Omaha Yoga Path Post
Poem during Savasana
Last week in class I’ve shared a poem as students settled into savasana (corpse pose). To me the sentiment of the poem captures what keeps us from being at home in our own bodies. How we tend to believe that things somehow ought to be different then they are right now.
The poem it called “Being Human” by Naima of Climbing poeTree. More information about the author can be found at
Being Human by Naima
I wonder if the sun debates the dawn
some mornings
not wanting to rise
out of bed
from under the down-feather horizon
If the sky grows tired
of being everywhere at once
adapting to the mood swings of the weather
If the clouds drift off
trying to hold themselves together
make deals with gravity
to loiter a little longer
I wonder if the rain is scared
of falling
if it has trouble letting go
If snow flakes get sick
of being perfect all the time
each one trying to be one-of-a-kind
I wonder if the stars wish
upon themselves before they die
if they need to teach their young to shine
I wonder if shadows long
to once feel the sun
if they get lost in the shuffle
not knowing where they’re from
I wonder if sunrise and sunset
respect each other
even though they’ve never met
If volcanoes get stressed
If storms have regrets
If compost believes in life after death
I wonder if breath ever thinks
about suicide
I wonder if the wind just wants to sit
still sometimes
and watch the world pass by
If smoke was born knowing how to rise
If rainbows get shy back stage
not sure if their colors match right
I wonder if lightning sets an alarm clock
to know when to crack
I rivers ever stop
and think of turning back
If streams meet the wrong sea
and their whole lives run off-track
I wonder if the snow wants to be black
If the soil thinks she’s too dark
If butterflies want cover their marks
If rocks are self-conscious of their weight
If mountains are insecure of their strength
I wonder if waves get discouraged
crawling up the sand
only to be pulled back again
to where they began
I wonder if land feels stepped upon
If sand feels insignificant
If trees need to question their lovers
to know where they stand
If branches waver in the crossroads
unsure of which way to grow
If the leaves understand they’re replaceable
and still dance when the wind blows
I wonder where the moon goes
when she is hiding
I want to find her there
and watch the ocean
spin from a distance
Listen to her
stir in her sleep
effort give way to existence
Fresh Air Story on Yoga
There was a recent story in the New York Times about the risks of yoga, but this interview of the author William J. Board seems to clear up some of the sensationalism that arose around the Times article. Will Board is a science research writer and life time yoga practitioner who has done his homework on this subject of modern yoga. Also this Fresh Air interviews allows the science researcher to enumerate some of the many benefits derived from the modern practice of yoga. It is worth the listen.
How to invite the bell
At the end of every yoga class, we invite the sound of the bell. As we lie down in Savasana (corpse pose) we practice stillness, the hardest of all poses. Our breath becomes the focus to bring us back to the present moment. Over and over we smile to the wandering mind, but gentlely and persistently return to sensation of our breath. Then at the end of this pose and the end of our practice, the bell is invited with the intent of
I listen, I listen!
May the sound of the bell call me back
To my true home.
This video explains this practice so beautifully. Please enjoy:
the Nine Obstacles
Recently in class we have come across the sutra “The 5th obstacle is laziness.” Some students have been asking what & how many obstacles are there? There are nine:
Illness
Apathy
Doubt
Carelessness
Laziness
Craving
Mistaken view of the world left uncorrected
Failing to reach specific levels
Not being firmly established in effort
Readings from the Mat
A brand new Book Club Group is starting at the Yoga Path, to be held on Tuesday Nights 7:30 starting January 24 through February 7 You do not have to be a current student of the Path or practicing yoga. You just need to read a book. The book we be studying is Healing: A Woman’s Journey from Doctor to Nun by Sister Dang Nghiem, a Vietnamese Buddhist nun.
“This extraordinary story takes the reader from Saigon, to the California coast, to a monastery in the southwest France. Huong Huynh was born 
to a Vietnamese mother and a U.S. soldier in the midst of war. She dedicated her life to healing and transforming the suffering of other people, first as a medical doctor and then as a nun. Ordained by Zen Master Thich Chat Hanh, who gave her the name —Dang Nghiem—(adornment with nondiscrimination), she finally experienced her own healing. With humor, insight, and an irrepressible sense of joy, Sister Dang Nghiem’s story offers clarity and guidance for anyone who has dealt with suffering and loss.
About the Author
Sister Dang Nghiem was born in central Vietnam in 1968 during the Tet Offensive. Her mother was Vietnamese; her father was a U.S. soldier. Raised in Vietnam by her grandmother, she came to the United States in 1985, earned two college degrees, graduated from a prestigious medical school, and began working as a doctor. As a nun, she has integrated Western and Eastern medical traditions and has learned the healing power of mindful awareness and nondiscrimination.” Parallax Press
We will share for three nights to learn about the transformative teaching of this story.
Cost is $30 which includes the book. To register email info@omahayogapath.net or call 402-905-2295. Space is limited so reserve your place. Share this flyer with a friend.
After the Tango
Just a thank you for all who supported the Hike to Help Refugees Winter Solstice party. We raised close to $900.00 this year which will go a long way to helping those in need. However, our tango skill needs a great of work. Thank heaven it’s not Tango to Help Refugees.
November Yoga Path News
Enclosed is the first monthly Yoga Path news. The bottom left button will allow you to expand to a readable size. Let us know what you think.
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Practicing in Your Space
KEEPING QUIET by Pablo Neruda
Now we will count to 12/and we will all keep still For once on the face of the earth,/lets not speak in any language,/lets step for one second,/and not move our arms so much
It would be an exotic moment/,without rush, without engines,/we would all be together/in a sudden strangeness.
Fisherman in the cold sea/would not harm whales/and the man gathering salt/would look at his hurt hands
Those who prepare green wars, /wars with gas, wars with fires,/victories with no survivors,/would put on clean clothes & walk about with their brothers,/In the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused/ with total inactivity Life is what it is about;/I want no truck with death.
If we werent so single-minded//about keeping our lives moving/and for once could do nothing/perhaps a huge silence/might interrupt this sadness/of never understanding ourselves/and of threatening ourselves with death/perhaps the earth can teach us as when everything seems dead/and later proves to be alive
Suzanne’s Pranayama Class
During the Late Summer Intensive in August, we had guest teacher, Suzanne Swang, teach a pranayama class on yogic breathing. For all those who attended (as well as for those who didn’t) below is an outline of what she had us do in class. Practice of just a few minutes of one or two of these exercises would be very beneficial. Enjoy:
Thanks again for the opportunity to teach at your beautiful center. It is such a peaceful space & l love seeing you all!
Here is the outline of the pranayamas that I taught:
Standing Breath of Joy– conducting the orchestra (with or without the jump)
Agni Sara – pulling the stomach inwards and upwards (with or without the stomach pumping)
Sun Breaths – sweeping the arms out to the sides and up overhead (with or without the toe raise)
Ujjayi & Dirga – ocean sounding breath and 3-part breath
Kapalabati – breath of fire (stomach pumping)
Counting the breath with the metronome
Nadi Shodahana – alternate nostril breathing
Have a great class today – wish I could come,
Joyfully, Suzanne