A Quiet Mind

LIVE Podcast Saturday @ 8:30 am Pacific!.

Join me this Saturday for a live meditation @ 8:30 am Pacific time. This time we will use Yahoo! Live which is a very cool interface and looks like it will be very easy to use. Looking forward to seeing you and please share your comments on which Live video chat application you like the most.

1. Remember to breathe.

Pause at least three times today and become aware of your breath for a short time. Try counting each breath or simply be aware of your chest rising and falling and as you do this be thankful for each breath you take. It is a wonderful thing that we can breathe.

2. Notice doorways.

Each time you walk through a doorway today notice that you are walking through that doorway by bringing your attention to it. You can do this by repeating to yourself “I’m walking through this doorway now.” This brings present moment awareness to your conscious mind. (You can choose not to say “I” if you really want to see something interesting.)

3. Be Gracious

Pause three times today close your eyes and be thankful for three things in your life. You can write them down if you wish and remember to smile as you are doing this. Being gracious proliferates happiness.

I love this image and it’s irony!

Live meditation Saturday!

Ok, so I tried Skype and only my wife and three dogs showed up to the first LIVE AQM meditation. So let’s try, try again only this time we are going give USTREAM a test drive for the next meditation. Ustream seems pretty cool. They have a chat and everything, but basically it’s just a live shot of yours truly sitting still. I’ve messed with it a bit and now I would like to give it a good trail run. So if you want to see me stare at a spot on my computer for about tweenty minutes please join in! Let’s meet at 8:30 am Pacific time on Saturday mornings. This way we can try out some different live streaming stuff to see which one we like best. All you have to do is show up, sit down and get quiet. Hope to see you there! AQUIETMIND TV

So there’s this very cool application out there called Skype and it’s FREE! With Skype, you, me and and the rest of the AQM community can talk, sit together and even see each other (if you have a web cam)! I want to use Skype to meditate/sit as a group this Thursday the 29th at 9pm West Coast time. This will be the first time we do this so it’s kind of an experiment. If you would like to join us you can download Skype here.

For my Skype name please e-mail me at robert [at] aquietmind [dot] com. I hope to see you all there.

- robert

Transformation Part

In the latest podcast we take a look back at the basics and introduce the Seven Spiritual Steps to A Quiet Mind. In this episode we start with what I believe is a huge cornerstone in our foundation for a peaceful and balanced life and that is acceptance. Learning to accept ourselves, our circumstances, our surroundings, our past etc, allows us to more easily embrace the moment and simply be present for whatever may come our way. We begin by looking at what we can’t accept and why. Then we will move through how to learn to accept the things that we are having difficulty embracing and dealing with in our day to day life. Click the podcast link to your right to listen now, then post a comment about how you may feel about the topic of acceptance.

Thanks

-robert

Twitter me!

Have any of you used Twitter before? It’s a really cool way for us to stay in touch and share our feelings in real time. We can jot down in the moment what may be on our minds about a current topic from A Quiet Mind or just a rant about life. Follow me on Twitter here and you can sign up here.

Amazon Cares & Bella

I mention Amazon Cares in the latest podcast. Here is some information about the founder Molly Mednikow and what they are all about. I have donated recently to help out my pal Bella. If you want to help Bella or any of the other dogs at Amazon Cares please click here.

Amazon Cares was founded in 2004 by businesswoman, Molly Mednikow. Following more than a decade of travel to the region as a volunteer and organizer of volunteer expeditions, she decided to stay in Iquitos with the goal of improving the lives of the many stray dogs and cats struggling for survival in the Peruvian Amazon region.

Her efforts have not gone unrecognized. In just a few years the organization is known for innovative and aggressive programs. There is a marked difference in the quantity of stray animals on the streets, as well as an improvement in living conditions and health of strays and owned animals. Amazon Cares is also bringing about an important cultural shift in how the community views their responsibilities in the care of domesticated animals.

Founder / Director Molly Mednikow is a “corporate dropout” who left behind a successful career and business to found Amazon Cares. She brings unique skills to the organization due to her business, marketing and philanthropic experience.

In 2005 Molly Mednikow received a scholarship to attend the Humane Society of the United States Annual Conference, where she advanced her knowledge in the administration of animal shelters and many animal welfare issues.

Recognizing a deficit in qualified veterinary care for domestic animals in the Loreto Region, Amazon Cares recruited and relocated two veterinarians from Lima, Peru. Head Veterinarian Esther Castillo attended Veterinary School for an additional two years to receive advanced education in domestic animal veterinary medicine.

During 2006 and 2007 Amazon Cares welcomed international volunteer veterinarians as part of a partnership with the UK-based Worldwide Veterinary Service.

Molly Mednikow was awarded the “Doris Day Animal Foundation Kindred Spirit Award” in 2006.

Humane Society International awarded Amazon Cares a grant for humane education materials in 2006

“Charities in Focus” awarded Molly Mednikow with an Honorable Mention in their international photography contest highlighting the work of charities. Her photo was displayed in a New York City in the Tribeca neighborhood during July 2007.

Currently Reading

Dan Millman’s “Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior”