Emerson Quote

by | Tuesday, January 18, 2011 | Spirituality

I started reading Emerson and Thoreau in elementary school.  I remember getting so excited when I found out that they actually knew each other!

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“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone

to tell you that you are wrong.  There are always difficulties

arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right.

To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I would add that the path is one of discernment.  One does well to use time wisely.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Karma

by | Monday, January 17, 2011 | Spirituality

When a ball is rolling, you can calculate where it will stop.  Such predetermination is termed ‘karma.’

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Most of your karma exists between your ears and in your heart in the form your conditioning.

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Karma affords no freedom.

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Freedom means enlightenment—acting from the depth of your being.

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What physics calls ‘uncertainty’ is better termed ‘freedom.’

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Watch a video of Michael talking about Karma.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Devotion

by | Saturday, January 15, 2011 | Spirituality | 1 comment

The other day I was asked to write a blog about devotion.  It inspired yesterday’s blog entitled ‘tradition.’  At first glance, the connection between the two may seem minimal or at the very least abstract, but is it really?

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What are you devoted to?  And why?  You may be devoted due to nothing more than tradition.  Perhaps you were raised to be a particular religion, and that is good enough for you.  You could be devoted to many things for that same reason.

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For example devotion to God, country, spouse, friends, and in fact anything, can be explored in this manner.  For example, do you pick your friends?  or do they pick you? Where then, does devotion really come from?  What is it, really?

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Tradition offers a construct, a framework, that supports life assuming your relationship with it is healthy.  This was addressed in yesterday’s blog. Tradition then directs the focus of at least superficial devotion.  However, true devotion, of course, comes from a deeper place within the heart of your being.  It cannot be dictated.  It blossoms from within.  It may have been discovered through tradition, but it cannot be dictated by it.

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Inner turmoil results when your superficial devotions do not conform to your deeper truths.  Integration of life emerges when you live wisely within the world of tradition, all the while staying true to your inner self, your inner devotions.

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It is an integration of heart and mind, depth and surface.  When that is lived, tradition rises up to support your inner being, your evolution.  When it is not lived, your inner being becomes buried beneath the rubble of a no longer applicable tradition.  This is a time as confusing as it is delicate.  Tradition is to be honored.  It serves to uphold you.  However, times change, people change, your relationship with all things change.  Integration does not mandate passivity, or abandonment of self.   The only constant is the quiet depth of the ocean of your being.  True devotion begins and ends with devotion to that.  All else changes.

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These words could easily be manipulated to justify many inappropriate things.  They are not to be taken lightly or as an invitation to turn you back on current commitments and traditions.

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It is an invitation – no, it is an appeal – to look within and structure your life in devotion to the abstract, ungraspable truth that dwells there.  It is felt. It is not logically derived.

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Yet to be lived, it must be embraced in a reasonable manner.  All else in life must be navigated wisely and honorably, but navigated in the name of the highest truth, which is the divinity that dwells within you, eternally untouched by any rules, codes, laws, or traditions.

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It must also be navigated in honor of the fine fabric out of which the exquisite texture of life and tradition is made.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Tradition

by | Friday, January 14, 2011 | Relationship, Spirituality

Tradition in life is a supportive thing.  It gives time tested direction and parameters to life.  It is the means through which cultures culture the individuals within society.

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Yet like all things, tradition has it’s pros and cons.  For example, I have seen many couples try to force their relationship to conform to strictly traditional patterns.  Interestingly enough, I have noticed that those who have succeeded in doing so are sometimes resented.  I think the reason for that is two-fold.

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Firstly, some who may have on the surface rejected the limitations imposed by tradition at the same time hold those values deeper within, ingrained from childhood.   From that place of inner conditioning, ‘successful’ relationships act as a barometer – a glaring example of how they have fallen short of the ideal.

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Secondly, there is a sense that the uniqueness of the individuals in such a strictly traditional relationship has been compromised, stifled, and limited.

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This certainly creates a slippery slope.  When does conformity to tradition feed life?  When does it limit?  When does breaking away from such guidelines support or limit.  These are not easy questions to answer.  As with all things, a wise response requires reflection, inner exploration, self honesty, etc.

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Couples would do well to hold their relationship up to the light of both possibilities.  How does strict tradition feed their relationship; how does it limit?  It is a matter of discovering your true natures, and your relationship of that with cultural values.  It is not black and white.  It is not a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to society’s norms.  Rebelliousness, impulsiveness, fear, self judgment, resentment, etc. are all obstacles to such exploration. They are aspects that too would require exploration.

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All this does not just apply to spousal relationships.  It applies to your relationship with everything: God, your children, friends, relatives, your job, your health, on and on. For example, Ananda Maya Ma diverged from her cultural norms to be a woman spiritual leader in a society where only men were permitted that status.

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I am not encouraging rebellion here.  Nor am I encouraging a blind allegiance to a belief system.  As in all of life, truth dwells within you.  I offer this as an invitation to wisely and carefully explore the world you have created for yourself. Let it serve as a catalyst to the facilitation of your own evolution and happiness, and through you, the expansion of happiness of your spouse, loved ones, and the entire world.

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It all begins with you.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Lights

by | Monday, January 10, 2011 | Spirituality

In India they have the festival of lights.  In the US we have Christmas lights.

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There is something most fundamental about the psyche here… Lights in fall/winter…  The inner light of life.  Cultures have traditions rooted in the deepest fundamentals of life.

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To feed the root of life, nurture, honor and cherish the roots of the culture.  Keep it pure.  Brush off any moss it may pick up from time to time.

