Red Rubber Ball

One of my favorite meditative/mindful techniques I use, especially when I find myself getting bored or overly excited, is the Red Rubber Ball. I learned this from an Aikido-ka about 22 years ago and I love it.

All you have to do is imagine you have a red rubber ball in your hara. This is three inches below your navel and three inches in, approximately. If you find yourself bored or nervous, like what can happen to me, just bring your focus to the red rubber ball.

Sometimes I breath into it and when I inhale I make it expand and when I exhale I make it contract. Now, if you want you can use different colors. Sometimes for a cooling, calm feeling I will pick green or blue and breath into it or let its energy bath me in calmness.  You are only limited by your imagination.

Over the years I discovered I could also 'magnetize' the ball and make it attract a healing, insight into a problem or even money. However you picture magnetization, imagine it and see it attracting what you want and how great it feels! The feeling of the healing or insight or money already being here is very important. It is the attractor factor inside the ball.

Well, off for a week of vacation.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The Chickadee

This last Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to Ken Purdy Sensei. He is 75 years old and has been a practicing Aikido-ka for over 50 years. I have been told he earned his black belt from O'Sensei in Japan.  Purdy Sensei is a remarkable man. I have seen him in action, both as an observer and receiver of his technique. Awesome.

Well, he was telling me how his mother passed away last week and was still grieving a bit. Our conversation wandered into our fathers, their passing and our spiritual connections via spirit or timeless selves.  Purdy Sensei relayed his story about his grandfather, who was an avid hunter and loved chickadees.

After his grandfather's death, Purdy Sensei's father went hunting. While in the woods waiting, chickadees came to visit him and one even sat on the bill of his cap.  And for years, a chickadee would always accompany him on his hunting trips.  Cool story.

We are all connected, even when we leave this body, we can still communicate with loved ones on so many different levels. All things are possible.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen