Sometimes it seems like we are overwhelmed with bad news about our planet, and crisis on the planet. We start to think that we can’t do much to help because it’s too big, too complex, out of our control. We might wonder, what can we do? How can we help?
Start small. Start with how you live your life. Each day…each moment. Consider mindful eating. What are you eating? When? Why? How? If we are fortunate enough to have the resources to eat well each day, then we can examine how to eat lighter and not use more than we need.
Paul McCartney and his daughters started a campaign several years ago called “Meat Free Monday.” It’s a great way to help our planet. It’s fairly simple to pick one day a week, and eliminate meat. Then see how it goes…and how it might grow. Happy eating:)
Link to the site to learn more!
Peace,
Yoga Jane
Just returned from “The Christine Center,” in Wisconsin where I was happy to host a weekend yoga retreat with so many open-hearted souls, all of whom braved the winter cold to attend our cozy retreat. The moon delivered as promised:) According to the moon experts, this particular “wolf moon” will be the brightest, biggest moon of 2010.
"Wolf Moon"
Sunset before the brightest moon of 2010
I’m always moved by the show of courage and adventure it takes for people to come to one of my retreats, especially if they have never met me. During our sessions we practiced asana, meditation, chanting and had a fun little dharma talk. We all got to practice learning something new while staying open and not judging. Many students were very new to yoga or felt a little out of practice. It’s moving and inspiring to see everyone doing their best to learn, grow and stay with the practice. It’s not always comfortable but everyone managed just fine.
During our dharma talk we learned how to be curious and stay open when we were feeling like grasping or clinging…the group was lively and offered various viewpoints. Stories were told and ideas were flowing.
I was especially joyful about a 12-year old girl who attended named Talula. She is well on her way to being quite a yogini! She was there with her parents and it was such a joy to see a whole family engaged in yoga.
At the end of the session everyone is a little sad for it to end. We all have to go back to our busy lives…and work toward keeping ourselves open and brave about continuing the practice in the thick of life.
The only bummer of the whole weekend is that I forgot my camera, and just had my little cell phone camera for pictures. It doesn’t take good people pics at all so I missed out on taking pictures of the many smiling faces that were there.
I reminded everyone how important it is to commit some time each day to staying on the path. Including one of my favorite mantras. SEEK JOY.
Peace,
Yoga Jane
To me one of the most helpful ways of opening to the joys of yoga is to cultivate LovingKindness. The picture above represents a perfect example of loving kindness as two of my favorite yoga students, Kristi and Mark Berg practice Ardha Chandrasana together. Notice how connected they are!
The Dalai Lama says there is no other way to cultivate compassion for others, than to begin with yourself. No other way. And I believe that is true. You simply cannot just skip that rung on the ladder and expect to be kind to others from a ground of self-hatred, or self-judgement. I like to remind students that yoga doesn’t always need to feel strenuous. Sometimes after a long day we just need to practice more gently to feel the benefits.
Try this at home to help you develop your personal practice in a gentle way!
Sit quietly and feel how you are breathing. The breath is the most immediate and personal reminder of the precious moments of our lives.
Feel your rib cage, every rib and the muscles in between, all the way to your collarbones, under your armpits and finally down the sternum. Often when we think of opening our heart, we get too harsh and end up pushing our rib cage forward which doesn’t really open anything and in fact, smushes the back of the heart area. We need to move in two directions (yoga, right? union = integration of oppositional energies) to create opening. To cultivate lovingkindness those two forces can be gentlessness and fearlessness, but never aggression.
To create more awareness of how to create a gentle opening of your heart try these poses:
Downward puppy, tread feet in place.
Kneeling side angle pose which also opens side ribs, hips and shoulders and your mind. Practice two times on each side.
Chest expansion, gently and really feeling the heart opening!
Several Sun Salutations with arm variations
Powerful warrior with prayer twists knees together
Now we are warmed up and ready to sit quietly for Maitri Meditation.
Most of the time we relate to things and beings in three categories:
1. Attachment: I love this/you. I never it want it to end. I never want this moment to change!
2. Aversion: I hate this/you. I wish it would stop. I can’t be happy until this person leaves!
3. Ignorance: I’m so spaced out that I have no idea what’s going on.
We tend to box up our methods of relating to others in these ways, and even in how we relate to ourselves. We like to blame things on others, too, in these ways. You know, my relationship would be perfect if it wasn’t for my partner…or my yoga would be perfect if it wasn’t for my short legs…etc. etc. etc.
