“Many forms of spirituality try to get rid of thoughts, feelings, and memories - to make the mind blank, as if that were a desirable or spiritual state. But to have the mind blank is not necessarily wise. Instead, it is more helpful to see through thoughts and to recognize that a thought is just a thought, a belief, a memory. Then we can stop binding consciousness of spirit to our thoughts and mental states.”
From: Emptiness Dancing
By Adyashanti
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wake up!
Waking up means being able to observe our life as if it were happening to someone else. It means thinking and speaking consciously, knowing that what we think and say on Tuesday becomes the life we live on Thursday. Waking up means we don't see the other as better or less than ourselves. We see the other as our self.
~Jan Phillips
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Got enough Vitamin P & Vitamin R?
"Our brain and digestive system are constantly scanning every eating experience to see if we have reached the requisite level of pleasure. Once we hit this sweet spot, so to speak, the brain sends out a simple signal: 'Full, satisfied, pleasured and thus it's time to stop eating. Mission accomplished.'" -Marc David, Institute for the Psychology of Eating
Marc clarifies that stress (cortisol) blocks our ability to experience pleasure (Vitamin P), so relaxation (Vitamin R) while eating and digesting promotes satiety, the feeling of being full and satisfied. In other words, the more you argue at the dinner table, or balance your checkbook during lunch, or review the kids homework, or berate yourself for being overweight during meals... the more you have to eat to satisfy the brain's idea of "Enough!"
Marc clarifies that stress (cortisol) blocks our ability to experience pleasure (Vitamin P), so relaxation (Vitamin R) while eating and digesting promotes satiety, the feeling of being full and satisfied. In other words, the more you argue at the dinner table, or balance your checkbook during lunch, or review the kids homework, or berate yourself for being overweight during meals... the more you have to eat to satisfy the brain's idea of "Enough!"
Friday, December 11, 2009
Be mindful about your "bad" habits
I thought you might enjoy these remarks by Theresa Rose, after the rather heavy downer about sugar I posted today! jd
If you have a particular vice -- smoking cigarettes, drinking wine, eating chocolate, watching reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 -- I encourage you to perform them consciously. Sure, some of our choices are healthier than others, but don't let anyone or anything convince you that you are wrong, weird, or broken because you do them. You aren't; you're only human. Perform every activity guilt-free, even the so-called "bad" ones. Just consider the reasons why you have chosen to do them.
Theresa Rose, Daily MoJo 12/11/09
Serious Mojo Publications | P.O. Box 390373 | Edina | MN | 55439
Serious Mojo Publications | P.O. Box 390373 | Edina | MN | 55439
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Workplace Yoga And Meditation Lowers Stress
Yoga and Meditation at Work reduces stress and improves sleep, what a concept. This study uses a modified-version of Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and yoga combined with six weekly group sessions can lower feelings of stress by more than 10 percent and improve sleep quality in sedentary office employees, a pilot study suggests.
The study offered participants a modified version of what is known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a program established in 1979 to help hospital patients in Massachusetts assist in their own healing that is now in wide use around the world..
In this context, mindfulness refers in part to one's heightened awareness of an external stressor as the first step toward relaxing in a way that can minimize the effects of that stress on the body... [cont.] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159817.php
This work was supported by the National Institute of Health-funded General Clinical Research Center at Ohio State..
Co-authors of the study are Janet Buckworth of the College of Education and Human Ecology and William Malarkey of the College of Medicine, both at Ohio State..
Source: Ohio State University
Workplace Yoga And Meditation Can Lower Feelings Of Stress
05 Aug 2009Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and yoga combined with six weekly group sessions can lower feelings of stress by more than 10 percent and improve sleep quality in sedentary office employees, a pilot study suggests.
The study offered participants a modified version of what is known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a program established in 1979 to help hospital patients in Massachusetts assist in their own healing that is now in wide use around the world..
In this context, mindfulness refers in part to one's heightened awareness of an external stressor as the first step toward relaxing in a way that can minimize the effects of that stress on the body... [cont.] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159817.php
This work was supported by the National Institute of Health-funded General Clinical Research Center at Ohio State..
Co-authors of the study are Janet Buckworth of the College of Education and Human Ecology and William Malarkey of the College of Medicine, both at Ohio State..
