Home

In my maddening quest to lower my blood pressure through natural means,  I found this website called Meditainment which offers guided meditation in stereo. A soothing British woman lulls you to safe and calm place in your mind where you can retreat when you feel anxious. It helped me calm down a little ( I just took my blood pressure  and the readings were still high) . Anyway, they have a variety of meditation downloads on their website that deal with various issues. I think I will try this for a while…

think I need to do something nice for somebody..something to make them smile. I am focusing on my blood pressure too much..too much self-cherishing.

My partner was working this weekend so I decided to attend the day long meditation workshop at the Vajradhara Buddhist Center in my neighborhood. I am a shy person and I tried to think of a thousand reasons (ie. did not want to spend money, did not know anybody, too weird etc. etc. etc.).  After much mind churning, I jumped on my cobwebbed bike and pedaled over to the center. When I got there, I was greeted by Tilopa, the resident monk. Tilopa offered us tea and some cookies. I also noticed some Tupperwared chocolate Turtles which I promptly ate. I was really liking this place and the sense of calm I was feeling. The foundation is basically a house that has statues of Buddha throughout and very little furniture so you have more room to meditate. By the time we were ready to start four more people arrived for a total of six attendees. Everyone was friendly, open minded and eager to begin the class.

There were six comfortable floor pillows in the meditation room with a small bench near each one. We each claimed our spot and sat in a lotus position as Tilopa began his lecture. This lasted for a couple of hours and then he began a guided meditation which ended with us all going out to lunch at Mellow Mushroom. As we followed the bald yellow and red gowned monk like ducklings, all I could think about was what the passing people were thinking (this is Charlotte for God’s sake- we’re still in the Bible Belt). After lunch, Tilopa continued his talk followed by a meditation and then a workshop. The workshop consisted us pairing with someone else and the other person telling something about themselves. When your partner finished you were supposed to recite back what they told you. The idea being that the one step to cherishing other beings is to truly listen to what they are saying…  I felt very akward and nervous but managed to stumble out something about my self. ( I was later informed that shyness is a form of self-cherishing).

>>Read more

In my journey to find some meaning in my life, I decided I would try to find a place to meditate with other people who could guide me in this process.

Searching the Internet ,I found a place in Charlotte called the Vajradhara Buddhist Center which seemed interesting. As I was looking through their site, I realized their foundation was in my neighborhood! and just a short walk up the road!!.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to attend a class sponsored by the center called “A Beautiful Life” which is taught by a Buddhist monk. These classes are supposed to help you to think more positively and to allow you to achieve inner peace. Not knowing what to expect, I was a little nervous (coupled with general social anxiety) as I entered the room.

There were about 15 people in the room of various ages and sexes. The teacher entered the room wearing a yellow and red gown(?). Everyone rose and assumed a prayer pose (a gesture of respect and humility) until he gracefully sat down.

He was a bald, Caucasian man who spoke with a gentle Scottish accent. He began with a guided meditation which led us to the lesson for the day and ended with a question and answer session. All in all, it was very positive experience and I plan on attending the entire series. I later found out there is a special event called “Healing relationships: a day of teaching and meditation” at the foundation this weekend, and I will probably bike over there to attend the class.

>>Read more

Rather than fixating on my high blood pressure, I decided to have fun this weekend. So my partner and I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we rented a cabin overlooking the Smoky mountains. The knotty pine wood cabin had an incredible view which included a steaming hot tub facing the Smokies. We drove into town and wandered through the national park where my partner decided to go swimming in the frigid clear streams diffusing down the mountain. A mossy green smell filled the air while a smoky mist was rising above the rocks to the canopy of lush trees overhead. There was life everywhere.

The final part of our trip involved a white water rafting ride down the Pigeon river. We were a little nervous never having done this before, but the experience was incredible. We were on a small inflatable raft with three other people and our rafting guide. We held on with a death grip as we traversed the swirling frothy class 3-4 waters. We hit a big rapid and one of the people tumbled in the churning waters but my partner quickly held on to her and pulled her in. The 2 hour ride ended with slow peaceful ride back to our starting point leaving me feeling refreshed and alive.

Sometimes we need to focus outward and away from our internal problems… to see the beauty in nature and all that is life. We drove home shortly after that stopping at a Cracker Barrel(Gasp!)for dinner ( I ate a chicken tender salad with low fat dressing).

>>Read more

Feeling the need to relieve the tight muscles and stiffness throughout my neck and shoulders, I decided to get a massage.

It has been 4 years since I had a professional massage and I was a little wary of having a stranger touching me. Anyway, searching the Internet I found a place called Urbana in Charlotte, NC. The marketing info and photos describe a cool, hip place with a tea bar. I wanted to get massage after work and this was one of the few places that had an masseuse available after 6PM.

When I walked in, I felt like I was in a New York nightclub, the atmosphere was very hip with a tea bar on one end of the room. I was greeted by a very friendly Asian lady who offered me a choice of flavorful teas. She also heated a neck pad and put it around my neck to help ease my stiff muscles. I sank into one of their over sized sofas and glanced through a book on aromatherapy.

About a half and hour later, the masseuse came out and guided me to the “midnight room”. The room was softly lit with a small water fountain and soothing music playing in the background. Urbana has a menu of massage services and I chose the deep tissue massage. This massage is supposed to be very therapeutic because it works out the knots (lactic acid buildup?) in your muscles. Apparently, I had plenty of knots. After the session, I stumbled out relaxed and tension free and sipped on some herbal tea until I was ready to leave.

It was great experience that I would definitely do again. My neck and shoulder are some much more relaxed and I can turn my head to the left and right with less muscle resistance. However, the massages are a little pricey but to me it was worth the experience.

>>Read more

Well, I just found out I have high blood pressure and maybe high cholesterol. I have worked out for the last 15 or so years and this came a shock to me. My father has high blood pressure and has had bypass surgery. I hope this is not where I am headed. I guess I will have to lose some weight, eat better, and learn how to relax which is the hardest part. Those still meditative moments seem to elude me. I am spending too much time in front of a computer screen with little human interaction. It seems I have lost the ability to find beauty in the world around me. This is my next part of the my journey…

I thought I would share this site with anyone who is feeling down or needs some inspiration. At first it seems a little cliched but keep watching (make sure you listen with speakers) and you will see the beauty in what is presented. The gift that we are given is life and we must never forget .

Here is the link to  http://positivepause.com/

“As long as I am alive, I  am invincible”.. John Mayer, “No such thing” from “Room for Squares” CD.

Driving home today, a pickup truck directly in front of me had a blowout with fragments of tire flying toward my car. Luckily, I swerved in time missing the steel belted mess. The truck driver pulled over to the side of the road and just as he did, I heard a loud blast like a shotgun. Apparently his tire burst the moment when he stopped. Needless to say “Aloha, UR Next” ran through my mind a couple times

This was a typical drive to work today except as I was listening to Duncan Sheik’s “Such Reveries”, I glanced toward the other lane and there was a ragged Chucky Doll staring at me with the words “Aloha, UR Next“….There he was in all his macabre glory, hot glued to the trailer of a pickup truck in the other lane.  Hopefully, this was not an omen of things to come.. The other cars were keeping a good distance from the truck.