Maslow’s hierarchy of needs start with the basal needs of food and security, then going up the pyramid to higher needs like social validation through family and friendships and ending in enlightenment, which he called self-actualization. Surely human needs do progress in more or less that manner. But there has been a new phenomenon of iteration. Getting more – the economics of unfullment which results in corruption of this chain of proposed satisfaction. Once we get to enligtenment, we should be satisfied – or else, it is clear proof we have not reached enlightenment.

Shri Mataji introduced a top down propogation of satisfaction by granting spiritual self-realization first. The model of contentment would allow for the trickle down of contentment from enlightenment into our various lower needs. This has been reported widely in anecdotes by those who have achieved enlightenment with Sahaja. There are those cases where-in enlightenment was achieved – however, the trickly down effect takes a long time, as one of the links in the chain of satisfaction may take a long time to be satisfied. So the trickle down happens in all but a few areas. So one or two of the points of contentment may still feel the need for more.

The need to have more, wheter in the area of food, money or anything else with the potential of forming an addiction is explained through the blunting effect of our pleasure pathway by Prof. Linden of Harvard, author of “The Compass of Pleasure”. When there is a desire to consume something or experience something out of its natural bounds, then the problem is not addiction to pleasure, but the chase of the initial pleasure.

E.g. An alcoholic does not waste himself on alcohol because is is deriving pleasure out of the drinking game. Rather, he misses the original surge in pleasure that never came back. Result? Addiction to fulfilling that pleasure pathway which is blunted by abuse of the substance, resulting in lowered sensitivity and a vicious circle of consumption, dissatisfaction and more out of bounds consumption.

Meditation’s purpose after enlightenment is to heal the broken parts of our satisfaction chain or pleasure pathways. One way to introspect and find out is to see if experiencing something in a balanced amount satisfies us: balanced diet, balanced social interaction, balanced time spent in meditation, balanced time with family and human propogation.

Wish you balance and peace as we go closer to giving thanks next week. Have a great holiday weekend ahead and may you find the peace to maintain your healthy habits of balanced consumption.

Do we need to warm up for meditation? That is the question I have been asking myself. Having taken both physical movement and meditation seriously, I’ve come to realize a common truth between these two aspects of being well: warm up and cool down. I am starting to wonder if, subtle warming up and cooling are also critical elements of mediation?

There are days I sit down for meditation and if I skip energy balancing before meditation, I may not feel completely satisfied. I try to have a variety in my approach to meditative states, but this element may not be optional. We are constantly seeking the key to guarantee a good meditation. Let us explore this concept briefly.

Now how does warm up help with physical exercise? Stretching groups of muscles is important for the actual exercise we are planning to do. It improves circulation to those groups of muscles and prevents short-term soreness and long-term injury.

Similarly, when we meditate, we deal with a subtler system within us, which needs to activate and be brought into the “zone” before it can get into a good meditative state. Then one can spend quality time with one’s own self, because the distracting elements within, mostly thoughts of the past and the future are subdued and do not create disturbances.

Balancing the left and right channels using the earth and sky is a great way to start warming up to a real meditative state. Raising our energy and shielding ourselves with our own energy acts as an entry and exit exercise and the wonderful state of meditation between these can be counted towards our quality meditation time.

© 2011 Sahaja Meditation; Photo CC Licensed, Courtesy @ thehidaway on flickr

But it’s fantastic journey east was not the only one it took: It went to North America, evolving there as a cottage organ or parlor organ, which was feet pumped, as oppsed to the Indian avatar, which is almost always hand pumped. So how did it make the leap? What gave it the wings to finally break through the great Chinese barrier? Did it really get there from India? The answers may surprise you. Read on…

In 1995 one of the guest speakers at the UN Conference on the Role of Women in World Peace, was no ordinary participant. She was Shri Mataji, founder of Sahaja, instructing two Chinese students on the art of meditation. This sparked a slow, yet sure process of the seeping in of Sahaja meditation culture into Chinese hearts which only grew over the next fifteen years. A core component of Sahaja meditation culture is music to sustain the connection gained in meditation.

The above picture is from 2011, shows the harmonium a part of the Sahaja meditation session, now a practiced widely with the support of meditation practitioners in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, which in turn were supported by practitioners from Australia/Malaysia. Vincenzo writes about the latest happenings, media attention and desire of the Chinese to meditate and be at peace.

Next stop, Wunan, the central province of China. The harmonium has become the unstoppable messenger of peace.

The Health Fair conducted by HealthCorps in many schools all over America provides students to experience a whole range of healthy choices. Healthy behavior is not automatic in humans, whether young or old. A lot depends on self-efficacy – “Am I really capable of achieving a better decision, standard or choice?”. Meditation, especially the Sahaja kind improves self-efficacy through a direct connection with the self.

After meditation, almost every child responded positively to the meditation instructions. The self-reported sensations included:

1. Felt the cool on both my hands
2. Felt calm and relaxed
3. Felt the energy
4. It was awesome

However, the most reliable indicator of success is the social factor. Those who experienced the exercises, were willing to fetch their friends to come back and experience the phenomenon that meditation is.

Pebbles in Hands by Mike Johnson @ flickr

A student, while progressing through high school, was given some great advice by her Math teacher. Explaining metaphorically, the concept of  unlearning old skills before learning new ones. “When we come across a treasure, we need to let go of the pebbles, so our hands can be free to take in the more valuable stuff.”

Indeed, when it comes to spiritual seeking, our hands are made so that we can take a little bit more than we need for a day from the treasure of our enlightened spirit, but small enough so we have to come back every day to re-connect and scoop up some more again.

Light Hands by melbow@flickr

Blessed are those who carry back the spirit’s treasures and redistribute it without judging the recipients. Thus the giver recognizes the infinite nature of the treasure. Even more praiseworthy are those who bring others to the infinite gold mine, without constraining their selection of people they are connecting to the light.

There are always those who hold back on connecting others, citing priorities and limited nature of their own self. Since the infinity has not registered in their understanding, they have not realized the eternity of the spirit’s gift. They are still hanging on to the pebbles from the past and occasionally giving fractions of those in the name of spiritual light.

When you reached the treasure of the spirit, what did you have to let go and unlearn?

Here are three tips to make your practice more comfortable:

1. Make a designated sport in your home for meditation.

You don’t have to designate an entire room if you don’t have space for it, but at least pick a corner and set a comfortable cushion there.

2. Go easy on yourself.

No one is perfect at meditation at first. It takes many months of practice to go deeper into it. If your mind wanders, that’s normal!

3. Play soothing music.

Some people like pure silence, but for others meditation music makes all the difference between getting into it vs. not doing meditation at all. Try some out at a very low volume and see how it works for you!

image credit: oddsock

Each year, I begin by clearing away the debris that winter has cast off and tilling the soil to prepare it for receiving new life. This task always seems daunting at first. I gaze out over the landscape, pondering, planning, designing… Where should I start? What should I do with this barren patch by the fence that has been usurped by dandelions and pokeweed? Can I shape it into something beautiful and meaningful?

And then I remember that gardening is not supposed to be a competition. It’s not about driving yourself to a constant state of agitation because something needs tending, mending, nurturing, or pruning. It’s about looking for ways to enhance the raw beauty that Nature has given me to work with. It’s about simply enjoying and appreciating the beauty of my own creation.

Sometimes I just sit in the loose, freshly-tilled soil of the petunia bed or in the freshly mown grass bordering the hosta gardens, letting Mother Earth cast out my own debris, clear out problems within me. It is in those moments that I understand that gardening becomes a way of growing into a new life.

Nurturing young plants to maturity requires vigilance. But Nature is patient and compassionate with me, sending out small warnings when I neglect my responsibilities as steward… stalks droop, leaves wilt and turn brown, petals fall to the ground. You’re not holding up your end of the bargain! they warn.

If you take care of your garden, it will take care of you.

image credit: Allie’s Dad, b.b.