Spirituality

A Complaint Free World

Amanda / Reflections, Thoughts, Writers / , / 0 Comment

The book, A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen recently came across my radar.  The title really intrigued me, so I decided to ingestigate further.  Basically, one undergoes the challenge to not complain for 21 consecutive days.

A few months ago a good friend of mine gave me a Louise Hay cd on how to use daily positive affirmations.  Shortly after beginning the practice of using  my affirmations, I became very angry at myself for  just how negative most of my thinking actually was.  Here I thought I was a positive, glass half full kind of person?  However, this was a catalyst for me to begin to change my thinking.  I am a true believer that what we think about manifests into our lives, whether they be good or bad.  I believe this is why the book came to me at this time.

“Complaining is thinking about things you do not want rather than what you do want.  When we complain we are using our words to focus on things that are not as we would like.  Our thoughts create our lives and our words indicate what we are thinking.”  Bowen, Will.  (2007) A Complaint Free World (Kindle).  Retrieved from http://www.amazon.ca.

I have decided to embark on my own complaint free challenge.  I will blog about my adventures at http://www.westofyoga.wordpress.com.  Please join me in the challenge.  Maybe we can start a complaint free movement here in Vancouver?



An Afternoon with Thich Nhat Hanh

Alison Boons / Events, Reflections, Thoughts / , , , , / 0 Comment

I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to yesterday’s “Open Mind, Open Heart; Touching the Wonders of Now” talk at the Orpheum with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh {source: http://wkuplondon.wordpress.com/about/our-teacher-thich-nhat-hanh/}

Thich Nhat Hanh, who turns 85 in October, is one of the most respected Zen masters in the world. Also a poet and peace and humans rights activist he is the founder of several organizations, including Plum Village, and has spent his years working with refugees, political prisoners, hungry families throughout the Third World, veterans, and on meditation retreats. Author of over 85 titles of poems and prayers, Thay, as he is known by his students, practices “the art of mindful living” and wrapped up his week in Vancouver with a public talk at the Orpheum.

While I wasn’t able to attend the whole retreat that was held at UBC last week, it was an honour and a privilege to spend a few hours at the Orpheum yesterday afternoon. The afternoon included guided meditation and songs of prayer, along with his lecture that focused on the practices of mindfulness and being happy in the present moment, the here and now.

He explained that being mindful is being present in the here and now, and when we practice mindfulness we are always in the here and now. While the concepts he describes are so simple, so easy to understand we, I know I, struggle with remembering to be in the present moment, to let go of the past & not rush for the future but to enjoy everyday for what it is because “this is all there is.”

Today, I still find myself processing the day looking for the simple ways to bring mindfulness more readily into my daily life, but was left with the overwhelming feeling of content, content in my here and now. If you did not have a chance to hear him speak yesterday or attend the retreat last week, here is a clip on Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings;

Thich Nhat Hanh

Practicing Ease

Leeann / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , / 1 Comment

Are there times in your practice when you feel like you can give it your all and other times when you can hardly get on to your mat?

Our lives are so busy these days that adding one more item on to the list can feel over whelming. If you have a regular yoga practice you may have come to the realization that yoga definitely helps with dealing with the stress in your life. But sometimes you just don’t have the energy to get yourself to the mat.

I have noticed that if I can get to my yoga class, sit on my mat, start breathing that everything else in my life falls away, if only for an hour, but I end up feeling much better than if I just lounged on my couch for an hour.

The trick I find is to remember the reason why you have come to yoga. It is not to compete with your neighbour or even yourself. That is the Ego talking. The striving to always out-do yourself can not only add stress but also misses the true gift in yoga.

Peace or the gift of equanimity; a state of even minded openness that allows for a balanced, clear response to all situations, rather than a response borne of reactivity or emotion, can come through a regular yoga practice. When you are always reacting to events and situations rather than just calmly observing these events stress is added to your life. By always striving to get better results there is no joy in life as you are never satisfied.

We live in a culture where striving for results colors our every endeavor. The chatter of our mind is constant; how much did I accomplish today? Did I meet /exceed my quota? Is there something else I need to do to make myself feel complete and purposeful? Why is it never enough?

Having a regular yoga practice can help you to recognize where, when and how you get caught up in the results. It also clearly shows your reaction/attachment to those results; either good or bad. When practicing your asana (postures) you might start to notice your internal running commentary; I got deeper into my breath yesterday, I had more energy, and I got lower in my Utkatasana.

All these judgments on yourself create stress and is counter- productive to your growth and ultimate happiness. If you allow yourself to step back from the experience; with all the things attached to it, such as; thoughts, emotions and pure sensations, by not getting caught up in a reaction which would have you identifying with those thoughts, emotions and sensations that would give you the peace you need.

