By Shiva Rea

Mantra, the chanting of sacred words or sounds, is a central part of yogic meditation. Mantra comes from the combination of two syllables: “man,” meaning “to reflect” or “be aware,” and “tra,” meaning “tool for” or “agent of.” A mantra is a tool for reflection and the cultivation of awareness, and is used for both concentration and contemplation on the Source.

Within yoga, mantras are based upon sounds that reflect the energy of our divine nature. Om is considered to be the universal, consummate mantra. The following meditation is based upon the mantra “so hum,” (“I am that”) used within the traditions of Tantra and Vedanta. Since “so hum” also indicates the sound of the breath, it is a mantra that repeats itself effortlessly.

Find a comfortable posture for meditation (seated on a cushion or blanket, in a chair or against a wall). Place your palms facing up in jnana mudra (forefinger and thumb touching) with your palms facing up to open your awareness or facing down to calm the mind. Scan your body and relax any tension. Let your spine rise from the ground of the pelvis. Draw your chin slightly down and let the back of your neck lengthen.

Bring your attention to the tidal rhythm of your breath, feeling the rise and fall of your inhalation and exhalation. As your focus settles on your breath, begin to employ the simple mantra “so hum.” As you inhale, say “so” silently to yourself, and as you exhale say “hum.” Keep your focus on the sensation of your breath while silently repeating the sacred syllables, “so hum.” As you drink your inhalation, gently drawing your breath along the base of your throat, listen for the sound of “so.” As you exhale, listen for the sound of “hum” as your breath is amplified in the throat.

Let your mind become absorbed in the sound of so hum-in your internal chanting and your actual breath. As if you were watching the waves of the ocean, let your mind be naturally drawn into presence and stillness—no place to go, nothing to do, so hum, so hum. If a thought (vritti) arises, come back to the mantra so hum.

In the beginning, it may be helpful to set an external timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes so you are not distracted. When you are finished, bring your hands together in anjali mudra (prayer position) and close with a moment of gratitude, reflection, or prayer to soak up the energy of your meditation into your being and life.

excerpted from yogajournal.com

You may wonder why in heavens name is there SPAM in this headline let alone in my diet? I am glad you asked because, I LOVE SPAM! That’s right. All the unknown meat substances aside and all the preservatives unnoticed, I really love this stuff.

This morning after my Tai chi chih class I stopped at the local Hawaiian market and there it was. A little warmed up slab supported by a bed of white rice wrapped in seaweed. “This looks good, but it is not sushi, what is it?, I asked” Proudly, the cashier said, ” SPAM and it is fresh” I couldn’t help myself and said” isn’t that an oxymoron”? She chose to ignore me or didn’t get it. Ha, that was funny.

It smelled good and I had a flood of memories back to my favorite camping scenes in front of the fire eating SPAM stew. I loved it! I had to get it. I felt an immediate warm pit of peace in my stomach as she rang me up.

My house mate just rolled her eyes and said something like she asked God to forgive her for feeding her children that when they were young.

She just didn’t know.

Apparently, I didn’t either. Hawaii consumes the most Spam per capita in the United States, and it was first introduced to the island during World War II. Well that would make sense but what was this interesting combo and how bad could it be?

Spam is so popular it is sometimes dubbed “The Hawaiian Steak” and this particular dish is called Spam
musubi, in which cooked Spam is combined with rice and nori
seaweed and classified as onigiri.

Wow, I really didn’t know. I raced home, sat down and unwrapped it with care. Now, what to put on it? I couldn’t remember but Ketchup came to mind. (Then again, my dad put ketchup on everything) I grabbed the Braggs Aminos and poured a cup of greenjuice on the side. It looked normal enough and I was surrounding the little guy in healhty food. How bad could it be? One bite later, I knew.

IT WAS DELICIOUS! As I remembered or even better. I was at peace, satisfied, happy and really pleased with myself for doing what I wanted without listening to the snickers and insults of my housemates.

