Aug 2008

Spiritual Practice #5

13/08/08 23:18

There are three elements to a pose: in , holding exit but also physical meotional and mental

Outer alignment leads progressively to inner alignment

Rebecca's Life Questions

11/08/08 19:47

Here are some questions that a friend of mine once asked me.....

Would you rather die on your feet or live on your knees?
Are you going to die while you are alive and embrace what desetroys you OR are you going to live while you are alive and embrace what nourishes you?
There is only one person with whom you will spend 24 hours each day for the rest of yor life. Will you be spending that time with someone who hates you and puts obstacles in your path or with someone who loves and inspires you? You get to choose!

A New Earth

03/08/08 09:04

I have been watching some of the videos of Oprah and Eckhart Tolle in preparation for a presentation to a Chapter’s book club studying this book and have been struck by the similarities between his teachings and those of iRest. In fact they are the same; both are based on the ancient teachings (5-10,000 years) of Tantric non-dualism or Kashmir Shaivism. At the root of this philosophy and practice is the quest for the experience of the Divine. iRest is a perfect complement to and extension of Tolle’s A New Earth.

Telling Stories

02/08/08 09:54

I’ve discovered something really lovely.... As a result of my study and practice of iRest I’ve become less interested in stories. By stories I mean those thoughts that I have about myself and others. I can easily find myself having fictional conversations, dreaming up what another person felt or intended and then (in my head) reacting to it as if it were true. This is really a form of story-making.

One of these stories (there are really only a few basic stories) is about what will happen in the future. Most of the time when I choose to be stressed I am in the midst of imagining a fearful future and spending time planning how to avoid that dreadful future. Have you ever noticed that defenses create the circumstances they seek to avoid? That is, we bring to ourselves the very thing we try to avoid. Both of these are excellent reasons to give up preventing. Insurance is a manifestation of this. We pay for insurance against an imagined future loss. This can be the same in relationship; imagining a future loss you might decide to play it safe (insurance) and then give less or be less involved. In the end you find yourself alone because you were emotionally unavailable both to yourself and the other. There is great relxation in giving up imagining and defending. If you wish, take a moment to notice the now free of fearful anticipation.

Another of these stories is about what happened in the past. perhpas its a memory of childhood and all the things that “went wrong.” What would it be like to imagine no past, no childhood, no childhood traumas or losses. How do you feel about this moment?

I’m now more interested in what is now and living fully in the moment, undefended from my imagination and completely available to the now.