Today's DailyOM Offerings...
May 20, 2009
Journey Into the Elements
Chitra Sukhu
2002
Chitra Sukhu started practicing yoga at the age of three (her parents are both active teachers), and her practice has shaped her every step, leading her to become a guiding light in the field of meditation instruction. She's created over a dozen meditation CDs, many of them-including this one-aimed at children (though they are certainly suitable for all ages). Each of these five meditations explores a specific element and follows a similar arc: Sukhu gets us warmed up and relaxed via breathing and simple visualization exercises and then takes us deeply on a journey into the elemental kingdoms to meet mermaids, fairies, and kings.
Throughout the meditations, there is soft and gentle music-flutes, acoustic guitars, pianos, and a quietly struck tambourine-that helps keep things focused during Sukhu's frequent pauses (so our minds can create the visualizations). At the end of each meditation, no less a figure than Mario Van Peebles shows up to play the wisdom-dispensing king of each elemental kingdom, his masculine voice contrasting with the friendly hypnotic sweetness of Sukhu's voice. Playing a merman king in "Water," Peebles observes over gentle guitars and flutes that polluting the ocean is the same as polluting ourselves (and therefore vice versa): "So take care of the ocean / Take care of your ocean!" In "Fire," Sukhu takes you inside the sun where "Everything around you is golden, with golden fruit to take from the golden branches." As the king of the sun, Peebles invites you take a ride on his golden chariot as he dispenses wisdom about the fire that is "all around you."
There's nothing here from stopping you or perhaps your child or children from falling into a deep, restful dream state; meditation state; or just halfway between. This is great stuff to plant in a child's inner mind, to grow and take root, to create a place of silent contemplation within themselves: "Silence is good / Silence is peace," Sukhu notes. What better gift for a frazzled parent than a CD that teaches your children (whether inner or outer) the joy of remaining quiet and calm within themselves? Peebles and Sukhu are always waiting, in the CD player and now in your heart, to take you to places beyond the tawdry lands of anxiety and self-doubt and to deliver you to the elemental kingdoms that are so far out they're right there within us.
May 20, 2009
True Support
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You might notice a desire to inspire and support others today. Your motivation to encourage others may come from your own positive experiences and the wish to impart the wisdom you have gained from these encounters. Perhaps today you might want to focus on the ways in which you give encouragement. You can think about the phrases you use and the ways you respond to people. When giving praise, for example, you could concentrate on giving genuine praise for a specific task and not just an immediate unthinking response. You might also consider waiting for someone to ask you for your expertise and avoiding jumping in immediately with your own examples and advice. If you act too much like a cheerleader for others, they may not feel like your encouragement is genuine and could be hesitant to trust you.
Supporting others in a conscientious manner allows them to trust in us more completely. There are times when we can be carried away when giving support to other people. We might constantly lavish praise or pipe into the conversation with our own stories. But by waiting for someone to come to us or by giving our approval with awareness, we are truly responding to their needs. We furnish others with a place where they know they can trust us with their problems and they will be fully heard. We are then able to provide others with the advice they really need. By creating a feeling of trust with others through your responses today, you will be able to truly inspire them.
May 20, 2009
Boldly Growing into Your Own
Fear of the Future
Though much human fear is based on uncertainty, foreknowledge does not always ease the mind. It is often when our futures look brightest that our resolve crumbles and we veer off course. We can recognize that success is on the horizon, but we cannot discern how it will impact our lives. Because success can affect us in complex and unpredictable ways, taking us out of the status quo and pushing us into new circumstances that test our limits, the mere idea of attaining the life of our dreams can shake us to the core. Fear of the future is often closely intermingled with the fear that growing into your own potential will both change you irrevocably and force you to face situations that you aren’t ready for. It is normal to unconsciously project ahead into the future and see success as a great weight bearing down on you. It is important to remember, however, that all the life changes the future will bring will be implemented into your life slowly and gradually.
When we visualize the future, we tend to focus on outcomes rather than the steps we will take to reach those conclusions. Thus, we may forget that growth is progressive. Your soul longs to fulfill its purpose-a purpose you agreed to in the timelessness in which you existed before your birth. Because of this, neither you nor the universe will set any circumstance before you that you are not capable of handling. Fear of the future can paralyze you, preventing you from living in the moment and from working toward your goals in a mindful manner. The key to conquering this fear lies in awareness. When you can identify the irrational thoughts that frighten you, you can replace them with logical, self-affirming ideas. If you are afraid that you won’t be satisfied when you accomplish a certain goal, remember that no one achievement represents an end in and of itself. And if you fear recognition or feel unworthy, consider that even now you are deserving of praise.
Should fear of the future strike you as you strive to create, to excel, to grow, and to evolve, assert your courage. Assume that your fear is based on a false assumption and quell it with facts. Try to disregard past patterns and focus on the present by stilling the inner voice that comments critically on all you do. Tell yourself that the inevitability of your success is based not on luck or a universal mistake but on your already established talents, drive, imagination, and inner strength. Each time you overcome your fear of the future, you chip away at its very foundations. Eventually, you will clear a gap through which you can gaze upon the future with unhindered optimism.
Journey Into the Elements
Chitra Sukhu
2002
Chitra Sukhu started practicing yoga at the age of three (her parents are both active teachers), and her practice has shaped her every step, leading her to become a guiding light in the field of meditation instruction. She's created over a dozen meditation CDs, many of them-including this one-aimed at children (though they are certainly suitable for all ages). Each of these five meditations explores a specific element and follows a similar arc: Sukhu gets us warmed up and relaxed via breathing and simple visualization exercises and then takes us deeply on a journey into the elemental kingdoms to meet mermaids, fairies, and kings.
Throughout the meditations, there is soft and gentle music-flutes, acoustic guitars, pianos, and a quietly struck tambourine-that helps keep things focused during Sukhu's frequent pauses (so our minds can create the visualizations). At the end of each meditation, no less a figure than Mario Van Peebles shows up to play the wisdom-dispensing king of each elemental kingdom, his masculine voice contrasting with the friendly hypnotic sweetness of Sukhu's voice. Playing a merman king in "Water," Peebles observes over gentle guitars and flutes that polluting the ocean is the same as polluting ourselves (and therefore vice versa): "So take care of the ocean / Take care of your ocean!" In "Fire," Sukhu takes you inside the sun where "Everything around you is golden, with golden fruit to take from the golden branches." As the king of the sun, Peebles invites you take a ride on his golden chariot as he dispenses wisdom about the fire that is "all around you."
There's nothing here from stopping you or perhaps your child or children from falling into a deep, restful dream state; meditation state; or just halfway between. This is great stuff to plant in a child's inner mind, to grow and take root, to create a place of silent contemplation within themselves: "Silence is good / Silence is peace," Sukhu notes. What better gift for a frazzled parent than a CD that teaches your children (whether inner or outer) the joy of remaining quiet and calm within themselves? Peebles and Sukhu are always waiting, in the CD player and now in your heart, to take you to places beyond the tawdry lands of anxiety and self-doubt and to deliver you to the elemental kingdoms that are so far out they're right there within us.
May 20, 2009
True Support
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You might notice a desire to inspire and support others today. Your motivation to encourage others may come from your own positive experiences and the wish to impart the wisdom you have gained from these encounters. Perhaps today you might want to focus on the ways in which you give encouragement. You can think about the phrases you use and the ways you respond to people. When giving praise, for example, you could concentrate on giving genuine praise for a specific task and not just an immediate unthinking response. You might also consider waiting for someone to ask you for your expertise and avoiding jumping in immediately with your own examples and advice. If you act too much like a cheerleader for others, they may not feel like your encouragement is genuine and could be hesitant to trust you.
Supporting others in a conscientious manner allows them to trust in us more completely. There are times when we can be carried away when giving support to other people. We might constantly lavish praise or pipe into the conversation with our own stories. But by waiting for someone to come to us or by giving our approval with awareness, we are truly responding to their needs. We furnish others with a place where they know they can trust us with their problems and they will be fully heard. We are then able to provide others with the advice they really need. By creating a feeling of trust with others through your responses today, you will be able to truly inspire them.
May 20, 2009
Boldly Growing into Your Own
Fear of the Future
Though much human fear is based on uncertainty, foreknowledge does not always ease the mind. It is often when our futures look brightest that our resolve crumbles and we veer off course. We can recognize that success is on the horizon, but we cannot discern how it will impact our lives. Because success can affect us in complex and unpredictable ways, taking us out of the status quo and pushing us into new circumstances that test our limits, the mere idea of attaining the life of our dreams can shake us to the core. Fear of the future is often closely intermingled with the fear that growing into your own potential will both change you irrevocably and force you to face situations that you aren’t ready for. It is normal to unconsciously project ahead into the future and see success as a great weight bearing down on you. It is important to remember, however, that all the life changes the future will bring will be implemented into your life slowly and gradually.
When we visualize the future, we tend to focus on outcomes rather than the steps we will take to reach those conclusions. Thus, we may forget that growth is progressive. Your soul longs to fulfill its purpose-a purpose you agreed to in the timelessness in which you existed before your birth. Because of this, neither you nor the universe will set any circumstance before you that you are not capable of handling. Fear of the future can paralyze you, preventing you from living in the moment and from working toward your goals in a mindful manner. The key to conquering this fear lies in awareness. When you can identify the irrational thoughts that frighten you, you can replace them with logical, self-affirming ideas. If you are afraid that you won’t be satisfied when you accomplish a certain goal, remember that no one achievement represents an end in and of itself. And if you fear recognition or feel unworthy, consider that even now you are deserving of praise.
Should fear of the future strike you as you strive to create, to excel, to grow, and to evolve, assert your courage. Assume that your fear is based on a false assumption and quell it with facts. Try to disregard past patterns and focus on the present by stilling the inner voice that comments critically on all you do. Tell yourself that the inevitability of your success is based not on luck or a universal mistake but on your already established talents, drive, imagination, and inner strength. Each time you overcome your fear of the future, you chip away at its very foundations. Eventually, you will clear a gap through which you can gaze upon the future with unhindered optimism.