Here are some photos from Holistic Holiday At Sea II Cruise.The next cruise is March 2007.Call 1-800-496-0989 for details.The vegetarian food was great,the ports were great and the speakers were FANTASTIC including Patrick McCarty,Lawrence Kushi,Denny Waxman,Warren Kramer,Verne Varona,Lino Stanchich and Jane Quincanon Stanchich, Master Chu master of Tai Chi.Ohashi the Shiatsu Master,Yogi Amrit Desai Gurudev,Rabbi Loring Frank,Christina and Robert Pirello, and Dr. Sherry Rogers.Sorry You missed it? Don't miss it next year as we sail to Puerto ico,Bahamas,Dominican Republic and more. Chef Mark who oversaw all the meals. Mmm Key Lime Pie Poached Tofu with kale Rice & soybean croquettes with pickled radish Tofu quiche Fresh fruit tart Yogi Amrit Desai during one of his well attended workshops. Check back often as more photos will be posted daily. Some of the meals served were: Breakfast-Soft rice with pumpkin seeds,miso soup with mochi,steamed broccoli,apple compote,Blueberry pancake upon request-I did request it and ate 2 of them.mmm. Breakfast-Whole Oat Porridge with Almond,Miso soup with Oriental vegetables and ramen,steamed kale and dried fruit compote Dinner-Tempura lotus root with carrot daikon salad,aduki bean soup woth squash and Kombu,Seasonal tender leaves tossed with Belgian radicchio with hazelnut vinaigrette,Round fu with shiitake gravy rice and broccoli with almond amazake sauce,carrot cake Lunch-Grilled zucchini and yellow squash and endive with balsamic vinegar,here it is below Chili soup with pinto beans and seitan,Parsley rice with lemon and pine nuts,Vegetable burger with condiments,cole slaw and dill pickle,Melon Kanten Lunch-Grilled tempeh onion kebab with chili and orange,Fennel soup,Millet salad with watercress and cashew,Gomoku with squash puree and red onion pickle,Peach pie Dinner-hijiki tofu triangle with mustard sauce and watercress,chickpea soup,avocado salad with arugula and miso ginger dressing,Organic white basmati rice with nori condiment and sauteed vegetables,Rice pudding Dinner- Tofu arame quiche with walnut miso,Cream of broccoli soup,Fresh Tuna salad or chickpea salad-I had the tuna,Michele had the chickpea and both were delicious,Tempura Nori roll with grated daikon and collard greens,Fruit tart. Lunch-Scallion pancake with sesame garlic sauce,Soup of the sea,barley and wild barley salad,Udon Bird's nest nad sauteed vegetables with ginger sauce,Coconut oats cookies Dinner-Bruschetta with fresh basil and a green olive,navy bean soup with fresh dill,kale salad,shiitake mushroom risotto with peas,chives,amd Kombu chips,Pear pecan strudel Breakfast-Soft millet with sweet vegetables,miso soup,steamed bokchoy,pear compote Dinner-Hijiki salad with potato mash,split pea soup with seitan,carrot and apple salad with walnuts,sweet rice ohagi with green roll and pumpkin seed sauce,chocolate or lemon strawberry shortcake Lunch-Corn bread with marinated corn and onion butter,creamy carrot soup with orange and parsley,Three bean salad,puree of millet and cauliflower with natto miso,grilled tempeh with mustard greens,pineapple apple and blackberry crisp. Yoga of Relationship Searching for Love—Discovering Relationship by Yogi Amrit Desai Love is the elixir of life. It is the nectar that nurtures every level of our body and our being. It is what we seek in every form of relationship. We explore every possible way to find the love we so desperately seek. We would give anything to get it and are willing to lose everything to have it. We give “love” many names. We call it acceptance, recognition, appreciation or approval. We believe that if we find the right relationship, it will provide everything we want from love. We desperately search for the right person to ignite the flame of love that will dispel the darkness and provide everything we want Ironically, the one thing we believe will fulfill us is what eludes us the most. This love that we seek so desperately is an expression of, and a way to fulfill our inborn, innate urge to merge. Relationships by their very nature trigger the unconscious, unresolved and unintegrated parts of us. A relationship is like a mirror. It reflects and reveals everything we have been avoiding. It has the power to reveal our most wonderful assets as well as the darkest recesses of our shadow side. Just as we habitually try to experience only the parts of ourselves that we like, we also perceive only the parts of our loved ones that we like, and unconsciously avoid those that we don’t. We begin a relationship to enjoy the pleasure of company and closeness, but sooner or later, life’s evolutionary force demands that we recognize and embrace the parts that we’ve been avoiding. This is the part of a relationship that provides us with an opportunity to discover our true Self, which is the yoga of relationship. When we use a loving relationship as a mirror to see who we are and remove all that we want to