Balance Emotions

from yogajournal.com

We all have moments of insecurity—moments when we really dread something to come. During these moments, examine your feelings, which can lead you to a sense of solace.

But that's easier said than done. How can you move smoothly from fear and anxiety to insight and freedom? One technique is paying attention to sensations and the feelings that accompany them. Each time you focus on your breath, each time you relax and listen to your feelings, you open yourself to the present.

When you simply witness your feelings instead of reacting to them, you allow your life to unfold organically and you open a doorway to greater sympathy and understanding. Most important, you develop your capacity to be free in an often challenging and turbulent world.

"Supermoon " Rises: Biggest Full Moon in 18 Years Occurs Tonight

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Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration 

In the Arms of the Beloved

Sharing a beautiful poem by Rumi, as found in Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved. Translated by Jonathan Star, published by the Penguin Group, New York, 2008, pages 3-5. 
 

"For ages you have come and gone
courting this delusion.
For ages you have run from the pain
and forfeited the ecstasy.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul.

Although you appear in earthly form
Your essence is pure Consciousness.
You are the fearless guardian
of Divine Light.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul.

The Yoga of Relationships

An article by Phillip Moffitt. He is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers' Council in Woodacre, California, and teaches vipassana meditation at Turtle Island Yoga center in San Rafael, California.


I sat silently as the woman self-consciously settled herself onto the couch in my office. She was in her 30s, married, well established in her profession, and a sincere student of the dharma. She looked up after a few moments of reflection, smiled nervously, and said, "I guess you wonder why I'm here. I know you don't normally do these kinds of meetings with students, but I don't need an interview about my practice; I need a perspective on my personal life." I had recently worked intensely with this woman at a retreat, where she had told me she was in therapy and that it had been helpful in her life and practice. She was confident and very self-reliant, so I knew she would not casually ask for an appointment. "So let's hear it," I replied.