Beyond Zen...

Best Meditation for Anxiety; 4-Square Meditation

2010-07-29T23:21:16Z

Before I started my study of Buddhism and meditation, I suffered greatly from anxiety. Throughout my life, medication was my best friend when dealing with anxiety. I’m not going to tell you that you can toss your anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication away that would be wrong. What I can tell you is my Doctors all noticed a marked improvement in how my anxiety diminished over the years. I associate this improvement with meditation and an overall calm I now enjoy naturally every day.

Many meditations I didn’t find particularly useful when I could feel the anxiety starting to creep upon me, an example would be during turbulence on an airplane. I’ve traveled a ton in my life, but I still get anxiety when a flight hits some bumps in the air. Often, the subtle “breathing meditations” of Vipassana just won’t hold my attention well enough. So I started to turn to what I call the “4-Square Meditation,” this is how you do it:

Sit in as comfortable position as possible
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths

We are going to focus on our breath as well as a counting routine

Take a deep breath and let the breath take as long as it takes you to count to four by saying the following in your mind: “1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand, 4-one thousand.”
Then hold that breath for the same count of four as above
Next exhale slowly to the same count of four as above

You might notice your body rushing to get rid of the air, it’s ok if you have to exhale quickly, your pulse and blood pressure will soon slow and you will be able to hold the count

Now, after exhaling, hold that for the same four count as before, then start to take your inhalation.
Repeat, inhale for four seconds, then hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then hold the lack of air in your lungs for four seconds.

Repeat this pattern until you feel you have gained control back, I recommend keeping it up and keeping your focus on the breath and counting for as long as you want.

Often, when I do this meditation I will go much longer in time than I think I do. Once on a bumpy flight from Idaho to Oregon I did this the whole flight and really didn’t realize I had done it, and done it without anxiety.

I can’t promise you the anxiety will go away but what I can promise is your ability to see it and be able to head it off, and mellow it out will come with meditation practice.

We would love to hear about your experience with this meditation, feel free to drop us a note or post a comment on how it worked.

10 Must Have Tools For Your Meditation Practice

2010-07-27T03:08:51Z

1. Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition

Geared towards Mindfulness and Buddhism, still the most simple and easy to follow book for using breath in sitting, I can’t recommend this book enough and often have several copies to give out as people need it.

2. Winsome Wood Craftsman Coffee Table, Antique Walnut

Simple and inexpensive coffee tables from Target.com or this one you can buy at Amazon and help us at the same time are perfect for meditation.

3.Buckwheat Zafu and Zabuton Meditation Cushion Set (2pc), Black

I sometimes love benches (see our products page) but usually I love a big square cushion and some round zabuton’s to sit on. It’s very adjustable and fits to how your body feels that day.

4. Meditation Timer – Sycamore

A timer is key so that your mind doesn’t constantly wonder how long you have been meditating. A real simple one would be a kitchen timer but I love wood and gong sounds. This timer sits on my table and is a trust pal from start to finish.

5. Sandalwood Mala Bead Necklace

Malas are used in several meditations so it’s great to have on hand, especially if you follow many of the meditations we have here on the site. Those who meditate or pray with a rosary will know exactly what this is for

Radio/Online Interview with Leslie Blackburn – Saturday 3/29

2010-07-22T02:12:31Z

Our friend Leslie had this to say about her upcoming radio interview:

I welcome you listen to Radio Free Nashville on-line this Saturday for a discussion on Sacred Sexuality and Sacred Geometry!

Leslie Blackburn of One Space, LLC, to be interviewed by Dawn Kirk, host of “Wake Up & Live” on Radio Free Nashville www.radiofreenashville.org

This Saturday, March 29, 10am -11am EDT.

See below for more details on Dawn’s full two hour show line up for this Saturday!

