Gratitude

I am grateful for life. Today the Spirit of Gratitude influences every thought, word and deed. Everything around me is full of love and appreciation. I relax into deep peace, counting my blessings and fully experiencing my joy.

Dalai Lama and Religion

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Commitment to Practice

It has being a long time since I last came here. Lots of things had happened in my spiritual journey. I continue my Yoga practice and my meditation practice is challenging at times. I practice traditional Vipassana meditation and Kundalini meditation as well since Kundalini has become one of my favorites Yoga disciplines for the last two years. At times I wonder if they go well together, or if they contradict each other but the reality is that practicing both helps me feel good inside, more compassionate to myself and to the world, less judgmental and gives me happiness. My biggest challenge is to be constant. Discipline, discipline, discipline! At this moment there is a 40 day world commitment Sadhana within the Kundalini community and I am preparing myself to commit to this sitting/practice. When we practice a behavior for 40 days that makes a difference in our lives. We allow ourselves to change into more healthy behaviors and that is good. We all need that. Lets see if I can do this and I promise to be connected to share my progress.

Compassion

It is wonderful to see that spring is finally here. Yesterday I went for a walk next to a river and I was able to connect with nature as I was listening to the multiple birds chirping, the sound of the river’s current, and the warmth of the sun showering my face. This helped me be in the present moment, just there nowhere else. These moments become my most peaceful moments when I can be in now, when I can be in touch with my essence. I wish I could do feel this way at all times. I am learning to practice compassion not only to others but to myself. I find that sometimes we become the most judgmental people not towards others but to ourselves. I find myself trapped in this cycle often and I need to practice awareness, be kind and compassionate with me. By practicing compassion with myself I become more compassionate toward my fellow human beings and by being in the present moment, becoming more aware is when I learn to recognize when I am not being compassionate.
Namaste'

This important part of my life

Finally I decided to talk about this important part of my life. Yeap, something quite personal, things that you sometimes decide not to share, some struggles of course and my philosophy of life. Spirituality is a major component of my life, I do not call myself a religious person even thoughg I grew up in a very Catholic family, attended a Christian Church for five years and quit after I began feeling that my philosophy of life was a little different. All my life I have practice Yoga and Meditation more at some points than others. I remember picking up my first Yoga book when I was seven or eight years old from the public library, Yeap during those times was a lot easier to do Lotus than now that is for sure :-). While was in the military I stop practicing and did not pick my practice up again until 2004 while I was in my doctoral program and working full time and my stress level was kicking up and my health was not the best facing Lupus and a history of stroke and partial seizures. Yes my body was breaking apart and the only thing I knew what to do best was to return to my practice of childhood.

Along with my Yoga practice and my meditation I began reading about Buddhist thought. Books written by Thich Nhat Hanh, Sharon Salzberg, Pema Chodron and others helped me to deepen my practice but still I consider myself as still having a "monkey mind."

I am hoping that these thoughts will continue to help me deepen my practice as well.

Namaste