avoid, suppress and hide, we enter the process of Self-discovery that moves us toward internal integration. Only a relationship that is founded on the intention to see yourself with greater objectivity and unbiased awareness will truly become an experience of the unity and ecstasy of love. The drive for love is essentially the innate urge to merge. This urge for unity that we seek through love takes place on two different levels—biological (instinctual) and spiritual (evolutionary). When you are in love, the boundaries between you and your beloved naturally drop. In the ecstasy of love, you lose the sense of the separative ego and experience unity. Thus the experience of love is the experience of oneness. At the core of all such experiences of love, the conflicting parts of our being dissolve into unity. They begin to function in harmony and balance which is music to our heart and soul. This union is like a reflection of the experience of yoga. Just as the reflection of the moon in the lake is not actually the moon, but gives us a hint of what the real moon is like, the union experienced in romantic or sexual love inspires us to the evolutionary search for the true and lasting ecstasy and unity of yoga. The meaning of the word ‘yoga’ is union and the purpose of the practice of yoga is to experience unity and oneness. We may experience the union and ecstasy of love in the beginning of a relationship. But because we imagine the source of love comes from the other, it is invariably accompanied with attachment, expectations and dependency. As a result, we try to manage and control the other on whom we depend to provide us with the experience of love, to keep us in a happy, blissful state. When the other fails to fulfill our expectations, we either blame them or try to re-train them. Or we may become addicted and feel unfulfilled and lonely in the absence of the other. With addiction comes dependency and demands that eventually sour the relationship.As long as we look for union from outside, by trying to control and manipulate another to feel loved, we cannot hope to achieve the lasting union we are really seeking. It is integration or wholeness within that ultimately gives us all that we are searching for from outside. This is what we are looking for both in the practice of yoga and in a truly loving relationship. Love that makes you whole can only come from within. It grows through your ability to give love and receive love, rather than expect love. Love is not something you can get from expecting, demanding, manipulating, or controlling the object of love or loved one. The true source of love is within and you can only give it if you are in touch with it. Demand it and you will miss it. The union that we seek through the medium of yoga is self-sourcing. In the self-discovery process, either through yoga practice or a loving relationship, you encounter all that you have been trying to avoid in yourself. To be in relationship with another is really about being in relationship with yourself. If you do not face all these obstacles with integrative awareness, love will turn into fear and resistance. It is the presence of mindful awareness that helps you overcome the obstacles of the separative ego that keep you from experiencing the unity of love. This is at the core of the yoga of relationship. Whether you want to experience the fulfillment of the urge to merge through the medium of yoga or an external relationship, you must be committed to face the same obstacles that create conflict and division in your life, whether with others or within yourself. Relationship with others, particularly those we are closest to, is the fieldwork for spirituality. Spiritual practice does not belong just on the yoga mat or a meditation cushion. It permeates every aspect of our lives and must extend into every one of our expressions and touch every one of our experiences, from the mundane to the mystical. Remember that the major difference in the ecstasy we experience in external love is temporary and the ecstasy and union of yoga is a permanent and profound transformative process. The first affects only a part of your life; the second impacts the whole of your life. The first level happens in the field of duality where love occurs between you and the other. The unity sought through yoga happens between the male and female aspects of Shiva and Shakti within. If your loving relationship is based on an intention for self-discovery, it is the basis of spiritual love. The innate urge to merge can begin with romantic love but it can never be the fulfillment of the evolutionary dimension of the urge to merge. We can use our loving relationship as the foundation to explore, expand and experience our divine potential that leads to union—the ultimate experience of yoga. By Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the earliest pioneers of yoga in this country, began teaching in 1960. He is an internationally renowned yoga master, seminar leader and author in the field of yoga and holistic living. I The methodology he developed has become so widely adopted that today it is taught by thousands of certified yoga teachers all over the world. Yogi Desai has continued to develop and teach his innovative approach in the form of Amrit Yoga. HOLISTIC HOLIDAY AT SEA CRUISE. WE GO ON THIS CRUISE EVERY YEAR AND IT'S ABOUT $1000 A PERSON,NOT BAD FOR A ONE WEEK CRUISE,FOOD AND ALL THE HEALTH CLASSES AND LECTURES. .TO BOOK THE 2007 CRUISE MARCH1-7,2007 CALL 1-800-496-0989 AND MENTION ABUNDANCE MAGAZINE AND YOU MAY GET A DISCOUNT! YOU CAN ORDER YOUR MEALS OFF OF THE REGULAR MENU OR THE VEGETARIAN MENU AT EACH MEAL OR MIX AND MATCH.HERE ARE SOME MENUS OF PREVIOUS CRUISE FARE:SIDE STORY - THE ORGANIC BOKCHOY DIDN'T GET LOADED IN FORT LAUDERDALE SO IT HAD TO BE TRUCKED TO KEY WEST AND LOADED THE NEXT MORNING WHEN THE SHIP ARRIVED.EVERYONE REALLY APPRECIATED THE BOK CHOY! IN 2005 WE WERE ON THE COSTA MEDITERRANEA. FEBRUARY 27,2005 DINNER (SHIP LEAVING FORT LAUDERDALE FLORIDA) TOFU ARAME QUICHE WITH WALNUT MISO,CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP,FRESH TUNA SALAD OR CHICK PEA SALAD,TEMPURA NORI ROLL WITH GRATED DAIKON AND COLLARD GREENS,FRIUT TART. FEBRUARY 28,2005 BREAKFAST (SHIP IS AT SEA) SOFT RICE WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS,MISO SOUP WITH MOCHI,STEAMED BROCCOLI,APPLE COMPOTE (BLUEBERRY PANCAKE UPON REQUEST) FEBRUARY 28,2005 LUNCH (SHIP IS AT SEA) GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND YELLOW SQUASH AND ENDIVE WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR,CHILI SOUP WITH PINTO BEANS AND SEITAN,PARSLEY RICE WITH LEMON AND PINE NUTS,VEGETABLE BURGER WITH CONDIMENTS,COLE LSAW AND ILL PICKLE,MELON KANTEN. MARCH 1.2005 DINNER (SHIP LEAVING SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO) TEMPURA LOTUS ROOT WITH CARROT DAIKON SALAD,ADUKI BEAN SOUP WITH SQUASH AND KOMBU,SEASONAL TENDER LEAVES TOSSED WITH BELGIAN ENDIVE AND RADICCHIO WITH HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE,ROUND FU WITH SHIITAKE GRAVY RICE AND BROCCOLI WITH ALMOND AMASAKE SAUCE,CARROT CAKE. MARCH 2,2005 BREAKFAST (ARRIVED IN ST. THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS) WHOLE OAT PORRIDGE WITH ALMOND,MISO SOUP WITH ORIENTAL VEGETABLES AND RAMEN,STEAMED KALE,DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE WITH GINGER. MARCH 2,2005 LUNCH (SHIP DOCKED IN ST. THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS) GRILLED TEMPEH ONION KEBABS WITH CHILI AND ORANGE,FENNEL SOUP,MILLET SALAD WITH WATERCRESS AND CASHEW,GOMOKU WITH SQUASH PUREE AND RED ONION PICKLE,KEY LIME PIE. MARCH 2,2005 DINNER (SHIP LEAVING IN ST. THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS) HIJIKI TOFU TRIANGLE WITH MUSTARD SAUCE AND WATERCRESS,CHICK PEA SOUP,AVOCADO SALAD WITH ARUGULA AND MISO GINGER DRESSING,ORGANIC WHITE BASMATI RICE WITH NORI CONDIMENT AND SAUTEED VEGETABLES,RICE PUDDING. MARCH 3,2005 LUNCH (SHIP WAS ARRIVING IN SANTA CATALINA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) SCALLION PANCAKE WITH SESAME GARLIC SAUCE,SOUP OF THE SEA,BARLEY AND WILD BARLEY SALAD,UDON BIRD'S NEST AND SAUTEED VEGETABLES WITH GINGER SAUCE,COCONUT OATS COOKIES. MARCH 3,2005 DINNER (SHIP LEAVING SANTA CATALINA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) BRUSCHETTA WITH FRESH BASIL AND A GREEN OLIVE,NAVY BEAN WITH FRESH DILL,KALE SALAD,SHIITAKE MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH PEAS,CHIVES AND KOMBU CHIPS,PEAR PECAN STRUDEL. MARCH 4,2005 BREAKFAST (SHIP WAS AT SEA) SOFT MILLET WITH SWEET VEGETABLES,MISO SOUP,STEAMED BOKCHOY AND PEAR COMPOTE. MARCH 4,2005 DINNER (SHIP WAS AT SEA) HIJIKI STRUDEL ON SWEET POTATO MASH,SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH SEITAN,CARROT AND APPLE SALAD WITH WALNUTS,SWEET RICE OHAGI WITH GREEN ROLL AND PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE,CHOCOLATE OR LEMON STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. MARCH 5,2005 BREAKFAST (SHIP WAS ARRIVING IN NASSAU BAHAMAS) SOFT RICE WITH WALNUT MISO,WHITE MISO SOUP,STEAMED BOK CHOY AND LEEKS,PRUNE COMPOTE. MARCH 5,2005 LUNCH (SHIP DOCKED IN NASSAU BAHAMAS) CORN BREAD WITH MARINATED CORN AND ONION BUTTER,CREAMY CARROT SOUP WITH ORANGE AND PARSLEY,THREE BEAN SALAD,PUREE OF MILLET AND CAULIFLOWER WITH NATTO MISO,GRILLED TEMPEH WITH MUSTARD GREENS,PINEAPPLE,APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CRISP. Spring and Your Liver by Patrick McCarty Spring is the time of upward moving energy, just look at the multitude of color in the fresh blossoming flowers and trees. The more dominant winter energy which was being stored in the root system of plants is now on the move. Traveling upward bringing life, color and beauty to the extremities. The human body reflects nature in its movements. While every spring we don't blossom forth with rainbows of color on our hands and face, there is an upward, lighter feeling that comes with the seasonal change. In order for this natural process to occur the physical liver must be functioning well. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they say that the liver's job is "to promote an unrestricted flow of energy throughout the body." If restriction occurs the heat or fire of the Liver adversely explodes upward, like a rocket shot from a cannon. This accounts for migraines, hot flushed faces, hot flashes, vision distortions, elevated cholesterol levels and even persistent irritability and outbursts of anger. It is no accident that the word LIVE is part of liver. Normal liver function is essential to life. The liver is the largest organ of the body, located in the upper right section of the abdomen just under the ribs. It filters circulating blood, removing and destroying toxic substances; it secretes bile into the small intestine to help digest and absorb fats; and it is involved in many of the metabolic systems of the body. Digested food substances are carried from the intestine directly to the liver for further processing. The liver stores vitamins; synthesizes cholesterol; metabolizes or stores sugars; processes fats; and assembles amino acids into various proteins, some for use within the liver and some for export. The liver controls blood fluidity and regulates blood-clotting mechanisms. It also converts the products of protein metabolism into urea for excretion by the kidneys. Over the winter months especially in cold regions people eat heavier, fat and protein ladened foods. In general a richer diet is consumed with less physical activity. Compared to Minnesota, in central Florida it's a little different. Here people tend to eat volumes of cookies, pastries, sugars and bakery goods, all of which burden the liver. These excesses are either stored directly in the liver or the liver helps to convert these calories into fat elsewhere. Repeat this cycle year after year, add alcohol into your regimen, and you may see how these excesses may trash the liver leading to the major diseases including: hepatitis (an inflammation of the liver characterized by fever, jaundice, and abdominal pain) and cirrhosis (progressive development of scar tissue that chokes off blood vessels and distorts the normal architecture of the liver). While cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder), appendicitis, and pancreatitis are generally considered separate from liver problems, there is a link. Are you beginning to see the power and importance of the liver? After mention of all these horrible problems don't despair. Cleaning the liver is easy if you understand a few things. 1. The body is constructed to last a long time and has a built-in mechanism for survival. It's called the immune system. Given a little push in the right direction and it will take care of itself. 2. The energy of spring positively affects the liver. 3. There are several things you can do to influence these forces. And here they are. There are certain dynamics that affect the liver. Eating less volume of any food is extremely important. Less volume means less work for the liver which means energy is used to cleanse and heal itself. Traditionally this time of year was used for fasting or reducing food intake for spiritual reasons. In Christian countries the time of Lent precedes Easter. When you do eat it is best to chew very well and fill your menus with lots of spring greens such as bok choy, cabbage, mustard greens, kale, collard, dandelion greens and so forth. Also include some sour flavor as this loosens and activates the liver. Sour includes lemon, vinegar, and umeboshi (salted plum). Your cooking style should be lighter than winter with less cooking time and less salt used. Additionally, getting your body back in shape is important. It's time to start up with your walks or recommit to the YMCA, Tai Qi and Yoga classes. Remember the liver's job is "to promote an unrestricted flow of energy" and exercise is the best way to accomplish this. Dealing with irritability, anger or being overwhelmed and short of time (emotions of the liver) is easily accomplished when biology (food) is balanced. Yet, setting your own tone to one of compassion and patience and focusing on those parts of your life that uplift you especially as you help and share yourself with others, goes a long way to complete a balanced approach to the spring season's adjustment. Spring is a time to smell the roses and be light. Enjoy yourself, your liver will thank you. Contact Patrick at http://www.imss.macrobiotic.net The Chakras—the Seven Centers of Consciousness By Yogi Amrit Desai I leave survival and move into divine will in muladhara chakra.I transform my sensuality into love and liberation in swadhisthana. I develop my will power with deliberate action in manipura. I open my heart unconditionally in anahata. I clear my communication in vishuddha. I alter my perception of duality into unity in ajna chakra.I melt into the bliss of oneness in sahasrar. Each chakra is a vortex of the swirling energy of prana. They represent our energy distribution centers. They exist in the subtle body and correlate with the nerve plexuses (ganglia) in the physical body. All seven centers are vortexes of energy connected by the main channel of energy, shushumna nadi, which integrate and interlink all seven chakras. The main channel connects energy from the highest sahasrar center to the lowest muladhara and serves all of the centers in-between. All the chakras are interconnected through the Ida, Pingala and Shushumna Nadis. Ida is the flow of breath through the left nostril (moon); Pingala through the right nostril (sun). In ordinary consciousness, the breath interchanges between the left and the right nostrils, so the chakras function under the influence of the polarity of the Ida and Pingala channels. When Ida and Pingala are balanced, the chakras also come into resonance and function harmoniously, accelerating and maximizing healing as well as evolutionary processes on a mental as well as spiritual level. The meaning of the words Hatha Yoga is to unite the sun (Ha) and moon (Tha) into Shushumna. When shushumna is functioning in balance and harmony, the breath flows evenly and simultaneously through both nostrils. When energy moves downward, it moves into manifestation. When it moves upward, it brings liberation. The downward movement of the life force is outward or centrifugal, moving away from the center. The upward movement is centripetal, moving toward the center. When the downward flow undermines our ability to use the energies of the lower centers as the foundation, it makes it more difficult to penetrate and climb to the subtler expressions of prana associated with the higher centers. Our evolutionary journey to awakened consciousness is the journey of a steep climb up the spinal chord to the pinnacle of the sahasrar chakra As you journey up the spinal column, through each center, you integrate a new level of consciousness, extending and expanding beyond the previous limitations and boundaries that keep us victims of our own unconscious use of available, life giving forces. As you move from the lower to the higher, you move through the transformation of the energies consumed in the previous center to a more refined, subtler world that was previously unknown. The purpose of the journey is to embrace and experience all the levels of consciousness that bridge the gulf between Purusha and Prakriti, Shiva and Shakti, - and Spirit and Matter. The purpose of the upward ascension is to break through the bondage of matter, the fear of death, and realize that consciousness is the underlying reality behind the multitudinous changing, evolving forms in existence. Purusha, the supreme consciousness, is the source of life and a vehicle to discover that source. The seven chakras can be divided into two major categories: the separative and the integrative. The lower chakras: muladhara (first chakra), swadhisthana (second chakra), and manipura (third chakra) - are not inherently negative but when these chakras operate under the influence of unconscious forces, they become the source of insecurity, attractions and repulsions, addictions and fears. This unconscious activity creates one’s own self-caused suffering. Elimination of these unconscious forces and self-caused suffering is the ultimate purpose of the practice of yoga. Through the practice of yogic disciplines, the lower chakras exist as the potential foundation for spiritual unfoldment and Self-realization. The next three higher chakras: anahata (fourth chakra), vishuddha (fifth chakra), and ajna (sixth chakra), progressively initiate integration and finally enter the ultimate union in the seventh chakra, sahasrar. The first five chakras have dual possibility. They operate in the field of duality—polarity. The fact that these five centers operate in this field always leaves open the possibility for a sadhak (spiritual seeker) to move either up or down, toward either higher or lower centers. It is only when a yogi reaches the final stages of samadhi that he is no longer susceptible to the seductive forces of duality, and the illusive effects of relativity. When human consciousness predominantly operates through the first three chakras, it manifests as separative forces that function in the field of duality and create internal conflict and stress. They pull your attention and your energy downward and outward. The lower possibility of each chakra center generates an inner conflict and the higher possibility generates deeper integration. The lower possibility is inborn and actualized in the form of personalized instinctive natural forces. The higher possibility is also inborn as a supernatural potential to be revealed by the practice of yoga. Between the two possibilities there exists the field of natural polarity. In order to enter the integrative higher state of consciousness one must move from duality to polarity before transcending into unity – or from unnatural to natural, and natural to transcendental. When the natural instinctive polarity of each chakra is distorted by preprogrammed self-concepts, the natural, pure polarity of the chakras is experienced in a dualistic way. The interplay between the individual preprogrammed, acquired appetites and biological appetites create a dynamic of continuous friction that produces not only stress, but is also the basic cause of all physical, mental and emotional health problems. It is the root cause of body-mind conflict. The natural polarized activity of the chakras functions through the harmonious balance of tension and relaxation. However, when this homeostatic process is psychologically disturbed, relaxation is not enough to balance the tension. This unresolved tension is then experienced as stress. As a result, the natural universal polarity that manifests throughout creation turns into the individual experience of duality in the form of stress and conflict. When conflict is registered in the physical, mental or energy bodies, it can be described as “energy blocks.” These blocks may appear in the form of mental, physical, or emotional blocks that distort our perceptions, disturb our ability to see, and diminish our capacity to feel. When there is blockage, either in the physical or subtle bodies, there is a decreased range of sensitivity to sensation and the inability to feel and experience universal reality as it manifests in the present moment. This form of distortion is invariably experienced as excessive mental and emotional activity and disturbance, which is the cause of all human suffering. The presence of such conflict in our physical and subtle bodies results in a continuous loss of the life force. When combined with the restriction of the free flow of energy caused by the blockages, it greatly depletes our vitality, strength and peace of mind. The restriction of the free flow of prana-shakti, the life force, through the nerve channels inhibits the activity of the chakras and disturbs the balance of the Ida and Pingala nadis. Consciousness has a direct influence on the chakras. If you are interacting with life unconsciously, you will invariably be drawn into the manifestation of the lower expressions of the chakras. This means your life energy will be more engaged by your attractions and repulsions, which are limited and colored by security, sensations and power issues. These forces externalize your values, divert your attention, inhibit your expression, and create dependency on the objects of attraction, and fear toward the objects of repulsion. When you are unconscious, lower chakra energies are motivated by fear and addiction. In each chakra center, there is residual, unfinished, unfulfilled karma that must be revealed, reexamined and fully faced for it to be released. As you progressively travel through the various chakras on your spiritual journey, you will have opportunities to release these trapped energies from the blockages of past karma that inhibits the flow of prana. Amrit Yoga is designed to awaken the prana by releasing it from unconscious inhibitions, restrictions and limitations that manifest in the physical, mental and emotional bodies. Flooding the chakra with the energy of higher consciousness releases it from the bondage of duality and reactivates the dormant powers that lie in potential. How the Chakra System is Activated: 1. Involuntary functions, where prana carries out all life-giving biological functions independent of our will 2. Voluntary or willful deliberate actions 3. Unconscious or preprogrammed habitual actions 4. Conscious action through meditative awareness in order to eliminate unconscious programming. The Relationship of Prana to the Chakra System: Our entire neurological and glandular systems, as well as our vital organs, are fueled by the vital life force of prana that works through the chakras. In human beings, the biological system is operated and affected not only by voluntary actions and involuntary functions but also by unconscious habitual and preprogrammed patterns of behavior. This is why all systems, voluntary and involuntary, conscious and unconscious, use the life force of prana as their fuel. One of the disciplines of the practice of Kundalini yoga (also known as Kriya Yoga, Siddha Yoga or Tantra Yoga) is to first purify all of the nerve channels; second, to create a container to store accumulated prana; and third, to prevent the unconscious dissipation of prana. This, in combination with purification of the body, mind and heart, is central to the awakening of prana and Kundalini Shakti. This process is not always linear. Different aspects of the process