Letting attachment go, letting them let you go

In the beginning of serious sadhana it often feels like one has to emulate what a yogi is "supposed" to do, and to some extent that is necessary. It is part of the initial purification process and paves the way for the journey to really begin.

But it is often the ego that gets some sort of rise out of "looking pure" or "acting austere". The real process unfolds as one is dedicated to practicing daily. As the consciousness is transformed, old habits lose their fulfillment. They just don't seem as good as they used to be.

Once you clean up your eating for a while, eating the old junk "treats" is not nearly as satisfying or exciting as it once was. The person that used to enjoy those habits is gone now. An important part of the path is dissolving any idea of who we are by definition of ego and attachments, such as things we like or dislike. As the path progresses it all changes faster then the weather near the Arctic Circle (pretty rapidly). Likes, dislikes, interests, etc, even the form of sadhana changes. All that stuff is constantly evolving like the consciousness. To define your sense of who you are by it is to get attached, get stuck.

As the consciousness unfolds, new choices begining to draw and old habits and choices fall away, effortlessly, like leaves from the trees in Autumn. Let them fall!

When the time is right, with consistent sadhana, habits will quit you naturally, like it or not. Don't fight it.
Encouraging healthy choices is important and takes self-control. It is part of the process of getting pure, the first steps of embarking on sadhana. However, we don't always need to struggle that hard. Isn't that to which we aspire to attain the truest effortless, intuitive harmony with the will of the Universe Itself?

Try letting the more subtle attachments finish with you in their own time.

The power of Community

Community, the gathering of like-minded individuals, is important on the path. We infuse each other with strength, confidence and encouragement. We teach and learn from each other. When we practice together, our energy magnifies.


In Yoga, the term "satsang" is used, meaning "in the company of saints or high-minded people". In Buddhism, the Sangha or community of monks, nun and lay-practitioners is a fundamental component of practice in which we "take refuge" or find strength.


The Irish say, "it is in the shelter of each other that the people live" and when we open ourselves to the real give and take that is community, we find we are truly fortified. We grow stronger spiritually both in learning to give or sacrifice of ourselves and in surrendering and taking help when we need it. We see the inter-being of all things in action. We are one with the universe and each other. We are more whole then ever.
English is not always the most poetic language, but the word "community" is beautiful. Co- as in together, and unity- we come together to experience unity. It is also lovely the Om is in the center!


We are just Love in the service of Love, some say. When we become community, we see love and peace in action! Namaste!

The real power of Yoga- why daily practice is key!

Coming together as a community to practice is powerful. Practicing once or twice at the studio each week is important to learn under the guidance of a professional, and to ensure that a practice center can remain open. But what about the weekend, the days in between, and the snow days? Natural Yoga is intended to be practiced everyday, it is intended to empower you to integrate practice into your lifestyle.
The word used for practice is sadhana, indicating spiritual practice, which in the Indian context is inseperable from life. Life is spiritually-infused, a journey of the soul in the body through the manifest world.
Don't depend on being at the studio to practice Yogic ways, anymore than one should only practice piety in church. Coming to the studio is to learn techniques, create community and to become inspired More deeply. Practice everyday- mindfulness of the breath and posture all day and aanas and/or meditation for at least a few minutes, and you WILL feel a great difference.
When we practice, we go deep within to the fountainhead of life energy, we touch the ground of Being or Source as it connects within us. To touch this is powerful, deeply healing and inspiring. Touch it once a week, and you will feel a difference. Touch it once a day, and you will transform. Touch it multiple times each day, and you will feel nothing short of miracles unfolding around you and through you.
We are having a workshop that will help you to establish daily practice of Natural Yoga on April 21st. Please inquire if you are interested or stay tuned for more info. You may request information by emailng naturalmethodyoga@gmail.com or by calling/texting 518 866 3621.

Special Workshop Event: Simple Ways to Transform Your Life- protect your health + the earth at the same time, this April at ~ Enlighten ~

On April 21st, from 4-8 pm we are conducting a special workshop to raise funds for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (www.woodstocksanctuary.org).

