One of the biggest inhibitors of a regular meditation practice is stimulants. Whether you realize it or not, most processed American diets are full of them. Natural and artificial.  Sugar, corn syrup, cocoa are some of the easiest to identify. And once they are in the bloodstream they have a certain effect on the body that will have ramifications on your ability to meditate, and also your ability to sleep, concentrate and maintain a balanced perspective. The sad fact is, however, that there are many more stimulants and other additives that we American ingest that we don't even know are there. Why are our processed foods full of so many ingredients that can have an adverse effect on our health? Is it because stimulants are known to be addictive? Do we no longer find foods appetizing in their natural state? I don't know. And I certainly am not implying that anyone should ever feel guilty about eating something that they enjoy. I am merely suggesting that we cultivate a certain level of awareness about what it is that we are ingesting and the consequences on the mind/body complex. 

These are some things that may be helpful to keep in mind as you are taking your first steps in developing a daily meditation routine:

* Avoid trying to meditate on a full stomach.  

* Keep your system hydrated with plenty of pure (filtered, if possible) water. 

* Eat nutrient dense foods as close to their natural state as possible (ie. an actual piece of organic fruit instead of a fruit roll-up).

* If you are addicted to stimulants, try not to ingest them right before going to bed or before sitting down to meditate.

* When it comes to nutrition, keep it simple. If you don't recognize an ingredient in a product, don't eat it.

If you'd like to learn more about stimulants and other additives, what they are, where they can be found and their impact on our health, I've pasted some links below that you might find beneficial. 

Shanti,
  S.

Stimulants in Supplements: New Dangers Found in the Drugstore

Stimulants in Chocolate that are Not Caffeine

Potential Dangers of Artificial Dyes

Food Additives

This evening the Rothko Chapel held it's 30th Annual Houston Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. It was much different than I expected. There was little talk about giving thanks or feeling gratitude. People from 8 different faith traditions gathered to chant, sing, read from sacred scriptures and poetry. And some of them offered reflections on a chosen theme: Repentance. 

The participants were members of these local religious organizations:


Baha'is of Houston


Chung Mei Buddhist Temple


St. Philip Presbyterian Church


Hindu Temple of the Woodlands


Preksha Meditation Center


Congregation Beth Israel


Pink Iftar


The Zorathustri Heritage and Cultural Center

You couldn't ask for a more diverse group of speakers. Accordingly, they each had a perspective on the topic unique to their own faith. Moreover, their was a common thread in each of their expressions of the concept of repentance. What I understood each of them to express is that repentance is about change and turning toward that which is uplifting. It was a message of hope. It was an act of trust. And, perhaps most importantly, it was a doorway to a better understanding of what it means to live life as a human being. For the best way to a deeper understanding of our fellow earthlings - and thereby ourselves - is to listen.

Peace, Shalom, Shanti,
  S.

This evening we revisited one of my favorite pranayama exercises: Black Bee Pose (Bhringasan). As with every yoga posture, it has multiple benefits. It activates the Venus/Heart Chakra which is located along the spinal column in the center of the chest between the lungs. It also keeps the intestines healthy and prevents stomach disorders. It purifies the apana current, which is one of the key prana forces associated with the elimination organs of the body. This posture requires practice and concentration to master. Which brings me to the topic of this evening's blog.

Folks, it is vital that each of us find the techniques that work for us individually and practice them diligently. The techniques have little benefit if we practice them every so often with a distracted mind. Also, it is far better to dedicate ourselves to a handful of postures that we find personally beneficial than it is to have an entire repertoire of moves that may impress our friends, but that we don't really understand.

I'd like to take a moment to share an excerpt from the book The Mystical Science of Kriya Yoga by Goswami Kriyananda:

Strengthening the Life-Currents


Any time the prana current is strengthened in the body, two things occur:


1) Strengthening the current causes an increase in self-awareness. All yogic postures are ultimately directed toward increasing your self-awareness. As your self-awareness increases, you will become more aware of your body, taking better care of it. This will cause you to become more aware of your mind, and you will then also take better care of it. 
2) Ultimately, this causes the energies to ascend to higher chakras. This ascendency brings about higher awareness thus assisting in a more balanced self-awareness within your total being. Self-awareness assists in awakening greater balanced self awareness.



The primary concern of most people is with body beautiful and a healthy body. For most people, the concept of self-awareness may not be meaningful for quite some time. It should be understood, however, that the idea of a healthy body is definitely important. The person who is not concerned with his physical body will never truly become concerned with his brain. If a person is not concerned with his brain, he will never be concerned about his thoughts. If he is not concerned about his thoughts, he will never become concerned with what lies beyond thoughts... thus, the importance of the initial stage.


