My mom is a big believer in mantras and chanting. Every day she gets out her mala and chants for whatever we need (lately it’s been the removal of obstacles–I hope she’s chanting to Ganesha!). Anyway, in order to facilitate her knowledge, she purchased a really cool audiobook about the power of chanting. It’s called Mantra: Sacred Words of Power, by Thomas Ashley-Farrand (he usually has a small chant featured each month in Yoga Journal). She sent me a copy of the discs, which I’m now listening to for the second time around. His premise is that sound is extraordinarily powerful, and that it was the spoken word that created the universe. Although I’m not a regular chanter, I do enjoy mantras, especially before a yoga class. In the spirit of that, I thought I’d share the one that Nancy always used (and maybe still does) in her class.

Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya

I think it’s spelled correctly, although my Sanskrit spelling isn’t stellar. Here’s the (loose) English translation:

Lead me from the unreal to the real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to that which is immortal

So, I was back in Pensacola for a few days this week, just hanging out with my family. I didn’t really make any plans for the trip, save for one: I wanted to go to yoga class. My yoga teacher, Nancy LaNasa, opened the Abhaya Yoga Center there a while ago and this was my first opportunity to check it out. So cool!! While Nancy herself wasn’t there (boo) I did get to take two classes with Stacey Vann, one of the other instructors, and co-founder of Universal Spirit Yoga. Stacey is great. Her classes are totally laid back and fun, and she even let me attend (with my mom) a class for students over age 50! I had such a great time, and I hate that I can’t go to regular classes there.

Also, I’m not the only one who loves it. This year is the second in a row that the center has won best yoga in the Pensacola Independent News Best of the Coast Competition. Nice! Anyway, if you live in the Pensacola area, please check out Abhaya. It can change your life…in fact, I’m hoping to one day get my own teaching certification, to use in conjunction with my Health Counselor certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Ba da pa pa ba da pa pa…
Come here
Pretty please
Can you tell me where I am
You won’t you say something
I need to get my bearings
I’m lost
And the shadows keep on changing

And I’m haunted
By the lives that I have loved
And actions I have hated
I’m haunted
By the lives that wove the web
Inside my haunted head

Ba da pa pa ba da pa pa…

Don’t cry,
There’s always a way
Here in November in this house of leaves
We’ll pray
Please, I know it’s hard to believe
To see a perfect forest
Through so many splintered trees
You and me
And these shadows keep on changing

And I’m haunted
By the lives that I have loved
And actions I have hated
I’m haunted
By the promises I’ve made
And others I have broken
I’m haunted
By the lives that wove the web
Inside my haunted head

Hallways… always

I’ll always want you
I’ll always need you
I’ll always love you

And I will always miss you

Ba da pa pa ba da pa pa…

Come here
No I won’t say please
One more look at the ghost
Before I’m gonna make it leave
Come here
I’ve got the pieces here
Time to gather up the splinters
Build a casket for my tears

I’m haunted
(By the lives that I have loved)
I’m haunted
(By the promises I’ve made)
I’m haunted
By the hallways in this tiny room
The echoes there of me and you
The voices that are carrying this tune

Ba da pa pa…

I know Roy and Dale meant Christmas when they sang the song, but to me October through December is the best time of year. I love that Autumn, Halloween/Samhain, my anniversary, my hubby’s birthday, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all fall into a 3 month chunk. In celebration, I’ve made a list of some fun things to do during October (especially if you live in Atlanta):

• Go on a hike. I love to hike up to the various waterfalls in North Georgia. So far, I’ve done Anna Ruby Falls, Amicalola Falls, and Tallulah State Gorge. I also hiked Brasstown Bald and Stone Mountain, which have great views, but alas, no water. For hiking tips, check out Fitsugar’s suggestions.
• Play with pumpkins. Go hunting for one at a Pumpkin Patch (like Burt’s Farm) and then bring them home and carve ‘em up. Or just eat them! I love pumpkin breads, cakes and pies, and the sugar network has some help there too. Fit offers a recipe for a tofu pumpkin pie, and Yum has two cake recipes!
• Work off the pumpkin treats by getting lost in a corn maze. I haven’t done this yet, but I might go tomorrow. Try the North Georgia Corn Maze; it also offers hay rides and a haunted barn!
• Dress up! October is costume time, so take the opportunity to be someone else for a day. Need inspiration? Try Costume Universe.
• Scare yourself silly! Visit an elaborate haunted house or go on a ghost tour. Savannah has several; check them out here, here, and here!

Happy season!