Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering patience.
Acquire a firm will and the utmost patience.
-Anandamayi Ma
We begin our journey towards the supreme goal of life from where we stand. Just as it is good to be patient with others, it is equally necessary to be patient with ourselves. After all, when the desire to live for others comes to us, we can be haunted by our past mistakes, by the amount of time we have wasted in selfish pursuits. But we must accept ourselves with all our strengths and weaknesses.
There are many obstacles on the spiritual path which can strengthen us, and these cannot be overcome unless we have infinite patience with ourselves. If we are patient with others, shouldn't we be patient with ourselves as well? Each of us is individual, with our own special qualities. We start now, where we are, with our partial love for money, partial love for pleasure, partial love for prestige, and a little love for God. We will progress at our own pace. It is not good to compare one person's progress with another's.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to connect how our Yoga path mirrors our path in life. Our practices ebb and flow, frustrations and successes, highs and lows, but a slow progression occurs. Practice being patient with any setbacks and keep coming back to your commitments.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Passage Meditation
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering passage meditation.
How sweet it is to love, and to be dissolved, and as it were to bathe myself in thy love.
- Thomas a Kempis
In these times, a common prescription for a day packed with troubles is to go jump in your hot tub. Relaxation starts immediately; for a time, at least, the body is at peace.
Now imagine a hot tub for the mind. That is what meditation is; it can bathe your mind in relaxing thoughts. This requires a lot of practice, but when you have learned to jump in the hot tub of meditation at the end of a day, instead of rehashing problems with your co-workers or downing a double martini, you can close your eyes, start in with an inspirational passage, and let the accumulated tensions of the day dissolve.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to review how you choose to relax and let go of your stresses. Consider trying what Sri Easwaran recommends. Choose an inspirational passage that has strong meaning to you. Sit and repeat this passage in your head or out loud for a few minutes. See what happens. An example of an inspirational passage that most westerners know is the prayer of St. Francis.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003
This week in class we are considering passage meditation.
How sweet it is to love, and to be dissolved, and as it were to bathe myself in thy love.
- Thomas a Kempis
In these times, a common prescription for a day packed with troubles is to go jump in your hot tub. Relaxation starts immediately; for a time, at least, the body is at peace.
Now imagine a hot tub for the mind. That is what meditation is; it can bathe your mind in relaxing thoughts. This requires a lot of practice, but when you have learned to jump in the hot tub of meditation at the end of a day, instead of rehashing problems with your co-workers or downing a double martini, you can close your eyes, start in with an inspirational passage, and let the accumulated tensions of the day dissolve.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to review how you choose to relax and let go of your stresses. Consider trying what Sri Easwaran recommends. Choose an inspirational passage that has strong meaning to you. Sit and repeat this passage in your head or out loud for a few minutes. See what happens. An example of an inspirational passage that most westerners know is the prayer of St. Francis.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003
Monday, November 7, 2011
Meditation
Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,
This week in class we are considering meditation.
Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love dwelling in your heart.
-Bhagavad Gita
Children attending their first swimming lessons have a healthy fear of putting their faces underwater. They are afraid they are going to drown. This is the feeling we can get when we go deeper in meditation and begin to break loose from some of our long-cherished emotional attachments.
When I was first meditating, I had the same fears everyone has. All kinds of struggles were going on inside me, and it took time and effort to overcome them. But once the waters closed over my head and I began to get my bearings in these new realms, I knew this was what I had been looking for and longing for, and all my energy went into diving deeper.
When we put our heads under and dive deep, leaving selfishness on the surface, we find a joy that is a million times what any surface sensation can give, and a love that at its fullest expression embraces all of life. Initially we may fear losing the sensory satisfactions that lie on the surface, but waiting far below are joy, love, life.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to sit quietly for five minutes twice a day for a week. Try to do it in the same place and same time every day. Make sure you can sit comfortably and keep yourself upright - use a chair if you have to. Observe what happens.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003
This week in class we are considering meditation.
Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love dwelling in your heart.
-Bhagavad Gita
Children attending their first swimming lessons have a healthy fear of putting their faces underwater. They are afraid they are going to drown. This is the feeling we can get when we go deeper in meditation and begin to break loose from some of our long-cherished emotional attachments.
When I was first meditating, I had the same fears everyone has. All kinds of struggles were going on inside me, and it took time and effort to overcome them. But once the waters closed over my head and I began to get my bearings in these new realms, I knew this was what I had been looking for and longing for, and all my energy went into diving deeper.
When we put our heads under and dive deep, leaving selfishness on the surface, we find a joy that is a million times what any surface sensation can give, and a love that at its fullest expression embraces all of life. Initially we may fear losing the sensory satisfactions that lie on the surface, but waiting far below are joy, love, life.
Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to sit quietly for five minutes twice a day for a week. Try to do it in the same place and same time every day. Make sure you can sit comfortably and keep yourself upright - use a chair if you have to. Observe what happens.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003
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