Source: Ohio State University
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159817.php
© 2009 MediLexicon International LtdFriday, January 16, 2009
How to THINK your way to less STRESS
by Janis Davies, Certified Whole Health Educator
As published January 7, 2009 in:
Health, Mind & Body, special supplement to the newspapers of Feather Publishing Co.: Feather River Bulletin, Chester Progressive, Indian Valley Record, Portola Reporter
13,000. The average number of thoughts we are plagued with each and every day. Think about it… oops! There goes another thought... and another… and another…
Doesn’t it seem like each and every one of those thoughts has substance, reality, validity? We “thought” it, so it must be true, right? We assume every thought is an expression of fact. Even our bodies believe every thought we think.
Take this lemon I am getting ready to cut up. I’ve placed it on the cutting board, removed my sharpest knife, and now I am slicing it, bright yellow and juicy, with spray coming easily off the thick waxy peel. I can smell the tart citrus-y odors, immediately thinking of lemonade, and lemon meringue pie. I take half a lemon in my hands, squeeze gently, and the juices flow into my mouth.
What’s happening in your body right now? Is your mouth filled with saliva anticipating the sour lemon juices? I just tricked your brain into recalling a caseload of memories, and your body responded as if it were real.
What if I ask you to recall the last argument you had? The last time you were ashamed or humiliated? The last time you were mad as a hornet? Give these thoughts the time of day and, voila! Your body is back at that precise moment in time, reliving not just the thoughts and emotions, but also the stress hormones and health compromising effects that come along with it.
Give it more attention and, before you know it a whole lifetime of similar events come swarming at you, filling you with more anger, fear, or sadness; or, conversely, joy and appreciation.
Instant thinking
We can “think” ourselves into most any emotion, but did you know that often the reverse is true? An emotion can be instantly triggered by an event or sensory input (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound), leading the brain to reply with “instant” explanations. The assumption that gets us into trouble is believing that what we think is reality.
However, the brain is trafficking in habitual responses. Like a search on Google, our brain reacts to input by spewing out the most likely combinations of information and memories from the “files” until a plausible reason is reached. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck, right? Not always.
Our brains evolved to learn. And learning requires instant memorization of complex environmental stimuli, so that the next similar event can be dealt with as quickly as possible. It is the difference between life and death, in other words, survival. What the brain learns and believes is instantly communicated to every cell in the body, via hormones (neuro-peptides), electrical impulses, and molecular vibration.
Our bodies are listening
This brings us to the relationship between thinking and chronic stress. When we communicate “within,” our cells, organs and tissues are listening. If I am angry, my cells are soaking in anger. If I am happy my cells are soaking in happiness. Directing these feelings at others does not leave me out of the equation. Road rage, feelings of overwhelm and frustration, directed at drivers who do not follow our rules of the road ultimately hurts us.
Transient feelings of hurt, anger, frustration, or shame are not dangerous, and do not cause harm. What causes damage is the habitual indulgence of dwelling in the past hurts and regrets, or future worries and fears, and the endless abuse we silently spew at ourselves, most often at the subconscious level where we are unaware.
If our Inner Voice was a person sitting next to us on a bench, how long would we put up with their insults? Their abuse? The crazy, disconnected verbiage that is our constant companion heard inside our heads? We’d run quickly in the opposite direction!
“Thinking,” is the major source of chronic stress in our modern world, where prior generations have suffered (presumably) under more physical, or primitive, forms of stress, such as untreatable illness and injuries, hunger, providing shelter, and protecting oneself, family and community from predation, competition or invasion.
Thanks to the amazing learning abilities of the brain, thought connections perform like well-traveled roads. The more a road is traveled, the deeper the ruts. At some point the ruts are so deep, a traveler cannot change the path, even when they try to. Our minds work similarly. The more we think a thought, the more instantaneous and transparent the thought/action becomes.
This is fantastic if we are learning to drive a car, or to speak a new language. The less we have to think about our actions, the quicker we can respond with automated action. No longer wasting energy by concentrating on clutch, brake, accelerator, turn signal, traffic, we are able to eat, drink, talk on the phone, apply makeup, balance the checkbook, text your kids and check the stock market, while cruising 62 mph down the highway!
Take a breath!
