Some Common Sense Guidelines and Reminders for Teaching Yoga to Disabled People.
In teaching Yoga to disabled people, be they handicapped by birth, from a car or other accident, or by a land mine explosion, we may have more fruitful and meaningful classes and interactions with them if we keep some things in mind. These include:
• Arrive early for the class and greet each learner with enthusiasm and respect.
• If possible, have those with similar injuries in the same class together. In other words, those who are missing the left leg learn together, those who are missing the right leg learn together, etc. This allows the teacher to better monitor the learners and assist them in doing the postures that are asked of them to learn and perform.
• If the learners use artificial limbs, allow them as individuals to decide whether to keep them on or detach them.
• Those who are missing limbs seem to be comfortable with doing postures on their back, such a leg raises, knee grasps or the bridge or on their stomach, such as the cobra posture, bow and half – locust. Of course, as we all know, everybody loves the corpse posture.
• Let the class be free to whatever extent possible. In other words, allow the learners the freedom to become comfortable with practicing and the postures. If they laugh or giggle at you or the practice, do not lose patience with them, get angry or discipline them. They will eventually work their way out of being such a way.
• If you are teaching people of a different country, culture and language then you, try to learn the vocabulary and structures necessary to teach them Yoga in their own language. If possible use a translator and be mindful about cultural taboos that may interfere with their ability to feel comfortable while doing the Yoga practice and class. This could include things such as mixing men and women together instead of keeping them separate or pointing one’s feet to each other when doing the sitting forward bend or corpse posture.
• Try to keep the class shorter then you would for your regular students as those with disabilities most likely will get tired faster then those who do not have disabilities. I try to make the classes no longer then fifty minutes long though frequently the class will be closer to 35 to 40 minutes long.
• Ask the learners frequently how they are doing and feeling about and while practicing the various postures and techniques. If you feel the need, make the class shorter then usual. You do not need to push or cajole the learners in any way. The fact that they are there shows that they want to learn and practice.
• When having the learners do standing postures, try to provide them with chairs that will make the performance of these postures more manageable. If learners want to try the postures using their crutch or without any support at all, allow them to do such a thing.
• Make the learners mindful about what the most important and doable postures are for them to learn and perform and when they practice them in class, have them do them at least three times. When doing these postures, give them a longer rest period between postures then you would your regular students.
• Teach and react to the learners with compassion while at the same time encouraging them and reminding them of the importance of the posture practice and what they are capable of doing.
• At the beginning of the session give them a brief introduction to inform or remind them of what Yoga is and why we learn and practice it. At the end of the session give them a longer lecture that gives them some inspiration about what they can do with their life and mind regardless of their physical condition and remind them of those things that they have to be thankful for.
• NEVER RIDICULE A LEARNER IN FRONT OF THE CLASS OR IN PUBLIC! If there is something about the behavior of one individual or the class as a whole that you feel is inappropriate, try to call attention to it in a relaxed and humorous way.
• If a learner wants to work out his or her own way of approaching and performing a posture, allow him or her to do so with little or no interference from you. After they have made their attempt, privately suggest ways that may be of help to them.
• Understand that there is much that you can learn from your students in these classes and take and make the time to talk with them, understand how they feel and answer their questions.
• Change the tempo of the class from time to time. This means that one class can be active and vigorous, while another class can be slower and involve the spending of more time explaining how each posture is bringing them benefits.
• The practice of meditation may be a challenging one to teach as learners may have to struggle with finding and performing a posture that they find to be steady and comfortable. Make them mindful of the various ways that a meditative posture can be performed and if possible provide them with blankets, pillows, etc. that assist them in holding the posture and make it less demanding of them.
• Allow the learners to spend at least ten minutes in the corpse posture at the end of the session. This time can be one of silence, while at other times it can be one where they are given easy breathing techniques to perform or are exposed to a brief lecture that summarizes the class, teachings of Yoga or makes them mindful about other aspects of life and their being.
Teaching Yoga to those who are disabled or have been disabled can be a very rewarding and humbling experience for the teacher of Yoga and give them greater mindfulness about their own practice and allow them to better appreciate the strength of the human spirit. It can be spiritually uplifting and insightful for them and bring about a healthier and stronger respect for all mankind.
In conclusion, if you are a new or experienced teacher of Yoga, take a look around your neighborhood, community and city and search out and find those who may benefit from learning Yoga from you. These people do not have to be wealthy and privileged people, but those who have a real need for Yoga and what it teaches, such as prisoners, abused and battered women, and those who are poorer and can learn in a community or neighborhood center.
Yoga is for all people to learn and grow with and from, not a tool to make us as teachers to feel special about ourselves or become well - known and famous through.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Some Reflections on Teaching Yoga to Disabled People in Cambodia
One of the most interesting aspects of life is to see how we change about something as we become more experienced and familiar with it.
Those of us who teach may remember our feelings the first time that we stood in front of a class, be it an English class, meditation class or Yoga class, and how we feel about the experience now.
Those of us who have done some travelling may remember how we felt the first time we visited another country and were exposed to its culture and people, and how we perceive such an experience now.
And those of us who have any kind of work experience may remember how we felt the first day on the job and how we feel about it now after years of going to the same place each day and having to perform the same duties and responsibilities there.
The same can hold true for our attitude about love, sex, eating and reading, among other things. The point it that the way we feel and relate to something or someone can undergo a change for any number of reasons.
This writer was once again reminded of this as he had the initial experience of teaching disabled people in Cambodia and how he feels about the experience of teaching them now.
By disabled people, we do not mean people who are born with handicaps, but people who have been made handicapped by one of the most disturbing of all of mankind’s inventions, the land mine.
This invention, plus a host of other weapons of war and sensual stimulants that are available on the market show just how ignorant and primitive we are as human beings, showing less enlightenment then the beasts of burden that ply in the rice fields of Asia or the sedate rock that lies minding its own business by the side of the road.
When this writer first started teaching these people, his feelings to them were one of great sympathy and awe, and as far as teaching them Yoga, one of wondering what postures and techniques would be most suitable and doable for them to learn and perform.
Now that they are familiar with me and I am familiar with them, some things have changed.
One thing that has not changed is that I still have a great deal of respect and admiration for them and marvel at their ability to carry on with their life with a degree of humor and acceptance. I seriously doubt that I could be so accepting and strong in the face of such a reality.
I have also been impressed by the fact that they make a sincere effort to do every posture that I ask them to attempt to do and if they fall or fail, react with laughter instead of disappointment and anger.
They never complain about the difficulty of the posture or how long they are asked to do the posture or how many times they are asked to repeat the posture.
The are also more comfortable with me coming around to touch them and I am also more comfortable with touching them. At times I have feelings about if the class and teaching is worthwhile, as all Yoga teachers do. This is because people stop coming to learn and practice, or it is difficult to gauge how much progress they are making from their practice and whether they will be able to maintain their interest and the effort involved in practicing after they leave the vocational training center where we teach them and return to their village.
Sometimes they would rather, as all people, be sedated by the dramas and news on television. Sometimes I reflect that the television can be as deadly, or at least as damaging to the soul, mind and consciousness as a land mine can be to the body.
Of course, what has become familiar to me can still be something that inspires, interests and excites another person.
I was reminded of this about four weeks ago when I invited a westerner travelling through Cambodia that I had met to come to the center and observe the class and meet some of the students.
After the class was over, he told me a number of times that he thought that that had been a really worthwhile and meaningful way to spend the evening and that it had given him much to reflect on.
