Owner: Meditation Vinyasa Yoga URL:http://www.meditationvinyasayoga.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:08:31 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Meditation Vinyasa Yoga is a place to discuss movement, meditation, energy, and freedom. Some of the practices that will inform this discussion are vipassana meditation, vinyasa yoga, yin yoga, satsang, chado, kirtan, travel, India, nature, and family. Site statistics:Click here
Managing Obstacles: Stop Doing It 2008-03-01 14:03:00 Do you ever find that you seem to be managing many things that your heart is not truly interested in? Why are you doing that? Why are we all doing that? Put an end to it - today and forever.Often I feel as if my life is one of juggling things that I could care less about; then why is it that I continue to do so? All of these obstacles build up until there seems to be no end, and yes, I am able to manage them. But what happens when that last additional obstacle puts you over the edge? Let it, and when you go over the edge enjoy the ride. Going over the edge, and thus dropping the juggling act of managing obstacles, is the point at which the game of managing is revealed for what it truly is - unnecessary. Then why do we play a game that we don't truly like? Most often I no
What is Your Truest Expression? 2008-02-08 11:49:00 It is so very easy in an effort to 'fit' ourselves into this modern world to slip a little bit off course, and to depart from honoring our truest expression. If this 'slipping' continues unchecked, we may discover some day that we've completely abandoned who we truly are.An example. When I began teaching yoga and meditation, I came to the practice as a result of my own suffering, a deep connection to the simplicity of nature, and a yearning to express sadhana (spiritual practice) via time with conscious community. Throughout the years I have done my best to stay true to who I am, and to do so from my deepest truth and integrity. However, all best intentions meant, I often catch myself drifting towards the 'shiny' lures of modern culture. There is nothing wrong with modern
Is There Anything That I Need? 2008-01-28 15:12:00 Ask yourself the question 'What do I need in this moment to be truly happy'? And we all pretty much know that from the 'heights' of a perfected spirituality the answer to this question is that ultimately we need nothing to be at peace with ourselves. But this type of knowing/feeling can take time to cultivate. So again, what do you need to feel joy and ease in this moment of your life? Take your time, and really check in with things like: what do I like/dislike, what am I truly interested in, what are my most precious root values, what am I not willing to live without? Be honest, and check yourself when you know you're fudging and 'playing a game' with yourself, or going through the motions in any way. When you do this exercise for real, you really come to terms wi
Experiencing the Body in the Body 2008-01-21 13:23:00 Many of us tend to experience our own body as if we were a scientist looking at the body from an outside perspective. But what if instead we were to experience our own body from an inner point of reference? A reference from within the sensations of the experiences themselves? In this article I will present both a way to do this, and also will suggest how this might flavor our experience of life in a new and perhaps a not so new way.Take a moment and notice the sensations in your hands. What do you notice? Soft, tense, relaxed, cold, warm? The body is a wonderful tool for practicing presence, as the body has no choice but to be present - it is always in the present moment. Notice how the act of noticing the experience in your hands helps support your being in this mome
Technology as Practice 2008-01-16 15:57:00 There has been a reason I haven't posted an article for some time; and in this article I would like to speak to this reason. For myself, technology has been an interesting practice over the last ten years or so - a practice that is truly seldom very clear, nor easy to navigate.When I began teaching yoga I taught at a yoga studio that had about ten teachers. As you might imagine, periodically the studio owner would need to alert us teachers to some new bit of policy or to update studio information. The way that she did this was via email. At the time my practice with regards to technology was to minimize my use of it to the extreme. I had no email address, didn't use a computer for anything, and even went months at a time when I had no phone service at all. This was diff Read more:Technology
, Practice
Sharing Awareness: A Teacher's Dilemma 2008-01-09 17:01:00 I often find teaching awareness both at times a difficult, and at others a seemingly impossible thing to do. There are several reasons for this difficulty, but perhaps primary is the fact that awareness is not some 'thing' that can be stated or learned in any quantitatively measurable way. As a teacher of awareness I have taken on the task of describing that which is beyond description; I sometimes like to say that with words we can only 'back it into a corner', and only then can we say something vague like 'what ever it is, it's over in that corner'. This vagueness can be frustrating to many, and at times even downright irritating. However, being able to dwell in uncertainty is a valuable piece and step to being able to uncover ever-deepening layers of one's relations Read more:Sharing
, Awareness
, Teacher
The Question... 2008-01-06 12:55:00 As the years and time continue to roll by, and as it seems many of my family members are having 'milestone' birthdays these days, I can't help but be brought to some of life's more central questions. In the process of finding my own answers a natural curiosity also arises - what are other people discovering, what are their answers, and questions? So, I ask each of you:'What have you learned in your life?'I look forward to hearing the story of your insights. Read more:Question
