Chapter 1 – Mindfulness with Elementary-School-Age Children

For 15 years my pet peeve has been that the term “yoga” has become synonymous with hippie exercise rather than its scientific, faith-based origins.

Deep breaths.

“Aum. All yoga is good – except maybe that one with guns! Aum.”

 

I have a new one: the term “mindfulness” has become another mainstream spinoff of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga – again, without mentioning the author or the object of his faith.

According to Raja Yoga, we have THREE parts: body, mind, and consciousness. No one seems to want to be associated with the third one!! WTH?!

I shouldn’t care. Patanjali would be delighted that his prehistoric treasure map has survived in any form, regardless of name or attribution. Though he’d be mortified at what we’ve done to the Garden of Eden.

The intent of Patanjali’s discipline is to foster Love and Faith.

 

The Yoga Sutras are a personal, holistic (body, mind, spirit) discipline that can lead to realization of the existence of God.

Right. Game changer. As in, a way to find eternal peace while you’re still here!!

Once faith buds, love inevitably blossoms – and nothing is more powerful or transformative.

 

Every breath is scientifically (if not divinely) miraculous. Give thanks to the Source of Everything for this life opportunity and experience and get to know yourself better. Meditate, the original form of prayer!! 😉

Since actions speak louder than words, in addition to setting aside time to close your eyes and express appreciation for your life, give thanks and honor whatever you call the Source of Everything (which, btw doesn’t need anything) by serving those less fortunate than yourself.

These are my notes after a quick read of the first chapter of Willard & Saltzman’s “Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kid and Teens”:

The first chapter of the book introduces “MBCT-C” as fundamental to their approach. What’s MBCT-C? “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children” [that’s a mouthful]

Here are MBCT-C’s “12 points of awareness for children”. It’s a 12-class course for elementary school kids [these aren’t MBCT’s titles; I’m just making the point that Patanjali is smiling!]:

THE KID VERSION:

  1. We naturally run on autopilot
  2. You can live with awareness instead
  3. We’re not our thoughts
  4. We’re the awareness OF our thoughts
  5. Emotions affect our thoughts
  6. Thoughts affect our actions
  7. Concentration
  8. Practicing concentration
  9. Karma
  10. Non-attachment
  11. Constant practice
  12. You get out of anything what you put into it

Can you spell,  “P A T A N A J A L I ‘ S   R A J A  Y O G A”?

WANT THE ADULT VERSION? Pick up a copy of any interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and reach out. It’s what I do.

God bless, Skip

GET IN TOUCH WITH GOD 🤯

Evidence of the existence of God is in YOU.

Part of you isn’t described in ANY Western anatomy or psychology text – because it can’t be: it’s literally beyond description, your:

CONSCIOUSNESS.

 

The awareness OF your thoughts NEVER changes.

Without consciousness your mind would still function, you just wouldn’t realize it!

That part of YOU is eternal!!!!

Your “soul” isn’t a fairytale!!

Part of EVERYONE literally survives the death of our body/mind! 🤯

Consciousness is energetically subtler than our sub-conscious mind. Mind functions; Consciousness doesn’t; it simply “is”.

Consciousness It’s the only “thing” known to man that’s not subject to time & space (i.e., karma).

Observe. Contemplate. Meditate. You’ll see it too.

Raja Yogis meditate to “talk to God”. We practice Patanjali’s eight-limbed discipline to give thanks to and honor the Source of everything, including consciousness (God by any name).

When you “see” the universe inside out: yourself as consciousness in form, rather than visa versa (i.e., as a child of God, Who sees thru your eyes) – I hope you’re sitting down!

God bless, Skip

MIND BLOWN 🤯

This book by Christopher Willard & Amy Saltzman practically jumped off the library shelf at me yesterday. ❤

THIS IS RAJA YOGA!! 🕉

Step 2 of 3 anyway!

[Have you taken a yoga class in the past 20 years? You’ve taken Step #1.]

So many awesome quotes….

Kabat Zinn, 2011: “Mindfulness is paying attention without judgment in the present moment.” 

.…and exercises (from page 2):

Place one finger on the center of your forehead, close your eyes, and simply place your attention on the sensations.

  • Notice what your forehead feels like against your finger…..

  • Notice what your finger feels like against your forehead…..

  • Bring awareness to the sensations…..

  • Notice temperature…..

  • Texture…..

  • Pressure…..

  • Moisture…..

  • Can you feel your pulse?

  • Stay with this for a moment; when your mind wanders, just notice that and bring your attention gently back to the sensation of your finger on your forehead.

  • And then open your eyes and notice how you feel.

❤❤❤

 

They’ve adopted Patanjali’s concentration and meditation exercises to help children! The book has contributions and support from dozens of well-respected academic and mental health professionals!

link to first 50 pages

NOW – STEP #3 (YOU’RE SOOOO CLOSE!)

 

So what’s the point of learning physical and mental self-awareness and control at any age?

