Gaia: Be-Pod

HAVE A HAPPY CELEBRATION!

http://LightDancing.gaia.com — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 02:13:59 GMT

Happy Halloween/Samhain/All Souls Night!

I do hope you have a lovely Eve, whatever you call it. Come by and see my All Souls Night Painting to Wish you Well!

I have been working on a painting of Neil Diamonds song "Be". Your Be-Pod gave me the idea. I hoped to get it done before now and share it with you. Well. It may still make it.

I am getting ready to run with NaNoWriMo, but I may need to paint to keep me sane! Stay tuned . . .

~ Dryad ~ Off and Running!

yes

http://maze8.gaia.com — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:08:22 GMT

I realize this must be cliche to a lot of you folks, but I'll share this end piece of Joyce's Ulysses regardless. "...and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes." This affirmation can be done with any enocounter..yes? Peace, Maze

Re: Impro For Life, Part 2

http://LightDancing.gaia.com — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:35:09 GMT

This is a completely intriguing concept. Has anyone out there been practicing this? Yes and . . . Even if you manage to get out of whatever someone wants you to do, you have done something to the universe by saying, 'yes and . . .'

Improvisers do it on stage. Have you ever noticed that the best actors are improvisers? I've just seen "Two Gentlemen of Verona" twice. The fellow playing Launce (the one with the dog) was magnificent. Of course, working with a dog you had better be good at improvisation, but it occurred to me part way through the play that this actor was good ALL the time and I think it is because he is so comfortable on the stage.

Sometimes I think my problem in life is that I am expecting it to be scripted, and that just isn't the way it is. In life, as in theatre, probably those that improvise well are the most comfortable.

Very interesting! Glad to beeeeee here.

~ Dryad

Re: Welcome!

http://LightDancing.gaia.com — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:26:10 GMT

Where do you suppose that obnoxious little voice comes from? From whence to all the obnoxious voices come? Do you think they come from words meaning two things? Take "Pride" for example, people will tell you that "Pride goeth before a fall" and "be not puffed up with Pride," on the other hand, you must have "Pride" in yourself, in your work, in your whatever. Why are we afraid to say 'Yes?'
Fascinated ~
Dryad

Impro For Life, Part 2

http://lux.gaia.com — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:02:21 GMT

So, as we have discussed, Impro is for life, not just for Christmas. Part 2 of my guide to taking it to the streets is the "Yes, and..." policy.

Here's how it works, it's very simple: whenever someone suggests something to you, say, "Yes, and..." to it. Do not say no. Definitely do not say, "Yes, but..." Force yourself to say, "Yes, and..." then continue the sentence and see what happens.

This is one of the simplest tools we have for living a creative life. "Yes, and" forces you to create, to ADD on.

We are trained in society to dampen down, to control, when we should be INCITING, expanding, enlarging. If we are not inciting, we are in fear or apathy. Create, make bigger, say "Yes, and..." to life.

Improvisers do this on stage. We do this to create drama and tension. Nobody wants to watch somebody be calmed down or pacified, we want to see them explode, with anger, delight, joy, lust, whatever. Being mollified isn't exciting. And this is true of reality offstage too. Chances are, if you're bored in life, then you are not inciting enough.

Let's create excitement! Let's be positive tools of change and creativity! Let life fill you! I want to hear your "yes, and's" to these suggestions...

Re: Impro for Life! Part 1

http://lux.gaia.com — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:53:29 GMT

No probs Robin! Good to have you. And thanks for bringing up my next point! Please see the next thought stream for my "Yes, and..." post.

Re: Impro for Life! Part 1

http://robin.gaia.com — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:45:20 GMT

How awesome! I have a friend who is like this. I remember when I first met him, he told me he just had a root canal -- with a humongous smile on his face. He is truly child-like, filled with wonderment and amazement at all things.

The whole concept of "yes, and" in improv is great too. Too often we say no or automatically turn away from new ideas and opportunities. In improv, the response is always "Yes!" then you add on to it.

