not a cute post here. But effective: Round-up Rendezvous at 7:30 AM on the road. let's spray those thistles before the neighbors wake up. Ah Sunday!!

Watching Master's Golf tournament. Saturday is "moving day" as it is called in golf lore

Yeah!!, finally got Dave's SMD82 devices programmed so now his staging tracks all work!. Satisfaction.. Long trip though. Late night

United Way visit went well at clinic. Still have the financial review next week....

today, United Way visits our clinic. Sierra Family Medical Clinic (sierraclinic.org). Hope they want to support our community clinic for low income patients

At the market having burgers and fries

No iPhone yet so practicing on iPod touch

Cold this morning. fire roaring. starting to warm up. Little cabin in the woods... Ha!

Be Restful in your heart

Be restful in your heart” is one of the daily sayings from Swami Kriyananda writing in his small book called “Do It Now“

Upon reflection, during this past weeks seclusion, it seemed that as I have been less caught up in daily “to do’s” and requests, I noticed that as the week has progressed, the mind has relaxed since it had little to do externally all week (walks, and chores notwithstanding) and also my heart seemed to relax.

Seven years ago, while shoveling snow on February morning outside our home here at Ananda Village, I experienced a mild heart attack. I had only lived at Ananda Village for 18 months or so, having left a career which involved a tremendous amount of stress. This lead to the inevitable trip to ICU, etc yet I was home shortly thereafter, more deeply committed to recuperation and changing some lifestyle habits. Thirty pounds later and as I learned more about these teachings, I discovered that the heart chakra resides behind the physical heart but there is also a tie in. As I relaxed and rested my heart chakra, my physical heart seemed more rested. This is not to suggest substituting meditation for exercise because moderate exercise each day can help keep most of us, not only in better physical shape but it helps our meditations because the body wants to then relax and we usually find ourselves more calm during meditation.

Yogananda urges us to practice energization exercises daily prior to meditation. This subtle tension and relaxation techniques often helps calm the body, energize the nervous system in a calming way and thereby I find my body and heart more relaxed yet awake. Ananda Yoga is also about preparing the body for meditation but that is another story told by authors much more understanding so I will not dwell on this.

When we relax or rest our heart, we also open up to new energies within. I often almost naturally feel more loving towards others for instance. More willing to listen within to the sounds of the Divine.

Yogananda, in one of his prayers says: “Father, teach me to be calmly active and actively calm…”

All this is fairly easy to accomplish as we progress in seclusion with concentrated effort to relax our hearts. It almost sounds almost contradictory to make an effort to relax but it is also good practice for daily lives. Recently at work, I was running late to an appointment and didn’t feel very relaxed. As I was rushing out the door, a co-worker wanted to ask me to do something for him and it couldn’t wait until later to discuss it. I was not very relaxed at this point feeling a lot of tension in my body as I didn’t want to deal with this issue right then. Upon reflection later, I saw that, while the issue was important then tension was not.

So for this next year, as we progress into celebrating Ananda Village’s 40th anniversary, my goal is to remember this prayer: “Father, teach me to be calmly active and actively calm” and be more restful in my heart.

Seclusion

As part of our spiritual practice here at Ananda Village, we are urged to take seclusions regularly, perhaps just a day here and there) and at least annually, take a week seclusion, as a balance to all of our busy outward service activities. In fact, employees like me, who work for Ananda Businesses here at Ananda Village, are offered a week long seclusion time in addition to our standard vacation time. Since it is not cumulative, I didn’t schedule the time and consequently didn’t “take seclusion” and really missed it.

In the Bhagavad Gita it says: “Free from the hopes (engendered by) desire, and untouched by any craving for possession, the (waves of feeling in his) heart controlled (by yoga concentration), the yogi, retiring alone to a quiet place, should try to unite his little self with the Supreme Self.” (Chapter 6 verse 10). (Commentary in “The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita” Page 255 in chapter 18)

This week I am taking seclusion for seven days. Well it is really only six because I had company over weekend and then had to prepare on Monday, etc. What I plan to do is not speak with anyone, no work related activities at IT, or clinic, or solar, stay quiet, walk, meditate, chant, read books, listen to inspiring music, in essence, focus inward, attempting to go deeper into the quiet spaces of the soul and each little bit helps. Will chop wood and carry water, but with the Divine on my mind, not just the mundane.

