Our modern society seems to want everything and want it now. We are very good at stressing our bodies (and minds) beyond capacity - getting injured, fatigued and often times ill in the process. We seem to have lost our value for rest. We crave rest, but the idea of taking an afternoon nap, slowing down, or taking a day off seems "lazy" to most of us. However, our bodies need rest, and so do our minds. Even if it only comes in short doses throughout the day. In my "Mindfulness Challenge" I started 2 weeks ago, I invited folks to find 10 minutes every day at the same time (preferably, so that it becomes routine) and practice being mindful - sitting still and focusing on your breath. This is
I first learned about "earth changes" in college, when I began exploring my Cherokee ancestry. I went out west and learned how to build a sweatlodge (inipi) and the elders who led the inipi spoke about earth changes. When I returned home, I decided to go on a vision quest (hanblecha), guided by my teacher, Caocoochee, a man I had met at a gathering in West Virginia that explored different spiritual traditions. I studied with him and became a member of the Whirling Rainbow Lodge for many years. Besides honoring the changing seasons with the inipi ceremony and supporting folks on hanblecha, we also learned survival skills. We learned how to identify wild animals by their tracks and their scat.
"The goal of self-study is to be curious about what we take for granted and recognize and release tendencies that aren’t useful. It can teach us to be non-reactive and non-grasping, and allow the process of letting things go a bit easier. It challenges us to look deeply into our essence and discern superficial ego from divine truth." - Raquel Alexandra, http://www.blueosa.com/reflect-yourself-practice-svadhyaya-self-awareness/ My last blog post was about "Being Present", cultivating mindfulness and contentment. Today, I'm taking that a bit further, exploring the concept in yoga of "svadhyaya" or "self-study". As discussed in my blog post on August 2, Svadhyaya is one of the Niyamas, or obse