What a great way to live. I never thought about applying rules of improv to my life, but it's a wonderful idea. Who knows what the future holds? Live in the moment!

Thanks Lux!

Robin

Re: Being present, all day, everyday

http://chris-s.gaia.com — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 01:48:16 GMT

What an interesting topic! It's true, I totally wander off when I'm on the internet. And I find myself going on to "check something really quick", and then making myself late for it! I can't say I've found anything to keep me really present on the internet as I rarely use it in the present....so to speak. I'd love to hear some thoughts on the matter...

Re: Being present, all day, everyday

http://lux.gaia.com — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:05:18 GMT

Hey Steph! Great discussion point! I stay present on the internet by maintaining a grasp on my physicality, mainly through my mouse. Virtual space is really so easy to get lost in because, hey, it's just like our minds when they go wondering (and has anyone else noticed how close wondering is to wandering?), only now we have a tool to help us. Not so good, right? But there is so much valuable information online that it is also a shame to squander this valuable resource. I stay in the present by keeping my hand on the mouse and feeling into it, staying aware of the sensations on my skin, the texture, temperature, ease of movement etc.. I find this really keeps me in the here and now. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

Being present, all day, everyday

http://suchgreatheights.gaia.com — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 03:02:40 GMT

hey so i thought up a question, and figured it'd make a good discussion thread somewhere.. this pod seems to be it!!!!

continue posting with ideas/questions/suggestions on different situations or ways to stay present in day to day activities... i have a few that keep catching me off guard, but here's my original thought:

might any of you wonderful people have any suggestions of how to practice complete presence while surfing the zaadz website? or even doing anything on the internet in general? sometimes there are other people in the room, somtimes there are not. sometimes other things are demanding your attention while you read blogs, etc.. sometimes you are completely alone with the screen. and what are you actually DOING with that time? email? chat? blogging? surfing? shopping? gaming?... are you present while your attention is focused on connections that are virtually real?

i find it easy to get lost in the internet...

how do you stay present , number one: using a tool like the internet, and number two: using such an attention-demanding tool in the presence of other people/responsibilites???

i ask number two bc my computer is in my living room... as is the rest of my family who i'd rather not totally ignore. the question of being present with the internet alone just kinda came up as a side note.. interesting concept though :)

what would complete presence with your internet connection feel like? ... happy pondering

Re: How I know I'm Present

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 00:45:08 GMT

I love the technique of staying on Tuesday, or whatever day it may be. So here goes, "Hey, today is Saturday!" "Yes, it is, and today we are cleaning out the garage to put our cars in with more space and get rid of excessive junk we don't need!" "Great, let's do it!"

Okay, now I will try it on someone else... and get back to you!

Binah

How I know I'm Present

http://peace.gaia.com — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 18:34:37 GMT

When I feel a deep sense of well being, love and peace all at the same time; I know I'm focused in the present and any thoughts or actions in that state are in alignment with SELF/GOD/PEACE.

Impro for Life! Part 1

http://lux.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:32:23 GMT

As you may or may not know, I am heavily involved in Improvisation. I have been doing it for many years, but it wasn't until recently that I developed my concept, "Impro For Life!".

During one of my rehearsals, it struck me that I have spent so much time and money studying, meditating, practicing various techniques to 'get in the moment' spiritually, when I do that automatically on the stage. Why is it, I thought, that I can so easily be present and focused on the stage, but I need to work at it in real life? Now that's messed up!

It then seemed obvious that, to achieve this state of focus and clarity in everyday life, which, as Pod Member Scott said, should be effortless, not hard work, all I have to do is apply prinicples of improvisation to my real life. And bingo....

I cannot tell you how much easier my life is now that I do this. It has made such an unbelievable difference that I am planning on teaching a class on it in the near future. In the next couple of weeks, I will be posting some techniques that you can apply quickly and easily for yourself.

Here's Number One...

