Tag Archives: lovingkindness

Lovingkindness meditation

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Fredonia NY Daylily (ckg photo)

This is a GREAT time to practice METTA or Lovingkindness meditation. HAITI challenges us to step up to the compassion plate. Please try to offer some lovingkindness for not only the Haitians effected by the earthquake, but also for their families,the aid workers, and the governments involved that something may be done to ease the long-term suffering of the Haitians. Teachers, please consider beginning or ending your classes by teaching your students the metta phrases and offering them for Haitians everywhere.

This post is a looooong overdue response to Svasti’s comment on LaughingYogini’s Home or Homeless? post regarding Lovingkindness meditation. In the post I said:

MEDITATION: Georg Feuerstein, in The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali, says that there is a meditation wherein the four virtues: friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity are radiated from the practitioner into the universe. This sounds very similar to metta or lovingkindness meditation that I have mentioned before. Beginning with oneself, and eventually including all sentient beings, the meditator offers the following phrases (or others that resonate more deeply):

May I be free from danger.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I live with ease and abundance.

Svasti responded to that excerpt:

What annoys me about the Feuerstein quote is the ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’. Generally most prayers are phrased as:

May all beings be free from danger.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings live with ease and abundance.

To me, this is much healthier, because its recognizing all conscious beings and offering to one and all, Self included.

I am afraid that I misrepresented Feuerstein in that piece.There should be a break in the middle of that paragraph, when I begin MY thoughts (& depart from paraphrasing GF): This sounds very similar to metta or lovingkindness meditation that I have mentioned before. Beginning with oneself, and eventually including all sentient beings, the meditator offers the following phrases (or others that resonate more deeply).

The other misunderstanding comes from an insufficient explanation of metta practice in the earlier post. For that I refer the reader to LaughingYogini’s page on Lovingkindness Meditation, which can be found here.

Home or Homeless? Yoga sutra 1.33

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Royal Bonica rosebud

Royal Bonica Rosebud (carolyn photo)

Grieving with friends and family of someone who has passed blesses us with stories we may not have ever known otherwise.

While in Houston, E.’s father shared an inspiring account of a homeless man living beneath a highway overpass near their home. Over time, they recognized and began to speak with him. Eventually, whenever father or daughter saw him there, they began leaving plates of food and some clothing. Because of their generosity, I was moved to make a donation to a homeless shelter in Houston. It’s true that generosity inspires generosity!

Patanjali tells us that compassion is one of the tools we can use to calm the mind: Yoga sutra 1.33: maitri karuna mudita upeksanam sukha duhkha punya apunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam

The projection of friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity towards objects – [be they] joyful, sorrowful, meritorious, or demeritorious-[bring about] the pacification of consciousness. (trans. Feuerstein)

Though I’m focusing on compassion today, the practices of friendliness, gladness, or equanimity would bestow similar benefits that I’d like to discuss in future posts.

This aphorism, or sutra, reminds me of Simon and Garfinkle’s ode to loneliness, “I am a Rock.” The following video is from the unofficial Paul Simon Page, located on 2dannyc89′s Channel.


This is the path I get stuck on …stuck in grief, alienation, and self-absorption….when I don’t practice the outward-looking virtues.

The ideals expressed in yoga sutra # 1.33 have been used to transform human relationships and better society since ancient times.  Barbara Stoler Miller in Yoga, Discipline of Freedom, says they echo early Buddhist monks practices even as they are relevant and useful to us in the 21st century because:

These practices work to demolish the boundaries between oneself and others, and to break through the barriers that lock people into egoism….bring about a transmutation of personal emotions into immeasurable virtues.

We are reminded in B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on the Sutras of Patanjali to not limit our social work with these four virtues, but to include practice of the five virtues named in the yamas mentioned in sutra 2.30: nonharming, honesty, non-stealing, moderation, non-grasping.

We call these social virtues because they benefit not only ourselves, they also bring society into a state of health. Can we live in a health-ful rather than a dys-functional society? If we take these aphorisms to heart and into our lives, it certainly seems possible!

A friend on FaceBook posted a thought-provoking video that cuts to the heart of this sutra. I hope it will benefit you today just as the story E.’s father shared, inspired me.

Mankind Is No Island from B2GYouth.com on Vimeo.

MEDITATION: Georg Feuerstein, in The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali, says that there is a meditation wherein the four virtues: friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity are radiated from the practitioner into the universe. This sounds very similar to metta or lovingkindness meditation that I have mentioned before. Beginning with oneself, and eventually including all sentient beings, the meditator offers the following phrases (or others that resonate more deeply):

May I be free from danger.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I live with ease and abundance.

 



Just Another Day, Another Gift

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As the days pass one after another and we tumble towards the holidays with all of the attendant socializing, as we are pulled from our routine and from our meditation and yogic practices, as we get swept up in holiday traditions that don’t suit our present lifestyle or values, it’s worthwhile to take a break from it all, and pray with Brother Steindl-Rast for gratitude to fill our lives. It’s such a cliche, but come on, what IS really important? What is the most meaningful gift we can give to our family, friends, to the world?

In a way, all of our practices are geared towards cultivating an attitude of gratefulness. Gratefulness grows out of mindfulness practice. Each and every breath is unique. Multiple gifts: both the breath itself, the prana that flows, as well as the ability to see and feel it. Gratefulness radiates from a healthy asana practice. Again, we observe many gifts in a single pose: the physical ability to “perform,” the areas of personal challenge which push us to go deeper, the beauty of synchronizing mind, breath, spirit when it happens. Gratitude showers upon us in sitting meditation when we recognize the gift of the practice itself in our lives, the boon of insight when it occurs, the attendant emotional states that teach us about our hearts.

JOURNAL EXERCISE: In this season of gift giving, it is very worthwhile to compile one or more gratitude lists BEFORE any gift exchange you may be involved in. What are you grateful for in your partner, your parents, your children, your coworkers, your neighbor (especially that really annoying one!), your gramma. How about creating a new list each morning before the day rumbles into full gear. Be sure to give yourself a list too. There is after all, no one more deserving of your love!

If any of the above are difficult, then try ramping up your lovingkindness or tonglen meditation practices.

Here is a seven minute lovingkindness meditation with insight meditation teacher, Sharon Salzburg if you are unfamiliar with this practice.

And here is a five minute description, also from Beliefnet, of Shambala teacher Pema Chodron leading tonglen practice if you are unsure of this technique.

Let’s head into the holidays with a commitment to being grateful for every single moment in our lives and for every single person in our lives. The blessing of every single day will then become the most meaningful gift and truly, one that radiates outward as it “keeps on giving.”

NAMASTE!

Wild Turkeys – Interbeing

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While walking around the yard this afternoon, thinking about the myriad garden chores that need to be done before the white stuff blankets my green babies, I heard a strange whistling. Turning around, Tom & Terry Turkey strutted with Junior trailing not far away. If you’ve never seen one of these quirky birds, check out National Geographic’s Turkey Trot. Seeing me notice them, they quietly slipped through the neighbor’s Rose of Sharon bushes and disappeared from sight.

Fredonia Brunnera leaf

I checked the Brunnera divisions I’d planted midsummer, and meditated upon how much like the turkey I am. Silently I wander the yard everyday, looking for food when it’s available, but mostly just enjoying being in the *natural* environment. This summer the turkeys have taken to meandering through the neighborhood, checking backyard bird feeders. Previously they came out of the hills only in deep winter, apparently looking for food.

Yesterday when Mike and I began our walk, a Bald Eagle circled above, soaring in the thermals – Its white head and tail clearly defining our national symbol. I cocked my head back and waved, wondering if s/he saw me. Eagles have such incredible vision.

Do turkeys have a sense of aesthetic and enjoy being with the plants as much as I do? Does the eagle relish the feel of a warm breeze on its skin? Are we all simply looking for food and nourishment wherever we go?

The Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, delivers a story of inter-being in his his classic text, PEACE IS EVERY STEP. He relates how everything is related to the piece of paper (or the computer screen I’d add) you may be reading now is related to everything else, from the tree the paper was made from to the logger’s family to you with your perception of the words, and then all of your contacts; well, you get the idea. Can we hold all beings at equal distance, not loving one more than another? Can we, as Lovingkindness meditation master, Sharon Salzburg says on her Lovingkindness meditation cd, exist beyond the barriers of us against them? Can we love ourselves that much – so that we recognize ourselves in the turkey or the eagle?

I snipped a Winter Sunset Rosebud to enjoy on these chilly days indoors, then I fill my pocket with the last of the green beans dangling on vines like ribbons of energy. Prana. Pure prana and we’re all a part of it.

Practicing Gratitude, Head Balance

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HURRICANE IKE hit and the gang in Houston remains without power. Dinners have become very interesting. And the nights are long. A great time for meditation! By the way, Laughing Yogini’s server is wrapped in plastic in a bathroom until power returns. If you have left a comment, it won’t be approved until nutopia is back on line. Try re-submitting to the yogini at laughingyogini dot com and I’ll see what I can do from here. Lots of lovingkindness meditations going out to those whose lives have been shattered by the storm.

We all have an opportunity to practice gratitude – name 5 aspects of your life that you are grateful for. Can be anything …here are a couple of mine: the smell of my shampoo, the delicious cup of coffee I enjoyed this morning, the sweetness of the breeze upon the skin of my face, being able to tie my shoes, a very cool student who smiled at me this morning. Do this every day, either in meditation or in your journal, and the practice will go far towards alleviating sadness and depression – those “I feel so sorry for myself” moments that come upon us even in the best of times.

chair head balance


My own many years-long struggle with head balance surfaced in a dream. Yogis need to constantly work against the inevitable frustration that comes from self-imposed goals and standards. I work at letting the frustration become the guru! Sitting in my heart, the frustration offers a lesson of acceptance, very tangibly. Surrendering into self-acceptance, my asana begins to take off. And if it doesn’t soar in a way that LOOKS better, it most certainly FEELS better, enabling access to the particular energy flow of the asana.

********************************************

Dream of a Perfect Head Balance

In the screened sunroom of this dream,

your long white hair and fierce sapphire eyes

shone like far-away stars. I was teaching you

how to stand on your head—

separation from your wife had left you

a quagmire of guilt, a swamp of suffering.

Night surrounded the room as it usually does

in my dreams, but we worked in a circle of light.

Kneeling in the middle of the reed rug

I explained how to press your ulnar points,

how to lift through the shoulders, how to reach

through the balls of the toes.

Though I have yet to do this in my life,

I demonstrated a perfect sirsasana

without any wall for support.

You nodded, attentive to every detail.

I assured you regular practice of head balance

would discipline your mind, broaden your spirit,

and warned heart trouble was a contraindication.

*********************************************

Then there are those poses that, well, you really can barely make an attempt. For me, those are the arm balances. I set up my props, and psyche myself by visualizing myself in the pose, and blam…the lift-off does not happen. At that point, it’s either a flop into frustration OR I can choose to enjoy the ride. In this case, the ride doesn’t go very far, but hey, it was fun falling on my face a few times. Afterwards, as I curl into Child Pose, the seeds of gratitude for even being able to attempt such the inversion, germinate, filling me with light. Laughing at how silly I must have looked trying fuels the spirit of exploration that’s so important for a healthy yoga practice. It breaks the chains of competition in class too because every student is trying to challenge individual, personal edges.

How do you deal with frustration in your daily practice or in group classes? Do your frustrations surface in your dreams? Have you written about them?

Have you found any satisfaction from practicing gratitude?

How does this relate to contentment …to peace…to compassion…in your life?