​I think of the little girl that is still within me. The little girl that likes to play and love and cuddle, and needs to learn to do things all by herself.

• In our life, we start so dependent on our people. We feel that life is forever with them. We learn to be and endure not expecting any changes.
• Then we notice that relationships are passing, friends change, family members pass away.
• Then we don’t want to rely on anyone, striving for independent existence.
• Then realizing we are part of the collective, we accept we need each other. We start learning the balance between receiving support and giving it back.
• Then awareness that there is only one real Self starts peaking and now what?

Sri Swami Satchidananda, who brought yoga to the West and my teacher, spoke of having a dual vision, living as an individual and yet being part of the One. He spoke of being conscious and aware and playing one’s part well. I pray for his guidance.

I have opened my heart, opened my mind, dissolved all boundaries and got lost in the ocean of blissful Oneness. I also got lost in the shadows only to find my Self again like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.

  Who am I? 
  How do I live in this world? 
  Am I that “me” which keeps feeling the same? Even after all these years? 
  Are you that also? 
  What do I think I am not?

I fondly remember the innocence of being that little girl, the ability to be open to new frontiers, ever learning, ever evolving. I need her now to remind me of being and loving so freely. I remember delighting in beauty and not being troubled by the wrong doing or the right doing. I remember existing beyond all that with a sense of timelessness and simplicity. Just as is, just as day turns into night and winter into spring, without fuss or judgment, simply being in the midst of it all.

That little girl’s “me” still feels the same even though I am almost 50 now. That same “me” is looking in the mirror,  “me” who was checking out her earrings when she was 5. I wish I could have been there for her when she was struggling and frightened. 

I do love that little girl. I wish I could go back in time and hug her.

Om Shanti 

​

It is so easy to get lost in our story filled with pain and resentment, worry and helplessness. I call it being stuck in a box. It is a very lonely place. We can examine our box from the inside, how tight the walls feel, whether we are alone all the time or if people visit us. Are there windows or doors? Do we dare to peek out into the unknown and look at the world beyond our own suffering?  

We all recognize the windows, when the fresh air comes in and with it a sense of being able to breathe again and feel inspired. We might even recognize the door we peek out from and even take a step bravely out letting our old story go and risking the heart again. 

At each moment we can check in and see how deep inside "the box" we are and look for the cracks where the light comes in. Are we out of the box? That is something amazing, something to acknowledge and celebrate. We are free from the old prickly prison of same old thoughts and we fly free like a bird outside it's cage until we return again.

The practice is to come out, stay out as long as we can and eventually move out. The box will always be there; it is part of life. The practice is to check within yourself and recognize being in the box before settling long term, to use mindfulness and yoga tools to find the way out again, alone or with help. Open the doors, open the windows, open, open, open, open, open, OPEN.

My teacher Swami Satchidanada taught me that selfishness causes us to suffer in this way. We are meant to be connected to all, think of others, serve others. We are all One. 

The heart can open the doors and windows wide even if the hinges are rusty. Love has that power. As you step out and free yourself of this prison and heal, we all heal. We are all interconnected.

Blessing:

​May you recognize in your life the presence,
power, and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of
the universe.

May you have respect for your individuality
and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the façade of your life,
there is something beautiful and eternal happening.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the blessing, 'For Solitude,' from his books:
Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US) ​

​The practice of loving kindness has been part of my daily meditations. I have started including those in hospitals, ICUs and those taking care of them. They are only a mile away from where I sit, in the comfort of my home. There are a lot of people staying at home and suffering from disease in my neighborhood and everywhere around the globe. There are a lot of people grieving losses of dear ones, jobs, financial security…I open my heart to all.

I would like to express my gratitude to my dear friend and mentor, Eric Gustafson, for inspiring me to do this daily.

Opening the heart and mind these days can be scary.

I face thoughts about my own mortality, the potential of a change at any moment, the possibility of my job as a yoga instructor and health educator with Kaiser Permanente not coming back anytime soon, the changes in relationships in my life that seem unavoidable and painful. The impermanence of life is in plain sight…This will also pass.

I feel that opening the heart and mind is the only way; feeling everything and allowing, accepting, staying present. It is the only way to stay connected with the felt sense of being, the Self. The broader picture of existence sustains me and yet this broader picture cannot exclude the painful and unpleasant. I can no longer run away from the undesirable by avoiding it and I can no longer run after the things that give me temporary relief. The price is too high. The separation anxiety from the source, the Self, is too high a price. I think it might be the root of all anxiety.

I invite you to take a chance and start opening up. Risk this house of sticks we have build for ourselves and extend out into the spaciousness of consciousness. Meditation and prayer are like running a purifier in the polluted air of the mind. We are all interconnected. We do this for each other.

You are welcome to join me for guided meditations on Sunday evenings at 5:30pm.

We might be alone but we are in this together.

-Diana Meltsner
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

There is this inner quiver. Can you feel it?
It’s like a knocking from the inside.
Don’t be scared. Take a peek.
You alone can receive this messenger.
It carries a blessing.
It unlocks the doors.

Let the loudmouths of fear and thrill be.
They only hold you tight in endless spin.
Sweep them out of the house.

Get quiet and listen.
Feel it.
This moment is a gateway.

Enter and love.
Enter and dance.
Enter and be.

​~ by Diana Meltsner

​​It helps to keep this rhythm for about 2 min. The visual aid is very helpful.
The breath is such a powerful tool and has a deep effect on the nervous system. There are quite a few breathing techniques out there suggested for insomnia and anxiety.  The well-known 4-7-8 breath is one of them.
If you are starting out with breath control, try 4-8 first and see how it feels to inhale 4 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. You can deepen the breath and slow it down to 6-12. If it is feeling comfortable to keep that rhythm for a couple minutes, you can proceed to 4-4-8, holding the breath for 4 seconds before exhaling for 8 seconds. Eventually, progress to the well-known 4-7-8 breath.
You can use these techniques in bed when trying to fall asleep or anytime when you feel the anxiety creeping in. 
Please know that holding the breath can cause strain to the nervous system rather than soothe it. Take it easy and don’t rush. It might take a couple weeks to get there.
Swami Sivananda recommended silently repeating OM while holding the breath. The vibration of the mantra OM creates a protective shield. I use this technique occasionally since I don’t always have the choice of environment or company. Elevating the personal vibration feels so good. 
om om om