Meditation, Mindfulness and Manifestation

Stillness comes and goes. Thoughts come and go. Dreams come and go. It’s the nature of life in time and space.

Ever the student as well as the research librarian, I’ve read about meditation and tried various practices for years but it has always been rather hit and miss, I just couldn’t get into a regular groove. There was always so much to do, there was no time to practice!  But in the words of Lao Tzu, “When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.” What I think this means is that from stillness comes action, right action. So I decided I wanted to take right action.

We can read and read and read but if we don’t put our “knowledge” into practice, have we really learned anything? I believe we learn as we do.  So several months ago, I set out to devote myself to practice meditation, even if just for a few minutes every day. In the past I had been looking for the mystical and the magical and I never did discover it, not yet anyway. What I have found though, is there is mindfulness in the mundane.  Just sitting for a few moments and being mindful of your thoughts, watching them come and go; being mindful of the body and what it is feeling, brings infinite wisdom.

The most impressive lesson I’ve learned is the importance of what we think and feel. Our thoughts are the stories we tell ourselves, they effect how we feel about the events of our lives. By changing our thoughts, we can change our lives. Thoughts become things!  Since thoughts become things it must be important to be mindful of what we are thinking. Once we are aware of our thoughts, becoming mindful of our words is the next reasonable step. From here we take action and as we all know actions are more powerful than words.  Our thoughts, words, and actions create our lives. This is how it’d done, this is how we manifest our dreams.

There are so many meditation methods to choose from. Give a few a try until you find one that works for you. The following are a few books I enjoyed immensely, may they get you started on your adventure into meditation, mindfulness, and manifestation.

                A Woman’s Book of Meditation written by Kundalini Yoga and meditation teacher Hari Kaur Khalsa. She gives basic steps to tune in and create a space in which to meditate, focusing on the ancient method of chanting as a way to develop inner wisdom.

                The Last Best Cure by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, is a personal memoir filled with mindful practices. The author has a chronic illness and through scientific studies and experiences of mindful practices found better health, peace and joy. She encourages us to practice three mindful things every day. An inspiration!

                Moving Into Meditation by Anne Cushmann, is a twelve week guide for exploring body based meditation practices. She gives us the time, space and freedom to open our mind, body and spirit. 

Namaste

Swamp Cat tastes Bitter and Sweet

Several moons have come and gone since Swamp Cat has been this way. Into her lair, in the bottomland woods, she has brought the aged one. He is still strong in many ways yet he is weak. Life as he knows it has changed and life as Swamp Cat knows it has changed as well. Change …the only constant in life.  

Great wisdom tells us that all things are in constant motion and therefore impermanent. We are encouraged to meet all of life’s events with equanimity.   We can learn to accept rather than fear change by realizing things are just what they are, they come and they go.  If we don’t judge them as good or bad but are grateful for everything we learn about impermanence.  As we become aware of our perceptions about things and how they make us feel we can begin to accept and adjust. This is yoga, being aware of what you are thinking and feeling in any particular moment and making adjustments. We gain power in accepting. Without rejecting the bitter we can let it go and we can savor the sweetness without clinging. For all things are in constant motion, all things are impermanent.

Caring for the aged one has been all consuming. Pondering life’s choices, the bitter and the sweet, Swamp Cat must make decisions. She searches for wisdom and unity. She pauses. She breathes. She knows where the answers can be found. She approaches the seven gates. Withdrawing from the outside world she moves inward.  She steps forward and finds darkness. Sounds diminish and the air flows unhurriedly. Swamp Cat remembers this place. She sits in stillness without fear or dread. In this present moment place she welcomes what comes.

Meditation is a simple practice where one can cultivate present moment awareness. In the present moment place of mindful awareness we don’t brood about the past or worry about the future.  Here we can mindfully think about past events and the infinite possibilities of the future.

Feeling better, Swamp Cat returns to the old silver fox. It is twilight now and they walk side by side. The beauty of the late spring garden blooms before them. Both the sun and the showers have nourished the bottom land woods where Swamp Cat lives and loves and she is grateful for the adventure.

