New Year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWAMIJI!!! Happy New Year everyone! Happy 2011! Happy Life! Blissful Life! Swamiji's message this year is Share Enlightenment, so happy sharing enlightenment I hope you all have have a wonderful year and that's all I am going to write because it is !:39 am and I am waking up early tomorrow!!!!
So good night, see you later

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

P.S. if you don't know my beloved guru, Swamiji, Paramahamsa Nithyananda today turned 34 years of age. Ok now, good bye

The Creativity of Kids

Hi everyone! Haven't written in a few days, couldn't think of what to write, but I finally did. If anyone out there wants me to write about anything please comment or write an email ... or something! so a few days back three little friends of mine came over. The youngest 3, middle child, 6, and the oldest nine. They are the kids of Hannah, my riding instructor/friend. But also my friends they came over for the morning, not to be to self centered or anything, but they adore me. Well within 5 minutes of being at my house they discovered the loft in our new room (we converted our large garage into a den) Well the six year old climbed up the ladder, I followed closely and suggested we build a fort up there so we did, and soon enough where joined by her siblings, and my sister. Somehow I am not sure when it happened we started playing pirates. Then I suggested we go and invade my costume trunk, so we did. The six year old decided she would be captain, and I would be the pirate princess, because I was wearing the prettiest clothes. The other kids all choose roles, the first mate, the prince, and the lonely Forest girl. And then they started to play I pretty much did as these kids told me to do, which was mostly follow them around my house as they had sword fights (I have three wooden swords I made last summer) and capturing each other and finding the treasure they each had hidden in the house. I used to play like this when I was a lot younger in my old house, but I hadn't "played" for a number of years. I was simply amazed how these kids from such a different age span could invent this game, as they raced up and down the staircase, even the 3 year old was talking in a British accent and using words that you only hear from Shakespeare! It was like jumping into a movie, well we where still in my house since it's December in Ohio, but still. Grown ups would have a really hard jumping in and just playing like that, at least most grown ups would. When they finished with that game the kids where perfectly able to do something else, and that's the key thing there, the ability to spontaneously change. It's something Swamiji is always talking about being spontaneous, but up until a few days ago I don't think I have experienced it first hand, so I just wanted to share that with all of you!
Oh P.S. That picture is of my sister and I being spontaneous!

Spine Straight

I was just at the temple and had an interesting revelation. So everyone there was posing for a picture and I was sitting with my back very straight. For a second a thought about my posture, threw back my shoulders a bit, and raised my chin. All cultures, human and animal communicate a lot though body language. So we communicate to each other through our looks, how we hold ourselves, how we move our hand .... but I have never realized before, I mean at a mind level, how you sit makes yourself feel. I feel very ... strong, able, and something else .... self confidence. Yes, that's it. and I lot more things, but those are some of the main ones, of course physiologically sitting with a straight spine so really helps your body, and the cerebral spinal fluid can flow properly (although don't get me wrong, I have no idea what it actually is!) so just a thought I really wanted to express, and tell all of you!

A Glipse of the Moment

Today has been a really long day, it is two days before Christmas, and I am very busy. Did I ever tell you guys that I have a baking business? Well I do, it's called the Blissful Bakery. I don't have a shop or anything, people give me orders, and I make them, package them, and then I either deliver them, or the people pick them up, So since it's that Holiday season, I have a lot of orders around this time. I woke up a little late this morning, I was going to do Nithya Dhyaan as usual, but my bed was so warm...... so I lay under my many quilts for about an hour reading a very inspiring book called Three Cups of Tea (I recommend it!) Then I finally pulled myself out of bed and started my day. I still had to do my daily Nithya Dhyaan so about 6:30 this evening I did my Nithya Dhyaan in my bedroom. Just as I started the chakra part of the meditation I had a sudden thought (oops!) that I really hadn't had much inner chatter the whole day, and I usually have lot! So that was interesting and then I was really able to fall into chakra awareness, the inside of my mind and body felt clean, fresh, it was so nice. I was able to do the last two parts better then ever before. I am not sure what shifted, maybe all the hard work and my body just needed to relax? I don't know, but it was really an amazing thing.

Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes

Dearest Readers,
As I type this to you all I am in my family's car returning from my Great Uncle Bob's funeral in Michigan five hours from my home. (I am writing in a word document and will post later) squinting to see the keyboard. So during this funeral I experienced a few interesting things. One of them was the same feeling I had at my grandfather's funeral in April. Now please don't take me for being cold hearted or anything, but you see the whole two day period I had not one ounce of sadness. The man lived a long life on planet earth and just as he slept, ate, and talked, it is now time for him to leave the Earth. I just cannot understand why people are acting so sad about it! Alright you do not get to see him anymore, I suppose I can understand that but they should just be grateful he is no longer suffering! (The man was quite sick) so that's my little rant right there.
The other thing I want to write about, I guess just write down my feelings about is the way the body was delt with. When I spent time in Varanasi, India with my Mom we visited the place where bodies are cremated. OK that may seem strange, but it is the oldest cremation ground in the world, and Swamiji says if you spend three days there you will loose all fear of death, and therefor be able to simply live your life fully in the present moment. So how they burn the bodies at the cremation ground there is they place the wrapped up body on a pyre of wood and take a stick, they light the stick from this fire at the top of the cremation ground that is continuously burning. The body burns up, then the ashes are collected, given to the family and placed in the Ganges. Oh one last thing before the pyre burns out completely some burning piece from the pyre is placed in the fire it was lite from and then completes the circle. Look at that! So beautiful and complete! And it only uses up a small area on the bank of the river.
Now this is what shocks me think about our American cemeteries. I cannot remember going to any cemeteries in other countries so if you don't live in America...... make do. Aces and aces of land filled with tomb stones. When my grandfather died the burial was a small event a little hole in the ground under an average size tombstone. The urn of his ashes was placed in it. But today I witnessed a full scale burial. It shocked, and confused me. First a hole was dug with backhoes the sides where perfectly straight, not natural, then there was this metal box on the bottom an the sides and around where covered with fake green turf to make it look nice. Chairs where placed beside the grave and covered with blankets for people to sit in. then around the grave a bunch of boards where placed (although they where covered by the turf) and a metal contraption placed on top of the boards. The casket (a huge metal box in it's self) was taken out of the funeral car and placed on top of the metal contraption then some words where said over it and the metal supports came out from under the casket, and it was held by two cloth straps. These where like pulleys, sort of, and with the help of the cemetery people, the casket was slowly lowered into the earth. Then another contraption trailer thing was wheeled over and a really heavy looking golden metal lid was placed over the coffin. It had Bob's full name on it, and his dates of life. It looked like the most unenviromentaly friendly thing you could stick in the ground... on purpose! And then the minister lady was saying ashes to ashes and dust to dust and I wanted to you yell “No! How can he ever become ashes confined in this big metal box!” But of course I didn't, and it wasn't only that. As we stood there the realization dawned on me, that most of the graveyard has boxes in it like this, and most likely people are not going to stop. They are just going to keep hurting the Earth in this way. So I just wanted to share that with you all. So thanks for reading!
Oh P.S. This picture is of my grandfather's grave at his funeral in April, I forgot to take any at the current funeral

The Bliss Project Continues

You, who are all reading this, are about to here the latest news about the bliss project. In other words, if you don't remember the huge science project I am doing with teens and meditation. So I had a meeting on Thursday to give people the official "before" survey, teacher the new people the mediation and do Nithya Dhyaan with everyone. out of the 12 people who said they where coming only three showed up. At first I thought I was disappointed. I stopped then and sort of looked at myself and realized as usual it was just my mind putting up a big fuss I was actually not bothered at all. After about 15 minutes of waiting I explained the mediation to the one new person, and then we did an abbreviated version of the Life Bliss Mediation.I was fine, but when I went home that night, nothing seemed to be right, everything possible seemed to be going wrong, the biggest things where that I was going to make a cake for my friends at school and we didn't have the ingredients. I don't know what happened to me, but I totally broke down. I was crying and could not control myself. I went up to my room and just lay on my bed shaking with sobs. then I picked up Living Enlightenment, Swamiji's main book and read a couple of sections. The last one I read was so powerful, the jist of it was was to let go of all your problems and let existence take care of everything. I kinda got myself together and started to work on my homework (which was a huge problem in it's self) later that night my dad came home and brought the 15 Cd's I had asked to burn to give to the Bliss Project participants. Well later on I found out he did it in Tamil, AKA a foreign language!!
I broke down again and went to bed just not knowing what to do. Oh before I went to sleep I somehow created homemade Christmas presents for all my friends, a braided bookmark, and embroidered pouch and a self-sewn hat. The next morning I was something of a terror to my parents, stomping around the house and declaring everything horrid. Somehow, my mother got me, all the materials I needed, and my homework on to the bus. Thank. You. Mom. The day was insane, trying to get all my participants to fill out the surveys, contact forms, and other info, but somehow everything fell into place AND I got more people!! so now I am sending out mediation files to them all, and hoping everything works out!

An LBP weekend at the temple

Dear Readers.
This weekend we are doing an LBP or Life Bliss Program at the temple. I love assisting these programs, which I am always the assistant, because I can just sit for two days, in the energy of the temple where they take place, doing some small work like embroidery, or knitting, and get reminded of Swamiji;s wonderful solutions. It is like sort of a check up at the doctors, making sure everything is all right, and even if it is not, then getting the solution to the prgram there and then. Also it is so great to work with the group, each one is so unique and different, i love hearing all their stories, showing them around, and talking to the partisipants. LBP weekends are just great, although this is the last one we will be having for a while. As I write this the partisipants are sitting in the second meditation of the day and as soon as they are finneshed will take the blessed prasaad of food from the temple. So Just a little update there!