Stop! Take a deep breath… Step back slowly from the situations of your crazy life. Think (briefly) about how habitually overwhelming yourself with demands and tasks is shortening your life. The resultant chronic stress is hardening your arteries, raising your blood pressure, elevating blood sugar, and picking away at the very fabric of your DNA. Precious DNA, the blueprint for repairs in every cell of your body.
The instinctive way we often deal with “bad thinking,” is negation. We tell ourselves, “don’t think that thought.” We try to push away from the feelings: “don’t be depressed,” “don’t be sad.” Because the focus is still on the unwanted, we tend to remain focused on what we wish to avoid.
The next level of repairing our thinking is zero balance. That’s when people try to meditate by thinking about “nothing.” Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think… Oops! Darn, there goes another thought! Don’t think, I really mean it, DON’T THINK! Before you know it the 13,000 thoughts have you in a strangle-hold. At that point most people give up and decide meditation is clearly not for them. They (think they) have failed miserably at changing their thinking and relieving stress.
We begin to see some results when we practice replacement thinking. Instead of trying to change old thoughts, habits, feelings and the resultant behaviors, we begin to come up with replacement ideas that are healthier. Sometimes these are referred to as affirmations. These are new statements of positive experience we consciously choose over the old.
The old thoughts still come bouncing in, but the more we practice, the better it gets, the more relief we enjoy. This employs re-routing the thought patterns of the brain. Just like building muscles, practicing powerful healthier statements on a regular basis strengthens the neuronal connections giving them more clout.
One of the most practiced examples of affirmation is the Serenity Prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” (Commonly attributed to theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr)
Positive emotion connection
Expanding on replacement thinking, and backed by scientific research, are the practices that might be referred to as positive emotion connection. The glue in memory is emotion. By utilizing techniques that employ heart-feeling with mind and body connections, healthier stress-free living becomes more quickly accessible. There are many new, and not-so-new, versions of positive emotion practices. These include a variety of practices with exotic names like Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Thought-Field Therapy (TFT), Energy Freedom Technique (EFT), Energy Psychology, the broad field of Guided Imagery, mindfulness or breath meditations, and HeartMath.
Developed by Doc Childre and Howard Martin, HeartMath is focused on teaching “heart-based living – people relying on the intelligence of their heart in concert with their minds to improve health, performance, relationships and well-being at home and in the workplace” (www.heartmath.com). The basic premise is a three-step process called Quick Coherence® Technique: “Heart focus. Heart breathing. Heart feeling.”
By tapping into our bodies innate drive for health, and linking that to the process of feeling and thinking, we can learn to manage stress more easily, building more effective coping, and restoring the ability to thrive in our lives, regardless of our external circumstances.
"All that we are is a result of what we have thought." -Buddha
As published January 7, 2009 in:
Health, Mind & Body, special supplement to the newspapers of Feather Publishing Co.: Feather River Bulletin, Chester Progressive, Indian Valley Record, Portola Reporter
13,000. The average number of thoughts we are plagued with each and every day. Think about it… oops! There goes another thought... and another… and another…
Doesn’t it seem like each and every one of those thoughts has substance, reality, validity? We “thought” it, so it must be true, right? We assume every thought is an expression of fact. Even our bodies believe every thought we think.
Take this lemon I am getting ready to cut up. I’ve placed it on the cutting board, removed my sharpest knife, and now I am slicing it, bright yellow and juicy, with spray coming easily off the thick waxy peel. I can smell the tart citrus-y odors, immediately thinking of lemonade, and lemon meringue pie. I take half a lemon in my hands, squeeze gently, and the juices flow into my mouth.
What’s happening in your body right now? Is your mouth filled with saliva anticipating the sour lemon juices? I just tricked your brain into recalling a caseload of memories, and your body responded as if it were real.
What if I ask you to recall the last argument you had? The last time you were ashamed or humiliated? The last time you were mad as a hornet? Give these thoughts the time of day and, voila! Your body is back at that precise moment in time, reliving not just the thoughts and emotions, but also the stress hormones and health compromising effects that come along with it.
Give it more attention and, before you know it a whole lifetime of similar events come swarming at you, filling you with more anger, fear, or sadness; or, conversely, joy and appreciation.
Instant thinking
We can “think” ourselves into most any emotion, but did you know that often the reverse is true? An emotion can be instantly triggered by an event or sensory input (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound), leading the brain to reply with “instant” explanations. The assumption that gets us into trouble is believing that what we think is reality.
