The Breath is Life's Teacher

Some years ago I wrote to Donna Martin having been inspired by her poem 'The Breath is Life's Teacher' and she told me that the poem came to her in a meditation.  I stumbled across the poem earlier today .. and still it speaks to me.

THE BREATH IS LIFE'S TEACHER

Observe me, says the Breath, and learn to live effortlessly in the Present Moment.
Feel me, says the Breath, and feel the Ebb and Flow of Life.
Allow me, says the Breath, and I’ll sustain and nourish you, filling you with energy and cleansing you of tension and fatigue.

Move with me, says the Breath, and I’ll invite your soul to dance.
Make sounds with me and I shall teach your soul to sing.
Follow me, says the Breath, and I’ll lead you out to the farthest reaches of the Universe, and inward to the deepest parts of your inner world.

Notice, says the Breath, that I am as valuable to you coming or going… that every part of my cycle is as necessary as another… that after I’m released, I return again and again… that even after a long pause – moments when nothing seems to happen – eventually I am there.

Each time I come, says the Breath, I am a gift from Life. 
And yet you release me without regret… without suffering… without fear.
Notice how you take me in, invites the Breath. Is it with joy… with gratitude…? Do you take me in fully… invite me into all the inner spaces of your home? …Or carefully into just inside the door? What places in you am I not allowed to nourish?

And notice, says the Breath, how you release me. Do you hold me prisoner in closed up places in the body? Is my release resisted… do you let me go reluctantly, or easily?

And are my waves of Breath, of Life, as gentle as a quiet sea, softly smoothing sandy stretches of yourself….? Or anxious, urgent, choppy waves…? Or the crashing tumult of a stormy sea…?

And can you feel me as the link between your inner and outer worlds… feel me as Life’s exchange between the Universe and You? 
The Universe breathes me into You… 
You send me back to the Universe. 
I am the flow of life between every single part and the Whole.

Your attitude to me, says the Breath, is your attitude to Life. 
Welcome me… embrace me fully. 
Let me nourish you completely, then set me free. 
Move with me, dance with me, sing with me, sigh with me… 
Love me. Trust me. Don’t try to control me.

I am the Breath.
Life is the Musician.
You are the flute.
And music – creativity – depends on all of us.
You are not the Creator… nor the Creation.
We are all a part of the process of Creativity…
You, Life, and me: the Breath.

(thank you Donna for sharing your words)

Donna is a Hakomi therapist, stress management consultant and speaker based in Canada and you can find out more at http://www.donnamartin.net

Slump Day Meditation

P-e-r-f-e-c-t!

How do we want to live our lives .. can we dance? 

Can we see our day differently and thereby experience a different life? 

An oldie but a goodie with a message that in life there is always a choice to join in .. to laugh in the moment .. to dance a little!

Get your dancing shoes on its WEDNESDAY!

Susan Piver : The Open Heart Project

I'm thrilled to introduce you to Susan Piver .. I have been reading Susan Piver's blogs and website for many years .. she is an inspiring writer and teacher of writing and meditation .. and Buddhist practitioner. She has written 5 books (with a 6th on the way), writes for Huffington Post and owns a book packaging business Padma Media. More recently Susan has started offering weekly meditation instruction via her blog called 'the open heart project'. I emailed Susan recently because of this beautiful piece she wrote on meeting and listening to our inner voice .. and so with Susan's permission I have reprinted her article here .. thank you Susan ..

How to be more disciplined? The practice of sitting meditation begins to shed some light on the Buddhist view of discipline. In meditation (instruction here), you cultivate focus and awareness by placing your attention on your breath rather than your thoughts. PS It has nothing to do with emptying the mind of thought!! Almost impossible!! Stop trying!! Big hoax!!

You Are The Result Of Yourself

Honestly words of wisdom (or, words that speak to us) can bubble up from mystical and intriguing places .. like this morning .. enjoying my coffee and reading my favourite blogs (thank you Bloglovin you have revolutionised my world) .. sharing and relishing amazing views and words from others .. and from the most unlikely place I am stopped by Scott Ginsberg’s entry today (Scott is That Guy with the Nametag) when he quoted a poem by Pablo Neruda (Chilean Writer)

You are the result of yourself

Stopped me .. right there .. take a moment to reflect on these words .. and visit Scott’s amazing blog for further insights .. here is the full poem ..