This is an opportunity for longer meditation and to release, at least for a few days each year, my mind from the outward push and pull of daily life. Some people’s seclusions are very deep, others aren’t. I’ve had mixed results upon first impression, but always feel renewed. I don’t claim to be even conversant with how to seclude. Sort of “just do it”. One recommendation I have heard is to maintain silence. For this seclusion, I interpret that to be not speaking or hopefully interacting with anyone. But, as mentioned, I am listening to certain music with deep spirit vibration and with deep (a relative term) concentration on some talks by those souls whom I feel have a deeper understanding of the infinite than I in hopes of gleaning some inspiration towards my own goal of self realization.

Seclusion location is up the individual. I am taking seclusion at home because my spouse is visiting and volunteering some time in Ananda LA during this week. The challenge, for me here, is to not get too wrapped up in all the little home projects. The advantage is low cost and I get to sleep in my own bed. Plus our home is in a quiet, isolated part of village (whole village is pretty quiet really) so I don’t see neighbors and can walk into the woods pretty far without seeing anyone. Other’s go to meditation retreat. Lots of options. More later.

February Sunset

After a month of snow, wind, rain cold, we are blessed with a streak warmer clear days. Last Sunday evening Sraddha and I drove up to Rajarsi ridge to see an artist freind of hers and I walked out to the west side to watch our famous sunsets. We get so busy here in our various activities, it is always nice to appreciate Divine Mother's natural ever changing art of Maya.

winter at St. Francis Pond

Down below our house is St Francis pond. Beautiful little walk up from village center on fire road.

Have a little faith: Ananda

found this article posted January 28 on the Palo Alto High School online newspaper:
Very good
Have a little faith: Ananda

Steve Jobs Macworld address in 60 seconds

I attended this keynote last week in San Francisco and here are the highlights. Actually kinda funny.

Macworld Video

I took some little video snippets last week during Macworld. 4 minutes long and will give you a flavor of the event. 50,000 exhibit attendees (up 10,000 from last year). Pretty cool. I even added music. Just click on arrow in video to play.

Macworld Tuesday 2008

Got in line at 7:30 AM which was 90 minutes early and there were 1000 people in front and 1000 behind.

Really incredible.Ended up in a conference room watching a live broadcast of keynote by Steve Jobs.

Sraddha joined me at 11 AM and we walked the exhibit floor for 7 hours. Forgot to take photos but late in the day, on the far corner of exhibits we found this cool electric car








She wanted to drive it home.

There's something in the air!

Macworld 2008
Originally uploaded by gary ryan

Just arrived at MacWorld in San Francisco this afternoon. Anticipation growing. Stopped by Moscone upon arrival to pick up badge before going to hotel. Could be loads of fun. This photo taken by someone who posted it to the MacWorld Flickr site and I have linked up to blog and post with ease!! Really cool...Something in the Air

Day 7 without power

Power just came on at 7:20 PM tonight. after 7 days. Oh the peace and quiet is so nice but so is turning on a light when I get up in the middle of the night. We will definitely be making plans for back up systems and actually already are for work since we can probably count on this happening again. Power to the people!!!

Power still out

Interesting how fragile the wider infrastructure actually seems now.

It is now Tuesday night (5 days later) and power remains off at our house and about 15 others here at Ananda Village. Expected back by Thursday. We are pretty quiet anyway here, however even more quiet and dark with no lights. Solar batteries continue to give us personally a little electricity to cook by and I can access internet.

Most of us have propane for heat and at least one room in homes can be warmed up although fans don't run to circulate air to other parts of homes. Still we have warmth amidst the 30 degree outside and we are all dry.

Glad I meditate and live here.

Wind storm in Sierra's

Friday we got pounded by wild 40 mph winds, gusting to 70. Power out since Friday AM. and still out here at Village for everyone except a couple of homes. We are fortunate in that we use oak/madron wood for heat so are warm and have the remnants of (expensive) solar system with (expensive) batteries so have a little power if we conserve by turning everything off unless absolutely necessary. I say remnants because solar panels 15 years old, but we have inverter and 6 year old batteries we had purchased when first moving into this home. Needless to say it was absolutely necessary to turn on TV yesterday and satellite dish system to watch Seahawk football game . Phone system/DSL system central has generator backup so I actually have internet and you emailed the correct address whcih still works. All that to say we are fine although inconvenienced. got some snow. 2 inches twice but a bit slushy as temp hovering around 32.5-33 do it doesn't quite get frozen. Pretty out and also very quiet. and we are enjoyning it.
Expecting more snow tonight.