Being Empowered

Bruce Lee

2008-07-14T14:43:00.000-04:00

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” - Bruce Lee

When I first started practicing yoga, I practiced the Bikram sequence with Joel Pier in Philadelphia. Bikram is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. I remember after several classes I noticed the sequence was always the same. So I asked Joel if the sequence ever changed. Joel tilted his head down, looked over his glasses and poetically stated, “So much confusion outside of the Yoga room. Please don't bring it here.” I will never forget his words and the profundity stills rings true today.

A mindset that is predicated by having to change the sequence of postures falls in line with the adage of a mile wide and an inch deep. I also like the analogy of digging lots of holes or focusing on digging one hole deep enough to strike water. The mind and body are programmed through repetition. Introduce a stimulus repeated and an imprint is left. In essence, you become the stimulus.

I have heard movement experts say it takes anywhere from 160 to as much as 500 repetitions before you create a new pattern within your mind-body connection. The number of times is not important as much as the power of repetition. I have applied this science within the movements we teach at Empowered Yoga with incredible results. Although my body has benefited incredibly, I believe the true benefactor has been my mind.

Repetition for many can create boredom. I know for me this was the case at the beginning of my yoga practice. I got sick of Bikram and moved onto another style and then another style, continuing to search. It was not until I learned the principles of mindfulness and discovered the ultimate goal of yoga—Beginner’s Mind. I will never forget standing in front of a mirror several years ago, looking at myself and it hit me. I am searching in the wrong places. I am looking outside of myself for something that is right here. This moment is new! As I paid attention to that moment, everything seemed to magnify and brighten. It was a bit of an awakening experience and one you can have right now for yourself. Just sit still and pay attention. Look around the room. Notice the paint color, the trim, the ceiling. I mean really look. I bet you will see and feel something you never have before.

Beginner’s Mind is to see each moment as it is—new! Today is July 14, 2008. It is 5:26am and I have never lived at this time. Can I be awake and alert for what this moment presents? Many times our minds are aimlessly wandering from thought to thought – waiting for something to happen before we can begin living. I will be happy when I get the promotion, when I get the new car, when my kid gets out of diapers, etc. This makes the mind dull. Our attention is continuously on thought and the future instead of what we are experiencing right now. We develop a hardened concept around life in general and it develops by placing too much attention on thinking and not enough of experiencing what is happening right now.

The day that I realized this, standing in front of my mirror, changed my life. I started to pay attention to my mind and body while I went through the yoga practice that day. I felt things in postures I had never felt before. I will never forget that day but somehow, I do forget that day a thousand times a day. I get lost in thought, judgment, or analyzing. Then I remember to stop and pay attention and my mind comes back to the here and now. Life brightens up and gratitude grows.

Bruce Lee taught the power of Beginner’s Mind and the importance of mindfully repeating tasks in the pursuit of developing a mind and body that is sharp and awake. A lesson I need reminding of every second of my life. I am alive and this moment is new. Can I be present to receive it?

Flexible Beliefs

2008-06-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

I spend a fair amount of time in the car driving and I listen to podcasts as I drive. Studying evolutionary science is a hobby of mine. I have recently been listening to a podcast titled Evolution 101. Although the lecturer, Dr. Zack, sometimes goes over my head, I enjoy learning about science and how organisms change.

Have you ever seen the fish symbol on the back of a car? What about the fish with feet symbol on a car? The fish symbolizes Christian beliefs. The fish with feet symbolizes belief in evolution in the conventional sense. Conventional – meaning that humans have evolved from micro-organisms in the water, to fish, to land animals, and eventually to what we are today through a process that took millions of years. Both of these symbols indicate a belief.

No matter what your belief is, you believe strongly enough to post a symbol to the back of your car so everyone can see what you believe. I am not talking specifically about evolution as much as having beliefs. I am fascinated to listen to someone speak when they feel so strongly about something they believe in. They seem educated, concerned, and passionate. When you oppose them, they typically become defensive and have some preplanned rebuttal. It is as if they were expecting you to question what they believe. At first, I am attracted by the passion, but ultimately, the inflexible mind bores me. They are unable to listen to your point of view because it goes against what they believe and threatens what they think.

When I look back at my youth, I realize I had some strong beliefs. As I have aged and matured, I have educated myself and realized day in and day out that I just don’t know. Not knowing is what keeps me open and fresh in the moment. Evolution, something that I read and study seems to make perfect sense, but I realize that there is so much more that I don’t know. To establish this firm and rigid belief around evolution in the conventional sense would be unintelligent. So when I study a subject like evolution, I am very careful not to become rigid around one way of thinking.