And during a recent class, this writer was once again given much to reflect on when making sure that the students were correctly doing the corpse posture at the end of the class, some of the legs that he repositioned were cold and made of plastic, or when he wanted to help a woman position her arms correctly for a standing spinal twist, one of the hands that he reached for in order to position her arms was not there at all.
But this writer also remembers another time when he went to teach at the center and arrived early and many of the men, with their artificial limbs, were engaged in a rather active game of football.
When I see these people each time I go to teach, some being very young women no more the 17 years old, I frequently think of the horror and pain that they experienced when they first stepped on a land mine, and how their lives were changed forever and how they must deal with things each day that you and I never think about, and what kind of challenges they will have to face in the future, not only in their own mind, but in their life with others and the world.
But along the way, I see them laugh with and at each other, have relationships with each other that are loving and sexual, but also get angry with each other. Regardless of their disability, they have not lost their human feelings and they all do show great mindfulness and wisdom from time to time.
Perhaps it shows that a disabled body does not always disable the mind, consciousness and soul and a stable and balanced state of mind is more dependent on our habits and behaviors then on anything else.
One of our objectives in teaching them Yoga is to get them mentally and physically healthier and above and away from those feelings that can cripple them mentally and spiritually, just as those of us with two good legs and two good arms can be crippled in such a way. In this way, once again, we see that Yoga can be a tool, if one is dedicated to its practice, that uplifts the human spirit of all who come to it.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough is an educator and essayist who has worked full -time, part - time and on a volunteer basis as a teacher trainer of English language teachers, and teacher of English, Yoga and Buddhism for the last twenty years while living in Asia. He has written over five hundred essays on Yoga, Buddhism and better health and living which are widely available on the internet.
He is currently in the process of setting up a local NGO in Cambodia which has as its mission the providing of Yoga and Buddhist education programs for free to inmates in Cambodian prisons, Individuals disabled by land mine explosions, drug addicts in rehabilitation, battered, abused and abandoned women, and orphans and street children and adults. He has a deep belief in the power of the Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as a tool for individuals to develop themselves to their full potential, whatever their current situation, condition and past experiences may be.
If you are interested in finding more about his work or making a donation in order to support it, you may contact John at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com
John C. Kimbrough
The First Year is The Hardest;
Preventing Relapses in Drug and Substance Abusers through Yoga and Buddhist Teachings and Disciplines and Other Therapeutic Approaches
This writer has had, just as you, a number of experiences in his life that have left a long lasting impression on him. And like you, some of these impressions have given rise to wisdom, while others have given rise to confusion, pain and suffering.
I reflected on this once again recently when two new students came to the weekly Yoga sessions that I do here in Bangkok at The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since they were new to Yoga I tried to show and encourage them about how to make the practice of Yoga part of their lives while at the same time letting them understand what challenges it would provide them with. I found myself saying, as I have many times in the past, that the first year is the hardest, and that after that, one becomes more comfortable with the practice of Yoga and what it involves.
This idea of the first year being the hardest was something that I had also experienced at another time and context in my life, that being when some 25 years ago, I got away from a substance abuse problem that I had.
This problem was one that lasted for close to ten years and involved a daily preoccupation with, pursuit of, and use of drugs, except for two periods of time spent in jail or prison, one for eight months and the other for two and one - half years.
These times spent in jail and prison were as a result of drug use and an inability to live a balanced and mindful life because of the anxiety and personality disorders that led to the use of drugs in the first place, and an inability of myself and family to see these disorders and get counseling or treatment for them.
They were brought about through a number of factors, primarily of which were having been sexually molested by a neighborhood clergymen at the age of 13 and the neglectful and at times abusive attitudes and actions of my parents, who had divorced while I was still at a young age.
I found that the first year in getting away from my substance use and abuse was the hardest, as I had to deal with new feelings and ways of looking at things, while admitting that I had a problem and wanted to, more then anything in the world, stay away from drugs and other substances and maintain sobriety.
Of course now, I have been sober and free from any kind of interest or need for drugs, substances or alcohol for 25 years and seldom look at that experience in any way other than as one to learn from and laugh at, laughing at times at my ignorance and foolishness and at other times in a joy that it is gone forever and that there are better things to do with one’s life.
Though I was successful in getting away from drugs, many others are not, just as they may not be in staying out of prison, making a meaningful contribution to their family, community and mankind as a whole, or making the consistent practice of Yoga part of their lives.
In order to maintain sobriety and build on it in a meaningful manner, there are a number of things that Yoga and Buddhism can assist us with, while other therapeutic approaches, ones that for the most part seem to consist of nothing more then common sense practices, can also be of some assistance.
First, lets take a look at what Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines can give us.
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines make us more mindful. They do this through education, the acquisition of knowledge that comes as a result of that education and the practice of meditation. In meditation, we experience a number of things, one being that we see who and how we are with greater clarity. Sometimes what we see can be difficult or challenging to accept but it does educate us in a way that leads to wisdom.
Yoga and Buddhist teaching and disciplines also strengthen, purify, focus and balance the mind and body. This is accomplished through posture practice, relaxation practice, breathing techniques, meditation and making a determined effort to build our thoughts, words and actions around the moral and ethical guidelines that they provide us with.
Other approaches to cultivating and maintaining sobriety into one’s life and not having any kind of relapse involve things that one can do as individuals or therapists, caregivers and family and friends can apply and provide.
One of these is the cultivation of new skills and interests. This means that people can learn about and do something that they did not have a previous skill or interest in. It may be something very simple, such as reading or cooking, or something that requires more effort, such as learning to fly or play and participate in a new sport.
Another one is the cultivation of new habits. This involves using one’s time and energy in actions and activities other then to do something such as pursue drugs or use them.
It could involve spending more time doing housework and chores around the home, or watching less television and spending more time learning and educating oneself.
Those things that can be brought to an individual’s struggle with cultivating and maintaining sobriety by therapists, caregivers and family and friends are to nurture an individual’s strengths. Yoga, Buddhist and Christian teachings all remind us that we all have strengths and weaknesses. We as individuals can ignorantly think we are strong, or ignorantly think that we are weak and worthless. We need to make others mindful about what their strengths are as human beings and help them know the ways that they can build on their strengths.
Related to the idea of nurturing an individual’s strengths is that of not criticizing and condemning them out of our own ignorance, while at the same time making them mindful about what their weaknesses or shortcoming may be. This should never be done in a way that is abusive or demeaning or done in public.
In doing such a thing, we can acknowledge our own struggles with life and what our weaknesses are or may be.
Even though this writer gets much praise from various individuals because of his work, I always think of and refer to myself as being a weak person, because I am mindful about what those weaknesses are.
With mindfulness of what our strengths and weaknesses are, we weaken ignorance and provide a foundation for working on ourselves.
As people who are sincerely interested in assisting others to get to a better place in their lives, we wish to try to spend some really quality time with them in ways that gives them guidance and shows our friendship and affection for them.
Of course, one would think that this is something that parents would naturally understand and do, but the experience of many shows time and time again that this is not always the case.
Related to this is the idea of family therapy and counseling, so that all members of the family of the individual who is trying to cultivate and maintain sobriety into their life understand the individual and themselves and their own attitudes and habits better and that how they relate to and interact with each other are things that can add to the problem or assist in solving it.
The first year in any thing new can be challenging, be it a marriage, a job, doing time in prison, getting away from drugs, doing Yoga, going to the university or even something that on the surface seems enjoyable and satisfying, such as travelling the world or living in another country.
