Life isn't always easy. But you can find something to see as meaningful, purposeful, or beautiful, even in the painful moments. Even when in agony, you can connect to you inner peace.
One simple trick is to remember: Breathe (with your whole body), feel everything (physical senses, emotions, energy, inner + outer), and then let it go. Use that to cultivate presence.. To become grounded and clear as opposed to scattered. When clear, add: Respond honestly (in harmony with your inner sense of rightness).
Breathe, Feel, Release... Respond honestly.
Mindfulness triage to practice in easy and comfortable times, so that it becomes available to you automatically in times of inner war.
Much love, for all that is... L
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Painfully Lost in the Small View
Pain, loss, tragedy, frustration and embarrassment are part of our life stories, as much as growth, joy, delight, fascination, and ecstasy.
We seem to go through a spiraling pattern of evolution- bright, open, free turns and heavy, painful, withdrawn ones as well. However, pleasant and unpleasant are part of the same growth, the same path of enlightenment.
When the heavy, painful experiences are upon us, it is helpful to recall that the pain is from opening and letting go of these false or former realities that are no longer current. It is the pain of dying to the old idea of your life and who you are, and the restructuring of your view of reality in the light of new shifts and truths. Oh, that doesn't sound so bad, right? But the truth is, it is easy to get lost in the texture and terrain of the suffering when experiencing it.
The left brain/ego is concerned with past and future and fully absorbed in the up-close, individual experience. In painful experiences, it zooms in on the source of the suffering and obsesses on the tragedy of it all. It loops around over and over in the lament and agony, and feels so alive in the torment. The ego/individual self loves to affirm its own existence, because it is very insecure. It obsesses on solution and closure, even when only time and space can resolve the ache.
The solution is to spend more time in yoga practice, meditation, deep relaxation, creative expression, and in Nature, or in general in cultivating present moment awareness/mindfulness. Mindfulness is the experience connected with the right brain, it is the broad view, widening the lens of your attention, so that it no longer zooms in your suffering, but sees the suffering as only one part of your total current experience.
"Breathe, Feel everything, Let it go", I tell myself, and my students, frequently, "and respond honestly with what you experience." Honesty beckons us to let go of the unhealthy relationship, accept loss, forgive ourselves for making mistakes and to learn from them instead of beating ourselves up. Honesty makes us notice that the pain may be there, but there is also peace, there are also things to enjoy, there are also many blessings to count. Honesty reminds us that nothing lasts forever, so neither will this pain, and we can turn it into growth and personal development instead of feeling sorry for ourselves.
Its easy to sink into the heaviness of defeat, to feel sorry for ourselves, but that mood is only healthy once in each experience. Once the facts have permeated our awareness and shock is no longer necessary, the only humane way to resolve our suffering is to practice extreme self care and be present. Don't get sucked into the hole of depression, don't give in to self-pity, its like a drug. Its lazy. Its cheap. Its ugly. Instead, breathe, feel everything, let that moment go. Again, breathe, feel everything, let that moment go... And continue to move on with your healthy life.
Automatically get yourself present when you start to drift down that filthy hallway of "what if's" and reinventing the past, and other counter-factuals. "If" nothing, work on accepting Reality as it is but touching it in the present moment. Don't waste time worrying about the future, and "what will happen when..." Instead, immerse yourself completely in the moment at hand, the task at hand, the company at hand. Use self-care: take a walk, eat healthfully and not too little or too much, use techniques that bring you peace, and that bring you into the NOW.
...And an amazing thing happens.. The pain will slowly heal, like a cut heals, from the inside out.. And naturally the scab falls off, and then eventually you won't even see the mark anymore, or if you can, it certainly won't hurt, just remind you of a time and place and experience and lesson.
A story.. Part of your life story.. Not THE entire life story. So don't get lost in the close-up when you can soar above the total experience and feel so much more then just your pain.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
We seem to go through a spiraling pattern of evolution- bright, open, free turns and heavy, painful, withdrawn ones as well. However, pleasant and unpleasant are part of the same growth, the same path of enlightenment.
When the heavy, painful experiences are upon us, it is helpful to recall that the pain is from opening and letting go of these false or former realities that are no longer current. It is the pain of dying to the old idea of your life and who you are, and the restructuring of your view of reality in the light of new shifts and truths. Oh, that doesn't sound so bad, right? But the truth is, it is easy to get lost in the texture and terrain of the suffering when experiencing it.
The left brain/ego is concerned with past and future and fully absorbed in the up-close, individual experience. In painful experiences, it zooms in on the source of the suffering and obsesses on the tragedy of it all. It loops around over and over in the lament and agony, and feels so alive in the torment. The ego/individual self loves to affirm its own existence, because it is very insecure. It obsesses on solution and closure, even when only time and space can resolve the ache.
The solution is to spend more time in yoga practice, meditation, deep relaxation, creative expression, and in Nature, or in general in cultivating present moment awareness/mindfulness. Mindfulness is the experience connected with the right brain, it is the broad view, widening the lens of your attention, so that it no longer zooms in your suffering, but sees the suffering as only one part of your total current experience.
"Breathe, Feel everything, Let it go", I tell myself, and my students, frequently, "and respond honestly with what you experience." Honesty beckons us to let go of the unhealthy relationship, accept loss, forgive ourselves for making mistakes and to learn from them instead of beating ourselves up. Honesty makes us notice that the pain may be there, but there is also peace, there are also things to enjoy, there are also many blessings to count. Honesty reminds us that nothing lasts forever, so neither will this pain, and we can turn it into growth and personal development instead of feeling sorry for ourselves.
Its easy to sink into the heaviness of defeat, to feel sorry for ourselves, but that mood is only healthy once in each experience. Once the facts have permeated our awareness and shock is no longer necessary, the only humane way to resolve our suffering is to practice extreme self care and be present. Don't get sucked into the hole of depression, don't give in to self-pity, its like a drug. Its lazy. Its cheap. Its ugly. Instead, breathe, feel everything, let that moment go. Again, breathe, feel everything, let that moment go... And continue to move on with your healthy life.
Automatically get yourself present when you start to drift down that filthy hallway of "what if's" and reinventing the past, and other counter-factuals. "If" nothing, work on accepting Reality as it is but touching it in the present moment. Don't waste time worrying about the future, and "what will happen when..." Instead, immerse yourself completely in the moment at hand, the task at hand, the company at hand. Use self-care: take a walk, eat healthfully and not too little or too much, use techniques that bring you peace, and that bring you into the NOW.
...And an amazing thing happens.. The pain will slowly heal, like a cut heals, from the inside out.. And naturally the scab falls off, and then eventually you won't even see the mark anymore, or if you can, it certainly won't hurt, just remind you of a time and place and experience and lesson.
A story.. Part of your life story.. Not THE entire life story. So don't get lost in the close-up when you can soar above the total experience and feel so much more then just your pain.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Monday, April 30, 2012
1 + 1 = 2 ... We aren't halves, but we can be complimentary colors
Many people think that they need another person to complete them. I think this is a well-intentioned, but slightly unhealthy way of viewing the kind of connection most, if not all, of us long for.
As long as we look outside ourselves, towards our material circumstances or other people, for our satisfaction, we won't have lasting peace. The Buddha discovered that human beings automatically become dissatisfied regardless of their external circumstances. He realized that our happiness has to come from remaining present and dynamic. As soon as we look to something to remain exactly the same, we are certain to become disappointed because no one and nothing remains constant. It is as simple as that.
