All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
- Anatole France
novelist, essayist, Nobel laureate
(1844-1924)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
It’s so interesting what happens when we stop seeing relationship success solely in terms of whether the connection lasts for a life-time, and start seeing relational success in terms of whether we have learned from it, expanded from it, grown to the next stage on our self-creation journey. When we move from this perspective, relationship becomes a wonderful depth charge for our own healing and expansion. Nothing to fear, just more grist for the soul mill. If we find a lifelong partner - great! - but if we don't, we get better at partnering with our inner lover.
- Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, see http://www.soulshaping.com/
The very fact that we are trying to heal our hearts in a world where so many have had to bury their hurt is already extraordinary. It may not seem like such a big deal, but when the energy has been moving in another direction for so many generations, it is quite a challenge to turn the tide. We are breaking new inner ground, after all. Cultures are inch worms, and so are individuals. It takes real time to effect sustainable change. Recognizing this should translate into giving ourselves a break when we can't quite get it perfect. Three steps forward, two steps back is still progress.
- Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, see http://www.soulshaping.com/
- Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, see http://www.soulshaping.com/
Learning to take care of oneself is a skill, a value, and an attitude.
To say one accepts that human beings are imperfect does not mean that you endorse their imperfection. You want to encourage those you are helping to greater heights and larger successes. But it is the recognition and encouragement of smaller successes that lead to such progress. In particular, helping people to think about how to take care of themselves, even if they continue to drink and take drugs, may be an entirely new attitude for some people. When they first start getting medical care for health problems, or eating well or avoiding infection, or staying out of legal trouble, or getting a place to live, or accumulating money, etc., this new attitude can grow so that it crowds out all problem drug use or drinking.
What we consider substance abuse therapy in the United States consists largely of exhortation—"quit drug taking and drinking!" Real therapists must know how to improve the conditions of a range of clients, from those who are ahead of the therapist in curing themselves, to those who merely need encouragement, to those who need help to avoid falling off the edge, to those who may have given up and who are waiting —or helping themselves—to die.
- excerpt from The Stanton Peele Addiction Website, on the subject of Harm Reduction
What we consider substance abuse therapy in the United States consists largely of exhortation—"quit drug taking and drinking!" Real therapists must know how to improve the conditions of a range of clients, from those who are ahead of the therapist in curing themselves, to those who merely need encouragement, to those who need help to avoid falling off the edge, to those who may have given up and who are waiting —or helping themselves—to die.
- excerpt from The Stanton Peele Addiction Website, on the subject of Harm Reduction
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
from Awakening the Spine, by Vanda Scaravelli
There is a division in the center of our back, where the spine moves simultaneously in two opposite directions: from the waist down towards the legs and the feet, which are pulled by gravity, and from the waist upwards, through the top of the head, lifting us up freely.
The pull of gravity under our feet makes it possible for us to extend the upper part of the spine, and this extension allows us also to release between the vertebrae. Gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but this attraction is not limited to pulling us down, it also allows us to stretch in the opposite direction towards the sky.
This is a natural process, ever-present not only in human beings but in all upright living things, in trees, in growing flowers and in plants. The roots of a tree are pulled deeply down towards the center of the earth while the trunk grows vertically towards the sky, elongating and spreading through the branches in the space around it. The deeper the roots penetrate into the ground, traveling below the surface of the earth, the taller and stronger grows the tree.
Above the surface of the earth the tree, mostly through its leaves, receives air, sun and rain water enabling it to develop its sap. Below the surface of the earth, by absorbing water and minerals through its rrots, the tree receives nourishment and strength.
This central point of the tree, where it touches the earth's surface, corresponds in our body to the waist at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra, where the human spine moves in both directions.
This inexplicable cosmic interconnection of dynamic movements, following the law of gravity, is the same that moves the planets and holds the different worlds together.
Gravity attracts a planet and it is this very attraction which creates the lightness that gives it the ability to rotate in its spiral "revolution".
Each of the yoga poses is accompanied by breathing and it is during the process of exhalation that the spine can stretch and elongate without effort. We learn to elongate and extend, rather than to pull and push. Elongation and extension can only occur when the pulling and pushing has come to an end; this is the revolution.
For this revolution to occur, the muscles must not be activated through tension or effort but only through the much more powerful wave of extension, which is produced by gravity and breathing. We make use of the force of "anti-force", which gives us a new flow of energy - a sort of anti-gravity reflex, like the rebounding spring of a ball bouncing on the ground.
The resulting wave is extraordinarily powerful and helps us to find the right approach: an unexpected opening follows, an opening from within us, giving life to the spine, as though the body had to reverse and awaken into another dimension.
* * * * * *
To relax is not to collapse, but simply to undo tension. This tension has been accumulated in the body and in the mind by years of forceful education. Tension is the result of will, effort and prejudice.
We have been trained, during the first part of our lives, to struggle to achieve. Now we have to work in the opposite direction, by letting go, giving place to a different action (if we can call it action), an "un-doing action". This will stop the habitual process of doing which has become mechanical.
The body in itself is healthy, but it has been ruined by all sorts of negative, destructive, guilt feelings. If one can avoid going in this negative direction, a positive attitude will take over and the body will then be able to start its recuperative function, its natural way of existing. There is nothing to be done. It is not a state of passivity but, on the contrary, of alert watchfulness. It is perhaps the most "active" of our attitudes, going "with" and not "against" our body and feelings.
There is beauty in the acceptance of what is.
The pull of gravity under our feet makes it possible for us to extend the upper part of the spine, and this extension allows us also to release between the vertebrae. Gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but this attraction is not limited to pulling us down, it also allows us to stretch in the opposite direction towards the sky.
This is a natural process, ever-present not only in human beings but in all upright living things, in trees, in growing flowers and in plants. The roots of a tree are pulled deeply down towards the center of the earth while the trunk grows vertically towards the sky, elongating and spreading through the branches in the space around it. The deeper the roots penetrate into the ground, traveling below the surface of the earth, the taller and stronger grows the tree.
Above the surface of the earth the tree, mostly through its leaves, receives air, sun and rain water enabling it to develop its sap. Below the surface of the earth, by absorbing water and minerals through its rrots, the tree receives nourishment and strength.
This central point of the tree, where it touches the earth's surface, corresponds in our body to the waist at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra, where the human spine moves in both directions.
This inexplicable cosmic interconnection of dynamic movements, following the law of gravity, is the same that moves the planets and holds the different worlds together.
Gravity attracts a planet and it is this very attraction which creates the lightness that gives it the ability to rotate in its spiral "revolution".
Each of the yoga poses is accompanied by breathing and it is during the process of exhalation that the spine can stretch and elongate without effort. We learn to elongate and extend, rather than to pull and push. Elongation and extension can only occur when the pulling and pushing has come to an end; this is the revolution.
For this revolution to occur, the muscles must not be activated through tension or effort but only through the much more powerful wave of extension, which is produced by gravity and breathing. We make use of the force of "anti-force", which gives us a new flow of energy - a sort of anti-gravity reflex, like the rebounding spring of a ball bouncing on the ground.
The resulting wave is extraordinarily powerful and helps us to find the right approach: an unexpected opening follows, an opening from within us, giving life to the spine, as though the body had to reverse and awaken into another dimension.
* * * * * *
To relax is not to collapse, but simply to undo tension. This tension has been accumulated in the body and in the mind by years of forceful education. Tension is the result of will, effort and prejudice.
We have been trained, during the first part of our lives, to struggle to achieve. Now we have to work in the opposite direction, by letting go, giving place to a different action (if we can call it action), an "un-doing action". This will stop the habitual process of doing which has become mechanical.
The body in itself is healthy, but it has been ruined by all sorts of negative, destructive, guilt feelings. If one can avoid going in this negative direction, a positive attitude will take over and the body will then be able to start its recuperative function, its natural way of existing. There is nothing to be done. It is not a state of passivity but, on the contrary, of alert watchfulness. It is perhaps the most "active" of our attitudes, going "with" and not "against" our body and feelings.
There is beauty in the acceptance of what is.
Friday, July 29, 2011
The meaning of life is not to be found in a distant world of abstraction, but in paying attention to everyday happenings and details in one's life. One's perception has to be in the field of living. In contemplating where the truth may be found, it just might be right before you.
- Yuezhou Quianfeng
- Yuezhou Quianfeng
selections by Suchi Kumar
Can you hear the soft whispers of the ancient inner galaxies calling you home? They say "close the door of the mind. Come away with me and melt into the bliss of the soul."
* * *
Can you feel the wonderous immensity of the golden light that shines down from above, filling your heart so you can heal others with your love?
http://www.ecstaticempowerment.com/
* * *
Can you feel the wonderous immensity of the golden light that shines down from above, filling your heart so you can heal others with your love?
http://www.ecstaticempowerment.com/
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Click on the link for a great article about dairy by Donna Sonkin
Dairy: Silent Killer or Delicious, Creamy Treat?
See more about Donna at http://www.getthinforthecamera.com/
Dairy: Silent Killer or Delicious, Creamy Treat?
See more about Donna at http://www.getthinforthecamera.com/
Monday, July 25, 2011
July 25th - The Day Out of Time
Click on the link for info about July 25th, The Day Out of Time, which comes from the Mayan 13-moon calendar.
The Day Out of Time - Crystalinks
The Day Out of Time - Crystalinks
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Body Beautiful
By Movie Actress Ingeborg Loff (1950s)
(originally published in The Body Beautiful, an American magazine, and copied in the book, Live Food Juices, by H.E. Kirschner, M.D., Copyright 1957)
You've seen me on magazine covers and in pictures. But I want you know at twenty-five no one living would have wanted my picture.
My figure was dumpy, my complexion like the bottom of a dried river. I had little watery eyes and no eye-lashes. My hair was a matted mass of colorless twine. My few acquaintances called me dull, stupid, and even a natural born idiot. The only thing that really interested me was sleeping. No man ever asked twice to take me out. I had been to a splendid school. My father and mother were wonderful people, but I had all the appearances of a scrub-woman of fifty when I was only twenty-five. I couldn't secure work of a mental order. In terrible discouragement I applied for a housekeeping position. It was with a Scandinavian doctor in New York City.
After I had worked for him a week he asked me if he could experiment with me promising that nothing would hurt me, that I was a chemical plant like everything else in Nature, and that if I would let him make me over, he would see that I was helped to the top in better ways.
It required a week of experimental work on his part before I realized that I was beginning to think and look differently. It seemed strange. He fed me special meals six times a day. I had no white bread or starch of any kind. He made me drink small drinks of [fresh] vegetable juices several times daily. Once a week I was shown before a group of doctors who were studying bio-chemistry with the doctor. They all took notes on my change in hair, color of eyes, depth of chest, greater slenderness of ankles, and they pinched my skin to note how it changed each week. I was getting a marvelous complexion. My hair was glowing, and was turning lighter with golden tints in it. I wanted to run and shout for the sheer joy of living. My finger nails, my eyebrows and lashes were growing better and developing a gloss. The fat lumps about my hips had disappeared. I lost twenty-five pounds and yet I had been eating oftener. I became fired with ambition. My mind and heart went out to new studies, new people, and I know I had never really lived before I had been analyzed by this doctor.
(originally published in The Body Beautiful, an American magazine, and copied in the book, Live Food Juices, by H.E. Kirschner, M.D., Copyright 1957)
You've seen me on magazine covers and in pictures. But I want you know at twenty-five no one living would have wanted my picture.
My figure was dumpy, my complexion like the bottom of a dried river. I had little watery eyes and no eye-lashes. My hair was a matted mass of colorless twine. My few acquaintances called me dull, stupid, and even a natural born idiot. The only thing that really interested me was sleeping. No man ever asked twice to take me out. I had been to a splendid school. My father and mother were wonderful people, but I had all the appearances of a scrub-woman of fifty when I was only twenty-five. I couldn't secure work of a mental order. In terrible discouragement I applied for a housekeeping position. It was with a Scandinavian doctor in New York City.
After I had worked for him a week he asked me if he could experiment with me promising that nothing would hurt me, that I was a chemical plant like everything else in Nature, and that if I would let him make me over, he would see that I was helped to the top in better ways.
It required a week of experimental work on his part before I realized that I was beginning to think and look differently. It seemed strange. He fed me special meals six times a day. I had no white bread or starch of any kind. He made me drink small drinks of [fresh] vegetable juices several times daily. Once a week I was shown before a group of doctors who were studying bio-chemistry with the doctor. They all took notes on my change in hair, color of eyes, depth of chest, greater slenderness of ankles, and they pinched my skin to note how it changed each week. I was getting a marvelous complexion. My hair was glowing, and was turning lighter with golden tints in it. I wanted to run and shout for the sheer joy of living. My finger nails, my eyebrows and lashes were growing better and developing a gloss. The fat lumps about my hips had disappeared. I lost twenty-five pounds and yet I had been eating oftener. I became fired with ambition. My mind and heart went out to new studies, new people, and I know I had never really lived before I had been analyzed by this doctor.
