Meditation & Yoga Center:

CSE south county meditation center

September 26, 2021

A Steady State of Grace

Paula Whang-Ramos

"When we are not attached to outcomes and thus do not desire things to be different from what they are,
we can remain steady in the state of imperturbability. Remember everything is constantly changing."
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration, 09/24/2021

Yogic teachings describe everything we experience in our earth lives and throughout the cosmos as temporary. Everything. Our thoughts, emotions, minds, bodies, relationships, families, financial stability, roles, social status, homes, jobs, and every circumstance in our lives will eventually change.

Yoga teaches that our suffering does not arise from change, which we experience many times, every day of our lives. Rather, suffering arises when we either attach to not changing in the hope that everything can remain the same, or we attach to a specific change that we think will make us happy or keep us safe. Then when change occurs, as change always does, we mistakenly blame change for our suffering, instead of examining our attachment to an outcome from change.

When we look within, we can empower ourselves to be more resilient during these ever-changing times. We may not like the changes before us, but we do not have to define our lives based on our emotional and mental reactions to them. Instead, we can return, again and again, into the larger vision, power, and presence of the soul's even-mindedness, peace, and wisdom. From this deeper long vision, we can even open into the grace-filled opportunities for healing and peace, right here, and right now, amidst all this change. And if we continue this journey within, then this repeated return becomes more than a remedy for coping with change. This dance of returning, again and again, into divine remembrance is the beautiful, powerful life of Yoga.

Meditate and study Yoga with us at Blue Lotus Center. Study, grow, and celebrate with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wholeness. Make this the year that we affirm and skillfully live in peace - in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

September 19, 2021

Let Your Soul's Peace Prevail

Paula Whang-Ramos

"The false self pretends to do spiritual work but on its time frame and self-serving agenda, and without surrender.
The soul’s way is to lead with the peace that prevails, not the aggression that tires and annoys."
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration, 09/17/2021

As a long-time traveler on this spiritual path, I am still surprised at how the mind can fool me, by dressing up in spiritual verbiage, presenting the illusion that its intentions serve the highest good in all. In actuality, the mind is using spiritual principle and practice to justify its own desires and to avoid its own discomfort. Once its ruse is exposed, the mind may try to defend its opinion with guilt and judgment in its attempt to win a losing argument against itself. And just when it may seem that frustration and confusion are prevailing, I am inspired by the remembrance of our eternal friend, Arjuna.

Arjuna is one of two central characters in the foundational Yogic text, The Bhagavad Gita. The Gita is an intimate, universal story of our spiritual awakening. This classic text reveals a transformative inner dialogue between the confused but sincere spiritual seeker and the divine wisdom within him/her. Arjuna represents us, the seeking soul, who is fooled by the mind's ability to usurp our spiritual integrity in service to its own limited thinking, emotions, stories, fears, and desires. Krishna, the other central character, represents the indwelling divine light of wisdom that reveals an inner path out of suffering and into the freedom of our essential wholeness.

Join us this Tuesday as we compassionately witness our own story revealed in Arjuna's attempt to use spiritual teachings to defend the mind's limitations and fears. In great love and kindness, let's read, listen, and open into the freedom, clarity, and peace revealed from within, as reflected in the pages of this powerful and inspiring ancient Yogic text.

September 12, 2021

For the Highest Good of All

Paula Whang-Ramos

"Every thought is a prayer. Every word is a blessing. Every action is a meditation."
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration, 09/11/2021

On 09/11/1906, Mahatma Gandhi declared Satyagraha, the historical movement of nonviolent civil disobedience. Satyagraha is translated as "truth force". But to Gandhi, it was more than that. Satyagraha is a conscious way of nonviolent living and action, based on love and compassion for all, not just ourselves. Satyagraha challenges us to look, listen, and live from a deeper life Source and purpose, beyond just meeting our own self-serving desires.

Satyagraha calls us to courageously live from our hearts, instead of the mind. We learn to use our thoughts, words, and actions to recognize and release those personal habits that risk harm to others. We forge a new path of conscious life choices based on serving the highest good of all, including our Selves.

I was recently blessed with the direct experience of Satyagraha when two dear friends made the difficult choice to cancel a very important public gathering they had organized. While their personal sacrifice to do so was great, their love and compassion for the highest good of all were much greater. And from their courageous consciousness, even more love and gratitude were shared amongst all involved.

In this moment, in the hearts and lives of each one of us, we are given multiple opportunities to practice Satyagraha in every small and large daily choice we make. As we continue to live into the mystery of these ever-changing times, may we listen into the indwelling Wholeness that resides within us all, and surrender into the courage to live from IT.

PS - In the spirit of Satyagraha, join me in a moment of prayer, holding all those affected by the tragic events of 09/11/2001 in deep love, compassion, and harmlessness. May all beings be at peace. May all beings be free. Om. Peace. Amen.

Meditate and study Yoga with us at Blue Lotus Center. Study, grow, and celebrate with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wholeness. Make this the year that we affirm and skillfully live in peace - in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

September 5, 2021

The Courage to Ask

Paula Whang-Ramos

"My very being is overcome by pity and weakness. My mind is confused as to my duty.
I implore you: correct me, teach me, tell me for certain what is the better way.
I am your pupil. I seek refuge in your guidance."
The Eternal Way: The Inner Meaning of the Bhagavad Gita 2:8
Mr. Roy Eugene Davis

If you could ask the Source of all wisdom, power, and presence any questions you wanted to help you live through life challenges into the essential wholeness that you are, what would you ask IT? Perhaps we are too exhausted to even consider such a divine dialogue. Or maybe we are concerned that our daily practice is too inconsistent to support any real spiritual progress? Perhaps we are skeptical that there is a Source with the power for such transformation? Perhaps we wonder if living in this deeper divinely guided consciousness is even possible...for anyone? And yet, through all the doubt and fear, we yearn for inner clarity and guidance through these turbulent times.

If you have these questions and yearnings, then join us at BLC as we begin our one-year daily study of The Bhagavad Gita, a foundational text on Yoga and meditation. The Gita is an inner dialogue between Arjuna, the troubled soul seeking freedom from suffering, and Krishna, the Divine Wisdom that indwells us all. From his troubled, hopeful, broken, inspired heart, Arjuna asks these and approximately 36 other questions about how we can navigate through great fear and suffering, into the peace, love, and wisdom of our essential Wholeness.

Arjuna's story is the timeless universal story of spiritual inspiration, courage, and awakening - in this lifetime. Arjuna's story is our story. Join us in the inner adventure as we learn to listen and to live into the peace, love, and wisdom that we all need and deserve now. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

Inspirational Messages

“If anything disturbs your peace, practice having faith that divine grace is already actively at work restoring wholeness and well-being.

Then make any necessary adjustments in harmony with that insight.”
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, Spiritual Director, Center for Spiritual Enlightenment

Blue Lotus