Yoga with Melissa

Generosity

With Namaste Yoga 325, we enter into a new phase of our Awakening Your True Self Series with the Six Perfections or the Six Paramitas. According to Mahayana Buddhism the six perfections are: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom.

Dana Paramita or The Perfection of Generosity believes that everybody has enough according to their needs. The practice of dana paramita is to see that everybody receives that bounty of life in good and appropriate measure. There is a natural flow of abundance, but sometimes it gets obstructed. As mindful and aware yogis, our practice is to stop the blockage in the natural flow of abundance when we witness it in the world.

Perfect giving according to Mahayana Buddhism transcends traditional ideas of giving with the idea of a gift, giver and a receiver. This is giving beyond giving. There is a belief that one cannot give anything because everything is already given.

There are three things that you can give:

* Material giving: such as money, food, clothing, housing

* Goodness: kindness, a kind word, thought, prayer, spiritual teachings

* Fearlessness: so that one is no longer afraid or constricted

Of these three gifts, the gift of material giving is held as least importance.

Dana Paramita gives us opportunity to recognize the beauty, wonder, power and value of our inner and spiritual lives. One may have tons of material wealth, but if you have a closed heart, you will not be happy.

All beings can express joy and love of life. When we chant a sutra, that generates spiritual goodness. At the end of every Namaste Yoga class we chant: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu with a series of hand mudras. Through that practice we are taking the fruits of our yoga practice and offering them out into the world. We have taken the spiritual goodness we have generated through our yoga practice and given it to those in need. This is a highly valued and incredibly important and generous practice.

Thich Nhat Hanh says we can offer our joy, our happiness, and our love. Your own happiness is an act of generosity. Share your joy with others through a smile. We are not asking you to do this indiscriminately, but with discernment.

Resources: Upaya Zen Center The Six Perfections Dharma Podcast Series with Norman and Kathie Fischer

Props Needed: yoga block

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Modified Spinal Energy Series, Thich Nhat Hanh Smiling Meditation, Side Plank or Vasisthasana, Breath of Joy. Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Wild Thing Pose, Matsyendrasana, Janu Sirsasana or Head Beyond Knee Pose, Savasana or Corpse Pose

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Through that practice we are taking the fruits of our yoga practice and offering them out into the world. We have taken the spiritual goodness we have generated through our yoga practice and given it to those in need. This is a highly valued and incredibly important and generous practice.

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Thank you for your donations: Hilary, Eva, Rowena, Diane, and Donna

Today’s question to answer in the comments is: How are you going to practice offering the generosity of kindness this week?

If you would like to know 4 benefits of Thich Nhat Han’s smiling meditation and one bonus tip,

Doubt This is the final week with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies. In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds […]

Doubt

This is the final week with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies.

In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are naturally radiant and pure, our minds are shining. It is because of visiting forces that we suffer.”

The five hindrances (grasping, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness and doubt), are guests in our home. They are just visitors. Sharon Salzberg says that they may visit a lot or even continuously, but they are still visitors.

Naturally, as human beings, we become identified with these visitors and we take them personally. We think we are right or wrong, good or bad depending on who is showing up at our house on any given day. When we see ourselves as bad and horrible, these states pull us in and distort our perception and make us stuck. However, they are not personal, they are normal things that happen to us as human beings.

Mindfulness is important when doubt arises. To have discernment of our inner critic when thoughts such as, “This isn’t working,” “I’m not good at this,” “This practice isn’t good for me,” “This practice isn’t good for me,” “That practice would be faster,” or “I can’’t do this.”

Sharon Salzberg says doubt arrives saying, “I’m the deepest truth you’ll ever know,” and that it takes discernment and the process of discernment to know the truth. We need to give our practice time, evaluate our practice and see what we are receiving from our practice physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and spiritually. When we can bring this level headed, calm assessment and continual evaluation to our practice we can turn doubt on its head.

One area that doubt may arise is in your asana or yoga posture practice. You may doubt you can “do” a certain yoga posture. When that doubt arises, you can ask yourself, “Is that true?” Have a willingness to experiment fully with the doubt that arises. This process of investigation to see for yourself may take the form of trying a modified and safe for you version of the yoga posture. Even if you cannot practice the physical posture, is there a way that you can stay engaged with the teachings mentally, emotionally, and energetically, by finding a modification and staying connected with your breath?

Props Needed: blocks, meditation cushion

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Dolphin Plank or Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana, Side Plank or vasisthasana, Chair Pose or Utkatasana, Goddess Victory Squat or Utkata Konasana, Dolphin Pose or Ardha Pincha Mayurasana, Locust or Salabhasana, Jathara Parivartanasana or Reclined Belly Twist, Knees to Chest Pose or Apanasana, Savasana or Corpse Pose

Metta Hour Podcast with Sharon Salzberg The Five Hindrances: Click Here

Jack Kornfield: Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Did you like today’s show?

* Share it with a friend, family member or email it to a coworker.

* Like

Restlessness This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies. In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are […]

Restlessness

This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies.

In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are naturally radiant and pure, our minds are shining. It is because of visiting forces that we suffer.”

The five hindrances (grasping, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness and doubt), are guests in our home. They are just visitors. Sharon Salzberg says that they may visit a lot or even continuously, but they are still visitors.

Naturally, as human beings, we become identified with these visitors and we take them personally. We think we are right or wrong, good or bad depending on who is showing up at our house on any given day. When we see ourselves as bad and horrible, these states pull us in and distort our perception and make us stuck. However, they are not personal, they are normal things that happen to us as human beings.

This week we are focusing on restlessness or worry. Restlessness shows up as anxiety and energy in your body and repeating or excessive thoughts in your mind. You may feel agitated, anxious and nervous, as if you can’t sit still. You might feel as if your mind is racing. You may experience a pattern of worry, doubt or fear or a negative cycle of thought that just keeps going.

The point is that restlessness or worry has both a physical and mental quality to it. Restlessness is completely normal and it is not personal. We can bring a quality of steadiness to restlessness through our physical asanas and calm our mind through concentration and that is the intention of today’s yoga class. We will practice yoga postures that help us create space away from thought and strongly ground us into our legs and feet.

Props Needed: blocks, yoga strap, yoga bolster, wall, blanket

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Half Happy Baby Pose or Ardha Ananda Balasana, Anjaneyasana or Lunge Pose, Mudra for Emotional Balance, Chair Pose or Utkatasana, Warrior One or Virabhadrasana One, Warrior Three or Virabhadrasana Three, Dolphin Pose or Makarasana, Locust or Salabhasana, Marichyasana, Paschimottanasana or Seated Forward Fold , Savasana or Corpse Pose

Metta Hour Podcast with Sharon Salzberg The Five Hindrances: Click Here

Jack Kornfield: Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Did you like today’s show?

* Share it with a friend, family member or email it to a coworker.

* Like

* Subscribe to our channel. Subscribe to my Living Your Yoga Channel

* Please leave us a 5-star review on Itunes

* Leave your comment below.

Thank you for your donations.

If you would like to make a donation to Namaste Yoga you can click here. You can also contribute through your time by commenting in the comments section.

Today’s question to answer in the comments is: What do you do when you experience restlessness and worry?

Calming Restorative Yoga This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies. In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our […]

Calming Restorative Yoga

This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies.

In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are naturally radiant and pure, our minds are shining. It is because of visiting forces that we suffer.”

The five hindrances (grasping, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness and doubt), are guests in our home. They are just visitors. Sharon Salzberg says that they may visit a lot or even continuously, but they are still visitors.

Naturally, as human beings, we become identified with these visitors and we take them personally. We think we are right or wrong, good or bad depending on who is showing up at our house on any given day. When we see ourselves as bad and horrible, these states pull us in and distort our perception and make us stuck. However, they are not personal, they are normal things that happen to us as human beings.

This week we are focusing on the third aversion, sleepiness or dullness or sluggishness. Our lives are so busy. Often times the moment we slow down for our yoga and meditation practices we realize just how tired we are and how much fatigue we are carrying.

When we slow down and come to our yoga mats we are saying no to the disease of busy-ness and the result can often be that neutral experiences can seem dull and boring and even put us to sleep. If we are not mindful we can be off looking for the next experience to entertain and occupy us. Our North American culture is obsessed with doing and definitely does not celebrate being.