         

The Seven Gates Mudra

Sit in a meditation posture that is comfortable for you; easy pose, half lotus or full lotus or even upright on the edge of a chair. Focus your attention inward. With your elbows out to the side, close your ears with your thumbs, your eyes with your index fingers, your nostrils with your middle fingers and your mouth by placing your ring fingers above your mouth and your pinkie fingers below. These are the seven gates of the senses. The breath should be slow and deep. Inhale and close the nostrils gently with your middle fingers, retain the breath momentarily then release the pressure and slowly exhale. Notice any subtle sounds that may arise while retaining the breath. Notice any light, color or pattern you may see. Practice for 5-10 minutes. The senses are drawn inward to a state of withdrawal/ pratyahara, leading you into meditation.

Then gently release the hands and blink before opening your eyes. Benefits; this practice calms the mind and nervous system and can be helpful in reducing anxiety.

Namaste

KH

The Shark God

A Tale of Compassion

This month’s story comes to us from the great island of Hawaii. Here is a brief summary, I don't want to give away the whole story as  it has a special aspect one should experience when hearing/reading it in its entirety.  You can find several versions online, the book we used for our adaptation is by Rafe Martin.

North Regional Yogis
Side angle pose/descending the cliff

Imaginative paintings

Our Story begins with two brothers who have been taught by their father, a temple caretaker, to respect and care for the people, plants, and animals that live upon the earth. One day they discover a shark tangled in a net and courageously set about freeing it. 

Thrilled with their accomplishment they rush to the village filled with revelry and begin beating on the High Chief’s drums. In their excitement the boys forget that the drums are forbidden to be touch by anyone other than the High Chief. The Chief has the boys captured and imprisoned. Their father hears of their fate and rushes to beg forgiveness, but the Chief is an intolerant man and refuses. He leaves the compound disheartened and begins seeking counsel from wise men but no one is willing to help. Exhausted he eventually enters the cave of the fearsome Shark God to ask for assistance. This is his last hope. The Shark God listens. Compassion arises in the Shark God and a plan is set in motion. Days past and suddenly a wicked storm descends upon the valley flooding the prison. The boys are freed and swim to a floating gate where a shark begins guiding them to shore. There they find their father waiting with open arms at the temple that has been untouched by the storm.

South Regional Yogis
Chair pose/ becoming lightning

Compassion is the sacred energy that flows through us to each and every living thing in the universe. Compassion allows us to feel a sense of oneness with all of life. It is cultivated by our personal experience through physical, mental, and emotional hardships. The hardships of life are meant to soften us. With an open heart we can perceive the suffering of others. Compassion is the ability to relate to others on a level where we make connections. We each have our own challenges and struggles, our stories, and it is easy to forget we are connected one to another.  

The Yoga Sutra 1:33 roughly says, “The mind become peaceful as one radiates friendliness, compassion, delight, and equanimity toward all things, whether pleasant or painful.”

Compassion is the emotional, feeling side of our nature. Compassion is made up of two words, ‘co’ meaning together and ‘passion’ meaning strong feeling. When we can see someone in distress and feel their pain as our own, this is compassion.

Here are a few poses to cultivate compassion when working with this story. 

warrior II – boys courage to show compassion

high lunge- father begs the High Chief to be compassionate

goddess- compassion naturally arises in the Shark God

gate pose- shark compassionately guides the gate

Namaste and may compassion flow through you.

Moving Tale; Kathe and Melanie, tandem yoga storytellers

The Wish Fish

A Tale of Contentment

"Wish Fish, Wish Fish, come to me." Sounds familiar doesn't it. We have so much to be grateful for; family, friends, our health, yet we are always wishing for something more. We say to ourselves "If I only had this or that...then I could really be happy." We never seem to have enough. It is human nature to want more, but things and circumstances can never bring true happiness. Happiness comes from a place of contentment within each of us. Oh to be grateful and content!

With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas right around the corner we couldn't have told a more perfect story this season. "The Wish Fish" is our adaptation of the classic folktale, " The Fisherman and his Wife." Our story begins with a fisherman and his wife living in a simple grass hut by the sea. 

