Bow Down Yoga

Why Bow Down?

......click below to investigate.

 

YOGA ON THE MOUNTAIN: a benefit for O.T.M.

Off The Mat, Into The World (http.//www.offthematintotheworld.com) is an organization committed to helping alleviate the suffering of children, working towards sustainable living, and helping to create a higher quality of living in some of the most impoverished areas of the world.  OTM is also dedicated to ‘supporting cultures and communities where basic human need are at risk' through their yearly Seva Challenge.  In order to help raise money for this nonprofit we pledge to do 108 sun salutations on the top of Mt. Philo on July 18th at 8 a.m and to get as many members of our community to sponsor us as possible. The salutations will be open to many levels of practitioners.

The money raised through this event will go towards the following:

80% of the funds will go towards helping the children of Uganda through the building of schools, organic farms, and a birthing center for women who are hiv/aids positive.
O.T.M. will work in conjunction with: Youth Aids, Hope for Tomorrow, and Shanti Uganda to create sustainable community programs and teach leadership skills to the people of this region.

20% of the funds raised will be used in O.T.M.’s domestic programs. This includes bringing Yoga to 'at risk' youth here in the states.

Interested in getting involved? It’s easy. All you need to do is to contact me, Sofi Dillof, (see info below) and I will email you a sponsor form or pick one up from a participating studio or teacher and start your fundraising.

There are two sponsor forms available. The first form allows you to pick a personal fundraising goal that you feel comfortable with. The second form is the 'gold card' sponsor form. This form is for those participating who want to take the extra fundraising challenge of trying to raise at least $500. I will offer free Yoga classes for all those taking the gold card challenge from the time of signing up until the time of the event. Whether it is asking 50 people for $10, 10 people for $50 or some other strategy, know that this goal is reachable if you have pure intention and motivation!

Asking people for money is not always easy, just remember what you're actually doing is giving them an opportunity to make a positive difference in the world.

Contact info: sofi@bowdownyoga.com  or 238-6838

If you would like to sponsor me for this event:

Click the donate button below.

Off The Mat, Onto the Cushion: 108 days to prepare for 108 minutes of meditation practice

 
In this by donation Off The Mat, Into the World meditation series you will have the opportunity to:

* learn what meditation is and how to meditate.
* practice meditation in a supportive and peaceful environment.
* find a meditation seat that best suits your body.
* learn to over come the obstacles in your meditation practice
* learn from guest meditation speakers
* stand up for others while sitting quietly
* and more....

When:  June 2nd - Sept. 15th. 
Sessions held every other Tuesday night  6pm - 7pm 
The 108 minute sit will take place on September 19th
  
Where: The Bliss space 200 Main Street Burlington Vermont

Please contact me for more information.

Back from the Osa. Thank you all for everything! Until Next Year........

 

Thank you Yoga Ice Warriors...

... and everyone who supported us in our efforts to raise money for the Off The Mat, Into The World Seva Challenge. Our day was a big success. We raised over $5000 for schools and farms in Uganda and had a great time doing it.
For more photos go Brian Macdonald Photography

108 Sun Salutations on Ice: March 7, 2009

As part of the Seva Challenge 2009 Bare Witness: African Humanitarian Tour, I, along with many other devoted Yogis, will be performing 108 Sun Salutations in the potentially sub-zero climate on the frozen waters of Lake Champlain.All the money raised will go towards building schools and farms in Uganda. If you would like to sponsor me for this event:

Click the donate button below.

YogaPeeps Interview

 "YogaPeeps Episode 56 is an interview with Sofi Dillof, of Bow Down Yoga, in Burlington, Vermont, and Lara Hedin,  of YogaPeeps.com. In this episode, Sofi and Lara talk about the ego, enlightenment in this life, devotion, isvara pranidhana - surrender to god, and kindness to others."

For those who are interested you can check out an interview with me by Yoga Peeps at by clicking here.

p.s. isn't it weird to hear your own voice?

The Cat In The Hat... a Jnana Yogi and Advaita Vedantist ?

Have you have considered the Cat in Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat as an Advaita Vedantist? Or dare I say, a Jnana Yogi teacher supreme right up there with Sri Nisargadatta (well maybe that's going a little too far)? If you haven't, don't worry about it. My guess is that most have not. Perhaps I have a bit too much time on my hands as of late but here's the way I see it...

The story of the Cat in the Hat begins on a dreary day at the home of two sad and hopeless children who are yearning for the weather to change so that they can go outside and play. I think we can all relate to these sentiments: "if only this or that were to change in my life then I'd be happy" or  "If only some external situation would shift, then I would be free to do as I please." But alas, unable to change the weather, the children sit and mope and wait.

Then in walks The Cat in the Hat. Why has he shown up at their door? He is searching for something (which is, after all, why we have all shown up in this world, is it not?). And what is he searching for? His "lost family credenza". Now in case you don't know what a credenza is, not that it matters much, it is like a side board that one might use in their living room. Of course it's meaning is insignificant to the story. What is important to note is that something has been lost that must be found. Isn't this the basic foundation upon which the practice of Yoga was born? Are we not striving to find our lost sense of Self - an identity that moves us beyond all duality?

So let us assume for the moment that the 'credenza' is a metaphor for this True Self. It has been lost and must be found, but how? This question is skillfully answered (in song no less) by Shri Cat in the Hat when he delivers the following teaching:

"How to the find the missing something is to find out where it's not"

How clever this cat is to explain the concept of Neti Neti or "not this not that" in a way that even a child could understand.

