Meditation Helps Me Float Away for the Weekend!

Angels Wings

I asked one of my very first yoga students
who had been in a Friday afternoon class with me for well over a year,
what her favorite part of yoga was,
"Meditation," was her quick answer.
"Why is that?" I asked my young yoga student.
"Because it helps me float away for the weekend."

Mantra Meditation or Meditation Helps Me Float Away

I recently introduced my students to mantra meditation. I knew that several girls were struggling in their relationship with their family members and/or friends. And, so, one afternoon, I introduced my students to mantra meditation. Mantra meditation is ancient (in Sanskrit it means "instrument of thought") and has been practiced for several thousand years. I told my students to meditate on a positive word or a phrase that speaks to them. Think about what you would like to have happen or how you would like to feel. "I have lots of friends. I love myself. I am happy," were all suggestions I gave my attentive students. After I rang the chimes to signal the beginning of meditation and sat with my own eyes closed for a minute of so, I opened my eyes. I am always curious how my young yogis respond to meditation and part of me is always keeping a watchful eye on them. One girl was looking around the room but sitting quietly and clearly lost in thought. Several other students sat peacefully with their eyes closed and bodies still while one little boy, who cannot close his eyes out or anxiety lay quietly on his mat in crocodile pose (face down). Not a word was spoken as we sat for 3 quiet minutes. After meditation I always have an art activity set up. This afternoon, we drew with colored markers. "Draw what meditation is to you," was my direction. Olivia, a young yoga artist, described her drawing, Angels Wings (shown above) to me. " That's me sitting on the boat and even though there is lightening, black clouds and rain, and a giant wave almost crashing into the boat, I am peaceful and safe, meditating."

I see An Icy Wonderland!

Candle Gazing or I See an Icy Wonderland

Mary, one of my younger yoga students who has the flexibility and aura of an up-and-coming yogi master, asked me if she could bring a candle to yoga class. "Yes, that would be nice," I heard myself tell Mary. A week later when Mary arrived for class with candle in hand, we lit the charred wick and then placed it on the floor in the center of our yoga circle after we finished our yoga poses and settled into meditation. The glow of the candle created a peaceful, warm space in the room. Aside from the random thoughts about flames, schools, and children running through my head, the presence of this once-burned light blue candle made me think about the first time I gazed into the flame of a candle (called trataka in Sanskrit) at my adult yoga/meditation class. I couldn't see what all the fuss was about and why in the world anybody would want to stare into a flame although I do remember staring for hours into a campfire flame as a child and how peaceful that made me feel. Having taken a few classes in Buddhist meditation and even more classes in yogic meditation, I find that I prefer to close my eyes and let my mind "watch" a beautiful white lotus flower unfold or recall the image of kayaking on Newfound Lake on a sweet summer morning. Those images help me feel centered and peaceful. Staring into a flickering flame just doesn't do it for me but different strokes for different yoga students and candle gazing, I thought, might really work for some of my students so I decided to give it a try. And, to my surprise, many of my students loved candle gazing, well gazing into a once-burned candle might be more accurate. Where I saw a yellow flame dancing around, distracting me from my own much-preferred mental images, my yoga students imagined a cave with all kinds of life in it, an ocean stopped in time, a icy wonderland full of imaginary creatures with a campfire burning bright in the night sky. Candle gazing into a candle that had burned in such a way so as to leave melted and then hardened wax had become a way for these students to project their thoughts and feelings onto an external object and let their imaginations take off. Next time I try candle gazing, I am most definitely going to stare into the flame of an old, well-burnt candle and remember to let my imagination take over :)

Make Way for Meditative Ducklings

Make Way for Ducklings

from boston-discovery-guide.com

Walking Meditation or Make Way for Meditative Ducklings

We had just finished a guided relaxation and my young yoga students lay still on their mats. Time for walking meditation I thought. To prepare for this, I asked my students to roll up their yoga mats and stand quietly in mountain pose (feet firmly grounded, arms hanging loosely by their side). Then I began to slowly walk around our room.  With all eyes on me I quietly repeated, "Heal, toe pad, toes," over and over as I made my way around the room in a wide circle. "Watch, listen and follow me," I then guided my students.  The room was immediately filled with energy as my young yogis started wandering around the room, into the corners, up near the piano; each in her own quiet space.  Like a school of minnows, disturbed in their pond,  each young student was now swimming in his or her own direction, breathing excitedly.  As I attempted to regain some sort of order and move us into meditation I directed them, "Now, breathe in and lift up your heal, then your toe pad, and finally your toes.....breathe out and place down your heal, toe pad, toes...."  I thought about the first time I tried to synchronize my breath with my walking in an adult yoga class. I was in quiet hysterics as I struggled to get my toes and my breath to work together while listening to my masterful yoga teacher, walking with perfect synchrony, direct us and perfectly model, "Breath, heal, toe pad, toes.  Breath, heal, toe pad, toes."  Kids learn so much quicker and with less judgment. Within a few minutes their feet and breath were in tandem. "Swans dancing in the springtime rain, I thought to myself," as they gracefully made their way around the room in a meditative walk.  After a few minutes I sensed the space between us had changed and so turned around to find that all my sweet young yoga students had cued up behind me, with just inches separating me from them and them from each other.  We continued on, "Breath in, heal, toe pad, toe...breath out, heal, toe pad, toe," for the next few minutes but all I could think about was that famous sculpture in Boston Public Garden where the mother duck leads her ducklings, all lined up behind her, around the park. "Make way for meditative ducklings," I smiled to myself as we continued to quietly walk through the room.   Make way, indeed. 

Catch Phrase

OK, can I tell you what fun this little device is. We had several friends over and they brought this crazy electronic device (and lots of delicious food). A phrase appears on a blue screen and your job is to get your team mate to call it out....all the while an annoying beeping sound is getting faster and faster as you frantically try to keep your wits and continue giving clues to your partner. Too funny. One of my friends nearly hyperventilated, I could feel my heart pounding and I think my cheeks flushed. But, it was really, really fun. Loved playing and thoroughly enjoyed having everybody over to play and eat....great way to celebrate 1/1/11...fun, food, and friends.

Irregular Heartbeat

When we lead with our head and not our heart, we become imbalanced.

On my 50th birthday I awoke in the cardiac unit of our local hospital. Although I was originally diagnosed as having a heart attack, I, in fact, had two irregular heart rhythms that profiled in a funny way sending the staff at my doctor's office into panic mode and rushing me via an ambulance to the hospital. Irregular heartbeat. I found out sometime later that such a heart rhythm is not uncommon as we women move through menopause and our bodies go through a major chemical restructuring. For my "problem" I was put on drugs, a minimal dose, for 3 years. I hated the drugs so began to workout, eat healthy, take yoga, and learn how to meditate. Over time I was released from my cardiologist's care and set free of medication. But, the meaning (if there was one) of that funky heartbeat was not lost on me.....and it made me reflect on my life...why was I needing to pay attention to my heart? Emotionally, I thought, what does an uneasy heart beat mean to me?

According to Indian philosophy we have 7 energy centers in our bodies, or chakras. The symbol of a chakra is a lotus flower. The heart chakra, or fourth chakra, is associated with compassion, love, friendship, brotherhood, and freedom along with social identity and a sense of self acceptance, right where the heart resides. The lotus flower depicting this chakra is seen above, with 12 petals. It supposedly governs how we are in relationship with others and it's health registers the quality of love in our life. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is Anahata, depicted in green, meaning "unstuck" or "unhurt". The implication is that deep within and under our personal stories of hurt and misunderstanding and emotional pain lies a wealth of compassion, boundless love, and wholeness.

Just this week (a week full of family time) I decided I would finally get my first tattoo, a lotus flower on my right shoulder. I have also changed my hair color and put two more holes in my ears. Hmmm.....what is THAT all about I wonder? Fraternal influence. Anyway, I have thought about getting a tattoo for some time but just couldn't find the right image. One of my colleagues suggested a rose because it had so much meaning for me in relationship with my mother. My mother, who I had a complicated relationship with, loved roses, particularly the roses my father would cut from his garden and lovingly hand to her to be put into vases all around our childhood home. I sprinkled several handfuls of those pink rose petals on my mother's body as she lay in her pink coffin. Rose tattoo? Nope, didn't feel right for me.

Now, my husband and I have been taking meditation classes for some time at a local Buddhist center. Who knew there were so many different ways to meditate...but there are. During one of our recent meditation training sessions, our Buddhist teacher told us to imagine a ever-unfolding lotus flower. I did that. In my mind I "watched" a large, white lotus flower, perpetually unfolding. That went on for sometime and then, the unfolding stopped. The lotus flower became black and shriveled up. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was struck with the contradiction of the ever-unfolding lotus flower, life and possibility, and the shriveled up black flower... death. My husband, as he told me on our drive home later that evening, just kept thinking how beautiful life was, full of potential as his lotus flower happily unfolded and unfolded. He and I thought that my image and reaction was a little odd (and the tears odder, yet!). However, when I mentioned my experience to my meditation teacher he told me it was wonderful... "You see the impermanence of life, yet embrace the possibilities." I liked this. Very ying and yang I thought.

A balanced heart chakra is related to freedom, growth, and expansion, easy and appropriate love, and an open and trusting state-of-being. An imbalanced heart chakra is related to physical ailments including heart disease (not surprisingly), breathing problems (hmmmm...I had a bout of that in grad school!) and breast disorders (spose this makes sense as we humans receive our most primal nourishment from our mother's breast). Emotionally, if the heart chakra is imbalanced there is a tendency towards either becoming too empathetic and feeling the pain of others too much, too often. Or, a person may feel critical, defensive, suspicious and pretty much closed off from the heart.

I am never sure what I think of all this yoga, Buddhism, meditation, chakra studies I seem to be involved in of late....but it sure is interesting and I do seem more peaceful as each tsunami rolls in :) And, yes, Toto, I think a lotus flower gently "etched" (as I scream with each stab of the needle!) on my shoulder is exactly what I want....and maybe need :)

And that irregular heart beat, you are asking? How am I with that these days? Well, usually I don't feel a thing but sometimes, and it does seem to be very specific emotional times, I do feel a little blip...blip...blip...pause...blip...blip...blip...pause in my heart (which I have been told is completely normal I just "feel" it sometimes and sometimes I don't). But, perhaps more importantly, I have learned that if I stop and reflect on what's going on in my life, my emotional life, as my heart is blipping and pausing, that irregular rhythm goes away (or I just don't feel it anymore).

Yes, a little green lotus flower on my right shoulder will be perfect...reminding me to listen to my heart as much as I listen to my head.

blip...blip...blip...pause...blip...blip...blip...pause....

Vintage (Previously-loved) Clothing......

When I was younger, how much somebody spent on me represented how much they cared for me and that seemed to turn into how much I valued myself. Not good. Gratefully I am older and those feelings don't weigh on me any more. Given those lovely, unhealthy feelings I swam around in as a young girl, I could never have imagined shopping at the Goodwill with my girlfriends; Nordstroms was the only place to get the newest style when I was in high school. The Goodwill, Oh My God!, was for poor people (and I felt poor, in many ways, so the last thing I wanted to do was shop in a store for those of modest means!). Funny how life changes. Yesterday I had the most enjoyable time with my brother and step-daughter. We went to 3 different used clothing stores (called Vintage Shops these days), one was a giant store the size of a supermarket (Savers, apparently, the 250th Savers with stores in Australia...well, this may not be a Vintage shop per se as the sea of clothing is organized by style, color and size....I love it, tho!) and came home with a trunk full of cute skirts, sweaters, blouses, jackets, jewelry, cheetah shoes, 2 handbags, 10 books ($1 each)...all for around $150 and some of it brand new. "Amazing," I thought as we pulled into the garage, "that's the price of a new Fossil handbag I had my eye on at Macy's."

Chocolate Covered Giant Marshmallows!