I do think the urge to find a partner is very strong and leads to beautiful experiences, but it will never be fruitful if we are looking to become completed by the other being. I do believe in rare and amazing connections between people and that these are very sacred and special, but we cannot look toward the future and demand that they shine unchanging forever. Instead we have to honor that these connections may grow together and apart as we both move on. Connections disconnect and new ones appear. Some connections are re-connected down the road as paths converge again, only to diverge when they diverge. That is what is so special about a genuine connection that lasts for many decades, to truly have that soul connection last that long requires the ability to remain honest and present as individuals, and a lot of grace and luck as well.
So if we aren't two halves that fix each other, can we be two wholes that blossom incredibly in each others' presence? Like complementary colors, side by side, each being completely ourselves, uncompromised, we can be our happiest, healthiest, and brightest with each other.
As soon as that ceases to be so, as soon as we begin to compromise our path, our individuality, in an unhealthy way, we get mixed up. When you mix complementary colors they become muddy and bland and disappear from their true brilliance. Sadly, out of obligatory courtesy or desire to conform or fear of the unknown, too many people settle to be muddy and unsatisfied, married or not. Marriage has little to do with happiness, by the way, happiness in a relationship comes from the honesty both show themselves and each other, when both people can be honestly themselves and honest with themselves and each other, and are joyous to be together, then nothing else is needed- no approval from others, no jewelry or certificate or tax break or labels.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
As long as we look outside ourselves, towards our material circumstances or other people, for our satisfaction, we won't have lasting peace. The Buddha discovered that human beings automatically become dissatisfied regardless of their external circumstances. He realized that our happiness has to come from remaining present and dynamic. As soon as we look to something to remain exactly the same, we are certain to become disappointed because no one and nothing remains constant. It is as simple as that.
I do think the urge to find a partner is very strong and leads to beautiful experiences, but it will never be fruitful if we are looking to become completed by the other being. I do believe in rare and amazing connections between people and that these are very sacred and special, but we cannot look toward the future and demand that they shine unchanging forever. Instead we have to honor that these connections may grow together and apart as we both move on. Connections disconnect and new ones appear. Some connections are re-connected down the road as paths converge again, only to diverge when they diverge. That is what is so special about a genuine connection that lasts for many decades, to truly have that soul connection last that long requires the ability to remain honest and present as individuals, and a lot of grace and luck as well.
So if we aren't two halves that fix each other, can we be two wholes that blossom incredibly in each others' presence? Like complementary colors, side by side, each being completely ourselves, uncompromised, we can be our happiest, healthiest, and brightest with each other.
As soon as that ceases to be so, as soon as we begin to compromise our path, our individuality, in an unhealthy way, we get mixed up. When you mix complementary colors they become muddy and bland and disappear from their true brilliance. Sadly, out of obligatory courtesy or desire to conform or fear of the unknown, too many people settle to be muddy and unsatisfied, married or not. Marriage has little to do with happiness, by the way, happiness in a relationship comes from the honesty both show themselves and each other, when both people can be honestly themselves and honest with themselves and each other, and are joyous to be together, then nothing else is needed- no approval from others, no jewelry or certificate or tax break or labels.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Will Sing For Love: An Experiment in Co-creativity
Not that what I typically write isn't highly personal, but this post is particularly so, very clearly. I'm an open book when it comes to my experiences and views if there is any way it will enhance the experience of another...
So I love love, I don't think that is a secret. I am a devotee of unconditional love and truth/reality. In my personal life, I am filled with lots of love that I pour into and receive back from my life and those within it. When recently I truly felt I found the deepest connection imaginable with another person, the someone and something I thought was going to bring me home, I was shocked when it ended, quite quickly. I made peace with reality fast, because I had no other choice.
I am living my life even more passionately then ever before, aiming to be as present as possible. I am pretty damn happy. I am at peace. I am blissful. I also know that (long, very personal story short) it has been a long time and I am very much ready for a deep, beautiful, loving connection to arise in my life.
Most people have heard of the Law of Attraction, which works, is very real, indeed. However, the way I like to view it is as co-creativity, because our sheer will can bring us things, but if the thing we wanted and what actually satisfies us are one in the same more then one out of ten times I'd be surprized! Working with the constant truth unfolding in each moment as felt in our hearts, co-creativity begs a more dynamic and honest approach to life then saying "I want what I want, and that is all I want, I will not bend!" Won't you bend, if what you get is infinitely more gratifying and elevating then what you imagined you wanted? Really!? ; )
SO I am living. I am loving. I am learning. I am dancing and singing, creating, working hard, enjoying each moment along the way. I enjoy who and what I receive each day. Some days I am a little lonely and wish the universe would hurry it up a little. Most days I am too busy living to worry about it anyhow! Loneliness is part of the prayer- (to me prayer is a feeling, whatever you feel.. love, gratitude, desire, worry, anxiousness.... sends energy outward, which is met with like energy.. feeling is prayer!) and part of the experience that makes finding new people to share time and space with so beautiful.
Music is so key to me because it evokes feelings, it can be used to direct your mood where you want it to be. I love music. I love singing, I love dancing, I love expressing rhythm with my body. I do it everyday, quite naturally.
So I made myself great playlists. I made one I call "Random Sweetness", all sorts of degrees of sweetness in the form of songs I enjoy. It's sweet as sugar. I play it whenever it fits the mood. I sing at the top of my lungs, just like I do. Who am I singing to? Who is the object of my affection?! The mystery! Whomever is the next great love of my life, that's who! Who is this guy? Your guess is probably as good as mine! I don't need to know until I know.
A fun exercise I do when the mood passionately strikes me, is to write a letter to the universe. Just a scribble for fun in my journal... I write exactly what I want and make sure to add- " what I ultimately want is what is best for the entire universe, especially all involved." I don't want what I want at the expense of anyone else's happiness, not when the universe is abundant with love and joy.
I watch synchronicity, like when a million little clues come up in the form of what song pops up on the radio, a license plate, a statement from someone who doesn't realize that it means something significant specifically to you or points to someone in your life.
I sit back and watch. I go out and live. I follow my heart and passion. And I shall see who I am singing too. I am so outgoing that I often do the pursuing and I said very clearly that I want to be loved so damn much for who I am that I will be pursued this time.. in a very loving and genuine way.
Some say I am crazy, and some smile and nod because they know. This is how the world works. This is how I live. And guess what? I am healthy, happy, productive and compassionate. I live a fulfilling life. I aim to live without regret. I have none because I keep moving forward and living deeper and deeper in each moment.
"My method is uncertain, it's a mess, but it's working!" ~Fiona Apple, lyrics, "Please, Please, Please"
"Live your life, be your self without fear. Put yourself out there and yes, follow your heart, passion, attractions. But don't cling, or grab desperately at the first sign of interest if it isn't met with the complete radiance of the sun, the most amazing sensations you have ever felt. You will know real love when you find it, and if you have to ask, you simply have not found it yet! Follow the clues, instead of thinking the clues are the treasure, you will know when you find it! Trust, your own intelligence and intuition. Love is everywhere. Your story will be worthy of your heart..." ~laura harrison
Rumi says that real lovers are not satisfied to play on the shore of love, but will run right in and drown in the ocean of unconditional love. I know myself, I am a real lover. I am floating in that sea often, and I get more connected everyday. I will be my radiant self and never compromise to satisfy or gratify anyone's insecurity. When the right wave comes, I will let it swallow me. The best part, is that although you lose yourself in real love, you become more yourself then ever before. Real love makes you feel more independent, while being completely connected. That is what this enlightenment game is all about... completely unique and uncompromisingly individual, while completely given to the fact that we are individuals woven into a fabric of one universe, and loving that oneness and living within it's beauty....