Specialization's Upside & Downside 2008-01-04 15:29:00 In order for a society or organization to grow and thrive, it is important that each person know their specific role, their focus. It is this focus that ultimately allows each of us to do what we do well; but at what price? In this article I will look at the role of specialization itself to see where it actually supports our growth, and where it may instead act to hinder our truest expression and calling.When I mention specialization what do I mean exactly? Truly, specialization for most of us simply means our occupation. However, for others of us we may choose to look at all the ways that we have focused our lives to the exclusion of the infinite other possibilities - from our personal lives, the our self-image, or even our entire world view. For most of us specializatio Read more:Downside
Everything Moves, Except Awareness 2008-01-02 23:10:00 Objects move, and so do thoughts. Emotions move as well as energy. If everything in the universe moves, then how is it that awareness does not move? Awareness
is not in the universe; the universe is 'in' awareness. What? Yes - all thoughts, things, and energies are enveloped by awareness. Awareness is the 'substrate' of all experience.Take a practical example; look in the mirror. You look older than you consider yourself, right? This is because over the years as you watch this body age, the irony is that you do not; awareness is untouched by the process, yet touches every bit of it. Awareness 'scents' all of experience by its very nature. Just as a flower makes no 'effort' to affect the environment of a room with its fragrance, so too does awareness act - i Read more:Everything
Pain Exists, It's Natural 2007-12-31 15:25:00 For many of us, when we have the experience of pain, either physical or other, our first response is along these lines: ‘something is not right, this is not natural’. However, pain is an experience that is as natural as any other. Not only this, but pain is one of the most valuable experiences we can have; for it is a clear reminder to awaken, to wake up to a new way of living, a way that leaves the old way that is no longer serving us behind. Pain asks that we adapt, that we grow and expand in a way that supports our new found and freshly discovered present-moment self.Recently I had an experience where a family member was experiencing rather intense physical pain. This person had not experienced much physical pain of this sort during their life, and needless to say the Read more:Natural
Environmental Impact of Stuff 2007-12-27 14:34:00 Are you interested in the truth? Please have a look:www.storyofstuff.comA yogi loves the truth, regardless of its content - regardless of the amount of 'inconvenience' it may cause oneself. Please be a carrier of your deepest truth, even when it seems difficult.
The Secret of Mastery: No Secret 2007-12-24 14:14:00 What does it mean when someone supposedly has mastered something? Put another way, what are the criteria that one uses to access, define, and ultimately claim authority? In this article I will look closely at how mastery, authority, the student/teacher relationship, and unequal distributions of power establish themselves.The secret of mastery is that truly there is no secret. This does not mean that there is no secret or key to self-mastery, but rather that the key itself is in fact to realize that there is no thing ‘the key’. This can be a bit tricky to grasp, as most of us are used to discussing what ‘things’ act upon us and our growth; and in what ways. But in the case of practice, path, and liberation, a new way of thinking is asked of us. When you meet a ne
Freedom's Seed: A Personal Letter 2007-12-21 12:39:00 When I first began to suspect the 'rumblings' of another way of living and being, I was also in the midst of one of the darkest times of my life. I had just graduated from college and was living with some friends in Madison, Wisconsin; there was little new in my life, and every direction I looked seemed to be a great expanse of desolation.At this time I had nearly no idea what yoga or meditation was, nor did I even really have a working definition of the word 'philosophy'. Regardless, independent of cognitive knowing there were deeper workings taking effect - a seed of freedom was growing because it was time; apparently I had suffered enough. It was also around this time that I received a birthday card from my childhood minister who I hadn't heard from in years. The card Read more:Freedom
, Personal
, Letter
Winter's Wisdom: The Essential in Nature 2007-12-19 09:25:00 As the darkest day of the year comes upon us, I would like to speak in this post about what the energetic implications of this darkness may be for each of us in our many lives. As this post's title suggests, darkness and winter are a time of the essential, the simple and minimalist orientation of life. Conversely, summertime and its long, bright days are a time for expansion and exploration.When winter comes all of nature responds skillfully, naturally. Trees let go of their leaves, birds sing less frequently and loudly, animals hibernate, and all sorts of many other responses occur. Why? Because during the winter there is a natural tendency to turn inward, to store energy, to conserve, to rest. In yogic thought we might liken this inward turn to the fifth limb, which i Read more:Wisdom
, Essential