These are the stages of evolution in which we attempt to influx our energy back in order to make our vehicle more aware. At the the same time the energy fluxes back, it rises producing more self-awareness, and more balanced self-awareness. As we become more aware, we become more self-aware and we gain greater balanced self-awareness. We become more aware of how to live. We move from insanity to sanity. It is a movement from simple passion to compassion, from compassion to wisdom. Ultimately, this is the purpose of the yoga postures.

Find techniques that are meaningful to you. Explore them. Understand them. Practice them diligently. And you will find greater joy in the practice.

Shanti,
  S.

Yoga is a system of techniques to help you get where you want to go, to help you achieve your true purpose. Only you know what that purpose is. No one can tell you. No one can give you the answer, because you already know it...although you may not immediately have access to it. 

This evening we discussed techniques to help us access the subconscious mind. To reinforce particular behavior(s) and to help us become aware of the answers that we seek. Each person has a particular personality that is amenable to certain techniques. It is up to you to utilize the techniques that work best w/ your mind/body complex. Once you have found the techniques, they must be practiced to be effective. Repetition is key. No one can do the work for you. Walking the yogic path takes persistence, study, diligence.  It is not about seeking approval from others, for certainly someone will disapprove. It is not about looking to others for answers, for everyone has an opinion. Only you are capable of knowing yourself. And, like cultivating any relationship, the one you have with yourself takes patience and time. Caring for, loving, and nurturing yourself. The answers will come.

Shanti,
  S.

"Success should be measured by the yardstick of happiness;  by your ability to remain in peaceful harmony with cosmic laws."
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

"The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose.  Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose.  It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained."
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

You may or may not know this about me, but I'm a bit of a dreamer. That's part of the personality that came with the body that I live in. It likes looking out the window and just drifting off. You know, the kid in school that starts to copy something off the chalk board and then comes back to reality when the lesson is almost over. The one who dreams of faraway places and how much nicer it might be to travel there instead of staying here. Yep, that's me. While the mental field trips are fun, there's a problem with always wanting to be some place you're not - you miss the life you're living in.

Let me give you a recent example and tell me if you've ever had a similar experience.

I have had pets most of my life. Cats, dogs, birds, fish, mice, ect. I enjoy the company of other species and surround myself with them. But there is one pet that I didn't exactly choose. I inherited him when my mother transitioned eight years ago. He's a restless little dog and very demanding. Not like my other pets. Unless he is completely exhausted, he's always on the move. He wants to be let out until he's out. He wants to be let back in until I let him back in. He wants to be in my lap when I am busy on the computer. He wants me to put him down when I pick him up to hold him. He's like a lot of people, actually, now that I think about it. ;-) I've known this creature for almost 16 years and even in his old age he is just as active as the first day I met him. 

For all the years we've lived under the same roof, whenever I tell someone about this particular animal I say "I love him," and then qualify the statement by saying, "but I wouldn't have chosen a dog like him. He's too restless." I wanted him to be different. I wanted him to fit into my life the way I imagined that he should. And then one evening, not long ago, he stopped being restless. He became very still. Not resting. Deathly still. I wrapped him in a blanket and held him. And he let me. I talked to him for a long time. Hours. I checked his breathing. I stroked his head and looked into his eyes. A little guy this age doesn't have that many days left and I realized that he might be saying good-bye. He didn't seem to be in pain. So, I waited. And watched. And I was sorry. Sorry that I was wishing for something else when the little dog I had right here was so very special. I believe that if old dogs decide to leave this world quietly, you should let them. And, although I recognize that there is a spirit that lives in the body that never dies, I knew that I would miss him terribly when he departed this world. I began to cry. And I told him that I was sorry for all the missed opportunities that I could have spent interacting with him in his own unique way. If only...sound familiar?...if only he would stay a little longer, I would find a way to spend more time taking him for outings even if it was just to drive him around the block. He's quite old, so he can't walk as far as he used to, but I could drive him to the beach or take him camping...or really, really spend some time appreciating the little fellow...instead of complaining about him.

What do you think happened next? He climbed out of the blanket. He was shaky. I watched him and thought, okay, maybe he wants to live. It was 12:30a. by now, so I drove him to the closest veterinary clinic that I knew would be open. The tech took him to the back and after a few minutes, she called me into a room with a veterinarian. My little guy was walking around. He wasn't quite 100% yet, but he was going to be okay. We got back in the car and drove home. 

The point of this story is simple: Every moment that we have is precious. My life is perfect. Your life is perfect. Even the moments that we judge as imperfect are wonderful...if we could only be present to the wonder. There is no place better to be than right here. There is no life better than the one you're living right now. We don't always get a second chance, so be sure to be present in the life that you have.

