hold on tight
and it will want to fly

unclench the hand
and it will want to come

there is an art to letting go

there is no perfection to art
for art is never perfect

it is only what it is: its true nature

In a Hatha Yoga class, we go through the various karmic cycles of life. We are a dog, a cat, an eagle, a scorpion, a child, a cobra, a tree, a pigeon. We must pass through these various forms in order to become a full human being. And at the end of class, we are in shavasana, or corpse pose. Essentially, we die.

But then, after some time, we are reborn again. This is the karmic life cycle as represented in asanas, or body postures.

I find much beauty and poetry in this. Whereas before, I took for granted these poses and did them mindlessly, now, I am humbly respectful of what they represent and how I am becoming more connected with my divine self as a result.

A tree is not just a tree. A tree represents introspection and strength (its roots) and growth (its branches and trunk). A tree cannot grow if its roots do not dig deeper into the earth. Likewise, the roots cannot dig deeper if the branches and trunk are not growing upward, into the sky.

This represents many things for human beings, which we can certainly learn from. Let us self-reflect and inquire from ourselves what it is that we want in our lifetime, what it is we want to do and be.

Without self-examination, how do we grow our branches, and thus, expand our viewpoints and expound upon our answers? We would remain stunted, simply a baby tree unable to grow.

This book is wonderful in that he breaks down how our thought patterns — our mind itself — dictates everything. Our bodies are the way they are because of how we think of it and what we decide to do or not do with it. Lazy people tend to have lazy bodies. Not necessarily fat, but lazy postures, a lazy gait, lazy eye contact (or none at all), etc.

Long ago, there used to be quite an extreme. Ascetic lifestyles were the extreme, with people renouncing everything, all worldly material goods, all comforts in life, to live as One and to unite the self with the Divine.

Now, in the twenty-first century, we have another form of extreme. Comfortable lifestyles are the extreme, with people clamoring to be comfortable in all situations, at all times. With this attitude of comfort as the pillar of how one should live one’s life, is borne a disease of the body through the destruction of the mind. The mind govern’s everything, including our body movements (or non-movements). Dancers develop their techniques by watching their minds watch their bodies dance. In Western culture, we call this visualization.

All this to say: visualize what you want, and tell yourself you already have it. Day after day, night after night. Pin it up on your bathroom mirror, post it up on your computer. Whatever it is you want, you must first tell this to yourself (no need to tell anyone else) and convince yourself that it is already yours. Act as if what you want, you already have. Everything else follows. Nothing happens if you don’t even believe it can happen.

Two classic books where this is the mainstay of life and success are Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. You may have read these already; they are worth a re-read. I’ve read both of them numerous times, implemented the concepts within, and the timeless wisdom the books hold have helped me get myself to where I’m at. Of course, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chōdrōn is a lovely book for just being grounded in groundlessness. Pema has a straightforward knack in telling us like it is, all the while inspiring us and having us think.

Shakespeare once said, “All the world is a stage.” Stoic philosopher Epictetus has said, “We are all actors in a play.” What they mean by this is we become so attached to our perceived roles in life (the grand stage) which produces primary attachment, and who we truly are — the real us — becomes secondary. It all boils down to letting go. Letting go of false paths, expectations, plans, attachments, certainty.

We can let go of our self-given roles (or labels) in life. Say you are a journalist. You may not always be a journalist and need not associate with that title all your life. I may not always be a traveler, writer and yogi and need not associate with these titles in my life. Basically, you can do whatever it is you want to do, no matter what. You can reinvent yourself any day for any reason. No one’s stopping you. Itching to learn how to breakdance? Why not? Scuba dive? Sure. Pick the ocean or sea and get to it. Design music posters and album covers? Done. Tame wild crocodiles in the Amazon? Bring it. Be the female James Bond? Hey, no sweat.

This is how we get to where we ultimately want to be: individual liberation. Stop limiting yourself to doing the basic, to being basic. Go for broke; forgo cautionary tales; listen to no one but your heart; throw in all your eggs; relinquish tried-and-true paths and develop your own instead; burn your bridges; jump ship; eschew safety plans; halt doubts which have no ground. When you open yourself up to possibilities, which very much includes failure and success, the world becomes your playground in which you can do whatever it is you want, be whoever you want to be, go wherever you want to go, no questions asked.

spend it with those whom you cherish, without an image of how they should be.
spend it on those endeavors which make your heart sing, not a moment with regret.
spend it in places which opens your eyes and causes you to pause.
spend it on experiences that you will grow you, not all of which shall be what you expect.

time is just your partner
to spend with
in this moment of forever

When we breathe in, we breathe in life, hope, compassion, strength, love and beauty. When we breathe out, we breathe out death, turmoil, fears, hate and pains.

The way of the warrior understands that impermanence is simply life itself.

When she feels squeezed, she has a dualistic way of seeing the situation for what it is.

Is she being attacked? Or is she being taught?

Sitting in the midst of the firestorm, the warrior can either focus on the edges of the flames which burn her or she can remain sitting, for the center is where it is coolest.

Without awareness and self-knowledge, she will feel this is a cruel attack. With the understanding of life’s impermanence, she will know that even fires eventually die out.

There are fourteen barriers, or beasts, that come to my mind:

Jealousy
Pride
Ego
Greed
Attachment (and Possessiveness)
Expectation
Untruth
Power
Close-mindedness
Fear
Regret
Blame
Materialism
Laziness

These are surly beasts one must slay — and slay them you must! The virtuous path is not one without daily examination, grueling battles, and too-good-to-be-true shortcuts. If you want something bad enough — so bad it actually makes your heart ache — you will do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.

Let’s start with the first beast, Jealousy.

Jealousy is envy. Envy is discontentment derived from the resentful longing evoked by someone else’s status, possessions, qualities, fortune, etc.

No one walks through life without at some point in time being insanely jealous of another person for whatever reason. The same holds true with someone being insanely jealous over you. If it hasn’t happened, it’s because you haven’t noticed it. Jealousy is a human emotion that doesn’t necessarily need to be vocalized in order to be felt. It does not even need to be acknowledged.