May all find the love they seek and know it exists in their own hearts!
all one <3 , laura
So I love love, I don't think that is a secret. I am a devotee of unconditional love and truth/reality. In my personal life, I am filled with lots of love that I pour into and receive back from my life and those within it. When recently I truly felt I found the deepest connection imaginable with another person, the someone and something I thought was going to bring me home, I was shocked when it ended, quite quickly. I made peace with reality fast, because I had no other choice.
I am living my life even more passionately then ever before, aiming to be as present as possible. I am pretty damn happy. I am at peace. I am blissful. I also know that (long, very personal story short) it has been a long time and I am very much ready for a deep, beautiful, loving connection to arise in my life.
Most people have heard of the Law of Attraction, which works, is very real, indeed. However, the way I like to view it is as co-creativity, because our sheer will can bring us things, but if the thing we wanted and what actually satisfies us are one in the same more then one out of ten times I'd be surprized! Working with the constant truth unfolding in each moment as felt in our hearts, co-creativity begs a more dynamic and honest approach to life then saying "I want what I want, and that is all I want, I will not bend!" Won't you bend, if what you get is infinitely more gratifying and elevating then what you imagined you wanted? Really!? ; )
SO I am living. I am loving. I am learning. I am dancing and singing, creating, working hard, enjoying each moment along the way. I enjoy who and what I receive each day. Some days I am a little lonely and wish the universe would hurry it up a little. Most days I am too busy living to worry about it anyhow! Loneliness is part of the prayer- (to me prayer is a feeling, whatever you feel.. love, gratitude, desire, worry, anxiousness.... sends energy outward, which is met with like energy.. feeling is prayer!) and part of the experience that makes finding new people to share time and space with so beautiful.
Music is so key to me because it evokes feelings, it can be used to direct your mood where you want it to be. I love music. I love singing, I love dancing, I love expressing rhythm with my body. I do it everyday, quite naturally.
So I made myself great playlists. I made one I call "Random Sweetness", all sorts of degrees of sweetness in the form of songs I enjoy. It's sweet as sugar. I play it whenever it fits the mood. I sing at the top of my lungs, just like I do. Who am I singing to? Who is the object of my affection?! The mystery! Whomever is the next great love of my life, that's who! Who is this guy? Your guess is probably as good as mine! I don't need to know until I know.
A fun exercise I do when the mood passionately strikes me, is to write a letter to the universe. Just a scribble for fun in my journal... I write exactly what I want and make sure to add- " what I ultimately want is what is best for the entire universe, especially all involved." I don't want what I want at the expense of anyone else's happiness, not when the universe is abundant with love and joy.
I watch synchronicity, like when a million little clues come up in the form of what song pops up on the radio, a license plate, a statement from someone who doesn't realize that it means something significant specifically to you or points to someone in your life.
I sit back and watch. I go out and live. I follow my heart and passion. And I shall see who I am singing too. I am so outgoing that I often do the pursuing and I said very clearly that I want to be loved so damn much for who I am that I will be pursued this time.. in a very loving and genuine way.
Some say I am crazy, and some smile and nod because they know. This is how the world works. This is how I live. And guess what? I am healthy, happy, productive and compassionate. I live a fulfilling life. I aim to live without regret. I have none because I keep moving forward and living deeper and deeper in each moment.
"My method is uncertain, it's a mess, but it's working!" ~Fiona Apple, lyrics, "Please, Please, Please"
"Live your life, be your self without fear. Put yourself out there and yes, follow your heart, passion, attractions. But don't cling, or grab desperately at the first sign of interest if it isn't met with the complete radiance of the sun, the most amazing sensations you have ever felt. You will know real love when you find it, and if you have to ask, you simply have not found it yet! Follow the clues, instead of thinking the clues are the treasure, you will know when you find it! Trust, your own intelligence and intuition. Love is everywhere. Your story will be worthy of your heart..." ~laura harrison
Rumi says that real lovers are not satisfied to play on the shore of love, but will run right in and drown in the ocean of unconditional love. I know myself, I am a real lover. I am floating in that sea often, and I get more connected everyday. I will be my radiant self and never compromise to satisfy or gratify anyone's insecurity. When the right wave comes, I will let it swallow me. The best part, is that although you lose yourself in real love, you become more yourself then ever before. Real love makes you feel more independent, while being completely connected. That is what this enlightenment game is all about... completely unique and uncompromisingly individual, while completely given to the fact that we are individuals woven into a fabric of one universe, and loving that oneness and living within it's beauty....
May all find the love they seek and know it exists in their own hearts!
all one <3 , laura
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Yoga De-mystified
Because yoga roots are wound in esoteric writings and a richly textured cultural background, there is a sort of mystery to it, especially when carried into the Western world.
The truth is that the essence of yoga can be de-mystified and gently unwrapped from its original cultural package to reveal shining truths about the heart of what it is to be a human.
Yoga practices and exercises are designed, at the most fundamental level, to reveal to us who and what we are, beyond all of the layers of accumulated baggage. They cut right through all false concepts of self and self-consciousness and reveal the shining heart of our individual identity. They not only help us to blossom fully as an individual, but they connect us to the universal layer of our selves as well, the layer at which everything is completely interconnected.
So while on the surface we cleanse our bodies and minds- tone, stretch, realign our bodies; balance, focus, and calm our minds; investigate our psyche; we also connect to the deepest layer of our existence on both individual and universal levels. This enhances our peace, health, happiness, creativity, social skills, success, sense of connection and compassion, feelings of satisfaction and leads us to a state of wholeness.
Yoga in essence describes that state of balanced wholeness, living in our fullest positive potential. Yoga can be found in any moment, in any experience, in any activity. Yoga is a state of being that is natural to every human being, across all external differences. Yoga is at heart what it is to be human.
The truth is that the essence of yoga can be de-mystified and gently unwrapped from its original cultural package to reveal shining truths about the heart of what it is to be a human.
Yoga practices and exercises are designed, at the most fundamental level, to reveal to us who and what we are, beyond all of the layers of accumulated baggage. They cut right through all false concepts of self and self-consciousness and reveal the shining heart of our individual identity. They not only help us to blossom fully as an individual, but they connect us to the universal layer of our selves as well, the layer at which everything is completely interconnected.
So while on the surface we cleanse our bodies and minds- tone, stretch, realign our bodies; balance, focus, and calm our minds; investigate our psyche; we also connect to the deepest layer of our existence on both individual and universal levels. This enhances our peace, health, happiness, creativity, social skills, success, sense of connection and compassion, feelings of satisfaction and leads us to a state of wholeness.
Yoga in essence describes that state of balanced wholeness, living in our fullest positive potential. Yoga can be found in any moment, in any experience, in any activity. Yoga is a state of being that is natural to every human being, across all external differences. Yoga is at heart what it is to be human.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Fresh mind, Trusting Self, Flowing on the Blessed Path
When we embark on the spiritual path, that mere intention sets things into motion. With awareness comes information, feedback through the heart and body. We may receive a lot of feedback we consider positive or neutral, which is easy to honor.
We are greatly challenged when living in harmony with inner truth means doing something difficult, truly difficult. We are put to the test. And we will be slowly, quietly grinding until we walk the talk and listen to our spiritual-heart's intelligence. The karma will repeat, the groove (or pit) will get deeper, we'll get increasingly stuck until we finally take responsibility and take the appropriate measures to become in harmony with the truth.
We can learn from each instance where we ignore our truth until a crescendo of consciousness makes it impossible to turn a blind eye anymore. We can use it to increase our awareness and trust the inner knowing above the rational sense of propriety, hoping not to fall into the same mistake again. If we vow to only follow our inner truth, and live up to it, wouldn't that be 'pushti marg', the path of grace? ...following only the inner light of knowing, the Divine Self... so very often it is effortless effort, but sometimes it is agonizing, relentless, and cruel... But it always facillitates the highest good of all. Follow with trust in your inner knowing at all times, and proceed with unconditional loving tenderness for all.
