Jiva Offerings: January 2011

Starting in the new year, I will be transitioning from teaching my regular Sunday Jivamukti class, to teaching the Saturday class. As part of this change, I decided to super charge the Saturday classes by donating all my teaching proceeds to a charity. Each month will be dedicated to a different charity, and throughout the classes I'll be talking a bit about the good works that organization is doing.

This will accomplish a couple of things....Firstly, all the students coming to class will, by default, be donating towards that charity, so coming to class will be an act of generosity to oneself and to others! This is exactly in line with the Jivamukti ethos of serving all living beings - lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu.

Secondly, this will be a great way to learn about the important work being done by nonprofits and volunteer organizations worldwide. Perhaps this might even inspire some to look into certain causes and issues more deeply.

Thirdly, this gesture is my response to the inspiration I felt by Peter Singer's  The Life You Can Save. The book's message is that our current response to world poverty is not only insufficient but ethically indefensible. He argues that we need to change our views of what is involved in living an ethical life. To help us play our part in bringing about that change, we need to dedicate ourselves to personal philanthropy (figuring how much to give and how best to give it), local activism (spreading the word in your community), and political awareness (contacting your representatives to ensure that your nation’s foreign aid is really directed to the world’s poorest people). He writes:

For the first time in history, it is now within our reach to eradicate world poverty and the suffering it brings. Yet around the world, a billion people struggle to live each day on less than many of us pay for bottled water that we don't even need. And though the number of deaths attributable to poverty worldwide has fallen dramatically in the past half-century, nearly nine million children still die unnecessarily each year. The people of the developed world face a profound choice: If we are not to turn our backs on a fifth of the world’s population, we must become part of the solution.

So join me in becoming part of the solution in 2011!

*************** January's Charity *****************

Yoga Prison Project

The goal of the Prison Yoga Project is to expand the practice of Hatha Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation to prisons and rehabilitation facilities, and to provide training for Yoga instructors interested in teaching to at-risk populations in prisons, residential rehabilitation facilities, and community programs.

Their programs aim to help people shift unconscious behavioral patterns of reacting into conscious ways of responding by teaching individuals the skill of clearly witnessing their moment-to-moment experience. Learning this fundamental behavioral shift can make the difference between a person committing a crime or not.

Hundreds of prisoners, those serving life sentences as well as men who have been released from prison, have been introduced to the self-transformative benefits of yoga and meditation through the Prison Yoga Project's program at San Quentin.



DONATIONS:
Just $20 provides 4 yoga practice manuals for prisoners.

Celebrate and Elevate: New Year's Eve Event

-- SOLD OUT ---

Looking for an alternative to the average over-priced, hangover-inducing new year's party? Connect with the intention of new beginnings and community in this sacred and celebratory evening!

Celebrate and Elevate

New Year's Eve 2010

with Agatha Glowacki & Justin Blazejewski

Date: Fri 12/31/2010
Time: 9:00 PM - Midnight
Flow Yoga Center, Washington DC

Purify through a vigorous asana practice, release through deep yoga nidra, and reconnect with your spirit through sacred silence.

9-10:30pm - Special Jivamukti class with Agi Glowacki (open to all levels)
10:30-11:30pm - Yoga Nidra practice with Justin Blazejewski
11:30-midnight - Mauna (sacred silence), with traditional Puja ceremony and meditation
Midnight - Sparkling cider toast!

REGISTER HERE.

We are donating proceeds from this event to benefit the important work that Anahata Grace is doing in bring healing to our soldiers. Specifically the money will go towards the next "Troop Retreat" for veterans where, at no cost to the veterans, a team of trauma therapists spend 3 days helping them heal from the trauma experienced in war.

Everything is Amazing..........and nobody is happy!

The focus for Jivamukti yoga for December is on how everything in this world is sacred. I love this concept and am immediately reminded of a hilarious YouTube video that recently went viral.....you might have seen it. It is of when comedian Louis CK appeared on the Conan O’Brien show and talked about how “Everything’s Amazing, and Nobody’s Happy.”

Louis CK points out that we tend to take the miraculousness of our lives for granted and instead of appreciating it, we have resorted to complaining and always feeling displeased.  
Definitely watch it HERE.

"We live in an amazing, amazing world, and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots that don't care!"

"You're sitting in a chair, IN THE SKY, and you're complaining that it won't RECLINE??"

Brilliant!

Just reaffirms to me that comedy is often the most accurate way to depict the rich absurdity of our reality.....

So, going back to the focus for Jivamukti, the basic idea is that if only we viewed our lives and situations with the correct perspective we would be much happier. Like see everything as actually being.........sacred.

Awakening Joy Course - November

The topic for this month is the Joy of Being. Up until now all the topics have been about doing—trying to cultivate specific wholesome states by performing specific actions, such as being generous, expressing gratitude, deepening our compassion or kindness, etc. When we switch to the mode of being, we stop all trying and let ourselves completely rest, simply receiving the moment. This being is available in any moment we remember to be present without any agenda or thoughts about past or future.

This state of being is not foreign to us. Neuroscience expert Rick Hanson has said that: “When you are not hungry or threatened or in pain, your brain’s natural state has these characteristics: It is conscious, calm, contented, caring, and creative.”

There are really three parts to this:

1. The Practice of Equanimity
In Buddhist teachings equanimity (upekkha) is one of four Divine Abodes. Equanimity is the balance of mind that allows things to be as they are. It has a quality of spaciousness and non-contention. In this spaciousness and balance we can rest in the simplicity of being.

There is a story about equanimity in the Zen tradition A fierce general was the scourge of the country, laying waste to everything in his path. When villagers heard he was coming they would flee in terror, which pleased him greatly. Coming to one village, everyone did the expected except for the wise, enlightened abbot of the monastery who stayed just where he was, calmly meditating. Upon hearing that someone was not afraid of him, the general furiously stormed the monastery brandishing his sword. As he approached the abbot he bellowed, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m someone who can run you through with this sword without batting an eye.” To which the abbot replied, “And I, sir, am someone who can be run through without batting an eye.” At that the general bowed and left.

2. Trust and Surrender
This kind of trust is not based on a belief that things will work out just the way we hope, but rather that our awareness will meet the moment when it comes.By learning to trust in the unfolding and in our ability to respond to it, we keep our minds from contracting and getting in the way. Then life becomes an adventure instead of something to fear.

3. The Real Breakthrough: Boredom
One obstacle to the peace of being that can be found in each moment is our inability to enjoy the absence of stimulation. My Tibetan teacher, Trungpa Rinpoche, reportedly once started a lecture with the enticing line, “Tonight I will talk about the real breakthrough in spiritual practice.” The huge crowd in the auditorium was abuzz with excitement, thinking that they would be the fortunate ones to receive the secret teachings. The master then proceeded to ramble on for the next two hours in a rather uninspired manner. As the crowd grew increasingly disappointed and restless, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, leaned forward and whispered to us all, “The real breakthrough is boredom!” He then explained that as long as we are looking for the next experience to delight or entertain us, we miss the peace that is right under our noses, available right now.

“Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower, but is already here, in relaxation and letting go. Wanting to grasp the ungraspable, you exhaust yourself in vain. As soon as you relax this grasping, space is here—open, inviting, and comfortable.”

Awakening Joy Course - October

The topic for this month is the Joy of Compassionate Action. By now, it’s probably clear that happiness and joy are not primarily determined by external circumstances. In Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman mentions a study of 22 people who won the lottery, and found that over time they reverted to their baseline of happiness, winding up no happier than 22 people from a matched control group. On the other side of the equation, 84% of people with extreme quadriplegia consider their life to be average or above average.

If external circumstances aren’t the major determinant, what is?

Both Seligman and Foster and Hicks in How We Choose to Be Happy have found in their research that we bring happiness to ourselves by making a contribution to others, offering them our caring and generosity. Buddhist teachings have been pointing this out for centuries: the key to a fulfilling life is compassionate action.

However, the sublime state of compassion, sometimes defined as “the quivering of the heart in response to suffering,” requires suffering. Suffering is not sublime, of course. But the caring it evokes in us is. The near enemy of compassion is pity, which disguises as compassion, but is actually a contracted state containing aversion. With true compassion the heart remains open. Of course, keeping our hearts open in the face of suffering or when things don’t go as we would like takes patience and practice.

While we can cultivate compassion over time, it turns out that we’re actually wired up for empathy. Modern neuroscience has discovered what are called “mirror neurons” in our brain. The same brain cells that light up when your finger is jabbed with a pin also light up when you observe someone else’s finger being jabbed. The joy that comes with expressing our compassion and caring has a physiological basis. For example, the Vagus nerve filled with oxytocin receptors, the feel-good hormone, is activated when we perform or even see acts of kindness.

It is also a bold act of courage to be compassionate because it hurts to care. Choosing to love in the face of pain IS courage. Being willing to keep the heart open in the face of fear, grief, rage, and overwhelm builds muscles of courage. It’s understandable to be angry at the injustices and ignorance that cause so much suffering. We can become angry because we care. It breaks the heart. The question is do we act out of anger or love? How can I put love into action? Cynicism is a defense against the fact that the heart cares so much. We can choose which place to act from, and come from fierce compassion.

“I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones

among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to

serve.”

Albert Schweitzer

Awakening Joy Course - September

The topic for this month is Connection with Others. Last month we focused on developing a healthy connection with ourselves, the most important relationship of all. This month we turn towards how to connect meaningfully with others - this includes not only people close to us, but everyone we encounter in our lives. Some specific practices that enhance this include:

1. Extending loving-kindness or metta towards others
2. Forgiveness
3. Cultivating a spirit of playfulness

Here is the basic loving-kindness practice. You can do this internally as a meditative exercise or silently, when you are with others during your daily activities.
1. Formulate an image of the person to whom you wish to send metta and reflect on their good qualities.
2. Send them these kinds of thoughts: May you be happy. May you be peaceful. May you be free.
3. Pay attention to how it feels in your body or mind to wish them well.

The Power of Forgiveness: The Doorway to an Open Heart
Even with those closest to us—sometimes especially with those closest to us—frustration and anger can be triggered in a moment, when our expectations aren’t met. When this happens, one practice that supports greater connection is forgiveness.

True forgiveness is based on understanding why people act unskillfully. Although someone’s actions may seem bizarre to us, they make sense to that person. According to the Dalai Lama, an essential component of compassion is realizing that the other person’s words and actions are not about you, but about their internal reality, which has intersected with yours.

• Dr. Fred Luskin, Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, says that the person who benefits most from our forgiveness is ourselves. We are the ones who suffer when our hearts are closed in anger. It is said that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person will get sick.
• It sometimes helps to see that person as a small child doing the best they can and being caught up in his/her own habits of fear or confusion. A key to forgiveness is empathic understanding. Realizing how conditioning makes people to do hurtful things, we can forgive the confusion that led to an unskillful response and begin to replace anger with compassion. Try saying phrases like, “I forgive your confusion.”