"It's Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This is a technique in improvisation where you treat everything in life as if it is the greatest gift you've ever been given. Everything. People. Food. Work. Situations. Everything.

Try it out. If necessary, overreact to your environment for a while. Believe me, you'll be really fun to be around. See what a difference it makes in how people treat you, and how you treat others. Everyone in your life is a gift right? Even if you're not always sure they are what you wanted. Like the tenth sweater from Grandma? Well, usually the universe knows what you need for your path a lot better than you. The universe feeds us what we need to move on moment by moment. Start treating people like gifts - you'll be amazed.

This is how most people live:

Friend: It's Tuesday.

You: Yep. Three more days til the weekend.

Friend: Wanna get some lunch?

You: Nah, I'm busy. Maybe tomorrow.

Fascinating as this is, this is not you being the change. Now, if we apply the tool...

Friend: It's Tuesday.

You: I know! Isn't it great! Some of the best things in my life have happened on Tuesdays.

Friend: Really?

You: This is going to be the best Tuesday ever! I am SO busy at work right now, which is really cool, and I would love if we can have lunch tomorrow. I'll cook!

Friend: That would be great!

You: Yep. And then it will the best Wednesday ever too!

Smiles all round.

So that's number one. Some of the coolest things in my life have happened when I've done this. Try it out. Report back. I'd love to hear what you guys get up to.

Light.

Re: Being Present

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:20:23 GMT

Hi everyone!

I have a friend who always says, too many people either live in the dead past or the imagined future! Just today I caught myself living in the imagined future: I was swimming laps in the gym indoor pool, thinking, "did I lock my new car or didn't I? There have been a few problems in the parking lot, did I lock my car?" Thinking I might find a problem when I got back to my car, I finally realized what I was doing, and put light around the car and jumped back into the present moment and enjoyed my swim!

Of course when I got back to my car, nothing happened, except my needless worrying!

In peace.

Binah

Re: Being Present

http://kellee.gaia.com — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 19:55:14 GMT

I am so glad that this pod is here. It 's awesome to hear that there are others who are awakening to this thought of living in the moment.

For me to be at this moment in my life has been an ongoing journey of several years. In all that I have studied and practiced in, it has brought me to this one moment.

In my travels of my mind I have found that I have had to deal with my past and all of the behaviors that have made me who I am. This has not always been easy. In taking the time to become aware of these behaviors, it has made me stop to think about who I want to become and how I want to live my life. What I have found is once I was able to work through those things in my life that were often painful memories and allow them to just move through me, I was able to let them go. In doing so, my mind is becoming more and more quiet. As new situations arise, if I allow myself to experience the moment, no matter how unpleasant it may seem, and let it past through me, let it run its course, my mind will become quiet again. It has allowed me to be more present in my everyday walk. It has allowed me to stay more connected to my Creator.

The world in which I live in looks a lot different to me these days. Someone spoke earlier of not making a difference in the world by working on ourselves. I just think that it starts within and how each of us chooses to live our lives and stay in the moment will only make a diifference to all that we touch on a daily basis.

May we all find the courage and the strength to live in the moment and let the past and future be of its own.

Namaste'

Being Present

http://peace.gaia.com — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 14:04:15 GMT

I find the more present I am , the more inspired I am, and the greater contribution I make to the awareness and alignment with the peaceful state. Being present allows inspiration and action to flow through me while still being aware of being at peace and one with all things.

Re: Welcome!

http://skydancer.gaia.com — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 22:14:21 GMT

Being present.... hmm.... I suppose we can't help but to be present, as much as we can actually be anything. But are we self-aware; that's the question. Is our attention here within the closest thing human experience can get to reality, the present moment, or are we in fantasy world, aka the future or past? Are we thinking of something that isn't here and now?

The past and future drain energy away and the present fills us up. So if we wish to live an energized life, it certainly pays to spend as much time as possible with our attention focused in the present. How do we do that?

