Greetings All ~

Cynicism, skepticism, mistrust and fear of the future often spring from our Ego's idea that there is a final outcome to events in life—that somewhere the timeline ends. That WE, ourselves, become a finished product. Yet the claim is we're Infinite.

Did life just stop being a joy or a struggle when the mortgage was paid or that relationship began? Did the 40-day meditation bring you closer to some sort of resolution? Or did it, along with each and every word or action simply serve to present you with Infinity?

We're alreadyinInfinity. The Universe non-judgmentally allows us as many lifetimes needed to complete karmic obligations. These are neither lessons nor punishments, as so often characterized. They are merely uncompleted cycles. Things you said you would do, but didn't. Vicky said she'd do a certain meditation for 90 days and then didn't. But it's ok. She'll just do it or its equivalent some other time, or even another lifetime.

It's easy to keep agreements when someone else is watching and accounting, but most agreements broken are those made with ourselves.This reneging comes from our Ego's attachment to the illusion of a final outcome and its distraction withmaya. It can sway us from our path (which, by the way, can also be an illusion).

Following the song of your Soul, that joyous jump in the heart, signals you are acting in dharma—actions that preclude the incurring of karma.

And guess what? When all the earthly agreements are completed, the Infinite part of us moves on. But with the investment the Ego has in this world, wecouldthink we're complete. However, we exist forever and beyond the fulfillment ofkarma.

I cannot begin to tell you how relaxing it was, realizing I didn't have to finish everything in this lifetime. For awhile it made me lazy, until my soul started clamoring for attention. I hit a bottom and got my act together again, this time practicing for the Soul (dharma), not the Ego (karma). Ego will elbow its way in, and sometimes I just let it. But now I'm more aware of it. That's the purpose of karma, to bring awareness to dharma.

The Bandhana Kriya is a pranayam practice that helped me to clarify the relationships of Soul/Ego anddharma/karma to Infinity.

Bandhana Kriya
Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine. Press your hands together in an active Prayer Mudra (as above). The hands must be exactly pressed together, the fingers must be exactly fitted against each other, the thumbs fully connected, and palms perfectly pressed together. The eyes are 9/10ths closed with a line of vision paralleling the nose—with an eye on each nostril, not the tip of the nose (unusual, and important). Inhale deeply, hold the breath in, and mentally chant Wahe Guru eight times. Then exhale completely, hold the breath out, and mentally chant Wahe Guru eight times in the same rhythm and rate. Continue 31 minutes.

I'd love to know how this or any other practice has helped you.

Lend a hand, but take care of yourself. Relax, but meditate and practice.

All Good Things,
Vicky Jap Dharam Rose

Greetings All ~

Kindness is a practice. It takes strength to to be kind when challenged or attacked. The practice of kindness is cultivated and grows into a habit and eventually becomes part of you.

Using an old metaphor: Brushing your teeth. As a kid, your elders reminded you to practice it each day, twice a day. It becomes part of your M.O. and the teeth become a healthy and maintained part of you.

We often use the formula of 40-days to manifest transformation. Remember "It rained for 40 days and 40 nights?" It has to do with the electro-magnetic field and red blood cells. Red blood cells have iron in them and so are very electro-magnetically sensitive. These cells are constantly regenerating and recycling themselves pieces-by-piece. It takes 40 days for all parts of all the cells to be fully renovated. If practiced, a mantra, meditation, hate, independence, devotionor anything for 40 days becomes your vibration. When continued, it doesn't dissipate—it becomes you. It's yours.

I've gained self-esteem from practicing kindness. Having learned I am and can be a good soul is most nourishing. It has not been without its challenges. Kindness wasn't the power of example in our household. Some of my very early memories are of being both confused and horrified at how mean my family members were to one another. Out of survival I joined in and kindness wasn't a habit—quite the opposite!

Here are a few practices I still use to solidify the habit. 40 days of:

No gossip—that can mean changing the subject or leaving the room when it's happening
No criticizing—that can mean holding my tongue until asked
Asking those who may be upset with me how I may serve them
Going the extra mile
Looking through the eyes and listening with the ears of love

Below is a beautiful pranayam. My experience is that it both energizes and calms me enough to practice kindness.

Meditation for Developing Your Human Kindness

Also known as Bandhu Dya Kriya
Bandhu means "brother or comrade; " Dya means "kindness;" and kriya means "action."

In this kriya, the magnetic field interlocks into the psyche of Self. Do it with a lot of reverence, very calmly.

Posture: Sit in easy pose with your spine straight, chin in and chest lifted. Place your hands in the mudra.

Mudra: Rest your elbows alongside your rib cage. Place your hands in front of your chest, palms facing up. Bring the base of your palms together. Touch the pinkie (Mercury) fingers together. Touch the middle (Saturn) fingers together. They will form a triangle. Ring (Sun), index (Jupiter), and thumb (Earth) are held apart from the rest of the hand. Hold this in front of the heart. Do not touch the chest.

Breath: Inhale through the nose in eight strokes by breaking the inhalation into eight separate "sniffs." Each stroke takes about one second. Exhale completely and totally with a whistle through the puckered lips. Don't worry if the whistle sound isn't perfect every time.

Eyes: Not specified

To start, continue for no longer than 11 minutes. After one week, to add one more minute to your practice. Thereafter, each week you can add another minute, up to a total time of 31 minutes.

Happy breathing! Kindness is the path to joy, love, understanding, compassion and grace.

Lend a hand, but take care of yourself. Relax, but meditate and practice.

All Good Things,
VickyJapDharamRose