Brad4d Savasana

Each moment of our lives requires a different engagement of our energy. Rather than living our lives at a continually rapid pace, our awareness of the moment can teach us when to live life slow.

Some put on a sourpuss face if you say, “mantram,” particularly when it comes to meditation. Their fear limits their understanding. The Prashna Upanishad explains (briefly) the meaning of OM.

We often make judgments about the world based on a limited perspective. Even in our current reality, we choose to take in those elements that support our beliefs. Sometimes we need to take a step back, see the forest rather than fixate on one tree.

Why pay money for classes in mindfulness when your greatest teacher is your four-legged friend? When anxiety seizes me, I look to them for advice.

It amazes me how judgmental some (not all) religious people can be. While being steadfast in keeping their traditions, they eschew other practices as “wrong.” If we experience God differently than someone else, who are we to say they are “wrong?” Is God not bigger than the framework of one religious tradition?

When someone is suffering, we often want to do something, either turn our eyes or try to “fix” them. But Henri Nouwen says caring occurs when we can be simply present with someone in their suffering.

Many are growing restless because we are not accepting what the present moment can teach us. In the past month, have you taken some time in quiet reflection? Henri Nouwen writes how destructive our lives can be without a quiet center.

Many spiritual traditions see God as One—nondual. Out of the nondual comes dualistic concepts—male/female, sun/moon, light/dark. The Prashna Upanishad describes creation, and it tells us which path is the wiser choice.

The HBO show “Newsroom” speculates what a cable news program would look like if it neglected the sensational. It provides a critique of what happens when we allow our emotions and selective perceptions to dictate what we see. If we strip away the sensational and reflect deep on our reactions, we might see things a little more clearly and act with awareness.

We yearn for community particularly when we don’t have it. We see ourselves as separate, but we are part of a whole. Emerson writes that the “wise silence” that connects us can be accessed at any given moment.

After Jesus died on the cross, Mary Magdalene was concerned about his proper burial. Just before the Sabbath, she goes with Joseph of Arimathea to anoint him. She and other women were with him at his crucifixion and burial, remaining steadfast in their faith and love. What would you do?

Christians recognize Good Friday as the day Christ was crucified. Although the story of the crucifixion is well known, we might not know Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant. If you can imagine Jesus in this role, this passage is pretty powerful.

Hadewijch was a mystic in the Middle Ages who wrote to fellow women in her community. Here she describes the soul.

Ignatian contemplation has us enter into stories in scripture, using our imagination as part of prayer. Through practice, we see what message God wants us to hear. This passage is read on Palm Sunday—when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

It can be disconcerting to see those who choose a path of greed and deceit arise to power, perverting the Word of God to suit their selfish ways. The Book of Proverbs reminds us that those who choose the upright path will ultimately prevail, because God prevails.

We might crave community and belonging, but do our groups help us and nurture our growth? Thomas Keating tells us to be mindful of the groups to which we conform, especially if the groups serve chiefly those in power.

Our discontent can be a portal of inquiry. Krishnamurti says that when we are satisfied, our minds become fixed. Discontent causes us to question, and it can help us evolve.

We look to our mentors and influencers as perfect, but we don’t know the painful road they have traveled. Hesse tells us not to cling to others who give advice. Instead, follow your own path.

Bells are often used in mindfulness training to help with one-pointed attention. Here’s a meditation with a random bell. If you listen closely, you’ll hear Girl Dog shake her collar after the first bell. If you listen even more closely, you’ll hear my essential oil diffuser. It’s not always perfect, but life never is!

The mind has been compared to many animals—a monkey, a puppy, an elephant. The mind is strong like an elephant, but the present moment can tether it. Pema Chödrön’s translation of Shantideva explains.

Being alone when we don’t chose can be a struggle. However, if we wrestle with the false ideas of ourselves, eventually these ideas dissipate. Then you are left with your authentic self, who is indeed connected spiritually with others who have done the same.

Thomas Merton recognized the unity among us during a shopping trip in Louisville. Can we see ourselves in others? Can we see how others shine like the sun as we grasp for the last pack of toilet paper?

How we treat others can affect the world, good or bad. The “other” is an extension of yourself, so treat others with kindness. This is Pema Chödrön’s interpretation of Shantideva.

The story about two wolves has been somewhat modified to express duality—the good and evil within. But the true Native American story suggests that the black wolf represents courage when it is needed. If we “starve” the black wolf, we fail to see what the dark parts of ourselves can teach us, bringing wholeness and healing.

As spring brings light a little earlier and temperatures a little warmer, step outside and breathe the healing nectar of the morning air.