Yoga Girl East West: July 2014

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Yoga Fest - Art for India Project

Two girls in India, achieving their dreams of creating art, doing yoga and volunteering with children.

Anandamayi Ma, a well known woman saint from India was famous for her Kheyal, the divine inner prompting that shaped all her movements and activities. Ma was famous for her intuition that would sometimes carry her suddenly deep in the night, hundreds of miles away, only to answer the inner call of one lonely devotee who cried deep enough for her. This divine intuition was so mystical that Ma sometimes appeared crazy or reckless to those who did not understand her inner promptings. This call carried her along the sacred path she walked helping many to attune themselves to God and to a deeper understanding of themselves. Ma’s legacy continues on...

Clarity West
Over the past four years, I have been on an intense spiritual quest which started in 2009 when I gave up everything and traveled around the US. I wanted truth and I knew that I needed to find the people who had it.

I ended up interviewing several teachers and enlightened beings around the Globe including Swami Kriyananda, Brooke Medicine Eagle, Pi Villaraza, Dr Peter Van Houten and Sunny Baba among other world proponents on spirituality around the US and Asia. Now that my 4 year journey is complete, I am sharing the wisdom, strength and skills I have learned.

This is expressing itself in several ways including working with children, painting and exploring my journey through the documentary film I created over the course of my travels. You can view the trailer online.

I am interested in an alternative Education system called EFL (Education for Life) which is a well-rounded view on childhood development discovered by J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda). It is a similar system to the gurukul, which is the ancient Indian system of schooling which focuses on the child as the whole being; body, mind and soul. It inspired me deeply and I began to develop my gifts and talents in art and creativity not only for myself but also to share with children. India has some of the greatest wealth when it comes to knowledge but unfortunately the education system is depleted or in many areas, non-existent. This does not give children much chance to become more than simple laborers. We can only do our part, which is to start with one or two schools.

“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” ― Khalil Gibran

What we are doing
We have the opportunity to go to India and teach at a small school after being invited by a woman named Vanamali Devi who has an ashram near Rishikesh. After speaking to a friend, Bhakti Ruggiero another Education for Life (pre-school) teacher, the whole journey started to unfold.

We would like to go to the school near Rishikesh to volunteer as well as visit the Mother Miracle School. We have been invited to give presentations on EFL in South India for parents, teachers and children. The journey will be approx 6months leaving fall 2014, God willing and dependent on your support.

There are many social areas in India that are in need of assistance, Education for children is one of the biggest. In our small way, Bhakti and Clarity will make an impact in the lives of the children whom we meet.

Our Offering

In exchange (for your offering), Bhakti and her friend Clarity West are creating original photographic, painting and mixed media pieces for you and your involvement in the project.

Clarity West is a trained graphic artist, painter, designer and filmmaker. She creates original pieces, mixing bright colors & spiritual imagery to create modern, uplifting pieces of art on canvas, paper or wood board.

http://claritycreative.blogspot.ca

Art speaks to us an intuitive and almost mystical level and when it is channeled from a higher source can offer much upliftment and inspiration. I like to use colors and images that uplift and inspire. If we are going to have imagery up on our walls why not have beautiful uplifting colors and imagery that resonates with who we are and makes us feel naturally good.

You can view many pieces through my Art Blog: http://claritycreative.blogspot.ca/

or through my Facebook page.

We are offering the following:

Art Prints
Giclee; high quality canvas prints, stretched, ready to hang - delivered
Original paintings
Commissions- You choose what you would like me to paint.

Original artworks which I will create in India and with the children



Breakdown of Costs
Raised with Indiegogo (Covered)	1000
Misc Expenses; Travel Insurance, Remedies, etc.	500
Home Expenses (while in India)	500
India Travel Expenses	1000
Air Fare to India (for two)	3000
Food, lodging	6000
Total Needed	11,000

The Impact

The impact of this project is a win-win-win situation. The girls putting on this project will be given the chance to express the deep love and concern they have for children in India and assist kids in expressing themselves through music, yoga and art.

The participants in this project will receive beautiful art work and other gifts (see below) and a part in a truly dynamic vision that has been held for some time.

The girls creating this project will actualize their goals and be able to fulfill a life long desire to return to India where the history and lineage of their life teachings were founded.

Gifts

$5 USD- Namaste
We will chant Om at the Ganga for you.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Death

What do you think of this?