One of the most common complaints I hear about my yoga classes is that they are too slow and boring. I often feel this complaint comes within a cultural context of depending on the intensity of doing to feel alive. When our experience is neutral we are trained to look for something, anything to do, or to numb out and go to sleep.

In our yoga practice we are training in mindfulness, that is we are training our attention. When we begin to numb out because our experience has become boring for us, we are experiencing the aversion of dullness or sleepiness. This can be our meditation bell to remind us to come back to our training in attention. We can bring our awareness and interest to our breath and our sensations in our body. Even if our practice is calming, we can train ourselves to pay attention to what is happening. We can challenge ourselves to not numb out when the experience is “dull.” This is the practice.

Props Needed: Wall, yoga blocks, yoga bolster, blanket, meditation cushion or chair

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Legs up the Wall or Viparita Karini, Supported Bridge Pose or Salamba Setu Bandhasana, Front Lying Twist with bolster, Sleeping Pigeon or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Standing Forward Fold with Back Against Wall, Reclined Bound Angle or Supta Baddha Konasana, Reclined Twist or Jathara parivartanasana, Savasana or Corpse Pose

The Disease of Being Busy by Krista Tippett: click here

Metta Hour Podcast with Sharon Salzberg The Five Hindrances: click here

Jack Kornfield: Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

Bringing Home the Dharma: A...

Aversion Part 3 This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies. In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our […]

Aversion Part 3

This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies.

In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are naturally radiant and pure, our minds are shining. It is because of visiting forces that we suffer.”

The five hindrances (grasping, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness and doubt), are guests in our home. They are just visitors. Sharon Salzberg says that they may visit a lot or even continuously, but they are still visitors.

Naturally, as human beings, we become identified with these visitors and we take them personally. We think we are right or wrong, good or bad depending on who is showing up at our house on any given day. When we see ourselves as bad and horrible, these states pull us in and distort our perception and make us stuck.

Aversion is anything that you don’t like or don’t want. As yogis we have plenty of opportunity to experience aversion as we confront experiences that we don’t want or that we push away on our yoga mats whether they be physical, emotional, mental, energetic or spiritual. You may not like a yoga posture, you might feel resistance to a certain emotional tone such as anger or frustration, you may push away the very common experience of a mind that chooses to go over and over something that is bothering you, you might fight fatigue, or you may even experience some resistance to the concepts that are being offered through the teachings.

Aversion is most commonly described as anger, hatred, rage, jealousy, and fear. I find when they are described this way it is easy to not identify with them. In truth, we all experience more subtle forms of aversion on our yoga mats and throughout our day. Check in with irritation, impatience, boredom, annoyance, frustration, resentment and sorrow. These are normal parts of our yoga practice and our lived experience.

I think in the context of our yoga practice, it is important to note the distinction between aversion and a safe yoga practice. There may be certain yoga poses that you avoid or modify to keep your body safe because of illness or injury or to avoid injury or illness, but it may not necessarily indicate an aversion to the yoga pose or practice. On the other hand, you may actually experience aversion on a mental level should you experience irritation, impatience, boredom, annoyance, frustration, or upset mentally when you take a modification to keep yourself safe.

We can bring our moment to moment awareness to check in during our yoga practice. When we observe and are open to the unpleasant emotions, we can notice the feeling and embrace irritation, impatience, boredom, annoyance, frustration, resentment and sorrow with compassion and loving attention. Attention to aversion asks us to be present rather than run away and hide.

When aversion arises, we can remember it is not personal, it is a visiting force of our mind. It has simply clouded our mind and distorted our vision of our present moment experience. It is a gift to remind us of how we are not accepting things as they are and trying to make things better for us. We can notice how we are trying to change reality and exert control. When aversion arises, we bring loving kindness, compassion and forgiveness to this temporary state of mind.

Props Needed: yoga strap, yoga block, blanket

Yoga Postures/Asanas: keyhole stretch or figure four stretch, pigeon pose or eka pada rajakapotasana, Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Standing Pigeon Pose or Standing Figure Four Pose, Dolphin Pose or Makarasana, King Pigeon,

Aversion This week we continue with the five hindrances. The five hindrances are common mental states that arise in our practice and lives that can impede our practice. They have been observed and taught as part of Buddhist studies. In teaching about the five hindrances, Sharon Salzberg quotes the Buddha, he says, “Our minds are […]