A Summer Sandwich
By Christopher Hirsheimer
(originally published as "A Messy Little Secret" in the July/August 1999 issue (No. 36) of SAVEUR magazine)
My summer sandwich is kind of a private thing. It's messy - and who wants to own up to using both butter and mayo? But if you're ever home alone one hot afternoon, try this: Thickly slice a really ripe tomato. (Big, red-blue beefsteaks are best - all flesh and juice, with not too many seeds.) Butter two thin slices of good toast, slather a thick layer of mayonnaise on both pieces, then lay on two or three tomato slices and season with a generous sprinkle of salt, the tiniest pinch of sugar, and a few good grinds of black pepper. Roll up your sleeves (or just take off your shirt), lean over the sink, and bite through the crisp buttered bread and creamy mayonnaise, and into the sweet taste of summer. Abandon yourself. And let the juice run down your arms.
(originally published as "A Messy Little Secret" in the July/August 1999 issue (No. 36) of SAVEUR magazine)
My summer sandwich is kind of a private thing. It's messy - and who wants to own up to using both butter and mayo? But if you're ever home alone one hot afternoon, try this: Thickly slice a really ripe tomato. (Big, red-blue beefsteaks are best - all flesh and juice, with not too many seeds.) Butter two thin slices of good toast, slather a thick layer of mayonnaise on both pieces, then lay on two or three tomato slices and season with a generous sprinkle of salt, the tiniest pinch of sugar, and a few good grinds of black pepper. Roll up your sleeves (or just take off your shirt), lean over the sink, and bite through the crisp buttered bread and creamy mayonnaise, and into the sweet taste of summer. Abandon yourself. And let the juice run down your arms.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Spirituality:
Whoever approaches Me walking, I will come to him running; and he who meets Me with sins equivalent to the whole world, I will greet him with forgiveness equal to it.
- Mishkat al-Masabaih
* * * * * *
When we take one step toward God, God takes seven steps toward us.
- Hindu Proverb
(Thanks to Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By" (Nilgiri Press, 1997) http://www.nilgiri.org)
- Mishkat al-Masabaih
* * * * * *
When we take one step toward God, God takes seven steps toward us.
- Hindu Proverb
(Thanks to Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By" (Nilgiri Press, 1997) http://www.nilgiri.org)
LISTS: Ten Rules for Being Human
by Cherie Carter-Scott
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.
LISTS: 12 Steps to Boost Your Health for Life
by Joshua Rosenthal, Founder and Director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, http://www.integrativenutrition.com/
I've spent over 25 years observing how people eat and what they eat and it's fascinating. What I've noticed is that people are confused and frustrated. One month there will be a study claiming the health benefits of eggs and the next month there will be a study claiming it's a bad source of cholesterol.
I'm going to give you the non-frustrating approach to healthy eating and living. An approach that will be easy to follow for the rest of your life. It's based on two little theories that have helped my clients, over 9,000 Integrative Nutrition students and their clients.
Bio-individuality
For several years I followed a macrobiotic diet and I counseled and taught others to follow these principles to improve their health. I experienced improved health so I truly believed my clients would too. I got very mixed results. Some people experienced better health, but not everyone. So I began to experiment. Some of them got better if they ate more raw foods, while others got better if they ate less raw foods. I realized that one person's food is another person's poison.
Primary Food
When I was experimenting with my clients on different ways of eating I came across people who experienced improved health by leaving a dysfunctional career or falling in love. It was fascinating! I realized that there's more to health than the foods we eat. Yes, it's good to eat your vegetables, but relationships, career, spirituality and exercise is food for the soul.
These are the two "big concepts" that I've found have the largest impact on my clients and students.
However, there are also a lot more detailed concepts you can play with. But remember, in the spirit of bio-individuality, these are not hard-and-fast rules that work for everyone. Try your own take on them and see if they might be useful for you.
1. Drink more water: There is no right amount of water to drink, but generally the bigger and more active you are, the more you should drink. By increasing the amount of water you drink you can significantly reduce cravings, aches and pains and increase your energy.
2. Practice cooking: You might hate me for saying this, but cooking is a fundamental step to healthier living. By making your own meals you know what's going into them. Meals don't need to take hours to prepare and involve multiple ingredients. Here are some simple recipes to get you started.
3. Increase whole grains: Trust me it's not these types of carbohydrates that have led to the obesity epidemic, but rather the processed goods like doughnuts. Whole grains are some of the best sources of nutritional support and provide long-lasting energy.
4. Increase sweet vegetables: People forget that these exist and they are the perfect medicine for the sweet tooth. Instead of depending on processed sugar, you can add more naturally sweet flavors to your diet and dramatically reduce sweet cravings. This is a great sweet vegetable recipe.
5. Increase leafy green vegetables: These are seriously lacking in the American diet and they are most essential for creating long-lasting health. More specifically they help eliminate depression, improve liver, gallbladder and kidney function.
6. Experiment with protein: The majority of Americans eat way too much protein and mostly in the form of animal meat. Try other forms like beans or soy.
7. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods; consume less coffee, alcohol and tobacco: Did you notice I said eat less instead of don't eat? If I told you not to drink coffee or chocolate you would want it all the more. By increasing your whole grains, vegetables and water you will naturally crowd out the more processed items.
8. Develop easy self-care habits: People get so wrapped up in their busy lives that they forget to take care of themselves. This can be something as simple as a relaxing bath and as nice as a day at the spa.
9. Have healthy relationships: I call love the ultimate superfood. A loving, supportive relationship can nourish your soul. What's more is when you feel love and happiness you are more likely to eat better. Reach out to that one person who makes you feel loved and nourished.
10. Find physical activity: You don't need to spend hours at the gym. What gets you moving?
11. Find work you love or a way to love the work you have: So many of us spend 8 hours a day in a job that is unfulfilling and end up stressed out which leads to a slew of health problems. Ask yourself if your job is aligned with your values.
12. Develop a spiritual practice: Some people freak out when I tell them this, but it's really about connecting with yourself. You don't need to start going to church or praying every day. Maybe being spiritual means taking a walk in nature. Finding a spiritual practice can help you slow down and appreciate the non-material things in life.
This is the most laid back health program ever, but it really works. You don't need to follow the steps in order and you can do one step a week. Pick the step that you are most interested in trying. Have you wanted to try a pilates or yoga class? Go for it! Maybe you've wanted to experiment in the kitchen.
