YOGA by Brittney

Let me preface this by saying I love Jesus. I believe he incarnated and died for our sake. You can say I'm a Christian, after all, I have been baptized, commune and have been through Lutheran Confirmation. However, my beliefs and spiritual experience is to wide and deep to be confined to any box that is religion. I am currently enrolled in a free course at Princeton University called, "Buddhism and Modern Psychology." What follows is my mid-term assignment: The Buddha makes the claim, which may draw some support from modern psychology, that the self does not exist. Describe the self that the Buddha says does not exist and explain the Buddha's principal argument against it. Do you agree or disagree with the Buddha’s argument that this kind of self doesn’t exist? Or are you unable to take a position? Give two specific reasons for your view, and explain why your reasons support either the existence of the self or the non-existence of the self, or why they explain w...

It would be really nice to have a glass of wine with dinner. I miss having cocktails with friends, and holidays, like Halloween, make me miss letting loose and "having fun." Those are no longer privileges of mine though, unfortunately. You see, I am bodily and mentally different from others. I have a genetic predisposition (nature), plus my environment throughout life has contributed (nurture) - whatever, it's who I am.  I respond to alcohol different from my fellows; I'm essentially allergic, except instead of it being like an allergy to strawberries, for instance, I'm judged harshly for it - and it can wreck havoc on not only my life, but my families as well when/if I choose to consume it. Also - I have a mind that prioritizes alcohol over basic living needs for survival, and a body that craves it. Do people who are allergic to strawberries have strong cravings and a mental obsession for them? I'm not sure, but I doubt when people who are allergic to stra...

Look to this day,  For it is life,  The very life of life.  In its brief course lie all The realities and verities of existence,  The bliss of growth,  The splendor of action,  The glory of power -  For yesterday is but a dream,  And tomorrow is only a vision,  But today, well lived,  Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness  And every tomorrow a vision of hope.  Look well, therefore, to this day.  Sanskrit proverb by Kalidasa Fifth century A.D.  I found this beautiful sanskrit teaching within the first few pages of some of my AA literature. Sanskrit is a rich, ancient, Indic language used in yoga to define the asanas (poses). The Hindu scriptures are written in sanskrit.  There are no accidents or coincidences in my life. I love yoga and 12 step programs because both are spiritual ways of life, but neither are religions. Both encompass religious teachings and yet neither impose.  ...