Ramblings of a Yogini

Zen Mind - Beginner's Mind

2011-08-09T09:30:00.004+01:00

Even if Zen is not your 'thing', this is a wonderful video and the teaching is so very succinct.

2011-07-15T06:46:00.002+01:00

To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.
(Lao Tzu)

Simplicity

2011-04-18T15:17:00.002+01:00

Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you (Rashi)

Peace within

2011-04-17T19:44:00.002+01:00

Buddha Quotes

Mindfulness at Pizza Hut

2011-04-11T08:11:00.008+01:00

Yesterday, after a somewhat 'failed' family day out (beware the hype in magazine advertisements!) we decided to visit Pizza Hut.

So what, I hear you thinking, does this have to do with mindfulness?

Well, using the many observations available as encouraged by Jon Kabat Zinn, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to practice.

As usual, long queue to wait to be seated for a table - breathing, just watching the breath. Distracted by the small children waiting in line with their parents, come back to the breath. Child announces that her flip-flop is now broken (after some rough play with her younger brother) - ah, distracted again...breathe in this moment. Being aware of the movement of breath, this moment, this moment - table is now ready for us.

Sitting, being very aware of how I am placing my body - my spine being well supported by the seat, connecting to the sensations of my body and my breath - menus, drinks order. Back to the breath.

Noise - have you ever really noticed just how loud these restaurants are? Screaming baby - I'm aware that the sound of this child has been my focal point for quite some time, how much longer before the parent turns their attention from their food to their child? Breathing, soft smile of the Buddha on my face.

Become aware of how many people have been smiling at me as they pass our table. Is it because I am smiling? Distracted again, this time an internal discourse over whether smiling encourages a more positive response from others!

My own children playing a game in the small activity book given to children in the vain hope that it will encourage them to be more settled whilst waiting for the food order. Find myself observing without getting caught up in their 'battle' over the game they are playing. Feeling very calm and somewhat peaceful. Is this possible in such a place? Oh, oh, distracted by thinking - back to the breath.

The salad bar then gets my full attention. I had already declined to 'fill' the tiny bowl given for the purpose, despite the assurance we could visit as many times as we wished! There are children at the salad bar filling bowls and then removing the contents with their hands and putting it back, ready for the next, unsuspecting customer to scoop into their own bowl. Just remember to focus on the breath and not get carried away mentally with where this thought is now taking me.

Clean up required at salad bar - the contents of the sweetcorn tray have managed to find its way onto the floor. At last, parents of stray children arrive to escort them back to their table. Definitely not going to partake in a public salad bar again.

Breathe in, breathe out - this breath, this breath, this breath - our food order arrives.

Taking the mindful approach to eating - remembering to place knife and fork down in between mouthfuls. Focusing on the texture and flavours of food in my mouth, whilst congratulating myself on choosing the healthy option from the menu rather than a large, overstuffed crust pizza! Back to the food - aware of the flavours, warmth and yes, joy of eating.

Suddenly aware that I have 'come back' and am amidst the noise and startling reality of the restaurant again. I may have been gone just for a few seconds, who knows? It was delightful all the same.

Irrespective of where you are, you can take meditation with you. It's something of a challenge, but it will really enhance your experience of the 'now'.

Women's Meditation

2011-03-07T12:03:00.004Z

Reflections - the Women's Meditation Group got off to a brilliant start on 18th February. Some 23 women turned up on a Friday evening to sit in meditation and then share in the discussion on "What is happiness?"

It was a wonderful evening, full of sharing, openness and joy. Here's a few comments on what other's thought...

"I just wanted to say, last night! It has made me feel happy! Aren't people wonderful? I'm really looking forward to the next gathering. Such a wonderful thing to do for all of us. Thank you."

"Such a diverse group of women from varied backgrounds, ages and cultures coming together to meditate and discuss 'happiness'. We listened to many opinions and experiences and although we didn't come up with a definitive answer, I think we gained a sense of happiness from the way we spent our evening."

"It was such a powerful evening and the effects stayed with me for about a week. Just having the opportunity to sit and to 'be'. It was lovely to have something that was 'mine', I found I didn't want to discuss it with my partner when I got home as I wanted to keep it to myself."