Connection through Playfulness, Fun and Laughter
We experience a powerful connection with others when we’re having fun and letting ourselves be playful. Besides feeling close to them, it is one of the most important ways to reduce stress and get out of our heads. Playfulness and humor are crucial elements of our nature; we can enjoy life by lightening up.

• Laughter triggers catecholamines in the brain that heighten alertness. Laughter releases endorphins, the body's natural pain killer. Laughter cleanses the body of the stress hormone cortisol, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and increasing pain tolerance. Laughter's alternating contraction-relaxation of the diaphragm releases tension in the body, bringing our autonomic nervous system into balance. (The physiological effects of a good session of laughter can last up to 45 minutes.)
• Laughter increases the flow of blood and oxygen through our coronary arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Laughter staves off the anxiety and depression that can severely impact heart functioning. Laughter mitigates the damaging effects of inflammation, reducing the pain of arthritis. Laughter strengthens the immune system, helping the body fight off viruses and cancer. Laughter helps stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetics. Laughter improves respiratory functioning in patients with chronic lung disease. Laughter even burns calories.

Compassion Towards Others Makes us Feel Good
Dacher Keltner, UC Professor of Psychology, who runs the UC Greater Good Science Center and is also the author of Born to Be Good, a wonderful user-friendly book with loads of interesting research on the science of well-being. He believes that humans are biologically wired for goodness and compassion.

To support this, he points out the Vagus nerve which runs from the brain stem to the abdomen and has many physiological effects on well-being including triggering the Parasympathetic Nervous System. It is activated by compassion. The Vagus nerve is loaded up with Oxytocin receptors and controls production of this “feel good” neuro-peptide. Oxytocin is released through touch, hugs and seeing others be kind to each other and is designed by evolution to make us take care of and trust others. These, along with mirror neurons, mentioned earlier, make the strong case that we are physiologically capable of spreading goodness to one another through our own behavior.

Awakening Joy Course - August

The topic for this month is Learning to Love Ourselves. This theme follows from last month’s “letting go” theme, because when you let go of the stories of who you think you are, you see that you are truly lovable and worthy of love. This is actually our greatest gift to the world. To the extent we learn to do this we aren’t preoccupied with wondering if or proving that we're all right. Then we can give ourselves to others in service more fully.

Someone once asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama for advice on working with unworthiness. It took some time for him to understand the concept, but when he finally did, he looked straight at the questioner and very emphatically said, "You're wrong! You're absolutely wrong!" He went on to point out that seeing yourself as unworthy is missing the point that you are a perfect expression of life and have the same True Nature as every other living being.

In order to love ourselves we need to accept ourselves just as we are with all of our imperfections. The 3rd Zen Patriarch of China explains this beautifully in his Verses on the Faith Mind when he states that the highest realization is "to be without anxiety about non-perfection." The Buddhist meditation of metta or loving-kindness can help cultivate this attitude. Repeat often the phrases:
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be kind to myself.
May I love and accept myself just as I am.

Lastly, an importance practice is bringing a kind, compassionate voice to our self-talk. Often, awareness of the tone of our thoughts helps us discern between the voice of judgment and the voice of wisdom. If you hear a harsh tone, you know that is not the voice of wisdom. One way to get in touch with this wisdom that wants to take good care of yourself is to ask directly, "What do I need right now for my well-being?" or “What do I need right now to thrive?” Listen for the honest response that comes.

The Buddha, in a famous teaching, said we could search the whole world over and not find anyone more deserving of love than ourselves.

From Marianne Williamson
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who
are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of
us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the
same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The Road to Moksha: (5) Satsang

sat-sangatve nissangatvam, nissangatve nirmohatvam, nirmohatve nishcala-tattvam, nischcala-tattve jivanmuktih


Translation by Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati:
"Good and virtuous company gives rise to non-attachment. From non-attachment comes freedom from delusion. With freedom from delusion, one feels the changeless reality. Experiencing this changeless reality, one attains liberation in this life. I-AM is the ocean of awareness. Realizing this, one feels, 'I am not the body and mind, although I have a body and mind.'"

Satsang defined by Sharon Gannon:

“The yoga scriptures tell us the most important sadhana or spiritual practice that we can be involved in during this time of global crisis and great shifts in consciousness is satsang.  It’s more important than anything else.  More important than meditation or asana or even chanting…when we do chant, if we do it in a Satsang with other people, then of course it is extremely powerful.  Satsang means that we hang out with like minded beings.  That we are in the company of the enlightened mind…You get together for the single purpose of raising consciousness in yourself and supporting others, like right there and then…not like after next week…that’s good too, but the satsang is about actually being with the enlightened mind right now.”

******************************************

Being around others who are on this path is very important because we cannot make it on our own. We are social beings and need reinforcement and support from one another. We must encourage and remind each other of what is truly important. Building a sense of spiritual community is the best way to help people stay motivated to take their practice off the mat and into both the world and their inner lives.

PRACTICES
1. Satsang mantra
2. Kirtan
3. Meditation

The Road to Moksha: (4) Battling Aggression and Greed

Although ignorance is the ultimate obstacle to our liberation, the other two that go hand-in-hand are aggression (or hatred) and greed (or desire).

When we are wrapped up in our own selves at the expense of others, we want more and more and we cling to what we have. This causes energetic knots to develop in our heart center and we become less and less sensitive and open to love. This causes suffering. When we are aggressive we are operating from the same mindset, but there is an added element of fear. By acting out on this fear, we perpetuate this falsity and close ourselves off once again to love.

