Living with Simple go to Rules...

Some Simple Go-To Rules to Create Ease of Living.


Be Aware-Awake,


Be Kind to others, even if they are not (remember, If we didn't cause how the day is affecting them,) it won't behoove us to keep an even keel. Please apologize and make amends as soon as possible if harm was done.


Listen when a person is speaking and telling us all about what is important and precious to them. (When we speak we would expect the same.)


Show compassion, not everyone is learning as we are ie, each person learns mostly from personal experiences not necessarily, advice, intellect, or expertise.


Please don't take too much, nor keep what another may be happy to have.


Give when and where you can. (These can be the greatest gifts a person may ever receive.)


Kindergarten Rules; no hitting, fighting, bullying, yelling, stealing (taking what is NOT yours.)


Report All Abuse.


Please let's not forget to take care of ourselves: Welcome (Come to the Well) treat yourself to Loving and Healthy activities, so many to take in to nourish, Spirit, Body, Heart, and Soul.


Questions ask them, there are none deemed unimportant or unanswerable.

All Rights Reserved 2015 Whispering River/O.E.Yoga

March 2013 Yoga Blog back on track..."Time for Life-giving Air"

     First of all I hope that you are well and leaving a healthy mark upon caring for the self and loved ones in your life. It is up to us as individuals to remain vigilant concerning how we feed ourselves, not just in our daily diets, but physically and spiritually as well.

    My last blog was specifically about Buddha's teachings, let us remember that all spiritual teachers and healers were once learning how to live the best way possible. In this day and age all is running at a speed where it makes it difficult to stop and take a breath (as you are reading, take the time now, close your eyes and breathe deeply)...to be continued

 

June 26th. Blogger is not compatible with my Browser. I will try and rectify this problem asap. Sorry.

The Buddha's Teaching on Universal Love. Metta (Loving-kindness) (Friendship)

"Here is the teaching. As you read the Metta Sutta, notice the thoughts and feelings that arise in your mind and body. You might read the sermon aloud so that you hear the words as if someone else were speaking them to you." Sylvia Boorstein.

Buddha's Teaching of Universal Love.

This is what should be done;
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, wise, and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to be born,
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life,
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;

Outwards and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection,

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being free from all sense desires,
is not born again into this world.

Ohm, Shahanti, Shahanti, Shahanti; Peace, Peace, Peace

Meditation Promotes Awareness!!! (Understanding Self-Limiting Conditions/Beliefs)

All of life's conditions are made up of one or more of these variables, that we as humans withstand in order to be pliable, flexible, and sometimes just plain disagreeable. With variable conditions, sometimes we are as rite as rain, and at other times we feel more like dark clouds have positioned themselves directly above us. Most of these conditions are habitually beckoned in times of transition, in that we are all to familiar to feel a certain emotion.

Emotions come and go, all day long and all year long, have a thought, plug in an emotion, we are all to ready to come to some point that we "think we ought to be": be it; labeling, judging, or self-limited beliefs.

At times self limited beliefs plague us all, rooted in our conditioning for as long as we can remember, but all to often we fall into thoughts that can lead to lower consciousness. Think of the mind as a machine reacting electrochemically through neurons, thus firing off synapses at a rate of a billion each day. If we can control our thoughts or, if we can't, we can become aware of them by seeing the brain for what it is, and how it responds to conditions, ring a bell-- get some food, click open a can of cat/dog food animal comes running, aroma of hot apple pie has one wanting not only the pie, but heck, the whipped cream and coffee to go with it!  So here we see the conditions and responses, however, we are innately and entirely much more than this.

So we sit,  meditate and clear our minds??..."are you kidding me?", no-one can actually clear their minds, well not entirely that is. But what we can do is sit with our thoughts and see where they lead, of course nowhere, unless you are still thinking about that apple pie, which you had a piece of yesterday, and truly shouldn't have today. So many thoughts arise, that while sitting we begin to see the variables that simply are, but, not all are true. I'm sitting here now and my thoughts are on finding a job, washing the car, doing other errands that aren't necessary to my well being right now. Now is the key to letting our thoughts just be, and thus choosing which ones if any to put into action. I'm still sitting and because I'm beginning to center and become more aware of my breathing I choose not to act out on any thoughts, but name them and let them flow, float, letting them ride on a wave back to the sea!

