My Mental Meditation Pillow

Posted May 4, 2016

Filed under Himalayan Tradition, Insights

I’ve been recycling a bit lately because being a good teacher isn’t about finding new things to say all of the time. Sometimes, it is about restating and reframing. The path of Yoga isn’t about complicated techniques. It is about depth; it is not about breadth. You don’t need to know a million techniques to know the Center of Consciousness. Whichever path you choose, you have to commit to going to the threshold again and again.

Originally posted August 27, 2014

A few months ago, I was being coached by a wonderful teacher, Radhika Shah-Grouven, on how to keep doing “this” when I am so busy. I know we all feel very busy, and with regard to scheduling, I am: the family, full-time job, additional clients, commuting, this blog… this list could be endless. However, I find that I am only as overwhelmed as I believe that I am– of course, this falls within certain physical parameters: I must get sleep (although I get 5.5-6 hours), I must eat well, I must drink water, I must exercise, and I must meditate.

Meditation doesn’t cause me to suddenly have a “stress-free” life. However, it has caused me to be very aware of my reaction to stress. It has afforded me enough self-awareness to realize how much I can take on or how much I must put down. I definitely experience times of ambivalence and apathy– times when I would rather sit on the couch and veg out. However, I would rather allocate predetermined “free-time” to meditation.

My lineage recommends four times a day– that may seem daunting to a newcomer. I would recommend a newcomers dedicate time for one to two sittings. As I have stated previously, five to seven minutes; but, commit and do it. In the same way you wouldn’t consider leaving the house without brushing your teeth, commit to going inside.

My teacher, Swami J, says to make it an appointment, like lunch with a friend. If you are late, you postpone and make it up, as soon as possible– like your lunch date. Life happens! But, as Radhika taught me, you have a “mental mat”– it goes with you everywhere. She explained that there were times when she just touched the mental mat while riding the train! The more you return to the center, the more it stays with you. Many times, my meditation pillow is in the cockpit of my car, and my meditation room is a parking lot.

Breathe in Love, Breathe out Gratitude

gratitude

Metamorphosis

Conduit

Love is heading straight for you
as quick and as strong as you give it away
just sit back and allow me to adore you
we can live forever this way

CBH

Originally posted 2014

Artwork Alex Grey

Mind, Please be My Friend…

Posted April 9, 2016

Filed under Insights, Musings

When the modifications of the mind have become weakened, the mind becomes a transparent crystal…

Sutra 1.4

I originally posted this a year ago. This posting is extremely close to my heart. I’m always seeking a friendship with my heart and mind.

The last few weeks have been fairly hectic: I am planning a meditation intensive retreat, I am taking some continuing education classes, my work schedule is changing, the children have a bunch of activities, and I am a little over-extended. So working on a blog post has been demoted on my list of obligations.

But, despite all the busyness, my mind-state has been fairly steady, or ekagra. I attribute this to regularity in my practice.

In the Yoga Tradition, the mind is viewed as an instrument through which we receive information about the sensory world (manas), where we store memories and formulate opinions (chitta), it is where our sense of individuality arises (ahamkara), and where our conscience resides (buddhi)–but, not our consciousness.

The four aforementioned aspects of the mind are collectively called the antahkarana–or the inner instrument. The word “instrument” is so profound. Yoga science expounds, the mind is not who we are; but, mind is a tool, which can be sharpened to glean clearer understanding of who we are and what needs to be done to Realize our True Nature.

According to Yoga science, our minds becomes colored by our experiences— think of it as a dusty layer on a window. Therefore, they do not allow the truth to diffuse through. We are colored by perceptions of race, social status, gender, etc. Reflect for a moment on a baby who lacks these associations.

Through meditation we wipe off the layers of dust and eventually the clear mind allows the truth to shine through.

But, the mind is only capable of becoming crystalline…

What is the light that shines through the crystalline mind?

Eventually, the mind, like all good tools must be set down. Would you walk around in the house you built clutching the hammer?

Over time, with dedication, consistency, and faith, the mind is set down and total awareness of the Self will shine through.

Until then, tell your mind “thank-you” for all that it does. Do not be angry with your mind for thinking any more than you would be angry with your hand for grasping or your ear for hearing. Ask your mind to be your friend, so that you can dust the lens, and see the world as it truly is.

As always, click the links!

Let go into Love…

Hive Mind

Posted April 4, 2016

Filed under Insights

lantern fest

Marvel at what happens when a collection of beautiful souls agrees it will!

CBH

Recently, I was at Unity North Atlanta for an interfaith service where the presenter was Tom Blue Wolf, a Native American Elder from North Georgia. He discussed numerous amazing subjects, artfully linking them together in an intricate lattice-like experience. During his talk he spoke about bees. He’s a beekeeper, he sells honey and bee pollen. He shared how perfect they are in their creation. He articulated, how they had evolved so little over millions of years. Unlike other species, who keep getting upgraded or deleted.

I am not an entomologist. However, the concept of the bee colony captivated my imagination. I began to think about the bees as über-collective consciousness. Their whole life dedicated to the survival of the whole. We can learn so much from them. The Earth is the whole, we all have the opportunity to be steward worker bees.

But in many societies, the image of a worker bee is a negative metaphor. We think of a mindless drone buzzing about in the mundane. Images come to mind of “sheeple” lined up twisting wingnuts on a conveyor belt.

However, a life of complete service is nothing to scoff at. If we really subscribe to the philosophy that we are all one, we all are here to serve each other.

This does not denote that individual hopes and dreams are invaluable. If we are aligned in our center and engage in introspective practices (such as affirmative prayer, internal dialogue, gratitude and meditation) we realize that these same hopes and dreams pervade all of human consciousness. To quote the practice of loving-kindess meditation, we all want to be “happy, well, safe, peaceful and at ease”.

The Sanskrit word seva is “is a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for performing it. Such services can be performed to benefit other human beings or society“. All of our work can be done with this held in our heart. Nothing is really ours, we are on borrowed time–so give it all away.