Tag Archives: Buddhism

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A special Lu Jong New York workshop

Experience Tibetan Movement and its relationship with Subtle Energy

Questions? Write  Joelle@lujongnewyork.com  OR  Call 917-796-2251

Limited spots remain available!

 

Lu Jong and the Holiday Season

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The end of the calendar year is inevitably fraught with stress for all. Between social events, family gatherings, acts of compassion and sales bonanzas it’s a wonder we can even manage to crawl into the new year!

It would seem easiest to let our self-care routines fall by the wayside – anything to carve out a couple of extra minutes of sleep or even to jam in one more errand … but no!

How often do we forget to extend the support, patience and kindness to ourselves that we so readily give to others?

“If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.” ~ HH Dalai Lama

Here’s a pretty easy list of why I make time for Lu Jong:

  • Lu Jong is Strengthening – The more I practice the movements the stronger I get. With regular practice I find my body stretching and flowing with ease, in addition to boosting my immune system.
  • Lu Jong is Meditative – The benefit of focusing upon movements and the breath is the ability to slow down my thoughts. All that is left is presence, feeling, breath and motion. The deeper breathing also calms my nervous system.
  • Lu Jong is Balancing – With Lu Jong I bring balance to all of the systems and elements within my body and mind, all aspects work in harmony, and in this balance I find my true strength, power and vitality.

Armed with these super powers my Holiday outlook is much more relaxed and heartfelt.

Working smarter is always better than working harder!

For UPCOMING Lu Jong Workshops and classes CLICK HERE

What’s New For June?

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First up, a jam-packed Tibetan Lu Jong Workshop in NYC.

 

WHEN: Saturday, June 24th

WHERE: Three Jewels NYC ~ 61 4TH AVE, 3rd FL

TIME: 1:00 to 3:30pm

FEE: $30 early bird ends June 21 | $35 after June 21

 

How do I register? CLICK HERE

 

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Curriculum

  • The Five Elements movements (for opening the spine and general balancing)
  • The Five Body Parts movements (for the musculoskeletal system)
  • The Five Vital Organ movements (for improving function of the kidneys, heart, lungs, spleen, and liver)
  • How to work with the Breath and the Subtle Body
  • Principles of Tibetan Medicine and the Five Elements world view
  • Why it is important to nurture the subtle body and release blockages

 

How do I register? CLICK HERE

I look forward to seeing you there!

 

Yes, it’s been a while since my last post, but the absence has not been without purpose.

I deepened my Lu Jong studies with the exploration of more vigorous poses, adding an entirely NEW level of movements to the Lu Jong core practice. These movements are the next level of training for students comfortable with Lu Jong Level I.

I’ve been working on yoga workshops and retreats, in addition to Lu Jong Teacher trainings, drawing upon all my skills and knowledge to create purposeful and fun experiences in different locales. Oh my!

In addition, I’m preparing to launch an exciting and dynamic practice: Tog Chod – The Dance of the Wisdom Sword. I mean c’mon, who can resist learning how to work with a sword?

More information about this incredible Tibetan Martial Art and the chance to take exclusive classes will come very soon!

An Introduction to Tibetan Lu Jong: The Five Elements Movements at Joshua’s Place, Southampton NY

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~  LU JONG ~

TIBETAN HEALING YOGA

THE FIVE ELEMENTS MOVEMENTS

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Lu Jong is an ancient Tibetan movement practice (yoga) developed for the purpose of self-healing.

Movements are combined with rhythmic breathing to bring balance to body and mind.

Physically it gently works the entire body with a primary focus on the flexibility of the spine.

Mentally it compels you to ‘feel’ inside and to be present much like meditation.

The moves are simple yet powerful with all people able to practice at their level of ability.

Wear comfortable clothing for the class  ~ Yoga mats available or bring your own

 

When:  Sunday March 19th

Where: Joshua’s Place, Southampton NY

Time:   11:00a.m. – 12:00 noon

Cost:    $15.00/ $20 Same Day

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Instructor: Joelle Kelly

Certified Lu Jong Instructor & Educator

For many years a direct student of Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche, the lineage holder of this practice, Joelle Kelly was chosen as one of the first teachers certified to teach Lu Jong in North America.

