Aligning with Grace

There are many variations to this practice that I am about to share with you.  Anyone who has studied Reiki will have learned a version of it and you can find them online. There is no right way or wrong way to say them, just as there is no right way or wrong way to walk a spiritual path. While many understand Reik i to be a healing technique with origins in Japanese and Buddhist practices and traditions, brought to the West and adapted to Western sensibilities, it is really at heart a spiritual practice aimed at the transformation of the self and the elimination of all sense of separation between the Self and others.  It is from a Divine state of union that all healing transpires. This is the second practice I do when I go down to the river to meditate and it follows Lovingkindness , which I described in the preceding blog entry. There was a time, over a decade ago, that I recited these religiously over the the course of a year or so, until I embodied them. What I...

I had not intended to title this post in this way, but it seems perfect actually! The last few days I've found myself moping around, feeling sorry for myself for various reasons, and then - as often happens in these situations, I came across a quote that I totally resonated with and which reminded me of something Frans Stiene, my Reiki teacher would most likely say.  It is a quote by the great Buddhist teacher,  Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche: "Hold the sadness and pain of samsara in your heart, and at the same time the power and vision of the Great Eastern Sun.  Then the warrior can make a proper cup of tea." Life is about balance. We cannot live our lives devoid of sadness and pain, but as two of my weekly prayer buddies observed this afternoon, it is about being able to step back and look at things without being caught up in the drama - or viewing things with the dispassion and detachment I've spoken of recently in my posts here, that makes the difference ...

I have been delinquent in posting of late. But as we ease deeper into this summer season, I - like many of you - am just slowing down to more natural rhythms. What gets done gets done - and what doesn't - just doesn't! Right now, I am done teaching yoga for the summer, except for an occasional class here or there, and I am slowly making my way through every closet, drawer, and room, weeding out things I do not need, and organizing as well. It feels good! A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor and pleasure of studying once again with my Reiki teacher, Frans Stiene, who was here visiting from Australia. I decided to re-sit the Reiki III training since I had not done so for a few years. It turns out, the group I spent time with, was the best group ever. They were the most interesting, educated, sensitive group I have ever done any training with. No one spoke out of turn, or constantly, and there was mutual respect and a space for healing was held for others at all times. The ...

What is your way? Which way do you walk? What path do you follow? I receive this in my inbox, and it seems so appropriate. I reflect on its deeper meaning for me: "I walked this way, I walked that way, and then I walked MY WAY." We have begun a new month, and I continue to receive messages from everywhere, and everything. I will share more about this in my next entry... On the first day of this month, I lost the last of my great aunts, and the youngest of my beloved grandmother's sisters. She truly walked her way. She lived life on her own terms. And her way, like my grandmother's, was the way of love... She touched lives near and far that cut across all levels of class or racial distinctions. She was beloved by many, and my own memories of her are very fond... In fact, her grandchildren and great grandchildren, simply referred to her as "Love." Not "Nonna," not "Grandma," but "Love." Quite a testament to any living soul! And to...

The morning is beautiful - warm and yet breezy - birds are singing everywhere - and it is more reminiscent of a day that would normally come about a month later... After my morning meditation, I head down to the river, and step into the waters, it is a baptism of sorts. I intend to cleanse away much of what has consumed my life of late, and instead, begin focusing on beginning anew... Like I did for years at the banks of this river, I take time - to breathe in the fresh air, as my eyes also absorb the broad expanse before me of undulating waves that come towards me - to recite the Reiki Precepts and do Lovingkindness meditation for myself, my Anusara community, for its previous leader, and for those - known and unknown - secretly hurting by all that has transpired... I do my own personal variation of Lovingkindness - the one that served me so well - and nurtured me and guided me out of depression - beginning with myself, and then adding many more to my recitation afterwards: "May ...

For over a week, I've enjoyed deep silence, longer periods of meditation, touching base with a few friends, spring cleaning, reading, and delighting in the insights gained and imparted by wonderful teachers. A week and a half ago, I had the privilege and honor of studying with Elena Brower , an Anusara Yoga certified teacher, who shares her heart and gifts all over the country, and also writes a wonderful blog for the Huffington Post , among other talents. For a long time I have wanted to take one of her classes "live" - since I had already experienced her teaching "online," and I was grateful to be able to experience her deep teaching in a beautiful art gallery. One of the most wonderful things Elena told us, was that we have the power to transmute the triggers in our lives into nourishment, through our practices, and most particularly in our bodies, through yoga. She explained that we can choose practice over indulging in our preferences and thus create meani...