I also recommend that you don't do it alone. Everyone has someone in their life that also wants to improve their health. Who is that for you? You can be each other's supportive coach and hold each other accountable for making the small changes to improved health.
I look forward to working with you on this journey to improved health and happiness.
Published July 24, 2009 01:34 PM TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
I've spent over 25 years observing how people eat and what they eat and it's fascinating. What I've noticed is that people are confused and frustrated. One month there will be a study claiming the health benefits of eggs and the next month there will be a study claiming it's a bad source of cholesterol.
I'm going to give you the non-frustrating approach to healthy eating and living. An approach that will be easy to follow for the rest of your life. It's based on two little theories that have helped my clients, over 9,000 Integrative Nutrition students and their clients.
Bio-individuality
For several years I followed a macrobiotic diet and I counseled and taught others to follow these principles to improve their health. I experienced improved health so I truly believed my clients would too. I got very mixed results. Some people experienced better health, but not everyone. So I began to experiment. Some of them got better if they ate more raw foods, while others got better if they ate less raw foods. I realized that one person's food is another person's poison.
Primary Food
When I was experimenting with my clients on different ways of eating I came across people who experienced improved health by leaving a dysfunctional career or falling in love. It was fascinating! I realized that there's more to health than the foods we eat. Yes, it's good to eat your vegetables, but relationships, career, spirituality and exercise is food for the soul.
These are the two "big concepts" that I've found have the largest impact on my clients and students.
However, there are also a lot more detailed concepts you can play with. But remember, in the spirit of bio-individuality, these are not hard-and-fast rules that work for everyone. Try your own take on them and see if they might be useful for you.
1. Drink more water: There is no right amount of water to drink, but generally the bigger and more active you are, the more you should drink. By increasing the amount of water you drink you can significantly reduce cravings, aches and pains and increase your energy.
2. Practice cooking: You might hate me for saying this, but cooking is a fundamental step to healthier living. By making your own meals you know what's going into them. Meals don't need to take hours to prepare and involve multiple ingredients. Here are some simple recipes to get you started.
3. Increase whole grains: Trust me it's not these types of carbohydrates that have led to the obesity epidemic, but rather the processed goods like doughnuts. Whole grains are some of the best sources of nutritional support and provide long-lasting energy.
4. Increase sweet vegetables: People forget that these exist and they are the perfect medicine for the sweet tooth. Instead of depending on processed sugar, you can add more naturally sweet flavors to your diet and dramatically reduce sweet cravings. This is a great sweet vegetable recipe.
5. Increase leafy green vegetables: These are seriously lacking in the American diet and they are most essential for creating long-lasting health. More specifically they help eliminate depression, improve liver, gallbladder and kidney function.
6. Experiment with protein: The majority of Americans eat way too much protein and mostly in the form of animal meat. Try other forms like beans or soy.
7. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods; consume less coffee, alcohol and tobacco: Did you notice I said eat less instead of don't eat? If I told you not to drink coffee or chocolate you would want it all the more. By increasing your whole grains, vegetables and water you will naturally crowd out the more processed items.
8. Develop easy self-care habits: People get so wrapped up in their busy lives that they forget to take care of themselves. This can be something as simple as a relaxing bath and as nice as a day at the spa.
9. Have healthy relationships: I call love the ultimate superfood. A loving, supportive relationship can nourish your soul. What's more is when you feel love and happiness you are more likely to eat better. Reach out to that one person who makes you feel loved and nourished.
10. Find physical activity: You don't need to spend hours at the gym. What gets you moving?
11. Find work you love or a way to love the work you have: So many of us spend 8 hours a day in a job that is unfulfilling and end up stressed out which leads to a slew of health problems. Ask yourself if your job is aligned with your values.
12. Develop a spiritual practice: Some people freak out when I tell them this, but it's really about connecting with yourself. You don't need to start going to church or praying every day. Maybe being spiritual means taking a walk in nature. Finding a spiritual practice can help you slow down and appreciate the non-material things in life.
This is the most laid back health program ever, but it really works. You don't need to follow the steps in order and you can do one step a week. Pick the step that you are most interested in trying. Have you wanted to try a pilates or yoga class? Go for it! Maybe you've wanted to experiment in the kitchen.
I also recommend that you don't do it alone. Everyone has someone in their life that also wants to improve their health. Who is that for you? You can be each other's supportive coach and hold each other accountable for making the small changes to improved health.
I look forward to working with you on this journey to improved health and happiness.
Published July 24, 2009 01:34 PM TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
What works for you?
to help you feel rested, alert, present, thinking clearly and creatively, feeling embodied?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
an excerpt from "Staying in Your Own Business", from Chapter 1 of the book, Loving What Is, by Byron Katie
To think that I know what's best for anyone else is to be out of my business. Even in the name of love, it is pure arrogance, and the result is tension, anxiety, and fear. Do I know what's right for me? That is my only business. Let me work with that before I try to solve your problems for you.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
You're Not Going Crazy . . . You're Just Waking Up!
The challenges in your life and heart may make you feel as though you're "going crazy." Your soul is beginning to shake things up, question your reality, and guide you to a higher level of consciousness.
To facilitate this transformation, however, your ego-based life first must be dismantled. A new life can then be rebuilt on a firmer, more secure foundation - a foundation in Spirit.
At first you will feel like you are losing your mind and the life you once knew. It's okay though . . . it's all good! You're not going crazy . . . you're just waking up!
There are two methods, or paths, by which a soul chooses to "wake up." We either create a crisis that brings us to our knees, or we simply decide that it makes sense to move on to a new way of living.
At some point, your life falls apart, crashes, stagnates or becomes unfulfilling. This is an unavoidable process. ("you can run, but you can't hide").
The soul transformation process consists of five primary stages (going from "dark night of the soul" to the "light at the end of the tunnel"):
1) dismantling
2) emptiness
3) disorientation
4) re-building, and
5) a new life.
It's letting your "old" self die so that your "new" self can be born.
It's as though your psyche is a chalice, or cup, that needs to be emptied of old toxic materials so it can be re-filled with the fresh waters of life, or new opportunities to live life with more love, peace and purpose.
You get to choose the hard way - or the easy way (listening to your soul's guidance).
A new life that resonates with your highest good is "a future without a trace of sorrow, and with joy that constantly increases."
- Michael Mirdad (adapted)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A rattlesnake, if cornered, will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is -- a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves.
