The Walking Meditation - Reflecting On Our Most Basic Needs

We often hear how much the world has changed in the past 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years or more depending on whom you speak with.

That viewpoint has never made much sense to me, even as a child. And as an adult now with more experience, I still maintain that view. We still face the same stress and anxiety today that our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on did. True, technology may have changed during that time, but the stress, anxiety, and basic responses are the same.

We each need to eat and drink each day. We need to provide shelter for ourselves and perhaps a family. We all need to have some form of clothing to protect us from the weather. We all need to feel the sense of security and safety a community provides. Having these basic needs met in well balanced proportion allows each of us to reduce or minimize our stress.

But what happens when we do not have or at least perceive to not have these needs met? Humans, as an evolutionary response, tend to envision the worst-case scenario which elevates our stress and anxiety levels. 'I have no food or water; how will I survive the next few days?' This may have been a beneficial response thousands of years ago but how does it serve us now? In short, it won’t.

So when our access to the most basic needs seems to have been interrupted how do we proceed and return to balance?

This is where the effective walking meditation may be used. But to use this form of meditation effectively one has to realize the need and benefits of this non-action or non-doing. When times of stress or anxiety arise, it's time for walking meditation.

When we become skillful with our awareness of the present moment walking meditation allows us to negate the immediate 'fight or flight' response. As a result, we institute mindful reflection of our circumstance with questions such as: is this situation as dire as it seems? Have I encountered a situation like this before? I made it through then and I'll make it through now.

Walking meditation may be enjoyed anywhere, not just in a peaceful park, garden, or forest. Places like a city block, your office building, or even shopping mall or grocery store are just as ideal. The important aspect of the walking meditation is bringing awareness to your surroundings. With each slow step breathing in and out with kind attention to any sensation in your nostrils such as the coolness of the air during your in-breath and the warmth during your out-breath.

Knowing that in that very moment you have everything you need, nothing more and nothing less.

If you are enjoying your walking meditation in a office look at the carpet or walls every so often. Do you see any imperfections like a snag in the carpet or peeling paint in a corner? How often have you walked by there without ever even noticing? There will always be some form of imperfection but the carpet still functions as required preventing people from slipping as they walk. The wall still stands and provides support for the building and perhaps even has some beautiful artwork hanging.

What smells are you able to notice as you continue your walk? Is it during lunchtime? Without judgmental statements like ‘this smells good’ or ‘eww, what’s that smell’ see if you’re able to discern the varying fragrances. Remember, people like all kinds of foods and it’s not for us to decide what someone else should like or dislike.

Walking meditation allows us to reconnect with what’s most precious, life. We are alive in that present moment and that is a gift in itself. The past is gone, and we may never return there. The future does not exist as we conceptualize it to be. And therefore, the ‘troubles’ we face, no matter how severe we may initially think, truly aren’t as severe as we give them credit for.

Wishing you continued peace and wellbeing,

 

Vladimir

 

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram at @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Mindfulness and Your Smoke Detector

Chirp…Chirp…Chirp…Chirp…

Most of us are familiar with that little chirping sound from the smoke detector in our homes reminding us that it’s time to change the battery.

Chirp…chirp…chirp…chirp…

We hear it and think to ourselves, ‘I’ll replace the battery as soon as I get up’ 

But we don’t.

Chirp…chirp…chirp…chirp…

Ok, I’ll replace you as soon as this TV show is over…

But we don’t.

Chirp…chirp…chirp…chirp…

Ok Mr. Smoke detector I hear you, I’ll meet your needs as soon as I finish eating.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

A smoke detector is an important sensor that not only warns of a fire in our home, but it saves lives.

Our bodies are very similar to a smoke detector in that it will let you know when something is wrong. When we are ill, we might get a fever, chills, and body aches. When we touch a hot pan or skillet, we receive pain signals telling us to let go. In these two examples people will certainly take medicine or release the pan.

But there are several signals our bodies sendoff that we tend to ignore or minimize. Headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, fatigue, and more are typical signs of stress. It is these important signals we tend to ignore…chirp…chirp…chirp…

But why do we ignore our bodies in such a way that is harmful to our wellbeing?

I’d say there are two main reasons behind this neglect: societal constructs and ego.

In the world we live in we have been conditioned that if you aren’t working 40+ hours a week, on your own after your 18^th birthday, married, kids, cars, mortgage…the list is almost endless, you’re not productive. Work. Produce. Consume. Work. Produce. Consume. 