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Separate the wheat from the chaff, while understanding that divinity lies beyond the reach of secularity.   Cultures (traditions) are here to culture humanity.  Life is indeed subtle and delicate.  Hold it so.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Experience

by | Sunday, January 9, 2011 | Spirituality | 1 comment

The following is worth sharing.  It is from Craig Ballantyne, a fitness guru:

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‘ “Experience is not what happens to you. It’s what you do with what

happens to you. It takes a wise man to learn from his own mistakes.”

Kekich Credo #99 …

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The more you know about yourself, and the more you respond to this knowledge, the better your results will be. Start immediately.

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And remember…

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You are not your mistakes. Do not be too hard on yourself. If you make a mistake – and we all do – just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on track immediately. Learn from your experiences to become a better person each day.’

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Yogurt Cream Sauce

by | Saturday, January 8, 2011 | Health | 2 comments

Ever wish that yogurt did not curdle when you cook with it?  There is a simple solution.

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Whisk about one tablespoon of flour into about a cup of yogurt.  That is it.  Now you can go creative.

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For example, sauté some spices in a bit of oil.  Add the yogurt/flour mix and cook.

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How do you know when the flour is cooked?  Taste it.  If it tastes good, it’s good.

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Then add some spinach and/or other veggies.  Simple, healthy, and delicious.

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Regarding yogurts, I always buy real yogurt without the gums, etc.  In the grocery store, the real thing is usually labeled as ‘Greek yogurt.’  Even the fat free kind makes a great sauce.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Celestial Sight, Celestial Light

by | Friday, January 7, 2011 | Spirituality

My younger daughter was playing with her mom’s iphone and created this picture with one of the apps.

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We all have inner knowing.  Often, we like things that resonate with that inner knowing, if we are consciously aware of that knowing or not.  The picture is eerily similar to the experience of celestial sight, particularly when that sight first opens and is so overwhelmingly new.  Later,  it becomes more familiar. The image also gives a good sense of what earth spirits are and look like.  If you look carefully, you may feel like you can see some in the pictue.

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Remembering the paintings in the Hari Krishna books, my daughter’s picture made me think of a client I had years ago.  Those Hari Kirshna paintings also hinted at the experience of celestial sight.  I remember wondering if the artist had that level of perception.  One day, remarkably, he appeared at my door for a session.  When I asked him,  he said “no” he did not have celestial sight.  Yet I explained, like everyone, he did have ‘inner knowing.’

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You have inner knowing.  At first it is touched for moments here and there. To be a person of wisdom means living, speaking, and acting from that place.  In a world bombarded with preconceived notions, that is not so easy to do.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.

Fitness Gurus

by | Wednesday, January 5, 2011 | Health

The internet is a great thing.  Not so long ago, a great deal of knowledge was stored away in ivory towers… like the stacks in a university library or the shelves of an obsessive researcher’s office.  Today, with the internet, much of that cutting edge knowledge is right there at our fingertips.  We live in a great time, soon in my opinion to become much greater (albeit perhaps through some growing pains–but that is another subject).

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One year ago, at the San Francisco class, I announced it was time to focus on the physical body.  Since then, many of us have enjoyed fabulous results from the Bliss Ayurveda herbs.  A number have also worked with weight loss and physical conditioning.  I have done a great deal of research regarding ‘fitness gurus’ and would like to share those results with you.

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Firstly, and probably needless to say, most of what is seen on television is simply not the best that is available.  Aggressive marketing as opposed to real skill and knowledge seems to determine who gets on TV.

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Of the scores of fitness gurus I have learned about (and put their programs to the test), a small group stands out as truly skilled and knowledgeable.

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If you are interested in an aggressive approach to weight lifting and fat loss, hands down Nick Nilsson is the best of the best.  His programs are unbelievably effective.  “Metabolic Surge” is outstanding for fat loss and conditioning.  “Mad Scientist” is awesome for muscle gain and long-term conditioning.  “Muscle Explosion” is fantastic for short-term (28 day) muscle gain… full body with a targeted muscle group included.  Nick’s programs are not for the faint of heart, but are fantastic if you really want results quickly. He gets my highest rating for sure. He has a new book on Amazon, Muscle Explosion.

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For aerobic exercise and fat burning, I must tell you that jogging is out.  Intervals are in.  The research supporting this is extensive.  Go to www.intervaltraining.net to learn more.  It is a great site.  Doing intervals with weights is even better.  The Spartacus Workout is a really intense approach.  I did it for a short while and liked it, until I discovered Nick Nillson.

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Clubbells are another great thing to know about.  I use them every day for my warmups.  One five-pound club is all you need for that.  Many people use clubbells for their entire workout which if fine.  Many exercises compact the joints.  Clubbells open them.  If you have any sore muscles or joints, clubbells could be the solution. You can watch the video blog I recently posted.

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Alwyn Cosgrove is a highly knowledgeable expert in the field.  His books are great.  I did his Warp Speed Fat Loss program with good results.

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I now prefer Nick Nilsson’s work (see above).  Alwyn is a bit more into interval type work.  Nick is more into weight training.  I did Alywn’s undulating periodization workout from his book “The New Rules of Lifting” with good results.

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Jeff Cavalier (AthleanX)is also very good.  He is really into functional fitness for athletes and general conditioning.  His program is very good, though I prefer Nick’s.  Jeff and Nick are both on youtube. Though the real genius of Nick is in how he puts it all together more so than his specific exercises.

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Craig Ballantyne deserves mention.  Good basic information and he writes a lot of free articles.  In a nutshell I guess you would say he is into full body compound exercise interval type of routines.

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Mike Geary is also very good.  I did his routines for a while… similar to Craig’s routines.  Personally I prefer Mike.

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Of course, hatha yoga is good but most everyone knows about it.  Personally, five or ten minutes of yoga a day feels like enough for me, just to keep the muscles stretched.

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So there you have it.  Check all this out and, in my opinion, you are well on you way to the best the fitness gurus have to offer.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.