My friend Erin Justensen, a fellow yogi and intuit, brought me to a place called Against The Stream. It's an underground, hidden Buddhist precious gem. Against the Stream was founded by Dharma Punx author Noah Levine, and it's got a punk-like vibe to it (especially the Buddhas with the mohawk statues ; )
But it's a seriously community minded organization- donation-based, socially-active and truly, truly open for all who want to attend.
This is my second time here, and I was lucky enough to catch a talk from Shinzen Young.
I loved Young. He was down to earth, poetic, and, as far as dharma talks go, to the point.
Young also hosts "on-site" retreats- once again, making meditation available to all those who feel that leaving for retreat isn't possible at the moment.
Here are some notes:
The Three Pleasures of Meditation
-Concentration
-Sensual clarity
-Inner equilibrium
What happens when you fully experience a pleasure?
Experience described only through paradox- You feel both extremely fulfilled, and at the same time vacuous.
You derive more satisfaction from being present in pleasure.
Most people think intensity, duration or variety.
What we really want is fulfillment.
Fulfillment(Aka satisfaction)= pleasure times mindfulness
Suffering= Pain divided by mindfulness
The razer's edge of bliss and void
You have an experience so complete that there's no time to fixate it to a thing.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Yoga Video
I'm doing a Yoga VIDEO! With Karma of yogaflix.com. We're shooting next week, and I tried out the sequence I created for it this morning. I was delighted, and completely blissed out, which is the first test. Exciting times 1,000.
My first "business meeting" with the DP involved me taking him through the sequence, and eventually wound up with me with my legs up the wall thinking "all meetings could be conducted from this angle". Upside down.
The DP, Emil Lin, drew these really cute yoga cartoons that I took pictures of and plan on sharing.
This was one of the many joyous, exciting things that came at me during my cleanse last week. I felt AMAZING and powerful, and now I feel sweet just hungrier than ever!
My first "business meeting" with the DP involved me taking him through the sequence, and eventually wound up with me with my legs up the wall thinking "all meetings could be conducted from this angle". Upside down.
The DP, Emil Lin, drew these really cute yoga cartoons that I took pictures of and plan on sharing.
This was one of the many joyous, exciting things that came at me during my cleanse last week. I felt AMAZING and powerful, and now I feel sweet just hungrier than ever!
Guest Post by Brooke!
Brooke shared a great summary of yoga health benefits. There's also a plethora of benefits for say, your mind, and your life, but let's check out the doctor's view:
10 Health Benefits of Yoga
by Brooke Stafford
As has been stated many times in this blog before, there are loads of health benefits to yoga.
With thousands of people trying it every day, it might be able to help you too. To get a better
idea, we have gathered just ten health benefits of yoga.
1. Flexibility - Touching your toes may not sound important but not being able to can be
bad. Yoga is an excellent way to improve flexibility and movement.
2. Joints - While some people think yoga is only for the hip set, people of all ages can do it,
even ones with arthritis or other joint issues. The poses and movements in yoga can
help these joints get a low impact workout.
3. Posture - Did you not listen when your mother
told you to sit up straight? Then try yoga to
learn how to do it naturally instead of forcing it.
4. Strength - You don’t need to pump iron to build
muscle. Many of the poses in yoga require
upper and/or lower body strength in order to be
done properly.
5. Back pain - This can be one of the more major
causes of pain in the United States. However,
yoga can provide some relief if done correctly
and on a regular basis.
6. Insomnia - If you have trouble sleeping, yoga may be the cure. It brings about a
peaceful state of mind which can help those who toss and turn.
7. Weight loss - With New Year’s resolutions upon us, why not tackle one of the biggest
with a little yoga? It burns calories as well as discourages from eating unhealthy foods.
8. Heart rate - Yoga has been shown to help with both high blood pressure and heart rates.
It is especially helpful for hyporeactors.
9. Breathing - Because breathing is an important part of yoga, it is also a good workout for the respiratory system. Yoga can help lower the respiratory rate by utilizing controlled
breathing.
Brooke Stafford is a nursing practitioner student and also writes for Family Nurse Practitioner Degrees. The site helps students find the right nurse practitioner degree to fit their needs.
10 Health Benefits of Yoga
by Brooke Stafford
As has been stated many times in this blog before, there are loads of health benefits to yoga.
With thousands of people trying it every day, it might be able to help you too. To get a better
idea, we have gathered just ten health benefits of yoga.
1. Flexibility - Touching your toes may not sound important but not being able to can be
bad. Yoga is an excellent way to improve flexibility and movement.
2. Joints - While some people think yoga is only for the hip set, people of all ages can do it,
even ones with arthritis or other joint issues. The poses and movements in yoga can
help these joints get a low impact workout.
3. Posture - Did you not listen when your mother
told you to sit up straight? Then try yoga to
learn how to do it naturally instead of forcing it.
4. Strength - You don’t need to pump iron to build
muscle. Many of the poses in yoga require
upper and/or lower body strength in order to be
done properly.
5. Back pain - This can be one of the more major
causes of pain in the United States. However,
yoga can provide some relief if done correctly
and on a regular basis.
6. Insomnia - If you have trouble sleeping, yoga may be the cure. It brings about a
peaceful state of mind which can help those who toss and turn.
7. Weight loss - With New Year’s resolutions upon us, why not tackle one of the biggest
with a little yoga? It burns calories as well as discourages from eating unhealthy foods.
8. Heart rate - Yoga has been shown to help with both high blood pressure and heart rates.
It is especially helpful for hyporeactors.
9. Breathing - Because breathing is an important part of yoga, it is also a good workout for the respiratory system. Yoga can help lower the respiratory rate by utilizing controlled
breathing.
Brooke Stafford is a nursing practitioner student and also writes for Family Nurse Practitioner Degrees. The site helps students find the right nurse practitioner degree to fit their needs.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Roots in the East
So I had the most magical visit to Massachusetts a girl ever could.
I stayed with fellow yogi Pat Banker, and put it this way: when I first arrived, we went straight to sun salutations in a park in Jamaica Plain. It was beautifully sunny, and I had just gotten off a red eye. Coffee in hand, we started jogging just to make sure we caught the sun rise. I don't know why, but my recently tamastic practice turned into 10 rounds of Surya A, then B, then I watched my California identity unravel as I entered pure being.
I got grounded. Grounded in the sense of understanding that certain attractions and connections are a fundamental part of my existence.
In many ways, the love of certain people (such as our most trusting family members and our most loyal friends).
A place that is familiar can be grounding.
But so is anything that brings us back to our truth, reminds us of our position in space and time
(feet gravitated towards the earth, now) is grounding.
The reiki that I received filled me with some earth and fire.
Gyon mudra strung me to stability, as well as taking Jared Hirsch's last workshop of the year.
But most importantly, seeing my family brought me a better understanding of my life than ever before. Thank you for that.
I stayed with fellow yogi Pat Banker, and put it this way: when I first arrived, we went straight to sun salutations in a park in Jamaica Plain. It was beautifully sunny, and I had just gotten off a red eye. Coffee in hand, we started jogging just to make sure we caught the sun rise. I don't know why, but my recently tamastic practice turned into 10 rounds of Surya A, then B, then I watched my California identity unravel as I entered pure being.
I got grounded. Grounded in the sense of understanding that certain attractions and connections are a fundamental part of my existence.
In many ways, the love of certain people (such as our most trusting family members and our most loyal friends).
A place that is familiar can be grounding.
But so is anything that brings us back to our truth, reminds us of our position in space and time
(feet gravitated towards the earth, now) is grounding.
The reiki that I received filled me with some earth and fire.
Gyon mudra strung me to stability, as well as taking Jared Hirsch's last workshop of the year.
But most importantly, seeing my family brought me a better understanding of my life than ever before. Thank you for that.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Mentor
Having a mentor is the most magical thing in the world.
I have one.
I feel like I won the lottery.
He just teaches me stuff. All sorts of stuff, all the time time. In a continuous stream of unconditional love. He just transmutes throves of information, freely, for no good reason apart from apparently I'm a pretty nice person ;).
I met Arthur at an OccupyLA rally. He had the approachable air of someone actually here at the time. To a stunning degree- he was giving someone a private lesson, and I think I asked him to how to go about teaching at Occupy. .
He advised me, of course.
His practice is over a decade old, and many of his experiences chronicled in Y Yoga, a movie he directed. Arthur says that it's not that he made the movie- the movie made him. The experiences he had, and the people he met along his filmmaking journey inspired him to become the person he is today.
And it's a pretty impressive person. It's a human without hesitation- just transmitting truth at intergalactic rates, speaking up for those around him, and standing up for what's right. As far as I can see- without intermission.
Arthur says the most powerful thing you can do for a human being is to see them clearly, for their pure truth and intentions.
