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An indoor walking mediation common among Zen Buddhists is Kinh Hanh, the Vietnamese for “slow walking”. It is done inside a meditation room following a period of sitting meditation. Meditators move slowly in a circle taking one step on an inhale and the next step on an exhale. Each step is carefully coordinated with the breath. It offers a natural break from sitting meditation and provides a community of meditators an opportunity to move in a mindful unity. Kinh Hanh can also be done outdoors where space is limited such as a small yard area.
So anytime your body becomes weary from sitting meditation, consider doing five minutes of kinh hanh walking meditation. Move very slowly linking each step to your inhale and exhale.
So anytime your body becomes weary from sitting meditation, consider doing five minutes of kinh hanh walking meditation. Move very slowly linking each step to your inhale and exhale.
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No person basks in the sunshine all the time because the sun does not always shine. - Michelle Steinke-Baumgard
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Hong Kong–based airline Cathay Pacific debuted an in-flight video series campaign dedicated to yoga and meditation called "Travel Well With Yoga," as a part of their new initiative titled Life Well Traveled.
The in-flight program—a collaborative effort by Cathay Pacific and Asia-based media company Pure Yoga—is aimed to help enhance the overall travel experience, with a specific focus on making travel "more personable, meaningful and rewarding," states the company’s website.
Available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese, the video series is comprised of six individual episodes highlighting recommended yoga and meditation exercises (with instructions) for passengers to practice before, during, and after a flight. The yoga segments are all designed to be done while seated and the videos will be offered for first class and economy passengers.
The in-flight program—a collaborative effort by Cathay Pacific and Asia-based media company Pure Yoga—is aimed to help enhance the overall travel experience, with a specific focus on making travel "more personable, meaningful and rewarding," states the company’s website.
Available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese, the video series is comprised of six individual episodes highlighting recommended yoga and meditation exercises (with instructions) for passengers to practice before, during, and after a flight. The yoga segments are all designed to be done while seated and the videos will be offered for first class and economy passengers.
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Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internatl transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way. - Dalai Lama 14th
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Some meditation lineages such as Zen stress the importance of not moving once a person is settled into a meditation posture. This applies even if sitting becomes extremely painful. I have always felt and taught just the opposite, that if there is significant discomfort a meditator should make the necessary adjustment. So, I welcomed an insight from Thich Nhat Hanh who feels that trying to meditation while the body is screaming out in pain "seems unnatural." Here's his advice:
"If your legs or feet fall asleep or begin to hurt during sitting meditation so that your concentration becomes disturbed, feel free to adjust your position. If you do this slowly and attentively, following your breathing and each movement of your body, you will not lose a single moment of concentration. If the pain is severe, stand up, walk slowly and mindfully, and when you are ready, sit down again.
In some meditation centers, practitioners are not permitted to move during periods of sitting meditation. They often have to endure great discomfort. To me this seems unnatural. When a part of our body is numb or in pain, it is telling us something, and we should listen to it. We sit in meditation to help us cultivate peace, joy and nonviolence, not to endure physical strain or to injure our bodies."
(Source: Peace Is Every Step)
"If your legs or feet fall asleep or begin to hurt during sitting meditation so that your concentration becomes disturbed, feel free to adjust your position. If you do this slowly and attentively, following your breathing and each movement of your body, you will not lose a single moment of concentration. If the pain is severe, stand up, walk slowly and mindfully, and when you are ready, sit down again.
In some meditation centers, practitioners are not permitted to move during periods of sitting meditation. They often have to endure great discomfort. To me this seems unnatural. When a part of our body is numb or in pain, it is telling us something, and we should listen to it. We sit in meditation to help us cultivate peace, joy and nonviolence, not to endure physical strain or to injure our bodies."
(Source: Peace Is Every Step)
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Art is the expression of human emotions through various mediums. Sports can be considered as nothing less than an art form because it makes the spirit soar. It engages the emotions of the players and of the spectators who rise for every goal scored.
- B. K. S. Iyengar
- B. K. S. Iyengar
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A good meditation has little or nothing to do with ‘extra-sensory perceptions’ or escaping temporarily from suffering. A walk, a nap, a vacation, or a warm bath can be more effective for such purposes.
If we continue to harbor the same prejudices, the same irritability, and the same indifference toward the suffering of others when we rise from the cushion, it does not matter how many divine lights we see or how many celestial sounds we hear, our meditation is a farce.
If we rise from the cushion with more patience, more love, and more compassion, our meditation has been good. - Tashi Nyima
If we continue to harbor the same prejudices, the same irritability, and the same indifference toward the suffering of others when we rise from the cushion, it does not matter how many divine lights we see or how many celestial sounds we hear, our meditation is a farce.
If we rise from the cushion with more patience, more love, and more compassion, our meditation has been good. - Tashi Nyima
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You are a Universal life form, manifested on earth to perfect yourself as a divine incarnation and perfect yourself you must. - Wu Wei
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HOW GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH DEALT WITH THE DEATH OF THEIR LITTLE GIRL - A LESSON IN HEALTHY GRIEVING
A basic premise of yoga spiritual teaching is that everything which life brings us can be used as a lesson for greater growth and evolution. An inspiring example of that comes from the lives of George and Barbara Bush. In his book, “41: A Portrait of My Father” George W. Bush writes about a time in the life of his parents – former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush – when their 3 year-old daughter died from childhood cancer in 1953. Here are his observations about how his parents dealt with this tragic loss.
* They switched roles after the death. While Robin was hospitalized and being treated for cancer, it was Barbara who was the “strong one” remaining at her daughter’s side” almost every waking hour...playing with her, reading to her, and trying to keep her spirits high.” In contrast, Mr. Bush was a “whirlwind of activity”. He met with doctors, checked results, and researched treatment options. “He raced out of the house early in the morning, stopped at church to pray for Robin, and then threw himself into his work.”
After Robin’s death on October 11, 1953, their roles switched. “My father became the strong one, dealing with funeral planning and logistics” Mr. Bush writes. The couple donated their daughter’s body for medical research when doctors suggested it saying “they could learn from studying her disease.” George and Barbara wanted Robin’s death to be of benefit for other suffering children. Childhood cancer became a lifelong cause for the parents. Today, the childhood cancer clinic at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center bears the name of their daughter. After so many months of “staying strong” for her daughter, Barbara’s system weakened and “she suffered bouts of depression that would plague her periodically. At twenty-eight years old, her dark brown hair started to turn white.”
* The loss of their daughter brought them closer together. George found creative ways to help lift Barbara’s spirits. “He planned visits with friends and gently helped my mother to move forward with life,” Mr. Bush recalls. “Instead of focusing on Robin’s loss, they gave thanks for the years they were able to spend with her. Robin’s death did not drive my parents apart unlike many couples who find their relationships broken after losing a child. In their case, the shared pain brought them together and their marriage emerged stronger. When they needed each other most, they were both willing to go three-quarters of the way.”
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Only when we are interested in spiritual practice do we realize how incredibly fortunate our life is and discover that there’s not much to complain about at all. - Thubten Chodron