Yogaluxx Journal

A New Year and Everything After...

This Thursday, July 26 is the first day of the New Year according to the lunar calendar.  This means Wednesday is the "day out of time" giving us a chance to be free and timeless, renewing our intentions for the year to come. 

It is a great time to gather and focus on the peace we want for our world, the health of our planet and the joy we can create at this great time of transformation.  For every one time the earth goes around the sun, the moon goes around the earth 13 times.  This year is the year of the White Lunar Wizard. 

We are currently approaching the culmination of a 26,000 year evolutionary cycle on the winter solstice, December 21, 2012, which marks the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.  (Cue music…)  This 26,000 year period marks our Solar System's completion of one orbital cycle around Alcyone, the Central star. (Stay with me…)

Discussed by many ancient cultures including the Maya, Hopi, Egyptians, Kabbalists, Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Iroquois, and Aborigines, the completion of this cycle brings regeneration of the Earth, offering an awakening to all open and willing hearts.

The Sun and the Earth are evolving to the next stage of their life-cycles and increasing their energetic and vibratory rates.  We have the chance to do the same and this is our opportunity to choose our own destiny and in turn, affect the evolution of our world. 

I can certainly feel this shift in energy and feel a heightened sense of responsibility to what is ultimately my contribution to the world.  From my perspective, there are more of "us" (those that live their lives with love and hope) than there are of "them" (those that live through hate and fear) and we have the ability to overcome the trials we are facing.  We can't save the whole world as individuals but we can affect the people around us.  A powerful force when we put it all together, we are capable of clearing the way and allowing this revolution to benefit everyone.

Check out more on the lunar calendar at www.13moon.com.  Thanks for reading!

"Wealth is not measured by dollars and cents but by the love we make, the laughter we enjoy, the meals we share, the dreams we experience and the hopes we create.  Real connections are our most precious treasures, whether they are with those that share our orbit or with our true and humble selves."

~Amy Georgette Hamaoui

The Chakras

The word “Chakra” comes from the Sanskrit cakra meaning "wheel" or "circle," and sometimes also referring to the "wheel of life". The pronunciation of this word can be approximated in English by chuhkruh, with ch as in chart and both instances of a as in yoga (the commonly found pronunciation shockrah is incorrect). Some traditional sources describe five or seven chakras, others eight.

The chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. In new age practices, each chakra is associated with a certain color. In various traditions chakras are associated with multiple physiological functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics. They are visualized as lotuses with a different number of petals in every chakra.

The chakras are thought to vitalize the physical body and to be associated with interactions of a physical, emotional and mental nature. They are considered loci of life energy, or prana, (also called shakti, or chi), which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis. The function of the chakras is to spin and draw in this Universal Life Force Energy to keep the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health of the body in balance.

The seven chakras are said by some to reflect how the unified consciousness of humanity (the immortal human being or the soul), is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body/instinct/vital energy/deeper emotions/communication/having an overview of life/contact to God). The chakras are placed at differing levels of spiritual subtlety, with Sahasrara at the top being concerned with pure consciousness, and Muladhara at the bottom being concerned with matter, which is seen simply as crudified consciousness.

Muladhara, The Base Chakra, which is the root or the foundation and it is located at the perineum. It represents the root of the kundalini energy. Its element is earth, and it is represented by the color red. The Base Chakra is associated with the deities Indra (earth element), Brahma (father of gods and men) and Dakini (female deity carrying the revelation of divine knowledge). The mantra for this chakra is Lam. Sense: smell. Functions: life-force, survival, self-preservation, instincts. Sound: do. Qualities: master of the body, grounding, individuality, stability, security, health, courage, patience. Stones: black onyx, hematite, jet, red jasper, carnelian, garnet.

Svadhisthana, The Sacral Chakra, is concerned with the pleasures in life and it is located near the naval. Its element is water, and it is represented by the color orange. The Sacral Chakra is associated with the deities Varuna (water element), Vishnu (preserver and restorer) and Rakini (symbol of fire). The mantra for this chakra is Vam. Sense: taste. Functions: procreation, assimilation of food, physical vitality, creativity, sexuality. Sound: re. Qualities: giving and receiving, emotions, desire, pleasure, passionate love, movement, health, family, tolerance, surrender. Stones: carnelian, red jasper, orange agate, orange aventurine.

