All Discussions Tagged 'spirit' - Zoobird2024-03-29T13:18:57Zhttps://www.zoobird.com/group/zoobirdmindbodyandspirit/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=spirit&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWhat if God asks you...tag:www.zoobird.com,2015-04-22:2129360:Topic:579382015-04-22T13:39:35.135ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/3329857339/in/photolist-65fozr-65fov4-65fooc-bFtuB-65jL4E-65jGjd-bFtuA-Czn1d-65ftEF-65fty2-65ftrT-65jKxo-65ftdX-65ft9T-65ft5Z-65fsYt-65jK3A-65fsDa-65fson-8EG99Z-65fsdV-65fs2v-65frUk-65frMg-65jHLA-65fryH-65jHx1-65frkZ-65jHhY-65jHcq-65fqWT-65fqQP-65jGLo-65jGEQ-65jGyN-65jGs1-dCPxvA-CtJbv-65hvab-DdEYV-CtJTq-2aBQvx-bvVA1-fbyQe-CR6EF-UEbHt-UEbLk-UEaoH-4HHRpJ-CvdaX" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082278?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>What if after you die God asks you "How was…</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/3329857339/in/photolist-65fozr-65fov4-65fooc-bFtuB-65jL4E-65jGjd-bFtuA-Czn1d-65ftEF-65fty2-65ftrT-65jKxo-65ftdX-65ft9T-65ft5Z-65fsYt-65jK3A-65fsDa-65fson-8EG99Z-65fsdV-65fs2v-65frUk-65frMg-65jHLA-65fryH-65jHx1-65frkZ-65jHhY-65jHcq-65fqWT-65fqQP-65jGLo-65jGEQ-65jGyN-65jGs1-dCPxvA-CtJbv-65hvab-DdEYV-CtJTq-2aBQvx-bvVA1-fbyQe-CR6EF-UEbHt-UEbLk-UEaoH-4HHRpJ-CvdaX" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082278?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>What if after you die God asks you "How was heaven?" </p>
<p></p>
<p>from <a href="http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-one-line-stories">http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-one-line-stories</a></p>
<p>photo of Mt Crested Butte by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/3329857339/in/photolist-65fozr-65fov4-65fooc-bFtuB-65jL4E-65jGjd-bFtuA-Czn1d-65ftEF-65fty2-65ftrT-65jKxo-65ftdX-65ft9T-65ft5Z-65fsYt-65jK3A-65fsDa-65fson-8EG99Z-65fsdV-65fs2v-65frUk-65frMg-65jHLA-65fryH-65jHx1-65frkZ-65jHhY-65jHcq-65fqWT-65fqQP-65jGLo-65jGEQ-65jGyN-65jGs1-dCPxvA-CtJbv-65hvab-DdEYV-CtJTq-2aBQvx-bvVA1-fbyQe-CR6EF-UEbHt-UEbLk-UEaoH-4HHRpJ-CvdaX" target="_blank">Michael Levin</a></p>
<p>===</p>
<p></p>
<p>In fact, have you ever heard that heaven and hell are what you experience in this life, and the afterlife is what people remember of you? That's what I think. How about you?</p>
<p></p>
<p>I'm becoming a huge Quora fan, by the way. </p> 6 Lessons the Sick can Teach the Healthytag:www.zoobird.com,2013-12-22:2129360:Topic:563512013-12-22T23:19:10.711ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082637?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082637?profile=original" width="605"></img></a> What can you learn from the sick? Well, here's 6 lessons from a chronically ill person who is also a law professor and gifted writer. Here's what Toni Bernhard, JD has to offer:</p>
<p></p>
<p>1. Less is more - clean out the stuff you've accumulated</p>
<p>2. Ruminating about the past and worrying about the future can make you unhappy.</p>
<p>3. Rushing to judgment about…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082637?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310082637?profile=original" width="605"/></a>What can you learn from the sick? Well, here's 6 lessons from a chronically ill person who is also a law professor and gifted writer. Here's what Toni Bernhard, JD has to offer:</p>
<p></p>
<p>1. Less is more - clean out the stuff you've accumulated</p>
<p>2. Ruminating about the past and worrying about the future can make you unhappy.</p>
<p>3. Rushing to judgment about others can lead to painful misunderstandings.</p>
<p>4. Paying attention to my body’s needs is of utmost importance. "For example, now I can feel how emotions are experienced in the body and how mental stress can exacerbate my physical symptoms."</p>
<p>5. Expanding my thinking beyond my own personal problems helps me accept the life I have.</p>
<p>6. Being nice to myself is the best medicine.</p>
<p></p>
<p>She mentions Seung Sahn, credited with bringing a lot of Zen knowledge to the West. That opens up more doors. You can find out more about Sahn at wikipedia: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung_Sahn">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung_Sahn</a></p>
<p>She also mentions <i>Present Moment, Wonderful Moment</i> by the Vietnamese Zen monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Here's a link to the full article:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/12/6-lessons-sick-teach-healthy.html">http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/12/6-lessons-sick-teach-healthy.html</a></p> Nelson Mandela - Thoughts from Shmaltag:www.zoobird.com,2013-12-18:2129360:Topic:561672013-12-18T15:58:19.872ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<div><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079791?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079791?profile=original" width="217"></img></a><table cellspacing="8" class="layouttemplate licensetpl mw-content-ltr">
<tbody><tr><td>This photo is licensed under the <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a class="external text" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow">Attribution 2.0 Generic…</a></td>
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<tbody><tr><td>This photo is licensed under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" class="extiw" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">Attribution 2.0 Generic</a> license.</td>
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<tr style="text-align: center;"><td><p><span class="font-size-1">Attribution: <span style="font-size: larger;">South Africa The Good News / <a href="http://www.sagoodnews.co.za">www.sagoodnews.co.za</a></span></span></p>
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In thinking about Nelson Mandela passing from his body, the thought came to me how he will never be too far from the hearts and minds of many millions. His energy of love and peace for all has become instilled into our beings. It will live in many of us through our lives.</div>
<div>That he walked out of prison after 27 years and then became the president of South Africa is an extraordinary, unprecedented example of human will.</div>
<div>Mandela went into prison as an determined, even angry and violent, anti-apartheid leader. He came out though, as a man of peace and reconciliation who guided his country to that end.</div>
<div>How this can happen to a human being is not explainable by ordinary words? It seems as if something in his being was propelled ahead by a destiny beyond knowing.</div>
<div>Many of us struggle with wanting to manifest our own will for the highest of goods. Those exact same ideals manifested by “Mandiba,” Mandela’s clan name, are in many millions as we pray for peace in the world. May we all keep his spirit alive within us as we do our work toward that end. </div>
<div> </div>
<p>Sh'mal</p>
<p>Published in the <span id=":16t" class="hP">Daytona Beach News-Journal</span></p> Bringing the Mind Hometag:www.zoobird.com,2012-10-10:2129360:Topic:505272012-10-10T17:33:44.132ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" width="535"></img></a> I was told that the chapter on Training the Mind in Sogyal Rinpoche's "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" was a great intro to meditation. The nice thing is that you can read a lot of it on the web <a href="Here%20is%20a%20good%20intro%20to%20meditation:%20http://books.google.com/books?id=MZraHAAgGb4C&pg=PA57&lpg=PP1&" target="_blank">here</a> at Google Books.…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" width="535"/></a>I was told that the chapter on Training the Mind in Sogyal Rinpoche's "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" was a great intro to meditation. The nice thing is that you can read a lot of it on the web <a href="Here%20is%20a%20good%20intro%20to%20meditation:%20http://books.google.com/books?id=MZraHAAgGb4C&pg=PA57&lpg=PP1&" target="_blank">here</a> at Google Books. Enjoy!</p> A New Daytag:www.zoobird.com,2012-03-30:2129360:Topic:486732012-03-30T14:47:43.869ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2202/2112834323_3074760f38_z.jpg?zz=1" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2202/2112834323_3074760f38_z.jpg?zz=1"></img></a> Rhiannon Hull and running are synonymous. If you like the idea of pushing yourself to the limits and reaching some, <a href="http://www.zoobird.com/video/rhiannon" target="_blank">this story</a> will take you there. Read <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1195703/index.htm" target="_blank">the story</a> first, then take a look at the the …</p>
<p><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2202/2112834323_3074760f38_z.jpg?zz=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2202/2112834323_3074760f38_z.jpg?zz=1" class="align-full"/></a>Rhiannon Hull and running are synonymous. If you like the idea of pushing yourself to the limits and reaching some, <a href="http://www.zoobird.com/video/rhiannon" target="_blank">this story</a> will take you there. Read <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1195703/index.htm" target="_blank">the story</a> first, then take a look at the the <a href="http://www.zoobird.com/video/rhiannon" target="_blank">video</a>. The video has a spoiler. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Rhiannon's story is all about a fine mix of athleticism, following your heart and smiling while living with imperfect reality.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Takeaways for me were that performance improves with a clear goal in sight. Mother nature trumps all the best intentions. And, fantasy has its place in the world. </p>
<p></p>
<p>I loved this story. Hope you do, too!</p> Steps Toward Inner Peacetag:www.zoobird.com,2012-02-12:2129360:Topic:478512012-02-12T20:12:02.317ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://twitpic.com/8j2a53" title="Peace Pilgrim on Twitpic"><img alt="Peace Pilgrim on Twitpic" height="150" src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/8j2a53.jpg" width="150"></img></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I was walking in the garden the other day and I found a little booklet in the grass. It's called "Steps Toward Inner Peace", by Peace Pilgrim. I found several aspects of the booklet interesting. For one thing, it's written by a contemporary woman who says making money was easy for her. She chose to give up a conventional material pursuit in favor of a life spent trying to be happy and…</p>
<p><a href="http://twitpic.com/8j2a53" title="Peace Pilgrim on Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/8j2a53.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Peace Pilgrim on Twitpic"/></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I was walking in the garden the other day and I found a little booklet in the grass. It's called "Steps Toward Inner Peace", by Peace Pilgrim. I found several aspects of the booklet interesting. For one thing, it's written by a contemporary woman who says making money was easy for her. She chose to give up a conventional material pursuit in favor of a life spent trying to be happy and make others happy. The book is available on the web at this website: <a href="http://www.peacepilgrim.org/book/index.htm">http://www.peacepilgrim.org/book/index.htm</a> and it's free. Here's the summary:</p>
<p>Four Preparations</p>
<ol>
<li>Assume right attitudes toward life</li>
<li>Live good beliefs</li>
<li>Find your place in the Life Pattern</li>
<li>Simplify life to bring inner and outer well-being into harmony</li>
</ol>
<p>Four Purifications</p>
<ol>
<li>Purification of the body temple</li>
<li>Purification of the thoughts</li>
<li>Purification of the desires</li>
<li>Purification of the motives</li>
</ol>
<p>Relinquishments</p>
<ol>
<li>Relinquishment of self will</li>
<li>Relinquishment of the feeling of separateness</li>
<li>Relinquishment of attachments</li>
<li>Relinquishment of all negative feelings</li>
</ol>
<p>I see similarities to Buddhism in these preparations, purifications and pursuits. And, similarly, Peace's approach to life appeals to me because it's a logical philosophy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There you go. A little food for thought.</p>
<p> </p> Hanh's Tangerinestag:www.zoobird.com,2012-01-21:2129360:Topic:476032012-01-21T01:47:22.513ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310078940?profile=original" width="345"></img></a> Elephant Journal has provided us with a<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">link</a> to a wonderful talk by…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310078940?profile=original" width="345" class="align-full"/></a>Elephant Journal has provided us with a<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">link</a> to a wonderful talk by Thich Nhat Hahn. I listened to part 1 tonight. I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday night. I believe you'll find Hanh's talk relaxing and thought provoking. Then, let me know about the tangerine!</p> Wherever You Go There You Are {Book Review}tag:www.zoobird.com,2011-06-05:2129360:Topic:374592011-06-05T19:21:13.609ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><img alt="Wherever You Go There You Are" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-174921" height="216" src="http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-06-05-at-10.56.06-AM.png" width="148"></img></p>
<h2>Wherever You Go There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good book explaining one man’s view of meditation…</h2>
<p>{Note: this article was originally published <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/wherever-you-go-there-you-are/" target="_blank">here</a> on Elephant Journal}</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span id="more-174920"> </span>Meditation can be as simple as you like. Basically, we know meditation is all about clearing our mind for a time. It’s hard to not think about…</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-174921" src="http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-06-05-at-10.56.06-AM.png" alt="Wherever You Go There You Are" width="148" height="216"/></p>
<h2>Wherever You Go There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good book explaining one man’s view of meditation…</h2>
<p>{Note: this article was originally published <a target="_blank" href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/wherever-you-go-there-you-are/">here</a> on Elephant Journal}</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span id="more-174920"> </span>Meditation can be as simple as you like. Basically, we know meditation is all about clearing our mind for a time. It’s hard to not think about anything. So, we search for some guidance. Zinn’s book “Wherever You Go There You Are” satisfies me as a well-written, knowledgable guide to understanding and practicing by a degreed MD practitioner who happens to be a clear thinker and writer, too.</p>