For me it's about quieting my conceptual mind (which is why I created a pod called Lose Your Mind) and living a simple enough life that I don't need to use time oriented thought that much.

For losing my mind, I employ a number of methods I've learned from traditions specifically aimed at helping people do that, such as Dzogchen meditation, A Course in Miracles exercises, and Byron Katie's "The Work" questioning methods. I also do a form of dance called ecstatic dance which involves using movement to transcend the idea of a separate body. Basically I work at not believing any of my thoughts, particularly the thought that I exist as a separate being with it's own body and it's own mind. There isn't really my mind, but rather the Mind, and when I lose my mind really I'm just losing my belief in the lie that says I have a mind to begin with. So I do practices that help me de-program myself from societal and karmic conditioning that cause me to believe I do exist and that my thoughts about you are real too.

As for getting free of time, well that one takes real commitment, especially for someone like me who loves comfort. I once had a prophetic dream in which I was told point blank "it is your comfort that has chained you." The more we maximize our material comforts in life the more we are chained to obligations for maintaining those comforts, and usually that pulls us into the world of material productivity for a considerable percentage of each week.

When I live simple I don't have to work as many hours and the work I do can be more of the mindless variety, which then frees up my energy for engaging in on-going meditation throughout each day, such as witnessing my present moment experience as a continual stream of present moments, each savored while it lives then released as another rises. When I need more money I have to take jobs that require a lot of creative engagement with the details of this illusion. I have to be extremely concerned with cause and effect and trying to get things to come out a certain way, reaching for future success on behalf of the organization or goal I serve.

Yes, I know. Zaadz is about changing the world, to many even saving the world, and here I am saying "forget about succeeding at any meaningful goals." Certainly, this mind losing business isn't for everyone. But it is for me. It is my take on being present.

If you develop an amazing level of skill at being effortlessly present, then you won't have to do what I'm describing. Then you will be able to be emersed in the present moment even while reflecting on past experience and planning for future success. But for most of us, we don't have that level of skill. What we have is a habit of getting lost in the past and future and identifying with the contents of our minds so that we miss the experience of most of our life. We miss the experience of the present moment and since we only live in the present moment, we miss our lives! So until you can recondition yourself, I think the best thing to do is avoid the situations that force you to deepen your current conditioning. Make it easier on yourself while you're learning and later when you're strong and skilled you can do whatever you want.

I suspect few of you are going to agree with this advice, or even if you agree be willing to set aside your striving long enough to take it. You may already feel the press of things undone and a responsibility that simply can't wait for you to ________ (fill in the blank). God bless you. May you find quick success and more importantly may you find quick fulfillment. Sometimes the easiest way to transcend the desire to achieve something is simply to go ahead and achieve it so that you can become disillusioned about it. So go ahead and save some portion of the world, then come back and sit with yourself in silence. Whenever the day comes, I promise you, there you will be. There is no hurry to stop your hurrying. You are always there to be found, within the present moment.

regarding being present

http://now.gaia.com — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 20:44:46 GMT

simply being present requires no effort at all

because there is nowhere else it is possible to be

only the mind can make any effort to be what it imagines is present

and as soon as it starts up, you are no longer present - you are making effort to be present

so stop all effort, all thinking about HOW to do it and you will see that you already are

cameron

Re: Welcome!

http://chris-s.gaia.com — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 20:43:11 GMT

...he begins to take his first step off the cliff. Just as he shifts his weight over the edge, he closes his eyes and screams. After a moment of shear terror and regret, he opens his eyes to see he is floating in midair! And in front of him is...

I thought I'd continue this thought, looked kind of fun :)

Re: Welcome!

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:40:38 GMT

I'm new here and so glad I found this pod!!! I think people get so bogged down with what they HAVE to do, that they don't let themselves BE in the moment. I on the other hand tend to let myself get totally carried away when I'm in the moment. Plans be damned!!! We MUST all learn to stop and just BE! My life has been much more joyful since I started "smelling the roses" when the moment was right.

Love & Kisses
Jessica