She has since been selected by the Master as one of only two teachers in North America qualified to teach all levels of Lu Jong in addition to the training of future certified Lu Jong Teachers.

Charismatic, warm and joyfully grounded Joelle is committed to meeting each student at their level of comfort and ability.

Lu Jong is shared with great enthusiasm, honor and respect for the wisdom it contains.

 

For more information contact:

www.LuJongNewYork.com

Joelle@LuJongNewYork.com

Spring Cleaning: Lu Jong Workshop

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AN ANCIENT PRACTICE TO REVITALIZE BODY & MIND

 

A LU JONG NEW YORK WORKSHOP AT TIBET HOUSE, US

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH, 2017 ~ 10 am – 4 pm

 

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Use Code  LJNYTHUS  For a 10% DISCOUNT

 

QUESTIONS?  JOELLE@LUJONGNEWYORK.COM

Finding Balance When Times Feel Rocky

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The Year of the Fire Rooster launched at full speed and most people forgot to fasten their seat belts!
The ability to create stability in the midst of chaos is increasingly more and more essential to your health – both inside and out.

One of the main benefits of Lu Jong training is precisely this ability to recalibrate the subtle inner energy (lung, chi, prana) thus fortifying the ability to ‘ride the waves’ from a place of grounded power.

When you restore inner balance you generate a sense of calm focus in addition to gently working your body.

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Wouldn’t it make sense to invest in your wellbeing by exploring what Lu Jong can do for YOU?

Questions? Joelle@LuJongNewYork.com

ALSO … Check out this clip on my teacher, Tibetan Buddhist Tantrayana master, Tulku Lobsang, on Nat Geo’s TV series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman demonstrating the Tibetan practice of Tummo.

Tulku Lobsang will offer an opportunity to study this practice with him when he visits North America in October, 2017!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/videos/is-god-inside-us/embed/

Posture & Meditation

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The basic method for taming our hyperactive mind is to bring our awareness to the body and breath. When we do this, we notice that the state of our body and breathing affect our mental state and that our mental state affects our body and breathing.

This is why posture is important in meditation.

The seven point meditation posture, also known as the Seven Points of Vairocana, is commonly practiced to achieve balance in mind and body through the sitting posture. If the position of the body is correct, it will calm an agitated mind, cheer up an unhappy mind, and produce clarity in an overwhelmed mind.

– The First of the seven points of posture is to sit down, to sit on some kind of cushion. If you are flexible, you can sit in the vajra posture, which is usually known in the West as the lotus posture. But if you’re not that flexible, or you find this posture uncomfortable, or you can’t sit cross-legged at all, and you need to sit in a chair, don’t worry about it. Don’t feel that it will harm or inhibit your meditation to sit in a chair.

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– The Second point is to place your hands evenly. This is referring to the left hand being placed palm up in your lap and the right hand is placed palm up in the left. But it can also be understood as keeping our hands at the same height, such as placing them on your knees.

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– The Third point of posture is that your spine be straight. This is quite important because by keeping our back straight, we straighten out the subtle channels within our body through which our subtle winds or energies flow. This will allow our mind to relax naturally and become calm.

– The Fourth point is that the shoulders be pushed back a little bit. Here the shoulders are really just an example. It means that all parts of our body are held in a proper and wakeful posture, so that they are relaxed, but not so relaxed that the posture becomes sloppy.

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– The Fifth point is that your chin is brought back in and down. This should happen naturally by straightening your back.

– The Sixth is to touch your tongue to the palate.

– The Seventh and final point of posture is the gaze, which is what we do with our eyes. This is important because our thoughts tend to follow our gaze, or our eyes. We should be relaxed looking into space, at nothing in particular, somewhere about 16 fingers width in front of the nose.meditation-posture-drawing

Although it may be hard for beginners to get used to this classical Buddhist meditation posture, the rewards of a few sessions help the mind find peace, strength and control. It also benefits the physical body by bringing its energies into balance.

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HEALTH, HAPPINESS & GIFTS … OH MY!

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The stream of ‘Seasonal Sales’ and ‘Huge Discounts’ began shortly after Halloween… An endless assault of emails and special opportunities to purchase at BIG savings.

 
I have nothing quite that flashy except an invitation to experience what I teach at some very affordable prices. Click HERE to ponder the possibilities!

Healing is the journey. The destination is yourself.

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TIBETAN MEDICINE ~ A Lu Jong New York Learning Series – Part 3

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CONTINUING with our exploration of Tibetan Medicine …

When I teach LU JONG I explain the practice has its origins in the merging of three sources of wisdom: Tibetan Medicine, Bon, and Tibetan Buddhism.
I get many questions about Tibetan Medicine so why not, in the spirit of ‘Back to School’, take a brief look at what some of this is all about?

***Before we proceed any further I would like to clarify that I am NOT a doctor of Tibetan Medicine, nor do I diagnose and/or treat people in this area of expertise.My knowledge comes from what I have learned from my teacher and Root Lama, the venerable Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche, who IS a doctor of Tibetan Medicine in addition to being a high Tantrayana Buddhist master.

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THE THREE HUMORS (INTRO)

 
Having briefly touched upon how the Mind is the ‘behind the scenes’ power for the Body to exist, we move into the realm of the Three Humors as they are the basis of the theory and practice of Tibetan Medicine.

 
The humors are the vital substances of the body responsible for all bodily functions. They rule physiology, anatomy and morphology, regulate the functioning of the body, its organs, the brain, nerves, bones, blood circulation, lymphatic systems, digestion etc. The three humors also produce the temperament and quality of a person’s body and mind. In effect, they weave together the physical and subtle levels of the Body.

 

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The Three HumorsLung (Wind), Tripa (Bile) and Beken (Phlegm) carry both subtle and physical energies in and out of the body from birth to the end of life. They are also inherently delicate by nature and thus can easily become unbalanced. All diseases are described in terms of an imbalance of one or more of the humors.

Since the three humors are an integral part of our bodies, in Tibetan Medicine, it is said that we carry the seeds of disease within us. As soon as there is a cause and a condition, the unmanifested disease will become apparent.

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Taking this one step further … each humor is also linked to one of three mental poisons. When Tripa (Bile) is out of balance it causes anger, unbalanced Lung (Wind) causes attachment or grasping, and unbalanced Beken (Phlegm) creates delusion or ignorance. It is precisely this association that creates the link between imbalances of the mind/emotions and those of the body.

 
For example, if someone is always angry (bile), no matter what is done to treat the liver (gallbladder), if the anger is not addressed as well the liver will continue to ail. Healing the Body also means Healing the Mind.

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In sum … Balanced humors give positive health and harmony to the body/mind, and provide a good base for the development of the immune system. On the contrary, the loss of balance among the humors causes energy disharmony, either physical and/or mental disequilibrium, which may appear at any time and become the cause of diseases.

************* In the next installment we take a closer look at each of the three humors.

 

Love and Purpose

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Love, maitri, is a mind that is intent on bringing peace, joy, and happiness to others…
I love this thought by Thich Nhat Hanh.
This is my outlook for today (and every day thereafter.)
With the challenges of Yin Yoga teacher training safely behind me, and back in my ‘real world’ of motherhood, work, appointments, and deadlines, I am reminded yet again of what is really important and how easy it is to put into action.
Yes, of course I am thrilled to teach and to share my knowledge; but I am also happy to offer my presence, humility and love.  Mostly, I am quite happy to be a student of Life – with so many wonderful opportunities to grow, people to meet, and moments where I can be of service to others.
These past days I have made new connections and am reminded to cherish the ones I have.  My blessings are many. I feel happy inside and out and greet today, and every day, with open heart.
Hello Monday!