“Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls your life…….”
― Akshay Dubey
Author: Suzanne Choate
Knowledge
“We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Red Light Meditation
by Tihch Nhat Hanh
Red light meditation works best if you are driving, late and in a hurry when the light turns red just as you approach.
If you feel frustrated and annoyed, smile to yourself. You have been given perhaps a whole minute to stop and do nothing. One whole minute to breathe softly. Let yourself sigh deeply, lingering on the out breath. Check your body for excess tension. How are you holding the steering wheel? Are your face and neck muscles tighter than they need to be? Settle back into the seat and let your belly soften. Breathe consciously. The exercise finishes as the light turns green. Now devote all your attention to the task at hand: driving safely. And look forward to the next red light.
Serenity, Courage and Wisdom
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
-Reinhold Niebuhr
Love
Everything depends on how much we love each other.
– Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Peace
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
– unknown
Yoga is
The following are translations of the the second yoga sutra (I.2) – citta vritti nirodha –
“The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga,” Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2003
“Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively toward an object and sustain that direction without any distractions,” T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga, 1995
“Yoga is the control of thought-waves in the mind,” Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, How to Know God, 2007
“Yoga is the suspension of the fluctuations of the mind,” Gregor Maehle, Ashtanga Yoga, Practice & Philosophy, 2006
“We become whole by stopping how the mind turns,” Geshe Michael Roach & Christie McNally, The Essential Yoga Sutra, Ancient Wisdom for Your Yoga, 2005
Om (Aum)
According to the Vedas, Om is the sound of your spirit (soul).
When chanted, the three parts of Aum (ahhh ooohh mmm) are: creation / sustain / dissolution which eventually lead us to Om.
Happiness
Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No Person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.
– Ralph Marston