Aligning with Grace

One of my favorite morning practices is  Lovingkindness , which is very powerful and is sourced from ancient Buddhist teaching and practices. There are many things I like about this practice. ​First of all, it is  SIMPLE . Secondly, it is  TRANSFORMATIVE . The more you do it, the more you will notice things shift around you - only because the shifts are occurring within you first. If we  CHANGE , the world also  CHANGES .  Yes, it is as simple as that. But the thing is, we have to constantly work at changing ourselves. It is the essence of human nature, and of Buddhist teachings as well. Buddhists teach about the impermanence of all things. Nothing lasts forever. Many of us have heard the old adage, " The only constant in life is change ." But in order to change, we must be willing to open our hearts first, and then subsequently our minds. But I believe all change begins in the heart. We could become disillusioned by all the violence in the world - the cons...

Nearly twelve years ago I started this blog after a visit to the Potomac River, which is about a mile from my home. I had not planned on writing, I just came home and did so, following an inner prompting. For years I came down to the river regularly. One year, it was almost a daily occurrence, and I sat on a bench during all seasons to do some meditative practices which evolved over time and transformed me in the process.  Recently, I received a message which I perceived intuitively. "Go back to the river. And take up these three practices once again. You need them!" And so, I listened. Over the course of the next few entries, I will share these easy practices with you. They are simple practices, but powerful ones. As I mentioned in my last entry, the purpose of spiritual practices and prayers is to transform ourselves, not others. Although others may change as a result of our own evolution as a spiritual being, that is not the focus here. It is about...

Life gets busy sometimes. Life gets in the way. WE get frazzled. And overwhelmed. But all we have to do when we are feeling that way, is to simply STOP! Yes, stop! Stop whatever we are doing. And just breathe! I once read, that the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh recommended that every time we came to a Stop sign, to see it as an invitation to become more mindful and to breathe, rather than perceiving it as a nuisance. And when you think of it, everything is about perception. We see things as WE are. So teaches the Talmud. So today, as you go about your day - running errands - or on your way to and from work - remember to  STOP! JUST BREATHE! And ENJOY the moment! We can never know how many of them we have left, so let's not take life for granted! Just breathe and enjoy THIS moment - for THIS IS the only moment you have, whether you are on your computer, your phone, or simply spinning your wheels and running around! I invite you to ...

"The awakened mind has two attributes.  One is compassion, what some would call love. The other is clarity, what some would call sight. They are not really two things.  Each is a function of the other. When you see, really see, you just love. When you love, really love, you just see. You see things as they are, not as you expect, and in that wide open space is love." ~ Karen Maezen Miller In the book "Paradise in Plain Sight," the author, Karen Miller, dedicates nearly two decades of her life to restoring a Zen garden to its former glory. This is no small feat. Along the way, she also seeks out a Zen teacher because she deems that her life is lost. "Your life is your practice." This is the message he entrusts her with. How simple is this? How pure? How unique? And yet how challenging? "Your life is your practice." Your life is the medium and the message.  Your life is the vehicle for the manifestation and the embo...

"Each of us inevitable, Each of us limitless - Each of us with his or her right upon the earth, Each of us allow'd the eternal purports  of the earth, Each of us here as divinely as any is here." ~ Walt Whitman, (Leaves of Grass) "There is nothing more impoverished as the deeply unawakened heart; and nothing enriches us more, and brings more life and meaningfulness, that the awakened heart." ~ Christina Feldman It amazes me how every day one can receive the messages needed, if one is open to them. Last night I was reading a chapter entitled, "Making the conscious decision to love your life," in Lorna Byrne's "Love from Heaven: Practicing Compassion for Yourself and Others."  In this section of the book, Lorna, who has had a life long ability to see and communicate with angels and beings that have passed on, states that to love is our most important mission in life. Love is indeed our essence. And so...

Recently I finished reading the small gem of a book, Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change , by Pema Chödrön , a well known Buddhist practitioner, writer, and teacher. In this book, she speaks of three commitments that are essential to the spiritual path, and this week, I chose to use the third one, "committing to embracing the world just as it is," as a theme for my yoga classes. To accept the world as it is, is not easy. In fact, most of the time, it is quite difficult, especially when things are not unfolding the way that we planned. But one of the qualities we often notice when we embrace any practice - be it meditation, yoga, prayer, communing with nature, and so forth - is that over time, we become less reactive and we more easily accept things as they are. Here is some wisdom from this wonderful little book: "The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing e...