Tag-Archive for » peace «

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
16

The Farmer’s Luck… Maybe. Words to Live By

zenshortsI’ve raved written in the past about this wonderful book of stories before.

In Jon M. Muth’s Zen Shorts, Stillwater, the serene and friendly Giant Panda of a neighbour to three children, siblings Karl, Michael and Addy, offers his own brand of Zen guidance and advice.

Through ancient stories infused with traditional Buddhist teachings, Stillwater provides solutions to the childen’s various individual conflicts.

These stories provide such tangible messages through simple yet engaging narrative along with wonderful artwork, moving between the full colour drawings of Stillwater and the children, and black & white sketches of the various ancient tales.

And while, yes, this is another plug gentle encouragement to give this book to your child, or your neighbour’s child, or your sister’s husband’s mother’s child… or yourself for that matter, it’s really one of the stories I’d like to specifically address here.

It’s the tale of an old farmer and his son.  In short, and without infringing on copyright(!), the story has the farmer’s son buying a horse (good luck?), horse running away (bad luck?), horse returning with two other wild horses (good luck?), boy attempts to ride one of them and is thrown, breaking his leg (bad luck?), shortly thereafter visited by military recruiters who won’t accept him due to his injury (good luck?)….

And so it is.  With each new circumstance the ever-sympathetic neighbours qualify it with either judgement, “such good luck”  or conversely, “such bad luck”, to which the wise old farmer consistently and simply replies, “maybe’.

The message, as summed up by young Michael to the gentle Stillwater, “Maybe good luck and bad luck are all mixed up.  You never know what will happen next.”

Hmmmmmm.  Wonderful messages and a certain must read for any child… or adult….

Category: Kids, maybe, reading, Spirit, surrender  3 Comments
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
Nov
09

Children’s Meditation… Life Strategy.

meditation-kids_01

In a recent post I addressed, through the words of Deepak Choprah, the importance and power of meditation in enhancing the lives of our children.

Through meditation- sitting in stillness, engaging and developing the frontal portion of the brain, we encourage the best in who we can be:  compassion, empathy, love, and ultimately, happiness.

And isn’t that really what we want for our kids… particularly knowing that all the stuff (TV, video games, mp3′s and all the rest!) isn’t really doing it.  Ironically,  at least for my own kids, indulging in these pursuits as fun as they may think they are, tends to make them just plain unpleasant rather than happier!

For those of us who make a practice of sitting in meditation know what hard work it can seem.  And if it’s this hard for an adult how possibly can my high energy seven-year-old son manage?  Well, not on his own, that’s for sure…

“Thump… thump, thump!”

“What’s going on in there?”

“I’m meditating!”

Now, unless my child is gifted at telekinesis, somehow the school chairs came to be overturned with a cat cowering beneath for cover!

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Category: health, Kids, Meditation, Spirit, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
Nov
05

Looking for Transformation in Meditation? Try a Stool!

meditate_002 Most of us, when we think of meditation, envision someone in quiet repose, silent tranquility, cross-legged on a flat, hard surface surrounded by shoji sceens or perhaps somewhere serene such as a dock or beach… or mountain top.

And wouldn’t that be lovely? To find such focus and quiet as to take comfort on a rock?!

Unfortunately, for many of us who attempt to establish a routine of regular meditation, outside of managing the raging, persistent monkey-mind, is the difficulty in finding a position, whether in a chair or on the floor, that allows for adequate comfort so as to better allow for a quieting of the mind.

Cramping knees, a growing nag from the lower back or aching ankle bones, compressed into the floor with their own weight, can easily derail our noble attempts at mental stillness, let alone actually seeing through that ellusive third eye.

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Category: health, Meditation, Products, Spirit, surrender  Leave a Comment
Nov
02

Gentle-ness and Ease… Power in Listening

stream_01After a crazy Halloween weekend, with all of its various excesses, primarily candy and Fireballs (I did say crazy…!) I was eager for this morning’s practice knowing I needed it to clear the cobwebs.

Well, as eager as I may have been, the ol’ bones were not so.  The juices took some time to get flowing, the furnace some time to get warm and therefore the joints, muscles and tendons some time to let go and allow me to move, albeit slowly, through my practice.

What also took some time, was me convincing myself… or shall I say the gentle voice inside my head, when it was finally able to make itself heard over the mean, nasty critical voice inside my head, convinced me after several turns through less than energetic sun salutations A and B, that I could pull back.  That it was quite alright to take it slow.  Let everything move at a pace it- I- needed rather than that which I’d have preferred.

That takes some doing, I must say.  Outside of a vacation, and even then it can be questionable, what with all the activities we tend to plan… we are so not conditioned to taking a step back into ease.  Into letting our bodies say, through their tension and tenderness, ‘go gently’.  Closing the door to the judgment of our own minds and expectations and allowing quiet and serenity through instead.

