Monthly Archives: August 2017

Y5 – Day 75 – Kindness, day 3

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When another is unkind, we get to ask – what are they afraid of? What is going on in their life? Where is this stemming from? Unquestionably, fear and pain are involved. A person – writhing in agony from living inside of their own skin – lashes out. Have you ever seen a wounded animal and how it snarls? When we see an unfortunate soul suffering, we need not take it personally. Their harshness is not directed towards us. This objectivity allows us to breed kindheartedness.

We do not have to co-exist with unkindness or approve it. But, we get to analyze and realize the anguish behind it. Then with loving detachment, we say a healing prayer for the tormented person. In this manner, we avoid resentment, but stay in our truth.

And, when you have been inappropriate, you get to look at what is underneath your cruel or rude behavior. In fact, it is a distress signal. What lies beneath the snarky, bitter or snappy remark?

Y5 – Day 74 – Kindness, 2nd day

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Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. And, when we demonstrate kindness, no individual can dispute, we have acted in the proper way. Mother Teresa said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless.” The very nature of kindness benefits us. First, we learn to understand, love and show tenderness to self – and then, how to approach the world at large with honorable compassion.

Y5 – Day 73 – Kindness

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From up coming book:

“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” – Theodore Isaac Rubin

At a diminutive yet spiritually charged Unity Church bookstore I picked up a slight, rose-colored publication titled, A Short Course in Kindness by Margot Silk Forrest. Its subtitle described my opinion on life – “a little book on the importance of love and the relative unimportance of just about everything else.”

A collection of wind chimes hung by the door and along the open windows. They tinkled, clanged and pealed. I stood inside the tiny shop, perusing the paperback. A breeze and another patron walked in. I turned the pages to skim its contents. I pondered. Once again, I was reminded that the foundation of the great teachers, sermons, philosophies and core religious principles were the same. Identical in intention, varied in message, Love was, and is – the answer, the purpose and the journey.

Of course, I bought the now treasured, small work and have often gifted it to others. There are many such newly discovered reads where I find jewels of sage advice.

Y5 – Day 72 – AUM

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OM=A-U-M

Om, is translated as the infinite wholeness or the Divine Power. It is a Hail or blessing to the Eternal Goodness of Everything. The complete sound uses the three letters, AUM.

In linguistics, (A) comes from the back of the throat. Then, (U) is the journey inside the cavity of the mouth. (M) brings closure as we emit humming from our lips touching together. By just chanting OM or AUM, we open, dig deep and then seal our energy. Yet, in the space after we say Aum, and the next breath, a gap lies – where we experience pure awareness. In essence, the silence after we chant Aum vibrates in tune to ‘I am, I witness, I am love’ or ‘I exist, I know, I am blissful.’

OM is a traditional opening to any mantra or used on its own. Its purpose is to open a hallowed field of consciousness. It has been chanted for centuries. It includes all sounds. It crosses into all worlds, time, space and levels of being. It reminds us on a subtle energy level – we are spiritual beings and of our interconnectedness with each other and the eternal.

It is a sacred utterance. Beyond the threefold nature or trinity of AUM is the silence that follows after you utter the word. After chanting it in unison for several minutes with others, you may experience a peaceful, loving happiness. It is said to be the sound or seed of creation – the beginning of the cosmos.

We first encounter Aum in the Sanskrit Vedas (Mandukya Upanishad to be exact), the oldest known written scriptures from over 5000 years ago. Historically, it precedes the holy HUM in Tibet, AMIN in Islam and AMEN in Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Jewish and Christian traditions.

In yoga class, we chant Aum together three times. Take a deep inhale and then allow the exhalation to come from A, at the back of the throat, through U and ending with M in a gradual, long and slow way. It is a means of helping us cross from the physical plane to the spiritual dimension when we intone it, just like prayer. It is only another method we can use, to reach and connect to a holy place, inside and outside ourselves.

Y5 – Day 71 – Use The Breath

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“All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man… the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.” –  Chief Seattle

Listen to your breathing. Is it shallow and short, coming from the thorax?

Bring the palm of either hand to your belly. Invite oxygen into your nostrils and sense the coolness. Follow it inside your throat, move it into your chest and allow it to expand your abdomen and rib cage. Then exhale, slow and steady with mindful attention. Receive the warmth of the exhalation.

By focusing on the breath movement, you physically adjust your brain and body. Instead of fight, flight or freeze, we deliberately turn our parasympathetic system on when we breathe in deep, slow and out. Add a long, vocal sigh on the letting go, which might sound like “AAAAAHHHHHhhhhh” and you wash and send your physique over into the relaxation response.

Take in a slow moving, profound breath, bring it into the belly and then release it with an audible sigh. As you inhale, follow it, suspend the breath for just a Nano second at the top and then let it out, guiding it gently, sighing. Pause at the bottom of the exhale before you consciously inhale again. Inhale and exhale deeply again. Now, bring your attention to your surroundings, your inner emotions and watch, just be and observe, no judgment. Take another breath, close your eyes. Breathe it in, breathe it out and repeat. Check in with your state of mind.

You can use this as a calming influence; as you talk on the phone, argue with a disgruntled client or unhappy relative, while you wait on line with impatience, at the computer which frustrates or at a stop sign, red light or point in traffic. It becomes a santuary of peace. You control and choose your moment. If you find you need to regroup because of disappointment, anger or frustration, you can decide to breathe and bring your awareness back to the now. If you are disturbed or perplexed, remember you have the power to move into solution, acceptance or give yourself a time out. Before you act inappropriately, use this easy, free tool to calm your response. It allots you space to reason and reflect. In order to come from a loving, authentic place within, instead of a habitual, knee jerk reaction we might regret, this pause grants us a chance to enter a gap where grace can open our perspective.

Anytime you move, think or create, synchronize with your breath and wind it down a notch. It will undoubtedly enhance your awareness and enrich your life.  Let the ebb and flow take the tide out. As a result, with clarity, our priorities begin to shift. Our viewpoints widen while our focus sharpens.

I breathe into a living meditation. I bring healing notes to the symphony of my life as I consciously breathe. I know how to ease my mind and fill my spirit by breathing into my body.