Tag Archives: ego

MB Day 2: Health Consciousness – Led by davidji

by DoinTheGratefulDance
“A vital aspect of health consciousness is our relationship with our ego, which is the self-image or identity we’ve crafted over the years. The ego is that aspect of our self that doesn’t realize that at the deepest level, there is no separation . . . and that it is part of an infinite source of love and abundance. The ego’s sense of separateness is what causes it to seek security through its attempts to control, win approval, and accumulate material goods and possessions.In today’s meditation we will focus on cultivating acceptance of the ego. Instead of letting its fears drive us or trying to squelch its impulses, we will approach it as we would a scared child – with love and kindness. And as we quiet our mind and accept our ego, our sense of self will unfold more innocently. Then we will discover a new clarity about all aspects of our being – physical, emotional, spiritual – and be able to make more conscious choices for our health and wellbeing.”  Led by davidji’
 
Our entire life consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are.”  Jean Anouilh
According to Modern Western Science, health is defined as the absence of definable illness.  Ayurveda, the 5,000 year old healing system says that health is not the absence of disease.  Health is emotional and physical balance and integration.Place our awareness today and every day on that balance of our mind and that balance of our body and the sweet dynamic exchange that they feed to each other throughout every moment, that will determine our level of health, ultimately our happiness, ultimately our fulfillment.What is consciousness?  Consciousness  is pure, unconditioned awareness.  We call it the “observer”.  You are not your body and you are not your mind.  You have a body and you have a mind.  It is the silent observer, the silent witness who observes all of these things and knows that these are not actually you.  The observer is You.  You are you silent witness, you are your observer.

In each moment we are the witness of every other moment and when we can step back, remove all emotional charge, all turbulence from each experience, truly witness it,  then more possibilities can unfold, can evolve and truly sprout from that moment.  That is the beauty of these teachings, of meditation.  They help us quiet down just a little bit so that we can see more possibilities, so that we can hear the whispers of the Gods.

Close your eyes, take a long, slow deep breath in.  Gently let that go.  Do it one more time.  Effortlessly release and follow your breath in and out  while drifting your awareness down to your toes and every so gently, from an energetic level, not from a physical level, scan your body.

As you do that, you are totally present in this moment.  You are capable of doing that.

Take your awareness to you mind, without judgement.  The mind that receives 60,000 to 80,000 thought impressions each day.  The mind that is the receiver of every possible experience that lands on you.

And then there is the intellect, the processor.  It processes the 60,000 to 80,000.  And when all of that processing, metabolizing, distilling is done, what is left is your ego.  Your sense of self.  And that is determined so much by your physical realm and your emotional realm.  The choices you make to choose “I”, “Me”, “Mine”.

Own that.  Be OK.  Let’s have an ego meditation.  Take another long slow deep breath in and let that go.  Gently follow you breath in and out.

Some schools say “kill the ego”, “eliminate the ego”.  We say “embrace it”, own it.  Understand it.  Know it better and better. It is your sense of self and the more you understand what you own, what you claim, then you can have a deeper understanding of why and then you’ll make more conscious choices.

For this meditation, lets make a list of all of the things that you think you own.  Close your eyes and make the list.  Take as long as you need. There are literally 10s of thousands of things that you think you own.  Surrender to sweet music and float to everything in this world – material, ethereal, physical, emotional, relationship-related, health-related, spiritual.  What is it that you think you own.

If your thoughts leave, gently drift back to what you think you own.  Celebrate your ego meditation of the mind.

Drift away from you ego.  Isn’t it amazing?  Every single thing you think you own.  You don’t even have to do anything with this.  Health is your awareness.  Your attention, your awareness of all of the things in your world that you touch.

Core element of that through our relationships,  we see ourselves most powerfully and most divinely.

Through the rest of your day you may want to write this list down, get clearer on it.  You’ll see a whole bunch of choices that you’ve made.  Consider why you made that choice.  What was I looking for?  How did it make me feel?  Was I expecting someone else to praise me or comment on it?  Did I make my choice because I felt it deep and core inside.  Throughout the rest of the day and every day, ask yourself, am I making this choice purely for my heart and soul or am I doing this so that someone else responds in some way.