We often hear the comparison that our body is a machine. It’s not. If you lose an arm in an accident, it cannot be replaced. You are a biological organism with a set of parameters we need to be in to maintain our health.

Society puts a lot of pressure to put on a person and it’s unrealistic and quite frankly, not everyone wants all these check boxes marked off. But even for those people they will still get asked why haven’t you X or when will you to Z. The very posing of these questions, as innocuous, as they may seem, are a source of stress and anxiety.

Ego is certainly a large source of stress and anxiety. Suppose you are one of the check box fillers, those are a lot of boxes to mark off in a certain amount of time. Ego will make you think you are in competition with someone else. You’re not in competition. Ego will make you think you’re less if you don’t accomplish one by a certain time. You’re not less. Ego will have you concerned with, and striving to live up to, what others think of you. Why? They’re not you.

Chirp…

When the signs of stress make themselves known, and they certainly will, it’s important to love yourself and to listen attentively to what your body is telling you.

Mindfulness and meditation is a wonderful and nurturing way to bring back balance and harmony to an unbalanced and harmonious lifestyle. Mindfulness and meditation help to cultivate a healthy perspective about life. What’s important and what’s not. What can you control and what you cannot. What to hold on to and when to let it go. 

Mindfulness and meditation won’t alleviate your budget report due at the end of the day. Mindfulness and meditation won’t shorten the time of your commute to work. Mindfulness and meditation won’t necessarily change your boss’s attitude.

But mindfulness and meditation will allow you to have a healthier relationship with your mind and body and with those around you.

To make an analogy, mindfulness and meditation is like changing that chirping smoke detector battery.

And with that my friends I wish you all peace and ease,

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Calming The Mind During Times Of Anxiety

There seems to be always something occurring either in the world or our personal lives that we allow to agitate our minds. Perhaps we wake up only to find an expectation of ours has been altered, not met, or even abandoned. Regardless of the specific situation or circumstance our expectation lies from wanting to control the future, something we know is not possible. Remember, the future does not exist and therefor we cannot control what does not exist. And this may result in the mind becoming agitated or filled with anxiety.

But we do exist, you and I, in this very moment, are in existence. The future, we'll it does not exist, and most likely the future you're envisioning will not manifest itself as badly as you imagine. 

When our mind is agitated or unsettled we are not able to think or rationalize clearly. It's as if we are looking at life while driving through a heavy rainstorm uncertain if we're even in our lane. If you've ever been caught in one of these events you know how dangerous it can be. Driving at a high rate of speed, fear of hydroplaning, wipers on high, and windows up and air conditioning on to keep the windows from fogging up. Anxiety increases.

Doing all of these actions won't stop the rain or necessarily increase visibility nor offer much safety. So what is the safest 'action' we can do in times like these? We pull over and wait for the rain to stop or let up so we may safely resume our journey.

In our daily life when our mind becomes agitated, for what ever reason, or decision making or kind thinking becomes unclear so the best we can do is to non-do. We 'pull over' and let the storm of agitation pass.

So how do we 'pull over'? 

First we need to recognize we're even in a storm. We often know this because we get tense, loud perhaps, and angry within. When we recognize our agitation it is only then that we may begin the process of pulling over.

Stepping away from the situation or environment is an important non-doing we may take. Stepping away doesn't mean we are avoiding the situation. It means we recognize that we need some time to reflect and to let calmness in so our agitated mind may begin to settle. This non-doing is a sign of wisdom and compassion for our selves and for others.

From there we may find a location that is enveloped by solitude: a park, a lake, a parked car, or even a library. From there we may begin a more balanced mindful breathing and nurturing meditation. Allowing the mind to settle, allowing the mud to settle, allows for clear and balanced and kind thoughts. At first it may be hard, all types of scenarios surface in our mental playground but given non-doing they to move off and clarity begins to appear. 

Give yourself the time to love yourself. Allowing space and openness within cultivates calmness of the mind. And when calmness blossoms life is witnessed with beauty and joyful fulfillment.  

And with that my friends I wish you all peace and ease,

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram @bluelotuscenter for more way to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Mindfulness, Minimalism, and Anxiety

How often do you approach your closet and open it only to find clothing bunched together. Maybe some hangars are doubled up with a shirt or jeans. Your favorite shirt, you know the one from your local high-end department store, the one you couldn't live without, still displaying the tags on it from January 2020. 

Shoes, unmated, are on the floor in a scaled version of Mt. Everest. Belts and scarves are strewn here and there in what only may be described as a multicolored mound of spaghetti.

