Tag Archives: yoga

Kindness in Daily Living

As with last week, we have another new guest writer. This time, Lori Deschene tells us how she applies Buddhist ideals to her everyday life. If you would like to do a guest article, drop me a note at brian@dailybuddhism.com with your topic idea, and I’ll contact you with a few easy requirements.


Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene

Kindness in Daily Living

At my big, fat Italian Christmas gathering two family members got in a fight that ended with screams and tears. Though it doesn’t happen often nowadays, I grew up around similar chaos. Oftentimes I drowned it out, but sometimes I fueled it, and other times I caused it. Then I discovered a few Buddhist principles that changed the way I acted and reacted. I learned to offer compassion instead of judgment;to diffuse hostility with understanding and kindness. When I saw how profoundly that affected my state of mind and everyone around me, I decided to practice and get better at it.

That, I believe, is the core of Buddhism: clearing your mind of fears, selfishness, and anger so love can work its magic. And it truly does take practice. It starts with meditation or yoga. They’re like mental maintenance; you stop your persistent internal monologue and find a sense of stillness. From that place of just being;instead of seeing the world around you with a critical eye;you can respond to people with loving-kindness, also known as ‚Äúlove without attachment.‚Äù That’s selfless love. And its effects are addictive.

So how do you practice in daily life? I take it off the yoga mat in four steps:

1. Commit to at least three random acts of kindness every day. Maybe it’s something simple, like telling someone they’re great at their job. Or perhaps it requires more effort, like helping an elderly woman with bags. Of course there is no limit! Kindness is like a fire;the more you stoke it, the brighter it burns.

2. Work toward kinder thinking. Example: a friend snaps at you for something that’s not your fault. You’re human;at first you might feel annoyed and think she’s being unfair and irrational. Choose a more compassionate thought, like: She’s feeling defensive, and that must be painful. What can I do to help? Kindness in thinking leads to kindness in action.

3. Ruminate on the kind deeds and thoughts of people greater than yourself. Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa;these leaders inspired millions with their strength, humility, and kindness. We all carry the exact same potential to change lives by being better, stronger, and kinder every day. Even if you inspire just one person, you’ve tapped into your personal power.

4. Remember kindness is contagious and addictive. Many times when you act with kindness it comes back to you. When it doesn’t, you’ll still feel blessed. Positive intentions;and their ripple effect on your self esteem and state of mind;are greater than any validation you could get from someone else.

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”– Dalai Lama

Lori Deschene lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes for Discovery Girls Magazine. Follow her inspirations at http://twitter.com/BeMeaningful

Other Forms of Meditation

Other Forms of Meditation

Today we wrap up the mega-series on meditation by mentioning a few other forms of meditation. There are probably others that I haven’t thought of, as there are limitless ways to meditate, and unlimited numbers of subjects to contemplate.

Who Am I? – Self-study meditation to eliminate all false ideas of self.

Meditation via Prayer – Basically what it sounds like.

Thought Power – Self-hypnosis, positive thinking, laws of attraction, etc.

Emotional Meditation – Like yesterday’s loving kindness in practice, but substituting thoughts of sadness, giving, graciousness, surrender, and forgiveness.

Yoga – while practicing yoga, one is meant to be aware of all parts of the body and the movements of those parts. Consciousness of the breath is also heavily stressed in Yoga.

Martial Arts – Often stresses the life force, the body, the mind, the breath, and the concept of oneness.

Sex – Tantric sex requires mental and physical discipline as well as most of the same benefits of Yoga.

Whichever form(s) of meditation you choose, you will enjoy lowered levels of stress, and possibly increased physical health as well. These are documented, scientific benefits of meditating regularly.
In addition, of course, are the spiritual, psychological, and karmic benefits to meditation, which are a bit more subjective, but most practitioners give these heavy value as well.

It’s easy‚Ķ Just sit.

That’s all I have for you on meditation for the moment. I suspect you have questions about meditation, which I’d love to cover before moving on to another topic. Send in your questions by email at dailybuddhism@gmail.com or phone them in at 937-660-4949. I don’t have anything special planned for next week yet, so now is a great time for questions, meditation-related or otherwise.