Author: Goldilocks

What is the Soul?

 What is the Soul

What is the soul and can we see its beauty. Do we recognize that the essence of our soul is the same essence in everyone’s. Do we sit with it. Do we silent our minds so that we can hear…

There is no duality where the knower and the known are as one.

The Song of the Soul sung by Sankaracharya in his Atma Satkam, as printed in Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar

Atma means the true self that is known after enlightenment.  Satkam is a song written in a six stanza form. So after Sankaracharya reached enlightenment this is what he wrote about the soul.

Song of the Soul

I am neither ego nor reason, I am neither mind nor thought, I cannot be heard or cast into words, nor by smell or sight ever caught: In light and wind I am not found, nor yet in earth and sky – Consciousness and joy incarnate, Bliss of the Blissful am I.

I have no name, I have no life, I breathe no vital air, No elements of have molded me, no bodily sheath is my lair: I have no speech, no hands and feet, nor means of evolution – Consciousness and joy am I and Bliss in dissolution.

I cast aside hatred and passion, I conquered delusion and greed; No touch of pride caressed me, so envy never did breed: Beyond all faiths, past reach of wealth, past freedom or desire, Consciousness and joy am I and Bliss is my attire.

Virtue and vice, or pleasure or pain are not my heritage, Nor sacred texts, nor offerings, nor prayer, nor pilgrimage: I am neither food nor eating, nor yet the eater am I – Consciousness and joy incarnate, Bliss of the Blissful am I.

I have no misgiving of death, no chasms of race divide me, No parent ever called me child, no bond of birth ever tied me: I am neither disciple nor master, I have no kin, no friend – Consciousness and joy am I, and merging in bliss is my end.

Neither Knowable, knowledge, nor knower am I, formless is my form, I dwell within the senses but they are not my home: Ever serenely balanced, I am neither free nor bound – Consciousness and joy am I and Bliss is where I am found.

The Big Wave – Bimini Bahamas!

  The big wave happened in Bimini Bahamas, and no I’m not talking about surfing waves, but in true unbridled happiness extended out to me in the form of a gesture and wave of hello.  A wave so big and genuine by strangers that seemed to be coming from the heart center of their being. Which reminded me of a time when years ago I moved from South Florida, where I was raised, to Western North Carolina where I went to college.  

In South Florida there were so many people that I felt a little anonymous. I’m not sure anyone particular person taught me this but, it seemed to me that everyone was just moving with their head down and doing their own thing. That I was to be cautious around strangers, always lock my doors, and to be mindful of what situation I was walking into.  In Western North Carolina, people would wave to you when you drove by them and greet you when you were walking by them.  It made me feel for a long time on edge, like…what do these people want from me – are they trying to tell me something. When in reality, they were just being polite and spreading good cheer. Now, that I’m back in South Florida I don’t find that to be true, everyone I meet tends to be generally nice and friendly, so it was probably a culmination of many factors that made me feel that way.  But here I am again many years later faced with a similar situation in Bimini Bahamas. While riding around on a golf cart, and met by Bahamians on theirs, I would do my familiar finger tip up wave that I learned while in North Carolina without too much thought but trying to be friendly, and they would outstretch their arms as if they were reaching out to touch me, and wave there hand energetically side to side, with the biggest grin on their face. They were fully present and mindful of the wave. Their gaze was fully on me, and I felt it. It’s something I would do if I unexpectedly saw my best friend, and I was trying to get her attention, after years of not seeing her. This time however I wasn’t scared or uncomfortable, I just smiled and truly embraced the greeting. It brought me a lot of joy.

It made me want to bring the big wave back to the states and into my daily life. Being in Bimini Bahamas made me think of the many ways that we can be kind to one another without much effort but in just creating new habits. I felt it also in the kindness of my host Kenny and Pauline, Bimini Bahamas Rental , who I witnessed not only treat me with the utmost kindness, but selflessly serve the Port Royal community with gatherings, and in continuing service. Anything anyone needed in supplies or in repairs they would contact Ken. So much so that Kenny claimed that this was the Summer of Ken, and that he was taking it off. You could see the panic in everyones eyes, but he still compassionately served. I could barley keep up, but learned many great lessons of kindness and compassion this summer in Bimini Bahamas, and hope I take them with me for many years to come. 

So if one day your driving around and you see a person with an outstretched arm, energetically waving to you, don’t get scared it may just be me saying hello!

Morning Kiss

Many years ago I had a friend who programed her coffee maker that she called her “boyfriend” every night, and then in the morning she would wake up and think  awe… my boyfriend  made me coffee😉 It brought her so much joy, and now she has a husband that’s very attentive to her and brings her coffee in bed. It’s much like what I did with my blog here. I wanted to live a life that was perfect for me. I started writing about it, and now I’m living it. And, it’s with this thought that I wanted to create “Morning Kiss”.

As you may know I have a new website called Azul Yoga. I’ve linked it here and to this blog.  In creating my perfect life I became a yoga teacher. It keeps me grounded, and healthy in body and mind. And, as you man not know, a few months after I moved close to the beach I started waking up every morning before sunrise and heading down to the beach to meditate. Everyday, I became more and more infinitely aware of my connection to myself, and my connection to the whole. And, as the sun rose. I became more and more aware of the diversity and magnificence each day brings. I’m not always in the same spot, but I can be for days on end, at the exact same place; and the sunrise, the shore, the tide, the waves, the sky, the color of the water, everything is different and unique every day, and in reality changes moment to moment. Where photos I’ve taken fifteen minutes apart from each other looks like the difference between night and day in comparison.  It has become so illuminating to me, witnessing the infinite possibilities of the day, that I wanted to share it with everyone. So I started posting sunrise photos, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, my Azul Yoga website, and other social media sites. Then I added quotes or positive thoughts along with the photos. And, then I thought – How cool it would be to not have to go look for it but to receive it via email, like a good morning kiss, or a friend bringing you a cup of coffee in the morning. So I’ve linked it to my Azul Yoga website which is where I’ve been posting my photos, and now I have it set up to where if you subscribe to the Azul Yoga website you’ll begin to receive these daily greetings and inspiration. My intention with the “Morning Kiss” is to create a positive beginning to our day, to individuals all over the world, mindfully linking our connection to ourselves, and to the whole that we can and cannot see, but with a knowing that we are all linked – Like the sun that shines on us all.

 

Below is an example of today’s “Morning Kiss” as seen on AzulYoga.com

Good Morning You Beautiful Soul!

Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise. Marcus Aurelius.