Ok, I can hear you now—“Great! You’re someone who doesn’t believe anything and is wish-washy?” Everyday I try to approach my life with an open way of thinking. An approach that is continually predicated by educating myself while remaining completely open to having my beliefs pulled out from underneath me. This way I allow my beliefs to be flexible—evolving as I evolve.

Iron Man

2008-06-23T15:46:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I took my son Jimmy to see the new superhero movie, Iron Man. Before going, I was really unsure about the movie, but in the end was pleasantly surprised. I don’t want to ruin the movie for you, but I’ll share the basic plot. Iron Man is played by Robert Downey Jr. He is a billionaire industrialist who is the world’s largest supplier of weapons. He is very egotistical and not very conscious of the destruction and evil his business brings to the world. He is captured by a group using his weapons for tyranny and mass murder. During his capture, he has an awakening. He begins realizing the pain he is bringing to the world. Like all superhero movies, the plot is pretty predictable and in the end, he escapes and saves the day.

Maya is a word in yoga philosophy which perpetuates illusion and duality in the universe. Maya means you are not seeing the big picture and indicates ignorance. In essence, you are suffocated by your own ego and fail to see that your thoughts, words, and actions affect everyone around you and from a quantum prospective, the entire universe. Duality means two—it is living in the mentality that there is me and then there is the rest of the world. Maya is often referred to as “the veil” and is symbolic for separation and not seeing the other side. For many of us, it may be very challenging to fathom this reality. For Iron Man the veil of illusion is lifted abruptly as his contribution to destruction, pain, and death becomes glaringly apparent. Once the veil is lifted, he comes to the realization that he has to change and do something to counter his previous contribution.

Most of us are not fortunate enough to have a powerful awakening experience like Iron Man. That’s right – I said fortunate – because if we could just see how responsible we are for the state of the world it would radically change our thoughts, actions, and words on a daily basis. We would realize change in our world truly begins with ourselves. I contemplate this often within my own life. I always stress in classes and in conversations about the importance of becoming aware of your contribution within your domestic relationships. For me, there has never been a more polished mirror then my wife Sara.

Can you help me with this? Can you change a diaper? Can you come home early? Can you watch the kids? Can you pick this up on your way home? Can you skip what you want to do to do this with our family? In these situations, Sara is continually asking me to put my needs in the back seat. She’s not nagging me. She’s reminding me of the responsibilities I have to my family right now. I hear the voice in my head to resist and I have gotten pretty good at not reacting to it. I realize that the primary reason for my existence now is to raise three conscious children. If I can do that, I have done my work in this life.

Keeping the veil of Maya lifted takes a serious commitment. It is a moment by moment practice. It is being aware of your thoughts and pausing before you speak and act. Being Empowered is realizing this truth and committing to the practice.

Passion

2008-06-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning I did what I normally do. I was awakened by my daughter Leia. I changed her diaper and then went downstairs where Sara was changing Liam’s diaper. I made the coffee and then turned on the morning show only to find that Tim Russert had suddenly died. It was a blow to me, as well as to thousands of others. I really loved to watch “Meet the Press”. There was something so special about Tim and his passion for his family, his career, and for life in general. I was really drawn to him because he exuded that passion and I love surrounding myself with passionate people. Just the other day Jimmy (8 year old son) asked me what passion meant.

Johnny: It is something that you feel strongly about. Jimmy what am I passionate about? (I held my breath for a moment realizing I am about to hear what he observes me getting excited about.)

Jimmy: Spending time with your family.

Johnny: OK Jimmy, you are right. What else am I passionate about?

Jimmy: Helping people get healthy and feel good.

Johnny: Jimmy what are you passionate about?

Jimmy: I am passionate about lacrosse. I like to practice lacrosse.

Johnny: Why do you think practice is important?

Jimmy: Practice makes you better and if I don’t practice I might lose my passion.

All of this from an eight year old!

Tim Russert aligned himself with something he enjoyed and practiced it over and over again, making a career and an exuberant life out of it. What puts a smile on your face? What pumps your blood? Are you aligning your life with your passion? Life is too short to wish and hope—you have to make things happen. I believe if you take one step towards your passion your passion will take two steps towards you. Today do something that brings you one step closer to something you love and see what happens. I bet you will be surprised!

Going with or against the flow?

