Heart Mind

Heart Mind - Being in the Moment.

I have always loved The Pattern On The Trestle Board (B.O.T.A.), especially the first two
lines: “This is the truth about the Self. All the power that ever was or will be is here now.”
I think it really helps one to grasp the notion of the Heart Mind.

What is the Heart Mind? It is the mind that flows from our heart - full of compassion and
wisdom. We all have an efficient and effective mind living in our brain which rules the majority
of our life. Even while meditating our mind may enter the scene taking us away from the beauty
of the moment. We do need our mind to function and interpret any revelations we might receive
during meditation. The trick is to learn and spend time cultivating our connection with our
Heart Mind - aka - spiritual mind.

Exercise: Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position. Bow with your hands at your heart. Take
a couple of deep breaths at your tan tien (just below your navel). Close your eyes and allow your mind to relax. The goal is to think of absolutely nothing.
Let go of the need for things to be any particular way right now.  Let your experience in this
moment be whatever it is. Perhaps you're feeling some tension and you have a belief that
tension should not be present in your meditation. Allow this to be as it is. Simply breathe into
your tension and allow yourself to be here in this moment.

Let go of the past. Let go of the future. Just be here now. Allow everything in your
environment to be as it is without needing to control it. Let yourself be enough. The you
who you are right now, not the one you think you need to be. You are perfect just the
way you are. There is only one of you. You are unique and special.

The ego is hard-wired with the need to know. Thinking this is how we find our way through
life. It grasps onto certainty and onto knowledge like prize possessions. It is not unusual to
have fears like, without knowing, I’ll be lost. It doesn't realize that the very act of holding
onto knowing, obstructs your ongoing wisdom from rising anew in each moment.

When our attention is no longer distracted by everything we cling to, it becomes free to move
with what arises in each moment. Free to understand, know and see. Being available for
instantaneous wisdom.  Intuition is available to blend with your hard-earned knowledge.
Practice letting go of every idea your mind produces during meditation. Let go of each thought
as it comes to your mind, beliefs that you're holding onto. Greet them nicely, “Hello ideas,
hello thoughts, you can move along now. There is plenty of time for you later.

The fullness of you is beyond imagination, beyond concept, beyond any story you could
ever tell about yourself. Every image you could invent to represent yourself would be
just a snapshot, a minute fraction of a universe that cannot be contained within the mind.
It takes the depth of your Heart Mind to contain the vastness of you. In fact when we look
deeply into our beliefs about ourselves, we find that any idea we hold on to about limitations
are restricting the full experience and expression of who we actually are.

The ego thinks that we need to know who we are in order to know how to be. It seems
like without any self-image, self-concept or self-story, we wouldn't know who to show up as.
What we find is that if we let go of the need to know who we are, and no longer hold on to
any preconceived self-image or self-concept, everything we need to know about who to be,
reveals itself spontaneously in the moment. A way of being, unpremeditated, instantaneous
freedom of being reveals itself over and over again. There's no need for us to control it.
There's no need for us to bridle who we are, what we are. The fullness of being, of self,
shows up, free of any rigidity. Instantaneous and luminous, we dance with life, each moment
a new move.

Truly being in the present moment allows you to see what it means to let go of the future.

Often, the identification with the ego has us looking to the future as the place and the time
when everything is going to be just right, when things/circumstances will be different, or
feelings will be different. This future that lives in our mind has no basis in reality. The future
we imagine never comes and it never will. All there ever is, all there ever was is this moment
right now. Can you allow yourself the concept of living in this present moment and realize it
is the only moment you'll ever have? Cultivating, through meditation, being in the moment,
builds the perfect future for you. The perfection we long for will surprisingly appear.

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Fire Rooster - 2017

The Year of the Fire Rooster – 2017Gong Hey Fat Choy! Happy New Year!

January 28, 2017 is the first day of the Year of the Fire Rooster.

People born in 1957 or 2017 are Fire Roosters and are considered trustworthy, with a strong sense of timeliness and responsibility at work. Besides being loyal they are talkative and popular in a crowd. Lucky numbers are 5, 7 and 8. Lucky colors are gold, brown and yellow. Please avoid red and be wary of 1, 3 and 9.