Lovingkindness is a new paradigm that invites us to be unconditionally kind to all beings everywhere. That is a sea change for most of us so we have to practice it. And we can, beginning with mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation is a way to clear the palate before we start to work with our thoughts.
There are many methods of meditation but they all fall into two major categories: mindfulness and contemplative or analytical. The first is a way to get to know our mind (”GOM, ” Tibetan for familiarization) so that we can work with it more effectively, and the second is a way to use the capacity of our mind, thinking, to develop ourselves in whatever ways we wish.
Here is a very simple Maitri (lovingkindness) Meditation:
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be happy
May you live with ease
Visualize someone you love unconditionally, then someone you are having a problem with, then a neutral person and each time say the above four lines. We extend this to all the people in the room, your neighborhood, the city and on out.
Then opening your eyes, just sit quietly and meditate for a few more minutes.
OM OM OM
Peace,
Yoga Jane
Beautiful shop with lavendar herbal products on the Via de Alighieri, Florence
Arrival day. Beautiful sun stole my jet lag:)
Tuscan trees and sun. Boboli Gardens Florence, Italy
Cortona, Italy
Sculpture outside the Uffizi, on the Arno River
Statue on the Piazza de Signoria
Picollo Cane (small dog) walking outside the Duomo
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. I just returned from an amazing trip to Italy. Got home Christmas Day. Even though I was only out of the country for almost 3 weeks I am still quite foggy…spaced out. Not in my body yet. For a yoga teacher that isn’t very comfortable. As I sat down to write this entry I was trying to figure out what wonderful inspiring direction to go in…and I got stuck. As a novice blogger this happens to me frequently. I want the entry to be useful, inspiring and creative and sometimes that makes me freeze.
Maybe we can start by knowing that sitting with our discomfort and not immediately judging or reacting is a great way to walk the spiritual path. We know that everything is always changing, it always will and there is nothing to attach to. I experienced this often during my travels. Traveling is a great opportunity to test our need to control and have everything our way. Especially traveling in a country with a different language and norms. Every outing and interaction is like a scene in a play.
My trip contained so many great moments…beautiful foods, colors, art, places, cities, countryside, people, conversations, animals and images of life in motion. All strung together with the same theme. People all over the world want to be loved and have a happy life. We are all the same.
As this year winds down many of us start to imagine what will happen in 2010. If 2009 wasn’t great then there is a feeling of great hope and anticipation for the coming year.
Take some time in the next few days to reflect and/or write about this year and what you learned. Let go of what needs to go. Then begin to move into 2010 and visualize what you would like it to be about. State it or write it or create your own ceremony about how to bring in the new year. Have fun with it. Be creative.
Felice Anno Nuevo!
Yoga Jane
The days of coziness have been really soothing to me lately. I love this time of year where everything in nature changes including sky, sun and earth. Viva la difference. The darkness contains the mystery of life. The going inward, the closing, the waiting…only to develop, create and emerge later…energized, anew.
I’m interested in finding happiness in change, as opposed to a reason I can deny it or let it create negativity. In order to create new patterns in our thoughts and emotions we have to practice planting positive seeds daily. It is a learned skill, and requires discipline and daily practice. It’s easy to fall back into old grooves. Like a drone…on and on. It takes bravery to accept the difficulties of daily life and push through to the other side.
One word comes to mind as we move into the Holiday season. Relax. It’s gonna be okay. Let the rough edges smooth out. Take your shoulders down a notch or two. Recognize that everyone is where they are for a reason. You are not in control of others or anything for that matter. Stop judging. Stop blaming. Sit down and make a cup of tea. Take a few deep breaths. Stare at the wall. Listen to some good music. Paint a picture. Take a bubble bath. Turn off the critic… the constant complainer. Hug your pets. Look for the good! All of us have love and goodness in our lives. Focus on it. See it. Believe in it. Bake some cookies.