We will explore our topic- Simple Ways to Transform Your Life: ways to protect your health and the earth at the same time.
We will begin with a gentle yoga practice and meditation for 90 minutes, then talk about the vast and amazing benefits of regular meditation + yoga practice. We will talk about simple changes you can make in your everyday choices to help the earth and protect your health at the same time. We will talk about the most profound way to protect yourself and the earth- through dietary habits. Learn what foods harm and what foods heal, learn how to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight without having to ever count calories or starve again. This workshop will give you powerful tools and information to protect your health and help the earth at the same time- and for the most part saving money too.
Our suggested donation is $50, which includes tea during the last half of the workshop. As with any of Enlighten's offerings, pay only as you can afford, so no matter what, if any, donation you make you will be treated equally.
Wear comfortable exercise clothing. Bring a notebook and pen to take notes, and those who would like a booklet e-mailed to them with the workshop info can request it at the end.
We are using this workshop as a way to serve the well-being of our community and at the same time raise funds for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and their good work. They rescue and rehabilate and provide life-long care for the animal victims of factory farming. They give enjoyable and educational tours, allowing people to see and form true connections with the sweet and sensitive farm animals which have survived the egregious cruelty of the modern food system.
Tell your friends and co-workers, clients and aquaintences about this transformative event! For more information, e-mail Laura at naturalmethodyoga@gmail.com or call/text 518 866 3621.
Namaste!

The Pathways of Yoga

Yoga means union. It is the rejoining of our whole self in the present moment; mind and body with Spirit. Yoga is a state of wholeness or absorption, one-pointed attention in the present moment.
There are many ways to experience that absorption or wholeness. Traditionally in Yoga, it is divided into four pathways. The fifth is a relatively modern path of practice.

Raja Yoga: the scientific path, the path of systematic practices leading to Realization. This includes hatha yoga, nada yoga (absorption in inner sounds), and Patanjanli's Yoga sutras.
examples: this is the main form of Yoga taught in studios and yoga centers in the West.
ways to practice: regularly attend Yoga classes or practice yoga asanas, pranayama and meditation on your own. Start with a couple sessions each week and steadily increase to an hour each day. Regularly read and study the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. A good version is The Essential Yoga Sutra by Gesshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally.

Bhakti Yoga: the ecstatic path of Love and devotion. You love until the difference between you and the Beloved dissolves.
examples: Rumi was the ultimate lover of the Beloved. Loving devotion and communion with nature as the creation of the Creator is a form of Bhakti. Seeing the sacredness in all life and everywhere in every moment is a way of Bhakti.
The way very devoted Christians practice, with absolute love and adoration for the Divine in the form of Jesus Christ, could be described as Bhakti Yoga. Sufism is also very much a Bhakti way of life. Islam and Judaism, with the vow of remembrance have a strong level of Bhakti-like devotion, especially zikr and the practice of prayers throughout the day in Islam.
ways to practice: practice remembrance of God, also called mindfulness, in each moment.
Commune with nature, protect and respect the environment. Remember that nature is a pure manifestation from the Source of life. Through loving, respecting and connecting deeply with the creation, we show our love and reverence to the Creator. We celebrate the art and Artist at once.
Writing poems, singing devotional songs or chanting mantras help to build and express your love.
Be kind, compassionate, loving and helpful to all beings. Love is the way of life.
Serve and see others as emmanations of the Emmanence. See all of life and how it unfolds as purposeful, and as being placed perfectly for our spiritual evolution. Surrender to the truths that are revealed, accept everything as part of the path, especially the challenges that arise. Follow the heart-compass at all times, never bow to popular culture or peer pressure.
Become Divine Love in everyway possible.
Karma Yoga: selflessly serving all beings like you are serving the Divine, because you understand that that is what you are in fact doing.
examples: Mahatma Gandhi-ji was a karma Yogi. So was Mother Teresa.
way to practice: volunteering regularly, at home or abroad, serving others with no sense of loftiness or attachment to receiving thanks from others. Serve because it fulfils your inner being. Serve with all your heart, never feeling "better than" those you serve.
Help others in more unglorious ways, by holding doors, smiling to neighbors, listening when someone, even a stranger, needs to talk. Do things without recognition, do them anonymously whenever possible. Other ideas for service are doing yardwork or shopping for an elderly homebound neighbor, drop gifts of second-hand clothes off where they can be used, knit scarves for the homeless, donate food to the soup kitchen or animal food to the animal shelter. Rise to every occaision to alleviate the suffering of others, big or small, human or animal or even plant. Respect all life as a manifestation of the Divine.
Treat all as guests, and treat all guests as if they are the embodiment of the Divine Consciousness. Help others in any way possible, not looking for thanks or rewards. Do everything you can to free others of their suffering, with whole-hearted devotion.