A powerful antidote to break through those energetic knots are backbends. Even more powerful is vinyasa karma. Ultimately, this sacred asana practice is meant to teach us to detach from our likes and dislikes. By treating each pose equally and with a steady and calm mind (aided by our breath) we work towards conquering hatred and desire.

However, as yogis we are called to examine deeply the root of the issue. If we do so, we realize that both aggression and greed are caused by fundamentally misunderstanding the basic principle that all of creation is interconnected and interdependent. Both lead to an attitude of exploitation. To heal this foundational ignorance, one must radically change how one views life - and one's actions. This is why David and Sharon, and many others, believe that leading a vegan lifestyle - or working towards one - is a solution. This lifestyle paradigm is rooted in an inclusive understanding that all sentient beings, and our Earth, deserve our mercy and kindness. It also sees that being compassionate with other humans isn't enough - we must go to the root impulse of exploitation in order to heal. And that extends to all of life.

PRACTICES
1. Vinyasa Krama
2. Ethical Vegetarianism
3. Backbends

The Road to Moksha: (3) The Fundamental Misunderstanding

Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah. (YS I:2)
When you stop identifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of mind, then there is Yoga, identity with Self, which is Samadhi, happiness, bliss and ecstasy. --Translation by Sharon Gannon

Because we misperceive reality, we suffer. What we think about, who we are, how we believe the world works, is completely wrong. We are not separate entities but interdependent. The world isn’t out there, but we create it in here.

This is good news, but also scary. It makes you 100% responsible for everything. But its good news because it is fundamentally empowering; now you have the power to change. You can never change others or anything ‘out there,’ but knowing it comes from ‘in here’ means you can change it. It is in your hands.

How? Through cultivating wisdom. Through meditation. We train our minds by meditating to tame our thoughts that reflect our conceptual duality. The very nature of thought is to define and divide. This isn’t bad, but it must be brought under control. We work to transcend thought by not identifying with it. Once we begin to understand reality more, we begin to see more connections and feel the sacredness of all life.

The fundamental misunderstanding is the identification of spirit with matter; thinking that the eternal individual soul is the temporary manifestation of the gunas with which we have come to identify and which forms the basis for actions (karma) which bind us to samsara: we think we are these bodies, and what happens to these bodies happens to us. The state of the jivanmukta arises when we are realize that we not our bodies, we are not our minds - we are Spirit.

"You are either wise---or otherwise." –Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

"Mind your own business……which is knowing who you are. That YOU ARE." 

–Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

PRACTICES
1. “Who am I?” Meditation
2. Meditation
3. Inversions

The Road to Moksha: (2) The Guru

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshvara, Guru Sakshat, Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha
Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha

Once we’ve decided to embark on this path, we look to the guidance and the advice of someone ahead of us. We can find this in the teachings of those noble and enlightened souls who’ve progressed on the path of yoga, the ‘gurus’ or those who remove (ru) the mud (gu).

It is said that when we are ready, the guru appears. But we can’t be infantile in our understanding and expect a guru to be a small Indian man with a white beard. Gurus come in many forms – including fierce and unpleasant forms. In one way, you can say that everyone and everything that comes into your life has a lesson for  for you. We just have to be open to it. All the time.

PRACTICES
1. Guru Mantra
2. Read scriptures
3. Child’s pose

The Road to Moksha: (1) The Choice to Be Free

Do you want to be right….or do you want to be free? -Sharon Gannon

Before we start yoga, we must answer this question. By “right” Sharon means our identification with the EGO. (In truth we aren’t actually ‘right’ even though we think we are.) Usually we are faced with this question when undergoing tremendous suffering. Otherwise, we are quite content being ‘right.’ But until we are ready to choose to be free over being right, we can’t embark on the path of yoga. That is why it is said that yoga isn’t for everyone; some people aren’t ready or don’t want to be free. They just want to be right. (How’s that working out for you?)

If you have made the choice to be free, now what? You can’t really trust your mind because that is what got you here in the first place. But you can use your heart and set the intention to let go of the need to be right. Even if you don’t yet know how to become free, you can repeatedly remind yourself to surrender your steel-like grip on your EGO. At this point, it is all about surrender.

This involves humbleness and humility. This is a crucial prerequisite to embarking on the path of yoga. Remember that famous old saying about a student going to a teacher asking for teachings, but the guru says he can’t help him because his cup is already full? This practice is about emptying; recognizing you don’t know how to be free or happy and are lost.

And then work with what you have, your body. This is where the work of tapas, purification, comes in. We use asana and pranayama to start cleansing our ignorance.

But realize this is hard work! The spiritual path is not for the timid. But the point is to make us feel overwhelmed, to break us down, to make us ready for transformation. And you will change. Fundamentally. So commit, if you are ready. And find something to inspire you, to support you, to help you persevere on this arduous path. Find something transcendent. Maybe God, maybe a concept, maybe a person. But find something and let it help you on your journey.

“We don’t have time to live a mediocre life.” – David Life

“You get one life that is so precious it is like a diamond and if you are wasting it, you are selling it like coal.” -- Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

PRACTICES
1. “Let Go” meditation
2. Set your intention, find your inspiration
3. Humble warrior

The Road to Moksha: 5 Week Series

 मोक्ष mokṣa

For the next five weeks starting this Sunday, I will be exploring why we do yoga in the first place -- which is ultimately for moksha, or liberation. Each week I will be covering an essential element of this path.

So, to start off, what is moksha anyway?

