Often I get asked by my students “what is the difference between relaxation and meditation?” Nowadays a lot of people use the terms very loosely and yet there is a distinct difference.

Meditation is the harder one to explain and to attain! There a number of definitions. “Meditation is a continuous flow of perception or thought, like the flow of water in a river.” This quote is from Swami Vishnu Devananda.

Others have described it as a completely blank, still mind or the process of coming to inner stillness. Our thoughts are like the ripples on a very still lake, the less thoughts we have, the stiller the lake becomes till there are no more ripples. The mind is still and we find our true inner essence in that stillness. It is in that stillness that we realise that the core of us, our very essence, is unchangeable, no matter what happens around us on the outside. This knowing gives us a deep sense of peace.

Consciously or unconsciously all human beings are somehow seeking peace of mind. Everybody does it in a different way. For some it is sitting down and doing embroidery, going fishing, going for a walk and observe nature with fresh eyes. For some it might even be writing code for a website! When our attention is focussed on one thing, one object and we don’t think of anything else, the constant chatter of the mind stops. The mind becomes quiet and silent. We completely can forget our worries and problems.

Unfortunately this is only temporary. As soon as we stop our activity the mind goes back to its old habits, the thoughts and worries come back with a vengence.

Initially the same happens when doing meditation. We temporarily achieve stillness and as soon as we finish our practice, everyday life catches up again. With practice the mind stays more calm and still even after we return to our everyday activities. When we do get out of balance, it becomes easier and quicker to regain it. So don’t give up.

Till next time
Connie,
Your Yoga Partner
from
http://www.yogainahurry.com

Does a dog have Buddha nature?

The tiny chihuahua who thinks he’s a Buddhist monk!

Animal of pray….

I found three different articles with the above headlines. They all are talking about a small Chihuahua by the name of Conan. He is a long-haired black and white dog who lives at a Buddhist temple in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.

Conan has learnt how to offer prayers in the temple. He looks really cute standing on his hind legs and having his front paws folded in prayer position. He sits next to his master, Joei Yoshikuni, the temple’s priest.

When Conan was 5 months old, his master taught him the prayer position, bribing him with a treat. It only took a few days for the cute Chihuahua to learn the position.

Word about the praying dog quickly spread. He became known all over the world. More and more people started attending the temple. The priest is especially pleased that a lot of younger people are finding their way to the temple and learn about the particular form of Zen Buddhism offered.

“Zazen will help you to seek the true self by emptying your self-consciousness and judgmental thinking,” said Yoshikuni’s father, Jogen Yoshikuni, the chief priest.

Sitting straight and pressing your hands together is a posture to symbolize humbling yourself and meditating to see things with your mind’s eye, he said.

The chief priest said he is pleased to see Conan following the teaching - in form, at least.” (quote is from an article by Chiyomi Sumida Stars and Stripes Scene, Sunday, April 20, 2008 - you can also find some cute photos there!)

Conan most probably has his mind on his treats and not the spiritual path! Now he puts himself into the “prayer” position in front of the visitors and is richly rewarded!

Here is a link to another article with photos: http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/03/24/1386137-dog-prays-at-japanese-zen-temple

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

Change Your Mind Day 2008 was celebrated on June 7th, 2008. (The first Saturday in June)

In 1993 Tricycle (a Buddhist magazine in the United States) created Change Your Mind Day, “an afternoon of free meditation instruction, as a way of introducing the general public to Buddhist thought and practice. Tricycle decided to hold the teachings out of doors, as in the time of the Buddha, in the hopes of welcoming people who otherwise might shy away from the formality of a zendo or gompa.”

The organisation booked a hill in central Park and a few hundred people showed up for the first Change Your Mind Day.  There were newcomers as well as experienced meditators.

The following text is taken directly from Tricycle’s website:

“Seven Buddhist teachers from different lineages gave instruction. Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass performed “Do the Meditation Rock.”  Maggie Newman got the crowd up on their feet to do twenty minutes of tai-ch’i. And a lone shakuhachi — a Japanese flute — ended the day as the sun began to set behind the trees.

Change Your Mind Day has since grown into a worldwide event and will now be held annually on the first Saturday in June. In response to growing interest, Tricycle began providing international access to this event in 2007 by hosting a virtual Change Your Mind Day. We now provide audio and video files of guided dharma talks on our website, thus making a growing library of dharma resources available to anyone with a computer.

In addition, the Tricycle website serves as the host site for Change Your Mind Days around the world. Some of these gatherings are large, and attract thousands of people, while others consist of a handful of people who sit together and read guided meditations from various Buddhist traditions. But whether attended by many or few, the event is always powerful, connecting thousands of silent sitters around the globe.”

Below is the link for more information:

www.tricycle.com/foundation/change.html

The reason I found out about “Change Your Mind Day” was a Sports Programme called “Grandstand” on ABC Radio. The show revolved around tennis, how the famous players get and stay “in the Zone” and how meditation and awareness can be helpful in getting and maintaining that intense focus that is evident in the very successful players. The commentators’ view was that some past tennis players had highly developed technical skills but could not maintain their focus so their careers never amounted to anything. It seems that intense focus is crucial for success in any field and that highly developed skills are only part of the story. Some food for thought here and all the more reason to meditate regularly.

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to a most wonderful and inspiring woman by the name of Petrea King. She runs the “Quest for Life” Centre in Bundanoon (south of Sydney) and does great work there. Her main focus are people with life threatening illnesses (mainly cancer) but she does some other work as well.

She gave a lecture during my yoga teachers’ training course and I have seen her speak at some other events since. Her own life story is remarkable.

She created some wonderful relaxation and meditation CDs, her voice is so soothing. I have used her tapes (yes, tapes - I bought them maybe 17 years ago) for a lot of my classes and groups and participants have benefited greatly from them. My personal favourite is the “Dolphin relaxation”.

Please go to her website to check things out: www.questforlife.com.au

At the bottom left hand side of her site is a button to click on for the “Rainbow Ritual” for children. Make sure you download this wonderful free resource.

I am simply promoting Petrea because she has so much to offer and I love her products. I get no financial reward for doing so.