In living the life of practice I feel that there are three basic necessities, often referred to in Zen practice as "The Three Pillars." They, in my perception include study, the Sangha,or community and practice itself.
The first of these, study, includes the consistent habit of reading materials that are focused in meditation, stress reduction, or inspiration. It can also include at times biographies or anything that inspires you. It is important to occasionally return to elements that focus on mediation and stress reduction technique, but do not discount the power of that which inspires. My experience has indicated that it is far more likely to go from an inspired mind to a calm one. A little consistently is more important than a lot occasionally. Even a sentence a day can make a great difference.
The Sangha, or spiritual community is also of prime importance. By this I mean a group or even an individual you meet with on a weekly or biweekly basis. Combining with others and doing practice as well as discussing its effects is crucial. Even if this occurs at a distance it is very impactful. Your companions on this path will help to keep you connected, and you will help them. The combined energy of this group is more powerful than the sum of the individuals.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly is the life of practice itself. There is no substitute for putting the time in. Again, this does not have to be a great investment of time. Like study, a little consistently is more important than gorging yourself with practice once in a while. Even taking two minutes a day to pay attention to all that you can will change your life.
Activate the three pillars, and step into the magic of your life!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The End of Fall
Here we are in the process of another fall. It is such a beautiful time to watch the change of seasons, recognizing the winter quickly approaching. We can so easily miss joy of change caught in the foreboding of winter. However if we take the time to inhabit our lives, to actually see what is in front of us, this can be the best season of all. In the process we also feel passing of time and being truly present to it we also experience the call to action, the realization that we do not have forever, and that now is the time to act.
The strange thing is that in order to train ourselves to be present, we must step into self discipline. You know what to do, now is the time to activate; to apply your life experience and find the edge that means being truly awake. This is the time of your life. Be here for it.
The strange thing is that in order to train ourselves to be present, we must step into self discipline. You know what to do, now is the time to activate; to apply your life experience and find the edge that means being truly awake. This is the time of your life. Be here for it.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The World Needs You Now
As within so be without. The world is in an inflamed state. Polarization seems to be the rule of the day. So often the dialogue is very white and black with very little ability and sometimes with very little desire to find the bridge between. We become trapped in the world of good and evil.
This is not just in the world of politics and world affairs. Even in the home we become at odds. The people who hurt us the most are not strangers, but family, friends, lovers. We become so familiar that we know our resentments are justified. Those resentments can even burn so deeply as to become a low level hatred. There is a fine line between love and hate.
So we learn that we are most likely to come to contempt with those we know best. Sometimes it is a contempt that we cannot even admit to ourselves even exists. It operates and and affects our decisions and actions without us sometimes being aware of the puppet master at all. We dress our bias up in disguise even with ourselves.
We come into contempt with that which we are most familiar. No longer truly respecting and looking with fresh eyes at a subject we assume we know so well. This is never so true as we when we are the subject. We are faced with a deep resentment that we feel toward our self. it too operates at submerged levels and creates the disease of self and other. We become split, one part vilified, one part the avenging god.
The world is inflamed, but the place to create peace is from within and then out. Learning to be more kind to ourselves, outward toward a more temperate relationship with our families and gradually in concentric circles around you. You can bring peace to this world, by choosing to direct your attention to what builds rather than what tears apart.
This is not just in the world of politics and world affairs. Even in the home we become at odds. The people who hurt us the most are not strangers, but family, friends, lovers. We become so familiar that we know our resentments are justified. Those resentments can even burn so deeply as to become a low level hatred. There is a fine line between love and hate.
So we learn that we are most likely to come to contempt with those we know best. Sometimes it is a contempt that we cannot even admit to ourselves even exists. It operates and and affects our decisions and actions without us sometimes being aware of the puppet master at all. We dress our bias up in disguise even with ourselves.
We come into contempt with that which we are most familiar. No longer truly respecting and looking with fresh eyes at a subject we assume we know so well. This is never so true as we when we are the subject. We are faced with a deep resentment that we feel toward our self. it too operates at submerged levels and creates the disease of self and other. We become split, one part vilified, one part the avenging god.
