Wake Up Now ! ~ A Mindfulness Blog

New CD Hologram Guitar

2017-12-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

Mike Munro's New CD

In case you've been wondering why I have not been blogging, I have been working on this music project.

Please have listen and let me know what you think.

Best regards,

Mike

Hologram Guitar by Mike Munro

What Yoga Means to Me

2016-10-29T18:10:00.002-03:00

A couple of months ago my colleague Jody asked me to write a short article on what yoga means to me, so I have been thinking about it for a while. Life is so busy lately that I can only write it in the back of my mind, but the idea has been percolating. After teaching yoga for almost twenty years it has turned into such a part of my work and social life that it becomes a bit like water to a goldfish. I am surrounded by yoga so much so that meaning is definitely there, all encompassing but hard to articulate. It would be an easier question to answer during the honey moon phase of falling in love with yoga, but yoga and I have been married for a long time. What yoga means to me, hmnnnn. Let me think about that.

Yoga has meaning on so many levels. My conceptual mind quickly kicks in with lots of answers about the spiritual meaning of yoga. Yoga means joining daily life and spirituality, it's about delving into experience with awareness and training the mind to come into rest in present reality so that the illusions of some other life cease to exist. One comes alive in the present and the dissatisfaction of seeking something that is somewhere other or happening at some other time falls away. You discover peace and contentment within, in this human body right now. And so on. My mind likes to follow those kinds of thoughts. But really that is a bunch of recycled analysis and reflection from the honey moon era. In reality I think that is only part of it. I do like to engage in that kind of dialog and I think those thoughts have merit but now I think that is actually a bit superficial, or one-sided. It only paints a positive picture about "yoga reality". When we try to paint only a positive picture, our vision is actually a bit narrow, and I would say, not even very compassionate.

The part that is missing from the idealization of the yoga or human experience is the more vulnerable side. When I was in love with yoga and it's wonderful ways, I had yet to come to terms with the areas of my own insecurity that I was using yoga to avoid. In the long run I have had to struggle and suffer after the yoga-love vibe wore off and find a way of practicing that supported me in deeper ways. After losing my mother suddenly and developing PTSD my idealized experience with yoga spiraled down and disappeared as quickly as it takes to flush something down the toilet. Yoga can make you feel high which is pleasant and I'm still a fan of the yoga-bliss that comes from a cathartic practice, or a heart warming group class, however yoga is also a great friend when you are down. Yoga is not just a fair-weather friend. Sometimes people get discouraged after life throws them a curve ball or shit-storm and they think that perhaps that yoga thing was not really that much help after all because it didn't save them from feeling discomfort.

What I have noticed in the long run that yoga is there waiting for you, like a friend that will patiently wait for you to go through your stuff and when you are ready, the awareness that you had developed before is still there ready to listen. If you can let go of some of the superficial goals like having a perfect yoga pose, you will find that you can apply your awareness to your pain and discomfort, and with patience in meditation practice, or postures, you can use the tools of yoga to help you heal and ride the waves of experience whatever they are, happy, neutral or sad. Like some friends that stick with you, sometimes you get angry with them, you might even abandon them for a while out of disappointment or frustration. Yet the truth is that life contains joy and pain and the in-between. True friends stick with you through all of that. Yoga was there for me through all of that and my yoga practice has become like a true friend to me, a genuine spiritual friend that I can trust. This is what yoga has come to mean to me. Thank you Jody, for asking, I have been hanging out with yoga and maybe taking this trusted friend for granted!

Mindful Eating by Coleen Nolan

2014-12-02T16:45:00.001-04:00

What is Mindful Eating? Mindful eating is a way of eating that connects us with hunger and fullness cues (physical and other types of hunger), allowing us to choose foods for their satisfaction and nutritional value, while cultivating flexibility, curiosity and self-acceptance. This lifestyle choice is based on living mindfully.

One definition of mindfulness is: “a cognitive state marked by stable attention (awareness), that disengages habitual reactions, allowing inner wisdom to emerge.” More simply, being mindful means being in the present moment, without judgement. Paying attention to what we are doing while we’re doing it allows us to notice what’s going on inside (thoughts, emotions, physical hunger, fullness, etc.). This is also known as ‘inner wisdom.’ Knowledge of what foods nourish us best, healthy portion sizes, etc. helps to develop our ‘outer wisdom.’

Practicing mindful eating employs inner and outer wisdom to help us re-discover a healthy and joyful relationship with food and eating. Unfortunately, our natural tendency, as humans, is to prefer high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods. When this is coupled with an instinct to eat beyond physical hunger, ignoring our natural internal hunger cues, we often find ourselves overeating mindlessly.

Resources: The Centre For Mindful Eating is an excellent resource for mindful eating enthusiasts. They offer free teleconferences, articles, and workshops.

For local, live sessions on mindful eating in the Halifax, NS area, contact me at: coleen.innerpeas@gmail.com or by phone: 902.222.9485

Coleen Nolan, MSc, PDt, CYI is a Halifax-based registered dietitian and yoga teacher. She is available to meet with individuals or groups, and is based out of the Therapeutic Approach Health Centre in Halifax. http://www.halifaxhealth.ca

Fresh Coffee and Broken Glass

2014-11-26T11:32:00.001-04:00

What do you like? What makes you happy? It's different for everyone. I love a fresh cup of coffee. I appreciate the aroma, the process of making it or receiving it. I was just served one at Freeman's here on Quinpool Road. Yes, it is a temporary enjoyment. Something I can see, feel, touch, taste, smell, and perceive it with my mind. I have missed some cups of coffee, where I was lost in thought or I was just drinking the idea of a cup of coffee and I was too rushed to appreciate the actual experience. So today I practice mindfulness of coffee, and mindfulness of life. Life is short, may as well appreciate it.