Write. Write some more. Read Brenda Uelands book, “If You Want to Write.” Excellent little jewel. The title is slightly misleading. It’s a book about writing and creativity and bravery, letting yourself shine. Everyone is original if they tell the truth. Write about your truth. Share it.
Meditate more frequently to connect and feel all of the love and goodness your life contains. Let this be a gentle reminder that Thanksgiving week might herald in a time of reflection, closeness to loved ones and grounding into oneself to settle emotions and open the heart.
Relax.
Peace-
Yoga Jane
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40 Ways to Let Go and Feel Less Pain
by Eckhart Tolle believes we create and maintain problems because they give us a sense of identity. Perhaps this explains why we often hold onto our pain far beyond its ability to serve us.
We replay past mistakes over and over again in our head, allowing feelings of shame and regret to shape our actions in the present. We cling to frustration and worry about the future, as if the act of fixation somehow gives us power. We hold stress in our minds and bodies, potentially creating serious health issues, and accept that state of tension as the norm.
Though it may sound simple, Ajahn Chah’s advice speaks volumes:
“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.”
There will never be a time when life is simple. There will always be time to practice accepting that. Every moment is a chance to let go and feel peaceful. Here are 40 ideas to get started:
Let Go Of Frustration with Yourself/Your Life
1. Learn a new skill instead of dwelling on the skills you never mastered.
2. Change your perception—see the root cause as a blessing in disguise.
3. Cry it out. According to Dr. William Frey II, PH.D., biochemist at the Ramset Medical Center in Minneapolis crying away your negative feelings releases harmful chemicals that build up in your body due to stress.
4. Channel your discontent into an immediate positive action—make some calls about new job opportunities, or walk to the community center to volunteer.
5. Use meditation or yoga to bring you into the present moment (instead of dwelling on the past of worrying about the future.)
6. Make a list of your accomplishments—even the small ones— and add to it daily. You’ll have to let go of a little discontentment to make space for this self satisfaction.
7. Visualize a box in your head labeled “Expectations.” Whenever you start dwelling on how things should be or should have been, mentally shelve the thoughts in this box.
8. Engage in a physical activity. Exercise decreases stress hormones and increases endorphins, chemicals that improve your state of mind.
9. Pick one item off this list—50 Things You Can Control Right Now—and focus all your energy on that.
10. Express your feelings through a creative outlet, like blogging or painting. Add this to your to-do list and cross it off when you’re done. This gives you permission to shift your focus after the activity.
Let go of Anger and Bitterness
11. Feel it fully. If you stifle your feelings, they may leak out and affect everyone around you—not just the person who inspired your anger. Before you can let go of any emotion you have to feel it fully.
12. Give yourself a rant window. Let yourself vent for a day before confronting the person who troubled you. This will diffuse the hostility and give you time to plan a rational confrontation.
13. Remind yourself that anger hurts you more than the person who upset you, and visualize it melting away as an act of kindness to yourself.
14. Use Psychologist Steven Stosny’s HEALS technique to prevent impulsive action, which will only prolong the negative feelings.
15. Take responsibility. Many times when you’re angry, you focus on what someone else did that was wrong—which essentially gives away your power. When you focus on what you could have done better, you often feel empowered and less bitter.
16. Put yourself in the offender’s shoes. We all make mistakes; and odds are you could have easily slipped up just like your husband, father, or friend did. Compassion dissolves anger.
17. Metaphorically throw it away; i.e., jog on the beach with a backpack full of tennis balls. After you’ve built up a bit of rush, toss the balls one by one, labeling each as a part of your anger. (You’ll need to retrieve these—litter angers the earth!)
18. Use a stress ball, and express your anger physically and vocally when you use it. Make a scrunched up face or grunt. You may feel silly, but this allows you to actually express what you’re feeling inside.
19. Wear a rubber band on your wrist, and gently flick it when you start obsessing on angry thoughts. This trains your mind to associate that type of persistent negativity with something unpleasant.
20. Remind yourself these are your only three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it. These acts create happiness; holding onto bitterness never does.
Let Go Of Past Relationships
21. Identify what the experience taught you to help develop a sense of closure.
22. Write everything you want to express in a letter. Even if you choose not to send it, clarifying your feelings will help you come to terms with reality as it is now.
