This morning, after a rigorous kriya for the radiant body, I needed deep rest. It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States, so I put on Ashana’s "Ave Maria" and sat with Mary. I tend to follow my intuition after such practice. The mantra came simply: Ma-ha Ma-ri-a Just thinking of Mother Mary brings up an intense longing in me. A longing for union. A longing to be held by something tender and vast. Maybe you have that longing for your own mother. Maybe you mourn— her passing, a relationship that never was; or maybe she’s in the next room and you still you mourn. Or maybe, you have longing for children --yours, the ones you never had, or the child you once were. Or a longing for the safety for all children out there suffering. I invite you to bring all of that into the practice below. We may not all be mothers, but we all have the capacity to nurture. We can all tap into the Divine Feminine and allow ourselves to move into a deeper space, of grace. I invite you to let yourself be held. This mantra together with Ashana’s version of the Ave Maria is a beautiful way in. Here’s how I’m translating the mantric syllables: Ma — Mother, form, moon, the body that receives. Ha — Breath, life-force, the sound that opens. Mahā — Great, vast, beyond the self. Position: Kneel in Hero’s Pose, with your knees about hip-width apart. Place a cushion beneath you or between your legs so your body can rest. Mudra: Bring your hands into Lotus Mudra near your heart. Let the heels of your hands touch. Let the sides of your pinky fingers touch. Let your thumbs touch. Open the rest of your fingers wide, like petals. Drishti: Close your eyes and focus on your mind's eye. Listen to Ashana’s Ave Maria. Mantra: Whisper or silently repeat: Ma-ha Ma-ri-a If you feel the need, let yourself gently rock. You can also breathe the mantra: Inhale Ma. Exhale Ha. Inhale Ma. Exhale ree. Inhale Ha. After a round, let the breath settle and the body absorb the mantra.Then begin again. Let Ma be mother.

Sometimes we think we’re blocked, but really we’re circling. An eddy forms when river water hits a stone, branch, or bend and starts moving in loops. It still moves, but it doesn’t go anywhere. The mind does this too, with extradetrimental thoughts. (EDTs or eddies!) We circle the same fear, the same hurt, the same old story. We think it again and again until it feels true. But an eddy is not the whole stream or river. And our one nagging thought is not the sum of our thoughts. It’s just one pattern inside a larger flow. When we get stuck, we can activate another current (cultivate the opposite!), or add a point of focus that will help us to enter another kind of flow. One small shift can create a new current in our lives. That shift need only be awareness. Today, notice the eddies. Sit in easy pose on the floor or in a supportive chair. Your hands by your knees. Begin "Sufi circles" to the left. Inhale as you move forward. Exhale as you move back. Let the movement be slow and steady. This circular motion helps loosen the spine, hips, and belly. It can also help shift mental looping by giving the body a different rhythm to follow. Instead of circling in thought, you circle with the breath. After 1–3 minutes, reverse the direction. Then come to stillness and notice the sensations. What flows? What still needs to be freed?

Ultimate supreme/Source/God's power is hidden in this illusion/Universe, a force controlled by Consiousness... This divine power can manipulate reality, making rivers flow in two directions, causing the sun to appear twice, enabling you to be in two places simultaneously, or even allowing an elephant to pass through a needle. All these feats are possible because consiousness governs this illusion, performing these miracles daily. He can vanish the world from your perception during deep sleep, transform a beggar into a king in dreams, and vice versa. He has the ability to instil happiness in those with minimal possessions and induce despair in the wealthiest individuals....

After Alphonso’s share about the way a single stone creates ripples, I wanted to offer a breath practice to sit with that image a little longer. This is a different way of doing Bellows Breath. Normally I’d tell you to do this seated, so you can feel the whole circle of breath moving outward from your center. But lying down on my back after a long walk in the Florida sun, I could feel the concentric circles more clearly. On my walks along the marina in my neighborhood, I purposefully look for the circles left by dolphins. I thought of this as I breathed. The rise for air. The brief arc of descent and the widening circles left behind. It informed today’s practice. Funny how nature does that! So here’s a different way to work with Bellows Breath: - Inhale through the nose and visualize the breath rising through the central channel. Feel the lift of prana, the upward movement of life force. - Exhale through the nose on the “descent” and visualize concentric circles moving outward from the center of you. Allow yourself to gently push out the exhale, feeling into this widening response. If you’re lying down, notice how this can be felt in the back ribs, the side waist, the back of the heart, even the places that usually stay a little hidden from awareness. Let the inhale rise. Let the exhale ripple. Notice how one movement creates another. How the body receives ascent and descent. Practice this for 1–3 minutes and then rest for a moment. Notice what is still moving after the breath settles. (Or, if you're like me, use it to fall asleep!)