Welcome to the Living Practice – May 2001

 

I Love You by Carl Sandburg

Walking Meditation by Jillian Pransky

See You Along the Path by Rick Gould

Stress Management 101 by Donna Foster

Website Review by Dr. KEV

The Nature of Miracles by Bozenka Kipling

Yoga eCommerce and eVents

 

Dear lovely viewers,

Thank you for your grace and support. I have had so many exciting interactions online conversing with yoga teachers worldwide preparing to launch the Yoga Teacher and Retreat Center Directory pages. It so amazes me that we, with like minds and hearts, can connect with one deep breath and a click. Talk about energy!

 

The Living Practice is finally beginning to work. Please continue to submit articles in reference to yoga and the Living Practice. We enjoy reading about each other’s yoga practice; after all, we are in "it" together and there is so much to share! There is nothing more inspiring and motivating than one man/woman’s truth reflecting life’s experience with yoga awareness. If you have a yoga experience or teaching to share, please write it with 200 words or less and eMail it over.

 

Lastly I wanted to remind you to review the eNewsletter, as well as all teachings lightly. Some topics may speak to your heart and other topics may be uninteresting to you. The beauty of connecting with so many people is that we are all unique individuals ‘’shimmering’’ different colors of life. Yet God is our witness, all rivers lead to the same ocean! As my favorite teacher said, this ocean is breath and the under current is awareness.

 

Namaste,

Megan

 

I Love You by Carl Sandburg

I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be.

I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals.

I pray for your desires that they may be great, rather then for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little.

A satisfied petal is one whose feathers are about to fall.

The most beautiful rose is hardly more than a bud wherein the pangs and ecstasies of desire are working for a larger and finer growth.

Not always shall you be what you are now.

You are going forward towards something great.

I am on the way with you and therefore I love you.

 

Walking Meditation by Jillian Pransky

Walking Meditation is a very effective way to meditate. For some, even more centering and satisfying than sitting. To do it, simply walk with slow, small, deliberate, balanced, graceful footsteps. Walk slowly enough so that you feel each foot land on the ground and take your weight. Notice as much information as possible about the sensation in each foot as it moves. Observe the various jerks of muscles involved in the foot's seemingly smooth motion as you find your balance with each step. Go just slow enough that you feel comfortable.

 

Be mindful of your breathing, without trying to control it, allowing it to be full and natural. You can let your arms hang comfortably. I like holding my hands, fingers intertwined, in front of my belly. Walk with a relaxed gaze. You don't need to focus on anything special. Simply be mindful of the beauty of your surroundings, both externally and internally.

Thich Nhat Hanh often instructs to be aware of how you are "touching the ground" - offer the ground peace and love with your steps. I also like to be aware of how the ground supports me. Feeling the solid earth under each step, I can trust that it will hold me up. This helps me to let go more (especially in my shoulders). Try walking for 10 minutes perhaps build up to one hour.

 

Walking meditation is a one greatest ways to enjoy the budding flowers of spring! However, while it's nice to practice outside, it can be equally satisfying inside. If you don't find time to set aside for practice, plan a few extra minutes in your commute and practice between meetings, on your way to the office, up and down stairs, or in between any destination. Don't worry, you don't have to walk so slow that people will wonder what you are doing.

For more information read "The Long Road Turns To Joy: A Guide to Walking Mediation" by Thich Nhat Hanh.

 

Jillian Pransky is a Senior Yoga Zone teacher in New York City, Director of the North Hudson YMCA, Yoga Program in Hoboken, New Jersey and on the faculty at the New School University. In addition to instructing Yoga, Jillian write articles on yoga which have been printed in Simplicity Magazine, Vivianlives.com, and various newsletters. She runs Yoga Tropical Vacations and retreats, which includes an annual trip to Mexico in March. Please visit her at www.YOGAJILLIAN.COM and check out her free eNewsletter on yoga!