After our first meditation, he hugged me and said, "Stop. Just, feel how much love I have for you".
I burst into tears.
He's been mentoring me two months now, in increasing frequency. I set out to write about it several times, but its hasn't quite come through. See, what's happening is that I'm getting so much information from Arthur, that after being unable to contain the wealth of experience that spending a few hours with him allows, I've begun to require recordings. I'm learning so much from each session, and I committed them to memory fully.
But I'm spending a week in Massachusetts with fellow yogi Pat Banker, and hopefully that will lead some time to reflection.
I have one.
I feel like I won the lottery.
He just teaches me stuff. All sorts of stuff, all the time time. In a continuous stream of unconditional love. He just transmutes throves of information, freely, for no good reason apart from apparently I'm a pretty nice person ;).
I met Arthur at an OccupyLA rally. He had the approachable air of someone actually here at the time. To a stunning degree- he was giving someone a private lesson, and I think I asked him to how to go about teaching at Occupy. .
He advised me, of course.
His practice is over a decade old, and many of his experiences chronicled in Y Yoga, a movie he directed. Arthur says that it's not that he made the movie- the movie made him. The experiences he had, and the people he met along his filmmaking journey inspired him to become the person he is today.
And it's a pretty impressive person. It's a human without hesitation- just transmitting truth at intergalactic rates, speaking up for those around him, and standing up for what's right. As far as I can see- without intermission.
Arthur says the most powerful thing you can do for a human being is to see them clearly, for their pure truth and intentions.
After our first meditation, he hugged me and said, "Stop. Just, feel how much love I have for you".
I burst into tears.
He's been mentoring me two months now, in increasing frequency. I set out to write about it several times, but its hasn't quite come through. See, what's happening is that I'm getting so much information from Arthur, that after being unable to contain the wealth of experience that spending a few hours with him allows, I've begun to require recordings. I'm learning so much from each session, and I committed them to memory fully.
But I'm spending a week in Massachusetts with fellow yogi Pat Banker, and hopefully that will lead some time to reflection.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Welcoming a Guest! -Allison Brooks-
Allison is a writer and advocate for spiritual bell-being. Today, she's sharing her thoughts on the link between meditation and health. Thanks, Allison!
How the use of meditation can reduce medical bills
Over the years, there have been many studies regarding the use of complementary and alternative
medicines paired with allopathic treatments. In a recent study, there was a rise in the use of mind-
body therapies (MBT) being suggested by medical-care providers, and now there is more evidence that
meditation practices can ease up the costs of medical care.
In a long five year study, Canadian researchers explored the effects of Transcendental Meditation on
health of people. Since a small fraction of a population normally accounts for most of the medical
spending, researchers wanted to see if there was a way to reduce the problem. In the Medicare
community, alone, only 5 percent incurred 43 percent of the spending, and the bills just keep piling up.
The reason for the continuous health issues was due to stress.
Chronic stress of patients is the main reason why medical expenses are so high. The constant worry
can lead to severe side-effects resulting in recurring hospital visits. To help ease the stress, researchers
suggested the use of Transcendental Meditation (TM). They studied and compared the cost changes in
284 “high-cost” participants; 142 practicing TM and 142 non-practitioners. The results were surprising
and affirmed their thesis.
During the five year period, the TM group’s annual rate of change in payments declined significantly.
After the first year, the medical costs of the TM group’s dropped 11 percent and their cumulative
reduction was 28 percent. These are good, solid numbers, especially compared to the non-TM
participants, which saw no change in their medical expenses.
These studies prove as another “win” for mind-body therapies. Not only do they serve as a catalyst for
healing but they also help ease the payments, which is good for times like these. Many doctors now
prescribe the use of MBT for serious treatment plans like ones for a chronic condition or an aggressive
cancer, like non-hodgkin’s lymphoma or mesothelioma. At first it was just to ease the stress, pain, and
other side-effects of conventional therapies, but now they can reduce prolonged medical costs.
How the use of meditation can reduce medical bills
Over the years, there have been many studies regarding the use of complementary and alternative
medicines paired with allopathic treatments. In a recent study, there was a rise in the use of mind-
body therapies (MBT) being suggested by medical-care providers, and now there is more evidence that
meditation practices can ease up the costs of medical care.
In a long five year study, Canadian researchers explored the effects of Transcendental Meditation on
health of people. Since a small fraction of a population normally accounts for most of the medical
spending, researchers wanted to see if there was a way to reduce the problem. In the Medicare
community, alone, only 5 percent incurred 43 percent of the spending, and the bills just keep piling up.
