Why practice??

 

I haven't been in touch in a long time but I have certainly maintained my daily practices.  Why do we practice? Whatever it is you do, meditation, breathing, yoga, walking, sitting, chant... why do we do it?

I can tell you why I do it.  I do it because we live in a world with so many things going on and I need a time and space every single day to focus my mind, to clear it of extraneous chatter, in order to be able to move in the world as a #forceforgood. 

I believe we practice because it connects us to our Higher purpose but mostly because we just feel better when we do.  I've never met someone who said, "Oh, I wish I hadn't practiced meditation today."  :)

Anyway.  How's your practice going?  Keep UP and you will be Kept UP according to Yogi Bhajan.

Peace and love,
Gina

Simple Everyday Spiritual Practice
Breathe deeply for 3 minutes.
Set a timer and commit to taking 3 minutes to just breathe.
Focus on your breath everyday for 7 days.
If 3 minutes is not enough, set it for 7.  But by all means, do it. 

Simple right? 
Looking forward to hearing the outcome.  
#SimpleEverdaySpiritualPractice or #SESP

The Expectation Dilemma

I thought I was supposed to expect the best?

Talk about a paradox!  We know that the universe responds with mechanical regularity to our thoughts, so we work diligently to ensure that we are thinking forward moving thoughts.  But there is also an idea of having expectations about people or events that are out of our control. So we need to focus on the positive and expect the best and highest outcome, but let's not have expectations about other people's behavior??

YES and YES.  When we are practicing the art of knowing the Truth about a situation, person, experience we are called to see that even in difficult situations or dealing with difficult people there is an evolution of our soul that is being expressed through it.  Sometimes easy, sometimes a challenge.

Here's where the everyday practice comes in.   Sometimes (and maybe I have experience this a bit) there are people in our life, be it a romantic relationship or work, children, family, dogs, whatever, and we expect them to react, act or just show up the way WE want them to.  That expectation turns into frustration, disappointment, hurt, irritation or another difficult emotion.  At that moment we are ATTACHED to what we want and the expectation can lead us down a spiral of feeling like s**t.  

This week we have an opportunity to identify which space we are in.  Evolution or Attachment.  As a person who loves to get what I want when I want it, it is an ongoing process. :)  Let's have at it.  

Peace and love,
Gina

Simple Everyday
Spiritual Practice
Cultivate your own witness and begin to realize that a challenging emotion has come up based on external expectations.    

At work, home and in relationships:

Am I expecting someone else to react or behave MY way? 

When you recognize the emotion
Stop, Breathe, Observe. 

What is happening inside of me?

What is in this for me to learn about myself?  

Journal about the experience.  

Yes, we are doing two weeks of journaling and two weeks of cultivating our own witness. When we become aware of our own internal reactions to external situations we have the opportunity to heal from the inside out. The only true way of healing.  Recognition is the key.  

Simple, not easy

What do you mean I need to let go?

Detachment

What do you mean I need to let go?

Sometimes things just are not going in the direction we would like them to go in.  Sometimes we are caught up in the incessant loop our mind can play that just plays an idea over and over again just spinning our wheels.

Sometimes we can see that we are holding on to an idea of a way of being or doing things that just does not work anymore.  And sometimes we can't see that at all.

Detachment is such a powerful practice to actually release what is holding us although what it looks like is that we are holding it.  I could be a way of being at work, an idea of maintaining how we are "right" in a situation, an expectation, or  a refusal to see a new way.  All of these can be addressed with detachment but first we have to see what we're ATTACHED to.

This week let us begin to recognize what we are attached to.  This week we will cultivate our own silent witness.  Let us become aware of what we are attached to so we can experience the freedom of detachment.

Peace and love,
Gina

Simple Everyday
Spiritual Practice
As you move through this week begin to notice when discomfort comes up around attachments.  

At work: Where is my need to be right showing up?
At home: What am I holding onto about how things must be?
In relationships: Where is my need to be right showing up?  

Journal this daily if you can.  If not just begin to come increasingly aware of attachments that create discomfort in you. 

In each instance of noticing, take a deep breath, and exhale out whatever it is that you're holding onto.  Let the exhale be the letting go

Knowing and DO-ing

Knowing what to do and do-ing it

Lately I have seen so much of how I am clear on what to do to accomplish whatever goals I would like. I think we all know what to do to be fit, to increase spiritual practice, to create the life we want. The hold up, or at least mine can be, is in the doing it. We have so much information at our fingertips that we are bound to be successful at whatever we choose if we apply it. But still we don't do it. Not that I have the answer to this very human dilemma but what I do in these times is nothing. Yep, nothing. When I want to accomplish something and I've been "trying" to no avail, I stop and pray. I stop and get centered in the Truth of my being. I stop trying to be do-fanatic (cuz if you know me I can definitely go there) and really get centered with what's True. Taking time to be in a space of recognition of the Divine plan for our lives in ALL areas can be a catalyst for any further action to do on our part. Yes, slowing down really does help. Just ask the Turtle. :) Simple Everyday Spiritual Practice Stop. Breath. Pray. Stop. Breath. Pray. Stop. Breath. Pray. Move when you are so calm that everything is fluid. For one week, stop trying to force yourself to do and just spend some time in the Being of the Presence of the One Life. Peace and love, Gina~Har Kirat, RScP, MBA, MAT www.prashanti.us

And acceptance is the answer...