2008-06-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I was talking to a colleague about alignment. I am not referring to physical alignment; I am referring to mental alignment. In the practice of Hatha Yoga, we place so much attention on being present and learning to address when you are "out to lunch"-day dreaming. It is important to realize that you can never be present all the time. The mind wanders and then something brings you back. If you do not meditate or you do not practice yoga, you are probably not aware of this, yet it happens thousands of times throughout the day. The practice of meditation or Hatha Yoga helps strengthen your mind to be stable and steady. A large majority of our thoughts, actions, and words are subconscious. The more we spend time in the present moment, the less we operate from a subconscious place and start living from a conscious place. This is a place where empowered living takes place. 

Many times I hear people say "Just go with the flow!" What happens when going with the flow is just a habit that is not really helping me be happy? I have been thinking this way and living this way for so long I will just go with the flow. It is cool to go with the flow, right? Well for me, I have really learned to stop and ask myself "Should I go with the flow?" Is this causing unhappiness or pain in my life? Maybe I need to not go with the flow and stop and go the other way. This can take a lot of courage, particularly when you have the momentum of your mind and emotions telling you to just go with it and do what you have always done; to just be in the flow. 

This is where meditation, Hatha Yoga or any concentration or conscious-deepening practice comes into play. It allows you to begin to understand the flowing nature of reality. Things are always changing and our minds are always changing. Thoughts come in and then they leave. Some thoughts come repeatedly throughout the day and others just show up occasionally. Conscious-deepening practice allows us to develop emotional and mental intelligence so we can begin to know when to go with the flow and when to stop and go the other direction. Without the ability to pause and be conscious of the present moment, we just wind up thinking, speaking, and acting the way we always did. The present becomes the past replayed and the future is nothing more than the same.

Being empowered is seeing the truth of this and learning to pause and bring skillful action into going with the flow or against it.

Inspired

2008-06-03T13:30:00.003-04:00

This past Friday, May 30th, Brad Bolding and Josh Stively, two personal trainers from our Plexus at Nemours location, ran around the Brandywine and Nemours buildings in downtown Wilmington as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. They ran for a combined 8 hours, covering 56 miles, and raised close to $5,000. We had a race clock out front on the sidewalk, courtesy of Wayne Kursh from Races2Run. The University of Delaware Football Coach KC Keeler gave the official start of the run. A handful of Plexus employees were on the streets throughout the day talking to pedestrians about the event and raising awareness for heart disease.

Do you know that heart disease is the number one killer in the US? Over 800,000 people die annually from heart disease and the majority of deaths are linked to lifestyle choices. Brad and Josh wanted to do something radical to get people's attention so they came up with this idea. They wore Plexus green arms bands, head bands and socks that went up to their knees. Initially they got people's attention with their clothing – by the end of the day it was their spirits that had us paying attention!

Coach Keeler mentioned that these 2 men are more built like football players – neither of these guys are distance runners – what were they thinking? Brad and Josh began the day with injuries that I thought would prevent them from finishing. This added to the extreme message these guys were trying to send. I didn't give much thought to the event beyond the required planning prior to May 30th. I wasn’t really emotionally invested in what they were doing. This all changed during the second half of the day.

The day was a relay. Brad ran for the first two hours and then Josh ran the third and fourth hours. Josh hobbled across the line with a nagging hamstring injury. Brad ran the fifth and sixth hours and Josh the seventh and eighth. I never moved from the sidewalk for the second half of the day. I stood there, watching the clock count down towards eight hours, initially wondering whether these guys could actually do it. My doubt was quickly dissipated as I watched their faces. The volume of my cheers lessened and my emotions began to deepen. My inspiration from these two men grew lap by lap, as I saw their faces, full of focus and determination.

The word inspired comes from the Latin root, spiritus which means spirit. I was inspired because I knew that with each step Brad and Josh took, a voice in their head would say, "Stop! You’ve done enough! The pain is too much! It is too hot! My hamstrings hurt!” This is the voice of ego – the voice of fear and doubt and the voice that holds all of us back in all that we do in life. Every time we listen and invest our attention into this negative voice, our spirits grow dim and we shrink back. We stop saying YES to life.

As Josh crossed the line, the clock read exactly 8:00 hours. I was so proud of these two men for the valiant display of what the human spirit is possible of accomplishing. They made a loud statement to all of those who saw them that day. Heart disease – in fact the majority of disease – is largely preventable if we would just learn to work with our own minds and recognize what lies within each and every one of us.

Driving to School (part 2)

2008-06-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

The next day Jimmy and I got into the car and Jimmy asked if we could listen to another podcast. I was very happy to say yes. This particular podcast dealt with integrating practice into the work place. The teacher was using some words that Jimmy was unfamiliar with, so he had questions during the podcast which were very thought provoking

Jimmy: What does integration mean?

Johnny: An act of learning something and then applying it into an integral whole. The lecturer, Gil Fronsdal, was talking about taking what you learn from mediation practice and applying it into work. Jimmy, the goal of spiritual practice is to develop yourself so you can help those around you. By becoming your best, you will begin to positively affect everyone within your life. It is a win/win situation and osmosis is action.

Jimmy: That sounds good—what does Osmosis mean?

Johnny: Osmosis is—well—(he stumped me on how to describe this one so I used an example). If you throw a shirt into water, the shirt takes on the water so the water and shirt become one. When Gil uses the word osmosis he is referring to you becoming part of something by simply being around it. More recently, Jimmy has made comments about how I am beginning to say things and act like his Mom. I used this example so he would further understand osmosis. Because I am around Mom all the time, I will naturally by process of osmosis, take on her qualities and vice versa. I also told Jimmy that I would become like him because we spend a lot of time together. Jimmy, that is why we must pay attention to the company we keep. If we are around people who are not acting with loving kindness, we will eventually begin acting the same way by process of osmosis. We continued to listen and then the word ethical came up.

Jimmy: What does ethical mean?

Johnny: I had to think about this—let’s just say it is doing the right thing, not just for you but also those around you. Acting in an ethical manner means that you will act with loving kindness and if you are placed in situation where you cannot act with loving kindness you will remove yourself from the situation instead of potentially hurting someone else. Once removed from the situation, review the situation, bringing understanding to what happened.

Jimmy: That makes sense.

My children are my greatest teachers. Jimmy is at an age where he is asking lots of questions. Many times these questions are stopping me in my tracks and requiring that I contemplate words, ideas and thoughts.

We have teachers all around us if we would simply pay attention. Our teacher is the present moment and what the present moment presents and our reaction to this presentation. We can learn a lot about ourselves if we just stop and listen.

Driving to School

2008-05-30T14:53:00.001-04:00

The other morning Jimmy (my son) followed me out to the car. I was loading the car so that I could take him to school. I had a podcast playing from the night before that began playing once I turned the car on. Jimmy got in the car and began listening. I forgot something in the house and had to go back in leaving Jimmy in the car. When I came back, Jimmy was sitting there listening to the podcast. I apologized for leaving the podcast on and asked him what he wanted to listen to. Jimmy replied that this was just fine. WOW! My 8-year-old son wants to listen to a dharma (truth) talk. As we drove to school I kept looking back at Jimmy and was amazed that he was attentively listening. The podcast ended with 10 minutes to go before arriving at his school. Our conversation went like this:

Johnny: Did you like it?

Jimmy: Yes.

Johnny: What was the biggest thing you learned?

Jimmy: The importance of being present.

Johnny: Why is it important to be present?

Jimmy: You will miss stuff if you don’t pay attention .

Johnny: Does your mind act crazy sometimes?

Jimmy: Laughing at the question, he said, “Yes it does”

Johnny: So can you understand that you can watch your thoughts and sometimes see that they are crazy, not you?

Jimmy: Yes, I can see my thoughts.

Johnny: Ok Jimmy, this is the last thing I want to say. If you are able to watch your thoughts, then who are you?

Jimmy: I guess I am something more than what I think.

Johnny: Exactly Jimmy! Your potential in this life will come from developing a relationship with what can watch thought. Do you understand this Jimmy?

Jimmy: I think so

I am very conscious with those in my life to not be a preacher, but to still share the truth with them in a way that helps them live a happier and healthy life. At 8 Jimmy is beginning to understand the power he possesses as a human being. I was extremely proud of Jimmy this morning for listening and applying contemplation. Thoughts can very much be a problem—our problem can be found in our relationship to thought. If we invest in negative thinking, it will expand and grow, and eventually we will become those thoughts. If we learn to dismiss negative thinking and focus more on positive thoughts, our life will be much less stressful and much more enjoyable

Letting Be

2008-05-20T11:24:00.000-04:00

Cultivating this ability to “let go” is an important aspect of learning to live a happy life. I have a lot of students who have told me how hard they find it to let go. I think the problem lies within their response. It goes back to concretizing.