We usually find that the stresses and challenges that we face and overcome during that first year are ones that give us an experience and confidence that is much needed and can provide us with a firm foundation for greater mindfulness, wisdom and effort in subsequent years.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Yoga and Buddhist Teachings and Disciplines as Preventative Actions and Therapeutic Treatments for Drug and Substance Abusers
The treatment of those individuals who have developed a drug or substance abuse habit is an issue for all people who wish to engage themselves or are engaged in the treatment process to be concerned about, be they the patient, his or her parents, social workers, counselors and medical professionals, law enforcement officials and the legal system, and city, state and national governments who understand how drug and substance abuse drains resources and can compromise and destroy lives.
The problem can not be ignored because the habitual use of drugs and various other substances not only affects individuals in a damaging manner, but can also have a negative knock on affect on other people and segments of society.
Ongoing research, news reports and our own personal observations suggest that the problem is getting worse each year.
It is important to understand and remember that people from all walks of life, those being the wealthy, the middle class, the poor, the highly educated and those who have never been educated, the famous and the unknown, and individuals from different races, ethnic groups, nationalities and religions use drugs and can develop a drug problem.
There are drug users and there is a drug problem in every country of the world.
This essay is not meant to be exhaustive or authoritative in any manner, but only makes use of established knowledge, the teachings and disciplines of Yoga and Buddhism, and the writer’s personal experiences with drug use, association and working with drug users and long - term experience in applying, writing about and teaching the disciplines of Yoga and Buddhism.
It attempts to briefly summarize some main points regarding the various factors involved in drug and substance abuse and puts forth the idea that Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines can be of assistance in dealing with this problem.
Individuals come to a residential or outpatient treatment program for their drug or substance abuse problem because of one of three reasons. These are:
• Voluntarily and on their own, through a realization that they have a problem and want or need to deal with it.
• Through the intervention of their family, in which their seeking of treatment may be voluntary or not.
• Through the intervention of the law and legal process, in which their seeking of treatment is most likely not voluntary or has been forced upon them in some manner.
Once they get to the program, those individual’s who wish to make use of Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as a therapeutic tool to assist in their recovery should be mindful about the following things. These are:
- Why do individuals use drugs
- How drug use and substance abuse harms individuals and society as a whole
- Factors to consider in the treatment of drug and substance abusers
- How Yoga and Buddhist teachings can be of assistance in the treatment of drug and substance abusers.
With an understanding of these four things, plus experience with and an understanding of what they will teach and how they will teach them, teachers and other therapists and clinicians can use Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as a complimentary, secondary or primary therapeutic tool to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of drug and substance abusers. - Why do individuals use drugs
The need and desire of individuals to use drugs is often because of a number of factors, some of which come into play more often then others or are masked by and overlap with others. These include:
• The need to fit in or feel accepted by their peers and others. This is most common among adolescents, teenagers and young adults who may have not yet developed a strong self - identity or because of various factors, may be incapable of establishing one.
• The need to think and feel of themselves as being cool, hip or fashionable. An individual who is unsure of him or herself, or has not developed a healthy self – esteem or self – confidence, may need to feel that they are alright, accepted and “with it” through the use of drugs, especially if they see people who they think of as being a success in life or represent how they would like to live and be as being people who use drugs.
• The seeking out of pleasurable feelings or heightened sensations on both a mental and physical level. Drugs and other substances can give us a euphoric and pleasurable feeling allowing us to escape or deal with states of mind and situations in life that we perceive correctly or incorrectly as being stressful, uncomfortable or signifying that we are not a success in life. We also may unwisely think that drugs or other substances will heighten sexual pleasure or increase our ability to perform well sexually or in other things in life.
• As a way to deal with the conflicting and confused thoughts and feelings that can come about because of unwholesome conditioning. Unwholesome conditioning can be defined as various experiences including emotional, verbal, physical and sexual abuse or living in a deprived or disturbing environment such as one where there is poverty, widespread corruption and exploitation, family and community violence or neglect, civil conflict and war. All of these experiences and factors can give rise to states of mind and consciousness in which a person can feel a lack of understanding, insight, peace, joy and contentment.
• As a way to deal with or escape from interactions at home that do not acknowledge or deal with problems in a healthy manner, or lead to the formation of problems. If there are dysfunctional aspects within our family or among family members, there will also be a lack of connection and understanding among them, or an inability for them to assist each other in dealing with personal issues or challenges in life. If individuals are not having their needs and desires met by other family members they may seek out the pleasure that drugs gives them.
• As a way to deal with or escape from feelings of real or perceived stress at home, at work and in one’s relationships with others. Stress and associated states may make an individual unsatisfied or not content with what he or she has, or make them unable to build on those things in constructive and joyful ways. In addition, what one perceives a being stress may in reality be something more serious, such as a personality disorder, anxiety disorder, or depression. - How drug use and substance abuse harms individuals and society as a whole.
In many cases of drug and substance abuse, we find those who use drugs and other substances saying that they are not hurting anyone else and therefore it is somehow ok for them to treat themselves in this manner. Unfortunately, in adopting such an attitude, we overlook the host of problems that can develop because of habitual drug and substance abuse behaviors. These include:
• A hindering of their development as human beings emotionally and intellectually and as far as building healthy, wholesome and rewarding personal relationships, getting the most that they can out of their education, and establishing a work ethic and career.
• The creation of neurological defects that can result in cognitive - behavioral dysfunctions and problems. The use of drugs and other substances can seriously impair the functioning of the brain and nervous system, making unhealthy conditions that already exist worse, while in other cases bringing about an unhealthy state.
• An inability to allow co-existing disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit disorder, depression, etc, to be diagnosed correctly or treated in an effective manner. Individuals who use drugs and other substances frequently do so as a way to deal with other disorders, along the way making them harder to detect and deal with in an affective manner.
• A change in the way in which we approach people and experience interactions with them which can then affect in a negative manner an individual’s psychological and social development. When we are habituated to the use of drugs, they allow us to perceive ourselves and others and our interactions with them in ways that are not healthy, mindful or focused. This kind of incorrect perception can then build on itself, leading to more disturbing kinds of perceptions about and interactions with other people.
• Affecting the ability of an individual to formulate a healthy, balanced and strong understanding of themselves and self – identity, instead formulating one that may be superficial and false as he or she becomes more involved in the use of drugs. Drugs and substances do not provide those who use them any kind of long lasting or permanent mindfulness about who and how they are. Moment to moment feelings of elation, happiness and insight are nothing more then temporary and induced by a foreign substance.
• A greater likelihood of resulting and knock on affects to the individual and society and economy as a whole such as motor vehicle accidents, suicides, homicides, other forms of violence, delinquency, psychiatric disorders and risky sexual practices. The use of drugs leads to the use of and indulgence in other things and actions that can lead to illness, disease and death with little or no mindfulness.
• Feelings of isolation and alienation from people and the society as a whole. Drug and substance abusers start to only identify with drugs and their use and many times with only those other people who use them. This can then cut them off from other people, leading to feelings of alienation and isolation. - Factors to take into consideration in the treatment of drug and substance abusers.
In treating or dealing with those with drug and substance abuse problems in a mindful and successful manner, we need to be mindful about certain aspects of their life. These include:
• Their Age. The earlier that treatment begins of a drug user as far as their age, the more likelihood there will be to stop the onset of both short and long - term ill – effects. At the same time, it must be understood that age will also be representative of an individual’s interests, need, level of maturity, and intellectual development. Treatment and therapeutic approaches may have to be altered or tailored to fit the needs, and emotional and intellectual abilities of the individual.
