Ecologist?

In the supermarket I was asked when I said I don’t want a plastic bag but prefer to use my own bag, if I am an ecologist. 

Of course, I said.

Afterwards I thought: How can someone not be an ecologist? The whole planet and every living thing upon it is part of an ecology in wondrous harmoniously created ecosystems. That is what life on earth is built on. So to not be part of that is to be against life. And, after thinking closer about it, that is exactly what our western life style and systems are; against life, destroying life by destroying the harmony of the ecosystems we are all part of.

We are part of a huge ecosystem called the universe. This is the only system we need to be faithful to, to respect and protect, because we are so intertwined with it as a baby in the mothers womb. In contrast to the political and economical systems, which are mainly looking for profit, power and private property for a few, the ecological system will always support and feed us, as long as we don't deny it and turn it our back, seduced by the other systems' false promises of security and happiness. 

Political and economical systems could also be a part of the ecosystem of course, if they would respect the laws of nature and spring from a profound understanding that we are all deeply connected with all other beings on the planet and with the planet and the whole universe itself.

We, the human race, have disconnected ourselves from the natural flow of life and forgotten that we are all part of it and what we do to another living being we do to ourselves. We are all important parts of a big whole and all our actions are having impact on the whole. It is easy to see that our current actions are having a negative impact on the planet (just consider how much garbage everyone of us throw every day or the production chain behind the things that we buy). Imagine the reverse: How would it look if everybody could really feel their belonging and interrelatedness to the whole and took responsibility for every action? Let's go back to the supermarket, the temple of consumerism, and in front of every item we are about to buy stop and ask: Is this thing recyclable? Is it in any way destructive for the planet, either in the production process or as waste? If it is don’t by it!

And of course, on our way out we say no thank you to plastic bags!

Please note that this observation is made in Greece where management of environmental issues is not yet that developed. I am aware that in many other countries plastic bags in the supermarkets just don't exist anymore or they exist but you have to pay for them.

Stretching bodies, stretching minds / Ανοίγουμε το σώμα, ανοίγουμε το μυαλό

Yoga can actually be quite a revolutionary practice, an antidote to the sleeping state of our society. But it is a revolution that starts in our own minds. 

By questioning old concepts, belief systems and conditionings we've been fed and taken for true and for granted and for “normal”, we can wake up, awaken and find our own truth.

When I do this inquiery of the mind I usually realize that most of my thoughts are not true, and still they have such impact on me: They keep me imprisoned, stuck and suffering, if I believe them.

Yoga is not only stretching our bodies, it is also stretching our minds. 

Taken that the quality of awareness is there, which it should because it is the very thing that differs yoga from the workout in the gym, yoga can take us into a deep understanding of who we are. Awareness of body, breath and mind. 

You move – with awareness – into a posture, reaching a point where it is a little challenging, a little difficult, you can really feel the stretch in your muscles, you are reaching the borders of your comfort zone. Then the mind starts going, maybe saying things like: “No, I can't do this! How long is that teacher going to keep us in this position? Why did I bother to come here anyway? Look at the woman over there, she is really flexible. I am really worthless.”. And so on.

But you stay. 

You breathe, you watch, you explore. You feel, you listen, you look into every corner of your being. You accept, you embrace and maybe find that space of relaxation in the midst of effort. Suddenly you are out of your comfort zone, totally present and alive. Free and with an inner strength you didn't even know that you had. It is the body that has opened but also the mind; it went beyond the resistant “I can't”, therefor that feeling of freedom.

 

We can take this practice off the mat. We can learn to look at our body-mind structure with the same awareness wherever we are and whatever we do. We can become aware of the position of our body, take a deep, conscious breath and relax. We can also become aware of the thoughts in our head and if they are stressful we can question them and notice that they aren't necessarily true. Actually we might discover that there is a cacophony of voices in our heads all telling us lies!

There is an excellent method of inquiering the thoughts called The Work, founded by Byron Katie. I've had the opportunity to practice the method with a certified facilitator of The Work, Helena Montelius, and if you are curious and would like to explore I can really recommend her. Here's her website: lookwithininstitute.com

And here is the official website for The Work: thework.com

Ανοίγουμε το σώμα, ανοίγουμε το μυαλό

Η γιόγκα μπορεί να είναι μια επαναστατική πρακτική, ένα αντίδοτο ενάντια στην ύπνωση που βρίσκεται η κοινωνία μας. Άλλα αυτή η επανάσταση ξεκινά από το ίδιο μας το μυαλό. Αμφισβητώντας παλιές ιδέες, συστήματα αξιών και σκέψεις που δημιουργούν στρες, τα οποία τα θεωρούμε αλήθεια και δεδομένα. Όταν αμφισβητώ τις σκέψεις μου συνειδητοποιώ οτι οι περισσότερες δεν είναι αληθινές, και όμως έχουν μεγάλη επίδραση πάνω μου: Με κρατάνε φυλακισμένη, κολλημένη, με κάνουν να υποφέρω, εφόσον τις πιστεύω.