The world is inflamed, but the place to create peace is from within and then out. Learning to be more kind to ourselves, outward toward a more temperate relationship with our families and gradually in concentric circles around you. You can bring peace to this world, by choosing to direct your attention to what builds rather than what tears apart.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
THE TWO PERCENT
Often we do not understand what to do. Some looming crisis stands at the edge of our imagination and we not only feel stuck, but at the brink of a creeping terror.
However when we take the time to look at the situation we find that we do know something we can do.
We may not be able to understand 98 percent of our situation, but if we focus in the two percent that we do know we can step into the self that is empowered, strong enough to face any challenge.
Think about it, a small opening can create the space for a deluge of water, enough to fill a space vastly larger. This is the power of on the two percent we understand. Soon we find we understand far more.
We do not have to remain blocked. Even if we can get no purchase on the central issue, if we focus on other areas we find a new power, a new confidence that translates.
Do not let yourself be blocked! This life wants your success. If you hang in, and step into power rather than weakness you can live the life you have dreamed. Your power comes from inside out.
Step into your strength!
Often we do not understand what to do. Some looming crisis stands at the edge of our imagination and we not only feel stuck, but at the brink of a creeping terror.
However when we take the time to look at the situation we find that we do know something we can do.
We may not be able to understand 98 percent of our situation, but if we focus in the two percent that we do know we can step into the self that is empowered, strong enough to face any challenge.
Think about it, a small opening can create the space for a deluge of water, enough to fill a space vastly larger. This is the power of on the two percent we understand. Soon we find we understand far more.
We do not have to remain blocked. Even if we can get no purchase on the central issue, if we focus on other areas we find a new power, a new confidence that translates.
Do not let yourself be blocked! This life wants your success. If you hang in, and step into power rather than weakness you can live the life you have dreamed. Your power comes from inside out.
Step into your strength!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Intention is all important. If the intention behind the giving of a gift is not the good of the recipient, then what is received is not truly a gift. Intention is all important.
It is likewise important to know the intention of your Yoga practice. Why are you doing Yoga? If the intention is found in wanting to be sexy, or competitive or to fulfill some goal the gift has ulterior motives and as such loses much of it’s power. The gift of Yoga should be found in truly wanting the body to thrive today. To see what it is capable of today.
As a result we experience another level of communication with the body, and a mutual respect. We find new levels of vitality and the experience of a true moment.
We find the discovery of true intention.
It is likewise important to know the intention of your Yoga practice. Why are you doing Yoga? If the intention is found in wanting to be sexy, or competitive or to fulfill some goal the gift has ulterior motives and as such loses much of it’s power. The gift of Yoga should be found in truly wanting the body to thrive today. To see what it is capable of today.
As a result we experience another level of communication with the body, and a mutual respect. We find new levels of vitality and the experience of a true moment.
We find the discovery of true intention.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Touching The Edge
The edge is our current edge of limitation. To touch the edge is to find what we are capable of. It requires radical self-honesty. Often we must do less rather than more. It is a subtle experience. You will find it easy, not hard to do. However, as with so many easy things, we will often convince ourselves of it's difficulty.
Truly, the edge is a subtle, fragile place. It is like listening to a whisper. As with anyone that whispers, the secret must be honored. When you do not honor a whisper, there is a loss of trust, You are no longer trusted as safe. If you break this trust it takes a long time to be trusted again. However, if you do prove yourself worthy you become a confidant. More secrets will be told. In learning to "touch the edge without bursting through it" your body begins to open up; slowly at first, but later in bursts.
The outcome is not the central goal. In experiencing the joy of efficient physical expression we find the gentle edge. We become the very embodiment of vitality.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Why Yoga? What is it?
Yoga. Why Yoga? What is it? These are questions we ask ourselves when considering a Yoga practice. To many of us, Yoga seems like an exotic pass time in which super fit people get into super human poses. We feel that to take on the study of Yoga we have to aspire to things that we know in our heart we cannot do. Or, we go into that environment and push ourselves too far and step into injury. The prospect of being in a room with these fit people becomes daunting. Often we start a class and vainly attempt to keep up, and quickly stop going with a vague sense of having failed, not realizing that we just did not find the right practice for ourselves.