Ultimately? To find and develop faith in your Self [with a capital “S”]

How?

Patanjali’s advice? Never give up. Always let go.

 

The object is to identify with the aspect of you that sees through your eyes [rather than with your eyes]: your consciousness – the awareness OF your thoughts: the aspect of each of us that NEVER changes.

It requires a paradigm shift but when you “see” it for the first time it’ll blow your mind.

Part of us IS eternal.

It’s not a story.

THAT realization will change your life.

 

God bless.

Allan (Skip) Dowds, Raja Yogi

 

FIND YOURSELF

True story: advice from my mother’s boyfriend (Fred ❤) in 1978 after I had a drug-induced nervous breakdown:

“It shouldn’t take long to find yourself. I find myself every time I urinate.”

[though Fred said it more colorfully – and loudly ❤; his point was “Suck it up Buttercup!”]

 

As a male of the species, I must confess that mentality runs deep in our DNA.

It took me almost 40 years but I eventually found myself – and in so doing discovered a depth and source of faith, strength, courage and wisdom I can only wish for others.

Do you want true lasting peace? To genuinely feel like the luckiest, most blessed person to ever breathe? To laugh at yourself sitting in a princess carriage in a public store? 😂

Meditate. Find confidence in yourself. If I can do it, so can you!!

 

Someone posted on my last FB ad: “You dumb F#ck; all you have to do is close your eyes!” Pretty much, but I can help with what comes next!

YOUR consciousness NEVER changes.  SO WHAT?!

 

Uhm….how many things can you name that NEVER change? Right. None.

Yet YOUR consciousness – YOUR awareness – is eternal. The aspect without which you could still read this  because your mind would still function – you just wouldn’t realize you were!

Yeah. Your awareness is eternal. Kind of a big deal since it’s an aspect of YOU!!!!!

Meditate. THAT blissful essence of YOU runs deep – but you’ll know it as you draw closer – like a scuba diver knows she’s descending even with her eyes closed. The affects of meditating (drawing closer to your own consciousness) are cumulative, profound and lasting.

God bless. ❤😊🕉

DEATH CAME KNOCKING

The intent of a recent hospice training exercise was to better understand what happens as we die naturally.

 

  • The first part of the exercise was to list 24 things we love: people, places, things, foods, activities – anything – and then cut the list into 24 bits of paper. Obviously, everyone’s pieces were unique.

 

  • The narrator read a story written from the perspective of someone in the latter stages of dying (in our case, cancer was catching up with them).

 

  • There were several pauses during the story, one after each milestone: discovering the lump, the testing, the diagnosis, the prognosis, the treatments: a series of poignant experiences from which there is no recovery.

 

  • After each sad chapter, we were asked to give up one or more of the things we love [trying to comprehend never experiencing them again]. After awhile, we even lost the ability to choose and the narrator began arbitrarily taking them away.

 

EVERY breath is a gift. Don’t wait until the end of your life to realize it.

Blessings, Skip

Tap into the source. Meditate.❤😊🕉

Depression My Old Friend

What’s the point?

It doesn’t matter. 

What matters is our experience while we’re here; specifically, our actions, reactions and inactions. 

At the end of the day that’s how we judge ourselves; soul searching or self-evaluation is part of the natural dying process. 

Want to feel better on your way out and while you’re still here?! Begin looking INWARD for YOUR Truth and the answers to YOUR questions – before it’s too late to change the outcome. 

Wake to the reality of the miracle YOU are!

Tap into the source. Meditate. 

3 TYPES OF KARMA

We’re subject to three types of karma, or consequences:

  • Directly as a consequence of our own behavior;
  • Indirectly as a consequence of someone else’s behavior; and
  • Indirectly as a consequence of natural events (e.g., our DNA, tornados).

In other words, most of what happens to us is beyond our control; however, we CAN affect our own behavior (e.g., start new habits; break old ones) thus influencing our state of mind.

According to Patanjali, ignorance* gives rise to the fears and desires that fuel our thoughts and drive our behavior.

[* the inability to distinguish between mind and consciousness: thought and the awareness thereof.]

 

Patanjali’s Raja Yoga is sometimes referred to as Karma or Kriya (action) Yoga because it’s practiced to affect our own actions and reactions to the events of our lives – purposely to affect better outcomes for all.

Patanjali’s path to lasting universal peace:

  • Overcome ignorance to
  • Mitigate fear, desire and ego, to
  • Influence thoughts and behavior, to
  • Reduce universal suffering (ours, others, and environmental).

Influence what happens between your ears to affect the quality of your life and the world around you.

Meditate! Exercise for the inside of us.

Blessings, Skip (aka Allan)

Meditation Relieves Suffering

Meditation relieves:

  • Dis-ease
  • Dullness
  • Doubt
  • Carelessness
  • Laziness
  • Sensuality
  • Misperception

But don’t take Patanjali’s word for it – Try It!

