Nature and Meditation
Nature and Meditation How can you model your life after nature? “Wu wei” is an important concept in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism. It is used to describe nature and as a way to model our lives. “Wu wei” translates to mean “effortless action” or “action of non-action.” While this initially might seem paradoxical, the idea is that nature has a way of moving, changing, and acting without effort. A river floats downstream rather than up the mountain. It uses gravity and other elements to pave it’s path naturally. A river is both strong and gentle. So to should humans attempt to live their lives. As a guided meditation…
The Philosophy of Yoga
The Philosophy of Yoga “What even is the philosophy of yoga?” A Philosophy Ph.D and a good friend of mine had inquired in a casual conversation between the two of us, “What even is the philosophy of yoga?” I can see how the confusion would arise. Modern day philosophy at the university level is mostly analytical symbolic logic and science (yes, I realize this is a gross generalization. Philosophy is many things but for this sake, just go with me). Then, there is yoga. In the west, is yoga is often seen as a trendy exercise. However, in the east and as a tradition, yoga is much more than asana (poses), it’s…
What is Mindfulness?
If meditation is reaching a point when you have no thoughts, mindfulness is having one thought at a time. Furthermore, it is the ability to choose a thought wisely and move to the next with intention and fluidity. As a meditation and mindfulness instructor, I use a metaphor (stolen straight from the ancient Taoist text, “The Toa Te Ching”) to explain this to my students: the metaphor of the bowl. The usefulness of a bowl comes not from its material but rather, the empty space it creates. From this space comes its ability to hold things. A bowl is not the things that it holds. Similarly, we are not our…
Anxiety and Meditation
Anxiety is an emotional state of stress caused by worry, fear, and concern for future events. It is experiencing the unknown and responding to it by projecting negative possibilities. We all experience anxiety in our lives, some to different extent than others. This article is not talking about chronic anxiety but rather a sort day-to-day anxiety that we may all experience. This is not to say that people suffering from chronic anxiety won’t find meditation and this article useful. In fact, I think they will, but I am not a doctor or a psychologist,therefore, I do not feel I can appropriately address this type of anxiety. Why do we experience anxiety?…
