I may not, but I do....

I may not always believe you all the time
but,
all the time I do believe in you

I may not always trust what you say
but,
all the time I do trust in you

I may not feel good sometimes when you are around
but,
all the time I do feel good to have you around

Beyond polarities and judgements is a place where we meet
but,
without resistance enjoy each other for a while

Beyond words is every experience which embodies profound paradoxes

with neutrality I always see them both,
but,
in my humanness,
I may not be as neutral to both
favoring one more than the other,
but,
now I know that I am
consciously favoring one and not the other

What I wanted was right there...

All I ever wanted was peace and harmony
Little did I realize that it was right there within me
All I needed to do was to appreciate
the other, and
the disharmony and chaos
as the keys for my own growth

When I walked the river trail before
there was much tumult everywhere
sensations, thoughts and feelings
waters flowing
birds chattering
predators preying
wind blowing the leaves
bees humming all around

Now the trail is still the same
sensations, thoughts and feelings
waters flowing
birds chattering
predators preying
wind blowing the leaves
bees humming all around
but it all happens on a fabric of peace
on a backdrop of stillness
in a vast space of silence

Everything is the same but perhaps not

An enchanting Sunrise this morning

Grey skies greet this frosty morning
but for a fleeting moment
edges of rain clouds turn reddish orange
as if blushing to see the Sun awaken
but for a fleeting moment
the reddish orange yellow hues
become diffuse hiding the source
then a downpour  with many layered sounds
of raindrops kissing the earth
warmth of the glow infuses and diffuses in every drop
tiny sparrow seeks shelter under the eaves
beloved's joy dances in the entirety
smell of rain radiates from parched grounds
the heart quietly sips this lovemaking
but for a fleeting moment
an enchanted Sunrise gives way to the day ahead
knowing full well that clouds come and go
but the sky remains

इन्सानियत की बात

निकल पड़ा था मै घर से 

ढूँढने अपना भगवान

दिखी सड़क पर मेरी इन्सानियत

दबी हुई कूड़े के नीचे

नज़र चुरा के मैं चला हौले हौले 

कहीं देख ना ले वो मुझको

लग जाये ना अनंत बेगार इन्सानो की 

रह जाये ना भगवान

बोली कराह कराह के

मुझी से मेरी इन्सानियत

ढो रहा है तू अपनी लाश

जब तक मेरी बुनियाद नहीं तुझमे

नहीं टिकेगा कोई भगवान॥

A perfect mirror....

Want to see your Self in a mirror?
Go to any tree
Hold it in embrace
In perfect neutrality
Now look within your heart
Wait in natural ease
Let the tree mirror
Your self to you
Settle down for a few minutes
You will be intoxicated
By your self
That you may not
Be able to walk straight

A prayer...

Let the mind be natural

Let the body be

Let the heart be open and flowing

Let there be curiosity

Let every inbreath be a surrender with gratitude

Let every out breath be a response from that

When there is nothing left to surrender

Let there be silence

I was alive but perhaps I did not live...

Darkness is not black
Silence is not silent
Stillness is not still
Emptiness is not empty
Meditation is not meditate-ing

Somewhat less than 30 years ago in my undergrad intro to public speaking class I wrote a speech about meditation and called on the class to try it for some of its, then sparsely, published benefits. I remember the teacher rebuking me for making a speech with religious orientation. I was a rebel, so every speech from then on was somehow related to meditation. Needless to say I squeaked out with barely passing grades.

So, nearly thirty years later, I share my own detour from my own speech to others and my coming home with this:

Meditation is not sitting, with eyes closed, and silent with nothing on the mind in an empty room. I would challenge any religion that claims to own meditation. On the contrary, meditation is not even a verb- its a state that happens when, perhaps, all the senses connect to the whole and all happens just as it should. Everything happens as before- the mind chatters, the desires rise and fall, anticipation happens, memories replay, some foods create a lot of gas, some people piss you off, aches and pains come and go like the seasons, etc. But, something gradually changes or maybe it goes back to its own way.

The doors are everywhere; the key is in the heart; open it, and walk right in.

Is anything ever lost?

Why, O Why....?

Why do we stay within a gypsy-circle, when being is boundless, everywhere
Why do we fear death, when being is timeless, eternal
Why do we fear life, when being IS life itself
Why do we fear love, when being is unconditional love
Why do we fear the other, when there is only one?

The antidote is within the heart; look, listen, follow it.

All I needed...

