Day 26 - Walking Meditation

Walking meditation is a practice that I learned at Zendo as well.  It is a technique we would all bounce up to participate in after a our hour long Zazen "sits".  This is especially beneficial for those who still claim they are always on the go and too busy to sit for meditation.  Without getting lost in our thoughts, be conscious of every aspect of your walk, your body, how it feels and please keep your eyes open.  Notice the sensations in your body.  Scan the awareness from the soles of the feet and all the way up through every part of your body with your breath.  Everyone has time for a brisk walk, and this can be a chance for you to quiet your mind as well.  Take the ear buds out and just be a witness on your walk. 

Day 25 - Meditation Apps

Today is day 25, and while most of you have embraced the meditation challenge with your own preference of meditation practice, there are still many people who claim they cannot.  I have had so many people tell me they don't have time, they are too stressed, they have too many things to do.  Well for everything in life we must make time, stress is sometimes a choice because our energy goes where our attention flows, and 5 minutes is something EVERYONE has.  Most times these individuals are stuck on their iphones, droids, and other gadgets.  While many would say that they are losing connection with human beings, nature but most importantly, themselves, perhaps there is a download that can rescue them.  Nowadays Iphones and mobiles come with meditation and yoga "apps".  There are actually meditation apps with timers.  I myself had a Tibetan Bowl app on my iphone, where I could set the timer and it would ring the bowl when time was done.  I found this great, because sometimes when you get in a flow in meditation you can get carried away and lose track of time.  One minute can become one hour quick with practice.

While I encourage you to turn off the mobiles, get off the social media, and find a sacred place to meditate, for those who insist they cannot, at least use an app and meditate.  Give yourself 5 minutes to start, and sit in bliss.  Turn off all other notifications on your phone, and focus on your breath, or listen to the guided cues.  Make time for your mind, body, health.

Day 24 - Meditation to awaken from the illusion

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the whole world, (MINE), and to all the other guys.  Today is day 24 of our meditation challenge.  I am so inspired by all of your stories and experiences that you have shared with me, thank you again for joining in.  While we have all by now adapted a meditation practice that works with us, sometimes just a simple affirmation, positive quote, scripture, poem, photo etc., basically an object for our attention is all we need to begin our meditation.  Today's word is below.  In your meditation can you come to the realization that every human, every animal, plant, place, experience, is all ONE.  There is nothing separate, there is no division, we are all connected ina divine fabric, to weave a Universe for growth and LOVE.

“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Day 23 - Meditation on Compassion

Today's meditation tip is on compassion.  If you are familiar with the inspirational Yoga Teacher Sri Dharma Mittra you will have heard him emphasize the importance of living life embracing the
"Ethical Rules" as mapped out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali's Yamas and Niyamas, primarily "Ahimsa". Sri Dharma Mittra teaches students to cultivate compassion to all living beings as written in the first Yama, "Ahimsa". 

Ahimsa अहिंसा is non harming or non violence in action, words, thoughts.  

While there is a debate in the yoga community whether it is important to be a vegetarian or not, and it brings people to this precept of Ahimsa, challenge yourself to take a day where you eat a plant based diet (if you are not vegetarian/vegan already).  Experience how it feels for yourself.  The reality is, we should be compassionate to all living beings, and a very empowering way to look at it is that compassion is to realize it begins with yourself.  With all the knowledge of food additives, chemicals, treatment of animals, hormones etc., it would only benefit our digestion and overall health to eat a diet rich in plant based foods.  If the concept of being compassionate to yourself is not enough to embrace a compassionate "plant based diet", then recognize the yogic understanding of being compassionate to the living creatures.  Embracing Ahimsa with our diet, only gives us a healthy digestive system, healthy glowing skin, longevity, energy and a long list of health benefits, which therefore supports a yoga practice and meditation practice. 

As you are sitting in your meditation observe your thoughts, recognize that you are not your thoughts.  Then see how much of your thoughts are from a compassionate heart.  As Sri Dharma Says "Cultivate Compassion, and the rest will come".  It is normal to have thoughts arise in your meditation, but after you complete your meditation challenge yourself to embrace all aspects of Ahimsa throughout your day in your thoughts, words, and actions to yourself and all living beings.

Day 22 - Meditation with Reiki

Today's meditation tip for Day 22 is embracing the Precepts of Reiki.  Reiki is a Healing modality that allows for energy exchange.  Those who embark on Reiki Training usually are taught the Reiki Precepts 1st.  When they are taught these precepts they are asked to meditate on them, and consciously incorporate them into their daily life.  The beautiful thing about these precepts are that they are universal, and would benefit all mankind if we all practiced these precepts regardless if we enter into reiki training.  Perhaps sit in your meditation today and consider these precepts, make the commitment with each breath to incorporate them in every aspect of your daily thoughts and actions. The reiki precepts begin with "Just for today", because life is one day at a time, one moment at a time, one breath at a time.....Enjoy each to the fullest.

