Oct 26 2009
Oct 22 2009
blessings for Laura Mann
Dear Yoga Friends,
By now most of you have learned of the passing of our fellow practitioner Laura Mann on October 19th. Upon finding out, I contacted her yoga teacher, Rod Stryker, who was at the Himalayan Institute and would pass the word onto Panditji, who is a living link to the sages of the yoga tradition. I have no doubt Laura left her body in the same fashion as she lived in it ~ in the spirit of light and love.
There are no words I can write that will capture the entirety of Laura's generous soul. Her time on this planet embodied karma yoga, true service to one's fellow human. As a midwife, she revealed her passion for life by helping bring so many new beings into this world. Even in the years of her affliction with cancer, she was able to create an institution ~ the Dhatri Foundation in South Burlington ~ dedicated to bringing health and healing to others in her beloved Vermont community. It is a gift that will continue to serve many.
However, my personal experience with Laura was primarily through yoga ~ I think our first encounter was at a workshop with Beryl and Thom Birch at YogaVermont in the fall of 1999, when I had recently returned to Vermont. Although on many occasions other students would ask me after my classes, "Who is that really flexible woman? Will I ever be like her?", I came to know Laura as a truly dedicated yogini who wanted so much more than just the physical boons of yoga. She became a tireless practitioner of yoga's deeper teachings. In late October 2003 Laura was initiated into an unbroken chain of the mantra tradition by Panditji in the yoga room of my Burlington home. Laura's quest for self-knowledge and greater understanding was always evident to me, both on the yoga mat and as her friend. Despite her own illness, she continued to offer ongoing compassion and a sense of hope and encouragement to me during mine, both in my brief time in Vermont in 2008 and by phone from afar. Another yoga friend wrote to me of Laura yesterday, "She inspired more people than she ever knew." Indeed, her reach was vast, and she offered her gifts without strings attached. Laura loved yoga, and she often told me how she loved sharing its practice with all of you.
Our teacher Rod reminded me that as much as Laura was an inspiration to us all both in her wellness and through her illness, in making her necessary transition beyond the body, she is able to become even more radiant than the being we recognized her as. Rod suggested I continue to repeat the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra on Laura's behalf during this time of her soul's passage and to see her as unbounded, expanding Light. Despite the great heaviness in my heart, it isn't at all difficult for me to picture Laura that way. It is the LIght in Laura that has touched the Light in each of us.
I invite you to take a moment to offer the Maha Mrityunjaya (Rod's translation again below) to Laura so that her journey may be swift and glorious.
namaste,
arlene
_______________________
MAHA MRITYUNJAYA (Victory over the great death):
Aum Trayambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pusti Vardhanam
Uvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrtyor Muksiya Mamrtat
Translation: I meditate on and surrender myself to the Divine being who embodies the power of will, knowledge and action. I pray to the Divine Being who manifests in the form of fragrance in the flower of life and is the eternal nourisher of the plant of life. Like a skillful gardener, may the Lord of Life disentangle me from the binding forces of my physical, psychological, and spiritual foes. May the Lord of Immortality residing within free me from death, decay and sickness and unite me with Immortality.
Meaning: It is a healing and nourishing Mantra - the heart of the Vedas. The healing force awakened by this mantra sends forth its ripples from the body to the mind to the soul. It strengthens power of will, knowledge and action, unblocking the flow of enthusiasm, courage and determination. The vibration of this Mantra awakens the internal healing forces while attracting nature's healing agents, creating an environment where the forces of both converge. This Mantra is an invaluable resource for healers and teachers. It connects us to the healer within and helps us receive the full nourishment from food herbs or any discipline undertaken for our total well being. The mantra removes physical, mental, and celestial ailments. It gives victory over Death, suffering, and disease. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra removes obstacles and brings happiness to life.
By now most of you have learned of the passing of our fellow practitioner Laura Mann on October 19th. Upon finding out, I contacted her yoga teacher, Rod Stryker, who was at the Himalayan Institute and would pass the word onto Panditji, who is a living link to the sages of the yoga tradition. I have no doubt Laura left her body in the same fashion as she lived in it ~ in the spirit of light and love.
There are no words I can write that will capture the entirety of Laura's generous soul. Her time on this planet embodied karma yoga, true service to one's fellow human. As a midwife, she revealed her passion for life by helping bring so many new beings into this world. Even in the years of her affliction with cancer, she was able to create an institution ~ the Dhatri Foundation in South Burlington ~ dedicated to bringing health and healing to others in her beloved Vermont community. It is a gift that will continue to serve many.
However, my personal experience with Laura was primarily through yoga ~ I think our first encounter was at a workshop with Beryl and Thom Birch at YogaVermont in the fall of 1999, when I had recently returned to Vermont. Although on many occasions other students would ask me after my classes, "Who is that really flexible woman? Will I ever be like her?", I came to know Laura as a truly dedicated yogini who wanted so much more than just the physical boons of yoga. She became a tireless practitioner of yoga's deeper teachings. In late October 2003 Laura was initiated into an unbroken chain of the mantra tradition by Panditji in the yoga room of my Burlington home. Laura's quest for self-knowledge and greater understanding was always evident to me, both on the yoga mat and as her friend. Despite her own illness, she continued to offer ongoing compassion and a sense of hope and encouragement to me during mine, both in my brief time in Vermont in 2008 and by phone from afar. Another yoga friend wrote to me of Laura yesterday, "She inspired more people than she ever knew." Indeed, her reach was vast, and she offered her gifts without strings attached. Laura loved yoga, and she often told me how she loved sharing its practice with all of you.
Our teacher Rod reminded me that as much as Laura was an inspiration to us all both in her wellness and through her illness, in making her necessary transition beyond the body, she is able to become even more radiant than the being we recognized her as. Rod suggested I continue to repeat the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra on Laura's behalf during this time of her soul's passage and to see her as unbounded, expanding Light. Despite the great heaviness in my heart, it isn't at all difficult for me to picture Laura that way. It is the LIght in Laura that has touched the Light in each of us.
I invite you to take a moment to offer the Maha Mrityunjaya (Rod's translation again below) to Laura so that her journey may be swift and glorious.
namaste,
arlene
_______________________
MAHA MRITYUNJAYA (Victory over the great death):
Aum Trayambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pusti Vardhanam
Uvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrtyor Muksiya Mamrtat
Translation: I meditate on and surrender myself to the Divine being who embodies the power of will, knowledge and action. I pray to the Divine Being who manifests in the form of fragrance in the flower of life and is the eternal nourisher of the plant of life. Like a skillful gardener, may the Lord of Life disentangle me from the binding forces of my physical, psychological, and spiritual foes. May the Lord of Immortality residing within free me from death, decay and sickness and unite me with Immortality.
Meaning: It is a healing and nourishing Mantra - the heart of the Vedas. The healing force awakened by this mantra sends forth its ripples from the body to the mind to the soul. It strengthens power of will, knowledge and action, unblocking the flow of enthusiasm, courage and determination. The vibration of this Mantra awakens the internal healing forces while attracting nature's healing agents, creating an environment where the forces of both converge. This Mantra is an invaluable resource for healers and teachers. It connects us to the healer within and helps us receive the full nourishment from food herbs or any discipline undertaken for our total well being. The mantra removes physical, mental, and celestial ailments. It gives victory over Death, suffering, and disease. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra removes obstacles and brings happiness to life.