Afterall, if Barack Obama can eat it on a golf outing, I can eat it after a T’ai Chi Chih class. Now we really have something in common other than our Chicago roots…we both appreciate this island dish. I can also appreciate NOT having another piece for at least another century and still retaining the peace and tranquility of this moment.

Mahalao, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

Notch Oddner is my creative muse. He is a “he” in a she body-named ME! (You can quote me on that one!) I just met him this afternoon!
Rachel Flower, helped facilitate this introduction through a process called Senssoma. She has an extraordinary innate gift as a traveler through the senses and was able to help me unearth this creative fellow. It was fun!

I know some superficial things about him, like he wears a lot of Glenn Plaid, and is the caretaker of all things odd and unusual that keep my mind occupied…in a really good way. You could even say, “an appropriate use of the mind”.

All the emotional sensing I have been doing over the last couple of weeks finally gave way to an inquiry of the odd. It was a way for my mind to jump track and stop, even for just a moment, a little bit to the left of expected and underneath the “norm”. In that short moment and with the detachment necessary for observation, I fell in love with Notch.

I was able to experience his uniqueness and embrace his charm, unexpected wit, intelligence and keen awareness of the absurd. I think that would include humor. I discovered he had the ability to quickly gauge the situation and make sure both Rachel and I felt included and entertained. (I would invite him to a party any day!)

What a gift! And to make peace with this lad was the best use of my active mind to date. ( I suppose I would date him too).

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

This is true, If I look in the history books, Time is as ancient as the Vedas and it is not stated that it was a man who invented the calendar but It was a German man called Peter Henlein who invented the clock in 1510. In 1577, Jost Burgi invented the minute hand and now I wonder….who is Father Time? It was one big boys club.
What if a woman had created the first time piece or…Time for peace?

There you have it. What would it mean to be at peace with time? With the hour hand creeping along? The second hand sweeping past? This is rich with meaning and you don’t have to go but a millisecond to find more.

In that periphery way I have of observing things I ponder, “what does it mean to make peace with time?” Here are my top ten responses:

1. Aging would be a non issue.
2. Schedules would be fluid.
3. No one would be late for dinner.
4. Everything would get done “just in time” and that timing would be “perfect”.
5. Procrastination would be like pupus. (Little things done before the main course)
6. There would be no “getting there first” but being “right on time”.
7. “Time will tell”…would have nothing to say.
8. Timing really would be the ONLY thing.
9. You would not need to “watch the clock” because seconds would never matter.
10. You would never be on time so you might as well just give it up.

Now, I will never miss another blogging deadline again!

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists…and allow the pure air to cool our palms

When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

Excerpted from
A Brave and Startling Truth
By Maya Angelou

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

God, I am relentless in my search for my truth, Obsessive in my addiction to over turn each rock, one by one. Aching at the joints from carrying the load of expectation that one day…soon, It will all be perfect and I will know myself.

In this act of seeking, nothing feels like “a good time,” let alone a peaceful evening! Crazymaking would be a more appropriate word. Where is the peace? Where is the expansiveness in the night sky?

” Just invite it in” was my friends suggestion last night up at the observatory. ” open your arms and allow it”

And I did. In fact, all that night and into today.

I figure I had done my work, I had said my prayers and it was time for me to let go of the hunt and allow the feast.

In the past, when I am able to observe this phenomonen, I have called it surrender. A letting go and an experience of momentary peace. That would all be fine except in the next moment….I would find myself grabbing on to the next thing.