Last night we had a chocolate fest of sorts with friends.....we started with truffle mixing and flavoring, moved onto chocolate-covered marshmallows, and ended with truffle rolling. AND, we drank chocolate martinis all the while (thanks, Julie!). Yes, there is a video as proof but my friend has to be paid off to not post on facebook! I was having a good time :P

To make the mouth-watering truffles, we mixed cream and chocolate (well, Ken did this part) and then flavored the base with either cayenne pepper (creating the famous Afterburn); peppermint chips and peppermint flavor (creating the new Merrymint!); or grated orange peel and fresh orange juice (creating the well-known Sassy Citrus). Once melted and mixed, we put our bowls of delectable chocolate outside to chill....life in Maine means that during December the outdoors, well, right on our deck, right now, it's like a giant refrigerator/freezer. So, our truffle mixture chilled on our porch (at about 24 degrees) while we moved on with our next project...ginormous chocolate-covered marshmallows! See evidence above. Post giant marshmallow dipping, we returned to the truffles to roll in chocolate, I mean to roll THE chocolate.......I served the important roll of "quality control" manager to the delight of my husband and friends....the chocolate rollers :P

I groan and moan about the holiday season. I'm just so busy and then there are the holidays....I don't know where to find the time to do all we want to do....but, this was fun and the chocolate marshmallows were delicious....surprising my husband who had doubts....ah, ye have so little faith in my ideas but at least you are willing to see what will happen! Chocolate holidays...ho ho ho.

That Makes Me Feel so Peaceful!

One morning I sat two of my more quirky students down at the desk in front of me. Both are artsy little kids, who struggle to stay focused and tuned into daily math or reading lessons; they'd much prefer wander around their creative and very engaging fantasy lives. As I moved things around on my desk, getting ready to work with these two delightful little kids I lifted up my new set of Tibetian chimes (tingsha); they gently tapped together. Melody blurted out, "That makes me feel so peaceful!" No kidding I thought to myself. I heard the yoga teacher in me say, "Well, why don't we close our eyes, take a deep and slow breathe in and out. Let's breathe two more times only through our noses.....slow, deep breathes." And, then, when these two squirmy little kids looked completely relaxed and focused, I purposefully tapped the chimes again. When I looked up, Jackson, the creative and energetic little boy was sitting with his head held high, his eyes closed, his arms out and fingers touching in true meditation pose, with the most sublime look on his face. "Follow the sound," I heard myself repeating what my meditation teacher tells me when he rings the huge singing bowl in the meditation room of my meditation class. The singing bowl functions much the same way as the Tibetian chimes. Next to Jackson, Melody sat in peace, completely still, also in perfect meditation pose, a quiet and happy smile on her face. I was amazed and delighted.

My loving husband had just purchased these tingsha for me at a Buddhist center where we take meditation classes. Tibetian chimes or tingshas, also called Tibetian bells or Tibetian cymbals, are made of a bronze alloy, forged in Tibet in a way that captures a particular resonance, a harmonic set of tones, that is, simply, soulful. It's a clear and pure vibration that lasts for quite some time (one of my meditation students counted to 15 while she was listening the chimes). When I "follow the sound" it reminds me of how I feel when I smell anything made of essential oils; as I inhale, I smell deep down in my bones (strange, I know!). The Tibetian cymbals vibrate, in a similar way, so that I feel the vibration and harmonic tones deep down to my toes...I almost want to reach out and take a bite or grab it in the air.

Maybe next time these two wonderful students can't focus or sit still during long and, to them, boring school lessons, I should just walk up to their classroom, stand in the doorway and ring my Tibetian chimes............

Joy of Meditation

Breathe.

Breathe again.

Smile.

Relax.

Arrive

Where you are.

Be natural.

Open to effortlessness,

To being

Rather than doing.

Drop everything.

Let go.

Enjoy for the moment

The marvelous joy of meditation.

Lama Surya Das

I am Thankful for Chocolate Cream Pie!

http://spatulascorkscrews.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54fc08642883300e553bcba4c8834-pi

I sat alone in the yoga room as 2:45 came and went. I wasn't too surprised. Sometimes my young yogis forget that we have yoga class on Friday if we don't meet every Friday and we hadn't met in 3 weeks. 5 and even 10 minutes later my yoga students finally bounced into the room; chatty and full of energy. As we "settled" into group, several girls were talking out, others were eagerly raising their hands, rolling around on their mats, even rolling up their mats. I was trying to figure out what was going on. Did they miss yoga and were just excited to be back? Was it the holiday crazies? Is it because when they entered the room the lights were on and two teachers were conferring? "Those annoying fluorescent lights," I thought to myself, not wanting to turn out the lights until the teachers chatting upfront finished their school business.