What ever you decide, whatever bubbles up, remember that in every moment, you have the choice to own, disown, lean towards or lean away from anything that you’ve owned in the past.

This is an opportunity to start from scratch and determine what is truly important to you.

Wishing you a peaceful day, an ego-filled day and beautiful day of health consciousness.

Namaste,

Lesson 1: The False Power of Ego

by DoinTheGratefulDance

Class:  The False Power of Ego

October 10 Webcast with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle

Oprah shares what she now thinks about one of her most talked-about moments and offers advice for recognizing when our egos  are getting the best of us and ways to help set ourselves straight.

Today’s Question:  Where does my ego get in my way?
See what others are saying

Oprah’s Lifeclass Notes: We can’t begin to be true ourselves unless we know who we are.  No thing, no material possession matters in terms of defining who you are.

When we get separated from our “knowing”, our inner place, we get lost.  We get into our ego.

Ego is defined as any identification with form – identifying with anything that is not the center of ourselves – things, status, position, possessions.   Ego is a dissociation from my true value.   Ego is a false sense of self.   When a child starts to identify with an object, the ego starts.   The moment I can identify my ego, I diminish its power.

When I get in touch with my true self, my awareness, that is me disguised as a person.

A guest said…”I no longer think that its possible for other people to hurt me. They’re just giving me their observation and I’m giving it meaning so I get to choose what that meaning is.”
The ability to know the truth of yourself and to have awareness is how you disconnect from the ego.
If I think I need it, that’s ego. I already have everything I need. The way I know I don’t need it is when I don’t get it.

Am I defined about what other people say? Does it determine how I feel?

When I receive criticism, they could be right.

Does I love you equals I’ll trade you?

Is this a business contract or do I really love you?

I’m happier when I love you – whether or not you love me. It matters not – whether or not you participate.

Just the fact that I’m here makes me “worthy”.

Give up resistence pto life. Go with it.
When I think I need it from “out there” – that’s addiction.The way I know I don’t need it is when I don’t get it.
Ego is anything that I think I need that I don’t have. I already have everything I need.
Oprah’s Life Class
Oprah’s Lifeclass Lesson 1: The False Power of Ego
Oprah’s Webcast Lesson 1: The False Power of Ego
Oprah’s Lifeclass Notes
Today’s Question

Thoughts…Things I learned today

by DoinTheGratefulDance

I want to know God’s thoughts…the rest are details.  Albert Einstein

the way God thinks…
Without force
No one is excluded
Always giving – never expects back

We come from the same place – the way of Tao is a return trip.  We are all coming back.  Full circle.  In everything we say, do and live.

We shall not cease from exploration but at the end of all of our exploring will be to return to the place from which we originated and know it for the first time.  C.S Lewis.   No beginning and no end, no boundaries.  Just is.

The Tao that can be named is not the Tao….Labels
Once you label me, you negate me and now I must live up to that expectation.  Labeling creates conflict.

Those who speak do not know.  Those who know do not speak.

Does what I own own me?  Get rid of as much of the 80% that I don’t use as possible.

How does nature act?  The softest thing overcomes the hardest thing.

Rigidity and stiffness is the companion of death
Flexibility is the companion of life

I believed something on Monday
Tuesday happened
On Wednesday, I had learned something that led me to believe something totally different than I did on Monday

Ego – (E)dge (G)od (O)ut  A collection of ideas that we carry around
I am what I have
I am what I do
I am what other people think of me – my reputation

I’m already connected to everything I need – I simply need to align myself to it.

Give-Give-Give – Practice benevolence
Be grateful
Live my life in a state of awe of my surroundings
Live joyfully

Nature teaches:
No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves.

I want to live like water.

60,000 thoughts every day.  Are they the same as yesterday?
Are these thoughts true?

