The Lazy Yogi

You cannot be rid of problems without abandoning illusions.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Anonymous asked:

how do you live through sadness and find motivation to change your mindset

Sometimes your mindset doesn’t need changing. Sadness is a part of human life.

Rarely are we taught how to just be sad.

Since childhood, if we were upset, we would be forced to shut up and contain it. Stop crying. Get over it. And I get it, kids will make an absolute scene about the most trivial things when they are upset. But even so, the orientation is always to tell people to stop being upset, that everything is okay, and to focus on making themselves feel anything other than sadness/upsetness.

Mindfulness and meditation practice teaches us how to be sad. We discover we have enough room to be sad without being tortured by it, overcome by it, or allowing it to poison how we see ourselves/others/the world. When sadness is purified of this self-based confusion, it becomes a simple flavor of reality–without defining reality.

You are still You. You are still that radiant endless awareness embodied in a human shape. That basic sanity, the groundedness we find in meditation and mindfulness, remains untouched.

Judging from your question, you are living with some form of sadness and it has caused you suffering. As a result, your mindset has been distorted by this form of confusion. Your sadness has become a lens through which you see your self, see others, and see the world.

If you were to change the way you relate to your sadness, all of this would change. All emotions are normal and welcome but when they get stuck inside us, it indicates a problem.

We all have the natural urge to be happy while wishing to avoid suffering. That is all the motivation you need in order to address this situation.

I would recommend reading any book by Judith Blackstone that appeals to you or The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron. Or The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. That should get you started and changes things for the better.

I hope this helps!

Much love.

LY

modernmonkeymind asked:

I’ve been bouncing back and forth between Tibetan Buddhism and Zen in my practice over the years. This has resulted in a sort of mush of various teachings in my head and a feeling of lack of clarity. Part of of me feels like I need to let go of one or the other and dedicate myself to one tradition to make progress in my practice. But then, what does “progress” even mean?

Why are you undertaking a spiritual path and practices? That is what will determine the orientation of your practice, its “goal,” and what progress means.

There are as many reasons to practice the path as there are people in existence to walk the path, perhaps even more. But in my opinion, all of those reasons are subsumed within the ultimate goal of self-realization, or total enlightenment.

If you are seeking an end to suffering and the lived realization of reality, which is complete enlightenment in its fullness, then that is what “progress” means.

Some people don’t like the idea of reducing enlightenment and its path to a results-oriented practice with a goal in mind. There are valid reasons for why they may feel this way.

Firstly, enlightenment is never attained by the individual in the same way we think of individuals attaining goals. Secondly, enlightenment only ever is the realization of what has already and always been the truth. It is not something new that is obtained. And lastly, the results-focused and grasping mindset we associate with this kind of seeking is the same mindset we try to loosen up during meditation and similar practices.

However, there are a few counterpoints to keep in mind.

The first is that while enlightenment doesn’t change anything but is the realization of what has always been the reality, there is a significant difference between someone who is enlightened and someone who is not. Secondly, while we may debate whether or not enlightenment is the literal result of a practice/path, the majority of humans that have become enlightened did so while undertaking deliberate spiritual practice. So regardless of whether we consider enlightenment to be the result of practices, we may at least say that without practice it is unlikely a person will undergo self-realization, or enlightenment.

All of this can be succinctly summarized by the following teaching: You will not find as a result of seeking; but if you do not seek, you will not find.

There is a movement within the spiritual subculture called “pragmatic dharma,” of which I think you are likely aware. It more or less applies the scientific model to spiritual practice for the purpose of delineating a clear map to enlightenment and the practical methods for attaining it.

Not every “spiritual” person is seeking enlightenment. Instead they are seeking a harmony with their environment, the people around them, the universe at large, and their mortal role to play throughout their life. They may have a specific spiritual tradition or group but most have formed their own perspective from various teachings and beliefs that appeal to them.

If you are seeking enlightenment, however, my advice is to find an enlightened human and practice what they teach.

From our personal exchanges over the years, my sense tells me that you are a dedicated and capable practitioner. However, it is likely you have come as far as you can with your current approach of mixing traditions.

So if you are seeking enlightenment, it is the time to pick a direct path and give yourself to it. See how it goes. Pick something that makes the most sense to you. You can always pivot and change approach/direction as needed later on.

Just my two cents, brother.

Much love!

LY

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

Maya Angelou

We all grow up to some extent limited in our human capacities, such as our ability to love, to speak freely, or to think clearly, by these holding patterns in our fascia. Although we may be aware of feelings of tension in our body, most people are generally not aware of the limitations in their ability to receive and respond to life, unless these limitations become severe.