Moksha is the Sanskrit word for "release" and refers to the liberation from the suffering of samsara (the cycle of repeated death and rebirth or reincarnation). This concept comes from traditional vedanta philosophy. It is a release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackle of experiential duality, and a realization of one's own fundamental nature, which is Brahman.
 
A jivamukta is one who becomes liberated, or attains moksha, while living. Self-realization is the key to liberation and this is done through yoga.

So, in other words, yoga is both the path and the goal.

As we explore the elements of the yogic path to moksha, use this wonderful graphic to help keep things in perspective. It was a gift from my dear friend and fellow teacher Hari-kirtana das. It clearly shows our progression as yogis from the material world of ignorance towards the spiritual world of transcendence. And, provocatively, it shows that moksha is really only the beginning towards our ultimate goal........

Awakening Joy course - July

The topic for this month is Letting Go. I personally find this one of the wisest-- and yet hardest-- lessons to learn. I struggle with it given my personality and temperament. To remind myself, I even had this tattooed into my forearm ('svaha' is actually the Sanskrit and yogic equivalent).

So what does it mean? And how does it make us happy?

First off, it refers to letting go of stuff. [This is a good time for plug for the brilliant 20 minute clip, The Story of Stuff. ]  In truth, deep down inside (and contrary to the messages of our consumerist culture) we know that 'stuff' doesn't make us happy. Being engaged with life and with loved ones, and contributing meaningfully to society makes us happy. Being obsessed with accumulating more and more 'stuff' actually takes us away from that.

This refers to our endless battle with desire. The secret is learning to distinguish what we want from what we truly need. And in cultivating the discipline and wisdom to choose. This means quieting down enough to listen carefully to the different voices in the mind. Then we can hear whether they are coming from a place of lack or from a deeper, wiser, compassionate connection that truly knows what’s good for us. 

I like how some refer to this choice as "surfing the urge" by being SOBER.
S - stop
O - observe
B - breathe
E - expand (see the long term effects rather than instant gratification)
R - respond


Next, and much harder, is letting go of the illusion of control in a world of change. This attempt to control things keeps us bound in fear. Joseph Goldstein uses a powerful image that describes the suffering that comes from holding on with attachment. He says that holding on tightly to that which is always changing is like rope burn. We don’t usually realize that it’s the holding that’s causing the suffering. If we can wisely let go, we free ourselves of the problem.

Some strategies of letting go:
1) Letting go by simplifying your life in some way
2) Letting go of unskillful habits
3) Letting go of your stories
4) Letting go of expectations and excessive planning
5) Practicing generosity as the active expression of letting go

“Let go a little and you will have a little peace. Let go a lot and you will have a lot of peace. Let go completely and you will have complete peace. Your troubles with the world will have come to an end.” --Ajahn Chah 

Awakening Joy course - June

The topic for this month is Integrity. This might seem strange as a prescriptive for joy, but in Buddhist philosophy this is an integral part of happiness (pun intended!). The Buddha made the connection clear when he said,

For one who leads a virtuous life,
it is a natural law that remorse will not arise…
For one free of remorse,
it is a natural law that gladness will arise…
For one who is glad at heart,
it is a natural law that joy will arise.

Buddhists believe that living with integrity is the foundation for peace of mind and the happiness of a liberated heart. Compared with other sources of happiness, only integrity leads to "the bliss of blamelessness."

So, to bring about such bliss, we consciously cultivate integrity by mindfully listening our internal moral compass, realizing that the more we follow it the happier we will be.We all have a conscience and so automatically feel unsettled when we’re not in alignment with our values. Perhaps the problem is we don't realize WHY we are feeling unsettled because we don't make the connection. The practice of mindfulness can help by making us more aware of our inner wisdom, and so is a great ally.

Sometimes, as we become more aware we also realize how much we fall short from the ideal. So practicing integrity becomes a humbling process that is purifying. It also requires genuine compassion and kindness for ourselves once we begin to see the depths of conditioning that cause us to act with attachment, aversion or confusion, even when we know better. As Ram Dass says in Be Here Now,

"As you further purify yourself, your impurities will seem grosser and larger. Understand that it's not that you are not getting more caught in the illusion. It's just that you're seeing it more clearly. The lions guarding the gates get fiercer as you go towards each inner temple. But, of course, the light gets brighter too."

What do we do with the guilty feelings? There’s actually a Buddhist antidote for guilt. If you act unskillfully (notice they don't say 'badly'), it’s recommended to practice what is called "wise reflection" or "wise remorse." When you realize you've done something unskillful, rather than drowning in guilt, ask yourself, "What can I learn from the experience that will help me remember to act more skillfully if a similar situation arises again?"

And in the end, it is our intention to act with integrity that matters most of all. So we keep trying, keep learning, and keep reminding ourselves to act with integrity. 

"I never had a policy; I just tried to do my very best each and every day. " -Abraham Lincoln

Awakening Joy course - May

The topic for this month is "Finding Joy in Difficult Times." I am actually struggling with this since things are going so well for me right now and I am not experiencing much difficulty (except for my finals and the papers I have to write!). When I started this program back in February, however, I was certainly experiencing one of the most difficult periods of my life. And since everything changes, difficult times are sure to return to my life. So, this topic has much to offer; if nothing else, learning how to cope when those challenges come is a great tool to have in your toolbox.