Meditating for 5 or 10 minutes can make all the difference in one's day! It promotes awareness, its effects can clear one's overwhelming thought patterns and activate a new conditioned response. A day with more accuracy and intent about  how you treat yourself with gentle waves of love, and moreover your gentle responses  unto others. Our conditioning is apparent  however, our own purpose and response to those thoughts can be reconditioned, leading to a more pleasant present quality of living now!!!

Tree Pose (Vrkshasana)

1.Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) arms by your sides. Get grounded and establish the lines of energy, grow roots into the earth. With a soft focus, gaze at a point in front of you.
2.Shift your weight to the left foot bringing your hara, navel, and nose over the toes. Spread your toes and snuggle your left foot into the earth. Engage the quadriceps muscles and let the standing leg be strong as you radiate the lines of energy down through the left foot and out through the crown of your head. Breath easy and grow long.
3.Bring the sole of your foot as high s possible on the left inner thigh with toes pointing down and the sole of the right foot and the left thigh pressing into each other. Press down through the standing leg.
Press the right knees out and back. (you want the abdominal plane facing straight ahead; the best knee stretching straight out and to the side, not angling to the front.)
4.Bring the palms into prayer position, namaste, in front of your heart. As you press the palms together feel the shoulder blades draw onto the back body and heart lift.
5. Breathe as you re-establish the line if your center. Gently draw the abdominal's in toward the tail bone down, elongating the sacrum. Maintain the soft gaze.

Next:
6. Inhale, from the shoulder blades on the back body sweep the arms out to the side and over head as in picture above), shoulder width apart or palms together with the hands in temple position (fingers interlaced with index fingers extended upward). Maintain the lift of the heart. Lengthen through the inner elbows drawing them closer to each other and lift the rib cage away from the waist without pushng forward. Drop the right hip down and extend long through he spine.
7. Radiate the lines of energy down through the standing leg, up through the arms and out through the bent knee. Breathe and stay focused.
Release: Exhale, release the arms back to prayer position and the leg down. Breath, come back to center, repeat on other side. Tree is a two-part pose.

Variations: Using hands to place foot at the top of inner thigh near groin. Hands in prayer overhead.

Benefits:  Develops; concentration, coordination, balance, poise, strenth and groundedness.

               Strengthens the ankles, knees, hip joints back, shoulders, and neck.

               Improves Circualtion and respiration

               Improves Kidney Function

               Stimulates nervous system

               Stimulates digestion and helps rleive constipation

               Prevents hernia by strengthening the internal oblique muscles

              

Precautions: Uncontrolled or untreated high blood presure, heart conditions, nervous disorders, menstruation, pregnancy (during first three months or if problems arise): Practice carefully without long holding times.

Weak kness: Keep quadriceps of supporting leg engaged and keep supporting knee soft to avoid hyperextention; avoid long holding times.

• Contraindications: Recent or chronic injury or inflammation of knees.

           

Calming Emotions w/Yogic "Child Pose" (Garbhasana)

Child Pose:  Come down to your mat and sit on your heels with knees together. Align your spine from the sitting bones up through the crown of you head. Inhale in temporary pose Vajrasana (Upright Child).

Exhale: Bending forward at the hips extending the torso over your kness. Bring your forehead to the floor and place your arms along side your body, palms up.

To Release: Roll up slowly, one verterbrae at a time.

Variation: Pillow or blanket between heels and buttocks, or rolled under the ankles.
                  Pillow or blanket under forehead.
                  Extended arms over head on to mat.

Benefits:   

• Deeply tranquilizes the entire system, calming mind and emotions.
• Provides counter-stretch from backward poses.
• Increases flexibility in the hips and legs.
• Massages, oxygenates and decongests abdominal organs.
• Tones and stimulates pancreas, liver, gall bladder, kidneys, spleen, intestines, gonads and bladder.
• Improves peristaltic action in intestines.
• Stimulates digestion and elimination.
• Relieves intestinal gas.
• Helps relieve constipation.
• Helps relieve hemorriods.

Precautions:

• Constipation: practice carefully, avoid long holdings, and if pain is evident cease repeating pose.
• Pregnancy (after third month) spread knees apart, use optional cushion(s) under forehead and buttocks, leaving room between belly and thighs.
• Sensitivity in knees or ankles. Use soft folded blanket under knees or ankles.
• Stiff or muscle bound hips and legs: Place one or more cushions between hips and heels.
• Uncontrolled HBP (high blood pressure) or excessive pressure in head or eyes: Place a cushion under forehead.

Contraindications:

• Recent or chronic injury or inflammation in knee(s).