<p>The book is divided into three sections: “The Bloom of the Present Moment”, “The Heart of Practice”, and “In the Spirit of Mindfulness”. “The Bloom of the Present Moment” is Zinn’s explanation of meditation and some background. “The Heart of Practice” talks about how to meditate. “In the Spirit of Mindfulness” goes deeper in its exploration of what meditation is and its uses.</p>
<p>Zinn is an excellent writer. He uses simple words, concise statements and stays on point. Each chapter is a couple of pages. This is a book that takes the average reader about five hours to read. Zinn is a practitioner. He works in a clinic devoted to psychological issues. He’s writing from a perspective of years of experience.</p>
<p>Zinn includes quotes and reflections from students and timeless thinkers, both contemporary and ancient. For example, “New Yorker cartoon: Two Zen Monks in robes and shaved heads, one young, one old, sitting side by side cross-legged on the floor. The younger one is looking somewhat quizzically at the older one, who is turned toward him and saying ‘Nothing happens next. This is it’ ”</p>
<p>Another example is from Wu-men: “If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, This is the best season of your life.”</p>
<p>Very often, Zinn’s chapters end with a “Try” section, which are little exercises that help you understand his points by doing something. For example “Try: Staying with one full inbreath as it comes in, one full outbreath as it goes out, keeping your mind free for just this moment, just this breath. Abandon all ideas of getting somewhere or having anything happen. Just keep returning to the breath when the mind wanders, stringing moments of mindfulness together, breath by breath. Try it every once in a while while you read this book.”</p>
<p>Here’s another example of a quote. This one’s from Kabir, one of Zinn’s favorites. “Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath.”</p>
<p>Zinn loves Thoreau and “Walden”. There are probably more quotes from Thoreau’s “Walden” than any other.</p>
<p>Here’s a statement Zinn quotes from Chuang Tzu that particularly aids understanding:</p>
<p>Prince Wen Hui’s cook</p>
<p>Was cutting up an ox.</p>
<p>Out went a hand,</p>
<p>Down went a shoulder,</p>
<p>He planted a foot,</p>
<p>He pressed a knee,</p>
<p>The ox fell apart</p>
<p>With a whisper,</p>
<p>The bright cleaver murmured</p>
<p>Like a gentle wind.</p>
<p>Rhythm! Timing!</p>
<p>Like a sacred dance,</p>
<p>Like “The Mulberry Grove,”</p>
<p>Like ancient harmonies!</p>
<p>“Good work!” the Prince exclaimed,</p>
<p>“Your method is faultless!”</p>
<p>“Method?” said the cook</p>
<p>Laying down his cleaver,</p>
<p>“What I follow is Tao</p>
<p>Beyond all methods!</p>
<p>“When I first began</p>
<p>To cut up oxen</p>
<p>I would see before me</p>
<p>The whole ox</p>
<p>All in one mass.</p>
<p>After three years</p>
<p>I no longer saw this mass</p>
<p>I saw distinctions.<br/>“But all I see now is nothing</p>
<p>With the eye.</p>
<p>My whole being</p>
<p>Apprehends.</p>
<p>My senses are idle. The spirit</p>
<p>Free to work without plan</p>
<p>Follows its own instinct</p>
<p>Guided by a natural line,</p>
<p>By the secret opening, the hidden space,</p>
<p>My own cleaver finds its own way.</p>
<p>I cut through no joint, chop no bone.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>“There are spaces in the joints;</p>
<p>The blade is thin and keen:</p>
<p>When this thinness</p>
<p>Finds that space</p>
<p>There is all the room you need!</p>
<p>It goes like a breeze!</p>
<p>Hence I have this cleaver nineteen years</p>
<p>As if newly sharpened!</p>
<p>“True, there are sometimes</p>
<p>Tough joints. I feel them coming,</p>
<p>I slow down, I watch closely,</p>
<p>Hold back, barely move the blade,</p>
<p>And whump! the part falls away</p>
<p>Landing like a clod of earth,<br/>“Then I withdraw the blade,</p>
<p>I stand still</p>
<p>And let the joy of the work</p>
<p>Sink in.</p>
<p>I clean the blade</p>
<p>And put it away.”</p>
<p>Prince Wen Hui said,</p>
<p>“This is it! My cook has shown me</p>
<p>How I ought to live</p>
<p>My own life!”</p>
<p><em>Chuang Tzu</em></p>
<p><em><br/></em></p>
<p>You can read Zinn’s writing and then look up the writers he quotes. That opens more doors.</p>
<p>Another part of the book that answers a common question discusses how long to meditate. “Q: Dr. Kabat-Zinn, how long should I meditate? A: How should I know?” Kabat discusses the concept of time and offers suggestions, basically that he has his patients meditate for 45 minutes at a time. He realizes that clinical settings and “in-patients” have different needs than people in everyday life. He takes into account that your surroundings may make it hard to sit 45 minutes. He suggests just trying to meditate, perhaps 5 minutes.</p>
<p>We have a tendency sometimes to study and not do. Anybody can try meditation for 5 minutes. And, anybody reading Zinn’s book can get in a few good attempts while reading it.</p>
<p>I did, and my whole concept of meditation changed as a result.</p>