You are the result of yourself

Don't blame anyone, never complain of anyone or anything
Because basically you have made of your life what you wanted.
Accept the difficulties of edifying yourself
And the worth of starting to correct your character.
The triumph of the true man arises from the ashes of his mistakes.
Never complain of your loneliness or your luck.
Face it with courage and accept it.
Somehow, they are the result of your acts and
It shows that you'll always win.
Don't feel frustrated of your own failures, neither unload them to someone else.
Accept yourself now or you'll go on justifying yourself like a child.
Remember that any time is good to start
And that no time is so good to give up.
Don't forget that the cause of your present is your past,
As the cause of your future will be your present.
Learn from the brave, from the strong,
From who doesn't accept situations
From who will live in spite of everything.
Think less of your problems and more of your work.
Learn to arise from your pain,
And to be greater than the greatest of your obstacles.
Look at the mirror of yourself and you'll be free and strong
And you'll stop being a puppet of circumstances.
For you yourself are your destiny.
Wake up and stare at the sun in the mornings and breathe the sun of dawn.
You're part of the strength of your life now,
Rise up, fight, walk, be sure and you'll win in life.
Don't ever think of 'fate'
For fate is the excuse of failures.

To an inspiring 2009!

Some ten years ago (at least) I purchased a little book of inspiration and wonder .. Living Juicy : Daily Morsels for your Creative Soul by SARK. That little book has been looked at, read and shared many times over the years :

"Living juicy is : Jumping for Joy on the inside! In the midst of our daily lives, we must find the Juice to nourish our creative souls.

If we rush around, never look closely or practice self denial, we will begin to feel dry and cracked, for the lack of sweet, wild moments that elevate us, and those around us. The name for this is LIVING JUICY"

I picked up my Living Juicy book last night. I revisited some of the pages and surprised myself when I happened to open the month of November which was themed Meditating ..

"someone said to me that meditation is really the art of being best friends with yourself. She said to me, 'think about it - how many times are you truly alone, and deeply communicating with yourself' .. Meditation is a power.full tool ...

For Christmas this year I bought myself a new SARK book Make Your Creative Dreams Real .. A plan for procrastinators, perfectionsists, busy people, and people who would really rather sleep all day" ..

I feel totally inspired by SARK and her beautiful view of the world. I now have her two books on my cabinet .. to remind me of my creative dreams for 2009 ..

"May all of our creative dreams heal and illuminate this dear world of ours" .. SARK

2009 Meditation Resolutions

[To start my year .. I am reading The Wishing Year]

Today I am back at my corporate life and having had a good and restful break with family and friends .. I actually feel quite empowered by the possibilities and adventures that lie ahead in 2009. I always find this time of the year highly charged with magic .. and there are times (especially in meditation) when I feel so completely ‘in the flow’ that I just know on a deeper level that all is possible!

On the 1st Jan I listed my Personal Commandments for 2009 (see earlier post) – and these are now pasted in the front of my 2009 Inspiration Journal .. and soon will be laminated and parked in my (a) wallet (b) at my desk (c) on my fridge! After all we should try to connected with our vision at every opportunity.

At lunch today I indulged in revisiting some of my favourite blogs (note to self : make a list of fav. blogs to share on this site) and I now feel inspired to put out there my Meditation Resolutions for 2009 .. (although today I am only going to list the first six months) …

Jan 09 : Theme ~ Meditate. Meditate, meditate, meditate. I have a fairly regular morning practice of 30-40 minutes, and I do a lot of ‘spot’ meditations (depending on the chaos of the day) .. but I would like to focus on establishing an evening practice. I think this would bring a wonderful new focus to my meditation .. a freshness and a new awareness! Also, my sister brought me back from the States this amazing book “The Wishing Year” and while I have just started reading it, I already feel inspired about the potential power of wishing! Once finished reading I will post a little overview.

Feb 09 : Theme ~ New Classes. 2009 is the year I am going to jump in, relish and fearlessly focus on building my meditation classes! I have already agreed to start a new business with one of my best friends who is an amazing yoga teacher. We have found the perfect space for her yoga and my meditation .. and it is all very exciting. While we were both on a yoga and meditation retreat in Bali (way back in 2004!) we both found dreams for our future that were quite different to where we were ‘at’, at the time! Rob wanted to teach yoga .. I wanted to teach meditation. Over the last few years we have both studied (lots), learnt (and been inspired) by others and each started teaching .. we have met some amazing people along the way. February 2009 is the start of Breathe@Parkdale and once we have signed off the final arrangements I will post more details here!

