Every moment is wholly a matter of now
Not what you say more a matter of how
Leave your tumultuous past in this sacred vow
Insight is a path leading to unending WOW!!
Going on forever beyond sunset and final bow
Headlong into whatever you choose to allow
This peace a gift you willingly endow
Each step a test don’t let it raise a brow
Nothing can splinter this practiced bough
Moreover is our dedication to this sacred Tao
Enlightenment in “Om” even heard in a cat’s meow
None is above you or rather holier than thou
To this I surrender and commence to kowtow
Tag Archives: Gross to Subtle
Fringe Benefits
The endeavor of this blog is simple–but not easy: Changing the Past, Transforming the Future, by Loving Right Now! As most of our readership knows, we strive to serve others through sharing: teachings of the Himalayan Tradition, our insights and experiences in meditation, and our Poetry. However, my recent acumen is, being a Yoga Meditation Coach supports my own Life Goal–Self–Realization.
As I have said in previous postings, this tradition uses the word Realize (as opposed to transcend) because we are waking up to our Truth–our Real Nature.
About a year ago, my meditation practice began to shift. I felt a burning desire to affirm to Consciousness my desire to assist others develop a meditation practice. There were several factors contributing to this pull: I wanted to feel more “authentic”, I was unhappy with the direction I found many asana classes going in, and I was driven by the peace I find when I go inside–even during a seemingly lackluster sitting. Over the course of the year, spaces opened up and I was propelled from leading a casual workshop to several, then to multiple weekly classes and then this blog–which I am so fortunate to share with The Love of my Life.
As space (not really free time) has presented itself in my schedule, it has also presented itself in my heart. Coaching is propelling me into a place of intense devotion (bhava) to the teachings and teachers which have given me so much. Furthermore, it has forced me to raise the standards I hold myself too. I was inconsistent. I used to feel that I could not sit still, I could not quiet my mind (which I have relinquished trying to do), and I could not go deeply into meditation. But, as I began to share my passion, I found the committment (virya–notice the similarity to virility) that I had previously lacked. Merely (but, again not easily) having a modicum of accountability to others lit a fire under my rear.
My husband often says, “even if you practice serving other for selfish reasons, it raises the vibration of everything”. When I began this endeavor, I wanted to feel more authentic, I was unhappy with classes, I wanted to share my perspective on peace– it wasn’t about The Tradition is was about me…
Wow, I still have so much more undoing to do. As my beloved Swami J reminds me, this practice is about setting aside the false identities. Practice makes proficient–we are already perfect. We just have to Realize it.
P.S. Click the links!
Sum
You equal all space
Entropy equals disintegration
The ground we walk upon equals your face
Being worldly equals giving into temptation
Waking life equals fleeting
Karma equals an endless chase
Slowing down in meditation equals greeting
this perfect time and place
Coruscate
This large bottle filled
ends as liquid spilled
in great puddles
Accidents happen to dance
with one wet foot
Our lovely bodies huddled
in caves and landscapes
of varied circumstance
Eddies and jet streams
mirror the karmic city
of our dreams
Wild infinite tendrils
conspire with the ever-working
building and beautifying vandals
dismantling not patterns
but the idea of them
Reaching back with hands
swaying ever-lit lanterns
guiding like sunlight from the skies
coaxing flower from bud and stem
that’s a twinkle of our eyes
the sparkle perceived in gems
Autobiography
So many twists
this tornado of a story
Such great risks
born of stupidity
and a lust for glory
Easing into fluidity
At peace with the irreversible
Made my way to center
Witnessing all
that is observable
Perpetuating positivity
As responsible inventor
It is my duty
A need born of necessity
that cannot be dictated
by the tale it secedes
Changing the way I see
weakness and entropy
Just necessary aspects of
the happy ending yet to be
Scar Tissue
Today I planned on writing another meditation-based lesson/insight. But, sometimes you have to go with your intuition, and recently the universe provided me an opportunity to observe myself and where I am growing from my meditation practice. As an instructor I want to share what is working (and not working)–hopefully this offers some idea of what you may expect. Additionally, it is important to savor the small victories. But, don’t accept anything I say–meditate, meditate, meditate and find Truth for yourself.
A “glitch” I have wrestled with is holding grudges. Who knows where it arose from? I come from a long line of spicy Panamanian women– perhaps we ate to many chili peppers! But, it doesn’t matter where it came from; what matters is that it a pattern or samskara, “those deep impressions. It is those deep impressions or seed habit patterns, which are at the root of ALL of our Karmas (actions)” (Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati).
Samskara– it sounds like a scar– a deep etching a groove left in the mind which, like a cd stuck on a track, leads to habituated behavior.
When we sit to meditate we are first taught to let the stream of thoughts come and go without obstruction. We are taught to let the mind behave naturally and develop the perspective of a detached witness to this stream. Why? What purpose does this serve?
Over time this art of gently allowing the mind to unfold and bloom helps the aspirant to “see” that the mind has a limitless capacity for creation. A meditator learns to have more an impersonal relationship with “their” thoughts; they are just thoughts and not who we are at the core.
Once there is some space between the thinker and the thoughts; the fun starts to really happen… A consistent meditator notices that there are trends and habits of thinking which does not serve them. In my case, the habit is to become very defensive and angry when I perceived that I have been wronged. This tendency can lead me to hold a grudge.
