Meditation Must Have: Hugger Mugger Zafu and Zabuton

I've been meditating for years and think it's an invaluable part of life, enriching all areas.  However, I have not done this with any great regularity.  One reason is that it's difficult for me to wrangle in my energy, empty my mind and just sit still. 

Recently I discovered a wonderful solution for this.  Proper meditation cushions make an enormous difference in motivating me to sit.  Having a designated spot is very helpful, and if you are able to sit in comfort then you are more likely to want to sit and to stay there longer.

Hugger Mugger carries some very cool yoga and meditation supplies.  I'm crazy about their Zafu cushions and Zabutons. A Zafu is a round meditation cushion and a Zabuton is the flat rectangular cushion that that goes under it.  Sitting on the Zafu with your legs crossed on the Zabuton helps to align you spine and optimize breathing.

The Zafu has buckwheat filling which is removable so that you can customize your fit.  For me, it was perfect just the way it came and it molds to my body making it very comfortable to sit and taking the pressure off my lower back.  It has a carry handle and comes in different colors and patterns.

The cotton filled Zabuton is very soft and supportive under my legs and feet and I love the carry straps that also serve to cinch the cushion to utilize in other ways such as a bolster.  The cushion is soft and supportive under my legs.  The whole space created with the Zafu and Zabuton makes for a nice ritualistic spot and place to center your mind and body.

My little one has his own set and together we meditate, side by side.  I've told him that this is his safe place that he can have at his disposal to release negative energy or get grounded, and  I find the same for myself.  What a wonderful luxury to have this special space--if I had known how much it would strengthen meditation practice, I would have got meditation cushions a long time ago.  If you are looking to enhance your own practice or are just getting started, check out Hugger Mugger for some wonderful quality cushions.

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Eightfold Path for the New Year

Happy New Year my wonderful readers!  Still needing inspiration for resolutions?  The Eightfold Path is the Buddhist approach to meaningful living, born from the Four Noble Truths.  While I don't identify as Buddhist per se, I look to this philosophy over and over as I find it the most concise, practical and beautiful approach to life.

Although the principles of the Eightfold path are all interconnected, sometimes it's nice to focus on one at a time (they're harder than they look).  Here they are, ripe to choose from to increase your quality of life (and those around you) for 2012.  You can go to this site for a more detailed explanation. 

1.  Right View:  Understanding the Four Noble Truths (essentially that life involves impermanence and suffering and the way to handle suffering is by practicing the Eightfold Path).  Understanding Karma and the true nature of the world.

2.  Right Intention:  Ethical commitment.  Intentions toward harmlessness and good will, and resistance to aggression and desire. 

3.  Right Speech:  Avoidance of harsh and offensive words, slanderous, hurtful or false speech, and abstinence of idle chatter.  Speak with kindness, warmth, honesty and generosity. 

4.  Right Action:  Wholesome bodily actions which lead to a sound and peaceful state of mind.  Abstinence from harming or exploiting others (including animals), acting with kindness, respect and compassion. 

5.  Right Livelihood:  Peaceful, legal, righteous earning of one's living.  One's livelihood should not harm others, including animals. 

6.  Right Effort:  Willful intention and focused mental energy toward the other principles.

7.  Right Mindfulness:  Refinement of observation.  Clear consciousness, the ability to see things as they really are. 

8.  Right Concentration:  Concentration on wholesome actions and thoughts practiced and refined through meditation.

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ZEN GHOSTS by John Muth

My son and I eagerly await John Muth's Stillwater books and I'm so thrilled to have this latest effort, ZEN GHOSTS, which takes place during my favorite time of year, Autumn and Halloween.  Stillwater, the giant panda is my most adored contemporary children's book character.  But these books are obviously not just for children.

Addy, Michael and Karl, featured in the prior books, are getting ready for Halloween.  Stillwater  joins them for festivities and reads the children a story by candlelight.  The vibe of the book is both cozy and mysterious.

As you can tell from the cover, the illustrations are magical.  There is a two page spread depicting trick or treating that is magnificent, so visually the book is incredible, and perhaps the most striking one of the series to date.

The Buddhist theme is appropriate for young children as they can be even more receptive to subtle teachings than adults.  In some ways, a koan is more accessible to a child.  As with the other two Stillwater books, Zen Ties and Zen Shorts, this is a story within a story and this one goes pretty deep.  What genius to contemplate illusion in a Halloween setting!  What is real and what is not real?  "Which Senjo is the true one?  Are they one or are they two?"  This book works on many different levels and I can't get enough of it.  Find it HERE.

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Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

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Every now and then a book will find its way into your hands that feels like an intimate conversation with  an old friend.  For me, Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life is one of those books.

Not really all that instructional per se, this book is unassuming and comforting and lets you know you are not alone in your endeavors with spirituality, relationships, motherhood, and mundane tasks like laundry which Miller uses both literally (we need to get our hands dirty) and metaphorically.   Real, meaningful life is deeply embedded in the mundane tasks and Miller is validating and celebrating those moments which go unnoticed, begrudged,  and/or delegated to others because we think we have more important work to do.

As  a child I was painfully aware of the passage of time and since becoming a mother I ache with this awareness.  Still it's quite an effort to stay in the moment and really experience the present (cliche as it is).  Precious moments with the most important person in my life, my son, pass by at light speed.  Miller totally gets it, has struggled with it herself and offers compassion and insight.  Embrace your life as it is, right now, she encourages.  Be present in your own life.

She shares her own flaws and vulnerabilities and made me cry, more than once.  She is a Zen Buddhist priest but that doesn't come through so much in this book, and I think that's the point.  She is not cold and detached, but warm and accessible.  Never did I feel in reading this that someone more enlightened than me was telling me how it is, there's nothing lofty, just something Raw and Real.   I can't wait to read Miller's former book, Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood.

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