Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    First of all, Cindy, I'm so *glad* you're here.  :-}
    
    It might be helpful to explain that, in Sanskrit, the word Yoga
    means "yoke," as in the yoke commonly used with oxen and other
    so-called beasts of burden.  Yoga's purpose is to (yoke) enable
    a union of body, mind and Spirit.
    
    Interestingly, a favorite expression of Paul's was "in union with
    Christ Jesus."
    
    Richard

    
    Hi Cindy,
    
    Kripalu is definitely on my list of places to go to *soon*!  I have
    been feeling the need to just get away and everytime I think about
    it, Kripalu comes to mind.
    
    By the way, thanks for the Kripalu information you sent me.
    
    Carole

                                   
    Thanks, Richard - perfect explanation!
    
    You're welcome, Carole.
    
    In a few other conference I've offered information to send to those who
    inquired, however my supply is now depleted.  Hm...guess this means
    another trip.  (;^)  In any case, if anyone is interested in receiving
    their calendar of events (no obligation and no charge) the address is:
    
       Kripalu Center
       Box 793
       Lenox, MA  01240
    
    It's a non-profit organization.
    
    Cindy

    Cindy,
    
    	Could you elaborate on the various forms of yoga: hatha yoga,
    raja yoga and gnani yoga; and explain how these expressions might
    tie into a lively Christian faith and practice?
    
    	Also, what is the role of meditation in yoga?  And how might
    a Christian benefit through yogic meditation?
    
    Peace,
    Richard

    Hmmm Yoga huh ? Well, I'm not into Yoga, but I'am into Tai Chi. I took
    a course at Monty Tech in Fitchburg, this past fall. I didn't think
    people would be open to these things in this conference, so I didn't
    advertise it when they were running the course. I will next fall.

    Thanks for sharing Cindy.
    BTW, could you share with us the benefits of Yoga ? 
    For those who hate to exercise, I understand this  is a good
    alternative.

    Peace
    Jim

    
    Hi Jim,
    
    Sorry to take so long to reply - I'm not reading regularly at the
    moment due to being in an intensive training program which will be over
    with in June.
    
    I hope to dedicate quite a bit of time to talking about yoga in the
    various conferences when I finish this training, and will be back to go
    into greater detail then.
    
    The connection between Tai Chi, yoga, and related disciplines is that
    it is the same energy we're dealing with.  It is the Holy Spirit which
    is truly closer than our hands and feet - it's just called different
    names in the different disciplines.  I'll be back in June to explain
    this connection - no doubt it's raised a few eyebrows here!  (;^)
    
    There are many facets to yoga - the physical aspect is known as hatha
    yoga, and indeed all stretching exercises are based on ancient yogic
    postures...from Jane Fonda to the natural stretching we do when we're
    sitting at our terminals after a hard morning of noting.  (;^)  er...
    work, that was.  The body stores emotions, and different parts of the
    body correspond to different emotions.  To stretch out the muscles and
    become limber again is to also dissapate or get in touch with emotions
    that we've stored.  Now, most people don't notice this correlation
    because you have to be aware of your thoughts when you're doing the
    postures, not just doing them to mechanically put the body through sets
    of stretching routines.
    
    In just the few months of hatha yoga that I've been doing, I feel so
    much better and more relaxed, both physically and mentally.  The word
    yoga, as Richard mentioned in .1, is the union of body, mind and
    spirit.  The spirit part is the energy, the mind is paying attention to
    the thoughts in the mind as you're doing the postures, and the body is
    paying attention to the spots where you have tension so that you can
    focus on relaxing that part.  Everything works together - kind of the
    chicken and egg scenario.
    
    More in a few weeks.
    
    Cindy

    Thanks Cindy !

    One point I'd like to make however, is that in Tai Chi, the internal
    energy within us, referred to as the Chi, is not the Holy Spirit. 
    The Holy Spirit, is a separate and independent being. The energy that is
    within us, whoever is given to us by the Holy Spirit, who is God and
    can be used to benefit our health and well being.

