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Ignorance is Not Necessarily Bliss

Sumedha — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:11:57 +0000

I haven’t worked in a 9-5 job for many years — for good reason. First, I’m an entrepreneur at heart; but more to the point, I couldn’t stand office politics. I also abhor the resistant culture many office environments adopt as they age. In my experience, when people have worked in the same office for a long period of time, they don’t like to have the pot stirred. Introducing change in the form of a new person or heaven forbid, a young person with different ideas on how to do things, is like dropping a fox in the hen house. Fur is going to fly and all hell will break loose … you can count on it.

As fate would have it, I occasionally have to fill in for someone in the office and it’s always difficult for me to make a smooth transition. I usually keep my head down and get the work done as fast as I can so I can get out again. But last week luck wasn’t shining down on me.

The “others” in the office got into a lively conversation about how much they deplore our current President. For whatever reason, the president’s polarizing personality incites some people to near violence. They all wanted to “punch him in the face every time he comes on TV,” or so they said.

I never enter willingly into a political fracas, so I just kept my mouth shut. Of course one of them turns to me eventually and says, “How about you, do you like Obama?”

Crap, now I have to say something. So I respond, “Yeah actually, I do. But more importantly, I think we all live in the same United States and we should learn to get along.”

Dead silence. They have to think about that for a minute and then the meanest one of the bunch rallies. She says, “But you are a Canadian aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” I reply.

“That means you can’t vote, right?”

“Yep, that’s what it means.”

To which she laughs hysterically and says, “That’s a good thing.”

Ugh. I’ve been around long enough and as a result, it’s normally pretty tough to hurt my feelings. But I was vulnerable and didn’t see it coming. I felt her negative energy rip at my heart immediately.

Everyone knew the comment was awkward at best because the room got really quiet. But no one apologized as is typical in dysfunctional ‘family’ relationships.

So my point is this, how many times do we say something from our ego that we think is right because of our political beliefs, for example, but is mean-spirited and mean and actually harms another?

If we all made an effort to act kindly toward others including considering other people’s feelings before you speak, this world would be a kinder, gentler and more peaceful place.

Make today an act of kindness.

What’s Missing to Get Passed The Mind’s Turbulent Antics?

Kali Devi — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:08:52 +0000

I remember when I first learned to meditate. We were asked to meditate for 15 minutes because it takes the average mind at least 11 minutes to calm down. Then you have three good minutes, and that’s pretty much what you need to get to peace of mind and the deeper states of yoga.

After my first experience in class in which I felt my heart expand with a feeling of being in love with the world, I happily set off to meditate at home. I set my timer for 15 minutes to make sure I didn’t cut it short. As I sat there, ready to dive deep, my mind kept whirling around and around. Finally, when I thought the timer wasn’t working because it surely had been at least a half-hour, I opened my eyes and got a big surprise. It had only been three minutes. Ouch. Could that be true? It sure was.

Recently I watched a movie called the Soloist on TV, and it reminded me of what was missing for me in the beginning of my practice as well as what I’ve observed after 20 years of teaching that most people are missing—absorption. In the movie a reporter, who is trying to help a homeless, schizophrenic musician, has the opportunity to sit with his homeless friend in a classical music concert. The reporter was describing the experience afterwards. ”He (the homeless musician) was so surrendered; he just merged into the music. He loved the music so much, he became one with it. Then he added, “I’ve never loved anything or anyone that much.”

That’s the answer right there. Loving something so much you just surrender and become absorbed in it. What I’ve learned to do is think about something that I get absorbed in–singing chants works for me. Everyone usually has something. Maybe it’s dance, music, lover, work, etc. I feel it deeply, and bring that feeling to my meditation practice. It almost always works.

Peace Knows no Anger

Sumedha — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:30:18 +0000

News reports from Europe suggest insights into why some of the Muslim population are angry with England and America.

With a better understanding of what makes them angry, I hypothesized, maybe we could figure out a way to deal with that problem.

As anyone who as ever contemplated the notion of world peace has discovered, I realized that changing another person’s point of view or response to life is not possible. They must first want to change.

It seems to me that this situation requires self regulation, for example:

1. It’s not possible to solve another person’s anger issues. Anyone experiencing anger also owns the ability as well as carries the responsibility to transform it into something positive. We must begin with the desire to change.