Η γιόγκα δεν ανοίγει μόνο το σώμα μας, άλλα και το μυαλό, εάν βέβαια, έχουμε επίγνωση. Είναι η επίγνωση αυτή που διαφοροποιεί την γιόγκα από οποιαδήποτε άλλη γυμναστική. Επίγνωση στο σώμα, στην αναπνοή και στο μυαλό. Μπαίνεις – με επίγνωση - σε μια στάση, φτάνοντας σε ένα σημείο που είναι λίγο προκλητικό, λίγο δύσκολο, νοιώθεις το τέντωμα στους μυς, φτάνεις στα οριά σου. Και το μυαλό ακολουθεί, ίσως λέει: Όχι, δεν μπορώ! Πόση ώρα θα μας κρατήσει αυτός ο δάσκαλος σε αυτη την στάση; Τι ήθελα και ήρθα εδώ; Γιατί δεν έμεινα σπίτι στον καναπέ μου; Κοίτα αυτη την γυναίκα, είναι πολύ ευλύγιστη. Είμαι άχρηστη. Αν έκανα πιο πολύ πρακτική θα ήμουν καλύτερη. Και τα λοιπά.

Αλλά μένεις. Αναπνέεις, παρατηρείς, εξερευνάς. Αισθάνεσαι, ακούς, κοιτάς κάθε γωνία του εαυτού σου. Αποδέχεσαι, αγκαλιάζεις και ίσως βρίσκεις εκεί χώρο για χαλάρωση στην μέση της προσπάθειας. Ξαφνικά έχεις ξεπεράσει τα όριά σου και είσαι εντελώς παρόν και ζωντανός. Ελεύθερος και με μια εσωτερική δύναμη που δεν ήξερες καν οτι έχεις. Το σώμα έχει ανοίξει αλλά και το μυαλό· ξεπέρασε το “Δεν μπορώ”, την αντίσταση και τις αμφιβολίες, για αυτό και έχεις αυτήν την αίσθηση ελευθερίας.

Μπορούμε να πάρουμε αυτή την πρακτική μαζί μας πέρα από το στρωματάκι. Μπορούμε να μάθουμε να κοιτάμε το σώμα-νου με την ίδια επίγνωση όπου και να βρισκόμαστε και ότι και να κάνουμε. Μπορούμε να συνειδητοποιούμε την στάση του σώματός μας, να πάρουμε μια βαθιά αναπνοή και να αμφισβητούμε τις σκέψεις μας που δεν είναι απαραίτητα αληθινές. Πράγματι μπορεί να ανακαλύψουμε ότι υπάρχουν πολλές φωνές οι οποίες μας λένε όλο ψέματα!

Υπάρχει μια θαυμάσια μέθοδος για να κάνουμε αυτή την εξερεύνηση των σκέψεων που ονομάζεται The Work (Η Εργασία), ιδρυμένη από την Μπάιρον Κέιτη (Byron Katie).  Επισκεφτείτε την ιστοσελίδα της για περισσότερες πληροφορίες:  https://thework.com/

Welcome to my blog!

I am delighted to share and connect with you more than I would do if I just kept these writings in my journals. I feel we all have a lot to share and contribute and this is the time to do it. We have all the technological assistance we need and it seems to be a time of communication, to go from "me" to "we" and create something beautiful together.

What is happening in the world blends with my experience of meditation, yoga, healing and Life itself, and I see an interesting connection: What is happening in the world is also happening in ourselves, what is happening in the world is a reflection on what goes on inside us; chaos, conflicts, confusion but also love, joy, grace... We usually don't realize though, that we’ve got the power to choose and to change. We really just need to change one person to change the world; ourselves. We can stop our doing for a moment to take a deep breath, to go within, take a good look and question what is going on in our minds. When we do that we usually discover that many of our thoughts, beliefs and ideas are not ours, they are not even true, but we still take them for granted, for “normal”, live by them and create our lives according to them.

The crises and changes that are taking place in the world today are reflecting crises and changes in our consciousness. More and more people and movements are questioning old systems and lifestyles that obviously don't serve us anymore. There is a longing and a tendency to move from separation to oneness. From fighting to caring, from fear to love, from war to peace.

The soulful revolution starts within. It starts with the soul, sick and tired of being prisoned by the concepts of our mind. It is the soul that wants to be set free and express and embody itself as the highest potential of the human experience. In Love. In Peace. In Grace.

Would you like to join? Just close your eyes for a moment. Become aware of the breath breathing you in this moment, feel your body as you sit there and just explore what happens inside, in you. There it begins.