Monday, July 14, 2014

My life thus far

About 4 or 5 months ago I arrived back in Vancouver and I started to read the book: Power vs Force by David Hawkins. Dramatic shifts in my perceptions, consciousness and overall relationship to life began to shift. The previous months leading up to reading this bookI had become much more self aware and "in my self". I was getting to know myself on a whole new level after having practiced bramacharya vows "in the city" for close to two years. I was getting to a deeper level of power in my relationship to the world and was acting from a powerful place. What I wanted and needed was falling into alignment with almost seemingless effort. I was meeting incredible, like minded souls who were also operating and relating from high levels of existence. And then, I started to read this book by Dr Hawkins and it all started to crumble.

I can only explain it as I was getting in touch with my heart center. A place I had not visited for some time. My heart center was connecting me with my feeling body and thus, more and more connection with the spirit realms started to unravel. My deep, deep connection with healing and the metaphysical world came on with expedited force. Sri Tatata, a Saint from Kerala, India arrived and after 3 days, initiated me into some ancient Vedic rights. This seemed to immediately spiral my life into a deep unraveling of the unworkable and unneeded patterns and situations in my life that needed to end. This is where it all started to become interesting to me.

Things started to become rather difficult to "do". Thinking ahead and planning had become almost unworkable and I stopped being able to multi-task completely. Each thing I did became the only thing in itself that I could handle from moment to moment. It was if my mind was slowing down and I could not ignore it.

In a short period of time I found myself moving to the coast. In fact I was pulled and propelled by a series of extreme events to leave the city. I ended up in a small coastal city outside of Sechelt. I worked on the land in the gardens of a small retreat and healing center called the Self Realization Meditation Healing Center. I went into deep healing mode there where many things were revealed and unearthed in a short amount of time. My periods of silence were in long increments and I became highly functional focusing on one task at a time in a steady day to day routine starting at 6am and ending at approx 7pm. Mediation and steady work seemed conducive to focusing on other aspects of life. Life was good until it was again shaken up after one month's time.

I discovered a community freshly starting not far from where I was based. Ruby Lake, there were many bright lights converging and connecting, some excellent and insanely similarly minded souls. I was in Canada and here were my peeps. Unheard of since I had essentially spent 10 years searching for them all over the globe, primarily in the US. The events that transpired with the people of Ruby Lake caused me to enter a deep heart space where I was able to release and let go to allow for life to unfold what it had in store for me.

So after a series of twists and turns which led me to end up on Salt Spring Island painting a large scale mural in connection with a Tibetan Buddhist Center, I am back again on the mainland.

What drew me here?
On set film work which I got called to be part of and then...let go after 2 days. It was ok because I was not vibing with what once felt quite normal and do-able for me. The film scene was a vibe I had not been around for a couple months and I was changed. It made me question my hopes and dreams of working in the commercial film industry as a director. Did I really want to dedicate the next 10-20 years of my life to work up to this position and then have to pump out this incredible shit into the mainstream. These films which I had worked on a couple of were not only bad but the consciousness in which they were being made was downright inhumane. The film industry is by no means glorious or glamorous. And the content these days in questionable to say the least.

So the common theme is it has taken me great efforts to do very simple things. Getting through the day at this point is the major theme but I've found ways to ground myself such as doing laundry and always having clean clothes. Also eating at least one good meal a day, usually breakfast, ensures that if I'm flying off in the astral planes, at least it's not because I didn't eat. I am doing my best not to judge my state as unproductive because though it seems like I am not "doing" much, I am doing exactly what I need to and I am hyper aware of this.My saving grace has been painting and art which I have been spending many hours dedicated and deeply

involved in.

Basically, it feels as though I am having a blow out. Not like a blow out sale but more like a spiritual dry cleaning. Yeah.

I am having trouble being clear in communications lately for fear of upsetting or forcing myself upon anyone. But my sensitivities have become hyper aware and yet at times I am able to deliver truth with surprising precision and strength when needed. My psyche is certainly changing and my ability to go after money or success is close to none at this moment. This has not been good on the old bank account but I know all things will come in good time and at the moment I am being sustained amply. I have more and more been relying on the day to guidance and support that has come from within and through friends and guiding lights. I am allowing healing to take place, right here in my home town and I am loving it.

The process is unravelling as I continue to judge not and allow it to be. The perfectionism and attachment to productivity and results has to be released on a daily level. My ability to care or worry about what others think is prevalent but no longer dominating my life. It has become about the inner guidance, which also come without. I have more and more trust in the divine forces above all else.