    One of the practices in Tai Chi is the circulation of the Chi to 
    different parts of the body for health as well as for use of power
    when using Tai Chi as a martial art. 

     I'll talk  about it more perhaps in a separate note. Although, I
    don't know if this belongs in this conference.


    Peace
    Jim

re: Note 182.7 by Jim "Bluegrass,Music Aged to Perfection" (good to have you 
back after this Lenten season!)

>     I'll talk  about it more perhaps in a separate note. Although, I
>    don't know if this belongs in this conference.

I'd appreciate learning more about this.  I've been practicing Shintaido for a 
couple of years.  It's a modern Japanese martial art with most of its origins
in karate. 

It is non-combative, and cooperative rather tham adversarial.  One gives and 
receives "attacks" only in the sense that you are passing control between two 
partners.

The old spiritual aspects (based on the concept of a "god/emperor") have been 
stripped away.  A practicioner brings with them whatever spirituality they 
have, and the learning of body movements helps one focus and enhance it.

As Mike has pointed out, Christianity is perhaps a very emotional faith, and 
as an Episcopalian I find it nicely intellectually challanging and stimulating 
as well, but other than singing in choir and all the kneel/sit/standing we do 
(.-), there's not a lot that relates to the physical side.

As an incest survivor, I suppressed my physical awareness for many years.  
Singing and Shintaido have been instrumental in my recovery, and my 
development as a whole, spiritual being.  (The ad for Shintaido that caught 
my eye said "Recover the spontaneity of movement you had as a child".)

I'd like to hear more about this, especially as it applies to one's spiritual
growth, and perhaps expand the topic to include not only yoga and the martial
Arts, but dance and whatever other physical activities may apply.  (I know
several people who work in their gardens to pray; and Mike, I've heard of "Zen
Archery", can you tell me anything about that?) 

Cindy, good reading you!  Looking forward to learning more about yoga, too.

Peace,

Jim

   {From: The Essence of Self-Realization - the Wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda"
          compiled by J.Donald Walters, p.109-111}

   The Need for Yoga

   A visitor: "What is yoga?"
   
   Paramahansa Yogananda: "Yoga means union. Etymologically, it is connected
   to the English word, yoke.  Yoga means union with God, or, union of the
   little, ego-self with the divine Self, the infinite Spirit. 

   "Most people in the West, and also many in India, confuse yoga with Hatha
   Yoga, the system of bodily postures.  But yoga is primarily a spiritual
   discipline. 

   "I don't mean to belittle the yoga postures.  Hatha Yoga is a wonderful
   system.  The body, moreover, is a part of our human nature, and must be
   kept fit lest it obstruct our spiritual efforts.  Devotees, however, who
   are bent on finding God give less importance to yoga postures.  Nor is it
   strictly necessary necessary that they practice them. 

   "Hatha Yoga is the physical branch of Raja Yoga, the true science of yoga.
   Raja Yoga is a system of meditation techniques that help to harmonize
   human consciousness with the divine consciousness. 

   "Yoga is an art as well as a science.  It is a science, because it offers
   practical methods for controlling body and mind, thereby making deep
   meditation possible.  And it is an art, for unless it is practiced
   intuitively and sensitively it will yield only superficial results. 

   "Yoga is not a system of beliefs.  It takes into account the influence on
   each other of body and mind, and brings them into mutual harmony.  So
   often, for instance, the mind cannot concentrate simply because of tension
   or illness in the body, which prevent the energy from flowing to the
   brain.  So often, too, the energy in the body is weakened because the will
   is dispirited, or paralyzed by harmful emotions. 

   "Yoga works primarily with energy in the body, through the science of
   pranayama, or energy-control.  Prana means also 'breath'.  Yoga teaches
   how, through breath-control to still the mind and attain higher states of
   awareness. 

   "The higher teachings of yoga take one beyond techniques, and show the
   yogi, or yoga practitioner, how to direct his concentration in such a way
   as not only to harmonize human with divine consciousness, but to merge his
   consciousness with the Infinite. 