Yet, the next thought that my mind churns out is about loss. I think the hope of getting something "good" arises with the psychological shadow of fear, in this case the fear of dropping the clear glass cup. A thought yes, but something we can make use of too. It's possible to just let go of that thought when I see it. Yet if I were to drop the cup, and see broken glass going everywhere, I would also be able to practice compassion. No one wants to drop a cup of coffee and deal with wet broken glass. So may I be free of such suffering, real or imagined, and may all beings also be free of it, and free of hope and fear.

And with that I am signing off and getting back to this .... cold ... cup of coffee ;).

One Breath at a Time ~ Poem by Tomomi Kojima

2012-04-24T18:03:00.000-03:00

One breath at a time

I hold onto a glimpse of everything in this world

All the smell, all the tastes, all the touch

Wetness of fog

How oddly green the grass looks

Sound of the air

Roughness of rocks

Because my time is limited

I may have another day, or another moment.

I don’t know how long it lasts

When I feel how hard and lonely this journey is

I remember we are all on our little boats

Dimly lit by our little lamp

We can only see a foot ahead

But I see many dimly lit boats a foot around me

We’re all heading towards the same direction

But we don’t know where it’s heading

All I know is that we need to keep rowing

Because we need to keep growing

This world, they say it’s an illusion

Maybe it is, maybe it ain’t

But I can feel content either way if I know this moment is all I’ve got

I’ve decided to live with this totally raw way of living

One breath at a time

Until my breath runs out.

Tomomi Kojima is a registered yoga teacher and poet. See her website to

find out more about Tomomi:
www.tomomi.ca

Triggering Mindfulness

2012-04-22T07:55:00.000-03:00

...Part 2 in a series on Meditation, Yoga and Triggers. See #1 here.

Sometimes we get triggered by something that sends us into an emotional upheaval of anger, passion, fear or any other conflicting emotion. You might be in a yoga pose that taps into some buried memories that are stored in the body and you have an emotional release, or you are in a grocery store line-up someone says or does something that triggers a reaction of anger. You can probably think of some of your own personal examples. It's good to have compassion for ourselves and others when these things happen because we are all vulnerable to being triggered by situations and memories. There are many teachings on the mind of compassion that help us take advantage of these experiences and make use of them. Yet, this in only half of the picture.

"...we are all vulnerable to being triggered by situations and memories. There are many teachings on the mind of compassion that help us take advantage of these experiences and make use of them. Yet, this in only half of the picture."

The other side of this picture has to do with the positive qualities of mind and the deeper capacity we have for mindfulness and awareness. As human beings we have many positive potentials that can be triggered besides our memories and habitual tendencies. Some of these positive potentials can be triggered suddenly and to develop them we must apply ourselves, to recognize them and stabilize our ability tap into their presence.

For example, an intense experience that triggers our anger or passion can equally trigger our mindfulness, awareness and compassion. When someone we are attached to moves away, or dies, then this experience of loss can awaken us to our vulnerability and also to our deeper potentials of love, compassion and wisdom. When we discover that we can be mindful and aware in the moment, through meditation, then we also discover that we can be mindful and aware in daily life with positive, neutral and also negative experiences. Rather than reacting unconsciously to situations, we can tap into our awareness and see our reactions clearly. When this happens, then our experience becomes an opportunity for waking up rather than another painful reaction that feeds into itself and causes further suffering.

Yes, we can have many reactions to life, people and situations that throw up a lot of negative emotions. Its important to realize too, that we can also trigger our deeper strengths. If we are habituated to thinking negatively, then we may need to do a little bit of "self-hypnosis" in order to look at things differently and see what we may have been missing. Simply studying about mind and practicing meditation can be helpful. In practice we can look at triggers as something that can go either way, and that we are the ones who are in control of how it plays out. Is our trigger going to trigger a defensive reaction of anger or is it going to arise as an opportunity for us to see more clearly and to better understand ourselves? The choice is up to us, especially once you have the skills and knowledge about how to do so. This requires both study and sitting meditation. We need to know how mind works and how to tap into its potential and then we can actually do it.

Mindfulness for Goofballs Most Popular Post 2010-11

2011-12-03T15:33:00.001-04:00

Hi,

I am re-posting this article as it was the most viewed post over the past year.
Interested that Mindfulness for Goofballs was #1. There must be a lot
of goofballs interested in meditation out there!

http://amindfulnessblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/mindfulness-for-goofballs.html

Cheers,

Mike Munro

Shopping in Yoga Class ~ Before Zen I think about food, After Zen I think about Food.

2011-11-15T12:07:00.005-04:00

Before I started meditation practice I would think about all sorts of things I had to do. My mind would wander about what to do next, what groceries to get, who to see, what party to go to etc.

