Yesterday I happened to sit in on a training session for people who had been unemployed for anywhere between 3 months to a number of years.

The trainer tried to challenge some basic assumptions and asked the question what really motivated people. He wrote two words on the white board: “Fear” and “Will”. His explanation was that people do things either because they are afraid of something or because they really want to achieve something. In this case the question was whether people were in the group because they were afraid of the “Department” cutting their payments or because they really wanted to get a job. He asked: “What would happen if you got a job tomorrow?” There was a stunned silence in the room…..

This reminded me of the time I ran goal setting and planning sessions for people who for various reasons thought or felt that they were not in control of their lives. I asked the question: “What would you wish for if you had a magic wand and could change your life in whatever way you wanted to?” I usually was greeted with stunned silence as well….

Why is this? What would you answer if you had the option to change your life completely? Would you really want to? Or would you rather stay where you are?

I found over the years that change is one of the scariest things for human beings. We are creatures of habit. The only thing that brings about change is pain. It doesn’t matter whether this pain is physical or emotional - we want it to go away. We will do just enough to make the pain subside. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to deal with pain.

Yoga of course is one of the healthy ways of dealing with pain and bringing about change. I have many students who keep telling me: “I wish my husband/wife/partner would come to class, it would be so good for them…”

You know what I have found over time consulting a large number of people?

The pain people are experiencing has to be greater than the pain caused by the change they will have to make to alleviate the pain. 

I leave you with this thought for today, let me know what you think. Post a comment. You don’t have to agree with me, you might have a totally different opinion.

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

At the moment I am participating in a “Giveaway Event”. This means a group of people (usually internet marketers)  get together and put up gifts for everybody to download.

I am really proud to be associated with this particular giveaway and have contributed a gift myself. This is the first time I have done this, please go and have a look.

http://www.wonderfulwebgiveaway2008.com/members.php?id=286

Any giveaway is only open for a limited time (this one closes in 2 weeks). There are lots of gifts. Head over there as soon as you can because it will take you a lot of time to download all the gifts you are interested in.

I am sure you will find something of interest there.

Here is the link again:

http://www.wonderfulwebgiveaway2008.com/members.php?id=286

Till next time

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

A few days ago I listened to a talk by Nancy Marmolejo, a successful internet marketer. Her specialty is creating videos to be used on the internet.

Nancy’s heritage is partially Aztec and there is a very interesting philosophy in that tradition. The idea is that every person has “medicine”. This “medicine” is a special gift or gifts this person is endowed with. It is the sort of gift (knowledge, talent, special characteristics) that can be shared with others. Those getting in contact with you will then benefit from your special gift(s).

One could nearly say that it is our duty to share our gifts, to make them available to the world. Don’t hide them - somebody will benefit. Get your message out there! Be yourself, let the medicine and message take over. Don’t let self consciousness stand in your way. Find a way to overcome all obstacles.

I found it very interesting that Shaune Clarke another well known internet marketer and interviewer Yoga Moments at the World Internet Summit in Sydney (Part 4) spoke of very similar things, he called them “talents”.

Yoga takes a slightly different approach - but again the message is to be true to yourself, to find your authentic self, your centre and your Higher Self and be guided by them. Don’t do things that do not come from your authentic self.

Cultivate compassion for all beings. (Yourself first of all!!) I would go so far as to say that it is impossible to be truly compassionate towards others if you are not compassionate towards yourself. I want to leave you with this thought for today.

Here’s to our gifts, talents, medicine…….may they develop and prosper and let us share them with the world!

Connie

Your Yoga Partner

from

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