Blackstone Yoga Center Newsletter

The good ship No Stress Here set sail last night to explore the depths of our ocean, which is our greater self. No such vessel has ever set sail from the port of Blackstone before, at least not with a stated intention such as this. Most leave here for a cruise to known ports of call: a vacation, a retreat, a self-help program, all interesting places where one can fill a suitcase full of interesting and perhaps helpful information. Or one brings home a new method or technique that one can practice at home when the cruise is over, something that we hope will fulfill us with a sense of completion.

But all these cruises set sail on an earth that is believed to be flat. The flat earth has no depth, no mystery, and no awareness of the bottomless ocean upon which each moment is but a window. A flat earth ship has no glass bottom because it doesn’t believe there is anything beneath the waves of thought upon which it sails.

So our brave crew threw off the ropes that tied them to their problematic mind and set sail into the unknown ocean of themselves, to discover for themselves what lay beneath the common world of worries, fears, doubts, guilt, and despair. Surely, this world of suffering is not all there is to life; surely, we, the culmination of the entire universe as an evolution of consciousness, are meant for more that just being bounced around in a tiny boat of fearful thoughts about a future that doesn’t even exist? Surely, there is more to the ocean of me than these empty waves of thought?

But our belief that the earth is flat and that the ocean has no depth is so strong and our mind conditioning so pervasive, that few even dare to look over the side of their tiny boat of thoughts they call “me.” “Be careful,” a shipmate says, "if you fall overboard you’ll die.” So we keep our eyes on tomorrow and never notice the green blue ocean that supports us as the present moment.

Last night, No Stress Here stopped mid ocean, and after learning how to deep breathe, dropped into the ocean of our being in what’s called a deep relaxation diving suit. Down, down we sank into the presence of our body, leaving the noisy thoughts of the mind far behind on the surface. The line that tied us together was the guided relaxation tour of the world beneath thought.

" Be aware of the sensations of the mouth, the tongue, the noise…” said the guide as the body as a field of inner energy began to reveal itself to the divers. Everyone experienced the great stillness of the present moment as they sank deeper into themselves. “I didn’t think at all,” said one amazed diver after we came back to the surface.

And this is only the beginning of the voyage to the bottom of the sea. What we are going to learn is that every moment is an opportunity to visit the thoughtless state of our own being, which is the source of our missing sense of well being and peace that we are all seeking. If we learn how to deep sea dive, we can go there anytime, while waiting for an elevator, a traffic light, or walking to get a cup of coffee.

You see, we are always floating on the ocean of our being; we just have to stop believing that there is nothing to the ocean but waves.

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Okay.....the swamis are coming back Wednesday evening to perform the cancelled Puja from last week. Those coming to class that night can come to the Puja and not be credtied with a class. This is a great opportunity to experience the power of a ritual that is over three thousand years old.

Thank you,
Ed
Om Peace
1/7/07
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