The topics on “Wake Up & Live” this Saturday may seem deep and challenging but join me as I talk with Dorothy Marcic then Leslie Blackburn about the possible interconnectedness between the Divine Feminine, Sacred Sexuality, Sacred Geometry and Sex Trafficing. For a year now, I’ve found myself curious about these topics and even more so since they’re arising in these important times.

Dorothy Marcic, a former Vanderbilt business management professor and writer, is more recently known for her hit “Respect: A Musical Journey of Women.” From Hollywood to Chicago, St. Paul to Atlanta, Dorothy’s gotten rave reviews for her use of Top 40 songs to trace the progress of women in our society. ( http://www.respectamusicaljourney.com/reviews.html ) Dorothy caught my attention upon returning from the recent 52nd Session of the UN’s Comission on the Status of Women where she was one of 6,000 women in attendance addressing issues such as the trafficking of women and children.

(http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803180377) As I write this I wonder ‘What was I thinking attempting to broach this topic?’ Yet Dorothy, Leslie and I will attempt to share hope and shed light on this topic and all to which it is connected.

In the second hour at 9:00 Central, I’ll talk with Leslie Blackburn about Sacred Sexuality and Sacred Geometry. Trained as an engineer, Leslie is also an artist, yogini and Tantrika. Leslie has combined her managerial and speaking skills with her creativity and passion for the spiritual path to form One Space, LLC, a conscious teaching/learning community and an avenue for the sharing of her art. Her artwork incorporates the principles of sacred geometry and balance and is a flowing exploration of the inner self as well as the power and beauty of the human form. Through her exploration and practice of sacred sexuality/Tantra, she has experienced deep healing and release on a personal level and is called to share this path of potential with others. Leslie’s personal path and work has been the integration of the ever-unfolding feminine in body and psyche with masculine direction and purpose- Love in action! See www.onespaceconnected.com

Join us as we bring sexuality out of the shadows and listen for the sacred this Saturday from 8-10AM Central time on ”Wake Up & Live’ at www.radiofreenashville.org . How exciting during this month honoring women that we get to hear from two amazing women who are utilizing both their right and left brain capacities to bring healing and wholing to the world.

Sincerely,

Dawn Kirk

Prior interviews archived at www.seedsthestory.com/wakeup

Tips for Being Mindfull…

2010-07-22T02:15:22Z

Morning all and Happy Sunday, I hope the sun is shining where you are, seems odd to see it here in the Pacific NW.

We’ve talked here about what Mindfulness is in several posts:

What it isn’t | Who exhibited it | Using Gratitude as a Tool

For the most part we have talked about using meditation and breath as a way to cultivate mindfulness yet our Friend over at The Middle Way has posted a fantastic list of cultivating it in many ways. Please check out the blog post here to see the full descriptions, the summarized list is below:

Take a breath
Smile in public (I’d also add “smile to yourself all the time”)
Spot your moods and how moods affect your life
Feel your body, how it is
Eat mindfully
Notice when entering a new space
Try feeling any jewelry you are wearing, as often as possible
Let the phone ring a big, breathe first

If you have other suggestions, head over the The Middle Way and post a comment.

~LaBoheme

Great Quote….On Mindfulness

2010-07-22T04:22:23Z

How much of your life do you spend looking forward to being somewhere else?

-Matthew Flickstein, “Journey to the Center”

The Middle Way & eSangha #12

2010-07-22T04:24:33Z

My new friend @ The Middle Way has included our post on the difference between Namaste & Gassho, please check it out. This version of eSangha is fantastic and full of other posts on; Music, Meditation tips, Enhancing Attention, and an eBook on “Small is Beautiful”.

Gassho,

Kris

Links

The Middle Way

Beyond Zen Post: “Namaste or Gassho, Hola or Halo”

The Middle Way Post: “eSangha #12″

Inner Smile on a Cold Day

2010-07-22T04:27:16Z

Yesterday was one of those days, you wake-up completely on the wrong side of the bed. Tripping, spilling, cursing the morning away. I thought for sure it was going to be a horrible day. To boot, I’m late and there is ice all over my car. So, after de-icing the car and cranking up the heat I feel the heat of being late. Not that I was going to get in trouble, I just really hate to be late anywhere. So, there I am in my car, driving through my neighborhood, thinking of nothing but being late and how bad of a morning it was.

Freeze……Can you see how the day is shaping? It’s going to be bad and I’m determined to make it so. Ok Go!

As I get to a corner in my neighborhood I notice my neighbor and her grandchild waiting for the bus. This woman always waves to me and I wave back but it will take a huge undertaking to remove my negative thoughts. And then it happend. Although I might have been 20 degrees and ice everywhere, her Grandchild looked up with that pom on top of her knitted cap and her stripped mittens to “smile and wave” at me. I was stuck in my tracks, unable to move.

The moment of seeing a child smile and wave changed everything. I felt that “Inner Smile” blurb up and fill my body. The last thing to hit was the smile on my face. A simple act of joy and a smile melted me, turned everything around.

I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way to work…..then it cascaded to a spring in my step and my humor…….I felt like bouncing to every meeting.

The “Inner smile”, from Lao Tzu to Buddha, a concept of love from the inside.

What I felt was a massive amount of Qi cultivation at that moment, continuing throughout the day, thinking of my Qigong instructor saying “let a smile float up to your face” only brought more Qi. My practice of “Loving-Kindness” as of late came to mind as well and I was again washed in Qi and calm.

Some call it the Buddha Nature or Loving-Kindness and some call it the “Inner Smile”, I called it unexpected.

This just goes to show how much of a quality day we create by just thinking it as well as the power of a wave and a smile from another being.

For meditation and more articles:

Meditation from Yoga Journal

Metta: The Practice of Loving Kindness by Kris Vockler

Update “Spread the Love NOW! Group Writing Project”

2010-07-22T04:29:27Z

Photo Credit

As many of you know we were part of a wonderful project called “Spread the Love NOW! Group Writing Project“. Created by those wonderfully enlightened folks at [The Middle Way], [Zen-Inspired Self Development], and [UrbanMonk.net]. The project was fantastic and led me to a whole new group of enlightened ones to read and be a part of on this crazy path we each share yet walk alone. To read Beyond Zen’s part of the project, check out this post: A Story of Compassion and Dying.

I want all of our readers to also enjoy some of the great writing from this project; stories of compassion, concepts of compassion from many spiritual themes, and discussions on definition of the word “Compassion”. The list is below, enjoy!

~La Boheme

Entries

Ben Lumley at The New Horizons Project.

Kris Vockler at Beyond Zen.

Corinne Edwards at Personal Growth with Corinne Edwards.

Isabella Mori at Change Therapy.

Paula Kawal at Journey Inward Coaching.

Liara Covert at Dream Builders.

David Bohl at Slow Down Fast.

Deb Estep at Deb_Inside.

Swami Nirmalananda Giri and ReddyK at the Atma Jyoti Blog.

Mary Jaksch at Goodlife Zen.

Takuin Minamoto at Daily Action and Natural Expression.

Robin at Reflections on Compassion, posted at Yogini Myspace Blog.

Karen Zara at Abaminds.

Jenny Mannion at Heal Pain Naturally.

Evan Hadkins at WellBeingAndHealth.Net.

Shawn Williamson at do you LIVE or simply EXIST.

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker.

Alex Blackwell at The Next 45 Years.

Akemi Gaines at Gratitude Magic.

Vitor Bosshard at The Fractal Forest.

CG Walters at Into The Mist.

John Torcello has also contributed an entry by email, I’ve included it in the comments below.

Brightdays at Brighter Days for you and me!

Karen at Loving Awareness.

Krista at Lucid Amphibology.

Karen Lynch at Live The Power.

Andrea Hess at Empowered Soul.

Waters at Waters: The Last Thing I Wanted To Give.