<p>Very often, a book leaves you craving more. This one did it for me. I’ve already gone back and reread a lot of it several times. In fact, I went so far as to take it back to the library and instead, changed my mind and renewed it. I loved it. Hope you do, too.</p>
<p>If you have a sec, I’d love to hear anything you have to say about meditation. Have you read Zinn’s “Wherever You Go There You Are”? Did you like it? What did you learn from it? Were there things he said that you agreed with, not knowing before? Were there things in the book you disagreed with? Do you have anything to add? Were you a practitioner of meditation before you read Zinn’s book? Did it open new doors for you? Have you read any of the writers Zinn quotes? Did they have a particular impact on you and your practice? Do you know of writers that are similar to the ancient ones Zinn quotes, like Kabir, that we’d enjoy? Have you read anything else by Zinn? Have you read Zinn’s “Full Catastrophe Living”? If so, what did you think about it? Anything you have to add would be most appreciated. All the best to you! /m</p> Patiencetag:www.zoobird.com,2011-05-25:2129360:Topic:381152011-05-25T17:08:57.258ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079112?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" target="_self"><img class="align-full" height="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079112?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="450"></img></a></p>
<p><em>(photo taken by Michael Levin in the Hawthorne District of Portland, OR)</em></p>
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<p>The Dalai Lama shows no anger toward the Chinese, even though the policy of the Chinese government for years has been to practice genocide toward Tibetans, culturicide toward their institutions, beliefs, everything they…</p>
<p><a width="450" height="600" target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079112?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"><img width="450" height="600" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079112?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p><em>(photo taken by Michael Levin in the Hawthorne District of Portland, OR)</em></p>
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<p>The Dalai Lama shows no anger toward the Chinese, even though the policy of the Chinese government for years has been to practice genocide toward Tibetans, culturicide toward their institutions, beliefs, everything they hold dear, and geocode toward the very land they live on. When asked about his apparent lack of anger toward the Chinese by an incredulous reporter at the time he win the Nobel prize, the Dalai Lama replied something to the effect that: "They have taken everything from us; should I let them take my mind as well?" </p>
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<p><em>From "Wherever you go, there you are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn</em></p>
<p> </p> Mind, Body and Spirit...especially Yoga!tag:www.zoobird.com,2010-12-03:2129360:Topic:313442010-12-03T19:46:01.143ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p style="text-align: left;"><img height="540" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079643?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="720"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">That's <a href="../../../../profile/IbrahimTOURE">Ibrahim</a> doing water yoga. Those of you who follow the Zoobird reading lists will notice four new links: the first one is about the series of moves called the <a href="http://www.yogasite.com/sunsalute.htm">Sun Salutation</a>, which Sh'mal just taught me this week and I love already. There's also a link to a video demonstrating the…</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="720" height="540" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079643?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">That's <a href="../../../../profile/IbrahimTOURE">Ibrahim</a> doing water yoga. Those of you who follow the Zoobird reading lists will notice four new links: the first one is about the series of moves called the <a href="http://www.yogasite.com/sunsalute.htm">Sun Salutation</a>, which Sh'mal just taught me this week and I love already. There's also a link to a video demonstrating the Sun Salutation <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuvfHTaftLQ">here</a>. Next on the list is a link to <a href="http://www.indianmirror.com/games/gam8.html">a site with basic yoga poses</a>. It's a starting point and a reference. Finally, there's a link to <a href="http://www.yogabasics.com/yoga-posture-sequences/calming-basic-sequence.html">a site with a series of moves they call a calming sequence</a>. If your exercise/yoga regimen is a little old or stale, why not check these out. I've had a couple of days of enjoyable yoga because of what<br/> I've learned from them. Thanks Ibrahim and Sh'mal for the inspiration! </p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">If you've got yoga wisdom to add, please do!<br/></p>
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