23. Remember both the good and the bad. Even if appears this way now, the past was not perfect. Acknowledging this may minimize your sense of loss. As Laura Oliver says, “It’s easier to let go of a human than a hero.”
24. Un-romanticize the way you view love. Of course you’ll feel devastated if you believe you lost your soul mate. If you think you can find a love that amazing or better again it will be easier to move on.
25. Visualize an empowered single you—the person you were before meeting your last love. That person was pretty awesome, and now you have the chance to be him or her again.
26. Create a space that reflects your present reality. Take down his pictures; delete her emails from your saved folder.
27. Reward yourself for small acts of acceptance. Get a facial after you delete his number from your phone, or head to the local bar after putting all her things in a box.
28. Hang this statement somewhere you can see it. “Letting go is love. Holding on is attachment.”
29. Replace your emotional thoughts with facts. When you think, “I’ll never feel loved again!” don’t resist that feeling. Instead, move on to another thought, like “I learned a new song for karaoke tonight.”
30. Use the silly voice technique. According to Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap, swapping the voice in your head with a cartoon voice will help take back power from the troubling thought.
Let Go Of Stress
31. Use a deep breathing technique, like ujayii, to soothe yourself and seep into the present moment.
32. Immerse yourself in a group activity. Enjoying the people in your life may help put your problems in perspective.
33. Consider this quotation by Eckhart Tolle: “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” Questioning how your stress serves you may help you let it go.
34. Metaphorically release it. Write down all your stresses and toss the paper into your fireplace.
35. Replace your thoughts. Notice when you begin thinking about something that stresses you so you can shift your thought process to something more pleasant—like your passion for your hobby.
36. Take a sauna break. Studies reveal that people who go to sauna at least twice a week for 10-30 minutes are less stressed after work than others with similar jobs who don’t.
37. Use this clever technique by Peak Personal Performance to fully digest and release your stress about a situation.
38. Organize your desk. According to Georgia Witkin, assistant director of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completing a small task increases your sense of control and decreases your stress level.
39. Use it up. Make two lists: one with the root causes of your stress, and one with actions to address them. As you complete these tasks, visualize yourself utilizing and depleting your “stress supply.”
40. Laugh it out. Research shows that laughter soothes tension, improves your immune system, and even eases pain. If you can’t relax for long, start with just ten minutes watching a funny video on YouTube.
It’s a long list, but there’s much left to be said! Can you think of anything to add to this list—other areas of life where we need to practice letting go, and other techniques to start doing it right now?
Photo credit
Lori Deschene is the lead contributor for tinybuddha. You can support her by clicking on “vote” here and follow her on Twitter @lori_deschene. This post was originally published on SeeingGood.com; we’ve reposted it here because it aligns with yesterday’s Do Happy tip.
From now through the Holiday season it will be a good idea for us to practice asana more regularly to move tension out of our bodies, create balance and lift our energy. Life is also busier these days so let’s just focus on practicing for shorter sessions. Below is an easy 30-minute practice that anyone can do, morning or evening. Enjoy!
Get your space ready by clearing the clutter, lighting a candle, listening to music and turning off the phone.
Sit down on your mat. Get comfortable. Breath through your nostrils for 5 minutes. Easy breathing….unhurried.
Feel yourself being present during this time, breath by breath, moment by moment. Feel the breath in your body. Feel grounded sitting in your body.
Chant Om three times….
Roll forward and practice 10 rounds of cat-cow flow to wake up your spine.
Sit back in childs pose for 2 minutes and breath deeply into your back, feel soothed and awake at the same time.
Rise up and practice 6 rounds of sun salutations with your own modifications or intensity for more heat.
Then practice triangle, revolved triangle, warrior 1, side angle and prayer pose on each side….same sequence.
Lay down on your belly and practice locust and bow pose three times each, resting between each, releasing tension through your exhale.
Stand and practice tree pose, warrior 3 and eagle pose on each side, ending in mountain pose, breathing gently.
Sit down and roll to your back bringing your knees in and rolling side to side.
Move into happy baby pose and smile…stay here for a couple of minutes and breath deeply into your lower belly.
Take time now for deep relaxation, maybe even just a few minutes…slowing down the exhale, being present and still.