We are far more inclined to push forward, ignoring the signs and twinges, in our quest for the ‘challenge’ that is often synonomous with yoga, and the ‘workout’ that yoga, in our 21st century fast & furious frame of mind, has become.  Also, as with many of us, I enjoy the feeling of pushing and challenging my body in yoga in the seemingly unlimited ways it can do so.  It’s an activity in which my body typically accepts, embraces and responds to pushing further… hence it’s one I enjoy the most.

But sometimes in yoga- as in life- the challenge comes in stepping back, embracing ease.  Consciously saying, and accepting- that with this general feeling of lethargy, I will pass on my powerful sequence today and enjoy some balance.  Perhaps, with this little twang in my lower back, I might better enjoy some gentle focus on the core.

I’ll revisit this all again in my practice tomorrow… but today I take satisfaction in having done it… and listened.

Category: health, Meditation, Practice, Spirit, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
Oct
31

Develop Your Frontal Lobe… & Your Emotional Intelligence. Meditate!

brain-sm

The horrendously tragic story about the fifteen-year-old victim of a recent gang-rape in California brings to bear more than just questions about “WTF is up with kids these days”, but really, “How the hell did it get this bad and what can we possibly to about it?!”

This past week Deepak Chopra was on Larry King to offer his unique insights into the incident and the perpetrators in particular, one of several on a  panel discussing the issues and motivations precipitating the heinous crime.

Despite the flashy, diamond encrusted spectacles (he wasn’t wearing them this night) and the fact that at this point he rivals only Danielle Steel in literary proliferation, I still really like him.  And I couldn’t help but nod in agreement with everything he, and his colleagues, had to say.

With the number of incidents of these kinds of crimes only growing among teens, made worse with their documentation for posterity and public consumption on sites such as facebook and YouTube, the conversation inevitably turned to the children’s ‘emotional intelligence’, or lack thereof, and their disregard, or more likely, their complete incapacity, for compassion and empathy.

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Category: Kids, Meditation, Spirit  One Comment
Oct
26

Sanctuary… Conveniently Squeezed into 2X6

yoga_001

As I resume a regular routine of practice- the autumn always seems the season where I am most prone to structure- it occurred to me this morning that, regardless the disorganization or mess surrounding me, on the mat, if I allow, it all seems to dissolve into the atmosphere.

Not having an appropriate space, or an appropriately neat and tidied space, has always provided me with a handy dandy excuse to sit around watching Oprah with a bag of Miss Vickies put off practice, often delaying it until the day just gets away from me and then it’s time for bed and I collapse into the arms of JayLenoDavidLettermanConanOBrianDailyShow a good book and off into dream land with noble yogic intentions for the next day, where FOR SURE I will tidycleanvacuumredecoraterenovate the perfect space to best enjoy my practice.

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Category: Practice, strength, surrender  Leave a Comment
Jun
02

So Angry I Could Spit… Where’s My Mat?!

angryThere are moments in this life… work-at-home husband, homeschooling the kids,  large dog, three new kittens, impending spousal unemployment (read: formerly work-at-home husband somewhere-on-the-golf course)… where the tension just seems to mount.

In mere moments, fear, frustration, and just the build up of stress and anxiety, plain and simple, yanks you by the sharp tongue, unwillingly of course, to that place where all bad energy resides and manifests in bad attitude, negativity and sometimes- ahem- just nasty, toxic interactions with those close to you (read: husband).

We’ve all heard the sage advice to ‘count to ten’, of course.  But my question, as the aspiring yogini I profess to be, is how can my practice enhance my ability to manage my frustration… retard my tendency to fly off the handle… or ease my propensity to suffocate on my anger in seething silence.

I meditate.  I practice.  But sometimes… sometimes… in the heat of the moment… is there something, yogically, I can draw on, to provide me with much needed support to get me through it without letting my anger undermine that which I am working so hard to control?

Or should there be?

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Category: health, Meditation, Spirit, surrender  Leave a Comment
May
14

Savasana… Worth the Effort

savasana

How often can you say that you let go, relax, completely?  Even if you are one who meditates, meditation is still an activity of engagement and distinct focus.

Savasana, as in any yoga posture, requires a certain focus. However unlike in meditation, rather than constantly directing attention to non-attention, shall we say, it is a practice of directing attention to complete and total relaxation.  An emptying from the scalp to the toes, from the spine to the internal organs.

Allowing oneself to sink, heavy into the earth, easing all tension from muscles and joints, allowing the eyeballs to roll back in the sockets, the tongue to lay heavy at it’s root and the stomach and neighbouring organs to lower into the wall of the spine… oh, while remaining awake of course.

This pose is about letting go entirely.  Proper relaxation is integral to healthy functioning of mind and body providing a clarity of thought, aiding in judgment and desicion making.   And in today’s hectic and increasingly stressful environment, at work and in the home, true relaxation is difficult to come by and to many, difficult to justify.

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Category: health, Meditation, Postures, Spirit  One Comment
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