Archive for the Category » Meditation «

Nov
18

365 Meditation Project. Dude, Four Days and Loving It!

Orangutan in Aalborg Zoo, Denmark

Image via Wikipedia

Lest I overstate how I feel about my first four days, I have to stress that my ADHD, crack addicted orangutan- I mean monkey- of a mind still prevails.  My early morning thirty minutes is a virtual cluster f*# of to-do’s, did-do’s, oh sh*t’s, oh-god-i-forgot-to-do’s, WTF’s, and so many more wonderful distractions.

And I indulge.

But I still sit.  I redirect.  I bring my attention to my breath.

Over and over and over again.

While it sounds tedious, it has been a most pleasant space early in the quiet of the morning.  Before the emails, the work, the kids, the noise… the chaos.

And somehow I’m energized first thing, better preparing me for the day.

And the nagging headache I’ve been waking up with?  Blissfully diminished at the end of the half hour… despite the orangutan.

 

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Category: 365 day meditation, gratitude, health, maybe, Meditation, Practice, Spirit, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
Nov
15

Meditation… 365 Days and Counting!

101 days since mommy’s last tweet… 101 days since mommy’s last post.  Hmmmm…..

OK… so things have kinda been falling apart.  Just a lil’ bit.

But inspired anew, with a tidy place to transform my butt-ugly-early mornings from groggily logging on to facebook- I mean, my email and other work related stuff- to something truly transformative.  I’m turning to meditation to aid in persistent headaches, a pesky snacking habit and even more pesky weight gain… and really just an over-all case of the blah’s- physically and mentally.

I’ll let you know how it goes.  Consider this a 365 Day Project of a different shade.

Forget New Years.  Meditation. Everyday. Now.

Tell it, Senor Kabat-Zinn….

Category: 365 day meditation, Good Intentions, gratitude, health, Meditation, Spirit, strength, surrender, weight loss  Leave a Comment
Jul
29

Planning Your Family Winter Vacation?

Than have I got an idea for you!

I know it’s only the end of July, but winter will be here before you know it… and you’ll be dreaming of frolicking with the kids on white sand and in azure waters.

So, plan ahead and consider combining yoga with your snorkelling this winter.  Sivananda Ashram, near Nassau in the Bahamas, offers family options, that keep everybody busy and relaxed, while still having plenty of time to enjoy the usual tropical vacation stuff.

From February 19-25, you and your family can enjoy games, activities, outings and more, along with regular yoga practice for the whole family.  Only a half-mile down the shore is the famed Atlantis Resort, where you can grab a snack and enjoy a splash down the 60-foot Mayan-temple slide to boot!

The real beauty of Sivananda Ashram as a family vacation, is that you can enjoy the best in beach vacations, with all you would expect from an island paradise with crystal clear water and pure white sands, for a fraction of what it might cost you to do otherwise.  It’s remarkably reasonable, particularly if you choose the tent option, though you can choose from a variety of accommodations, whether you’re into tenting or a beachfront private room with A/C and a view.

Make your plans now!  (242/363-2902; www.sivanandabahamas.org; from $79 per adult, including meals, yoga classes, and meditation sessions; children under 12 half-price; children under three free.)

 

Category: Destinations, family, health, instruction, Kids, Meditation, Spirit, yoga  Leave a Comment
Feb
05

Buddhist Tales for Kids or Jataka For Dummies!

Compassion.  Integrity.  Cooperation.  Hygiene.  All important principles to living a full, happy life.  However, in this age of technology, over-scheduling and increasingly interactive, realistic and solitary-bordering-on-anti-social pursuits such as computer games, XBox and facebook, increasingly difficult principles to nurture in our young ones.

And, if unplugging isn’t an option, maybe reconnecting our kids, and ourselves, to these human truths can be as simple as a story.  These important messages have been conveyed through story-telling for a millennia.  In regions of Buddhist faith, messages of Empathy, Consideration, Wisdom and Modesty have been passed on through the Jataka tales to help guide and govern human behaviour and develop the character of the people.

I found this interesting resource at BuddhaNet, a great resource for all information Buddhist… if you’re looking for a good way to introduce your kids to Buddhist – heck, healthy human!- principles, complete with easy to digest morals, HERE is a wonderful collection of translated Jataka tales to read aloud to your kids.

They are as simple as can be, some of them a little hokey to be sure- they’re fables after all!- but perfect for getting conversations started and kids (and us- ahem!) thinking!