One day the fisherman catches a glittering, golden wish fish. The fisherman kindly releases it and when his wife hears the story she tells her husband to go back and ask the fish for a stone house, she is tired of the grass hut. Her wish is granted and and she is happy for a little while but soon becomes greedy and asks for more and more. The sea gets stormier and stormier each time the fisherman calls to the wish fish. Eventually everything gets washed away in a mighty wave and the fisherman returns to his simple, peaceful life where each day as the sun rises he rows out onto the ocean and gratefully casts his net. Some days he catches several fish and some days only one, but either way he is content. 

Many opportunities for interaction presented themselves with the story. Each time the fisherman paddles his boat we paddled our arms side to side, and as the wish fish swims alongside the boat we made a swimming fish motion with our hands. The children loved calling out, “Wish fish, wish fish come to me.” And could hardly believe the greedy wife asking for more and more, “She should be happy for what she has,” was many a response. Warrior II became our fisherman, boat and fish pose were obvious choices for the little boat and the wish fish. Mel and I enjoyed coming up with poses for the wife’s wishes as well as the stormy sea; low lunge, Warrior I, gate pose, wide angle forward fold, extended side angle, and of course, goddess pose. We ended the session with a grateful Sunbreath.

Gratitude is a hallmark of well- being. It affects not only our happiness but our health. Gratitude changes our perceptions. It changes our experience of life. Fortunately we can cultivate gratitude through story and yoga. Our story is our response to our life experiences. It is not only what we say and do it is also what we feel and think. Through the practice of yoga we become aware of our thoughts and feelings. Not only do we begin to notice our strength, flexibility and balance increasing but also our levels of gratitude and contentment. 

Appreciating what we have is everything. Everything is a gift. Gratitude actually makes us feel good. It is the feeling that we have enough. This feeling that we have enough brings deep feelings of contentment; it calms our bodies and our minds. 

Gratitude, like everything in the universe, is a form of energy. The energy of gratitude draws unto itself. Being grateful for what we have opens the pathways of energy allowing more abundance to come into our lives. Being grateful is a powerful transformative tool and we can transform our lives by being grateful.  So let’s cast our net with gratitude and we just might draw in a glittering golden fish, but either way we shall be content. 

Moving Tales; Kathe and Melanie, tandem yoga storytellers

Bhakti on and off the Mat

What an aum…mazing weekend with Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band! When our yoga storytelling adventure began with a picnic lunch at Lafreniere Park and a carousel ride, I knew I was in for a weekend of enchantment and that is just what I received. May I always remember, thoughts become things.

We headed over to the Bywater Bed and Breakfast and settled into the whimsical old New Orleans home filled with local artwork before setting off for the concert celebrating the release of the band's new cd “Unity.” Friday night’s presentation was held at a Café Istanbul, a quaint little club that hosts live performances, inside the New Orleans Healing Center. Café Istanbul was open to the public as well as the 30+ band followers who were in town for a Bhakti weekend. Those unfamiliar with bhakti and kirtan were given an undeniable delight. Sacred songs, poems, and Sanskrit mantra infused with New Orleans funk, jazz and rock beats. An enlivening experience for all.

Saturday morning teased us with a flavor of fall.  Cool temps and low humidity, a taste to savor for the weekend, woohoo! Something we southerners look forward to after the long hot summer. Our Bhakti yoga session opened with introductions and intentions. My intention for the weekend was to simply enjoy the experience. We gathered around the band for a story.  Sean is not only a terrific yoga teacher, he is a storyteller extraordinaire, along with Gwendolyn and Alvin’s accompaniment I was transported to another time and place. We listened to the “Birth of Ganesha”  and prepared to delve into relationships, creativity, disparity and possibility during our practice. Om Gam Ganapatye Namah. 

The closing session of this fascinating weekend opened with the story of “Sudama and Krishna.” This  story reminds us to trust ourselves, to trust what we have to offer, to remember that the Divine is always with us, to “Remember Who We Are.” Bhakti is a spiritual path. It is the yoga of love, devotion, and surrender to the Divine. The Bhakti yogi is motivated by the power of love and sees the Divine as the embodiment of love. Singing songs of praise one is able to focus the mind, emotions, and senses on the Divine. This creates an atmosphere of unconditional love, an experience of oneness with everything. 

