Spiritual Name for: Cecily Pranz Schaefer
Sat Nam, dear sister in divine.
Your request for a spiritual name has been gratefully received.
You have been blessed to live as Ajai Kaur, which means the Princess/Lioness of the divine, who is invincible and unconquerable.
Ajai means invincible, unconquerable. Kaur means the Princess/Lioness of God who walks with grace and power throughout her life. Kaur is a name that all women receive. Yogi Bhajan taught that every woman has the potential to attain a true state of grace and power, and he encouraged each woman to manifest that potential.
Receiving the name Ajai Kaur means that you have the potential to overcome every obstacle that comes in the way of reaching your goal, and the potential to unleash your grace and power as a Princess/Lioness of God.
The power of a Spiritual Name is that the more you speak and hear your name, the more it permeates into your being…and the more you will experience its Nadh (inner sound current), bringing you into harmony with your destiny.
Look deeply into yourself with the intention of discovering your true self and becoming one with the One. Become a radiant light that is a guide for everyone.
May God bless you and guide you, now and forever. In the Name of the Cosmos which prevails through everyBODY, and the Holy Nam which holds the world.
Many blessings,
Nirinjan Kaur
Chief of Staff
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
East meets west
Since my major interest in yoga is in it's healing properties, I am very interested when we discuss how yoga parallels modern western medicine. Apart from strengthening and toning your muscles which is the sort of common knowledge, the vibrations generated during chanting stimulate various glands in the body which in turn causes them to sucrete hormones that are calming and nurturing to the the body. (side note: now that I have some experience with Mantra and chanting - I will likely never practice without it again). Certain sounds, which resonate in the chest, stimulate the Thymus Gland which boosts the immune system. What's crazy about this is that, when these chants came into existence THOUSANDS of years ago, they didn't know what the Thymus Gland was. They just knew that if you sent the vibrations to your chest (or your heart chakra), you would stay healthy. But that ancient principle can be translated today into something that makes sense (stimulate the Thymus, boot the immune system). Another example, when you do twists (simply twisting your body), it wrings out your organs as if you were wringing out a sponge. Allowing the older, "used" blood to be drained out making room for the newer, oxygen carrying blood to flow in! And of course oxygen rich blood helps us to function. I've just been so amazed by the realization that while they didn't use the same vocabulary, the rishis who passed down the yogic traditions were aware of the benefits of a regular practice in a very "modern" scientific way.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Middle of my path...almost
It's crazy to think that I am truly almost half way through this. I'm enjoying it so much (though I am exhausted) I don't want it to end.
As many of you know, one of my main goals with yoga is to teach people in recovery from addiction and one of the major principles in the practice of yoga is Sadhana, or discipline. It's about changing habits and performing activities with purpose. The idea is that when people meditate and clear the subconscious mind, our essential goodness and radiance are able to shine through. As part of a recovery regimen, this could not only help with the emotional/mental symptoms of addiction but also the physical ones. When the trigger hits, when one gets the urge to use, they can have a healthy habit rather than an unhealthy one. Research has shown that all it takes is 40 days to create a new habit. After 90 days of doing the same thing at the same time, that habit is integrated into one's life. After 120 days, it is part of your speech and thought. And so on.....
As many of you know, one of my main goals with yoga is to teach people in recovery from addiction and one of the major principles in the practice of yoga is Sadhana, or discipline. It's about changing habits and performing activities with purpose. The idea is that when people meditate and clear the subconscious mind, our essential goodness and radiance are able to shine through. As part of a recovery regimen, this could not only help with the emotional/mental symptoms of addiction but also the physical ones. When the trigger hits, when one gets the urge to use, they can have a healthy habit rather than an unhealthy one. Research has shown that all it takes is 40 days to create a new habit. After 90 days of doing the same thing at the same time, that habit is integrated into one's life. After 120 days, it is part of your speech and thought. And so on.....
Friday, September 11, 2009
I'm mad as hell and I'm gonna take it till I puke
So, about those 20 hours of yoga classes that I mentioned....
Today, I took my first class at 6:30am. I was surprisingly awake and ready for this class when it started. I decided my mantra for the day would be an homage to The Beatles, "there is no where you can be that isn't where you're meant to be". We began with a silent meditation (sometimes there is chanting involved), which I made it through quite nicely. Breath was steady, spine was tall, energy flowing. I was "meant to be" right there. And then, we started to move.
Half way through our second set of sun salutations, I started to get annoyed for some reason. In yoga, we're taught to notice the feelings and let them pass. So, I noticed I was annoyed and tried to let it pass. "There is nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be". I tried to direct my mind back to the practice - with little success. When we got to our inversions, our upside down poses, noticed I was no longer annoyed, I was full on pissed. There I was, upside down and ready to scream. With blood rushing to my brain I reminded myself, "There is nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be. Settle in Cecy. Just notice the feeling and let it pass." By the time we got to our final pose (called corpse pose because you just lay there like a dead body) I was so damn angry I could spit. I had my eyes closed and I was seeing negatively charged scenes as if I were watching a movie. John Lennon punching Paul McCartney in the face. Blue meanies yelling obscenities at me. The yellow submarine plummeting to the depths of the sea in a fiery ball of death. I swear to you - this is what I saw!
Needless to say, when I left class I found the nearest old man and kicked him until he cried. Hey man, there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. Suck it.
And with that, Namaste!
