Awakening Heart Notes from Shambhavi

notes from the talk with Portland’s own, Shambhavi Sarasvati, who gave a talk to the group during the first part of the Intensive back in April. Shambhavi is the the spiritual director of Jaya Kula, and has written several books on Tantra in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition. When describing Tantra she says she is almost tired of the word, but not the practice… “Tantra is a way to find out who you really are and to live in the fullness of Reality. This is Self-realization. Nothing more or less.”

Rushing to Relax

I recently found myself caught in this contradiction while driving to the Wanderllust Festival for ten days of yoga bliss in Squaw Valley, Northern California. We left a day early in an attempt to reduce potential stressors­– two tweens and an eighteen-month-old baby were sure to provide enough of that. In spite of our efforts, however, a drive that map-quested at 11.5 hours and started out as a conscious act of tranquility ended 38 blood-boiling hours later.