I have been a vegan for 14 years but this has gone far beyond the average vegan diet. We eat completely satvic food (balances and neutral) and pretty much the same things everyday. I feel great and am experiencing yoga even more fully.  Now that I completed the required hours for Yoga Alliance am I finished? Well if I wanted to be! Dharma has put us on a post graduation program to enable psychic development! We are to practice this lifestyle plan for 2 months before continuing with a month long juice fast. (I will need to continue with the Vitality diet until June and proceed with the juice fast then when I am taking a break from dance teaching!) This has been such a blessing to me!

Some ask” Why do you continue? You have the certification. What’s next?” Scott Duszko (my husband) & I firmly believe in constant cultivation. We will not allow our training to be stagnant. It keeps our practice & our teaching fresh & we can better serve the Burlington community with this intensity. We are honored to serve our community through www.honestyogacenter.com and other area studios.

At graduation Dharma said ” You are now part of an army of soul savers”.  I am excited to bring Sri Dharma Mittra’s advanced yoga teachings into all of your hearts!

nama
~ Danielle Vardakas-Duszko

When we begin to practice Ahimsa or reverence for life we first think of being non violent to other beings. We make way for animals in the street, we are respectful & reverent to our fellow human beings. Then we realize adopting a vegetarian / vegan diet is also allowing us to practice Ahimsa in our daily lives with the food choices we make & the goods that we use. Continuing with the reverence for the things we use, we can think of fair trade and fair wage for humans that are making the goods we use. We begin only supporting the companies that hold that standard.

We can go to reverence for the earth & take care of the plants and trees around us, tend gardens and eat more local produce that do not use excess fossil fuels that pollute our planet driving our goods to us. We are helpful and kind to others of all races, nationalities and origins. We are loving towards our self. We practice our asana in a respectful way that suites the particular day & feeling in that moment. We do not overly push our bodies unsafely past our present physical limitations. We honor these limitations as stepping stones for growth in our practice. We honor our students by moving them safely through asana practice allowing them to grow in strength & stability & flexibility before proceeding to more advances postures.  As teachers we show the community by example how to live this with our words, actions and choices. We have the influence over the community where we teach yoga to help others to also motivate towards a fully non-violent lifestyle.  Once each community embraces a metta loving kindness way of thinking in all actions the community will be at peace with in itself and with their surrounding communities.

When humanity embodies loving kindness it begins in the micro universe & spreads out into the entire universe slowly but surely. To become Ahimsa we must make all of our decisions with reverence for all life.  Our behavior in each moment must express our respect for the world around us. The way we drive our cars in traffic allowing another driver to come into our lane with a friendly wave. The way we move through the line at the natural food store, making eye contact with the cashier, helping bag etc.

We have all experienced the opposite in our lives and remember it did not feel good. Negative words or actions may imprint someones memory & infuse their day with painful emotions. Therefore, why would we want to do that? We must treat others as if they are one with ourselves because in reality they are. We are one with all living beings & the planet. The energy we put out is what we intern feel . There is nothing better to experience then loving kindness.  Globally metta could stop violence on an immense scale ending wars. The energy that is stirred up with non-violence would create a peaceful plant if we all embrace it whole hearted and live it to its fullest capacity. -Danielle Vardakas- Duszko

I was struck by Sivananda’s writings on Bhakti Yoga. All so beautiful & profound feel moved in my own practice, expanded in my own devotion, and alive with supreme love. I am so in awe of the reality of god in all things manifest!

“The glittering stars, the blue sky, the effulgent sun, the murmuring brooks, the waves of the ocean, the smiling flowers, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas- all whisper to you: “God is here.” Behold the radiance glowing amidst the objects of the world.” (Sivananda)

This being will succumb to the radiance & enjoy the divinity in all things. Nama Nama Nama to all that is for all is that and that is divine! Divine is all that is ! When we have realizations in our lives there are not words to describe the beauty. This is because there are really no words to describe god. We are lucky to be blessed this life to be awarded human birth to be able to type this as we wish to be able to delight in reality. We are the essence of god as are all creation. How wonderful it is to devote oneself to the essence of all that is to the blade of grass the fallen leaf, the child and the sunshine! What joy to have love to give and receive with such abundance. What else cold one ever desire? Nothing, love is all there is !

I am struck by the selflessness qualities that evolve godliness. I am working with the yamas & niyamas to bring that essence into my life I am longing for the supreme awakening yet can not grasp at it for that will make it never come. I will serve all and everyone in my path. I will serve them to benefit only them. For that alone will allow me to realise the truth. Charity & service will allow me to find samadi. I will feel the right thing to do within each moment by pausing to feel & remember the ethical rules. I will practice this through out my days to give fully with out need to receive. If I have no desire, I will receive. I must connect to my root I must find stability then I will bloom forth unto my crown. I will experience through consistency of practice and unconditional love for all beings and full service to them. I will practice this love on & off my mat. I will live the life of a yogi.

-Danielle Vardakas-Duszko

When we bring improvement into our lives on any levels its very satisfying. A being who is improving with a happy heart & continuing to learn will be successful in whatever endeavour he or she sets out. That same being will probably bring a few folks along for the ride.

Our attitudes are contagious . Our attitudes directly effect our actions. At the same time our actions create our alignments. This rings true in all aspects of our lives. When we come into our practice with a softness to open to new prospectives & a healthy out look to give our best efforts. Our breathe and movements  will become more precise allowing the physical body to settle the mind.When the body settles the mind we create space. It is within this space that our consciousness can expand. When the divine consciousness  expands we learn to except what it is to truly be ourselves. What a gift it is to discover this knowledge. – Scott Duszko