Bottom line: meditation takes your mind offline, giving it a much-appreciated chance to rest, relax, recharge, restore. The benefits will become self-evident in short order!

3 of Patanjali’s 196 Yoga Sutras:

1.51

Concluding line of Chapter 1 on the science behind meditation:

Patanajali: “tasya api nirodhe sarva nirodhat nirbijah samadhih”*

In a state of union with consciousness [nirbijah samadhih] no emotional triggers remain; it’s a state of ultimate serenity: the state of union or yoga.

2.1 & 2

First two lines of Chapter 2 on preparing to meditate:

Patanajali: “tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah samadhi bhavana arthah klesha tanu karanarthah cha”*

Practice serenity, courage and wisdom to reduce self-inflicted suffering.

2.17 & 18

The gist of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga:

Patanajali: “drashtri drishyayoh samyogah heya hetuh prakasha kriya sthiti shilam bhuta indriya atmakam bhoga apavarga artham drishyam”*

Avoiding future pain is a matter of remaining aware of the distinction between matter and consciousness. The latter witnesses life through the former.

 

* “hardcopy” version of Patanjali’s phonetic (oral) Sanskrit

Want to get started? Sit still with your eyes closed and observe. That’s it. Simple – not easy.

Want help? It’s what I do. ❤😊🕉

God bless. Enjoy!

MEDITATION TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

 

 

Is it Kind? Is it True? Is it Necessary?

As readily as my legs folded under me to sit and meditate for 20 minutes this morning, Amma sat down in the same cross-legged position [truthfully, her’s was better than mine!] to hug 1,000 people starting at 7pm last night.

receiving Amma's message

This was my second embrace or “darshan” (from the Sanskrit “dasana” for vision) from Amma.

We were at her event in Marlborough for almost nine hours: chatting, eating, strolling the grounds, people watching – it was a beautiful New England summer day. We eventually ended up in Section F, our next-to-final waiting spot.

I have no idea how many people she hugged last night, but when we left at 11pm, two thirds of the crowd was still waiting to move into the final queue.

On my knees for the last few feet, I leaned in and was guided/shepherded in front of Amma. It’s fascinating to see; like honey bees buzzing around a queen: dutifully, lovingly, without complaint tending to her every imaginable need.

For what seemed like 10-15 seconds she embraced me, leaning into me, repeatedly whispering the same thing. It sounded like “Medulla” (“inner”) or “Madura” (“mature”)? Whatever the message, she chose it for me.

[My qigong teacher has been telling me to “Ground. Ground. Ground!” for months. Coincidence?]

[How do I choose to interpret that? Something like, “I’m a dandelion that needs to root in order to grow from “pretty” to “purposeful”. You have to know me to get the analogy: stubborn, going through an age-related metamorphosis.]

I felt as if I had her full attention in that moment. It was enveloping, tender. I felt energized and puzzled for the rest of the evening. [The dandelion vision didn’t appear until this morning. Unfortunately, and par for the course, it didn’t come with instructions!!]

The darshan experience cost me next to nothing: a little heartburn for overindulging in the REAL Indian food(!), and a couple life lessons:

It’s one thing to talk about devotion; it’s another altogether to demonstrate it.

I’m embarrassed, but I snapped at an enthusiastic bookseller on our way out. My friends and the dear woman were startled but reacted with kindness. So this post is a reminder to myself to speak kindly, truthfully and necessarily. Words can hurt.

May you know faith and love, Skip

BTW – I started to leave without my 2 oz of water that I watched Amma bless (mine was leaking) and my guru insisted that I go back inside and get another one. It may be coincidence, but I just had the best cup of coffee ever!! ❤

Five States of Mind

We’re each capable of experiencing five distinct states of mind.

Think of a Boston parking garage with five levels: 1, L3, L2, L1, B.

(1) Conscious Mind – this is our “normal” state of mind: the above-ground level in the parking garage analogy. This mental state is characterized by words, including the voice in our head; transcending this mental state is associated with the end of attachment.

(L3) Sub-conscious Mind – closest to Conscious Mind; thus, the energetically densest of the three sub-conscious mental states; transcending this mental state is associated with the end of sorrow – superseded by serenity as sensuality dissipates.

(L2) Sub-conscious – the middle of three energetic sub-conscious mental states; transcending this mental state is associated with the end of fear – superseded by faith as memory’s affects subside.

(L1) Sub-conscious – the energetically subtlest [quietest] sub-conscious mental state; closest to Consciousness; transcending this mental state is associated with the end of delusion – superseded by wisdom as ego becomes less energized.

(B) Consciousness – this is where the parking garage analogy breaks down; there is no real world equivalent for something that isn’t affected by time and space. Think of this level as the “X” on a three dimensional map of the parking garage [think treasure map!]! Transcending Mind altogether – union with our Self – is associated with indescribable Bliss: the state of yoga.❤😊🕉

Tap into the power within: meditate.

God bless, Skip