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Mind-body war and peace
Mind-body practices are becoming increasingly popular. Consciously or subconsciously, we are seeking for ways to connect the body with the mind.
A scientific view of a relationship between the mind and the brain is quite controversial. An author of The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry Dr. Rupert Sheldrake’s stirred a debate on TED. His provocative talk on ten dogmas of science was removed from TED’s distribution channel. One of the dogmas is that the mind is inside a human’s brain. Dr. Sheldrake argues that the mind is extended beyond the brain and has field-like properties. This concept is appealing to a mind-body practitioner. If a mind is a field of something, then is it possible to spread it out to the corners of the Universe, or zero it in on a tiniest particle? Perhaps, even send messages of love and hope to all humanity and the Earth?
I certainly did not think so when I started my journey to inner peace. My mind was my biggest enemy – thinking thoughts I did not want to think, judging, comparing, making excuses, etc. I thought the only solution was to endure that crappy small mind. Until I experienced a bigger mind during an intense hot yoga class. I was at a low point of my life – a failed relationship, depression. Nothing seemed to work, no matter how hard I tried. In my mind I surrendered and admitted defeat. At that moment a bigger mind appeared. That wondrous moment gave me hope and I started to look for ways to expand my mind. I deduced that intense physical exertion was one of the prerequisites to enter the gate and that the only way to subdue the small mind was to declare a mind-body war – wear out the body, challenge it with painful exercises, and the small mind will retreat. Tame the beast. This short-term surrender of the small mind does not guarantee long-term benefits, though, and the body will eventually get weaker and weaker.
The other end of the spectrum is meditation and mindfulness practices (e.g., Kigong, a healing martial art). Growing the mind is the first priority. The small mind may be kicking and screaming, throwing tantrums or whispering gentle comforting words. Enduring a mind’s revolt could be a painful and mind-numbing experience. It is important to remember that small mind does not define you, is not you, and has as much power as you are willing to give to it. This realization leads to a first denial of self.
When meditation and Kigong are practiced with the right principles and direction, all the other benefits will follow – physical health, tranquility, blossoming of talents, creativity, improved quality of life. What a great return on investment with generous dividends and unlimited payoff potential in the long run.
Every time I experience the expansion of the mind and overflow of energy through daily practice of meditation and Kigong, it truly feels like a miracle – a miracle of Life and human potential.
Meditate – in your dreams!
Lucid dreams are the dreams in which one is aware that one is dreaming.
My friend had recently described his lucid dream to me. I was captivated by it. Strangely enough, the next morning I myself had a lucid dream. I am saying morning because I was aware it was early morning. In that dream I was trying to find my friend without success. I looked and I searched everywhere and I could not find her. I was desperate. It was nighttime in my dream, yet I was aware of the actual time of the day. Finally I decided to stop worrying and meditate. I sat, focused, and after feeling empty fullness and calmness, I sent bright pure energy to my missing friend. It felt good. Then I woke up refreshed and puzzled by the dream.
The first thing I did was calling my friend to make sure she was okay. She was. Then I realized I made a subconscious/conscious choice in my dream – instead of worrying I chose hope. I chose to help from my heart. I meditated in my dream.
Little by little conscious consistent choices in real life clear and purify my subconscious world and even dreams change.
Have bright dreams!
Bliss of Responsibility
As a practitioner seeking to improve myself, I struggle with challenges of life, work, and relationships. Before I started teaching meditation and Ki-Gong classes, I was told by my guide and other practitioners that teaching would help me to open my heart and grow much faster. I chose to follow that advice despite my perceived obstacles – fear, responsibility, lack of experience, etc. And I reaped enormous benefits over the years of teaching which I would like to share.
One of the memorable experiences from my early years of teaching was feeling a powerful Ki energy flow in the back of my legs during stretching exercise. My bladder meridians were wide open and I felt as if my legs were electrical poles. I did not want to stand up.
Some days I would take a class as a student and then teach a class right after. The difference in the ability to clear away unproductive emotions and thoughts between taking and teaching a class has always astounded me. Whatever accumulated stress and emotions I had prior to teaching class, would disappear almost immediately once I start focusing on delivering what practitioners need the most in that particular moment in time. My mind would become focused, yet spread out. Inquisitive, yet centered. My heart would become content and overflowing with love.
Who gets the most benefit from my classes? You guessed right – I do, thus proving the well-known principle “giving is receiving.”
“With freedom comes responsibility.” said Eleanor Roosevelt. I’d say: “With responsibility of growing myself comes freedom to choose my Higher Self.”
Thank you for providing me with the practical tools and a stage to grow, Harmony Meditation!
Protect the Dreamer
Do you have a person or a teacher in your life who gives you magnificent hopes and dreams? Dreams about a better you, your life, and the Earth? To dream is to have hope, creativity, and the power to actualize the dreams in reality. Productive dreaming requires a conjoint and deliberate effort of the heart and the mind.
If you have a guide who helps you utilize your brain for dreaming and creation, congratulations! Protect the dreamer in your guide and yourself.
Design your most incredible, heat-warming and uplifting dream. Infuse it with focus, persistence, and courage. Awesomize with amazing people who will help you along the way. Sprinkle with memorable and happy pictures. Nourish with utmost care and unyielding will.
I wish your heart’s deepest desire and dream come true!
I dream, therefore I exist.
August Strindberg