may occur simultaneously or in a different sequence. If you understand the chakra system in terms of our physical, mental, energy, wisdom and bliss bodies, you will understand how the functioning of the chakras is related to how we operate through these bodies. As we purify our physical, mental and emotional bodies, we create an appropriate container for holding the vast reserves of life energy. Our nervous system becomes strong; our ability to tolerate and manage crisis situations increases, and our creativity and intuition begins to function with greater clarity and more efficiency. The purpose of the study of the chakra system is to understand how we can better consciously manage our life force. This conscious process is called pranayama. This is why pranayama in this broader context is not just doing breathing exercises, but also learning how to consciously recognize the different ways we lose energy, and to develop new ways to gain and store our energy reserves. Building up our prana reserve and preventing its depletion from unconscious, self-abuse use is one of the core purposes of all yogic disciplines. This is central to the awakening of prana and Kundalini. When Kundalini is awakened, it enters the shushumna nadi, the central channel, and begins to penetrate or pierce the chakras, progressively removing all inhibitions and blockages as it ascends to the higher centers of consciousness. Its ascension is marked by various stages and levels of the practice of yoga that is born spontaneously from the higher intelligence of awakened Kundalini. At such times, the yogi, without having any prior knowledge about any of the disciplines of Ashtanga Yoga, is automatically guided by the deep meditative state of awakened Kundalini to perform different asanas, pranayamas, cleansing kriyas, bandhas (locks) and mudras. The Relationship of the Chakras to the Biblical Parables of Adam and Eve (Unconscious Unity) and the Forbidden Fruit (Duality) and the Return of the Prodigal Son (Unity) In evolution, our willful actions represent the inborn sense of the separate self (the ego), which is not present in animals. Only humans have this sense of individuality. The human ego-mind is the tool of the separative self that says, “I am happy or I am unhappy. I am up or I am down. I want pleasure and I want to avoid pain.” Identifying ourselves with “I am this” or “I am that” separates us from the pure state of “I am that I am.” Whatever we identify with separates us from the original state of union, which is a state of “I am that I am.” This concept is represented by the forbidden fruit of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. So whenever “I am” identifies itself with the knowledge that I am separate from others and everything else, it is the same sense of duality and separation that came when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit that resulted in their exile from Eden. Before eating the fruit, they lived in complete integration, unity and oneness, although it was unconscious. Choosing to eat the fruit of knowledge was the birth of the mind. This explains how the mind represents the next level of evolution and the awakening of human potential in Adam and Eve. Eating the fruit was the beginning of their individuation, which separated Adam from Eve. Being expelled from the Garden of Eden and suffering separation from each other is represented by Eve’s having to cover herself. Eve’s shame represents the separation from the original unity and oneness in which they lived. The sense of separation represents pride and ego. It creates either shame or superiority toward others. This separation is Original Sin; union (yoga) is ultimate freedom from sin. As we bring each of the chakras into integration through balance and harmony, the journey back to the Garden of Eden through the practice of yoga is complete when there is conscious unity, or the realization of Self. When I say “I want,” or “I want to avoid,” it represents the fruit of knowledge that creates separation from each other and the whole. It controls our attention. It directs our prana and our creative forces and activities toward fulfillment of the desires of the predominant chakra, from which our personality operates. For example, if one lives predominantly in manipura, his prana would be directed and driven by the relentless search for power. In support of the predominant chakra, the powers of all the other chakras would be used to assist the fulfillment of the predominant chakra. If a politician wants to win the election, he may compromise the security of his home life and his relationship with his wife to fulfill his ambition. He may also primarily use the manipura chakra as an asset in his search for political power, as well as survival measures to further his drives (e.g. competition, jealousy). In this way, the powers of the other chakras become subservient to the predominant