tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56807370706765557682024-03-13T11:53:54.847-04:00Artful MeditationLife comes fast and hard. Be ready for anything through mindful living.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-61446188935819279222014-04-01T20:30:00.003-04:002014-04-01T20:32:41.733-04:00The Energy Center<span lang=""><strong>The Dantian</strong></span><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-size: small;">The energy center of the body is important for proper handling of vial energy and emotions. This center is recognized in various traditions. In Chinese qigong it is known as the Dantian, the Japanese name is Hara, and in the Sufi tradition it is known as the Kath. Dantian is the name most commonly used.<br />
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The location of the dantian is in the lower belly, about 4 inches below the navel. When you focus with your attention on the dantian, you can simultaneously sense your entire body, from toes to brilliantined top knot. Because it is the energy center or power center, evergy can be directed to any part of the body when your attention is focused here. <br />
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Martial arts practitioners keep the attention focused on the diantian in order to easily direct power where it is needed. People recovering from mood disorder can benefit from paying attention to the dantian because all emotions can be sensed through the dantian. To be in touch with the body requires paying attention to the dantian.<br />
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<b>Dantian Meditation</b><br />
Mindfulness may be practiced by focusing the attention on an object, a feeling or a concept. Dantian meditation is practiced by sitting or standing erect and keeping the attention on the dantian. By practicing belly breathing, it's possible to focus the attention on the breath and the dantian simultaneously. When you notice that your attention has drifted away from the dantian, simply take a deep belly breath and return the attention.<br />
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It may be helpful to revisit the post on Noticing the Breath or Belly Breathing.<br />
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Of course, the practice of qigong may be considered to be a specialized dantian meditation. In addition to the mindfulness benefits, qigong also provides physical and mental healing and building a ready supply of vital energy in the dantian energy store.<br />
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Moving from your center</b><br />
In eastern martial arts, the practitioner not only keeps his attention at the Dantian to more easily move his energy, but also to be able to move from the center. By letting one's movements come from the center, they are more easy, and have more strength and power.<br />
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In the west, we have traditionally taught focusing on the dantian although the teaching is indirect. For example, in baseball we teach players to swing the bat by swinging through the lower belly--the center of the belly or the power center. The same concept is taught for swinging a golf club and tennis racket. There are countless other sports activities that use the conecpt of the lower abdomen being the power center.</span><br /></span><br />
<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-72491870390905441422014-04-01T10:33:00.001-04:002014-04-01T10:33:35.648-04:00You Are Enough<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You are amazing!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Stars are giant fusion reactors that transform hydrogen
atoms into all the other elements in the universe. Millions of years ago, when stars
went super nova, they spewed those other heavier elements throughout the universe.
That’s where the oxygen in our lungs and the iron in our blood came from. You
are made of stardust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d8Tk5zWqnVQ/UFCr27zUiqI/AAAAAAAAAYo/MdKQ8IeD-zs/s1600/the-story-of-earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d8Tk5zWqnVQ/UFCr27zUiqI/AAAAAAAAAYo/MdKQ8IeD-zs/s1600/the-story-of-earth.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am here today partially because the descendants of the
Maya moved north from Central Mexico and then east into what is now the
southeastern U.S around 800 AD. I’m here partially because a Serbian
nationalist assassinated Archduke Ferdinand to precipitate the First World War.
You are here, with your bodies of stardust, as the result of your own very
amazing stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Accept All of You.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most of our experiences, good and bad, are incorporated into
our unconscious in what is called implicit memory. Implicit memory shapes our
inner world and determines what it feels like to be ourselves. It gives us
expectations, models for relationships, emotional tendencies, and our general
world outlook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Being mindful of your inner world—what you feel and sense
and interpret about your outer experiences—helps to heal the damage of past injustices,
even those that occurred when you were younger. Mindful attention to your own experience activates many of
the same circuits that are stimulated in childhood by the caring attention of
others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Treat Yourself Kindly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Throughout the day, deliberately bring kindness into your
actions, your speech, and most of all, your thoughts. Try to interject more
themes of kindness in the movies in your mind—the simulator. The more your
simulator fires the neural networks with kindness, the more the neural networks
are reorganized to support more kindness and the more kindness turns up in the real
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span>gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-54173111633851844872014-02-28T11:24:00.002-05:002014-03-31T12:55:56.151-04:00Welcome the Visitor<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I practice mindfulness for many reasons although the biggest reason I practice is because it makes me feel better. I am one of the 21 million adults in the U. S. alone who is easily swept away by powerful emotions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the 13th Century, the Persian poet, Rumi, told us that being human is like running a guest house. Every morning, according to him, there is an unexpected visitor at our door. The visitor may be joy or perhaps anxiety, depression or mania.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But even if we are met by a crowd of sorrows, he instructs us to "Welcome and entertain them all equally. Meet them at the door laughing and treat them honorably." Why? Because he says, they have been sent to us as guides and that they come to prepare us for new delights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That's clear enough but not so easy to do without a little help. That's where mindful practice comes in. Enlightenment brings us to a place of freedom and joy, a state of timeless grace, where we are transformed from shy, timid creatures into fearless ones. But you don't have to practice mindfulness for years in some secluded spot high in the mountains or deep in the forests. Enlightenment is a common occurrence and it is close at hand. It happens every time we meditate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">How does mindfulness work to help us stay calm and carry on normally when depression and anxiety begin to stir? The simplest explanation for the immediate effect is that meditation encourages the formation of the "feel good" brain chemicals. The long term effect results from the formation of new neural pathways in the brain that transform our "normal" way of seeing the world from a negative set of expectations to a more positive one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life is suffering. For me, that suffering is most often recognized as anxiety and depression. Buddhist thought offers an antidote for this suffering in the cessation of craving. Just stop trying to change everything and accept life as it comes. It seems impossible until we realize that we don't have to do it forever, just for right now, in this moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That's mindful meditation in a nutshell. For just this moment, I can let it all go and just be content with things as they are. Soon, another disturbing thought will arise and I will be carried away with it's story. My anxiety will resurface and I will be uneasy and uncomfortable. Fortunately, the mindfulness monitor will detect my distraction from the innate calm that resides deep within, and I will remember once more that I can release those thoughts, allow them to dissolve, and I simply accept things exactly the way they are, just for this moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Meditation--many short moments of healing, transformative calmness that arise from my conscious decision to accept life on life's terms right now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is through meditation that we transform the visitor we find at our door. We welcome them all equally and then soothe the anxious, cheer the depressed and calm the manic. Fighting them only feeds them and gives them more power. We don't fight them, we face them without fear remembering the words of Rumi.</span></div>