Category: Good Intentions, gratitude, health, Kids, Meditation, reading, Spirit, strength, surrender  One Comment
Jan
18

Guided Meditation for Children

Time spent in meditation is, by far, one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

Many of us as parents, even those of us who appreciate meditation in our own lives, are hesitant to introduce it to our children.

We are intimidated by the prospect, knowing how difficult it is ourselves to find that often illusive place of quiet.  ’If I struggle in quieting my own monkey mind, how can I possibly help my child do it?’

In truth, it can actually be easier.  Consider how rapt your child is during story time. In that spirit, children are remarkably receptive to sitting in quiet and in peaceful attention.  The perfect beginning.

Through guided meditation to start with, the child is better able to connect with that peaceful place within, losing themselves in the comfort of your voice or that of a recording, and the urgings of gentle instruction.

The benefits of meditation are immeasurable.  As with adults, meditation is shown to reduce stress while enhancing self-esteem.  It also offers a healthy means of relaxation during doctor’s visits, exams and in preparation for various sports events and performances.

According to Sarah Wood, a facilitator in child meditation, and author of the book Sensational Meditation for Children, teachers who build meditation into lesson plans report their classroom environments being more peaceful and attribute this to their students’ ability to express compassion to each other.

“The transformation we as adults experience when we become partners in learning with our children” is exhilarating, says Wood, who also observes “learning a meditation practice is a journey in growth, whether it is spiritual, emotional or mental.”

To help you get started with your own child, have a listen:  childrengettingstarted

While it may take several sessions, any practitioner of meditation will agree that there can be no down-side to offering a child such an experience and the knowledge of how to acheive it themselves.  Any time, any where.  There is such valuable power in that.

For more ideas and resources, please visit Children’s Meditation.

For more information, read more at Suite101: The Benefits of Child Meditation: Giving Children Tools to Nurture Their Bodies, Minds and Spirits http://www.suite101.com/content/the-benefits-of-child-meditation-a22687#ixzz1BOorGkMd

Category: gratitude, health, instruction, Kids, Meditation, Spirit, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
Jul
16

Yoga Programs for At-Risk-Youth: Join the Revolution!

Celeb songsters belly-up to the mic to offer an incredible mix of original tunes not only to inspire not only all of us all on to the mat but also at-risk-youth.

In an ohm-worthy effort, artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Ziggy Marley, Peter Gabriel, Michael Franti, Sheryl Crow, Krishna Das, Anjelique Kidjo, Seal & Guru Singh, Donna De Lory, Anoushka Shankar & Sting come together with a remarkable musical collection “to promote the benefits of yoga, music and a healthy and balanced lifestyle and to support yoga and fitness programs for underserved youth.”

In conjunction with partners, partners – EarthTones (“Healing the World through Music”), Yoga Health Foundation, National Yoga Month, Nutone/Nettwerk Music and Time Life the ambitious effort hopes to “reach millions of people through the national awareness campaign, inspire thousands more through the music, provide free yoga and fitness classes to the public at over 1,000 participating studios throughout North America and provide in-school yoga-based heath enrichment programming.”

After listening to the samples, I’m in and will enjoy adding the first of the series to my own collection of practice tunes! Take a listen….

Category: Kids, Meditation, news, people, Trends, yoga  Leave a Comment
Jun
19

Ujjayi… Certainly Easier to Do than Spell!

The foundation of yoga is in the breath…. It’s a fact that we who practice are already well aware.  But are we doing it right?

Here’s a little beginner’s guide to achieving the Ujjayi, more fully realized- read: done correctly- in your practice.

Category: health, instruction, Meditation, Practice, Spirit, strength, surrender, yoga  Leave a Comment
Dec
06

Breakfast… And Yoga. The Keys to Success

We’ve all known for ever the importance of a healthy breakfast to children’s learning, but one British primary school is also recognizing the benefits of incorporating yoga and meditation into education.

Riverside Primary in Rotherhithe

Riverside Primary in Rotherhithe

According to a recent article in The London Evening Standard, the children of Riverside Primary in Rotherhithe were provided with not only a proper breakfast heading into their primary SAT’s but also,  under the guidance of a local yoga instructor, exercises in breathing and yoga.

The results astounded as the school, serving an area of considerable social disadvantage, found themselves ranked top of the Evening Standard’s league tables today, helping pupils soar more than a year ahead of their peers between the ages of seven and 11.

While the school made a concerted effort not to merely teach to the controversial tests, contributing to the remarkable results, the additional support in the form of healthy breakfast and relaxation exercises without doubt paid off this year.

