Oh look! A dove …
Posted: November 27, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavadgita, blogging, compassion, Dhritarashtra, Dreams, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, Hindu, Hindu philosophy, Hinduism, karma, Karma yoga, kindness, Krishna, life, love, lululemon, Mixtape, pilates, Religion and Spirituality, Sanjaya, Student, Teacher, whole foods, yoga, Yogi 8 CommentsDreams and restless thoughts came flowing to him from the river, from the twinkling stars at night, from the sun’s melting rays. Dreams and a restlessness of the soul came to him-
During my studies with Rolf Sovik, PsyD this past weekend, I started to-day dream. I could cast blame on the beautifully clear class ceiling, allowing my eyes to wander the crisp blue sky. A handful of doves flying about carelessly to stay warm. To provide further context for this post, we were discussing teaching and learning – What follows are the notes I took detailing my little day dreaming field trip.
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We are all subject to the voices in our head, I should know, seeing that I am an expert in this field of study. These inner “voices” tend to amplify our programmed lives, dial cranked to 11 – The old mix tapes that keep us stuck in a consistent loop, playing back the conscious and unconscious sides of our lives.
In the Bhagavad Gita, a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna is narrated by Sanjaya, who is charioteer to the blind king Dhritarashtra and gifted with clairaudience; which is the ability to see and hear the occurrence of events at an immense distance. Sanjaya, to me, represents our inner intuition. Sanjaya is the voice that informs the metaphorical blind of the truth, as it is, rather than as it might be interpreted or distorted.
Daily Meditation:
By listening to our true-selves, rather than reading from a tired distorted script, an old mix tape … or worse yet, a “best of the 80’s” power ballads mix tape gifted to you long ago. By listening to our true-selves we experience the authentic “sides” of our lives.
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A dove alighting on a tin chimney prompted me to learn myself, anew.
केंद्र ढूँढना
Posted: November 26, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavadgita, blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, Hinduism, hope, Kaurava, kindness, Krishna, Kurukshetra, Kurukshetra War, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Netflix, Om, Om Center Omaha, Omaha, Pandava, passion, perspective, Religion and Spirituality, writing, yoga 14 CommentsYour hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds’ wings-
A thought continued from yesterdays post
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When we are at our center, we are in a place of power. We are able to stand still and see all that lies before us with perfect vision and precise understanding. It’s interesting to contemplate when we are off our center, how easily we fall into the chaos of imbalance.
In the Bhagavad Gita, The battlefield of Kurukshetra where Arjuna and Krishna are “hanging out” is (to this dude in Omaha) the center point of this inspiring and meaningful work. Kurukshetra is the land between the two vast armies, in one field the Pandavas, who represent the higher self and in the other field the Kauravas, who represent the lower self.
Don’t want to study the battle of Kurukshetra or the Bhagavad Gita? Spoiler Alert: Kurukshetra is the choice between the High Road and the Low Road.
Daily Meditation:
What exactly does it mean to be centered?
My friends, to be in center, we need to seek and find our center. Pouring my heart out upon you this gentle morning, we need to understand what it is that brings us, and keeps us … Here. Is it Yoga, watching Netflix or running a crisp winter trail? Is our center a vanilla latte, meditation or reading the Bhagavad Gita ?
Our center, is a combination of many beautiful “things” and in seeking our center we find – balance, keeping chaos and imbalance … Under the center couch cushion!
Turning Om
Posted: November 25, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita, blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, Himalayan Institute, hope, kindness, Krishna, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Om Center Omaha, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Rolf Sovik, running, whole foods, yoga, Yoga Sutra, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Yoga Sutras Patanjali 10 CommentsWe are all waves in one beautiful ocean-
Quick note before we start this amazing week:
* I had the pleasure this past Saturday to practice and study with Rolf Sovik, PsyD (president and spiritual director of the Himalayan Institute) at the Omaha Healing Arts Center. I would like to thank the staff and fellow students for what turned out to be a truly inspiring event, Thank you!
Events like the one I attended this weekend are truly magical and over the course of the next few posts, I am going to share what I learned with you, my Dear Readers. There really is only one place to start …
The Yoga Sutra, in the most simple explanation possible, is a “how to” guide of Yoga. How to be “In the world, but not of the world” … Another Dude back in the day uttered these profound words: Jesus of Nazareth. The Yoga Sutra is a guide to Action.
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The complementary opposite of balance, is chaos. While there are many “things” in life which we have no direct control of: Your favorite sports team, whether it will rain on race day, the last Snickers bar getting stuck in the vending machine … When we are afforded the ability to impose ourselves upon a situation, this “situation” we are creating is dictated and directly impacted by each choice we make.
In considering our choices and their consequences, we can choose to eschew chaos and instead – seek balance. We engage in this beautiful process every time we step on our mats to practice, by carefully considering not only the choices that we are about to make, but the consequences of these choices, and recognizing that at the core of everything moving forward is Action.
Daily Meditation:
To Act or not to Act? At the end of the day, it is you alone who both creates and engenders the circumstances of your life.
I had a bad feeling when that silly Snickers bar started to drop …
Lost Scroll
Posted: November 22, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Alternative, blogging, Breathing, compassion, cycling, Deepak Chopra, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kettlebell, kindness, life, Lotus position, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, Sexuality, Slow Down, trail running, whole foods, yoga 5 CommentsWe waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love-
Meditation, in my humble opinion, is the perfect entry point to many profound experiences in life. Successful meditation and successful “whatever(s)” all start with three simple, yet mindful entry points:
Get Comfortable – Slow Down – Connect to our Breath
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When we are able to approach other pursuits in our life, just like we approach meditation (without rushing to go somewhere fast – a means to an end) we are able to touch deeply into ecstatic and erotic states which we once thought were lost.
Daily Meditation:
Our busy lives takes us to a place where we are constantly consumed by our thoughts. It’s possible to reclaim our bodies, our true-selves. On that note: Before kissing a loved one tenderly, taking a bath or running in the snow … Get Comfortable – Slow Down – Connect to Your Breath
Much Ado About Nothing
Posted: November 21, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Arts, blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, Literature, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, Much Ado About Nothing, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, Shakespeare, trail running, whole foods, William Shakespeare, writing, yoga 3 CommentsAct II Scene iii
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Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never:
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.
Sing no more ditties, sing no more,
Of dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leafy:
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.
CultFit 