However, the brain is trafficking in habitual responses. Like a search on Google, our brain reacts to input by spewing out the most likely combinations of information and memories from the “files” until a plausible reason is reached. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck, right? Not always.
Our brains evolved to learn. And learning requires instant memorization of complex environmental stimuli, so that the next similar event can be dealt with as quickly as possible. It is the difference between life and death, in other words, survival. What the brain learns and believes is instantly communicated to every cell in the body, via hormones (neuro-peptides), electrical impulses, and molecular vibration.
Our bodies are listening
This brings us to the relationship between thinking and chronic stress. When we communicate “within,” our cells, organs and tissues are listening. If I am angry, my cells are soaking in anger. If I am happy my cells are soaking in happiness. Directing these feelings at others does not leave me out of the equation. Road rage, feelings of overwhelm and frustration, directed at drivers who do not follow our rules of the road ultimately hurts us.
Transient feelings of hurt, anger, frustration, or shame are not dangerous, and do not cause harm. What causes damage is the habitual indulgence of dwelling in the past hurts and regrets, or future worries and fears, and the endless abuse we silently spew at ourselves, most often at the subconscious level where we are unaware.
If our Inner Voice was a person sitting next to us on a bench, how long would we put up with their insults? Their abuse? The crazy, disconnected verbiage that is our constant companion heard inside our heads? We’d run quickly in the opposite direction!
“Thinking,” is the major source of chronic stress in our modern world, where prior generations have suffered (presumably) under more physical, or primitive, forms of stress, such as untreatable illness and injuries, hunger, providing shelter, and protecting oneself, family and community from predation, competition or invasion.
Thanks to the amazing learning abilities of the brain, thought connections perform like well-traveled roads. The more a road is traveled, the deeper the ruts. At some point the ruts are so deep, a traveler cannot change the path, even when they try to. Our minds work similarly. The more we think a thought, the more instantaneous and transparent the thought/action becomes.
This is fantastic if we are learning to drive a car, or to speak a new language. The less we have to think about our actions, the quicker we can respond with automated action. No longer wasting energy by concentrating on clutch, brake, accelerator, turn signal, traffic, we are able to eat, drink, talk on the phone, apply makeup, balance the checkbook, text your kids and check the stock market, while cruising 62 mph down the highway!
Take a breath!
Stop! Take a deep breath… Step back slowly from the situations of your crazy life. Think (briefly) about how habitually overwhelming yourself with demands and tasks is shortening your life. The resultant chronic stress is hardening your arteries, raising your blood pressure, elevating blood sugar, and picking away at the very fabric of your DNA. Precious DNA, the blueprint for repairs in every cell of your body.
The instinctive way we often deal with “bad thinking,” is negation. We tell ourselves, “don’t think that thought.” We try to push away from the feelings: “don’t be depressed,” “don’t be sad.” Because the focus is still on the unwanted, we tend to remain focused on what we wish to avoid.
The next level of repairing our thinking is zero balance. That’s when people try to meditate by thinking about “nothing.” Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think… Oops! Darn, there goes another thought! Don’t think, I really mean it, DON’T THINK! Before you know it the 13,000 thoughts have you in a strangle-hold. At that point most people give up and decide meditation is clearly not for them. They (think they) have failed miserably at changing their thinking and relieving stress.
We begin to see some results when we practice replacement thinking. Instead of trying to change old thoughts, habits, feelings and the resultant behaviors, we begin to come up with replacement ideas that are healthier. Sometimes these are referred to as affirmations. These are new statements of positive experience we consciously choose over the old.
The old thoughts still come bouncing in, but the more we practice, the better it gets, the more relief we enjoy. This employs re-routing the thought patterns of the brain. Just like building muscles, practicing powerful healthier statements on a regular basis strengthens the neuronal connections giving them more clout.
One of the most practiced examples of affirmation is the Serenity Prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” (Commonly attributed to theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr)
Positive emotion connection
Expanding on replacement thinking, and backed by scientific research, are the practices that might be referred to as positive emotion connection. The glue in memory is emotion. By utilizing techniques that employ heart-feeling with mind and body connections, healthier stress-free living becomes more quickly accessible. There are many new, and not-so-new, versions of positive emotion practices. These include a variety of practices with exotic names like Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Thought-Field Therapy (TFT), Energy Freedom Technique (EFT), Energy Psychology, the broad field of Guided Imagery, mindfulness or breath meditations, and HeartMath.
Developed by Doc Childre and Howard Martin, HeartMath is focused on teaching “heart-based living – people relying on the intelligence of their heart in concert with their minds to improve health, performance, relationships and well-being at home and in the workplace” (www.heartmath.com). The basic premise is a three-step process called Quick Coherence® Technique: “Heart focus. Heart breathing. Heart feeling.”
By tapping into our bodies innate drive for health, and linking that to the process of feeling and thinking, we can learn to manage stress more easily, building more effective coping, and restoring the ability to thrive in our lives, regardless of our external circumstances.
"All that we are is a result of what we have thought." -Buddha
Monday, August 25, 2008
A Practice for Dealing with Emotions
"The practice is called the Nonmanifestation of Negative Emotions. I do this practice one full day a week, starting first thing in the morning and continuing until I go to sleep. The practice involves making a conscious effort not to manifest any negative emotions for the entire day, through either external behavior or internal ruminations. This does not mean, however, that anger and other negative emotions will not arise, because they surely will. What it does mean is that as soon as we become aware of them, we make the conscious effort to refrain from indulging the thoughts that fuel those particular emotions."
— Ezra Bayda in Zen Heart: Simple Advice for Living with Mindfulness and Compassion
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Five Steps Closer to Calm
- Breathe—Focusing on your breathing is an essential practice that draws your awareness inward and helps you experience the presence and flow of energy.
- Relax—The more you relax, the more you deepen awareness of sensation.
- Feel—Let your sense of feeling move beyond physical sensation. Acknowledge who you are as a being of energy.
- Watch—Sense who you are as a witness; be a scientist observing phenomena arising in and around you.
- Allow—Sense who you are with no preferences. Be present to the process of your life unfolding moment by moment.
Copyright © 2008 Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc,
Friday, January 4, 2008
Being Open and Present to Today's Gifts
Center for Balanced Living
What's Possible Now?
By Stacey Mayo
When you wake up in the morning, what is possible?
Beyond what happened yesterday, beyond what happened years ago, beyond what has been before?
What feelings might awaken if today was better than those previously explored?
What else is possible beyond that which you already know?
And beyond that which you have experienced heretofore?
What is available to you that you have not considered?
Be curious.
What resources lie in wait for your eyes to see in a whole new light?
Be willing to see.
What surprises might lie in the people you think you know, but really don’t?
Be open.
Who do you not yet know that you might meet today or tomorrow or the next day?
Who lives down the block from you, that you might have a great connection with – someone you have yet to meet.
Be curious; be enthusiastic; reach out.
What part of you lies dormant or suppressed waiting to be fully expressed in the world?
How might you allow that part of you to shine?
Who can be a mirror for you so that you can finally see and accept the greatness in you?
Today, allow others to be your mirror.
It is okay for your brilliance to shine.
And be a mirror for those around you
Allowing their brilliance to shine
Let them contribute their gifts to you and make a difference in your world
And know that you too can make a difference and that you do, every day in some small way
And most of all, remember to have fun, to play, to laugh, to sing, to dance.
And from that joy-filled place, know everything is possible, including that which has never happened before.
What's Possible Now?
By Stacey Mayo
When you wake up in the morning, what is possible?
Beyond what happened yesterday, beyond what happened years ago, beyond what has been before?
What feelings might awaken if today was better than those previously explored?
What else is possible beyond that which you already know?
And beyond that which you have experienced heretofore?
What is available to you that you have not considered?
Be curious.
What resources lie in wait for your eyes to see in a whole new light?
Be willing to see.
What surprises might lie in the people you think you know, but really don’t?
Be open.
Who do you not yet know that you might meet today or tomorrow or the next day?
Who lives down the block from you, that you might have a great connection with – someone you have yet to meet.
Be curious; be enthusiastic; reach out.
What part of you lies dormant or suppressed waiting to be fully expressed in the world?
How might you allow that part of you to shine?
Who can be a mirror for you so that you can finally see and accept the greatness in you?
Today, allow others to be your mirror.
It is okay for your brilliance to shine.
And be a mirror for those around you
Allowing their brilliance to shine
Let them contribute their gifts to you and make a difference in your world
And know that you too can make a difference and that you do, every day in some small way
And most of all, remember to have fun, to play, to laugh, to sing, to dance.
And from that joy-filled place, know everything is possible, including that which has never happened before.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Energy and Emotion Must Move
Excerpt from: Lola Jones' wonderful book, Things Are Going Great In My Absence
"Emotion, which is a form of energy, is supposed to move and flow through us. When emotion or energy can't flow through us, our experience of the Divine is pinched off. Every malady can be traced back to energy that was not allowed to move freely.
Too many spiritual people try to avoid negative emotions, transcend them, or deny them. They want to leap straight to love and peace when they feel a negative emotion. I call it the "spiritual bypass". Interestingly their spiritual development in stunted until they dive into the very human realm of emotions. Enlightenment requires fully embracing the whole human experience, not rising above it or escaping it.
"When we try to push negative feelings away, they last longer, because by focusing on what we want, we give them more life and they grow. When we try to hold onto positive feelings or experiences, we're operating as if there is a scarcity of them. When we realize that there is an endless supply, there is no need to try to freeze them and keep them. Stop trying to hold on to positive emotions or experiences, or trying to push away negative emotions or experiences, since doing either is trying to stop something that is innately designed to move.
"It's your birthday party and you open a fabulous gift, you savor it, you pass it around and enjoy it as long as you can, but the next gift you open will be different. It won't be the same as that one, but hopefully you can enjoy the next one, too, then move on to the next gift, and the next. Experiences are like that. They come and go, and there will be more. Source provides an endless supply of delights and experiences, and when we're open and relaxed, each one gets sweeter than the last, eternally."
"Don't hold onto the gift. Hold on to the Giver."
I invite you to go to Lola's website and learn more about this witty, wise and wonderful woman and the amazing work she is doing to bless and transform the world. Just click on the link below:
http://www.lolajones.com/
From the Newsletter: Blessings Experiment Update
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Stop, Count to Ten
When we enter into an intimate relationship, few of us escape visitations of insecurity and shame, of aversion and jealousy. Learning to bring an openhearted presence to these kinds of feelings, rather than reacting out of fear or hurt, is not easy. But when we are willing to stay put and pay attention at precisely the moments when we most want to lash out, cling tightly, or pull away, our relationship becomes a path of deep personal healing and spiritual transformation. As with any type of yoga, one of the blessings of the yoga of relationships is the profound inner freedom that comes from realizing the goodness and beauty of our essential Being.
Learning to pause is the first step toward transformation and healing. We pause by stopping what we're doing—we stop blaming, withdrawing, obsessing, distracting ourselves. In the space a pause creates, our natural awareness arises, allowing us to be mindful, to recognize what is happening inside us without judgment. By pausing, we begin to dismantle lifelong patterns of avoiding or distancing.
The Yoga of Relationships
http://www.yogajournal.com
A More Perfect Union
http://www.yogajournal.com
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Change: how to live with it and learn from it
Change, that inevitable fact of life... seeks us out, moment to moment.... causing stress (adaptation to change = stress); or creating opportunities. Change keeps us moving, ideally, towards health and healing. Like pain, we are nudged into perpetual motion, avoiding the difficulty, conflict, and stagnation, in the direction of new growth and strength. But it certainly doesn't feel that way. We often don't recognize the strengthening aspects of change until we are over the hump, through the tunnel, with some semblance of objectivity and enough distance to provide clarity. "What did that part of my life mean?" "How is my life better now because of those changes?"
Humans long for simplicity, structure and stability. Too much change too fast rocks our world and leaves us shaken at times. Here is a great article from Yoga Journal about change, and the skills and strategies that can teach us flexibility, gratitude, and the ability to make meaning out of the ups and downs that accompany each and every day. -JD
Change is in the Air
by Chris Colin
Excerpts:
So, how is it that when life is spun around by circumstances, benign or otherwise, some people flail, while others sail? Why do some of us wallow in that place where we're so shocked and unhappy about an unexpected turn of events that we resist reality and find ourselves mired in bitterness or fear or hopelessness? Instead of accepting change with grace, we dig in our heels and suffer through each day of things not being what we think they should be. What's the secret to riding each new wave gracefully—regardless of whether it deposits you gently on the beach or wallops you down to the seafloor?
How can you learn to accept change with equanimity, absorbing each phase in stride and learning from each new experience? The answer may come from dealing with change in three distinct stages.