Category: health, Kids, Meditation, Spirit, yoga  2 Comments
Nov
25

Sanctuary… Clean, Organized & Tidy? So What If It’s Not?!

homeI mean, some people swear they function best when they have to rifle through piles to find what they’re looking for… they even maintain that unless they are rifling through piles, they couldn’t possibly actually find what they’re looking for.

Really?!  I’m always struck a tad incredulous with those claims… but hey, who am I to judge?

What I know for myself is that when my home, particularly those spaces in which I need to be productive… ie. kitchen, office, bedroom- ahem!… is tidy, clean and efficiently functional, I’m all the better for it.  I’m more comfortable in these spaces and therefore enjoy spending more time in them.  This is especially wonderful for me in my office… for my kids in the kitchen, and in the bedroom… well, I suppose hubby is the lucky beneficiary there!

Surely you’ve heard Oprah and her lovely Nate Berkus frequently wax poetic about your home “rising up to meet you…”; or her Australian guru of all things tidy and organized, Peter Walsh, making some mighty strong statements about the reflection the condition the home makes of one’s true state of mind and mental health.  Then again, the people he’s dealing with are dealing with some pretty big issues beyond just some unruly piles of mail and magazines and general untidiness.

As I’m tidying and cleaning to prepare for this fast approaching holiday weekend and seeing piles disappear to whence they came- where they actually belong or the trash!- there’s a sense of calm and peace come over me that I usually only know after a cycle of sun salutations.  There’s a feeling of all being right in that moment and I revel in each and every clutter-free space.  Even the hallway downstairs where I’d been piling clothes to go to my sister’s kids, clothes to donate, seasonal items to be put away (yes, I have those infernal to-be-put-away piles that grow and grow until you have company coming to stay and finally PUT the stuff AWAY!!), ski suits to be tried on, car and boat batteries, the new light fixture for the dining room… I could go on….

Anyways, the feeling of satisfaction at having finally dealt with the various piles, the various messes, the general disorganization, is so worth the effort once the day is done.  So, in honour of Thanksgiving… despite the stress that always accompanies these holidays, I wish everyone gratitude and peace of mind, whether it be from digging through your organized piles, or getting rid of them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Category: Good Intentions, gratitude, health, Meditation, Spirit, surrender  Leave a Comment
Nov
13

Little Bits of Nice… Add Up to Wonderful

ringletWe have been trying to implement a regular routine of meditation for the kids…

It’s short and sweet, don’t get me wrong.

While eleven year old sits and is definitely interested in ‘getting it’, the others are typical kids and do what they have to to endure the seemingling endless minutes.  There’s a bit of fidgeting by seven-year-old. And five-year-old lone girl child feels the need to act out the scenes I describe to facilitate relaxation: eyes scrunched shut, turning her face upwards with an exaggerated smile towards a fictional sun or scratching and digging her toes into the floor as though it’s actually warm Caribbean sand.

Regardless the fidgeting and dramatic performance, it’s a practice. It’s a practice that will provide them with a personally valuable life skill.  The ability of being able to still the mind, get quiet, calm down, gather.  It’s a practice that will serve them well as they grow and mature and the anxieties and stresses of life intensify. They don’t understand that now, certainly.  But I take heart in this being a gift I can give them that will provide them infinite rewards as they evolve into teens and adults.

However, as we- parents- make our way through our own transition right now, implementing new strategies to manage our stress and keep thinking positively, and as we enjoy the benefits of these strategies, it becomes clear that these few minutes early in the day are only part of the picture.

gusti-jump_02The practice extends beyond just a few minutes of focusing on good feelings for a few moments.  It’s an exercise in looking for, recognizing, and even getting excited anticipating, good things throughout the day.  Little things, sometimes really seemingly insignificant- inconsequential- things, but together add up to a wonderful day.

As homeschoolers we’re together most of the day.  This lends itself to great quality time, but also to more opportunities for conflict and irritation.

So, we’ve begun making lists throughout the day… making a brief stop here and there to quickly consider and jot down those good things that happen, no matter how small.  Say, really simply,  ‘I had leftover pizza for lunch…”  or “I got my language arts done in only one hour…” or “Sister helped me build my fort…”

These little things end up being pretty easy to identify (particularly for kids!) and what’s remarkable about this exercise -an introduction to appreciation and gratitude- is how fast the lists are compiled and how much fun it becomes!

There is no right or wrong in the lists, as long as they’re positive and that they please us to look back upon.

It brings colour to the day.

Of course, this practice doesn’t eliminate the bumps and challenges that can be part of our days, but it gives us a little precious perspective, balancing the conflicts, trials and frustrations with appreciation, fun and wonder.

Category: gratitude, health, Kids, Meditation, Spirit, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
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