We are greatly challenged when living in harmony with inner truth means doing something difficult, truly difficult. We are put to the test. And we will be slowly, quietly grinding until we walk the talk and listen to our spiritual-heart's intelligence. The karma will repeat, the groove (or pit) will get deeper, we'll get increasingly stuck until we finally take responsibility and take the appropriate measures to become in harmony with the truth.
We can learn from each instance where we ignore our truth until a crescendo of consciousness makes it impossible to turn a blind eye anymore. We can use it to increase our awareness and trust the inner knowing above the rational sense of propriety, hoping not to fall into the same mistake again. If we vow to only follow our inner truth, and live up to it, wouldn't that be 'pushti marg', the path of grace? ...following only the inner light of knowing, the Divine Self... so very often it is effortless effort, but sometimes it is agonizing, relentless, and cruel... But it always facillitates the highest good of all. Follow with trust in your inner knowing at all times, and proceed with unconditional loving tenderness for all.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Ebb + Flow of Consciousness
Some days, the mind is naturally clear and we feel very refreshed and present. Some days it seems like it is impossible to get out of the endless stream of subjective thoughts. It can be frustrating. Remember this, there was a time when you weren't even aware that your consciousness was absorbed only in your thinking. You are far ahead of that place now.
Judging ourselves for not being present is still not being present! So smile to yourself, stop over-analyzing (still thinking!!) and break it down to the basics. Come back to the breath. Feel the breath. Witness the breath in each moment.
In fact, witnessing is all we need to do to be mindful, which includes witnessing the thinking, as well as the physical, emotional, and environmental sensations/experiences in each moment. Accept what you find. Trust in the process. Let your consciousness expand naturally. We cannot intellectually force enlightenment. There is no peace in bitter force.
Every moment in presence, we expand our consciousness. Let the ebbs and flows happen, watch them, witness yourself becoming whole, drop by drop.
Judging ourselves for not being present is still not being present! So smile to yourself, stop over-analyzing (still thinking!!) and break it down to the basics. Come back to the breath. Feel the breath. Witness the breath in each moment.
In fact, witnessing is all we need to do to be mindful, which includes witnessing the thinking, as well as the physical, emotional, and environmental sensations/experiences in each moment. Accept what you find. Trust in the process. Let your consciousness expand naturally. We cannot intellectually force enlightenment. There is no peace in bitter force.
Every moment in presence, we expand our consciousness. Let the ebbs and flows happen, watch them, witness yourself becoming whole, drop by drop.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Yoga of Sustainability
CHAPTER 7. CONSERVE PAPER + TREES
All of us certainly take paper for granted, which is a shame in general, but especially considering the majesty and miracle of living trees. These gorgeous, ancient plants are the very lungs of the Earth. Rumi likens them to ecstatic Sufis in dancing prayer. Too many people think too little of these incredible lifeforms. Here are some ideas for conserving precious trees.
CLOSE THE LOOP
Whenever you do purchase paper products, especially notebooks and toilet tissue, please choose 100% recycled, post-consumer content if possible. Tree-free is even better.
GET CRAFTY + USE BOTH SIDES
Whenever you use paper, make sure to use both sides and recycle or compost it when it has completed its useful life. You can use an old blender to puree used paper and spread it onto a screen to make decorative or perhaps functional, papers. Use every scrap of paper to the max-- including art projects such as collage and paper mache (a great use for magazine and catalogs). If you aren't crafty check your local library or school to see if they can make use of your old magazines.
GO CLOTH
Stop buying tissues, paper towels and paper napkins. Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels instead. Turn old soiled T-shirts or ripped up, old towels for the truly gross stuff. (and remember that you can compost old cloth bits.) Use handkerchiefs. Flannel clothes make soft and durable hankies that don't cause soreness on your nose when you are sick. When eating out, be bold and bring a cloth napkin, or use the minimal amount of paper napkins possible, and reuse or compost them after. Dry your hands on your shirt if no hand dryer is available in public restrooms. Speak out and request cloth napkins and hand dryers at your local eateries, or at least encourage a change to unbleached, 100% recycled paper napkins.
HEMP OR OTHER PLANT FIBER PAPERS
Hemp, kenaf, banana and sugarcane are some of the options for computer and notebook papers, and for the stubborn, even paper plates and napkins. Using reusable dishes are always preferable, but if they are not possible, there are even elegant, compostable plates made from fallen leaves! Plant fibers are ecologically preferable to plastics and Styrofoams, so it is great that finally there are many alternative options to using trees.
RECLAIMED OR SUSTAINABLY MANAGED WOODS
When it comes to furniture, nothing is more study and healthful than real wood. Pressboards and cheap composite and laminated faux woods are filled with poisonous chemicals. Using fallen trees or wood from sustainably managed forests is a viable solution. Don't be afraid to ask for documentation as to the source of the wood- never trust just the word or suggestion on a label. False representation can happen on accident, so don't let your wishful thinking lead you into a harmful choice.
BAMBOO + CORK
Fast-growing and durable, bamboo is a versitile and highly renewable choice for flooring. Cork too, fascinatingly, is renewable because the tree still lives while a certain degree of its wood is harvested every so often. Both make excellent choices for wood flooring. Marmoleum brand flooring is another sustainable and natural option for elegant, functional, healthy, and environmentally-kind flooring.
PLASTIC LUMBER
One of the only times when plastic is a better choice environmentally- recycled content plastic lumber, perfect for decks and similar outdoor building. Durable, there is no need to refinish or ever use any chemicals on it- making it safe and practical.
PLANT TREES, SUPPORT ARBORETUMS
One way to help is to of course plant trees, or donate to arboretums- plant conservatories, that often care for precious old-growth forests. You can also donate to organizations such as The Arbor Day Foundation that plant trees.
BUY YOUR OWN FOREST
If you have enough of a savings, you could simply buy a forested piece of land. Influencial Yoga teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life have done just that- maintaining a 125-acre forest sanctuary near Woodstock, NY. Perhaps you can't find or afford that large of a space, but no matter how small it is, you are helping the trees and the entire eco-system by preserving precious forest land and allowing it to remain wild and natural. Never be discouraged by the size of the action, remain inspired by the intention.
All of us certainly take paper for granted, which is a shame in general, but especially considering the majesty and miracle of living trees. These gorgeous, ancient plants are the very lungs of the Earth. Rumi likens them to ecstatic Sufis in dancing prayer. Too many people think too little of these incredible lifeforms. Here are some ideas for conserving precious trees.
CLOSE THE LOOP
Whenever you do purchase paper products, especially notebooks and toilet tissue, please choose 100% recycled, post-consumer content if possible. Tree-free is even better.
GET CRAFTY + USE BOTH SIDES
Whenever you use paper, make sure to use both sides and recycle or compost it when it has completed its useful life. You can use an old blender to puree used paper and spread it onto a screen to make decorative or perhaps functional, papers. Use every scrap of paper to the max-- including art projects such as collage and paper mache (a great use for magazine and catalogs). If you aren't crafty check your local library or school to see if they can make use of your old magazines.
GO CLOTH
Stop buying tissues, paper towels and paper napkins. Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels instead. Turn old soiled T-shirts or ripped up, old towels for the truly gross stuff. (and remember that you can compost old cloth bits.) Use handkerchiefs. Flannel clothes make soft and durable hankies that don't cause soreness on your nose when you are sick. When eating out, be bold and bring a cloth napkin, or use the minimal amount of paper napkins possible, and reuse or compost them after. Dry your hands on your shirt if no hand dryer is available in public restrooms. Speak out and request cloth napkins and hand dryers at your local eateries, or at least encourage a change to unbleached, 100% recycled paper napkins.