This practice of negation, or eliminating all that you are not looking for in order to be left only with what you seek, is based on the Advaita doctrine that the absolute can only be spoken of in terms of what It is not because what It is cannot be expressed in words.

That which is "real" according to Vedanta is that which does not change. Anything that changes, therefore, should be discarded when searching for the definition of one's True Self. Does the body change? Yes. Do our thoughts and opinions change? Yes. Do our emotions and desires change? Yes. 

If you can let go of all identity with those attributes of self that are inevitably subject to change, then you will be left only with the changeless sense of "I Am" - limitless and supreme.

And was the Cat in the Hat's search for his lost family credenza boring or dry? No, not all. In fact, the process of searching was so much fun and laced with such excitement and adventure that the once mopey children were left filled with a sense of joy and renewed energy.  The fact that they didn't  know if the credenza had been found (well, at least until 'mom' came home) was of little significance. The process of eliminating that which obscures the True Self can be half the fun.

May your search for Truth be filled with equal thrills, chills, delight!

Hari Om Tat Sat,

Sofi

Thank You.....

..... to everyone who came to Dreaming Mountain for my chakra workshop last weekend. I had an amazing time and I hope you all did too! Here are some photos from the day (you can click on them to enlarge).

 

Here's what I've been thinking about...

Imagine that you are in a flow type asana class. Through out the class the poses are changing but the breath remains the same. The breath exists in the different forms of the asanas and each asana presents a different situation which sets the stage for different experiences to be had. The flow of asanas leads eventually to Sivasana, corpse pose, representing the death of our attachment to the body and mind and our awakening to the True  Nature of Oneness.

Now imagine that each asana is representative of one of your life times.  The breath is a metaphor for your Soul. Just as the breath exists with in each new asana, your soul goes through many many cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Each time it does it takes on different forms and incarnates into different situations so that certain lessons can be learned and certain karma's can be worked out. All this, of course, is to facilitate the Soul's journey towards Moksha, liberation.

When you are in a pose in class that feels less then blissful you might be afforded some ease by the knowledge that the pose is not going to go on forever nor is it the last pose that you will we do. This sense of calm leads to a state of equanimity of mind that allows us to stay present and work through the discomforts and hopefully remove some deep seeded obstacles of body and mind that are preventing us from experiencing a greater sense of happiness and freedom in the pose.

In much the same way, the life that you are living now is just one 'asana' in the sequential series of many. (I'd even go so far to say that this entire manifest universe is but one in a series of many  sequential universal asanas but I'll save that for another time.) The placement of this life time is not arbitrary. It is a logical progression from the last and will lead you to where you need to be going just as the vinyasa unfolds in class. At times this 'asana' which is your life might put you in certain positions or situations that are uncomfortable; even, at times, painful. Why? So that you may learn and work through what you must in order to grow and evolve. If you resist or shut down during those times in your life what will happen? Well, what happens to you in class when you resist of shut down in a pose? Sometimes nothing and sometimes it actually become more painful (and of the two, the later is probably preferable). If you remain present in life and dedicate yourself to working just as you do in an asana in class , then it would stand to reason that you would also remove some deep seeded obstacles of body and mind that are holding you back from greater experiences of happiness and freedom with in this life time. Make sense?

Just as you would stay connected to the breath in class, strive to remain connected to the changeless nature of the soul rather then the ever-changing nature of body and mind. Put this life time in perspective. Do the work you need to do so that you might flow gracefully into the next life time and one day, into Bliss.

 

Go forth brave warrior ......

Here is your mission: It 4:55 pm. The post office closes at 5pm. You have a letter that has to be mailed today. Can you try as hard as you can to make it to the post office in the next five minutes but remain completely un-effected whether you make it there in time or not? This means not feeling happy (yeah me... life is great) if you make it and not feeling distressed (this is horrible ..... everything is wrong now) if you don't.

Often times I use this example in class to illustrate the praxis of "action-less action" or "non-attachment to action", one of the central themes of the Bhagavad Gita.

"Self-possessed, resolute, act, without any thought of results, open to success and failure. This equanimity is Yoga." - B. G. 2-48

There is no need, nor is it necessarily possible, to refrain from action in order to attain liberation (Moksha). The key is to perform all actions with an attitude of selflessness or dispassion. Remember, it is only the ego that is caught up in the whole "win/lose, success/failure" trip. This egotistic tendency stems from our own sense of self importance and leads to a life of anxiety, pain, and suffering. Instead, strive to make each action selfless. Relinquish your "it's all about me" attitude. Act wisely and boldly but do not concern yourself with the outcome of your actions.  In doing so, the mind will remain steady, undisturbed and focused in all situations. This is true liberation. Nothing will get you down!

This same teaching can be found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Here, Patanjali explains that Yoga (or Samadhi) can be attained through the non-identification of the fluctuations of the mind. In order to reach this one must sincerely, consistently, and with great effort practice concentration (abasyah) while simultaneously employing viragayah (non-attachment to all desires and worldly matters). In other words, work very hard in your pursuit of Yoga but have no expectations as to the outcome of your efforts. Worrying about whether or not you will someday attain liberation will only interfere with you efforts.

So, go forth, brave warriors. Take action! Engage! And then let go! Remain steady in mind and steady in heart. Everything else will take care of itself.

Om Shantih.