Babble

With the recent increase in reports of construction-related accidents and fatalities, the Tower of Babel has been on my mind. If you're rusty on your biblical allegories, this is what wikipedia has to say about the story:

According to the biblical account, Babel (Babylon meaning "gate of god") was a city that united humanity, all speaking a single language...The people decided their city should have a tower so immense that it would have "its top in the heavens." (וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם). However, the Tower of Babel was not built for the worship and praise of God, but was dedicated to the glory of man, with a motive of making a 'name' for the builders: "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves'" (Genesis 11:4).

So the story ends that God gets pissed and makes it so that no one can understand eachother - hence the modern word "babble" which basically means speaking nonsense. The building fails and the great society scatters into factions all over the earth. Digging a little further, it turns out that just about every culture has some form of this story, all with the advisory that when we work or strive to achieve for the purpose of satisfying our ego, we cannot sustain connection or communicate with eachother and society fails.

Hmmm...Babylon. Affluence. Ego. Economic crisis. Disparate aims. Breakdowns in communication. Factionalism. Talking about nonsense, things that don't really matter.

Gives pause to think, doesn't it, or am I babbling?

Peace Keeper

In 1993 there was a study conducted to measure the effectiveness of meditation in lowering the HRA (homicides, rapes and assaults) crime rate in Washington DC. The results: a 48% drop...in a direct quote from that report:

"Based on the results of the study, the steady state gain (long-term effect) associated with a permanent group of 4,000 participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs was calculated as a 48% reduction in HRA crimes in the District of Columbia."



What can you do to change the world? Based on the findings of that study, it's not a bad idea to just sit there. But I mean REALLY just sit. There.



Or in the case of one humble everyday guy in New York City, remember that the world you have to change is the one within you. You may not be able to read the writing in that photo above, but it says "Peace in me, Peace in the world." The amazing thing isn't just that this ordinary guy took the time to draw this reminder on a little white board in his office. Let's face it, many of us do have little reminders of our greatest selves at work. What is so completely fantastic is that this little white board is sitting on his desk in a cubicle in the middle of what is the heart of the offices of the world's finest police force.




This humble everyday guy, a police officer, father and local-grown Queens boy, not only had the inspiration to draw this and the courage to put it on his desk in plain view of the officers with whom he works, but when asked what made a meditator and guy with the word "sangha" in his email address join the police force, you know what he says? "When the last government job I had ended, I asked myself 'what would be the ultimate place where I can serve?'".

What a yogi.

Sharing a Secret Garden

The best surprises don't come in little velvet boxes or brightly colored paper. They are moments of grace, of presence in which we allow ourselves to be present to events unfolding without judgment, expectation or any other limiting thought. Visiting my family in DC this past weekend I was graced with exactly this experience in which doing a favor for my little sister meant going down to the Mall to check out some art for her Art History class. Imagine my delight to walk unexpectedly into an exhibit of Hindu art at the Sackler Gallery called Garden & Cosmos.

Like most yogis I am a sucker for any form of cosmic consciousness - art, music, plays, conversations. But even my stepmother who confesses having no love for Hindu art was really absorbed in the display and altogether we spent over two hours in the three gallery rooms. Uncovered in Jodhpur, the pieces date from the 17th century, and explore a lineage of three maharaj's - looking at their wealthy lifestyles, their political intrigue, and finally, their relationship to a group of tantric yogis called Naths who were very powerful in the Mahal region at that time. Whether you dig the exploration of deities, you are curious about architecture and design, or you love the artistic expression of the ineffable, all together it's a show not to be missed. The audio tour is a bargain at $5, as the current maharaj of Jodhpur shares family stories and observations pertaining to the collection.

You can catch it now through January 4th, with little interactive presentations, storytelling and music on most weekends.

Digital Guru Manifested!

Since we first fantasized of taking yoga into corporations we've dreamed of offering office-appropriate desk stretches and powerful clarity breaks. If it's true that timing is everything, I can't imagine a better time for such a toolkit to be available to professionals everywhere.





