Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness: Pathways Toward Inner and Outer Peace Elizabeth Abbas, DO, RYT-200, Nevola Symposium 2018 Without inner peace, it is impossible to have world peace. His holiness the 14th Dalai Lame (Born 1934), Tibet Illustrations by Yumi Sakugawa - full reference listed in back.
PEACE IS UNIVERSAL: ACROSS ALL TIMES, NATIONS, AND RELIGIONS He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world. -Marcus Aerulius (121-180), Rome The principal characteristic of genuine happiness is peace: inner peace. -His holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (Born 1934), Tibet If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. -Thich Nhat Hanh (Born 1926), Vietnam/France Do you want long life and happiness? Seek peace, and pursue it with all your heart. -PSALMS 34:12,14 If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. -Chinese Proverb Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. - Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), Holland The peace which is most important is that which comes to the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe. -Black Elk (1863-1950), USA There was never a good war or a bad peace. -Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), USA We look forward to the time when the power of love will replace the love of power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace. -William Gladstone (1809-1898), England Even those who do wrong should be forgiven where forgiveness is possible. -Asoka (c.304-232bce), India People see only their good deeds saying, I have done this good deed. But they do not see their evil deeds saying, I have done this evil deed. Or This is called evil. We should think like this: It is these things that lead to evil, to violence, to cruelty, anger, pride and jealousy. Let me not ruin myself with these things. And further, we should think: This leads to happiness in this world and the next. -Asoka (c.304-232bce), India Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well. -Buddha The only way to bring peace to the earth is to learn to make our own life peaceful. -Buddha We must stop destroying our body and soul for the idea of happiness in the future. We have to learn to live happily in the present moment, to touch the peace and joy that are available able now. Thich Nhat Hanh (Born 1926), Vietnam/France
MEDITATION The following is written by Thich Nhat Hanh in Touching Peace. Meditation is to bring peace, joy, and harmony to ourselves and others. Many of us...rush about, but we are not at one with what we are doing; we are not at peace. Our body is here, but our mind is somewhere where else in the past or the future, possessed by anger, frustration, hopes, or dreams. We are not really alive; we are like ghosts. If our beautiful child were to come up to us and offer us a smile, we would miss him completely, and he would miss us. We do not have to die to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact we have to be fully alive. When we breathe in and out and hug a beautiful tree, we are in Heaven. When we take one conscious breath, aware of our eyes, our heart, our liver, and our non-toothache, we are transported to Paradise right away. Peace is available. We only have to touch it. When we are truly alive, we can see that the tree is part of Heaven, and we are also part of Heaven. The whole universe is conspiring to reveal this to us, but we are so out of touch that we invest our resources in cutting down the trees. If we want to enter Heaven on Earth, we need only one conscious step and one conscious breath. When we touch peace, everything becomes real. We become ourselves, fully alive in the present moment, and the tree, our child, and everything else reveal themselves to us in their full splendor. "The miracle is to walk on Earth." This statement was made by Zen Master Linji. The miracle is not to walk on thin air or water, but to walk on Earth. The Earth is so beautiful. We are beautiful also. We can allow ourselves to walk mindfully, fully, touching the Earth, our wonderful mother, with each step. We don't need to wish our friends, "Peace be with you." Peace is already with them. We only need to help them cultivate the habit of touching peace in each moment. FLOWER MEDITATION Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. In/Out. Breathing in, I see myself as a flower. Breathing out, I feel fresh. Flower/Fresh. Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. Breathing out, I feel solid. Mountain/Solid. Breathing in, I see myself as still water. Breathing out, I reflect things as they are. Water/Reflecting. Breathing in, I see myself as space. Breathing out, I feel free. Space/Free.
The following adapted from Buddha s Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield. LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION This practice helps cultivate feelings of deep love and kindness towards ourselves and others. Start by practicing this on yourself ( May I ). Then practice on others ( May he/she, May they ). Start with someone you like, then someone neutral, then someone you love deeply, and finally on someone who causes you suffering. May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be happy. May be filled with loving kindness. May be well. May be peaceful and at ease. May be happy. COMPASSION MEDITATION Focusing your breath awareness near the heart and cultivating compassion: Think of someone you care for deeply: May you be free from pain and sorrow, may you be at peace. Turn attention toward self: May I be free of pain and sorry, may I be at peace. Think of a difficult person in your life: May you be free from pain and sorrow, may you be at peace. As you open your compassion further, extend this meditation to neighbors, those far away, all beings. You yourself, more than anyone in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. -Buddha
The following adapted from Reconciliation- healing the inner child by Thich Nhat Hanh THE FIVE REMEMBRANCES To help us identify, embrace and look deeply into the seeds of fear, The Buddha offered this practice, for fear gives life to anger. We don t have peace when fear is present. Invite fear to be recognized, to be embraced, and when it goes back down again, it will become smaller and yourself more peaceful. 1. I am of the nature to grow old. I cannot escape old age. 2. I am of the nature to have ill-health. I cannot escape ill-health. 3. I am of the nature to die. I cannot escape dying. 4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. I cannot keep anything. I come here empty-handed, and I go empty-handed. 5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. DEEP RELAXATION. Scan your body with the light of mindfulness, recognizing, embracing, smiling to it. Smiling to each part, we help that part release the tension. Our body and breathing become more peaceful. We reconcile with our body and come to recognize it as our home: Breathing in, I am aware of my body. Breathing out, I smile to my whole body. Breathing in, I am aware of my in-breath. Breathing out, I am aware of my out-breath. Breathing in I am aware of my whole body, Breathing out I release all tension in my body. Breathing in, I am aware of my brain. Breathing out, I smile to my brain. Breathing in, I am aware of my eyes. Breathing out, I smile to my eyes. Breathing in, I am aware of my ears. Breathing out, I smile to my ears. Breathing in, I am aware of my shoulders. Breathing out, I smile to my shoulders. Breathing in, I am aware of my lungs. Breathing out, I smile to my lungs. Breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Breathing out, I smile to my heart.
TAKING CARE OF PAINFUL FEELINGS Meditation on feelings means being aware of each feeling that is arising, whether pleasant, unpleasant, neutral or fixed. Before we take care of the painful feelings, we must first learn how to take care of the feelings that are not painful. Create the following of joy and happiness in order to nourish ourselves before we deal with the painful feelings. Breathing in, I m aware of the feeling of joy in myself. Breathing out, I smile to the feeling of joy that is in myself. Breathing in, I m aware of the feeling of happiness in myself. Breathing out, I smile to the feeling of happiness in myself. ACKNOWLEDGING SUFFERING Meditation can be distracted by our mind going back to a painful image or experience and feeling overwhelmed with suffering, fear and despair. Our joy and happiness can only be recognized against the background of suffering. The first step in suffering is to acknowledge it: Suffering is in me. Breathing in, I know that the feeling of suffering, despair, unhappiness, fear is in me. Breathing out, I embrace the feeling of suffering in me. REMOVE THE OBJECT MEDITATION from the Buckeye Sangha The object is the person or situation we re thinking about. 1. Breathing in, I find my in-breath; breathing out, I find my out-breath. 2. Breathing in, I call to mind a charged issue (object); breathing out, I open to that issue. 3. Breathing in, I let go of the thinking about the issue (object); breathing out, I embrace that energy within my body. 4. Breathing in, I am aware of my body and my feelings; breathing out, I embrace my body and feelings tenderly. 5. Breathing in, I send my in-breath to my body and feelings; breathing out, I release the tension in my body and feelings. 6. Breathing in, I am aware of my in-breath, breathing out, I am aware of my out-breath.. THE FIVE EARTH TOUCHINGS This practice helps us return to the earth and to our roots, to recognize that we are not alone but connected to a whole stream of spiritual, blood and land ancestors. It allows us to let go of the idea that we are separate and to remind us that we are part of the earth and part of life. 1. In gratitude, I bow to all the generations of ancestors in my blood family. 2. In gratitude, I bow to all generations of ancestors in my spiritual family. 3. In gratitude, I bow to this land and all of the ancestors who made it available. 4. In gratitude and compassion, I bow down and transmit my energy to those I love. 5. In understanding and compassion, I bow down to reconcile myself with all those who have made me suffer.
THE FIVE MINDFULNESS TRAININGS borrowed with gratitude from The Peaceful Heart Sangha, Augusta, ME The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent the Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic. They are a concrete expression of the Buddha s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world. To practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to cultivate the insight of interbeing, or Right View, which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear, and despair. If we live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings, we are already on the path of a bodhisattva. Knowing we are on that path, we are not lost in confusion about our life in the present or in fears about the future. Before working through the following trainings, acknowledge these two promises: 1. I vow to develop my compassion in order to love and protect the life and people, animals, plants and minerals. 2. I vow to develop understanding in order to be able to love and live in harmony with people, animals, plants and minerals. Reverence For Life Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world. True Happiness Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming. True Love Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness which are the four basic elements of true love for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.
Loving Speech and Deep Listening Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness. Nourishment and Healing Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.