Now I know I am focusing on linguistics but in 15 years of teaching, you begin to pick up on some commonalities when people experience a challenge. They say it is hard and they freeze up instead of rising to the challenge. The challenge lies in seeing a thought for what it is—just a thought. It weighs nothing, means nothing, and in an essence, has no power unless, and this is a big unless, we give our attention to it.

This is what happens when we freeze up around the thought. We have given our attention and power to the thought. We begin to mentally invest in this thought, emotions begin to arise, and finally, the concretizing happens. Given enough attention the thought gives birth to a belief. We begin believing the thought is real—in many ways, we become the thought. This is how thoughts can begin to shape our lives.

For these students facing particularly difficult challenges, I believe they are engaging the verb, letting go a little too strenuously. I encourage a shift to “letting be”. This is something that has worked greatly for me. It reduces pushing or being aggressive. It’s productive when we stop trying so hard to push away or rid ourselves of something and instead, apply a willingness to understand. Understanding is not analyzing or judging, as much as it is seeing the thoughts for what they are – just thoughts. As you apply awareness to your thoughts, your awareness shines light onto the very nature of thought which is empty space. This realization and understanding can bring a sense of peace and freedom into that moment.

Before you know it, the thought will be back. This is why you practice this technique. The ability to “letting be” strengthens with increased frequency of application. Your awareness will grow as will your ability to see that you are more then just thoughts.

You Are Not What You Think

2008-05-14T10:48:00.000-04:00

In the practice of Calm Abiding (Samatha) Meditation, the instructions are very clear. You pick a focus point to settle the eyes on, focus your attention on the breathing and the body. As you begin to gain your internal awareness, you can begin to work with the mind and the body on a much deeper and more profound level.

One of the first things you realize is that your mind is a mad, runaway train and in some ways you are crazy! This is a wonderful realization. Your mind is just like a gland; it is constantly secreting thoughts. Before I began practicing yoga and meditating, I thought that my thoughts defined who I was. Once I learned to recognize my thoughts and monitor them as they came and went, I began to realize I was something much vaster and greater then just my thoughts.

At some point in practice you come to the painstaking realization that you are the culprit. You create the stress in your life. That’s right. You can no longer be a victim and you have to grow up and stop blaming other people for your present situation. This comes from the realization that for most of your life, you have been identified by your thoughts. You believed your thoughts are who you were. You were wrong.

You become empowered when you realize you are not your thoughts, but are able to recognize and monitor your thoughts. This is the awakening to consciousness that can catapult you right out of clinging to your stress into a life of empowerment.

Now this all sounds rather wonderful, but it requires diligent practice. Your mind has been driving that runaway train your whole life and loves to convince you that you are your thoughts, that you are your stress. Your mind will perform all kinds of tricks to get you to cling and hang onto to your stress.

On a daily basis, I forget this and then I remember it again. I forget and then remember. This remembering is what allows me to let go, cultivating acceptance and happiness in my life. Every time you sit and meditate or practice at Empowered Yoga, you are constantly cultivating this ability to let go. In classes, teachers will instruct the students again and again to become ‘present’ through their breath and their body. Every time you become present and let go of thoughts, your ability to live from a more authentic and happy place becomes realized.

Suffering, an Inconvenient Truth

2008-05-13T16:06:00.003-04:00

The classical description to the first noble truth deals with birth, sickness, old age and death. These are four things that will most certainly happen to each and every one of us. It is a truth of human life.

If I were to ask people if they suffered on a daily basis, most of them would look at me funny. If I asked them instead if they experience stress, they would say “Of course I do". We will use the word stress instead of suffering.

At Plexus, before beginning our personal training relationships, new clients go through a health and fitness assessment. One of the questions we ask is “How would you rate your level of stress on a daily basis?” This allows us to know something about the individual’s lifestyle and how their mental fitness is.

Many people in 2008 live with a fair amount of stress. Where does stress come from? I like to break stress down into two categories: Physical Stress and Mental Stress. These two are interdependent and ultimately are affecting each other. Let’s take a closer look at some examples.

Physical Stress - We can inflict negative stress on our bodies by eating unhealthy foods, eating too much food at once, drinking too much caffeine and alcohol, sitting in the same position too long, not exercising, exercising too much (yes you can do this), poor posture, neglecting the feet, bathing in the sun too much, and the list goes on and on.

Mental Stress - The mind can experience stress when it internalizes things, takes things too personal, overworks and over thinks, clings onto the past like a broken record, fantasizes about the future, or meets the moment with preconceived notions of what they want to happen. And again I am sure we could go on and on.

Is there a way to learn to reduce stress? The cultivation of the present state of mind allows us to get in touch with the body and mind. I know when I get in touch with the present moment and I am experiencing stress, I typically discover that my mind is grasping or clinging onto something. This is the Second Truth of human life: We suffer because we grasp and cling to things trying to concretize them within our minds.

Ice cream Sandwich

2008-05-12T12:52:00.001-04:00

This morning my daughter Leia came into the living room with tears in her eyes holding an ice cream sandwich. Sara followed her in asking me to tell Leia that she could not have it. Sara asks me to do the dirty work because Leia will listen to me more than her. I told Leia now wasn’t the right time to be eating ice cream and redirected her attention to something else and in seconds Leia let go of the thoughts of eating the ice cream sandwich. A brilliant observation of the mind!

I paused for a moment and realized how cool that was. Leia was truly suffering when she realized that there was a possibility that her desire to eat the ice cream sandwich was not going to be fulfilled. When we look at Leia’s suffering it comes from grasping to a thought again and again eventually bringing tears. A simple parenting trick of redirecting your child’s attention helps teach them to “let go” of the thoughts and move on to the next thoughts or experience. This ability to let go of thought is an innate part of the human mind. Leia displayed it wonderfully this morning with the help of some trick parenting.

Letting go is the hinge within the Four Noble Truths of the Buddhist Philosophy. The four truths are: Suffering, Causes of Suffering, release from suffering and cultivation of non-suffering state. I will focus on this for the next few blogs

Concretize

2008-05-06T10:36:00.001-04:00

I had to look this one up. It is to make something hard like concrete. I was listening to a Dharma (truth) podcast the other day and the lecturer used this word. I really like it because it gives such a strong visualization of what happens within us when we hold on too tightly to something. I was a construction worker during high school and I was responsible for mixing concrete and pouring it. You add water to the concrete solution and then it hardens and becomes solid and non-porous.

The human body is roughly 75% water depending on your age and the amount of water you drink. It is common for people to become more and more dehydrated as they age. Did you know our brains are 75% water? Most headaches can be attributed to dehydration. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water. Blood contains 83% water, body fat contains 25% water, and bone has 22% water. When the body is dehydrated it dries up and begins to concretize like concrete. Research has proven that severe dehydration creates havoc for our bodies in the long run.

Our minds work a lot like this: Just take a moment to sit back and watch your mind. A thought will come in and then it will turn into another thought and another, and so on, just like a story. You can think of the mind as flowing as water, moving from one thought to another. The mind can also latch onto a thought and concretize it. This means that this particular thought will come up again and again. It has hardened and becomes a repeat thought or part of your memory. This feature of the mind is what allows us to accomplish tasks and empower ourselves. Unfortunately, it can also keep us stuck in unhealthy and habitual patterns.

Here is a little exercise in awareness. The next time someone says to you “This is really hard,” look up and observe their facial expression. You will be surprised to see that their face is a face of anguish or stress. It is as if they are those negative thoughts and feelings and concretizing them. As they are pulled from their comfort zone, they freeze, like concrete. The mind tends to concretize around fear and the thought that produced that emotion. The more often we concretize around things we would categorize as difficult—the harder it is to deal with life’s ups and downs.

When you experience a task that requires you to sweat, think outside the box, or get your hands a little dirty, I refer to it as a challenge. Accepting a challenge requires courage. The word courage comes from the Latin root “cor” which means heart. It is within the moments that we are challenged that we need to stop and recognize the thoughts and emotions for what they are. It is a shift from identification to observation; the concretizing can subside with observation within minutes. Using identification however, we can many times become paralyzed like concrete for hours, days or even a lifetime.

This is something I am continually working on. I’m trying to recognize where I am hardening when I need to soften— lifetime contemplation for all those on the path to empowerment!

Seasonal Runner

2008-05-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

I am a seasonal runner. I start running in the spring and put the shoes away once fall arrives. I began running a month ago and it just seems to become more challenging each year to get going. I am starting to feel the rhythm with my breath and my stride and already thinking that maybe I just have to keep going throughout the winter. Aging often brings greater challenges!

For the last few weeks, I have been running first thing in the morning. The alarm goes off anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30, depending on my day. I don’t mind getting up early and it has been interesting to recognize my mind waking up. There are thoughts that pop up and say, “No! Stay in bed—run later,” or “Go check your e-mails first,” or “You have a long day today. Maybe running is not the thing to do right now”. It is pretty interesting to see the thoughts for what they are, just thoughts. There really is nothing to a thought until we invest our attention into it and start believing that it is real or solid.