We meet again on Friday 18th March at 7.30pm @ Watford Women's Centre where our next discussion will be on self-esteem. Why not join the Facebook page to receive ongoing weekly inspiration? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Reflections-Womens-Meditation-Group/138873429500528

The sheer sound of bliss

2010-12-09T16:20:00.004Z

Here is a selection of tracks of Lorin Roche reading from his book, The Radiance Sutras, which I often use in class (sheer beauty). Thought many of you would appreciate hearing it from the source (so to speak)...the brilliance of these sutras simply shines through.

Chakra Art

2010-12-02T10:17:00.006Z

I completed the 10-week journey through the chakras last night with my class. Both classes who have been taking the journey have been so generous in spirit with being able to go with the flow; trying different things to understand energy flows and how we can understand these vital centres a little deeper. This week the term was completed by creating some chakra art.

Everyone embraced the concept willingly and the creations were amazing, colourful and alive. It was something of an emotional journey too for some, which has made it all the more special.

Some pics below of what was created...

I Am by Donna Lynne Seamone

2010-11-12T19:49:00.002Z

I am
I am no one special.
I am the Buddha
the enlightened one
sitting
curved blelly
spine straight
folded
empty in
the fullest sense
knowing all
holding nothing

I am Jesus
saviour of the world
hanging here
sagged bones
bowed flesh
dying for anyone
nailed to wood
for lack of care
emptying my breath
in surrender

I am Durga
deliverer of the confused and discouraged
riding tigers
drinking in bloody indecision
gulping demon dry doubts
spitting them out
slaying buffalo and rapists
mother of all
purist rage suckling courage
nourishing fearlessness into herbs

I am Pele
spring of volcanic majesty and power
erupting seething fury
terrible violence
dancing molten darkness
pouring
ashen tenderness
mosssy gentlesness
into earth
growing serenity into ferns

I am Sophia
Wisdom of God
dancing before the dawn of time
seeing all
for what is is, could be
passion of life
loving and wooing
purple and play
into labour and creation

I am
no one special

I am
just another woman
like all the rest

I am
writing this
stone cold sober

I am no one special
Another woman
like all the rest

Look in my eyes
Watery green ferns
Yellow specked fear
Black recessed fire
Desolate domain of longing
Shimmering spheres of delight
Crease of laughter and agony

Meet me as you would another woman
The one who tends cash in the cafeteria
for dive dollars an hour smiling for no tip
Cream in your coffee?
Look in her eyes the next time you say,
Sure, thanks.
See me in her eyes
She and I, we are in each other.
She is Buddha, holding nothing.

Meet me as you would another woman
The one who begs coins from your pockets
for a fifth, a burrito, a little time.
She wants all your money, but she asks for change.
Look in her eyes the next time you say,
Sorry.
See me in her eyes
She and I, we are each other.
She is Jesus hanging there.

Look in my eyes
I am weeping for your fears.
See the water well and drop.
Do you hear me?
I am screaming Durga,
See me
See my eyes flashing, raging
Ride the tiger of your fears.
Decide, act, be.
Durga is in their eyes too.

Look in my eyes
See Pele's erupting fury
Levelling cruelty
with a single glancing blow.
Throwing embers that purify.
Pele, dancing in ashes
Pele look out from other eyes.
Watch for her fire and heat.

Look in my eyes
Sophia is laughing there
Glinting and sparkling light
Warming and dancing in clay
Look in our eyes
We are in each other
We do not have the same eyes --
We look out through different windows.
Look in through the windows.
Look in the eyes
Of the one you call
virgin, witch, lover, whore, mother
If you cannot see
Me in her
Her in me,
You cannot see
any of us.
And we are
just another woman
like all the rest.

Do not look in my eyes
If you want
To see
A reflection
of
you.

Yogi Bear

2010-09-20T07:43:00.002+01:00

Click on the following link for some pictures that will make you smile!

Yogi Bear

Stone Balancing - Meditation in action

2010-09-18T08:31:00.005+01:00

A couple of years ago (if my memory serves me correctly), I read in a copy of Yoga Journal of a man that spent his time balancing rocks and considered it meditation (quite true).