So Ta DAAAA...I am beyond thrilled to say we're finally launching our Digital Guru series of exactly that! We're kicking the series off with three short, effective files to help you feel better, and three to help you think better. Check out our media page to see what they're all about - and stay tuned for more as we are definitely just getting started!

Grace Rubs

Whatever is going on right now for you, remember there's life afoot. And where there's life, there's change. Far from remote or esoteric, this is the key awareness through which to view any given moment. For me it's been the reminder that the being that I am is full of life amid community events such as miscarriage, mastectomy, divorce, a bedbug infestation, changes in staff, negotiating contracts, extensive travel, launching the Digital Guru download series, obtaining servicemarks for our ideas, watching the market, watching politics, watching my puppy, celebrating client successes, etc. Yes, yes, amid all that, all the maybes and maybe nots, there's a simple life form that is each of us and these twists and turns are all just scenery for the ride.

The image above of a plant managing to grow on a rocky surface says it perfectly. The yogis put it into their own words with the Mrityunjaya Mantra that says hey, look at the dance of creation and destruction, revealing, and concealing - it's all just a dance and how you think and respond to it influences your reality. If you ever doubted that thinking becomes action and influences reality, take a look at the current economic situation. Take a look at Palin's impact on the polls amongst the various populations. Look at how likely you are to postpone a big purchase right now.

The BBC Americas broadcast played dumb yesterday by reminding listeners that it's not as if there's less money in the world right now, and they're right: there's just less trust. There's just less confidence. There's just less focus on potential. And that emotional state drives actions which shape reality - both in terms of our individual lives and our collective situations.

In the Mritynjaya Mantra, the yogis pointed out that life persists no matter the constraints, and it is how we relate to the constraints that determines our experience of life itself. By remaining loyal to that awareness, loyal to life itself, we get out of the traps of fears of ruin or failure, fears of being unloved or lonely, and overcome attachment to outcomes of any sort - in all venues of life.

So what's your scenery? What's challenging your ability to remember that you are a living being navigating the changing terrain? Wherever you find the "rub" - that's where you are reminded to reconnect to life. Looking for grace in the midst of the most extreme challenges, you have already found it.

Live on KGNU - Work as Transformation!

Tune in this morning as radio host Leilani Henry and I explore the concept of Work as Transformation.

Here's the blurb:

Work as Transformation: Connect Your Best to Work and Life

What is work? Is work another 4 letter word? Gallup poll reports that only 27% of employees express being "truly engaged" in their work. Your relationship to work impacts everything in your life. Do you integrate the best of who you are into work?
What would the workplace look and feel like if we integrated our higher purpose into everything we do? Organizations thrive when we take responsibility for who we are at work.

In spite of barriers we may face at work, we can influence the culture of our institutions by examining our relationship to work. Listen to gain tools and a new perspective about work and life!

If you miss it live, you can catch it later as a download by going to http://kgnu.org/cgi-bin/programinfo.py?time=1220625000

Redemption from Brazil

Never underestimate the power of a kind word. Today I was having a moment of what-the-*&)%^...you know, that form of ancient mantra that seems to express itself tonally no matter the language. Whatever the issue in life - sales, management, growth, trainings, clients, invoicing, bookkeeping, politics, family, friends - there's lots to be excited about and sometimes we confuse excitement with overwhelm, embracing possibility with analyzing probability, thrilling eagerness with chilling anxiety.

All of that was in high gear when the stroke of grace in the form of a kind word reminded me of everything that IS a constant for me: the qualities I am emit as a habit and expression of who I am capable of being. An old friend 20 years lost to me in the concrete wilds of Sao Paulo reached out to say,

I was just telling a friend of mine about you, how incredible and determined you were, and fun too. You look absolutely radiant!

With total props to Facebook for making this global reunion possible, it's more than just cherishing an old friend. Owning the fact that it feels completely braggy to share her accolades, the story here is much more about being invited to remember those things about myself. When I remember I AM THAT, I become that. Reminding allows recognition. In recognition, we are redeemed.

So what do you need to remember about yourself? Is there a heartfelt reminder you can share with someone else?

Special shout in to Erica D. in Brasil: I so love your playful spirit and ability to smile from your heart with anyone you meet. You've got some lucky kids to have a mom like you.