The last few weeks those thoughts have not been real. I just see them for what they are. I notice them and even give the thoughts names like lazy thought, excuse thought, or complaining thought. I shift my awareness to my body, sit up in bed and place my feet on the ground. I pause for a moment and take a deep breath in and then begin moving. As I am getting dressed, I just pay attention to putting my pants on, lacing up my shoes, etc. I step outside and begin running. Once I finish my run, I acknowledge the fact that a simple thought almost held me back. Fortunately, I saw it for what it was: just a thought.

You can apply this exercise to any thought that might be holding you back. See it for what it is and shift your awareness to your body and/or your breath. The thought loses its power if it doesn’t produce action! This process takes practice, but once applied, it really works!

Basic Meditation Instructions

2008-04-24T14:06:00.006-04:00

Anyone who has ever sat down and meditated, has also come to the conclusion that the mind can be very erratic. The ancient yogis use the phrase “monkey mind” to describe the mind and how it jumps from thought to thought, like a monkey swinging from branch to branch. One of the biggest mistakes one can make is to think that you are going to be in wrestling match with yourself until you tame your damn mind. This kind of attitude will leave you frustrated and tense. It is very important to understand that you are not going to shut your mind off or attain some supernatural state. You are just going to sit and be with whatever it is that arises. The instructions are very clear within the basic meditation process. The ego wants to make the meditation process more complicated then it is. Here are some basic instructions to get you started:

Take a comfortable seat. You can be in a chair or sit on the floor. If you are sitting on the floor, ensure that your knees are not higher than your hips. Your spine should be aligned, with your shoulders dropped and relaxed. Your ears should be centered overtop of the shoulder.
Find a point that you can rest your eyes on.

If you are sitting on the floor, let that point be four feet in front of you. Make sure not to drop your chin when looking down at the floor.
If you are sitting in a chair, focus your eyes straight ahead. Again, make sure your spine is properly aligned and you are maintaining an S-curve with your vertebrae. Poor posture will cause mental laziness and affect your alertness.

There are many meditations that have you close your eyes, but for this one keep your eyes open. It will help you stay alert and reduce sleepiness.
Now bring your attention to your breathing. Keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nostrils.
Focus on the way the air comes through your nostrils and down your throat, filling the lungs. Follow the breath as it leaves your body in the reverse order.
When your attention wanders from observing the breath—you have fallen into focusing on a thought – maybe even a stream of thoughts.
No big deal. Just recognize that you have left the present moment—label the thinking as thought and come back to an inhale.
Repeating this process of losing your focus on the breath and coming back is what creates a stronger and more stable mind.
Judging yourself or being hard on yourself when you are lost in thought will only cause more thought. Learning to touch thought with your awareness and return to your breathing will cultivate the ability to let go.

The process of letting go of thought and coming back to the present moment can be viewed as a repetition. The more you catch yourself (repetitions) and come back to the present moment, the more your mind will become familiar with the present moment. This will create mental and emotional stability.

Begin with 10 minutes a day—optimally in the morning upon awaking. This is when your mind is the most placid. You will also begin noticing that your mornings are less rushed and you feel more peaceful. Work towards 15 minutes or more and meditation will surely change your life!

Pure Potential

2008-04-23T14:20:00.001-04:00

The word spiritual comes from the Latin prefix, spiritus, which translates as breath. The central theme of spiritual practice is coming back to the present moment. You develop a relationship with what you experience when your attention is focused on something other than thought. The breath is the anchor of this process and is intimately connected to your state of mind. Even using the word spiritual can get in the way for many people. Some of the most spiritually advanced people I have met in my life don’t actually consider themselves spiritual or care to think of it as such. They are just good people who see beyond concepts. I love these people because there is no pretentiousness in who they are.

We have all heard the statistic that the average human uses 7-9% of their brain. What is possible with the other 90%? Some say humans like Einstein, Jesus Christ and the Buddha tapped into the greater depths of their brains—explaining their superhuman feats. I am sure we could create a list of people who have been superhuman and all of them would tell us the same thing. Their feats, discoveries and superpowers came from a place beyond their own thought. If this is the case, why doesn’t every human being cultivate this power?

