Life is the Practice

   
   
I was just having a conversation with my daughter on the phone. We were talking about spiritual practice. She was telling me how she needs to start back to church. I shared with her my own feelings about this subject. A spiritual teacher that I follow, Shambhavi Saraswati, a Tantrika in the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition, gave a wonderful satsang on how everything in life is a spiritual practice, from doing dishes to sitting in meditation. We tend to forget that everything we do is devotion to God, to our true Self. The key is remembering. Being present in every moment. When my heart is open I see the synchronicity in many things. Nothing is coincidental. Even the most mundane activities can teach us if we are aware. Life is so simple, we complicate it. We cause so much of our own suffering.

Letting go of always striving for something is the key to real inner piece. I am learning to be more gentle with myself and letting go of guilt is like unloading an elephant from off my back. It is healthy to have regret, it is unhealthy to harbor guilt. Shambhavi says that simple consistent ritual in life has such lasting results. On the spiritual path, it is best to take baby steps and we will find in time our steps will get bigger and bigger. Remember, life is the practice. Approach everything you engage in with reverence. From washing dishes to performing japa.

Jai Maa,
Nirvani

Mindful Living..

~10 Tips for a Mindful Home~

Karen Maezen Miller

1. Wake with the sun.

There is no purer light than what we see when we open our eyes first thing in the morning.

2. Sit

Mindfulness without meditation is just a word.

3. Make your bed.

The state of your bed is the state of your head. Enfold your day in dignity.

4. Empty the hamper.

Do the laundry without resentment or commentary and have an intimate encounter with the fabric of life.

5. Wash your bowl.

Rinse away self-importance and clean up your own mess. If you leave it undone, it will get sticky.

6. Set a timer.

If you're distracted by the weight of what's undone, set a kitchen timer and, like a monk in a monastery, devote yourself wholeheartedly to the task at hand until the bell rings.

7. Rake the leaves.

Rake, weed, or sweep. You'll never finish for good, but you'll learn the point of pointlessness.

8. Eat when hungry.

Align your inexhaustible desires with the one true appetite.

9. Let the darkness come.

Set a curfew on the internet and TV and discover the natural balance between daylight and darkness, work and rest.

10. Sleep when tired.

Nothing more to it.

Namaste,

Jennifer Renee