Meditation- why sitting around is somehow a good idea in our crazy busy lives

On January 17, 2012, In Meditation, Self Inquiry, Zen, By Pedram

The idea of just sitting around seems very alien to us in the modern world. It seems boring- like a total waste of time. We’ve all got so much to do and not enough time to do it. So why sit around and waste such an already precious commodity that seems to be lacking in all of our lives? Why practice meditation at all?

Meditation is more than a technique- it is a way of life. It is a way for us to see the Universe and “hold audience” for the millions of bits of information that are passing through our minds in any given moment. We can all relate to that…noise everywhere…noise all of the time.

So how do we get rid of that noise? We don’t.

We cannot make the noise go away. It is a reflection of all of the processes of life as the nervous system is firing and communicating with the body all of the time. To stop the noise is to stop life. You’d have to go brain dead and stop your heart. Last I checked, that isn’t a leading wellness practice.

So what’s all this talk about meditation and how it helps calm us down and “stop the noise”? The answer lies in the photo you saw at the beginning of this post. Meditation is about acceptance of Reality. It is about learning to observe phenomena come and go without reacting to them. To meditate is to maintain equanimity in all affairs and to watch circumstances come and go without getting mentally and emotionally attached to them. We cannot stop our minds. (more…)

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Redefining Medicine- let’s take a serious look at what the score is

On January 3, 2012, In Health and Wellness, Popular Issues, Vitality, By Pedram

If you look at the rising cost of healthcare and the way the nation’s health are going, you have to understand that this “plan” simply isn’t working. Obesity and childhood diabetes are reaching epidemic levels. Heart disease and cancer are ravaging our population. More and more people are getting chronically ill and our current healthcare system is ill-equipped to deal with this crisis.
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What’s happening in the stars right now…the astrological story of Christmas and the Good/Evil Debate

On December 23, 2011, In Meditation, Nature, Western Religions, By Pedram

Sunset at Stonehenge

The Winter Solstice has now passed and we are in a very interesting time of the year. To ancient cultures, the Winter Solstice marked the “death” of the sun. It was the shortest day the year where the YIN energy in the Northern Hemisphere came to maximum expression and the re-emergence of the YANG energy returned coming from the Taoist traditon. This transition is marked by a very interesting phenomena where, perceivably, for three days (Dec 22, 23, 24), the sun stops moving. This is because we can’t see the subtle movement as it dips below our horizon. During these three days, the sun resides in the SOUTHERN CROSS and then, on December 25th, it moves north one degree…signifying the return of our Savior and forshadowing warmer, longer, and more fruitful days taking us into spring and summer harvest.

The brightest star in the sky (Sirius) aligns with the three brightest stars on Orion’s belt (Mintaka, Anilam, and Alnitak) on December 24th heralding the “return” of the sun and the forces of “good”. The three “wise men” which were the ancient names for the stars on Orion’s belt follow the “star in the east” and this marks the celebration of the “birth” of Jesus in our modern mythology. It turns out Christmas is more than just a story but a deeply ingrained understanding of the movement of the stars and cycles of nature as understood by the ancients. (more…)

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Winter Solstice is upon us- why it is important to rest RIGHT NOW

On December 15, 2011, In Health and Wellness, Taoist Philosophy, Time Management, By Pedram

Dec 21 marks the Winter Solstice. This is a really important day in Taoist and Shamanic traditions because it marks a critical transition. This is the day where the YIN energy on our planet (Northern hemisphere) is at its highest (longest night) and YANG energy at its lowest (shortest day). [It is the exact opposite for the Southern hemisphere] Essentially, it is the endpoint in the “funnel” or “hour glass” of time as it moves through a 4 dimensional tauroidal field. Let’s take a look to illustrate:

You’ll notice how the Yin and Yang lines come together along the central axis and how they are the furthest apart at the height of their arcs. That’s exactly where we are right now. Here’s another way to look at it:

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A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation- What exactly is it?

On October 5, 2011, In Meditation, Self Inquiry, Zen, By Pedram

Everywhere you look today, some expert is recommending meditation to people for a variety of reasons. Why? Because the world is crazy and we’re all wound up. According to the CDC, 90% of diseases today can be attributed to stress…yeah stress.

Meditation is an age-old, tried-and-true method which relieves stress…calming the body and the mind.

The questions are:

1- Why should I care?

2- Ok then so…how does it do this?

3- Why so many techniques?

4- How should I get into it?

5- How many minutes a day?

6- When will I see results?

7- Why am I having a hard time at this?

8-  Hmmmm….interesting…I actually do feel better…now what?


Well, let’s start from the top…

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If this doesn’t get you up off your ass…

On August 23, 2011, In Health and Wellness, Nature, Popular Issues, By Pedram

Here’s a compilation of studies put together that show just how horrible excessive sitting is for our health. From bio mechanical problems that lead to low back pain to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity…you can be sure that sitting around is going to catch up with you. Paleolithic Humans evolved in an active and very dynamic environment where we moved around for hours a day. Frankly, modern living is killing us and here’s some ammo for that argument:

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Understanding How to Move Energy- Removing Obstacles in Your Life

On August 16, 2011, In Alchemy, Meditation, Qi Gong, By Pedram

The key to understanding personal transformation is knowing that there is no “out there” vs. “in here”. As the famous Hermetic Axiom in Alchemy goes…”As Above, So Below”.

In the practice of Qi Gong (or energy work), we cultivate the flow of the energies within our body and become aware of the blockages in this flow. Life moves. Nature moves. Energy flows. It is the impedance or blockage of this energy that creates suffering, disease, and blockages in our “outer” lives. This is the tough part- the paradoxical notion that any of the “problems” we are facing in our lives are reflections of inner stagnation or blockages within our bodies or our consciousness. It is hard to grasp and even harder to accept until one TESTS it.

Let’s be scientific here. We can use our bodies and lives as our WORKSHOP and test various esoteric theories to see if they bear validity. I learned this from my Zen Master who always insists that the practice of observing one’s mind is very scientific. It took me a while to grasp his meaning because the “New Age” stance on so many of these topics is so belief-oriented…just throwing one’s self at a new set of dogma and usually a new “personality” one has inherited…

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Stay in the Eternal Present and Walk Towards the Light

On June 17, 2011, In Meditation, Self Inquiry, Taoist Philosophy, By Pedram

Staying on path is easy, just get out of the way and follow the leads the Universe (God, Tao, call it what you want) presents to you. The path of least resistance really shows up when we can step into the present moment and stay aware of where we stand.  The problem? TIME. Yeah time. We have memories that are tied to emotions that are unresolved which entrap us in “time“. How does this happen?

When we feel something or have a response to some stimulus that presents itself to us in the moment, we are faced with a choice. Do I accept this for what it is, not judge it, stay in the present and feel what emotion it evokes and be OK with that, OR, do I feel the emotion this stimulus brings up and say “oh, this sucks I don’t like feeling this at all…” and run away. How do we run away? Well, we move away from the emotion by trying to counter it with the opposite feeling or energy. This makes me feel sad so I’ll thing happy thoughts…OR we think to ourselves, wow that’s too much to handle right now, I’m gonna file this away and deal with it at a later time when I’m stronger, richer, better looking, and maybe 3 feet taller. Guess what folks- tomorrow has its own set of “crap” to deal with. So what happens? We keep building charge in our energy field by entrapping our power in time.

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Zen Master Yo Hoon Lecture Footage is Up

On May 29, 2011, In Meditation, Self Inquiry, Zen, By Pedram

It took forever…sorry.  Big files and lots of travel but I finally was around long enough to pull this footage out and share it with the world. It needs to be shared. This man is special. He’s one of five enlightened people I’ve met on this planet. Its a privilege to have him around and it was very gracious of him to allow us to video his discourse. “If it helps people…then its OK”. He had agreed to give me an interview for the movie I’ve been working on (Vitality) after this lecture and, I was shocked to hear he was OK with us filming the lecture too. So many of these cats are caught up in their “ancient Chinese secret” and they get very weird about sharing. Not Yo Hoon.

His English is a bit hard to get at first and there are the usual annoying questions at times from a few in the crowd who keep trying to vocally answer questions he asks us to pose ourselves…but listen to this man. He gets it. At one point it looks like the cameraman fell asleep- where’s the Zen whack stick when you need it? :)

The Light is to be shared. I humbly present to you the teachings of Yo Hoon.

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The Answer is a Few Breaths Away

On May 24, 2011, In Meditation, Taoist Philosophy, Time Management, By Pedram

In this modern age of terrabyte data transmissions and the world of Google at our fingertips, things move fast…really fast. This, in my opinion has led to the compression of TIME in our consciousness. This time compression syndrome as I like to call it can be seen in people all over the modern world. The earth is spinning and revolving around the sun at roughly the same rate it has for millions of years and yet, in our modern world we’re all short of time.

Time compression is an issue with consciousness itself…not time. What is time? An artificial construct that allows us to meet for coffee and agree on something. Consciousness? Yeah- that’s the only game in town. It is the quality of our consciousness that determines how we experience LIFE- not time. However, it is our entrapment and mental pathology that binds us to the concept of time.

The question really isn’t how much time do we have but really how much ENERGY we have and how present we are in the living breathing moment. There is no time in the eternal present. When we learn to “stop the world” and tap into the infinite energy in the eternal present, then we have just stepped out of time.

When you find yourself getting worked up and feeling this Time Compression Syndrome creeping in, take a moment and “pop in the clutch”. Take a few deep breaths and step out of the “time wave” you feel caught up in. Take a sip from the Fountain of Eternity and gather your awareness back to the present moment.

YOU are in charge of that dial. You are the only person that can guide the speed and frequency of your consciousness and you are the only person who is in control of how you emanate here on the planet. Slow down, breathe deeply, and check in with yourself. Time is an illusion. Step back into the driver’s seat and gather yourself. Mastery is a few breaths away.

CLICK HERE to listen to a helpful Buddhist mediation that will help you with this.

Have fun.

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