HEMP OR OTHER PLANT FIBER PAPERS
Hemp, kenaf, banana and sugarcane are some of the options for computer and notebook papers, and for the stubborn, even paper plates and napkins. Using reusable dishes are always preferable, but if they are not possible, there are even elegant, compostable plates made from fallen leaves! Plant fibers are ecologically preferable to plastics and Styrofoams, so it is great that finally there are many alternative options to using trees.
RECLAIMED OR SUSTAINABLY MANAGED WOODS
When it comes to furniture, nothing is more study and healthful than real wood. Pressboards and cheap composite and laminated faux woods are filled with poisonous chemicals. Using fallen trees or wood from sustainably managed forests is a viable solution. Don't be afraid to ask for documentation as to the source of the wood- never trust just the word or suggestion on a label. False representation can happen on accident, so don't let your wishful thinking lead you into a harmful choice.
BAMBOO + CORK
Fast-growing and durable, bamboo is a versitile and highly renewable choice for flooring. Cork too, fascinatingly, is renewable because the tree still lives while a certain degree of its wood is harvested every so often. Both make excellent choices for wood flooring. Marmoleum brand flooring is another sustainable and natural option for elegant, functional, healthy, and environmentally-kind flooring.
PLASTIC LUMBER
One of the only times when plastic is a better choice environmentally- recycled content plastic lumber, perfect for decks and similar outdoor building. Durable, there is no need to refinish or ever use any chemicals on it- making it safe and practical.
PLANT TREES, SUPPORT ARBORETUMS
One way to help is to of course plant trees, or donate to arboretums- plant conservatories, that often care for precious old-growth forests. You can also donate to organizations such as The Arbor Day Foundation that plant trees.
BUY YOUR OWN FOREST
If you have enough of a savings, you could simply buy a forested piece of land. Influencial Yoga teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life have done just that- maintaining a 125-acre forest sanctuary near Woodstock, NY. Perhaps you can't find or afford that large of a space, but no matter how small it is, you are helping the trees and the entire eco-system by preserving precious forest land and allowing it to remain wild and natural. Never be discouraged by the size of the action, remain inspired by the intention.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Black Holes in the Psyche- by Deepak Chopra with commentary by Laura Harrison
"We are now at the level of inner need where the spiritual concept of “I am enough” is truly critical; as long as you dwell on more superficial levels of need, as long as you lean on a stronger person to carry you through, the anxiety of separation is disguised – and that may be what you need for the moment. It takes real spiritual commitment to expose the wounds of separation hidden in the unconscious.
If you look deep enough these wounds show up as black holes in your sense of self. Like black holes in space, which suck energy out of the universe, the psyche’s black holes suck out your confidence, your sense of worth, your certainty that you can survive.
When you approach just a small one of these holes, you can experience a drastic range of sensations, none of them pleasant. Mild uneasiness and disembodiedness give way to nervousness, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, anxiety, panic, terror, and dread, depending upon how close you come to the black hole.
Sometimes there seems to be a hole in your chest or abdomen, or a suffocating pressure, as if all the air was being sucked out of your lungs. Terrible as these feelings are, they have no spiritual reality; they are conditioned reactions. Stored-up fear magnifies the experience of a black hole because of the effort we all exert to avoid existential anxiety, fears about just being here on earth.
Keeping away from a black hole seems like a good tactic, but it isn’t the same as healing. If left unhealed a black hole only gets larger until it becomes a gaping wound. The largest wound you can have is the wound of separation, the trauma of losing love, spirit, God. This is the primal black hole; it breaks you off from the source of love, peace, and joy."
--Adapted from The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1997).
Sunday, March 6, 2011
'If' Nothing, Reality Is Here and Now-stop dragging around that heavy hypothetical reality and just live in the fullness of your life
The human experience is a funny thing. We hail ourselves as the pinacle of nature's achievements because of our minds and our ability to create (and destroy). Yet, our mind is the very thing that causes our suffering in life.
Suffering is a mental state. Pain, discomfort, illness and death are part of the life cycle. However, suffering is optional. To suffer is to resist reality, to insist that reality should be somehow different then it is. Should it? We cannot understand the full intricacy of each moment in the universe. Each moment, infinite beings and environments are interacting. Birth, death, sleep, work, light, dark, joy, misery.. all manner of movement and flow, all energy dancing in each moment throughout the entire universe. So who are we to decide how things are "supposed to be" in any given moment?
Most of us are not in touch with the present moment reality very much as it is. We spend so much time in our minds reviewing the past, playing future scenarios or lost in an inner dialogue that is not at all beneficial or useful. Most of our thinking is not functional or beneficial and only serves to distract us from the fullness of the present moment. We live in our minds, tainting reality with our subjective spinning almost constantly. The reality we percieve "out there" is highly molded by the subjective "reality" in our minds. What we think we see is not neccessarily the actual reality. Living with this constant distorted perception of reality is what leads to human suffering on all levels.
We can change this. By practicing mindfullness and meditation we can slowly achieve a high of clarity, of objectivity in our perception. The more regularly we practice, the more we develop our ability to shine the light of bare, nonsubjectively attention into each moment.
Once we achieve some presence we begin to find our heart-guru, the "voice" that guides us to find greater and greater freedom, peace and wholeness in life. Once we gain insights and develop more attunement to the flow of life, we recognize how far we've come in our awareness. We may become aware of how certain situations came to be- choices, ending of relationships, sickness, negativity, unused opportunities.
At this level of awareness it is easy to get stuck, to get dragged once again into the darkness of subjectivity, chained around the neck to one heavy word- "if". We start to waste our precious present moments lost in our minds again, thinking "what if I knew then what I know now", "what if I took advantage of that opportunity I had then" or similar past-oriented hypotheticals.
It is really easy to get sucked into alternative pasts. They draw you into curiosity-driven cyclic thoughts, and usually drain your energy. They take you out of reality, which is unfolding here and now. Like any other non-essential thinking, ruminating "what ifs" put you into a trance, a zombie-like state.
What we need to learn from the past will come to us in the moment when we need it. We can cut that heavy chain that shackles us to replaying past experiences, especially the chain to our "what ifs". What if nothing! It didn't happen that way, so drop it! Let it go! Die to the past, as Rumi says. Get on with accepting this moment fully. Be aware and present here and now and you won't miss opportunities that create future regrets. Be fully honest, navigating by the heart, not your head, because that is the best way to avoid missing opportunities. Don't rationalize yourself out of living.
Whenever you have non-useful thoughts, you can take a deep breath and return to mindfulness. Some use mantra repetition to block unneccesary thinking. Steer your focus out of your head and into feeling the sensations in your body, and into really seeing the world around you. Whenever you think the past, or the present, should be any different then it is in this very moment, let that trigger you to practice mindfulness.
To get past that point on the path, the practice of surrender and acceptance are the cure. Practice letting go of your resistance or opposition to your present experience. Accept it as it is. Then you can follow your heart. Most frustrating situations dissolve when we release our resistance. Other situations become nothing more then a change in plans or some extra chores. Some situations become a call to peaceful advocacy, boycotting or peaceful resistence. Rise to each opportunity you experience fully, navigating by the heart. In this way you come into alignment with your deeper self. You free yourself from future regrets, and living fully in the moment, you transcend the past. You can live here and now fully believing that everything unfolds for your spiritual growth and highest good, and fully accept reality as it is. Living fully in the moment liberates us to reach our greatest potential and to find unshakable joy and peace within.
Suffering is a mental state. Pain, discomfort, illness and death are part of the life cycle. However, suffering is optional. To suffer is to resist reality, to insist that reality should be somehow different then it is. Should it? We cannot understand the full intricacy of each moment in the universe. Each moment, infinite beings and environments are interacting. Birth, death, sleep, work, light, dark, joy, misery.. all manner of movement and flow, all energy dancing in each moment throughout the entire universe. So who are we to decide how things are "supposed to be" in any given moment?
Most of us are not in touch with the present moment reality very much as it is. We spend so much time in our minds reviewing the past, playing future scenarios or lost in an inner dialogue that is not at all beneficial or useful. Most of our thinking is not functional or beneficial and only serves to distract us from the fullness of the present moment. We live in our minds, tainting reality with our subjective spinning almost constantly. The reality we percieve "out there" is highly molded by the subjective "reality" in our minds. What we think we see is not neccessarily the actual reality. Living with this constant distorted perception of reality is what leads to human suffering on all levels.
We can change this. By practicing mindfullness and meditation we can slowly achieve a high of clarity, of objectivity in our perception. The more regularly we practice, the more we develop our ability to shine the light of bare, nonsubjectively attention into each moment.
Once we achieve some presence we begin to find our heart-guru, the "voice" that guides us to find greater and greater freedom, peace and wholeness in life. Once we gain insights and develop more attunement to the flow of life, we recognize how far we've come in our awareness. We may become aware of how certain situations came to be- choices, ending of relationships, sickness, negativity, unused opportunities.
At this level of awareness it is easy to get stuck, to get dragged once again into the darkness of subjectivity, chained around the neck to one heavy word- "if". We start to waste our precious present moments lost in our minds again, thinking "what if I knew then what I know now", "what if I took advantage of that opportunity I had then" or similar past-oriented hypotheticals.
It is really easy to get sucked into alternative pasts. They draw you into curiosity-driven cyclic thoughts, and usually drain your energy. They take you out of reality, which is unfolding here and now. Like any other non-essential thinking, ruminating "what ifs" put you into a trance, a zombie-like state.
What we need to learn from the past will come to us in the moment when we need it. We can cut that heavy chain that shackles us to replaying past experiences, especially the chain to our "what ifs". What if nothing! It didn't happen that way, so drop it! Let it go! Die to the past, as Rumi says. Get on with accepting this moment fully. Be aware and present here and now and you won't miss opportunities that create future regrets. Be fully honest, navigating by the heart, not your head, because that is the best way to avoid missing opportunities. Don't rationalize yourself out of living.
Whenever you have non-useful thoughts, you can take a deep breath and return to mindfulness. Some use mantra repetition to block unneccesary thinking. Steer your focus out of your head and into feeling the sensations in your body, and into really seeing the world around you. Whenever you think the past, or the present, should be any different then it is in this very moment, let that trigger you to practice mindfulness.
To get past that point on the path, the practice of surrender and acceptance are the cure. Practice letting go of your resistance or opposition to your present experience. Accept it as it is. Then you can follow your heart. Most frustrating situations dissolve when we release our resistance. Other situations become nothing more then a change in plans or some extra chores. Some situations become a call to peaceful advocacy, boycotting or peaceful resistence. Rise to each opportunity you experience fully, navigating by the heart. In this way you come into alignment with your deeper self. You free yourself from future regrets, and living fully in the moment, you transcend the past. You can live here and now fully believing that everything unfolds for your spiritual growth and highest good, and fully accept reality as it is. Living fully in the moment liberates us to reach our greatest potential and to find unshakable joy and peace within.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Quietness, by Rumi
Here the poet Rumi speaks of awakening as a death to the old ideas, materialistic ways & confusion of symbols with The Way. Quietness is the Presence, wordless, labeless Being in the now, pure existence.
QUIETNESS
Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an axe to the prison wall.
Escape.
Walk out like someone born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with a thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign
that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.
The speechless full moon
comes out now.
-Rumi
taken from "The Essential Rumi", by Coleman Barks
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
What are we waiting for?
Why does it seem like we wait for health and harmony to come to us? Can we just get out of our own way on the path to well being?
With thoughts of good intent, we let the narrator in our mind tell us that we are too tired to try, too busy to participate, too old to learn. Don't let the ego block you from living fully!!!
The truth is that we shouldn't wait for the next exciting event to be happy, nor should we wait for life to slow down to present us with an easy time to learn yoga & meditation.
Why do we wait until the future to try and be present? It'll never be in that way.
It is all human nature, our bad habits when unconditioned with self-control; the light of awareness and strength of will power. Will you waste more prescious moments whining and moaning about all the prescious moments lost?
Let us begin anew, each time we are lost to the compulsive thoughts, stuck in our own minds, half-deaf, half-blind, half-numb to the intense, vivid, startling, luscious, raw sublimity of Reality. This is the most important reason that it is worth one hour a day for yoga & meditation practice. It helps us to be Awake when we are awake, Alive when we are alive, to be an active participant in Life.
No longer a zombie, rewinding old footage, filled with regrets & imaginary confrontations and to-do's of past and potential future...not so trapped in one's own subjectivity that all of life is pure distortion...
Notice, when you get lost in your thoughts, the moment of stillness when you catch yourself and wake up, a moment of enlightenment, did you see the colors brighten? Did you witness your senses awakening?
Can we take advantage of the present moment fully? Can we learn to be free from suffering in this lifetime? I can honestly say that while I experience the full gamut of human emotions, I rarely suffer at all, even in pain. That's after five years of regular, but imperfect, practice.
We can do it, we just need to start. And start again. Begin anew each time you fall and soon you will be refreshed, transformed, amazed.
"The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step" - Lao Tzu
Namaste!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Yoga (reflections on what yoga is)
Yoga is trully poetic. Everything about it has both a literal & symbolic level. There is room for personal meaning, universal meaning and connection to the deepest & broadest views of our reality.
Yoga is an ever-evolving science. It is a fluid, living body of knowledge that changes as to adapt to the needs and circumstances of the practitioner. Thus, it has come from Hindu & Buddhist roots in India, originally only practiced by men, to be practiced by men, women & children of many faiths & backgrounds, all over the world.
Practicing mindfullness, especially mindfullness of the breath, is the center of it all. Slowly our attention becomes very astute, we can feel & experience everything more deeply. Life becomes sharper & more vivid. Through mindfullness we learn to slowly align ourselves in harmony with nature & our own deepest values. We have peace, contetment, fulfilment, greater love, creativity, physical & mental well-being.
Yoga is the catalyst for wholeness in life. Yoga awakens true "joie de vivre". It teaches us to be mindfull- to pay attention to the actual moment we are experiencing, instead of being washed away by mind-clutter. Then the true gems, the inspired thoughts, can shine through, and we can bask in the light of awareness truly & thoroughly savoring our blessing of life.
The stretching, the fit body it brings is a side benefit, and helps bring more health & thus more positive feelings. The confidence, strength, good posture & acceptance it fosters go even further to increase positive energy. But make no mistake, yoga truly is a mind-expanding experience, a pilgrimage. It is a way to journey, shedding the unneccesary, the meaningless, the harmful and the out-dated, finding the place within you and outside of you where only meaningful things dwell. This is a wholeness that no amount of stuff, status or credit can bring.
Yoga is only the tool, the practitioner is the artist, crafting a meaningful life through simply honoring the truth found & proved along the way.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Change Yourself- Change Our Culture
"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people."
Mohandas Gandhi
If we don't like the policy in our nation, or we don't like what's happening in our popular culture, all we have to do is be ourselves & not participate.
Live your beliefs, spend your money as carefully as you spend your votes, and practice being what you admire most in this life.
You will inspire your loved ones and have a positive impact on the world, and on our culture.
Change yourself by practicing a conscious & curious lifestyle, and you will change the world.
Mindfulness is the way to start....