   "Yoga is a very ancient science; it is thousands of years old.  The
   perceptions derived from its practice form the backbone of the greatness
   of India, which for centuries has been legendary.  The truths espoused in
   the yoga teachings, however, are not limited to India, nor to those who
   consciously practice yoga techniques.  Many saints of other religious
   also, including many Christian saints, have discovered aspects of the
   spiritual path that are intrinsic to the teachings of yoga. 

   "A number of them were what Indians, too, would accept as great yogis.
   They had raised their energy from body-attachment to soul-identity. 

   "They had discovered the secret of directing the heart's feeling upward in
   devotion to the brain, instead of letting it spill outward in restless
   emotion. They had discovered the portal of divine vision at the point
   between the eyebrows, through which the soul passes to merge in Christ
   Consciousness. 

   "They had discovered the secret of breathlessness, and how in
   breathlessness the soul can soar to the spiritual heights.  They had
   discovered the state which some of them call mystical marriage, when the
   soul merges with God and becomes one with Him. 

   "Yoga completes the biblical teaching on how one should love God: with
   heart, mind, soul - and strength. For strength means energy. 
  
   "The ordinary person's energy is locked in his body.  The lack of
   availability of that energy to his will prevents him from loving the Lord
   one-pointedly with any of the three other aspects of his nature: heart,
   mind, or soul.  Only when the energy can be withdrawn from the body and
   directed upward in deep meditation is true inner communion possible. 


   =========================================================================

   "What is the best religion?" queried a truth seeker.
   
   "Self-realization," Yogananda replied.

   "Self-realization is, in fact, the *only* religion.  For it is the 
   true purpose of religion, no matter how people define their beliefs.
   A person may be Christian or Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu, Moslem or
   Zoroastrian; he may proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only way, or
   Buddha, or Mohammed - as indeed, millions of believers do.  He may 
   insist that this ritual, or that place of worship, bestows salvation.

   "But it all comes down to what he is, in himself.  ...

   Your religion is not the garb you wear outwardly, but the garment of
   light you weave around your heart.  By outward garb I don't mean your
   physical rainment only, but rather the thoughts and beliefs in which 
   you enclose yourself.  They are not *you*.  

   Discover who you are, behind those outer trappings, and you will
   discover who Jesus was, and Buddha, and Krishna.  For masters come 
   to Earth for the purpose of holding up to every man a reflection of
   his deeper, eternal Self.

Last week I was at Kripalu Center in Lenox, Mass. for a weeklong program
called "Capturing The Spirit Of Yoga", and the speaker was Yogi Amrit
Desai, the yogi who founded the center.  It was a fabulous week!

This was my fourth trip to the Center in the last 12 months.  My first
trip was last September to attend the Welcome Weekend, a short program
designed to provide an introduction to the Center and all that is 
offered there.

I was planning on going back in February, however while driving from
New Hampshire to Chicago at Christmastime, my car died a few miles from
the Exit 2 where Kripalu is located.  The car couldn't be fixed that 
day, so I ended up spending Christmas at Kripalu instead.  

A few months ago I went for their Inner Quest Intensive, then signed up
for the Capturing The Spirit Of Yoga program I attended last week.

This year I've signed up to be there at Christmas, to make it a slightly
more conscious decision to be there this time.  (;^)

It is such a beautiful place, located on 350 acres just across from
Tanglewood.  The building is a former Jesuit monastery built in 1957 and
purchased by Kripalu in the 1970's. 

I brought back some copies of their Calendar and Program Guide.  If you
would like to receive a copy, contact me offline directly and include 
your preferred mailing address.  

Feel free to ask any questions about the Center in this note topic, and
I'll be happy to answer them.

Cindy

==========================================================================

From the catalog:

Kripalu Center is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to 
promoting personal and spiritual growth, and providing humanitarian service 
and education to people of all backgrounds, races, and creeds.  Named for
the eminent yoga master Swami Shri Kripalvanandaji, Kripalu Center is
founded on the belief that all humanity belongs to one family and that the
Divine dwells within each one of us.  