Someone out there may be quietly seething with hot jealousy over you. Maybe it’s your charming good looks. Maybe it’s your diabolically witty sense of humor and ease of making other people laugh. Maybe it’s the sensational job you have. Maybe it’s the cool car you drive. Maybe it’s the lovely people you associate with. Whatever it is, someone out there is jealous of you. You, in turn, may also be jealous of someone else.

This cycle can continue on and on until we all die. Even then, the human race will still find their reasons to be jealous of one another.

Ask yourself why are you jealous of another person? What good will this jealousy do for you except make you feel smaller than you really are? Jealousy derives from insecurities we have about ourselves. Take care of those insecurities and you’ll find your jealous nature waning.

Leave these jealousies you’ve taken up behind. Just leave it. Leave the person(s) be, whoever they are. Wishing to have what they have, do what they do, live like they live, is a preventable trouble you need not add to your mental and emotional baggage. Rather than wish or want, say I am. Then go about finding ways to make this a reality.

The second beast goes by the name of Pride.

Pride is a deep satisfaction from within that is felt because of one’s achievements, qualities, possessions, who they associate with, etc.

When I worked for Walgreens Corporate HR, my parents were really proud of me. I was a young university graduate with a coveted, high profile job in a Fortune 50 company making $53K a year. I had my own new office and laptop, got to travel all across the nation, mingled with top executives in other companies and basically, had the “good life.”

That is, until I quit, for a number of reasons.

After that, my parents no longer were proud. Their only daughter voluntarily left what others would die for. Surely this was a cause for major disappointment. Anger subsided to confusion subsided to silence subsided to withdrawal.

Turns out, their love, as with human love, was conditional. Act a certain way that is not in accordance with what they’ve set out for their child to do or be and one can be certain love will not be returned in the same fashion as another child who did do what her parents wanted.

All this to say, Pride is still a beast. We can be oh-so proud of our current lifestyle, the new clothes we just bought, our children who are growing up to be model citizens, the advanced yoga pose we just mastered, the book dealing we just signed. But extend this long enough, often enough, and Pride will turn into its unhealthy cousin, Ego.

Speaking of Ego, for it naturally hears its name when called …

Oh how our heads can swell up so! We think we’re really smart and clever, that we’ve got this life thing down pat, that where we are now is due sheerly to the magnificent awesomeness of who we are to begin with.

Well, my dear friend, this is simply Ego sneaking up on you like a cunning ninja and jumping onto your head.

It is easy to garner admiration from others to fulfill our sense of identity and self-worth. But what one must also consider is that these admirations are merely external validations. External validations have no sustenance, much like hot air. There was never any strength in these validations to begin with.

The moment we think we are right and stand firmly by it is the moment we ought to soften and ask ourselves, “Well, what if I’m wrong?” There is a high probability that we are often more wrong than right. It’s just that we’ve conditioned ourselves to think our opinions are the only ones that truly matter and that our viewpoints are the only ones that have a real backbone. Consider this notion: it quite possibly may be because of our Ego talking.

Some yogis have hurt themselves needlessly because they wanted to show others how amazing they are, how flexible their bodies are, how incredible their practice is.

Few years ago, I sprained my groin muscle and right hamstring because of an unnecessarily high roundhouse kick during a Karate belt exam, and all because I wanted to show off.

Ego can be avoided by not feeding it useless praises and approvals that only fuel the fire. Fires can warm. But blaze long enough, large enough, and it will eventually destroy everything in its path — including you.

Let us meet the fourth beast called Greed.

Greed is when we want more than we actually need. We eat more than we have to. We buy and consume more than what is necessary.

Why settle for $59K a year when one can have $99K? Why settle for 8,000 readers on your blog when you can have 80,000? Why settle for a modest homemade lunch when one can go out to eat at a nice café?

The answer lays not in the settling. It’s not about complacency, that we simply settle to whatever life throws at us, much like coffee grounds settle to the bottom of the pan/press/cup if left sitting. It’s not about apathy either.

It’s about the wise discernment of knowing when to take more and when to stick with what you’ve got. One can be happy in any situation. Any situation. All it takes is a good ‘ol switcharoo — a change of attitude.

Learning to exist with less (as in minimalism) does not mean you quietly blend into the background and are all but forgotten about. That you never voice and act upon a thought or idea of yours. That you are a mere placemat which others stomp on repeatedly.

Learning to exist with less means you are happy with your current situation. That you train yourself to enjoy what you have, while you have it.

Attachment (and Possessiveness) is another wild beast lurking on our journey towards the higher life.

By god, slay your incessant need to feel you have the right to own anything, anything at all, in this world! The mere fact that you even have all these tools, qualities, traits, talents and skills, is a brilliant miracle in and of itself. One day, all will be gone. Your home you’ve grown up in. Your favorite stuffed toy you’ve held onto since you were an infant. Your mother, father, sibling, spouse, child, pet, best friend. Your career, marriage, car. Your life.

The need to attach ourselves to things, ideas, viewpoints and beliefs, people and places, is a fertile seed that is only watered by our continuous thirst for self-identification, a gathering of who we think we are, who the world thinks we are.

Who we really, truly are is never, ever defined by anything we attach ourselves to. Even the idea of names is an attachment. Concern yourself not with label or role assignment. Rather, concern yourself with living and being the full you that you were meant to be. Use that potential of yours that resides deep within.

Thinking you own everything and everyone around you is a waste of time and effort. You are only spreading bad energy, like a toxic gas bomb that makes everyone crumble to the floor passed out. What good is this?

You do not own your partner, you do not own your child, you do not even own the computer you’re reading this on, even if it has your name on it. Slapping a certificate of ownership, some legal papers together, your brand and trademark, may deter some from wanting to steal it (another form of possessiveness that partners with Jealousy and Greed), but think of this notion: nothing you think or create is ever anything new. The entire Universe dwells within you so that each salty tear is like the rain which falls upon the earth. Each sneeze is like a lightning bolt crackling through the sky. Each shiver is like the breeze that blows through the air.

