Years of practice have served me well. In many ways, and on multiple occasions, applied Eastern philosophy paired with breath work, disciplined movement and meditation have saved my life; and I don’t say that lightly. I’ve learned to observe my mind with less judgement and engage with my thoughts with compassion to create a kinder and gentler inner world. I know how to access stillness, spaciousness and expansion. I am not this body. I am not these thoughts. I am not the fun house ride of emotions always coming and going. Or am I? What is the noise in there all about?… Read the rest
samskara
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Me: “How did I get here AGAIN?”
Self: “Bad decisions?”
Me: “Very funny. I’m serious. I’ve already learned this lesson!”
Self: “Um, apparently not.”
Me: “But I did. I’ve already been through this.”
Self: “Let me put it to you this way. If you’d actually learned the lesson, you wouldn’t be here again. But you didn’t, so you are. We thought you’d like another chance!”
Me: “Awesome.”
Does this sound familiar to you? While the specifics of your inner dialogue might be a little different, I have the feeling you know what I’m talking about. One morning you take a look around with that unsettling Groundhog Day feeling.… Read the rest
Get clear on why you are here
by Jill Sockman
Looking at a photo of Padma recently, I was reminded about how much time has passed so very quickly. (And I am wildly grateful that it isn’t a picture of me as I enjoy the compare-contrast.) The Boo’s coat is lighter now, her face is mostly white, and the goofy puppy expression is something I only see from time to time instead of every day. Where has the time gone?
I’m doing some new work these days around better understanding samskara (our patterns), recognizing where I am on the blueprint my soul arrived with, and making one active step closer to being in alignment with who I was meant to be.… Read the rest
Deciding for your highest and best interest
by Jill Sockman
So, I was giving some thought to how we make decisions. In personality tests, this process is often broken down into two categories: intellectual/factual or emotional/intuitive. As I understand it, most of us have a primary method (one or the other) as the place from which we decide.
I’d like to add another element, continuing on from my ramblings last month. How many of our decisions are truly decisions and not just default reactions? How many things do we do without much mindfulness or introspection? And even more, how many of our choices are based on erroneous beliefs and patterns of behavior (samskara!)… Read the rest
Get out of your groove
by Jill Sockman
Yoga classes, magazine articles, songs on Spotify…everyone’s talking about letting go. What the heck does that mean? And how are you supposed to do it?
Whatever it is that you are holding on to — and the list of possibilities is long: childhood baggage, unforgiven hurts, unhealthy habits, toxic relationships, I could go on and on — chances are good that you didn’t pick it up last week. Part of the holding on is, itself, a habit. And a habit takes time to really cement into your way of being.
So you recognize that you’ve got something tight in your fist (or your mind or your heart) that is holding you back.… Read the rest