Namaste,
  S.

We all begin somewhere on the path to enlightenment. It's a very personal journey and therefore we really can not compare our "progress" to another person's. But there is a place where all of us who practice yoga are headed. That place is Samadhi. 

Samadhi in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and all yogic traditions, including Kriya Yoga, is a higher level of meditation which transcends the realms of body, mind and intellect, and where the logical and analytical ability becomes silent. That does not mean that one loses the ability to be rational. On the contrary, the state of Samadhi is a completely balanced state of being.

Once a person passes through the other 7 stages of yoga and enters Samadhi, that person is no longer a student. That person is considered an initiate. 

The yogi is a scientist ever studying the mystery. Simply put, the mystery is the most important purpose of existence  - to understand life. Understanding life we recognize that we all live in a heaven or hell of our own making. The purpose of the practice of yoga is to attain a state of bliss. To understand that this day, this moment is part of your/our immortality. 

You are the result of all you have thought. I am the result of all that I have thought. The Universe supports every thought you/I/we choose to think and believe. When we practice living in the world in a balanced, feeling state, we naturally move toward that which is harmonious and peaceful. Surface perception does not reveal the true nature of the mind which is why, in yoga, we practice repeatedly to attain a deeper meditation, a deeper level of Samadhi. 

Samadhi is a soft, tranquil passivity which burns up our craving for things. In Samadhi you break the false attachment of "I" and come to understand that "I" is pure consciousness. This leads to unselfish love which is the ultimate discipline of yoga. Samadhi is not dependent on externals. To the lover, the World is the beloved. Love without grasping. And Truth is something that no one can give to you and no one can take away from you. It has no beginning and no end. It is always there. Waiting to be discovered.

Shanti, Prem and Namaste,
  S.

This evening we met @ the Rothko Chapel to hear the wisdom of Samani Sanmati Pragya and Samani Jayant Pragya, two revered Jain nuns. It was refreshing to listen to a presentation wherein the presenters didn't have any thing to sell. No books to sign. No business cards to hand out or pens with their names on them. They came with a simple message: ahimsa (nonviolence). 

To learn more about the Jains or, if you missed this evening's meditation, follow this link:

Jain Vishwa Bharti

They are located on the west side of town and have weekly meditation sessions and monthly meditation classes. 

Shanti,
  S.

Everything good in our lives is brought to us by another person. Every person is in our lives to teach us something about ourselves, about Life. I've spoken before about the Japanese practice of gratitude sometimes referred to as  okagesamade. Loosely, this is understood to mean "thanks to you." 

There is never a moment of our lives, no matter how seemingly impossible the  circumstance, wherein we can not find something to feel gratitude for. We can start where we are standing. Are we standing on a lawn someone else planted? Are we standing on a floor that someone else laid down or poured? We can say a silent "thank you" to them. Probably most of the food we eat was grown by someone else. (Thank you.) The clothes on our backs were probably made by someone else. (Thank you.) Or, for those folks that knit or sew, someone else sheared the sheep or harvested the cotton that created the fibers for the thread or the yarn. (Thank you, thank you, thank you.)

There are so many more reasons to feel gratitude on a deeper level. How many of us ever reflect on the miracle of being alive in a human body? Wow! Really, just sit and think about it for a moment. All of those cells are working away in our physical vehicles so that we can have this amazing experience and we are not even conscious that they are busy living and dying to keep the body going. The heart is beating, the lungs are breathing, on and on without our really paying much attention. But what if we did? What if we spent some time every day feeling grateful for the experience of living in a human body?

And what about the spirit living in the body? What if we were kind to ourselves and forgave ourselves for every perceived mis-step or imperfection? What would that be like? I am thinking that probably we would be feeling profound joy. 

And if we all recognized that every single person is having their own human experience, maybe we could find it in our hearts not to judge them. And in letting them be who they are we can do the same for ourselves. Just being. Present. Now.

Shanti,
  S.

Yoga is not a passive practice. It is a practice leading to conscious awareness. Begin to notice, without judging, your thoughts. Begin to notice what you are drawn towards. Your life is a movement toward something. It can be a movement toward greater joy. It can be a movement toward pain and despair. We have choices. And whether or not we choose to exercise those choices is still a choice. Let me give you an example...