REIKI PRECEPTS
Just for today...
I will let go of worry
I will let go of anger
I will do my work honestly
I will give thanks for many blessings.
I will be kind to every living thing.


Namaste.

Day 21 - Meditation with Chakras

Welcome to day 21 of our meditation challenge, they say it takes 21 days to formulate a habit, so congratulations to all of you for making it this far.  Those of you who are just joining, enjoy and keep on going.  Today's meditation involves chakras.  Nowadays many people are making workshops on chakras, or classes with very limited knowledge on this powerful concept from Vedic Science and we must be careful when we do this.  This is an area of yoga that one should truly experience within themselves first when considering sharing with others.  The chakras are psychic energy centers that connect to our endocrine system and run along the center line of the body (the sushumna).  These chakras are active at all times, and are influenced by the elements - earth, water, fire, air, and akasha.  With training and practice we can become more aware of our chakras.  When prana flows freely without blockage through these chakras we have balance and kundalini rising.  It is important to understand that everything in this world is comprised of masculine and feminin energy, which creates balance.  Therefore within all of us is masculin and feminin energy.  We all find our balance by gravitating or finding a "connection"  with things, people, sources of enertainment, gurus who balance us out.  This also means if we are out of balance in a certain chakra, we will seek companionship in another person who is stronger in that chakra, this is the "connection" that we all seek.

There are 7 major Chakras, also called the Upper Chakras (starting from the base of the spine to the crown of the head).

Each Chakra coincides with a color, a seed (bija) sound, a Yantra (geometrical shape), Lotus Petals (color, number, seed sound), Sense, sense organ, deity, an instrument and musical frequency, a fragrance, element (shape, vayu), ruling planet, behavior, carrier (vahana of seed sound), and influences specific psychich and physical functions related within the region of the body it is associated.

When we do Surya Namaskar we are allowing energy to flow through all the chakras.  When we sit and visualize the color of each chakra while reciting seed sounds for each, we are allowing energy to flow through them.  However, even if we are not consciously sending energy to the chakras, they are active, which is even more of a reason why we should be very conscious of what we watch, say, do, and who we associate with, because these chakras are like record keepers.

A Simple chakra meditation for you to practice is using the seed sounds.  This meditation is one often done by Sri Dharma Mittra who usually does it in a melodious way.  While I hope to make a youtube that describes this method, another option is to say the seed sound, much like we do when we recite the sound OM. 

Sitting up tall bring your awareness to the base of the spine (Root Chakra/Muladhara), from there we will progress through each chakra with the seed sound mantra as written below.

1. Root/Muladhara - LAM
2. Sacral/Swadhisthana - VAM
3. Navel/Manipura - RAM
4. Heart/Anhata - YAM
5. Throat/Vishudda - HAM
6. Third Eye/Ajna - OM
7. Crown/Sahasrara - SILENCE

Day 20 - Transcendental Meditation

Welcome to Day 20 of our Meditation Challenge.  While many people have made requests, sent emails of gratitude, shared success and joy stories, there is still a whole world of meditation options out there.  One of the pioneers of Meditation is Marhirishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought Transcendental Meditation to the for front of Westerners seeking for bliss through Meditation.  This method is a method of relaxation, stress reduction, and self development. Maharishi learned this technique from his guru Brahmananda Saraswati.  The practice itself is Mantra meditation, sitting in silence for 15 minutes, focused on your given mantra.  Some say that the price of this meditation practice is rather expensive, however for those who can afford this option, it is a path to bliss.

Many Celebrities are known to practice this meditation including: Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Clint Eastwood, Howard Stern, Hugh Jackman, Sheryl Crow, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eddie Vedder, Jane Fonda, Jerry Sienfield, Russell Simmons, Deepak Chopra, Goldie Hawn, David Lynch, and many more.

This post is for those people who want the option to invest in the practice of Transcendental Meditation. 

Ellen DeGeneres admitted to a large crowd,  

'I've tried to meditate before, did the breathing and yoga, but I was always opening my eyes and it was a minute later. I thought, how am I going to do this? This is just impossible.'

'It gives me this peaceful, peaceful feeling and I just love it so much, and I talk about it as much as I can on the show without sounding like I'm preaching about it. . . . I can't say enough good things about it.' 

For those who like the concept of finding bliss through mantra, another option is to find your guru, and have that guru provide a mantra which may be more cost effective.  As TM does have a price tag that some may find too steep for their pocket.

While mantra meditation is powerful, we can also find a sanksrit mantra, and meditate on the mantra for 15 minutes in a day, sitting tall and in bliss.  The transformational power of sound is incredible, and often times if we recite the mantra without the awareness of its tangible meaning, we inevitably create a sense of bliss.  The power of meditation is when we are free of form in thought, in word.  Can we sit in meditation without wondering if we are doing it right?  without thinking about the fact that we are meditating?  without thinking about our surroundings, our thoughts and just be.  This conscious connection to everything that is, and simultaneous disconnection to everything that is, is when we transcend.