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Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total. There absolute essence is revealed.

~ Vijnanabhairava Tantra, verse 111

Each of has the desire (yes?) to become ~ with each breath we take, with each step of our lives ~ more fully alive And yet there is the paradox that each breath we take, each step of our lives, brings us one step, one breath closer to our death. So how do we work with this? Is there a solution to this paradox?

The traditions of Buddhism as well as Kashmir Shaivism see (the appearance of) this life of ours as training-ground for (the appearance of) that moment of our death. They resolve the paradox through the understanding that only by training ~ in every moment ~ in the art of being fully alive, fully present here and now, in this moment, in this moment, in this moment ~ only through a practice such as this are we able then to be fully present (fully alive!) at the moment of our death.

The quotation above, from the Vijnanabhairava Tantra (a text written by the Shaivite School of Kashmir around the first century A.D.), points to such a resolution. Lets take a closer look

Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. have you ever danced, or performed any other activity, so completely, with such total abandon, such love and absorption, that the point of exhaustion (what distance runners call the wall) opens into a whole new realm of experience, puts you in touch with a whole new flow of energy/inspiration? Its the moment when years of training (our accumulated expertise) is allowed to open, to fall away into a mindless spontaneity when movement becomes both divinely precise and effortless (Michael Jordan, Baryshnikov, & Jet Li come to mind here) when I am no longer doing anything, yet all things are still manifesting, radiantly, perfectly. In the language of Taoism this state of effortless doing is called Wu Wei.

Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total. have you ever gone out on a warm summer night, laid on your back on a grassy hillside, and let your mind & heart & vision travel out into the starry sky, with its countless galaxies? When we surrender, we surrender completely no holding back. We let the whole thing dissolve. We die into the present moment. In the language of Tibetan Buddhism, this is called the Completion Stage.

There absolute essence is revealed. What if the essence of life and the essence of death were one and the same? What if both our wandering and our dancing were expressions of that one essence, and equally wise? What if we could touch ~ with each breath, each step, each of our awakened daily activities ~ the sweetness & power that is this essence?

And now, please feel free . to Dance!

Elizabeth Reninger holds a Masters degree in Chinese Medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga - in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. To read more of her yoga-related essays, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

car manufacturers over the years have developed some radical looking tail light designs for their vehicles. The 65 era Thunderbirds, for one, featured sequential tail lights and, years later, Chevy introduced the 90 Lumina van with monster-sized, cant miss tail lights. Today, tail lights on many cars simply do the job, but leave little to the imagination. Fortunately, after market operators have jumped in and developed some awesome looking mods - some call them Euro tail lights -- that even your Granny can install.

What are Euro tail lights? For starters, there is some disagreement on the name but essentially they are also known as Alteeza tail lights, the name of a popular manufacturer of this style of tail light. Others prefer terms such as clear tail lights or red tail lights but in any case they are mods that change the appearance of stock tail lights. In short, you are installing crystal clear or red lenses that go over bullet-style taillight and turn signal lenses. The new lenses, coupled with style rings and platings, help to accentuate the light emitting from auto tail lights and turn signals thereby giving the vehicle a unique look far removed from the original design.

Euro tail lights are marketed in a variety of styles and bezel colors including chrome, carbon fiber, black, etc.; some styles are paintable for a customized look. In addition, new LED or light emitting diode tail lights are also catching on. This particular mod features the installation of new bulbs that light faster and brighter than stock tail light bulbs; they contain no filament and can withstand rough road conditions better than the standard bulbs. Eventually, all cars will likely have LEDs as standard equipment, however you dont have to wait that long.

Of course, if you already own a European make automobile you are likely satisfied with the stock design. Your BMW tail light assembly or Audi tail light assembly is the basis for many of these mods. Still, if you want to squeeze a little extra style out of these types of vehicles there are mods for them as well.

So, are Euro tail lights street legal? They certainly are and they are Department of Transportation (DOT) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) approved. No worries about being pulled over by the law unless you modify the mod illegally!

Yes, you can upgrade your Ford, Kia, Mercedes tail light or virtually any other automotive tail light legally and quickly. Some makers boast that mods can be completed in as little 15 minutes, so you will break hardly a sweat and have a cool upgrade on your vehicle in no time. Blink! Blink!

Yoga teachers should establish control over their classes. A Yoga class is not an open campus. If you expect everyone to follow along without structure, order, and guidelines, you will be disappointed. It will not take long for one bad apple to show up and distract your lesson plan.

Heres an example: You have no rules or official policy in your Yoga classes because you believe adults know how to act. Wrong Why do you think we have traffic lights? We have speed limits too, but how many adults obey them?

However, lets give your theory a chance. Without any guidelines, a Hatha Yoga class will quickly disintegrate into an informal stretch class. You are no longer seen as the Yoga teacher.

You just become the person who pays the rent, and overhead, for the Yoga studio. After all, you are independently wealthy, and you do not need money for heat, air conditioning, signage, furniture, fixtures, other teacher salaries, rent, liability insurance, other utilities, taxes, and continuing education.

It will not take long before a significant number of your Yoga students are late for their donation, late for class, and want to leave early before meditation starts.

Therefore, Yoga is a discipline. Many Yoga teachers fool themselves into thinking otherwise, because they are naturally self-disciplined in the first place. Yoga teachers differ from the average student, because they have turned pro-active health into a lifestyle. Most people are not pro-active about their health at all.

About difficult students: Design rules for them, distribute them, and say good bye to those who cannot follow them.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html