Mar 09 : Theme ~ Learning. We are always students – even when teachers .. and in March 09 I am going to focus on finding and attending as many meditation and yoga classes that I can possible find and fit in! I will read new books, find new blogs and spend the month completely immersed in feeding myself with yoga and meditation knowledge .. and will share with you my journey across Melbourne (and if there is any possibility I will happily fly across Australia and/or overseas) in my quest… if anyone has any suggestions please let me know…

April 09 : Theme ~ Retreat. Finally I will fulfil a long held dream to attend a Vipassana & Loving-kindness Retreat. I have just sent my registration papers to the Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery and Retreat Centre in NSW, and hope to attend the retreat led by Ven. Pannyavaro on the Easter Weekend. I attended some classes with Ven. Pannyavaro when I lived in Sydney. Two previous attempts at attending a Vipassana retreat where interrupted with (a) a new job that took me to the other side of the world; (b) falling pregnant.

May 09 : Theme ~ Expand. In May I will focus on travel – to expand my horizons! I have not done a lot of travelling over the past four years, so I will continue to enter every travel competition I can find, and continue researching and dreaming. First on my list has always been India ~ I have always felt this yearning to travel to this complex and challenging country .. visit temples, live in an ashram, attend yoga schools only read about, explore the diversity, the colour .. the spirit of the place. If not India, then I am open to what the world presents .. Bali (another retreat there would be amazing; this time maybe with Louisa Sear ), or California (to visit my soulful and wise sister, and attend Esalen or Spirit Rock or check out all the yoga and meditation in LA through the Accidental Yogist).

June 09 : Theme ~ Celebrate and Grow. Another milestone year! This month I will celebrate .. celebrate the success of our new yoga/meditation business, celebrate the health and wellbeing of my family and self, celebrate that 2009 has been a fantastic year so far and that there are wonderful surprises and successes still ahead. I have long wanted to teach children meditation/relaxation skills, and have had a lot of requests to do so (with my daughter often discussing her breathing and calming exercises with her friends). I have long had the goal of attend the training program with Relax Kids .. but until now I would have had to travel to the UK ($$$). I have just learnt that Marneta is coming to Australia later this year, so I have signed up! This month I will research and prepare for a different meditation focus ~ sharing the joys of meditation with children.

So now I have shared with the world some of my meditation dreams for 2009!

28th November : Make Something Day

Today I was so happy to receive a really interesting email from one of my favourite bloggers The Abundance Blog and to hear about the "Buy Nothing Day" on 28th November. Described as a backlash against over-consumption and the havoc we're wrecking on our planet by the over-utilization of our natural resources; it is suggested that for one day (the 28th) we avoid shopping for the day. And with a further, more positive spin on the same idea, is the new movement called "Make Something Day" on the same date; the suggestion being that we make gifts for others rather than spending and shopping. The 28th November is actually the day after Thanksgiving in the US which is typically marked as the busiest shopping day for Americans.

So instead of continuing to consume, collect and pile up with things we really don't need - and tragically so when a large portion of the world exists without even basic human needs being met - here we can all do something more productive and life affirming.

So I too applaud Buy Nothing Day and Make Something Day.

As Australia heads towards our own massive spending season - Christmas - I am going to try even harder to reflect deeply on any purchases I do decide to make - and at the very least try to direct my spending to charities, small businesses and positive gifts. I am also going to try being more creative in my own attempts at making gifts.. and I am going to share this philosophy with everyone I speak with.

In honour of this new idea I have a gift that I am preparing today for you! I shall post this on my site in the next couple of days .. stay tuned!

Gratitude Journal

[Thanks stock.xchng for photo 'Freedom' by Sopeluk]

In my recent spring cleaning activities I found one of my old gratitude journals… As well as understanding the importance of finding and focusing on the abundance of good that we have around us; I really believe in the value of living with a spirit of gratitude. I remember the joy of purchasing this new journal book and the great creativity it inspired when I started.. my aim was to write a daily list of three things to be thankful for.

With the world/media/politician’s all around us currently so focused on all that is potential crisis and negativity .. and this morning having already received three emails from friends lamenting the problems of life... it’s probably an ideal time again to pause and reflect at the end of each day on what we have to be thankful for.

This is about focusing on what is good… reminding ourselves of all that we have to be grateful for... and we all have LOTS to be thankful for!

Every evening before sleep let’s take the time to write three reasons to be thankful. A simple and beautiful way to finish our day with a positive and open heart.

Today I am truly thankful for:

*the growth of my new vegetable garden and the prospect of fresh home grown lettuce in the coming days
*inspirational blogs and the words of wisdom I receive in my inbox each day
*my beautiful daughter who astounds me daily with her unique insights
*my friends who call and touch base so regularly and share their innermost thoughts
*sunshine and balmy days
*the good health of my family and friends
*the joy of being able to dream great dreams, share great plans and aspire to a better future
*the total expression of love from my puppy each time he see’s me

Wishing you a wonderful and inspiring day

Taking a moment

It still surprises me how sometimes life 'groups together' events, words, paths and I find there is a thread emerging. Over the past few days there seems to be these message via videos coming to me.. all sorts, from different sources and places.. but each day recently there seems to be one that I take the time out to view.. and I am gifted with a wonderful message. Today this one came to me. I am really busy today but for some reason I stopped.. I listened and watched.. so I share this short film of six minutes with you and I hope you are touched as well. Compassion. The power of words. The power of just being mindful and aware. Stop and look around.