The most important lesson, I believe, is not to deny when you are depressed or in pain. Finding joy does NOT mean pretending or forcing it. Being human is hard and we will feel difficulties, that is a fact. The Buddha even started out his teachings with the First Noble Truth that the unenlightened life is suffering. His exact word, dukkha, translates to mean stress, unsatisfactoriness, and unreliability. This we can all identify with. So it is not a question of 'if' the hard stuff comes, but 'when' it comes. But the hope we have is that our suffering can lead us to moksha, liberation. After all, the Buddha not only taught about suffering, but the end of suffering.

The first step is not to resist the pain when it comes. There is no use in complaining, whining, or wishing it were different. That actually only makes it worse. Instead, what we should do (and is completely counter intuitive) is open up to the experience. By staying open, you can learn to let the pain of life's inevitable challenges move through you rather than get stuck in you.

This requires mindfulness because the resistance that intensifies our suffering is in our mind. We need to stop trying to protect ourselves from our painful experiences and mindfully open to them. It is also important to remember that the pain and sorrow is not permanent. Everything changes. As we stay mindful with our pain, we soon learn that our suffering is not as solid as it appears.

In working with our pain there are two important steps:
1) Feeling your feelings (without getting lost in the story)
2) looking at how you can grow in this situation, deepening your understanding of the human experience and life.

Try this "Recasting Exercise"
1. Bring to mind a difficult situation you are dealing with in your life.
2. What are the emotions that you’re feeling? Have you allowed yourself to feel all the feelings?
3. What are the lessons you’re learning from this situation? How can you find meaning as you go through this difficulty?

Often, we will find that when we stay open to our suffering, we also open up to all the positive qualities that are inside us - understanding, compassion, and kindness. In learning to face our pain we deepen our compassion. And we find a courage we didn't know we had.

"There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken, a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable."

Awakening Joy Course - April

A student once complained to Nisargadatta, a great twentieth-century spiritual teacher from India, that daily life seemed so tedious to him. "You've done the most amazing thing," the sage replied. "You've made life boring!" In our culture of thirty second sound bites, we can easily get addicted to a never-ending desire for peak experiences. And so in the midst of abundance, we can find life lacking.

The answer, and the focus for this month, is Gratitude. The founder of Gestalt psychology, Fritz Perls, used to say, "Boredom is simply lack of attention." And as we know from last month's practice of mindfulness, when we pay attention, anything can be interesting. "There are two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle," said Albert Einstein.

Tibetans Buddhists say that gratitude opens the heart like a satellite dish. We all know the dangers of letting our minds rule our lives - it is pretty easy to get caught up in sordid stories and dramas that leave us drained and depressed. But by practicing gratitude, we can bypass our minds and go straight to our hearts - and experience the awe and wonder and beautiful Mystery of being alive. And the amazing part is that by opening to gratitude, we also begin to attract into our lives even more blessings and benevolence.

And it is a practice. You can consciously cultivate appreciation and gratitude to arise in your heart. Each moment is an opportunity to develop a grateful heart by paying attention to the many blessings, big and small, around you. One of the main effects of practicing gratitude is that our "appreciation radar" is out much more consistently and we start seeing what is good in our life more often and more clearly. Also, negative states like anger and resentment dissolve in the presence of gratitude. Some gratitude exercises to try include:

• Look for and appreciate the good stuff - keep your radar out on the look-out
• Appreciate others, especially in the workplace and at home
• Appreciate yourself, become less dependent on praise from others
• Write a daily gratitude email to a friend as a practice
• Keep a gratitude list or gratitude journal
• Write a gratitude letter to someone thanking them for all the ways they've enriched your life
• Express your gratitude directly in the moment
• Take a moment to say something you are grateful for at dinner everyday

One of the experts in the science of gratitude is UC Davis psychologist Bob Emmons who wrote the book Thanks! How the science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. His work has found that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being - they tend to be happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. Another expert in this field, MJ Ryan who wrote Attitudes of Gratitude, says that gratitude activates the parasympathetic nervous system which floods the brain and body with endorphins, oxytocin and other feel-good hormones.

In Be Here Now, Ram Das says you can go through life resisting every situation with a cry of "unnnkkkhh" or opening to it with "aaaahhhhh." In other words, you can go through life seeing everything as a burden or a gift. The choice is ours: whining or appreciation. Go for appreciation.

"The secret to awakening joy is the live with a grateful heart that can hold with acceptance and gratitude the 10,000 joys and sorrows."

Why I love that man......

I admit it fully - I love Krishna Das.

A lot.

No other living being has embodied the spiritual journey - with all of its humanity - as much as he has. Listening to KD talk and chant, I cannot help but FEEL his authenticity and his love. It is strong and palpable and unquestionable. I feel it in his eyes, in his words, and most of all - in his chanting.

And yet at the same time, KD is no polished saint to be worshiped. He is fully broken - as we all are - and completely unashamed and honest about it. With the utmost beauty, he embraces his brokenness and shares it with all of us in order to show us that his achievements are not due to his own will, but due to the grace of God.

Each time I see him, he is wearing the same red flannel shirt, sporting the same scruffy stubble, and telling the same stories of his previous immature, arrogant ways. But when he starts talking about his encounters with his guru, Neem Karoli Bhaba, one can FEEL the grace of this holy teacher. One can feel the transformation that occurred inside the heart of KD when he met his guru. One can FEEL how KD's heart was opened and burned through a great purifying fire, which annihilated him - and caused him to be reborn.

I love him because he's not perfect, he's totally human, and yet - he reminds us that regardless of our supposed perfection in worldly terms, we are called and can be perfect in our love.

I welcome you to fall in love yourself.........

