For You, Friend
Posted: February 12, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, compassion, friends, friendship, gratitude, kindness, love, Mindfulness, Omaha, passion, Poems, Poetry, Seva, Ted Kooser, Valentine's Day, writing 5 Comments…
this Valentine’s Day, I intend to stand
for as long as I can on a kitchen stool
and hold back the hands of the clock,
so that wherever you are, you may walk
even more lightly in your loveliness;
so that the weak, mid-February sun
(whose chill I will feel from the face
of the clock) cannot in any way
lessen the lights in your hair, and the wind
(whose subtle insistence I will feel
in the minute hand) cannot tighten
the corners of your smile. People
drearily walking the winter streets
will long remember this day:
how they glanced up to see you
there in a storefront window, glorious,
strolling along on the outside of time.
Kindness
Posted: December 18, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: gratitude, karma, kindness, Mindfulness, nebraska, Omaha, Poetry, Prose, Seva, snow, Stephen Dunn, winter, Winter Solstice 1 Comment…
In Manhattan, I learned a public kindness
was a triumph
over the push of money, the constrictions
of fear. If it occurred it came
from some deep
primal memory, almost entirely lost—
Here, let me help you, then you me,
otherwise we’ll die.
Which is why I love the weather
in Minnesota, every winter kindness
linked
to obvious self-interest,
thus so many kindnesses
when you need them;
praise blizzards, praise the cold.
Listen to the – Dawn –
Posted: September 12, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: anxiety, Autumn, blogging, Body Image, Buddha, Buddhism, Celiac Diease, compassion, exercise, fitness, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, karma, Karma yoga, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, motivation, musings, natural, running, Seva, sex, trail running, writing, yoga, Zen 22 CommentsThere is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up-
What is the secret formula that can provide us with a long and fulfilling life? Most of the nauseating advice we are bombarded with is formulated around living a “healthy lifestyle” (<- whatever this is), leading to assumptions that center primarily on the physical aspects of this thing called life.
“Eat your cauliflower!” “Drink your coconut water!” “Run, walk, cycle, sex, yoga and drink red wine!” Say the experts, and you wonder why our culture is brimming with anxiety! Gotta do this, and we gotta do that if we want to live a long prosperous life! Gotta browse LivingSocial for the best yoga deals, shop organic and eat gluten-free – even if we don’t have Celiac disease. Most of our effort is done with variable success and the predictable stress is eagerly awaiting us around each corner.
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How can we feel better about ourselves, boost our confidence naturally and build true inner peace? :Generosity: The quality of being kind, practicing selflessness and understanding, the willingness to give to those in our lives “things” that have value. Generosity is a spiritual principle that provides us with the key to leading a happy and healthy life.
Generosity is a natural (organic – ha!) confidence builder. Generosity acts as a shield against self-hatred and anxiety. By focusing on what we are giving, rather than what we are receiving, we cultivate and nurture a more outward orientation toward the world, shifting the focus away from our physical selves, onto something deeper, something that has a far greater impact on our daily lives.
Daily Meditation:
Each beautiful morning life presents us with a handful of opportunities to be generous; through embracing generosity (not cauliflower, not coconut water, not even gluten-free bread), we can do ourselves and those around us a world of good.
I am deeply grateful to each of you reading today – Take care and be well.
Seva :Revisited:
Posted: June 23, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: compassion, Depression, Generosity, love, Omaha, passion, purpose, Seva, Value, Volunteering, World Cup 8 CommentsThough a smile is little work, its effects are long lasting-
Generosity is no longer the selfless act I’ve long thought it to be … Generosity is a natural confidence builder and a natural repellent of self-hatred. Not only does generosity make us feel better about ourselves, but it actively combats feelings of competitiveness, isolation and despair. I have a hunch that many of you reading this morning are equally as competitive as I used to be, and when this “competitiveness” gets the better of you? Depression and self-doubt slowly creeps in.
“Why do I keep racing? My split times suck and there is no way I can shave six seconds of my PR!”
Do you honestly want to hear my solution to a problem that has gripped so many of us? Brace yourselves then … Volunteer.
Volunteering is simply amazing! Needless to say I do receive quite a few blank stares when I share with someone: Volunteering your time will drastically improve your performance. Here’s how: Volunteering empowers you with a sense of value and purpose, while being in a social environment. Hmm, lets read that again … Volunteering empowers you with a sense of Value and Purpose, while being in a social environment – This sounds like a fun event to participate in!
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There is not much value lamenting a poor performance, nor is there purpose to be found pushing through to the finish, of “whatever.”
Daily Meditation:
By Cultivating generosity through volunteering, we allow ourselves the space and time needed to be more sensitive to ourselves, and to give ourselves more Value and Purpose. In addition, when we are in a giving state? We are naturally more relaxed, tuned into the beautiful world around us, and living in the present moment.
This state of being is contagious – Pay it forward.
The TL/DR version of this post: Improve your performance by volunteering.
O morro não tem vez
Posted: February 25, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, freshly pressed, happiness, health, karma, Karma yoga, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, nature, New Age, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, running, Seva, whole foods, yoga 5 CommentsI know you’re tired but come, this is the way-
Moment of unfettered honesty: Writing and discussing the concepts of Seva, Karma Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation are seemingly tedious and self-serving. I acknowledged and respect, that I have ‘turned off’ and alienated many of you taking the time to read today, talking about “New Age” voodoo bullsh!t.
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It occurred to me recently, standing in line at Whole Foods, scanning the trendy magazines, as I placed a pound and a half of ground buffalo on the conveyor … How I noticeably cringe at the idea of sounding –New Age- Spiritual – Holistic – Whatever. I noticed how hard I work not to be seen as “Whatever” in any way.
The “thing” is, I know what I dislike about the “Whatever” stereotype(s) – it’s not the practice or the flavor of the month yoga asanas that are being taught – but how they are being presented to us. Take a look around you at the natural foods store.
Why is our culture obsessed with outward actions instead of using “Whatever” as a framework of inward exploration? I recall a conversation before yoga class and hearing a fellow class member saying, “I always wanted to learn how to meditate and now that “society” thinks it’s okay – I’m going to do it.”
These twenty words made me pause and think, how the setting within which we are exposed to “something” can be both deterring and supportive, and the way in which we are exposed plays an important role.
Daily Meditation:
There is “Whatever” for everyone.
Seva, Karma Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation provide a means for myself to investigate my mind, maybe “Whatever” then, is perhaps, something each one of us can benefit from in this “vanity clad” oriented culture we marinate ourselves in.
CultFit 