Kripalu Center is staffed by members of the Kripalu Yoga Fellowship, a
religious order based on the yogic teachings of vairagya (simplicity),
brahmacharya (celibacy outside of marriage), and tapascharya (willful
spiritual discipline).  Members of the Fellowship live and work 
full-time at Kripalu Center, practicing a simple life of love, service 
and surrender through reliance on the spiritual teachings of yoga.

All  of the programs at Kripalu Center are based on the yogic principle 
that purity and harmony of body and mind are central to spiritual 
evolution and in-depth inner growth.  Thus, all of the activities at 
Kripalu Center are geared toward bringing the individual to new levels 
of vibrant health, peace of mind, and spiritual attunement.

    
    I changed the topic name to Kripalu Yoga and Center, fyi.
    
    Cindy

From:  The New York Times, Sunday, April 7, 1991, Travel Section

No-Frills Spas - by Trish Hall
--------------

Kripalu Center, Lenox, Mass.  

Kripalu is not a spa, or at least, it doesn't call itself one.  It is a 
nonprofit yoga and meditation center that draws people seeking a more 
spiritual life.  But like a spa, Kripalu offers a chance to learn 
something new, to regenerate.  I thought I could drift into my own 
reverie, abandon the intensity of the city, stretch out in some yoga 
classes and eat some healthy food.

My initiation into nirvana, however, was not auspicious.  By the time I 
arrived at the registration desk for a two-day visit, I was in a rage 
more typical of New York than the bucolic Berkshires.  I had been 
circling the parking lot for at least 10 minutes, unable to find a place 
until I gave up and broke the first of Kripalu's many rules:  I parked 
on the grass.

Kripalu is not a place that exists solely for the comfort of its 
visitors.  It is a community of people who are seeking a spiritual path 
as followers of Yogi Amrit Desai while living at the center, which is a 
few miles from Lenox, perhaps best known for the summer concerts at 
Tanglewood.

Guests at Kripalu, while treated cordially, are also left to their own 
devices.  They are a bit like students: they are there to learn and 
nobody pays much attention to them unless they are bad.

Even the physical setting seems like a school.  The sprawling brick 
building is institutional.  Classrooms, meeting rooms and dining room 
are spread out over four stories. There are large dormitory-style rooms 
as well as individual rooms that can be singly or shared.  They are 
clean and functional but devoid of any deliberate beauty. 

Although days and nights at Kripalu are structured, there is no pressure 
to participate in anything.  No one pushes philosophy on you.  The day 
begins and ends with meditation.  On a typical day, there will be two 
yoga classes, a guided walk through the grounds, instructional videos 
that can be viewed in the common area and an evening celebration that 
includes prayer and chanting.  Sometimes there is a guest lecturer on 
some aspect of spiritual life.  By 9:30, the hallways are dark, and 
voices are kept to a whisper.

Food is presented buffet style in a large dining room divided down the 
middle by the serving area.  Although murmuring is allowed at some 
meals, silence is required when a sign is posted.  Couples who come to 
Kripalu are encouraged to redirect their energy from physical connection 
to spiritual growth.  But they are allowed to eat together and, more 
often than not, they gravitate to the men's section.

The food, all vegetarian and made with very little fat, is wonderful.  
This is not spa cuisine, which seeks to mimic the look and cooking style 
of three-star restaurants.  This is high-quality hippie food, with many 
macrobiotic dishes but without strict adherence to that method of 
eating.  The meals reflect the kind of devoted labor that makes 
vegetarian cooking so time consuming: freshly cooked cut-up beets in the 
salad bar or just-baked bread made with many grains which is both light 
and chewy.

There was always a choice of entree.  Breakfast offered hot and cold 
cereals, fruits and muffins.  Lunch one day was parsnip, leek and yam 
soup followed by home fries topped with homemade ketchup.  Dinner one 
night was baked beans, with a side of collard greens steamed with 
carrots and rice.  Dessert was always fruit: a choice of a banana, an 
orange or an apple.  The only misfire was a millet casserole; it tasted 
like glue.

