spirituality – Page 3

on the evolution faith

“The offering of one’s heart happens in stages, with shadings of hesitation and bursts of freedom. Faith evolves from the first intoxicating blush of bright faith to a faith that is verified through our doubting, questioning, and sincere effort to see the truth for ourselves.

Bright faith steeps us in a sense of possibility; verified faith confirms our ability to make that possibility real. Then, as we come to deeply know the underlying truths of who we are and what are lives are about, abiding faith, or unwavering faith as it is traditionally called, arises.

Abiding faith does not depend on borrowed concepts. Rather, it is the magnetic force of a bone-deep, lived understanding, one that draws us to realize our ideals, walk our talk, and act in accord with what we know to be true.”

~Sharon Salzberg, “Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience”

Happy Buddhist New Year!

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On Sunday, February 14, 3 Jewels Yoga Sangha will enjoy the mindfulness practice of Beginning Anew in celebration of the lunar new year.

Join us in cultivating authenticity and accountability as we shine the light (to see, understand, and transform unskillfulness) and water flowers (to honor our gifts, talents, and contributions) on our spiritual aspirations.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm. Heartdance Studio, 1806 E. Michigan Avenue, in Lansing.

Winter Immersion: February + March Study Schedule

To “blow the dust” from each other’s eyes as we walk the path of love and understanding is indeed the suchness of sangha!

Join in the practice of seeing clearly and listening deeply to foster compassion, wholeness, and safety through these important and often difficult explorations into matters of inclusion, freedom, belonging, and healing.

Study Schedule

February 14th ~ Beginning Anew : A Mindfulness Practice in Celebration of the Buddhist Lunar New Year

February 21st ~ Toward Wholeness: Inclusion + Freedom + Belonging [Part I]

February 28th ~ Toward Wholeness: Inclusion + Freedom + Belonging [Part II]

March 6th ~ Toward Wholeness: Race, Sexuality, Gender + Spirituality [Part I]

March 13th ~ Toward Wholenes: Race, Sexuality, Gender + Spirituality [Part II]

March 20th ~ Toward Wholeness: Race, Sexuality, Gender + Spirituality [Part III]

Hear Here [for deep listening]: beyond our greatest hopes | holly maakima

My friend Holly Maakima surprised me back in May with a simple note saying, that as she prepared to give a spiritual talk later that day, she would be holding me up as an example of someone who gives her hope. Heart flooding. Tears welling. I breathed her blessing in deeply.

It was a stunning, divinely-timed affirmation that arrived when I most needed to be reminded that my endeavors — personally and professionally — to be a good spiritual friend were purposeful and impactful. My moment of doubt was silenced; questions were answered. Clarity and hopefulness blossomed, and I was reinvigorated to keep nourishing my aspirations.

I am so thankful to have companions who plant and water seeds of love, inspiration, kindness, hope and trust in my life. It is the sustenance of healthy, trusting relationships. We feed and empower one another to be our authentic selves, giving guidance and support along the way.

A spiritual teacher and writer, Holly recently shared the recording of that talk at Fellowship for Today, so I’m spreading this loving message of hope near, far and wide! Hear Here: Beyond Our Greatest Hopes (http://www.fellowshipfortoday.org/files/sound/holly-makimaa-beyond-our-greatest-hopes-051715.mp3)

from cushion to community: spirituality at work

I’m thrilled to be a part of this interfaith conversation at Michigan State University on Tuesday, 24 March 2015. As I reflect on my work experiences — from retail to restaurants, grassroots to corporate offices in New York City and, for the last 9 years, in various wellness and spiritual settings — I am aware that in my younger days in the workforce my choice and ability to navigate differences in professional environments was influenced by the conditions and circumstances of the time. With wisdom and after witnessing a whole lot of “mess,” the decisions I make are driven by my principles and ethics. I seek alignment in all areas of my personal and professional — eliminating any disparities between how I tend to my livelihood and my life. I look forward to sharing insights and ideas with this diverse group of beings. | Complete Event Details: http://alumni.msu.edu/programs/lens/courseSummary.cfm?activity=1417 | Livestream Info: http://new.livestream.com/msualumni/FAITH

spirit. human. black woman.