- E. Stanley Jones
(Thanks to Gregg Braden, on a Facebook post, for this one)
- E. Stanley Jones
(Thanks to Gregg Braden, on a Facebook post, for this one)
Healthy living doesn't happen at the doctor's office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It's about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids.
- Tara Parker-Pope, in About Well blog on http://www.nytimes.com/
- Tara Parker-Pope, in About Well blog on http://www.nytimes.com/
When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value or appreciate the only companion we will have from birth to death - ourselves.
No matter how many people may have loved us during our lives, the love we need most of all is the love we can give ourselves. It's the springboard to a creative and meaningful and fulfilling life when we are alone.
- Eda LeShan
No matter how many people may have loved us during our lives, the love we need most of all is the love we can give ourselves. It's the springboard to a creative and meaningful and fulfilling life when we are alone.
- Eda LeShan
To watch another struggle or experience pain is an opportunity
to open your heart and allow God's love to pour forth,
unconditionally and without reservation.
Allow your love to wash away the pain, not only of your brothers and sisters,
but of the pain you feel as well in watching them suffer.
© DavidPaul Doyle & Candace Doyle at http://www.thevoiceforlove.com/
to open your heart and allow God's love to pour forth,
unconditionally and without reservation.
Allow your love to wash away the pain, not only of your brothers and sisters,
but of the pain you feel as well in watching them suffer.
© DavidPaul Doyle & Candace Doyle at http://www.thevoiceforlove.com/
There is a story told in the East of two fakirs who had spent years in seclusion studying yoga, having learned extraordinary feats of physical and mental control and mastery of their minds and bodies. Standing on the banks of the Ganges they fell into one another's company, and in the course of their conversation one of them happened to imply that he had developed the ability to do more miraculous things than most, probably including his companion.
The other fakir, a bit older and perhaps a bit wiser, rebuked him gently, wondering whether he might not be carried away by a moment's boastfulness. But his newfound friend bristled with pride and volunteered to demonstrate what he could do.
The older man agreed to this. "Go ahead," he said.
The younger proceeded, "See the man across the river? I will make appear on a piece of paper in the his hand the name of a friend whom he has long forgotten."
The older man smiled, "Is that really the sort of thing you do? That's nothing."
The younger fakir replied, now with some heat, "Oh, really! That's nothing? Well, please tell me, what sort of miraculous feats do you accomplish?
The first fakir looked at him calmly and his eyes twinkled, "I eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm thirsty."
The other fakir, a bit older and perhaps a bit wiser, rebuked him gently, wondering whether he might not be carried away by a moment's boastfulness. But his newfound friend bristled with pride and volunteered to demonstrate what he could do.
The older man agreed to this. "Go ahead," he said.
The younger proceeded, "See the man across the river? I will make appear on a piece of paper in the his hand the name of a friend whom he has long forgotten."
The older man smiled, "Is that really the sort of thing you do? That's nothing."
The younger fakir replied, now with some heat, "Oh, really! That's nothing? Well, please tell me, what sort of miraculous feats do you accomplish?
The first fakir looked at him calmly and his eyes twinkled, "I eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm thirsty."
Finding and maintaining a healing diet that's right for you is one of life's greatest achievements. Think about it: How many of your accomplishments can radically improve your health, protect you from major illness, give you abundant energy, help create and sustain a positive outlook and make you look and feel years younger than your chronological age? When you consider all the suffering, medication, and surgery that you can avoid by eating health-promoting foods every day, you start to realize that a healing diet may be one of the four or five greatest gifts you could ever receive.
- Joshua Rosenthal
- Joshua Rosenthal
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
Boundaries by don Miguel Ruiz |
There are two kinds of boundaries we use when dealing with people--the boundaries we use when we don't have awareness, and the boundaries we use when we do have awareness. Usually we create boundaries in places where we can be hurt. We have emotional wounds in our minds, and if someone touches our wounds we have emotional pain. To feel safe in our interactions with people, we put boundaries around every emotional wound. These boundaries create a box that restricts us. When we heal the emotional mind, we no longer have those wounds, and the boundaries disappear. When they disappear, we create a new set of boundaries -- this time with awareness.
The second set of boundaries we create is because of other people's wounds, so we don't allow other people to give us their emotional poison.
When we are young, we play with other children to have fun, not to insult them or to give them our poison. As adults, we also want to have relationships that we enjoy. We don't want poison like anger, jealousy, or envy. We don't want each other's garbage. When get together, it's because we want to share our love and our joy.
When we are no longer wounded, and we are in a relationship, we can put up boundaries to restrict another's poison. We call that respect.
We don't want to have relationships that are disrespectful to us. For example, if I am in a relationship with someone and that person tries to control me, I can tell them, "Okay this is the limit. Don't cross this limit. You can be with me or not, but if you stay with me don't try to control me. Give me my space, and I will give you your space. I deal with my garbage, you deal with your garbage. If you are cranky, I will give you space. You can be cranky, it's okay, there's nothing personal. I respect you, and I want respect also. If you don't respect me, I will not stay with you and it doesn't mean that I don't love you, no… I love you. But if I'm not being respected, I will leave and you can be with someone who is the way you want them to be."
We can create acceptable boundaries with people whose emotional poison we do not want to eat. When we respect ourselves, we will not allow disrespect from anybody else. This is not selfishness, it's self-love. The controlling aspect is selfishness -- wanting a partner to stay with us even if we are in hell. If we go into relationships because, "Oh I need you so much," it's selfishness, not self-love.
We need to understand that self-love is completely different from selfishness. Self-love come from integrity. We recognize our integrity through our feelings. The feelings we have are real. If we don't feel good it's because something is not right. If we feel anger, we know that something is not right. If we feel envy or jealousy, something is not right. Jealousy is not bad, anger is not bad either. These emotions are telling us when something is not right.
Repressing emotions is not the answer … to change the cause of the emotions is the answer. If we feel anger or jealousy, we have to take one step back to see what is causing those emotions. If we change the cause, the affect also will change.
A love relationship should be based in respect. And that's why we put boundaries on our relationships. The boundary is not, "Don't touch me because I can get hurt." The boundary is a way to have someone show respect. We don't want their anger or their judgment.
Relationships can be so wonderful. We can be completely open and loving. But just because we love someone, that doesn't mean we have to put up with their anger, jealousy or abuse. We don't need to be abused, and we can't send out our abuse either.
