Marya Mann : Blog : Clear Intention | Yoga, Truth, Art & Activism

Clear Intention | Yoga, Truth, Art & Activism

Clear Intention | Yoga, Truth, Art, & Activism

A speech, a song, encouraging a child, whispering to a new love – using your voice is perhaps the most human of all our actions….READ more about Satya, ArtWavEs, and Standing Rock below.

First, I invite you to join me in setting clear intention for a steady, graceful peace and the energy of joy in all our movements this holiday season. Breathe and Blossom!

ONGOING:
———-MONDAYS: GENTLE YOGA – EVOLUTIONARY FLOW, 5:00- 6:30 PM
Where: New Thought Center – 81-6587 Mamalahoa Hwy, C302, Pualani Terrace
Drop-in: $15 – Multi-class memberships: 3 class/$40

————-WEDNESDAYS: GENTLE PRANA YOGA FLOW, 5:00- 6:30 PM
Where: At Yano Hall – 82-6156 Mamalahoa Hwy, Captain Cook, (Next to Amy Greenwell Garden, across from Manago Hotel), BY DONATION. Chairs available. Please visit: http://www.maryamann.com/calendar/month-view/

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“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.” — Tribe Unknown
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ARTWAVES NOURISH THE CHILDREN FOOD COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION:
Many donors are contributing to holiday meals for children this year. We are not planning a large event as we have done for the last three years. Our board of advisors made the wise decision to focus this holiday on direct service of food to families and keiki who lack adequate nutrition and the ArtWavEs apprenticeship and training program that gives life and art skills to youth leading to jobs for West Hawaii’s most vulnerable populations. One in five children go to bed hungry and we are doing everything possible to alleviate that. Please help us fulfill our mission. Contribute to ArtWavEs Nourish the Children here: Nourish the Children

Please bring your food contributions to Kealakehe Elementary School during school hours or contact us at 808-345-0050 to request pick-up and delivery.

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“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” – Dakota
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SATYA – BEING HONEST, TRUE, AND CLEAR

A speech, a song, encouraging a child, whispering to a new love – using our voice is perhaps the most human of all our actions. We eagerly await an infant’s first words and then wonder if they’ll ever be quiet once they start talking, laughing, and playing! The spoken word inspires, frightens and delights us.

In yoga philosophy, speaking has a profound effect on our consciousness and on all matter. In the second yama, Satya, yoga sages present the teaching that right speech means using words and ideas that carry honorable intentions, speak the truth, support all living beings, and do not harm anyone. In the Yoga Sutra (Chapter II, verse 30), Patanjali states that Satya is not just speaking the truth. Speech cannot reflect the truth unless it flows from the spirit of nonviolence, the first yama, ahimsa.

Yamas are considered to be the restraints that will help us live happier, more salient lives: restraint from violence, from lies, from stealing, from craving, and from self-indulgence. It’s important not to confuse truth-telling with accuracy that is harmful. If what you are saying is hurting someone, but true, that is not Satya. Someone’s belief may be the most insane thing you’ve ever heard, but it not practicing Satya to say so.

We can make a distinction between speaking a judgement and making an observation. Even when we are practicing yoga, we might judge someone by saying, “Your leotards are really ugly,” or “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” These statements, as judgements, carry a note of harshness that can be violent. An observation that remains non-violent might be, making a funny comment, “I would look terrible in those leotards!” or “I might look at what you’re saying in a different way.”

In writing the Sutra, Patanjali placed non-violence ahead of truth because non-harming is paramount to anything else we do. The teaching of Satya is about slowing down, filtering the conditioned responses that may come to us in the heat of the moment, nut are not necessarily kind or useful. It’s carefully choosing our words so they are in harmony with Ahimsa, the tenet of non-violence.

Making clear requests of others is part of the practice of Satya. Understanding what your intention is before you make a request or comment can prevent conflict or confusion, and you have more chance of your request being granted.

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“It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace and live in peace.” — Shenandoah
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“Can I invite you to try this new pose?” I might say to students in class. If I said, “Okay everybody up in headstand! Now!” there might be some resistance. People are more open to clear requests that honor them and their right to say “No,” than those that demand compliance because someone is in a position of authority. Demanding a certain kind of behavior or practice, that others perform the “right” way according to a teacher’s whims, would not be yoga. When I speak in an invitational manner, I find students feel freer to explore and learn; they are less afraid of getting things “wrong.”

What would the world be like if we applied Ahimsa and Satya to every one of our conversations, activities, and endeavors? What if we paused to get clear about our intention before we speak? What if we made observations and clear requests rather than judgements and demands?

We would feel more at home, inside and out. We would feel respected and we would respect others more. We would respect the land, the water, the air and we would bring out the best in ourselves and each other.

When we do this, we are creating a world that works for everyone, a world based on clarity, connection, and compassion. It is within our reach. We are already living in a world in harmony and all we need to do is stop disturbing the natural harmony. Ahimsa and Satya are precepts that can guide us in every situation to align with the unfolding universe in a powerful way.

Our ability to speak the truth in invocations, blessings, and prayers, as well as in every conversation, gives us the means to act upon ourselves and the world. Bringing ourselves into alignment with the rest of creation and expressing our intention for goodness and harmony, anything is possible. We are mindful co-creators in an interconnected world of light, truth, beauty, and deep healing.

As we speak, so shall it be.

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“Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it.” — Arapaho
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REMINDER: Please Call the White House to Protect the Water & People tomorrow, Light Monday, and Lighten up every day with our unified voices.

Call the White House and the Army Corps of Engineers to request the permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline be rescinded:

The White House
(202) 456-1111
(202) 456-1414

Army Corps of Engineers
(202) 761-5903
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“My Father, we have sold you a great tract of land already; but it is not enough! We sold it to you for the benefit of your children, to farm and to live upon. We have now but a little left. We shall want it all for ourselves. We know not how long we shall live, and we wish to leave some lands for our children to hunt upon. You are gradually taking away our hunting grounds. Your children are driving us before them. We are growing uneasy. What lands you have you may retain. But we shall sell no more.”

— Metea, a Potowatami chief of the Illinois nation

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Call the executives at Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the pipeline:

Lee Hanse, Executive Vice President
(210) 403-6455

Glenn Emery, Vice President
(210) 403-6762

Michael (Cliff) Waters , Lead Analyst
(713) 989-2404

Call the powers in North Dakota to stop the violence against peaceful protesters:

North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple
(701) 328-2200

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier
(701) 667-3330

Contact local law enforcement who have sent police officers to Standing Rock. If your city or town has sent deployments, ask them to bring their people back:

Michigan City Police Department
Michigan City, IN
(219) 874-3221

North Dakota Highway Patrol
Offices across North Dakota
(701) 328-2455

Hammond Police Department
Hammond, IN
219-852-2900

Sending you Big Blessings and Namaste!
Marya