In wallowing in the allowing, an ongoing flow is beginning to happen. It is a continuous moment by moment and like a spiritual pig, I am going to enjoy each moment by moment connected by an occasional snort.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

OMG the night sky is an unbelievable tasty treat. Tonight I had the pleasure of being up at the Hawaii University Observatory in the top of Haleakala for sunset and star rise. It was a surreal experience for me watching the milkyway become visible. I had not seen stars like this in such a long time. I was so glad they were still here! I was delighted by being in the presence of two eager astronomers jumping up and down at splitting a star on their telescope. It was just to much to hold back a giggle. Oh, did I mention, these were 60 year old grown men. Nothing like a little observation to bring out the peaceful kid in all of us.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

I know the writer meant thanks, but what was written was “I give thongs!”, Oh, this was too rich for a gratuitous Sunday…I could not get past the first sentence!

How does one give thongs? I have so much to say on this one but I will be brief (pun intended)

As a yoga teacher and therapist, I see a lot of things when people are not looking. It is my job. The job of awareness. In a full classroom, I look over a sea of downward facing dogs and watch, one by one, the single fabric straps peeking out to straddle two mounds of flesh. I find amusement in the landscape but mostly I feel discomfort…in this moment. I just cannot help but squirm on the inside between my own two cheeks.

This is my truth of being aware of underwear.

I imagine it as a new yoga prop for stimulation to encourage the Mula Bhanda or root lock. Go ahead, “Lock it up sista”, is what I feel like saying. But instead I gently say, “Exhale and draw the belly up and in at the lowest awareness point in the spine”. Yeah, right. Breath into Breath, moment into moment and all I really think is, “OUCH”!

Maybe it should really be marketed as underwear for the under-aware!

Yes, I would give my thongs but I got rid of all of mine about 10 years ago.
I still say,” commando” and am a firm believer in the anti- panty line crusade for women of all ages. However, as I grow older my views are softening. The VPL and technology have married over the last decade to satisfy the aging boomers bottoms.

Now, I am finding a market place offering no seam underwear.

So, I give thanks and thongs to this new option. Since yoga, for me is about cultivating awareness to act in choice, I have some new freedom around being more aware of my underwear and choosing a higher truth…..in the moment.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

OOPS! Where is my discipline? Where is “My Practice”? How could I forget a day and not at least write something! Where is my integrity?

That is the creative expression of the old brain. The survival brain. The one that cannot see the grace in all things working for the higher good.

It is also the expression of the old sacrum that contracts at the first smell of criticism, danger and anger.

Lastly, it is the old hurt of a heart who has not found forgiveness in being human. For not having control over life’s’ situations and choosing relationship with another over written blog on a page.

The important thing here is choice. Choice in expressing, hearing and feeling it all and choosing the correct decision in the moment. There are consequences and the result of missing a day of blogging is that I get to see my pattern in front of me. My life in the metaphoric picture of words shows me where my personal growth is growing to. Where my awareness tool can sharpen.

I am aware. I am writing and keeping my commitment. I have integrity and I have a heart full of forgiveness in the moment of safety and understanding that all things happen in their own right time. We set the intentions and then step into the practice. Life works the rest out.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

Today I slept in until 8am. A typical day finds me up at the grumbled whir of the upstairs apartment blender around 5:30am. Today, I managed to sleep through that.

I awoke with a smile, sans blender and a left over experience of a lovely dream with the movie theme of : A summer picnic for two lovers.

Instantly the mind kicked in and overtook the feeling to analyze the after effect of the memory.

Hmm… the ego kicked in to stake its claim with an alternative judgment: ‘It’s just a dream, no big deal”.

The feeling or the “witness” watched it all and for a small aware moment made a choice to enjoy the experience for as long as it could. I felt at peace and independent of the analysis, judgment and past experiences that were forcing themselves into the periphery of senses.

Yes, it was a dream and it was also my creation on some consciousness level.

Sometimes, in the dream state I can choose to change my dream. Most of us have had this experience at some time or another. This time, however, upon awakening I chose to sustain a feeling from that dream. How cool was that?

If I can do that in the waking state, why not continue in that awareness all day?

My mind once again took a look and said, “you can” and I did.

I can choose the interpretation, the feeling and the creation of my dream much like I can create my own waking reality. My choice, my movie.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place, is this your peace?