My yoga students were clearly not centered as I opened class on this odd December afternoon, "What does being thankful mean? Since we have just had Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming soon, let's talk about what we are thankful for. Let's go around and have each girl tell us just one thing." At the same time I advised myself, "Slowly breathe in....breathe out," feeling the surge of energy flooding the room, crashing against the walls, nearly knocking me over. Not a millisecond after we opened, Karen and Page asked to run out of the room to get a dictionary. Libby wanted to tell the group about the 18 things she was thankful for and ran to pull a turkey drawing out of her backpack. On each of the 18 feathers she had written something she was thankful for and she wanted, was literally bursting at the seams, to share each and every word on those 18 turkey plumes. Lucy got up and walked across the room to get her snack, and Mackenzie asked to go to the bathroom. "Girls," I heard myself say, "you are so wound up today."

Clarissa, one of my brightest and most cerebral students was sitting directly in front of me, staring right into me, not a few feet away. Her hand was flapping back and forth with great speed, waving at me for attention. I nodded in recognition of her frantic hand, "Clarissa, what are you thankful for?" I was expecting some deep and thoughtful comment from this talented and extremely capable young girl, "Chocolate cream pie! And," after a beat, "lemon meringue pie!" she beamed. "And, why is that?" I ask in my patient yoga-teacher voice, "Because it tastes so good!" Chocolate cream pie? How about the air you breathe? The fact that you are alive? Aren't you thankful for the wonderful parents you are so lucky to have? How about that amazing brain of yours? Nope, chocolate cream pie. Clarissa was thankful for creamy, cool, chocolate cream pie. Sometimes I am just too intense for my own good I think to myself. Sometimes I find it hard to take the time to enjoy the little things. “Yes, chocolate cream pie is a good thing to be thankful for," I smiled to myself and to Clarissa.

As our discussion came to a close we moved into our yoga asanas (yoga poses) and then breath work. Conductor breath was probably not the best choice as my yoginis seemed to become even more excitable with each swing of their arms; out with your arms, up with your arms, down we go bending forward, letting out all the air in our lungs. Sun salutations seemed to some provide focus as did the warrior series but the energy was still consuming the room, bouncing off the walls, flooding the space and so I shorted our physical practice and moved us into a guided relaxation. And here is where the girls really began to calm down.

With the lights finally low and the room quiet, we all laid flat on our mats. In my best calming voice, I guided us to all relax our toes, relax our lower legs, relax our upper legs, relax our tummies, relax our backs, relax our shoulders (and my shoulders softened), relax our arms, relax our hands, relax our necks, and finally, finally, relax our heads. And then, in the quiet and dark of our yoga room, there was neither a peep, nor a squeak, nor any rustling around as we all meditated in peace for 5 wonderful minutes. As meditation ended I spoke, "OK, girls, when you are ready, you can roll on your side and sit up." Two minutes passed and not one girl sat up. Thinking that maybe I hadn't spoken loud enough, I said again, "OK, girls, when you are ready, you can come to seated pose." Another few minutes passed by and it dawned on me.......these girls need this time. They need this stillness and quiet in their minds and bodies like a flower needs water and sunlight. They didn't want to sit up. In our world full of noisy TVs, computers, iPads, iTouches, iPhones, hours of after-school activities, and the holiday crazy season, my little yoga students were seeking the peace and stillness that only meditation and relaxation with slow, deep breathing can offer. And so I let them lie still for a few more moments before coaxing them to open their eyes and sit upright.

"What am I thankful for?" I wondered as we all sat, our little yoga community (or sangha), quietly together. I am thankful for, and very grateful for the chance to teach yoga and meditation to kids. What a gift to them and what a gift to me. And, yes, I agree with my little yoga student, I am also thankful for chocolate cream pie.