An Open Letter from Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg 2007-12-17 11:39:00 Dear Friends, We are writing to ask your support for two beloved friends of ours, Stephen and Ondrea Levine. They are currently facing significant difficulty. After a life-time of giving, they are now at a time to receive from those of us whose lives have been touched by their presence and teaching.?Their greatest needs are financial. Ondrea has Leukemia and the costs of her insurance and treatment have used up their savings. Stephen's health is not good either, and he is too frail to travel or teach. When we heard about this we felt moved to contribute to a fund set up for them, and to encourage others to do the same.? Stephen and Ondrea have been among our generation's most important teachers, demonstrating and encouraging other to embrace the power of love and generosity. Fo Read more:Letter
, Sharon
The Masculine and Feminine of Pregnancy 2007-12-16 12:12:00 What are the roles of men and women in the process of birthing a child? How do these roles relate to how masculine and feminine energy work in nature? In this article I will explore these questions from the perspective of personally being smack dab in the middle of this process - my life partner is six months pregnant with our first child.Let us begin with masculine and feminine energy. It is first important to note that masculine and feminine do not refer to male/female. Male and female are gender designations, while masculine and feminine more closely resemble the 'ways' in which the dance of nature displays itself; Taoism's yin and yang being perhaps the most common classic example of this. Masculine
energy is the energy of movement, of doing. In yogic terms masculin Read more:Feminine
, Pregnancy
Meditation Vinyasa Yoga Blog Featured at Blog Carnival 2007-12-14 23:29:00 Just a quick note to let you know that the Meditation
Vinyasa Yoga Blog recently had an article featured in the 'Meditation, Yoga & Spiritual Growth Carnival
'. A carnival is a collection of articles focused on a given topic. To see which article was featured, click here.--1/9/08And I thought it might be nice if I use this post to keep a running list of all the Carnivals that included an article from Meditation Vinyasa Yoga. Here they are:December '07: Meditation, Yoga & Spiritual Growth CarnivalJanuary '08: Weekend Kindness' Godly Family CarnivalJanuary '08: Meditation, Yoga & Spiritual Growth CarnivalJanuary '08: A Buddhist Carnival Read more:Featured
, Blog Carnival
Commitment Breeds Patience, Then Success 2007-12-14 11:47:00 Have you ever begun a project that you felt really passionate about only to have it turn out not so good, or not at all? Of course you have, we all have. From that experience what did you learn? Did you learn that the project was 'never meant to be', or something along those lines? In this article I will look at the role of commitment as it pertains to actualizing results in our lives.When it comes to truly working towards manifesting a vision, or anything for that matter, I find most people fall into two broad categories. The first category is those of us that don't really know what we want. We have some idea, but there is no way for our heart to be completely in whatever it is, because we're not clear about it in some way. That's not to say that we have to know 'exa Read more:Commitment
, Success
Donation-Based Classes: Practicing Generosity 2007-12-12 09:54:00 Perhaps you've already heard the murmurs about donation-based classes in your yoga community. If you're a practitioner of Buddhist meditation then you've most certainly been exposed to the practice of generosity as one of Buddhism's paramitas, or perfections. In this post I will give a brief overview and description of the what and why of donation-based offerings.Traditionally in Asia all teachings have been offered in an 'open-handed' manner. That is, they are offered free of charge, and in a way that makes the teachings equally accessible to all who desire to learn and grow from them. This way of offering teachings is done purely from a place of generosity, with no expectation of reciprocal exchange of any kind. The benefits of making practices available to all is quite Read more:Donation
, Classes
, Generosity
Svadhyaya: Studying Oneself 2007-12-10 15:31:00 Svadhyaya is the yogic term that means 'self-study'. It is one of yoga's five niyamas, or observances. Svadhyaya, as much of yoga is intended, is an effort to allow the sadhaka (practitioner) methods or tools for greater insight into their own true nature. Often svadhyaya's introspection includes the use of spiritual texts or scriptures to help gain some perspective on ourselves, as truly perspective on one's own situation and challenges is the most difficult and valuable to have. Have you ever known someone that seemed to have great insights with regards to others, only to have obvious challenges of their own that alluded them completely? Of course, we have all known that person as another and as ourselves.My own path and relationship to the practice of self-study has taken many diff
Asana Unfolds: Ten Years of Yoga 2007-12-07 10:01:00 When I look back in retrospect at the path my relationship to yoga asana practice has taken over the years, I often gain insights into the guiding 'greater alignment' that was naturally designing my journey; insights that I did not notice while the process was actually unfolding. For myself, the reason this 'retrospective' looking can be so valuable, is that it can often then enlighten the processes I am presently experiencing. For instance: If I was unaware of that thing when it occurred, then what is happening in this very moment of my life that I am unaware of?Another example of how this might look could be: perhaps there were specific reasons during each person's past when they 'couldn't see the forest for the trees'; however, if now in retrospect we look at what was causin Read more:Years
'Bag of Beads': A Metaphor for Mind 2007-12-06 12:12:00 Even though over the years of practice I have found my natural inclination leading to a more heart-centered focus, there have been and continue to be times when I've found working with the mind from an intellectual perspective to be profoundly liberating. Several years ago I was in a place where I not only needed a new way to relate to my mind's contents, but also needed a way to relate to the workings of my mind in way that gave me both perspective and release from its habitual grip, what I sometimes refer to as 'the electrical storm that is my mind'.It was around this time that I was reading much philosophical fiction, and one author continually set the stage for experiencing the mind clearly. This was Herman Hesse, the author of well-known books like Siddhartha and Stepp Read more:Beads
, Metaphor
Buddhism's Emptiness, Dependent-Arising, Karma, and No-Self 2007-12-05 15:48:00 Find that you like Buddhism
but you're not quite sure why? Is there something about it that just seems to 'fit' like no other religion or thought system has in the past? Perhaps it is because Buddhism is not a religion in the traditional 'god(s)-oriented' way, or maybe because it is so much more than a 'thought system' or philosophy; but rather, Buddhism is a practical way of explaining both the way the world is, and how we come to know it through our own direct experience. It is practical both because it helps soften and clarify our experience of our life, and also because it is a practice in that it asks of us mindful intention and attention to actualize and realize a life well-lived. Usually it makes the most sense to begin a discussion such as this at the beginning Read more:Dependent
Pure Awareness: Going Beyond Consciousness 2007-12-03 12:41:00 Where to begin? At the beginning of course. Let's begin with a few definitions:* Body: that which experiences the physical world via the senses.* Mind's Contents: ideas, opinions, and all of the possible combinations.* Consciousness
: that faculty within each person that notices the mind and world's contents.* Purusha: in yogic terms, cosmic consciousness - that which witnesses all things.* Pure Awareness
: the 'stuff' that both composes all of the above, but is also 'beyond' it all.The first time I encountered the spaciousness of awareness was in a studio art class in college. The concept of 'negative space' was introduced. Negative space is the space between objects of form. Hearing about this opened up a whole new world for me. Not only is negative space the space betw Read more:Going
Mother India: Where To Go, Where To Study 2007-12-03 00:11:00 Let me begin this post with a quote from a student who attended a retreat to India
with me:"I read and was told that India is a place of contradictions, yet you can never understand the enormity of that statement until you experience India. You don't visit India, you experience it." more...For myself, there are few things in life that have caused me as much growth as my time in India. In some ways, I feel that a trip to India is both the easiest and fastest way to experience pure awareness; and I recommend such a trip to anyone who really wants to get 'bumped' out of their habitual ways of being. As the description of this blog alludes, other ways that I feel clearly bring one to awakening are vipassana meditation, mindful yoga, and conscious partnership; these three along wi Read more:Study
Tea As Practice 2008-03-23 05:18:00 Taking tea, and being with tea and people, has been a practice in the culture of humanity for much of recorded history. My personal love of tea has been a great way to transition from the often introspective practices of seated meditation and yoga asana to a more social mindful life. However, not until more recently has the art of tea revealed itself as a true method and expression of residing in sustained satsang, or community of truth - with other people, but also with nature, art, and beauty of all kinds.Why is this? In any experience there is an opportunity for appreciation. I've heard it said, "Where the subject meets the object, be the most mindful." For myself, this is exactly what the act of taking tea offers; it offers the opportunity to awaken not only to the ex Read more:Practice
Can't Feed the Birds: Is That True? 2008-04-03 07:55:00 This article is about a recent occurrence in my life and culture that bewilders me. For a couple of years now my partner and I have been leaving birdseed in a flower box outside of our apartment's backside windows. From time to time we have had anywhere from a few visiting birds to what I would consider as many as 10+ resident ones. Mostly doves and smaller chickadee type birds, but recently we have had the occasional pigeon.Well, last night I received a phone call from my landlord saying that he had received a complaint from the neighbor, and that our beloved birds have been leaving droppings on the neighbor's deck; I can understand (sort of) the neighbor's concern. After telling me of the neighbor's complaint, and then asking me if I in fact was feeding the birds Read more:Birds
My Birth Experience 2008-04-26 08:46:00 On April 21st, 2008 my partner gave birth to our son. As you might imagine, the experience was profound in many ways - some expected ways, and some not. Prior to the big day, we felt that we had prepared as much as one can prepare for such an experience: we took childbirth prep classes, we read book after book about the possibility of this or that happening, we watched movies on birth, and we educated ourselves in whatever other ways we could. One of the movies that we watched was the newly released 'The Business of Being Born'. In it, the trend of commercializing the birth process is looked at closely and critically. If you do ever intend to have a child, I highly recommend watching this film. In addition to this movie's supportive information, our plans from the beginning of pregnan
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