Eric Grey at Deepest Health.

Stephen Hopson at Adversity University.

Em Dy at Pulse: Intention to Treat.

Iain Hamp at Follow Your Passions.

Rahul at Raw Speak.

Stephen Miracle at AltNoise.Net.

Pearl at Interesting Observations.

Mark at My Tropical Escape.

Matthew at Loving Awareness.

Daylle Schwartz at Lessons from a Recovering Doormat.

Charities Link at Charities Link.

Mihaela Lica at Pamil Visions eWritings.

David at Virginia Breeze.

Jerry Summers at Nothing Like Now.

Wishbone at Wishbone.

Arvind Devalia at Make Things Happen.

Samir Bharadwaj at Samir Bharadwaj dot com.

Interview with Leslie Blackburn

2010-07-22T04:30:29Z

Kris Vockler interviews Leslie Blackburn; Artist, Engineer, and Yogini.

KV: We first met on a Sacred Journey to Egypt in November of 2007, what events prompted you to take this trip and what had you hoped to get out of it?

LB: Egypt called me about five years prior to the trip, as I was opening up to an awareness of a connection with Egypt that’s been reflected in many things during my life. I remember creating a Sphinx out of paper maché in 2nd grade, writing a paper on how I wanted to be an Archaeologist when I was in 5th grade, and a strong connection to cats, especially big cats (pumas, panthers, tigers) which I view as power animals of mine. As I started to piece these things together I consulted with a wonderful psychic advisor of mine asking her why I was feeling this draw to Egypt? What should I be aware of? She knowingly plunked a statue of Sekhmet in front of me, lent me a copy of “Initiation” by Elizabeth Haich, and put me in contact with Body Mind Spirit Journeys. My body lit up with goosebumps (a common sign I get when something really resonates with me!) Immediately I knew the connection was real.

Then I had an interesting twist…a series of synchronicities guided me into a trip to Peru. For a reason that I was not aware of at the time I needed to first travel to Peru. At the time, I thought perhaps it was Peru instead of Egypt. And in fact, when Andrea (director of Body Mind Spirit Journeys, who led both the trip to Peru and the one to Egypt) told me over the phone that many people end up traveling to both places with her – my first reaction was that I would just be up for one such major trip, and that a second to Egypt was unlikely.

Ah, divine guidance, I’ve learned now over the years to trust it and go for it. And sure enough, the trip to Peru was life changing! I believe I needed that trip first, to prepare me for the next phases of my life. Peru was immensely heart opening, at a time in my life when I had been reconnecting with my creativity and the divine feminine. Years in an engineering career in corporate America had squashed some of these aspects away, and it was time to reconnect. That trip to Peru is another whole topic in itself!

Finally, after more synchronicities, the means to make a second major trip presented itself. Shocked, but also recognizing the guidance for what it was, I signed up for Egypt as soon as Andrea posted the details. I headed into it knowing there was a great deal of healing and releasing I had yet to do. I feel that I was meant to be there to not only experience these healing aspects for myself, but also as a lightworker to help raise global consciousness. I was drawn there to learn these aspects and to share with and teach others.

KV: Were your expectations met or did the trip make any turns you didn’t expect?

LB:Both! There were aspects of the trip that I expected, but so many that were new and wholly necessary. At times I expected certain things to happen that didn’t, then I wondered why, then I realized…there I go again with the mental “thinking” process, the checklist. When I opened my heart to let the experience unfold as it may, that’s when I felt the most fulfilled. Now mind you, I say this with the utmost love and respect of list-making, it’s one of my strengths (I should buy stock in Post-its)! But I’ve come to recognize and honor both the logic side and the intuitive side…and there are times when I need to rely on my heart center. I found in Egypt that this was particularly demanding. This brings me back to my reason for heading to Peru first. Peru, being the feminine psychic center of the Earth, is naturally a very receptive, juicy, warm and open place and the people there reflect that. Egypt, being the masculine psychic center of the Earth, is a bit more harsh, dry and structured. So I believe the resistance I felt, or the tendency to kick-in to my logic self, was heightened while I was there. And all the more reason I needed that trip to Peru first, to help me with the necessary opening and receptivity that was harder for me in the past but proved to be critical for my healing and learning in Egypt.

KV: From your website it would appear that the Engineer was the first to come out in you, then art, then yoga. Is this how it unfolded? Was art a part of your younger life?

LB:Yes, art was a part of my younger life. Drawing was a love of mine from an early age, Mom even saved a coloring book picture from when I was 2 ½ yrs old, red was definitely my favorite color! As I grew, I was encouraged by teachers to learn more and had the opportunity to attend an honors art class at the University of Cincinnati when I was a high school student. However, when it came time to decide on a college major, an inner self, likely fueled by adult “shoulds” about money, won my internal debate between graphic design and engineering. As I proceeded through my degrees and career, what remained of the artistic side was funneled only into structured drafting and computer aided design (CAD), the creative side was subconsciously tucked away.

So as an adult, the engineer came first. I’ve led a highly successful career in the engineering field at a major corporation. As I’ve mentioned before, I was drawn to reconnect with my feminine/creative in recent years and picking up my art again has been a major aspect of that…both as a catalyst for and a result of connection with the divine feminine. I took some classes, and one in particular, “Intuitive Painting”, helped me open up my work into new realms.

Meanwhile, yoga became a part of my life close to 10 years ago when I was heavily in engineering career mode, along with being an endurance athlete (both very “type A”). I was training and competing in triathlon (swim/bike/run) and headed into my first Ironman race (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run). The training took a tremendous toll on my body, and I turned to yoga to add flexibility and balance (strengthening the tiny muscles that provide stability and injury avoidance). I immediately enjoyed my practice for it’s physical benefits…and over time I realized the mental and spiritual benefits. Eventually, I added a regular meditation practice as well. Now, I enjoy the great depth of the yoga principles, in many aspects of my life.

KV: As for becoming a Yogini (an accurate description of you), when did spiritual seeking come into your life and what triggered it?

LB:Motherhood. The birth of my daughter, that is. What really cracked me open was my pregnancy and the birth of my daughter. Life for me has changed so immensely during that period and the years after she was born. My new infant taught me lessons that, for me, could not have been learned by reading a book or taking a class. She continues teaching me new things to this day.

As I awoke to a new reality, it was wonderful in many ways but painful in many others. I recognized my marriage wasn’t working, and made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made. Wow, it sure is hard to wake up…you no longer have the option of just going back to sleep and ignoring your life! I had to face up to making a major change. As I ended the relationship with my husband, my daughter’s father, I questioned myself over and over again. The guidance I received kept reassuring me I was on the right path, and for the first time in my life I had to “let go of the steering wheel” as a dear friend and advisor told me. Reflecting on my relationship with my ex-husband that spanned half of my life to that point, I honor and respect the time we had together as it was exactly what I need through those phases of my life, even though it was time for it to end.

KV: You speak of the “Flower of Life” on your site and we talked about it on the trip as well, we symbols in Abydos. How did you discover this and what prompted you to study sacred geometry?

LB:Another wonderful outcome of my trip to Peru! But first, a bit of background from childhood:
In addition to drawing, one of the other aspects of my childhood was a huge interest in and proclivity to all things geometry…shapes, colors, lines, 3D objects, puzzles. I remember being very drawn to a topic in an honors class I took in 6th grade called “topology”…it still intrigues me to this day. Per Wikipedia, Topology (Greek topos, “place,” and logos, “study”) is a branch of mathematics that is an extension of geometry. Topology begins with a consideration of the nature of space, investigating both its fine structure and its global structure. I remember reducing the alphabet to only 5 or 6 basic topological elements, and drawing them on a balloon to illustrate how they can be stretched and shaped into all 26 letters. Also, I recall setting up mirrors into a triangular pattern and gazing, as if meditative, into the infinite field created by them.

So, fast-forward once again to Peru. While there, I connected with 3 amazing new friends. Although we had only just met (in this lifetime that is!) we felt a very deep connection. As we discussed all matters of spirituality and life, one of the people (Ed Spina, author of “Mystic Warrior”) gave me some recommendations on books. Two of these resonated right away, since Melchizedek & Sacred Geometry had come up twice before, and sure enough I got those goose bumps again! So the first two books I read once returning from Peru were “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life, Volumes 1 & 2”, by Drunvalo Melchizedek.

Drunvalo’s work was so familiar to me, in a subconscious yet “knowing” sort of way. I was able to recognize so many aspects, for the first time pulled together in one place, and with new information that made my heart sing (and more goosebumps!). This launched a whole new field of my reality, and I followed up by attending his workshop on the Flower of Life in addition to scouring other books and references.

Sacred geometry is the language of creation. It is a fundamental truth, a oneness that exists beneath all the formalized religions and beliefs. Practicing it has been very eye opening for me. By practicing I mean actually creating the shapes, forms and images using the tools of sacred geometry – a compass and a straight edge. Just seeing the images or reading about them doesn’t have the same effect as the action of recreating them. This is the central premise I use as I teach and learn about sacred geometry, it’s a hands-on experience!

KV: What’s next for you on this path you are following? What focus has you right now?

LB:My intention for the year is to continue to move into this new space, integrating the divine feminine and masculine and sharing my gifts with the world. This includes continuing with my art, teaching and learning through One Space. I am working with some wonderful people to create a workshop series on Embodiment, the first of which, on awakening the divine feminine, is planned for March 2008. Sacred sexuality and tantra are my current focus, my partner and I are planning tantra instructor certification later this year. Also, I would like to explore the integration of sacred geometry with sacred sexuality. I believe there’s a connection and would like to research this area more fully to be able to harvest and share this information.

I embrace continuing on my personal path which has been the integration of the ever-unfolding feminine in body and psyche with masculine direction and purpose – Love in action!

KV: Thank you so much for your time Leslie.

LB:Thank you so much for this opportunity to share – Leslie.

Beyond Zen Zeitgeist (Thanks Google)

2007-12-26T19:20:19Z

Best of 2007

Call this Beyond Zen’s Zeitgeist; what was most searched to find us, most searched on the site, most viewed post and all the stats.

Enjoy ~

LaBoheme

Where are you?

#1 United States (77.56%)
#2 Canada (5.99%)
#3 UK (5.34%)
#4 Australia (1.81%)
#5 India (0.65%)
#6 Netherlands (0.60%)
#7 Germany (0.60%)
#8 New Zealand (0.46%)
#9 Ireland (0.42%)
#10 Singapore (0.37%)

Where do New visitors come from?

Greece, Singapore, Thailand, Russia, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Belgium, Poland, South Korea.

What you liked the most?

#1 Manifestation with Elephants Meditation
#2 Carnival of Lightwork August Edition
#3 What do your dreams mean?
#4 Reiki Training Page
#5 Carnival of Lightwork September Edition

Most Used Keywords?

“http://www.beyondzen.org/”, “upeksha”, “beyond zen”, “michelle croft”, “kris vockler”, “meaning of the color black”, “meanings of dreams”, “equanimity symbol”. Just to sample a few….

What’s Popular this Month?

#1 A Story of Compassion and Dying
#2 “About Kris”
#3 Bardo, Death and a Moment of Transition
#4 What Do Your Dreams Mean?
#5 “About Reiki Training”

Keywords?

“Lightwork”, “buddhism, dreams, black”, “acupuncture and the number 12”, “indian meanings of dreams”, “kundalini awakening during acupuncture”, “kundalini awakening online radio”, “upeksha and writing”, “what does water mean in your dream:”