2. England and America as a culture and cumulative population are who they are; we must all learn to work together. Just as the acknowledgment that there are populations all over the world struggling with different areas of growth for their people such as hunger and disease; so too do these nations have their learning curve.

3. We must view each other as one human, spiritual race and give the same courtesies to all.

4. Peace is not possible with anger or hate involved. Everyone deserves love and understanding as a starting point.

Historic violence teaches us that killing in the name of religion is not only wrong thinking, it has not solved any issues between our nations. War is clearly not the answer. A woman who has long spearheaded the idea of a peace department with the United States is Marianne Williamson. Let’s align with her efforts. You can find out more about this movement at The Peace Alliance or www.thepeacealliance.org

We all need to learn to communicate safely. One of the best teachers of non-violent communication is Marshall Rosenberg. You can find his information at The Center for Nonviolent Communication or www.cnvc.org.

Here’s to finding our way to world peace in 2010. Happy New Year!

Kind Acts Make all the Difference

Sumedha — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:59:09 +0000

Random Acts of Kindness

People often ask me, “What small things can I do to make a difference?” I’m guessing you already know that making a change in the world starts from the inside and moves outward.

In other words, you have to change yourself first to then have a positive impact on the people around you.

So what kind of positive changes am I specifically referring to?

Your thoughts, your feelings and your actions reflect out into your immediate environment and have an impact on others every day. So the more we can make our thoughts, feelings and actions positive, the greater the productive impact we can expect to have on other people and the world around us.

Let’s take an example that you can work on immediately.

You’re walking down the street to get your morning coffee and along the way you pass a women who is overweight; maybe 300+ pounds. What is your immediately reaction? If it wasn’t love, or some form of it such as compassion, this is one instance where you can make a difference in the world.

Instead of wincing; send her love. Feel love inside your own being emanating from your heart, smile at that person, and send love in her direction. Trust me, she is used to people looking at her with disdain or some form of judgment. But how many people can she count on to genuinely send her a good feeling that changes how she feels about herself and being alive?

You leave the coffee shop and head for work. On the way someone cuts you off in traffic and our first reaction is to fly the middle finger. Stop! Take a deep breath and exhale twice as long until you feel yourself let go of the fear and anger. Now send that person a positive thought, for example just imagine a person who was driving that car and think, “may you slow down and experience peace today.”

These actions not only leave you and your body in a healthier place, but if enough of us do it regularly, the entire world can also be transformed into a more peaceful experience for everyone.

William Blake gave us a great line, “Learn to endure the beams of love.” We all know how easy it is to feel the emotions of anger, fear and pride etc., but how many of us know how to experience and express love at any moment of our choosing? How many of us ask to expand that ability to feel and give love more every day? These are great goals to have if you sincerely want to make a difference in our world.

Acts of kindness are very important for everyone. Even though not all of us have the means to support multiple charities with our time or money; everyone has the ability to control our own thoughts, feelings and actions in a way that can benefit the overall happiness level of mankind.

How about we all start now?

PS Click on the Your Story tab and the top of this page and submit your own story. We want to hear how you are making a difference in the world.

Spiritual Growth is in the Details

Sumedha — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:56:18 +0000

Spiritual Growth

Many years ago I made a commitment never to pass along any negative energy.

I live most days in peace and love, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get caught in a loop sometimes when things don’t “go my way.” Patience has never been easy for me and as a result, I still have to work on it occasionally.

The point of this story is that when you make a mistake, you need to make up for it; which usually entails an apology.

I had to call my bank Again (emphasis on the capital letter) as what had transpired since opening a new business account with them was a series of one hand not knowing what the other was doing scenarios.

Ok, maybe the bank (which will remain nameless) was having trouble with their sale and transition, or the bad PR they were getting from being a large part of the bad mortgage legacy, I’ll give them that. Maybe it was just my good-looking with no follow-up sales rep – probably more likely.

In any case, I transferred a checking account from one bank to another; to what was supposed to be a free checking account and as it turns out, it wasn’t. And so the bank is calling me to have me pay service fees with my credit card.

Aaargh!

My patience got shorter as the nice lady kept telling me she was “just doing her job;” Like I couldn’t figure that out.

But you see spirit is in the details. I should have taken a pause and called her back. But I plodded on and became more frustrated … no yelling, just bad energy conversation. I’m sure you know what I mean.

So I made it right the next day because I had made a promise to myself and to God. I called her up and apologized for being short with her and reiterated my commitment to never pass along anything but kindness and love.

After her initial quizzical reaction, we worked out the bank situation. She cleared out and closed my account and told me I wasn’t the only one that had a problem with this particular sales rep. She also asked me to come and introduce myself the next time I came into the bank. In other words, we made nice and brought each other’s day up instead of down.

It would have been easy to ignore the situation I had created, but you see I can’t.

Because Spiritual Growth is in the details and I made a promise.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The Secret of Money

Sumedha — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:03:38 +0000

Secret of Money

It’s no secret that sex and money often consume a majority share of our attention.

So it’s a relief to see women finally acknowleding that we don’t all have to look like a model to live like beautiful women. Even Vogue recently published a photo of a model with a teeny weeny buldge on her stomach! Now that’s progess. And, when more performers like Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah tell the world that they are comfortable with their bodies, large or small, well what can the rest of us women say except … thank you ladies! Thank you very much.

But what about The Secret of Money?

Before I continue, here’s my confession: I have spent way too many years striving, planning and waiting for the big cash payoff. I came from an impoverished background and early on bought into the theory that if a person was willing to work hard enough, anyone could become a milionare.

I worked hard and smart and it never happened. As a result, I questioned God and why he couldn’t see that I would make a great steward of money (many times). And it still never happneed. So I started to think differently about money, and that is the real secret that I am referring to: Not everyone has to be or even wants to be a millionaire!

Shocking, I know.

I want to be able to have a roof over my head, provide for my child as long as he needs, get good healthcare, have the ability to give to others when I choose to, as well as have a little in the bank for a rainy day. Phew, my idea of rich has changed, and it is such a relief to admit that I don’t need any more than that.

Here’s the really important part: because my journey involved learning to let go and surrender to spirit, I now realize being conscious of spirit is my supply, and that spirit has been supplying me since the day I was born and will always be the only source I ever need.

I’m smelling some freedom here.

For those who are wondering, my spiritual seeking began very young in life, and involved heart failure at 35 and 51. To this day I get nervous around my birthday. Each health incident propelled me deeper into living in spirit and sometime I’ll tell more of that story.

But for now, is anybody else tired of others trying to help you make more money? It feels endless, my emails confirm it, and the point I’m making is that when you get into your later years and realize how much time you spent focusing on money, you might feel like you missed out on a lot of other things in life along the way.

So just like women who have figured out that trying to change their bodies so they can live up to a fashion norm that is just not realistic, when will we stop sacrificing family, friends, our health and the quality of life to be millionaires and instead begin to develop systems that will sustain us, our next generation, as well as other people around the world?

I believe the Internet has given us the infrastructure to create these systems. Small businesses and niche markets have access to thousands of customers they could never have reached before making it possible for mothers and/or fathers to stay home with their kids and make a significant income. The World Wide Web lends itself to co-operation versus competition, and many businesses are learning that new affiliate sales models surpass their old-fashioned commissioned sales teams any day.

I say it’s about time.

Can a Software Application Make you Happier?

Sumedha — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:39:00 +0000

The How of Happiness

Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at UC Riverside and author of the book “The How of Happiness,” has teamed up with Signal Patterns, developers of psychology-based Web and mobile applications, to create the new “Live Happy” iPhone application.

Based on key points from Lyubomirsky’s book, the application – the first of its kind – will guide users through a set of daily activities to boost short- and long-term happiness.

Lyubomirsky’s research supports the idea that to become more happy, satisfied and fulfilled, one needs to take deliberate action to promote optimistic and grateful thinking, pursue important goals, invest in relationships, live in the present, and do away with negative thoughts. She studies what makes people happy, how people can continue and increase their happiness, and what kind of benefits are produced from a more positive outlook.

The new application will help people enhance their overall mood by helping them engage in simple activities, including:

• Goal setting/evaluating/tracking
• Expressing gratitude directly
• Keeping a gratitude journal
• Replaying happy days
• Keeping a savoring photo album
• Envisioning your best possible self
• Nurturing relationships
• Remembering acts of kindness

Users may be prompted to express gratitude by sending an e-mail or text message to someone in their contact list, or practice savoring the moment by taking a photo.

Prompts in the application will also allow users to measure their happiness on a regular basis, and will help identify which happiness strategies are right for them.

The application builds on traditional happiness programs that previously had been only found in books. With the iPhone’s capabilities to e-mail and text message, write notes, and take photos, the “Live Happy” app provides a comprehensive program that engages users on an interactive platform whenever and wherever they go.

The app is available on the Apple App Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. A free version, which supports a limited number of activities, is also available for download. The paid version includes unlimited activities and the “Ask Sonja” feature that allows people to send questions to Lyubomirsky.

Signal Patterns will donate 10 percent of each sale to the Live Your Life Well (SM) Program, a public-education campaign dedicated to helping people cope with stress and enhance their well-being. Lyubomirsky is not benefitting financially from the app, but plans to use it for research.

Lyubomirsky has extensively studied and written about the psychology of enduring emotions – specifically, happiness and depression. She explores how exceptionally happy people view themselves and their worlds, and how that enables them to stay upbeat and, most important, how less happy individuals can learn such happiness-enhancing habits.

Visit their site here: http://www.signalpatterns.com/iphone/livehappy_std.html?utm_source=psy&utm_medium=dsply&utm_content=SR&utm_campaign=LHlaunch

Why chant? Why not?

Kali Devi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:07:32 +0000

Why not Chant?

While I was driving passed a new yoga center, I saw a sign that really made me sad. It said, “No chanting…No Oms.” I get that some people are uncomfortable with the idea of chanting. When I first started yoga (over 20 years ago), the first time I saw people singing along to a chant, it freaked me out too. However, a couple of weeks later, when I sat there mute while the others were enjoying a particularly devotional chant, my mind got really still and my heart just seemed to get as big as the world. I left there that day with a feeling of being in love with the world. Maybe this chanting wasn’t so strange after all.

Before too long I got brave enough to sing along and found that no matter what was going on in my life—stress (and I’ve had plenty of it), fear, grief, singing a chant or two always shifted my consciousness from inner turbulence to inner harmony. I think of chanting as my atomic bomb of techniques for getting centered. When things get really tough, and it’s hard to concentrate, I can chant. And, while some days, it takes 3-5 chants, it always works.

And then there’s OM. If you think chanting OM doesn’t do anything for you, try this sometime. Sit quietly and notice your mind. Then chant OM out loud a couple of times, then whisper it and then chant it mentally for about 15 minutes. When you’re done check out your mind again. I bet you’ll find a calmness and peace that wasn’t there before. Send a comment and let me know what happens when you try it. I’d be really surprised if it didn’t work for you.

So, yes, I was sad when I saw that sign. Because the people who went there wouldn’t get a chance to experience the joy and benefits of chanting that I’ve gotten to know. You never know until you try it. What do you think? Are you a chanter? Never tried it? Want to try it? I’d love to hear from you.

Yoga Takes Courage

Sumedha — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:56:05 +0000

That is one hungry and determined mouse!

What is this mouse thinking?

Get away from my food!

You are one courageous mouse

A Beginner’s Guide to the History of Yoga

Sumedha — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:40:50 +0000

History of Yoga

India gave birth to both the literature and technique of yoga written in the language of the Vedas – Sanskrit. The word yoga means “to yoke or join.” Essentially yoga is a way, or discipline, of uniting. But uniting with what? A yogi would say, with Spirit, or God, or the Lord of your heart – whatever feels most comfortable to you.

Yoga is an oral tradition transmitted directly from teacher to student. Pantajali is credited with first writing this oral tradition down in a classic work called the Yoga Sutras which is believed to be 2,000 years old. It is a collection of 195 sayings that provide yogic guidance about universal truths as they relate to dealing with the challenges of human life. He speaks about gaining mastery over the mind and emotions as well as defines common characteristics of spiritual growth.

Hatha yoga (the physical postures or asanas which is also referred to as the yoga of activity) was developed initially so that yogis could sit more easily and for longer periods of time in meditation. Postures prepared the body and nervous system for stillness as well as helping to calm the turbulence so prevalent in the mind.

Practice correctly, Hatha yoga alone is a powerful method of self-transformation. Combined with masterful teachings of meditation and higher consciousness, a yogi can make great strides in living at higher levels of consciousness on a daily basis.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary