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Jyotish Star of the Month |
By Vachaspati Christina Collins |
| Christina Collins Felicia, thank you for taking the time to interview with us today! Especially with your intense schedule as both Editor in Chief and Publisher of LA Yoga magazine every month! And in two formats � both a print magazine and a digital magazine online! Felicia Tomasko Thank you Christina. Christina Did you begin doing yoga at an early age?
Christina Yes, and they say that we carry these influences from lifetime to lifetime � I fell similarly about astrology and Jyotish. Tell us, who influenced you the greatest, do you have a spiritual teacher, teaching or path that you dominantly follow? Felicia As of 2016, I have been practicing somewhere around 30 years and I have been fortunate to have a number of spiritual teachers and influences. I grew up in a very devout Catholic household and I feel that my parents are by far my first spiritual teachers. I still feel a connection to Shri Anandi Ma. I�ve also spent time each year over the past several years with noted female teachers Amma and Karunamayi. Some of my early studies in meditation and yoga at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda with Sarasvati Buhrman and other teachers were in the tradition of Baba Hari Das, and I have spent time in his presence and with his community at Mount Madonna Center. My first official yoga teaching certification is in Structural Yoga Therapy with Shar Lee, a student of Mukunda Stiles, and I also studied with him directly over the years. Some of my other serious training in meditation was in Vipassana when I lived at Alandi Ashram in Boulder, Colorado and studied with Alakananda and Sadananda. Early in my education (in 1991, when I was 20), I began a serious pursuit of Ayurveda and was encouraged to pursue an eclectic range of studies in order to understand different people and different traditions and practices. One of my favorite teachings in the Ayurvedic tradition is that everything has the potential to be medicinal (and everything has the potential to be harmful) so remedies must be modified for time, place, and person. So different types of practices, from asana to food to pranayama to meditation, may be relevant at different times for different people. In this pursuit, I�ve immersed myself in a number of different traditions and lineages of yoga, Ayurveda and meditation. Living with one of my teachers, Alakananda Ma, was a significant influence for me and I also feel blessed to have spent time in intensives with Dr Vasant Lad, Dr Sarita Shrestha, Ysha Oakes and others. I am thankful for my studies in herbalism with teachers including colleague, friend, and expert herbalist Louise Sanchez as well as Brigitte Mars. Christina When did you begin actually teaching yoga yourself? Felicia I began teaching myself somewhere around 1996 or 1997 and I began teaching classes in the social justice program I was in at the University of Colorado�Boulder as well as at the student wellness center and the Wellness Center at Wild Oats in Boulder. I also had some private students at the time. They became some of my greatest teachers including a woman with a number of chronic health conditions and a mother and daughter who I taught together. The mother only spoke Spanish and the daughter translated�and I learned a bit of Spanish. From the beginning, I taught prenatal and therapeutically-based classes. I�ve been teaching ever since. Christina I know you have an adorable little dog, and I�m wondering if your dog does DOGA, I have heard that it is very beneficial, what is your opinion?
Christina Oh, as a dog lover myself, i can really appreciate it when we see how these spiritual practices benefit our �fur� people as well.! Now, it would be great if you could comment a bit about your videos on Yogaglo? Felicia I have been filming with Yogaglo since 2009 and it has been a great experience to share classes both with the community of students who come into the studio in Santa Monica as well as the worldwide community who watch the videos. In my classes, I combine and integrate the teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda and I love sharing practices that include the philosophy and techniques of Ayurveda along with asana, pranayama, and meditation. Most importantly (to me), I emphasize the importance of practicing with compassion. I believe that compassion for ourselves is such a core practice and so underutilized and underemphasized. Christina Thank you! And we want to encourage our readers to also take advantage of these great videos! In one of your YouTube videos you talk about the 80 percent rule could you tell our reader�s a little more about that? [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYVTp8wD9Pc ] Felicia This is something that I�ve borrowed from Dr John Douillard, a great friend, colleague, and teacher of mine. I may be paraphrasing the way that he so eloquently describes everything, but this refers to the fact that in Ayurveda, we don�t have to do everything perfectly, 110% percent of the time for our practices to be effective. Sometimes we think that we have to incorporate practices in an all-or-nothing sort of fashion and if we skip a day, we have somehow failed. No! We can do 80% and keep making progress. And when it comes to our physical activity, sometimes we think we must push ourselves past our limits in order to make progress. Sometimes that only breaks us down. Again, Dr. Douillard talks about doing less than our full capacity so that we are in a place of strength rather than stress, and from there, we can continue to increase our stamina and our capability sustainably. Christina speaking of stamina and stability, you must have a strong Saturn in your chart, as Saturn rules strength and structures? Felicia Ha! I definitely have a strong Saturn but not necessarily in the way that most people would think would be positive. I am not a Jyotishi, but I am certainly fascinated by the art and science of Vedic astrology, so I hope I am not messing this up too much. I�ve been told that Saturn is placed in my sixth house of health, but it is debilitated as my sixth house is ruled by Aries, and therefore the Sun, who is not friends with Saturn. Nothing is aspecting this placement. Saturn has been and continues to be a powerful teacher for me both in terms of challenges with my own health and we as a strong interest in health and wellness. I have great respect for Saturn�s strength and I only aspire to developing some strength of my own. Christina How would you feel about sharing your chart with me, and/or our readers? I would love to have a look and see if your Saturn�s debilitation would be cancelled in Neecha Banga Raja Yoga. Felicia: I'm fine to share my chart with you or anyone. DOB 2/21/1971 Time 00:42 am (12:42am) Place Washington DC Christina: Great, give me a minute and I�ll just calculate it and see. Yes, there it is, I just knew that with your work your Saturn could NOT be in debilitation. It is Neecha Banga Raja Yoga! Neecha means debilitation -- Neecha Banga means cancellation of debilitation. Raja Yoga means union of a King. A cancellation is said to raise the debilitated planet up into exaltation status. Its position in the 6th house � I agree is possibly problematic with colon/digestion issues, or a head injury of some kind depending upon the dasa and transits in play. The way it works, is the 6th dustana in childhood, before we find and embrace our �dharma� or life purpose, gives us accidents and childhood diseases. (the 6th is also a upachaya which are houses who improve over time). Then we find our dharma, then we serve the dharma. (the 6th house is the occupation of the dharma, because it is always the 10th house from the 9th) i.e. stand on your 9th house which is Cancer, and read your whole chart from there, and from the sign Cancer, the Saturn is in the 10th. (your career of the dharma, has to do with Saturn who rules structures (skeleton) and bones, in Aries, the Sign of Mars who rules muscles. The cancellation of debilitated planets occurs with about 15 different rules. Yours is cancelled because the ruler of the debilitated planet (in your case Mars) is in its own sign of Scorpio. � not to mention that it is further aided by being in conjunction with its best friend, a well-placed Jupiter in your 1st house, which is said to �heal� a chart. Felicia: Glad to hear the debilitation is cancelled! Christina Do you integrate Jyotish and Yoga in any way? Most people know �Salutation to the Sun� are there other positions specific or relating to the planets? Felicia Over the years, I have developed a great deal of respect for Jyotish in terms of how it intersects with Yoga and Ayurveda. I believe there is a body of work connecting yoga poses to the planets, and you have inspired me to pursue it. Christina Excellent! Felicia: Mehtab Benton is a teacher and Jyotishi I have had readings and taken Gong training with, and he writes on Yoga and Jyotish. Mehtab has a book out; and Sam Geppi, who writes a current column in LA YOGA Magazine, also has a new book out on Yoga and Jyotish. In my work at LA YOGA Magazine, I have collaborated with some writers as we have had a regular column on Jyotish since the magazine began in 2002. Betheyla (who since passed away) was our first columnist, then Tamiko Fischer, and now Sam Geppi. Suhas Kshirsagar and Dennis Harness have also contributed to LA YOGA. Through the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, I have helped curate conferences that integrate Jyotish with the other Vedic Arts. In this work, I have learned so much. At one of our conferences, we had a panel discussion where a yoga therapist, Ayurvedic practitioner, and Jyotishi would all discuss a real case. In one of them, the Jyotishi exclaimed that the Ayurvedic remedies worked even when the chart showed some great health challenge. For some this was a confirmation in the healing power of Ayurveda; for me, it was also a confirmation of the way that Jyotish can certainly shine the light of insight. I have also seen this in my own life. The first person to look at my Vedic Astrology chart was Robert Svoboda, in the midst of a class in the 1990s, before he published The Greatness of Saturn. He commented on Saturn�s placement in my chart and it has influenced my sadhana ever since. There are numerous other significant insights I have received over the years from a variety of Vedic Astrologers. Christina Yes, with your 6th house Saturn, you serve others achieve balance! You really are quite accomplished both as a R.N. and an Ayurvedic practioner. When did your approach shift from primarily allopathic to incorporating Ayurveda? Or did the nursing degree come second? Felicia My first degree was in environmental biology (mostly botany) and anthropology from the University of Colorado. I had already been pursuing the study of Yoga and Ayurveda at that point and I found that the disciplines of botany and anthropology complimented my growing passion for Yoga and Ayurveda. I knew that these disciplines would be my life work from an early age. Nursing was my second degree; the more I practiced Ayurveda and Yoga, the more I felt immersed in the pursuit of health and healthcare and I wanted to be a truly integrative practitioner with the ability to connect Eastern and Western modalities. After researching and contemplating a number of different types of programs, I settled on nursing school because at its best the core philosophy and training of nursing is deeply holistic and integrative. I attended a program with