Listening

from the writings of Alexia Miall

“With the gift of listening comes the gift of healing"

- Catherine de Hueck Doherty

What does this mean to me?

Listen to my pain and I will be healed

Listen to what others tell me to do about my pain, such as friends, family, medicos

Listen to what I hear on the TV and radio, surely they know what they are talking about

Listen to others who have experienced the same pain

Listen to my inner voice, doesn’t it have all the answers

Listen to the sound of children playing

Listen to what I hear in Nature

the sound of rain falling on the roof

the sound of the crabs in the mud at low tide

the waves crashing on the beach

the wind in the trees

the birds’ morning chorus

the dog barking in the distance

Aah, now I can begin to relax

Now I begin to understand the quote:-

“With the gift of listening comes the gift of healing”

Alexia Miall

Om...

from StJohn Miall

Ever wondered about Om, the universal mantra?

The mantra Om is sacred to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.   The Mandukya Upanishad describes it as "the eternal word... what was, what is, what shall be, and what is in eternity".

Yoga philosophy teaches that chanting Om will unite you with the cosmos.

The mantra is made up of three separate sounds: "aaa", "uuu" and "mmm". In Vedic chanting it is given four counts: three counts for the "aaauuu" ( combination of "a" and "u"), a half count for the "mmm" and a half count of silence.

Om is also called the mula mantra, meaning "root mantra":  It is often chanted before other mantras and before and after a reading from the Vedas.

The visual elements of the Sanskrit symbol represents the four states of consciousness (1-4) and the world of illusion (5)

1.   Waking (jagrat)
2.   Dreaming (swapna)
3.   Deep Sleep (sushupti)
4.   Transcendental State (turiya)
5.   World of Illusion (maya) that veils true awareness.

source: 'The Mind, Body, Spirit Miscellany' by Jane Alexander.  Duncan Baird Publishers.

So there you have it!   It does seem like you have to wade through the World of Illusion before you can arrive in the Transcendental State.   Any tips or experiences you want to share about that little adventure would be most welcome!

How I got started...

By Robert Meredith

Brighton

I first learnt to meditate in 1969, It was my birthday present to myself when I was living in Brighton, a town on the South coast of England, and working with Apple Theatre, The Beatles theatre company. 

The person who taught me was an Australian woman called Edna Linnell, who I was sure, must have mispronounced the mantra she gave me because of her Aussie accent. In spite of this (or maybe because of it!) my very first meditation was an amazing experience, the beginning of a lifetime practice and an important part of my work. 

The practice that Edna taught me was Transcendental Meditation, brought to the West by the Indian teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I went on to become a T.M. teacher and national co-ordinator for the T. M. organisation in the UK, and spent many months studying with Maharishi. 

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
with The Beatles

 Maharishi’s intention was to take meditation out of the realm of the mystical and make it accessible to as many people as possible. To do that he gathered around him a group of physicists and medical professionals who carried out the first research into the physiology of meditation, demonstrating objectively the effectiveness of the practice. He also trained teachers and established teaching centres all over the world. 

Literally millions of people have learnt the T. M. technique, and to this day it is the most researched and validated meditation practice available, bringing measureable benefits to virtually every area of life. 

How did you get started?    What prompted you to learn to meditate?    We'd love to hear your stories... feel free to add your comments.

Low flying Pianos

From Jo Flynn

According to a number of my friends and colleagues there are celestial stirrings afoot. Apparently July and potentially quite a bit of August have favourable conditions for not leaving the house in case a piano falls on one’s head from a very great height.

I must admit my learning curve has been ridiculously steep for most of this month and I have found myself grasping at any indication that things might improve. And then I came across this particularly gorgeous offering by a poet I have come to love.

The Well of Grief

Those who will not slip beneath

the still surface of the well of grief

turning downward through its black water

to the place we cannot breathe

will never know the source from which we drink,

the secret water,

cold and clear,

nor find in the darkness glimmering 


the small round coins 


thrown away by those who wished for something else. 


By David Whyte

from Close to Home

And of course….I am now noticing the small round coins. Noticing that I would not choose to miss this adventure. Even if it occasionally feels like drowning….

For all of us who are swimming downward – may we soon be refreshed by that secret water, cold and clear. I shall be drinking mine from a champagne glass in recognition of the bravery and fortitude it required to persevere.

I just hope the piano doesn’t get me first…

What's Really Important GNP or GNH?

This is a great TED talk in which hotelier Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on happiness. In an old friendship with an employee and in the wisdom of a Buddhist king, he learned that success comes from what you count.   As part of this he explores what is more important:   Having what you want, or wanting what you have.     Good question.