Then I was introduced to meditation and yoga. I was given a practice for letting go of thoughts and focusing my mind on the present. When sitting in meditation or doing a yoga pose one brings one's attention to the present. It is quite a blissful experience to fully arrive in the present you know. I often tell yoga students to leave their shopping lists at the door in their coat pockets. The "to do" lists and expectations can be put on hold until after practice. This is generally a good practice for any contemplative art. There is however, a serious potential pitfall.

The pitfall has to do with perfectionism and taking sides against thoughts. While we direct our attention to the present, it does not have to mean that suddenly we are against thoughts. The grocery list may still come up in your mind while practicing. A mistake people make is to then judge themselves as "bad meditators" or "bad yogis" just because they shopping list arises in their minds. The practice is not to shut off and shut down the mind. The practice is to allow the space for the thought to arise, to see it and also let it go. If that is allowed to happen then there is no judgment necessary. It takes relaxation.

I know this because I have been through it myself. When I started meditation I thought about groceries. Then I tried to suppress the thoughts of groceries in search of a better experience. There had to be some better experience more spiritual than thinking about groceries right? That became stressful. So now I let the thought come up, and let it go. It's not about not having the thought, but letting it arise and letting it go. It seems that it can be included.

So what has changed since I started this practice 20 years ago? I still think about what I have to do, what to get at the store. Maybe its just that I am content either way. I found myself thinking about what groceries to get at the store yesterday in class and giggled. With relaxation comes a sense of humor. If you are trying to make it "perfect" chances are you will find yourself way too upset about something that is just an ordinary thing.

Diary of a Dietitian: Practice Mindful Eating ~ Guest Blog

2011-10-14T10:57:00.000-03:00

~ By Jennifer Brenton

Date posted: March 14, 2011

One of the tools I use to learn about my clients eating habits is the “24 hour recall”. I simply ask people what they ate yesterday. I am always shocked to see how many people “forget”. Think about it – what did you eat yesterday? Try to write down every single thing. It is harder than it sounds!

After some research into “mindful eating” I was not surprised to learn that over 77% of us eat while distracted (in fact I would have thought this number would be higher). Atlantic Canadians are most likely to eat while distracted compared to our fellow Canadians in Montreal who have the most “mindful” eating habits. I believe strongly that we eat with our “minds” instead of “our stomachs”. It is no wonder we are always hungry – our minds are not paying attention to the food we eat – so therefore we look for more food.

I am an incredibly fast eater. I am always the first to finish a meal then I endure the awkward moment when people say – “there is more there if you want seconds”. They must think I am starving! I am also a very “busy” person. I thought “multitasking” was strength!

Since my Yoga Teacher Training began – I started to focus more on the present moment. This is a very powerful experience. I have taken my Yoga off my mat and to the dinner table. I have begun to notice my food more. Tastes, textures – likes and dislikes. I have even taken “mindful” eating into my Dietetic Practice. I have had so much success with my clients! I have found that we eat less when we pay attention – because the “mind” becomes “full”!

I dare you to try it. EAT without distractions this week. Pay attention. Be prepared – it can be a challenge – similar to the ability to calm our thoughts on the yoga mat – “mindful eating” takes practice. Do not get discouraged if you can’t do it at first. Enjoy the act of eating!

From: http://www.optimyz.com/blogs/837

Lucid Awareness

2011-09-23T07:40:00.001-03:00

You can practice being present awake and lucid at any moment. For this, our senses are our friends. There is no need to withdraw from the sensory world. Certainly, if you are surrounded by chaos and turmoil, you need to remove yourself from such an environment so that you can practice awareness with some stability. Once you are familiar with practice then it is quite possible to practice amidst chaos. To give yourself some familiarity with mindfulness and awareness you can notice what is happening now.

Right now, you could be aware of your body position, feel the contact of your body with the support of the earth below you, feel your breath and heartbeat. You can relax, breathe naturally and take in the environment. What do you see, in front of you and around you? What do you hear? What sounds are coming from nearby and from further away? What sounds and sights can you find that were escaping your awareness? Right now I am just noticing a new Ford Mustang driving by this Halifax North End Starbucks. There is a Nirvana song playing in the background. I like the baseline, now that I can hear it. Take a breath. Notice what is around you without adding extra thoughts and labels. Notice the lucidity of the very awareness that takes in all of these aspects of your vivid world.

Then, you can just go back to what you were doing, yet maybe with a little more ease, and a little more wakefulness. That's what I'm practicing right now.

For more on meditation with the sense gates see this previous post:

http://amindfulnessblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/peanut-butter-rainbow-wine-triangle.html

Meditating During A Freakout!

2011-09-13T10:33:00.001-03:00

Have you ever had a freakout? Have you ever been on the recieving end of someone elses freakout? A common example is "road rage" which anyone stuck in traffic for a long time can probably palpate. Sometimes it is someone close to us who triggers our freakout or freaks out on us. I don't think I need to define freakout. Unless you come from another planet, you probably know what I'm talking about.

The question for meditators is... what use is sitting meditation and mindfulness in those situations? Does sitting and following your breath have an value in those moments? Well the answer seems to be that it can, yet that is up to us. For example, when you are in a driving freakout, or working with someone in a difficult situation of any kind, there is a tendency to enter a state of high anxiety with lots of mental activity and thoughts. Sometimes the thoughts become overwhelming and we may think "terrible" things. Meditation comes into play on a couple of levels.

