Meditation, Postures, Thoughts

Watch this latest video from the hammock!

Peace and Love. New Meditation E-Course!

Hi Everyone,

I am so excited to share that I am launching a new program on Meditation that will be entirely online. Check out this video and then look at this link for more!

Finding the Stillpoint with Tolle's Stillness Speaks

Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle.

The book, Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle points clearly, ways to freedom: awareness, acceptance, just being.

I learnt that simply becoming aware is a liberating experience. Becoming aware of the thoughts. Becoming aware of the space in which the moment happens. And becoming aware of the now. Right now is all there is. The past happens in the now. The future happens in the now. So this moment is simply to be experienced. And bringing acceptance adn awareness to that experience is what deepens the space in which all this happens.

Written with crystal clarity, this book brings deep insight, helping us to free our minds from the habitual ego-mind and to bring compassion towards ourselves and towards others for being in the graps of the ego. It also sheds light on the beauty of surrender: surrendering to the present moment.

The messages in this book are presented in short nuggets of wisdom, written in short paragraphs. I loved this style as it allowed me to reflect on the points presented here after each paragraph. The questions that Eckhart asks throughout the text is a wonderful launching pad of my own introspection. For instance, on page 28, he asks:

Can you see that this "I" is fleeting, a temporary function, like a wave pattern on the surface of the water?

The "I" he is referring to is the identity of the self derived from the ego: name, occupation, gender, our life stories. All of the external ways of identifying ourselves refer to the form, the body, not the formless that is within each of us. And this formless I Am is eternal, Echkart states. This is the I AM that you are. Beyond all the classifications, titles, labels and names of all sorts, you are limitless, unbounded, and infinite.

This kind of reflective question reveals something within me that is beyond words and concepts. It seems paradoxical that in thinking about these insights brings me to a space within that is beyond thoughts. In this way, the thoughts serve beautifully in enabling the experience of peace and stillness that rises from beyond the thinking and the thoughts.

This book was introduced to me by Oprah in one of her conversations with Eckhart. It is a book that he wrote before, A New Earth which for me laid a wonderful foundation for reading Stillness Speaks and made the material easily graspable for me in my mind as well as in my heart.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel at peace and find ways to connect with oneself and with the space within us in a deep, full way. It is a truly life-enhancing book.

Love,

Sophia

Recognize the Stillness

Today's intention is to Recognize the Stillness Within.

Today, remember that who you are is beyond all the things, the relationships and all the concepts you have about yourself. Take a moment to be still and get in touch with the deep stillness that is within you...that is you. Let go of the rest.

Thank you Stillness for your depth and wisdom.

PS: If you are like me, you may find yourself clinging to something or some idea at times. Just acknowledge that and know that it is part of the process of letting go. Remain kind to yourself.

Stillness is where Intuition arises. Eckhart Tolle

Have you felt that immense sense of overflowing joy in silence? There have been such moments in my life when I have removed myself from the chaos of activity and brought myself into natural surroundings. This image is from the jungles of Periyar Tiger Reserve in Southern India which I visited with Cristof in January 2007. It was early morning, around 5 am. There was a kind of a quiet that was breathed by the trees. The sun was emerging slowly from beyond the fog, tiptoeing through the branches and leaves. What an amazing moment! I could imagine the sunshine falling on the nose of a giant, gorgeous tiger somewhere close by. A tiger whose glory is immeasurable and indescribable in a way that would do full justice to its majesty. What an amazing creature! Just then we saw the paw prints of an adult tiger in the muddy path before us. Our ranger suggested that it was only a few hours old. I cannot describe how humble I felt walking in the footsteps of that graceful big cat. There was a sense of awe and respect that we all felt in our little exploratory group of 10.

Walking in the middle of the jungle, breathing the same air as giant herds of elephants, feeling the caress of the tall shrubs just like it would a buffalo, and experiencing the sense of peace in the same way as the creatures of the jungle...is an unforgettable experience. I aspire to feel those amazing feelings of stillness, intuition and complete peace, no matter where I am. And I invite you to experience the stillness within yourself just like Eckhart says in this beautiful quote.

-Sophia Ojha