The only requirement for practicing bhakti yoga is an open, loving heart. You only need to surrender doubts, fears and worries and express genuine love. Expressing our devotion to the many aspects of the Divine is a practice of empowerment. The power we receive helps us to perceive and perception is everything. And so I sing, "Open the eye of my heart Lord."

Om Hari Om. 

KH

Full Moon Dumming

An end of summer yoga storytelling adventure took me on a solo sojourn to Lake Pontchartrain’s North Shore. I returned to the comforts of Camellia House B&B in Covington, LA.  The “Petite Room” was my home away from home for a rest and relaxation retreat. The cozy space was surrounded by windows, a cushy twin bed and a tiny table and chair, who could ask for anything more. The warm, friendly Linda presented me with a lovely, light quiche for breakfast, tender melt in your mouth pastries, yogurt and fresh fruit each glorious morning. Ahh…the luxuries of a B&B.

Friday evening’s adventure began in a charmingly renovated old home at the Women’s Center for Healing and Transformation in Abita Springs. The center serves as a haven for personal growth and connection. The community is blessed to have such. Classes are donation based and all are welcome. They are a non-profit, partnering with female-owned businesses in the healing arts, offering classes, workshops, and retreats. Once a month they offer a Full Moon Drumming Circle on the Friday night closest to the full moon. My handsome borrowed drum and I entered to find women already gathering.  Mothers brought daughters and daughters brought mothers for a time of sharing and bonding. Greeted by the open arms of Patricia, we placed cushions on the floor creating our circle.  Drums of all kinds were placed before us to share. The drum is a powerful instrument. It is believed to have power to heal and send messages to the natural and spirit worlds. The drumbeat evokes many powerful forms of energy and aids in focusing one’s attention. The full moon is also known for evoking many powerful forms of energy as we all well know.  In addition the moon’s reflection gives us an opportunity for self- reflection so we opened the circle by introducing ourselves and offered our intentions. The full moon reminds me to be grateful for the abundance in my life, so I brought gratitude to the circle.  Then the drumming began and all timidity fled. Passion and freedom took its place. Time passed, our hearts beating as one, our drums in rhythm. I left with a heartfelt embrace and a serene sense of acceptance. As I stepped through the door the fullness of the moon shined upon me. May I remember to listen as spirit calls me and to do as spirit says.

Saturday morning brought soft sunshine through the windows. Yoga time! I hopped in the car and drove down to Mandeville. Libby with Yoga Sanga offered a heart centered practice at the MarVilla Guest House where I met Michael, the owner, who generously offers the use of the room. It too was a donation based class.  Donation based classes are great for developing trust. Trust is the knowledge that all we need will come to us. We began our practice of cultivating happiness by focusing on the bud of the lotus that begins to open at the heart center. The mind lives in the heart and fluctuates between positive and negative energies. The mind also lives in the past and the future, but happiness happens in the present moment. When we bring the mind’s energy into balance through yoga we bring it into unity. We become centered in our hearts and happiness can grow. The root of the lotus gets it nourishment from the earth; this is where we realize that we are cared for. The stem grows straight and strong through the muddy waters and here we come to understand that we are capable and so we receive courage. The bud of the lotus blossom forms at the heart center and begins to open; this is compassion, compassion for ourselves and as well as compassion for others.  The practice was sweet and lovely as a lotus blossom. Another kind embrace and I departed focused on happiness, may my heart stay centered.

Just around the corner was the lakefront so I sat on the seawall absorbing the gifts of sun, water and air and all I had experienced so far.

The North Shore never fails! 

KH

Coyote and the Fire Stick

The 2014 Summer Reading Program theme this year, “Fizz, Boom, Read!” was all about science. Mel and I chose the science of fire for our yoga storytelling adventure and presented “Coyote and the Fire Stick” as our Moving Tale. It is a Native American tale from the Pacific Northwest, a pourquoi tale.  Pourquoi is a French word meaning why. These folk tales not only tell us why something is the way it is but also how things came to be, helping us understand the natural world. “Coyote and the Fire Stick” tells of the people’s desire for fire and how they got it.

We gave this gift of story to kids ranging in age from 4-11 at both the North Regional and South Regional libraries. Bodies and minds were engaged throughout proving yoga and storytelling can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. Everyone enjoys a good story and anyone can practice yoga. The postures may not be perfectly formed but that's not what yoga is all about anyway. Yoga is about doing our best, not being the best. Older kids are able to go deeper into the yoga poses holding them longer and refining their alignment, they are also able to go deeper into the story discovering all sorts of buried treasure. The little ones practice yoga with their whole heart giving it their best effort and they often absorb more of the story than we realize.

Our story opens with Coyote, he is Guru dev, a divine teacher. He does not need fire; conscious of the oneness of all beings he offers selfless service. Our lives are enriched as we observe the natural world and learn the great many things that animals and nature have to offer us.

Kathe sounds the Gong

Mel passes the Storystick

And so our yoga storytelling adventure begins...long, long ago when the world was brand new and just beginning people are completely happy and satisfied with their lives…except in winter. Winters are cold, bitter, and hard because the people do not have fire. Fire lives high on a far off mountain at the end of the world, guarded by Thunder and Lightning and people are afraid of Thunder and Lightning. Here we became Thunder and Lightning, standing tall in Mountain pose we rounded our arms overhead for a big thunder clap of the hands and Chair pose was an easy one for Lightning. 

One day Coyote visits the people’s village and they gather around him, thanking him for helping them in the past and asking for his help once again. We took Downward dog for Coyote, yipping and howling with joyful abandon creating a noisy ruckus in the library. Coyote feels compassion for the people and sets off for the far off mountain. Climbing the mountain with Triangle pose we went this way and that way up the rocky crags. Next, Coyote discovers a way to get fire for the people and overjoyed he dances down the mountain. Dancer pose was a sure thing here. One of the kids was able to demonstrate an advanced Dancer pose, very cool. 

Now Coyote knows he will need the help of his friends in order for his plan to succeed and sure enough they all agree to cooperate. The scheme ensues and we stood strong and courageous in Warrior II fitting for Panther leaping from crag to crag. Deer then darted gracefully between the trees, Side Angle Stretch felt nice here. Eagle waited at the edge of the forest and we lifted our wings flying swiftly in Eagle pose. Naturally a few eagles fell from the sky, enlivening the room with more laughter. Lastly fire is tossed to Tree, perfect for Tree pose which is always a favorite. Thunder and Lightning are angry, rumbling and sizzling they chase everyone. Yet unable to recover fire they return to the snowy mountain top worn out and defeated. Coyote presents fire to the people and they are ever so grateful. Once again the people gather around Coyote welcoming him and his friends to visit the village anytime. And the people's appreciation cover Coyote like a warm blanket. 

Prepping for Dancer pose

Rooted and grounded Trees

We practiced three balancing poses with this story, Dancer, Eagle and Tree. Balancing poses are great for kids, they encourage them to focus. One-legged poses give us a chance to find our center of gravity. This is not accomplished so easily, we must refresh our balance moment by moment, recentering ourselves. This balancing and centering affects bones, muscles and nerves as well as thoughts and emotions, promoting concentration and calm. Introducing the use of a gaze point, drishti, offers another measure to achieving success by eliminating outward distractions. When the eyes wander we loose our balance. The focus of the attention is a fundamental principal in yoga practice.

When we dig deeper into our story we see that fear is the source of the people’s suffering; this is true today just as it has been since the beginning of time. We are either worried about something that has already taken place or anxious about something that might happen. But bringing ourselves into the present moment can help us to loosen fear’s grip. We must be willing to sit still and look at our thoughts, softening our gaze, focusing our attention, allowing the thoughts to come and go. We can then begin to look past them and watch them change. Quite often what we will discover is that the fear has diminished if not completely disappeared. At the very least changed its shape and is not quite so big anymore. This is yoga.

Hari Om Tat Sat

Moving Tale; Kathe and Melanie, tandem yoga storytellers