Forgiveness – the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it…

Give up blame

Living life conflict-free.  How to live with no enemies.
Become more flexible and open

Self Value – How could that which is perfect, that which is divine, make anything imperfect?

Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday
Interview with Wayne Dyer

When I Know Better – I Do Better – My Maya Angelou Mantra

by DoinTheGratefulDance

I feel that I hurt, turned off, scared, dumped (not about her)  on my daughter yesterday and she’s either hurt or very turned off.    It wasn’t anything devastating, in fact it was expressing myself about my own issues.   But she was trying to help and couldn’t and I have no idea about how she actually took it.   I wish I had taken a deep breath and made sure I knew how she took it.   I have a feeling she somehow ended up feeling guilty about “something”.  If I could have a “do over”, I’d have left her after making it clear to her that she had nothing to do with my pain – I think she knows – but I’d feel better had I made that clear.  That I didn’t expect her to “fix it”.   I feel I left her in my emotional turmoil.  She’s in a pretty painful place right now, going througha divorce, and I imagine our experience yesterday left her with some feelings of her own to deal with.

I  later texted her – her preferred communication – apologizing for expressing my anger and sadness in a way that I didn’t like.  She hasn’t responded.

She’s been in a very fragile state for the last couple of years and I’ve tried to be there for her.   I’m already pretty worn out trying to deal with some of my own presently heavy issues that she is not a part of – and still be there for her.  I realized recently that I’m feeling a little sad that she doesn’t realize – or at least express – any acknowledgement of what I’ve helped her with during her divorce.   It’s clear she’s had a lot of comfort from our talks and being together, a few “A Ha” moments.  She invariably attributes these to others.  She openly and often expresses gratitude for others who are there for her – and I’m so glad they are.  Deeply grateful for the love surrounding her.  She invariably attributes one of “our A Ha moments” to someone else when she’s recounting to me.

Is it my Ego?  Wanting to feel appreciated some times?  Acknowledged?  Does it really matter who helps her as long as she grows and finds her way?  My egoless self would certainly say that and most of the time I do.  While writing this I just realized – I want to know that she feels like my cherished daughter – a special, not to be duplicated relationship, not me as merely a friend.

We’re extremely close but rarely physically affectionate.  We’re more best friends than Mother-Daughter.  I know that’s appropriate for where we are now but I think I was not a “Mommy” – a consistent safe place – when she was growing up.   I still yearn for that feeling between us, even more as I get further away from the time when it was appropriate.   It’s loudly missing – and has always been missing.  She wasn’t a cuddler, but neither was I.   I missed that as a child and I wasn’t even aware of it.  I certainly would never have given it to my kids.  I was pretty emotionally detached in most ways in the past – from everyone – so that I’m so glad that we’ve been able to sustain the closeness that we have and see it grow as adults.  I guess it’s an intense mother-daughter closeness expressed in the best way that we both know how and are comfortable with.

The first time I can remember “feeling” a hug was when my daughter was about five years old.  My sister and brother-in-law were visiting us from out of town and just leaving our home.  We were in the driveway and my sister hugged me – which she did a lot.  All of a sudden I realized that I was being hugged and especially realized that I wasn’t hugging back.  I did it awkwardly.  It was an emotional milestone in my life that I’ll never forget.  That feeling.   I had always just stood motionless when anyone hugged me.  I got plenty of hugs – from my husband, family, kids – but never felt it until then.  That was the beginning of learning to relish hugs.  My children were about 5, 10 and 13.  I weep for the disconnection I taught them.   I wonder what pain and difficulty attaching they have experienced all of these years.   I’ve watched them as adults and they’re all very physically and emotionally affectionate and connected with their families but that missing part of their childhood  has to have affected them in some pretty deep ways?  Maybe they learned what they don’t want to be?  I’ll start a conversation with them at an appropriate time and hope for healing where needed.  I know from experience that it’s never to late.

Thanks Maya Angelou – once again I say to myself… “When I know better I do better”.  That helps.  And now I hug my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren every chance I get.  And really feel it.

And I’m grateful.