Be peace. Be understanding. Be love. Be informed. Be brave. Be kindness.
Mohandas Gandhi
If we don't like the policy in our nation, or we don't like what's happening in our popular culture, all we have to do is be ourselves & not participate.
Live your beliefs, spend your money as carefully as you spend your votes, and practice being what you admire most in this life.
You will inspire your loved ones and have a positive impact on the world, and on our culture.
Change yourself by practicing a conscious & curious lifestyle, and you will change the world.
Mindfulness is the way to start....
Be peace. Be understanding. Be love. Be informed. Be brave. Be kindness.
Friday, April 16, 2010
We are surrounded by miracles...
Reading my book or movies reviews may make you wonder if I'm a closet pessimist. I assure you, I am not. The reason that I take such a hard line opinion on matters I see as gravely important is that they effect ALL of us the same. All earthlings, not just humans, but all living creatures, including the earth itself.
All of our lives are truly interconnected. And we all experience the same array of emotions in the course of our life, feelings & experiences are simultaneously personal and universal.
All of life if filled with miracles. From the miracle of pregnancy & birth, to the miracles of wisdom & experience. From the largest mountain to the food we eat to the joy of breathing. From putting away your Winter clothes to the bliss of flip-flops & a warm breeze, and back to the crisp refreshment of the Autumn chill after a parching Summer, bringing a miraculous palette of turning leaves.
From the smile of a stranger to the generous help of a neighbor, from the eyes of a child to the love they spark in us. Miracles come in all forms, like Mom's cooking or the joy of a hot shower, all places, like a random act of kindness at the convenience store or exquisite sunset at the park, and at all times, like the near silent sound of pure snow falling in the middle of the night. Our coffee & chocolate, grown in equitorial lands, touching so many lives before in comes to delight our senses. Our breath is a miracle- sustaining life force & able to alter our mood and body chemistry. All of life is a miracle within a miracle, and each moment brings countless miracles to us.
Indeed, it is remarkable, that all events in history bring us the unfolding of each present moment. This moment is a result of everything I have ever experienced- had one day been different, life would have delivered me to a different present moment reality. The same is true for all of us & each moment. All of the phenomena and potential possibilities of the universe intersected in such a way, to produce infinite present moments experienced from as many points of view as there are beings to experience it. And so, miracles truly abound.
This is what the Buddha taught. He didn't tell us the all life is suffering, that is a poor translation. He said that our nature is to experience disatisfaction. We suffer because we are ignorant to the nature of reality, which is constant change. We suffer because we are not awake, we are living with our eyes closed. Once we pay attention to the details of our reality in each moment, we find the miracle in each moment.
Buddha never promised that we'd never feel pain, sorrow, disappointment or anger. Only that applying mindfulness, we can let these experiences pass by, we can even learn from them, but they need not make us suffer. We can have joy while we are sick. We can have love while we have anger. And we can focus on the positive aspects of our reality instead of dwelling on the negative. Thus, our experience of the world becomes transformed.
As we learned in science class, yoga & the Buddha, who was a yogi, taught that all of life is woven into an interconnected tapestry. Numerous living beings depend on the ecosystems vast array of relationships. It can never come to pass that just one species is affected, because the success of all depends on the success of one. The same is true for humans. Culture lives in the minds of human beings. As the minds of individuals change, society itself changes.
We practice yoga not because people tell us we should, or because its forced upon us, but because it helps us to feel better. I feel like a better, healthier person when I do yoga. When I feel like a better person, I act accordingly in life. Thus, I am a better person because I do yoga. But it is important to realize that it is not the yoga making us better, it is the yoga revealing our natural, healthy state of being. The result is within us, the yoga practice is a tool to reveal it. Awareness, compassion, generosity, strength, poise, and peace are within us as potential states at all times. Yoga waters those seeds & gives them the encouragement to grow. All states are potential within us like seeds, both positive and negative. It is through practice, repetition and mindfulness that we choose whichs seeds to cultivate. That, too, is a beautiful miracle.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Yoga of Sustainability: a simpler, healthier, happier world
SECTION ONE: Protect
This section will focus on ways to protect our natural resources. That includes non-polluting, non-erroding and other practices of non-spoiling.
CHAPTER 1: WATER
Water is a most abused resource, both in squandering and misusing it, and in blatantly rendering it contaminated.
If we have something toxic, such as medication, to dispose of, what do we commonly do with it? We toss it into the toilet. Where does it end up from there? It ends up contaminating drinking water and entering the tissues of fish, where it can harm the individuals life, the reproductive abilities of the species, or end up in an unsuspecting human's dinner. NOTHING OTHER THAN HUMAN WASTE, TOILET PAPER OR AT WORST, FOOD SCRAPS SHOULD GO INTO THE TOILET. Call your local pharmacy and ask if they take & properly destroy expired medication.
Even that which we use to clean our home, selves & dishes can foul freshwater ecosystems. Any cleaner, detergent, shampoo, conditioner or soap that contains phosphorous/phosphates with encourage the growth of algae in the water where it ends up. This extra burst of algae growth will use up the water's oxygen and suffocate fish & other waterlife. ALWAYS USE SOAPS, DETERGENTS, SHAMPOOS, CONDITIONERS, & HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS THAT ARE BIODEGRADABLE, AND DO NOT CONTAIN PHOSPHATES.
We also have been conditioned to use poisonous cleaners throughout our home, making ourselves & waterways sick. NEVER USE TOXIC CLEANERS, BLEACH, DRAIN UNCLOGGING SOLUTIONS OR THE LIKE. INSTEAD USE A SNAKE TO CLEAR YOUR DRAIN, AND USE ALL-NATURAL, BIODEGRADABLE, SUPER-CONCENTRATED SOAPS TO CLEAN YOUR HOME. IF YOU NEED TO WHITEN LAUNDRY, USE BORAX. Your home will still shine, and the environment will be preserved. You and your loved ones will also be healthier for it.
It's not just the pipes in your house that are linking water to the rest of the water cycle, but the ground as well. Thousands of gallons of gasoline are poured onto the earth every year- from spillage at the pump to filling the lawnmower. We need to exercise great care in the handling of toxic substances. ALWAYS BE MINDFUL NOT TO SPILL PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND OTHER HARMFUL SUBSTANCES ONTO THE EARTH- PAVED OR BARE SURFACES. It poisons the ground and groundwater. Even spillage on paved surfaces with runoff into storm drains during the next rain. Never throw garbage outdoors for the same reason- toxic substances from furniture, tires, electronics, batteries & other trash left to nature pollutes earth and water. ALWAYS DISPOSE OF REFUSE PROPERLY- RECYCLING BATTERIES, ELECTRONICS, TIRES, AND HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS. Call your local transfer station for details. ALSO, NEVER SPRAY CHEMICALS, FERTILIZERS OR HERBICIDES ONTO YOUR LAWN, AS THIS IS THE SAME AS DUMPING OTHER TOXIC SUBSTANCES OUTSIDE. Cultivate a lush lawn by leaving the blade at a medium or high level and mowing grass every 9 or so days. Mowing too frequently and too close to the ground is the same as over-grazing, and it causes the grass to die back and doesn't allow it to build strong roots. Mowing every 9-12 days leaving a medium length on the grass stimulates thick, heavy growth. If you can't stand the weeds, buy a tool to pop them out of the ground. If you don't feel like taking the time to do so, make peace with them and let go of the ego that drives you to desire a uniform lawn. That is a human ideal, and nature sees health in diversity, not monoculture.
Water is a precious resource which we Americans are blessed to have ready access to. We need to respect this abundance and stop the needless poisoning of groundwater & freshwater ecosystems.
