Global Gratitude

We reach the culmination of our two week Meditation THREE, with a unifying meditation of gratitude.

To wrap up Meditation Three, November 26th & 27th, Wednesday & Thursday Evening at 7pm MST, we will spend 15 minutes together as a group in global meditation of the gifts of Gratitude and Appreciation.

Start with your Sat Nam (details in following entry), and then begin to breathe in feelings of Appreciation and exhale feelings of Gratitude for something that you are thankful for in relation to what is happening in the world right now.

This could be the self-reflection that the upheaval has caused, it could be the way it has taught us that our actions individually really do affect the collective, or that we have an opportunity to see just how much our lives (economic and otherwise) are built on our faith in each other. Or...maybe appreciation and gratitude that many of your e-mail request inspired this meditation.

It is not a coincidence that financial language uses the word appreciation to describe something that increases in value. What we value appreciates, what we appreciate we raise in value.

Thank you for joining in!

Meditation Three—the language of what we “tell” our SELF

Meditation Three is a special practice done for 10-20 minutes at dawn. It is a meditation using a silent “mantra”…What is a mantra?

In the West we unknowingly already use mantras like “I’m such a loser”, “I hate it when that happens” or “no pain, no gain”. We each have our own special brand of reinforcing language that can lock us into patterns of depreciation, or worse apathy.

Using a mantra in meditation can help instill positive feelings that, when used with our breath, become more believable to us and subsequently have a positive effect on our lives, as well as others.

Mantras used in meditation can be more believable because in a relaxed thought process, we can loosen the ego argument with our higher self. The “higher self “is the part of us that knows we can think and act more mindfully than we normally do, the ego is the part of us that rationalizes and justifies.

Also, yoga mantras take us “outside the box”, because the words are somewhat unfamiliar, which makes it easier to not associate the mantra with anything we already know.

So for our dawn meditation we get to sit and follow our breath as we inhale and exhale two words: “Sat” as you inhale and “Nam” as you exhale.

“Sat” means “Truth”, and “Nam” means “name” or “me”. Together, with your inhale and exhale these words make up the mantra that we would interpret as “I am my true self”, “ I am my true identity”, “All Truth is ME”.

If you are participating in this incredible Global Meditation you will get an e-mail on Monday with more details about this mantra. If you would like to join our global group email: syl@whitemountainyoga.com.

Using this meditation as a group will connect us together to the collective Better Angels of our Nature. In participating, we send the light of our “true self mediation” across the landscape of the world, and we hold the space for everyone “under the sun”, as the day dawns, to also feel a sense of their “true self” or higher purpose. And in doing so, bring their actions into a healthy integrity.

We will practice together, from where ever we are, each morning at dawn, beginning November 11th, through Thanksgiving Morning in the U.S, November 27th. This day of Gratitude is really needed at this time. Coming into “your truth” will bring on a wave of gratitude. Each morning sit with it, or journal it, or write your comments at the end of this blog entry.

Personally, I also think of Thanksgiving as a family holiday. I am a 10th generation granddaughter of William Bradford, who came to America on the Mayflower. As many of you know, they arrived at Cape Cod the morning of November 11th 1620, and he was the second governor of the Plymouth Colony.

My “10-greats” Grandfather presided (with Indian Chief of the Wampanoag) over the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. I have read from the original manuscript his personal history (written in 1620 old-style Kings English), and while many of the words, and rhythms were difficult for me to read, he spoke of two men coming to his door in England, with the message of religious freedom, and an underground movement, that would lead them (in his words) as Moses from Egypt.

I quote in his own words, (and spelling): “God’s blessing on their labours, as in other places of ye land, so in ye North parts, many became inlightened by ye word, and had their own ignorance discovered unto them, and begane, by His grace to reforme their lives and make conscience to their ways…”

I am honored over 388 years later to be a part of another group effort to do the same…”Like (10-Greats) Grandfather, like grand-daughter” I guess.

Meditation TWO "Lets do the Wave"

Have you ever been at a football game, or concert and one person says: "lets do the WAVE!" For our global Meditation Two in our 2008 Winter Solstice Series, that is exactly what we are going to do:

During the three days of Oct. 27th - 29th we will be meditating for aprox. 10-20minutes at twilight, morning and evening.

Twilight is a time when your thoughts and intentions hold a much farther reaching, much more expansive energy. A time when quiet inspiration is natural because you are not bound by day or night.

Our meditation will begin with the breath, as we in/exhale the energy of appreciation (past), enjoyment (present), and joyful anticipation (future)-three energies the people of our world are in deep need of presently.

As you bring in these energies, through visualization or just bathing yourself in the energy of each word's individual meaning (or their meaning as a trinity), our meditation will send a wave of this incredible healing over the planet morning and evening for three days. We could think of it as a global, energetic, healing cleanse.

In joining this "Wave" we will be essentially sending a healing balm of meditative energy that will lift everyone on the planet as they either arise for their day, or retire to a sweeter sleep. I can nearly guarantee that being one of the participants will give you some of the most restful sleep and rejuvenated mornings you have experienced in a long time!

We have all the time zones in the US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico covered and many more across the globe. Please let anyone you know who is willing (anywhere in the world, the more the better) to e-mail me and I will add them to the "Wave" of our circle. We are still hoping for like-minded people from the UK, Africa, & Middle East to join.

You will receive more details on how to do this mediation from me via e-mail this Saturday October 25 if you are in the e-mail group (you would have recd. a welcome letter). If you have not yet e-mailed me to be added to a special temporary e-mail list you can participate by simply emailing "add ME" to syl@whitemountainyoga.com

Until Saturday feel free to continue our Meditation One - Confusion to Wisdom as many times at you wish. Thanks to all who have commented at the bottom of this blog for sharing your sacred experiences!

Mediation ONE Transforming Confusion into Wisdom

Our first meditation, began together yesterday, Sun. Oct. 12th at 4:00pm MST USA/Canada.

Comments from this mediation are cascading in. Thank you to those of you who are willing to share. Your experiences are each an invaluable contribution.

Even though many of us meditated together (from our own homes), from all over the globe yesterday, this first style of meditation will continue through Mon. Oct. 27th. Feel free to join in at any point. You can learn the forum for "Meditation One" by emailing me at syl@whitemountainyoga.com. I will send you the e-mail that went out, which will teach you the style of meditation we are working with for the next couple of weeks. It is incredibly healing.

Please feel free to repeat this meditation as often as you like between now and our next mediation which will take place as a group Oct. 28th-30th! Look for details on what style of meditation we will be doing to come to you by e-mail the weekend of Oct. 25th.

I have posted my experience from our last group session in the below comments. It was such a profound, yet calming experience. Most importantly, as I meditated on the issue that surfaced for me, I was so touched by the energy that kept coming back with my compassion breath, it was a phrase that told my mind/body/spirit: "everything is just how it should be, everyone is in just the place that they need to be in, everything will fall into place". The other message that seemed to prevail in my experience was that, even though it isn't turning out like we planned, as a world family, we are being prepared for "Blessings Beyond Measure"!

I thought of the phrase by the poet David Whyte, "What you can plan is too small for you to live, what you can live will make plans enough...sometimes it takes darkness, and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn that anything or anyone who does not bring you more alive is too small for you!"

Thanks to all who are sharing as we continue through this important work to bring one another more alive.

Blessings

2008 Winter Solstice Global Meditation

If you would like to participate in this global event, e-mail me: Syl@whitemountainyoga.com

Between now and December 21st 2008, we will work together using the powerful yoga tool (of several styles) of Meditation.

The aim of this event is to help our world culture, which is currently experiencing a high dosage of distress and disconnection.

We will help connect-up our own inner-strength and wholehearted desire to "thrive" rather than "dive", and we will feel and see our personal blessings flower in the winter.

...and most importantly we will help the spirit of our planet, (the big Mamma), as she gives birth to a completely new, more spiritual age of consciousness.

The meditations will come to you in the form of an e-mail series. Approximately once every fortnight you will receive an e-mail which will include food for thought, and a meditation that we will do together from where ever we are.

Though I will give you a specific time (all Mtn-Standard time USA & Canada), and the length will vary, you can use your own discretion as to when and how you want to participate. For example, if you can do it with the rest of us fine, or you can simply make a heart-felt note to hold the intention as part of the group, and/or do it on your own time). Meditation is beyond what we think of as linear time, but gives an exponential component to those of us that can do it simultaneously.

Our final meditation will be December 21st 2008, at the exact moment of Winter Solstice, from 11:00 am to 12:05pm. For those of you that are close by physically, this whole afternoon will be held at the White Mountain Center for Yoga & Therapeutic Studies in Provo. During the noon-time we will share a gentle Winter Solstice Yoga Practice, Food (complete with your annual "Wheels of Life" chakra gingerbread man) and final solstice Meditation.

Plan on coming in your winter cozy clothes and enjoy the delights of the season--it will be an incredibly sacred way to enter the three days that lead us into Christmas, as well as honor the spirit of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

The phrase "winter solstice" means "sun standing still". It is typically the longest night of the year, a time when we are in "Lunar, or feminine energy" for the longest hours in a single day. The weeks leading up to the solstice are, ideally, very reflective, and vitally important to our mind, body & spirit well-being.

With the economic and energetic upheaval, we are not getting our much needed dose of this rejuvenation, which we normally have this time of year, so participating in this incredible work, will give you a level of sustaining energy you would otherwise be missing.

This labor of love will also shield you from the disharmonious forces trying to take root in our collective consciousness and give you the inner-power to make up for tens of thousands of people who are existing on the lower eb of fear and trepidation without realizing an effective way to transcend their feelings.

I am looking forward to it! Thank you from my heart for your desire to take part in this world-wide meditation to heal our global heart.

Please invite as many as you can to participate with us, there is no cost, but a high value. Anyone can join in at anytime by requesting they be added to our group. They can e-mail me at syl@whitemountainyoga.com, so if you are comfortable let everyone in your e-mail circle know.

Read Comments below to see meditation time & responses: