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Notice Your Obstacles, Then Conquer Them

Inversions such as Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose) present wonderful opportunities for profound physical and mental transformation, but they're also rife with obstacles ... (continued)

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Loving Your Enemies Meditation

Dhyana

This meditation will take anywhere from five to 20 minutes, or even longer if you wish. We recommend staying in Steps 1 and 2 for one to two minutes each; in Step 3 for three to five minutes; and in Step 4 for five to 15 minutes.

Step by Step

Get into a comfortable, seated position, either in a chair with your legs uncrossed, or on the floor. Adjust your posture so that your spine is upright, yet your body feels relaxed. Rest your hands in your lap or on your thighs, with the palms facing up or down.

Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing. Take a few conscious and deep abdominal breaths. Let your exhalations carry out any tension or anxiety you're feeling now, and use them throughout your meditation to expel any tension or anxiety that comes up.

If it is helpful, you may use the affirmations—"I am" on the in-breath and "calm and relaxed" on the out-breath—to center yourself during this practice.

Bring your awareness to your heart. Allow your breaths to massage this area. Notice any specific feelings or thoughts you may have about yourself, people you know, or any particular event. Cultivate a detached and nonjudgmental attitude to anything that comes up for you.

Continue to focus on the heart area while doing the following:

Cultivate a friendly and accepting attitude toward yourself and your friends.
Develop feelings of compassion and understanding for all those who suffer.
Be joyful in your thoughts about a particular person who's important to you or a saint or guru you hold in high esteem.
Maintain feelings of indifference and equanimity to anyone who has harmed you or anyone else. Don't get sucked into their mean-spiritedness or harmful deeds.

To complete your meditation, take three to five deep abdominal breaths. Open your eyes and slowly get up.

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Reader Comments

STEPHANIE

DEAR MICHAEL, I DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT YOGA HAD ANY CONNECTION WITH MEDITATION. MY HOROSCOPE HAS BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS THAT I NEED TO MEDITATE AND I DID NOT KNOW HOW UNTIL I FOUND THIS WONDERFUL SITE. WHEN I READ YOUR COMMENT, IT COULD NOT HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME IN MY LIFE. MY HEART IS BROKE, MY PAIN IS EVERYDAY AND ALL DAY FOR THE PASTS 4 MONTHS SINCE MY HUSBAND LEFT ME. HE HAS SAID VERY CRUEL THINGS TO ME AND EVEN TAKES THE SIDE OF THE OTHER WOMAN AFTER 4 YEARS OF STANIDNG IN HIS CORNER LIKE GIBRALTER. I WAS THE FIRST WOMAN IN HIS LIFE (HE IS 50) TO BUY HIM DIMONDS, THE FIRST WOMAN IN HIS LIFE TO PURCHASE SOMETHING FOR HIM FROM MACY'S. THE IFRST WOMAN TO EVER GIVE HIM MONEY TO ASSIST WITH BUILDING HIS DREAM. I TOOK HIM FROM A SELLING OTHER PEOPLE CIGARETTES AND DRINKING EVERY DAY LIKE AN ALCOHOLIC AND GAVE HIM CONFIDENCE, I NURTURED HIS INNER BEING AND MOTIVATED HIM TO WANT MORE MEANWHILE I WAS DRAINING MYSELF. I GAVE HIM 99% OF THE 1% THAT I HAD FOR MYSELF AFTER STEVEN JOHNSON SYNDROME WHICH LEAVES YOU VERY SCARED AND BURNS YOUR CORNEAS, ETC. HE NEVER PUT BACK INTO ME WHAT I WASTAKING OUT OF ME AND THUS I FELL OFF THE MAP AND AS I HELD MY HAND UP TO BE PULLED BACK UP, HE CONTINUED TO LOOK IN THE GUTTER FORTRASH LIKE A STREETSWEEPER AND HOW HE HAS LEFT ME. HE WILL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU THAT I PUT HIM ON THE MAP, BUT THAT DOES NOTHING FOR ME...WORDS ARE GOOD, BUT I NEED ACTON JUST AS I GAVE HIM. YOUR WORDS HAVE TOUCHED MY HEART BECAUSE I WAS SO HURT I WANTED TO HURT HIM IN ALL WAYS THAT I COULD. EVERY DAY I CRY 2 OR 3 TIMES AND I NEED TO GET THESE FEELINGS OUT SO THAT I CAN LOOK AT THINGS POSITIVELY AND WITH A SOUND MIND. GET THE BAD FEELINGS, THE HURT, THE PAIN AND AFTER READING YUR COMENT EVEN THE FORGIVENESS AS I CRY AS I WRITE THIS COMMENT TO YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME BECAUSE HE SENT THIS MESSAGE FROM YO TO ME JUST AT THE RIGHT TIME AND I WILL KEEP IT WITH ME AND READ IT EVERY SING SOLITARY TIME THT THOSE WICKED FEELING COME UPON ME.
GOD BLESSYOU AND YOUR FAMILY MICHAEL AND PLEASE KEEP POSTING MESSAGE BECAUSE GOD HAS GIFTED YOU WITH THE ABILITY TO SEND MESSAGE TO PEOPLE WHO NEED TO HEAR. I HAVE NEVER BEEN INTERESTED IN YOGA IN MY LIFE (49 YRS OLD), I ONLY KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT. WHY TONIGHT AT 2:59PM, I GOT OUT OF MY BED TO GET ON THE INTERNET TO SURF FOR YOGA. OUT THE CLEAR MY MIND SAID SURF JOGA AND THIS WAS THE FIRST SITE, THE TEXT CAPTURED MY ATTENTIN AND WHEN I CLICKED ON MEDITATION, THERE YOU WERE, THERE YOU ARE. THIS IS NO COINCIDENCE, THIS IS GOD SENDING PEOPLE LIKE ME TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO HAVE THE BLESSED GIFT FROM GOD TO SEND MESSAGE DIRECTLY TO PEOPLE.
LOVE YOU, STEPHANIE

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST THIS MESSAGE IN RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL.
STEPHANIE BROWN, MSTRUMP@ATT.NET OR MSTRUMP@OPTONLINE.NET.

Michael...

We are all family. The person that does ill by you is unknowing of the illness that posesses them. They are like a brother whom hasn't the process of mind to know better. They are retarded. If you had a retarded brother who did something to you, would you then respond in the same retarded way back? Your enemy is your brother.

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