The Yoga of Sustainability: a simpler, healthier, happier world
INTRODUCTION
Mindfulness is the mental part of a yoga practice. When we exercise mindfulness, we are focused. Our mental perceptions and our physical actions are unified. We are thinking about what we are doing, we are noticing our impact and paying attention to interactions.
This is a powerful state to embody. When we are mindful, we can notice our emotions, but choose to set the negative emotions aside. We stil experience them, but do not allow them to control us. Mindfulness helps us to fully enjoy all actions in life from eating to chores, and especially enjoy peak experiences & even normal daily interactions with loved ones with a new sense of delight & sacredness.
Mindfulness has to be practiced, because it is not, at least in this place & time, our default state. Without mindfulness we live with no understanding of the roots of our feelings and we trash relationships by reacting blindly out of negative feeling states. We also live stuck in habitual cycles that may prevent us from achieving well-being. We may also falsely think that happiness comes from of people and objects. This leads to focus unduly on material possesions, or to blame others for our lack of harmony. Once we apply mindfulness we see that happiness comes from an inner feeling of rightness & well-being, brought on by positive action, love, generosity, freedom from negative attachments & the wellness and harmony of mind, body & spirit.
When we apply mindfulness sociologically, we see the patterns forged in our culture based on seeking happiness without mindfulness. The idea that objects make us fulfilled, that buying or consuming is the way to solve everything has made profiteers rich & the masses sick, tired & indebted. Profiteers further benefit as people, desperate for wholeness and happiness try to buy solutions. What makes this demented capitalist paradigm worse is that not only people are devalued, but also the entire ecosystems- an entire planet of intricately connected lives dependent upon limited, precious resources is reduced to commodities to be manipulated to acquire the most money possible.
It doesn't take too long to draw the parellels between the environmental situation, the epidemics of anxiety, depression & preventable diseases, our focus on meaningless consumption, and our reverance for money in America. Its all part of the same problem and requires the same solution. Mindfulness is at the root.
We can use mindfulness to change ourselves, and one person, one family at a time change our society. We can move away from an object and money focused culture to one focused on life, on living beings, gratitude, interconnection, respect and kindness.
May this book inspire and serve you on a mindful journey through this life. May you rediscover that we all are a part of the whole of nature, our well-being interconnected to the entire Earth ecosystem. May your practice of mindfulness and sustainability bring you countless unforeseen treasures & bring you closer to your loved ones, community, spirituality, and self. May all of us Earthlings live happily, healthfully & free from suffering together on this small, beautiful, delicate planet.
Namaste.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Part one: Protect
1. Water
2. Air
3. Land
4. Biodiversity
5. Shop Wisely
Part two: Conserve
6. Water
7. Paper
8. Fuel/energy
9. Consume Less
10. Resourcefulness
11. Simplify
Part three: Lifestyle
12. Sustainable Food Systems
13. Mindfulness
CONCLUSION
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Precious Water Down the Drain
The April 2010 issue of National Geographic is all about water. Please pick up a copy of this very important issue & become informed about the true situation of the world's fresh water supply. It includes an article written by Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle).
We are blessed to not have to worry about water constantly. Our neighbors with wells need to be more cautious than us city folk. Our ancestors with crude wells & no indoor plumbing had to even more attuned to how much water they used. How about the women in Africa that walk up to 8 hours a day to collect polluted, murky water. That's the only water they have access to. Shouldn't we feel ashamed as we watch gallons pour down the drain as we brush our teeth?
In the next 20 years, drinking water shortages around the world are expected, including in the US. Use conservation practices now to help solve this alarming issue.
We waste more clean water per day than a person in Africa will have access to for drinking & cooking. Watch next time you brush your teeth, see how much clean water pours straight down the drain. Apply mindfulness every time you use water from now on...
-Try shutting the water off when not in direct use. (while lathering hands, dishes & body)
-When you do turn it on, try not to use such a forceful stream. Try using as little as you can.
-Be mindful when setting the level in your washer.
-Also consider flushing a little less & putting a brick in the tank of your toilet to save water with every flush.
-Buy a low flow shower head. Mine is a Waterpik brand head with great water pressure, which has a toggle button that cuts the water down to a tiny stream, just enough to keep you warm, while you shave, shampoo & soap up. The water stays mixed perfectly. It only cost around $20, and it has a cousin that has the hose attached for those that prefer that style. It uses an average of 1.5 to 2.5 gallons per minute. Tops.
-Use a head on your garden hose that can help reduce wasted water. Don't water your lawn/garden when rain is predicted.
-Grey water is non-potable water used for non-potable needs- use a dishpan to clean your dishes, and use that grey water to water your plants (use biodegradable soap or else you'll kill your plants and poison waterways). Capture some rainwater to wash your hair, water your garden, and flush your toilet. Non-heated water from your shower can also be poured into the tank of the toilet. Rainwater or shower water can be used to clean the car as well.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Capitalism: A love story
Michael Moore at this point in his career, really knows how to break down a topic to nakedly expose it for what it is in an enjoyable film format. I say enjoyable, because his films are very watchable in the sense that they are engaging, the pacing is good, etc. His films are also exposing painful grievences in our society, & some pretty righteous bones to be picked. When we realize not only how self-serving, corrupt & heartless the big corporations that feed us & clothe us are, but that they hold practically all of the clout in our political system, its stirs an indignant disgust. However, what is beautifully yogic, is that the solution to opting out of that system is the same as healing our Earth, mending our communities and local economies, and protecting our family's health with good nutrition. Buy based on informed decisions, genuine need, and seek the most locally-sourced & produced options available. Seek socially & environmentally responsible options. Try to support the local economy, & adopt a resource conserving mindset- repurpose & be, well, resourceful. PLEASE SEE THIS FILM AND FOR EVEN BIGGER IMPACT, FOLLOW UP WITH MICHAEL POLLAN'S BOOK: The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Mindfulness: this is not just a test
I'm testing how to enter a blog from my phone. I may as well make it
useful too. I've wanted to discus mindfulness, or more the lack thereof. If we
don't practice yoga or meditation regularly our minds are often fully
disconnected from our actual experience. Even with my son, the most
beautiful thing in my life, if I'm not mindful, my mind scoots into
future possibilities or rehashes previous experiences. I'm no longer
really seeing him well, my senses are dulled a bit, and time moves
painfully fast. With a deep breath I'm back, I'm really seeing,
hearing & feeling him again. I feel more relaxed, I'm savoring him
again. Mindfulness isn't just some new-age
lingo, something unique to the yoga class & seperate from ordinary
reality. Mindfulness is a powerful tool by which we transform our
mundane experiences to delightful ones, our cherished experiences to
sublime ones, and even uncomfortable or painful experiences to
spiritual growth. namaste.
useful too. I've wanted to discus mindfulness, or more the lack thereof. If we
don't practice yoga or meditation regularly our minds are often fully
disconnected from our actual experience. Even with my son, the most
beautiful thing in my life, if I'm not mindful, my mind scoots into
future possibilities or rehashes previous experiences. I'm no longer
really seeing him well, my senses are dulled a bit, and time moves
painfully fast. With a deep breath I'm back, I'm really seeing,
hearing & feeling him again. I feel more relaxed, I'm savoring him
again. Mindfulness isn't just some new-age
lingo, something unique to the yoga class & seperate from ordinary
reality. Mindfulness is a powerful tool by which we transform our
mundane experiences to delightful ones, our cherished experiences to
sublime ones, and even uncomfortable or painful experiences to
spiritual growth. namaste.
--
NATURAL METHOD YOGA STUDIO
mindfulness, meditation, yoga & dance
518-866-3621
37 Prospect Street- the clock tower
Amsterdam NY 12010
natural-method.com
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