Download one of his newest songs, Narayana/For Your Love, for FREE through Amazon.
Watch and listen on KD's YouTube channel
KD is also coming to DC on April 8th. All the cool kids are coming. :)

Being radical about aggression

The founders of Jivamukti Yoga, David Life and Sharon Gannon, often talk about yoga being "radical." Unlike the way this word is commonly pejoratively used in today's parlance, they define the word to mean "going back to the root." In other words, yoga is a no-bullshit philosophy that doesn't treat surface symptoms but delves deeply into the root causes of problems.

So, one of the greatest problems plaguing humanity has been aggression. On a societal level, this has led to wars and horrific genocides, and technology has only made this threat more grave. On a personal level, aggression has led to suffering - even science is now proving this. So conquering aggression, both internally and externally, is the answer to leading a fuller, more happy life and furthering the evolution of humanity as a species.

Where's the disconnect? Obviously something isn't working. I have devoted my life to studying conflicts, but you don't have to be an academic to know this. Well, David and Sharon teach we must take a 'radical' approach and look to the roots of aggression.

Aggression starts by fundamentally misunderstanding the basic principle that all of creation is interconnected and interdependent. Instead, aggression is rooted in the false assumption of selfishness, which results in an attitude of exploitation. To heal this foundational ignorance, one must radically change how one views life - and one's actions. This is why David and Sharon, and many others, believe that leading a vegan lifestyle - or working towards one - is a solution. This lifestyle paradigm is rooted in an inclusive understanding that all sentient beings, and our Earth, deserve our mercy and kindness. It also sees that being compassionate with other humans isn't enough - we must go to the root impulse of exploitation in order to heal. And this extends to all of life.

It doesn't take a leap of logic to understand this. Just today, an article in the New York Times talked about how animal abuse is connected to other cruel impulses: Animal Abuse as Clue to Additional Cruelties.

What would a society based in this inclusive understanding of interconnectedness look like? Will Tuttle, PhD., does a beautiful job exploring this question in his inspirational book The World Peace Diet.

Now, I am not saying this is easy or perfect. I personally struggle every day with this. But if we are to truly heal aggression, we need to see the problem clearly first. And then do our best, whatever that is for us right now, to hack away at those ugly roots.

How to Cultivate a Generous Heart

“Dr. Chodak could easily pass unnoticed, until you meet his gaze—a gaze filled with the perception of one who has seen so much that he has seen everything, seeing beyond the suffering he has experienced, beyond all the evil and the abuses he has witnessed, yet expressing boundless compassion for his fellow human beings.”

In an article by Tricycle Magazine, Tibetan doctor named Tenzin Chodak offers tips for how to cultivate unconditional love towards others, an inclusiveness that incorporates all beings no matter who they are. Dr. Chodak, who had been a personal physician to the Dalai Lama, was imprisoned by the Chinese in 1959. He remained in prison for 21 years, 17 of which he was beaten and tortured daily—physically and psychologically—and his life was continually threatened. Below, he outlines four qualities which made possible not only his survival, but also the great triumph of his heart.

1. First, we must endeavor to see every situation in a larger context.
Like the Dalai Lama—who often speaks of how one’s enemy teaches one patience—Dr. Chodak saw his enemy as his spiritual teacher, who led him to the wisest and most compassionate place in himself.

2. Second, we must see our enemies, or the difficult people in our lives, as human beings like ourselves.
Dr. Chodak never forgot the commonality of the human condition. The Dalai Lama said, “Your enemies may disagree with you, may be harming you, but in another aspect, they are still human beings like you. They also have the right not to suffer and to find happiness. If your empathy can extend out like that, it is unbiased, genuine compassion.”

3. Third, we must let go of pride and feelings of self-importance.
These attitudes, which can arise so easily in times of conflict, become the seeds of even more difficulty. Dr. Chodak actually attributed his survival to the ability to let go of self-importance and self-righteousness.

4. Finally, we must embrace the understanding that hatred never ceases through hatred; it ceases only in response to love.
In situations of conflict, lovingkindness and compassion grow when we understand them to be the most beneficial motivation for responsive and effective action.

Awakening Joy Course - March

As promised, today I will share with you the teachings for the month of March. As I wrote earlier, I am undertaking a 10-month course on cultivating happiness called the "Awakening Joy Course." Each month, I will share with you the teachings. The focus for March is on Mindfulness.

This month we learn that mindfulness is the basic tool for a joyful life. This word is brandished a lot in our culture, but often gets misunderstood. Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different. It is a fearless and full presence with what is.

Mindfulness is the underpinning for all other practices in invoking joy because:
1) mindfulness has the unique quality of strengthening all wholesome states of mind and weakening all unwholesome states
2) mindfulness can be used to amplify states of well-being; by bringing attention to wholesome states, the feeling of gladness increases.

     Wholesome States-->lead to happiness       Unwholesome States-->lead to unhappiness
                generosity                                                             greed
                kindness                                                               anger
                clarity                                                                   confusion

According to psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson you can store and emphasize positive experiences through mindfulness by allowing the experience to register in our memory, which slowly changes the landscape of our mind. He outlines three simple steps:

1) Pay attention to the good things, both in your world and inside yourself. Allow yourself to feel pleasure fully and vividly.
2) Keep your attention on the feeling of pleasure so it lingers; let it fill your body with positive sensations and emotions.
3) Sense the positive experience is soaking into your body and brain, registering deeply in emotional memory. Take about 10-20 seconds, continuously relaxing your body and absorbing the positive experience.

