Sonnet 53
Posted: November 28, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: advice, blogging, compassion, Earth, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, Happy Thanksgiving, health, holidays, hope, Literature, natural, nature, Omaha, Poems, Poetry, Religion and Spirituality, running, Shakespeare, Sonnet, Thanksgiving, whole foods, William Shakespeare, yoga 6 Comments…
Gobble – Gobble my Dear Readers!
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!
Love (My)stery
Posted: November 19, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Alternative, blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, Jain meditation, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, nature, Omaha, pain, passion, pilates, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, whole foods, Zen 6 CommentsThere are no facts, only interpretations-
When I began walking my current path, my motivation was existential …
I struggled each painful morning to answer burning questions such as Who am I? What is my true nature? What is the nature of the world around me? These questions still linger to this day, although meditation practice and mindfulness practice in particular, have helped to define the path unfolding in front of me.
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During a painful period recently, with profound feelings of sadness. In one sense, I tried to be gentle with myself, allowing my body ample time before engaging it fully. As time went on, motivated by the desire to be fully alive and fully functioning, I began to observe closely just how my pain constituted and unfolded, how I participated in it, and how my attentiveness and lack of it affected “things.”
When I was aware and mindful, I would be feeling fine and then – within a moments notice … I would find myself back at the start. When I was able to both engage and observe, I could begin to see that my experience began as a kind of spasm, a contraction, a rushed breathe. I could notice (however arduous as it was to stay present) how my manner of paying attention, what I attended to and how, could either accelerate or decelerate the rhythm of the process.
Attention to the process is what meditation brings to my life, especially when the dynamic themes play, like a broken record.
Daily Meditation:
We may not be able to control what arises each and every day. However we do have a say in how we respond, moment to moment … These fruits of daily life, can be liberating.
(El) Perro
Posted: November 15, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Alternative, blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, Hum (sound), kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, music, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, perspective, pilates, Pranayama, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga 15 CommentsThe wheels hummed lullabies on the liquorice road-
A little challenge to start the weekend off right: Limber your lips up, and hum your favorite song for the next 30 seconds … Now don’t you feel better? In fact, there’s no better way to calm your mind and boost your spirits than by humming a happy tune.
Are your lips, heart and spirit ready to go? Cool …
Pausing for a moment to consider how humming plays a role in meditation practice … I’ll share just one quick example: “Some” yoga folks use a breathing technique called brahmari or “the bee breath.” In essence, the brahmari technique involves taking a series of slow, deep breaths through the nose with tightly sealed lips. On each exhalation, you make a humming sound similar to a bee buzzing about in a midlands prairie.
Daily Meditation:
For whatever reason, I deeply enjoy humming the occasional tune. Humming (the brahmari technique) is a gentle, calming method to settle our mind(s) and an a soothing way to relieve stress. Little did I know that a seemingly frivolous, cheeky activity may turn out to have some tangible daily benefits. In addition, who would had ever thought that Hall & Oates would help me center my mind?!?
Take care this weekend and please be well!
CultFit 