Duvet Day? No way!

Duvet Day? No way!

Remember Duvet Day? If you don't, you can read my earlier blogs on the subject (only a few blogs back). I basically got so moody and miserable I would declare a duvet day.

In the latest blog on duvet day (the one with all the cute monkeys) I mentioned that my doctor suggested I 'not indulge the senses'. So this time around I laid off the sweets, in fact I cut out snacking altogether, including dry roasted peanuts. You would think that cutting out snacks would be enough to make anyone moody, but actually, I had some interesting results.

1. I did not notice ANY mood swings.

2. I did not get the usual cramps.

3. I did not put on weight.

4. In fact, I lost a couple pounds - something I'd been trying to do for the past year.

5. I was generally feeling quite fit and not having the usual bloating.

Wow, could my doctor have been right?!

Have a Snack-free Christmas, everyone!

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.bkwsu.org.

From Golf to Spiritual Bliss

From Golf to Spiritual Bliss

My husband used to take me to the driving range in an effort to cultivate an interest in golf. He enjoyed it and I thought I might enjoy it with him. He always kept me on the driving range though, realising that to allow me to play some holes would only frustrate me, frustrate him, and frustrate those playing behind us! I never quite got the knack of it. But there were moments when I hit the ball just so, and it would fly. It would literally sing though the air. Those were magic moments. Form, contact, swing - everything - was perfect and resulted in a perfect delivery. Good golfers aim to make these moments a regular constant occurrence. I could only manage a few of these, probably by accident! Still, I know the feeling you get when it does happen, I know that it's possible for it to happen and I know that given the time, practice and effort I could become a decent golfer.

Now lets use the same model for seeking happiness, enlightenment, or spiritual bliss. We can experience any one of these in fleeting moments. They happen upon us accidentally. We know they exist. Probably we believe they are gifts, that we have no control over when they come and go. But some make it their life study to make these momentary experiences occur with greater frequency and consistency. And a few have been rather successful at it. Just like golf, it takes a certain practice or effort to increase these spiritual moments. How?

Meditation seems to be the most popular tool. If you consider that happiness, bliss, and enlightenment are stages of the mind, then learning to master the mind and thought processes would seem the logical practice for achieving these. So we light a candle, put on some background music and sit cross-legged verbalizing 'om'. Any results yet?

Meditation is a good starting point. But there is something more, something extra required. Something that takes us beyond a daily physical practice. What is that thing?

I'll stop there to let you think about that. Reply with your thoughts - what do you think that extra something is. Together we can explore and perhaps even answer this deep riddle. Om shanti.

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.bkwsu.org.

Do you know where you're going to?

Do you know where you're going to?

I've had two words rattling around inside my head - Aim and Objective. I was looking for inspiration for a blog and wondered why I couldn't get inspired to write. I often get an idea and can't wait to write it down, but lately I've not felt motivated by anything. So I asked myself, what is the Aim and Objective of blogging?

In Raja Yoga we're encouraged to have an Aim and Objective. Without it, without purpose, you wander around aimlessly.

As Lewis Carroll said,

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Many former down-and-outs swear by the benefit of adopting a purpose in order to turn your life around. Counsellors will suggest taking up a goodwill cause to grief stricken clients. An aim and objective will nourish the soul and give it the will to not only live, but thrive.

Raja Yoga teaches us how to work, play and dance in happiness. It teaches us how to build and maintain healthy relationships. It teaches us the deep secrets of who we are and where we come from. I'm a full time student of Raja Yoga because of the insights it delivers and I'm constantly refining what I've learned. So, I suppose my aim and objective in blogging is to give readers an introduction to these teachings so that they have the chance to work, play and dance in happiness, too.

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.bkwsu.org.