Earlier this week, I was relaying to a dear friend some feelings I had about the Yoga community in my home town. I had a particularly unhappy experience which someone who has a very financially successful studio in-town. When the antagonist of my drama and I parted company, it left a very sour taste in my mouth. But, this time when I shared the story I finally felt more “neutral”. I am not going to say it was as if I was a newscaster. But, it was the first time my blood did not boil. Furthermore, I was aware of this new sense of “neutrality”.
I have begun to erase this groove.
The yoga sutras speak of four attitudes to cultivate: Maitri: Friendliness, pleasantness, loving-ness; Karuna: Compassion, mercy; Mudita: Gladness, goodwill; Upekshanam: Acceptance, equanimity, indifference, neutrality. The last of these is to be cultivated specifically towards “those we perceive as wicked or evil”.
In addition to the concept of neutrality– notice that the sutras say “those we perceive”, because the truth is, when our minds are deeply entrenched in thought we don’t really get the truth of what is going on. We ride off on each thought into the land of fantasy where we are the protagonist and the star of our drama.
As we move further into our path we work towards not creating new etchings by a committment to observing the thoughts. Then they don’t unconsciously affix to us– we are aware of their comings and goings. When an unsavory thought attempts take hold we label it as “not useful” and let it go. After all, we aren’t defined by them– they are just thoughts– and we understand that they are the product of our beautiful, boundless, ever creative mind.
Amber Easy
Gush and rush
to your brain and toes
Godspeed to your knees
Bow at the feet of the toads
When their mouths swell
take heed of the stoic repose
in the face of environmental ruin
While for us this feeling of dread
Well it comes and goes
Just the life of a human
lost in our own head I suppose
That’s what they keep telling me
but nothing is true man
because no one knows
how things’ll turn out to be
when the sun burns out
and the final wind blows
So I’ll just open my heart
pour it all out
however this love spills
I’ll just let it be so
a buoy in an ocean of doubt
clutching my straw
smugly fulfilled
a fool in the flow
holding fast to outlast
the highs and lows
Two
I’m always with you
Ready for any opportunity to lift you
I beg you
not to forget to
use the gifts I give you
to get through
the moments that challenge you
Draw on our shared strength
to balance you
and know that I need you too
Ashram
Ashram
Welcoming meditation’s
sweet lull
Relishing the satsang
and the strong vocal
Centered around the practice
that is my local’s main focal
Developing a stronger connection
with the US beyond our lovely hull
Helping me ever so nicely
lift the veils and comfortably
leave my skull
Consistency in Meditation Practice
I was listening to an audiobook that is a staple in my library now, “Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation” by Professor Mark W. Muesse Ph.D. The lecturer eloquently describes our exhibitionist media’s stereotypical image of a meditator: young, scantily dressed woman, on a beach or in a lush garden. He artfully explains this image makes meditation seem relaxing, easy, and fun. However, Muesse goes further to explain how polarizing this is–if you can’t sit criss-cross applesauce, if you’re not young and lithe, and if you’re not a sexy woman you may feel excluded from the club.
I’ve got news for you: meditation is not necessarily easy (in fact, at times it may be difficult). Furthermore, with an untrained body and mind there will be discomfort. But, like an athlete systematically trains for a marathon by consistently increasing their running on a weekly basis, a consistent practice will unfold in the ability to sit, reasonably comfortably, in meditation.
The Himalayan Tradition prescribes sitting in meditation four times a day! Yes, that may be daunting. Furthermore it may not be your reality. I have to maintain flexibility in my practice schedule. But, I sit every day!
The Yoga Sutras explain, if one wants Realization (if that is what you want), this requires committment. Realization is the greatest undertaking of a Human Life– it is not to be taken lightly. If you want to lower your blood pressure and zone out, then you should meditate sporadically.
All the Masters prescribe a relationship with The Silence, from Jesus to The Buddha. So I guess the real question, before we determine why so many people don’t meditate regularly–is, what do you really want?
Classically, in Raja-Yoga (the path described in the Yoga Sutras), one does not start with meditation. One begins with getting their house in order.
Perhaps you attracted to the idea of meditation, as stated it is recommended by The Best. But, you don’t know what you want for your life. Perhaps, you don’t have a goal. The aforementioned runner does not only hit the road to prepare for a marathon (meditation), they also use weights, they stretch, and they modify their nutrition. The Himalayan Tradition affords adjunctive practices to prepare and enhance meditation. One such practice is internal dialogue (atma vichara).
Internal dialogue is just that: having a two-way conversation with the mind. Don’t let that seem schizy to you– we do it all the time. Sometimes it is more that a two-way conversation– Muesse describes it as a committee meeting! Internal dialogue is a practice which allows you get to know your own mind, to befriend it, to learn your true deepest desires, and to have a goal for your life.
If you’re already meditating, but not using atma vichara consider adding it to bolster your practice. If you’re meditating inconsistently, understand your level of effort will yield fruit accordingly. If you haven’t begun a meditation practice, and you feel an aversion or hesitation, start with atma vichara (internal dialogue) to learn why.
Then meditate, meditate, meditate. As my beloved Swami J says, “May your meditation today bring you peace, happiness and bliss…“.
P.S. USE THE LINKS IN THE ARTICLE TO DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING!!! LOOK AT THE GUIDED PRACTICES CATEGORY FOR MORE ASSISTANCE.
From the Gross to the Subtle 