All Categories - Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center, 5319 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK

FOUR REASONS WHY I OFFER SOUND MEDITATION SESSIONS

9/25/2018

(public domain image from www.pixabay.com)

1. In Vedic teaching sound is used not only to restore physical and mental well-being but also as a path to spiritual awakening. This practice is called Nada Yoga.

2. The external sounds such as chanting sacred mantras facilitates us to move inward more quickly and naturally.

3. The internal sounds – the vibrations – are experienced by the chakras serving to balance energetic body and ultimately re-connect you with your divine presence.
4. The instruments used for sound meditation - gongs, crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, shruti box, etc – clear and clean the body’s energetic field leaving people deeply relaxed and peaceful.

SOUND MEDITATION: THIS SUNDAY, 9 AM - 10:15 AM. Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/25/2018

Those who fear god anger easily. They fear impending disaster and the fear disease. God is just one item on the long list of things that they fear. They are not on the path of spiritual unfoldment. Only when someone begins to love god is he on the path of spiritual unfoldment. - Swami Sivaya Subramuniya

IF YOU'RE GRIEVING, SAY 'NO' TO A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE

9/24/2018

Consider these results from recent research about American lifestyles:

* Adults spend 70% of their waking hours sitting;
* Less than 5% of adults engage in 30 minutes of physical activity daily;

* Typical American diets exceed the recommended intake levels or limits in four categories: calories from solid fats and added sugars; refined grains; sodium; and saturated fat;
* Over 78 million U.S. adults and about 12.5 million (16.9%) children and adolescents are obese.
Clearly, more people need to take better care of their physical selves. This is especially true for those who are grieving the death of a loved one. Grief brings it’s own unique stresses and strains. For that reason it’s vital grievers do all they can to maintain excellent health by eating nutritious, balanced meals and engaging in physical exercise. Here are six great reasons for grievers to get physical while grieving -

1. You will have more mental clarity. According to Harvard Health researchers have found that regular aerobic exercise appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. Remaining physically active means your mind will remain alert, sharp and clear.

2. You will be reminded that you are strong.
After the end of a relationship, this mid 30s aged woman described how exercise empowered her: “The running helped me remember ‘I am big. I am strong.' …In the beginning, I thought ‘I may not be able to control all these other things in my life, but I can control this.’ Then it became ‘Well, if I can control that, what else can I take back?’”

3. You will sweat out sadness. Exercise almost always puts people into a better mood. Endorphins, which are structurally similar to the drug morphine, are considered natural painkillers because they activate opioid receptors in the brain that help minimize discomfort, explains J. Kip Matthews, PhD., a sport and exercise psychologist. They can also help bring about feelings of euphoria and general well-being, he adds.

4. You will age slower. Exercise has been shown to lengthen lifespan by as much as five years. A small recent study suggests that moderate-intensity exercise may slow down the aging of cells. Here’s why: as humans get older their cells divide over and over again, their telomeres—the protective caps on the end of chromosomes—get shorter. To see how exercise affects telomeres, researchers took a muscle biopsy and blood samples from 10 healthy people before and after a 45-minute ride on a stationary bicycle. They found that exercise increased levels of a molecule that protects telomeres, ultimately slowing how quickly they shorten over time. At the cellular lever, it appears as though exercise slows aging.

5. You will control your weight. Some grievers are unable to eat and thus, lose weight. Others turn to food for comfort and thus, gain weight. Regular exercise will help control this issue increasing appetite so you can eat and burning calories if you over eat.

6. You will combat health issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Regular exercise helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, a number of types of cancer, arthritis and falls.”

So, find an exercise that works for your body and mind. If you don’t like jogging or biking, experiment with various ways of working out until you find one that’s just right for you. Keep in mind that emerging research reveals that it doesn’t take much movement to gain the benefits. Martin Gibala, an exercise physiologist at McMaster University wanted to test how effective a 10 minute workout could be compared to a typical workout of 50 minutes. The micro-workout he devised consists of three exhausting 20-second intervals of all-out, hard-as-you-can exercise, followed by brief recoveries. In a three-month study, he pitted the short workout against the standard one. To his amazement, the workouts resulted in identical improvements in heart function and blood-sugar control, even though one workout was five times longer than the other.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/24/2018

None of us is ever unemployed. We always have a job to do. We are sent into life for one task: to enrich the lives of others. - Eknath Easwaran

KOREAN 'FOREST GUMP' IS A BUDDHIST MONK WHO RUNS CHARITY MARATHONS FOR VIETNAM

9/23/2018

Buddhist monk Ven. Jino is sorry for the atrocities South Korean soldiers committed against Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam War. South Korea sent about 320,000 soldiers to the war, the second-most following the United States. Some murdered and raped civilians and destroyed their houses.

The U.S. government paid the soldiers $236 million in appreciation of their "efforts," which also included neutralizing part of the Viet Cong presence in southern Vietnam. More than 40 years after the war's end in 1975, a very different picture reflecting the bilateral relation can be seen across Korea. Instead of the Korean infantry divisions and Marine Corps dispatched to Vietnam, the Southeast Asian country's men and women, with non-professional working visas in hand, have moved to Seoul to escape poverty.

Ven. Jino, as one with remorse for his own country that didn't hold back from slaughtering innocent people for the good of its biggest ally, feels touched whenever he sees Vietnamese migrant workers in hardship. "If I didn't commit to running and only had words coming out of my mouth to promote my charity mission, that wouldn't have impressed donors," said Ven. Jino, whose soul-searching cause prompts images of Hollywood masterpiece "Forest Gump."

Between 1965 and 1973, 312,853 South Korean soldiers fought in the Vietnam War. According to domestic sources, Korean infantry and marines killed an estimated 41,400 North Vietnamese Army soldiers and some 5,000 civilians. Approximately 5,000 South Korean soldiers were killed in the conflict, with many others returning home injured and with ailments caused by exposure to defoliant chemicals such as Agent Orange.

To manifest his efforts, Ven. Jino has been working in cooperation with Making Dreams Come True, a private organization based in the city of Gumi, in North Gyeongsang Province, which provides support for migrant workers in South Korea. But in order to achieve his objectives, Ven Jino has had to go the extra mile—literally, by running charity marathons as a demonstration of his sincerity.

Collecting pledges of 100 Korean won (US$0.09) for each kilometer run, Ven. Jino’s accomplishments include covering 300 kilometers in Ecuador and 300 kilometers from Kathmandu to Lumbini in Nepal in 2016, 330 kilometers from Angkor Wat to Phnom Penh in Cambodia in 2017, and 330 kilometers from Kandy to Matara in Sri Lanka in 2018.
His longest record to date took place in Vietnam from 2015–16, where he covered some 2,200 kilometers in two runs from Cao Bang Province to Da Nang, and from Ca Mau to Da Nang.

(source: Korean Times and Buddhist Door)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/23/2018

Selfish acts bring the fruits of selfishness: disrupted relationships, loneliness, frustration, depression, despair. Generous work brings the fruits of giving: loyal friends, security, faith in human goodness, and the increasing capacity to give more. - Eknath Easwaran

BUDDHIST LEADERS URGE AMERICANS TO VOTE IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS

9/22/2018

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

This is a critical time in American society. As Buddhist teachers and leaders we recognize the importance of all who are eligible to participate in decisions that affect the well being of the whole. A mutual caring community is one of the central teachings of the Buddha.
Many have wondered what you can do at this divisive time. Across the country, tens of millions of eligible voters do not cast their vote – often because they don’t believe their voice matters!

We are joining together with Faith In Action, a NON PARTISAN group of churches, mosques, synagogues and faith communities to help make sure all who are eligible are supported to vote....

Express your commitment and respect for the innate dignity and worth of all. Help to empower the voice of the whole community as a truly important contribution.

You can really make a difference! Please join us. With loving kindness, compassion and blessings,

Yours in the Dharma,

Jack Kornfield
Sharon Salzberg
Joseph Goldstein
Norman Fischer
Lama Surya Das .... and others.

'WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM BUDDHISM?' - BEST ANSWER

9/22/2018

What can we learn from Buddhism? The Dalai Lama said, “The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility and forgiveness.” I do not think about Buddhism as a replacement for my personal religious beliefs, but I feel that its philosophical approach can add an important dimension to everyday life. In general terms, Buddhists place importance on personal spiritual development. They study the meaning of life, inner peace and elimination of suffering.
- Earl Crow, columnist for the Winston Salem Journal, responding to a reader's question

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/22/2018

When you slow down, the world slows down with you. - Haemin Sunim

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/21/2018

When we interact with other people we must learn to look at their virtues rather than their failings, and train ourselves to be able to follow others rather than go against them.
- Hsing Yun