Loosen Your Grip, Separate Your Feelings, Tap Into Wisdom
Expect the Unexpected
Prepare for life's ups and downs with a daily practice. Frank Jude Boccio offers some ideas for a change-friendly inner life.
Accept Impermanence Every morning, I repeat a gatha (mindfulness verse): "Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. Be awake each moment; do not waste your life." Much of my practice has to do with aligning myself with that. Then, ideally, my action comes from the situation, rather than from a false perception of what's happening.
Practice mindfulness Come back to the present moment. The Buddha points out that you can be happy in a pleasant situation, but then it's all too easy to lose yourself in the pleasure.
Take a breath When faced with a change, pleasant or otherwise, I try to tune in to my breath, and how I'm feeling in my body. Tuning into the breath gives me time to respond better to an unpleasant situation.
Be sure to click the link above to get the full article.
Humans long for simplicity, structure and stability. Too much change too fast rocks our world and leaves us shaken at times. Here is a great article from Yoga Journal about change, and the skills and strategies that can teach us flexibility, gratitude, and the ability to make meaning out of the ups and downs that accompany each and every day. -JD
Change is in the Air
by Chris Colin
Excerpts:
So, how is it that when life is spun around by circumstances, benign or otherwise, some people flail, while others sail? Why do some of us wallow in that place where we're so shocked and unhappy about an unexpected turn of events that we resist reality and find ourselves mired in bitterness or fear or hopelessness? Instead of accepting change with grace, we dig in our heels and suffer through each day of things not being what we think they should be. What's the secret to riding each new wave gracefully—regardless of whether it deposits you gently on the beach or wallops you down to the seafloor?
How can you learn to accept change with equanimity, absorbing each phase in stride and learning from each new experience? The answer may come from dealing with change in three distinct stages.
Loosen Your Grip, Separate Your Feelings, Tap Into Wisdom
Expect the Unexpected
Prepare for life's ups and downs with a daily practice. Frank Jude Boccio offers some ideas for a change-friendly inner life.
Accept Impermanence Every morning, I repeat a gatha (mindfulness verse): "Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. Be awake each moment; do not waste your life." Much of my practice has to do with aligning myself with that. Then, ideally, my action comes from the situation, rather than from a false perception of what's happening.
Practice mindfulness Come back to the present moment. The Buddha points out that you can be happy in a pleasant situation, but then it's all too easy to lose yourself in the pleasure.
Take a breath When faced with a change, pleasant or otherwise, I try to tune in to my breath, and how I'm feeling in my body. Tuning into the breath gives me time to respond better to an unpleasant situation.
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Monday, April 9, 2007
MEDITATION: Pratyahara - sense withdrawal
Inward Bound
The Sanskrit word for discipline is pratyahara. Often translated as "sense withdrawal," pratyahara is the ability to turn your attention inward, so you are focusing on your center.
It really doesn't matter what you do to take your attention inward. You could tune into your breath or stop midstride to feel your feet on the ground. Or you could take a moment to remember the interconnectedness of everything. As you do, you should notice a thread of connection to the part of you that is not totally caught up in the drama of the moment. As you touch that open presence, you touch your deepest source of strength. In that state of stillness, recall your intention. Then act or speak in a way that's congruent with that intention. You'll find, in moments when your intention and motivation are clear, that these intentions will bring you inner strength. This strength is an infallible source of support—the support that never leaves you. http://www.yogajournal.comMeditation Classes, held at the Upstairs Natural Health & Day Spa
taught by Health Educator, Janis Davies, CWHE
Tuesdays, 10 - 11 a.m.
Jan's meditation classes provide an introduction to basic mindfulness and breath-work as well as guided imagery for health and stress-reduction. Her training includes work with Stephen & Ondrea Levine, Dr. James S. Gordon, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and Howard Martin the co-founder of Heart-Math; personal study has included the works of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Belleruth Naparstek, Louise Hay, Pema Chodron & Brian Luke Seaward to name a few.
Janis is a 2004 graduate of the National Institute of Whole Health, Boston, MA. She is also a member in good standing with the American Counseling Association and the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Volunteer/Team member: Sierra Hospice, & Sierra CancerGuides.
Upstairs Natural Health & Day Spa
131 1/2 Main Street, Chester, CA 96020
For more information please call: 530.258.0377
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