Whatever you think you possess, release it. This compulsion needs to die for it no longer serves you. It never has.

We come now to the sixth beast, Expectation.

I’ve said it before and here I say it again: Abandon expectations. Accept loss forever. Some things were never yours to begin with.

Some people will travel thousands of miles across the oceans and lands to come to a place where exotic dreams are supposedly a reality only to find that inner contentment has nothing, or very little, to do with external surroundings.

Our sanctuary is within the mind. Within the mind also exists a place of hell. Where our demons fight one another continuously with only one mission at hand: to survive. You have to kill these demons. Burn them, along with your expectations.

Expectations often serve us nothing but hurt and disappointment. We think we ought to have a six-pack by now after all this Crossfit training, Yoga and Pilates. So then where is it? We think we ought to have our lover love us just as much as we love them. So then why don’t they? We think we ought to be promoted by now, after all these years of loyal service. So then why aren’t we?

These are mere expectations. Rather than expect to enjoy the fruits of your labor, why don’t we simply enjoy being able to do the work we’ve been put here to do, without expecting to enjoy fruit or no fruit?

That’s where real and honest enjoyment comes from. When we love the work we do, do the work we love, with no regard to any expectations of how we deserve XYZ. Who says we deserve anything than what we actually put out to the Universe? Most of what we believe we deserve is acquired through constant self-talk of “I deserve this, goddammit!” and other people who similarly pipe in, “Of course you do!”

Abandon expectations. The assumption that a specific consequence should transpire simply because you influenced the cause is faulty. Assumptions are not laid in factual occurrences. They are laid upon the groundwork of past behavior, experiences, results. But throw a wrench in the whole machine and it’ll all come grinding to a halt. You just never know. So if we never know anything, why do we expect that we should?

Meet the seventh beast, Untruth.

Untruth is the opposite of Truth. It is a fabrication of what really is, an exaggeration, an invention of the mind rather than what is really the true essence of things.

Untruth will bring down any man and woman, no matter how strong the person may be. One lie becomes another becomes another becomes another. Steal one thing, get away with it, steal another thing, get away with that, and one may be patterned to believe they can steal more things — bigger, riskier things — and still get away with it. This is Untruth hard at work, for it always starts off small, and subsequently, builds into an avalanche of ruins. Thinking we can get something for nothing. Justifying to ourselves that the story we’ve played out in our minds is worth all the deceit and tall tales.

To go from the lower to the higher is not an easy road to traverse. No one ever said it was going to be easy because that is the Truth. Nothing worthwhile to be experienced or had is ever truly attained through deception. You know deep down in your heart whether you are bullshitting yourself and others around you. You may succeed in convincing the entire world to believe in the lies and untruths you tell yourself, but in the very end, it is your soul that takes the real burden.

Let us meet the eighth beast, drunk as usual, Power.

The pursuit of needless Power is ever destructive. More power than what is necessary, that is. Some folks do very well to invoke positive, forward-moving changes in our humankind when they hold in their hands a special kind of power. The power of leadership, the power of communication, the power of creation, the power of invention, the power of assimilation, the power of change.

But when the power becomes an all-consuming obsession and no longer serves a useful purpose, for the self and for others, this is when Power becomes incredibly dangerous.

One can say we are all powerful in our own ways. And this is certainly true. Even if we are the lowliest of the lowest class and caste of the lowest society, we can still exert power over other people and other things. A slave can exercise power over a stray dog by beating it with a stick in order to feel a sense of importance to futilely replace the slave’s lack of importance in the eyes of other human beings. A small child can exercise power over other even smaller children at the playground by jeering and picking at them, to feel a sense of bigness, that they are actually powerful even if they are powerless when confronted with adults.

Power is ever present. We can use it for good or we can use it for evil. This particular beast can be trained but it takes a masterful trainer to know how.

Look who’s in our path next. Oh, I see. It’s Close-mindedness.

Close-mindedness does not even let the other person finish her thought before interjecting with one of its own, often antagonizing the other through pompous assertions that it is right and that’s that.

Close-mindedness is closely linked to ignorance. When one closes the mind, one no longer can learn from others and the world. What kind of existence is this reduced to? A kind where only the safe and the self’s ideas can play around with one another. This isn’t fun. This is prison.

One can decorate a prison cell with newly installed carpeting, painted walls, a state-of-the-art toilet and sink, a fresh bed and sheets, but this still does not mask the fact that it is still a prison cell, no matter what angle you look at it.

Being open to others’ ideas, opinions, comments, suggestions, queries, and the like, is how we continue to grow and better ourselves on the whole. Isolated existence, like an inmate in solitary confinement, has only its own thoughts to feed upon. No fresh water passes through. There is no one else around to say, “Hey, wait a minute! What if we tried this approach?” that moves mediocre ideas into great ideas.

Closing the mind also to others’ lifestyles, orientation, gender, creed, nationality, ethnicity and age serves zero purpose. Zero. One might as well be living on an island full of the same habitants as oneself since diversity is not celebrated nor is welcomed. We are not talking about tolerance here, for tolerance is barely being able to accept someone for who she is. We’re talking about the open invitation to explore other people because we are curious about humanity. We are all a reflection of ourselves. Some people reflect your image back more than others but there is always something you can find in another person that will remind you of yourself.

If Charlie is a black 23-year-old gay male who loves to spin his own tunes, grew up in Detroit, bartends on the side, and comes from a single family home, what does he have in common with Jordan, a 43-year-old straight white male who loves the oldies, grew up in Boston, works at a law firm, and comes from an upper-middle-class family, parents intact? Not much, one may quip, except that they’re both males? Think again. Behind the obvious differences lay a volcano’s worth of similarities. One simply needs to look underneath the surface to find a forest filled with characteristics that bind two people, and subsequently, all of humankind, together.

Fear, one of the scariest beasts out there, is the tenth one we shall face. And face it we shall.

Fear holds us back from being our true selves. From being the best person we can possibly be. From doing those incredible, life-changing things that will undoubtedly shake your existence as you know it. Fear is so powerful, for its best friend is Power, that it can literally make the world stop turning.

If we lived under Fear’s wrath all our lives, we will never realize that Fear can also be harnessed into fuel. Fuel to drive our actions in this world. Fuel to blaze on through, despite being scared shitless. Fuel to jump ship, to burn bridges, to leap into the unknown, to erase the past, to say the unsayable, to do the unthinkable, to be the impossible.

Without fear (of death, of heights, of planes, or all three), jumping out of a plane would cease to be thrilling. Without fear (again, of death and heights), cliff-diving or bungee jumping would no longer have any appeal. Without fear (of social rejection, being homeless, friendless, penniless), quitting a regular-paying job to live a life worth living for would cease to have chills run through your spine in ambiguous excitement.

You see, Fear, like Power, can be trained. We can use it to serve a better, higher purpose than the lowliest of human tendencies. We can, indeed, allow Fear to fuel us to be free individuals. We need only understand how to harness it.

Regret is the leech-like beast that makes you constantly look back over your shoulder, muttering to yourself, “Why did I do that …?” or “If only I’d done this …”

It beckons you to perpetually examine your past over and over again, to go over the different routes you “could have” taken, to visualize what “would have” happened if you’d only done this differently, to change things back to what it once was, to take back things you said and did.

Well, Regret has Time in its palm and it uses it very well. It makes you look back, rather than allowing you to live and enjoy the present. Never mind the future. That doesn’t even exist. What does? Regret.

Sling Regret off your back and do it now! Its energy-sucking nature is of no service to you. You know just as well that you cannot change things that have already happened. You cannot change other people. You cannot change the outcome of events. What you can change is yourself.

Who’s that I see up there blocking our virtuous path? Dammit, it’s Blame. It always tries to slow me down …

And there we have Blame already in action. Blame making others and events the sole benefactor of all that went wrong while at the same time, accepting all the joy, congratulations and prizes when everything turns out right. How typical.

There is no one — NO ONE — to blame for your life being the way it is (if it’s not the way you want it to be) but yourself. Everyone has a sob story, everyone struggles in one way or another, everyone has disappointments and people who have let them down. Ask not for pity, for this is a weak man’s route. Rather, ask yourself what can you do now to change things?

Blaming others is elementary. You, my friend, are not in elementary school. You know better than this. Act accordingly.

Now what do we have here? A brand new shopping mall, some sparkly gadgets, a line of new buffets … may I introduce you to your soon to be ex-friend, Materialism.

Our needs are actually few and basic. We need not much to be happy in this world. But the world — how wily this world can be — teaches and trains us that we are actually not happy. So we second guess ourselves. We look around us and see what others have and then fume, “Well, if he can have that, why can’t I?” It’s not a matter of having. It’s a matter of knowing what honestly makes you happy.

When you are three breaths away from dying, you are not going to want to surround yourself with your large estate, antique paintings you’ve collected over the years, your numerous video gaming systems, the summary of your bank accounts and investments. You’re going to want to be with those whom you have really loved in your life. Those you really care about. What matters to you then is what ought to matter to you now. Make no mistake about that.

And finally, lagging behind as always, enter Laziness.

Laziness is good buddies with impassivity and lethargy. They like to play bridge together, often. Hardly working and preferring to mooch off of others, Laziness thrives on having others take care of them. Why do something yourself when others can do it for you? is a common motto Laziness lives by.

Not everyone who has someone else do something for them is considered lazy, however. Some things are better taken care of by someone who is a professional or expert at such tasks. If you’re not a professional and licensed dentist, you’re not about to perform a root canal on yourself, would you?

The Laziness I speak of here is the one where life is just … whatever. Ho hum. Just waiting for the weekend. Wishing rather than acting. Blaming rather than taking responsibility. Harboring jealousy and greed rather than enjoying what one has.

There will never be a perfect time to get in shape, to travel around the world, to learn a new language, to be a better person, than the time you have now. Defer not what you can do today for a probable tomorrow. The fact of the matter is, you may not have a tomorrow.

Do what you’ve came here to do, be who you are made to be. There is no better moment than the one you’re wasting away right now.

Now go. Slay those beasts! They’ve derailed you long enough.

I know, a bit ridiculous, right? Why on Earth would a monkey need pants?

But that was besides the point. The monkeys at Shivanasamudra Falls, the second largest waterfalls in India and the sixteenth largest in the world, were mischievous and quick to snatch a delicious snack originally intended for humans. That’s what happened to all of our snacks we brought along the hike to the falls, including my peanuts with jaggery (a new recent favorite snack I discovered at Big Bazaar) that were in my messenger bag in which a small but lightening-quick monkey speedily plundered from right in front of me.

I threw my arms up in the air in semi-humorous frustration, sending non-serious curses towards the monkey’s way, as I eyed it eating my peanuts from a thin branch high above me.

Reaching for my favorite pair of black Adidas pants, the one I wore for years, I noticed it wasn’t in my bag like I thought it to be. Hm, that’s odd, I pondered, as I quickly rewound the past hour to see if I did indeed leave it in my bag when I took it off to go swimming and diving off the cliff.

“Did any of you guys see my pants?” I asked the group of friends I was with.

“No … uh oh, do you think the monkeys took it when they scavenged through all of our things for food?” one of them asked.

Oh no, a sinking thought entered. They probably did take them.

I was sad for about fifteen minutes, but before sadness could be felt, I realized I still needed to put some clothes on, pants or no pants. Walking back to the van in a wet bikini wasn’t a terrible idea, given how warm it was that day, but I still needed to be decent.

I mourned the loss of my favorite pair of pants while in the van, until my friend Dajana piped up, “Nina, let the pants go.”

I had to chuckle at the irony of this. A non-minimalist dishing out a serving of my own medicine. Let it go.

The Hindu monkey god Hanuman was sending me a message that day. Whether we consciously decide to let go of something or the decision is made for us, internally, we still need to let it go.