My First Riding Lesson

Yesterday I had my first horseback riding lesson at equi-valent. Normally I wouldn't write about things like that, my more personal life, on this blog, but I have to explain what happened. So Jessenia was teaching, she is the owner of equi-valent and taught the riding lesson. Centered riding is not just sitting of on the back of a two ton animal and jerking on it's mouth to make it go where you want. Centered riding is connecting with the horse. When I was up there riding Ranger, who is the horse pictured above, I took that picture right after my lesson, and Jessenia was telling me what to do, I seriously felt I was doing yoga. I don't mean i was doing pretzel shapes on Ranger's back, I mean I was really doing the true essence of yoga. Integrating my body and mind, and of course working my body to a state of ability to except the immense energy of enlightenment, but that second one if beside the point. While riding that horse, working my body to fit with Ranger's which is pretty much what I was doing I could also tell my mind was working, and not thinking up ways to get me away from what I was doing, something it loves to do, no it was getting whipped into shaped and forced under MY will. It is very... nice. to get a bit off topic and quote Einstein "The mind is a faithful servant" Well yes, but only if you can capture it first. My mind has not only escaped my capture but is also taking my over bit by bit, and I do not intent to let it do that. At first I thought this horse back riding thing was just going to be an extra thing I would do when I had the time, but now I realize just how useful it is going to be for every little part of me! So I will try and write tomorrow, so check back in. I have another entry to write but do not have the time right now.

The Bliss Project is On!!!!

In my honers phiscal science class we have to do this huge project. About anything we want, we have to collect data and all that it is a two month project. So I absalutly love projects they are my specialty. When my science teacher (whom I will call here Ms. P) The thought immedietly came to me "I have to do something with teens and meditation!!!" Then my mind came in and said "Oh no, that will be far to hard you will have to teach all the teens the meditation, and get the teens....." So then my mind started to churn up some eisier (in it's opinion) more projects training dogs and horses.....
Well after thinking about for the long Thanksgiving weekend I decieded since it had just come to me so fast I just had to do it. On Tuesday of this week I started to ask people to partisipate. The first day I got 4 people. The second day I got a total of 13 and the fourth I got a total of 17. Only to people refused my request. Almost everyone I asked agreeded to partisipate with enthusiasum!! Another great thing is that it isn't just freshman (frosh) like me. I have people from all four high school grades. So far I just have the people, next week I am planning a meeting in Ms. P's room to explain how we are going to do the project, perhaps teach the meditation (we will be doing Nithya Dhyaan) and see who will officialy be doing it. I am also hoping my current subjects will bring their friends. So I just had to tell all you readers!!!

Gratitude Meditation

Sorry I have not written in so long. I just wanted to apoligize, but I shall not make any excuses. On With entry! Yesterday I was doing I yoga class with my mom, kinda showing the different asanas while my mom taught, at the end we did Shivasana or gratitude meditation. I hadn't done the ful l shivasana since last february. When ever I would do it there I would always fall asleep, and when I was not sweetly dozing I never could fully do the meditation. I could say "Thank you leg" and I could sorta feel my skin but that was the extent of my bodily gratitude.
Last night though was different, it was.... well I will tell you. Now I will admit it and write it here and now, I have a horribly active mind. It just won't shut up! I can barely sit still all the time, although that one is getting better, I mean I can sit still, but I always have to have something to do. I learned how to knit, embroider, and all sorts of other things because of this. But last night when I lay down flat on my yoga mat... I felt myself meld with the floor. And then I started to do the actual gratitude. When I gave gratitude I could practically waves of gratitude washing every bit of my foot, I could clearly hold in my mind's eye my foot! I know that sounds strange, but seriously close your eyes (after I finish explaining!) and put your awareness on your foot, do not THINK about your foot, that's your mind. Put all your wareness on your foot. Do it now!
Ok you had better have just did it when you are reading this scentence, anyway could you seriously put your awareness where you aware for just a few seconds of every ligiment, even if you didn't know that names, every bone, the cells, the warm blood rushing through, the musel, the skin, every little part all at the same time not thinking but being aware? Well I was aware thats what what so amazing. And it wasn't just my foot either, it was like that all the way up my body! It was just so cool. It was also more then just awareness besides being aware it was like I could see a 3D picture of each part, but not with my eyes.... I geuss thats awareness. I felt so good afterwords and for the rest of the night. So yep! Just wanted to share!!