Please enjoy the charm of the many dogs that I encountered in a recent trip to Mevagissey (Cornwall, UK).
All images copyright Franny Alexander
“What does it mean to be human in an age of intelligent machines?”
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our
power to choose the response. In our response lies our growth and
freedom” ~ Victor E. Frankl
“The most important thing is to remember the most important thing.” ~ Zen saying
Talk by Rev. Grace Song at the Won Dharma
Center (July 28, 2019)
Rev. Grace Song began her talk by asking, “What does it mean to be human in an age of intelligent machines and how can we avoid being dominated by these machines?”. Won Buddhism can suggest the answers.
The practice serves as a guide so that we can live our lives to the fullest in a changing environment. Machines do not have a mind. Machines cannot show compassion. They cannot love.
Won Buddhism teaches us how to use our minds well in our changing times. We learn that our practice is not separated from daily life and daily life is not separate from our practice. With mind training we learn how to make choices with sound thought. We reflect inward with our thoughts initially. Then, sound thoughts can manifest in our actions to help others. Continue reading ““What does it mean to be human in an age of intelligent machines?””
Summer, in pictures
Enjoy some of my photos that reflect Summer in the region:
Yoga for Summer
Summer is a time of light and warmth. Cultivate opposite environment on inside of the body – cool and calm.
Pitta is the dosha of summer – driven by solar force (high energy, heat) so we can balance pitta energy – create lunar current within the body – by choosing foods and activities that are cooling.
Cooling yoga poses
- Moon salutation
- Bridge with a yoga block
- Legs up the wall
- Supported shoulder stand
- Forward folds-seating-wide leg
- Floor twists
Calming the Winds of Vata
Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. It was developed more than 3000 years ago in India and is the sister science of Yoga. It is a system that aims to create equilibrium in the body by balancing our three body types, qualities or doshas.
The doshas are derived from the five elements and are in combination as follows:
Vata- Ether (Space) and Air
Pitta- Fire and Water
Kapha- Earth and Water. Continue reading “Calming the Winds of Vata”
Yoga for Winter
Winter is a time when energy of the Earth is drawn inward. Animals hibernate. We, too, can use this time for introspection and restoration as our energy is drawn inward as well.
Ayurvedic medicine tells us that winter provokes kappa and vata doshas. With decreased digestive fire we are more prone to colds, poor circulation, joint pain and even negative emotions. Yoga can help. We choose poses to balance the doshas creating our own inner fire, increase energy levels and promote wellness.
A few suggestions are listed below:
- Poses to open the chest-sinus-relieves congestion, create warmth, improve circulation, warm the kidneys and build heat in the body
- Sun salutation-builds heat
- Fish pose-opens the chest
- Bow pose-opens chest
- Shoulder stand-move lymph (can do legs on the block or wall)
- locust pose
- Goddess, Child’s pose, other restorative poses.
- kapalabhati breathing-breath of fire –rapid short exhales-passive inhales-“snapping” of lower abdomen
- Lion’s breath
- Last but never least a warm and cozy long savasana.
Dietary Suggestions:
- Warm foods-soups, stews, oatmeal, barley, quinoa, healthy oils, root vegetables, warm liquids, glass of lemon water and some people say-a glass of wine cannot hurt-improves circulation.
- Warming spices-cinnamon cloves, cardamom, black pepper, coriander, nutmeg, fennel etc.
- Go to bed earlier.
- Invigorating exercise in morning to gets lymph draining and, peaceful and calming activities at night-try to get sun every day or use light therapy
- Netty pot
- Take your vitamin D
Happy Holidays
DRINK, SLEEP, LOVE — Part 2 of 3
SLEEP
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night and adults over 65 require 7-8 hours. However, it is important to pay attention to your own needs by observing how you feel on different amounts of sleep.
Are you healthy and productive on 7 hours or do you need 9 hours of sleep to get you into gear? 
Scientific studies have shown that just a very small group of people require less sleep than mentioned above.
We sleep for many reasons:
- Enriches our ability to learn, memorize and make logical decisions
- Improves our psychological health. Dreaming also has benefits
- Supports our immune system and metabolic systems
- Fine tunes the balance of insulin and glucose
- Regulates our appetite and supports intestinal and cardiovascular health
- Lowers blood pressure
- Can prevent infection and ward off all kinds of illnesses
- Can lower cancer risk
DRINK, SLEEP, LOVE – Introduction (Part 1 of 3)
Providing chronic pain support is an important part of my services and education for you. I will be publishing a comprehensive series that addresses three of the tools that may ease chronic pain: drinking water, adequate and restful sleep, and deep love.
As we have discussed elsewhere, many of us suffer from chronic pain. For example, arthritis can cause stiffness and pain in the joints. Pain can result from various inflammatory conditions, post surgery, etc. Research tells us that the intensity of the pain can be reduced or modified in various non-pharmaceutical ways.
Pain is modified by taming the unpleasant feelings and thoughts associated with the pain. Some ways to accomplish this include a mindfulness practice, guided relaxation, healthy eating, gentle exercise, massage and yoga to name just a few. Continue reading “DRINK, SLEEP, LOVE – Introduction (Part 1 of 3)”
OPENING YOUR HEART: METTA MEDITATION
In the yogic tradition, breath is considered energy medicine. Conscious breathing balances our emotions and calms the mind.
Breathing deeply and mindfully helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to trigger the relaxation response, which decreases blood pressure and slows the heart rate. In yoga we inhale to create length in the thoracic spine. This expands the lungs bringing oxygen (prana) to the respiratory organs. Continue reading “OPENING YOUR HEART: METTA MEDITATION”