Tuesday, April 01, 2014

The second Impediment to Mastering Your Life





Engaging in heavy daily work/play schedules that make it difficult to find the time to practice concentration. With such a fast pace moving life and over stressed for time how does one find the time to stop and practice the art of concentration?

Every day I meet people who are over worked, stressed, and exhausted. Time, which is relative, seems to be the master. But practicing concentration only takes a moment. Master a moment, and you will want more, and when you want more quiet moments, you will find the time to concentrate and acquire them.









Here is how to practice a moment of quietude.

In my yoga class we do the sitting Zen. This only takes about thirty seconds. We stop and sit in Lightening (thunder bolt) Bolt or the Zen Pose. The pose is formed by a kneeling position with the tops of the feet on the floor and the buttock resting onto the heels with the knees touching each other. We then place our hands in our lap using the challis mudra. Place one hand on top of the other, making a cup, with the tips of the thumbs touching. This symbolizes being at peace and being content, and in that our cup is always full.
There are more bones in the feet and hands than any other part of the body. The weight of the body is constantly pushing down into the feet. This is the nature of gravity. Zen Pose exerts pressure in the opposite direction putting pressure on the tops of the feet, relieving strain and muscle fatigue and pushing energy up into the body.
Mystically when sitting on the feet in Zen Pose the body-mind feels lifted and elevated.  Pressing the tops of the feet into the floor produces a quieting of the body-mind.  In yoga the feet are important spiritual symbols. When we sit on them we push fresh blood through the muscles and bones. Pushing fresh blood into them symbolizes a regeneration of our spiritual self. They are the foundation that supports the temple of our soul, otherwise known as the body. They both support and carry us.
We then close our eyes, clear our minds, and focus on three deep long breathes. The mind quiets, the body relaxes, and serenity is found. Remember, the mind exists in three states. Serenity is one of them.

Doctor Lynn

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