Jnana Yoga: the path of study and deep meditation to transcend the egoic mind and reach enlightenment.
exampes: the Buddha, the Buddhist path is a way of Jnana. The teachings of Eckhart Tolle are in line with the Jnana Yoga path.
ways to practice: regularly study the scriptures and words of wise, accomplished beings. Spend time with a sangha, at a church, monastery or ashram. Meditate an hour each morning and each night. Seek out the company of others on the path or spend much of your time alone in practice as possible.

Integral Yoga: is a path blending all of these ways of Realization.
Examples: the Engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hahn really integrates service, loving appreciation and devotion to practice. Swami Sivananda and his disciples taught Integral Yoga as the surest path to Realization.
Ways to practice: find a natural balance of practices that can be integrated into your way of life. Live your Yoga. Don't compromise your most basic values of non-harm, kindness, service and compassion.

The Need to Walk Your Own Path: forget how you are supposed to be and just be

One downfall of traditional Yoga teaching, especially hatha yoga and lineage-based teachings, is that they emphasize regimented procedures for progressing on the spiritual path. The purpose of these strict rules is to try and make sadhana accessible to all, but these same people become trapped in the form of "how to do it" or "this way is the only right way because Swami did it this way".
Getting caught in attachment to formal rituals and methods stunts our spiritual progress. Learning from qualified teachers is important. Following their lessons and respecting their teachings is important. Then there comes a point where you lose the training wheels and go beyond. Through the gift of awareness, you receive creative inspiration, and you follow that. That is how the tradition has evolved over the centuries. It is a living tradition of evolving the consciousness, of seeing beyond the common view of reality.
What is the point of the teachings, of any spiritual teachings? To describe the Indescribable, to help you to touch the ground of being, the Source; to lead you to experience what many people call God. To evolve the consciousness enough to be able to percieve the true depth of reality, we need a lot of guidance, and to do a lot of inner-work. We need teachings, we need a path to follow. Yet, we can be crippled by clinging to the teachings for the answers. The teachings want us to walk our own path, to experience the Unseen for ourselves.
It is a form of fear that has us clinging onto to techniques and procedures rigidly. It is a form of learned helplessness to discount the credibility of our own deepest intuitions and experiences. We all are equally connected to the same Source, and we all can reach our Buddha nature or Christ consciousness (one in the same) someday.
Listen well to your teacher, follow well the true teachings, but don't ignore the spiritual-heart, the direct line of communication from the Source, the living creative impulse of Universal Consciousness. The teachings of your life situation and the following of that feeling of lightness and deep peace that comes from spiritually uplifting actions is YOUR path.

Life is sadhana, the spiritual journey. Spiritual practice is not something you do for an hour a day or five times a day, because every moment is equally sacred. Your entire life is your path, your sadhana. Your challenges are for your strengthening and purification, your happiness grows your love and connection to peace. Nothing goes unseen, there is no exception to that, everything counts.
We have to walk our own path, and no amount of clinging or fear can change that! So let all forms go, surrender to the ocean current and just become awareness and kindness in every moment. We must each witness the Indescribable, the sublimity and elegant intricacy of the fabric of life, with our own heart.