Music Monday: Loreena McKennitt

I’ve come away from the latest Chopra Center Meditation Challenge quite disappointed. I had been looking forward to it, as the theme was health, with which I’ve had major issues lately. Then I had a bunch of facilitators with annoying voices ruin it for me.

Really, if you need vocal coaching and elocution lessons, you have no business doing guided meditations. A voice that jolts the listener out of whatever peace they’ve been building is counterproductive. Like it or not, it’s vocal work, and the quality of the voice involved should be as seriously considered as that of a professional singer.

Speaking of professional singers, here comes exactly the kind of voice and sound that works a charm for meditation. I actually know of many occasions in which the particular song has been used to that effect (no wonder, considering what it is about, after all). The first half, particularly, could induce an altered state of consciousness in and by itself. Superb.

Working with a Larger Energy

The expression going with the flow is a metaphor that applies to navigating a river. When we go with the flow, we follow the current of the river rather than push against it. People who go with the flow may be interpreted as lazy or passive, but to truly go with the flow requires awareness, presence, and the ability to blend one’s own energy with the prevailing energy. Going with the flow doesn’t mean we toss our oars into the water and kick back in the boat, hoping for the best. Going with the flow means we let go of our individual agenda and notice the play of energy all around us. We tap into that energy and flow with it, which gets us going where we need to go a whole lot faster than resistance will.

Going with the flow doesn’t mean that we don’t know where we’re going; it means that we are open to multiple ways of getting there. We are also open to changing our destination, clinging more to the essence of our goal than to the particulars. We acknowledge that letting go and modifying our plans is part of the process. Going with the flow means that we are aware of an energy that is larger than our small selves and we are open to working with it, not against it.

Many of us are afraid of going with the flow because we don’t trust that we will get where we want to go if we do. This causes us to cling to plans that aren’t working, stick to routes that are obstructed, and obsess over relationships that aren’t fulfilling. When you find yourself stuck in these kinds of patterns, do yourself a favor and open to the flow of what is rather than resisting it. Trust that the big river of your life has a plan for you and let it carry you onward. Throw overboard those things that are weighing you down. Be open to revising your maps. Take a deep breath and move into the current.

DailyOM

Stoking the Fire Within

There are certain personality archetypes that we all carry within us, such as the inner child, the lover, and the mother. Some of these archetypes present themselves strongly, while others lay fallow. For example, there is an inner warrior in each one of us, but in some of us this warrior is underdeveloped to the point that we are unable to stand up for ourselves, even when necessary. There can be many reasons for this. We may have grown up with a parent whose warrior aspect was overdeveloped, and we responded by repressing ours completely. On the other hand, we may have grown up with parents in whom this aspect was dormant, so we never learned to awaken it in ourselves.

A warrior is someone with the strength to stand up for what he or she believes; someone who perseveres in the face of challenges and obstacles; someone who speaks and acts in the service of an ideal; someone who protects those who are too weak to fight for themselves. Regardless of the reasons for an underdeveloped inner warrior, you may begin to notice the lack of its fiery, protective presence and wish to awaken it. You may need to stand up for yourself in a certain relationship or situation, or you may have a vision you want to realize, and you know you will need the courage, energy, and strength of a warrior to succeed. Similarly, if you find that you often feel scared, anxious, or powerless, rousing this sleeping ally may be just the antidote you need.

One excellent way to cultivate the presence of your inner warrior is to choose a role model who embodies the qualities of bravery, strength, and vitality. This person could be a character in a myth, movie, or book, or a historical or living person you admire. Simply close your eyes each day and contemplate the quality of energy that attracts you to this person, knowing that the same potential lives within you. Confirm for yourself that you are capable of handling this energy responsibly, and stoke the fire of your own inner courage.

DailyOM

Learn and Let Flow

The idea that we have to suffer or live in poverty in order to be spiritual is an old one and can be found in the belief systems of many philosophies. Most of us carry this idea around subconsciously, and we may be holding ourselves back from financial or emotional well-being, believing that this is what we must do in order to be virtuous, spiritually awake, or feel less guilty for the suffering of others.