How will this year play out? Conflicts and plenty of debate can be expected during the year of the Rooster. The cocky presence and fearless action will bring about change, whether it is needed or wanted by the masses.

The Rooster is often compared to a ‘Don Quixote’ – ready to take on any challenge that presents itself with a notable strut of confidence and a progressive attitude that is impossible to beat.

This year is perfect for those who wish to put effort into reaching the ultimate levels in health – mental, physical and financial, but not so well for those who favor being lazy. Living the life of a couch potato may have disastrous results.

This will not be a year of hand-holding, but rather more like finger pointing and judging. This is especially true for those who haven’t lived up to expectations or promises made.

If you lack discipline, you will be criticized and left behind, but if you strive for perfection and accomplishment, then all is possible.

In the bigger picture, loyalty and a wiliness to work in concord with the majority will help the outcome of a year of posturing. It will take strong savvy leadership to navigate through the challenges that face the world physically and financially.

In other words, showing excellence and integrity along with compassion and logic will be the best course during this year’s muddled moments. Hopefully, this will help prevent hasty reactions based on assumptions instead of facts.

I am hoping to see relationships strengthened globally with countries united in striving for freedom and peace on earth as well as making smart environmental decisions.

Remember, that taking daily moments in meditation has a humongous ripple effect for the positive. Please join me in the spirit of meditation.

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year! - Year of the Fire Monkey

Chinese New Year falls on February 8, 2016. This begins year 4713 - the Year of the Fire Monkey (or Red Monkey). During Monkey years creativity and innovation are rewarded.  Is it time for a quantum leap in your life? This is the time! An excellent year to open your mind with classes or self-study, see the world or hang out with friends. It's time to take bold actions to create the life you want. What better time to revisit or set New Year's resolutions? Shake things up. Have new experiences. Create positive change. Walk on the wild side. As I like to say, "Dance, monkey, dance!"

Those born in Monkey years (1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) are clever, sharp, mercurial, and entertaining. They are wonderful to be around because they are fun, creative, and bring a sparkling energy that only Monkey can provide. Monkeys embody strong leadership potential. The uninhibited Monkey rarely gets embarrassed by anything, and is free to express his/herself fearlessly in all walks of life.

In addition to acute mental alertness, Monkey also possesses physical stamina. Monkey is good with his/her hands, has skills and dexterity with machines, technological talents, and can easily master new concepts. Monkey can do anything he/she puts her mind to!

There are five Taoist elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. This is the year of the red Fire Monkey. Red means go! Fire brings passion, creativity, and joy. Fire types are strong, dynamic, and can overcome illness and obstacles. Just be aware to not jump ahead of yourself this year, especially during the heat of summer. Use meditation to try to calm what is called ‘Monkey mind’. This will help you increase your ability to focus on one thing at a time.

To truly understand Monkey, I recommend the story of Monkey’s transformation as explained in the Chinese classic novel, Journey To the West.

Monkey years are very fortunate for all Monkeys, and for Monkey’s friends the Rat, Dragon, and Snake.

 People will be interested in what is innovative and cutting-edge this year. Take care to communicate well with others; good connections will add to your success.

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights for my meditation classes. See the Calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Ease in Changing Habits for the New Year

Happy New year 2015!

This is the time of year for reflection and changes.

When are you going to change that old habit?

Someday?

Someday is today!

Our spiritual journey is to let go of pressure, not to add more. If you battle with yourself a wall goes up. But if we focus instead on deep change from within then our behavior modifies naturally.

What Gets in the Way?

None of these are insurmountable, but they can often cause us to put off major changes. So be aware of them: 

·  Fear of change

·  Not wanting to be uncomfortable

·  Fear of uncertainty

·  Being tired

·  Fear of failure

·  Fear of not being good enough/Perfectionism

·  Not having the time/Being busy

·  Waiting for something to happen

·  Being overwhelmed with all that you have to do

·  Not knowing how

We all have these fears and reasons for not taking action.

These are only excuses.

Yes, the fear of failure and change and discomfort and uncertainty are real … but they’re not good enough reasons for inaction. They can all be overcome.