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gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-50728265671632189892013-08-23T16:31:00.001-04:002013-08-26T11:23:40.013-04:00Introduction to Mudras<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mudras are often thought of as stylized positioning of hands and
fingers for the purpose of affecting the vital energy or enhancing mood but a particular mudra may involve
the whole body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The most well-known mudras are probably the ones used in meditation.</span><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> Many people sitting in meditation with crossed legs will place
the hands on the knees, with the tips of the thumbs and index fingers touching. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Another common mudra is placing the hands in the lap with the fingers of one hand resting on the palm
of the other. The Indian “Namaste” greeting with hands
held in front of the chest, palms touching is familiar to most of us. And the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e0a00;">Christian practice of interlacing the fingers of both
hands in prayer is yet another common mudra. </span></span>The Christian gesture draws the attention within, while
opening the heart.<br />
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The Indian gestures puts one into a mood of respect.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REkIQVzFIc0/Uhe-JX68YRI/AAAAAAAAA1E/fRsZ2_A7F40/s1600/man_anjalimudra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REkIQVzFIc0/Uhe-JX68YRI/AAAAAAAAA1E/fRsZ2_A7F40/s320/man_anjalimudra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is at least one mudras performed spontaneously by many
people. It is called the Hakini mudra<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">, </span>where the tips of all fingers of the right hand touch the fingertips of the left. This
mudra helps to focus the attention.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #1e0a00; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Hakini mudra</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1e0a00;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Using Mudras</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Indian Namaste and the Buddhist whatever are usually
performed for a few seconds when used in greeting or to show respect. Still, in most settings it's recommended that a mudra be held for at least a couple of minutes
or longer. </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e0a00;">Hold the finger-positions with both hands, at the same time. This will have a more powerful effect than doing a mudra with just one hand. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e0a00;">Using mudras in meditation is a particularly effective way to focus
the attention and establish intent. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e0a00; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mudras may be quite simple like the set of four used to balance vital energy in the body or they may be more elaborate such as these <a href="http://artfulmeditation.blogspot.com/p/meditation-mudras.html">meditation mudras</a>.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-59696768818528219772013-08-09T15:58:00.002-04:002013-08-09T16:17:25.426-04:00Three Simple Meditation Exercises<br />
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Exercise 1: One Minute of Mindfulness</h3>
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For the next 60 seconds your task is to focus all your attention on nothing. That's right, nothing. For one minute, sit comfortably with your hands placed in your lap or on your thighs. Take a few breaths and release any tension in your body, especially the neck and shoulders. Gaze at a spot on the floor a few feet in front of you with soft focus--you look at it but you aren't really seeing it. Allow the eyelids to close half way. </div>
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Don't focus your attention, just sit there and do nothing. Breathe normally. If you mind wanders, notice that you are having thoughts and then let them dissolve and then allow the mind to empty again.</div>
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This exercise is simply for practice. It's not a personal challenge. Don't try to accomplish anything, just allow yourself the freedom to be whatever you are in the moment.</div>
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This exercise can be used often to calm the mind and restore clarity. You can gradually extend the duration of the exercise into longer periods.</div>
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Exercise 2: Conscious Observation</h3>
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Pick up an object that you have lying around. Any everyday object that you can easily hold in your hand will do. Allow your attention to become slowly and fully absorbed by the object. Just observe it as it is. Don’t critique it or try to imagine how it was formed our how it came to be in your possession. Just notice it's shape, it's color, it's hardness, it's weight, all it's properties without judgment or analysis.<br />
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You may feel a heightened sense of awareness or "being awake" during this exercise. Conscious observation is a subtle but very powerful form of meditation.</div>
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Exercise 3: Mindfulness Triggers</h3>
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In this exercise you pay attention to nothing or to your breath. It doesn't matter if your mind wanders because you will hear a bell at regular intervals that will remind you to drop the thinking and refocus. </div>
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This exercise was designed for one of my classes and I was ringing the bell but you can use this technique during the day by choosing any environment trigger you like. I know one guy who has chosen to use traffic lights to remind him to pay attention to the moment. You might choose to become mindful every time you look in the mirror or wash your hands. I'm practicing becoming mindful every time I hear the words, "You ought to...."</div>
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Mindfulness triggers is an excellent technique designed to snap you out of the unconscious “autopilot” state of mind. </div>
gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-74499586307236837252013-03-20T14:07:00.004-04:002013-03-20T14:07:42.009-04:00Following the BreathBreath awareness is the foundation technique for mindfulness practice. It is the first technique we learn and, no matter where our path leads, we continue to come back to the breath regularly.<br />
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I use different guided imaginings to teach the concept of mindfully paying attention to the breath so I'll provide a sampling here for discussion. These meditation principles may be practiced just as they are to receive the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness but be aware that I leave out several details taught in my classes--only for the sake of brevity.<br />