When I wasn't marveling at my ability to gain weight even on low-fat 
vegetarian food, I was reveling in the massages, which are available in 
a calm and professional health services center that also offers the 
chance to consult with a holistic doctor.  Massage, reflexology, facials 
and a flotation tank are available, at about $50 extra for each session. 
 The two massages I tried were among the best I have ever had.  Kripalu 
Bodywork massage was firm but soothing.  Shiatsu was 90 minutes of pain 
and pleasure as fingers and palms pressed into acupressure points.

When a masseuse hit a number of sore points in the back of my head, she 
said the pain was from tension.  "You're trying to make everything work 
out," she said. "You're trying to control everything, and you can't do
that."  She consoled me by saying that some guests are so tense that 
they cannot endure more than the most gentle touch.

Pictures of Yogi Amrit Desai watch over the visitors and staff alike.  
The classes are clear enough for beginners but far more sophisticated 
than the typical yoga classes taught at health clubs and spas.  
Schedules for each day's activity are posted, but sometimes there are 
surprises.  Once, in search of the evening prayer meeting, I stumbled 
into the wrong room and found a t'ai chi class.

There are hours in the day, however, when little is planned.  During 
good weather, guests can hike through the nearby trains or along the 
country roads or go swimming in the lake.

Time takes on a different quality in such a quiet environment.  Even 
the rule that guests wear modest clothing (sweat suits instead of 
leotards, for example) contributes to a feeling of calm and purity.  A 
day seemed like a week.  There was no television, no radio, no need to 
talk to anyone.  In many spas, the socializing takes place at the dinner 
table or just before and after classes.  But at Kripalu, there isn't the 
expectation of conversation.  Being naturally reserved, I simply stopped 
speaking for two days.  It was so quiet that the sound of the heater in 
my bedroom became an annoyance.  In New York, it would have faded into 
the general cacophony.

Because I wasn't used to an early bedtime, I stayed in my room alone 
for hours in the evening, reading magazines and books, even studying 
People magazine's story about "Princes Di and Charles."  I read a novel 
in one sitting from beginning to end, something I associate with 
childhood, when the only obligation consisted of turning off the bedroom 
light and turning on the flashlight.

By the end of my second day, I had lost all desire for chocolate, my one 
true addiction.  Time had slowed to almost nothing.  I was calm.  I was 
relaxed.  And, although I am sometimes embarrassingly resistant to the 
whole idea of a spiritual path, I could see how life in this community 
could be rich.  

On the final morning, I picked up my bowl of cornflakes and headed for 
my customary solitary seat in the dining room.  Only then did I realize 
that absolutely no one was talking.  Every pair of eyes was raised to 
the large windows, looking with awe at the falling snow.  It was a
genuinely transcendent moment.

                 Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
                 Post Office Box 793
                 Lenox, Mass. 01240
                 (413) 637-4747

                 Rates start at $60 a night for accommodations
                 in a dormitory-style room.  Private rooms 
                 without bath are about $135 a night, but
                 vary depending on the program offered.  
                 Massages and facials start at $50.  Kripalu
                 can accommodate 275 visitors at a time in
                 addition to the 300 followers of the guru
                 who live and work there.

Thanks, Cindy, for sharing your experiences at the Kripalu Center with us.
It sounds as though you found it be refreshing, invigorating and nourishing,
over all.

How might Christians especially benefit from such an experience?

Richard

    Re.13
    
    Hi Richard,
    
    >How might Christians especially benefit from such an experience?
    
    It probably would depend upon the kind of Christian one is.  I doubt
    that someone from fundamentalist background would get as much out of it
    as a liberal Christian might. 
    
    Liberal Christians, however, would feel right at home in the ecumenical 
    atmosphere which is dedicated to serving people from all backgrounds, 
    races, and creeds in helping them to get in touch with their own
    inborn divinity.  "The center is geard toward bringing the individual to
    new levels of vibrant health, peace of mind, and spiritual attunement"
    (to quote from the brochure). It certainly has done this for me, which
    is why I keep going back.  (;^)
    
    Gurudev speaks of the role of Christ in the world quite often, and
    gives the Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter services himself.  I was
    particularly inspired by his Christmas morning service last year
    which was "Unconditional Love around the World" - the central message
    of Christ.
    
    Cindy