Sweatlodge Ceremony

The door to the world closes
enveloping us in sudden blackness

By the bright fire of Life
are we warmed,
whose red light the stone people have drawn down,
harnessing our prayers-
and rising in the pure and specific voices
of chosen herbs
burning and pungent as a wish,
fragrant and fulfilling
an ancient promise to gather

This steamy earth womb,
cool ground below,
getting closer and closer
to Her is the only refuge

Everything done in here permeates all worlds
for there is a searing wetness of humility
reaching up out of what is shared here
melting us down to the simple goodness
at the core.
We condense,
until we are the resin of resilience
we are the distilled essence as tears flow
laying down the brusque shield of living,
letting down our shoulders and unbraiding our hair.

The Earth is singing in our raised voices
to be born anew
pure like white buffalo calf,
integral in the colors of all four directions
behind our seeming skins.
This body is made whole
through entering the world correctly again.
From this womb alembic
Grandfather’s voices
lean into us, bidding us rise
to sing for all beings;
that is where prayer is learned.

Navajo sandpaintings
top: by Nelson Cambridge and below: by John Benally

Yoga for Peace Santa Cruz
Saturday, September 8th, 2007
San Lorenzo Park
137 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz

Registration begins at 10:30 am,
Yoga Mala begins at 12 noon
Please arrive early to register
Click flier image to visit website

~You are invited to an international gathering of yogis
and peaceful souls~

Join together for a peaceful, public response to the events of 911 and the violence that has ensued, bringing peace, love, and unity into the world through the traditional practice of a yoga mala - 108 sun salutations - accompanied by live music and with multiple lead teachers.

YFP is a moving celebration of our commitment as yogis to the path of peace and provides a rare chance for us to come together outside of the separate studios where we practice and teach to demonstrate the connection between yoga and a peaceful world. This event will take place on the same day in at least 18 locations around the globe.

Spectators and all forms of silent meditation are welcome. Please join us!

Requested donation $5 - $20, no one turned away, kids free

For directions, schedule, and more YFP Santa Cruz info, go to
www.yogawithdelana.com/yfp.html
For more information on the international event, visit
www.yoga-for-peace.org

This trip has been lovingly crafted out of the relationships Phoenix has with several Dineh (Navajo) elders who are open to sharing themselves with sincere people who want to learn more about their traditions, and to explore the history the ancestors of the land and their places along the desert cliffs and canyons.
The weeklong journey through Sedona, Flagstaff area, and Navajo land includes four Yoga classes, guided tours of Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, and visits to many ruins belonging to the Hopi, Navajo, Sinagua, and Hohokam peoples from up to a thousand years ago.
To make this trip available to everyone regardless of financial consideration, there are varied options for accomodation ranging from hotels to camping. We will spend time with elders in the Kayenta area and near Chinle, and you will be able to participate in a traditional sweatlodge ceremony led by Emerson Gorman at the end of the trip. (more details)