Human Beings everywhere have overcome their ‘small’ selves to create positive changes by facing their fears. I occasionally have. You can too.

5 Actions to Make it Happen:

   1.  Find a purpose. You might already know what your purpose is, but it’s good to review it and keep it at the forefront of your thoughts. If you don’t have a purpose, start here: what will you want to look back on at the end of your life? What will be your legacy? What fulfills you? What will make your life feel significant? What will give your life some meaning? If you don’t have an answer to these questions, it’s worth spending a little time here. Go for a walk and think about it.

2.  Embrace your desire. Do you have a desire to do something positive in your life? Embrace that. Isn’t it wonderful that you have this desire? See this as the first positive step, one you’ve already taken. Now use that as your impetus to take action.

3.  Create the space. You won’t make any changes if you don’t create a small space for the change. When is best for you? In the morning, in the evening, during your lunch break? Don’t wait for the change to happen — make it happen. Don’t get stuck wishing for the magic wand or miracle to occur. Block off some time on your calendar each day, even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes. If you don’t have the time, think about how long you spend each day on Facebook, TV, games, or doing smaller tasks that aren’t as important. Push those back for just a bit, and do what’s most important to you first.

4.  Surround yourself and have accountability. The best way to make change happen is to surround yourself with others making a similar change themselves, others who will support your change. Find at least one person who will hold you accountable for making this change… a coach, or an accountability partner. Tell them not to let you off the hook. You could start by meditating with me in group or private sessions.

5.  Take a small action. If you’re overwhelmed by a large change, or a bunch of large changes, just focus on one small step. What small action can you take today that will move you forward? It might be something as simple as, “do an Internet search about selling my artwork online”, or “call Susie to ask her to hold me accountable”. Take a small step, and get moving. Movement begets movement. Now take another small step. This is how making change for yourself is created. 

Small actions make big effect

Change is a constant. In some cases, if your life needs a ‘course correction’ then life will throw you a curve-ball. Which may not feel like the most friendly or desirable way to create change in your life. Be your own master. Face what needs changing and do it as a willing participant.

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Breath is Key to Life

Breath is Key to a Life Well Lived

Finding Space

Being aware of your breathing takes attention away from thinking and creates space. It is one way of generating consciousness. The breath is key to discovering inner space and connection to spirit. It creates gaps in the stream of thinking. Without those gaps, your thinking becomes repetitive, uninspired, devoid of any creative spark, which is how it is for most people on the planet. You don’t need to be concerned with the duration of those gaps. A few seconds is good enough. Gradually they will lengthen by themselves, without any effort on your part. More important then their length is to bring these gaps in frequently so that your daily activities and your stream of thinking become interspersed with space.

Be aware of your breathing as often as you are able. Do it whenever you remember. If you consistently do that for one year it will be more powerfully transformative then attending workshop after workshop. And breathing is free.

Be aware of your breathing. Notice the sensation of the breath. Feel the air moving in and out of your body. Notice how the chest and abdomen expand and contract slightly with the in – and outbreath. One conscious breath is enough to make some space where before there was the uninterrupted succession of one thought after another. One conscious breath (two or three would be even better), taken many times a day, is an excellent way of bringing space into your life.

Trees have space

Let’s now stop and do a short breathing exercise. Be sure you are sitting comfortably. Close your eyes and mouth. Place your hands over your belly. Breathe in with an internal count of five. Breathe out with a count of five. (Repeat for a total of five sets.) Relax and open your eyes.

Did you notice the natural pause between the inhales and exhales?

Even if you meditated on your breathing for two hours or more, which some people do, one breath is all you ever need to be aware of, indeed ever can be aware of. The rest is memory or anticipation, which is to say, thought. Another way to put it is the past or the future. Breathing isn’t really something you do but something that you witness as it happens. Breathing happens by itself in the now. The intelligence within the body is doing it. All you have to do is watch it happening. There is no strain or effort involved.

Many people’s breath is unnaturally shallow. The more you are aware of the breath, the more it’s natural depth will reestablish itself. This is like the breaths you see a baby taking.

Because breath has no form as such, it has since, ancient times, been equated with spirit. From the Bible: “God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature.”

The German word for breathing – atmen – is derived from the ancient Indian (Sanskrit) word Atman, meaning the indwelling divine spirit or God within.

The sky breathes

The fact that breath has no form is one of the reasons why breath awareness is an extremely effective way of bringing space into life, of generating consciousness. It is an excellent meditation object precisely because it is not an object, it has no shape or form. The other reason is that breath is one of the most subtle and seemingly insignificant phenomena, the ‘least thing’ that makes up the ‘best happiness’. Whether or not you practice breath awareness as an actual formal meditation is up to you.

Being aware of your breath forces you into the present moment – the key to all inner transformation. Whenever you are conscious of your breath, you are absolutely present. You may also notice that you cannot think and be aware of your breathing at the same time. Conscious breathing stops your mind. But far from being in a trance or half asleep, you are fully awake and highly alert. You are not falling below thinking, but rising above it. And if you look more closely, you will find that those two things – coming fully into the present moment and ceasing thinking without loss of consciousness – are actually one and the same; the awakening of consciousness.

Key thoughts from the book “A New Earth; Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Ode to Dante the Cat

Ode to Dante

Dante plays with Mandy

We found Dante at the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter in March 1997. We took the kids with us to pick out a cat for their Easter gift that year. I was told years later that I may have influenced the children's decision as to which cat to pick.

Dante's description said he was only 1 year old, but the vet seemed to think he was at least 2 or 3 years old at the time. If Dante was two when we got him then he lived a wonderful cat life to the ripe old age of 19. (93 in human years.)

We got to watch Dante transform from a nervous cat who licked the back of his legs so much there was no fur down the center of each back leg (like a dancer's hosiery) to a beautiful strong, calm presence. 

His greatest love was Faith who died three years ago. He was also fond of Summer Fun and Mandy.

Dante on the prowl

Dante was diligent at keeping watch over our home. He took his job as protector very seriously. He would often meet intruders head first though he was never more than ten pounds.

Meditating Cat

 Dante attended many meditation classes with us over the years. He would gently head butt each person's hand for some loving or to give the person encouragement. Many times he would sit and meditate with us for the entire class. He was most excellent at finding his center - tan tien .He also loved greeting the students as they came and left. Dante was the main inspiration behind Henry and I creating a magnificent indoor cat tree.

Dante test drives the tree

Two nights before his passing, Dante spent sleeping on top of either myself, Henry or between the two of us. The evening before he left we had hours with him sitting on our laps.

on his last day on earth Dante chose a sunny, warm place in our garden to rest his weary bones. He laid there from some time before lunch, we covered him with a blanket after dinner. He expired with the setting sun. Always the romantic.

We are dedicating our labyrinth we created Sunday, September first to Dante.

RIP under artichoke

From this day forward it will be known as Dante's Labyrinth. After we buried him in our garden our son, Dan, Henry and I lit some incense, offered our prayers and did a walking meditation through Dante's Labyrinth. It felt so sacred and beautiful. At one point the labyrinth brought the three of us together. I cannot wait to have my meditation students and friends walk this labyrinth with me.

We love you Dante and will miss you greatly. Thanks for being ever diligent and loving. Thank you for greeting us every day after work. Watching over us when we were ill. You have blessed us with your gentlest meow and have enriched our lives in more ways than I know. Our grandchildren will always remember you too. Your life was truly a meditation from the heart.

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. www.MeditationFromTheHeart.com

Detox and Meditation

DeTox and Meditation   

Blood Sugar Solution

On Monday the 4^th of August I started my 10 Day DeTox Diet from the Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman.

I have reached my tenth day and I feel great! You might remember I was a little stumbly mouthed last Wednesday – beginning of day three.

You may ask, “What does detox have to do with meditation?”

Good question. Well part of my meditation practice leads to a heightened sense of awareness about self. I got the intuition hit that it was time to go seek out who will be my ‘regular’ MD and get my never-been-annual physical wellness check-up. (Rachel Abrhams).

Long story short, my labs came back with some high blood sugar results. Dr. Abrhams recommended I read the Blood Sugar Solution to understand more about it.

Well, being my over achiever self, I went ahead and ordered the Detox book as well. She was amazed that I took such pro-active action.

Over the past 9 days I have lost 6.5 pounds and 2 inches. As well as dropping my Body Mass Index (BMI) by 1 point. I was never hungry the entire time. I also walked 38 miles, drank 6 gallons of water and meditated for 12 hours.

I’d like to share some gems from my learning/doing journey:

Sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine. Our bodies are hardwired to seek pleasure and reward – it is a survival mechanism that saved us when we were hunter-gatherers. We have a built-in brake on hunger to tell the body when we have had enough food – it is called leptin – a hormone produced by fat cells. Modern society has tampered with that brake line for many of us.

Eat Organically

It is important to eat as much organic fruits, vegetables and meats. No big fish.

High Fructose corn syrup often contains an extra bonus of mercury as a by-product of processing.

Anything that causes inflammation will, in turn, cause insulin resistance, which helps to generate belly fat (the other brain).

Relaxation: How many of us have heard, "You need to relax." Agreed, and proceeded to nod while going about your crazy paced life and diet, swearing to get to it when you have time.

I've learned that stress increases your levels of insulin, cytokines (messenger molecules of the immune system that trigger inflammation) and cortisol (a trigger that helps create belly fat).

Stress also increases your appetite and your carb and sugar cravings, provoking the metabolic dysfunction that leads to weight gain. So if you want to lose weight, start by soothing your stressed out body and mind.

For many people the sympathetic nervous system - fight or flight - is stuck in the "on" position. If you want to heal your brain, metabolism, and chromosomes, you need to learn how to hit the pause button and activate the parasympathetic system which governs the rest and relax response. The sense of calm you feel when you can let down your guard, breathe calmly and just be.

Breathe Deeply

Deep breathing is wonderful for relaxation. When you take a deep breath you stimulate a vagus nerve which calms your mind. The vagus nerve runs from your brain through your chest cavity through all your organs, like an octopus stretching out its tentacles to every cell in the body.

Stimulating the vagus nerve signals the production of hormones that calm your nervous system, reduce cortisol, help metabolize your food, boost brain function, and naturally regulates your appetite and fat burning.

Meditation not only stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the relaxation response - it has been scientifically proven to make our brains bigger and better. Stress shortens our telomeres (the little caps at the ends of the chromosomes) and this directly impacts our longevity. Meditation reverses that. Please, I urge you, to cultivate at least a five minute a day meditation practice for yourself.

Get enough sleep! Good tips for better sleep: Go to bed and wake up at the same time to create a regular rhythm of sleep.

Use your bed for sleep and romance only. And make your bed every morning.

Have a clutter-free bedroom.

Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight a day, preferably in the morning. The sunlight enters your eyes and triggers your brain to release specific chemicals, such as melatonin that are vital to healthy sleep cycles and balanced moods, and help prevent premature aging.

Do not eat within three hours of bedtime.

Avoid bright stimulating screens before bed. They alter your brain's natural sleep chemicals. Best to sleep in a dark room.

Take an hour (minimum of 20 minutes) of lovely wind-down time.

Write down your worries or the next day’s to-do list. This frees your mind and helps you get into a deep state of relaxation.

Get a massage or stretch before bed to relax the body. Or learn a few yoga poses like lying on the floor and putting your legs up against the wall. This passive stretching can help calm your body, quiet your mind, and reset your nervous system.

Warm your middle.

Avoid medications that interfere with sleep. These include sedatives which disrupt sleep rhythms, antihistamines, stimulants, cold medications, steroids, and headache medications that contain caffeine.

Use herbal therapies such as 300 to 600 milligrams of passionflower or 320-480 milligrams of valerian root extract one hour before bed.

Meditate before bed.

I hope my insights/learning's during my detox have been helpful to you.

I have to say, I was a bit concerned that I had lost my “Wonder Woman Mojo” about day three. I don’t think it really came back until day eight or nine. I feel so good now that I will continue following some of the new strategies I acquired during my detox.

Bon Appetit!

  

Please join me Monday mornings and Wednesday nights. See calendar page for the dates. Meditation From The Heart