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Sit with posture erect and hands resting comfortable in the lap. Hold the head erect and close the eyes. Breathe normally and pay close attention to what it feels like to breath. You may notice the rush of air past the nostrils or the expanding chest cavity or the movement of the abdomen. Movement in the abdomen is very important since abdominal breathing (noted by the slight expansion of the belly when breathing in) is the most efficient method of breathing. If your breathing causes a lot of movement in the upper chest and very little movement in the abdomen, you should practice breathing into the belly.<br />
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That's it. We're done.<br />
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Well, not exactly done. Paying attention to breathing is all we're doing with this meditation technique but we find that our minds are constantly busy thinking up very interesting ideas that tend to grab our attention. The thoughts may be pleasurable, although studies show that most often they are not, but no matter what the thought (or emotion) our minds get carried away with the story the thoughts are telling. At some point we realize we are 'thinking' and we intentionally let the thought go and bring our attention back to breathing.<br />
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You might think of thoughts as soap bubbles that come floating into view from the dark recesses of the mind. The bubbles shimmer with attractive colors and we begin paying attention to them instead of our breath. When we become aware of the distraction, we allow the bubble to pop and concentrate on our breath once more. The process repeats. Eventually, we find that we have fewer distracting thoughts and longer periods of time between them.<br />
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It takes practice. But don't be discouraged. Mindfulness is described as paying close attention, without judgement and without striving. That means we don't criticize ourselves for being distracted and we don't try really, really hard to stop thinking. We can't stop thinking anyway, no more than we can stop breathing.<br />
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Here's another piece of visual imagery that is popular with my students. A pebble falls into a still pool of water. Ripples disturb the surface of the water. The pebble falls straight to the bottom of the pool where it nestles snugly into the wet sand. Here the pebble is supported, stable and it abides for a while, for a long while in fact. The ripples on the surface of the water break up the light and patterns of shadow move across the surface of the pebble. Debris from the bottom of the pool is thrown up at impact and swirl around the pebble. Yet, through all this, the pebble is not distracted from the act of being a pebble. The pebble remains a pebble.<br />
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When you seat yourself and close your eyes, you become the pebble falling into the water. At first, the mind disperses debris in the form of thoughts into the pool of your mind. The thoughts swirl around but you pay no attention to them and just like that pool of water, the debris will settle down again and all will become still and quiet.<br />
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Just be you. Just be the pebble. Don't be the bubble.<br />
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Hints:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Don't try to stop your thoughts, simply notice your thoughts and bring attention back to breathing</li>
<li>Don't criticize yourself for not "doing it properly"</li>
<li>Don't try to stop thinking</li>
<li>Determine how long you will meditate and stay seated in practice for that specific time</li>
<li>Eventually your mind will get the message and remain relatively quiet until you open your eyes</li>
</ul>
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<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-57177886853299273542013-03-19T14:16:00.003-04:002013-05-12T06:45:43.852-04:00Imagine Breathing<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555;">Tich Nhat Hanh, one of the best know and most respected meditation masters in the world today, tells us that the breath is a bridge connecting our physical living body to consciousness.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We generally are not conscious of breathing. After all, it's easy to "forget" about something we do every minute of every day of our lives. When you pay attention to the sensation of exhaling and inhaling, you are connecting with a basic and vital part of you. When you focus your attention completely on breathing, you are reminded of something that is truly important in life--the present moment and the fact that you are alive.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we allow our minds to get carried by thoughts and emotions, we lose touch with the most important aspects in our lives. A recent study conducted worldwide involving tens of thousands of people in about 50 different countries, found that by far most of our thoughts, the ones that get our mental attention, are negative and stressful. By making a conscious effort to pay more attention to our breathing every day reduces the effects of stress and actually prevent a lot of the stress in the first place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the next few days, in addition to practicing a basic breathing meditation once or twice a day, make an effort to pay attention to your breath no matter what you are doing: whether you are eating, showering, commuting to work or buying the groceries. Really feel the sensation of the air rushing in and out of your mouth and nose. Notice the movement of your body with each inhalation or exhalation. Notice too that not only your chest moves but so does your tummy. In fact, if you don't feel movement in the abdomen when you breath, then your internal organs, including your brain, are not benefiting as much as they should. Search for the posting concerning abdominal breathing on this blog site.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As you practice paying attention to your breath, you might want to try one of the exercises below:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">EXERCISES</span></b></span><br />
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<ul>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Imagine breathing in white light and breathing out the stagnant or negative energy in your body.</span></li>
<li style="color: #555555; font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Imagine breathing in healing energy through your crown chakra (at the top of your head) and breathing compassion out through your heart for the whole world.</span></li>
<li style="color: #555555; font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Imagine a mantra (a word like peace) every time you breathe in and breathe out.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>WHEN FEELING ANXIOUS</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><ul>
<li>Take a deep breath thinking, I am powerful.</li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Take a second deep breath thinking, Life is truly wonderful.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Take a third deep breath thinking, I am enough for anything that comes my way</span></li>
</ul>
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gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-32407850175300639752013-03-07T11:02:00.002-05:002013-03-07T11:02:20.807-05:00The Many Are OneBack as far as our written records take us, mindful practices around the world have insisted on the sameness of all things. We are told that we are all alike and that all the diversity in the world is not many but one. To paraphrase Shakespeare's analogy, all the world is one stage and we are all actors playing our part in one great play. Whatever we do on stage directs the course of the play and will affect every actor, not just a few.<br />
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Back as far as our written records take us, we human beings have seen ourselves as a small troupe of actors playing our parts on a local stage. Other people in the world are strange actors playing questionable parts in theaters that are in competition with ours and might possibly be a threat to our play. We know that our play--our way of living--is good and worthy and right but we suspect that the other is not as good and may even be bad or unwholesome. Ignore it if you can, dominate it if you must.<br />
