As the end of the year draws near, clearing + cleansing ourselves of the junk we've been pack-ratting around is spiritually imperative. The subconscious mind is like a garden. Left untended, pesky weeds (buried thoughts + impressions) multiply and threaten to take over. Eventually, we find ourselves so full of haywire messaging, we forget to don underwear and start putting our spectacles in the fridge. Before you know it, life has gone commando!

Fret not, bosom yoga chums, for there is light. A powerful meditation to purify the inmost mind:

1. Begin in Easy Pose.

2. Interlace your fingers with the thumbs resting on top.

3. Bring your folded hands up to your heart center, palms face the heart. Hold your hands against your body and rest them there comfortably. (This is called "heart folding." It is soothing + neutralizing.)

4. Close your eyes, inhale deeply, then hold your breath in for 45-60 seconds.* Focus your energy at the third eye and mentally chant "Har."

5. Exhale. Repeat 4 more times. (If you need a few normalizing breaths between the retained breath periods, this is perfectly acceptable.)

6. When complete, inhale and exhale rapidly (2 seconds each for a total of six rounds), then relax.

* If you cannot retain your breath peacefully + without strain for this amount of time, begin where you can. Work your way up. Respect your limits and don't push. Your capacity will grow in time.

Har is the Gurmukhi word for the Infinite Consciousness, for Divinity, for God. Yogi Bhajan had this to say about the Meditation for Clearing the Subconscious, "Hold the precious breath of life. God shall be with you right away. This is a very powerful method of prayer."

Sending you love + an uncluttered subconscious,

It gives me great goosebumpery pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Bikram O'Lantern:

Top Knot: check

80s Headband: check

Caterpillar Brows: check

Smirk: check

Lit From Within (due to multimillionaire status): check

I think Bikkie would be honored, don't you?

Love you all + Happy Halloween,

whole /hohl/ : (noun) a thing that is complete in itself

You have heard many times that you are already whole, that you have everything you need. Yet many of us continue to feel more akin to doughnuts or swiss cheese — we experience holes in ourselves.

This meditation, inspired by and with its foundations in Osho's "Meditation for Fear of Emptiness," is my own answer to not only recognizing that we are complete, but feeling it, too.

1. Begin in Balasana (Child's Pose).
2. Rest your forehead on the ground comfortably.
3. Rather than the usual hand/arm positions for Balasana, bend your elbows and place your palms flat on the ground in alignment with your head. Like a full-body prayer or bowing pose.
4. Breathe naturally. Be reverent. Be present.

(Duration: Start with 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, working your way to 11 minutes per meditation.)

"Enter into your own womb and just be there. No technique, no mantra, no effort — just be there. So every night go into that space...within three weeks one day suddenly you will see such blessings arising, such an upsurge of energy, such a joyous quality to your being." — Osho (from Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously)

Practice for 40 days and/or anytime you need grounding and the ecstatic reminder that you are, indeed, whole.

With love + aperture-free doughnuttiness,

Likes to break rules or just doesn't listen (uh, ever), he ate a huge lunch before class:

Handstand time and he forgot to wear his junk-hiding/hugging shorts:

Male teacher gets TOOCLOSE during an adjustment:

Girl next to him passes gas. Shocked that beautiful feminine creatures do this in the wild:

Late to class. Door is closed:

The dude argument that never dies:

Falls asleep in Savasana, always:

Big ups to the boys out there — love sharing mat space with you,

They are so dedicated. The fan club doesn't really talk or even blink, but I know they have my back when it counts. They like to snuggle, too.

Didn't make it out? Don't sweat it (we did enough of that for you — 100°+). Got lots o' shots for sharing so you can feel the flow vicariously:

Le kirtan devotees.

Yoga = Sanctuary.

Love this girl! Stopped by to admire her purple bangs, stayed for her bubbly energy. (Jeanne @ Live Circus Sustenance)

Tees @ the Mantralogy booth.

Graffiti board + truth.

Beautiful artwork by Outi Harma. (Outi Art)

Ganesh says hi. (Radha Krishna Dolls of Love)

xo,

check out stilospotting @ namastilo: