Brains and feet

This is the real thing

I am teaching a big Teaching this weekend. A teaching that guides us inward to our own true nature.

www.thebrightpath.com

It really is a bright path. A path of joy. Though it isn't for the faint of heart.

I feel so blessed and so loved. And so lucky to have found this teaching.

I will be talking about, exploring, and playing with:

Innocence

Praise

Gratitude

Love

Humility

Simplicity

Commitment

Compassion

Infinity

Wow. This is beauty. This is the real thing. This moment. The spaciousness of beingness.

Sit down

Sometimes you just have to sit down and relax. You can't get into trouble. You can listen. You can watch the world doing its thing. 

Words

"The function of words is to excite an interest in having the experience. After having the experience there is no need for the words". 

Dawn Jordan 

Photo of Brian Froud's Fairy Calendar

Crunch

Doesn't this look like some decadent, rich, chocolatey dessert?

It's snow under lamplight. 

It's a magical world out there tonight. Blizzardy. Quiet streets. And me. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. 

Be gentle

I heard a story about the Dalai Lama at a Buddhist's teachers' retreat. There was a discussion between the teachers about the differences amongst the eastern teachers and the western teachers. That there was much more self violence and self denigration amongst the western teachers. They had more a sense of not being good enough in their basic beingness. The Tibetans attending did not have this inherent lack of self worth, even though they had the same struggles with life and with meditation. Underneath all that they knew they were worthy. The Dalai Lama didn't know this. He does now and talks about this often. The western folk being really hard on themselves whether they are meditation teachers, or students, or people who know nothing about meditation or any spirtitual teachings. 

Wow! It is amazing to me, that with all our opportunites, this basic lack of self worth is rampant. How sad. And what a big show we put on to look like we are all flowing in love and happiness.

Be glad. Be gentle. Celebrate every single moment of life. As it is. Take delight in what's happening right now. Really, really rejoice each time you notice what you are doing. Rejoice when you notice you've taken a step backwards. Or when you feel really stupid. That is a beautiful moment. You are conscious. You see what you've done or what you are doing. Feel your own nakedness. And be gentle. Feel like a little puppy that needs to be trained to see. (Or not to pee). And each step is a part or it whether it looks like progress or not. Hitting the puppy over the head because he failed isn't helpful. In fact, it's a backward step and cements the feeling of not good enough. So, rejoice when you notice that you are hard on yourself. Be gentle. And then more gentle. Start right now. Laugh at your own seriousness. 

Photo by CharlieClayton

Love your tummy

Oh, oh, oh! I just ate again! And my belly feels happy. The belly loves but we don't often love our bellies. Actually, we don't want to have any! But what we do have - well, we are pointing at it - and usually with our middle fingers.

Here is a wonderful remedy for both loved and unloved bellies. It's an ayurvedic massage.

A stomach massage twice a day, first thing in the morning and again at bedtime not only reduces fat deposits and cellulite around the abdomen, but also strengthens and tones the muscles. (Do not massage the stomach, if pregnant, or have ulcers, or heart problems).

Stomach massage is also an excellent method for reducing the effects of stress. The stomach and solar plexus (the second and third chakras) are major depositories for toxins, since most of us hold unexpressed emotions in our guts. And because the 72,000 nadis converge at the navel, abdominal massage stimulates energy flow throughout the body. It also balances the elements of water and fire, which are seated in these chakras. Other benefits include relief from chronic constipation, improved digestion, and improved kidney function.

Pour massage oil directly onto your belly button area. With your fingers, gently massage the navel in a clockwise circle. Then, using your palm, slowly make the circles bigger until you have massaged the entire abdominal region. Reverse direction, and slowly make the circles smaller until you are back at the navel. Take one minute to massage clockwise, and one minute, counterclockwise.

Use a good food grade oil: Sesame oil, Almond oil, or Sunflower oil, perhaps with a few drops of essential oil. I used my spruce needle in olive oil preparation that I made earlier in year.

From a clipping from a copy of Yoga International

Oh yeah! I got some love in my tummy.