My girlfriend and I had a chance to hike a nice 4 mile trail on Wednesday morning. It was a crisp morning with 40 degree weather. It was so nice to be able to walk, listen to nature, see nature and enjoy the time together.

Iargo Springs provides a spectacular panoramic view of the AuSable River. The site includes includes large natural springs and is on the banks of the AuSable River. Two of the springs have dams. There is varied flora that includes riparian wildflowers and old growth hardwood.

Here are some of our pictures.

A view from the bottom of the springs

Again, a view from the bottom of the springs

Me and Kate

A view from the hike

Key Lessons from Lao Tzu Poem

Danielle made this card for me over the summer at a time when I was working probably “too hard” on a few projects.

The card features a beautiful poem by Lao Tzu:

Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm at the end
as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.

I’ve referred to this poem often over the past few months when I felt myself grasping for control of projects.  Any time you’re feeling stressed with work, with a relationship, or any other situation, read this poem. It brings calmness and helps us surrender.

Earlier this week, I discussed this poem with a few friends I love and respect. Each person provided insights as to how the poem speaks to them. We came up with several key takeaways from this poem:

6 Key Lessons from Lao Tzu Poem

• Trees don’t rush, they still grow. Water doesn’t rush, it still flows. We are like nature, rushing is not needed.
• Help other people see themselves as light and love.
• Relinquish control and surrender to God and/or the Universe. (Thank you for this one, my dear friend, PM)
• Clinging to current and/or future possessions (money, objects, ideas) leads to unneeded suffering.
• Be open minded and humble with what you think you know
• Once you realize there is a larger force at work, you can be at peace.

How does this poem speak to you?

Beautiful Insights from a Meditation Retreat

I’ve never been on a meditation retreat but I’ve heard amazing things. A week in silence. No TV. No cell phone. No computer. No speaking. Just you, your fellow meditators, and your own mind. Ironically, the people who think this sounds like a torturous experience are probably the ones who would benefit the most from learning meditation.

Our Aussie friend Kate at One Small Life Blog recently went on a 4 day meditation retreat and shared her experience on her yoga blog. Recapping her experience, she pointed to seven beautiful insights. I connected most with her insights on Oneness:

When you enter into a silent retreat with a room full of strangers something remarkable happens.There is a sharing of energy that transcends talk and personalities and the stories that we tell each other about ourselves. And beyond these nice-enough superficialities we can connect with each other and ourselves on a deep, human level. There is a true sense of oneness with everyone in the room.  And everyone beyond the room.

I identify with this point as I still feel connected to my fellow practitioners from the yoga retreat that Brian and I participated in. In fact, I vividly remember a conversation with Hedda from Norway where she told me about Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village. A meditation retreat in the South of France? At a place called Plum Village? I told myself I would definitely go someday and reading One Small Life’s post about her positive experience just brought me one step closer to going. Ahh, yes. That is connection and oneness at work.

Curious to the typical schedule for a meditation retreat? Here’s a look at a day’s schedule at Maitripa Contemplation Centre:

6.00am Wake-up Bell
6.30am Meditation- Silent Sitting
7.30am Yoga Asana (or your own practice)
9.00am Vegetarian Breakfast/ Free Time
11.00am Meditation – Sitting & Walking
1.00pm Vegetarian Lunch/ Free Time and Optional Teacher Interviews
3.30pm Meditation – Sitting & Walking
6.00pm Vegetarian Dinner/ Free Time
7.30pm Meditation with Talk, Discussion & Chanting
9:00pm End & Repeat

As we explain in the What is Lucid Practice? portion of our site, we had a transformative experience during our first yoga retreat. Knowing how powerful retreat can be, we encourage our readers to participate in yoga/meditation retreat. We’re living proof that a retreat can change your life 🙂

The platform in Thailand. We practiced here every morning and afternoon.

Have you ever been on a yoga or meditation retreat? Where? How was your experience?

When we examine our mind, we often find that it is busy, restless, and even agitated. However, like the ocean which can be very turbulent on the surface yet still and quiet in its depths, underneath all the stress, our mind is very peaceful and tranquil. When these peaceful states arise we naturally experience increased powers of concentration and a deep feeling of inner happiness.

Via Mahakankala Buddhist Center

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”

― Thích Nhất Hạnh

Check out this interesting podcast — here. 

“The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this lifetime.“ ~Sogyal Rinpoche

Yesterday, Danielle, had an awesome comment that I want to share with our readers:

I have found that envisioning specific colors of light around me in savasana/meditation practise makes me feel so great! First, I envision a pink light (for love) around my entire body. Then I envision a light blue color (for courage) on top of the pink light. Lastly, I envision a tremendous amount of bright white/golden light (for clarity, overall amasing positive energy) on top of the pink and blue light. I believe this brings me strength and a better energy/aura for myself and others 🙂 I discovered this practice from Maureen.

I’m excited to incorporate this into my meditation.

Here is a link to Maureen’s blog — Wings Of Freedom.

One of the best parts of a meditation practise is learning new techniques. There are so many different pranayamas or breathing exercises.

We try to document different techniques so we can go back to them whenever the moment is right.

PsychCentral and Margarita Tartakovsky put together a nice write up recently on how different teachers techniques.

Having a beautiful view also serves as inspiration for Ed Halliwell, a mindfulness teacher and co-author with Dr. Jonty Heaversedge of the book The Mindful Manifesto. He lives next to the village churchyard, which becomes his main meditation spot in the summers. He explained why the churchyard is so inspiring:

Read more — here.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Burnt out from today’s constantly-connected world? Whil encourages us to take 60 seconds out of our busy lives to meditate. It’s amazing what this discipline can do to help relieve stress and improve mental focus. Try it, you’ll like it.

Check out the video — here.