Manipura, The Solar Plexus Chakra, is concerned with the energy generated during the digestion process and it is situated above the navel. Its element is fire, and it is represented by the color yellow. The Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with the deities Rudra (god of storms), Lakini (astral planes awareness) and Vahini (nature god). The mantra for this chakra is Ram. Sense: sight. Sound: me. Functions: digestive processes, metabolism, emotions, sympathetic nervous system. Qualities: will, personal power, energy, self-control, freedom to be oneself, career, warmth, humor, laughter. Stones: citrine, yellow calcite, ambronite, tiger's eye, peridot.

Anahata, The Heart Chakra, is the center of balance and equilibrium and it is located near the fifth thoracic vertebra. Its element is air, and it is represented by the color green. The Heart Chakra is associated with the deities Vayu (god of the wind), Ishu (divine activity as the source of movement in the universe) and Kakini (dispels fear). The mantra for this chakra is Yam. Sense: feeling, touch. Functions: energizes the body with the life force, blood circulation. Sound: fa. Qualities: unconditional love, devotion, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, oneness with life, harmony, healing, contentment. Stones: green aventurine, jade, rose quartz, rhodonite.

Vishuddha, The Throat Chakra, is concerned with hearing and communication and it located at the top of the neck. Its element is life, and it is represented by the color blue. The Throat Chakra is associated with the deities Sadasiva (reconciliation of opposites) and Shakini (light). The mantra for this chakra is Ham. Sense: hearing. Functions: speech, sounds, vibration, self-expression, communication. Sound: sol. Qualities: power of the spoken word, any creative expression, peace, truth, loyalty, honesty, kindness. Stones: blue lace agate, lapis lazuli, sodalite, turquoise, iolite.

Ajna, The Third Eye Chakra, is the go between the brain consciousness and intuition and it is located between the eyebrows. Its element is time, and it is represented by the color indigo. The Third Eye Chakra is associated with the deities Shiva (completeness) and Hakini (pure mind). The mantra for this chakra is Om.  Sense: all senses including extra-sensory perception. Functions: vitalizes the lower brain and central nervous system, vision. Sound: la. Qualities: intuition, insight, peace of mind, imagination, concentration. Stones: Lapis Lazuli, amethyst, iolite, moonstone, citrine.

Sahasrara, The Crown Chakra, is associated with reaching enlightenment and it is located above the crown of the head. Its element is space, and It is represented by the color violet. The Crown Chakra is associated with the deity Paramashiva (union of the Shakti and Shiva). Senses: all senses including cosmic consciousness. Functions: vitalizes the upper brain. Sound: ti. Qualities: oneness with the infinite, spiritual, will, bliss, wisdom and understanding. Stones: clear quartz, white howlite, moonstone, amethyst.

Saturn's Return

Astrologers call the period between ages twenty-eight and thirty "Saturn Return." That's because it's the first time the planet Saturn completes its cycle through your birth chart and returns to the spot it occupied when you were born. Internationally respected astrologer Rob Hand calls Saturn Return "one of the most important times in your life… a time of endings and new beginnings."

For most of us, ending a phase of life that is familiar and embarking on one that is new and untried is unsettling, even painful. Few people describe Saturn Return as a pleasant period. While undergoing your Saturn Return you may find yourself turning inward and reflecting on your individual destiny. You examine your true needs and desires and the role you want to play on the world's stage. You may feel lonely and alienated from those around you, while family and friends think you are shutting them out. But this is a necessary period of consolidation, when you must retreat from the distractions of the outer world and focus on yourself at your most fundamental level. The Saturn Return is every individual's search for the Holy Grail.

Coming of Age

The first Saturn Return marks the end of youth and the beginning of the productive adult years. It is now that you truly become an adult--not at eighteen or twenty-one. You realize your need to define yourself as an individual within society and to demonstrate what you've learned. Newswoman Jane Pauley described turning thirty as having grown into womanhood. German film director Werner Herzog compared this period in his life with a maiden's loss of virginity, a line drawn across his path marking the end of his youth.

This transition into adulthood is often accompanied by a sense of urgency, a feeling that you must try to accomplish everything you've ever wanted or planned to do now. Goals start to come sharply into focus. If you have not settled into a definite career, or have been pursuing one that is inappropriate for you, you'll experience a strong push to establish yourself in a more fulfilling occupation. Sometimes this means a complete change. During his first Saturn Return Vincent Van Gogh decided to be a painter rather than a minister. More frequently it means a new direction or specialization within your chosen field.

If you have been building steadily toward a goal that's right for you, Saturn Return can be a time of achievement and rewards. Your labors bear fruit. Runner Bill Rodgers' Saturn Return marked the first of three consecutive Boston Marathon wins. William Faulkner published his first novel at age twenty-nine.

According to California astrologer Stephen Arroyo, author of Astrology, Karma and Transformation, "The quality of the entire experience and the extent to which it is felt to be a 'difficult' time depends entirely on how one has lived during the previous twenty-nine years." If you have been pursuing an unsuitable vocation or merely fulfilling someone else's expectations, Saturn can be relentless in prodding you to make adjustments.

Revising Worn Out Patterns

Saturn strips away illusions and points out limitations, allowing you to view yourself in a harsh, often unflattering light. At the same time, it endows you with prudence, practicality, and the perseverance to work hard toward achieving your purposes. Consequently, this is a good time to rearrange your career or lay the foundation for a new one.

Saturn Return almost always requires some major adjustments in lifestyle, attitudes, and relationships. Anything you have outgrown, or have tolerated but not found satisfying, must end now or be altered to meet your emerging needs. According to Hand, "Consciously or unconsciously, you are pruning your life of everything that is not relevant to what you really are as a human being."

Often interpersonal relationships are deeply affected by Saturn Return. Gail Sheehy writes in Passages: Predictable Crises in Adult Life that during this period "Almost everyone who is married will question that commitment." The U.S. Census Bureau lists the peak divorce years as ages twenty-eight to thirty. Some people experience more subtle or private adjustments in their patterns of relating, such as shifts in responsibilities. Many couples decide to become parents, not only altering their relationships but their financial obligations and perhaps their vocations as well.

If a relationship is sound, based on mutual respect, honesty, and sharing, it will probably survive the test of Saturn Return and become even stronger. But a relationship begun before the partners knew what they really wanted is likely to fall apart. Relationships that start during this period may have a "fated" or "karmic" quality about them.

When Enough is Enough

"Saturn is never easy to deal with because his function is that of promoting growth," explains astrologer Liz Greene, author of Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, "and it is only frustration and pain which at present are sufficient goads to get a human being moving." This frustration and pain have given Saturn a bad reputation. But the planets’ often misunderstood value lies in its very ability to evoke pain. Like the pain of an illness, it warns that something is wrong. Saturn doesn't create the problems, it merely illuminates them.

Growth is often accompanied by trepidation and turmoil. As the old self is pushed aside to make room for the new, you may feel weak and vulnerable. You want to move ahead, yet are frustrated by a fear of doing so, torn between a compelling urge to throw off everything connected with your past and an equally frantic need to cling to the familiar rather than brave the great unknown.

Even if your external world seems to be in order, your internal structure may feel as though it's being assaulted with a battering ram. Nervous conditions, irritability, depression, insomnia, and feelings of insecurity are common. Most people go through some sort of identity crisis.

Even though your Saturn Return may be disturbing, ultimately it reveals what you truly want and sweeps away the clutter that may have been impeding your progress. Your Saturn Return is a personal spring cleaning. No matter how difficult it seems to let go of inappropriate people and things, the first Saturn Return is the time to do it. For if lessons are not learned, the problems will come knocking again during your second Saturn Return at about age fifty-eight, when you are more set in your ways. Once the conflict is confronted, the tension usually subsides. You feel stronger and more capable of moving ahead.

Saturn Return is one of the most crucial turning points you ever experience, when you assume the greatest responsibility of all: responsibility for your own life.

My Homage to Michael Franti

“I thank you for all the music that you've shown to me.”

“Be thankful for all the Spirit provides;
Be thankful for all you can see without eyes;
Give thanks to the music that keeps us alive;
Give thanks to all DJs worldwide.”

“One love people never gonna stop..."

"One to the practice of being in the flow and
One to the tears of the things we let go and
One to the moment we live in right now and
One to the East West North and South”

“One step closer…”

“Love, sweet love, is going to set me free.”

“No matter where I roam, I know every single soul is a poem written on the back of God's hand.”

“Everyone deserves music.”

“Hope to the people to be feelin' down,
smile to the people who be wearin' a frown,
faith to the people who be seekin' the truth y'all all of the time.”

“Are we part of the solution or are we part of the pollution?”

“God bless the people, them who cannot raise their voice.”

“My babies came into this world without a single fear, say they had no fear.”

“So many times, people turn they backs to you
'cause they don't wanna see, what's inside you
'cause lookin' inside of you they might realize

there's something inside of them
they might not wanna find
But it ain't about who ya love
see it's all about do ya love”

“A revolution never come with a warning,
A revolution never sends you an omen,
A revolution just arrived like the morning...”

“Those who build walls are pretending
That forever they can defend them
Those who dam streams can build fountains
Those of us who just let them run free
Can move mountains...”

“If I could be the sun
I'd radiate like Africa and
Smile upon the world
Intergalactic love laughter and
If I were the rains, I'd wash away the whole world's pain and
Bring the gift of cool like ice cream trucks on sunny days and
If I was the earth I'd be like mountains bountiful
And if I were the sky so high, I'd be like wind invincible and
If I could be a seed, I would give birth to redwood trees and
If I were the trees, I'd generate the freshest air to breathe in

What I be…”

“No life's worth more than any other
No sister worth less than any brother.”

“Starvation is a creation of the devil, a rebel
I'm bringin' food to the people like a widow
bringin' flowers to a grave in the middle
of the city isolation is a riddle
to be surrounded by a million other people
but feel alone like a tree in the desert
dried up like the skin of a lizard
but full of color like the spots of a leopard
drum and bass pull me in like a shepherd
scratch my itch like a needle on a record
full of life like a man gone to Mecca
sky high like an eagle up soaring
I speak low but I'm like a lion roaring
baritone like a Robeson recordin'
I'm giving thanks for bein' human every morning...

Because the streets are alive with the sound of Boom Bap
can I hear it once again!
Boom Bap tell your neighbor tell a friend
every box gotta right to be boomin'
because the streets are alive with the sound of Boom Bap
can I hear it once again!
Boom Bap tell your neighbor tell a friend
every flower got a right to be bloomin'!
Stay Human!

Be resistant
the negativity we keep it at a distance
call for backup and I'll give you some assistance
like a lifesaver deep in the ocean
stay afloat here upon the funky motion
rock and roll upon the waves of the season
hold your breath and your underwater breathin'

To be rhymin' without a real reason
is to claim but not to practice a religion
television is the drug of the nation
satellite is immaculate reception
beaming in they can look and they can listen
so you see don't believe in the system
to legalize you or give you your freedom
you want rights ask' em, they'll read 'em
but every flower gotta right to be bloomin'
stay human...

All the freaky people make the beauty of the world

You see Y2K ya know is a moment
in time we find that we can open
up a heart that's locked or been broken
by the pain of the words not spoken
or shot by guns a still smokin'
Cartwrights out on the Ponderosa
or drive by bang in Testarossa
we need to heed the words of Dalai Lama
or at least the words of ya mama
take a mental trip to the Bahamas
steam your body in a stereo sauna, sauna...”

Both of Me

Spiritual Warrior
Guilty Perfectionist
Rising Star
Expert Pupil
Sensitive Overachiever
Graceful Klutz
Nurturing Princess
Optimistic Rebel (this one’s for Pam Way)
Youthful Old-Soul

The History of Poi & Me

I first discovered poi in 2002 at the Mountain Aire Festival in Angel’s Camp, Calif. That weekend my sister Dina and I were onstage when Trey was playing with his solo band (thanks to Darren from Particle!) and rocked to Ween, Les Claypool, Robert Randolph, Galactic, Particle and danced the last bits of the night away to Perry Farrell and Alex Graham.

Our friend Ryan whipped out his poi, lit them on fire with gasoline and effortlessly spun them through space while deftly dancing within the burning circles. I was hooked. It was so gorgeous I had no words. He handed them to me (after they’d burned out) and I spent 15 minutes getting tangled in the chains and covering myself with char. That night, I went to sleep in my tent reeking of kerosene with a huge smile on my face.

The next few years were spent researching the art online, making my own homemade practice poi and eventually spinning fire. Poi has since become my instrument, as a dancer I have now found something outside of my body that can follow the energetic movements of my soul. Sometimes I spin the fire, sometimes the fire spins me...

Poi, which translates to "ball" in Maori, has been a significant part of the indigenous culture of New Zealand for generations. Traditionally used for warrior training, Poi has since developed into a contemporary art form and ritual of celebration.

The rhythmic Poi dance was originally used by Maori women to keep their hands flexible for weaving and by men to build strength and coordination required during battle.

Maori Poi is not traditionally done with fire. The practice of lighting Poi is speculated to have begun about 50 years ago, stemming from Polynesian performers using the flaming staff.

The art of fire dancing is evolving moment by moment with artists using tools like double poi, staves, fire fans and fingers, hula hoops, hand candles, crowns, whips, swords, devil sticks, clubs, diabolos, torches, batons and wings.

Best Quote Ever

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

~ Marianne Williamson, author on spirituality and activist for peace

Quoted by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 Inauguration Speech as President of the Democratic Republic of South Africa.