chakra. The ego, the sense of self, automatically operates from the predominant consciousness with which it identifies as “I am.” This is where attachment to the fruit of the desire resides. As soon as one becomes confined to individual desires, which is the direct manifestation of the activity of unconscious forces, and becomes attached to the fruit of the action, one becomes the victim of duality, which is the same as being expelled from the Garden of Eden. It is separation from the unity and bliss of oneness. Animals and infants also live in this bliss; but it is unconscious unity. Even though the child experiences the primal unity, it is the unity of Adam and Eve prior to their having eaten the forbidden fruit. The moment the child begins to consciously choose the fruit of knowledge (birth of the mind), the process of separation from unconscious unity begins to move toward the exploration of human potential, which in turn gravitates toward affirming separation through ego-driven efforts, achievements and performances. This aspect of the evolution of the soul is when the Prodigal Son has separated from his father, the Source. This is not sin but a natural evolutionary stage of the soul. When the soul undergoes the “dark night of the soul” through the experience of utter frustration, despair, and futility of his separation and duality, he finally awakens into exploring the divine potential. It is this possibility that helped the Prodigal Son return consciously to that which he already was. Consciousness in the separative lower centers is confined to survival, pleasure and power. When harnessed by the higher powers of integrative intention and meditative awareness, their energies become the foundation for unfoldment of our divine potential. Although each level of consciousness may predominantly manifest through one of the chakras, consciousness functions in combination with all the other chakras. What makes the difference is whether the chakra is functioning under separative consciousness or unity consciousness. In unity consciousness, all chakras, including the first three, provide an upward flow of energy. As long as the first three centers are focused around survival, fear of death, separation from the source continues, disintegration continues. With the opening of witness consciousness and love, integration begins. The lower chakras initiate separation from the source…the higher chakras initiate integration with the Source. The Impact of Karma on Blockages in the Chakra System Chakras are part of a psycho-physiological system. What takes place in the mental and emotional body directly affects the chakra system, and manifests in the form of physical effects. If we carry negative emotions, fears, guilt, blame, shame, and operate in victim consciousness, we block our heart chakra. When the heart center is blocked – it manifests as emotions. When this happens, instead of operating as a unifying force of life – the heart then operates in the field of duality, where the unifying power of the heart is split into attraction and repulsion. The prana body is the link between physical and mental bodies. The prana body is a metaphorical vehicle for the physical body. It is used by whoever is in the driver’s seat. There are three different drivers: 1. In deep sleep, the driver is an instinctive, survival, sustenance-level operator. 2. In normal waking-level consciousness, the driver operates from preprogrammed habit patterns, belief systems and self-concepts. 3. In an awakened-level consciousness, the driver has disengaged from past and future time-bound consciousness, releasing all blockages of karma in the chakra system. Each soul in its evolutionary journey departs from the source of unity and shifts into a separative dualistic ego-centered search for happiness and fulfillment. In this process, the soul accumulates a history of personal karma, which creates blocks in our physical and mental body. These blocks prevent the prana body from operating freely to facilitate optional psychosomatic self-healing, regenerative, and transformative processes. By Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the earliest pioneers of yoga in this country, began teaching in 1960. He is an internationally renowned yoga master, seminar leader and author in the field of yoga and holistic living. In 1970 he had a profound life-transforming Kundalini awakening, which shattered the old model of yoga he had been practicing and teacher. Out of this experience, he developed a methodology that altered the popular notion of yoga as a physical discipline. He named this approach in honor of his guru, calling it Kripalu Yoga: Meditation in Motion. The methodology he developed has become so widely adopted that today it is taught by thousands of certified yoga teachers all over the world. Yogi Desai has continued to develop and teach his innovative approach in the form of Amrit Yoga.