Expressions

Working on my drawing skills again with expressions, hair and hands

Vanderpoehl Copies

Loomis copies

So Ham

"Our prana,  emanates the gentle sound of so-ham, the natural sound resonating with our life force.  When we consciously observe our breathing process, it unfolds the hamsa mantra." Shambavi L. Chopra

YOGA NIDRA FOR THE 7th Chakra – Joy

(these are just notes its not really a script its just ideas)

If you want to hear a recording using the ideas as a full yoga nidra please contact me at nyapatrinos@yahoo.com

INTERNALIZATION

Sahashrara, the Crown Chakra, aka the 7th Chakra, is at located at very top of the head.
Touch the top of your head and smooth down your hair. Feel your crown.
The energy of the 7th chakra allows us to experience oneness with everyone and everything.
Intellectual knowing does not exist at the level of seventh chakra
Here there is serenity, joy, and deep peace about life.
At the crown chakra we know that there is a deeper meaning of life and that there is an order that underlies all existence.
The "way of the crown chakra" is the way of going beyond the limits and transcending the ego.
At the crown chakra we know that all of creation is interconnected at a fundamental level.
The color of the 7th chakra is violet. 
Take a long and deep breath. As you exhale, move attention to the top of your head, and imagine a violet chakra. The dark violet glow of the chakra illuminates your mind and the rest of your body.
Feel all the points of contact between the body and the floor
Listen in all directions for sounds . . .
In the heart beat here in heartbeat of the universe often expressed by the mantra OM

SANKALPA
Your own Sankalpa
“I chose to be joyful”


BODY ROTATION

Dew is a deposit of water droplets, formed at night by the condensation of water vapor from the air, onto the surface of objects exposed to the sky. It forms on clear nights when the air is calm or winds are light. The process that produces the dew begins as the sun begins to set and night begins to fall. Objects exposed to the open air cool faster than the air around them, and if it is sufficiently humid, water vapor condenses out of the air and covers the object. Dew may also be drawn from the ground. Another type of dew, "hoarfrost," occurs when the air temperature reaches the freezing point.
That dew signifies truth, is evident also from the Word elsewhere, as in Zechariah:--

The seed of peace, the vine shall give her fruit and the earth shall give her produce, and the heavens shall give their dew (Zech. 8:12);

From a biblical point of view, what does "dew" mean? Dew is used to refer to blessings, favor, prosperity, resurrection, long life, and to describe how an army covers the earth. It can also describe how an eagle covers her young or how God covers His people. We can see a well-known example in Isaac's blessing of Jacob in Genesis 27:28: "Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine."

(Body Rotation using Dew as the nyasa)

BREATH AWARENESS

As you breath in, feel peace entering the  body
As you breath out , relax every cell in the body
Breath in - Peace
Breath out - Relaxation
Breath in - Joy
Breath out - Relaxation
Breath in  - Joy in the present moment
Breath out  - any tension and stress
Breath in – the energy of Peace moving through the body with joy
Breath out  - The energy of peace filling the body
Breath in  - The energy of the joy moving through the body
Breath out - Joy filling the body completely.
Breath in - Peace
Breath out - Joy

OPPPOSITES
Joy vs Sorrow

(ideas: Start visualize an experience of joy
Now spread that feeling until it pervades your whole body from head to toe.. Sorrow)

Connected –  Disconnected

(ideas:
One with source, peaceful, uni
Disconnected – in disharmony)

VISUALIZATIONS 1

Imagine a big, white lotus with its petals closed in the same place as your crown chakra.  Look at the lotus and contemplate upon its shape, color and texture. 

As you pay attention, the lotus slowly starts to swirl along with the chakra.

One by one the petals of the lotus start to open. As the first layer flowers, you see uncountable rows of more petals still to open.

With every new petal opening the lotus starts spinning faster. You realize that every such opening leads to yet another layer of closed petals. The blooming of the lotus is an on-going process of infinite stages. 

Now see your seventh chakra spinning with equal strength. The chakra's violet light washes over you and pervades every cell, every pore in your body.

Breathe deeply and feel the energy from your crown chakra connecting you to the sky above and to the earth below, and to everything in between, so you become one with existence.