OM OM OM
I just finished re-reading a book I read years ago titled “Good Life, Good Death,” by Gehlek Rimpoche. The first time I read it, I was in a hurry and didn’t really absorb it. Last weekend I spent one whole day slowing down and reading the entire book again, with complete attention. We’ve all had those experiences where we are reminded of how only when we are ready for the lesson, will we receive it. Aha. For me, reading this book during this time of my life was ideal. It snapped into place like a perfectly finished puzzle.
In the book, Gehlek explores and condenses the main ideals of Tibetan Buddhism. He is an incarnate lama who was raised in one of the most upper-crust families in Tibet, belonging to the family of the Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama. In 1959 after the communist chinese invaded Tibet his world changed dramatically and his teaching path began.
Exploring many of the known ideals of Tibetan Buddhism such as training the mind for peace and learning to work with negative emotions, Gehlek writes in a very down to earth way. He writes about karma and reincarnation and why it is believable and realistic to Tibetans…why we might choose to be curious about it rather than quickly deciding..no way. It’s not a preachy book.
The main point of the book is that through developing and commiting to a regular meditation practice, we are able to transform our negative emotions and experience more joy…greater happiness in our short lives…definitely worth looking into 
And when we live this way…we prepare ourselves for our inevitable death in a peaceful and accepting way, making the transition less painful.
Fall is often a great transition time for people. Changing seasons, ideals, dreams, etc. Change=growth. While we are growing we are often resisting due to fear, which may lead to anger and later resentment. If you spend some time sitting quietly and just recognizing what your thought patterns are, what your emotional state is, then you are able to work with it. Being present for whatever is happening…not judging it or blaming others or making excuses. Looking inward with grace and gentleness, knowing that we all suffer and we all want happiness as well. Everyone wants this, all over the world. This is our human condition. Our great equalizer.
Peace,
Jane
“Full Moon Yoga Retreat.” January 29-31, 2010
Indeed the full moon is expected to peak at 6:17pm January 30. What an excellent time to be at The Christine Center and view the open sky and gorgeous full moon that weekend. Perhaps we can sneak outside for a full moon evening walk.
“Full Moon Yoga Retreat”
Let’s take some time to “get off the grid….slow down and decompress.” Winter provides a hidden opportunity for us to move slower, let go and kindle our inner glow. This weekend retreat will heal our immune system, calm our mind, and open our hearts. You will feel more connected to yourself and aligned with nature, as you honor yourself with yoga and deep healing rest.
Yoga classes will be an eclectic mix of yoga styles including mindfulness and metta (loving-kindness meditation) along with an opening style of hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, and deep relaxation.
On Saturday afternoon students will be encouraged to meditate, journal and attend a dharma talk in the lovely meditation room, guided by Jane.
This retreat is open to all ages and abilities whether you are new to yoga or more advanced. Teachers will benefit by learning how to add more depth to their classes and encouraging their students to grow into a deeper personal practice using their inner wisdom. Throughout the grounds and in between classes there are places to go and be alone, or unite with people.
Lodging offers various choices. You may stay in the guest house with full showers, one of the modern hermitages in the woods, or a rustic hermitage in the woods. Lodging will go fast this weekend as the center is fully booked. Visit The Christine Center website at: www.christinecenter.org to get a better feel for this unique center and its grounds.
Retreat Schedule:
Friday
3:00-5:00 pm Registration and Check-in
5:30 pm Supper
6:30-8:00 Yoga
Saturday
8:00 am Breakfast
10:00-12:00 am Yoga
12:30 pm Dinner
2:00-3:30pm Meditate, Journal & Dharma Talk
4:30-5:30pm Yoga
Supper 5:30 pm
Sunday
8:00 am Continental Breakfast
10:00-11:30 am Yoga
11:30 am Brunch
12 noon Check-out
The fee for the retreat is $200. Lodging and meals are separate. Early bird registration is $175 if booked by October 30, 2009. Space is limited, as well as lodging choices. To register or receive more information call Jane Reeves at 612-741-5746.
Peace!
Jane
The Tibetan word for refuge means “to be protected by.” Most of the time we focus our energy on “desire.” We take refuge in comfort, in having things, in being busy.