The reason for the continuous health issues was due to stress.
Chronic stress of patients is the main reason why medical expenses are so high. The constant worry
can lead to severe side-effects resulting in recurring hospital visits. To help ease the stress, researchers
suggested the use of Transcendental Meditation (TM). They studied and compared the cost changes in
284 “high-cost” participants; 142 practicing TM and 142 non-practitioners. The results were surprising
and affirmed their thesis.
During the five year period, the TM group’s annual rate of change in payments declined significantly.
After the first year, the medical costs of the TM group’s dropped 11 percent and their cumulative
reduction was 28 percent. These are good, solid numbers, especially compared to the non-TM
participants, which saw no change in their medical expenses.
These studies prove as another “win” for mind-body therapies. Not only do they serve as a catalyst for
healing but they also help ease the payments, which is good for times like these. Many doctors now
prescribe the use of MBT for serious treatment plans like ones for a chronic condition or an aggressive
cancer, like non-hodgkin’s lymphoma or mesothelioma. At first it was just to ease the stress, pain, and
other side-effects of conventional therapies, but now they can reduce prolonged medical costs.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Viewpoint of Presence.
This essay is intended to entice the reluctant reader with the beneficial aspects of seeing in the moment.
Many times, I lives in a purpose driven world. I wake up and I see the brush as a device to detangle my hair. I may notice characteristics about the brush, such as that it is black, or full of lint. These things are “facts”, attributes to and associations with the brush. Maybe I take a note of the brush's position in relation to other things, or the stark contrast of the brush on the table. This the “image”, or mental picture of the brush.
Other times, I live in a presence-driven world. This is when I wake up and I see the brush as a specific and unique configuration of energy at that moment. Those are the rare moments that I see that brush as if discovering it for the first time, I recognize that it is here, inhabiting the same world as me. Truthfully, this sort of connection happens almost never with a brush, seldom with a rose, yet with notable frequency with human beings and other animals. As complexity increases, the recognition of intelligent awareness is striking to the point of envelopment.
Besides, the being seems to say in a tantalizing tone, here we are.
At first glance sitting with oneself appears be a worship of the ego. Yet the practice is intended to make one more aware of beings surrounding oneself, more aware of the needs and feelings of others. More aware of connection and similarity, of value and marvel.
When I move through my practice, it is with the intent of journeying to this way of experiencing the world.
The benefits of living in presence include, but are not limited to, a sense of unprecedented wonder and awe.
This is not intended to suggest that this way of seeing is the only, or the best, interesting and majestic ways of viewing. There is, for example, the lens of history, which gives a background story to the existence of things in one's environment. Or resourcefulness or opportunism, which sees everything as a potential source of benefit. Even the lens of nostalgia, used sparingly. I do believe that the lens of presence is a foundational component of a well-balanced and awe-ful life ; )
Many times, I lives in a purpose driven world. I wake up and I see the brush as a device to detangle my hair. I may notice characteristics about the brush, such as that it is black, or full of lint. These things are “facts”, attributes to and associations with the brush. Maybe I take a note of the brush's position in relation to other things, or the stark contrast of the brush on the table. This the “image”, or mental picture of the brush.
Other times, I live in a presence-driven world. This is when I wake up and I see the brush as a specific and unique configuration of energy at that moment. Those are the rare moments that I see that brush as if discovering it for the first time, I recognize that it is here, inhabiting the same world as me. Truthfully, this sort of connection happens almost never with a brush, seldom with a rose, yet with notable frequency with human beings and other animals. As complexity increases, the recognition of intelligent awareness is striking to the point of envelopment.
Besides, the being seems to say in a tantalizing tone, here we are.
At first glance sitting with oneself appears be a worship of the ego. Yet the practice is intended to make one more aware of beings surrounding oneself, more aware of the needs and feelings of others. More aware of connection and similarity, of value and marvel.
When I move through my practice, it is with the intent of journeying to this way of experiencing the world.
The benefits of living in presence include, but are not limited to, a sense of unprecedented wonder and awe.
This is not intended to suggest that this way of seeing is the only, or the best, interesting and majestic ways of viewing. There is, for example, the lens of history, which gives a background story to the existence of things in one's environment. Or resourcefulness or opportunism, which sees everything as a potential source of benefit. Even the lens of nostalgia, used sparingly. I do believe that the lens of presence is a foundational component of a well-balanced and awe-ful life ; )
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