To just purely experience things without attaching any emotional baggage gives you the ability to calmly remain balanced in any situation.

To practice with ease will bring you closer to the pure joy awaiting you in yoga.

Namaste

(source: topnews.net.nz)

Mindfulness And Me (3 Tips)

Guest Author / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips, Yogis / , , , , / 0 Comment

I’m thinking about walking the talk more. As I work towards being mindful in my yoga practice, I’m exploring how to be more mindful in my life. It doesn’t make any sense to be committed to being conscious and thoughtful on my mat and then float through the rest of my day on auto pilot. So I’m going to take my mindfulness practice off the mat…

How? you ask.

I have some thoughts:

1. Turn off my laptop more. Can I do this and keep my identity? Probably. It may be hard, but I bet I could do it if I made more of an effort (“I am not my mind, I am not my mind, I am not my mind”).

Less time reading the New York Times online would probably be good for me.

2. Slow down. Looking out the window is not necessarily a waste of time.

3. Pay more attention to food and drink. I need to remind myself that eating is sacred, not something I do for entertainment, and it’s not just fuel. My heart loves to enjoy and savour food, but sometimes I forget.

So in May I am going to start living my yoga off the mat one mindful moment at a time…

(source: www.mindfulconstruct.com)

3 Ways to Pamper Your Soul!

Alison Boons / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

{Source: http://www.portalmico.com/?p=244}

Who doesn’t love a relaxing massage or a stroll on a beautiful spring sunny day, but how can we continuously pamper our soul? How do we make the time to make our soul and or our heart feel good? We may get these feelings from the above, but generally they are only temporary solutions.

Our lives are made up of a bunch of moments, and while every moment may not be the best experience it makes an impact on our soul and our subconscious.

Here’s 3 Ways for Long Term Soul Pampering;

  • KARMA
    Seems to be pretty self explanatory, especially with the old adages “what goes around comes around” or “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”Derived from the Sanskrit word “kri,” karma literally means “to do.” Then if we take the meaning of yoga as “union”; karma yoga translates to the path of union through action. In some philosophies the word karmanot only means action but the effects that your actions have and can be further described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which someone acts in accordance to their dharma (one’s duty) without personal self-centred desires, like or dislikes.In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says:

Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.

           Take into consideration how your actions influence life around you and your life.

  • SEVA
    Otherwise known as Selfless Service, Seva is the action of giving back, it is a sincere sharing of wealth (money, talents, service).  Our community is nurtured through voluntary gatherings, where teachers and students can connect with each other while, at the same time, doing something that makes the world a better place.Swami Niranjan, a modern master of yoga, explains the word Seva is made up of two words, ‘saha’ (with that) and ‘eva’ (to). Therefore, the word Seva means ‘together with’ and is describing actions that is an expression of compassion, of the desire to uplift and assist people and can be a strong practice for self-purification.How do you do this? Start small, maybe helping a senior citizen with their groceries or offering to run an errand for a friend. Or take a look at www.govolunteer.ca which lists countless of opportunities to volunteer from bringing your dog to visit the local care home or teaching yoga.

Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.
Anthony Robbins

  • DHARMA
    Buddhists believe in the Law of “Dharma,” which means, the purpose in life. This law says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfill a purpose. You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it meaning there is something that you can do better than anyone else in the world. By understanding your purpose and special qualities, you will be able to reach your goals and get closer to your dreams.Is what you are doing in life your dharma, are you not sure? Write down all your biggest hopes and desires and work to live by them!

Souls have different journeys. The best thing to know is, not what everybody else does, but what you do. Self-discovery essentially is finding your own dharma, your own rhythm.
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While all of these items are life skills and or lifelong ways of interacting with the world, they can lead to healthier, happier you and a pampered soul!

Continuing Along The Path

Leeann / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , , , / 1 Comment

Within last week’s blog post: Letting in the New, I wrote about Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Eight Fold Path. Patanjali offers guidelines to help you cleanse the body and mind in order to lead a more meaningful and purposeful life by following an eight limbed path. One limb of that path is the Yamas.

One of the five Yamas I focused on was Aparigraha: non-covetousness/non-hoarding. By allowing yourself permission to let go of those things that no longer serve you, you lessen the burdens in your life. The less clutter you have in your life the more meaningful life becomes. The more you practice Aparigraha the more you will come to understand that Aparigraha embodies the idea of letting good things come to you.