Five people are sitting facing each other in the same geographical location. They are in the same place for the same purpose. After a little while they stand up and begin to walk around. Each one is drawn to something different. Perhaps, to an onlooker, it would appear that they are all five doing the same thing: wandering around within a few feet of each other. But all five people are going in different directions. After a few minutes they each return to their original location and sit in exactly the same positions from whence they began. As they relate their experiences it seems that they were (and are) in completely different worlds. One observes a nut on the ground and sunshine reflecting off a pool. Others are distracted by some activity near-by. While sitting, two people watch an object fall from above. One notices the pecan in the grass, the other the squirrel up in a tree. For five minutes, in the same general location, on the same day @ the same time, five people with the same goal - mindful awareness - have five completely different experiences. Why?

Concentration is an effortful holding of the mind to one thought. It is a continuous stream of thought. We need to practice concentration in order to be able to meditate. When we enter a light meditation, we experience brief mental quietude interrupted by intermittent thoughts. In deep meditation, however, we are effortlessly holding an intuitive feeling state. Effortlessly and without interruption.  Feeling is the precursor to thought. This is an expansive state. Feeling is an awareness that has no compulsion to it. It really doesn't matter what you meditate on, so long as it produces a pleasant feeling.

Let's look @ this another way. Notice what you feel. Right now, @ this moment, what do you feel? If you feel afraid, you will find yourself producing fearful thoughts. And so it is if you are feeling joyful. Joyful feelings, joyful thoughts. As we think, so too do we act. We can notice, without judging, the contents of our thoughts. You/we/us have the opportunity to change our thoughts. 

Meditation has three levels because the mind has three levels. We call these surface mind, inner mind and depth mind. Karma affects the surface mind. It can never affect the depth mind.

Regardless of how scattered the surface mind is, it can not and does not affect the tranquility of the depth mind. This tranquility exists for and within everyone.
Through meditation we are attempting to attune to and become aware of the inner mind, and then the depth mind. As I/you/we draw closer to this depth mind, there is more awareness of cosmic peace and tranquility. As I/we/you begin to bring our lives into greater balance and the meditation practice is established, it becomes easier and easier to be released from the thoughts and emotions of the day. Pulling away from sense objects and the activities of the senses is a major step towards meditation.

There are three distinct phases of meditation:
1) Mindfulness
2) Attentiveness
3) Wisdom

Begin with the practice of mindfulness. The rest will follow. Different paths. Same destination.

Shanti and Namaste,
  S.

Somewhere along the path we learn that we are responsible for the contents of our own minds.

By becoming conscious through the practice of meditation, we begin to see when a destructive thought arises in the mind. We have a choice: Allow the thought to repeat itself continually or observe it and let it go. This does not mean to avoid looking @ the contents of our minds. It simply means to learn detachment. Before we can change our thoughts (and thereby our habits), we have to be willing to really see what's there first. 

Sometimes, without realizing it, we surround ourselves with negativity. We play music with angry lyrics, we watch movies where people are being killed, we gravitate toward stories that illustrate the absolute worst human tendencies. If we fill our minds with horror, we think horrible thoughts. Thinking horrible thoughts, eventually, we say horrible things. If we think and say horrible things, then, perhaps, we might find ourselves becoming horrible. This leads to horrible behavior. 

There is a simple technique to change the habit of ruminating on the worst...make it a habit to fill your mind with the very best by surrounding yourself with beauty.

If we find ourselves wishing harm to another person, become aware of that thought and change it. Visualize something wonderful happening to that person. Wish them well and then let it go. Look @ the walls of your home. Look @ your book shelves. Try to fill your living space with objects that are uplifting, that you find beautiful. 

Here's an example of one way that I remind myself to be positive. When I read something inspirational or see a beautiful photograph in a magazine, I cut it out. I put the image on my refrigerator or I pin it to the wall of my studio. In this way I remind myself that Life is beautiful. I try to remember, if I find myself thinking an ugly thought, that I can replace it with something beautiful. 

By becoming more positive, we draw more beauty into our lives. Think of all the ways that you can surround yourself w/ beauty. 

Meditating on beauty is just as powerful. Visualize the most beautiful object or scene in nature. Do not meditate on a human being as this may draw a lot of emotionality into the consciousness making it difficult for the mind to settle down, to be uplifted. When you can see the object of beauty clearly, feel yourself drawing near to it. If it can be held, touch it. If it has an aroma, smell it. If it has a sound, listen to it. If it can be tasted, then experience it that way as well. When you are holding nothing but the object of beauty in your mind, when you are completely immersed in it, then notice how you feel. Yes, beauty is a feeling. Now, let go of the visual image of beauty and meditate on this feeling. When it is time to end your meditation, open your eyes slowly. Return to your outward senses slowly...and try to hold the feeling of beauty. 

Practicing this meditation technique gives us an important tool that we can use in our everyday lives. And we will be able to return to this beautiful feeling state anytime, any place, anywhere.

Shanti,
  S.