Karmic Seeds Body Mind & Spirit

When external factors shift we have an opportunity to rediscover our core which is the only truly safe place to call home. There are times when our whole world seems to be falling apart around us, and we are not sure what to hold onto anymore. Sometimes our relationships crumble and sometimes it’s our physical environment. At other times, we can’t put our finger on it, but we feel as if all the walls have fallen down around us and we are standing with nothing to lean on, exposed and vulnerable. These are the times in our lives when we are given an opportunity to see where we have established our sense of identity, safety, and well-being. And while it is perfectly natural and part of our process to locate our sense of self in externals, any time those external factors shift, we have an opportunity to rediscover and move closer to our core, which is the only truly safe place to call home. The core of our being is not affected by the shifting winds of circumstance or subject to the cycles...

We forget how powerful our words are and when we make promises it is up to us to make sure we keep our words sacred. Ever since human beings could speak to one another, they have been making promises and keeping them or not keeping them. Those who keep their promises are regarded as people of integrity, while those who don’t keep their promises are regarded as people who at best can’t be taken seriously and at worst can’t be trusted. Sometimes we forget how powerful our words are, and we use them haphazardly or unconsciously, creating expectations that are never fulfilled, leaving disappointment and distrust in our wake. On an even deeper level, there are promises we may have made to ourselves that we don’t remember because they have slipped into our unconscious. An early heartache may have been followed by a promise never to trust love again. Without realizing it, we may be fulfilling that promise and wondering why our love life looks so grim. At an even deeper level, many people w...

We all know about the importance of believing in yourself. But did you know that there is one aspect of this which is more important than anything else? That aspect is your mindset. There are two ways of thinking about talent and ability: 1) That it is somehow innate, that you are born with a talent, or not, and nothing you can do can change that. This is called a fixed mindset. 2) That you can develop any talent, if you work hard enough. This is called a growth mindset. Research shows that the most important element of success is believing that you can learn and improve. Working hard and being persistent are also important, but not as crucial as having that belief that you can change – a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset respond more to information about what levels of performance they achieved, such as exam results. Those with a growth mindset respond to information about how they can improve. Why is it that some people seem to shine in any sphere in which they choo...

Intentionally or not, we give things, people, accusations, or situations validity and power when we give them our attention. People are complex, and it takes a long time to know the interior of another person’s world unless they give you access to it, and even then, you never know if you have the full story. When you put yourself out there and follow your heart, some people will feel inspired to do the same, and others will feel threatened or envious. Envy is an uncomfortable but human feeling we all experience sometimes, but if it’s ruling your life, that isn’t any fun at all. Sometimes people see someone else thriving, and it’s easier to be enraged and mean-spirited than it is to get off their own asses and do something. I’m a big believer that each one of us has something unique and amazing to offer, that only we can. There is not another collection of 37 trillion or so cells that is exactly like the collection that comprises you, there never has been before, nor will there ever ...

  Ajahn Amaro • December 2008 Contentment, or santuṭṭhi, is often talked about in the context of material possessions. It’s the quality of being content with whatever is offered—the food that’s presented to us each day, whatever shelter is available to us for one night, and whatever robes and medicine are accessible to us. That’s an important aspect of contentment and a very grounding one—to have few material needs and few material possessions. This is our training. It’s also important to consider how santuṭṭhi permeates all aspects of the path. It’s not solely a matter of renunciation or not being moved by desire, agitation, or fear in terms of material things or how we relate to other people. Contentment is also the basis for concentration, samādhi—that quality of being content with this moment, this breath, this footstep, this feeling in the knee, this sound in the room, this quality of mood. To be content with just this moment is of enormous importance in terms o...

by  Kathleen Bryant   “Be yourself.” Haven’t we all been given this advice at one time or another? Self-realization is one of the aims of yoga, described by Patanjali in the third sutra: “Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam” or as B.K.S. Iyengar’s translates, “Then the seer dwells in his own true splendor.” Looking more closely at Sutra 1.3, we see that tada means “then.” Drashtuh is from the root “drsh,” which means “to see” (familiar to many as the root of drishti, a word often used in an asana class). Sva is “one’s own,” and rupe is “form” or “nature.” Avasthanam has been translated as “abides,” “resides,” “dwells” … or as I learned from Tucson meditation teacher Sanjay Manchanda, it’s that aspect of us that endures, that carries a sense of “always here.” But first we have to still the choppy waves of chitta—the mindstuff (see Sutra 1:2). Considering the mind’s relentless chatter, we are fortunate to catch brief glimpses of this enduring Self, denoted with ...

by   jim dreaver   the way to solve every problem in your life How can awakening to freedom solve every problem in your relationships, work, and life? It is simple. The more awake and free you are, the more you live in the present—this very moment, here and now. You may not know what is going to happen five minutes or an hour from now—let alone tomorrow—but you always, always know what, if anything, is needed in this moment  now . From this place of being right here, now, you deal with whatever situation, problem, or challenge may be confronting you, meeting it calmly and confidently, with wisdom and love. Whether it is a relationship conflict, a work issue, a financial struggle, a health crisis, a natural disaster unfolding, or a terrorist act in the making, you draw upon all the creative powers at your disposal to address it. What is needed to awaken to the inner freedom that is the birthright of every single human being? This is also simple, though not nec...

