It’s the ONLY thing worth doing. Radically simple. Radically effective. Practicing compassion or in other words living by the golden rule does more than heal others it heals our own heart when we practice it. As the well known author on religious thought, Karen Armstrong states after decades of research and study it seems to be the only thing that brings everlasting happiness. One reason why this concept fascinates me is because it isn’t always the easiest thing to do from time to time. I guess that is why it is worth doing and yet makes our life more fulfilling. I can only speak for myself in that there are definitely moments where I default and pass judgement not consciously putting myself in another’s shoes. These lapses never feel good and weigh me down giving good reason to focus on practicing compassion. Somehow, when focused on it things tend to challenge me to arise to it on a more radical level. Not always easy but always rewarding.

One thing I’ve realized is that it is truly a practice. One that brings conscious effort in the beginning just like anything and one I have failed on many occasions. So much seems to stem from simply being conscious. When we ride on selfish behavior it usually originates from the mind not the heart. I write about this not because I am there, but because I’d like to better live in the heart of compassion in my day to day life. Like Karen Armstrong states, it is the only thing worth doing. I guess personally I would add yoga practice to that or any practice that brings us inward, consciously watching and observing the patterns of the mind acting as a gateway to our center, into our hearts. Unblocking ourselves daily is an important part of the process I can attest to. Writing has also helped in this regard to cleanse what inhibits my heart and weighs on my shoulders, especially if I am filled with thoughts and worry. It’s a daily effort. An effort worth making.

Via PeaceLoveYoga

Walter Issacson did a great job with the Steve Jobs autobiography. Both Paz and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. We intend to read his classic books on Einstein and Benjamin Franklin at some point. Interestingly enough, it seems that he is modifying his writing strategy.

Via Bloomberg:

Several weeks ago, Walter Isaacson, the author of the biography Steve Jobs, quietly began an experiment: He posted a passage from his new book, about the origins of the personal-computing age, on the website LiveJournal and asked for feedback. Not much happened, so he turned to Scribd, then to Medium, the buzzy writing website created by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams. One post on Medium was read by about 18,000 people and inspired about 125 comments, plus dozens of e-mails and a few full articles exploring some aspect of Isaacson’s subject matter, the author said in an interview on Saturday.

The people responding have ranged from folk Isaacson doesn’t know of to some of his primary subjects. Stewart Brand, the editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, who figured prominently in Silicon Valley circles in the 1960s and 1970s, wrote a lengthy response without specific prompting from Isaacson, who then posted it to Medium as a separate post.

Isaacson’s search for online collaborators was inspired primarily by a desire for help in writing a book, which can be a difficult task. But he says it also makes sense, given the focus of his book: the people who laid the foundation of modern digital technology. “I got to the point of the book where people started using the Internet to collaborate,” he says. “It didn’t take a genius to say, ‘why don’t I use the Internet to collaborate?’”

Read on — here. 

Image via Google Commons

Yogavibes put together this interview with one of the faces of Ashtanga, Kino Macgregor.

Q. Why Ashtanga Yoga? What makes this method of yoga so meaningful or transformational for you?

A. Yoga has the power to transform your whole life. It is a lifelong journey into the inner space of the higher self within each person. Ashtanga Yoga is a traditional, lineage based practice that comes directly from India. I love the traditional nature of the practice because it allows me to surrender to something much bigger than any one person. I met Sri K. Pattabhi Jois when I was twenty-three years old and it changed everything I knew about myself. He represented the true potential of the human spirit and he taught a simple method of yoga that anyone can learn. I’ve devoted the last fourteen years of my life to studying Ashtanga Yoga in India and I now continue my studies with Guruji’s grandson, R. Sharath Jois.

Q. What do you have to say to yogis that are scared and/or intimated by the intensity and discipline of Ashtanga Yoga? How should they approach the practice?

A. Start with something really basic. Do not jump into a complete, fast paced practice. The way that my teacher would work with beginners was to start off with a very short easy practice of the Sun Salutations that takes between five and ten minutes to learn and practice. Many people dive head first into yoga and get overwhelmed with the intensity and the discipline. Beginners should just enjoy being beginners and take it easy, have fun and enjoy their practice. Don’t worry about doing it every day, start off with a modest goal of doing yoga three times a week, and then let yoga inspire you to do more.

Q. Does boredom ever strike in your personal practice? If so, how do you keep on keepin’ on?

A. The journey in yoga is as infinite as the human spirit so there are always new depths and new experiences waiting through the vehicle of the practice. That being said, I’ve been through many periods of boredom where I felt like I was circling an endless plateau. What I’ve found is that periods of boredom – where it seems like you are making no progress or even sliding backwards – are actually periods of deep integration. Whatever I’m experiencing, I do my best to just give it space to be, so if I’m bored I just be aware that I’m bored and keep practicing.

Read more about Kino and Ashtanga

Image via Tumblr

“Meditation is listening to the Divine within.” ~ Edgar Cayce

Several of my clients get stuck during their meditation practice and often give up because they have some sort of misconstrued notion of what meditation actually is. Perhaps it’s all the photos of people meditating looking so peaceful that throw them off. They themselves don’t feel very peaceful, so they must be doing it all wrong, right? Little do they know that what they’re feeling/thinking is very normal. Here is a quick and dirty guide to either get you started or recharge your less-broken-than-you-think meditation practice.

1. You do not actually silence your thoughts.

You simply, or for some…not so simply, learn to watch them go by without attaching emotion to the thoughts. One of my meditation instructors described it as watching traffic without deciphering between the cars. When you realize you’ve gotten distracted by a certain thought, you simply come back to the breath and start again. No judgment.

2. You do not need to sit on a cushion with incense burning chanting mantras all night long.

Meditation doesn’t have to be all that formal or all that woowoo, actually. In fact, there is no one right way to meditate. Some people like to listen to music, whereas some practices teach you to focus on the breath. The best thing to do is to shop around and find what suits you best. There are free apps (I love Omvana), Pandora stations (Heart Meditations Radio), YouTube videos and many many more resources that will help along the way.

3. You do not need to block out a certain amount of time everyday.

Simple meditations can be as short as a single conscious, “Thank You!” A quiet moment of gratitude is a great place to start. And that can happen on the subway, stuck in traffic, in line at the grocery store, waiting at the Dr’s office, you name it. Tuning in to just a few conscious breaths each day is more powerful than you think.

Click to read more about meditation.

Via Spirit Fairy, Image via Mala Collective