VISUALIZATION #2

Think of a person who you love. Find the feeling of joy, love, warmth, care, concern, togetherness, within you. Feel the emotions.

Now spread the love and warmth and care around you. Feel joy pervading you and love surrounding you.

Visualize the person next to you. Hand joy to the person nearest you as your gift. Let him or her have all the joy and all that you can find. Notice how joy is still within you, even though you are giving them to another person. Joy does not become diminished.  We do not run out of joy. You are jut including the other person within your joy.

Try to remember everyone in the room. Pass joy to everyone here in the room. Realize joy is infinite and you can’t run out of joy by sharing it. 

Visualize your parents. Take all the joy you can find now  and direct it to your parents , it doesn’t matter whether they are still alive or not. Let them share your innermost feelings.
Now think of your nearest and dearest people. Let them have all of the love and joy that you can find.
Fill them with joy and embrace them with love. Notice how both emotions remain within you. You do not lose them by giving them away.

Hand all the joy and love you can find to your friends. Share your heart with them. Pervade and embrace them with joy and love, coming from your heart to their hearts.
Now give your joy and your love to all the people who are part of your lives, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, relatives. Feel your togetherness with them by giving them the greatest treasure your heart can give.

Let the boundaries and barriers of the heart fall and let joy and love flow out of it. First to people that may be sharing these buildings with us, and then to the people in the houses around here. Let them all be part of your heart, knowing we belong together at this time, on this small planet.

Go further afield, as far as your imagination will take you, people and beings are everywhere. Feel the unity and togetherness of the family of mankind by sharing the best you have.
Put your attention back on yourself. Become aware of the beauty within you. Know that for your inner life. Make it as beautiful and as peaceful as you can so that you have much to share with others. Let beauty and peace fill and surround you.

SANKALPA
(same as usual)

EXTERNALIZATION

Come back to natural breathing

Joy is out natural state of being.

Unfortunately, in our society we value acquiring and  having things as the primary path to happiness.

Desire for things can destroys our joy, it brings us a short-term burst of pleasure but this joy fades quickly.

Believing joy depends on external things is a trap.

It makes it harder for us to experience real happiness.

True joy comes from our attitude toward things, not from the actual things themselves.

It’s possible for us to spend much of our time in a state of joy, and here are a few suggestions for moving in that direction:

Smile, Love Yourself, Appreciate Everyone and Everything, Practice Loving Kindness, Accentuate the Positive

Listen to the sound of the heart beat.

Listen to the sound of the breath

There is only consciousness here; this universe is nothing but consciousness; you are consciousness; I am consciousness; all the worlds are consciousness - that is the conclusion. That which exists and that which shines (i.e., is known to exist) are all          the (ONE) Self.
                                                                                       
  -Yoga Vasistha

(finish bringing the students/clients out of the yoga nidra)

Chitra

Krishna and Kali

"Kali and Krishna are closely related, though at first glance their forms appear divergent and contrary.  Yet their colour is azure and curiously, the bija mantra- klim, the seed syllable of love and desire belongs to Krishna, though it is the actual root sound of the word "Kali".  Similiarly, the bija mantra- Krim, the seed syllable of energy and transformation, belongs to Kali, yet it is the actual root sound of the word "Krishna".... In Bengal and eastern India,  Kali and Krishna are the two main deities worshipped.  While Krishna shows a soft aspect of masculine energy, Kali indicaates the strong aspect of female energy.  If we understand their cosmic play as one we gain power to go beyond duality. Krishna's role like that of Kali was one of death and destruction but for a higher cause.  He manisfested the great Kali shakti, the transformative power of time, which is Kali,"p. 112 Shambavi L. Chopra, Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess.

Inner Waterfall

"Kali's soma possesses the flow of a poweful waterfall. Its rapidly cascading energy washes away a;; the debris within our minds that alienate Shiva, yet in its rush carries the awareness of Shiva into its mountain-lake if stillness. The flow of the inner waterfall is called dhara in Sanskrit, which also means the power to hold or fix, as is dharana, yogic concentration.  The flow of the waterfall of shakti has the power to hold the energy of shiva in the mind in a fixed and centered state." Shambavi L. Chopra p, 89,  Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess.

