5 Minute Meditation

“I don’t have time to meditate” You have the time, what you lack is the discipline. This article is not about meditation. To describe the benefits of meditation or how to find a decent teacher or how to build a daily routine, would be a waste of our time. We can not...

Chronic Stress Will Shorten Your Life

    Stress is a major contributing factor to the number one leading cause of death in the United States, and nine of the top ten. #1 – coronary heart disease #2 – cancer #3 – accidental injuries #4 – respiratory diseases #5 – stroke #6...

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part one

  Week One   A combination of curiosity and encouragement has brought me to the point where I will now begin my training in mind discipline. This will not be entirely new to me. Years ago, I had trained in a traditional karate dojo. My Japanese sensei saw some promise...

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part two

  Week Two   I was struck with how easily I moved through the second session. The process was familiar. Lying down, eyes closed, relaxed breathing, the resonant sound of the Tibetan bowl and we begin. Every five minutes, the sound faded away and a deeper bowl started....

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part three

  Week Three   The third session must have triggered something because from the start it was emotional. My instructor introduced the topic that we would focus on, the heart, and like a trigger was pulled, I could feel it. She encouraged me to open those doors and...

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part four

  Week Four   Fortunately, this is just a personal diary. My only responsibility is to be honest with myself and observant of the process. Whatever happens…happens. The fourth session started with a slightly different format. Instead of lying down, I was seated...

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part five

  Week Five   The fifth session took place in the middle of the day. I took advantage of the 45 minute train commute to do some warm up meditation. It was surprisingly easy. For a beginner, it felt deep and engaging. It was three times longer than my usual meditation...

A Nine Week Diary In Mind Discipline – part six

Week Six   This was a quiet session. The process was familiar. My breathing was OK and my focus was not any worse than during the other sessions. When we had finished, my instructor let me know that gratitude, would be the focus of my meditations. That was unexpected...