I can easily explain to you the benefits of a regular meditation practice, but until you make the effort to have a regular practice of your own, it is like handing you a vitamin pill; you won't get results unless you use it!
Know ahead of time that you will encounter obstables in your practice! However, knowing the benefits of meditation can give you the motivation to persevere. Meditation is a learned skill, and the end results can have a huge impact for good on your life.
Sitting in meditation on a regular basis breaks the stress cycle. We all have stress in our lives, and stress is the main cause of most ailments people suffer from these days. Stress affects our heart and lungs, our nervous system, the effective functioning of digestive and elimination systems, the immune system, and even our joints and tissues! So, taking 30 minutes daily to sit calmly and focus the mind in non-threatening, non-judgmental awareness calms all systems of the body, allows the immune system to recover, and helps us sort out the "nickel-dime stuff" that tends to badger us unceasingly.
People who meditate report that they have fewer colds and flu episodes; their relationships improve; they increase in their ability to forgive, to be patient. In trying situations, they are able to respond appropriately and with kindness, rather than reacting in negative habitual ways. They find they take the time to make wiser choices, seeing the future consequences of their decisions more clearly. They also report that they sleep better, and are able to wake up more refreshed than they used to.
I'll now give you some suggestions for dealing with common obstacles. I've taught an 8-week course in Beginning Meditation about 15 times, and the following obstacles come up for everyone:
Restlessness It is normal to be restless when beginning to meditate. The body and mind are not used to sitting still and focusing. Wash the face, use the bathroom, and do a few yoga stretches including some deep breaths. Tell yourself the next 30 minutes are for stillness, and sit as directed in my previous post. As you sit, slowly repeating your passage in your mind, the body may want to wiggle or squirm; simply note "restless" and continue with your meditation. Jack Kornfield, a renowned meditation teacher, describes a session during which a fly crawled around his face, and he remained sitting, quite a funny story! I'm not adverse to brushing away a fly, but don't let it disturb your mind. Stay focused on your passage, and relax.
With practice, the body accepts stillness and restlessness will be less of a problem.
Sleepiness Get adequate rest before a morning practice; avoid meditating late at night. As above, doing some yoga stretches and deep breathing will oxygenate your brain and help you remain alert.
Noises Sounds are expressions of energy. That energy is in the form of sound waves that resonate in your ears. Avoid analyzing or judging sounds or the dogs or machinery or people that are making them. Simply acknowlege them as "sound" and continue with your practice. Being able to allow things that you can't change to just be as they are, is a skill learned in meditation.
Houseguests Inform houseguests right off that you meditate every morning for 30 minutes. If it is not possible to use your regular space for meditation, you might be able to meditate sitting up in your bed, or in your car, or anywhere you can find a quiet spot. Regardless of what your friends may think or comment on about your practice, simply explain that this is important to you, and do it. You may find your friends will want to learn more, and you can teach them and try a group meditation!
Traveling I find that meditating in a motel room, in a tent, or in someone else's home can be an interesting change. Allow each meditation session to be just as it is. Conditions don't have to be perfect. Be adaptable and do the best you can. If you can only get in 15 or 20 minutes, or even just 10, do it! It is better to feel good about making the effort than to skip the practice and feel that loss.
Falling Off The Wagon So, life gets in your way, and one day you realize it's been several days or weeks or a month since you've meditated. Just begin again. It may take a few days for you to get back to where you left off, but these things happen to everyone sooner or later, hopefully only occasionally. Don't condemn or judge yourself harshly or decide it's just not worth it. Simply begin again and notice the difference it makes. It IS worth it!
Friday, August 14, 2015
Passage Meditation - Fill the mind with wisdom and goodness!
Passage Meditation is a wonderful form of meditation taught by Eknath Easwaren, founder of The Blue Mountain Center For Meditation in Tomales, CA. I prefer it to Mindfulness Meditation for the following reasons:
For me, it is more productive. In Mindfulness Meditation, one sits and follows the breath flowing in and out through the nostrils, and as thoughts arise, the thoughts are released and the mind is brought back to focus on the breath...over and over and over again. This practice, as it becomes easier, results in a sense of calm that can last throughout your day. It takes some weeks and months, even years, to master, and many people give up out of frustration (instead of just noting "frustration" and coming back to the breath). Although this is a very popular form of meditation that serves a great many people well, Passage Meditation offers another option for seated meditation.
To begin, choose an uplifting passage from the world's sacred writings and memorize it. Easwaren recommends "The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi" to begin:
"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
This passage is easy to memorize, as you notice the pattern of the words.
Once you have memorized it, decide on a time and place to meditate. Early morning is best, before you get involved in the busyness of your day. If morning doesn't work for you, find a time that does, and meditate at the same time each day.
A quiet corner of your home, where you will not be disturbed for 30 minutes is ideal. Choose a straight-back chair, with your feet resting on the floor (or on a cushion if you have short legs).
You might like to use a kitchen timer, or a small timer available from The Dollar Store to time your meditation, so you don't have to contiunally peek at a clock. Start with 15 minutes, and gradually increase your sitting time to 30 minutes, no longer. You may choose to practice twice a day if time allows.
Sit with spine erect but not stiff, and not resting against the back of the chair; hands rest comfortably in your lap. Close your eyes. Scan your body for comfort and relaxation, keeping the spine long by imagining a string holding you up from a point on the back of your head, with chin parallel to the floor.
Now, repeat the passage in your mind one time to refresh your memory, then: very, very slowly repeat the passage, one word at a time, over and over for the allotted amount of time. Don't be concerned with the meaning or the message or try to analyze how it has meaning for you. Simply repeat it slowly over and over. Easwaren says "Slowly, like pouring water into oil." If your mind wanders, start at the beginning of the passage and continue on.
The reason I prefer this method over others is that instead of keeping the mind free of attachment to thoughts, I am nourishing my mind with uplifting messages that gradually become a part of my consciousness. The message of the passage begin to be reflected in one's daily life.
You can use a passage for a couple of weeks or longer, and when you choose, find another beautiful passage to memorize and use. I like to keep a little book in which I write the passages I've used. Sometimes I go back to a previous one and use it again.
Here are some of the passages I have used, just to give you some ideas:
Doctrine and Covenants 78:18 & 19 (LDS Scriptures)
2 Nephi 31:20 (Book of Mormon)
1 Peter 1:13-16 (King James Bible)
Alma 38:10-12 (Book of Mormon)
Mosiah 4:9 (Book of Mormon)
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (King James Bible)
Alma 26:35 (Book of Mormon)
2 Nephi 4: 16,20,21 (Book of Mormon)
"The Vision" by Ramdas
"Evening Prayer for the Sabbaath (Jewish Liturgy)
"In The Midst of Darkness" by Mahatma Gandhi
"A Garden Beyond Paradise" by Jalaluddin Rumi
Ether 4:12 (Book of Mormon)
Psalm 100 (King James Bible)
"Do Not Look With Fear" by St. Francis De Sales
You can learn more about Passage Meditation in Easwaren's book, "Passage Meditation" from Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California
For me, it is more productive. In Mindfulness Meditation, one sits and follows the breath flowing in and out through the nostrils, and as thoughts arise, the thoughts are released and the mind is brought back to focus on the breath...over and over and over again. This practice, as it becomes easier, results in a sense of calm that can last throughout your day. It takes some weeks and months, even years, to master, and many people give up out of frustration (instead of just noting "frustration" and coming back to the breath). Although this is a very popular form of meditation that serves a great many people well, Passage Meditation offers another option for seated meditation.
To begin, choose an uplifting passage from the world's sacred writings and memorize it. Easwaren recommends "The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi" to begin:
"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
This passage is easy to memorize, as you notice the pattern of the words.
Once you have memorized it, decide on a time and place to meditate. Early morning is best, before you get involved in the busyness of your day. If morning doesn't work for you, find a time that does, and meditate at the same time each day.
A quiet corner of your home, where you will not be disturbed for 30 minutes is ideal. Choose a straight-back chair, with your feet resting on the floor (or on a cushion if you have short legs).
You might like to use a kitchen timer, or a small timer available from The Dollar Store to time your meditation, so you don't have to contiunally peek at a clock. Start with 15 minutes, and gradually increase your sitting time to 30 minutes, no longer. You may choose to practice twice a day if time allows.
Sit with spine erect but not stiff, and not resting against the back of the chair; hands rest comfortably in your lap. Close your eyes. Scan your body for comfort and relaxation, keeping the spine long by imagining a string holding you up from a point on the back of your head, with chin parallel to the floor.
Now, repeat the passage in your mind one time to refresh your memory, then: very, very slowly repeat the passage, one word at a time, over and over for the allotted amount of time. Don't be concerned with the meaning or the message or try to analyze how it has meaning for you. Simply repeat it slowly over and over. Easwaren says "Slowly, like pouring water into oil." If your mind wanders, start at the beginning of the passage and continue on.
The reason I prefer this method over others is that instead of keeping the mind free of attachment to thoughts, I am nourishing my mind with uplifting messages that gradually become a part of my consciousness. The message of the passage begin to be reflected in one's daily life.
You can use a passage for a couple of weeks or longer, and when you choose, find another beautiful passage to memorize and use. I like to keep a little book in which I write the passages I've used. Sometimes I go back to a previous one and use it again.
Here are some of the passages I have used, just to give you some ideas:
Doctrine and Covenants 78:18 & 19 (LDS Scriptures)
2 Nephi 31:20 (Book of Mormon)
1 Peter 1:13-16 (King James Bible)
Alma 38:10-12 (Book of Mormon)
Mosiah 4:9 (Book of Mormon)
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (King James Bible)
Alma 26:35 (Book of Mormon)
2 Nephi 4: 16,20,21 (Book of Mormon)
"The Vision" by Ramdas
"Evening Prayer for the Sabbaath (Jewish Liturgy)
"In The Midst of Darkness" by Mahatma Gandhi
"A Garden Beyond Paradise" by Jalaluddin Rumi
Ether 4:12 (Book of Mormon)
Psalm 100 (King James Bible)
"Do Not Look With Fear" by St. Francis De Sales
You can learn more about Passage Meditation in Easwaren's book, "Passage Meditation" from Nilgiri Press, Tomales, California
Saturday, August 1, 2015
A Complete Yoga Practice Includes 8 Elements
Because the physical postures of Hatha Yoga are so strongly emphasized these days, many people mistakenly believe the postures are Yoga. Not so! The physical postures comprise only one branch of the 8-limbed tree of Yoga. To ignore the other seven branches makes for a very lopsided tree, and a very incomplete yoga practice. Something I love about Kripalu Yoga is how all eight aspects of yoga are incorporated into the practice right from the very first time on the mat!
Take, for instance, Trikonasana, Triangle Pose:
As you begin to enter the pose, remind yourself that you are going to listen to your body, and not force the body to go farther than is appropriate for your body today. This is ahimsa, or non-violence, the first restraint in the ethical code of yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas. True yoga cannot be practiced without first practicing the Yamas and Niyamas in our life off the mat, as well as in our practice on the mat, so it is vital that you make yourself familiar with them, and strive to practice them daily.
At the same time, you make the intention to come to your edge in the pose, that point where to do less would be unproductive, but to do more would be unwise. This is tapas, one of the Niyamas, which has to do with austerity, determination, effort. The very fact that you get on your mat each day, reflects tapas.
At the same time, you are aware of and in control of your breath, pranayama. Appropriate breathing is essential to yoga, as the breath not only keeps life force, or prana, flowing in the body, but is an indicator of the level of relaxation or stress that is present. Since asana means "a still, easy place" you want to do your best to be in that place of acceptance and peace in the pose. Pranayama or "breath control" is the fourth branch on the tree.
Pratyahara, or "sense withdrawal" is the next branch. This is sometimes a difficult aspect to master, but it gets easier with practice. To begin, simply notice, from a place of non-judgmental awareness, all that you are feeling, both physically and emotionally, as you hold the pose. We call this employing the witness consciousness. This is also where you practice the 5 points of awareness: breathe, relax, feel, watch, and allow. As you focus on each of these points in the hold, you are able to withdraw from the urge to release or run away from any discomfort; discomfort becomes simply sensation. You can allow some discomfort to be present, in the interest of making progress with your practice by holding the postures a little longer.
Dharana, or "concentration" follows closely on the heels of pratyahara. Here, the mind is absorbed in the experience of asana, and with practice you might even find yourself forgetting the body altogether as you continue to hold, with maybe some micro-movements to address sensations, a deepening of the breath, and are able to experience a sense of becoming the pose. The urge to release dissipates, and you feel at ease.
For me, the next branch, Dhyana, or "meditation" manifests as I slowly release from the pose, keep my breath flowing steadily, and without letting thoughts take hold in my mind, allow my body to slowly flow into any counter-movements that the body is asking for in response to the holding. This could be a brief series of "loosening up" movements, or, as often happens, my body will slowly and spontaneously move into a flow of postures, actual or non-traditional, that will last 15 - 20 minutes, in response to the flow of prana released throughout my body, and my body's own inner wisdom. This spontaneous posture flow is a meditative, healing, deeply relaxing aspect of yoga that is unique to Kripalu Yoga. At times I have had deep emotions of grief or joy release while in this experience, and I always feel deeply relaxed and whole at the completion, when I gently evolve into Shavasana.
For me, the final branch on our yoga tree, Samadhi, a continual state of mental clarity and peace, is experienced at the conclusion of a practice in which I have included all the branches of yoga. After a deeply meditative practice, the effects with stay with me throughout my day, as a deeper sense of equanimity.
While your practice is not likely to be this deeply meditative every day, keeping in mind the 8 Limbs of Yoga can help you get more out of your practice. You are not just doing calisthenics, seeing how many postures you can achieve. Rather, you are impacting your life. True yoga is a powerful method of uniting all aspects of our being, body, mind and spirit. Go deeper, and experience how Yoga enriches your relationships, your perceptions of self and others, your diet, your personal goals, your self-forgiveness, your sense of self-worth, how you waken in the morning and how you go to sleep at night. Don't be satisfied with nibbling at the table of Yoga, enjoy the entire banquet!
In conclusion, I want to emphasize the importance of a regular daily practice of seated meditation to support your asana practice. Even as little as 10 or 15 minutes a day, first thing in the morning, will train your mind to become focused, and help you live each day more consciously, on or off your mat!
Take, for instance, Trikonasana, Triangle Pose:
As you begin to enter the pose, remind yourself that you are going to listen to your body, and not force the body to go farther than is appropriate for your body today. This is ahimsa, or non-violence, the first restraint in the ethical code of yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas. True yoga cannot be practiced without first practicing the Yamas and Niyamas in our life off the mat, as well as in our practice on the mat, so it is vital that you make yourself familiar with them, and strive to practice them daily.
At the same time, you make the intention to come to your edge in the pose, that point where to do less would be unproductive, but to do more would be unwise. This is tapas, one of the Niyamas, which has to do with austerity, determination, effort. The very fact that you get on your mat each day, reflects tapas.
At the same time, you are aware of and in control of your breath, pranayama. Appropriate breathing is essential to yoga, as the breath not only keeps life force, or prana, flowing in the body, but is an indicator of the level of relaxation or stress that is present. Since asana means "a still, easy place" you want to do your best to be in that place of acceptance and peace in the pose. Pranayama or "breath control" is the fourth branch on the tree.
Pratyahara, or "sense withdrawal" is the next branch. This is sometimes a difficult aspect to master, but it gets easier with practice. To begin, simply notice, from a place of non-judgmental awareness, all that you are feeling, both physically and emotionally, as you hold the pose. We call this employing the witness consciousness. This is also where you practice the 5 points of awareness: breathe, relax, feel, watch, and allow. As you focus on each of these points in the hold, you are able to withdraw from the urge to release or run away from any discomfort; discomfort becomes simply sensation. You can allow some discomfort to be present, in the interest of making progress with your practice by holding the postures a little longer.
Dharana, or "concentration" follows closely on the heels of pratyahara. Here, the mind is absorbed in the experience of asana, and with practice you might even find yourself forgetting the body altogether as you continue to hold, with maybe some micro-movements to address sensations, a deepening of the breath, and are able to experience a sense of becoming the pose. The urge to release dissipates, and you feel at ease.
For me, the next branch, Dhyana, or "meditation" manifests as I slowly release from the pose, keep my breath flowing steadily, and without letting thoughts take hold in my mind, allow my body to slowly flow into any counter-movements that the body is asking for in response to the holding. This could be a brief series of "loosening up" movements, or, as often happens, my body will slowly and spontaneously move into a flow of postures, actual or non-traditional, that will last 15 - 20 minutes, in response to the flow of prana released throughout my body, and my body's own inner wisdom. This spontaneous posture flow is a meditative, healing, deeply relaxing aspect of yoga that is unique to Kripalu Yoga. At times I have had deep emotions of grief or joy release while in this experience, and I always feel deeply relaxed and whole at the completion, when I gently evolve into Shavasana.
For me, the final branch on our yoga tree, Samadhi, a continual state of mental clarity and peace, is experienced at the conclusion of a practice in which I have included all the branches of yoga. After a deeply meditative practice, the effects with stay with me throughout my day, as a deeper sense of equanimity.
While your practice is not likely to be this deeply meditative every day, keeping in mind the 8 Limbs of Yoga can help you get more out of your practice. You are not just doing calisthenics, seeing how many postures you can achieve. Rather, you are impacting your life. True yoga is a powerful method of uniting all aspects of our being, body, mind and spirit. Go deeper, and experience how Yoga enriches your relationships, your perceptions of self and others, your diet, your personal goals, your self-forgiveness, your sense of self-worth, how you waken in the morning and how you go to sleep at night. Don't be satisfied with nibbling at the table of Yoga, enjoy the entire banquet!
In conclusion, I want to emphasize the importance of a regular daily practice of seated meditation to support your asana practice. Even as little as 10 or 15 minutes a day, first thing in the morning, will train your mind to become focused, and help you live each day more consciously, on or off your mat!
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