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| Global Mala was a beautiful weekend of sharing here in Trieste. It's amazing what happens when you join together and set intention! I signed up for Global Mala as soon as I became aware of it with the concept of keeping it simple I thought, we'll do a bit of pranzyama and 108 oms. Out of the blue I got a call from Anahata Pomeroy who had found my site and wanted to participate. In fact she said, "I'm travelling to Italy and was looking for a place to be a part of Global Mala. My work is setting up ceremonies so if you would like..." Boy, would I! I've been teaching yoga for years and doing workshops but had never done a ceremony. Then another message from Kathleen Daniels, an American living in Budapest contacted me to come down and the preparation became another yoga of reaching out across continents and countries to connect and celebrate life. So Jane Ralston Pahr, that's me, and Anahata Pomeroy co-facilitated a practice, or perhaps better to say a Yoga Ceremony concluding with 108 "OM" letting the waves of peace reverberate from our hearts out across the sea, around the world. Here in this image at C.C. Saturnia, courtesy of Acquamarina, our hands, hearts and voices are lifted up as the sun sets on UN Peace Day. This beautiful, brisk , windy day in Trieste began with Fabio Simoncini leading a yoga pranayama practice at the Fountain at Barcola. Jane ,Anahata and Kathleen concluded the weekend with an Autumn Equinox meditation, a circle of friends, at Joytinat Yoga Ayurveda Trieste. Joining together we achieved our objective to cross the boundaries of our individual practice and style of yoga through Global Mala uniting with the world community, yogis on every continent, to form a Sacred Mala of Peace around the world. Hatha Yoga is action connecting the inner and outer world consciously realizing our non-separation we plant new Karmic seeds. During the ceremony, each person recieved a cup with seeds and a candle. The wind prevented us from lighting individually but each took home their light and their seeds as the wind carried our OM across the seas. |
| Yoga empowers through connection and conscious action and events such as these, joining together sharing our light and our practice we create a circle of light. There ismuch need in our times for the PEACE THAT PASSETH UNDERSTANDING and 'condivisione' - sharing. |
| Anahata's Story: Here is a story for you, and maybe you can use it if you are making a Solstice. Mine is yet a mystery! This story unfolded in Budapest. Iit was triggered by a word in bold print I chanted one morning in the zendo. And it becomes a connector from Fall to Winter. (By the way, when I packed to leave France for the US is when I put the last of lentils, which I'd brought from the ceremonies out (.I didn't bring any to the USA for some reason!) Story The King of Hungary was feeling so desperate from the centuries of war and violence in his country's history and years of his rule plagued with invasions and battles from Mongolians to Russians and Romans, that in desperation he knelt and prayed, begging God for help: "God, if you will stop these wars I will give my only daughter to the church." Oddly, the King did not have a daughter, but after a time, the wars stopped and the Queen gave birth to a daughter. The coincidence of peace with his newborn child triggered recollection of his oath. Reluctantly at first, the King set out to build a beautiful monastery dedicated to Peace. He placed this on the monarchy's jewel of an island in the middle of the Danube River that runs through the city of Budapest and gifted it to the church and the people of Hungary. From the beginning, his daughter, Margaret, seemed very eager to move to her new home and begin the life of peace-keeping with her cloister Sisters-to-be. Today you will see the ruins of this place and feel peaceful energy there established by the nuns, and you will see the grottos to Saint Margaret. In the bustle of Budapest, my friend took me to this island after we visited the museum and saw rooms filled with the colorful and sometimes animated battle scenes and violence of Hungary's history. Walking the quiet paths on the island in the Danube, I said thanks to my friend, for bringing me to a place of peace. That's when she told me the above story. Standing before the grotto to St. Margaret, I reached into the pocket of my coat where I was carrying lentil seeds and rose petals from the Mala and Equinox ceremonies in Trieste. I surreptitiously tossed a few seeds into the gated grotto, with my prayers for the peace to continue. Just then a blond-headed child of about 2 years old moved up to the grotto between me and my friend. He announced "Baba wawa." My friend repeated the word with a question mark, but the child did not speak again and retreated. Standing in front of St. Margaret I knew I had heard a magical word and recorded it in my memory. I placed the last of the orangy rose petals into the greygreen Danube waters on leaving the island, visualizing the peace flowing the entire length of the influential river. Months later, at a zendo in Marin, CA, I was chanting the morning sutras without my glasses on, but two words in bold print stood out on the page: baba wawa. It brought back the child's words to me. At breakfast, after our period of eating in silence, I told the story and asked what "baba wawa" means. It is estoteric but it means all things--the mystical encompasing of everything...or perhaps you know a better definition for baba wawa (or baba agi in case my memory did not serve me so well). The child. I can tell you that we will all do well to focus our evolving civilization and the successful unfolding of humanity upon The Child. (note: this is a story so it stands as is, you can post if if you like, or tell it.) peace x peace throughout our seasons! aloha, Anahata |
| We're now linked up with Trees For the Future, all contributions from Global Mala plus all profits from yoga tree shirt *click to see go to plant more trees Planting the seeds we Give Peace a chance to grow and ourselve to know... and connect and be yoga now. A big thanks to Shiva and Shawn and all those who initiated this karma conscious action of Global Mala and all those who came to be a part of the circle.of friends. Om namaste, Jane |