Body

Connecting with body: it is possible to notice the state of your body in the middle of a freakout. You can notice the tension in your shoulders and face, the restriction in breathing, you can notice the environment. It is quite possible. Once you notice your state of physical tension, it is also possible to relax. You just have to take a breath and do it. Let the physical tension soften. There still may be a situation, yet our position in it has suddenly shifted by choosing to relax tension. This doesn't mean you stop relating to it, you may still be acting in response to a situation. The difference will be that rather than "re-acting", you can be "responding".

Mind

One thing about a freakout that is helpful, is that thoughts can get really LOUD. Sometimes we have to sit to see our thougths because they are kind of subtle. In sitting we can see them and relax, let go and observe the breath. It often takes sitting to develop clear seeing and relaxation with one's mindstream. Luckily, during a freakout the thoughts are SO LOUD that you don't need to sit to see them. Yet we can apply the recogition of the nature of thoughts in that moment. It is something we train in during sitting, which you can apply in the middle of the choas. So when the thougths get loud you can see then and say "A HA, that's a thought". There is a gap suddenly between you and your thought, you can see it and see what it is. Then we don't have to act on the impulsive thoughts that tend to come up during a freakout which would be harmful. So, in a way, a freakout creates the intesity of mind that might allow you to recognize the nature of mind. You have to choose to practice with it.

So in short ... during a freak out

notice your body tension
breathe
relax the physical tension
look at your mind

As to what effect this has during a freakout, there is only one way to find out.

Resource:
Link for instructions on sitting meditation:
http://nalandabodhi.org/courses/path-of-meditation/how-to-meditate

When Desire Was Pure ~ A Poem

2011-09-05T20:47:00.000-03:00

by Michael Munro on Monday, September 5, 2011 at 10:03am

Do You Remember?
Do you remember
when desire was pure
before the double take
the awkward gesture
that moments hesitation?
I think you were surfing
or riding your bike
or kissing an elephant
or eating an edible flower
or playing in the sky
imagining yourself
to be a dragonfly
or chasing butterflies
with a plastic-handled net
or riding a skate board
desire was not "desire"
movement was movement
time was a meadow
the ground was the ground
sky was sky
clouds were clouds
sunlight was sunlight
and that was what it was like,
when desire was pure.
Do you remember?
Are you still here?
How did we forget?
Heaven and earth
wait patiently
for you and me
and everyone
to forget
forget the fascination
forget the contraction
let the fascination die
let the contraction open up
let the water flow
let duality just be
the mirage that it is
the dignified fabrication
is free in itself.

Looking at Mind

2011-09-04T20:22:00.003-03:00

In order to get to know oneself better on the path of mindfulness it is helpful to look at what you will need along the way. To get familiar with mindfulness and the genuine nature of mind actually takes a lot of determination and perseverance. Ironically, one should not be too forceful or use too much effort. We need to be patient with ourselves and realize we need not ever give up. Even when we get results that we want and feel happy about results, there is no need to give up mindfulness. When we get results we don't like then again, there is no need to give up our attentiveness. We can rely on it all the time.

In terms of searching within one's daily life and within one's experience for the genuine nature of mind, there are a few helpful mental attitudes you want to take along with you for the journey. Please remember this is the journey to where you already are and to who you already are. That is the paradoxical part of the path of mindfulness and meditation. We are taking a journey and we need provisions, yet its important to remember that the co-ordinates for what we are looking for are here and now.

There are three things I can think of that are essential to bring along.
1. Truth: a genuine interest in knowing the truth.
2. Cause and effect: a willingness to acknowledge cause and effect.
3. Mind: certainty in the benefits of working with mind.

Truth

It is important to open up to the idea that we would like to know the truth. We usually cannot start out knowing the truth because we are in need of a path to that. If we already knew the truth then we would not need a path. One of the problems is that on some level we have given up the desire to actually know what is true. We either don't believe it is possible or have given up such interest in truth in favor of a series of comfortable or entertaining lies. The comfort that comes from not knowing the truth is not really that comfortable, however, because ignoring our basic state is what causes all of the inevitable suffering that inspires us to look for a solution. So it's important to want to know what is true and what is real. Even it it means abandoning some erroneous belief, pattern or idea that we have held dear to us for so long.

Cause and Effect

It is quite possible to get some nice "spiritual" experiences while meditating or shutting ourselves off from our day to day hassles and struggles. The only problem is that if we are not joining the meditation practice with action, then we are just getting attached to meditation experiences which may distract us from paying attention to the normal daily life experiences which need to be viewed equally as "spiritual". By paying attention to the cause and effect patterns and needs of daily life we make sure we are not getting into an escapist approach to meditation.

Confidence in Mind

To take up the practice of meditation and mindfulness it will save a lot of time, indecisiveness and hesitation, if we can be certain of one thing: mind determines our experience. Mind is what produces happiness, mind is what produces suffering. If we are certain of that then we can have confidence in the practices of training and taming the mind. Otherwise, it may not be possible to maintain the practice over time because of a lack of confidence in power of the mind. Furthermore, we also may have to test a hypothesis. The masters of the past have said that the true nature of mind is naturally peaceful, intelligent, industrious and kind, something beyond what we can normally grasp. If do not have a direct experience of that, then it is important to really inquire from one's own side and experience to see if that is true or not. If it is true, then the path becomes about getting more and more familiar with this genuine nature we have uncovered.

So with these three provisions one is then ready to begin, to begin to take a closer look.

