Only Breath

Only Breath

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim,
not Hindu, Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion or cultural system.

I am not from the East or the West,
not out of the ocean
or up from the ground,
not natural or etheral,
not composed of elements at all.

I do not exist,
am not an entity in this world
or the next,
did not decend from Adam or Eve
or any origin story.

My place is placeless,
a trace of the traceless.

Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved,
have seen the two worlds as one
and that one call to and know,
first, last, outer, inner,
only that breath breathing human being.

The Essential Rumi

(Coleman Barks)

The Continuing Trail

A said, join the group!

I said o k.

I met S,

Oh!

I fell for Dr -

My heart crushed.

By Buddha burned.

My mind torn.

Rumi speaks

My heart bleeds.

And now …

Thank you to Pedro for creating The Buddha Moon for me.

Become All Surrender

Happy the one who has become like us;
who has become all surrender and contentment;
Who has become the pledge of love and madness;
who has become a jewel in the sea of purity.

Rumi

Falling Slowly

See Falling Softly on youtube.

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me

And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

Sometimes the Simple Blogs in Life Are Often the Best

Dear Friends,

Every now and then, after reading up on a blog that I subscribe to or follow, I then click the ‘next blog’ option on Blogger.

Its amazing the amount of information available on the internet! The personal stories, the complaints, the inspiration, the criticism, the beauty and the transformational.

I found a relatively new blog and was touched by her story. I left a comment and I heard from the author just the other day. She wrote -

I guess I would have to simply say is that my blog is about finding who I am, after being a mother for the past 20 years and having my children leaving the house I have been faced with trying to find my passion. I am journaling my new found photography and art to keep track of how my journey begins and seeing if this is in fact who I really am. I am just a simple person finding her way to her own truth, because I believe when truth is found, calmness surrounds us. This is the reason why my blog was formed.

What a universal theme – expressed so simply.

I don’t know how her life was before she started the blog, but since she’s started journaling and embarking on this beautiful and challenging process of self knowledge – quite a number of amazing things are happening to her. One of them, not the least, was spotting FOUR bears on the side of the road – with photos to prove it.

Open up to the World, and look what She does. Dancing in the Moonlight. Leaping across Fields. Swimming in the Ocean. Twirling Around cause it feels Good. Live Life Love.

Thank you Vivian.

Truth From the Heart

The last couple of weeks, during meditation, my right hand is guided into a similar position as the one displayed above. Its not exact. The fingers point definately upwards.

Then the hand starts to move in a kind of circle - outwards from the heart, up and around, and back to the heart. It feels like a cleansing.

I hear it in my head as - Truth comes from the heart.

The Best Place to Practice Qigong/Chi Kung

The best place to practice Qigong is outside.

Outside in a city park, or in nature, or in a rain forest. Qigong is best out of the heat of strong sun, and under the shade of a favourite tree. It helps to have water nearby. Choose a place you feel comfortable with.

If you train on the beach, then train in the early morning or during the evening.

For more information about the hows and whys, have a look at what Dr Yang says in 'The 24 rules of Qigong practice' or this article about Adopting Qigong by Hilda Wei Williams.

Remember that Qigong is a dynamic experience. There are 'rules' laid down by practitioners who came before us, but they are not set in stone.

With Love

Wu Chi Stance

Today I published a short introduction to qigong basics, on youtube.

Here is the Wu Chi Stance.

Take a look at Tai Chi on-line for some sound advice about the Wu Chi Stance also. (I don't see any point in rewriting something that is well written by someone else.)

(This little video, and the ones to follow, were inspired by Deb. Thank you for thinking that I could do it. Then you let me!)

Coming out of the Spiritual Closet

Last year, I announced at the dinner table, that finally, after years of struggling and pretending, I was ready to embrace my impression of my spirituality.

That is, I was going to be honest about how I felt about god/God, spirits, meditation, images, symbols, synchronicity and let myself in for the ‘fruity loop’ comments of my peers and companions.

Why be honest about something so private?

There are two reasons for this. The first is that I dislike lying. I dislike hiding information. I have a repulsion for it. Personally, I feel cleaner and freer telling the truth, and being open about how I feel and what I see. If that means saying, spontaneously, ‘wow, look at that flower – isn’t it just an expression of purity?’ and it brings a laugh of embarrassment from my companions, I don’t mind. I can’t and don’t wish to repress the irrepressible at this stage.

Secondly, everyone is a bit wacky. That is, everyone has strange stories to tell, but they don’t tell them, because we don’t want to be laughed at, or thought of as kooky or different. So – if you are reading this, and you have a kooky story to tell, feel free. That’s why I came out of the closet, so you feel like nothing you can say will be weirder than what Tiffany is going to say.

And in this case, it takes one to know one.

With you in fruity loop land, and loving it.

Love and blessings

Types of Yoga

Hello Everyone

I found this little gem of a website. Its about Yoga, and might help, with its easy and simple message, to explain about the different types of yoga and how to do them.

Types of Yoga

If you're a beginner and would like to know a bit more, take a peek for easy to read answers.

Thank you Graham Ledgerwood.