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Modern neuroscience has tools to actually map the neural dimensions of empathy--the resonance we feel with the experiences of others, even an inner experience like grief, shame, or loneliness. This resonance center lights up when we identify with another's pain or joy. When we harshly judge another person or another culture, that resonance center shuts down. Without the understanding that we are all the same, it is easy to accept that other people are not like us, lacking the full complement of human traits perhaps, not quite as worthy of respect and acceptance.<br />
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This lack of understanding and the fear that arises from a perceived threat, even a non-existent threat, may cause us to react impulsively, lose our emotional balance, and fall short of moral reasoning. The culture of violence we hear so much about today is made stronger when we get caught up in base reaction to the alarms raised by the brain's fight or flight center. Perhaps this is why so many spiritual practices around the world teach us to treat others the way we want to be treated. A simple concept but not easy to practice without the proper tools.<br />
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Mindfulness is a process through which we learn how our minds work. We learn to pay attention to the emotional stories arising from our fear centers and we are able to remain rational and respond with greater compassion and understanding. Mindfulness is a powerful tool that allows us to treat others as we would be treated because we understand that we and others are the same.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-30582496408840160512013-02-07T09:24:00.001-05:002013-03-19T14:08:26.720-04:00How Does Mindfulness Work<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mindfulness is a very specific kind of mental exercise for our brains. Each area in the brain has a specific function. Some areas are dedicated to vision, hearing, our sense of touch, our movements, emotion, and so on. Since each little bit has its own unique function, we target specific functional areas and get predictable results from mindfulness exercise.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our brains, like other organs in our bodies, are built to adjust to changes in demand. Our muscles are a classic example of a structure in our body changing from demands. When we exercise the muscles of our body, they make tremendous adjustments based on the demands such as lifting more weight--specifically, the muscles get bigger and stronger. When our brains adjust to demands, though, they don't bet bigger, because swelling inside the head is a <i>very</i> bad thing. So instead of swelling, our brains adapt in a unique way -- they <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580438,00.html">restructure their connections</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">The number and strength of the connections between our brain cells determine a lot about how we behave and think. (The chemicals present in our brains play a large role in behavior too but we'll have to get into that some other time). Each brain cell (neuron) communicates to the cells it is connected to. And like our social connections, our brain's connections can change, even in adulthood. We call that ability to change connections "neuroplasticity," and its discovery is something relatively new in science. Contrary to previous beliefs, we can learn and change even into old age.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">By practicing or rehearsing something, we <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2226848/Old-habits-die-hard--overwritten-New-study-raises-hopes-treatment-obsessive-behaviours.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">strengthen connections</span></a> </span>in our brains and that function becomes more efficient. It makes sense, right? You train to do something over and over, and it becomes faster and easier to do.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">The areas that are exercised when we practice mindfulness have to do with what we call ''direct experience.'' When we're experiencing something directly, we're fully enveloped by whatever we're doing. We are not thinking about the past, the future, or even about ourselves. Of course, direct experiences happen in our lives whether or not we practice mindfulness, and you can probably recall a time when you experienced this feeling of being completely enveloped. We sometimes refer to this as "being in the groove."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">But <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/4/313.short">studies</a> </span>have shown that people who practice mindfulness, even irregularly, have direct experiences more often. They also tend to have higher levels of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f9cb9c;"><a href="http://chp.sagepub.com/content/13/2/79.short">happiness</a>.</span> How is that possible? When you intentionally practice thinking good, pleasing, or positive thoughts, the brain builds neural pathways to support that attitude. Consequenlty, you have more positive, pleasing and good thoughts. It works the other way to so be careful what you spend time thinking about.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">In my experience with mindfulness, life circumstances don't need to change outwardly to see the improvements in our quality of life. We tend to appreciate, and become more grateful for the way things are. By noticing more of what's happening right now, we disengage from what happened in the past, and what might happen in the future. Our experiences feel enriched and have more meaning.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">It makes sense why <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"><a href="http://www.ecsa.ucl.ac.be/personnel/philippot/DocStudents/baer%202003%20mindfulness%20training%20as%20clinical%20intervention.pdf">mindfulness interventions</a> </span>are being tried and investigated for a variety of conditions, like<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2818765/">addictions</a>, <a href="http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1507&context=gsbs_diss">anxiety</a></span></span>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748911003373"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">depression</span></a>, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/mindful-ptsd.asp">post-traumatic stress disorder</a>.</span> A common symptom in these illnesses is that the person experiencing them has difficulty feeling connected to the current moment. Often, their past or worries of the future consume their thoughts, leading to strong negative emotions that influence their behaviors. With this in mind, the advantage of being connected to the current moment makes sense.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Of course, a mindful practice won't just benefit people who are struggling with mental or psychological illnesses. The implications for people who are otherwise well are that they too will be more and more connected to the current moment, letting go of what already happened and what is yet to happen.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Many people new to meditation mistakenly think they are going to change their mood or way of thinking right away. And when they practice and are not feeling an improvement in their moods afterward, or cannot help from noticing distracting thoughts, they assume they are doing it incorrectly, or that it's not working for them. A mindfulness practice isn't about being in a blissful mood all the time, it's about being in touch with reality, and accepting that reality. Accepting isn't the same as liking. Accepting simply means that it is part of your reality and it is healthier to recognize that it is so. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Before I leave the subject of unrealistic expectations, let me say that no matter how much experience you have practicing mindfulness, there will always be distractions and you will never control your thoughts. Accept it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">As our practices strengthen, we become better at simply noticing our judgements of liking/disliking that can skew our thoughts and actions. Then we are more likely to have patience between our emotions and our reactions. Our behaviors slowly become more rational, beneficial, and compassionate as we understand ourselves and our tendencies. We gain a greater sense of what we can and cannot control, and prevent much of the conflict that comes from confusing these things. As this happens, life flows and things just make sense.</span></div>
gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-79877339798622884922013-02-05T19:41:00.001-05:002013-02-05T19:42:12.344-05:00The Art of Living Meditation<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Human beings need space to foster an inner life that nourishes and sustains. Without it, the spirit declines and weakens. Living Meditation is a practice that enables us to reclaim a healthy spiritual attitude, which in turn enables us to reach our full potential. Living Meditation is a technique for discovering life in the space between the moments of ordinary living. It is about rediscovering that the ordinary life is extraordinary after all.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Many of us work more than we’d like, we run around more than we’d planned, and we’re called on to do much more than we ever thought would be expected. Too often we feel detached from the things we love most--home, family, friends. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We think of the time we arrange to respond to friends, children, pets, loved ones, as quality time and indeed it is so. The time we take to tune in to our own needs and respond to them is also quality time. Because it is necessary to take care of ourselves in order to effectively take care of others, this time is beyond quality time, it is crucial time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The comfort we derive from a spiritually rich environment actually deepens the reserves of generosity we have to draw from for friends, strangers, and favored causes. The more fulfilled we feel, the more likely we are to have the energy to give to others.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the practice of Living meditation, we rediscover that we are good people who deserve a good life and that good life is is there for us if only we will receive it. Most of us have forgotten this truth. We think that we are not quite good enough and that others seem to know something we don’t. We try to copy the lives of others—celebrities, friends, family, anyone who seems to have the life we want. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The antidote to these thoughts is love, of course. Love is an amazing commodity that spreads to fill the space available. Treating others to the healing power of love, or a little respect if there is someone you haven’t been able to love, is the way to take care of ourselves. Love’s healing activity spreads outward as we care for the place we live and for the plants, animals, and people who inhabit it with us. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When you operate from awareness that you are a divine creature and that the time allotted to you is a precious gift, then every activity you engage in is spiritual activity and every moment is precious.</span></div>
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<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-44710140566752275992012-09-17T10:13:00.000-04:002012-09-17T10:15:23.054-04:00Twice the Joy: Half the StressModern neuroscience is beginning to explain how our thoughts make fundamental changes in the brain and in the way we view the world. The lab results and clinical studies don't change anything about mindful practice but the findings do help to motivate the skeptical to meditate.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cabanas in the Courtyard at Straw Valley</span></div>
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By practicing the distilled essence of mindful meditation, we put ourselves in the path of greater happiness, love and wisdom. And from my perspecive, the greatest benefit of all is a greater sense of self worth and inner confidence.<br />
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In our practice of Artful Meditation and Fierce Qigong, we give up worry, sorrow and anger, and begin to experience inner calm, quiet joy and ready compassion. All that is required is an open mind and a willingness to give it a try. The beauty is that we don't even need to try hard--simply practice when you can and the benefits will follow. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but they always arrive in direct correspondence to your practice level.<br />
<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-10818443603345434362012-09-07T12:53:00.001-04:002012-09-17T10:15:42.092-04:00Change Your Habits: Change Your Life<br />
It is easy to be controlled by habit. Our neural pathways take in far more information than we can analyze and one way the conditioned mind deals with information overload is to look for patterns. Turns out that the mind is so incredibly efficient at finding patterns, that it routinely finds them even when no patterns actually exist.<br />
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Patterns become encoded into habits to make it easier to respond to the tsunami of stimuli. The result is that when someone says "food fight," we begin jumping around and waving the hands. Well, it is possible I suppose that it's a different trigger and response for you personally, but you get the idea.<br />
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When an intriguing new idea comes along that we would like to try in our lives--it might be that we decide to stop smoking or we might even decide to stop burning--doesn't matter what it is really. The point is that we decide to give it a try but then we run up against habit. The new behavior is not in our repertoire and we find it exceedingly difficult to follow through with our plan.<br />
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This idea of habits was discussed recently on Hugh McLeod's blog, which is a location that I strongly recommend. Many good ideas there. <a href="http://www.gapingvoidart.com/good-intentions-p-2783.html">You can find it by clicking here:</a></div>
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Hugh's comment perfectly encapsulates the message: "Habits eat good intentions for breakfast." Please remember, all the credit for this comment goes to Hugh, not me.</div>
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Habits have both a trigger and a response. A best way to change a habit and make it a useful tool rather than an obstacle is through mindfulness. Why? Because we often aren't even aware of our habits and how they control our lives. Through the art of paying close attention to what is happening in our lives, we shine light on those habits and clearly identify the ones that don't work for us any more--assuming that they once had a good purpose.<br />
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When we identify the trigger that leads to the habitual response, we simply replace the old response with the new one. Now when someone says "food fight" we respond with the healthier new behavior.<br />
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Over the next few days, we will be discussion specific meditation techniques for retooling those old habits. Watch for the label: Change Your Life.<br />
<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-88046848230278719362012-09-07T10:50:00.001-04:002012-09-07T10:50:22.815-04:00A Little InsightSometimes the conditioned mind works wonderfully for us. After all, its original purpose was to help us survive in a hostile world. Any yet, sometimes it seems to be the problem. The analogy of a wild fire works for me. My mind sometimes keeps reminding me of possibilities that I don't really help me and my serenity, my concentration, and my health--emotional and physical--are burned, charred and ashed. Mindfulness allows us to see that the wild fire is an illusion, even though the burning and suffering is real.<br />
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Meditation is the gateway to our comfort zone. It is a process that teaches us to let go of habitual clinging to and desire for the "things" of life that pollute our mind and, in the process, we reconnect with our true self. Our stable, calm, sure self.<br />
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We have allowed many of our skills to weaken, we have lost touch with our innate powers, and we have forgotten much of in-born knowledge of how to live happily; all because of dependence on so many external things.<br />
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Mindfulness meditation restores our capacity as powerful beings and refills us with stillness, compassion and empathy. In our daily lives we release the sparks of love and blessing that have the power to renew and revitalize the world.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-20150756020954333732012-06-13T11:30:00.001-04:002012-09-07T10:30:19.833-04:00Meditation in the CourtyardLife comes hard and fast in the modern world and we need to be centered and ready for whatever comes our way. The martial artists of the Shaolin Temple in China get centered and ready for whatever their kung-fu opponents might do by meditating in the courtyard. Now you too can meditate in the courtyard to become centered and ready for whatever life brings your way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/256383811131695/">Meditation in the Courtyard at Straw Valley</a></div>
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Sunday mornings: 10 to 11 AM</div>
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$7.00 per class</div>
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Classes open with an introduction to Qigong, the ancient Chinese healing movement practice, sometimes called Taoist Yoga. The formal period of meditation follows the energizing Qigong. Classes are designed to be suitable for beginners as well as for those with meditation experience.<br />
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Come benefit from mindfulness meditation in the beautiful, relaxing setting of Straw Valley. No need to pre-register. Just bring a yoga mat or cushion to sit on. Hope to see you there.<br />
<br />gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-90168619781217468332011-06-03T14:45:00.001-04:002011-10-23T14:17:42.645-04:00Bardo of MeditationMeditation is a state of consciousness marked by an openness and a clarity of mind far different from anything we experience in our ordinary state of consciousness. This non-ordinary state is only found in the gaps between the thoughts and emotions that flood our mind almost continuously.<br />
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The intermediate period between thoughts and emotions provide a brief reprieve from stress and anxiety and offer a glimpse of the bliss to be found in the boundless state of just being. In the vajrayana traditions of India and Tibet, this intermediate period is known as the bardo of meditation.<br />
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A passage from the Tibetan Book of the Dead tells us...<br />
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Now when the bardo of meditation dawns upon me,<br />
I will abandon the crowd of distractions and confusions,<br />
Rest in the boundless state without grasping or disturbance,<br />
And gain stability in creation and completion.<br />
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Creation and completion are two terms with specific meanings for vajrayana meditation. A simplistic explanation is that creation is the deliberate repetition of techniques that lead to mastering a new skill. Eventually we develop an adeptness that becomes an automatic ability, easily drawn upon whenever desired--the state of completion. Learning to ride a bicycle is a good example of the process.<br />
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To learn to ride means paying attention to all the details--pedaling to keep the bike moving; turning the handlebars to stay on the path; moving the body back and forth to maintain balance. But when we have mastered the bicycle, we can enjoy the ride without great effort. We can focus on the wind in our hair and the cooling breeze on our face without worrying about ending up in the ditch. <br />
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The same concepts apply to meditation. In the beginning, we pay great attention to breathing, to posture, to remaining awake to the enchanting stories of our thoughts. But when we have mastered entering the bardo of meditation, we can abandon the crowd of distractions and confusion and rest in a boundless state of bliss, experiencing life exactly as it is, one eternal moment at a time.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-89517975030333439682011-03-31T14:54:00.001-04:002011-03-31T15:02:13.656-04:00Meditation To GoNeed help staying on focus? Find yourself distracted by off-topic mind wandering? Mindfulness can restore balance and help you stay tuned-in to the things that matter most to you.<br />
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Several research studies point to the benefits of meditation for physical and emotional well-being, including the reduction of the stress hormone, cortisol, and improvement in overall mood. Meditation has been shown to help people coping insomnia and depression and medical illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and multiple sclerosis.<br />
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The classic mindfulness technique of following the breath, keeps your attention on the very center of things, where all your options wait to be discovered. That's great news but who has time to practice mindfulness? Just about everyone it seems. Formal mindfulness meditation may be learned in quiet, still places, but it is meant to be practiced in everyday life, no matter how fast paced or stressful. In fact, the more stressful, the more immediate the benefits.<br />
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Here are a few simple tips for bringing mindfulness into everyday situations:<br />
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At the office....<br />
When you arrive at the office and are waiting for your computer to boot up, try sitting comfortably in your chair, settle into your body, and concentrate on your breathing for three minutes. Do nothing else. No talking, no reading, no listening to music. Simple sit, breath and pay attention to your breath. This technique, practiced every day will help break the cycle of launching yourself into the pressure cooker before the workday begins.<br />
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Driving...<br />
When you find yourself in the slow lane coming home from work, instead of mentally asking "Why me?", concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing, acknowledge the frustration as a temporary annoyance, and realize that what is happening is simply happening. It is not happening "to" you.<br />
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Washing your hands...<br />
It's important. Hospitals now train their health givers to wash their hands thoroughly and often to prevent the spread of germs. Public health offcials tell us that simply washing our hands often helps to prevent colds and flu. Next time you wash yours, take your time. It takes all of a full minute. Stop talking. Don't think about what your going to do next. Follow the breath and come home to the body. Carefully adjust the water temperature and notice the sensory experience of the soaping and massaging the hands. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry, being aware of how each activity feels.<br />
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That's all it takes to experience all the physical and emotional benefits of meditation. A few minutes each day that you are going to devote to the activity anyway. The only thing you need to do differently is be intently aware of what your doing.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-26805382411598073242011-03-17T21:07:00.001-04:002011-03-20T20:32:24.965-04:00Live Life on Life's TermsIn his wonderful book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Miracle-of-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B001M0NC16">"The Miracle of Mindfulness"</a>, Thich Nhat Hanh writes...<br />
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"But active, concerned people don't have time to spend leisurely, walking along paths of green grass and sitting beneath trees. One must prepare projects, resolve a million difficulties, there is hard work to do. One must deal with every kind of hardship, every moment keeping one's attention focused on the work, alert, ready to handle the situation ably and intelligently.<br />
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Then how are we to practice mindfulness?<br />
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My answer is: keep your attention focused on the work, be alert and ready to handle ably and intelligently any situation which may arise--this is mindfulness. There is no reason why mindfulness should be different from focusing all one's attention one's work, to be alert and to be using one's best judgment. During the moment one is consulting, resolving, and dealing with whatever arises, a calm heart and self-control are necessary if one is to obtain good results. If we are not in control of ourselves but instead let our impatience or anger interfere, then our work is no longer of any value."<br />
