Reflections & Sharing from our Group Meditation:
Saturday, January 5th 2013
-the ego thrives when you are distracted away from your higher self...its very survival depends on you staying in the struggles of the lower three energy/consciousness centers...it feeds off you being outwardly focused so it will make you feel "resistant" to meditation, to sitting still, and to finding true peace within yourself. However, if you do these three things, the ego becomes more "contained " to its proper place and function as your identity which allows you to interact with others and the world in a healthy way. On the flip side, if the ego is not "contained," it can rule your life and cause much drama, pain, and suffering as it can then be the voice of judgement, criticism, self-aggrandizement, comparison, self-blame, etc. etc...and create havoc by spinning your thoughts in the mire of duality and judgement generally...
-as we meditate more and especially cultivate feelings of compassion, unconditional love, inspiration, intuitive knowing, humble wisdom, oneness, unity, harmony, and eternal joy, then we can begin to operate more and more from the higher energy/consciousness centers of the heart, throat, third eye, and crown...more harmony and flow occur in our lives because we are operating less from duality, materialism, and attachment and more from feelings and intentions grounded in oneness, spirituality, and open trust in the divine orchestration of things
-having a way to artistically express yourself is a great way to integrate and harmonize all energy centers...your psyche, your personality becomes more integrated energetically, more balanced as artistic expression helps you to interact with other aspects of yourself that have been ignored or unknown...greater psychological equilibrium, self-knowledge, & pure delight can then take root
-although yogic meditation aims at oneness with source, with the supreme, conscious intelligence, it also can be used to get guidance, deeper wisdom on a subject, to heal emotionally, to tap into greater visions/creativity, to open the heart in devotion, or to develop higher intelligence and mental capabilities
-there is no wrong way to meditate...however using certain tools in certain steps is a sure way to develop the foundation and mental wherewithal not only to get to certain levels in meditation, but more important, to sustain ones experience in that level for greater lengths of time
-remember it is your birthright to experience higher states of bliss, awareness, oneness, joy, union, connection, peace, harmony, etc. and there is only the mind that stands in the way of experiencing these things on every level of our being down to our very cells...
-the meditative state is a reminder of the consciousness from where we have come and to where we will go... we just need to remember what it is like "to be a child again with no judgement...", no sense of separation or duality, no fear, no predispositions, a child who is still open and in touch with that divine nature behind all things
-it is our attachment to things that doesn't allow us to let go of thoughts...therefore, continue to attach yourself to your higher self, the "atman" that attaches itself to the source and that way all the drama that springs from this physical life of duality and material gain is viewed from a more expanded consciousness and perspective...this expanded consciousness and perspective is what elevates your life and empowers your higher self so that greater mastery and soul-fulfillment can be reached in ones lifetime...the higher self is what you want to embody more and more so that mastery and fulfillment quicken...
WARNING: be prepared if need be, to totally change your life and lifestyle depending on how out of alignment you've been with your souls purpose in this lifetime...and at the same time, seek out help when things seem too rough or emotionally unsettling...as a yoga therapist either I can help or I can refer you to fellow yoga therapists that I would personally recommend and a more thorough, supportive approach to self-healing and empowerment can occur:
WHAT IS YOGA THERAPY?:
-a yoga practitioner/therapist with certification in yoga therapy ( 500 RYT hours) uses ayurveda, yoga, and for me personally, Thai yoga posturing to work through the changes that can and need to occur when one begins to transform their life and change their lifestyle for the sake of health, healing, fitness, or conscious/spiritual development...Yoga postures, yoga psychology & philosophy, breathing practices, mantras, affirmations, visualizations, meditation, diet, nutrition etc. are used and prescribed...Ayurvedic assessments, guidance and instruction, support, and ongoing feedback between yoga therapist and client are essential to yoga therapy:
Call for more information and/or complimentary phone consultation:
Prema Devii "Trish"
808-269-2638
-yes...before yoga class and after you may find yourself in a slight meditative state and THIS IS BECAUSE ALL YOGA PRACTICES ARE DESIGNED TO BRING ABOUT THIS HEIGHTENED STATE OF AWARENESS... intimate moments where you may feel more connected to your true self, to others, and to all things...moments described as calm, joyful, peaceful...where our sense of time or space or place dissipates...where a deepened sense of connection and relaxing centeredness takes hold ...where wholeness...non-grasping...non-anxiousness...and profound presence are glimpsed and felt
some basic guidelines:
-commit to 5 minutes a day each day, at the same time, same place so as to train the mind, so as to develop the habit of clearing, stilling, and bringing peace to the mind...let those 5 minutes increase with routine practice and/or do this 2-3 times a day for greater quality living day to day
-do some yoga postures and breathing before meditating so as to sit longer and more comfortably
-sit comfortably with spine straight
-make sure all food is digested & bladder is empty
-follow and use techniques, visualizations, mantras and/or affirmations, breath work etc. that you've learned that work for you and allow them to anchor the mind down so you can begin to observe the mind with detachment... as a witness...then let go of thoughts...return to the breath......enjoy the flow into deeper states of stillness, quiet, and spiritual awakening...
THERE IS A GEM IN EVERY MEDITATIVE JOURNEY MADE
-enter meditation with no expectations
-enter meditation with 3 intentions:
1-to honor the practice as sacred
2-to be of no harm to others including yourself
3-to serve the greater well-being of all
***I will post more reflections or thoughts as they come...so stay tuned and likewise, share your experience, post your questions, reflections, thoughts, ideas etc., and we can continue to support each other in our practice***
TO SELF-REALIZATION OF OUR ORIGINAL, DIVINE NATURE THAT IS DIVINELY CONNECTED, CONTENT, & RADIATING TRUTH, LOVE, & LIGHT THAT ALL BEINGS MAY ATTAIN PEACE AND HAPPINESS!
Prema Devii
Call if you want to be part of our next meditation:
808-269-2638
trishteaches@gmail.com
I want to make sure to clearly state that each energy/consciousness center can be more balanced and less balanced and that these have a direct impact on our thoughts, emotions, well-being, and within our relationships to ourselves and others...they are interdependent on each other to greater or lesser extent...the goal being to balance and stabilize each one so that there is an integrated flow of consciousness running up and down our energy system which allows for greater mental well-being! Each one serves as a foundation to the next although the ones nearer the top have profound influence on balancing those nearer the bottom...Each however serves a purpose for our human, physical experience and our spiritual, mystical experience as we are both in this lifetime...More on these centers and looking at both sides (balanced and imbalanced) and the relation to our psychology next session! Peace and Stillness!
ReplyDeletePrema Devii
Hi Trish,
ReplyDeleteAs a long time fitness guy I’ve recently discovered in your Vinyasa Yoga classes, at 24hr Fitness, a place to take a time-out from the intensity of my normal weight training and reflect on how that “Monkey Mind” you spoke of is always distracting me from interacting with people in ways I’d ideally like to. I deeply appreciate the reflective space you create in your classes (in and amongst our high energy gym environment) however when class is over, I generally feel so much at peace, and so relaxed, that it takes a long time to switch into a higher gear and crank up my mental intensity to get the most from my weight training workouts.
So here I am seemingly confronted with yet another monkey. I do not want to curb the intensity of my fitness training as I am interested in doing the some short “sprinting style” triathlons this summer, that are best prepared for with weights and interval training, but at the same time I thoroughly enjoy the calm and reflective space that Vinyasa Yoga offers me.
I know the simple answer would be to adjust my time schedule to separate these two seemingly oppositional practices, but like so many I work most of the day and only have a short time in the evenings to schedule my differing interests.
What might you suggest I can do to better integrate the reflective and meditative practice of Vinyasa Yoga with the training schedule of an athlete… or is this even possible??
Thank you
Dave Harris