May 2022 Tidbits
ASANA (POSTURE)
Utpluthih - Sprung Up Pose
(Utpluthih is also known as tolasana – scales pose)
1 Take the legs in to the lotus pose. If this is not possible have them crossed in sukhasana (easy cross leg pose) -it will require much more abdominal strength to lift if the legs are not in full lotus.
2. Lengthen the spine and open the shoulders by rolling them back.
3. Place the hands on the floor either side of the hips.
4. Inhale fully, and on the exhale press the hands in to the floor, engage the abdominal muscles and lift the legs and buttocks up.
Start with 5 breaths and gradually increase this with practice
5. On the exhale, slowly lower down to the floor, and unfold your legs
(https://pranayoga.co.in/asana/utpluthih-uprooting-tolasana-scale-posture/)
HEALTH
Wise Action
Here’s what Phillip Moffitt writes in Dancing with Life:
“Wise action is any action that liberates the mind, moves you toward freedom from suffering, and supports a feeling of well-being that is independent of external conditions. It arises out of clear comprehension (sampajanna), meaning you are clear about what is needed, what is appropriate, and what is doable within your limits. In order to take action with such clarity, you approach decisions with mindfulness and with awareness of the dharma.
“Wise action doesn’t just apply to big decision, but applies to small ones as well. You see the truth of suffering and impermanence and that your immediate situation is caused by impersonal causes and conditions, and this larger dharma view allows right action to unfold. You cultivate being mindful of all your actions, even those that you don’t ordinarily notice, such as how fast you walk, how you sit at your desk, how you decide what to eat, and how fast you eat it. Wise action is reflected in how you schedule and pace yourself, how you treat others, and how you nourish yourself.”
https://dharmatown.org/wise-action/
Quote
Story
Rainy Day, Sunny Day
There was once an old lady who cried all the time. Her elder daughter was married to an umbrella merchant while the younger daughter was the wife of a noodle vendor.
On sunny days, she worried, "Oh no! The weather is so nice and sunny. No one is going to buy any umbrellas. What will happen if the shop has to be closed?" These worries made her sad. She just could not help but cry.
When it rained, she would cry for the younger daughter. She thought, "Oh no! My younger daughter is married to a noodle vendor. You cannot dry noodles without the sun. Now there will be no noodles to sell. What should we do?"
As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow everyday. Whether sunny or rainy, she grieved for one of her daughters. Her neighbors could not console her and jokingly called her "The Crying Lady."
One day, she met a monk. He was very curious as to why she was always crying. She explained the problem to him. The monk smiled kindly and said, "Madam! You need not worry. I will show you a way to happiness, and you will need to grieve no more."
The crying lady was very excited. She immediately asked the monk to show her what to do. The monk replied, "It is very simple. You just need to change your perspective. On sunny days, do not think of your elder daughter not being able to sell umbrellas but the younger daughter being able to dry her noodles. With such good strong sunlight, she must be able to make plenty of noodles and her business must be very good. When it rains, think about the umbrella store of the elder daughter. With the rain, everyone must be buying umbrellas. She will sell a lot of umbrellas and her store will prosper."
The old lady saw the light. She followed the monk's instruction. After a while, she did not cry anymore; instead, she was smiling everyday. From that day on she was known as "The Smiling Lady." Author Unknown
Story of the Week from https://philosophyworks.org/
POEM
You Reading This, Be Ready
—William Stafford
Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?
When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life –
What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?
from Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems (Graywolf Press, 1977)
Meditation
Okay, just sit comfortably and close your eyes and become aware of the energy of your body. Feel the sensations, how they present themselves - pressure, heaviness, tingling.
And just recognize that conscious is already perfectly established as the condition in which all of these sensations appear. And they appear quite spontaneously. You don’t bring them into existence and you can’t suppress them.
And now incorporate sounds and even thoughts - just let everything arise on its own.
And even with your eyes closed pay attention to your visual field. Notice that it too is present.
See if you can observe the difference between being aware of everything, being aware of this openness and of things appearing and changing and being aware as this condition. You’re not aware of consciousness and its contents. You’re aware as consciousness and its contents are a modification of it. Sounds and sensations and thoughts and emotions are a play upon the very condition that is aware.
On a most basic level everything has the same status as a modification of consciousness. Again I’m speaking as a matter of experience. This is not a metaphysical claim. See if you can recognize that directly.
And if it feels like you the observer in the midst of experience, look for that point of view. Look for the source of attention. See if you can notice that the very feeling of being located within anything - whether it’s in the head or behind your face or within this sphere of appearances in consciousness – any sense of a center is itself an appearance in a prior condition. Simply rest as that.
In the final minute of the session become aware of the pattern of energy that is your back and is the back of your head. Just feel everything that suggests you have a back and a back to your head. And notice that all of these sensations – this entire pattern of energy is appearing within what you are as consciousness. These things are not behind you. Can you feel that? You are not in front of the back of your head as a matter of direct experience. Consciousness is not between the back of your head and your face. These things are experiences in a condition that is entirely without structure. Just rest as that.
Okay, there was a little more instruction today than normal. I hope you find it useful and I will see you here tomorrow for the next session of the Waking Up course.
https://dynamic.wakingup.com/daily/SHDE08B253C7?source=content%20share&share_id=A7A8EA21