a focus on clinical training and my plan was (and may still be) to become a nurse practitioner with an emphasis on clinical work. So far, life and dharma has taken me in the direction of being the Editor in Chief of LA YOGA Magazine � and to a lot of teaching, but I have found that my nursing degree and license has helped me become a better practitioner than I was before and it allows me to have a wide perspective. Although when I went to nursing school, many of my friends in the Ayurveda community wondered how I would cope being in an allopathic program. While it was definitely challenging in terms of workload and worldview, as nurses we were taught to educate, to take spirituality into account, and to see everything in a person�s life as something that can contribute to their health and healing� so taken from the right perspective, it was Ayurvedic. I did see, as well, the limitations as well as the great gifts and strengths of Western Medicine and there were many people I worked with in my training as a nurse who I wished would have tried something holistic earlier on in their journey. That being said, I also gained an appreciation that every person�s journey is their own and that the best medicine is integrative as well as tailored to the person. Christina How would you suggest people first begin incorporating yoga practice into their daily life? Felicia I would just suggest that people incorporate it somehow someway in whatever way is meaningful or accessible for them. Consistently. Personally, I am the furthest thing from a yoga snob that there is. Hot Yoga? Great! If you will do it. Crazy upside down yoga? Yes! Sleeping Yoga? Slitting still yoga? Anything is great. Just do it. The thing about yoga is that there are so many different types, traditions, techniques, and styles. They all have value. They all work at different times for different people in different situations. I find that just by practicing on a consistent basis, that magic happens . Christina Do you have any systems or �tricks� to help people out with getting it done?
Christina That is great advice! How about beginning to add some Ayurvedic practice into daily life for someone new to the idea? Where would you begin they start? Felicia Well, just starting with the idea and acknowledgement that everything (yes, everything) in life has the potential to be medicinal is powerful. If we think about it, the music we listen to, the food we eat, the people we spend time with, the shows we watch, all of it has an effect on it. In fact, we digest it and it becomes part of us in one way or another. Recognizing this can help us to make choices that nourish rather than deplete us. Without knowing any special practices, this can help us to integrate Ayurveda into our lives. Beyond this, there are so many directions we could go. I love the practice of drinking a cup of hot water (with lemon, lime, or honey) in the morning as a way to gently nudge digestion, circulation, assimilation, and elimination. In some schools of thought, it is believed that simply taking triphala will help bring all three doshas into balance. Additionally, I love the practice of self-massage and find that after a long day of computer work or sensory stimulation, using some sesame or coconut oil on my skin can effectively soothe the nervous system. I also encourage people to eat one meal at roughly the same time every day (breakfast or lunch, for example) to begin to create a container of routine that can calm the airy energy of the what we call the vata dosha and nourish the body. Christina Thank you Felicia, that is such wonderful and useful advice! Could you also tell us a little bit about your presentation at the upcoming NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) conference in Rhode Island? Felicia I�m excited to be teaching about how the techniques of yoga, meditation, and pranayama can be adapted to influence different energetics. I�ll be sharing thoughts on how we can use our practice in subtle ways to shift energy and to affect the doshas. I�ll also speak about the therapeutic applications of practices and refer to the yogic and Ayurvedic texts. Christina Oh that sounds great, you were the perfect person to interview for this coming April issue! I am sure that your interview will inspire many more poeple to not only attend, but also to attend your class! What advice would you give our readers? For example, some good schools for yoga and ayurveda, or good books or teachers for getting started? Felicia Oh, there are so many places to begin! I should make a list. One of the suggestions I often make to people is to follow your heart and see where it leads. Pick up a book and see if the language speaks to you. Listen to a teacher to discover if you feel a subtle connection. Part of the connection comes from chemistry, from a subtle vibration of affinity. These things are hard to describe or define. Of course, I think the National Ayurvedic Medical Association is a great resource! As is LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health Magazine and www.layoga.com. This May, I am also co-teaching a class I helped develop for Loyola Marymount University on Ayurveda and Self-Care. It is part of the Yoga Therapy RX program at the University Extension, but people can also take it on its own. We will be sharing practices that help us to cultivate a habit of self-care so that we can take our health and wellness into our own hands�and our own daily routines. I believe this is where the power of Ayurveda and Yoga are most profound�every day, on the mat and in the teapot. Christina Thank you Felicia so much for taking time to talk to our readers at the Jyotish Star, what a great interview! Felicia Thank you! Felicia Tomasko Biography:
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