How I found My Bliss in the E.R.

Falling to the pavement, I paused as the faint echo of my friend’s voice called for help. Sense of time, space, senses and sensations began to alter. I felt encased in light - or was it darkness? Feeling immediately in touch with the surge of pain in my gut I began to notice my diminishing unawareness of much else. Fear gripped me as the pain seemed to increase. And for one brief moment, I reminded myself to breathe.

Yes, yoga teacher, breathe.

I began taking full, deep breaths, just as I tell my students to help calm their minds. I remembered trying pranayama exercises the numerous times I’d been tattoo’d to no avail. Yet I felt compelled to do it again now.

I then sensed more people around me and heard muddled voices discipline Rebecca for not pulling up to the ER door as I was briskly wheeled - somewhere. Opening my eyes for a brief moment, I recognized the sterile room. I had, unfortunately, been there before.

Several others were waiting, although I did not implant any recognition. Wheeled to the back of the room and out of the way, I closed my eyes, bent over pressing my fists into my stomach and began to rock. The last thing that I remember was noticing the clock: 11:00 am on the dot.

And then it happened. I had heard of it and I’d read a lot about it. I had taught of it. I’d discussed it again and again in trainings, workshops and classes. But I had never actually achieved it. Sure, I had seen glimpses. I had felt connections. But this experience was something all-together different.

In the student’s quest for yoga, the limbs of asana or posture, pranayama or breath control and the moral and ethical codes, are fairly straight forward. I have always found a gray zone for many students in their understanding of three limbs of yoga that lead up to the final stage: pratyahara, dharana and dhyana.

Pratyahara means withdrawal of the senses - a detachment of sight, sound, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Dharana is concentration and focus on a single point. And then Dhyana is meditation. This occurs when the state of dharana is achieved in a prolonged state so there is a continuous and unbroken flow. The only thing left after that is Samadhi, the bliss or ecstasy of oneness: Yoga.

So, I began to breathe slowly while I rocked soothingly back and forth. It happened nearly instantaneously. I was not asleep, that I knew. But was I awake? Awakened? How would I have known? I only knew that for one brief moment that lasted a thousand years, I was without any feelings of pain or any sense of self. I saw nothing but a white light that I felt encompass me. There were no sounds, smells or tastes where I went. There was no time nor no need for any of those things. I simply was.

And then suddenly, like being pulled out of a vacuum, I was back. The E.R. floor came into focus and then slowly, so did the pain. I peered up at Rebecca’s wide-open eyes.

“What happened,” I asked her.

“Dude, you - went somewhere,” she said.

“What time is it?”

“11:22.”

I immediately knew that I had found bliss for the last 22 minutes, and even in the pain, I wondered if I could find it again. I closed my eyes and began to rock again. I did everything the same as before...well, everything except for let go. It didn’t work, of course, my mind was now to aware of the experience and my ego so wanted to find it again.

Within a few short minutes I was admitted into the E.R. and my long day’s journey into night began. An appendectomy was performed at approximately 9:00 pm that night and through general anesthesia I would come the closest that I had been to those 22 minutes of bliss since I had originally achieved it nearly 10 hours earlier. Yet the experience was quite different. My E.R. journey was lucid and connected. Yet the surgical journey was numbed and medicated. While I felt awake in my E.R. experience, I felt asleep during surgery. No, it was not the same. In surgery I lost 2 hours of my life, but in the E.R. I gained a lifetime in 22 minutes.

Today I received this email chain-letter:

"God our Father, walk through my house and take away all my worries and illnesses and please watch over and heal my family, in Jesus name, Amen."

The email said these words were powerful and to pass it along to 12 people, including her for a blessing to come to me in the form of a new job, house, marriage, finances, or may be the answer to something (a prayer or request), that I've been waiting for.

Then it said. Do not ask questions. This it was a test - and to watch and see what he does after I forward the email.

Well, I don't normally forward these chain letters. Except that I received it at the best possible time, as I was, quite ironically, contemplating some serious issues regarding my finances, house, job and answers to questions that I'd been asking. And I happen to believe that these words are quite powerful.

It immediately reminded me of a quote that I had read years ago on Krishna Das' website:

Place your burden
at the feet of the Lord of the Universe
who accomplishes everything.
Remain all the time steadfast in the heart,
in the Transcendental Absolute.
God knows the past, present and future.
He will determine the future for you
and accomplish the work.
What is to be done will be done
at the proper time. Don’t worry.
Abide in the heart and surrender your acts
to the divine.
- Ramana Maharshi

I needed this reminder today: To do my work, but to lay down my burden and trust in Spirit.
Perhaps you need this reminder today too.
Many Blessings.
Tracey

Creating Balance

Creating Balance

I believe that it's no secret that the yoga practice is a method of creating balance - not just on our mat, but also in our life. As any one of you can attest, this is not usually an easy process. And, for those without the proper tools, it can take a lifetime or more to determine how to create balance.