This is a way of having relationships based in love. A selfish relationship is not based in love. " I love you if you let me control you. I love you if you do whatever I want you to do. If you are not the way I want you to be, then I won't love you." This is not love. "I will stay with you even if you abuse me, even if you mistreat me." That is not love either. How can we love if we don't love ourselves?
With self-love and self-respect life can be completely different. We can make life easy or we can make it difficult. The only one who suffers or enjoys the consequences is us. If we have children, and something happens to them then yes, we feel emotional pain. Sometimes we can get sick, and be cranky, why not? But it's not personal. We don't have to give our poison to anybody else.
Life can be a playground. We can create new habits and routines that are automatic and lead us to happiness, and to the enjoyment of life. We can play and have fun most of the time, and be loving all the time, for no reason. We don't need any justification to love. It just feels good. Love coming out of us is what makes life happy.
Copyright © 2000 don Miguel Ruiz
Who’s kissing you now? by Barbara Emrys
Every human mind occupies a human body. Since you are the voice in your own head, the thinker and the storyteller, let’s call you the mind.
You are destined to reside within a human being and live only as long as your human lives. What is your relationship to this human being? Is it by any chance romantic?
Your constant and loyal partner throughout this existence has been the body you inhabit. It has seen you through, well, everything – good times, bad times, life threatening situations, inspirations, and private pain. You, on the other hand, have probably treated it with indifference at best. It’s far more likely that you have abused and disrespected the body for a lifetime.
Both body and mind are the living representation of infinite life, one being made of matter and one clearly not. Each is necessary to the survival of the other. A mutual intimacy is unavoidable, but your communication leaves something to be desired – and a relationship lives or dies on the quality of communication.
What sweet words are you whispering to your other half? What gestures of kindness and compassion does it receive from you, if any?
I love you, spoken out loud several times a day, would make a really good impression. Thank you would be a stunning novelty. Appreciation never goes unappreciated. Forgive me would put things into dramatic perspective and also provide the best possible teaching.
It might be that you have spent a lifetime dismissing your physical body, while expecting it to serve you in all ways at all times. You have spent a lifetime obsessing about yourself – you, the purveyor of thought. You have been boasting about yourself and railing against yourself and marketing yourself. In other words, you have been investing so much in what is not real that you have ignored what is real.
You, too, can eagerly submit, the way lovers submit to falling freely into love. But you let fear make your choices instead. Listen to the human body. Make modifications in thought and behavior for the sake of a great romance. Take the tyrant out of this relationship. You, the voice in your head – stop being such a bully. Stop needing to know. Stop needing to be right. Stop believing yourself. Get down. Bend a little. Put your head below your heart once in a while, just to see how it feels. Literally kiss the ground you walk on. Give yourself the time to feel true love wash through you and over you. Submit to the tidal wave. Yes, it will modify you – and it may, perhaps, obliterate you. You would be well advised to build a reality on that.
Our human quest to merge, life-to-life, is a divine directive. Birds, bees, bubble whales and buffalos wrap themselves around this truth without a story and without judgment. We are storytellers, however, and it’s important that we use our great storytelling talents to drink in the liquid, life-giving nectar of divine romance. Who’s kissing you now? Who’s touching you, tasting you, whispering words of love and praise to you? Could it be you – joining forces with life itself, the lover of all things? Such a keen awareness of life, as it surges behind the stories, is romance in action. It is everyone’s destiny to be in love, without a doubt. So, kiss this precious human. Touch it, hold it, reassure and rediscover it. Give up all pretense and fall headlong and forever into love with it.
- from www.miguelruiz.com/blog, posted Feb. 26, 2010
You are destined to reside within a human being and live only as long as your human lives. What is your relationship to this human being? Is it by any chance romantic?
Your constant and loyal partner throughout this existence has been the body you inhabit. It has seen you through, well, everything – good times, bad times, life threatening situations, inspirations, and private pain. You, on the other hand, have probably treated it with indifference at best. It’s far more likely that you have abused and disrespected the body for a lifetime.
Both body and mind are the living representation of infinite life, one being made of matter and one clearly not. Each is necessary to the survival of the other. A mutual intimacy is unavoidable, but your communication leaves something to be desired – and a relationship lives or dies on the quality of communication.
What sweet words are you whispering to your other half? What gestures of kindness and compassion does it receive from you, if any?
I love you, spoken out loud several times a day, would make a really good impression. Thank you would be a stunning novelty. Appreciation never goes unappreciated. Forgive me would put things into dramatic perspective and also provide the best possible teaching.
It might be that you have spent a lifetime dismissing your physical body, while expecting it to serve you in all ways at all times. You have spent a lifetime obsessing about yourself – you, the purveyor of thought. You have been boasting about yourself and railing against yourself and marketing yourself. In other words, you have been investing so much in what is not real that you have ignored what is real.
You, too, can eagerly submit, the way lovers submit to falling freely into love. But you let fear make your choices instead. Listen to the human body. Make modifications in thought and behavior for the sake of a great romance. Take the tyrant out of this relationship. You, the voice in your head – stop being such a bully. Stop needing to know. Stop needing to be right. Stop believing yourself. Get down. Bend a little. Put your head below your heart once in a while, just to see how it feels. Literally kiss the ground you walk on. Give yourself the time to feel true love wash through you and over you. Submit to the tidal wave. Yes, it will modify you – and it may, perhaps, obliterate you. You would be well advised to build a reality on that.
Our human quest to merge, life-to-life, is a divine directive. Birds, bees, bubble whales and buffalos wrap themselves around this truth without a story and without judgment. We are storytellers, however, and it’s important that we use our great storytelling talents to drink in the liquid, life-giving nectar of divine romance. Who’s kissing you now? Who’s touching you, tasting you, whispering words of love and praise to you? Could it be you – joining forces with life itself, the lover of all things? Such a keen awareness of life, as it surges behind the stories, is romance in action. It is everyone’s destiny to be in love, without a doubt. So, kiss this precious human. Touch it, hold it, reassure and rediscover it. Give up all pretense and fall headlong and forever into love with it.
- from www.miguelruiz.com/blog, posted Feb. 26, 2010
Saturday, April 16, 2011
a blessed question re forgiveness, by Lisa Meade Withinsight
Who or what can you forgive so that you can fully embrace today's gifts?
Albert Camus, on God
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than to live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.
the effect of judgement, by Albert Einstein
If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
on Sleep, by William Shakespeare
Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care
The death of each day's life,
sore labour's bath
Balm of hurt minds,
great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast.