In this week's Daily Mail, the paper ran an article on a man here in the UK balancing stones. The pictures are stunning and I urge you to just take a look at the article.

Should you find yourself at a beach sometime soon, give it a try!

Click here to be taken to the article.

Happiness

2010-09-08T20:02:00.003+01:00

I've just started reading Gretchen Rubin's 'The Happiness Project'. It's an easy read and by that I mean it's got a really relaxed feel to it and is not too demanding on the grey mattter! Some of the elements that she suggests I've found an immediate affinity with...for example - Secrets of Adulthood - these are my favourites at the moment...

* People don't notice your mistakes as much as you think
* You don't have to be good at everything
* Most decisions don't require extensive research
* Bring a sweater! (my fave!)

I think the reason that this book was a #1 Bestseller is the appeal for the everyday person. It's easy for the reader to relate to Gretchen's endeavours - decluttering the closet (as an example) and how that leads to de-cluttering everything else in the process.

Relating this to a meditative perspective, we need to be able to take time each day to be able to sit, allow the events of the day to wash over us and then the internal de-cluttering takes place.

I've posted a link on the page so that you can start your own Happiness Project today.

Great way to start the day

2010-09-06T12:25:00.007+01:00

I'm in the process of finalising my meditation user-guide for students and was seeking permission from an author to use an extract. The book in question, Open Body, which I have had since it was first published in 1998. I have used this book extensively over the years and it has been a joy.

I dropped an email to the author yesterday (Todd Walton) who replied with a resounding yes to using whatever I want from the book with his blessings!

In addition, he sent me a link to a You Tube video which features music he has just released.

It was a joyous way to start the day and I share it with you now...

Autumn term begins...

2010-09-04T14:56:00.003+01:00

The autumn term of yoga teaching kicked off to a great start this week. I started a new Saturday morning class at Femme Fitness in Watford. I'd originally taught at this women-only gym some 9-10 years ago, so was very much a home-coming in a couple of ways.

1) The same old stereo inhabits a corner of the studio space - only now we have i-Pods and the system doesn't support this new technology!

2) Reunions with students I haven't seen for some time, and even one from my original time at the gym all those years ago - magic!

Great start to the weekend!

Inspirational...

2010-07-18T20:22:00.005+01:00

I may have some way to go (!) but this is certainly the inspiration I need to keep up with my yoga practice...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1172810/The-yoga-supergran-bend-backwards-age-83.html

Simple but profound...

2010-06-21T12:59:00.009+01:00

A beautiful book and very thought provoking...highly recommended!

Click this link to find out more...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeZgoQeebv4

Mandala - a meditation just watching it!

2010-06-18T16:43:00.004+01:00

This is a wonderful video...click to see it...

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/02/a-mandala-in-minutes/

BBC turns yoga patent facts "on their head"

2010-06-12T07:42:00.002+01:00

BBC turns yoga patent facts "on their head"

The above link shows the 'twist' (pun intended), that the BBC applied to it's recent report on the Indian Government applying a patent to yoga postures.

Copyright Yoga?

2010-06-09T11:40:00.005+01:00

Image copyright (c) Esprit Yoga 1993

I nearly choked this morning on the school run. There I was happily driving to the school, Radio 4's Today programme in the background. Only I nearly crashed the car with the news that the Indian Government is looking to patent nearly a thousand yoga postures.

The fact that Radio 4 also used this as their closing article of the programme was doubly shocking!

To find out more and to also hear the broadcast, click below...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8730000/8730058.stm

Beginnings & Endings

2010-06-05T06:51:00.000+01:00

Today marks the end of a 3-month training in teaching meditation. When I first enrolled, I had this fanciful idea that I would be given the perfect excuse to just 'sit' for the sheer pleasure of it.

This was my downfall.

The journey through the course has had many twists and turns. Late night angst of whether or not to give it all up. Questions asked of myself and my abilities. Giving up sugar for a week and then finding I don't 'need' the substance in my life (quite a revelation).

You guessed it reader, it's not been an easy path. But sitting here now, on the final, final day of it all, I'm in this wonderful place of ease. Maybe some of that sukha (ease) can be attributed to the fact that I know I haven't got any more coursework to do(!) However, some of it is recognising the journey and the many places I've been taken to in my internal world whilst struggling to really work through the yamas and the niyamas. The pages in my journal being testament to the inner rage when faced with aspects of the self which aren't always pretty.

Meditation is a wonderful tool for life. In between the difficulties, there have been wonderful glimpses of being one with everything - however fleeting the moment.

I have also come to truly understand the power of pranayama on the mind.

So whilst today marks the ending, I am very excited at the beginnings that will follow.

The Shack

2010-05-12T16:34:00.000+01:00

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/mpd/permalink/m1G8IYVZU17QPL

The Shack is a book that has been taking America by storm. The book apparently reads like a prayer, the best kind of prayer. I've just ordered it and will let you know my thoughts very soon.

Click on the above link to see a short interview with the author and to find out a little more.

Yoga Unveiled by Gita Desai

2010-04-30T17:27:00.000+01:00

Harnessing the colorful commentary of the most prominent yoga scholars, teachers, and medical experts, Yoga Unveiled reveals how yoga began, tells the story of yoga's passage to the West, describes its numerous branches, recounts the fascinating biographies of the foremost yoga masters, and explores yoga's astonishing medical potential.
Stunning cinematography, ornate visual displays, and stirring music create a truly enchanting viewing experience. The great devotees of yoga grace the screen with their profound wisdom and delightful manner.
Yoga Unveiled also features commentary by Krishna Das, Dr. Herbert Benson, Edwin Bryant, Subhash Kak, Vasant Lad, Dr. Timothy McCall, Larry Payne, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Father Joe Pereira, Swami Sivananda, Dr. Martina Ziska, and Dharma Mittra.

Extract from The Radiance Sutras

2010-04-30T12:39:00.000+01:00

vyoma akaram svam atmanam

dhyayet digbhih anavritam

nirashraya chitih shaktih

sva rupam darsayet tada

Meditate on the Self as being

Vast as the sky,

A body of energy

Extending forever in all directions -

Above, below, all around

In the embrance of infinite space,

Awaken to your true form,

Divine creative energy

Revealing Herself as you.

Lorin Roche - The Radiance Sutras [69] http://www.lorinroche.com/

Radiance Yoga

2010-04-10T18:25:00.000+01:00

Had a wonderful evening last night at Triyoga in Soho. A wonderful 'jam session' provided by Claire Missingham, who took us through a slow, sensual flow accompanied by Lorin Roche fresh from California. Lorin read from his book 'The Radiance Sutras' - it was a divine evening, that helped to clear the stress of the week (meditation course / homework being somewhat challenging plus making a start on my tax return).

Working on the idea that meditation does not mean sitting bolt upright and unmoving, instead it was truly understanding spanda - the spontaneous expression of movement and inner vibration = sheer bliss.

Naturally, what made it even more special was that fact that Lorin has the most wonderful voice which meant as he read the sutras, I just melted into the flow.

Eat, Pray, Love

2010-04-04T16:15:00.000+01:00

One of my most favourite books has been turned into a movie. Eat, Pray and Love is due for release in the USA this summer. Julia Roberts has the starring role. Keeping my fingers crossed that it reflects the magnificence of the book itself.

For those uninitiated into the story, it's like this...

Liz Gilbert (Roberts) had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful career - yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali. Based upon the bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Mindfulness

2010-04-04T16:14:00.000+01:00

When we mindfully watch both body and mind, we can see how many wonderful things they do together. (Bhante Henepola Gunaratana)

The 'art' of meditation

2010-04-04T16:12:00.000+01:00

I came across this video some time ago and have always found it embodies the art of meditation on so many levels. Once you look beyond the initial distaste regarding the fly, it unfolds into something very beautiful.

Surya Namaskar with Bija Mantras

2010-04-04T16:10:00.001+01:00

This is a fab video showing the classical Surya Namaskar using Bija (seed) mantras for each move. Considering getting my students to do this next term as it can be so powerful with each movement.