Winter Clouds, Winter Clarity, Winter Healing
Creating a Meditation Space
If there’s one thing that I do to stay centered and calm in turbulent times, as well as clear out mental clutter, it’s meditation. It’s an important part of sustaining my well-being.
Part of making meditation effective is creating a suitable space for it. If you’re uncomfortable or distracted, it’s going to be more of a struggle to sit still, go inward, and find more quiet in your mental state.
11 Easy Ways to Start (or Return to) Your Meditation Practice
Tried meditation but found it hard to sit still and quiet? Did it for a while but then it dropped off your priority list? Here are some tips to get back to (or start!) your meditation practice.
Doubt (Samshaya): The Third Obstacle to Spiritual Practice
In any worthy endeavor in life, we’re bound to run into some doubt, known as Samshaya in Sanskrit; one of the 9 obstacles to spiritual practice. You may notice it arising in your mind as questions like the ones above.
Vyadhi – the First Obstacle to Spiritual Practice
Anyone who has been on the path of spiritual growth knows that obstacles are part of the journey. We all have things that get in the way of practicing meditation, yoga, prayer, or any other form of connecting with the Divine. For that matter, obstacles are part of life, and if we don’t want them to hinder our endeavors, it’s helpful to recognize what they are and what we can do to overcome them.
According to the sage Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras and preeminent yoga philosopher, there are 9 of these obstacles to our spiritual awakening. The first one is the most obvious: Vyadhi, or physical illness.
It’s so obvious that any kind of physical disease or injury can be an obstacle to practice that we may take a cursory look at this and move on to the next obstacle. But it’s worth a closer look.
The Gift of Silence
Most of us don’t value silence – yet it has many blessings. Discover the benefits of giving yourself the gift of silence (and how to actually cultivate it). Ah, modern life. It’s so full of busy-ness, to-do lists, and distraction – very little...Don’t Go Back to Normal – Be Extraordinary!
As I’m writing this, we are coming to the end of the first phase of our shelter-in-place for corona virus, and restrictions are beginning to lift. Everyone is looking forward to going back to “normal” – but that’s not what I’m thinking at all.
In fact, there’s a lot about “normal” that I am not interested in going back to, both in my own personal life and in our planetary experience. Instead, let’s stop fully in the present moment to assess what’s true, and step forward into the extraordinary!
Trataka – the Yogic Art of Gazing
As the days grow colder and shorter – and the holiday season approaches – I am always drawn to candles. Candlelight is soothing, warming, and inspiring. My daughter and I love to light them all around the house and especially at the dinner table. We also relish time to create home-made, rolled beeswax candles.
Lighting candles is also a wonderful way to celebrate the first day of winter – the Solstice. As the hours of sunlight begin to increase from this point forward until summertime, igniting a candle (or several) honors and symbolizes this growing solar light, as well as our Divine Light within.
The ancient yogis knew the power of candlelight, and incorporated it into a practice called Trataka.
Tranquility
Imagine sitting by the shore of a pond. There is a gentle breeze, just enough to tickle you, on a balmy, warm day. You can hear birds singing, talking to one another, with spacious periods of serene silence in-between. At the near edge of the pond is a grouping of lily pads, with several pale pink blossoms opening themselves to the sun. Other than the occasional duck that paddles by, the water is smooth as glass, undisturbed and reflective.
Meditate by Hand
There’s something fulfilling for me about writing by hand with a pen. The contact of the pen on paper, my hand sliding across the page, the flowing movements, and especially when I am pleased with the forms the letters take. It is very soul-satisfying.
