Ganesha Yantra

I started this Ganesha Yantra with Swami Sivasankarianda through Sivananda Los Angeles City Center but had to finish on my own.

I found the colors in Harish Johari's book "Tools for Tantra"

 Started drinking tea and painting trying not to dip my brushes in the tea cup.

I was painting with acrylics that aren't as precise as gouache.  It turned out well.  I am happy to see it completed. I felt uneasy having the lord of overcoming obstacles unfinished in my office.

New Moon Goddess Circle - Sagittarius

I lead an activity at Yogi Tree's New Moon Goddess Circle - Sagitarius. It was a Group Yantra for Courage and Confidence.   

New Moon Goddess: Questions for Self-Confidence and Courage Yantra

Use the answers to the questions below to help fill in the group Yantra. You can have many answers to each question.  Some questions may have the same answer.  Don’t worry about anything, this is your chance to explore and play!!!

What do I like about who I am?

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What am I good at: skills and talents?

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What positive characteristics do I have?

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What have I achieved in my life: accomplishments? What are my successes in life?

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What are some challenges I have overcome?

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What do others say they like about me?

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What are some attributes I like in others that I also share with them?

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What risks am I afraid to take?

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What am I dreaming about doing but I am scared to do?

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What do I want that I can start visualizing achieving?

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What is my large vision for my life?

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People used these questions to make group Yantras:

Why should I spend my Sunday Taking a workshop on Gratitude?

Here are some proven benefits of having a Gratitude Practice:

Physical Benefits
• Stronger immune systems
• Less bothered by aches and pains
• Lower blood pressure
• Exercise more and take better care of their health
• Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking

Psychological Benefits
• Higher levels of positive emotions
• More alert, alive, and awake
• More joy and pleasure
• More optimism and happiness

Social Benefits
• More helpful, generous, and compassionate
• More forgiving
• More outgoing
• Feel less lonely and isolated.

Read for yourself

http://www.umassd.edu/counseling/forparents/reccomendedreadings/theimportanceofgratitude/

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good

You may also be asking - Why are we making a yantra?

A yantra is a sacred geometric structure that we will use as a framework for an individual vision board on gratitude. Ancient teachings attribute healing properties to yantras that are manifested through their creation. During the act of yantra making, you will concentrate deeply on visualizing your gratitude list.  The visualization process will deeply plant the images in the subconscious mind. In addition, when you leave the workshop you will have a beautiful visual representation of all the things that you have to be grateful for. Your personal yantra will be a powerful daily reminder to continue your gratitude practice.

And finally, are you asking - How does yoga fit into all this?

Kundalini Yoga teacher Hari Kirin Khalsa, a painter who wrote Art & Yoga, says: “When you’re under stress, you’re contracted and fearful. Everything is black and white. You’re not intuitive; you’re instinctive. You can’t think outside the box.” But by practicing asana, Pranayama, . . . she says, you can shift out of that stressful state and connect with your imaginative, spacious Self. “Yoga opens up the flow of creativity, the unfurling of the creator within.”

I begin my Art/Yoga fusion workshops with a yoga practice to open us up to deeper intuitive self. We begin the art making in a highly sensitized and relaxed state because we have already practiced yoga.

I hope you will join me on Sunday, November 16th, from 12:30 to 3:30pm at The Yogi Tree on 4475 Vineland, Toluca Lake, CA 91602.  You can sign up on the meetup or at www.theyogitree.com under events.