Inspiring Video.

2011-09-01T11:04:00.000-03:00

Inspriring Documentary Trailer.

http://www.grassrootsstore.com/default.asp

Transforming Stress ~ Guest Article by Lennart Krogoll

2011-08-29T13:45:00.002-03:00

As we travel through our day, figuratively or literally, we all encounter occasional experiences of anxiety or stress – sometimes light and subtle, at other times more obvious and tangible, or even traumatic. This is of course a natural part of our lives. It may be that the traffic does not run as smoothly as we would like or someone cut us off; or maybe we anticipate a difficult conversation and we keep test-running it through our head while busy with other things; or we might remember and re-live an unpleasant interchange or an old emotional wound gets triggered; or we don’t quite feel on top of our world and are inundated with demands we would rather not relate to.

All this is quite common and natural. Rather than rejecting them as obstacles, we can look into how these things can be turned into opportunities for us to grow and be more awake, effective, confident and resilient. However, often we do not notice how these stresses and stressors keep building up and settle into our system, creating tension or blockages. Even very minor amounts of stress and anxiety have an effect on our physical energy, our health and stamina. They also affect our cognitive faculties – how attentive, intentional and effective we interact and re-act. They reduce our emotional intelligence, relaxation and presence, how open and heartfelt we can be for others and in the moment.

If we were ignoring these messages, or pushing them aside with medication and distraction, it would be like removing the light bulb from the little warning lamp in our car, which informs us that it is time to replenish the oil.

Various ancient methods cultivate and direct our inherent capacity for mindfulness and awareness of mind, body and heart. Modern science has recently discovered that these techniques afford us to notice, accept and relieve physical, mental and emotional stress, disturbance and even trauma.

Not only can we relieve current and old stress, re-opening and energizing our channels, but these simple techniques also help us to mange stress ‘as it happens’, on the spot, and give us tools to prepare for situations of stress and develop greater relaxation and resilience.

We can actually enjoy applying simple, elemental wake up ‘tools’, while walking down the street, sitting at the computer or having a conversation – making any moment more delightful and meaningful.

Lennart will be teaching about stress, mindfulness and using the wake up "tools" mentioned above at our yoga studio in November:

http://yogastudio.ns.ca/workshops.htm#lennart

Waking Up in Daily Life: Disclaimer.

2011-08-18T08:53:00.000-03:00

Traditional texts on realizing the true nature generally start with a homage of some sort. This thread begins with a homage if the form of a disclaimer. It is quite possible to realize that the actual nature of your mind is free from pain and full of joy, without the extremes of excitement or dullness. This however is only possible when you relate directly with your life. Daily life and mindfulness need to be joined together. You could say that is the real meaning of yoga. Often times people approach yoga and meditation as an alternative to daily life, like some kind of escape. This is natural because dissatisfaction with the ups and downs of life will often lead to a desire to be free. The key here is that with mindfulness meditation and practice, daily life becomes the path and all of life's experiences are opportunities to be present.

So the disclaimer is like this: you will not find mindfulness in the future or in the past, and you will not find it any place other than where you are now. Your current life situation is what you have to work with and the true nature of mind is also found within your current experience.

Button Pushers: Meditaton, Yoga and Triggers # 1.

2011-08-11T17:53:00.005-03:00

Before I write about recognizing the true nature of mind, it would be good to talk about buttons. Its important not to get discouraged by how we react to situations on the meditation journey. You may have heard the phrase "That person really knows how to push my buttons!" When we get upset by the words or the presense of another person, it often feels as though they are the ones causing the emotional response. From the meditative point of view, however, we can take a close look at our own minds for the source of the suffering and for the source of freedom from that suffering. Buttons are a good example of this.

Where did the button come from anyways? Where is the button? It's helpful to realize we are the ones with the buttons. There is nothing to be ashamed of either. We need to be curious about what is going on in order to become free from these painful reactions. The button is in our minds and it is usually placed there based on past experiences. Memories of painful experiences or joyful experiences get laid down in the normally dormant layers of our consciousness. Occaisonally we either see, hear, touch, feel or even think of something which triggers a response in us that seems un-related to the current context. We are reacting to something that is conditioned within us.

For example, when my mother died I was holding a cordless phone taking instructions for giving CPR from a 911 operator. Two years later I was at home on a teleconference holding a cordless phone and got extremely angry for no apparent reason and my behavior on the phone seemed completely out of proportion for the situation. I started yelling at everyone. It was an important moment because I was able to recollect in that moment holding the phone, that I had been giving CPR. Having my button pushed pointed at a difficult moment that I had not yet properly acknowledged.

Meditation practice may have provided the clarity necessary for me to make the connection and to look into my needs for grieving that were being suppressed. What can often happen is that we blame the situation in front of us for the reaction and fail to make the connection. Yes, there is something pushing our buttons, yet where is the button and why is it there? It can be an important key to healing what could be holding us back. Blaming the external situations that trigger our upheavals can cause more suffering and really just distracts us from getting to know what is really going on beneath the surface.

Recovery from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is described as the point when the person recovering from the trauma is able to reflect on the events and realize what happened is in the past. Once the event is not longer seen as a present event, but put into proper perspective, the reaction to the trigger fades. This doesn't mean we have PTSD when we get triggered, yet the process is similar.

So, when someone is pushing your buttons, feel free to give them some credit for triggering a response in you, yet if you are interested in understanding yourself you may want to look at the button itself. Freedom from such suffering could be in the palm of your own hand. These buttons are only a temporary covering over the deeper experience of mind so there is no need to get discouraged when they get pressed. Its just a good time to get even more curious.

.... see part 2 Triggering Mindfulness by clicking here.

Joy, Pain and Joy.

2011-06-26T09:21:00.004-03:00

~ a follow up article from: http://amindfulnessblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/mindful-hypothesis-guided-contemplation.html

The purpose of this article is to point at lasting joy. To get there, we have cover some uncomfortable spots, so please stay tuned to the end if you want the good news.

Life is full of ups and downs. On a day to day basis you may experience peaks and troughs of feelings like pain and pleasure, good moods and bad moods, which often depend on what appears to us through the senses. Maybe you get up for breakfast and find out that you are out of milk. Bummer. Then you look out the window and see a blue jay on the window sill. Look! A blue jay! You might say out loud with excitement. Cool! You get an hour to go to yoga which you really need, but when you show up the yoga teacher you like is away. That day you might be on your way to a wonderful wedding or a maybe a funeral. All on life's appearances whether big or small seem to have an effect on us. This is an alternating joy and pain, in big and small ways, which is totally dependent on our habitual thinking and how we mix that habitual thinking with the unpredictable series of events which appear to us.

Whether you are getting that new great job, or getting fired, whether you are getting that fudge oat bar you love or spilling coffee on your new pants, when we look outside ourselves for happiness we are at the mercy of a never ending stream or changing appearances. As well, we may also be trying to ignore some uncomfortable truths such as the fact that no matter what kind of life and world we construct for ourselves on the outside, it all eventually comes to an end. All things change and even our body is impermanent. When I look at how we busy ourselves with technology and entertainment I often wonder if it is all done just so that we can ignore this un-examined area called impermanence and death. We are very busy doing something that is for sure. Yet, where is it getting us?

Most spiritual traditions have a way of pointing this out. The Buddha's first teaching was suffering. He taught four noble truths and the first one is the truth of suffering or dukha in sanskrit. Yet the Buddha also taught that this kind of suffering is not necessary and that we can actually discover lasting joy.

So if joy is not something that we can attain at the whim of appearances and habitual patterns, then how do we attain it? And how is that possible? Well you could look at some simple logic and say "Duh, then don't be at the whim of appearance and habitual patterns?" Certainly, that is part of the picture and this is way easier said than done. The mindfulness traditions also point to the basic nature of mind itself as a key part of the solution. The "experiencer" of temporary joy and pain is the mind. So the key point here is to bring the mind to the path of training and awakening. Mind becomes the main tool we use to free ourselves from our confused relationship with appearances and our addiction to self-defeating habitual patterns. Not only that, but mind is also the source of happiness itself, once we are able to see its true nature. The actual deeper nature of this experiencer is quite joyful. This kind of joy is independent of any pattern or appearance. The mind in its ordinary state is peaceful, kind, at ease and happy. So looking to mind as the source of lasting happiness is the recommendation here. You could say it is another hypothesis we need to test. If you have tried all the promises from external sources only to see there is something fishy going on and that lasting happiness based on a sand castle is not realistic, then you might be ready for an alternative. That alternative is within your own being.

So in the next post I will be talking about how to get started with training the mind and recognizing the true nature of mind.

Earth Day Reflection and Aspiration

2011-04-22T13:18:00.001-03:00

The day before Earth Day I found myself in a grocery store checkout line having my groceries being loaded into plastic bags. I realized as I was well into getting things checked through, that I had left my reusable grocery bags in the car. I felt somewhat disappointed in myself for doing this. I have also found myself lately getting cups of coffee after having forgotten my travel mug at home or at work. In my efforts to be prepared to make small choices that favor taking care of the environment, I have taken some steps to participate a lifestyle that supports sustainability. Yet, I am forgetting to use the basic materials I have in place to live that way.

As I reflect on Earth Day today, I have to admit that to whatever degree I have tried to prepare, I have also failed at being mindful. Mindfulness is often defined as remembering; remembering to come back to the breath, remembering to come back to the present moment, or remembering to follow through on choices that align with ones desires to be of service to the environment.

Today I make the following aspiration in honor of Earth Day, in honor of the planet, in honor of the community and in honor to this human body.

For the sake of all beings
I aspire to remember
the earth and my community
in the choices that I make
each and every day.

May the choices that I
make in a small way
help create harmonious connections
that aid in the environmental health
of the larger community and the planet as a whole.

Dear Earth, may I remember you
so that I do not forget you
as I use the resources we have
taken from you.

May we all continue to live
here and make you our home
for may years and generations to come.

Sincerely,

Mike Munro

Willow Is Not Real

2011-04-12T22:57:00.004-03:00

Willow is a dog. When I first met Willow she was introduced to me as a house pet that needed to be penned in during a meeting because she was so excitable. Her keeper gave the visitors two options: 1. have her in the bedroom where she would bark and bark and bark. 2. Let her come in where she would jump up on us and run around in circles. Willow is an Australian Shepperd and can only relax after herding you like a sheep. We chose the bark-free option since we were about to have a meeting and needed to hear each other. And besides, we all needed to sit in the same room together so we were easy to herd. My experience of her was that she was an uncontrollable, scraggly looking, utterly annoying ... dog.

I have never considered myself a dog person. I was a cat person. I was annoyed at the dog before I even got to experience its excitable nature mostly because I identified myself as a cat person ... and definitely NOT a dog person.

As it turned out my relationship with Willow started to change. To make a long story short I ended up volunteering to help take care of Willow on a part time basis as Willow's owner was in need of some support. After spending several days a week with Willow something eerie started to happen. I was beginning to act like a dog person. I was picking up poop, talking to the dog like a person, looking up dog training resources and last but not least .... I was starting to feel some real affection towards her. Now when I go a few days without seeing Willow I start to miss her. I have become a dog person. I am not sure what happened to me. I was cat person you know!

So what does any of this have to do with mindfulness? Well if you watch how you identify yourself as something ... a friend, lover, single person, whatever, you will also notice something else. Things change. The identities we label ourselves and others with are not fixed. When we fix a label on ourselves we often try to maintain it as real and permanent. Upon closer examination things are freer than that and if you watch ... you might just notice yourself becoming something you never thought you could be ... and thank goodness for that freedom.

Victorious Practice

2011-03-08T19:26:00.001-04:00

To practice mindfulness you start by bringing your attention to one thing. By sitting and bringing your attention to the breath fully for a moment you are practicing awareness. When you extend that awareness to the next breath, that is further awareness which we call ... mindfulness. Practicing with the breath is an important practice because it is bringing us into focus with the primary sensation of life-giving breath.

Once we can appreciate and relax with this basic sensation of breath then we can extend our awareness to the environment. Mindfulness is not sensory withdrawal. You may need to practice in a quite place at first, yet once you connect with your meditation object or the object of mindfulness then you can afford to relax and let more of the environment into your field of awareness. If you become distracted by thoughts that seem to stem from the sense objects or from past and future concerns, include that in awareness as well. See the thoughts and once you have included then in your awareness, then return to the primary sensation of breath or your meditation object.

In order to practice you need to include your experience of the world of the senses and of thoughts while also training your mind to come back to your chosen meditation object. That is what is called practice. After your formal practice session you can work with any experience of the present moment. Feel free to reflect on future goals or past experiences as well, yet from the point of view of greater mindfulness and awareness. There are no experiences or thoughts that need to be excluded from your awareness. Seal everything that comes up with awareness, and come back to your chosen object of meditation. If you can practice mindfulness this way then it is impossible to "fail". With the right view on practice, it is always victorious.

Mindful Hypothesis - A Guided Contemplation: Part 1 of 2

2011-03-02T14:38:00.019-04:00

~part 2 of this post:http://amindfulnessblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/joy-pain-and-joy.html

The Mindfulness Hypothesis: The causes of happiness and suffering come from within your own mind, and understanding them allows you to determine the result yourself.

My teacher often describes the path of meditation and wisdom he is presenting as a science of mind. In science we often start with a hypothesis about nature which we wish to test. If we observe a cloud in the sky and infer from observation that the sun's heat has something to do with the formation of the cloud, then we devise an experiment to see if this is so. Taking a scientific approach means that we don't just accept things as they appear or as we infer them, rather we form an hypothesis and then test it first. If our hypothesis stands up to reason and experimentation, then we can take it be true. This can be repeated over time as other insights come to light and our hypothesis can be challenged again. New information can shed further light on old knowledge, which is often expanded upon or sometimes deemed no longer true. Physical science, however, is generally focused on the external world and the rigors of modern science often require large samples of data under the right conditions to verify these physical truths.

From: http://chemistry.about.com/od/imagesclipartstructures/ig/Science-Pictures/Titration.htm

We can look at mindfulness with a similar approach, yet also understand that the approach of physical science need not apply in its entirety to our approach of working with and understanding our mind. There are plenty of studies which will tell you that meditation is good for you and that mindfulness is an important part of modern approaches to health and healing, yet what we need as individuals is more specific to ourselves and our own mind and life. We may find that a study with a sample size of 1000 other people we have never met will not help us understand our own life and mind directly. In order to do that we need to be the scientist and the subject in a study with a sample size of one. Others may help us confirm the results, but working with our own mind is a practical form of inner science specific to ourselves.

This leads us to a mindfulness hypothesis. If we were to take the perspective that our own experience of mind and life is of primary importance in determining happiness or suffering, then how would we go about seeing this mind and directing it to get the results we want? First of all we need to be willing to test the hypothesis that happiness comes from within, and the same with suffering. You could observe your experiences through time, today and throughout life to see if this is true. How many things, relationships and events happen outside of ourselves that lead to a lasting experience of happiness? How many things, relationships and events that happen outside ourselves are there that lead to a lasting experience of suffering? Once you have looked into this you could test another hypothesis. What if our experiences of happiness and suffering actually originated within? How often have our own mental attitudes, events or emotions been responsible for joy in our lives or for periods of happiness? What kinds of internal qualities and experiences of mind have lead to positive outcomes? How often have our own mental attitudes, events or emotions been responsible for unhappiness our lives or for periods of suffering? What kinds of internal qualities and experiences of mind have lead to negative outcomes?

If you go through this process it is quite possible that you might come to a certain conclusion that points to the power of your own mind to create your experience of the world. Yet, don't take my word for it. Please test it for yourself. And if you do come to that conclusion then maybe we could think of the implications or come up with another hypothesis. If it does stem from mind, then how do I take care of it, and how do I direct it?

Follow up post to this article:
http://amindfulnessblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/joy-pain-and-joy.html

Own Your Mind - A Contemplation

2011-01-22T13:43:00.001-04:00

I was just reading from my teachers book "Rebel Buddha" and one line in particular really hit home. He says that sometimes we are too polite with our suffering or our confusion. Sometimes we need to question its authority over us and stage a rebellion. In order to stage that rebellion against suffering and confusion within our own mind we need mindfulness. Mindfulness is the key to reclaiming our mind and heart. We are often getting guests coming to visit in the house of our mind. Mr. Anger comes in without even knocking the door and the he stays around and wears out his welcome. Why do difficult emotions get away with that? Based on what I'm reading it seems like they get away with it because we let them. You may know from the Buddhist teachings or other wisdom teachings that in order to have a healthy relationship with your mind, it is important not to suppress emotions and I would have to say yes I do think that is true. However, we also need to stop entertaining them as if they were special guests as well.

My teacher uses the analogy of mindfulness as being a person in a house who can lock all the doors. When Mr. Anger arrives to pay a visit we can see him coming. Then we can unlock the door and invite him in, hear what he has to say. That seems fine enough. Then its time for the guest to leave. Because we have seen him coming and mindfully let him in, we can also mindfully say goodbye and let him out. We may not want Mr. Anger in at all, yet if mindfulness is our householder then it seems that we can. We can see it clearly, listen and let go. We don't need to be too polite and offer him drinks and snacks and let him bully us into keeping him as an overnight guest! That would be way too polite.

Mindfulness for Goofballs

2011-01-04T10:11:00.002-04:00

I was talking to my co-worker this morning about this blog as I was handing her the keys to the cabinet and, with my hand gesturing, managed to throw the keys on the floor at her feet.

I had a flash of feeling somewhat hypocrital given the topic of discussion. Yet when I reflect on it, feeling hypocritical about that kind of experience is also something worth looking at. Often we have the idea that when we practice something we should get better at it right? Sometimes we expect others who practice yoga or meditation to be peaceful, elegant and kind all the time. This must be based on some kind of fantasy or mental projection which is good to notice as well. Do you ever find yourself judging someone for not living up to your expectations? It happens so quickly that we don't often notice it right away. I noticed it this morning in relation to myself yet we can do it quite quickly towards anyone or anything. The interesting thing is that we often believe our judgements without looking at them closely. So today my question is "Is it really true that because I practice and teach mindfulness that I should never drop a set of keys?". Well it's a good thing that assumption doesn't hold up to analysis because if it did, I would have given up on myself a long time ago.

The Hooker

2010-12-24T10:23:00.006-04:00

Do you ever feel like you are hooked by something? One of the things people notice when they start practicing mindfulness and meditation is the contrast between the glimpses of being or being present and the experience of a lot of mental activity or even inner turmoil. This is actually a really good sign of practice when we start to notice what is going on in our mind and our thoughts.

One of the key experiences here, and a sign of practice, is noticing when you are hooked. When you are caught in a thought process or emotional story in your mind and cannot seem to remain present to the situation around you, or to the person you are talking with, it is often because we are mentally hooked by something. If mindfulness is our intention yet we are struggling with what we often call "distraction" then observing that contrast and being able to see it should be regarded as a sign of practice. Not noticing when we are doing this is a form of ignorance.

I saw my yoga teacher Don Stapleton demonstrate his practice of this recently at Kripalu Centre. He was giving a talk on Self Awakening Yoga and started off by saying that he felt behind in the course curriculum and that he felt he needed to "unhook" from the expectation of getting everything done. He kindly asked us all if it was ok for him to do that so he could present from a place of experience. We all gladly accepted. What I observed there was very encouraging. We might think of our teachers as people who don't get hooked but that would an unrealistic and unfair expectation to make of any human being. What Don demonstrated, however, was mindfulness in action. He was able to identify what was grabbing him internally and see it, communicate it, and release it. That's a skilled way of dealing with being hooked by an expectation and very brave on his part to communicate that with the students. I learned a lot about practice in that moment.

So if we if we tend to get hooked, then what is causing this? What is "the hooker" that is preventing us from living in the now and acting from a place of authentic being? I would say that if you are seeing it and responding to it in the way that Don was then there is no hook preventing you from being present. I think it's an important point. How we deal with our minds and what we consider "distraction" will determine the results.

In the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism, the master Tilopa said to his disciple Naropa “You are not bound by appearances, but by clinging; So cut your clinging, Naropa!” So what gets us hooked is not what we often blame it on. We often have all sorts of things to blame our discomfort on which appear to be outside of us or sometimes it's what we think of ourselves. Yet what is the real 'hooker" in this situation? Is it some kind of clinging in the mind? It helps us to see how we attach or grab on to thoughts and expectations around what we see and experience.

So when we can see our minds then we can see when we are being hooked. Once we see that we can relax. We can take a breath see the thoughts and emotions that are grabbing us, and let them go. Like Don demonstrated, what is grabbing us and preventing us from moving forward is also an important stepping stone. In this way, what is grabbing us is also our path to freedom from this. The ability to free ourselves in this way comes from a familiarity with what is going on in our minds. So mindfulness of mind can lead to a greater mindfulness of the our entire inner and outer world, right in this very moment.