• The amount of time they have been using a specific drug or number of drugs and the intensity and regularity with which they have used these drugs/substances for. If an individual has began the use of drugs at a young age or has indulged in their use for an extended period of time, treatment and an ability to stop their use will be more difficult for all concerned. This will also add to the economic cost for all involved. Individuals who have begun the use of drugs and other substances at a young age are also more likely to have other problems such as developmental disorders, co-existing disorders and perhaps neurological defects to deal with.
• Their ability to look at other aspects of their daily life and routine and experience and gain meaning and dissatisfaction from them. Many times those who use drugs lack the ability to derive contentment or meaning from other areas in their life. This is based on an inability to be thankful for the things that they have and know how to build on the things and opportunities that they have in a constructive and meaningful manner.
• The amount of quality support and understanding that they receive from other members of their family, friends and the community as a whole. Many people who come to and become addicted to drugs and other substances do so as a result of an environment that is dysfunctional, critical, condemning and abusive. Sometimes their psychological and social problems are made worse by their inability to know who to turn to for assistance and a lack of mindful, caring, interested and supportive peers, friends and family members.
• Their inability to make changes in who they associate with and how they use their leisure time. When one has developed an interest in and addiction to drugs, they are more likely to spend much of their free time pursuing and using them with like minded individuals which creates a major imbalance about how to live one’s life and use one’s free time in a constructive manner. - How Yoga and Buddhist teachings can be of assistance in the treatment of drug and substance abusers.
When we think about Yoga and Buddhism as being teachings and disciplines that can be used to combat the drug problem and widespread use of drugs, we can think of them as being applied in two ways.
One is that they can provide individuals with the guidance and insight so that they do not have to or need to turn to the use of drugs in the future. We can think of them here as being a preventative therapy.
The second is that they can be used to treat those individuals who have developed a drug or substance abuse problem. Here we can think of them as being an intervention therapy.
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines assist those who use drugs in the following ways:
• They provide an individual with a healthy set of mental, verbal, physical and behavioral guidelines which when understood and applied give a person a calm and focused state of mind, consciousness and being and also promote harmonious, understanding and compassionate living and interactions with others.
• They provide individuals with a philosophical underpinning and set of teachings that gives them greater insight into their own mind, consciousness and being while at the same time making them more understanding about others
• The practice of meditation, the major individual discipline of both Buddhism and Yoga makes an individual calm and focused, alleviating unwholesome and unskillful tendencies while strengthening aspects of an individual’s character.
• The practice of Yoga postures releases mental and physical tension, strengthens the mind and body, and brings about a healthier and more efficient functioning of the various organs and systems of the body. All of this allows an individual to grow in mindfulness, balance and wisdom.
• They make an individual more mindful about oneself, others, the world and the gift of life through a redirection of their energy and that energy can then be applied in an effort that is more constructive to all areas of one’s life.
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines are not being suggested here as a cure all for all people and in all situations in life.
Many people, be they drug and substance abusers or not, will be skeptical about what Yoga and Buddhism offer them or feel reluctant to or even resentful about learning them.
However, In most cases, situations and environments, a dedicated approach to learning and practicing them will be of great assistance to the individual who has a drug or substance abuse problem, while in others they can be applied in conjunction with other therapies and treatment approaches.
Yoga and Buddhism are teachings and disciplines that improve an individual’s life. It is because of the changes that they bring to individuals who sincerely make a commitment to learning and practicing them that we can think of them as being therapies and therapeutic approaches to dealing with drug and substance abuse problems in addition to a host of other real and imagined illness that face individuals and mankind as a whole.
As anyone who has made a commitment to learning and applying the teachings and disciplines of Yoga or Buddhism to his or her life has found and experienced already, it is impossible for there to not be short and long - term results of these practices that are healthy, beneficial and a joy to experience and behold.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Yoga: Understanding That The Disturbed Person is Not a Bad Person, But Just Possesses A Disturbed State of Consciousness, Part 1
One of the most significant teachings of Yoga is that which tells about the state of a person’s consciousness. Yoga says that a person’s consciousness may be ignorant, distracted, scattered, occasionally steady or restrained and controlled.
Yoga also tells us that the quality of our energy has a direct affect on the state of one’s consciousness.
Everything that we practice in Yoga has as its objective the evolution of quality of energy and hence one’s consciousness to one that is occasionally steady and ultimately restrained, whether it is the shoulder stand or non – violence, the sitting forward bend or non – greed, the cobra or contentment, or the dog posture and being fully mindful about our diet.
To understand this aspect of the Yoga teachings allows an individual to better understand what Yoga is truly about and why there is a need for a holistic approach in their application of the various disciplines of Yoga.
When we refer to a person as being disturbed, we are not condemning them as being a bad or dangerous person. We are acknowledging the fact that the state of their consciousness is not what it could or should be.
Someone who is practicing two of the important teachings of both Yoga and Buddhism, those being loving-kindness and compassion will not shun such a person. Instead he or she, be they a teacher or Yoga practitioner will make some kind of effort to assist the person in becoming more mindful. This effort may consist of just listening and responding with statements and questions that are enlightening, or may be such that it recommends various mental, verbal, physical and behavioral ways that will enlighten a person.
One thing that people who are involved in teaching Yoga will find frequently, as will psychiatrists and psychologists, is how an individual can become so attached to an unclear and disturbed way of looking at themselves, life and others.
When one possesses a disturbed state of consciousness we may find them to be impatient, anxious, fearful, easily led to anger and quick in their condemnation of others. In seeing this we want to remember two things. One is that we do not have to or want to be such a way, and two is that they do not have to be such a way.
If we are sincere in practicing Yoga and have really made progress from our practice, it will not show in what postures we do, or how long we sit for meditation, but in how compassionate, understanding, encouraging and supportive we are of our fellow man as he or she struggles with real and imagined issues and problems.
In being such a way, we are operating as Yoga wants us to, that being in a manner that we are a light unto ourselves and a light unto others.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and Living
John C. Kimbrough
Thanks for this John.
you wrote:
If we are sincere in practicing Yoga and have really made progress from our practice, it will not show in what postures we do, or how long we sit for meditation, but in how compassionate, understanding, encouraging and supportive we are of our fellow man as he or she struggles with real and imagined issues and problems.
I love the whole essay and the above passage strikes a particular chord with me. To me the true test of our spirituality is in our “simple acts of kindness” not only to people but to animals and our environment.
I know many people who do not practice formal yoga or meditation but who are kind people. Their kindness, to me, is also the practice of yoga.
Louis
Thankyou for the insightful reply Louis
John C. Kimbrough
Ingredients for Suffering: Conditioning, Ignorance, Attitude
Suffering in our life is caused by three major things, those being our conditioning, ignorance and attitude.
These three things work in unison to both create and intensify one’s suffering.
Conditioning means our experiences in life, both those that have happened only on one occasion, or those that have been constant and daily.
If an individual man or woman has been sexually abused in some manner on one occasion the conditioning from that may be less negative then if someone has been constantly ridiculed or demeaned on a daily basis over a number of years.
Conditioning can be very subtle or overt and in conjunction with ignorance can be potentially deadly to the mind, spirit and body, as we start to believe the negative and adverse thoughts, feelings and behaviors that we exhibit as a result of that conditioning as signifying who, what and how we are.
Ignorance keeps us from seeing our own true wealth and potential, not in a material sense, but in terms of our mind and spirit.
Ignorance keeps us from seeing that we can be loved and love, without having to use drugs or be part of a gang or clique, or look for love, friendship and acceptance through sex.
Ignorance can keep us from seeing that the anger and confusion that we may feel at present can be dealt with and let go of, and understood as a form of energy that can be changed into something more constructive.
In Yoga and Buddhism, ignorance means that we are not mindful that the pure energy within can be accessed and developed and that we can strive for in a fruitful manner and reach enlightenment.
Our conditioning and ignorance are those things that have a major influence on our attitude.
We can come from a wealthy, privileged and educated background and have a poor attitude, or come from poverty and the slums and have a good attitude.
Our attitude can make us look at suffering as being part of life or look at suffering as something that is being unfairly out upon us.
Our attitude can make us give up and be angry, cynical and pessimistic about the world, people, and our life and effort, or allow us to see the light within, the light in others and the light at the end of the tunnel.
Our attitude is what allows us to put forth the effort to change things for the better or keeps us and drags others down into the abyss that we think of as being the reality of life.
Attitude is so important because it is the ingredient that we have some control over in life, whereas past conditioning and ignorance can not be changed, but only understood.
With this understanding in mind, we all benefit when we examine to some degree what our current attitude is and that it can be changed or developed to something better or higher.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and Living
John C. Kimbrough
Flexibility, Mindfulness and Spirituality – Is there a Relationship?
Though this writer is a strong believer in the power of Yoga to make an individual mentally and physically healthier and bring about a positive evolution to their mind and consciousness, I continue to be impressed with the amount of mindfulness, wisdom and kindness among people who have never done any kind of Yoga at all.
Perhaps what this shows us is that the flexibility of a person is not representative of how mindful or spiritual a person can be or has become.
At the same time, those who do practice the physical aspects of Yoga on a regular basis find that as they continue with their practice, they do experience an ongoing unfolding of what may be described as a new and pure energy that has as its constituents mental states such as mindfulness and concentration.
Of course, living in the world that we live in, it is easy to get caught up in an egotistical state of mind and point of view because of what we can do with our body.
In Yoga, practitioners should never allow themselves to go down this path.
Instead we want to remember that we use the body as a way to see the mind and work with it while cultivating thoughts, words, actions and behaviors that are built around and on morals and ethics such as non – violence, honesty, non – greed, contentment, loving - kindness and austerity, among others.
It seems that many people in this world are thankfully already in such a state or well on their way to it, while others need to do a great deal of work in order to get to such a state.
We know that the flexibility that we achieve in our body is healthy to bring about, but it in itself is not representative of an individual being mindful or spiritual.
Mindfulness and spirituality is something that is brought about through a contemplative nature and humility in addition to being able to see the goodness, potential and suffering of others in the world, and acting on that in ways that are wise.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and Living
John C. Kimbrough
Yoga: Understanding That The Disturbed Person is Not a Bad Person, But Just Possesses A Disturbed State of Consciousness, Part 2
In understanding that a person can possess a disturbed state of mind and consciousness, we understand that the amount of money they have, their status in society and their educational achievements are not necessarily things that will automatically bring them wisdom, happiness, joy or contentment in life.
In fact, they may instead become overly attached to these things and chase them excessively, along the way becoming less content and greedier and further losing mindfulness.
They may also have personal issues regarding life and what brings them fulfillment in life that may create problems for them.
When one observes the actions of mankind, both his own and others, both past and present, both among the rich and poor, we find that people of all walks of life can become disturbed and distracted and lack any kind of insight or wisdom as to how to proceed along the journey of life.
We also see that there are many, many things in our environment that may confuse us or lead us astray promising us things in subtle and overt ways that we think will bring us fulfillment or happiness, but in practice can just further confuse, and in many cases hurt us.
What Yoga suggests that we do in order to lesson the harmful affects of a disturbed consciousness and make it one that is more steady and balanced is that we slow down, take a look at our priorities, interests, and the social and cultural environment in which we live, and bring a few new attitudes, actions and ways of living into our lives.
Yoga also wants us to understand that we should not feel guilt or shame or be sorrowful and despairing because of our state of consciousness.
Yoga teaches us that many of these things that we think and feel are as a result of our ignorance while we were and are conditioned by a host of external factors that we lack mindfulness about or were and are beyond our influence or control.
We may grow up in and be raised by parents that are neglectful or abusive or live in a culture where a man is only measured by and measures himself his money, material wealth and status.
We may also be led astray to think that the sexual and sensual gratification of our own desires is what is most important, thereby proceeding on a course of action and living that is habitually exploitive or disrespectful of others and also makes us lose mindfulness about the simple yet important things and actions in life that we can get wisdom and joy from each day.
What is most challenging for one who possesses this disturbed state of consciousness is to be able to look at themselves in an objective manner and being able to see that they could use some kind of assistance or change in the way they use their life energy and experience.
This change may consist of going to see a medical professional and being challenged in such a manner or may consist of learning a few new things about how to live in a way that allows the consciousness to undergo a purification and balancing.
Yoga tells us that its practices and disciplines, performed mentally, verbally, physically and behaviorally to both oneself and others will bring about such a purification and balancing.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and Living
John C. Kimbrough
Your insight and mindfulness is something that I can appreciate Louis
John C. Kimbrough
Regarding Oneself, Part 1 - This Opportunity
“Do Not Let Slip This Opportunity for Spiritual Growth” - Dhammapada 22:10
Our life can easily become one of pursuing comfort and pleasure.
With that and the conditioned state influenced by our cultural environment, past experiences and ignorance, we can find ourselves engaging in the same habits and routines day in and day out, sometimes finding ourselves to be bored, confused or dissatisfied with the way things are.
It does seem that many of the people living in both developing and developed countries throughout the world live a life built around the daily use of and indulgence in drugs or drinks, while others are always close to anxiety and anger.
Others live a life that is built on deceit or may even border on or consist of criminal activity.
This Buddhist scripture wants to remind us of two things.
The first is that life provides us with a great opportunity for spiritual growth.
Almost all people do have some free time each day of their life to take advantage of this opportunity, but instead choose to use it, or are habituated to using it through the pursuit of pleasurable and comfortable feelings.
If we have the time to watch television each day, or hang out with our friends drinking beer and talking trash, we certainly have the time to do things that will bring about spiritual growth.
And we are reminded that not only is this an opportunity for spiritual growth, but that we should not let it slip by.
Why is it that at the end of each day, we find ourselves retiring to our bed feeling lonely, or drunk, or still angry, hurt and confused about something that happened during the day or twenty years ago?
Does sex or the other pleasurable experiences that we can have in our life bring us a kind of momentary escape from deep - seated feelings of dissatisfaction or fear that we can not shake?
Are we getting addicted to both those things that we seek out for pleasure and these deep - seated feelings of dissatisfaction or fear to the point that they control our mind and in many respects weaken it?
If we let this opportunity slip by, will we still find ourselves thinking, speaking and acting in the same way five, ten or twenty years from now?
Will things be even worse, and will we find it more difficult then to find peace and meaning in our life?
The answer to these two questions is most likely yes.
We want to try to make a sincere attempt to take advantage of the opportunity that our life, our economic and social environment and our individual freedom offers us each day.
This lovely and wise Buddhist scripture wants us to understand that each day, in fact each mental, verbal and physical action provides us with an opportunity to grow in a new way, a way that can be interesting and a joy to experience, while at the same time making us healthier and more focused, and improving our interactions and relationships with all people.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Regarding Oneself, Part 2 – We Have to Strive Diligently
For those individuals who wish to learn and grow through and from the disciplines of Yoga, Buddhism, Christianity, or any other path or religion, their practice is one of working diligently and continuously striving to do those things that are asked of them to do.
We need to strive to learn those things that are taught to us.