What is Resentment? Resentment is a powerful, negative emotion characterized by a feeling of being treated unfairly. This injustice may real or perceived and can be due to feeling you are not given the respect, admiration, importance, consideration or affection that you are due. It is a destructive emotion that rarely goes away on its own because there is very little motivation to change it.  Emotions like anger produce a significant amount of adrenaline that, after a while, exhausts the body and the anger slowly fades away. Resentment does not have the same effect on the body and thus can remain unresolved and persist for years. Most people feel resentful at one time or another but for some, this emotion becomes habitual and a way of being as opposed to a reaction to a specific event. Chronic resentment, then, acts as a magnet for future resentment. It gravely distorts thinking so that every new incident of perceived unfairness becomes magnified and added onto the existi...

By Sarah Harvey Dec 18, 2015  http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/12/for-the-women-who-are-meant-for-more/ Here’s to the gritty, truth-seeking goddesses who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Here’s to the brave, bad ass females who have blasted through a nightmare of shit to be  standing here today. Here’s to the earthy mamas who think stilettos are a sick f*cking joke— T he luscious ladies who love feeling the raw earth beneath their bare feet, and bow down proudly to the supple, winding curves of their thick, fleshy hips. Here’s to the creative vixens who breathe their sun-soaked, moonlit, windswept, star-dusted dreams to life, every damn day—rain or shine. Here’s to the wise women who, time and time again, have chosen their own hearts. I applaud you, with every fiber of my being. I honor you.I am you. We are strong and confusing, complicated and powerful, magical and maddening—we are meant for so much more. We will never be happy stuf...

author: Elyane Youssef   Editor: Yoli Ramazzina   Photo:  Flickr/H. Michael Karshis Relationships are like jobs—we should be qualified to start one. Sadly, most of us enter relationships with the intention of finding our other half or to put an end to the loneliness we are feeling. The thing is, many of us change partners as often as we change our underwear. We jump from one relationship to another, without really examining our thoughts and emotions. I truly believe that the most successful relationships are the ones where both partners have authentically worked on their own self-development. No games, no blaming and no drama whatsoever. Just a genuine partnership where both parties know who they are and what they want. In order to stop the cycle of failed relationships, we need to start working on  ourselves. 1. Love ourselves. Loving ourselves signifies taking care of our own happiness.  Relationships can be tough to maintai...

 Leah Fortner on Dec 15, 2015 Pathways There are infinite paths to choose, And I have chosen many. I have slammed into dead ends, Twisted through turning trails that ended at lost, Followed other’s routes to eventually realize they weren’t mine, Even dared to venture into the great unknown, Where writing a new way, Was the only way. But of all the countless roads I wandered, Endless directions I explored, And limitless possibilities I could have taken, There is one thing I have come to know: No matter what surrounds me, Lies ahead or behind me, Or who is beside me, It’s what is happening in me, That will shine a guiding light, Conquer the journey, And land me victorious after any travel. Because perfection comes, not when you’re watching golden sun sets over paradise, But when you have grown, Unbreakable, At peace, Within.

10 Principles About Life to Look at Every Day. Robert Piperon Feb 14, 2013 1. Bad situations in life are only temporary. “If you are going through hell, keep going.” ~ Winston Churchill Life is messy—bad things happen to good people. We all face hardships, but what makes us human is the ability to bounce back. We can become more resilient than we were before. Some things happen that we have no control over. You can find strength in situations that you never thought possible if you just keep moving forward. 2. Be open and compassionate. “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of comp...

How chanting OM affects your physiology BY OLGA KABEL Why do we chant in yoga anyway? What is the purpose? Chanting OM promotes limbic deactivation, which is a fancy way of saying that it takes the edge off our basic emotions (fear, pleasure, anger) and drives (hunger, sex, dominance, care of offspring). In this study the researchers compared chanting Om with making “ssss” sound while the subjects were getting an MRI. They found that during Om chanting the regions of the brain that became deactivated (amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus and thalamus) were the same regions that became deactivated during electrical vagus nerve stimulation for treatments of epilepsy and depression. Since effective ‘OM’ chanting is associated with the experience of vibration sensation around the ears, the scientists suggested that this sensation is transmitted through the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Saying “sss” sound didn’t...

16 Things You Should Say Goodbye To In 2016 Rania Naim 1. Say goodbye to the voices in your head that tell you that you are incapable of doing something or being someone. They lie a lot, and you should know that by now. 2. Say goodbye to the need for validation. We all need validation from time to time, but you also don’t have to constantly pursue it. As long as you see your utmost potential or how far you’ve come, you don’t need to seek after anyone to affirm that for you. 3. Say goodbye to all the moments you were not so proud of; forget them and remember that you are a human being who is still learning how to live. 4. Say goodbye to the promises you didn’t keep, know that timing is everything, and good things take time. 5. Say goodbye to the self-doubt and the negativity last year brought. It might not be the happy ending you wanted, but it could possibly be the happy beginning you didn’t see coming. 6. Say goodbye to the times you cried and the times you were in s...