After you sort through everything and find an appropriate outfit you venture to the kitchen to make breakfast before work. Your silverware drawer has enough utensils, of differing shapes and sizes of course, to serve a small army. Kitchen gadgetry, many that have not seen the light of day since the iPhone 8, line your kitchen counter top.

All of these 'things' are a sign of over commercialization in a society that values and determines a persons worth by how much and how many things one owns. The accumulation of things eventually leads to disorganization of thoughts and actions which in-turn leads to anxiety, most of which was brought upon by the fear of being undervalued.

So how may we mindfully embrace minimalism to reduce unnecessary stress and anxiety?

When we understand the positive results of actually owning less, the very opposite of what many societies value, we begin to offer ourselves a different perspective. And this new, or rediscovered, perspective places a higher value on gratitude for what is truly necessary for a balanced and fulfilling life. 

Let's consider for a moment the earlier example of a drawer full of silverware. 

When we have too much silverware we tend to also have an automatic dishwasher. As a result, we use a utensil once and put it into the dishwasher. And with each opening of the dishwasher we witness it getting fuller and more disorganized. We do this until the dishwasher is full or we run out of utensils. 

By then the dishwasher is cluttered and we know we have to empty it once the cleaning cycle is over. This too is a source of stress and anxiety because we know what's in store for us.

But suppose as a family of four we were to only allow ourselves enough silverware for seven people. It's fine to have some extras for cooking or the occasional guest. And also suppose instead of a dishwasher we hand washed each item. When we hand wash we are able to use mindfulness with each item. 

In other words we can offer gratitude to the spoon, fork, or knife for helping in the important act of nourishing our bodies. We may bring mindful attention to the amount of dish soap we use, or the fragrance of the dish soap, the feel of the sponge as we clean off the utensil, or even how the water temperature feels on our skin.

This connection is what mindfulness entails, being aware in the present moment. 

And with that my friends I wish you all peace and ease,

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram @bluelotuscenter for more way to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Mindfulness, Test Anxiety, and Tea

Using Mindfulness As A Way To Answer Questions.

During the pandemic many were forced to work from home. No longer were some forced to drive from home to office and back home. Daily commutes evaporated much of our quality time with ourselves and loved ones. This newfound freedom allowed many to enroll in some form of online education, to complete the degree they so longed for many years ago. 

After finding a suitable school and registering for classes sooner or later the inevitable test would present itself. 

People don't like tests, especially when we don't pass them. We feel that the instructor judges us. We also judge ourselves to harshly. As a result test anxiety creeps in and robs you of the performance you're certainly capable of, if you prepared studiously.

Anxiety is living in the future and as mindful practitioners you know that the future does not exist, only this precious moment.

So how do you minimize the anxiety before a test? 

Acknowledge that you're feeling anxious. Don't try to shove anxiety into some dark corner of your mind. What happens to any emotion when its been bottled up too long? Imagine a tiger who has been in a cage for many hours on a bumpy trip. What would you do when released? 

Instead sit with your anxiety, invite it to tea. As you sit, breath in, pause, and slowly exhale. Do this several times before and during your test. The more you get to know your anxiety the less afraid you become.

But as you prepare for your wonderful studies here are several testing suggestions I offer as you drink tea with your new, harmless friend:

First, this test doesn't define you. Pass or fail, you are still the loving, caring, and wonderful person you were yesterday and will be tomorrow. Don't let a a few questions from perfect stranger rob you of this peace.

Second, take your time. We live in a fast paced society and this pace seems to inundate every facet of our lives. But speed is the opposite approach you want to take. Be slow. Be methodical. Skip questions and come back to them. Take the same approach here as you would holding hands with your significant other or enjoying a sunny day in the park.

Third, write or draw what's described or listed in the questions. Too often we rely on the visual images in our head. This can lead to missing key components of a question. When you write or draw what's being asked you'll find you might have skipped an important aspect of the question.

Fourth, preparation. Practice with questions already given to you in your text book. When you're familiar with these practice questions you'll begin to notice certain recurring themes and verbiage. These themes and wording will show up again on your test. 

And the fifth, ties in with the fourth suggestion - have confidence in yourself. The more you get correct with practice questions the more confident you'll feel when you take the real test. Don't second guess your answers either. You're two-thirds likely to change your correct answer to an incorrect one. 

I've administered many tests in my past and these suggestions are the culmination of mindfulness and effective strategies. I know they are successful tips too.

Wishing you peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.