While there’s really nothing inherently wrong with external pleasures, when we believe that our happiness depends on them, we’re reinforcing an endless process that results in pain, suffering, and disillusionment. This is called samsara. We work hard for what we think we want and when we get it, we don’t feel the happiness we expected.
Buddhists take refuge in the three jewels: the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. The Buddha is the teacher, our example of an awakened being. The Buddha also represents the potential for enlightenment that we all possess. Taking refuge in the Buddha is taking refuge in our own enlightened aspect. He’s our role model for someone who went through a personal struggle and came to rest in wisdom and compassion.
We also take refuge in the dharma—the truth that the Buddha shared. This includes his literal words, as well as the inner truth to which the words are pointing. We’re taking refuge in the notion of selflessness or emptiness and luminosity. The dharma is the fundamental nature of things. It’s the way things are. We discover it through meditation.
The third jewel is sangha, a community of individuals who come together to practice, who know what to accept and what to reject in order to go forward on the path. We come together to cultivate the qualities that take us toward enlightenment. We reject the qualities that take us in another direction.
When we first set foot on the path, we don’t know what to accept and what to reject. We know things aren’t working out, but we’re not sure why. It’s usually because whatever situation we’re in, we’re reacting with aggression, attachment, or confusion.
When we practice meditation, we look at our minds and see what’s happening. We notice, “Oh, here comes anger.” We begin to see how we use anger to maintain the solidity of “me,” even if it means hurting others. We also begin to see how often we use anger as a way to work things out: “I’m gonna get angry. Then I’ll get what I want.” But looking at the dharma of the situation shows us that the real result of anger is always more pain.
We see how desire creates duality—a separation of self and others in terms of what we experience and what’s projected. We begin to understand that whatever we’re seeking is conditioned by impermanence; it’s not solid. Neither are we. We work so hard to feel secure, and even when we think we’ve succeeded, it’s falling apart right in front of our face. We can’t really hold on to anything. We experience the process of trying to hold on as suffering—a feeling of agitation and loss.
That’s how we usually engage with our lives. The Buddha saw this seemingly simple truth and showed us how to open our eyes and see what’s actually going on. Just seeing reality as it is… Is there anything in our lives that’s ever remained permanently? No, there’s only impermanence. Is there anything we experience in which we can find a solid identity? No, we’re always in a state of flux. Is there any situation that isn’t inhibited by suffering?
Our happiness is fleeting. Suffering is always going to catch up with us. The Buddha taught that we need to see the truth of how things are. In fact, as real as it seems, our pain is also empty, and without real form.
Taking refuge in the three jewels, we are open to a larger perspective: living as if aggression, desire, and confusion is going to lead to true happiness is like waiting for the weather to be perfect…and according to your liking. Taking refuge is a moment when we say, “I’d like to do things differently now.” I’m ready….
At that moment the seed of enlightenment may be born in us. It takes great humility to give up being mad, to give up being jealous, to pull our heads out of the sand and acknowledge suffering. It’s not an easy path to follow. But when we take refuge, we aspire to turn our minds away from the samsaric (suffering) way of living and to cultivate compassion, loving-kindness, and wisdom instead. We decide to nurture the seeds of genuine happiness.
It’s difficult to do this on our own. So we take refuge in the sangha. These are people who can support us, to whom we can look for guidance. Together we’re trying to understand that ultimately, dwelling in anger, desire, and confusion is not going to lead to liberation. To get what we want, we need to plant the seeds of virtue: love, compassion, and wisdom.
In order to create that space where we’re not inundated by negativity, we need to settle the mind, settle the body, and begin to breathe. Meditation is how the sangha steps onto the path of virtue. Together we’re taking refuge in the Buddha’s teaching that there’s a way out of the circle of aggression, fixation, and ignorance.
By practicing peaceful abiding together, we’re offering each other the strength and courage to develop our enlightened qualities. We’re tilling the soil, planting the seeds, and watering the love, compassion, and wisdom that sprout forth. We’re acknowledging that before we can better the world, we need to relate to what’s happening within our own minds. Tend our own precious garden…at the same time we’re developing a community through which we can engage the world in a different way, with the view that everyone has the genes for enlightenment.
Peace,
Yoga Jane