Its been some weeks since I got a download for this email but this one has been persistent for a few days now.

"And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation--some fact of my life--unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place think, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake."

pg. 417 the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

Acceptance. Hmph. I'm not sure about you but there are some things that I just don't want to accept! And what I've learned is that acceptance is just the first part of the work. Sometimes we have to look at what IS and say "Yep, this is what it is." It is only after we do that, that we can move into a space of choosing differently for the future. Acceptance and choice move us into a new way of being.

Simple Everyday Spiritual Practice

Find that one "fact of your life" that is difficult to accept. See it for what it is and accept it. Sure, it is what it is, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Change is possible via choice. Accept what is, choose differently next time. It's another one of those simple, but maybe not easy tasks. What do you need to accept so you can move forward? I've already started my list and moving steadily down it. :)

Peace and love,
Gina~Har Kirat, RScP, MBA, MAT
www.prashanti.us

After spending some time becoming aware of what was really going on in my head and in my life I realized that there are definitely things I still need to let go of. It's funny because as a spiritual teacher I am ALWAYS learning. I think I teach because I am in constant state of learning.

This week is also the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, one of the "new years" of the Jewish faith. I appreciate all faiths so much and this time of year, from what I have studied, is a time of reflection on sins (mistakes) and repentance (change). So we are aware now. How about we forgive ourselves for whatever came up and make the changes necessary to be who we truly want to be.

My poet friend Tyler sent me the poem to the right a week or so ago on a really low day for me and it sums it up perfectly. We are STILL the Sun. Feelings, emotions, challenges, changes all will come. But we will still shine. Forgive. Let go. Change. It's SO do-able.

Simple Everyday Spiritual Practice

Set time aside daily this week to speak a word of forgiveness for yourself and affirm the TRUTH. Affirm truth with your own affirmation, this poem or how about "I am Life.I am Love. I am Light. I am Power. I am Health. I am Wholeness. I am LOVE." I know I will be!

Peace and love,
Gina~Har Kirat, RScP, MBA, MAT
www.prashanti.us

"You Still Are The Sun"

And this will never change.

No matter how much doubt

Or pain,

Fills up in your brain,

No matter how many times you switch out of our lane,

Your path remains the same.

You see,

The Sun is steady,

It shines behind the rain,

Solid like a brick,

Will inflict all types of pain,

But it leads us to life,

Still,

Glows with so many lessons to gain,

All we have to do is maintain.

~Tyler Epps

You ARE the sun-so are we all...

You ARE the sun..so are we all
Last week one of my favorite teachers, Rev. Cay Thompson transitioned and I wanted to say thank you to her for her light, her presence and her Truth. Grateful to have known her in the physical and sending love and prayers to her husband and family.

I've been at Omega for two weeks and I have to express the gratitude and love I feel for that place, the staff and all my friends there. I'm rested and ready.

I encountered this poem by a talented writer named Tyler Epps. Our practice this week is to contemplate the poem and what does it mean if we really ARE the sun? If each of us and each person we encounter were to shine to our full radiance and encounter all of the greatness? To learn to understand all of the stronger aspects of ourselves as the Sun? Can we embrace those aspects that might be scorching? Can we harness them for good like we have with solar energy? It's infinite the possibilities. What if each of us encouraged our friends, family and acquaintances to shine full out? Each of us has a gift to be harnessed for the benefit of the whole. Are you ready to shine?

Simple Everyday Spiritual Practice
Contemplate this poem or any aspect of it that strikes you...BE the SUN. Give yourself 5 minutes a day to do this at least.
"You're really the Sun"
Well damn...
I guess that means I can't run.
I guess that means that I'll shine without
trying but Ill try to have fun.
See,
The Sun is Power.
It's the fuel to all Life.
So think about the flip side.
It burns,
it's hot,
can kill,
Is that right?
Let me try to maintain,
Stay Humble,
Stay Sane,
Can't let this fuel that I hold,
Burn my mind,
Kill my brain.

Thanks Tyler. And happy practice this week. We are each stronger, brighter and more capable than we recognize.
Practice THAT!

Peace and love,
Gina~Har Kirat, RScP, MBA, MAT
www.prashanti.us