This is another little 10 minute talk well worth watching.

To what do you attribute happiness in your life?    Love to hear your comments.
StJohn

Is Money the real Motivator in what people do?

Here's a wonderful video that does two things...
First it questions money as the primary motivator for people doing meaningful work.    It points out there are a number of things that are much stronger motivators, (and you'll have to watch the video to see what they are).
Second, it uses cartooning as a wonderful vehicle for communication and bringing ideas alive.

So if you're interested in Mastery and a sense of Purpose in your life, grab a cuppa and invest 10 minutes in watching this.. it will give you plenty to think about.


And once you've seen it, we'd love to hear what you think.   Why not make a comment below.
All the best
StJohn

StJohn Miall: Introducing Circumference

Hi everyone,

Here's the video we made to introduce Circumference to the world...   this time without the spelling mistake!

Chocolate

A rather wonderful woman by the name of Thea was a keynote speaker in a recent conference I attended. She talked about chocolate. Well, she talked about many things, but at one stage she arrived at the true purpose and cornerstone of her presentation.

Chocolate. Glorious, sweet, soothing satisfying, calorie-laden chocolate. I’ve seen people go all glassy eyed at the very mention of the word.

It must be said that I have never considered myself a fanatic. My obsessions with chocolate pale in comparison to the certified devotee. But I have had my dalliances with the chocolate God. Cadbury’s plain milk is my chocolate of choice. And I’m rather fond of chocolate fudge. I reckon you can tell a lot about a person by what constitutes their favourite.

Now, the wonderful Thea was passing out platefuls of chocolate, which were being passed around the rows as each attendee picked a piece. Rather like the collection plate in church. But much, much better.

I picked an apricot liqueur-filled dark chocolate mound, and patiently waited for everyone else to bloody hurry up and pick their piece so we could all hoe in together. It was to be a collective chocolate experience. And the point, of course, was not to gobble down the chocolate but to be absolutely mindful and conscious of the act of chocolate consumption. Like the Japanese Tea Service. Only much, much better.

I felt the weight of the chocolate in my hand. I felt the edges melting slightly to run like velvet blankets over my palm. I smelt the chocolate (I like the bitter sharpness of the smell of dark chocolate….so much more satisfying than the cloying sweetness of it’s lighter cousin.) I imagined how delicious the chocolate would be. I thought about the splendid relief when chocolate crumbles in the mouth. About how stress melts away. About being only in that moment- no past (to have regrets about), no future (to create anxiety about)…just the chocolate covered present.

And then I bit.

And it was the most divine chocolate experience in living memory.

Interesting. It was just a piece of chocolate after all. What made it such an historic event was the amount of attention I brought to it. I'm reminded to do that more often - to stop multi-tasking and just sip in life experiences.

Delicious.

Jo Flynn

How to Get a Laugh on a Regular Basis

It’s easier than you think.

All you need to do is grab your togs and a towel and head down to the closest aquarobics class. I swear I have not laughed so hard for months.

There is a plethora of motivations for a good giggle. There is the fact that the class is filled with predominantly middle aged women who have predominantly been eating too many cream buns for a few years. So every one's a lovely round shape. A lovely round floaty, hard-to-submerge shape. Every time you try to sink yourself to do some underwater calisthenic thingummy movement - you end up exploding back up to the surface and bobbing around looking surprised.

Then you add the indignity of a noodle. For the uninitiated, a noodle is a flotation device shaped exactly like a gigantic bit of spaghetti. And only slighty less difficult to wield in a large body of water.

If you're very lucky you get to stick it between your legs and breastroke backwards for the length of the pool. If you not having such a good day the damn thing will find it's way into the inside leg of your boardshorts and tickle your fancy.

Maybe its just me but the whole experience is like giggle therapy. Fantastic fun, apparently gives your core a good workout in the process and cheap as chips at $10 an hour.

Heaven...



Don't forget to check out Jo's ongoing adventures with self improvement at the Evolution or Bust! blog. You can simply indulge your voyeuristic tendencies and watch as she courageously lurches from one developmental opportunity to the next, or better still, take the ride with her and compare notes as you both evolve together.

Check it out: http://evolutionorbust.blogspot.com/

Education and Purpose in Life

In this inspiring talk Sir Ken Robinson eloquently articulates the challenges facing education today.   
As an educator of adults, the work of Circumference is based on many of the principles that Sir Ken espouses in this talk.
It is absolutley worth investing 18 minutes of your life to watch this video... go put the kettle on, grab a cuppa, hit the play button and enjoy!
Singe