So, on that day, I let go of my pants.

And then, we have a true identity.

Yoga is the search for our true identity, our real home. What we create with our mind becomes our reality. We can change our mind by changing our perception. What we see with our eyes affects how we view the world, what we think about it. How we see with our eyes also affects what we believe the world to be.

Human beings are pure consciousness contained within flesh. We relate very well with the physical, the matter, the Gross, what we can see, smell, touch, taste, and hear with our five senses. Our rationality is reconfirmed, that there really is a world we live in, not just the one that plays in our mind.

The journey from consciousness to awakening and union with the Self is the journey of Yoga itself. Asanas tap into each one of our seven chakras, all leading us to the heights of higher consciousness. For most yoga practitioners, it is enough to show up on the mat and do the postures. But for those who really want to go deeper, to tap into the psychic powers that reside within all of us, let us understand what the chakras are and how the five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space) relate to them.

Chakra literally means wheel or circle, and in the yogic context, a better translation is vortex or whirlpool. Chakras are made up of prana, the life force or vital energy that resides in all living and nonliving things, and are at specific areas of the body. Each chakra, when tapped into it or stimulated, can open up vortices of pranic energy that translates directly to our personality, our senses, the way we do things, how we think, and why we are the way we are.

Even if you never practice Yoga, having a deeper understanding of your own human body and mind can’t hurt, for self-healing, self-compassion, wisdom and understanding of the physical and how this directly transcribes to the nonphysical, the energies within us.

From top to bottom, the seven chakras are:

Sahasrara
Ajna
Vishuddhi
Anahata
Manipura
Swadhisthana
Mooladhara

From the Subtle to the Gross, the five elements are:

Space
Air
Fire
Water
Earth

The sixth element is Mind.

Mooladhara Chakra

The word mool means “root” and adhara means “place.” Therefore, mooladhara means “the root center.” This is the lowest of the chakras and is situated at the perineum in the male body and the cervix in the female body. It is often represented as a yellow square.

Mooladhara chakra is related to the Earth element. People with this chakra well balanced will be reality-based, exceptionally grounded and rational, individualistic, and survival-oriented. When the mooladhara chakra becomes imbalanced, people can become very stubborn, stuck or rooted to their ways of doing things, uncompromising and ego-driven, and tend to be more concerned with material, worldly things and money. They may also be resistant to change.

People with this chakra activated tend to be very good at balancing asanas, as they have a good sense of where they are in comparison to the earth.

Swadhisthana Chakra

Swa means “self” and sthan means “dwelling place.” Therefore, swadhisthana means “one’s own abode.” This chakra is approximately two fingers’ width above mooladhara chakra, in the spine. Swadhisthana chakra is often represented as a white crescent moon.

Swadhisthana chakra is the sex chakra and is related to the Water element. The nature of this chakra is to seek pleasure and security. In this element, sex isn’t just for reproduction, like it is with the Earth element. It is for pleasure. Water people with this chakra balanced are in touch with their emotions, romantic and passionate, may go out of their way to help others, and are adaptable and flexible. When swadhisthana becomes imbalanced, people can become super sensitive, shy, unorganized, and may get attached easily (to people, ideas, things, locations).

Those with a strong Water element are always looking for a definite shape, something that defines who they are as a person. They tend to be more expressive, create their own worlds with their imagination, may look in the mirror a lot trying to see who they really are beyond their reflection, and may take lots of photos in order to capture a grounding sense of identity.

People with swadhisthana chakra activated may be great at forward bends but may not be so good at backward bends. Yoga works with Water people by working on new points-of-views, holding postures for a longer time instead of coming out of it right away. Hatha Yoga, traditional, classic yoga asanas held for some time versus vinyasa flow, and Iyengar Yoga, focused on bodily alignment and holding the postures, may be good for Water people. In addition, the heat which is created by dynamic flow, such as Ashtanga or Power Yoga, works with Water people by taking out the shyness and introversion, and helps them come out of their shell.

Manipura Chakra

The word mani means “gem” and pura means “city.” Therefore, manipura means “city of jewels.” It is the fire center, situated in the spine behind the navel, and is often represented by a red inverted triangle.

Manipura chakra is related to the Fire element. Characteristics of the Fire element are power, will, action, self-esteem and assertion, dynamism, dominance, energy, higher metabolism, and transformation. People with this chakra balanced tend to be very dynamic and engaging, are very ambitious, excellent at starting things, energetic and active, creative, and have strong stances on their likes and dislikes. When the manipura chakra becomes imbalanced, people can become unsustainable or unstable, have addictive personalities and need constant stimulation, selfish to an extreme, destructive to themselves and others around them. Due to their transformative ways, for everything must pass through Fire in order to change shape/form/entity, Fire people tend to approach life with an “all or nothing” mentality.

They tend to date a lot of people, and with their charisma, it is easy for Fire people to start relationships but more difficult to sustain them as they tend to get bored easily. The same applies to careers, homes, and projects.

People with the manipura chakra activated may be great at vinyasa flowing asanas, such as sun salutations, dynamic Yoga classes, such as Ashtanga, Power, Bikram. You can often spot them at the front of the class, whereas Water people will tend to accumulate near the back. If one wants to activate manipura chakra, backward bends opens up the entire body, expanding the heart and chest cavity towards the sky, to allow the self to face the world and herself. If one has too much Fire, s/he can do cooling asanas focused on exhalation or forward bends that encourages introversion, quietness and humbleness.

Personal note:

I have a very strong Fire element in me (Leo, first-born (only child until I was 15), top of the class, exceedingly focused). I recently completed my Teacher’s Training for International Power Yoga. Not a coincidence. For much of my life, I’ve been highly driven and achievement-oriented. My mother has called me selfish a number of times, for I am so driven to do what I have set out to do that everyone and everything else often falls by the wayside. I have put all my eggs in one basket more than once in my life, preferring to go down in flames than have an exit strategy, fail-safe back-up plans, and secondary routes. Bridges are the things which cars and people cross, but I’ve routinely burnt my metaphorical bridges over the years. This has resulted in far more successes than failures, however. I tend to desire stimulants, such as caffeine, new experiences, new adventures, new activities, new locations, and thoroughly enjoy learning on a constant, daily basis. I enjoy playing with fire, lighting matches and watching them burn, and have entertained the notion of being a fire spinner/dancer just for fun. In addition, I’ve dated a lot of people, both men and women, but have never sustained a relationship for more than a year. I don’t believe I have a commitment issue, I think I may have a … love issue. It’s tricky business, what can I say?

Anahata Chakra

Anahata means “unstuck.” This chakra, the heart chakra, is situated in the spine, behind the sternum, level with the heart. It is often represented by a blue star.

Anahata chakra is related to the Air element. Characteristics of the Air element are love, balance, unity, healing, affinity, relationships, compassion. People with this chakra balanced tend to be very organized and neat, are good at multi-tasking, do things quickly and efficiently, thinks a lot, are free-spirited and have lots of freedom in their life. If the chakra is imbalanced, however, they may become precarious, inconsistent, always looking for someone or something to ground them, and are good at hurting people without realizing it. One cannot chain an Air person, for s/he is always on the move, here one day, gone the next.

People with the anahata chakra activated are good at spinal twisting asanas but may struggle in balancing asanas. If one has too much Air, s/he can do grounding asanas, such as the warrior poses and other standing postures.

Personal note:

The Air element is quite dominant in me, as this is what I relate very well to, along with Fire. There is a more subtle reason why my letterly is called The Heart of What Matters and this blog Castles in the Air. Since youth, I have always been supremely orderly and organized. One look at my handwriting and drawings and people almost always think it is print or design, because there is no way someone can handwrite/draw that precise and neat. I also absolutely dislike the feeling of being chained, in jobs, dwelling places, as well as in relationships. This is a strong indicator of why I’ve left a number of jobs rather than me getting fired or being laid off, as well as me leaving someone rather than s/he leaving me. I move around a lot in this world, am quite the free-spirit and am a deeply introspective thinker. I have hurt many people without me even realizing I’ve hurt them, through my actions as well as my way of life. Again, what I need to work on … is that whole love thing. Do I love people? Yes, I most certainly do. But to sustain it? That’s another thing altogether.

Vishuddhi Chakra

The word shuddhi means “purification” and the prefix vi simply enhances this quality. Therefore, vishuddhi chakra is “the center of purification.” It is located at the back of the neck, behind the throat pit, which makes it the communication chakra. It is often represented by a full moon.

Vishuddhi chakra is related to the Space/Ether element. Characteristics of a Space element are creativity, telepathy, vibration, communication, and mantras. People with this chakra balanced flows well with life and lets things happen as they will. They do not belong to the mass or herd, the 99%. They are the 1%, standing on the outside, in their own world. They are very balanced and unattached to people and things. As a result, people may feel they are not close to those with heavy Space characteristics even if they’ve known him/her for many years.

To activate this chakra, one can practice sarvangasana (shoulder stand), halasana (plough pose) and matsyasana (fish pose), thyroid gland stimulating asanas.

Ajna Chakra

Ajna means “command.” The ajna chakra is situated in the midbrain, behind the eyebrow center at the top of the spine. This is the guru chakra, gu meaning “darkness” and ru meaning “someone who removes.” Therefore, a guru is “someone who removes darkness.” Ajna chakra is often represented by a small golden flame or the Aum symbol.

Ajna chakra, or the Guiding Principle within us, is related to the Mind element. Here, the dualities of life are accepted. Right and left become one; extremities fall by the wayside. When the ajna chakra is balanced, wisdom and intelligence are prevalent, as well as deep intuition, higher realms of awareness, great memory and concentration, and supramental faculties, such as clairvoyance, prophecy, and telepathy.

To activate this chakra, one can visualize the point of bhrumadhya, the eyebrow center, as well as a tiny light or an Aum symbol, allowing the thoughts to dwell on the inner guru.

Sahasrara Chakra

Sahasrara means “one thousand.” One thousand petals of a shining lotus, containing the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet twenty times over. The sahasrara chakra is the abode of highest consciousness and is situated at the crown of the head.

Sahasrara chakra is related to the Chit (consciousness) element. Characteristics of the sahasrara chakra are thought, knowing, information, understanding, meditation, enlightenment, and consciousness.

The king of all asanas which activates the sahasrara chakra is sirshasana, the headstand. Sirshasana revitalizes the entire body and mind, awakening sahasrara. Fusion of consciousness with matter and energy, the individual with the supreme soul.

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Most of us reside in the lower chakras, in mooladhara and swadhistana, Earth and Water elements, respectively. Then, when one is rising up in consciousness, a great shift and change occurs in the manipura and anahata chakras, Fire and Air elements, respectively. (It is not a coincidence my life has changed dramatically, is still changing and evolving, at these elemental stages, Fire and Air.)

Yoga helps us move from the lower to the higher. We all have a combination and mixture of these chakras activated, as well as elements. Some elements that were dominant in one’s life prior may not be now. You may be born an Earth element but it is not always a given that you will stay an Earth element. I may have been predominantly Fire and Air but I’ve become more balanced and grounded over the years.

Can you see yourself, bits and pieces, here and there, in each element? How can you activate the higher chakras? A better understanding of which energetic level you currently reside at will undoubtedly help you move from the lower to the higher.

For if you don’t know where you are now, how do you know where you’re headed towards?

Every now and then, I receive an email or comment that is along the lines of: “I would love to subscribe, it’s just that I can’t seem to justify the cost when there are so many other things I could subscribe to at a much lower price.” or “I just can’t afford it at this time. It’s too expensive.” or “What makes your writing valued at such a price?”

An independent writer has two options in how to receive this feedback:

1. She can ignore it altogether, or
2. She can take into consideration what real people are saying, rather than solely operating in her own bubble world without any deliberation from her readers. Feedback –> Consideration –> Reflection –> Integration –> Evolution

I’ve opted to go for path number two. Along with honest feedback from readers, I’ve increasingly felt an unsettling feeling as I stared at the by-and-by outrageous price I had set. A question I asked myself: Would I pay $25 a month for this?

Which then begets many more questions: What is the quality of writing? Do I feel a connection to the writer and her life? Does her writing reflect her life philosophy and is this life philosophy something I can learn from, something in which I can draw similarities with? Does she write from a place of sincere Truth? If I support her, will the money directly fuel her ongoing dreams, to give her some sustenance in a world where, by-and-large, money is needed in order to physically survive? Do I feel as if she is a real human being, a person that I could actually call a friend, someone relatable? Would I be friends with this person apart from the digital world?

I’ve purposefully traded in a cushy business corporate career path for an uncertain, creative life that calls to me from the great depths of my adventurous soul. No matter what I decided to do, I knew it would not involve exchanging my heart, soul and life energy for work I simply did not believe in. I have to strongly believe in the work that I do, the art that I create, for once I believe in it, boundaries dissolve and impossible no longer exists.

Knowing this, I buckled down and have worked extremely hard, diligently and without fail, the past thirteen months, crafting the art of the written word, while simultaneously asking myself what else calls to me, what am I intensely loving and drawn to? That calling was answered with Yoga this year. I am now a certified Yoga teacher, having just graduated from the 210-hour International Power Yoga Teacher Training Course at Atmayaan Yoga Academy in Bangalore, India, on Christmas day. Opportunities are certainly available, and I thoroughly enjoy teaching others, helping to inspire and motivate others, whoever decides to walk into the room and onto the mat. I am able to meld the two of my incredible passions together into one beautiful dance: spiritual and philosophical inspiration through the transformative practice and science of Yoga. I can comb through piles of yogic books, imbibing myself on the ancient wisdoms and mantras and sutras of past gurus and leaders, for I know ultimately this shall not only aid in my self-growth, but countless others as well. I can consume hoards of literary inspiration, introspective, philosophical writings of past and present visionaries, thinkers, solitudes, adventurers, travelers and renegades, for I know ultimately this shall have the positive effect of bringing to light for others what it has already done for me. And all this while in a Yoga class I teach.

I have dreamy visions of intimate, informal, open-aired classes out in the public, preferably in a peaceful park, by a serene body of water or a small quiet pond, on a warm sunny and sandy beach, maybe even some romantic mountains in the distance. Any one who shows up is an individual I can learn from, not just the other way around. A simple, empty box adorned with uncomplicated yoga stick man sketchings of mine in various poses outline the words, “Pay what you can. Just know that I am happy you are here. Welcome.” I smile warmly, look into the wispy clouds above with the brilliant sun gleaming its rays upon our salty skin, and we all come together, unified through the miracle of being a human being, no longer separated by our skin, age, gender, role, experience, but by the deeply unimaginable human spirit we share.

We share complexities, we all have longings. We oftentimes wish for things to be clear cut, simple. But sometimes, life won’t always be clear cut and simple. I want you to join me in the journey of Truth-seeking, of cutting to the core and driving deep into the heart of what matters in life. And I want it to be easier on people’s pocketbooks. By your support of my independent work, you are not only helping me financially (I hold myself to a strict standard of financial intelligence and integrity, abuse of money in any amount I earn is something I do not tolerate), but you are joining me in one sensational adventure that will surely and positively uplift you.

What follows are some highlights from this year’s The Heart of What Matters. I have grown so much through this letterly, and those who have been subscribed for some time have undoubtedly seen the unveiling transformation of one woman in this world. Thank you for your trust in me.

I’ll be releasing a new letter, Heeding the hunger of the spirit, on 02 January 2012. Sign up for The Heart of What Matters on the first at the reduced price of $8/mo. in order to receive it (and you’ll also receive A Solitude’s Confession automatically). And let me tell you, I think you’re going to enjoy it.

In Truth,
Nina

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The Heart of What Matters 2011 Highlights

Silence Equals Death | 25 August 2011

Oppress a group of people whom you find inferior and inhuman and violence shall have its place in the name of justice. This isn’t justice; this is injustice. This is human hatred manifested so that beautiful lives can be taken away at the cause of some righteous revolution. There is no righteousness to any of this. There is only fear and hate.

Our human nature is an extremely violent beast. But through this violence, we also possess the capacity to love one another deeply, regardless of our differences. Our differences should not separate us; they should only show us for being naturally human. Embrace differences, embrace being human.

areté (and How to Reach Your Highest Human Potential) | 31 August 2011

Failure shall follow us whenever we are in the direct pursuit of that which causes our hearts to tremble and quiver. But mediocrity? This is the fallible beast you shall slay when you surpass these failures, carry them over your strong shoulder and traverse onward towards that blazing light in the distance.

When you remain comfortable, that’s all you shall ever remain. But when you stretch the limits of your mind and the capabilities within, you will not be comfortable.

You will want to scratch, claw, lash out, scream obscenities, abhor the angels above who dance just for you, for you are in transition from being comfortable to being extraordinary.

Failure is not what you ought to fear. Mediocrity is.

Is Home Really Home? | 17 September 2011

Some people think something may not be quite right with solitary, wanderlust individuals. That they don’t want to come back home. That they are escaping. That they are running away.

What we are, we aren’t escaping. We aren’t running away.

We’re going home.

Self-honesty is self-discovery. | 12 October 2011

Self-honesty is self-discovery.

And in discovering who we are, we actually discover the world in which we live in. This means the world is filled with beauty and imperfections. Fullness and emptiness. Kindness and wrath. Awareness and ignorance. Evolution and stagnation.

All of these makes the world what it is. All of these makes us who we are.

And that is being human at its most fundamental core.

The art is the practice, the practice the art. | 29 October 2011

To be able to teach others what one knows, one must become above average in knowledge, in practice, in discipline and in patience. Not necessarily the attainment of credentials, it is the experiences and the person herself in which she offers the whole of her, with just enough holes for the other person to come in and fill with her own Truths. Self-alignment occurs even in duel alignment.