Most of us accept our limitations as being “just who we are.” But as children, exquisitely attuned and reactive to the responses of other people, particularly our caregivers, as well as to the sensory stimuli in our environment, we have created this shape of who we are. We have each created our unique design of openness and obstruction to stimulation.

This organization of ourselves is not usually a conscious or volitional movement. It is a spontaneous, unconscious reaction to our environment.

Judith Blackstone

You are not just a meaningless fragment in an alien universe, briefly suspended between life and death, allowed a few short-lived pleasures followed by pain and ultimate annihilation. Underneath your outer form, you are connected with something so vast, so immeasurable and sacred, that it cannot be spoken of–yet I am speaking of it now. I am speaking of it now not to give you something to believe in but to show you how you can know it for yourself.

Eckhart Tolle

Vulnerability is the doorway through which consciousness is refreshed.

Nothing new will happen to someone who cannot allow vulnerability.

The only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren’t looking for.

Iroh, Avatar: the Last Airbender

Do any of you have morning routines that you really value?

Prayers, meditations, rituals, whatever. I’m looking for ideas 😁

Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it’s no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.

Eckhart Tolle

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung

Anonymous asked:

Hello!

I came back to tumblr a little bit ago and you’ve been one of my favorite blogs to follow. I’ve been doing spiritual/meditative practices for a while now, but recently I’ve faced some symptoms that while not fun, more have triggered my old anxieties.

Any meditation practices / book suggestions for someone with massive health anxiety? I get that fear is a chance to look at where you’re clinging, but it can be hard to tell your brain off when it’s telling you to be nervous

Hi friend! Welcome back 😁 It is wonderful to connect with a fellow meditator.

Firstly, it is helpful to understand anxiety as being different than stress.

When we are stressed, we are still able to do something about that stressful thing. Whether thats studying for final exams, being under a tight deadline at work, or other such high pressure circumstances. You are able to take action regarding the subject of your stress; it is just an unpleasant process as well.

On the other hand when we are anxious, we are having distressing thoughts, imaginations, and feelings about something that isn’t actually happening right now in this moment. And because it isn’t happening right now, there is nothing we can do about it!

This is how meditation and mindfulness are helpful. These practices require us to come back to ourselves and the present moment. Reacting to things that don’t exist right now means that we are reacting to illusions. It is an unnecessary form of suffering.

Firstly, I recommend having a daily meditation practice that always utilizes the same technique. This is part of what helps us to develop a sense of steadfastness and rootedness in our awareness. The technique that I practice and recommend is called Jangama Dhyana. I actually plan on writing more about this technique soon, so look out for that post.

Secondly, two books I always highly recommend at The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. They beautifully convey vital aspects of spiritual practice, as well as the embodiment of the fruits of those practice. Additionally, I have found that The Enlightenment Process by Judith Blackstone–or any book by her–is exceptionally helpful in learning how to integrate the realizations of our spiritual practice into our very bodies such that they become a lived experience.

Feel free to reach out along the way if you have any questions or discoveries to share.

Much love!

LY

Love is not selective, just as the light of the sun is not selective. It does not make one person special. It is not exclusive. Exclusivity is not the love of God but the “love” of ego. However, the intensity with which true love is felt can vary. There may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others, and if that person feels the same toward you, it can be said that you are in a love relationship with him or her. The bond that connects you with that person is the same bond that connects you with the person sitting next to you on a bus, or with a bird, a tree, a flower. Only the degree of intensity with which it is felt differs.

Eckhart Tolle

lazyyogi:

1. Sit for a meditation.
2. Make a cup of tea.
3. Smile at a stranger.
4. Give spare change/food to the next homeless person you see.
5. Put on your current jam and dance.
6. Think of someone you are grateful for and then tell them.
7. Pray.
8. Do a yoga sesh.
9. Light some incense and dedicate its fragrance to making the world more beautiful.
10. Laugh until it’s real.
11. Eat something nourishing.
12. Take a luxurious bath and tell the outside world to fuck off for a little while.
13. Watch a documentary.
14. Read some of a book.
15. Write a poem about this moment.
16. Go for a walk and find a nifty rock.
17. Learn an origami trick you can do with a dollar bill.
18. Practice reiki.
19. Draw a tarot card.
20. Clean your room.
21. Take a thorough exhale and deep inhale.
22. Apologize to yourself for something.
23. Thank yourself for something.
24. Start a journal or write in your journal.
25. Take a nap.

Usually, the future is a replica of the past. Superficial changes are possible, but real transformation is rare and depends upon whether you can become present enough to dissolve the past by accessing the power of the Now.

What you perceive as future is an intrinsic part of your state of consciousness now. If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same.

The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence.

Eckhart Tolle