Today, I took my first class at 6:30am. I was surprisingly awake and ready for this class when it started. I decided my mantra for the day would be an homage to The Beatles, "there is no where you can be that isn't where you're meant to be". We began with a silent meditation (sometimes there is chanting involved), which I made it through quite nicely. Breath was steady, spine was tall, energy flowing. I was "meant to be" right there. And then, we started to move.
Half way through our second set of sun salutations, I started to get annoyed for some reason. In yoga, we're taught to notice the feelings and let them pass. So, I noticed I was annoyed and tried to let it pass. "There is nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be". I tried to direct my mind back to the practice - with little success. When we got to our inversions, our upside down poses, noticed I was no longer annoyed, I was full on pissed. There I was, upside down and ready to scream. With blood rushing to my brain I reminded myself, "There is nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be. Settle in Cecy. Just notice the feeling and let it pass." By the time we got to our final pose (called corpse pose because you just lay there like a dead body) I was so damn angry I could spit. I had my eyes closed and I was seeing negatively charged scenes as if I were watching a movie. John Lennon punching Paul McCartney in the face. Blue meanies yelling obscenities at me. The yellow submarine plummeting to the depths of the sea in a fiery ball of death. I swear to you - this is what I saw!
Needless to say, when I left class I found the nearest old man and kicked him until he cried. Hey man, there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. Suck it.
And with that, Namaste!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What a whirlwind! My first weekend is done and oh goodness! I hope I survive the rest.
We began with a yoga class on Friday night and a brief intro to yoga and each other. There are 8 other people in my class. Mostly women/girls looking to deepen their personal practices, one woman who is already a teacher, just looking to learn kundalini, and one man who is a high school teacher and ex-navy seal who will be teaching yoga at his school. Its an interesting grouping. Our weekly schedule looks something like this:
Friday: 6-7:15 - Hatha Yoga class
7:15-9:30 - Lecture
Saturday: 10:30 - 12:30 - Lecture
12:30 - 2:30 - Intro to Yoga (where we work with beginners, mostly doing yoga for the first time)
2:30-6 - Lecture
Sunday: 12:00 - 3:00 - Lecture
3 - 5 - Teach each other
5-6 - Lecture
Wednesday: 6-9 - Lecture
Outside of these classes we must take 20 hours of yoga practice and, of course, there is reading and homework. Needless to say, I'm tired. Most of our lectures have been on the history of yoga so far. Though we are moving into anatomy and meditation soon. In fact, we have already learned about the vestibular system which lives in your inner ear and manages balance and focus. (Fun Cecily fact: when I was learning to walk, I had a little walker seat with leg holes that I ran around in. Apparently, this contraption didn't allow my vestibular system to develop properly and as a result, I don't have a great idea of how much space I take up and what is around me. I walk into walls to this very day. You know you've seen me do it. I'd also like to take the opportunity attribute my bad driving and clumsiness to that walker thingie.)
We began with a yoga class on Friday night and a brief intro to yoga and each other. There are 8 other people in my class. Mostly women/girls looking to deepen their personal practices, one woman who is already a teacher, just looking to learn kundalini, and one man who is a high school teacher and ex-navy seal who will be teaching yoga at his school. Its an interesting grouping. Our weekly schedule looks something like this:
Friday: 6-7:15 - Hatha Yoga class
7:15-9:30 - Lecture
Saturday: 10:30 - 12:30 - Lecture
12:30 - 2:30 - Intro to Yoga (where we work with beginners, mostly doing yoga for the first time)
2:30-6 - Lecture
Sunday: 12:00 - 3:00 - Lecture
3 - 5 - Teach each other
5-6 - Lecture
Wednesday: 6-9 - Lecture
Outside of these classes we must take 20 hours of yoga practice and, of course, there is reading and homework. Needless to say, I'm tired. Most of our lectures have been on the history of yoga so far. Though we are moving into anatomy and meditation soon. In fact, we have already learned about the vestibular system which lives in your inner ear and manages balance and focus. (Fun Cecily fact: when I was learning to walk, I had a little walker seat with leg holes that I ran around in. Apparently, this contraption didn't allow my vestibular system to develop properly and as a result, I don't have a great idea of how much space I take up and what is around me. I walk into walls to this very day. You know you've seen me do it. I'd also like to take the opportunity attribute my bad driving and clumsiness to that walker thingie.)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The beginning
Hi everyone.
About 2 years ago, I had an "ah-ha" moment. I was in a fairly miserable place as far as my work was concerned and I realized I needed to find a deeper path. Find something that meant something to me. Oddly, the decision was pretty simple. It just became what I knew I should do. I knew I liked people, I knew I liked yoga....doesn't take a genius to connect the dots. Or maybe it does and I'm that amazing. So here I am, the evening before my first classes - thanks to you. In supporting me, both financially and emotionally, you have allowed me the opportunity to change my life for the better. In the words of the wise and ever so handsome David Flannery, "this means freedom". This means I can follow a dream and change the way I live. So, thank you friends and family. Thank you for helping me to get here. I truly could not, and would not have done this without you.
Now, I've never been into the whole blogging thing but I figure you should know what your money and love and support is buying. So as often as I can, I'll leave updates as to how the classes are going and fun, interesting things I'm learning. I hope I don't bore you to death. I will entice you with tales of incense and crow pose (which is hard as fuck), and chanting and vibrations (get your collective heads out of the gutter - this is spiritual), and curry and naan because I hear that's all I'm supposed to eat (please God).
I will end on my favorite yoga mantra: "Peace the shizz out yo!"
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