Charging for Yoga Classes: Greed or Good Practice?

This was in response to a post on the kundalini yoga teacher’s forum, subject: knowledge should be free. The gist was that this person thought it was hypocritical to charge for passing on spiritual teachings. The following is a response.accepting money for yoga classes

Many people believe that spiritual knowledge should be free. In many ways it is, but living in a world of duality, one has to give in order to get. That is also in accordance with karmic law. Karma is simply cause and effect, which was proven scientifically by Newton in his third law–“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” As far as charging for this knowledge, the waters get muddy here in the west, in our modern capitalist system.

In the past, spiritual tradition was typically handed down from Master to Student at great physical cost. A new Chela, or student, wishing to find a master and learn the spiritual path would travel arduously up into the Himalayan mountains and once he found the master, would then work for that master for several years or more until accepted. That is if the master accepted him in the first place and allowed him to work. After this tremendous expression of commitment, the student would then get one kriya to practice and master. In that context, if you stop to think about the volume of technology Yogi Bhajan passed on in such a short time, it’s mind boggling. (more…)

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Understanding Trans Fat

I recently explored this business of trans fat and it’s pretty scary. Now I look at the labels on products and am pretty horrified to find how many of them contain this chemically modified fat that is so foreign to the body that it simply ends up as unprocessed fat which clogs the circulatory system.

Here is a very informative site about exactly what hydrogenation of fat is: www.treelight.com. There is also great information there about good fats like coconut and palm kernel oils and why they’re actually good for you.

I came across this following article which is very informative:

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Trans Fat Survival Checklist

By James Pereira

nutritional label trans fatA healthy human diet should consist of a daily intake of water, carbohydrates, protein, fats and vitamins and minerals. Naturally all these have a daily recommended amount for the optimum functioning of our bodily processes. Just as in any other substance abuse, excess intake of fats will result in pathological conditions. Furthermore the result of excess fat intake varies according to the type of fats consumed. This means that there are different types of fats and also not all fats behave similarly in our body.

The major effect of excess trans fat consumption is heart disease. Studies have indicated that an increase of energy intake from the trans fat group increases heart disease risk by 100%! Trans fats develop coronary heart disease by both increasing LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and lowering HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Furthermore, excess trans fat intake also may reduce brain and eye functions by interfering with omega 3 fatty acid (another member of the fats group) metabolism that is important in brain and eye function. Trans fats have been linked to the abnormal development of babies in pregnant women who consume this. (more…)

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Sources of Vitamins & Minerals Naturally Occurring in Foods

There’s a book that was compiled from Yogi Bhajan’s lectures called The Ancient Art of Self-Healing, Edited by Siri Amir Singh Khalsa, D.C. I got a copy of it up at the Summer Solstice in New Mexico. Other than that it’s pretty rare to find. It’s a fantastic book with all kinds of rare Ayurvedic treaments and recipes. The great thing is it’s indexed for easy searching by what’s ailing you. It’s a very interesting book and this is one of the appendices– a guide to vitamins and minerals by the foods in which you can find them. Coconut seems to be the winner– nearly a perfect food. I actually heard tell of some yogi in India who lived on one coconut a day for his whole life. Not one French Fry?

vitamins & minerals food-list follows below (more…)

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102 Things you can do to realize your destiny

To Bee, to bee

A friend of mine suggested this idea a few days ago and so I ran with it. After all, everybody loves lists! Thanks Ali.

  1. Think About Your Destiny Once A Day
  2. Follow Your Heart
  3. Follow Your Bliss
  4. Pray for Others
  5. Pray for Yourself
  6. Meditate
  7. Give to Charity
  8. Follow Your Intuition
  9. Breathe Deeply
  10. Forgive Someone
  11. Love Everyone You See
  12. Treat Others as You Would Like To Be Treated
  13. Do Something Self-Less
  14. Be At Peace Within
  15. Live In The Present Moment
  16. Accept Things As They Are Now
  17. Get Rid of Anger
  18. Call Your Mother
  19. Call Your Father
  20. Be Kind to Yourself
  21. Do What’s Right for You
  22. Make The Higher Choice
  23. Clean Your House
  24. Try Something New
  25. Don’t Worry (more…)

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