Comparative study on Meditation and Hypnosis

The Taoist scholar Livia Kohn has written an excellent book called "Meditation Works" that looks at Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu meditation traditions. She draws a strong parallel between meditation and hypnosis, and explores the many ways meditation works with the subconscious. Kohn views meditation as a form of self-hypnosis and a means of reprogramming the subconscious mind.

Self-criticism: The way you break your own heart by Saran Kaur

Most of us would say that one of the most painful experiences in life is being criticized or judged by our loved ones. 

Yes, it feels painful and yucky to feel rejection or “not feeling enough” in the eyes of those that we deeply care for and desire to be loved and accepted by, but there’s something that is more painful than any rejection that we can receive from others.

It’s the rejection and criticism of ourselves.
 
Self-criticism and judgement is the way you break your own heart. Self-criticism and judgement stem from holding ourselves to an external measure of performance and/or being. It’s striving for an unattainable goal of perfection that can never be reached.

Perfection is a tricky issue. First of all, it doesn’t exist. There is no fixed place called “PERFECTION” that we can hang out in if we work hard enough.

Life is an ongoing calibration process, and ongoing learning game! But the concept of perfection serves us in subtle ways that we might not recognize at first. We often times use perfection both as a safety-zone as well as a way of punishing ourselves. Perfection is an excuse and a safety zone. 

When the Pain-Body Awakens by Ekhart Tole

The pain-body awakens from its dormancy when it gets hungry, when it is time to replenish itself. Alternatively, it may get triggered by an event at any time. The pain- body that is ready to feed can use the most insignificant event as a trigger, something somebody says or does, or even a thought. If you live alone or there is nobody around at the time, the pain-body will feed on your thoughts.

Suddenly, your thinking becomes deeply negative. You were most likely unaware that just prior to the influx of negative thinking a wave of emotion invaded your mind—as a dark and heavy mood, as anxiety or fiery anger. All thought is energy and the pain-body is now feeding on the energy of your thoughts. But it cannot feed on any thought. You don’t need to be particularly sensitive to notice that a positive thought has a totally different feeling-tone than a negative one. It is the same energy, but it vibrates at a different frequency. A happy, positive thought is indigestible to the pain-body. It can only feed on negative thoughts because only those thoughts are compatible with its own energy field.

Are We Meant to Meet the People We Meet? by Jessica Cooper

Are we destined to meet the people we meet?

Yes.

I know we are.

Every person we meet, we are meant to meet. No matter how long they stay in our lives.

Every person has something to teach us. Whether they stay for an hour, a day, or 10 years, they are there for the right amount of time. That amount of time is simply how long it takes you to learn the soul lesson. There are 6 billion people in this world, nothing is an accident.

If the experience seems negative, and this certain person really irritates you, or you feel like you cannot connect to someone, that experience presents itself in your journey to give you an opportunity to learn patience, understanding, or perhaps empathy. It gives you an opportunity to see yourself even in someone your ego categorizes as different, less than, or not good.

Skydancer: Personal mentoring for women. A few spaces available.

Namaste! Just to let you know I have a few spaces available for personal mentoring. Please contact me if you are interested.

Personal mentoring may include:

Counseling: Transpersonal, spiritual, intuitive.
Hypnotherapy: Repatterning Hypnosis, Depth Hypnosis, age regression, past life regression.
Empowerment practices: EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), personal mythology, self-esteem.
Movement: Authentic Movement practice, sacred dance, yoga, QiGong.
Bodywork: Reiki treatments / attunements, massage instruction.
Breathwork practices: Tibetan Buddhist, Bon and yogic breathwork.
Sound healing: Tibetan singing bowls, sacred sound practices.
Indigenous healing methods: Shamanic journeys, creating rituals, oracles.
Sexuality: Based on the work of Julie Henderson.
Spirituality: Buddhist practices, meditation instruction, earth-based, women's spiritual traditions.
Dreamwork: Spiritual dreams, numinous dreams, dream incubation.
Creativity: Art as transformational healing, Sandtray, journal writing.
Sacred travel: Pilgrimage to sacred sites (local and Nepal).
Supports for healing: Aromatherapy, elixir therapy, herbal remedies, tarot.

To schedule a consultation, contact Yana 510 809-6575 or email yanacastle@comcast.net.

Start a new life every morning

We sometimes wake up fresh in the morning yet still go through the day half asleep. Our busy 21st century lives overwhelm us with a relentless stream of immediate tasks. We lose sight of how precious it is just to have a human life.

This is an awareness that we need to feel in our hearts. I would like to share with you a practice that I call 'living your whole life in a single day.' You can do this by starting with this thought in the morning: 'I am starting a whole new life. It begins right now'. Initially, leave yourself a note at your bedside to remind you, and then slowly cultivate the habit of waking up with this thought.

Your body is fresh from the night's rest; when you wake up with this awareness, so does your mind. Ask yourself what kind of person you want to be in the life that you will live today. Throughout the day, remind yourself that your life is happening right now. In the afternoon, check to see how your life is going and readjust as needed. A whole lifetime of possibilities stretches out before you every moment.

This is the basic truth of interdependence. Conditions are constantly shifting, and what seemed impossible earlier can suddenly become possible. Every moment counts. Every action counts. A single kind act can have a positive impact on the future of many others you share the earth with. You can change the course of the future in any moment. Do so consciously, and the whole world will benefit —His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa      

Meditative effects of knitting

Why Crafting Is Great For Your Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains by Dr. Sarah McKay

My highly sensitive friends know the frustration of lying awake in bed with a busy mind or achy body. A twinge of worry or an unrelenting thought can keep us awake for hours. We're familiar with
Knit one. Purl one. Knit one. Purl one. Knit one. Purl one. The rhythmic and repetitive nature of knitting is calming, comforting and contemplative. It’s not a stretch for you to imagine knitting as a mindfulness practice, or perhaps a form of meditation. I’m delighted to report that neuroscience is finally catching up on brain health aspects of the trend some have called "the new yoga." Research shows that knitting and other forms of textile crafting such as sewing, weaving and crocheting have quite a lot in common with mindfulness and meditation — all are reported to have a positive impact on mind health and well-being. In an online survey of more 3,545 knitters, by Betsan Corkhill, a UK-based knitting therapist who has done research on the therapeutic effects of knitting, more than half of respondents reported that knitting left them feeling "very happy." And many said that they knitted solely for the purposes of relaxation, stress relief and creativity. The study found a significant relationship between the frequency of knitting and respondents’ perceived mood and feelings. Frequent knitters (those who knitted more than 3 times a week) were calmer, happier, less sad, less anxious, and more confident. Corkhill’s study concluded, “Knitting has significant psychological and social benefits, which can contribute to well-being and quality of life.”

Nepal Mandala Pilgrimage 2015

Namaste, Do you feel a calling to go on a sacred pilgrimage journey to one of the most exotic and mystical places in the world this coming spring (March 21 —April 1, 2015)?  Please consider joining us. For more information, see tour website for more information. Registration deadline: Dec. 21st.