"We can sit in silence and quiet the mind by placing our attention on the breath.  This marvelous reminder of the rhythm of life, the breath continuously renews our energies and nourishes our bodies.  The mind and the breath embrace together in a warm, loving recognition of our natural state.  We can relax and let go of anxieties and worries as the breath brings a calm reflection in the inner mirror of self-recognition. Quietly, then, we can recognize the coming and going of thoughts.  Thoughts of planning, worrying, comparing and criticizing all become much clearer to us then.  Pictures and stories emerge and play upon our minds like the projector flashing images on the movie screen at our local theater.  But we are more aware that we are simply observers of the thoughts.  We are not the thoughts, themselves.  The thoughts that bring fears, self-judgments, regrets and sorrows become less controlling because we begin to notice that they are not real.  They do not capture the deeper reality of our spiritual being.  They are the products of that great story teller, the Ego.  And we begin to let go of the thoughts, themselves and settle into the peaceful abode of the one who witnesses the thoughts – the one who is beyond thoughts and fears and worries.

This is called “observing the waterfall.”  Thoughts and emotions can be seen as simply a cascading flow of impressions.  They no longer push and pull us into unwanted actions.  They no longer drive us into despair or depression.  We simply observe and let go of the waterfall.  We can then find the sweet scent of freedom surrounding us.  We have found one of the great secrets of our own, internal universe.  And this new-found freedom brings us Joy." - Dave Judd
http://wellnesswithin.org/2013/10/the-inner-waterfall/

Paintings by Hosukai

Kali and Saraswati

"When she (Kali) takes the form of the new moon, she is without qualities and is known as Aniruddha Sarasvati." - Niruttara Tantra

"In her softer shades of pure white, Kali is the Goddess of supreme knowledge, manifesting inexhaustible nuances of the fine arts and sciences.  Kali is Nila Saraswati, "the dark blue form of Saraswati', the blissful supremacy of all learning and wisdom.  Kali is Tattva-jnaneswari Devi, "the Goddess holding the essence of intuitive perception, all knowledge and wisdom."
- p.105, Shambavi L. Chopra, Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess.

The eight divine forms of Goddess Lakshmi or Ashta-Lakshm

Aadi-Lakshmi (The Primeval Goddess) or Maha Lakshmi (The Great Goddess)


Dhana-Lakshmi or Aishwarya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Prosperity and Wealth)



Dhaanya-Lakshmi (Goddess of Food Grains)


Gaja-Lakshmi (The Elephant Goddess)


Santana-Lakshmi (The Goddess of Progeny)


Veera-Lakshmi or Dhairya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Valor and Courage)


Vidya-Lakshmi (The Goddess of Knowledge)


Vijaya-Lakshmi or Jaya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Victory)

In the following pages meet the eight forms of Lakshmi and read about their individual nature and forms.

8 Forms of Saraswati

Following are the eight forms of Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge, Gods of
the seventh Enclosure.:

Vasini - Existing

Kameshwari - Expression
she who is the mistress of lust


Modini - Pleasure
she who is happy 

Vimale/Vimala - Pure
She who is blemish less

Arune/Aruna - Passion
She who is red in color

Jayini - Victory
She who is always victorious

Sarvesvari - Owner
She who is the mistress of all

Kaulini - Enjoying all
Enjoyer the mistress of kulAchara
Sarvarogahara Chakra Swamini Rahasya Yogini - The wheel which eliminates
disease, the secret Yogini.

7 Forms of Saraswati

Seven Forms of Goddess Saraswati are the Sapta Saraswathi devi's mentioned in Meru Tantra. Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. The 7 forms of Saraswati are given below. 

1) Chintamani Saraswati
2) Gnyana Saraswati
3) Neela Saraswati
4) Ghata Saraswati
5) Kini Saraswati
6) Antariksha Saraswati
7) Maha Saraswati

Head Copies

Haven't drawn the head in a long time.  I had some mastery of it a few years ago but now I have to start again.  I start by doing some freehand master copies. Hopefully I will get to an open drawing session in the next couple of days.

Drawing the Hands - Working towards Mudras

Doing some Bargue freehand copies of hands for my graphic novel class with Andy Fish.  Hoping to move toward doing some Mudra Paintings.

Hand Mudras aka Hasta Mudras are very important to my yoga practice.  I am hoping to paint some and make them part of my Lunar Toolbox book.