The death of each day's life,
sore labour's bath
Balm of hurt minds,
great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast.
on Rest
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.
- Etty Hillesum
- Etty Hillesum
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A story of awakening
One night, I woke up in the early hours with a feeling of absolute dread. I had woken up with such a feeling many times before, but this time it was more intense than it had ever been. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train – everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What was the point in continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel that a deep longing for annihilation, for nonexistence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live.
“I cannot live with myself any longer.” This was the thought that kept repeating itself in my mind. Then suddenly I became aware of what a peculiar thought it was. “Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the ‘I’ and the ‘self’ that ‘I’ cannot live with.” “Maybe,” I thought, “only one of them is real.”
I was so stunned by this strange realization that my mind stopped. I was fully conscious, but there were no more thoughts. Then I felt drawn into what seemed like a vortex of energy. It was a slow movement at first and then accelerated, I was gripped by an intense fear, and my body started to shake. I heard the words “resist nothing.” as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void. It felt as if the void was inside myself rather than outside. Suddenly, there was no more fear, and I let myself fall into that void.
I was awakened by the chirping of a bird outside the window. I had never heard such a sound before. My eyes were still closed, and I saw the image of a precious diamond. Yes, if a diamond could make a sound, this is what it would be like. I opened my eyes. The first light of dawn was filtering through the curtains. Without any thought, I felt, I knew, that there is infinitely more to light than we realize. That soft luminosity filtering through the curtains was love itself. Tears came into my eyes. I got up and walked around the room. I recognized the room, and yet I knew that I had never truly seen it before. Everything was fresh and pristine, as if it had just come into existence. I picked up things, a pencil, an empty bottle, marveling at the beauty and aliveness of it all.
That day I walked around the city in utter amazement at the miracle of life on earth, as if I had just been born into this world.
For the next five months, I lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss. After that, it diminished somewhat in intensity, or perhaps it just seemed to because it became my natural state. I could still function in the world, although I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add anything to what I already had.
I knew, of course, that something profoundly significant had happened to me, but I didn’t understand it at all. It wasn’t until several years later, after I had read spiritual texts and spent time with spiritual teachers, that I realized that what everybody was looking for had already happened to me….A time came when, for a while, I was left with nothing on the physical plane. I had no relationships, no job, no home, no socially defined identity. I spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy.
But even the most beautiful experiences come and go. More fundamental, perhaps, than any experience is the undercurrent of peace that has never left me since then. Sometimes it is very strong, almost palpable, and others can feel it too. At other times, it is somewhere in the background, like a distant melody.
Later, people would occasionally come up to me and say: “I want what you have. Can you give it to me, or show me how to get it?” And I would say: “You have it already. You just can’t feel it because your mind is making too much noise.”
* * * * * *
Excerpted from the Introduction to The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
on Health
To preserve one's health by too strict a regimen is in itself a tedious malady.
- Francois, duc de La Rouchefoucauld
- Francois, duc de La Rouchefoucauld
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Four Shamanic Questions for Healing
In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?
- Gabrielle Roth
- Gabrielle Roth
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
on Aliveness
You pass by a flower
and in a moment of deep silence within you,
suddenly there is no separation
between you and the flower.
The energy that makes the flower blossom
is the same energy that makes you alive.
- excerpt from satsang with Tyohar
- excerpt from satsang with Tyohar
Saturday, February 26, 2011
on Achieving World Peace
When there is light in the soul,
there is beauty in the person.
When there is beauty in the person,
there is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home,
there is honor in the nation.
When there is honor in the nation,
there is peace in the world.
- Chinese Proverb
there is beauty in the person.
When there is beauty in the person,
there is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home,
there is honor in the nation.
When there is honor in the nation,
there is peace in the world.
- Chinese Proverb
What is right for you?
What is right for one soul may not be right for another. It may mean having to stand on your own and do something strange in the eyes of others. But do not be daunted, do whatever it is because you know within it is right for you.
- Eileen Caddy
- Eileen Caddy
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
on Gratitude
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
- Albert Schweitzer
- Albert Schweitzer
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sabbath
The moment comes on Friday nights, when I light two candles that usher in the Sabbath.
The moment comes when I walk my dog near the river and stand on the bridge and take the deepest breath of the day.
The moment comes when I am ambushed by the Mary Oliver poem "Praying": "...the doorway / into thanks, and a silence in which / another voice may speak."
The moment comes beneath the surface of the water, when all boundaries dissolve.
The moment comes when I permit myself to begin again.
- Anita Diamant
The moment comes when I walk my dog near the river and stand on the bridge and take the deepest breath of the day.
The moment comes when I am ambushed by the Mary Oliver poem "Praying": "...the doorway / into thanks, and a silence in which / another voice may speak."
The moment comes beneath the surface of the water, when all boundaries dissolve.
The moment comes when I permit myself to begin again.
- Anita Diamant
When I cut open a red pepper and a purple cabbage for the first time, I was in awe at the splendor, the integrity, the "perfection" of their interiors. Sometimes we meet the essence in things, and we can share that connection with others. Spirituality is about making one's love or spirit manifest. For instance, in cooking, we're manifesting food for one another, and this could come out of love and generosity rather than a sense of duty or obligation. "Spirit" or "heart" is in all of us, and we can study how to manifest that in our lives in cooking or speech or behaviors so that our good-heartedness becomes clear and palpable.
- Edward Espe Brown
- Edward Espe Brown
on Clutter
Clutter makes it impossible to get anything done on time.
- Barry Izsak, founder of Arrange it All
It hides problems in our lives we don't want to confront.
- Sheila McCurdy, owner of Clutter Stop
You are not Your Clutter.
Clearing cluter will create space for miracles.
- Michelle Passoff, author of Lighten Up! Free Yourself from Clutter
- Barry Izsak, founder of Arrange it All
It hides problems in our lives we don't want to confront.
- Sheila McCurdy, owner of Clutter Stop
You are not Your Clutter.
Clearing cluter will create space for miracles.
- Michelle Passoff, author of Lighten Up! Free Yourself from Clutter
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A Kitchen Prayer
May this kitchen be so filled with peace that
all who eat food prepared here receive peace.
May this kitchen be so filled with happiness that
all who eat food prepared here receive happiness.
May this kitchen be so filled with good will that
working here is a joy.
Bless this kitchen
Bless all who work here.
Bless the food that is prepared here.
May this kitchen and the work done here be a blessing to all who live.
- found at: http://macrobiotics.co.uk/recipes.htm
all who eat food prepared here receive peace.