However this is not true. We simply have not found the right style of Yoga, or the right instructor. Yoga is the practice of learning how to tell what is right for ourselves using breathing exercises as well as physical postures with a focus toward being in the present moment. In the process we develop the ability to actually listen to ourselves rather than insist that we meet preconceived notions. We invite the body to change rather than insist that it do so. We initially try a few different styles of yoga such as Iyengar or a Vinyasa flow. Kripalu Yoga has been the style that resonated with me, because of the noncompetitive element of the style and it’s tendency toward an internal focus. This has helped to create a bridge, and fits perfectly with an orientation to living I call Skellegense.
Skellegense is the lifelong practice that I have worked with to find my own way in life, and a practice of learning how to reconnect with one’s inner most instincts. As we go on we lose this ability to tell what is right for us. It is like having someone tell you something you have never heard or thought of before, and immediately knowing that what they are saying is right. It is not deciding on the truth but in uncovering the truth that resides inside. The more we experience this feeling of deep rightness, the more we know it and can get back to it. This is Skellegense.
We use Yoga, and in my case Kripalu Yoga to reignite this internal relationship. It does not mean that other styles of Yoga, or for that matter Chi Qong or Thi Chi might be better for some. We recognize that what is right for us, may not be right for others. We create a practice that is uniquely our own, and do not force ourselves to be what we are not. It is a warrior practice because it requires radical self honesty. It recognizes that a person with Parkinson’s who is touching their edge can have a stronger practice that someone else who may able to do much more if they are doing what is appropriate for them. Skellegense.
If you come to us to help facilitate this internal listening you can expect us to be an invaluable aid as we teach you craft a a practice that is uniquely your own. You will begin to notice how it affects you on as well as off the mat experiencing greater physical capability, with an improved enjoyment of your life and the relationships that make it up. You will develop a visceral experience of Skellegense, not based in the definition of the word, but in the living of a life that sees more vivid colors, more subtle tastes, and what it means to let go. We find that another way of describing letting go is receiving. Skellegense is a process of uncovering what is right for us rather than deciding it.
However this is not true. We simply have not found the right style of Yoga, or the right instructor. Yoga is the practice of learning how to tell what is right for ourselves using breathing exercises as well as physical postures with a focus toward being in the present moment. In the process we develop the ability to actually listen to ourselves rather than insist that we meet preconceived notions. We invite the body to change rather than insist that it do so. We initially try a few different styles of yoga such as Iyengar or a Vinyasa flow. Kripalu Yoga has been the style that resonated with me, because of the noncompetitive element of the style and it’s tendency toward an internal focus. This has helped to create a bridge, and fits perfectly with an orientation to living I call Skellegense.
Skellegense is the lifelong practice that I have worked with to find my own way in life, and a practice of learning how to reconnect with one’s inner most instincts. As we go on we lose this ability to tell what is right for us. It is like having someone tell you something you have never heard or thought of before, and immediately knowing that what they are saying is right. It is not deciding on the truth but in uncovering the truth that resides inside. The more we experience this feeling of deep rightness, the more we know it and can get back to it. This is Skellegense.
We use Yoga, and in my case Kripalu Yoga to reignite this internal relationship. It does not mean that other styles of Yoga, or for that matter Chi Qong or Thi Chi might be better for some. We recognize that what is right for us, may not be right for others. We create a practice that is uniquely our own, and do not force ourselves to be what we are not. It is a warrior practice because it requires radical self honesty. It recognizes that a person with Parkinson’s who is touching their edge can have a stronger practice that someone else who may able to do much more if they are doing what is appropriate for them. Skellegense.
If you come to us to help facilitate this internal listening you can expect us to be an invaluable aid as we teach you craft a a practice that is uniquely your own. You will begin to notice how it affects you on as well as off the mat experiencing greater physical capability, with an improved enjoyment of your life and the relationships that make it up. You will develop a visceral experience of Skellegense, not based in the definition of the word, but in the living of a life that sees more vivid colors, more subtle tastes, and what it means to let go. We find that another way of describing letting go is receiving. Skellegense is a process of uncovering what is right for us rather than deciding it.
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