We need to strive to understand what those things are.
And then we need to strive to apply those teachings and disciplines in our thoughts, words and actions.
Surely, our practice is one of striving.
Our study of the Yoga and Buddhist scriptures remind us of this again and again.
If we think that all we have to do is bow down to Jesus, make offerings to the monks and devote ourselves to one teacher or Guru, we may wonder why we still suffer from time to time, or do not come to that state of wisdom, clarity and mindfulness that we have been promised.
This is because a practice that involves things such as this is not really one of striving, but one that is somewhat lazy or not applied with the breadth and width that it should be.
Buddhism promises us that it is wisdom that will free us from suffering, as we will live a life alone and with others that keeps us away from those thoughts, words and actions that will lead to suffering.
We are advised to “strive hard and become wise” (Dhammapada 18:4) and that “you yourselves must strive, the Buddhas only point the way” (Dhammapada 20:4).
In Yoga, we are told that we must “diligently strive” (Bhagavad Gita 6:45) and that it is not enough to just strive but that we must “strive through proper means” (Bhagavad Gita 6:36), the proper means being the various teachings and disciplines that are taught in the scriptures.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali also call attention to this approach to practicing when in Chapter 1, verse 12, we are told that the mental modifications, those tendencies and fluctuations of mind and consciousness that create suffering and it is our objective to weaken and restrain are controlled and contained by “abhyasa” or repeated practice.
Repeated practice means a constant striving to reach an objective or goal.
When we start our practice of Yoga, Buddhism or any religion or faith, our conditioned tendencies will create obstacles to making quick progress and making this constant practice and striving part of our life.
This is understandable and also shows why it may be beneficial for people who are new to Yoga or Buddhism or struggling with making these disciplines part of their life to make some sort of commitment to weekend retreats or time in an ashram or temple, especially one where there is a set routine and schedule that includes daily meditation and Yoga posture practice.
When we start to strive diligently to do something that can be as demanding and challenging as working with the mind and body on daily basis, not only does it bring about short and long - term psychological and physiological changes that are healthy, but it also changes our attitudes to and perceptions of other aspects of our life.
We have greater confidence regarding ourselves and others, more energy and the ability to apply that energy in a constructive manner, and more insight as regards all aspects of the experience of life.
The cornerstone of our practice and the foundation for progress in it will come from striving.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Regarding Others, Part 1 - Feeling Their Pain, Feeling Their Pleasure
Our practice of Yoga, Buddhism or any other spiritual path and discipline can be thought of consisting of two major things, those being how we live as individuals, alone and away from others, and how we perceive, act, react and interact to and with others, be they family, friends, work colleagues or complete strangers.
Since we are putting forth the idea that this is what one’s practice consists of, it may be useful for us to take a closer look at how we are being instructed to regard others.
In doing such a thing and looking at and comparing Yoga, Buddhist and Christian scriptural authority we may be both pleasantly surprised and enlightened to see that the guidance and advice that we are given is similar or the same.
In realizing this, we may be better equipped to go beyond any kind of ignorant attachment to our particular spiritual path, way, discipline or religion as being the best, and make a solid move to something greater in our understanding of humankind on an international and universal level.
The concept and practice of compassion is one that is put forth in Yoga, Buddhist and Christian teachings.
In fact, it is both wisdom and compassion that we strive for in our practice of Buddhism, while Yoga specifically mentions the practice of compassion as being one of the ways in which “the mind becomes purified” (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:33).
Compassion also forms a centerpiece in the Christian teachings and gives us the foundation for love and charity to all. Love and charity are regarded as being virtues more valuable then faith (1 Corinthians 13:13).
In being compassionate, we look at others with an understanding as to their uncomfortable or painful feelings of suffering, and attempt to act on that in a way that may alleviate those feelings or suffering.
Some of us, or sometimes all have at one time or another thought that we can not be bothered by such a thing and that it is better to pursue our own interests and pleasures.
At other times we may have felt great compassion for another, but not been able to act on that compassion in a meaningful way, or perhaps were anxious about how to act on it and what would be the reaction to our action.
When we are or have been such a way, we close ourselves off from the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and open up that part of our mind and heart that not only can bring love, understanding and hope to others, but can also elevate ourselves to a wiser place and state of mind, consciousness and living.
The two scriptures below, one from the Christian Bible and one from the Bhagavad Gita advise us as to how the practice of compassion can manifest itself and are the same in how they suggest that we act and behave.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” states Romans 12:13, while The Bhagavad Gita 6:32 teaches us to “regard every being like oneself and feel the pain and pleasure of others as one’s own”.
They look like they are saying and teaching the same thing to me.
How about you?
To be such a way to our fellow man is not being weak, but is being human.
To be such a way to our fellow man is not being ignorant but instead being mindful.
To be such a way to our fellow man is not making us suffer, but instead allowing us to better understand that we are all the same, and that regardless of what we do, we can not escape from certain realities about life.
These realizations can then help us regard others with greater compassion and understanding in both our actions and reactions to them.
In addition we start to see and understand that scriptural injunctions and living a truly spiritual, wise and compassionate life are not really so different among those who think of themselves as being a Yoga practitioner, Buddhist practitioner or a follower of Jesus and a Christian.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Regarding Others, Part 2 - Serving Others
Our life and our spiritual practice involves who and how we are when we are alone and who and how we are when we are with others.
The teachings of both Yoga and Buddhism directly or by strong implication are teaching us this.
The yamas of Yoga are those disciplines that we apply in our relationships with and to others, while the niyamas are those disciplines that we apply to ourselves.
The disciplines taught in The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism focus on both individual practices such as right understanding, right intention, right mindfulness, right effort and right concentration, and universal practices such as also once again right intention, in addition to right speech, right action, and right livelihood.
Regardless of how one wants to categorize these disciplines, they all have a two - fold objective, that being the weakening and elimination of suffering within and a harmonious and respectful interaction with others.
Regarding others, various verses from those scriptures that are considered to be the authority behind our practice tell us again and again that we want to live a life that involves serving others.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians in the New Testament, we are advised to “do good to all” (6:10) and “serve one another through love” (5:13), while the Bhagavad Gita instructs us to “be engaged in the welfare of all beings (5:25),
“work for the welfare of the society” (3:25) and “perform your duty….for the universal welfare of the society” (3:20).
To serve others does not mean that we have time go to any extreme or make a great change in our life. Why go to Cambodia or Somalia to ease personal, environmental and situational suffering, when there is very likely some in our own neighborhood or country?
Why feel special about oneself because of one’s ability to love and give while condemning or looking down on others because they are not at the same level of understanding at the need for such a thing, when instead one can listen to and respond in a respectful and understanding manner to the feelings and problems of all people?
And serving others can mean just serving those in our family and community and among our friends in daily ways that are not grandiose but still enlightening and helpful.
And for many of us, serving and loving others may mean nothing more then going about our business on a daily basis in a manner that does not disturb or condemn another.
The reason for serving others is not only to help them survive, live and have a better life, but to allow us as individuals to grow in a joyful way through the experience of giving.
Serving others purifies ourselves and makes us wiser, as we become more mindful about the things that we have to be thankful for, thereby cultivating contentment and non - greed, while at the same time strengthening tendencies to non – violence, honesty, and non – appropriation of other’s possessions.
When we are new to Yoga, Buddhism or any other discipline or religion, we may not know how to serve, or our attempts to serve may be met with ridicule or condemnation.
We should not stop or give up, but instead be patient and look for the person or persons that will help us learn how to serve and give us the opportunity to serve.
Through serving others out of love, not out of a desire to become famous or be looked on by others as being a special or good person, we will grow and learn how to serve with greater wisdom, in a way that does not compromise our own resources, health and happiness.
If we are in some manner hurting ourselves in our service to others, or serving others while under a great deal of chronic anxiety or confusion, it is better to work on ourselves further first so that when we do give and serve, we will do it with wisdom and joy.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Yoga and Buddhism: Its about Making Our Mind Our Friend
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950’s and 1960’s was ok. I have no complaints about living in a rough or poor neighborhood, because I did not. Brooklyn and New York City was a beautiful and wonderful place and city then, just as it is now.
But when I did live there as both a child and teenager, I was not mindful about something that I am now, that being that it is man’s mind that determines their perceptions and feelings and that we do not always see or understand this, so that even if we have a lot of wonderful things in our life, or live in a wonderful place, we still may be confused or lost.
When we are in such a state, our mind can be our enemy, leading us into more distracted and disturbed states of thinking, feeling, speaking and acting.
Yoga and Buddhism suggest that we do not blindly chase our desires and pleasures, which can be temporary, addictive and sometimes hurt ourselves and others in ways that we do not always know, but instead that we try to cultivate a purity of energy, mind and consciousness, and wisdom. With wisdom we see things clearly and live a better life. With wisdom our mind becomes our friend, not our enemy.
Yoga and Buddhism want us to make our mind our friend.
In thinking about my time in New York as a child and teenager, I now realize that almost everyone I met was dealing with suffering in various forms, and too many times, their reaction to suffering and dealing with it within led them to make other people suffer, or it was directed to themselves, so they were self - destructive in thought, word and action.
There were two women that I knew, from opposite ends of the economic and social divide, but they both had problems with life, which unfortunately like for so many in the present and past, led to their early death.
One was Judy, a well - educated and successful women in her forties, a professor at a prestigious local college, who for reasons we will never know, and can only speculate on, committed suicide in the prime of her life and career.
The other was Patty, a young uneducated women from the hills of the impoverished south, some might call her a hillbilly, who because of an abusive father, divorced parents, unhappiness with her looks and a drug addiction, eventually accidentally overdosed on heroin and died at the young age of about 21.
Perhaps in Judy’s case, a women who was educated and successful, her mind, in a state of longing or feeling that she was not whole or complete without a child or husband led her to a point where she could no longer bear living.
On the other hand, Patty suffered the results of a number of things that perhaps were not under her control and conditioned her mind to think in a poorly operating state. This led her to use drugs and eventually led to her death.
For both of them, their minds were not their friends, but instead masses of matter and energy which worked in a way that made them suffer, worked against them, worked as their enemies.
This is the way it is for many of us, and both the Buddhist and Yoga teachings and scriptures specifically state this.
“One must elevate, not degrade, oneself by one’s own mind. The mind alone is one’s friend as well as one’s enemy” – Bhagavad Gita 6:05
“The mind is the friend of those who have control over it, and the mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it” – Bhagavad Gita 6:06
“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief: they are all mind wrought. If with an impure mind one speaks or acts, suffering follows one like the wheel that follows the feet of the ox” – Dhammapada 1:1
“Mind precedes all mental states. Mind if their chief: They are all mind wrought. If with a pure mind one speaks or acts, happiness follows one like one’s never departing shadow” – Dhammapada 1:2
When we practice Yoga postures, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, and meditation on a regular or daily basis in addition to having healthy habits as regards our diet, sleep and leisure time and apply the other moral and ethical teachings of either Yoga or Buddhism we are both purifying the mind and consciousness and bringing it under our control.
Yoga and Buddhism have as their objective freedom from suffering, Their objectives are not to brainwash us, make us dogmatic or fanatical or blindly follow a teacher, or set of teachings. They only want us to free our mind from those things that create suffering. They only want to change something that can act as our enemy into something that can be our friend.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and Living
John C. Kimbrough
This Old Pattern
“This is an old pattern, not one only of today” – Dhammapada 17:17
Some of us may remember the time leading up to the year 2000 and the new millenium, and how there seemed to be a sense of optimism that things were getting better for all of the people in the world and that we could all be free, enlightened and be able to drop into the neighborhood Starbucks for a cup of coffee anytime that we wished to.
There does not seem to be that sense of optimism or the security that goes along with it anymore, though thankfully for some, Starbucks is still there.
The fact is that the years go by and we think that things may be changing, but many times it is only the change in our material environment that is taking place.
A dirt road becomes an asphalt one, a wooden building becomes a concrete one, and an old car is replaced by a new one, but those things within our mind and consciousness that create unskillful living and suffering for ourselves and in our relationships with others go on and on.
It may take a fair degree of experience with life and the possession of mindfulness to see and understand this, that we as individuals are not the center of the world and universe, that we ourselves are very small and therefore should be very humble, and that others can experience joy and pain, wisdom and ignorance, just as we can.
The Dhammapada, being the wise and insightful set of teachings that it is, reminds us of this in this passage, that being that the way people and things are today, is the way that they have always been.
We may have fine homes and cars, but we can still get angry.
We may have computers, wide screen televisions and all sorts of other technological toys to play and communicate with, but we still get impatient.
And we may live in free and progressive democracies that provide us with many opportunities, but still feel lonely, isolated or confused about who we are and how we should think and act.
The teachings put forth in scriptural form in The Dhammapada, The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanajali and the Holy Bible, among others, aim to assist us in finding a away to understand ourselves and others, and overcome those tendencies of mind, word and action that create disharmony within and with others.
They are there for us, always waiting and available for the time when we will learn from them and use the knowledge and wisdom within to make our lives better.
In doing this, we will see and understand that those things in the human psyche and experience that create problems and suffering, though they may never be stopped, can at least be dealt with in a manner that is constructive.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough
John C. Kimbrough
Introducing Yoga to HIV Patients in Cambodia
Yoga can be taught, learned and practiced by almost
anyone who has a fair degree of energy, is not under
the influence of daily medication that produces side
effects such as dizziness or a loss of energy, makes a
dedicated effort to learn and practice it, and has not
suffered any kind of recent debilitating injury or
illness.
These were some of the things that this writer kept in
mind when he was recently asked to introduce Yoga
teachings and disciplines to a group of about 60
individuals who have been diagnosed as being HIV
positive and because their disease is not at an
advanced stage, are able to live a normal life except
for the fact that they must come to a local provincial
hospital in Cambodia once a month for their
medication.
As with all of our work related to the teaching of
Yoga, Buddhism and meditation in Cambodia, the class
was conducted free of charge and was approached with
an attitude of waiting and seeing how the learners
looked and responded before deciding what to teach on
both an intellectual and physical level.
Like the Buddha was in sharing his teachings with
those who wished to learn them, our approach to
teaching as teachers of Yoga and Buddhism should be
one that is built upon making adjustments based on an
intuitive assessment of the capabilities and needs of
those who come to our classes.
With this in mind, this writer had a general idea of
what he wanted to share with those in this class, but
did not arrive at a definite plan of teaching until he
was in front of the class and was able to look into
their eyes and gauge their interest and energy.
The students were taught six postures and one
breathing technique over a ten – minute. Each posture
was done only one time and the learners were asked how
they felt after each posture was performed.
Then the learners will given some material written in
Khmer that introduced them to the teachings and
disciplines of Yoga and asked to look it over at home
during their leisure time.
Then a demonstration of some other postures and
techniques was given in addition to further lecture
about why we learn and practice Yoga.
The response from the learners was polite and they
seemed generally interested. Some of them were also
able to experience a change in their energy level from
just what they learned and practiced in one day.
The learners were given information about how to
contact us and what we could provide for them in the
way of teaching them Yoga, both at their village and
place of residence or at the school that currently
serves as our office.
Though the whole session and meeting with these sixty
or so patients had been a short one, this writer came
away from the experience having been inspired by the
energy of these people and their sincere interest in
wanting to know and learn about those things that
could improve or stabilize their mental and physical
health.
It also reminded me that health is our greatest wealth
and gift and how we compromise it in our pursuit of
and at times addiction to and obsession with pleasure.
In addition, I became more mindful about how we forget
about the gift of life and our health as we pursue
those things based on our own greed and desire, while
instead we should and can make some effort to be more
mindful about ourselves and others and how we live,
what we think, what we say and what we do.
Our health is truly a gift and we can be unwise when
we use it in ways that are built on selfishness and
egoism or in ways that do not work to improve
ourselves.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and
Living/Providing free Yoga, Buddhism and meditation
classes and courses to the underprivileged,
disenfranchised and imprisoned in Cambodia
John C. Kimbrough
Yoga and Buddhism – Having Fun with Mindfulness
Our image of religion, philosophy and Buddhism and
Yoga may sometimes be one that is overly serious or
somber.
Having spent time in various Yoga ashrams and Buddhist
temples and meditation centers, it does seem at times
that the prevailing emotion and attitude in them is
one of seriousness and silence.
In learning and practicing Yoga and Buddhism we wish
to liberate the mind and consciousness from those
things that create suffering. In order to do this we
do not need to engage in monastic silence and
seriousness throughout the day.
This writer is constantly involved in the study of,
reflection on, teaching of and writing about Yoga and
Buddhism on a daily basis, but also has a lot of fun,
fun with students, those he works with and teaches,
those he buys things from, and those he knows as
acquaintances and friends.
He can make jokes, laugh at and with others at
disappointments from the past and present, and not
worry when he is the butt of a joke either.
There is no reason why we should have less fun in life
or not be easygoing and enjoy situations, experiences
and people because we learn and practice Yoga and
Buddhism.
There is no teaching or discipline in either Yoga or
Buddhism that states that we must practice them with a
serious face or frown.
At the same time, there may be some reason for a
serious approach to our life and practice as we start
to make the changes in our life that they ask of us or
start to embark on the learning and practice of these
things, but we do not go through all of this effort
and mindfulness in order to be serious and somber
people. Why should we be when we have liberated our
mind and consciousness from those things that led to
suffering in the first place?
The lovely thing about this process and experience of
liberating the mind and consciousness is that we do
not need to engage in sensual pleasures, or use drugs
or drinks to feel free and be at ease.
The feeling of freedom and ease for the Yoga and
Buddhist practitioner comes from mindfulness,
concentration and an appreciation of many things in
life, such as what a gift it is and how we have
overcome so many things from our practice.
One verse from Buddhist scripture tell us that the
wise man rejoices in the Dhamma, The Dhamma meaning
the gift, teachings and disciplines of Buddhism.
This is quite true because the Dhamma serves as our
guide, our friend, our teacher and our path to better
health and living and greater mindfulness each day of
our life.
Wouldn’t such an experience and realization make one
happy and joyful?
So we wish to, as we continue to live our life based
on the teachings and disciplines of the dhamma, to
have fun. This experience of fun is not based on where
we go, what we do or who we do it with, but instead
based on the state of our mind and consciousness, that
being one that is focused and free.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and
Living
John C. Kimbrough
Update on Yoga Education Project in Cambodia, June
27th, 2006
This writing will serve as an ongoing update on the
charity and volunteer work that this writer has been
doing in Cambodia over the last six months. It’s
purpose is to give information specifically to those
who have made donations to this work, have pledged
donations to this work, are interested in making such
a donation in the future, or have a general interest
in the work because they are also a volunteer, teacher
or practitioner of Yoga and Buddhism.
The information in it consists of work and activities
done during the latest trip to Cambodia during a
period lasting from June 4th, 2006 to June 23rd, 2006.
The main focus of our work has been the teaching of
Yoga, Buddhism and meditation in the provincial prison
five days a week and to drug and substance abusers
under the authority of the provincial police seven
days a week.
During the most recent visit there, there was an
attempted escape from a prison in a neighboring
province which resulted in the death of ten people,
nine prisoners and one guard. Because of this event
and other disturbances and escapes in other prisons in
Cambodia, there was some concern if we would be
allowed to continue with our work there. After some
initial discussion, it was allowed to continue but
then there seemed to be some concern on the part of
the prison director that I would not feel safe or
comfortable with my work in the prison any longer.
Since I had no negative feelings about continuing to
teach in such an environment, things are pretty much
the same as they always have been, though we think
there could be some changes in the future.
The class with the drug and substance abusers is quite
challenging as we have close to 100 students and only
45 minutes with which to teach them. It is also
recognized that some of the men do not want to learn
those things that we teach.
During this most recent trip we also introduced Yoga
to individuals who are HIV positive at the local
hospital. These are outpatients who come to the
hospital once a month for their medication and we have
been invited back to talk with them and teach them
again next month.
We have also made our number and location available to
them so that they can come by our office or contact us
to teach in their village.
We have also started to investigate the possibility of
teaching Yoga, Buddhism and meditation to the sex
workers in the small city where I do this work at
while in Cambodia.
In order to do this, we have networked with a local
organization that provides sex workers with condoms,
education regarding their work and transportation to
the local health clinic/hospital for monthly check
ups. Because there are a number of brothels in this
town, we feel that we need their assistance in
starting such a program instead of approaching it as
an individual. We are not sure at this time as to how
this idea will progress.
We have also started weekly Yoga classes at the school
that serves as my office in Cambodia and have
introduced and distributed information on Yoga to over
100 students.
We will during my next trip there have daily Yoga
classes each morning at 8 a.m. and are now in the
process of putting together material and charts for
these classes.
We have also started a free daily English language
class and teacher training program for three young
woman, all aged 17. They are high school girls from a
social and environmental background that is either
deprived emotionally or financially. We have focused
on them because of their interest in being an English
language teacher in the future and their current
ability at English.
One of the women in the class has no mother and a
father who is somewhat emotionally abusive to her,
while another young woman in the class does not have a
father.
The classes are free and we also provide material for
their self - study. We do this with the objective of
providing training and knowledge so that the women
will be able to secure employment in the future as
English language teachers, translators and
interpreters, or secretaries so that they can earn
some income for their families and themselves.
We are also in the process of distributing clothing
and small amounts of money to needy people and
families, focusing more on women in households where
there is no man and there is also a shortage of both
skills and money.
We continue to look carefully and act mindfully at how
we use the donations that we have been given in order
to do this work. The main areas that we use donations
for are for the purchase of mats for practicing Yoga
on and the creation of materials in the form of
handouts, charts and whiteboards that assist in our
teaching.
The teacher also continues to be mindful and careful
about how he uses donations in order to provide for
his living, eating and travelling/visa expenses to and
from Cambodia.
During this recent trip to Cambodia we also networked
with three NGO’s, one being CARE.
We were also invited to join an NGO that is already
established, and are in the process of assessing this
offer in order to make a wise decision regarding it.
If you are interested in making a donation to this
work, or need any more information regarding it and
what our various projects and objectives of those
projects are, please feel free to contact me at
johnckimbrough@yahoo.com.
This concludes this update on our work in Cambodia.
©2006 John C. Kimbrough/Yoga is for Better Health and
Living
John C. Kimbrough