How we practice patience in self-growth is a foreshadowing of how much patience we shall have with our students.

And how we offer ourselves in the learning is a determinant of how we offer ourselves in the teaching.

The warrior understands this first, then becomes it.

Sleepless Awakenings | 05 November 2011

Dust is everywhere. Dirt is permanently embedded under fingernails and inside eardrums. Muddied water mixed with trash and sewage flood the streets after the daily intermittent showers pour themselves upon the dry, cracking earth. There is no getting around to being clean and if you are clean, you are only so for a few minutes before a breeze of dust intermingled with spices in the air blows by and clings onto you like starved leeches.

I see light, where colors are so vibrant I feel I can touch them. I also see darkness. Only in the darkness do all colors become one. Coping with it won’t make it go away. I must embrace it and allow fear to become my friend. Only then will I be able to conquer what makes me afraid. Only then will I be able to self-evolve.

Facing Pain | 20 November 2011

The mind tends to multiply the pain when it does not want to face it. Multiplying the pain brings attention and care, like a young child who, through conditioning, knows that if he cries harder and louder, mother will soothe his fictitiousness aches and hurts with loving kindness.

We multiply our pain everyday by posting our inconsequential rants and raves, be it as small as a few words or a sentence, in social media for everyone to sympathize with one’s hurts. We give pain a thousand births by giving it an avenue for which it can thrive and coalesce: we speak of it to everyone and anyone who will listen, for if someone listens, then surely this pain was not a wasted emotion to have felt. We justify our pains by serving justice with our own hands and mouths, thinking if this is what it means to “take action with one’s life” then so be it. We are not careful to understand the pain that we create is the pain in which we have not properly dealt with within ourselves.

It is our attitude towards which we face our pain that shows us our attitude towards life itself.

Will we run away or can we learn to face our pain?

Human Nature | 04 December 2011

Effortlessly observing the self’s movements in accordance to the environment, and the environment’s movements in accordance with the self, one can begin to have a broader understanding of Nature as she has intended. We live side-by-side with a billion living things all around us. Yet sometimes, we become so caught up in our own engrossed mind’s activities that we forget that all around us, poetry and the song of Nature are freely there, gently reminding us that every single thing exists for the sheer pleasure of it. It needn’t have to make sense, to have things go a certain way, our way, really.

We simply need to open our eyes, heart outstretched, and observe.

“A sankalpa is a resolution, a silent vow you make to yourself that no one else hears about,” Master Teacher Chris began the daily morning’s meditation, as the teacher trainers sat with quiet awareness.

“Make your sankalpa now, let it be simple. It need not be a list of things, just one or two things. And rather than ‘I want,’ say ‘I am.’”

As we near the end of another experience-filled year, many folks find themselves routinely making New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions range from the ever reoccurring weight loss desire and health and fitness goals to making X amount of money or being promoted to X position to being a better and kinder father, mother, friend, citizen of the world.

I want to introduce you to a lovely Sanskrit word, sankalpa. A sankalpa, unlike New Year’s resolutions which oftentimes are publicly discussed in conversation, is an internal vow you make to yourself. Sankalpas are commonly used during Yoga Nidra (a systematic method of relaxation developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati) and meditation. Envisioning the blank space behind the forehead, we silently say to ourselves three times the sankalpa we have made. We meditate upon it and let it seep deep into our soul and down to the cellular level of our body.

A sankalpa is not “I want to be more balanced” but instead, “I am balanced.” It is in the affirmative, present-tense, rather than the probable, future-tense.

Many times we make personal resolutions to ourselves using this mentality:

“I want to earn more money this year.”
“I want to lose weight.”
“I want to run a marathon.”
“I want to start traveling again.”
“I want to be more patient.”

Sankalpas have the slightest adjustment that makes the biggest of difference:

“I am earning more money this year.”
“I am losing weight.”
“I am running a marathon.”
“I am traveling again.”
“I am patient.”

Silently repeating this vow to yourself, it allows the ego to remain detached. Too often we are quick to announce our fervent plans, lofty goals, high aspirations and daring dreams to our friends, family and online community. We end up receiving praise, support and encouragement that, on surface level, makes very good sense. “Yeah! You can totally run a marathon!” “Of course you’ll lose weight, I’m sure you’ll be right on track of where you want to be.” We say to ourselves, this is how we are kept accountable, if we announce all of our plans and goals publicly, rather than keep them privately to ourselves. I have too many people counting on me to achieve my goal, so I can’t give up now! one may think.

All the fanfare of announcing your dreams, however, actually distinguishes the essential fire that fuels our intrinsic motivation. The more we talk about what we’re going to do, ironically, the less potential whatever it is we want to do has.

A next step: Make your sankalpa and keep this to yourself. Keep it short and simple, with specifics. Avoid generic bucket statements, like “more money,” “lose weight,” “work less.” Be specific with your sankalpa.

How to implement this into your daily life: If you practice Yoga or meditate, you already have a wonderful vehicle to incorporate your sankalpa into your practice. During shavasana at the end of your next Yoga class, if the teacher does not do a guided relaxation, you can always repeat your sankalpa three times at the start of shavasana and three times at the end, right before you get up. Keep your awareness and internal gaze at the space behind your forehead as you mentally repeat your sankalpa.

If you do not normally practice Yoga or meditate, I encourage you to incorporate your sankalpa in the morning, first thing when you wake up, while you’re still laying in bed. Keep the eyes closed, mentally repeat it three times to yourself. And at night, right before going to sleep, continue with the same process.

It may seem silly or futile, but the thoughts we feed to ourselves, we become. What we intake as food and drink, we break down not just for physical sustenance, but we fuse it into our very essence. It literally becomes a part of us. The same goes for mental food and drink.

Sankalpas become a part of us; the more we repeat it to ourselves, the more we focus our conscious and subconscious resolve upon it. So instead of the standard New Year’s resolutions, make your own sankalpa and with daily meditation upon it, see the difference it will have made in your life a year from now. You may surprise yourself that your sankalpa actually became your reality.