Thirty Nine Things I’ve Learned So Far…
- May, 01 2011
- By Jennifer
- Beyond the Mat
- 5 comments
- We are always capable of more than we think we are.
- We think we know a lot but we do this to protect ourselves from feeling so little control over all the things we don’t know.
- Living by a set of ethical guidelines reduces suffering exponentially.
- When relating with others, especially during challenging times, it’s effective to imagine what it’s like to be that person (accompanied by the understanding that we’ll never really know what it’s like to be someone else).
- Mick Jagger was right. You can’t always get what you want but you get what you need.
On Creativity
- May, 01 2011
- By Jennifer
- Beyond the Mat, Reflection
- No comments
There is a large element of chance in creativity, but it is most likely to occur if the mind is prepared for it. These suggestions help prime the mind for creative output:
Document your ideas. Ideas are thoughts and thoughts are fleeting. You can’t begin to imagine how many good ideas you have until you document them.
Carve out a creative space. Set up an environment that invites creativity. Look for objects and images that inspire you.
Read More...The Dalai Lama in Santa Barbara
- Apr, 29 2011
- By Jennifer
- Buddhism
- No comments
I just got back from a road trip to UCSB to see the Dalai Lama. The morning lecture was titled, “The Nature of the Mind,” and after it was all said and done it was essentially it was about the importance of practicing lengthening the space between thoughts, through meditation. By training the mind to appreciate emptiness we re-cognize that our thoughts that we hold so dear, as if they are who we are, become thoughts again and not who we are.
Read More...On Being a Student
- Jul, 11 2009
- By Jennifer
- Yoga
- No comments
Yoga contains a densely rich philosophy that is traditionally recognized as being most successfully transmitted from guru to student. I did not come to yoga from a road out of India. I was raised in Marin County, in Northern California in the sixties and seventies in a place where free love, drug use, and the personal growth movement were in full force. What I have learned through nearly twenties years on and off the mat is what has been stated by a variety of spiritual traditions: everyone and everything that happens is an opportunity for learning and ‘ultimately one’s greatest teacher lies within.’
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action
- Jul, 11 2009
- By Jennifer
- Buddhism, Yoga
- One comment
‘Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action.’ If you attend my classes regularly, this is a phrase that many of us have become accustomed to. I began saying it at the end of every class after hearing one of my teachers say it a number of years ago, but I wanted to know where it came from if I was going to use it all of the time, so I did a little research.
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