-- Thich Nhat Hahn, The Miracle of Mindfulness, An Introduction to the Practice of Meditationgwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-29131228282322775672011-03-05T13:01:00.010-05:002011-03-17T20:32:13.713-04:00A Key to Creativity"When we daydream, we're at the center of the Universe," says neurologist Marcus Raichle of Washington University in St. Louis, who first the described, in 2001, the neural network that is most active when we are daydreaming.<br />
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In 2009, Jonathan Schooler and his colleagues at the University of British Columbia, published the first study to directly link creativity with mental activity in this network, now dubbed the "default network" because it is the region of mental activity that engages when our minds are not focused on specific tasks, a condition that Schooler calls "off-task thinking."<br />
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To enhance creativity, it is important to pay attention to daydreams. "What we find," says Schooler, "is that the people who regularly catch themselves [daydreaming]--who become mindfully aware that they are doing it--seem to be the most creative."<br />
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Creativity is an innate ability in human beings. We have practiced creative thinking and creative problem solving over the millenia and our continued presence on the Earth is evidence of our mastery of the process. But modern society has conditioned our minds to constantly analyze our outer environment and to ignore the inner.<br />
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Artful Meditation workshops teach the mindfulness techniques of moment-by-moment awareness and the willful "coming back" to the here-and-now. With these techniques and with exercises that promote daydreaming, we become connected to our creative powers through the "default network."gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-20915959427773132582011-02-13T14:07:00.007-05:002011-02-18T22:24:46.983-05:00Creatively MindfulCreativity is enhanced by being more fully in the present moment where we have more options for self-expression. In fact, the here-and-now has all our real options; no other options exist. With conscious awareness of all our options, we can find better solutions, see more possibilities, and better enjoy the creative experience.<br />
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Creativity and meditation occupy a very similar type of awareness: engaging one supports and augments the other.<br />
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Artful Meditation workshops provide opportunities to explore deep awareness with a particular focus on creative expression. Often what holds us back from being more fully present are our judgments an our sense of "who we are." When we learn to cultivate creative mindfulness, we reconnect with the Muses and are able to explore new pathways to working with our selves in a friendlier, non-judgmental way so that we can observe and diminish self-judgment and negative criticism. We stop being our own worst enemy and become our best ally.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-3382354935901577542010-09-11T07:12:00.006-04:002011-02-14T19:45:43.393-05:00Who Are You Really?We simply have no tolerance for uncomfortable situations. We cannot wait to get away from anyone and anything that makes us feel uneasy. Some of us become expert at avoiding those situations. This tendency to stay away from what we don't understand slows our growth as human beings. We cannot run from life and yet hope to be fully participating in its richness. The better path is the one that leads us to higher levels of comfort in the larger arena.<br />
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Artful Meditation is a vehicle for learning how to become comfortable in difficult situations and how to engage with people who make us uneasy. Mindfulness-awareness practice is the foundation of Living Meditation training. It provides the tools for cultivating loving-kindness and compassion, the qualities we need to be comfortable with life.<br />
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Artful Meditation practice moves us closer to our thoughts and emotions and brings us back to awareness of our bodies. This full immersion in the waters of life washes away the veil of indifference that separates us from the lives, indeed the suffering, of others. It is our vehicle for learning to be a truly loving person.<br />
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What we discover is that it was our fear of what we didn't know that made us uncomfortable and the greatest unknown in our lives was--ourselves. Artful Mediation helps us to become comfortable with who we are and then we can face the world with confidence.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-87180360654891305352010-09-07T23:15:00.004-04:002010-11-26T20:49:24.758-05:00Escaping the TrapThe mouse that gets caught in the trap because it can't resist trying to eat the cheese is a familiar analogy for the pain caused by holding onto old ideas that no longer work or false ideals that never worked. <br />
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No matter how we get ourselves trapped, our usual reaction is to blindly reach for something familiar that we associate with reward even though it invariably leads to dissatisfaction and disappointment. <br />
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The most common way of medicating the pain and ignoring the part we play in setting our own traps is through the subtle and seductive games of the conditioned mind. Our everyday mind avoids uneasiness by seeking special states. Drugs are often used for the purpose but we are proficient at using many things to avoid facing our true condition. Sports, spiritual practices, community service, the list is endless. These special states of mind brought about by participation in ego-flattering activities are addictive because they make us feel good, though only for a short time.<br />
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When we don't run away from the mundane activities of life and instead pay attention to how we feel and how we behave, we encounter the extraordinary in the everyday. Our innate wisdom is a natural force that emerges when we stop fighting it.<br />
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The radical approach, as incredible as it may sound, is to pay attention to our behavior and to our emotions. Without judgement, we recognize exactly what is happening in our daily lives. Eventually, we decide to stop getting in the way of our happiness.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-26721710593655678772010-08-15T12:32:00.001-04:002010-11-26T20:52:16.657-05:00A New HappinessThere is peace and tranquility in nature. Rural areas are mercifully lacking the distractions found in the city. In urban settings, we sometimes need to retire to our bedroom or study to find the same peaceful solitude. Peace and quiet is the perfect setting for learning to meditate. Our everyday mind is adept at grabbing hold of every little distraction and when we find a quiet place, it's easier to get centered and settle down.<br />
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The peace and tranquility we seek doesn't wait for us in the country side, however, nor is it a feature of the back room. We bring the balance with us when we close the door and light a candle. We take the tranquility to the outback. In the wild expanse of the outdoors, there is a constant struggle for life to continue. Most wild things are focused on survival just long enough to pass their genes on to the next generation. We're all aware of that. We've seen it enough on National Geographic and Animal Planet. The serenity we see when we look out over a deep mountain lake embowered in spruce and fir is simply another illusion. It's a pleasant illusion that probably has some healthful benefit for us but an illusion all the same.<br />
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If we must rely on the outside world to be quiet and peaceful for us to find peace of mind, then we're going to live with a lot of frustration and anxiety. Our lives will not be balanced and our plans will be derailed. The truth is that, at any moment, in the country or the city, at work or at home, disturbances appear, often without warning.<br />