Walking the Talk

It's a grey day outside and I seem to have woken up with a 'grey' attitude. Just a sense of hmmm.. lack of energy and lack of direction... I had a really late night, car broke down a couple of days ago, worried about bills and second reminder notices arriving the mail last night, dog needs a walk, house looks like a bomb site...

Oh yes! I didn't meditate this morning... I was too tired.. too distracted.. too busy...

It's days like today when I HAVE to meditate... to spend my morning in meditation helps me see the world in a clearer and more positive way.. I can then walk a clear path 'around' all the worries, stresses and anxiety...

So now it's lunchtime and I thought I would take a few minutes away from my desk, and work, to look at some of my favourite blogs.. first one I went to was www.yogapulse.blogspot.com and I am laughing still... I have watched this video twice and I have a big smile on my face now... please I would like to share it with you..

Rana Lee Araneta - described as an Artistic Environmentalist - is the very entertaining and energetic performer. This is from a presentation she gave at the Green Yoga Conference in the US in May 2007.

The World is just Awesome

Life really is Awesome.. and I really 'felt' this (deep, deep inside) after my morning meditation today.... just wanted to share the joy around...




Thank you : Kirsty Dunphey for your amazing ideas and energy .. and for pointing me to Tony who had this awesome advertisement from Discovery Channel.

If life is the trip and happiness the destination… are we there yet?

[Photo from Stock_xchng – Freedom by Sopeluk [id 1050406]

While most psychologists agree that a person’s set point of happiness is largely genetically determined, some psychologists believe it can be altered. Known as Positive Psychology, this school of thought has even found its way into a new class at Geelong Grammar School here in Victoria.

The father of the field, US Psychologist Dr Martin Seligman, suggests that our happiness is made up of three elements: Genetic predisposition; Our circumstances; Controllable factors that we can work on enhancing.

Of course we are all interested in how to get more pleasure out of life and in a recent article by Dr Seligam, he identified three key points to focus on:

* Savoring experiences
* Engaging more in what we do (activities that employ our strengths and we can lose ourselves in);
* Finding ways to make life meaningful (through gratitude, altruism or kindness).

SOME OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENHANCE HAPPINESS

1. List three things you are grateful for:

Psychologist Sonia Lyubomirsky from the University of California has found ‘counting your blessings’ once a week significantly increases people’s satisfaction with life.

2. Do something that gives you a sense of Achievement
According to the Australian Unity Wellness Index, feeling that you have achieved something useful provides a sense of contentment and drive.

3. Watch a Funny Movie
Laughing has been proven to reduce stress and enhance wellbeing.

4. Have some 'down time'
Studies have shown that 15 minutes of meditation a day improves wellbeing and the immune system (Oh YES!)

5. Smile
Even if you don’t feel like it, your body will automatically responded with a dose f feel-good hormones.

6. Get in the Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the worlds leading researcher on positive psychology, has found being intensely absorbed in a task leads to ‘optimal functioning’.

7. Perform a Random Act of Kindness
Put money in someone’s parking meter, mow a neighbor’s lawn or volunteer for a charity. The Dalia Lama says “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion”.

For more information, and to try the Happiness Test, go to www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu

Business Happiness Conference, Sydney

From The Australian, BUSINESS LIFE: Ruth Ostrow February 29, 2008

Chief executives and managers from some of Australia’s leading organisations come together to hear how to be more effective in business through learned optimism and during the two-day gathering will meditate with Sogyal Rinpoche, Buddhist author of the international bestseller The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23293258-30538,00.html

The Law of the Garbage Truck

I found this lovely story (or life lesson really) on the blog spot http://meditation-air.blogspot.com/ (by Francisca) and I hope she doesnt mind that I include it here on my own blog. But it really hit a chord today...

From my own meditation practice I have received this amazing gift that sometimes allows me to just watch things unfold without getting stuck in the story…

The Law of the Garbage Truck

"A couple of years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a NewYork City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, A black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck".

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: At work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see dead people." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on."

Hopefully we can all be more aware and compassionate tabout our own and everyone else's ‘garbage’.. see it coming… and let it pass by… Let it slide!

A timely reminder

I am going to pin this one up on my wall!

Shake It Off And Step Up
By: Author Unknown

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him.

It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!