One-pointed focus: Meditation

quiet space

"Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind." Patanjali

We are so busy that many of us cannot fathom stopping to "just do nothing." Yet, what we need most is peace and quiet to nourish our deepest selves. 

When did we move so far away from being into doing? I don't know. I spent a lot of time with my brothers and cousins outside, in nature, pretending, looking at stars and fireflies. Now there is fear attached to not being busy. Are we afraid of our potential?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” ~Marianne Williamson

I invite you to join me in 5 minutes of quieting your mind by focusing on your breath. If you like this, you might want more with my 28-day online meditation course and challenge to build a home practice, "Spark your Creative Genius."

Enjoy! I'd love to hear about your experience; any questions you have about meditation or more that you'd like to see.

Ahimsa--what does it really mean to be nonviolent?

Ahimsa (nonviolence) is the first moral principle that Patanjali presents to us in the Yoga Sutra, and therefore, ahimsa is the foundation with which we can choose to live and build our yogic lives around. What does this nonviolence thing entail?

How we think, act, speak, treat ourselves as well as others can be respectful or harmful. Does it really hurt someone to think bad thoughts? Science tells us yes, absolutely.  Just look at the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto and how water responds to harsh thoughts and words.

Some yogis become vegetarians become because they want a lighter diet, for some it's a preference and still others want to choose a non-violent lifestyle (not eating flesh because of killing animals). I have a number of yogi friends who are committed to a life of ahimsa (non-violence) who need to eat meat because of their constitution and/or body type. They can look for animals that have been treated humanely, say a special blessing acknowledging their gratitude for the animal's life or find another protein source.

So what was Patanjali suggesting in Yoga Sutra 2.35, अहिंसा प्रतिस्थायं तत् संनिधौ ahimsa pratisthayam tat vaira-tyagah, says that, "When we are established in non-violence, those who come into contact with us will do the same [be nonviolent]." If I learn to think, speak, act and live a life without harming myself or others, those I come into contact with, over time, will do the same. The opposite who also be true. Violence begets violence and peace begets peace.

How do we become agents of peace and respect?

One thought, one action, one word at a time is the place to begin. I often think of something that seems insurmountable, "How do you climb a mountain?" Well, with lots of preparation and then one step at a time, we can do most anything. I spend a lot of time talking, writing, thinking about changing habits. Being kind, respectful and nonviolent is a choice. We can change our behavior once we become aware of what we are doing.

Pay attention to your thoughts; notice the people around you; and choose to take the least harmful action. When you find yourself speaking, thinking or behaving in a way you don't like, don't beat yourself up. Choose to do it differently.

As always, I would love to hear what you do to bring ahimsa into your life.

The Healing Power of Sound: Mantra

Photo Credit: Jim Zink

I've been writing a lot about nourishment (or lack there of) in the way of food and cleansing for the body, mind and spirit. I'd like to look at other forms of nourishment. Sound in its many forms has led me to both suffering and solace. Of late though, it is my second favorite way to feed my soul. We'll get to my first some day soon.

Sound is defined as vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a being's inner ear. The difference between noise and sound depends upon the listener. I specifically want to look at mantra, which may or may not be audible.

Mantra is sound that can help us connect to the Divine as well as to practice focus, concentration and to extend our exhale.

There is an indescribable power in the mantra sound vibration that may be felt immediately or over time depending on what we are ready for.  A mantra can be one syllable as in OM or a group of syllables or words.  Mantra can be performed verbally or mentally, loudly or softly.  

Mere mechanical repetition is very effective, yet it does not have the same powerful affect as setting a clear intention before saying your mantra. The effects are much more potent if the same mantra is used over a period of time.

We use mantra for healing, clarity, to define our priorities, to let go of things that don’t work for us and to manifest what will support our growth.  The sound connects with our truth through its vibration.  It is especially strong in our throat (Vishudda cakra-pronounced chakra ), the instrument we use to express ourselves and to speak our truth.

In my blogpost, Why I Chant, I discuss the benefits of chanting. While using mantra will benefit us in the same way as chanting, focusing on a mantra may or may not be chanting. For instance, if you hold the sound Aum or Om in you mind, you are using a mantra yet you are not necessarily chanting. With a short mantra, we don't have to concentrate to remember the words so we can focus on the qualities, the feelings, and the vibration.

We might repeat a mantra while using a mala (historically 108 beads of some sort). Using a mala is a way to focus and keep track of how many times we say the mantra. 108 is an auspicious number. Read more on 108.

I use mantra in my asana practice to focus, feel the vibration and to lengthen my exhale. Mantras are generally given to students by their teachers.

The mantra might be connected to something we want to emulate (water: apah, pronounced a-pa-ha), something we love or something we want to devote ourselves to. 

For those of you in town, Salt Lake City, I will be offering a chanting, asana and meditation workshop this Saturday, May 31st, 2014, at the Mindful Yoga Collective from 1-4 pm. Come join me.

Please share experiences or your thoughts if you would like to add to my discussion about mantra. I realize that I've barely skimmed the surface of mantra; that is why we have a life time to learn. Om shanti. Peace