Using Yoga

http://yogabuddies.blogspot.com/2008/10/pose-of-month-volcano-pose-october.html

I once worked with a student who was delightful but cognitively challenged. He also suffered from a heart ailment. My time to work with him was 1:30, right before the end of the school day. At a parent conference we discussed how unavailable he was to learning at that time of the day...he was just too tired. My colleague, sitting across from me at that meeting, who knew that I taught yoga and meditation to kids after school on Fridays, suggested that I do a little yoga with him at the beginning of my sessions. I don't know why this seemed so surprising to me, I was trained to teach yoga to kids and to teach yoga to kids in the classroom. I had hours of meditation and adult yoga training yet using it to help at school, during my sessions with this student, just didn't occur to me. Next time I saw this student we practiced bunny breath to energize him, we pushed the table aside and did 2 sun salutations, and we meditated for 5 minutes. He was then, ready to learn! I guess I learned something valuable, that day, as well :) Use yoga! It works :)

These Boots.....

Don't you love these cowgirl boots? What is the history of cowboy boots, you might ask? Here's the story...the history...where's herstory?...well, anyway (from cowboyboots.com)

No one really knows who the original inventor of cowboy boots was. According to several different stories and legends, the first pair of cowboy boots was made by either a shoemaker in Kansas, or by one in Texas. Either way, the story is still the same. After the Civil War was over in 1865, the cowboys who were driving cattle across the country discovered that they needed a different style of boots. The ones worn during the war just didn’t suit the long hours riding on the trails: blazing through the brush and brambles, splashing through creeks and rivers, and riding with their feet in stirrups for hours at a time. Around 1870 some ingenious cowboy took his boots to a shoemaker and asked for a pointy toe so he could get his foot into the stirrup more easily; a taller shaft to protect his legs; and a bigger, thicker, underslung heal so his foot wouldn’t come out of the stirrup during the rough riding on the trails. The knee-high design protected his legs from the thorns of mesquite trees, barbed wire, snakes, and other dangers. The cowboy boots were pulled on with long mule-ear straps but were loose enough on the top so that they could be wiggled out of easily if the cowboy was hung up in the stirrup and needed to get out in a hurry. The tough leather that the cowboy boots were made from also protected the cowboy’s ankles from being bruised by the wooden stirrups, and his legs from rubbing against the stirrup leathers. The cowboy boots were stitched on the outside to keep the leather from buckling and eventually rubbing against the cowboy’s leg.

The high, underslung heel of the cowboy boot also served to protect the cowboy. He could dig that heel into the ground when pulling a stubborn mule or when leading his horse down a steep and rocky trail. The heel also kept the cowboy’s foot from going all the way through the stirrup so that if he were thrown from his horse he wouldn’t get stuck in the stirrup and drug on the ground. And just like that, the first pair of cowboy boots was born.

The first pairs of cowboy boots had very little style and were for working purposes only. They were a tool that helped keep the cowboy safe and quickly became a part of any cowboy’s everyday life.

At first, cowboy boots were only custom made. A cowboy would have to go to a cobbler who would measure his feet and make a pair of cowboy boots just for him. Later, the first mail-order boot companies came about. Getting a pair of cowboy boots in this way was much more humble, but a cowboy down on his luck had to do whatever he could to get his boots.

Cowboy boots began as a practical tool for the cowboy, but soon became a fashion statement. The stitching on the outside usually done in a plain black or brown soon gave way to more colorful thread, and designs and pictures were sewn into the boots. From there, bootmakers began to experiment with inlays and overlays, and suddenly boot designs became limitless. The more extraordinary the cowboy boot could be, the better.

TED - Technology, Entertainment, Design

I love surfing around on my husband's computer in the early morning hours as the sun rises, before I meditate and do my yoga and get breakfast, shower.....on and on and on....Anyway, as I was up on this early Thanksgiving morning I found TED, a website, nonprofit company, devoted to spreading new ideas. In a world where the news can make you want to run back to bed and dive under the covers all day, there are great things happening! And, on this Thanksgiving morning, I am grateful, among many other things, for such positive and possibly world-transforming organizations as TED! Nothing flaky here, the board of board or directors are all philosophers, psychologists, physicists, architects, inventors. Check them out at http://www.ted.com/. There are amazing things happening in our world beyond all the worries and woes we see on the nightly news :)