BREATH WORK: Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. -L. Frank Baum For all of the following, breath counts are only suggested. Please do whatever is comfortable for you, including not counting at all and flowing freely with your breath. UJJAYI (VICTORIOUS BREATH) Ujjayi breath is an audible breath sound created by allowing the flow of breath to pass along the back of the gently constricted throat. It s similar to the feeling of fogging up a mirror with your breath. It should be consistent on both inhales and exhales. The sound and vibration in the throat also give your mind something to focus on. If difficulty arises with trying ujjayi, start with Sama Vritti (Even Breath). This does not require an audible breath sound. Whatever energy is used to draw in is recycled back out. PRACTICE Inhale for 4 counts. Exhale for 4 counts. Repeat 10 cycles NADI SHODHANA (ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATH) This breath balances the right and left channels of our system, which also balances our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. This is a calming breath technique. PRACTICE Place right thumb on right side of nose, and right ring finger on left side of nose. The index and middle finger can rest gently at the third eye center, right between the brows. Empty the lungs completely. Close the right nostril with the right thumb and breathe in through left nostril for 4 counts. Retain breath for 2 counts with both nostrils closed. Releasing the right nostril, close the left nostril with the right ring finger and breathe out through the right nostril for 4 counts. Retain breath for 2 counts with both nostrils closed. Continue, alternating nostrils with each cycle. Repeat cycle 8-10 times. BHASTRIKA (BREATH OF FIRE) [Bellows Breath or Stimulating Breath in other traditions] This type of breath work helps open up the respiratory channels, strengthen the core, calm anxiety and invigorate the mind. This can provide a boost of energy during times of fatigue. Caution if pregnant or have high blood pressure or vertigo. This technique can cause a temporary lightheadedness feeling after practicing. When beginning, start with only 30 seconds at a slower rate and build up. PRACTICE: Get into a comfortable seated position with hands resting on legs. Gently close eyes. Breathe through the nose with mouth closed. The breath should be rapid, rhythmic and continuous. Inhale and exhale are equal with no pause between them at a rate of 2-3 cycles per second. Breathe in allowing the abdomen to expand fully outward. Breathe out while powerfully exhaling through the nose and pulling the abdomen closer to the spine. Continue for 1 minute. Break with several long, slow deep breaths. Repeat up to 10 cycles.
4-7-8 BREATH This technique activates the parasympathetic nervous system through stimulation of the vagus nerve, causing a very relaxed state. It helps ease anxiety and induce a feeling of calm. PRACTICE: Breathe in through the nose, allowing the abdomen to expand. Breathe out through the mouth, pulling the abdomen closer to the spine. It can be helpful to place one hand on your abdomen to feel the rise and fall with each breath. Inhale for a count of 4. HOLD for a count of 7. Exhale for a count of 8, allowing all the air to release from your lungs. Repeat for a minimum of 4 cycles. Practice at least 2 times per day. Breathing control gives man strength, vitality, inspiration and magic powers. -Chang Tzu
YOGA ASANA (POSTURES) Yoga asanas, or postures/poses, were traditionally done to prepare the body for meditation. The following is a classic, simple routine that can be used daily with or without meditation. The Sun Salutations A and B or in Sanskrit, Surya Namaskar are a series of yoga poses performed in a continuous, flowing sequence. They are intended to improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles. Each Salutation begins and ends with hands joined hands mudra (prayer position gesture) over the heart center. Sun A can be done without or without Sun B. I recommend starting with 3 cycles of Sun A followed by 3 cycles of Sun B at any pace, inhaling and exhaling with each posture change. Increase cycles as tolerated.
WISE WORDS FROM THE BUDDHA Most of the sorrows of the earth humans cause for themselves. Words have the power to destroy or heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world. Our own worse enemy cannot harm us as much as our unwise thoughts. No one can help us as much as our own compassionate thoughts. The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there? Hatred never ceases by hatred; by love alone it is healed. This is the ancient and eternal law. Weight the true advantages of forgiveness and resentment to the heart. Then choose. If your compassion does not includes yourself, it is incomplete. Learn to respond, not react. Don t keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions. To meditate is to listen with a receptive heart. Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you learn to let go? No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this we become free. Do not judge yourself harshly. Without mercy for ourselves we cannot love the world. A day spent judging another is a painful day. A day spent judging yourself is a painful day. You don t have to believe in your judgements they re simply an old habit.
REFERENCES AND GOOD READS * There Is No Right Way to Meditate: And Other Lessons by Yumi Sakugawa* * Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with The Universe by Yumi Sakugawa* * Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child by Thich Nhat Hanh * Touching Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh * Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh * Thich Nhat Hanh mini books: How to Eat, How to Sit, How to Walk, How to Love * 1001 Pearls of Buddhist Wisdom by Desmond Biddulph * Buddha s Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield *Illustrations apart from yoga sequence are from both of Yumi Sakugawa s books listed above.