Through my own yoga practice, teaching my students and many years of conducting yoga teacher training programs, I have found the biggest results of creating balance when I focus on the five basic elements of earth, water, air, fire and ether, their influences and energies. Sometimes these energies fall under the guise of the Chakras, or energetic wheels of energy in the body. How our Chakras are aligned and spinning influence all aspects of our body-mind. And each of the lower Chakras is commanded by a certain element. So, when the Chakra is out of whack - so is the element.

For instance, the element "earth" is linked to the first Chakra. It is an energy that is grounding, rooting and establishes our basic foundation of knowing and trusting that we have a right to be here. When we are connected with the earth element and our first Chakra is open and spinning, we feel this energy in our lives, we move slow and steady, yet with grace - not just our body, but our whole life moves this way. Certain yoga postures, vinyasas, and breathing techniques cultivate more of this element. For those who are not necessarily grounded in this element, you simply need to learn the type of things to do to create more of it. It is possible, however, to be too grounded! This is when you become"stuck" and immobile. Because just like in class, we need to be able to move with the flow, so cultivating more of another element to get things moving again.

The questions then become, which elements to cultivate, why we should use those particular ones and how to use them appropriately?

Since I have had so much success working with the elements, I've decided to add some "Element" classes, which really work like workshops - part discussion and information and part yoga class. Of course they can be taken independently, but to truly gain the whole picture and how to cultivate overall balance, I recommend taking all five. Each week we will explore a different element. We will learn its basic form and energy, how it manifests in the body, how to cultivate more or create balance. Those that are already knowledgeable with the Chakra system will find that these classes open up the door even more to your understanding of how to work with the energy of each Chakra to create balance.

These classes will meet Thursday evenings in East Windsor from 8:15 - 9:45 pm beginning July 15th - August 12th. Cost of each class $25 or $120 for all five. Bring a notebook and your yoga mat.

So, what is your basic elemental constitution? And which other elements do you need to cultivate to create more balance in your life?

This is what we will discover together in these special classes. As always, I look forward to helping you discover different ways to assist you in creating balance in your life through the amazing yoga practice.
Namaste,
Tracey L. Ulshafer, Director/Owner

Growth & Expansion!

Growth & Expansion!

Early summer marks a period of growth and expansion as the sun continues to reign over our area longer each day, producing amazing fresh fruits and vegetables. As yoga is an earth-based practice, we are meant to work with the energy that is available to us. This is a time to work on your own personal growth and expanding any business or personal practice or interest that you have been wanting to put more time and energy towards - as the earth is quite literally giving us more daylight and energy to support these tasks.

I, for one, am certainly taking advantage of this energy.

As you now know, I have been working to bring a second location of One Yoga & Wellness Center in Ewing, NJ. There is a lot of work and coordination of efforts involved in getting the new location up and running, but I feel this extra burst of energy supporting me through the tasks at hand. The class schedule is just about set for Ewing, grand opening and open house dates are planned, paint and carpet colors have been picked out, and I have moved on to the task of advertising and marketing.

This is a very exciting time for One Yoga, but I want to also ensure our current students that I am giving the same level of commitment to my current classes and teacher trainings that I ever have. It is important to me that I continue to assist all my students in a way that supports your own growth, while I am also supporting my own. I've always had an "open-door" policy to my students and want you to know that I still welcome any comments or questions that you may have about One Yoga & Wellness Center, its teachers or classes. While you may not always see me at the center, I am always available via email at Info@oneyogacenter.net and do check this account daily.

In addition to working on Ewing, I am working on some new workshops and classes to bring to both East Windsor & Ewing. The Yoga Dance class in August will be a really fun, energizing class. If you like to dance and you like yoga, then you will LOVE Yoga Dance! Additionally I am working on bringing some Elemental Classes & Workshops, based on working with the five major elements: earth, water, fire, air & ether and the very different energies and movements that they provide as offering another interesting way to explore your own body-mind and create balance where there may be imbalance. CEU's are going to be available for all of these classes for the many yoga teachers that have gone through our trainings.

Finally, I am also working on writing a non-fiction book tentatively titled The Accidental Yogini, about my own personal journey to yoga and how yoga has helped my body, mind and spirit. My hope in writing this personal story is to also incorporate the various teachings of yoga so that the reader may also apply them to his/her own life issues.

So, as you can see, I am definitely tapping into the sun's energy these days and creating more fun and interesting classes, locations and teachings for you, my dedicated students, to enhance your own well-being. So, I would ask you, what is it that you would like to grow or expand in your life? Once you know what it is, start the efforts now and tap into the extra energy that the longer days and the sun are giving to you.

Namaste,
Tracey L. Ulshafer, Director/Owner