When we draw our attention away from our thoughts and onto the breath, we become anchored in the now. As our minds start to become more placid, paradoxically we become more alert and attentive. Meditation is an exercise that strengthens our ability to stay in this state of presence. That is right—meditation is an exercise that strengthens our ability to connect to our basic essence as human beings. View meditation as lifting weights for the mind. The more often you return to the present moment, the more connected you become to your pure potential. Your pure potential is beyond concepts, thoughts and words. In Zen they call this state, “No mind”

Research shows that when people are meditating, they tend to move from a mind dominated by Beta waves (Busy) to a mind of Alpha and Theta waves (creative and relaxed). Research has also shown that activity between the right and left hemispheres of the brain balances out, thus we begin using both sides of the brain. I’ve never met anyone who said “I just can’t seem to think enough.” I do meet people who tell me they just can’t seem to stop thinking so much. When the mind is flooded with too much thinking, stress and lack of clarity can become the theme for your life.

Another misconception is that you have to sit to meditate. Ideally, this would be best, but you don’t have to do this to start. I meditate all the time. Driving in the car, washing dishes, listening to someone talk in a conversation. I love to meditate when I run. I will bring my attention to my breath and when it wanders to a thought, I am aware of it and return to focusing on the breath. You can do it! Before you move onto another website or your next task, try it. Bring your attention to the breath. Breathe in through the nose and feel the air come through the nostrils, down the throat inflating the lungs. Pause at the top of the inhale, exhale slowly feel the air as it leaves the lungs. Notice how you feel after doing this just once. Congratulations! You have just meditated! Now try incorporating this into other activities and you will begin noticing settling changes throughout your day.

Repetition is Key

2008-04-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

I began rereading A New Earth because I wanted to be on the same page as everyone on the podcast. I am reading deeper into Tolle’s message this time around and the reason is simple—repetition. I read A New Earth two years ago and in the last two years my ability to be present and to not live so much in my head has matured. I am nothing special. It is just that practice and commitment creates depth.

Ryan Burnes, one of our teachers, is also rereading A New Earth. Just this morning I finished a 6am practice and I asked him, “How is it the second time around?” Ryan responded with “I’m wondering if I really read it the first time.” We both laughed because we know that the wisdom Tolle expresses is at such a depth and clarity that every time you read it, the teachings will absorb farther than before, leaving you with a feeling that it is new and fresh.

I believe many people get this feeling from reading any book containing truth. You are in a different place within your life everyday, so reading anything that speaks of truth can be applied and practiced. Ryan then made the following comment as he pointed to my office, which contains a lot of books; “You have lots of new books in there—you don’t need to buy more books. Just study the ones you have.”

There is an old Zen proverb that says “You can never step into the same river twice.” Truth needs to be explored again and again. The one thing Hatha Yoga practice has taught me is that you can never do the same pose twice. Each day your mind, emotions, and body are different. If you are locked in thought, you might convince yourself that you are doing the same pose as yesterday, yet this is truly impossible if you are in a present state of mind.

Eckhart Tolle

2008-04-21T12:11:00.001-04:00

Recently I have been all jazzed up over Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey joining forces on a podcast. Eckhart Tolle is a renowned spiritual teacher who has written books titled Power of Now, Stillness Speaks, and his latest, A New Earth. The podcast is a book review that takes callers and also answers e-mails pertaining to A New Earth. The podcast started off with over 700,000 listeners representing 190 countries. I know in the last 6 weeks, the number have grown but I can’t tell you what they are. During the first podcast, Oprah said this is the most exciting thing she has ever done. That statement took me back!

Tolle poetically and simplistically writes and teaches about the importance of understanding the difference between thought and what lies behind thought: our presence or consciousness. His message parallels Jesus and the Buddha and his delivery is digestible and non-dogmatic if you are ready to listen with your consciousness. In all his books and in the podcast, he has said there are people that are just not ready to understand that they are not their thoughts, and come to the realization that there is something vaster than their thinking mind residing within them. He goes onto say that unless you have observed your thoughts and realized there is something that can view your thoughts and emotions like a 3rd party observer, the book may not be for you.

I first read the book Power of Now in 2002 and have reread it several times over the years. The first time I read it I was at a yoga retreat in Utah, sitting 9600 feet above sea level with my legs kicked up. and I read the line, “You cannot think and feel at the same time”. This sentence has stayed within my awareness for the last six years. I don’t profess to be a spiritually advanced person and I continually get hung up in my thoughts and emotions. Over the last six weeks I have felt a deepening of his message and I have been talking with colleagues and friends about why this is happening.

Deeper understanding of a Banged up Jock

2008-04-14T15:28:00.001-04:00