Loving Kindness: Some Hair and Meditation

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair…” goes something like that of the fairy tale princess who was locked up in a castle tower and let her hair down for the prince to enter.   I could hear The Daddy saying, “Oh hell no if I’m gonna let some prince climb her hair to get to her room!”  Well that was 10 inches and 3 years ago.

For The Daughter’s 4th birthday, we agreed to chop her locks for Locks of Love and eliminate any possible future love affairs.  At that time she didn’t fully understand the meaning behind the donation except that she was going to give some kid who didn’t have hair some hair.   At least that’s what I thought she understood…

Fast forward 3 more years and 10 more inches and viola… Jazpunzel:

The Daughter still remembers the good deed she did and was very happy to do it again.  We look through Locks of Love’s website and browse through their gallery.  She was ready.  As I comb her long locks, we began to chat about Locks of Love and how they are going to use her hair to make a wig for some lucky kid.  The conversation diverted to her pondering about what her friends were going to think about her hair now.  “What do you mean?” I asked.  “Well… last year some kids would say that I had the longest hair in the class and some kids would ask why I always put my hair up and some would play with my pony tail and this year I definitely have the longest hair in my class,”  she said.  “How does that make you feel?” I asked?  “I don’t know… I don’t really care what they say,” she says and then goes on to ponder about, “I wonder what other kids say to the kid that is bald.”  “What do you think?” I asked.   “I bet they get teased a lot,” she says.   “You’re probably right,” I tell her.  “Well I hope my hair is going to make them feel beautiful so that they won’t care if people tease them ever again,” she says.   Can you guess how W I D E my heart was smiling?

Here we go… 10 inches.  Snip. Snip. Snip.

We are so blessed to have a girl with lovely locks… her hair when bunched together is more than 2 inches in diameter!  But we are more blessed to have a girl with lovely locks who understands with compassion!

Beat this Rapunzel!  30 inches total!  Love (and hair) is meant to be given away.

Jumping for JOY!

I can actually jump higher now that I’ve lost 30 inches of hair

Look at that bounce!  Shampoo commerical?

Love.  Laugther.  Joy.  Purely!

She wouldn’t want to be called a princess, but she’s my princess.

I’m the luckiest mom ever!

Meditation Days 6 and 7

A quick note that I haven’t stopped meditating yet… naturally days 6 and 7 have been focused on a loving kindness meditation.  Without getting too deep (save it for another post), loving kindness meditation helps sweeten habitual negative mind patterns and cultivating selfless and altruistic love.

The practice involves reflecting on 4 different people. Try this:

Begin in a comfortable seat.  Sit tall without strain or too much effort.  Close your eyes.  Take several deep breaths to create and clear your space.

Feel your heart beat and within that rhythm is a conversation.  What feelings emerge if your heart were to express any wishes it would have for you today, tomorrow, and any enduring time?  Wishes that are general enough to evoke feelings of warmth and comfort for yourself, for your friends, for your family, for anyone and everyone in general?  For example, “May I be free from anger.  May I be free from pain.  May I be free from sadness. May I be free from all suffering.  May I be healthy.  May I be strong.  May I be happy.  May I be really really happy. May I be at peace”

You can now put these feelings or wishes into a mantra (or phrases) and repeat them over and over several times.  Notice how you feel when you repeat these phrases?  Do you really want them for yourself?   When you’ve lost the moment, don’t worry too much and begin again.  Repeat these phrases until you can really rest your mind in the heart of these mantras.

Then call to mind someone who you care deeply about like a good friend, someone who inspires you, someone you love.  Bring their being into your presence by visualizing them and saying their name silently to your self.  Then repeat the mantras for them.  For example:  “May you be free from anger.  May you be free from pain.  May you be free from sadness.  May you be free from all suffering.  May you be healthy.  May you be strong.  May you be happy.  May you be really really happy.  May you be at peace.”  Repeat until you can rest your mind in these words.

Then call to mind someone who you don’t have any strong feelings for or against.  A neutral person is someone you might see regularly like the person who checks you out at the grocery store, the school crossing guard, etc.  Bring their being into your presence and repeat the phrases above to them.   Repeat until you feel you can rest your mind in the phrases.

Then call to mind someone who you are having difficulties with.  Bring their being into your presence and repeat the phrases above to them.   Repeat until you feel you can rest your mind in the phrases.

Then repeat the mantra for all beings everywhere.  For example:  “May all beings be well, may all beings be happy, may all beings be free from suffering.”

It’s also appropriate to repeat the mantra for all animals everywhere.

After you do this, bring the awareness back to yourself.  Your heart center.  Feel the pulse of the heart beat and any feelings attached to it.  Imagine your love radiating from your heart.

Then simply let go of your act of wishing others well and notice your breath.

Sit until you are ready to open your eyes and end your meditation by actually bringing this loving kindness into the world.

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