May this kitchen be so filled with happiness that
all who eat food prepared here receive happiness.
May this kitchen be so filled with good will that
working here is a joy.
Bless this kitchen
Bless all who work here.
Bless the food that is prepared here.
May this kitchen and the work done here be a blessing to all who live.
- found at: http://macrobiotics.co.uk/recipes.htm
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Coffee as Meditation
by Edward Espe Brown
(originally published in the September/October 2001 issue of Yoga Journal (entitled, A Jolt of Meditation, The author finds common ground between his morning cup of joe and his daily meditation routine.)
During the years I lived in a meditation center, I rushed through my morning coffee. After all, if I didn't drink it fast enough, I'd be late for meditation. It was important to get to meditation on time; otherwise, one had to endure the social stigma of "being late" (lacking the proper spiritual motivation), as well as the boredom and frustration of having to wait to meditate - until latecomers were admitted.
When I moved out of the center, I had to learn how to live in the world. I had been institutionalized for nearly 20 years. I had been "committed." Now I was out and about. What did it mean? There was no formal meditation hall in my home. I could set my meditation cushion in front of my home alter, or I could sit up in bed and cover my knees with the blankets. There were no rules. So I soon stopped getting up at 3:30 a.m. Once I did awaken, I found that a hot shower, which had not really fit with the previous routine, was quite invigorating. Of course, getting more sleep also helped.
Then I was ready for coffee: hot, freshly brewed, exquisitely delicious coffee. Not coffee in a cold cup from an urn; not coffee made with lukewarm water out of a thermos; not coffee with cold milk, 2 percent milk, or nonfat milk: coffee with heated half-and-half! Here was my opportunity to fulfill the frustrated longings of countless mornings of my past. I would have not just any old coffee, but Peet's Garuda Blend - a mixture of Indonesian beans, brewed with recently boiled water and served in a pre-heated cup.
Unfortunately by the time I finished the coffee, I had been sitting around so long that it was time to get started on the day, but I hadn't done any meditation. With this heavenly beverage in hand, who needed to meditate?
The solution was obvious: Bring the ceremoniously prepared coffee, in the pre-heated cup, to the meditation cushion. This never would have been allowed at the center or in any formal meditation hall I have visited, but in my own home it was a no-brainer. Bring the coffee to the cushion - or was it the other way around?
I light the candle and offer incense. "Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the Lovely, the Holy," I say. "May all beings be happy, healthy, and free from suffering." I sit down on the cushion and place the coffee just past my right knee. I cross my legs and then put the cup right in the middle in front of my ankles. I sit without moving, so I don't accidentally spill the coffee.
I straighten my posture and sip some coffee. I feel my weight wettling onto the cushion, lengthen the back of my neck, and sip some coffee. Taste, enjoy, soften, release. I bring my awareness to my breath moving in, flowing out. If I lose track of my breath, I am reminded to take a sip of coffee - robust, hearty, grounding. Come back to the coffee. Come back to the breath. A distraction? A thought? A judgment? Sip of coffee. Enjoy the coffee. Enjoy the breath. Focus on the present moment. And, remembering the words of a vipassana teacher of mine ("Wisdom, in Buddhism, is defined as the proper and efficacious use of caffeine"), I stabilize my intention: "Now, as I drink this cup of coffee, I vow with all beings to awaken body, mind, and spirit to the true taste of the Dharma. May all beings attain complete awakening this very moment." As I visualize the whole world awakening, my mind expands into the vastness.
(originally published in the September/October 2001 issue of Yoga Journal (entitled, A Jolt of Meditation, The author finds common ground between his morning cup of joe and his daily meditation routine.)
During the years I lived in a meditation center, I rushed through my morning coffee. After all, if I didn't drink it fast enough, I'd be late for meditation. It was important to get to meditation on time; otherwise, one had to endure the social stigma of "being late" (lacking the proper spiritual motivation), as well as the boredom and frustration of having to wait to meditate - until latecomers were admitted.
When I moved out of the center, I had to learn how to live in the world. I had been institutionalized for nearly 20 years. I had been "committed." Now I was out and about. What did it mean? There was no formal meditation hall in my home. I could set my meditation cushion in front of my home alter, or I could sit up in bed and cover my knees with the blankets. There were no rules. So I soon stopped getting up at 3:30 a.m. Once I did awaken, I found that a hot shower, which had not really fit with the previous routine, was quite invigorating. Of course, getting more sleep also helped.
Then I was ready for coffee: hot, freshly brewed, exquisitely delicious coffee. Not coffee in a cold cup from an urn; not coffee made with lukewarm water out of a thermos; not coffee with cold milk, 2 percent milk, or nonfat milk: coffee with heated half-and-half! Here was my opportunity to fulfill the frustrated longings of countless mornings of my past. I would have not just any old coffee, but Peet's Garuda Blend - a mixture of Indonesian beans, brewed with recently boiled water and served in a pre-heated cup.
Unfortunately by the time I finished the coffee, I had been sitting around so long that it was time to get started on the day, but I hadn't done any meditation. With this heavenly beverage in hand, who needed to meditate?
The solution was obvious: Bring the ceremoniously prepared coffee, in the pre-heated cup, to the meditation cushion. This never would have been allowed at the center or in any formal meditation hall I have visited, but in my own home it was a no-brainer. Bring the coffee to the cushion - or was it the other way around?
I light the candle and offer incense. "Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the Lovely, the Holy," I say. "May all beings be happy, healthy, and free from suffering." I sit down on the cushion and place the coffee just past my right knee. I cross my legs and then put the cup right in the middle in front of my ankles. I sit without moving, so I don't accidentally spill the coffee.
I straighten my posture and sip some coffee. I feel my weight wettling onto the cushion, lengthen the back of my neck, and sip some coffee. Taste, enjoy, soften, release. I bring my awareness to my breath moving in, flowing out. If I lose track of my breath, I am reminded to take a sip of coffee - robust, hearty, grounding. Come back to the coffee. Come back to the breath. A distraction? A thought? A judgment? Sip of coffee. Enjoy the coffee. Enjoy the breath. Focus on the present moment. And, remembering the words of a vipassana teacher of mine ("Wisdom, in Buddhism, is defined as the proper and efficacious use of caffeine"), I stabilize my intention: "Now, as I drink this cup of coffee, I vow with all beings to awaken body, mind, and spirit to the true taste of the Dharma. May all beings attain complete awakening this very moment." As I visualize the whole world awakening, my mind expands into the vastness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)