Fisticuffs at Dawn
Posted: February 26, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bless, blogging, Buddha, Buddhism, compassion, crossfit, cycling, exercise, Fisticuffs, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Power Yoga, running, whole foods, yoga, Zen 20 CommentsOnly idiots fail to contradict themselves three times a day-
All the talk on the blog-o-sphere and down at the local bodega, is that everyone is “practicing” mindfulness and becoming spiritual folks. Sounds pretty cool to me!
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While any sparkly toe dipped in the practice of “spiritual” awareness is beneficial, there is a trend in mindfulness, which will interfere with and obstruct the full power of a gentle mindfulness practice.
Without awareness of this “trend“, we spend years lost, wandering in yet another prison of our ego, another trap of the mind, and as a result; We miss out on the real gifts mindfulness practice so gently brings us. Mindfulness is trendy, it’s hip and its cool. This is fantastic news! Although, we must be careful that like other trends, mindfulness does not get swallowed up in the next stream of CrossFit, Flavor of the month Yoga, Fixie Bikes and enjoying a Gluten Free lifestyle.
This is why I am worried, and writing these pedantic, bloviated posts of late: These new -mindful folks- are becoming yet another form of their already, inflated ego(s). Prideful and Mindful do not play in the sandbox of life together – Kindly.
With mindfulness on the trendy “social media” radar?!? We cannot afford to miss the chance to change what this powerful practice can reveal to us: Who and How we are, and simply … Being.
Daily Meditation:
Embracing mindfulness is a solid step along our paths in life. However, don’t rest quite yet, and don’t congratulate yourself yet either. For there is still much work to be done …
*Part two of this nauseating post will be posted this Friday*
Love (Light)
Posted: December 6, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Breathing, Buddhism, compassion, cycling, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, homophily, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Practices, recovery, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, writing, yoga 10 CommentsModeration in all things, especially moderation-
We know meditation is good for our souls. Or do we …
Each and every day, we have 24 precious hours available to us to meditate, and yet … We consciously choose to divert our attention elsewhere … Oh look! A dove!
A quick show of hands: Did you post something on FaceTube today? Binge watching House of Cards while at work? Stand in queue for ten minutes waiting for a latte? Drive to work and park as close as you could to the entrance? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, as I certainly did, then we did have some time today …
Dear Readers(s), you are not alone. I struggled for the longest time to establish and maintain a consistent meditation practice. Despite its simplicity, meditation practice is actually hard work, paying attention and being mindful and all.
All kidding aside, meditation is an incredibly important skill to develop. Yup, a skill – Like folding clothes and picking out the best bottle of $5 wine, a skill that takes time to develop.
Daily Meditation:
Even one minute spent meditating is more than none. Be sure to double-check my math … Have a brilliant weekend my friends and please take care!
La Verdad
Posted: December 3, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Alternative, Buddha, Buddhism, compassion, crossfit, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, Identity, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, Omaha, paleo, passion, Personal identity, perspective, philosophy, pilates, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga, Zen 4 CommentsThe reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept-
These truths are a compass leading us along the path of our lives: When we open our eyes, listen to our hearts and scream our truth(s) out loud for all to hear and witness? We find Balance and Center.
Once we find our true path and own it, the key words being Own It – Own your Path. Only then can we set about creating a definitive experience of our sense of place, our sense of identity and our sense of purpose in this beautiful world.
Through seeking purpose, we find identity. With identity, we find our true purpose.
Daily Meditation:
The alternate approach to Owning Your Path … Is waiting. Waiting will only engender suffering, the suffering of longing to be “better” and grasping at a You, that simply does not exist.
nəməste
Posted: November 13, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Buddhism, compassion, crossfit, Divinity, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, god, Greeting, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Middle East, motivation, musings, Namaste, natural, nature, Omaha, Pakistan, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, Sanskrit, walking, whole foods, writing, yoga 21 CommentsMankind’s biggest blunder, ignorance. Mankind’s second, infallible-
Chances are at the end of yoga practice, you awkwardly have heard fellow yogis use the word “nəməste“ with their hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards. Usually nəməste is associated with eastern religious traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Loosely translated from Sanskrit nəməste means: “The God in me recognizes the God in you” or “The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you.”
The more I think about it and reflect on this greeting, the more I think its pretty cool. Just imagine if we were to interact with other(s) during the course of the day by basically stating that I honor, recognize and appreciate the divine within you? How could you not treat those around you ethically and with loving kindness?
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I often lament about my time spent in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As-salam alaykum (Muslim) carries great weight in my heart as a greeting of “peace be upon you.” Back in ‘Murica though, greetings such as Hi, Hello, How’s it going, Sup Bro and so forth are frivolous. These wasted greetings really don’t communicate much, they are not dense with meaning and purpose. A friendly greeting of any kind and one of peace is certainly fine. Although, I have come to be especially fond of the nəməste greeting, given what the word actually means. nəməste offers a more enriching and important message to me.
Maybe we all should embrace nəməste regardless of our spiritual, religious tradition or what part of the world we are in?
Daily Meditation:
Doing the right thing for ourselves and others means finding a way to see the sacred, the divine, within all. May nəməste serve as a constant reminder to do this. If you witness sacredness in some cool folks today? Chances are then you are likely to treat them with compassion, care, and respect …
नमस्ते
Behind the Scene(s)
Posted: November 8, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Activism, Bliss, Buddhism, compassion, exercise, family, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, peace, perspective, pilates, Poetry, running, simplicity, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga, Zen 10 CommentsThe only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance-
In writing this blog-o-thing, I am doing what many other passionate and authentic people do: Taking the flow of my daily struggles and sharing it openly with you. The conversation we often have, like life; Is chaotic, awkward, tedious and associative.
I don’t know how to convey my feelings at times, words stumble from my fingertips and fall deftly onto the screen. Like life itself, this flow, this blog … YOU … Are intrinsically nourishing.
I can’t look YOU in the eye this morning, to find the courage to say “I am fully there” … This awkward awareness serves as my antidote to urgency and anger.
With your caring, continued support. I know without any shred of doubt, that my contribution here will be forever useful to the extent I can shift from being motivated by the desire to see results in my life: Likes, Follows, How long I can hold a pose, Being the best dad, A better lover, A better friend …
Dependence on results cannot but compromise my True Strength.
Daily Meditation:
Sometimes what’s most painful for me is the conviction I have of just how simple it would be … To love and share enough to satisfy everyone’s basic needs; to create a flow of kindness.
CultFit 