 

See You Along the Path by Rick Gould

i was at lunch with a couple of friends last week

when one of them said
that while she enjoyed my class
she found that it was all the same thing
over and over

i thought about a response
but was distracted by the rest of my friends
who were each generously sampling
my quickly vanishing dessert
a slice of banana cream pie
i let it go

the next night in class
i was watching another student
who, when she practices,
looks like she is creating
each pose in that very moment

we were working backbends
standing on our knees in camel pose (ustrasana)
her heart lifting, her arms out to the side
she was floating on pure energy
captivated, engaged,
she was creating and was created
time and space stood still
and dissolved

spirit is easy to believe in
when you watch someone like that
it flows through her, swirls around her
you can literally walk through it
and feel your own spirit resonate

i've been working with another student
who after only a couple of weeks
is doing amazing things
he told me yesterday that he was depressed, frustrated
he wasn't progressing at the rate he wanted
something about not having the rest of his life to do this
but only a short amount of time left

there are tricks of the mind
tricks like boredom, disappointment, expectation
tricks that can keep you locked in the safe of your mind
and out of the body

because the body is an iffy proposition

it's a living record of our life
of all the choices, conscious and unconscious,
that we've made

it's how we interact with the world
over which we have no control

to experience beauty, and passion, and strength
requires a commitment to being in the body
and being subject to hurt, pain, and unknowing
takes a tremendous amount of courage

and faith

yoga and meditation can give you an experience of the spirit
just like the breath sustains the body,
spirit activates the higher powers of the mind
but you go through the body to get there

you have to feel and acknowledge what is there
not what you want or don't want
and then just in that moment of pure observation
something shifts and spirit flows

edna st. vincent millay once said,
it's not one thing after another
it's the same damn thing over and over

the same down dog, the same damn practice,
over and over
until we see clearly
what has been in front of us
and within us
all along

see you along the path,
Rick

 

Rick Gould teaches yoga and meditation at Santa Monica Yoga and is a professional bodyworker.

 

Stress Management 101 by Donna Foster
In this fast paced society, there is always pressure. Pressure to do more, be more, and give more. But where does the stress originate?

There are two main groups of stress. External Stress and Internal Stress. External stress is that which you have no control of. For example a loved one becoming ill or dying, company cutbacks resulting in loss of job, others getting angry or criticizing and even unexpectedly large volumes of traffic on the streets can make you feel frustrated and angry. There is nothing you can do to prevent these occurrences from happening, but how you handle them is part of managing your Internal Stress.

Internal Stress is self-generated and comprises the majority of the stressful feelings we experience. The good news is that because it is self-generated, we have the power to prevent it, or at least lessen our
reactions! Just like anything else, stress reduction involves planning. What are the biggest causes of stress in your life? Finances? Getting to your destination on time? Relationships? Employees/Employer?

The basic plan to reduce stress in our lives involves identifying the cause and then making the necessary changes to address the problem. The changes fall into four basic categories:

1) Change your thinking - The manner in which a situation is perceived determines your reaction. Think about the worst possible outcome. Is it likely to happen? Could things be worse? Will it matter an hour, a week or a month from now?

2) Change your behavior - Once you have assessed the way you think about things, make a concerted effort to change your behavior in potentially stressful situations. Following a heated argument, we often reflect on what we should have, would have, could have, said if only we weren't so consumed by emotion. Practicing control of your emotions (even in non-stressful times) allows the mind to become more clear and focused, enhancing your ability to control the tension when stresses rise.

3) Change your lifestyle - Do you get enough sleep? Sleep is one of the most critical factors to stress management. When our bodies are not well rested, we are far less able to cope with our circumstances. Going to bed at roughly the same time every night and rising the same time every morning (even on weekends!) sets your body clock and replenishes diminished energy. Those who have trouble falling asleep at night will find this particularly helpful as a regular routine "tricks" the mind into believing that it is
time to sleep. Exercise and diet also play integral roles in stress management. Get out for a walk, even on your lunch hour or coffee break and incorporate a pattern of healthy eating into your life.

