Om on My Mind - kg yoga's November 206 Newsletter

October 30, 2006

OM on my mind ... kg yoga's November 2006 Newsletter(“OM on my mind” and “YOGA is Your Opportunity to Graciously Accept Yourself and life” are trademarks of Kiamsha.com.)Blessings All!In this third issue of OM on my mind, you will have an opportunity to reflect on the power of peace as a tool for honoring cultural diversity. You will also learn about:1) Laughter Yoga as a source of peace2) What's happening at kg yogaCheck out OM on My Mind Podcast featuring thirteen theme-based meditations - http://kgyoga.blogspot.com/2006/10/kg-yogas-new-podcast-om-on-my-mind.html.3) Yoga-Inspired Gifts for Holiday 20064) Meditation Events in DC5) Favorite Yoga Sutra and Quote of the MonthThe quotes of the month are taken from the great sage Lao Tzu and Paramahansa Yogananda.Enjoy the month of November!Namaste,Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn LeekeA. Power of Peace as a tool for honoring cultural diversityRight now, I am basking in the glow of having seen Alice Coltrane (www.alicecoltrane.org) perform live at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey on October 22. That evening was and remains a high point in my life. Words cannot

begin to describe the beauty of what I witnessed. You had to be there.Since last Sunday, I have listened to Alice’s music as a way of returning to the beauty created by her performance. Right now I am listening to her Astral Meditations CD. Track 10 entitled “Peace On Earth” is playing. It is a composition that was originally written and recorded by Alice’s beloved, John Coltrane in 1966. See the album -- John Coltrane: Infinity. There is a point in the composition where Alice’s divine talent as a harpist is prominently featured. My ears tingle as they hear her gracefully weave a golden thread through the entire composition. It connects all of the instruments and musicians as one. Together, they create a musical quilt of peace for humanity to enjoy. Their creative collaboration also reminds me that we can accept and honor humanity’s beautiful quilt of cultural diversity when we choose to practice peace.The wonderful thing about peace is that it gives birth

to ahimsa, a Sanskrit word that means nonviolence. In yoga, ahimsa represents the first of five yamas (satya - truthfulness, asteya - non stealing, brahmacharya - relating to another with unconditional love and integrity, and aparigraha - non-clinging/grasping). Yamas are ethical guidelines or levels of awareness that one aspires to achieve. They apply to our actions, words, and thoughts.Through the principle of ahimsa, we are called to refrain from causing pain or harm to any living being through our thoughts, words, and actions. When we choose our thoughts, words, and actions carefully so that they do not harm others, we are creating peace. When we are peaceful and nonviolent, we are at ease. We are more relaxed.Instead of becoming angry at ourselves and others because of the differences we share, we can use that ease to create understanding and tolerance. With understanding and tolerance, we create sacred space for the acceptance and appreciation of our

cultural and individual differences. As we come to accept and appreciate the beauty of what makes us different, we can also accept and appreciate the love that connects us as one.One way to accept and appreciate the love that connects as one is to join me and other yoga lovers on Sunday, November 5 for a C-OM-Munity Circle of Healing Light and Love dedicated to Peace in Politics (i.e. 2006 U.S. Elections, Support for Americans and Communities Impacted by Hurricane Katrina, Immigration Reform, Darfur Genocide, U.S. Military Involvement in Iraq, etc.) in Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park (located at 16th Street and Florida Avenue, NW). For more details, see the “What’s happening at kg yoga” section of the newsletter. To read the newsletter, visit http://kgyoga.blogspot.com. Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke Artist-Writer-Yoga Teacher-Reiki Practitioner 202.332.5767/kiamshaleeke http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com http://kgyoga.blogspot.comwww.myspace.com/lovestroubadours www.cafepress.com/kiamshacom www.kiamsha.com

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