While it’s true that there can be a spiritual purpose to experiencing a lack of material well-being, it is rarely intended to be a permanent or lifelong experience. What we are meant to find when material or emotional resources are in short supply is that there is more to our lives than the physical realm. Intense relationships and material abundance can distract us from the subtler realm of the spirit, so a time of deficiency can be spiritually awakening. However, once we recognize the realm of spirit, and remember to hold it at the center of our lives, there is no reason to dwell in poverty or emotional isolation. In fact, once our connection to spirit is fully intact, we feel so compelled to share our abundance that lack becomes a thing of the past.

If you find that you are experiencing suffering in some area of your physical life, perhaps your spirit is asking you to look deeper in your search for what you want. For example, if you want money so that you can experience the feeling of security but money keeps eluding you, your spirit may be asking you to understand that security is not to be found through money. Security comes from an unshakable connection to your soul. Once you make that connection, money will probably flow more easily into your life. If relationships elude you, your spirit may be calling you to recognize that the love you seek is not to be found in another person. And yet, ironically, once you find the love, your true love may very well appear. If you feel stuck in suffering to live a spiritual life, try to spend some time writing about it. The root of the problem will appear and it may not be what you expected. Remember, the Universe wants you to be happy.

DailyOM

Reinvent Yourself Through Yoga

What does it take to reinvent yourself? Perhaps a better question to start with is, why would you even want to? Sure, maybe you wouldn’t mind shedding a few pounds. Perhaps a bit less stress would be nice too … and no doubt you’d be happy to have a little more free time in your life. But these things surely don’t require a complete personal overhaul, do they?

Nobody is perfect. The main point of our lives here on this earth is not even to attain perfection. It is to learn through our experiences and to use that wisdom to grow, to evolve, and to make changes for the better.

Now that is something that we can all definitely do, can’t we? So why do we often have such a hard time doing it?

Because we get stuck in a rut; stuck in a routine way of thinking and acting.

For instance, you’ve probably driven the exact same route to work everyday for the past five years and never given it a second thought.

What happens, though, when there is road construction one day and you’re forced off of your usual course? Frustration? Anxiety? Do you get downright upset?

Maybe it made you late for work, but that’s not the point here. The point is that there are probably several different ways for you to arrive at your destination on time, but you’ve gotten stuck on one specific route, and you just don’t like to veer from it.

In effect, that’s exactly how we live most of our lives. We’ve gotten used to typical ways of doing things and usual ways of viewing things, and that keeps us from seeing all the infinite possibilities we have all around us in each and every moment.

Read the rest of this article HERE!

Yoga Will Kill You … If You Do It Properly

It’s important for you to keep your spine straight in the lotus position; you should also keep your eyes closed and focus your attention on your breath in shavasana; and your mind should not wander when you’re performing the reverential salutation to the sun.

The only problem is, none of these things really have anything to do with yoga.

What am I talking about? There’s a little clue scattered throughout all of those statements above…

I’m talking about YOU!

Let me share something with that your yoga teacher may have forgotten to mention. If you’re not working on de-constructing your ego-self, then you’re not doing yoga.

Read the rest of this article HERE!

Creating Yoga Balance

Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani responds to this question about yoga balance.

Question:
‘I’ve been teaching yoga for a number of years, always leading students in standing yoga asanas with the left foot or left side. I have always done this because that was what I was taught. Could you please tell me the reasoning behind this? Does it extend to all asanas, standing or not?’

Answer:
I felt that I have to try and address some of these core issues for non-Indian yoga practitioners, as we often have our Western students ask these same questions about creating the proper yoga balance.

The major problem facing yoga in the West is the fact that yoga has been cleaved from Indian culture. Without an understanding of the Indian culture and way of life from which yoga originated, it can be difficult to find answers to such questions.

Read the rest of this article HERE!