 

4) Change your situation - This is particularly important when danger, representing either physical harm, mental or emotional abuse is present. You cannot be healthy if your environment is toxic to you and those you love and care about.

By getting to the root cause of your stress, you can not only relieve current problems and symptoms (which initially manifest in the form of irritability, headaches, insomnia, and general lethargy and can progress to more serious problems such as stomach ulcers, heart problems, arthritis and depression) but you can also prevent recurrences.

Ongoing stress management must involve the basics; a healthy diet, regular exercise and getting enough sleep. Take the time to allow yourself these necessities. Then dig deep, and review your potential "stress sources". Evaluate their true importance, and then make the changes necessary. Although sometimes a daunting task, doing so will quickly set you upon the road to better health, and overall wellness.

Donna Foster and her partner Michael are focused on the provision of alternative health products, alternative healing methods and information via their web presence at A World of Good Health. Their specialties include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Aromatherapy. Please visit Donna at www.aworldofgoodhealth.com.

 

The Nature of Miracles by Bozenka Kipling

On my journeys through life in search of miracles, I have met, within myself, many wonderful and incredible healers. Although each of them contributed in many ways to my growth there was always something missing. No one seemed able to provide me with the key to permanently lock the door where the mother of fear was giving birth continuously to her brood of threatening children. Through the keyhole I watched them grow into monstrous illusions that matured enough to open the door and reach out to envelope me. Naturally I armed myself with the strongest, old fashioned, inherited shields of doubt, hatred and denial, but they were not strong enough and somehow made things even worse for me.

 

In my desperation I encountered and spent some time with the healer called TRUST. TRUST was absolutely beautiful though it was not always easy to believe her. Nevertheless she trusted me and introduced me to her friends, FORGIVENESS and GENEROSITY.

 

They were very powerful and grand and they allowed me to block the keyhole with their presence so that my ever-growing army of fears was no longer visible (at least for a short time). This was very generous of them, but I knew they were not the key for which I was searching and that they will, sooner or later, follow their own destiny. So GENEROSITY and FORGIVENESS took off after their own fortunes and I was left to find mine.

 

We met again one day, quite unexpectedly, when I was in desperate need of a new healer. I was introduced to two of their friends, lovely radiant twins, WISDOM and COMPASSION. They were something else, I tell you. It is hard to exaggerate their powers but unfortunately they too, like all of us, must needs find their own fortune. As they were leaving I cried to them in agony, "Please don’t leave me, most powerful healers."

 

Wisdom smiled, saying gently, "We are not the ones. There is the healer within each human being to whom nothing is impossible. To whom the true nature of yourself and all things is known. That very healer will manifest when you find a way to use the small flickering light of your own mind to illuminate your own heart."

 

I embarked on a ten-year mission to establish if this could be true. It took me ten more years of conscious striving to understand why, in this apparently complex phenomenon of spirituality, my simple life gradually attracted and served so many people in so many ways. Today I know that this is because I finally, not only recognized, but also embraced the greatest healer within me and within the whole universe. This all-powerful one is called LOVE.

 

LOVE is the key to it all.

I know you are not surprised, but some of you will be surprised now.

 

Listen!

Whoever you are, whatever you are, wherever you are, I love you.

Let me love you, not only in the way that love loves all, but in the way you need to be loved, just as you are, now and always, I love you. You I love.

 

Bozenka Kipling is a storyteller, healer, author and artist. She has consciously devoted her life to the processes of healing and awakening of consciousness. Bozenka has been featured in six documentary films about healing shown to international audiences through various television programs. Her healing classes, audiocassettes and the latest CD titled "Healing the Influences of Forgotten Memories" inspires, motivates, and dispenses courage, love, compassion and healing bringing hope for building a truly humane society. President and founder of Seed Children Inc., she laid a foundation of hope for every child in the world. (www.seedchildren.com) To find more about Bozenka’s life and to share in her God-given gift, please refer to www.quadquadium.com.