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*
My Spirit Flies to You
Posted: February 20, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, community, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, flow, form, freshly pressed, grace, happiness, health, karma, Karma yoga, kindness, life, lululemon, meditation, musings, natural, Power Yoga, Service, Seva, Virality, Wanderlust, writing, yoga, Zen 3 CommentsIncredible nervous state, trepidation beyond words: to be this much in love is to be sick (and I love to be sick)-
This act was not necessarily random, although it was based on kindness and service …
” … I was first initially baffled, and then pleasantly surprised to find my Yoga students coming to class earlier and earlier. Some arrive at class 40 minutes early … which, of course, forces me to arrive even earlier to prepare the studio for them. I couldn’t figure out why at first, but then I saw that they liked to check in with each other before class, and as they took off their shoes at the door and hung up their coats, I noticed such a sense of relief in a few as they turned off their cell phones and smart phones — it was a noticeable sense of a technology burden being lifted from their shoulders. Their Yoga practice — in the form of Pratyahara — begins as soon as they touch that “OFF” button. Realizing that made me much happier to come to the studio even earlier to be ready for their arrivals!”
– Baseball, Yoga, Life … (and me)
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When we act with mindful love? We release the true spirit of those we interact with on a daily basis. Our action(s) and reaction(s) –aka the Law of Karma- begin and end, with how we mindfully care and nurture our own spirit first, and then through embracing Seva, we can bring forth the best in all whom we interact with.
Daily Meditation:
Love – Is feeding and serving others with compassion, kindness and a deep and abiding sense of giving. Through love and Seva, lies true realization.
Winter Balance
Posted: February 7, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, Gravel Grinder, happiness, health, hipster, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, recovery, running, snow, trail running, weather, whole foods, winter, WOD, yoga, Zen 13 CommentsWhat good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness–
Its early on a Sunday morning in Eastern Nebraska. The temperature is below zero and bone-chilling. The moon, still glowing, casts a pale and cold shadow upon the newly fallen snow. The last light of distant stars sparkle brilliantly, dancing as the world is still, and glistening.
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I bring my cold hands to heart – centre, my palms pressing actively together to bring warmth and presence, the tips of my numb thumbs pressing into my layered sternum. On a deep inhale, I raise my arms in a gentle sweeping motion, turning my palms outward toward the sparkling sky … Balancing myself before starting off on an aimless ride to nowhere in particular.
Daily Meditation:
Cycling (any outdoor activity) during the long Winter months is purely about finding balance, flow and our true selves. Cycling early on a cold winter morning, encourages me to look mindfully into the furtive places of my mind, from which I can view information from my past, this cold moment – slowly and gracefully.
Be well this weekend and please take care!
Great Plains
Posted: February 6, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Buddha, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, Great Plains, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Poetry, Prose, running, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga, Zen 3 Comments…
I could drive for days without fear
of outrunning these patchwork clouds,
bridge lines of cumulus
this way or that towards the horizon,
midway between one place
and another, standing up
to the administrations of wind.
I like a destination which pulls
true, deliberate,
but at great distance. Like
I like the slow, imperceptible
progress of knowing
but not knowing
how far I’ll travel today,
where I’ll find gas
for the next leg
or when.
To truly – Have
Posted: February 5, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Breathing, Buddha, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, Freinds, freshly pressed, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, meditation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, passion, peace, perspective, pilates, Power Yoga, Rants, running, Work, writing, yoga, Zen 7 CommentsWork is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness-
Every moment in our lives is a fresh start. Every breath, every movement we make. We are always at the beginning; Wherever we are along our path in life. Sounds like a song from Sting does it not?!?
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I would like to plant a thought in your fertile mind this morning, maybe getting you to think deeper, about “something” we take for granted:
All we truly have is the present moment.
Each day we are living with the consequences of our past choices and actions. A cool dude back in the day – Buddha, taught us that when we hopelessly cling onto our stories about ourselves, or about what we think is destined to happen next, we only create suffering for ourselves.
We can begin anew right now, seriously! Instead of floating along in our habitual, and dare I say: Mindless … Ways of being. Press pause and find the beauty in this moment, right now.
Daily Meditation:
Welcome home, to yourself.
CultFit 