Not only does this apply to actual physical things, but also to our own thinking. Getting stuck in old patterns of belief can become very harmful. As we age it is necessary to continually re-evaluate old thought patterns based on the new knowledge we have gained; although sometimes thought patterns are so ingrained in our sub-conscience that we hardly question them. Thus it is necessary to always be in a state of awareness; to live in a state of acting not re-acting. Allowing yourself a moment to breathe, step back and look at the situation with new eyes. Ask yourself why you are feeling the way you are, is it because of something in the past or are you truly in the moment. Allowing yourself to let go of old patterns opens you up to new ways of relating.

I also mentioned that Sophie Legrand discussed Brahmacharya in her post titled “Browse with Moderation”. She discusses the concept of Brahmacharya: sensory control; not giving into the ego’s excessive demands & striving to live a balanced life, without squandering precious energy.

Further to the above two Yamas there is Ahimsa: nonviolence.

Ahimsa refers to not only the abstention of physical violence but also discouraging violent words or thoughts. It is necessary to be actively aware of our thoughts and interactions with ourselves and others in order to eliminate these destructive behaviours. Remember that thoughts become actions and actions eventually become behaviours.

To truly practice Ahimsa one needs to participate in the practices of compassion, love, understanding, patience, self-love and worthiness.  First and foremost it is necessary to begin with oneself. You cannot be patient or understanding or compassionate with others if you haven’t first started with yourself. It begins from within. It is only from the love of oneself that you understand that ultimately there is no separation between you and me. To do violence to you is to do violence to me.

Starting with little baby steps, such as on your mat, be kind to yourself. The body is always changing; what you were able to do one day you might not be able to do the next. Just try to believe that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Practice forgiveness within yourself so that you can give that to others. This patience and understand that you give to yourself on your mat will naturally flow into other aspects of your life given time.

(Source: cominohotels.co.uk)

MOVIE REVIEW: FIERCE LIGHT, WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION

Sarah Jamieson / Meditation, News, Reflections, Reviews, Thoughts, Yogis / , , , , / 1 Comment

What does Yoga and Activism have in common?   COMMUNITY!

Last night I watched the ground breaking documentary, “Fierce Light, When Spirit Meets Action” an in-depth look at the power that is released when our spirituality/belief and activism meet.

Sparked by the movements of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu,  Thich Nhat Hanh, and Mandela, by igniting a global movement of positive, compassionate action. It is a global journey of social change motivated by love, and the necessity to save our world through ethical action.

When asked by students what my message is, I say I am an Activist for Compassion, thus my message is to be an activist for compassion.

It is here, where we see a direct correlation between Yoga and Activism; both deeply rooted in community. The growing popularity of yoga at this time of global transformation and shift of inward search for our own humanity is not a coincidence.

If we look at the definition of a Yogi it is someone who strives to live in harmony with the earth, our environment and embracing the connection with another; which is at the heart of belonging.

A yogi seeks self-realization through the practice of action to become a more centered and rounded partner of society. By living in an other-centered way rather than a self-centered way, the yogi lives harmoniously with the earth, with all beings and things, and ultimately with oneself. This is the very way of life that is reflected in our leaders who have taken compassionate action towards a better world.

The practice of yoga on the mat can provide us with very practical skills to enable us to dismantle our present negative culture, a culture of dis-ease, based upon the exploitation of the earth and injustice of our fellow human and to act with non-violence to shift the paradigm towards social change.

So the next time you are on your mat, think about how you can transfer the loving, compassionate traits evoked from your practice and take them off the mat.  Imagine individuals and organizations connected by a shared commitment to compassionate, positive action….that’s most definitely Fierce Action!

Transform.  Inspire.  Enable

And Exhale…..

And Exhale…..

Alison Boons / Reflections, Tips / , , , / 3 Comments

While Mother Nature showed that she is boss this weekend with snow galore, before this weekend it was apparent that the days are getting longer and the flowers are starting to peak their green leaves out of the ground & the trees are beginning to get buds, which means; (thankfully!) it won’t be long until spring is at our door!

Spring is a time of rebirth, a time for a change, a time of renewal, a time of cleansing and the time is quickly upon us. We generally begin to prepare ourselves for spring as the earliest signs begin to show their faces and decide what needs to change in our lives or in our homes; “Out with the old, in with the new.”

Spring “Cleaning” to me is a great form of practicing Aparigraha (Non-grasping), which is the 5th and last of the Yamas as outlined by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedily. Therefore, we should only take what we have earned, so in order to help us with our “non-grapsing” we need to work on the idea of  “letting go”. Letting go can be taken into many forms, either material items or feelings but gives us the opportunity to focus on what is really important in our lives.

While emotions can be the hardest thing to “clean” out, sometimes these are the most important. To take a second look at the relationships in our lives that don’t serve us and let them go so that we have the opportunity to cultivate new ones. This letting go of fear, doubt, heartache or whatever it is that you have been hanging onto, can be exactly what spring is, a rebirth for your life.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When we think of spring cleaning we generally think of material items and cleaning the cobwebs out of the corners of the room, which is a fantastic tool to help us feel better and start the new season with a smile. However the task of spring cleaning can be a little daunting, here are a few tips to help you let go;

  • Clean out the frost bitten, old food that has consumed your freezer.
    If you haven’t eaten it yet, you don’t want to now!
  • Donate the millions of glasses and mugs that are taking over your cupboards.
    Really you don’t need THAT many!
  • Donate the food, that has taken over your pantry, to the Food Bank.
    There are people who can use it now!
  • Clean out the linen cupboard, get rid of the old tattered sheets, towels and stained dishclothes.
  • Hit the bathroom beauty product cupboard, discard all the expired product and the “sample” bottles lying around.
  • Clean out your Wardrobe!
    Donate the jeans that might fit again “one day” and instead tell yourself when that time comes you will reward yourself with a new pair.
    Let go of the shirts and socks and pants that have been lying around with holes in them that you will fix one of these days, you won’t!
    Let go of the clothes you have never worn even though they may be perfect for an occasion one day, remembering there are people that can use these things now!
  • Tackle your Storage Locker;
    Let go of the items sitting in boxes upon boxes.
    While not only fun to reflect on old photos and letters, it feels great to let go of the ornaments and boxes of old christmas cards, that really why are you saving it? R
    Realistically if its in storage and you don’t use it everyday, you probably don’t need it!

There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.  — Author Unknown

While spring cleaning can be a daunting task, what a great way to practice Aparigraha and prepare you for the Spring Solistice which is only a few weeks away. So Take a Deep Breath, LET GO and EXHALE fully!

Thich Nhat Hanh Coming to Vancouver

Alison Boons / Events, Meditation, News, Teachers / , , / 4 Comments

Thich Nhat Hanh a Buddhist monk, teacher, poet, author and peace activist is coming to Vancouver in August. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he entered a Buddhist monastery at sixteen and became a founder of the “Engaged Buddhism” movement and he now has dedicated his life to revealing how the trans-formative practices of meditation & mindfulness can be a basis of social change in our lives and in the world. Now 84, he travels the world extensively to share his message and peace with the world.

The Vancouver event includes a week long retreat from August 08-13, 2011 at UBC which will include daily talks and meditations with the theme of “Awakening the Heart” and aims to have attendees practice as a community and learn to embrace fears and sorrows with mindful living & healing & transformation. After some research and a visit to the Facebook Event page, it would appear that the week long retreat is already almost full.

On the Sunday August 14th, there is also a couple hour talk that is being scheduled for the public on “Open Mind, Open Heart: Touching the Wonders of Now.” The afternoon talk will include a guided meditation & healing chanting with monks & nuns along with a community of people who are all dedicated to live & be instruments of peace & compassion. While ticket and location information has yet to be released, it is certainly going to sell out quickly. To stay up to date when ticket information will be released you can visit the Facebook Event page for the Public Talk.

“We have the power to decide the destiny of our planet.
If we awaken to our true situation, there will be a change in our collective consciousness.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This is for sure to be an exciting event, whether you are a practing Buddist or not, this promises to be a very powerful learning experience. I’m hoping to be able to attend the Public Talk and look forward to experiencing this “apostle of peace & non-violence” for myself.

For more information about the event, visit the event website at www.tnhvancouver2011.org.

Anything Is Possible: A Weekend Workshop with Camilla Bergstrom

Tanya Lee Markul / Events, Meditation, Reflections, Reviews, Teachers, Yogis / , , , , , , , , , / 1 Comment

Yoga has the potential to become something much more than just exercise, and for many of us this exercise is exactly where the journey begins. Our body starts to tone, strengthen, open and then all of a sudden we start to think differently. Eventually the connection is made: as we work on the body, we are working on the mind, the two inseparable.

When we become aware of our bodies and connect to what is happening physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, anything is possible, according to Camilla Bergstrom: when we are in sync, when we are in harmony with mind and body, we experience the strength and confidence that will lead to the feeling of I can do this and eventually the wisdom that goes beyond it.

Camilla’s 11-hour weekend workshop tested this theory.  Students were offered an opportunity to find their boundaries by examining the thoughts behind the seemingly challenging or impossible. As Camilla put it, ‘the first step is to become aware of our thoughts. Thoughts create an emotion and emotion creates a reaction. If we change the negative thought into a positive, the body will respond and we will find strength we didn’t even know that we had.’

Offering a masterful sequence of inversions, handstands and a variety of standing poses, Camilla teaches a simplistic fusion of yoga style combining self-healing with her experiences, various teacher influences and philosophy. Her teaching approach was challenging, passionate and contagiously courageous. She also took a great deal of time to focus on alignment and individual needs.

The workshop was complemented with breathing techniques and meditation. Students were invited to elongate their inner experiences by writing down and sharing their inner dialogue, as, according to Camilla, there’s more to just feeling yoga in our shoulders or our hips, much, much more, and when we write it down, it helps us to become even more aware of ourselves; it helps us to figure out which plane we are living on. Are we too much in our head? Are our feet on the ground? When we write and share, the experience becomes deeper, more profound, and when we speak it, it almost becomes an agreement.

No stranger to the element of fear, Camilla helps students acknowledge their own veil’s through the process of taking a step back, finding the discipline in their fear and committing to it versus separating from it. Camilla believes that if it means something to us, if it’s important to us, it’s going to happen and we are going to move forward. When the veil is lifted, we find purpose and within purpose we find simplicity: the result of stability, honesty and acceptance.

If you are looking for a life-altering experience, I highly recommend Camilla. You’ll be guaranteed a powerful physical journey and perhaps discover a deeper sense of your own true nature.

The Anything Is Possible weekend workshop took place in December 2010 at Hamsa Yoga Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. Camilla currently resides in Los Angeles, California and offers local and international private and group classes. She has a podcast and much more information on her website: http://camillabergstrom.com/.

Namaste.

(Photo of Camilla above)

Stayed tuned for next week: Part II of ‘Where the heck did my motivation go?’

Deepak Chopra Lecture in Vancouver Review

Taya / Events / , , , / 2 Comments

Last Friday, June 4th, we attended the Deepak Chopra talk at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.  It was a packed house of enthusiastic, like-minded people.

Dr. Chopra began with an ice-breaker explaining the time he had just graduated from medical school in India and arrived in New York City with no money in his pockets. Language barriers created confusion (British English vs. American English). For example, he asked for a torch (flashlight in American English) to inspect a dead body and the nurse thought he wanted to preform a cremation!  Roars of laughter erupted from the audience and their feedback continued throughout the over 3 hour informative talk.

He spoke of many ideas, including Quantum physics, genes being undeterministic, and the unity of consciousness.

Here are some quotes from his lecture which I felt were important ideas to think about:

“Consciousness is a singular that has no plural.”

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change. A choice in consciousness determines perception.”

“Your body is your subconscious mind. Your mind is not in your brain, it is everywhere, all cells are communicating with each other.”

“Don’t confuse the horse with the rider. You are riding the molecules, but you are not the molecules. You are not your physical body.”

“Your body is just the place were your memory and dreams call home for the time being.”

“Consciousness: water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it, fire cannot burn it, weapons cannot shatter it, it’s ancient, it’s unborn…it does not die.”

“I am not in the world, the world is in me. I am not in the body, the body is in me. I am not in the mind, the mind is in me.

“There are 4 divine qualities: Love + Kindness, Compassion, Joy in the success of others, and Equanimity. See yourself as inseparable from the whole universe.”

“Happiness formula: H= S + C + V

S (Set point, in the brain…do you see problems or opportunities in a particular situation?) partly determined by genetics and conditioning during your early years of life.

How do you change the set point? Meditation…it re-sets the set point and activates the prefrontal cortex.

C (conditions of living, are you rich or poor?) If you win the lottery and it makes you very happy, set point will take you back to your baseline state after about a year or so.

V (voluntary choices/actions) personal pleasure i.e. sex, shopping, going out, etc.

But real happiness comes from fulfillment, choices that make other people happy.”

“The fastest way to be happy is to make other people happy.”

“Spend money on experiences rather than things: because first you look forward to the experience, you enjoy the experience, then you reminisce about the experience.”

“Spiritual well being begins with:

Yoga of being (meditation)

Yoga of feeling (love)

Yoga of thinking (creativity and understanding)

Yoga of doing (service)”

“Your body is a process, not a structure.”

“You can change your relationship with time (time is an illusion).”

Overall, it was a great experience and I’m really glad I attended. It was definitely awesome being there in the audience as there was such an amazing energy in the theatre.

Have you ever had the opportunity to attend one of Deepak Chopra‘s lectures?

Follow Deepak on Twitter for uplifting tweets!

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