Background noise

Just back in from a walk around the center of town in the middle of the day when there is plenty of activity going on. Once again I've discovered that my mind has an easier time becoming quiet when there is some background noise as a setting. It helps me retreat deeper into myself into the calm waters, if you will, that keep me on an even keel regardless of the apparent storm raging around me. It is one thing to be able to sit in a silent room and meditate and another to meditate in the middle of a busy street. Don't get me wrong - I love sitting in a quiet cozy room on my soft woolly yoga mat for a meditation session. But when you can actually apply what you practice on the mat to everyday situations, I see that as progress!

This is what I try to convey to the people who come to my yoga classes and why sometimes it feels better if the neighbors above the yoga center are banging their pots and pans a little too loudly or if there are a few cars pulling in and out of the parking lot outside the door. How else can you learn to let the surrounding noise come and go if it's always silent? The thoughts generated in your own mind are deafening enough but I find that a bit of external noise softens the internal chatter a little.

The same principle applies to relaxing with and without music. Soothing melodies and healing mantras can be helpful tools for stressed out minds and bodies, which can barely lie still without twitching every few seconds, to come into a state of deep relaxation. But sometimes your breath or your heartbeat or even your thoughts are the best music to lull you into that restful state. Otherwise you might become conditioned to only feel relaxed if  you have the right music playing.

Some sounds, however, just don't mix at all with a meditative mind. The number one noise polluter that grates on my nerves to no end is the leaf blower! Somehow it has become adapted for year-round use and someone in our neighborhood has been starting one up every morning since last spring - arrrghh. I know, I know - take a deep breath...

Akal

Akal - undying. For Robert, November 18 2011.

Affirmations

Sometimes a few positive words can make a big difference in your day. My sister-in-law's mother passed away yesterday and my elderly father-in-law is currently at risk of doing the same. Not the cheeriest news to receive especially since the grief of my own father's passing is still tangible. But a simple reminder from an affirmation on a teabag tag helped me put things back into perspective for now: Life ends, love is endless.