Love Wins

A bumper sticker I saw on the way back from Lake Michigan today. Something to think about, especially when we're feeling less than loving.

Mindfulness as a Way to Liberation

This past weekend I attended a Mindfulness Yoga workshop at the Ann Arbor Zen Temple with instructor Frank Jude Boccio. He is both a Buddhist practitioner and a yoga teacher. He had a very easy-to-understand explanation of The Four Noble Truths which goes right to the heart of what I have been working on in my own personal practice lately.

Dukkha - Literally meaning "wrong hole," as in a wheel that is mis-aligned, the Buddha reminds us that 'stuff happens.' We age, suffer illness and pain, are separated from what and whom we desire, are confronted with experiences we don't want, and then we die.

Samudaya - In response to dukkha, feelings arise. When experience is pleasant, we thirst to prolong it, getting caught in grasping and clinging; when unpleasant, we get caught in resistance, thirsting for things to be different; and when neutral, we become confused or caught in boredom and ignorance. We thirst for distraction and oblivion.

Nirodha - The practice of 'containment' or 'yoking.' We do not deny or suppress our feelings, but neither do we vent or express them as a strategy to avoid or eliminate them. Rather, through a mindfulness/meditation practice, we learn to contain our reactivity. By not reacting, we actually learn how to simply feel.

Marga - Once our conditioned reactivity has been contained, we are free to choose how to creatively and skillfully respond to our experience. Our life becomes the path of awakening.

Some good ideas to meditate on.

Karma Yoga & Tears

Yesterday I did some karma yoga by serving lunch at the Delonis Center, Ann Arbor's homeless shelter. I had worked in the kitchen there once before, preparing a meal, but this was my first time actually being in contact with the people who came in. What a humbling, emotional experience. I found myself fighting to hold back tears a few times. What were the tears from? Well, first of all, just compassion for my fellow human beings who are 'getting the short end of the stick' so-to-speak. Secondly, they were tears of empathy. I have been dealing with a lot of pain, sadness and unpleasantness in my life lately, and when I see those things in someone else, my heart just goes out to them; I can relate. Finally, the tears were of gratitude. I was reminded that no matter how painful my current situation is and how much I've lost, I still have a roof over my head and food in my refrigerator. I can sleep in my own bed at night, I have a job that pays my bills, and I have supportive friends and family (plus a bunch of awesome yoga students!). I am blessed, and I need to remind myself of that more often. We all do.