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Om Namah Shivaya
Hi Friends,
Most mornings I start my day with a few singing exercises in Sargam. The musical language of India. The western Do-Re-Mi in India is Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa-Da-Ni-Sa. I sing the syllables in different groupings and then in Akra (Ah). Then I proceed to the Bhakti practice of chanting mantras. I sing a few from Krishna Das and a few from Jai Uttal. And sometimes I add a few from Deva Premal.
All three have versions of the Mantra Om Namah Shivaya. Today as I was singing I “heard” a new melody for Om Namah Shivaya. I thought I would share it with you.
Namah means to bow and Shiva means inner self
Chanting Om Namah Shivaya helps us to master the five elements within us, leading the mind to silence. Silence leads to the experience of Shiva Tattva. In this way, everyone can access Shiva through this mantra. The chanting of this mantra unites the different koshas or layers of our being and elevates the qualities of Shiva within us. (There are 7 layers to our existence: ) It has the effect of quieting the mind and so is also a good way to prepare for meditation.
Om Namah Shivaya infuses positive energy and removes negative energy. It is also a stress-buster, helping you to relax and unwind.
A restless mind becomes stable and peaceful with regular chanting.
It is said that Om Namah Shivaya helps you to gain control over your senses.
Give it a listen. See you next Thursday June 1st at Wainwright House in Rye, NY
Namaste
Metta Meditation
The Metta Meditation
The heart of this practice is generating four positive wishes for all beings:
● May you be safe
● May you be healthy
● May you be happy
● May you be at ease
We include beings we care for, those we don’t care for, and those we don’t care about.
We even include ourselves!
Practicing loving-kindness is simple and direct. Just take a comfortable seat in a quiet
place and close your eyes. First think of somebody you love. Send them the four
wishes. You can either repeat each for a time with that person in mind or just think about
how those wishes might manifest and affect that situation. You can be creative about it.
Then move on successively to yourself, a “neutral person” (somebody you don’t know
well or already have strong feelings about), and then finally take the plunge and send
the wishes to an “enemy”. You may even notice that the choice of who the enemy is
moves around and that’s fine. As mentioned already, yesterday’s enemy could be
tomorrow’s ally. Also, it’s fine just to notice what comes up for you while you are trying to
do this practice and simply allow space for that as well.
Naturally, it’s easier to generate these positive wishes for our parents (in most cases),
our children, our pets, our teachers, or our friends. In these instances, loving-kindness
flows unimpeded.
It is challenging to generate that kind of attitude toward people to whom we are
indifferent and it is very challenging indeed to generate it toward people we don’t like or
even hate. For some of us it can be most challenging to generate this attitude toward
Ourselves.
At the end, conclude by simply radiating out your loving kindness, your kind, sweet,
loving open heart to all beings and send your good wishes to all of them (friends,
ourselves, neutrals, enemies, humans, animals, ghosts – anybody you can think of).
Then simply dissolve the meditation and sit quietly for a moment or two.
Loving-Kindness is an ancient practice dating all the way back to the Buddha and it can
be surprisingly powerful.
(Dharma Moon 2022)
Sound Bath Live Recording from Wainwright House - Rye NY
Sound Baths are deeply-immersive, full-body listening experiences that intentionally use sound to invite gentle yet powerful therapeutic and restorative processes to nurture your mind and body. They have been shown to reduce stress, enable deep relaxation, enhance creativity, uplift the spirit and help with insomnia. Morning Sound Classes aid in recharging, relaxation, restoration and healing. They help bring focus and balance to your day.
You begin your Sound Bath experience by laying down comfortably or supported sitting in a chair. After a few minutes of focused breathing, participants are immersed in sound waves provided by Himalayan Bowls, Gongs, Crystal Singing Bowls and Shamanic percussion all played in an intentional, clinically based, therapeutic sequence.
The goal of the Sound Bath experience is to invite deep rest and relaxation, and explore self-inquiry and self-discovery. Sound is a very accessible form of meditation where benefits are usually experienced right after the first session.
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