Daily Chenrezig Meditation In Suburbia

By Jingpa Lodu

Chenrezig, four armed Avalokiteshvara

It’s noisy in here, my son is playing the Xbox with his friends, my daughters are all screaming and laughing while they run around the house, Barbie’s in hand.  My wife is sitting close to me, a book in her hands, and Brian Eno is providing some ambient sounds from my laptop.  This is not the ideal environment that most people would seek for meditation, but this is my reality.

To me, meditation is not just sitting still, focusing on my breath and lifting my consciousness; but rather meditation is a breath to breath occurrence that can take place in every situation.  I have no cave to disappear into, no retreat cabin on a secluded lake in the high hills.  What I do have is a suburban backyard and a house full of exuberant life, and that is okay with me.

My meditation practice is a simple one: I focus upon my breath, I murmur Chenrezig’s mantra, and I become all compassion as the form of Chenrezig slowly becomes real, one atom at a time, until he is fully formed before me in my mind’s eye, and then I assume his form.  In the end, if I retain the effortless focus needed, I am Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion.

I do this practice while sitting beside my friends and family, and most are never aware.  I wear a small wrist mala on my left arm, while on my right arm there is a 9 inch tattoo of his mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum.  The mala is seldom touched while I chant the mantra in my head, but it is there as a reminder for me, a touchstone that I can reach out to if necessary.  I had the tattoo done last summer, I wanted something that was an outward reminder to me that in all things I can observe my practice.  I love it when people ask me what it means, as I get to mention the mantra to them, and I know that most have never heard the mantra spoken before in this incarnation.

Some ask me why I chose to focus upon Chenrezig, I answer with an old proverb: Practice one deity, find all, practice all, find none.  I was drawn to Chenrezig, perhaps by karma, through my lineage, Karma Kagyu.  Chenrezig may well be the most widely known Buddhist deity, second only to Gautama Buddha himself.  Chenrezig is his Tibetan name, while in India he is known as Avalokiteshvara, in China he is the female emanation known as Kuan-yin, and in Japan she is known as Kannon.  Chenrezig’s name in Tibetan means ‘One Who Looks with an Unwavering Eye’ demonstrating that he, no matter in which emanation, is always watching over all sentient beings.

In the end, that is what I strive to be, a compassionate soul, seeking to aid all I encounter while living within the tenants of Buddhism; The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Listen To Your Body

By kmyers

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that my yoga practice makes me stronger inside and out.  I recently left my husband in search of a “better life”, only to find myself in a whirlwind of emotions that were, at times, to difficult to handle. When I moved to inner Oklahoma City, I began practicing at Art of Yoga. That is where I learned about sound therapy.

I will never forget my first restorative and sound therapy yoga class. I have practiced Hatha and Ashtanga for a few years, but at the time I was a little hesitant. It has always been difficult for me to meditate on my own. Anyone with a busy lifestyle can relate. Your mind is constantly jumping from one thought to the next. Admit it, you’ve laid in Chavasana and thought about what you were going to have for dinner. It’s difficult to focus, a lot of the time. Especially for females, who are constantly thinking multiple thoughts.

Sound therapy changed the way I let go. In this class, we use a lot of props. I used to see all of these blocks and blankets and sandbags and thinking to myself, “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing now, I don’t need that”, and now that I know better I am a little dissapointed in myself for being so closed minded when it came to my yoga practice.

In a typical class, we start with two bolsters and two blocks. One bolster lays horizontal against the wall, this becomes your seat. A smaller bolster goes behind your back, against the wall,  along your spine to provide alignment. Start by sitting in bound angle pose , or baddha konasana. Place a block beneath each knee. In this practice, every part of your body is supported.  Here is where you begin to relax.

The class progresses into a series of comfortable variations of child pose, and while in childs pose April Helen, the teacher, comes and places a singing bowl on your chest and plays it in a circular motion. This sound resonates through your body and creates an unusual calmness. For me, during meditation, sounds are disruptive and annoying, but not so with the singing bowls. She also hits the gong above your head which creates a similar feeling, but you become aware of where the sounds are coming from and how they are making your body feel.

The entire point of the class is to put yourself in a solid medatative state, while being fully aware of what your body is telling you. Your body knows when something is wrong, but most of us never stop to take the time to listen, we just go on about our daily lives. Listen.

Sound therapy is an excellent way to experience how to feel. After my first Restorative class, I felt more clear and I felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life from that moment on. Now, if I miss, I feel incomplete, like I’ve just been existing, not living. Even if you are new to yoga don’t be afraid to try it. If you are a practiced yogi and/or meditate regularly, try adding some sound therapy to your routine. You’d be surprised what your body says to you.

Qigong Meditation Video

By Jingpa Lodu

Try this, and let me know what you think in the comments!