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If we want to approach life with stability of mind and the flexibility to deal with whatever may come our way, then we must stop looking for these qualities in the outside world. My first Zen instructor used to tell me to abandon myself to living life on life's terms. He told me this over and over but I was slow in coming to realize that he meant I should practice meditation in the eternal moment--all the time.<br />
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When I remember his teaching, I find that I can negotiate any path. Instead of relying on something out there to go my way, rather than hoping for a break, I look to the calmness and stability that I've cultivated within. One of the promises of meditation is that we come to know a new peace and a new happiness; we come to intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us. This promise has come true in my life and it has come true in the lives of millions of others. It will come true for you if you practice.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-53031163892193312642010-04-24T18:45:00.004-04:002010-11-26T20:58:12.122-05:00Hidden in Plain SightThe true nature of reality is that nothing remains the same. Everything changes. We see this everywhere. People come into our lives and then they go. Jobs come and go. Our interests wax and wane. <br />
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We search earnestly for the truth in science, religion, politics, Hollywood, and literature, every aspect of our lives, and yet we don't see the truth right in front of our eyes. We even do this right now--the only time and place that we can truly see. We consider the here and now but we are caught up in our thinking, rational minds. How can we see the truth while we are paying attention to our thoughts, the home of our fears, neighbors of our anxiety, our desire, our paranoia? That's not where truth lives. That's the realm of the shared delusions that we pretend is reality.<br />
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We have individual delusions too. We have our personal story line about who we are and what we do and why we matter. Most importantly, we adopt prescribed roles that tell us what to accept and not accept. Doesn't matter of course. What we accept or don't has nothing to do with what actually happens, except that we feel obligated to approve and reward what we like and become stressed, frustrated, aggravated and depressed over what we don't. We get so absorbed into what we think, that we become virtual prisoners to it.<br />
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When we look carefully at what we actually experience, we will realize that it's not a world in constant flux, it's rather the constant change that we experience. There is nothing to experience if there is no change. Reduce every quantum probability to zero and, presto, nothing to experience.<br />
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If our hope lies in finding happiness in the realm where everything is constantly changing, then we are running on empty promises and we are essentially hopeless. The only source of hope and of happiness is in this eternal moment, where we are free of impermanence, for it is in the moment that we have our only existence. The only way to get there is to get passed our conditioned mind, beyond our desire and our fear, away from the realm of thought and into a place of open awareness. I know of no other way to do that than through meditation.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-38880712879610788602010-04-11T12:17:00.003-04:002010-11-26T20:58:51.678-05:00Be Your True SelfA group of goats came upon an orphaned tiger cub and they decided to care for the little tiger like one of their own. The little one began to think that he must be a goat. He learned to bleat and to eat grass and eventually became a very poor specimen of a tiger. <br />
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One day a large male tiger attacked the flock and all the goats scattered except for the little tiger that was too weak and scrawny to get away. The big tiger stared at him amazed.<br />
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"Are you living here with these goats," asked the adult. "Maaaaaaa" said the little tiger. The adult tiger pondered the situation for a few moments and then brought the little fellow to a still pond.<br />
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“Look into the water with me,” said the big tiger and the little one did so and saw his face for the very first time. "You see,” said the larger tiger, “you look just like me. You’re a tiger, not a goat. You’re a tiger like me. Be like me.” <br />
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Now, that's the stuff of transformation: ‘Be like me.’ My first Zen master told me that I could learn to live a life of joy. I told him that I doubted this because no matter how hard I tried, I never seemed to be happy. He then asked if I thought that he lived a joyful life. I confessed that I did think so. “All you need to do is believe that it works for me and then do what I do,” he said. In other words—‘be like me.’ <br />
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That big tiger took the little one back to his den and began to feed him meat for the first time. The little one protested, “But I eat grass”. “Nonsense,” said the adult, “eat this, it’s good for you.” The little tiger gagged at first. <br />
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Traditions all around the world agree that when we are first fed the truth, we find it hard to accept. Just like the little tiger, and just like me, we gag because we’ve been conditioned to swallow something else, even though it isn’t good for us.<br />
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Eventually, after a diet of his true food, the little tiger grew into what nature had intended. He was happier and was able to live his life fully, just as he was meant to live.<br />
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Practicing meditation is the path that leads to the reflecting pool. The still water in which we see our true reflection is the stillness of our deep consciousness. The act of living mindfully, fully aware of our true nature, is the food that best nourishes us.<br />
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Most of us are tigers, living our lives as goats. It is social conditioning that teaches us to become something less than we are meant to be. We try to live as we’ve been told but, deep down inside, we all know that something is wrong.<br />
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Look into your own inner stillness and see the reflection of your true face. Don’t continue to live a life that you weren’t meant for. You’re just like me. Be like me.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5680737070676555768.post-36672432062009465882010-03-07T20:04:00.013-05:002011-02-19T00:03:23.853-05:00Be Ready for AnythingLife comes at you hard. Be ready for it. Stay centered and balanced. That way you can respond from a position of strength to anything that comes your way.<br />
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When you escape the constraints of conditioned thinking, you will gain clarity of mind and see your options more clearly. You will recognize that you have everything you need to deal with life and deal with it more effectively. You will stop relying on common sense, the reasoning based on social convention, and you will rely instead on uncommon sense, which comes when you see things as they really are. <br />
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As in martial arts training, <a href="http://artfulmeditation.blogspot.com/p/living-meditation.html">Artful Meditation</a> teaches you to keep your center of gravity, to remain balanced at all times, so that no matter what comes and no matter from which direction it comes, you are ready for anything. <br />
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If you make preparations based on expectations from past experience, then you will not be prepared when something different assails you. By the time you reposition yourself to react to the unexpected events, it's too late. You are forced to react defensively.gwnfyddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08006279082694607339noreply@blogger.com0