V shared a personal revelation —

she had come into an awareness of
her magnitude and design as a

spirit/soul
human/body
black + woman

in that precise order.

how necessary to acknowledge
being so much bigger than this body
and to cherish the fleeting human life span

of a woman
of hue and shape
of undeniable origins

giving refuge and expression to
a boundless and indestructible force.

to celebrate her blackness —
a unique dna of history, culture, biology, and expression

is to nourish her body —
mindful of its resilience and fragility
its cycle of consuming, creating, destroying, releasing, renewing

is to honor the spirit —
a source of radiance, wisdom, compassion
empowering a life with purpose

[january 2014]

Continue reading “spirit. human. black woman.”

magic of the message: a sign of love

“aum + amen”

Buddhist-me can see the dharma in all things and appreciates skillful and compassion-centered wisdom from all faiths and philosophies. So when I spotted this sign on the way to Holt Farmers Market yesterday, I knew it was a message worthy to be spread!

Although I couldn’t find an affirming statement of inclusion on the church’s website, Q-Cross at MSU has created a list of affirming churches in East Lansing.

toward wholeness: nurturing interdependence {in honor of mlk jr}

We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,

Tied in a single thread of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

brown gurls healing circle [18 jan 2014]

Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea.

Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
[April 16, 1963]

breathing beauty into the world: a mindfulness practice for children (who are learning to see with eyes of compassion)

Each day I rise, waking to a world of possibilities.

I breathe and smile, happy and ready to learn, grow and share.

I see the sky, sun, clouds above me.

I see the earth, plants, water below me.

I feel the air around me.

I breathe and smile, knowing that I am in the world and the world is in me.

I choose to see beauty in myself, my family, my friends, my neighbors, my teachers, my community, and all living creatures.

I choose to speak words from my heart that are true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind.

I choose to act from my heart in ways that are helpful, healthy, inspiring, and kind.

Even when I do not feel or act my best (whether I am sad, scared, confused or angry), I remember to place my hands on my heart and breathe.

I smile, knowing I can begin anew.
I can ask for help and comfort from those I trust and love.

Each night, I rest, thankful for all that I learned and shared.

I see the sky, moon, stars above me.

I see the beauty all around me. I breathe and smile, knowing that I am in the world and the world is in me.

[originally written Fall 2012 + published on dhamma4mama* 2013]

This writing has multiple sources of inspiration:

My experiences as an aunt, mother, and substitute teaching assistant for a preschool program;
My experiences as a practitioner and teacher of yoga and meditation, which is rooted in my practice of Zen Buddhism in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh;
My dear friend TaNesha Barnes, who asked me some time last year to create an affirmation for Beyond The Surface, the critical thinking and social justice academy she literally built in her own backyard! A 21st-century embodiment of Wonder Woman, TaNesha is a mother, entrepreneur (t. barnes beauty), educator and social justice advocate with a clear heart-driven mission to empower students to become “global thinkers for equitable living.” When she recently posted the draft version of this piece (typed one late-night and stored as a memo on my BlackBerry) on Facebook, I was not only honored that she announced it would be recited daily in her upcoming program, Breathing Beauty Rites of Passages for Black Girls, but also compelled to add some long-awaited finishing touches! I am so deeply grateful to have lived, learned and grown up with TaNesha over the last 19 years and, on this 50th anniversary of the March on Washington (#MOW50), am excited to continue collaborating with her on programs that merge spirituality and wellness with social justice.

embodied practice: on whole body awareness

Living, the whole body carries its meaning and tells its own story, standing, sitting, walking, awake or asleep.

It pulls all the life up into the face of the philosopher, and sends it all down into the legs of the dancer.

A casual world over-emphasizes the face. Memory likes to recall the whole body.

It is not our parents’ faces that come back to us, but their bodies, in the accustomed chairs, eating, sewing, smoking, doing all familiar things.

We remember each as a body in action…

Thus the stuff of the ages goes into man’s thinking,
is interpreted and comes out in movement and posture again.
Personality goes into structure—by denial or affirmation into person again.
It is an aspect of life in evolution.

~Mabel E. Todd
The Thinking Body

Tag Archives: spirituality

on the evolution faith

Happy Buddhist New Year!

Hear Here [for deep listening]: beyond our greatest hopes | holly maakima

from cushion to community: spirituality at work