Someone wiser than me once said, there's a football field worth of space for every golf-ball size of matter in the existence. Some of it is right within. That space is the fertile ground for the very growth of that seed. Here's to the hope and promise that everyone of us finds that space...


All I needed was a little space,
    to contemplate,
      to flow, and
        to heal
In my darkest night, I needed you, 
    who called me their own, 
        to hold this space for me
Instead, what I got was a heartbreak,
    how could I have gotten anything else,
       from those who lack themselves
For this, though, I offer my deepest gratitude,
    infinite were its broken pieces strewn across,
        each a little heart in its own,
              arranged in vastness beyond all imagination,
                  each inviting me to dive right in
To dissolve in this space, to surrender, to discover, and to grow.

Do Aspens tell us something about ourself?

What do 125 hearts beating in harmonious rhythms sound like?

Recently I had the honor of presenting HeartMath to a group of leaders within a local organization. As I walked into the conference center, the participants were busy eating their lunch and conversing with one another. The room had very high ceilings, nonetheless the din was very pronounced. There was a lot of movement. Meanwhile as I centered myself for the presentation in the green room, I noticed a fear that after lunch people might doze off, yet remained curious to see what unfolds.

The presentation started with a video and an overview of the value proposition for them and I introduced myself sharing a little of my background and the journey. I invited the participants to try the Heart Focused Breathing technique... followed by participants sharing their own experiences. They described it as: connected to self, calm, relaxed but alert, silent, etc.

To reduce their cognitive overload, I shared only a few slides of the science behind the technique. Then we tried a slightly longer Inner Ease technique to end the presentation, while I remained curious to feel the harmonious rhythms of 125 hearts.

As someone wiser than me once said the only difference between noise and music is that the music has energies in harmony. So, what do 125 hearts in harmonious rhythms sound like?  A musical piece like no other I had heard before... perfectly silent, still, awake and aware. It was a surreal yet energizing experience. 

Each day...

Try as I may...

Try as I may, I could never drink the ocean
so, nature devised raindrops, to quench the thirst, for me

Try as I may, I couldn't eat the earth to survive
so, nature devised food, to satiate the hunger, for me

Try as I may, I couldn't bathe inside the Sun
so, nature devised water, to carry its warmth, to me

Try as I may, I couldn't possibly experience the wholeness
so, nature gave me a heart to carry the wholeness with me

Stop, look, listen to your own heart, it's the nature that whispers softly.

What's this HeartMath stuff?

People have asked me what's this HeartMath stuff? Too often it becomes a challenge to explain the stuff separate from the brand. I am happy to realize that I am in trouble whenever I find myself using the terms like Heart Rate Variability and coherence. Even if I find someone who gets this stuff, like a physician, they end up asking: so why do they call it heart math. One doctor wanted to know what was the mathematics of the heart... So, finally, instead of explaining what HeartMath is or is not, I let them experience it. Typically, the experience is very noticeable in the first couple of minutes. So, here I share a recording for a routine that I practiced myself, for you to experience your own heart's mathematics.

#withCompassion: HHDL the 14th, visits California.

This July 4th His Holiness Dalai Llama the 14th is visiting the LA area. The two day event is called Compassion Summit and appears to be sold out. It is also his 80th birthday celebration. I am, and I'm sure this world is, grateful for the Dalai Llama's wisdom and his work. The only thing I could muster up about compassion is that if it were available in a pill, it would be the most prescribed medication in the world. However, I suspect the insurance companies would not cover it as it wouldn't be classified as a medical necessity ;-).  

Home is where the heart is, why wait?

My Gratitude to Johnny Appleseeds of Compassion

What might you see when....

What might you see when.... you look through the eyes of your heart?

Hummingbirds dancing midair
Bees pollinating with a fervor
Mallard couple floating by in love
Rose simply blooming
Mockingbirds singing aloud
Butterflies fluttering by
River quietly on her journey
Hawks in surrender to thermals
Tall grasses waving in the breeze
Ants busily working
Cats napping in shade
Rooster crowing with all his strength
Children overflowing with love
Squirrels storing food for winter
Heron meditating in the pond, so the fish thinks
Turtles sunning their backs
Fish steady steadfast in flow
Bullfrogs seeking attention
Snails crawling back and forth

Ripe fruits dropping back to earth
Fragrances wafting in the air
Cars creating melody of layered sounds

Ladybugs snacking on aphids

Bluejays frolicking from branch to branch

.... None of these!

What you might see is the one, in stillness, who is enjoying all of these.

What flows in stillness