thinking…

Oh dear, we are having a bit of a ‘Bus Trip down memory lane’ with this blog aren't we?

Funny how thoughts get triggered by reference points that open up an Aladdin’s Cave of memories, locked away in the ' time-capsule' of our minds.

Back to the programme.

Communication, where was I?

Ah, yes, mobile phones. A blessing or a curse?

Well, from their brick-like beginnings, to the thin slice of glass that they have become, mobile phones led the way in distance communication. Until now...

The arrival of the Internet around 1982 changed everything.

(Do you know, I hardly use phone calls at all as a way to communicate now? Email and text messaging is far easier, and less intrusive. This seems to be a trend as statistics show that Smartphone owners aged 18-24 now send and receive 4,000 messages per month, that’s staggering isn’t it! And now, 4 billion people in the world use text messaging compared with 3.5 billion using email, although this is thought to exceed over 4 billion by end of 2015.)

The Internet is now King, and is everywhere, all the time, in all directions, instantly, that is, if you can afford high-speed broadband. (My feeling is that the Internet will be free soon as we are so dependent on it, and actually, we are being controlled, and conditioned through it.)

This is ‘unlimited’ distance communication, but, I am not even going to go there today, I'll save that for another blog...

I would, however, like to leave you with one thought though.

Captain Kirk was ahead of his time, or maybe he was behind? After all he is in our future. His 'intercom' is way out of date now; Android devices and the iPhone make it look like an antique!

By the time we get to his 'star date', distance communication will have taken a quantum leap, and will perhaps be inside of us?

Maybe first in the form of hardware chips, but for sure, by Kirk’s era of ‘boldly going where no man has gone before’, distance communication will have gone beyond electronics, and will be through pure consciousness.

By then, perhaps telepathy could be our main mode of communication...

Now there’s a thought…

What do you think?