So how do we practice mindfulness? In an excellent article, long-time Buddhist practitioner Jack Kornfield explains the four principles for mindful transformation, known by the the acronym RAIN:

1) RECOGNITION - we step out of denial and acknowledge the reality of experience here and now.
2) ACCEPTANCE - we relax and open to what is.
3) INVESTIGATION - we see deeply by examining our body, feelings, and mind.
4) NONIDENTIFICATION - We stop taking the experience as me or mine.

Lastly, here are some daily life mindfulness exercises:

1) When your computer is booting up, use the time to take a few mindful breaths
2) When you're waiting in line, use it as a mindfulness period. Remember you are alive, feel your body and take a few mindful breaths.
3) Before you eat, stop and reflect on how the food got to be in front of you. Give thanks for the food and take the first bit mindfully.
4) Take a regular chore - like washing the dishes or making your bed - and make it a game to see how mindful you can be.
5) Whenever you think of it, stop and take three mindful breaths and feel your body.

Studying Happiness

We all know that happiness can't be found "out there" but must be cultivated inside, but how many of us know how to do that?? Well, both Buddhism and now science have identified specific practices that purposefully awaken and enhance our innate capacity to be joyful. For me, that seems to be one of the most important things to study in our lives - the science of happiness. Not only does it make our lives more richer, but by being happy we also affect those around us, thus contributing to a domino affect. We all have experienced the powerful contagious effect of a mere smile......now apply that to an embodied sense of joy and delight. Powerful.

How to do it? Well, turns out there is the perfect course designed exactly for this purpose, combining both the latest cutting edge research on the brain and Buddhist teachings. Its called the "Awakening Joy Course" and is an online 10-month experiential course meant to develop our natural capacity for well-being and happiness. It has been so popular that it was featured in O magazine, Yoga Journal, and Health magazine. Join me as I take the course, or join yourself!

If you don't have time for the course, you can also follow along by reading my blogs and the two books: Awakening Joy by James Baraz, and How We Choose to Be Happy by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks.

Below are the teachings from last month.........next blog I will share this month's teachings! Stay tuned....

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February - Inclining the Mind Towards Joy

The course is based on three principles:

1) Inclining the Mind Toward Joy

2) Developing and increasing wholesome states of mind that lead to happiness

3) Noticing the feeling of gladness that accompanies wholesome states

The first step is to consciously set the intention to be happy. To literally make that the center of our lives. Its amazing when we reflect how unimportant we make that in everyday life. But this step is forcing us to make it first and to constantly reflect back on that intention, cementing it into our subconscious. Wake up with the intention to be happy and watch how it transforms your day!

Next, to deepen this intention, we must notice joy when it arises. We have evolved as humans to be biased towards registering negativity, but we counter this consciously by being fully present when experiencing happiness and noticing with all our senses. Put in another way, we are working to build up a "storehouse of positive experiences."

Lastly, we identify what brings us joy and make a Nourishment List. These are wholesome activities and experiences that nourish our spirit and lead to greater states of joy. And then we work to incorporate these activities into our lives as much as possible. "If we are too busy to nourish our spirit, we are too busy." 

Supportive Practices:

1) Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes. For instructions go HERE. 

2) Sing every day, or do some other creative expression. Singing is great because it immediately tunes you to a vibration of well-being.

3) Move your body! Yoga is great because it also cultivates the mind-body connection

4) Do something nourishing for yourself regularly. Use your Nourishment List!

5) Journal. Write daily: What am I grateful for? What did I enjoy today? When do I feel satisfied?

EnJOY!

Milarepa, Tibet's Yogi

Milarepa is known as Tibet's greatest yogi, and is a source of great inspiration to me. He is said to be the first to achieve full enlightenment within one lifetime. In a superhuman effort, he rose above the miseries of his younger life and with the help of his Guru, Marpa the Translator, took to a solitary life of meditation until he had achieved enlightenment, thus escaping Samsara (the whirlpool of life and death of worldly existence). In this way, he was very much a jivanmukta.

His story is of particular inspiration to me now as I reflect on the meaning of moksha (liberation). For a variety of reasons, this has become prominent in my current thinking and reflection.....to the point of motivating me to get it tattooed. In three days. :)   More to come........For now, a picture: मोक्ष

As it happens, there will be a premier of a movie about Milarepa coming up in two weeks. It is part of the International Buddhist Film Festival, which is coming to the Smithsonian. All March, we can watch spectacular Tibetan Buddhism films, some premiering for the first time, at the Sackler Gallery's Meyer Auditorium.  For a full schedule, check out: Tibetan Buddhism: Films from Around the World – March  

MILAREPA: Magician, Murderer Saint
This is a vividly told, captivating story of Milarepa, the man who would become Tibet’s greatest yogi, poet and saint (and a major figure in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism). In the dramatic setting of 11th century Tibet, the young Milarepa falls into a world of betrayal and hardships. The greed of others upturns his privileged life, dropping him into a void of despair, humiliation, pain and anger, and he sets out to exact revenge.  Filmed on location in breathtakingly scenic Spiti, India, near the Tibetan border. Directed by Tibetan Buddhist lama Neten Chokling (co-star of the hit film The Cup) and starring Jamyang Lodro and Orgyen Tobgyal (both featured in The Cup).
Neten Chokling / Bhutan / 2006 / 90 min. / Producer to attend for Q&A

In Tibetan with English subtitles

"If you lose all differentiation between yourselves and others,
fit to serve others you will be.

And when in serving others you will win success,
then shall you meet with me;

And finding me, you shall attain to Buddhahood."



Milarepa